Chapter 397 - This Time, I Will Not Let You Fight Alone
Because William couldn't prove that he could be trusted, the Titanic Trollhound didn't accompany him in his return to the Hellan Kingdom.
After resting for a day in the Great Chieftain's residence on the Third Peak of Chivalry, and making sure that Brianna and Prince Ernest were doing well, William and Ashe once again journeyed towards the Hellan Kingdom.
They planned to make a detour before before going to the town of Hartlepool
Their destination? It was none other than the Armstrong Duchy.
Although it didn't show on his face, William was very worried about Wendy. He had already seen Est, but he still hadn't seen his first girlfriend since he had woken up from his coma.
.Surprisingly, Ashe even supported his decision. Her reasoning was simple.
"Wendy is your girlfriend," Ashe said firmly. "It's only natural for you to see her and lessen the burden in her heart. I'm sure that she's also very worried about your current condition."
Because of this, they didn't waste time and traveled four days in order to reach the Armstrong Duchy, which had found some kind of stability amidst the hardships that they had faced in the first few weeks after the Continental Spell had descended upon the land.
When the Lamassu flew over the Armstrong Residence, the Young Knights immediately sounded the alarm that an intruder had arrived.
Spencer and Wendy came hurrying towards the front doors with their spears firmly held in their hands. When Wendy saw the new arrival, she screamed like a little girl and ran in William's direction.
Spencer, on the other hand, frowned, but he made a gesture for the Knights to lower their weapons. Some of these Young Knights were the local trainees of their retainers, so they didn't know who William was.
They just looked at him in envy when they saw their Lady Wendy jumped into his arms with tears streaming down her face. The beautiful lady wailed and pounded William's chest calling him a cheater, a womanizer, and a playboy.
(A/N: Excuse my French.)
William didn't care that they were being watched by many people as he cupped Wendy's face and kissed her lips.
Spencer was very tempted to stab William's bum with the tip of his spear, just like the Half-Elf had done when he tried to capture the Gryphon, Lionheart, back in the Whimsical Forest.
The Young Knights, who had a crush on Wendy, felt their hearts breaking as William kissed the apple of their eyes right in front of them!
Although she was caught off guard by William's passionate kiss, the blonde beauty didn't fight back and even wrapped her arms around William's neck. The two kissed for a minute before reluctantly parting from each other.
Ian watched this scene with a calm expression because she understood that Wendy was the first girl whom William had opened his heart to. She had a feeling that even if her seal had been broken earlier, she would have found it difficult to find an opportunity to get close to William and make him treat her as his lover.
Sometimes, Ashe even thought that William's current state was a blessing in disguise. If not for it, she wouldn't have had an excuse to give him half of her heart, which would automatically made him her partner for life.
(A/N: There are times when I have to switch pronouns when it comes to Ian, and Est. Bear with me as I find the right balance in order to make the transitions smoother.)
After their public display of affection, Spencer urged the two annoying love birds to come inside the residence before the Young Knights cried a river for their loss.
Ian followed a few steps behind William and Wendy in order to give both of them some privacy. The blonde beauty clung to William's arm like a leech. A leech that wouldn't let go even if one were to spray salt on her.
Naturally, the Half-Elf enjoyed his girlfriend's affection and whispered words of love in her ear, making Wendy's face beet red.
After arriving in the Duke's office, Spencer immediately asked William for his reason for coming to their territory.
Naturally, William didn't hide his purpose for coming.
"I came to see Wendy before I continued my journey to gather allies that will help us resist The Organization and the Elven Invasion," William replied. "We only have a few months to prepare, and I'm afraid that we won't have enough forces to stop them from their conquest."
Est had already informed everyone about the Foreign Invaders that had arrived in their Kingdom--the Elven Race and the Kraetor Empire. However, between the two Superpowers, the Elven Race's threat was more profound because the distance between the Hellan Kingdom and the Zelan Dynasty was not that far from each other.
The only reason why the Elves hadn't attacked yet was because they were busy consolidating the territories of the Zelan Kingdom and also focusing their efforts on building the Teleport Gates that would allow reinforcements from the Silvermoon Continent to arrive in the Southern Continent.
When William said that he planned to go to the Town of Hartlepool in order to explore the Goblin Crypt, Wendy's and Spencer's expressions immediately turned grim.
The twins had suffered terribly during their first dungeon expedition inside the Goblin Crypt. Although they had been captured, Wendy's Fate would have been terrible if not for William's, and the other students' in the academy, timely rescue.
The Goblin Crypt gave the two of them a very bad memory and,if possible, they didn't want to go there ever again.
"Do you have a reason for going there?" Wendy asked.
William nodded and explained the situation concerning Takam's condition. He didn't mention anything about the Gigantic Trollhound because he was not sure if this information would leak and reach The Organization through different channels.
'It's better to be safe than sorry,' WIlliam thought as he hugged Wendy who was seated beside him on the couch.
Ian sat on the chair right next to them and focused his attention on eating the snacks that had been served to them. The constant travels had taken a toll on him and he just wanted to relax for the time being before accompanying William in his Dungeon Expedition.
"I'm coming with you."
Everyone in the room glanced at the blonde beauty who was looking at William with a determined expression on her face.
"I'm coming with you to the Goblin Crypt," Wendy declared. "This time, I will not let you fight alone. Whatever you plan to do, I will go with you."
William frowned. He didn't come to the Armstrong Duchy to get Wendy to accompany him in his travels. He just wanted to let her know that he was safe then leave as soon as he could to travel to the Town of Hartlepool.
Wendy's eyes were very determined and William couldn't find a reason to prevent her from coming with him. Deep inside, he missed her company and also wanted her to be with him in his quest to gather allies from all over the Hellan Kingdom.
Spencer rubbed his forehead because he had already anticipated that his twin sister would do something like this.
The Siscon shifted his attention to William and the latter met his gaze. Half a minute later, both boys nodded their heads in understanding.
Although Spencer was reluctant to part with his sister, he knew that William would do his best to keep her safe. Although he disliked the red-headed boy, he had recognized his strength.
He just hoped that the twin sister he cared about the most wouldn't suffer terribly as she followed the person she loved.