Chapter 869 - How Many Wives Do You Have?
The sound of merry-making could be heard inside the Glory Shelter as Humans, Dwarves, Lizardfolk, and the Demons ate and drank their fill.
After seeing the golden portal that would take all of them back home, everyone decided to have one last celebration party in the Deadlands, before they returned to their homeworlds.
"Hah~ the taste of victory is awesome." Swiper burped after drinking the bottle of wine in his hand. "I knew that I was born a winner. Hahahaha!"
Eldon chuckled beside the drunk Demonic Boar as he drank the wine that he had been saving for a special occasion.
Lindir ate the barbecued meat with gusto as he stared at the Demonic Boar with contempt.
The Swamptide Shelter had formed an alliance with the Dwarves and the Demons before the battle.
They only followed the plan that they had formulated beforehand, to backstab Morax's troops, when they were about to crush Eldon's and Swiper's resistance.
Lindir believed that among the Leaders, Eldon was the wisest of them all. Because of this, he had decided to side with the steadfast dwarf, and it proved that his trust wasn't misplaced.
"Now that everything is over, you can come clean, Eldon," Swiper said as he glanced at the Dwarf that was drinking beside him.
"What do you mean?" Eldon asked with a look of confusion on his face.
"You've been so stubborn when it came to rejecting Morax's invitation. This could only mean one thing and that was that you were sure that his side was going to lose, right?" Swiper smiled evilly. "Even if you deny it, I won't believe it. So just hurry up and spill the beans."
Eldon chuckled before drinking the remaining wine in his cup.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I was very close to joining Morax's bandwagon," Eldon replied. "If not for a little bird that visited me in the Dwarven Shelter, I would have definitely become the Dread Lord's subordinate. This much is true."
Swiper and Lindir, who were drinking wine while listening to Eldon's explanation, spat it out on each other.
The two Leaders were too surprised to even bother with the wine that was trickling down their faces.
"What?! Who was that little bird?!" Swiper. "Who was that person?"
Lindir narrowed his eyes as he waited for Eldon to answer the Demonic Boar's question.
"Sorry, but I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone," Eldon replied as he looked at a pretty lady that passed behind Swiper and Lindir.
Cathy winked at Eldon as she walked towards William's table, carrying several canned juice in her arms.
Swiper and Lindir clicked their tongue, but they decided not to pry further. The important thing was that they didn't join Morax's side and managed to survive the battle in the Deadlands.
The party went all through the night, and people could be seen sleeping on the floor, from being dead-drunk due to over-eating and drinking.
On the roof of the Glory Shelter, William looked at the Golden Portal that was glowing in the distance.
According to Raizel, they still had plenty of time before the portal closed, so he wasn't in a hurry to leave.
A drunk Lilith also reminded him that she was still not pregnant, and would not leave the Deadlands until William did his job properly.
Fortunately, the Amazon Princess only told this to William after he carried her back to Raizel's room in a princess carry.
Raizel, who was walking beside the Half-Elf as he carried Lilith, looked at the walls of the hallway as if she was touring a museum. Even in the dark hallway, William could see the redness in the young beauty's face, as she pretended not to hear their discussion.
Naturally, the Half-Elf didn't have any objections and promised Lilith that he would make sure that she got what she wanted, before they left the Deadlands, which made Raizel's face turn redder.
After laying his lover in the bed, and kissing his future daughter in the forehead goodnight, William went to the roof of the Glory Shelter to organize his thoughts.
Many things had happened, and he was still in a state of disbelief and denial.
While he was deep in his thoughts, he heard a set of footsteps walking towards him. William didn't even bother to turn his head in the direction where the footsteps were coming from, because he had already identified who it was through the person's aura.
Eldon, the Leader of the Dwarves, sat beside William carrying two bottles of beer in each hand.
"Would you like some?" Eldon offered.
"Yes," William replied as he turned to look at the Dwarf beside him.
With beer in hand, the two people gazed at the golden portal in the distance, enjoying the cold breeze that passed through their bodies.
