Chapter 1001 – Already Riding The Tiger’s Back
The next day…
Vesta’s eyes widened in shock when she saw the dozens of portals that William had summoned in order to help the One-horned Clan migrate inside his Thousand Beast Domain.
Polox had gotten the opportunity to enter it a few days ago, when he had become William’s vassal. This was why he was very excited to have his entire clan migrate.
Unlike Vesta, Kira and Athrun looked at this scene with calm expressions on their faces. After signing the contract with William, the Half-Elf came clean and told him his real identity which shocked them to the bone.
Even after half a day had passed, their shock had still not waned, so when they saw the massive portals that allowed the One-horned Clan to migrate, they weren’t in the right state of mind to be impressed by it.
As Demons, they had been told stories since they were young about the Dungeon Conqueror who was their mortal enemy. Even after several years had passed, this message was passed on to every generation to ensure that they would grow up knowing who their greatest enemy was.
When the Half-Elf removed his disguise and showed them his true form, both Kira’s and Athrun’s first reaction was to scramble away from him.
This move of theirs made Vesta roar in laughter because of how comedic they looked. The red-headed teenager didn’t make any moves and simply looked at the two of them with a calm expression on his face.
After letting them know his true identity, the Half-Elf told them that he would give both of them until noon the next day to think about whether they would continue to accompany him or not. If they decided to part ways with him, all of their memories about him would disappear, returning them to a clean state.
That way, even if they were interrogated they would not be able to say anything. This was Wiliam’s way of protecting them and himself from the repercussions that would come if his identity were to be exposed to the public.
“Have you two thought about what you are going to do?” Vesta asked after she had regained her composure. “We will be leaving soon, so it is best that you make your decision now.”
Kira, who had a stubborn and straightforward personality, looked at her with a complicated expression on his face.
“You knew about his identity beforehand?” Kira asked.
Vesta nodded. “Of course. Do you think my father is blind? He knew who he was the moment he entered our Fortress City.”
“If your father already knew then why didn’t he do anything about it?” Athrun asked. “He is the son of his mortal enemy. Why didn’t he arrest him back in Amberfang?”
Vesta crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed the two Demons in front of her.
“Back then, my father thought that it would be best to let him pass unhindered out of the Fortress,” Vesta replied. “Wi… Raymond’s purpose here is to see his Master, and take her back to the Central Continent. Because of this reason, my father didn’t think it was worth it to apprehend him.”
“Are you mad that you’ve continued to let the son of the Dungeon Conqueror roam free through our lands?” Kira asked in disbelief. “You already saw what he was capable of. Do you think that letting him continue to travel through our domain is a good idea?”
Athrun remained silent on the side because, unlike Kira, he believed that the Demigod of the South had his reasons for letting William enter their lands.
Vesta smiled. “Yes. I had the same reaction as you, Kira. I thought my father was mad when he allowed him to leave our fortress unharmed. However, after seeing what happened between the One-horned Clan and the Greenskin Clan, I think that it would be best to observe him and truly understand what his goals are.”
Kira clenched his fist. Although he wasn’t as smart as Athrun, he also understood that William took a great risk in telling them his true identity. This was an unprecedented sign of trust, that the Half-Elf had risked in order to give them a chance to leave his side.
When he parted ways with William the night before, he had contemplated what he would have done if he was in the Half-Elf’s position and felt ashamed.
Just the thought of Athrun and William calling him Bro and Big Brother, made him want to smack both of them silly. For a brief moment, he understood what the red-headed teenager was trying to tell them.
The Half-Elf didn’t want the two of them to follow him blindly, only to be betrayed at the last moment. Kira was certain that if his respect and admiration for William grew to a higher level, the backlash of the betrayal would leave him damaged beyond repair.
It was then that Kira understood why William made them sign the contract to have their memories erased if they chose to part ways with him. This way, they wouldn’t be burdened by the revelation they had been given.
In the end, Kira only breathed out a loud, and deep sigh as he scratched his head furiously, while trying to understand his real feelings.
Athrun had a wry smile on his face as he shifted his attention back to the migration that was taking place. He assumed that it would take a little more than fifteen minutes before all the members of the One-Horned Clan were safely inside WIlliam’s domain.
