"Allow me to introduce to you one of the most loyal subjects of our Dynasty," Prince Alaric said as he glanced at the boy that was seated by his side. "This is Paul Collins. He is one of the Royal Guards assigned to protect the family."
Paul stood from his seat and bowed towards William. "It is an honor to finally meet the person that our Crown Prince had been praising for the past few days. I have heard the story of your valor on the Peak of Chivalry when you fought against the Prince of the Anaesha Dynasty. I wish I was there to witness it personally."
William smiled and gave Paul a brief nod. He didn't know what kind of people served as the Royal Guards of the Zelan Dynasty, but Paul's way with words made William think that being eloquent in the art of flattery was a requirement to serve the Royalty of the Zelan Dynasty.
"Thank you for your praise," William replied. "If you had been there, you would have definitely been in awe of how awesome I was. That Prince from the Anaesha Dynasty was just a small fry. I could have easily killed him with a single sneeze if I wanted to, but since I planned to be lowkey, I decided to just use my weakest attack to defeat him."
Paul used all of his willpower to prevent the corner of his lips from twitching. He had just praised William because he wanted to make a good first impression. He didn't expect the Half-Elf to start boasting of his accomplishments in front of him.
Prince Alaric and Princess Aila, on the other hand, averted their gazes. They were also doing their best not to roll their eyes at William's boastful words.
If they believed William's words that using Soleil, to completely incinerate his opponent and turn the entire arena into a blazing hell, was being lowkey then the two of them would be complete idiots.
If that was being lowkey then what was being high key? Obliterating the entire Third Peak of Chivalry?
After William finished praising himself, Prince Alaric continued his introduction.
"Paul is also one of the best scouts of our Dynasty. He is very familiar with the terrain and will be a good ally to help you in your endeavors, Cousin."
"Oh? That sounds promising."
William eyed Paul and nodded his head in appreciation. He didn't need to hide anything from Prince Alaric because the latter was quick to pick up on things.
"As you may have already guessed, I plan to go to the Zelan Dynasty," William declared. "My reason for going there is to sabotage the construction of the teleportation gates that are currently being built by the Elves.
"Since, once that structure is completed, all of us can just plan to roll over and wait for them to chop our heads off one by one. Due to the severity of the situation, I decided to ask for your support in guiding me inside your Dynasty. It will be much easier to find our way around if we have a local to guide us in our travels."
Paul pressed his fist over his chest. "I swear upon my Family's name that I will risk even my life to assist you, Sir William, to the best of my abilities."
William nodded. "I cannot promise that I will be able to help you drive the Elves away from your Dynasty. But, I will certainly do my best to prevent them from calling for more reinforcements. I will count on you, Sir Paul, to find us the best opportunity to conduct our surprise attack."
"I will do my best, Sir William."
"Good. That is all I ask."
The two teenagers shook hands to seal the deal of their cooperation. Prince Alaric also pressed his hand over theirs to tell them that he would also go with them to fight against the Elves.
Princess Aila watched this exchange from the side and made her decision. She would also accompany William to aid him on his mission to fight against the Elves. Although she had only spent a short time with her Master, Owen, the Life Archon had taught her a lot of powerful spells that she had memorized during her stay in Lont.
Princess Aila believed that she would be able to play an important role in healing the injuries of William and his team when the need arose.
Celine and Jekyll exchanged a glance and nodded their heads at the same time. They would also accompany William on this mission and leave the safety of Lont to Vladimir. Once the Elves succeeded, although Lont would be safe, the Capital of the Hellan Kingdom would definitely fall in the hands of the Elves after a few weeks if they did not help William with his mission.
The beautiful Dark Sorceress had no love for her race. In fact, she was like Kasogonaga and Conner who wanted nothing more than to burn the entire Silvermoon Continent to the ground.
Jekyll's main reason for going was that he couldn't allow William to fight the Elves alone. According to Ezio's report, there were at least Six Saint Level Fighters, Three Archmages, and one Grand Archmage among the Elven Forces in the Zelan Dynasty.
William might be able to deal with the Elven Prodigies, but against the powerhouses of the Elven Race, he was just like an egg being thrown at a boulder.
Jekyll wouldn't allow the Half-Elf to suffer miserably in their hands because he had made a promise to William's father. Although his hate for the Elves wasn't as extreme as Celine's, Kasogonaga's, and Conner's, he still found them to be an eyesore in his sight.
The group discussed until late into the night before dispersing to make their necessary preparations.
Just as the sun rose from the East, dozens of flying carriages left the Town of Lont. Eve waved at them from the ground as she watched them disappear into the horizon.
Leah placed her hand over the small girl's shoulder as she sighed in her heart. She and Matthew had also wanted to go, but William rejected their request. The Half-Elf insisted that they needed to stay in Lont because Celine and Jekyll were no longer around.
Eve needing a caretaker was also a factor. William wasn't too keen on letting other people take care of her while they were away. Because of this, Matthew and Leah could only watch them go as they prayed silently in their hearts.
Takam glanced at this flying procession from on top of the Kyrintor Mountains. His age-old eyes softened as these brave young warriors went to the front lines to wage war against the invaders of their lands.
"War doesn't prove who's right or wrong," Takam muttered. "It only shows who's left."