"You must be William's friends, I am his Master, Celine," Celine said with a smile. "Just call me Lady Celine. It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."
The next day after William and Celine had a heart to heart talk, he brought Wendy, Spencer, Ian, along with Dia, Thor, and Ragnar to Celine's house. Aside from meeting his friends, his Master was also very curious about the three mythical beasts that had become part of William's family.
"The pleasure is ours, Lady Celine," Wendy replied.
Spencer was dazed by Celine's beauty and was not able to answer in time. Fortunately, Wendy's reply broke him from his trance and he immediately gave his greeting.
"It's an honor to meet Sir William's Master," Spencer greeted.
William had a smug look on his face when he saw Spencer's reaction. Celine was certainly a peerless beauty and only a handful of ladies in the Southern Continent could match her. Ian stared at his "nemesis" with a neutral expression.
"I've heard that William became the Head Prefect of the Martial Class in the Royal Academy. Is he doing a good job, or is he just lazing around?" Celine inquired in a teasing tone.
"The Head Prefect is very capable, Lady Celine," Spencer replied. "To this day, I never thought that a shepherd would be able to get the most sought after position in the academy. It opened my eyes as to how vast the world is."
"I agree." Wendy nodded her head and gave the red-headed boy a side-long glance. "Will is a brave and competent leader. The way he led the charge on the battlefield will forever be etched on the hearts of the First Years who were there that day."
William raised his chin in arrogance and the corner of his lips rose higher. Clearly, he was enjoying the praises that the twins were saying about him.
Ian was doing his best not to roll his eyes, and Celine gave her disciple a rare look of approval. Although Oliver had told her about William's Heroics, hearing it from other people added to its credibility.
"William has always been a hard worker." Celine nodded her head. "Although he can be quite dumb at times, he is still able to rise to the occasion when it really matters."
"Master, if you want to praise me, just remove the word dumb," William commented. "As your disciple, it is only normal for me to be competent, right?"
"Indeed." Celine agreed. "As expected of my disciple."
Wendy was paying close attention to Celine. For some reason, she was not feeling any kind of jealousy towards her. In fact, she wanted to know more about her. She didn't know why she felt this way, and it also puzzled her.
What she didn't know was that Celine was paying close attention to her as well. Wendy was giving her an unusual feeling that she couldn't understand. The only thing she knew was that the feeling didn't hold any malice or negativity whatsoever.
While the two girls were trying to feel each other out, Spencer decided to break the silence and ask the beautiful elf a question that had been nagging at his mind since yesterday.
"Lady Celine, William said that you were a Dancer." Spencer looked at the beautiful elf with a serious expression. "I've met a few of them and some of them are very capable fighters. Can you tell me what kind of weapon you specialize in?"
"I specialize in wielding spears," Celine answered.
"Spears? What a coincidence!" Wendy looked at Celine with starry eyes. "The spear is also my main weapon. Can you give me a few tips on how to become more proficient in it?"
"I suppose…" Celine gave Wendy a sweet smile. 'It will also help me understand why I am feeling this way towards you.'
"Can I also join?" Spencer asked with interest. "I'm also a spear wielder. It would be an honor to learn a few tips from Sir William's Master."
Celine's smile stiffened when she heard Spencer's request. The only one she wanted to get to know was Wendy and not her twin brother. Fortunately, William came to the rescue and prevented Spencer's advances on Celine.
"There's no need for Master to teach you, Spencer," William interjected. "I alone will be more than happy to teach you how to wield it. Why don't we go outside? I am itching to bea- teach you a few tricks on how to raise your proficiency in spear mastery."
William didn't wait for Spencer's reply and dragged the older boy outside the house. Ian also excused himself and followed Will. He didn't like to stay with Celine longer than necessary.
The beautiful elf stood up from the couch and motioned for Wendy to follow her. They headed towards the basement where Celine's training room was located. Oliver, on the other hand, was pondering something important.
He had discovered something unusual with Wendy, but he was not someone who liked to gossip about other's secrets. Celine knew Oliver's personality, so she didn't bother to ask him. Although it was troublesome, the elf had her own ways to find the answers to her questions.
-----
In a small grove located at the East of Lont, Leah and Matthew held each other's hands as they faced a man wearing a traveler's cloak. It was none other than Leah's and Cedric's father Sebas.
"I knew that this day would come, but I never expected it to come this soon," Sebas said as he looked at his daughter with gentle eyes.
When he shifted his eyes on Matthew they became as sharp as a blade, but the latter didn't flinch and stared back with an unwavering gaze. Sebas stared at his future son-in-law and sighed in his heart.
He didn't have any complaints about Leah marrying Matthew. Quite the opposite, he was quite satisfied with him. His only concern was whether the young man would be able to make his daughter happy.
"If you make my daughter cry, I swear that I'll beat the crap out of you," Sebas stated. "Not even your grandfather can stop me from wiping the floor with your face."
"If that time comes then I won't resist," Matthew replied. "If I am not even capable of making Leah happy then I definitely deserve a beating."
"Remember those words. I will hold you accountable for them."
"I will. I promise."
Leah watched the confrontation between her father and her lover with a smile on her face. She knew that both men truly loved her, and she was touched by their show of affection.
"Leah, take care of yourself." Sebas walked towards his daughter and gave her a hug. "After your wedding, I'll go to the Central Continent to take a look at your older brother. I'm worried about him."
Leah nodded as she rested her head on her father's chest, just like she had always done in the past. "I'm also worried about Big Brother. I hope that he's doing well."
"Cedric is still inexperienced and I'm afraid that people will take advantage of him." Sebas reluctantly let his daughter go and took a step back. "I just hope that he found some good friends when he enrolled at Everwinter Academy."
"Father, are you going to show yourself to Big Brother?"
"In a few years. I want your Big Brother to be more independent. If I show up to him now, he might revert to his old self and that would only hinder his growth. I will send letters to you from time to time. Feel free to tell me if you get mistreated by the Ainsworths."
Leah nodded her head as she fought off the tears that she had been holding back. Sebas looked at his daughter and patted her head one more time before walking away. However, after reaching his tenth step, Sebas stopped and turned his head to look at the two lovers.
"Matthew, you don't have to hurry to give me a granddaughter," Sebas said. "Wait at least two more years. Leah is still young. Also, I think that now is not a good time to have a child. There are things happening here in the Hellan Kingdom that look fishy to me."
Sebas paused as he stared in the direction of the Hellan Capital. "The Beast Tide and the Dungeon Outbreaks may be connected to each other. I'm afraid that it is just the beginning of something bigger. Until this danger passes, it would be best to hold off on having children. It's not too late to have them when everything has settled down."
Leah's father gave them one last glance before disappearing deeper inside the grove. He would wait until his daughter was safely married to Matthew before leaving the Southern Continent. Although he felt that something was amiss, he was confident that James would be able to protect his daughter.
This was why he could leave Leah without any worries as he concentrated on his eldest son who was currently in the Central Continent. The place where all the major powers of the world congregated. A place where constant wars, big and small, took place.