That is also the amount of time left before the two of them needed to tell the Half-Elf their decision—if they would continue to follow him, or part ways with him forever.
Vesta no longer bothered the two Demons who were deep in thought. Right now, she was very tempted to sneak inside one of the portals to see what the black-haired teenager’s Domain was like.
She had heard about portable Domains from her father in the past, but Joash said that they were very rare and very hard to maintain. Even a Demigod like her father didn’t own one, so that proved that not everyone could have a Domain of their own that they could take anywhere they went.
A few minutes later, the migration ended and all the portals disappeared completely. Vesta had managed to convince William to allow her to enter his Domain because of various reasons, which made the Half-Elf chuckle with amusement.
Vesta pointed out that this was the least that William could do for dragging her into this territorial dispute, so the Half-Elf decided to let her have her wish.
Actually, this was also part of William’s plan in order to get Vesta to take his side completely. He had arranged a powerful line up of Earth snacks, and desserts that would get the green-haired beauty addicted.
As a final push, he also asked Chiffon to take Vesta to the theme park and let her try out the different rides. William was sure that at the end of the day, the daughter of the Demigod would be unable to leave his side due to the luxuries that only he could provide her.
‘Hmp, you thought that you could one-up me, Joash?’ William chuckled internally. ‘I now have a hostage in my hands. If you do something funny, I’ll let your precious daughter understand what it means to go against me!’
Those were William’s thoughts as he watched the curious Vesta enter one of the portals that led to his Domain. Optimus was monitoring her vital signs and making sure that she wouldn’t do anything funny while she explored the world that she had never seen before.
After making sure that no one was left behind, William flew towards Kira and Athrun who were standing on the balcony of the Patriarch’s main residence.
The Half-Elf didn’t bother to take the crude city inside his Thousand Beast Domain because the Deadlands would be more amazing after it was properly rebuilt. This was one of the reasons why he asked the Clans to migrate.
With that amount of free manpower to help him fix the dilapidated city, it would only be a matter of time before he could enjoy Earth’s specialities within the comforts of his own Domain.
“Have the two of you decided?” William asked as he landed a few meters away from the two Demons who were looking at him with complicated expressions.
“Before I answer, can I ask a question first?” Kira asked.
William smiled before nodding his head. “Sure. I don’t mind.”
“Tell me, do you plan to conquer the Demon Lands in the future?” Kira asked. This was something that had been troubling him ever since he saw William’s display of absolute power a few days ago.
He hadn’t seen how Demigods fight, so he had no idea how strong they were. However, when he saw William on that day, a brand new world had opened up to him. The young geniuses and prodigies he had known in the past couldn’t even compare to the black-haired teenager that was standing in front of them.
It was then that Kira realized that he was still a frog in the well who didn’t understand how the world worked. With such a powerful being wielding that gigantic golden staff in his hand, he wondered if there was any creature in existence that could beat William in a one-on-one battle.
“I don’t think he is that interested in building a faction here in the Demon Realm,” Athrun who had remained silent beside Kira spoke out his mind. “Also, he was the one that conquered the 51st Floor of the Tower of Babylon not long ago. He has his own territory to manage, as well as this Domain that he carries with him. I don’t think that he would have any interest in dabbling in Demon Politics.”
William smiled before nodding his head. “You’re right. I don’t have any intention to dabble in Demon Politics. It is not my style to settle down in the Demon Continent and expand my territory. Make no mistake, I only came here for my Master. After my duty here is done, I will take my leave. Perhaps, we won’t even see each other again once I’ve returned to the Central Continent.”
After hearing William’s answer, Kira gulped before he asked his second question, which had been nagging his mind since he became aware of the Half-Elf’s identity.
“I know your father is the Dungeon Conqueror, and I understand that there can only be one person to have this profession at a time.” Kira stared at William long and hard as he gathered up his courage to ask him the question that mattered the most to him. “Are you perhaps his successor? Are you… the new Dungeon Conqueror?”
William gave an amused look before nodding his head.
“Yes. I am the Dungeon Conqueror of this generation,” William replied. “So, have the two of you made your decision?”
Kira and Athrun exchanged a glance before nodding their heads.
Both of them thought that since they were already riding the tiger’s back, they might as well ride it all the way.
