“Please be careful, Big Brother,” Brianna said as she hugged William. “If you need a safe place to stay, you can always come back here in the Kyrintor Mountains. I will welcome you with open arms.”
William patted Brianna’s head with a smile. He also felt reluctant to leave the adorable loli behind, but he couldn’t stay with the Northern Tribes. There were still many things he had to do and people to protect.
Besides, hiding would not change anything.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” William replied as he assured Brianna. “Make sure to follow your Sovereign’s Decree. Also, look after your people. They need you right now.”
William then shifted his attention to the Youngest Prince of the Hellan Kingdom who was a few meters away from them.
“Prince Ernest, stay here in the Kyrintor Mountains,” William stated. “I already told you about the state of affairs in the capital. Going back will only endanger your life. Until the curse has been lifted, you are to stay here with the Northern Tribes. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Prince Ernest replied.
The Young Prince also understood that he couldn’t do anything for the Kingdom at this point in time. His brothers had already aligned themselves with The Organization which was [an act of] treason.
Although he didn’t have a bad relationship with his elder brother, the Crown Prince, he still couldn’t accept the fact that Prince Lionel had betrayed his own Kingdom. This was something Ernest couldn’t forgive.
Seeing that his message had been taken seriously by the Prince, William patted Brianna’s head one last time.
“It’s time for me to go,” William said softly.
Brianna nodded and reluctantly let go of William. The Half Elf planted a kiss on her forehead before going towards the flying carriage which would take him back to Lont. He didn’t look back, because she didn’t want to see Brianna’s sad expression.
Although they were not related by blood, he had long thought of her as his little sister. He didn’t want Brianna to take part in this battle that would stain her hands with blood.
After entering the carriage, Dave and Lionheart prepared for takeoff.
Conrad, who had also been summoned to the Kyrintor Mountains, soared into the sky with his Wyvern to serve as an escort. Moments later, The Gryphon took off, pulling the flying carriage behind it.
Brianna looked at the flying carriage that was slowly going farther away from the North, with a sad expression. She then felt a warm and small hand hold hers in a firm grip.
“Although Sir William makes me jealous, I believe in him,” Prince Ernest said with a serious expression.
“Why do you believe in him?” Brianna asked. She looked at the Young Prince beside her with expectations.
Prince Ernest smiled, “Because he is someone that my father has chosen. Also, he is the person that my Big Sister has chosen.”
Brianna nodded because she also believed in William. She only wished that the red-headed boy wouldn’t come to any harm when he took part in this war that would change the Fate of the entire Southern Continent.
—–
Inside the flying carriage, William and Ashe had entered his Sea of Consciousness in order to allow the mermaid to make a detailed diagnosis of his body. The fight inside Avalon was quite intense and Ashe was worried that there had been some damage made to her lover’s Spiritual World.
“Everything is fine,” Ashe said after her inspection. “Your Spiritual World is still in a state of recovery. At most, it will take two to three months before it regains stability.”
She was holding William in an embrace and the latter’s head was resting over her chest.
“I told you that I’m fine,” William replied while keeping his eyes closed. “You just won’t believe me.”
Ashe sighed as she placed her hand over the jewel on William’s chest, “Of course I was worried. You were casting spell after spell without pause. Now, don’t talk. I will start to transfer Spirit energy to your soul.”
The gem on her own chest glowed and synchronized with the gem that was also glowing in William’s chest. Soon, the two gems pulsed in a steady rhythm like the beating of a heart.
William was still tired from the recent battle, so he immediately fell asleep due to the comfortable sensation that was flowing inside his body.
It would take them at least two days to reach Lont where he would reunite with Matthew and Leah. He also needed to consult with Vlad to see if he would be willing to extend his hand to help William take care of the foreign invaders in their home turf.
Takam had already warned William that Vlad was someone who didn’t want to meddle in the affairs of mortal men. However, there was still a chance to gain his assistance, so it was worth a shot.
Having a Demigod on their side would drastically increase their chances of winning. William just hoped that the Demigod of the Strathmore Forest would be in a good mood when he asked for his assistance.
—–
Conner traveled day and night to reach the site of the Hidden Valley. He couldn’t believe that the Domain he had been looking for had vanished without a trace. The subordinates that were left behind were missing as well. No matter what he did, he was unable to contact any of them.
The Domain was very important to him, so he set aside the pressing matters of the Kingdom and left it to his subordinates to handle.
‘Just where did it go?’ Conner thought as he surveyed the vast pit that had once housed the Hidden Valley. He couldn’t think of anyone, or anything, that had the ability to make the valley disappear from the face of the Earth.
Calum and the rest of his subordinates had explored the surroundings and even explored the pit in order to find any clues that they could use to locate the valley that they were looking for. Unfortunately, their efforts didn’t bear any fruit.
This piece of bad news made Conner very angry and helpless at the same time. He had spent a vast amount of time and resources in order to find the Undying Lands. He even had to instigate a war in order to ensure that none of the strong individuals in the continent would get in his way, so that he could explore the Domain’s secret without any interference.
The loss of the Domain that held the secrets of immortality gave him a blow that he couldn’t swallow and accept.
“Search the nearby towns and villages for clues,” Conner ordered. “I will return to the capital and send more men to join you in this endeavor. All of you are not going to rest unless you have covered every inch of the Hellan Kingdom. Find the valley and find the monument! This mission takes precedence above all!”
The members of The Organization nodded and split into teams to investigate the nearby towns and villages. The members that had accompanied Conner from the capital had also been split to accompany these groups of investigators.
Conner remained even after his subordinates had left his position. He stared at the pit with a serious expression as if he was using his willpower to summon the valley back to its original position.
“So this is what you’ve been up to, Conner.”
“That’s one big pit. Are you trying to build an artificial lake? You sure have a unique taste.”
Two teasing voices said from behind Conner.
The leader of The Organization in the Southern Continent snorted and turned to look at the two uninvited guests that had come to ridicule him.
An Elf and a Middle-aged man, who seemed like veteran warriors, openly sneered at Conner. They were the two leaders of The Organization who were stationed in the Silvermoon Continent and the Kraetor Empire.
Naturally, they didn’t like Conner and were more than happy to make things difficult for him.
“Did the two of you come here to kill me?” Conner replied. “Or did you two foolishly come here to be killed by me?”
Conner held the handle of his short sword by his waist as he eyed his comrades in contempt. All of them were leaders of The Organization in their respective domains, but they didn’t really get along with each other. More than anything, they were rivals, even enemies to a certain extent.
They all listened to the Supreme Pontifex and adhered to his orders at all times, but that didn’t mean that the Branch Leader of each organization had to give each other face.
“The two of you came at the right time,” Conner said as he pulled out the sword by his waist. “I’ve been in a very bad mood as of late, and I need to find an outlet to release some stress… why don’t the three of us spar for a while?”
