Right after they finished their afternoon snack, Princess Sidonie and Chiffon accompanied William to the Eastern Shrine.
They were about to do the experiment they had delayed a few days ago. William was hoping that merging with his wives would counter Shannon's Divinity and allow him to talk to her.
He finally understood why Aamon made Shannon his last trial. The difficulty rating had spiked drastically, and one could tell that she was Final Boss Material.
The Guards allowed them to pass as if they were told of their coming beforehand. When the three arrived in front of Shannon's room, William kissed Chiffon and the little glutton transformed into particles of light, flying straight into the gem, embedded in William's chest.
Soon, a golden flame appeared on his forehead.
He glanced at Princess Sidonie and nodded his head.
"Shannon, can we enter?" Princess Sidonie asked.
A rustling sound was heard inside the room before a soul-stirring voice reached their ears.
"Come in," Shannon replied. "The door is open."
William frowned a bit because Shannon's voice had momentarily put him into a daze. Although it wasn't as bad as their first meeting, beads of sweat started to appear on the Half-Elf's forehead.
Princess Sidonie opened the door and stepped in first. William followed behind her with his head lowered.
Due to his strong senses, he was able to determine Shannon's location inside the room. He slowly raised his head, but he made sure that he only looked at her clothes, and not her face.
William decided that it would be best if he didn't rush things, and simply do his best to adapt to Shannon's presence.
They made two plans for this visit.
The first plan was for William to actively talk to Shannon, and see if he could find out more about her.
The Second plan was for Princess Sidonie to do the talking, and he would just listen from the side, while trying to increase his resistance to Shannon's Divinity.
Although he didn't dare to see her face, he could see that the young lady was dressed as a shrine maiden. She was sitting on a chair and holding a brush in her left hand, just like he had seen during his last visit.
"Oh? This is quite interesting." Shannon's voice broke William's thoughts. "You've merged with one of my sisters? How did you do it? Can you tell me how you did it?"
William felt his world spin around him as he gritted his teeth. As if sensing that he needed help, Chiffon increased the output of her power, and the flame on William's forehead grew bigger
The Half-Elf swayed where he stood, but Princess Sidonie was there to support him. His surroundings were no longer spinning, and yet, he was feeling light-headed and nauseous.
'Optimus, did you manage to record everything?'
< Yes. According to my calculations, Chiffon's Divinity has indeed increased your resistance against Shannon's Divinity. However, it is not enough to withstand the pressure from Shannon's power.
If I were to put it in simpler terms, right now, Chiffon is like an umbrella above your head that protects you from the rain. However, you're not dealing with a mere drizzle. You are dealing with a high-pressure water pump that is aimed directly at your body. >
William unconsciously wiped away the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead as he listened to the System's explanation.
'Do you have any suggestions?' WIlliam inquired. It was very important for him to find a way to increase his resistance, or else, he would suffer the same fate every time he visited Shannon.
< Increase your Synchronization Rate with Chiffon, or Princess Sidonie. Right now, your Synchronization rate with Chiffon is at 40%. As for Princess Sidonie, your Synchronization rate with her is at 50%.
If I were to make a bold guess, you will need at least a 70% Synchronization Rate with either of them in order to face Shannon without feeling like you want to puke your heart out. >
'I see, thank you.' William glanced at Princess Sidonie and shook his head.
This was their signal that he wasn't in the right state to continue being around Shannon.
Princess Sidonie nodded and asked to be excused. Although they came to talk to the young lady dressed as a shrine maiden, her husband's safety was her top priority. She gave Shannon an apologetic gaze before leaving the room with William.
Shannon just smiled in understanding and nodded her head. She was still curious about how William was able to merge with one of her sisters, but looking at the Half-Elf's very pale expression, she knew that her guests would have to prematurely end their visit.
"Visit me anytime," Shannon said as she returned her attention to the canvas in front of her. "I will be looking forward to our next meeting."
—–
William leaned weakly against a tree. He had just vomited everything that he had eaten in the past few hours, and he was feeling marginally better.
Chiffon lightly rubbed his back in order to help him feel better. She felt a little sad that she wasn't able to help William resist Shannon's Divinity.
However, William assured her that it wasn't her fault.
"Don't worry, I finally figured out a way to cope with her powers," William said as he held Chiffon's hand. "After a month or two, I will be able to face her without any problems."
Chiffon looked at William with a hopeful expression. She had an unwavering trust in William. So she believed that her husband wasn't lying to her.
"How?" Princess Sidonie asked.
William made a gesture for Princess Sidonie to come closer. He then whispered, in a volume that both girls would be able to hear, how the two of them could help him increase his synchronization rate with them at a steady pace.
Chiffon's face turned beet red, while Princess Sidonie had an expression that said "why didn't I think of that?".
"Will, I will do my best to help you," Chiffon said with a serious expression on her face. "I like it when you're gentle with me. However, you can be rough as well."
William chuckled as he patted Chiffon's head. Actually, his method works well with Princess Sidonie because it was in line with her Divinity.
As for Chiffon, while the Half-Elf could also increase their synchronization rate by making love with each other, it would be more effective if William just fed her something to eat.
Chiffon's Divinity was Gluttony. In order to increase her synchronization with William, he needed to feed her something with a high concentration of Magical or Spiritual Power.
"Let's go, Darling," Morgana swapped with Princess Sidonie and held William's hand. She then half-dragged the Half-Elf towards the boy's dormitory room. "Time waits for no one. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can lift the curse from Est's, Ian's, and Isaac's bodies."
"I meant what I said, Will," Chiffon said as she held onto William's hand. "While I like it when you are being gentle to me, if it is really needed, you can be as rough as you want." Her face flushed to a red that was as red as a tomato, but her voice was very firm. "D-Don't worry. I can take it."
The corner of William's lips twitched because Morgana, and even Chiffon, seemed very enthusiastic about the prospect of increasing their synchronization rate with him.
Even though he was happy that his wives were very eager to help him to the best of their abilities, he also felt helpless because he had to resort to this method in order to accomplish his mission.
However, William had long wondered what would happen if he achieved perfect synchronization rate with any one of his wives. According to Optimus, some abilities would be unlocked. William didn't know how strong those abilities were, but if they were as powerful as Princess Sidonie's charm ability at full power…
'Wouldn't that mean that I'd become a Pseudo-Deadly Sin as well?' William didn't know the answer to this question. Even someone like him, felt that the balance of the world would be broken, if he was able to wield the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, and unleash their full power without paying any kind of price.
With that line of thought, William pondered what he would need to do if he was going to raise his synchronization with the other sins like Sloth, Greed, Wrath, Pride, and Envy.
'I'd better not get ahead of myself,' William thought as he tossed the diabolical idea to the back of his mind. 'My hands are already full.'
William smiled as he looked at the two beauties that were firmly holding each of his hands.
He wished, with all of his heart, that he and his lovers would be able to stay together for many more years to come.
