"Sir, I can attest that the boy is innocent," Jophiel said as he stood between William and Byron. "He couldn't possibly be behind this incident, right, William?"
William snorted. He felt guilty because Jophiel was standing up for him because the Head Examiner thought that he was innocent, when in truth he was not.
In order to hide his guilt, he decided to act tough and show his displeasure instead.
"This is what I like about you, Jophiel." Byron nodded in appreciation. "You are not afraid to protect those whom you think are innocent, but in this case, you are standing on the wrong side, my friend. This boy isn't as guilt-free as you think he is. Isn't that right, William?"
"Don't act chummy with me," William replied with contempt. "Are we close? If you want to fight, let's fight!"
"I wonder where that confidence of yours is coming from."
"Well, you are very close to finding that out. However, are you prepared for the consequences?"
The Half-Elf and the Headmaster of the academy stared at each other, completely ignoring Jophiel who was standing between them.
The Head Examiner felt awkward because the two were treating him like air. He didn't know what to do, and the spectators felt sorry for him.
The Half-Elf looked at the Headmaster with fearless eyes. Byron might be strong, but William wasn't afraid of him.
He could summon Sun Wukong and let the Monkey King descend from the Celestial Realm and whack Byron to oblivion.
There was only one person whom William feared fighting one-on-one in the World of Hestia, and that was his one and only Sixth Master, Chloee.
After experiencing her might, the red-headed teenager was certain that even a Demigod would eat a tremendous loss.
No matter how strong Byron was, his threat would not amount to the threat Chloee could unleash with a full-powered Overwhelming Strike.
"Hah! What are you two fools doing?"
A familiar voice called out from above, which made William, and Byron, shift their attention away from the other. There, they saw a little fairy who was looking at them with sparkling eyes.
"Are you two planning to fight?" Chloee asked with a big grin on her face. "Why didn't you call for me? I like fighting the most! Um, Old Man, you are fighting against my Disciple. Although two against one is against the rules, I will stand on my Disciples side. Come on. Let's fight!"
Chloee hovered between William and Byron with a very eager expression on her face. She couldn't wait to start the battle and start smashing things with her fist.
Byron coughed awkwardly after seeing the little familiar who was looking at him with undisguised expectations.
Just like William, Byron was quite afraid of Chloee because her strength was off the charts. There had been a time when he had received the violent girl's powerful punch, and it almost made him cross over into the afterlife.
If not for the life-saving artifact that he possessed, someone else would be managing Hestia Academy instead of him.
"This is just a misunderstanding, Chloee," Byron cleared his throat as he un-summoned his magic staff. "We are just chatting casually, right William?"
William ignored the Headmaster's words and shamelessly complained to his Sixth Master.
"Sixth Master, the Headmaster is bullying me," William said with a face filled with injustice. "I don't mind answering his questions, but he used a Befuddlement Spell on me. Sixth Master, your Disciple is being treated unjustly. Please, seek Justice on my behalf."
Chloee glared at Byron and raised her little fist in anger.
"You Old Coot, you dare to bully my Disciple?! Wait till I return to the academy, I will smash all of your collections!" Chloee shouted hatefully, while William fanned the flames from the side.
"Chloee, this is a misunderstanding. Do you remember that super deluxe, ice cream that is sold in a limited number in the cafeteria? I will reserve two pieces for you everyday for a week if we can forget about this matter."
Byron wouldn't want to fight Chloee again in his lifetime because the pro-violent familiar was a cheat. Aside from her ability to break the laws of the world, her punch could literally blow up a mountain.
Faced with these two combinations, Byron knew that his chances of surviving a battle with Chloee were non-existent.
Only William, who had the same law-breaking skill, could match her in a head-on confrontation.
The little fairy wavered because she could only get one serving of the limited, super deluxe, ice cream every month. This was one of the most popular desserts in the academy, and only ten people could eat it everyday.
"I see, so this is just a misunderstanding," Chloee chuckled. "Since that is the case, there's no need to fight. Violence is not the answer. Can we all get along as friends and walk hand in hand for the greater good?"
The corner of William's lips twitched when he realized that his Sixth Master had been bribed by a mere ice cream. However, he didn't force the issue.
Right now, he needed to be listed on the rolls of Hestia Academy to finish Aamon's last trial. The last thing he wanted to do was to have a falling out with the Headmaster, who was the head of the very academy that he was planning to enter.
Still, he made a mental note about Chloee's weakness. He didn't know how delicious the ice cream of the Academy's Cafeteria was, but he doubted that it could beat the desserts that he could buy in the God Shop.
In the future, he planned to let his Sixth Master taste the sweets in his arsenal. That way, he could bribe her to help him do things inside the academy that he would not be able to do as a student.
Byron glanced at William one last time before making a gesture for Jophiel to follow behind him. They still had things to talk about and do a final sweep on the island, to ensure that not a single Antz was left.
Although Byron didn't detect any lies from William when he answered his question, his instinct told him that the Half-Elf was lying. That was also why he decided to use the Befuddlement Spell to get past William's defenses.
Unfortunately, the red-headed teenager was able to resist his spell and even decided to confront him openly. This made Byron more suspicious, so he deemed it would be best to fight the boy and ask him again after William was defeated.
Chloee's appearance put all of his plans into a complete halt. With this, he could no longer target the boy, unless he wanted to risk facing the little Familiar's wrath.
For the time being, Byron decided to put this issue aside. With the Requiem Antz' disappearance from the island, there was no need to evacuate the people living there.
Two days later, the ship carrying William and his entourage sailed towards the Island where his lovers, and Celeste, were waiting for him.
This was how William's entrance exam ended, having finally received Jophiel's, and the Headmaster's, approval to enter Hestia Academy.
