Chapter 972 – Can’t You See How Red My Hair Is?
“Arrogant, just like your father,” Joash stated after staring at William for some time. “But, I can see that you have the strength to back it up. Have you really fought against a Pseudo-God?”
William nodded. “I did.”
“And, who won?”
“I think it turned out to be a draw.”
The Half-Elf had definitely dealt Apophis with a killing blow, but after the explosion, he wasn’t able to see whether he succeeded in slaying the Pseudo-God or not.
When he asked Optimus this question, the System stated that the possibility of Apophis surviving the attack was high. However, the Pseudo-God definitely suffered grievous injuries and would not dare to show his face in front of William for a very long time.
Optimus added that if Apophis really died, William would have definitely gained a title that proved that he had slain a God, and that title was none other than “God Slayer”.
“A draw? Against a Pseudo-God?” Joash frowned. If others were to brag about having survived a battle against a Pseudo-God, he would have definitely spat on them, turning them into ashes.
But, since he could tell if William was lying or not, he knew that his words were without any falsehood. Although he was still half in doubt, he had no no choice but to recognize that the Half-Elf was telling the truth.
Vesta looked at her father then at William in disbelief. Her father didn’t refute William’s amazing achievement, which meant that the Half-Elf had indeed fought against a Pseudo-God and lived. This concept was something she couldn’t fathom because the strongest beings that she had seen were Demigods.
If there was still another class above it then…
The green-haired lady shivered subconsciously as she entertained the possibility of that higher realm of existence. A being that was between a Demigod and a God. an existence that could make the entire world of Hestia tremble under their feet.
“Tell me, what are you doing here in my territory?” Joash asked. “My method in dealing with you will depend on your answer.”
Although Joash had recognized William’s strength, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t his enemy. This was the first line of defense of the Demon Realm and his duty was to ensure that no harm would fall upon their lands.
Even if what Wiliam said was the truth then so what?
The fact still remained that they were not friends, and he still bore a grudge against the Half-Elf’s father, who had torn off his tail during the battle in the Silvermoon Continent. If not for Baba Yaga’s powerful restoration magic, it would have taken him a century to fully recover from his injuries.
“I didn’t come to this land with the intention of harming anyone,” William answered. “I only came here to look for a person.”
Joash snorted as he waved his hand. Suddenly a chair appeared behind his back, and he sat beside his daughter, while eyeing the Half-Elf in suspicion.
“You came all the way to these lands just to look for a person?” Joash arched an eyebrow. “This person must be very important, for you to brave the dangers alone.”
“I’m not exactly alone,” William replied. “I brought some friends to sightsee with me.”
The corner of Vesta’s lips twitched. The mortal enemy of all the Demons had just casually strolled into their fortress city, met his father, and had the audacity to tell him that he had brought his friends for sight-seeing.
The green-haired lady was very tempted to lift the chair she was sitting on, and smack the Half-Elf’s head for his impudence!
If any other person were standing before her, she would have done it already, but since her father was here, she needed to act with class, and not disgrace their family’s reputation. Just as she was cursing the Half-Elf inside her heart, she saw something that made her mouth hang wide open.
Joash was smiling. Vesta couldn’t believe it, but her father was really smiling, and he was smiling at the son of their mortal enemy. If news of this spread, then the demons might call her father a traitor for showing goodwill to their enemy!
“Who?” Joash asked. It was a single word, but it was more than enough to convey his interest to the person that William was looking for.
“My First Master, Celine,” William replied. “I came here to find her and take her back to the Central Continent.”
Joash tapped his finger over the table as he mulled William’s words.
“Baba Yaga’s disciple,” Joash stated. “So, she’s your master. You wield dark magic as well?”
William nodded. The guardian of the Fortress City seemed to be a reasonable fellow, so he decided to be civil and talk things out, instead of using his fists to settle this matter.
“Do you know about the Elven Prophecy?” Joash inquired. His eyes never left William’s face. It was as if he was looking for a sign to confirm the suspicions he had in his head.
