Chapter 957 - A Third Uninvited Party
William didn't know what to do, or what to think. He didn't even hear Ella teasing him about drinking her milk again.
Right now, his mind was in a mess. It was not easy for him to accept that his foster mother was actually the Goddess that he had seen in Dias' world.
"Back then, Dias threw a feast to honor my arrival," William muttered as he stood rooted on the ground. "All I drank was wine, which was served by Hebe. However, when I woke up, I tasted milk on my lips. Was that your doing?"
Ella pulled back a little to gaze at William's eyes. She didn't have any intention of hiding that part from him, so she nodded her head and admitted that it was her doing.
"Have you been hiding your true form since I was a baby?" William asked.
This time, Ella shook her head.
"When we first met, I have no recollection of who I was," Ella answered, meeting William's gaze head on. This was her way of showing his foster son that she wasn't lying as she continued her explanation. "I only remembered a bit when you gave me this."
Ella lightly tapped the silver bell on her neck. It was the gift that the God of Shepherd, David, had given him many years ago, and the Half-Elf had given it to Ella as a gift.
"I know you have a lot of questions, and I am willing to answer them all," Ella said softly. "But, this is not the place for such a discussion. Should we go someplace more private?"
It was at this moment when William remembered where they were. Several students had already gathered just inside the gate and watched the otherworldly beauty with dazed expressions, while inwardly cursing at William for gaining another beauty to add to his harem.
If looks could kill, the Half-Elf would have already died a million times over.
William scratched his head as he thought of a way to solve this problem. He was supposed to go to the Demonic Continent, but with Ella's appearance, his plan suddenly halted mid-way.
Sensing his internal struggle, Ella decided to take the initiative and held William's hand.
"Come with me," Ella said as he pulled Wiliam towards the flying ship. "This ship belongs to me, so we can talk inside without worrying about others hearing our conversation."
William nodded and allowed himself to be led to the flying ship by the beautiful lady whose delicate hands made him feel warm and content.
Chiffon hurriedly followed behind him because she had no intention of letting her husband go anywhere with a lady whom she hadn't met before. Kenneth followed behind her. Although it didn't show on his face, he was equally shocked at the revelation that he had seen and heard.
He knew who Ella was and also understood how deeply William cared for her. Back then, when they were still in the Hellan Royal Academy, the Half-Elf had fought for the right to have her stay in the same room as him, which had shocked many students from the Martial Division.
He was very curious about how things would turn out now that Ella had finally reunited with William. The silver-haired Elf could sense that things weren't going to be peaceful now that the Half-Elf's foster mother had arrived on the scene.
Zhu and Sha on the other hand didn't know about Ella. For them, as long as the beautiful lady didn't show any malice, or threaten William, they would not do anything to harm her. Of course, as individuals who had spent over a thousand years in the Celestial Realm, they could feel the Divinity that radiated from Ella's body.
They knew that if they were to really fight her, the chances of them winning were close to zero.
More than anything else, they were very curious about how such an individual became William's foster mother. Both of them knew that the red-headed teenager was different from the rest, but they didn't expect that his foster Mama was a former high-ranking Goddess.
Although much of her powers were gone, someone like her was an existence that could never be provoked by any mortal living under the heavens.
When the ship finally left the port, the crowd that had gathered at the entrance finally dispersed. Ashe, Princess Sidonie, and Lilith looked at the flying ship with worry, while Princess Eowyn, Princess Aila, and Pearl looked at it with curious gazes.
The three had only heard bits and pieces of William's and Ella's conversation, but what they heard was enough to shock them to the core, especially Princess Aila and Princess Eowyn who had seen the "goat Ella" back in the Southern Continent.
—--
"Is this one of your wives?" Ella asked as she eyed Chiffon. "She looks adorable."
The pink-haired girl didn't reply and simply latched onto William, while looking at Ella with suspicion. She was like a mother hen protecting her chick, and would not allow a random stranger, especially someone more beautiful, endowed with well shaped breasts and a curvaceous figure, who made her feel inferior, take him from her.
"Yes," William replied. "Her name is Chiffon. She is my third wife, Ma–, I mean Ella."
Ella raised an eyebrow. "Third wife? How many wives do you have now?"
She knew that William was being chased by many girls, and she didn't mind him having many wives. But, as someone who had raised him, she didn't want the Half-Elf to end up like Dias, who was an expert skirt chaser.
"Right now, I have five wives," William replied, "and three fiances. You already know who Est is, so I won't say anything more about her. There is also the Amazon Princess, Lilith, whom I have recognized as my fiance. The last one is my Master, Celine. Although we didn't talk much about our relationship, as her first man, I have to take responsibility for my actions."
"So five wives, and three fiances," Ella nodded. "I met with Est before I left the Southern Continent. She misses you terribly, so you should go and visit her as soon as possible. As for Celine… I had a feeling that you will definitely make her yours once you grow up."
"Ma– I mean, Ella, actually I plan to go to the Demonic Continent to look for Celine," William stated. "There is this Elven Prophecy, which talks about this Prince of Darkness. My goal is to find Celine and bring her to Hestia Academy, so she can hide behind its walls until the prophecy's duration comes to an end."
When Ella heard about the Elven Prophecy, she didn't say anything and simply nodded her head. She was aware of this prophecy when William was still young. Right now, the prophecy was about to become a reality.
Ella knew that once that "being" made her move, the laws of the world would be flipped, and no one under the heavens would be able to stop her from doing what she wanted.
"I will go with you to the Demonic Continent," Ella said with a firmness that wouldn't take no for an answer. "Let's find Celine and get her out of there. The sooner you are behind the walls of Hestia Academy, the safer you will be."
"Okay." William nodded.
The Half-Elf thought that Ella was talking about Celine's safety. However, he failed to realize that Ella wasn't talking about the beautiful Elf who had taught William Dark Magic.
No. She was talking about his safety.
As the flying ship changed course and headed towards the Demonic Continent, a certain Primordial Goddess chuckled from high above the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods. Although a single move from her could make her wishes a reality, she deemed that it would be too boring to do that.
Since that was the case, she decided to just watch from the sidelines and see how the events would unfold.
From her Obsidian Throne, the Goddess gazed into the void. A small frown appeared on her beautiful face as someone caught her attention.
"Looks like we will have some gatecrashers this time around," the Primordial Goddess said softly. "Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it. I just have to see whether or not you are willing to take that step, so that the gamble between the two of us can finally see the light of day."
As someone who had lived since time immemorial, she understood more than anything else that even the most well-thought out plans could easily be shattered when a third, uninvited party, arrived at the scene and messed everything up.