Armstrong Duchy…
Wendy, Est, and Isaac were currently having an afternoon tea at the balcony of the Armstrong Residence when William’s exploits in the Tower of Babylon rang far and wide.
William’s two lovers glanced at each other in disbelief. They never expected that they would hear news of their beloved Half-Elf in this manner, and both of them were surprised and confused about what was happening.
It was at this moment, when Wendy’s grandfather, Jevan Cy Armstrong, her father, Joaquin, and twin brother, Spencer, arrived at the balcony. After hearing the news, Jevan and Joaquin immediately went to look for Wendy.
Spencer noticed them and decided to accompany his father and grandfather in looking for his sister, and see the reaction on her face after hearing the unbelievable news that they had just received.
Wendy, Est, and Isaac were about to rise from their seats to pay their respect to the former Duke of the Armstrong Duchy, when Jevan made a gesture for them to remain seated. Right now, he was not in the mood for any formalities.
“At ease. We are all family here, there’s no need to show excessive etiquette,” Jevan said with a big grin on his face.
The doting grandfather looked at her granddaughter and sighed internally. Originally, he was against Wendy’s and William’s relationship because he never got along well with James. But, since his son, Joaquin, had said that her granddaughter was really in love with William, and the Half-Elf also loved Wendy, the former Duke reluctantly gave the two teenagers his blessing.
‘That grandson of James is really lucky to be able to marry my granddaughter,’ Jevan thought.
Joaquin had ordered the maids to bring additional snacks, in order to accommodate all of them. When everyone was finally seated, Jevan finally spoke his reason for finding Wendy.
“Wendy, I’m sure that you heard the Divine Announcement a moment ago, but do you really understand what your lover has accomplished?” Jevan asked.
Wendy shook her head, “No. Grandfather, can you please tell me more about the Tower of Babylon?”
Jevan nodded his head. The Southern Continent was quite a distance away from the Central Continent, so it is very normal for the younger generation to not know anything about the Tower of Babylon.
Est was also very curious about what her lover had accomplished in the Central Continent. She waited with bated breath for Jevan to tell them the significance of William’s accomplishments.
“Thousands of years ago, when the races had finally drawn the boundaries of the world, an announcement, similar to what you heard a while ago was heard by everyone,” Jevan narrated. “It said that riches, fame, honor, and glory await those who would be able to conquer the floors of the tower and reach its peak.
“Many years have passed since then and humanity has faithfully climbed the tower and conquered every floor that they had set foot on… with the exception of the 51st Floor.”
Jevan’s tone became serious as he continued his tale. “The Devil’s Floor, as many called it, had become the graveyard of countless heroes and renowned warriors that hailed from all parts of the world. It has remained unconquered for a thousand years… but today, someone has managed to clear it.”
Jevan paused before looking at his granddaughter with a complicated gaze. Although he had heard of William’s exploits during the war, he still had doubts about his abilities. However, after hearing the Divine Announcement, all of those misgivings disappeared completely.
“And that someone is your lover, William Von Ainsworth.”
Wendy could feel her face reddening because she felt very proud to be the lover of the only man who managed to do the unimaginable. Est too was feeling very proud. She was very tempted to say that William was her lover too, but in order to not complicate matters, she decided to just keep her feelings inside her heart.
However, Jevan wasn’t finished with what he wanted to say. He could tell that Wendy was still not aware of how incredible these events were.
“Wendy, I think you still don’t understand the magnitude of what your beloved Half-Elf has done,” Jevan said. “Not only did he conquer the 51st Floor, he also took the rulership of the other floors of the Tower of Babylon.”
Jevan’s countenance turned extremely serious. “This meant that all the families that have reigned for thousands of years were deprived of their rights in a single day and exiled from the Tower of Babylon, never to step inside it again. Do you know what this means?”
“… it means that William had made these ruling families his enemies?” Wendy answered with uncertainty.
Jevan sighed and nodded his head. “Indeed. Your Lover had made many enemies, but this is only the downside of what he achieved. Right now, William had gained not only one floor, but several floors of the Tower of Babylon.
“This means that your lover is no longer an ordinary Shepherd that everyone can look down on. His status is now equal to one of the Emperors in the Central Continent. An Emperor that not only holds vast resources within the Tower of Babylon, but also someone who can build several kingdoms on each floor of the Tower that now belong to him.”
Wendy’s jaw dropped because she finally realized the magnitude of what William had attained on his trip to the Central Continent.
Est and Isaac were also enlightened. It was quite unfortunate that both of them couldn’t go to the Central Continent because they had some important things to handle in the Hellan Kingdom.
Wendy was the same. Although she wanted to look for William in the Central Continent, she still needed to inherit the secret arts of her family. Until she successfully cleared this mission, Jevan and Joaquin would not allow her to set foot in the Central Continent, and meet the Half-Elf that was currently in everyone’s sights.
