Chapter 83: A Blessing In Disguise
Owen’s treatment ended quickly and the injury that William received was healed completely. Even so, the Life Magus advised the red-headed boy to take it easy for the time being and to avoid doing any strenuous activities.
“I got too complacent,” William muttered as he unconsciously rubbed his chest. Although he didn’t expect that Kingsley would use magic in their duel, he should have considered this possibility.
His opponent was a Magic Swordsman. Someone who could wield both sword and magic. William understood that the main reason why Kingsley didn’t use magic earlier in their duel was due to his pride.
Because of this, William thought that his opponent would only use martial skills and not resort to using his Ice Magic.
“Young Master, I hope you learned something from this lesson,” Helen said as she walked beside Ella who was currently carrying William on her back.
“I did, Aunt Helen.” William sighed. “I learned a very painful lesson.”
“It’s good that you learned this lesson early, Young Master,” Helen patted William’s leg. “If that happened in a real battle then you would have lost your life.”
‘Perhaps losing my magic was a blessing in disguise.’ William sighed for the second time. ‘It made me realize how lacking I truly was. I better properly build my foundations and learn some martial arts.’
“Meeeeeeeeh.”
“You’re right, Mama. I will strive to be stronger.”
“Meeeeeh.”
—-
Meanwhile back at the Ainsworth Residence…
“If not for William, Lont might have suffered the same fate as the other villages and towns in the Western Region,” James said with a smile. “You should have seen how amazing he was when he fought against the Strathmore Thunder Horned Wolf.”
James bragged about William’s amazing feats to his guest while he was getting his treatment. He was not worried about his grandson’s injury because Owen was the best healer he knew. Even though William broke a few of his ribs during the duel, it was not a life threatening injury.
As long as he still had breath in him, Owen could easily patch him up and make him as good as new.
Est listened to James’ story with interest. After the old man finished his tale, it was the young man’s turn to tell the Lord of Lont how William saved his life from the Mountain Troll. Est also told James about William’s sacrifice in the trial of courage.
“If he could still use his magic, that disciple from the Misty Sect wouldn’t have been able to even touch a strand of his hair,” Est commented with a wry smile.
“I see…” James frowned. “So that’s the reason why he seems different compared to the time he left the residence. He lost his magic power.”
“I’m sorry, it was my fault that William ended up that way.” Est lowered his head in shame. “Because I was too weak, he had to use a Forbidden Spell in order to give us a chance of winning.”
“Est, you don’t have to worry about William.” James commented with a smile. “That boy is always doing something dangerous. Perhaps, this incident will help bring him down a peg and make him less reckless. Sometimes, I worry about him because he is getting stronger at a very fast rate.”
“Isn’t getting strong a good thing?” Est asked.
“Of course, getting stronger is a good thing.” James agreed. “But, getting strong using a shortcut will lead to instability. William should start training from the basics. Since he is my grandson, I believe that he also realized this point.”
James paused and looked at Est with praise. “Unlike my stupid grandson, I can tell that you are someone who trained at a very young age. Your surname is Newmont, correct?”
“… Yes,” Est replied. He wanted to tell James his full name, but he resisted the urge to do so. There were some things that he was unable to share with other people.
“If I’m not mistaken, that is the surname of a noble that came from the Kingdom of Valeria,” James gave Est an appraising look. “Did you perhaps come from Valeria?”
“… My mother came from Valeria,” Est replied. “Right now, I’m living in the Hellan Kingdom.”
James nodded and decided to not pry any further. “Still, you guys actually defeated a Terrorhand? That’s simply amazing. If news of this gets out, you will definitely be treated in high regard by the Royal Family.”
“I-I don’t need such treatment,” Est stuttered. “Lord Ainsworth, please, don’t tell anyone about this.”
Herman who was standing behind Est bowed his head, “I also ask Lord Ainsowrth to not tell anyone about this. The Young Master is someone who doesn’t like being in the limelight.”
James gave Est a knowing glance and nodded his head in acknowledgement. He was about to talk about William’s embarrassing moments during his childhood when he felt his grandson’s presence near the residence.
“Gramps, I’m back!” William walked inside the living room with a smile.
“Welcome back, how is your injury?” James asked.
“Already healed, but I’m not allowed to do anything strenuous for a few days,” William answered as he sat beside his grandpa.
Ella laid on the floor beside William and rested her head on her baby’s lap. William lovingly brushed her head, while his Mama closed her eyes in satisfaction.
“You two are really close,” Est teased. “I’ve never seen someone treat a goat like you do, William.”
“Mama Ella is not an ordinary goat,” William corrected her. “She is my Mama. The one who raised me since I was a wee old babe. I’ve been drinking her milk for as long as I can remember.”
“Meeeeeh.” Ella bleated as if reminiscing the time she took care of William.
“Ah that reminds me, how long will you be staying in Lont?” William asked. “I still haven’t given you a tour of the countryside.”
“Well…” Est glanced at Herman and Nana. The truth was, they couldn’t stay for long. They already delayed their return to the capital by escorting William back to Lont. Even so, Est didn’t want to leave just like this.
“Young Master,” Nana gave Est an encouraging smile. “It’s fine to be a little selfish. We can stay for two days.”
“Thank you, Nana,” Est smiled. His smile was so dazzling that, for a moment, William thought that he was actually very beautiful and not handsome. Of course, this thought only lasted for a brief moment.
“Since all of you are William’s friends then you will be treated as honored guests. Helen, please prepare the guest rooms for Est and his entourage,” James ordered.
“By your will,” Helen respectfully bowed her head and left the living room to attend to James’ order.
While waiting for their rooms to be prepared, James continued to tell stories about William’s childhood. At first, the stories were about William’s amazing feats in Lont. However, that didn’t last long and James started to tell William’s embarrassing moments.
The red-headed boy pleaded to his grandfather to stop embarrassing him in front of the guests, but James didn’t care about his feelings. Because of this, Est and Ian continuously teased the pitiful boy until William ran out of the living room out of embarrassment, followed by his Mama Ella, who was hot in his heels.