“I’m not the Dark Prince,” William answered. “Can’t you see how red my hair is?”
Vesta’s body stiffened as her eyes widened in shock. The Prophecy of the Elves had been the talk within the Demonic Continent for the past month, so even those who were not aware of it in the past, were now fully informed on what it entailed.
There had been several candidates that had been scouted by the Demon Lord and brought to the Demonic Capital to train. It was said that the Dark Prince would be born in their lands, and he would avenge their loss against the Elves, and make all of them kneel before him.
The only thing that Vera knew was that the prophesied Prince must be proficient in Dark Magic. Only someone of that caliber would have the right to cover the entire world in darkness.
“Baba Yaga’s disciple, Celine, is one of the Dark Prince’s bride candidates, right?” Joash asked.
William shrugged. He didn’t want t o talk about this matter, since it had something to do with his First Master, who he already considered to be his woman.
Seeing that William was not in the mood to talk about his Master’s connection with the Dark Prince, Joash decided to steer their conversation to another topic.
“How about we make a deal?” Joash stated.
“A deal?” William narrowed his eyes. “What deal?”
Joash smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s really simple. On the small chance that you become the Prince of Darkness, I want you to promise me two things.”
William smirked as he crossed one of his leg over the other, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“And that is?” William asked with a calm expression on his face.
“The first one is that you will owe me a favor,” Joash answered. “The second one is that you will allow the Demons to live in the Central Continent without being prosecuted. If you are able to promise me these two things, I will turn a blind eye and allow you to pass safely within these walls unharmed.”
“Okay,” William answered in a heartbeat.
He didn’t really care about these things, but since this would allow them to part without escalating their talks into a full-blown conflict, he was more than happy to agree to Joash’s two conditions.
“You really think that you’re not that Prince in question, do you?”
“Of course not.”
Joash chuckled as he stood up from his chair and stared at the Half-Elf who was just chilling in his chair. Deep inside, he admired William because he was still young and had already attained the power that was beyond the reach of normal men.
The Demigod knew that it was not easy to reach their realm, and since the Half-Elf had done it, he definitely sacrificed many things to get to where he was currently at.
As someone who recognized the strong, Joash had no choice but to treat William as his equal. The Fortress City was under his protection, so he would definitely fight anyone or anything that posed a threat to it.
After chatting with William, he understood that the son of his enemy really only wanted to search for the person that was important to him. Since that was the case, Joash would let him go unharmed.
Also, he entertained the possibility of William becoming the Dark Prince. Although it was highly unlikely, it was good to cover all of his bases. This iss why he decided to add another insurance that would let the two of them part on good terms.
“Two days,” Joash stated. “Stay here in the fortress for two days. On the third day my daughter will accompany you on your journey to Baba Yaga’s place. She is well-known in the Demon Continent. Having her with you will prevent any conflicts between you and the denizens of this realm.”
William was about to refuse the offer, but after thinking about it, he realized that it was actually a good idea. If Vesta accompanied him then it would prevent unnecessary discord with the locals, and he would be able to focus his attention in searching for Celine.
“Thank you,” William replied. “I will gladly accept your hospitality.”
Joash nodded as he lightly tapped his daughter’s shoulder to tell her that it was about time to leave. He had already said what he wanted to say, so there was no need to extend his stay.
Vesta gave William one last glance before following her father towards the balcony. She didn’t understand why her father suggested that she accompany him in search of a woman. However, since it was very rare for her to leave the Fortress City, she thought that going out for a while would not necessarily be a bad thing.
William watched the father and daughter pair go with a calm expression on his face. Only when the two of them had left his room did he finally sighed in relief.
“Fortunately the worst case scenario didn’t happen,” William muttered as he raised his right hand.
Inside it was a small golden staff that was the size of a ballpen. If Joash had attacked him during their talks, he would have called for his Heroic Avatar, and fought against the Demigod with all of his might.
