Chapter 1057: There Is No Turning Back
"Zeph, please take care of them while I'm away," William said with a smile as he looked at the old man's face that was slowly turning green from anger.
"Hahaha, of course," Zeph replied as he patted William's shoulder. "I'll make sure that the young misses are well taken care of."
William knew that although Zeph was smiling, deep inside the old man was cursing him and his ancestors from the bottom of his heart. If possible, he didn't want to babysit Princess Aila and Shannon, while the Half-Elf went to the North to handle his business.
But, since William was the contractor of the Fortaare Death Worm, the old coot had no choice but to send him off with a smile and assure him that everything was going to be alright.
William nodded his head with a satisfied expression on his face before turning his attention to Princess Aila and Shannon.
"Wait for my return," William said. "I promise that I will give you my answer by then."
Princess Aila nodded her head in understanding. Ever since William had entered her dream, she felt as if a burden had been taken off her shoulders.
Shannon, on the other hand, reluctantly nodded her head because she understood that she couldn't force her way inside William's heart were she to insist on following him on his journey.
Besides, her ability to travel long distances could be used once again, so she wasn't worried about not being able to go to where William was, in case he needed her.
"Conan, Elliot, look after them for me," William ordered his two familiars who patted their chest with confidence."
"Kekeke. Leave it to me."
"Consider it done."
Just as William was about to leave, Chloee landed on his head and sat on top of it.
"I'm going with you," Chloee declared. "I'm sure that what you are about to do is dangerous. I'll make sure to keep you safe."
William was about to urge Chloee to stay and protect Princess Aila and Shannon, when Elliot's telepathic message reached his consciousness.
"Take Chloee with you." Elliot insisted. "She will be of great help to you."
William paused for a bit before nodding his head. He had decided to heed Elliot's advice and take the little fairy with him on his journey.
"Okay, Sixth Master, make sure to keep me safe."
"Of course! This is my duty as your Master." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ. ᴄᴏᴍ.
The little fairy that sat on top of William's head, grinned in happiness as she waved her goodbyes to Princess Aila, Shannon, Conan, and Elliot.
She was determined to go with William, even if she had to beat him black and blue in front of everyone. In order to keep the Half-Elf from suffering such torture, Elliot decided to step in and advised William to take her with him.
Besides, he didn't lie when he said that Chloee would be of great help to him on his journey to the North.
"I'll be going then," William said as he waved his goodbyes to everyone. "I'll see you all as soon as I can."
After bidding his farewell, he turned into a lightning bolt and shot through the skies, heading towards the North.
Elliot looked at William's departing figure and the smile on his face disappeared. It was replaced with a solemness that he rarely showed to anyone. He knew that no one could stop what was about to come, and the only thing he could do was to prepare himself for the inevitable.
—--
A streak of lightning landed in a valley that was several miles away from the Ancient Ruins that were being heavily guarded by the Demon Army.
"Welcome back," Celine nodded her head in greeting as she looked at William from the balcony of Baba Yaga's wooden house. "Have you finished your business?"
"It is still unfinished business, but that will have to wait until our return," William replied. "Where are the others?"
William scanned his surroundings but he couldn't find Vesta's, Kira's, and Athrun's flying carriages anywhere. This was supposed to be their meeting place after he had left for the Fortaare Desert to meet with Princess Aila, Shannon, Conan, Elliot, and Chloee.
"Vesta received a message from her father, telling her to go to a city not far from here," Celine replied. "According to her, that is where she will wait for the two of us to return. Kira and Athrun decided to stay with her because they knew that they couldn't accompany us to our destination."
William nodded his head in understanding. It was true that only he and Celine needed to go to the Ancient Ruins in order to deal with their current circumstances. Bringing others along would just put them in needless danger.
"Why is my sister's Familiar with you?" Celine frowned as she looked at Chloee, who was seated on top of William's head.
"Sixth Master decided to come with me as my bodyguard," William replied. "Don't worry. She can take care of herself."
Chloee eyed Celine but kept her mouth shut. She knew that Celeste and Celine had a good relationship, so she didn't want to start any conflicts with her. Also, William traveled all the way to the Demon Continent in order to look for his Master. She was not stupid enough to make things difficult for either party.
After hearing William's reply, Celine pondered for a while before nodding her head. She had seen what Chloee was capable of in the past and knew that even if she fought against her sister's familiar, the chances of her getting seriously injured was quite high.
"Will, I know that we already talked about this, but I'll ask you one last time," Celine said with a serious expression on her face. "Are you sure about this? Once we do this, there is no turning back."
"Master, running away doesn't solve anything," William replied. "It will just prolong our suffering. It will be better if we just go there and find out why our Dark Powers keep getting out of hand."
Celine closed the book in her hand and floated towards William's location.
"I'm ready when you are," Celine declared.
William nodded as he held her hand firmly. "Let's go. Whatever is waiting for us, we will face it together."