After the light receded, William found himself standing at the entrance of the Seventh Sanctum.
He didn’t know how he appeared here, but he had no complaints. After bidding his final farewell to Belle, William was forcefully ejected from Earth and reappeared in Hestia.
Their final moments together had been bittersweet, but still better than the first time they parted from each other.
After making sure that the coast was clear, he summoned the people that had been stuck inside his Thousand Beast Domain during his stay on Earth.
Chiffon, Lilith, Aldric (Diabolical Hell Ape), Chloee, Elliot, and Connan, appeared beside him.
“Aldric, sorry but I can no longer accompany you inside the Seventh Sanctum to look for the method that will help you turn into a human,” William said. “I need to return to the academy and deal with important matters.”
Aldric nodded his head in understanding. “It’s fine. I have long heard about Hestia Academy. Perhaps, the Headmaster there can help me with my problem. Do you mind if I accompany you back to the academy?”
“I don’t mind,” William replied. “How about you, Sixth Master?”
Chloee, who had stayed inside the Thousand Beast Domain to explore the Dungeon of Atlantis along with Elliot and Conan, crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’ll accompany you,” Chloee said. “The Headmaster might not give me my pay if I return to the academy alone.”
William smiled because he was touched when he found out that Chloee had come to the Forbidden Grounds just to find him. Because of this, he made sure to tell Charmaine to give the little fairy any food that she wanted to eat.
“Are we heading straight to the academy?” Chiffon asked as she held William’s hand.
William shook his head. “There’s no rush. We promised Haleth to visit her after we leave the Forbidden Grounds. Let’s take a short break in the Port City of Alabaster first.”
—–
Port City of Alabaster…
“This is the second time Hestia Academy has sent someone to ask if William appeared in the city.” Haleth sighed as she gave a report to his commander, White Fang. “I asked some of our men to send them to one of the popular inns in the city. They will stay there and wait for any news regarding William.”
White Fang pressed his hands together as he eyed his Vice Commander with a serious expression on his face.
“Between the two of us, what are the chances of William leaving the Forbidden Ground alive?” White Fang asked.
“I believe in him,” Haleth replied. “He will definitely return safely.”
White Fang nodded his head. Just like Haleth, he had a feeling that Wiliam could safely return from the Forbidden Ground that had claimed the countless lives of the people who had dared to venture inside its depths.
Just as the two of them were about to talk about other topics, a soldier burst inside the room with an excited expression on his face.
“Sir! He’s returned!” the soldier shouted.
“Calm down,” White Fang ordered. “Didn’t I tell all of you to properly knock on the door first before entering? So, who returned?”
“Him!” the soldier replied.
“Who?” Haleth frowned.
“He returned!”
“If you don’t start talking about things that make sense I’m gonna clobber you.”
The soldier finally realized his mistake and hurriedly corrected his manner of speaking. “Sir William Von Ainsworth has been spotted at the gates of the city. I think he heading straight to our headquar–”
The soldier hadn’t even finished with what he had to say when Haleth dashed out of the room and ran down the hallway.
White Fang, who saw this scene, chuckled because he knew that his Vice-Commander had a huge crush on the Half-Elf who had become the idol of all the Half-Elves in the world.
As the highest commanding Half-Elf in the City of Alabaster, Haleth had long wished for a safe haven where their race wouldn’t be prosecuted. She believed that only William had the ability to make this wish of hers a reality, so she was very worried when the Half-Elf entered the Forbidden Ground after leaving the City of Alabaster.
The moment she exited the Headquarters of the Army, she saw Williams’ entourage enter the barracks.
Haleth hurriedly ran in William’s direction and gave him a big hug, which surprised not only the soldiers who were present at the scene, but also Chiffon and Lilith who had interacted with the blonde-haired Half-Elf in the past.
“Thank the Gods you’re safe!” Haleth said as she hugged William tightly. “I was so worried about you!”
The red-headed teenager lightly patted Haleth’s back in order to assure her that he was fine. As a Half-Elf, William had a good impression of the Vice Commander of the Port City because both of them were of the same race.
“Sorry for making you worry,” William replied. “Actually, the reason why we returned here is to take a break for a few days before we journey back to Hestia Academy. I didn’t know that I caused you and Commander White Fang a lot of trouble.”
Haleth was finally able to regain her composure after hearing William’s words. She then took a step back and eyed him with a flushed expression on her face.
“How long will all of you be staying here?” Haleth asked. “There are several people from the academy here in the city who are waiting for news about you. Sorry, but according to protocol, we need to inform them about your arrival.”
“I don’t mind. Please, put their minds at ease by telling them that I am safe and sound.”
“Understood. Thank you for your cooperation.”
After sending one of the guards to inform the envoys from Hestia Academy, Haleth escorted William inside their headquarters so he could talk with their Commander, White Fang, about the things he saw inside the Forbidden Ground.
White Fang and Haleth listened to William’s story with grim expressions on their faces. They had known that going to the Forbidden Ground and getting out alive was difficult, but after hearing that it was infested with Myriad Beasts, both the Beastkin and the blonde Half-Elf found themselves at a loss for words.
On that day, the two High-Ranking Officers of the City of Alabaster finally understood that the word “difficult” was not an appropriate word to describe William’s story. Of course, the red-headed teenager didn’t mention anything about the Deadlands, or any other information that wasn’t part of the Forbidden Grounds.
Even so, White Fang and Haleth coined a new term for those who planned to go to the Seventh Sanctum and that word was none other than “suicidal”.