—–
Back in the Kraetor Empire…
Empress Andraste walked towards her temporary residence, along with her entourage. Due to the announcement from the Tower of Babylon, the awarding ceremony had lost all its flare and vigor.
Even so, the Amazon Empress didn’t put it into heart. In fact, aside from her, several of the Sovereigns of the Central Continent had already made preparations to return to their empires.
They didn’t want to be the last one to send a delegation to the Tower of Babylon. Their purpose for going to the Tower was to make contact with William, and try to negotiate with him for the ownership of the Floors that now belonged to him.
Also, they wanted to investigate how the Half-Elf was able to do it. They were even willing to marry their daughters to William in order to have a share of the resources that had now fallen into his grasp.
Once a floor had been conquered, they would need to wait for a year before the entrance to that floor was opened again. William would also need to remain in the tower for a month, in order to fully register his ownership for the Floors that he had taken by force.
Empress Andraste had already sent a message back to her Empire, telling her Prime Minister to send their elite warriors to the Tower of Babylon in order to make contact with William.
She was supposed to return, but changed her mind halfway after her attempt to bring Kenneth to her Empire failed.
Princess Sidonie had come to the sleeping Elf’s rescue when the Amazons were about to carry him out of the arena.
Naturally, Lilith stepped in to confront the beautiful princess, but after Princess Sidonie said a few words, Lilith, the Amazons, and even Empress Andraste, decided to compromise and give the Kraetor Princess custody of the sleeping Elf.
When they heard that Kenneth was actually a messenger by the Saintess of the World Tree, and had a message for William, all of them backed off completely. Right now, William was a hot potato.
No one wanted to offend him in any way. This was especially true for the Amazonian Race who was very eager to acquire the Half-Elf’s genes. Although Princess Sidonie managed to gain custody of her hateful enemy, Lilith still managed to make the Kraetor Princess promise her one thing.
And that promise was for William to have a private meeting with her and Empress Andraste.
Naturally, Princess Sidonie already had an idea about what Lilith and the Amazon Empress were planning, but she was not afraid. If they only knew how shameless her lover was, they would not dare to bring a wolf in sheep’s clothing inside their chicken coop.
As the Amazon Empress walked the path that led to her residence, she wasn’t able to stop the chuckle that escaped her lips. Right now, the entire world was in chaos, and it was all due to a Half-Elf that had done the impossible.
She had long wanted to meet the fabled teenager who had accomplished great things in the Southern Continent.
“I hope you’re ready, Little Half-Elf.”
The Amazon Empress glanced at the clear blue sky with great expectations as the smile on her face widened.
—–
Meanwhile., high above the Kyrintor Mountains…
An otherworldly beauty sat on the highest place of Takam’s castle. There was a very pleased smile on her face, and her cheeks were slightly red due to the feelings that were welling inside her heart.
‘Seriously, you’re such a troublemaker,’ Ella thought with a smile. It had been a while since she had seen the boy she had raised since he was a baby, and her heart missed him terribly.
After a few minutes she gazed at the sky and narrowed her eyes.
“It won’t be the same as last time,” Ella said. “I will not let you have your way.”
A giggle filled with amusement answered her words. It was at that moment when a soft and silky voice reached her ears.
“We’ll see about that Amaltheia,” the voice said. “In the end, the one who will make the choice is him, and not you.”
A few minutes of silence passed. Ella’s gaze never wavered as she looked past the clouds. It didn’t take long before her gaze penetrated the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods.
“Do not break our agreement. We will do this fair and square,” Ella stated. “You’re not allowed to use your dirty tricks and other underhanded methods to try and sway him.”
“You already know that I can’t promise you that,” the owner of the voice replied in a teasing manner. “The only thing that I can promise is that whatever decision he makes, you have my word that I will respect it.”
Amaltheia sighed and closed her eyes. She knew that this was the only compromise that her acquaintance would accept. That person doesn’t negotiate or bargain. Only on very rare instances would her acquaintance allow exceptions, and William was one of those exceptions.
A few minutes later, Ella opened her eyes and asked the person in front of her the question that had been weighing on her heart for a very long time.
“When will he arrive?”
Amaltheia’s acquaintance didn’t answer right away. Instead, it seemed that the person was trying to give Amaltheia the best answer they could give, without breaking the laws that were imposed among Gods.
“Two years, maybe three,” the person answered. “The current you is not his match. It is a futile endeavor to even try.”
Ella shifted her gaze and looked at the direction of the Central Continent. The icy cold wind of the Kyrintor Mountains blew past her, making her long, light-blue hair flutter in the breeze.
“It doesn’t matter if I am not his match or not,” Ella replied firmly. “I believe in Will.”
It was also at that moment when a giggle echoed across the Kyrintor Mountains.
“What a coincidence. I, too, believe in Will.
His Legend… is about to begin.”
——
End of Volume 4
The Heart Moves Where The Heart Wills
