As the Flying Ship got nearer the capital city of Edelweiss, Shana thought of something funny.
“Ephemera, if this was like those telenovelas I watched a few days ago, you would undoubtedly be a secret Princess of Edelweiss, right?” Shana inquired. “Do you remember that T.V Show called, The Kingdom? That one has a very deep plot, don’t you think?”
“Your imagination sure is something,” Ephemera smirked after hearing Shana’s words. “I am not a Princess of Edelweiss, but it is true that I am their distant cousin.”
“Oh, so does that mean that if the members of the Royal Family were wiped out, you and your family could legitimately claim the throne?” Invidia, who had taught Shana the wonders of Fashion, commented from the side.
The corner of Ephemera’s lips twitched because he didn’t know if she should laugh or cry at Invidia’s comment.
“Please, don’t kill them off. I am happy with my current life, thank you.”
“Mmm. It must be nice being embraced by the person you tried to kill in the past. You sure have grown a lot, Ephemera.”
“Thank you, Invidia. Remind me to not lend you any Merit Points later to help you buy the clothes you had your eyes on.”
Invidia giggled before giving Ephemera a hug.
“Don’t be like that, sweety,” Invidia stated. “Come, transfer some of the Merit Points that you gained from milking William last night. I promise to put them to good use.”
“As if!” Ephemera tried to push away the shameless leech who planned to take her Merit Points. “Those who don’t work, don’t eat. If you want merit points so badly, let Will eat you first.”
“Um, but he always eats me, you know? I supply him with blood on a regular basis.”
“That’s not the kind of eating I am talking about.”
The members of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues had long gotten over their differences, and were now talking to each other like they were the best of friends.
Since Lira, Ephemera, Melody, and to a certain extent, Shana, were now William’s women, it was only natural that all of them would get along with the rest of the Half-Elf’s lovers. In fact, among the members of the Heavenly Virtues, it was only Audrey, Celeste, and Cherry, who were still not part of his harem.
Cherry was still young, so it was understandable. As for Audrey, her sisters were slowly preparing her to warm William’s bed using subtle ways that would make it so she would be unable to escape the moment she fell into their trap.
Celeste, on the other hand, was a special case.
As the Virtue of Chastity, she couldn’t lose her maidenhood because she would also lose her Divinity if William took it from her. She was also William’s “Bride of Darkness”, which everyone thought was funny.
Wouldn’t the groom be pitiful if he couldn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night?
For the most part, Celeste kept to her own business, and never made contact with William until it was absolutely necessary.
Knowing that the war that would decide the Fate of the World was near, Celeste was busy doing research on how to tilt the tide of battle in their favor.
A few minutes later, the Flying Ship landed at the port of Nivale, which was the Capital City of the Kingdom of Edelweiss.
To William’s surprise, a red carpet was rolled out on the ground, giving them a grand welcome fit for members of the Royalty.
Well, technically, he was indeed Royalty since he was the Emperor of an Empire, but the Half-Elf would often forget this fact because he had never wanted to become one in the first place.
“Greetings, esteemed guests from far away,” one of the Ministers of the Kingdom greeted William as soon as he disembarked from the Flying Ship and stepped onto the red carpet. “My name is Augustus Simmons, one of the Ministers of this Kingdom, and I have come on behalf of his Majesty to greet all of you, and escort you to the Royal Palace.”
Augustus gave the Half-Elf his most amiable smile as the latter walked up to him and shook his hands.
“Greetings, Sir Augustus,” William replied. “My name is William Von Ainsworth, and I am the Emperor of the Ainsworth Empire in the Central Continent. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Augustus, who didn’t expect that he was shaking hands with an Emperor, felt humbled because the red-headed teenager in front of him wasn’t acting like a Monarch, but a friendly teenager who was about to ask for her daughter’s hand in marriage.
“Your Majesty, it is my pleasure to meet you,” Augustus stated as he gave William a respectful bow. “Also, welcome Your Excellency Ifrit, Your Excellency Henkhisesu, Your Excellency Silenus. It is our great honor to have the three of you visit our humble Kingdom.”
“Stop with the flattery and just take out to see your King,” Ifrit replied in annoyance. “Don’t waste my time, okay?”
“What Ifrit said is correct,” Henkhisesu commented. “We didn’t come here for pleasure, but for business. So, make haste and lead the way.”
Silenus glanced at his two friends and shook his head helplessly.
“Forgive them, Mr. Augustus,” Silenus stated. “My friends are just grumpy because it has been a while since they last left their Domains. However, both of them are happy to be here. But, since I know that you don’t want to get into trouble, take us to see your King, so that you may be able to do your other duties.”
Augustus gave Silenus a respectful bow before making a gesture for everyone to follow him.
Several guards lined up on the red carpet and raised their swords in salute as William and his entourage walked past them.
Fortunately, the King of Edelweiss was also expecting some of the other King’s of the Gunnar Federation to visit, so the ceremonial guards, as well as the Red Carpet, had been prepared beforehand.
This was why, as soon as they were told that the Three Demigods of the Western Continent had come knocking on their doors, everyone scrambled to set up a proper welcome for their guests, so that they wouldn’t get annoyed and smash their city to a pulp.
“Sir Augustus, a few of my girls plan to go sightseeing in your beautiful city,” William said as he walked a few steps behind Augustus. “Would you mind asking someone to show them around?”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Augustus answered in a heartbeat. “I will ensure that your ladies will enjoy their stay here in the Capital.”
William nodded his head in satisfaction and wondered if Augustus had a younger, or older brother. He believed that if there was someone like him in the Ainsworth Empire, things would be a lot better, because he could tell how competent he was.
Soon, several flying carpets descended from the sky.
These would be the artifacts that Wiliam and his entourage would use to reach the Royal Palace where the King was waiting for their arrival.
Medusa, Erinys, and Cherry, who were being escorted by Titania, rode on a flying carpet, alongside the female guide who was tasked to operate it.
Augustus talked to the lady who was controlling the Magic Carpet and gave her explicit orders on what to do, which the latter took seriously as if her life depended on it.
“Bye, Will!” Erinys said as she waved her hand. “We’ll see you later.”
“Bye, bye, Master!” Medusa waved her hand as well.
“See you later, Master,” Titania said with a smile.
Cherry, who seemed to feel out of place, reluctantly waved her hand to William for a few seconds before stopping completely.
“Take care, and enjoy your sightseeing trip,” William replied as he waved back at the girls who were eager to start their exploration. “I’ll see you guys later.”
A minute later, a single Flying Carpet broke out of the formation as its operator took the girls to the major attractions of the City of Nivale, while the red-headed teenager’s delegation were taken to the Royal Palace in order to meet with the King.
Perhaps, knowing that the Demigods weren’t in the mood for a leisurely trip, the Flying Carpets didn’t make any detours and flew as fast as they could to the Palace.
From the sky, Will could already see several people waiting at the entrance of the Palace Gates, and one of them was even wearing a crown.
He was none other than Alexis Von Weiss, the current King of Edelweiss.
Ephemera had already told WIlliam everything she knew about the King, but seeing him personally made the Half-Elf remember his Grandpa, James, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.
Alexis wasn’t old. In fact, he was only in his early forties, and was still in the prime of his life. However, Ephemera warned him that underneath his benevolent exterior, was a sly fox, who would try to squeeze a person dry for what they were worth.
This was why the Half-Elf remembered his Grandpa, who liked to scam people.
Alexis was also the second King that William had met since his arrival in the Western Continent, and he wondered how he would react after he told him the reason for their visit.
