Chapter 717 - When Lust And Chastity Collide
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A day after the First Trial had ended, William and the rest of the examinees were taken to a sea port for their next exam.
"These two ships will take you to the examination grounds," Jophiel explained. "The Red Ship on my left will take you to the Normal Exam area. Once you pass this exam, you will gain the opportunity to become a student of Hestia Academy.
"The Black Ship on my right, is a ship that will take you the Special Exam. The difficulty of the exam in that area is very hard. Take note that there is no special reward for passing this trial. Just like the normal trial, those who will pass this exam will have the opportunity to become a student of the academy."
The examinees began to murmur among themselves. They didn't understand why there had to be two ships instead of one. Some of them had taken the test several times, and this was the first time that they saw the Black Ship in the sea port.
Naturally, Jophiel could understand their confusion, so he decided to stop beating around the bush and start his plan.
"You, the young man with red hair and a stupid expression on his face. Step forward," Jophiel said as he pointed in William's direction.
William looked behind. He was very curious who the red-haired person was, and wanted to see the stupid expression on his face. After checking the hair color of everyone, William realized that there wasn't anyone with red-hair among them.
The corner of Kenneth's lips raised slightly as he eyed the confused Half-Elf who was still looking for the person that Jophiel was pointing at.
"No need to look behind you," Jophiel said after clearing his throat. "Your name is William, right? If yes, step forward."
William glanced at Jophiel in disbelief. "Are you referring to me?"
"Of course." Jophiel nodded. "Do you see any other person among your peers who has red hair and a stupid expression on his face? Clearly, I was talking to you."
William crossed his arms over his chest and refused to budge. He refused to acknowledge that he had a stupid expression on his face.
"WIth all due respect, Sir. How can someone as handsome as me look stupid in your eyes?" William questioned. "I think it is about time that you visit an eye specialist. It is best to handle this kind of problem during its early stages then let it become worse over the passing of time. Also, I planned to take the Red Ship instead of the black one."
"Step forward or I will fail you. If you question my orders again, you will be banned from entering the academy and will not be allowed to step through its gates, even if you resort to paying the two million gold fee."
William snorted and reluctantly stepped forward. Although he was unwilling, he knew that having a falling out with Jophiel at this point in time was not a good thing.
"You will take a separate test from the others," Jophiel declared. "Of course, if any of you want to join him, feel free to do so. Just know that the chances of you losing your life are higher compared to the normal exam."
Kenneth stepped forward and stood beside William. Zhu and Sha did the same.
They were there to accompany William, so they would naturally stick with him as he took the special trial that Jophiel had prepared for him.
None of the other examinees stepped forward. They recognized William's group, and somehow understood what the Head Examiner was trying to do. Even though they didn't want to admit it, they understood that William and his companions were way above their league.
The battle against the Thunder Horned Wolf and the Dire Wolves was the best proof of their outstanding battle prowess.
After waiting for a few minutes, Jophiel deemed that no one else was bold enough to join William's group. He then raised his hand and asked the remaining examinees to board the Red Ship, so that they could sail towards their destination.
After all the examinees had boarded the ship, he then looked at William's group with an indifferent expression.
"All of you are coming with me," Jophiel ordered. "Let's board the Black Ship."
He didn't wait for anyone's reply and walked towards the ship. William sighed as he followed behind Jophiel.
The Half-Elf had a feeling that this Special Exam of his would be a pain in the bum.
After the two ships departed, Celeste finally arrived on the island of Antilia. As a Professor, she had the privilege of monitoring the examinees who planned to enroll at the academy.
The beautiful Elf met Chloee, Princess Sidonie, Ian, and Chiffon on the final island. This was the place where those who passed the two exams would gather. There were other professors on the island as well.
Their purpose was to look for promising individuals to join their faction. Princess Sidonie, Ian, and Chiffon had been scouted by these professors beforehand.
The beautiful Princess of Freesia had warned Ian and Chiffon that they shouldn't outright reject the offers of the professors, so that they wouldn't take offense. The excuse that they had given to those who invited them into their factions was that they wanted to see what the academy had to offer before they made a decision.
The professors accepted this reason, and didn't try to push the issue. They only said that the girls could approach them once they had settled in the academy. Also, Chloee's presence was more than enough to intimidate these recruiters.
The little fairy was infamous for its notoriety inside the academy. Only those that hid under a rock, inside Hestia Academy, wouldn't know who Chloee was. You either liked her, or hated her. There was no middle ground when it came to the little fairy, who liked to speak to others by using her fists!
"It's good to see you again, Chiffon," Celeste said with a smile.
Chiffon briefly nodded her head, but didn't say anything else. The pink-haired girl had kept her distance from the beautiful Elf. Although she didn't dislike Celeste anymore, that didn't mean that she planned to have a close relationship with her.
While Chiffon kept Celeste at arm's length, her relationship with Chloee was good. The little Glutton and the little familiar often ate pancakes together for breakfast. Due to Chloee's straightforward personality, it was very easy for Chiffon to get along with her.
Princess Sidonie on the other hand, looked at Celeste with great interest. Both women were very beautiful. The Princess was the epitome of youthful beauty, while the Elf's beauty had a sense of maturity in it.
She noticed that Celine and Celeste looked like they were in their early twenties, and were blessed with the good looks of the Elven Race.
One represented Lust, the other Chastity.
However, her Divinity reacted at the presence of her counterpart's Divinity and soon a subtle clash of power ensued between the two. One actively sought out otherworldly pleasures, the other kept her innocence intact.
There had been many cases in history when the maidens of these two divinities would often clash against each other. This was a common occurrence when Lust and Chastity collided.
Princess Sidonie and Celeste kept a tight leash on their Divinities, and prevented them from causing chaos in their surroundings. Although the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Virtues were the opposite of each other, that didn't mean that they were enemies.
Conflicts may arise every now and then, but this was only natural among those who held such great powers. However, unlike the Seven Sins who sometimes went out of their way to antagonize each other, the Seven Virtues were always united.
They would never harm each other, and would even offer their support, if one of their members needed assistance. This was also why the Holy Order of Light was founded.
This was the main difference among the Chosen Maidens that carried the power of Sins and Virtues.
"I've heard many things about you, Celeste," Princess Sidonie said as she extended her hand for a handshake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh."
"Likewise. I have long wanted to meet you, Princess Sidone. It seems that your beauty matches the power of your Divinity," Celeste took Princess Sidonie's hand and shook it twice before letting go.
"Are you here for my husband?"
"Husband?"
Princess Sidonie smiled sweetly as she placed her hand behind her back. "Yes. William and I got married a few weeks ago. Feel free to write a letter to your sister and inform her about this matter."
"... I will do that," Celeste replied. She did her best to retain the calm expression on her face, while deep inside, she was cursing William for being a womanizer. As the virtue of Chastity, she was not a fan of a man who took more than one wife.
Celeste was still on the fence about William, but her sister had already given her maidenhood to the Half-Elf, to test whether he was the Prince of Darkness or not. So far, the results were negative, and because of this, Celine was willing to give William the benefit of the doubt.
The Maiden of Chastity just found it hard to stomach that the Half-Elf had married two of the Seven Sins, while her sister was in the Demonic Continent looking for her Master.
'Sister, the man you chose is scum,' Celeste sighed inside her heart. 'The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if he continued his streak and married more women. I better correct this attitude of his when he is in the academy. I will not allow my sister to be tied up with a womanizer!"
For the sake of her sister's happiness, she would do her best to teach William that being a skirt-chaser was a very deplorable profession.