“William, we need to talk,” Oliver said as he sat on the branch of the Dragon Blood Tree.
William was crafting Healing Potions using the Yin Yang Cauldron, which also increased the level of his Alchemist Job Class. William wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he finished making the last batch of healing potions.
“Give me one more minute, Second Master,” William said as he cleaned the Yin Yang Cauldron. He used a water spray to rinse it out before using the Flames of Purification to dry it.
William looked at the Cauldron and nodded his head in approval. Although he couldn’t consider himself as a full-fledged Alchemist, the Yin Yang Cauldron had made alchemy very easy for him. All he needed to do was toss in the ingredients, control his Flames of Purification, and allow the Cauldron to do its magic.
After finishing his task, William returned the Cauldron to his storage ring and looked up at his Second Master, who was looking at him with a serious expression. The Half-Elf knew that whenever Oliver had this look on his face, he was about to tell him something very important.
“What do you want to talk about, Second Master?” William inquired as he leaned against the Dragon Blood Tree to rest.
Oliver cleared his throat as if he was thinking of the right way to initiate their conversation. Half a minute later, the Parrot Monkey sighed as he looked down on the boy who had closed his eyes to rest.
“It’s about the organization, Deus, that is responsible for casting the Continental Spell,” Oliver said. “My Mistress, Celine, is a member of their Organization.”
A minute of silence passed as Oliver waited for William’s reaction to his revelation. He knew that the boy was planning to have a head-on-collision with The Organization, so he decided to tell him that Celine was part of their group.
Finally, after several more minutes of silence, William opened his eyes.
“Second Master, did Master take part in the spell that turned Grandpa and the others into Crystal Statues?” William inquired.
William used a calm and neutral tone to ask this question. However, Oliver was able to feel the subtle rise in his voice as he said the last word.
“No,” Oliver answered firmly. “The Mistress didn’t participate in the Organization’s plan to turn everyone into Crystal Statues. In fact, she was the one that told your Grandpa and the others that The Organization was scheming something. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell her all of the details on the off chance that she might divulge the plan to others.”
William released a deep, long, sigh after hearing Oliver’s words. He felt relieved that Celine didn’t take part in the creation of the Continental Spell. The Half-Elf knew that he would find it hard to forgive Celine if she played a role in the spell that turned his loved ones into statues.
She still owed him a debt from when she turned him into her slave. A debt that he was planning to make her pay in the future. However, if Celine had taken part in the creation of the Continental Spell, he would break all ties with her and treat her as an enemy.
“Did Master tell you to tell me this? ?” William inquired.
Oliver shook his head. “I did this without consulting the Mistress. This was an independent action on my part.”
William closed his eyes as he organized his thoughts. His Master wasn’t someone who liked to make her thoughts known to him. Although he was still on the fence about her being a part of The Organization he was planning to fight, he knew that Celine would never do anything to hurt him.
William frowned as he pondered Oliver’s words.
‘All of the important adults know about her involvement with the organization, and Lont has used this to their advantage many times,’ Will thought as he rubbed his chin. ‘So there is tact silent approval? There must be more to this that I don’t know.’
A few more minutes passed in silence before William finally spoke out his mind.
“Second Master, can I believe you?”
“You can.”
“Is there a reason behind why Master joined the organization?” William asked.
“Of course. However, you need to ask her what the reason is,” Oliver replied. “I do not have the right to tell you why Mistress decided to join them.”
William nodded his head in understanding. He also felt that it was wrong to ask this question to Oliver, so he decided to put this matter aside until he reunited with Celine once again.
“Second Master, I won’t ask for the reason why Master joined The Organization. But, can you answer a question for me?”
“It depends on the question, Little Will. There are some questions that I can’t answer.”
William stared at the scenery of his Domain before asking the question he had in mind.
“What is the goal of this Organization?” William asked.
To his surprise, Oliver chuckled as he sat on the branch of the Dragon Blood Tree.
“Revenge,” Oliver replied. “The Organization’s goal is to take revenge on those that have wronged them. It exists solely for this reason.”
“Revenge…,” William muttered the words absentmindedly as he stared into the distance. He knew that Celine had suffered a lot during her childhood. Although Oliver hadn’t explicitly told him the reason why Celine joined the organization, the hint he gave was more than enough for William to form his own conclusion.
“Understood. I’ll have a proper talk with Master the next time we meet.”
“Okay.”
Oliver knew that this was William’s way of reaching a compromise. The Parrot Monkey sighed because he felt like a great burden had been removed from his shoulders.
He had an internal debate with himself a few days ago about whether or not he should tell William the truth. In the end, he decided that he would rather be the one to break this news to William than let others tell him lies.
—–
Lionheart screeched as he landed on the ground. It was almost sunset, so Dave decided to let him rest before continuing their journey towards the Kyrintor Mountain.
Conrad’s Wyvern landed not far away from the Gryphon. Both Knights removed the harnesses that bound their partners and allowed them to hunt for their prey.
Est and Isaac disembarked from the carriage to stretch their bodies. Although the flying carriage was comfortable enough, they still felt stiff after sitting and lying all day long.
“How many more days will it take before we reach the Kyrintor Mountains?” Est asked Dave after he finished making a campfire.
Isaac was already preparing to cook their dinner, so Est had nothing to do except to wait for his trusted retainer to finish his task.
“One more day,” Dave replied. “Head Prefect, have you visited the Kyrintor Mountains before?”
“No.” Est shook his head. “But, I’ve heard many stories about them. Is it true that all the warriors of the Northern Tribes have skin as hard as steel?”
“No.” Dave chuckled.
The Kyrintor Mountains had always been a very mysterious place. Very few people from the Hellan Kingdom had visited the mountains. Since no information was readily available, those who liked gossip started to make up stories of their own.
Some of the rumors regarding the Kyrintor Mountains involved their warriors being over two meters tall and that they had skin as hard as steel. Dave had also heard of these rumors in the past and believed them.
If not for the fact that he had actually been to the mountains himself, he would probably still believe the rumors that were flying around in the capital.
Est looked towards the North, that was now shrouded in the darkness of the night. Deep inside he was looking forward to reuniting with William so he could beat him up for leaving him behind in the capital!
While he was in charge, he had received a letter from Spencer that his sister, Wendy, had joined William in his travels. This news made Est grind his teeth because he felt that he was being excluded from the group.
Still, the thought of the Half-Elf traveling all over the kingdom to gather allies who would fight for them made some of the resentment in his heart disappear. He knew that William was someone who treasured the people important to him.
Est wouldn’t admit it, but he felt jealous of Ian because she had found a way to unseal the curse on her body. Although it only lasted for a few hours, it was enough for the beautiful mermaid to do intimate things with the Half-Elf whom he’d liked for many years.
Est sighed as he unconsciously pressed his two hands over his chest and groped them.
‘I wonder if they will become as big as Celine’s when I grow up and the curse is lifted,’ Est thought. ‘William mentioned back in Lont that he liked girls with big breasts…’
Est was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that Dave and Conrad were looking at him weirdly. Isaac, who also saw this scene, averted his gaze.
Although he didn’t know what his Young Master was thinking, Isaac could still make a guess. After all, he knew that Est loved William, just as much as his twin loved the boy.
‘Love sure makes people become weird,’ Isaac thought. ‘I’d better not fall in love with anyone. That way, I can look after the Young Master and my twin and prevent them from doing stupid things.’
Isaac made this vow inside his heart as he focused on his task of preparing dinner. Although he liked William as a friend, he couldn’t see himself developing any romantic feelings for him. He was content on supporting Ian and Est from the sidelines as they stayed with the man whom both of them had loved for the past few years.
