“Head Prefect Est is gathering volunteers to evacuate the survivors on the outskirts of the Kingdom?” Spencer raised his head after reading the scroll that Dave had personally handed to him.
Dave nodded his head. “Right now, we are gathering volunteers from all over the Kingdom to bring the less fortunate survivors to the capital. Of course, we understand that you are busy with managing your own Duchy right now, so we will not force you to help us.”
Before Spencer could answer, the door of Spencer’s office burst open as Wendy stormed in with an excited expression on her face.
“Is it true?! Will has regained consciousness?!” Wendy walked straight towards Dave to demand an answer.
She had always been thinking about her boyfriend ever since she left William to head to the frontlines to protect their Kingdom. Wendy had wanted to see him after she returned to the Academy from the Ravenlord Fortress, but William was no longer there.
She felt sad when she learned that Ashe had taken him to the Northern Regions while the war was underway. Ashe had left a letter in the room they used in the academy just in case someone were to go there to try and see them while they were away.
Because of the urgency of the situation, Wendy and Spencer returned to their Duchy to supervise the rescue efforts for the survivors in their territory. Now that she knew that William was already awake, she wanted to be by his side as soon as possible.
“Yes. The Commander is now awake, but he is not in the capital,” Dave replied. “Unfortunately, the Commander has left the capital only leaving a letter behind.”
Dave explained the contents of the letter after Est angrily threw it on the floor after reading it.
On that day, Est wanted to strangle the Half-Elf that had dumped all of the responsibilities onto him. If not for the fact that William had given him a valid reason for doing so, Est might have left the capital to hunt down the red-headed boy with a vengeance.
In William’s letter, he had mentioned that he would be traveling the Hellan Kingdom, looking for strong allies to help them in their cause. William added that even with the forces they currently had, they would immediately be crushed by the Elven Army who was busy consolidating their forces in the nearby Zelan Dynasty.
Because of this, Est reluctantly accepted his role as the temporary leader of the Kingdom, assisted by the Son of the Prime Minister, Brendan.
Wendy sighed in disappointment because she had missed the chance to reunite with her handsome boyfriend. She felt a little envious of Ian because he was always by his side. However, she also understood that this was for the best.
“He just woke up and he’s pushing himself once again,” Wendy muttered softly as she placed her hand over her chest. “I just hope that he takes better care of himself. I’ll make sure to pamper him the next time we meet.”
Spencer and Dave looked at the lovestruck lady who was already thinking of the Handsome Half-Elf who was currently headed to the North.
As Wendy’s older twin brother, Spencer had developed a dislike for his Knight Commander. This was because he was very overprotective of her and didn’t want her to hang around with dangerous people who might bring her harm.
William was the very definition of someone who liked to court danger. For Spencer, this was someone that shouldn’t be connected to their family, especially his twin sister who was currently pining for the Half-Elf whose current whereabouts were unknown.
Dave, on the other hand, already knew that Wendy and William were in a relationship, so he didn’t think her actions were out of the norm. In fact, he was very jealous of William because a strong, and beautiful, girl like Wendy was head over heels for him.
He hoped that he would also find the love of his life, if he survived the war.
“Tell Head Prefect Est that we will send a few knights in training to the capital to assist in the rescue operation,” Spencer said. “I apologize in advance if their numbers are low. We are currently short in manpower.”
“Big Brother how about…”
“No. You’re staying here.”
Wendy pouted, but didn’t insist on leaving with Dave to the capital. She knew that their own Duchy still had many problems and leaving her Big Brother behind would only increase his burden even more.
In the end, she could only sigh in her heart. However, before Dave left the Armstrong Duchy, Wendy had given him a handwritten letter to be passed to William.
Dave promised that he would hand the letter to their Knight Commander as soon as they met each other. He still had many others to visit, so he didn’t stay to enjoy Spencer’s hospitality. Time was of the essence and many children were starving in places that were far beyond their reach.
—–
“So, are you in, or are you out?” William asked.
After arriving in the North, he asked the System to find the whereabouts of the Titanic Green-Scaled Trollhound that he had banished from the Barony of Brandford.
“Are you telling the truth?” the Titanic Trollhound growled as it looked down on William.
“Of course. I wouldn’t waste my time trying to find you otherwise.”
“… I still don’t trust you.”
William crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed at the towering Trollhound who was looking down on him.
“Then tell me, what should I do for you to believe me?” William asked.
The Titanic Trollhound pondered for a bit before answering William’s question. Truth be told, it didn’t trust Humans because the ones that had made it suffer were Humans. Although the one it was talking to was a Half-Elf, it was still wary of William’s character.
“I have heard from the Humans that the people of the Kyrintor Mountains have a Demigod watching over them,” the Titanic Trollhound replied. “I don’t trust you, but I am willing to believe in a Demigod. If he says that you can be trusted then I will come with you.”
“That’s it?” William raised an eyebrow. “If you get to talk with the Demigod then you will join me in the battle against The Organization?”
“Yes.”
“Do I have your word?”
“Yes.” The Titanic Trollhound nodded. “If the Demigod can vouch for you then I will fight with you against The Organization. Bear in mind that I won’t become your subordinate. I don’t want to serve anyone again. After The Organization has been dealt with, we will part ways.”
William was half tempted to use one of his Pocket Cubes to capture the stubborn Titanic Trollhound, but in the end he didn’t do it. Forcing it to become his subordinate would leave a bitter aftertaste, so he agreed with its proposal to only join him to fight against The Organization.
‘It’s a shame that I can’t count on it against the Elves, but this is also a good compromise,’ William thought. “Very well, let’s go. Let’s go meet the Demigod of the Kyrintor Mountains. That way, you will know that I am not lying.”
The Titanic Trollhound nodded. The members of its pack also had a vendetta against their captors, so they were itching to pay them back. All of them followed William as they made their way towards the First Peak of the Kyrintor Mountains where Takam was already waiting for their arrival.