"I have a four-year-old granddaughter." Eldon suddenly broke the silence as he placed the bottle of beer beside him. "I was out on a hunting trip looking for a gift to give to her on her birthday, when an earthquake suddenly struck out of nowhere. When I opened my eyes, I was here."
A minute of silence passed between the two men as the Dwarf finished the rest of his beer before continuing his story.
"What I want to say is thank you," Eldon said. "If not for you, I may not have been able to see my family again. In this dead-infested-world, it's very hard to find the kind of warmth that you can get from your loved ones. I really miss my granddaughter. She would always ask me to carry her whenever I came back from my hunting trips."
"... May I ask what your granddaughter's name is?" William inquired. Although he had a feeling that he already knew the answer to his question, he still asked it in order to clarify the vague feelings in his heart.
Eldon smiled like a proud grandfather as he said his granddaughter's name. ""April. Her name is April."
William felt as if a lump was stuck inside his throat. He had seen how Chiffon's mother had died in the Demonic Lands, and knew that he couldn't possibly tell Eldon the sad fate that befell his granddaughter under the hands of Chiffon's father.
The only thing he could do was to keep these memories inside his heart, as he continued to listen to the tale of the Dwarf who missed his wife and granddaughter.
"A little bird told me that in the future, you will become my great granddaughter's husband," Eldon said in a grumpy manner. "I don't know what will happen in the future, but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't let anyone touch my great granddaughter without whacking their head once with my sledgehammer."
Beads of sweat started to form on William's forehead. He had seen how Eldon had sent Morax flying, and he had no doubt in his mind that he would definitely feel a world of pain if the Dwarf were to make his threat a reality.
"Tell me, is my great granddaughter as charming as her mother?" Eldon asked. "Is she a kind and loving person?"
"Yes," William gave his heartfelt answer as he thought of his wife, Chiffon. "She's all that and more."
Eldon laughed and patted William's shoulder after hearing the Half-Elf praise his great granddaughter.
"Is she… is she perhaps… that pink haired girl I saw in your Domain?" Eldon asked. When he saw Chiffon in the Thousand Beast Domain, he felt a strong attraction to her that he couldn't describe.
Although he had only stayed in that world in less than five minutes, seeing the pink-haired girl made Eldon feel as if he had seen a glimpse of the future.
"Yes," William replied. "Do you want to know her name?"
"Please."
"Chiffon. Her name is Chiffon."
Eldon let out a deep breath when he heard his great granddaughter's name. He then looked at William with a serious expression as he summoned his sledgehammer.
"You better take good care of her, got it?" Eldon said as he pointed the tip of the sledgehammer to William's nose. "If in the future I found out that you were bullying her, I'll make sure to give you a piece of my mind."
Instead of feeling threatened, William smiled because he felt Eldon's genuine love and care for his great granddaughter, whom he had met in the Thousand Beast Domain.
"I promise to love and protect her with my life," William replied. "Although I don't know what the future holds, I will do my best to make her happy."
Eldon harrumphed before unsummoning his weapon.
"How many wives do you have?" Eldon asked as he rubbed his chin.
"F-Four," William replied. He had a feeling that if he said more, Eldon would once again summon his sledgehammer and whack him for real.
"Four…," Eldon stopped rubbing his chin and glared at William. "Aren't you a bit too greedy? Lilith is also your lover, are you planning to marry her as well?"
"Yes."
"So that makes five, right? Tsk! If I really find out that you are mistreating Chiffon in the future, I will clobber you good."
William then tried to stir the topic away from his personal life and focused on asking Eldon about his family.
The Half-Elf was worried that if they continued their talk about his lovers, he would make a slip, which would lead to Eldon giving him a piece of his mind.
Fortunately, the Dwarf was more than happy to brag about his beautiful wife, daughter, and cute granddaughter.
William made a mental note of the place where Eldon lived in Hestia. If he didn't have too many things on his plate, he would go and visit him and let him meet his great granddaughter in the flesh.
He had seen how Chiffon had grown up in the Demonic Lands, deprived of the love of a family. If he could bring her to where her grandparents were, the pink-haired girl might experience what it was like to be held in a loving embrace, by the family that she hadn't had the chance to meet in her current lifetime.