William didn't even bother to look at Kingsley and walked in the direction of the representatives of the Misty Sect.
As he came closer, the Misty Sect disciples felt their hearts beating wildly inside their chest. They were feeling anxious. Although the Handsome Half-Elf was smiling, they felt that they were about to be sent to the gallows to be hanged.
Miriam calmly looked at the boy and stepped forward. She was about to say something, but William had cut her off before she could even say a word.
"Now I'll know if the Misty Sect has any integrity or if they are just one of those third rate sects who don't have any sense of honor and dignity," William said in a very casual way. "Everyone here will serve as a witness and see for themselves just what kind of organization the Misty Sect is."
William ignored Mirian and stared straight at Rebecca. "Everyone will know, if the Misty Sect is just as good as you thought it would be."
Rebecca's face remained calm as she returned William's gaze. Four years had passed, and she had become more beautiful than the last time William had seen her. However, William was no longer the same innocent boy he was back then, who was easily affected by beautiful appearances.
The red-headed boy gave Lawrence a side-long glance before turning his head back to Miriam.
"Well then, are you going to kneel or not?" William asked.
Miriam gripped the staff in her hand tightly. William didn't give her any opportunity to negotiate. He even shamelessly pushed her into a corner and used the name, honor, and dignity of the Misty Sect as blackmail material to force her to make an important decision.
Ignore the deal that she had made with the boy and have the Misty Sect labeled as an organization without honor, dignity, and integrity.
Or, accept the humiliation with gritted teeth as they kneeled in front of the young teenager in front of them.
If they chose the second option, even if they adhered to the deal, it would become a black stain in their life. If they didn't do it then all the nobles in the Hellan Kingdom would look down on their sect.
The worst part about this was if the news spread to the Central Continent. Miriam didn't dare think of the consequences that would fall upon her head if this news came out. Their Sect Master would definitely rip her head off her shoulders in anger, if she were to bring shame to their organization.
The nobles of the kingdom were waiting for Miriam's decision. Although they didn't like the boy, and they had conflicts with each other on a daily basis, when it came to external forces, they would always stick together as pillars of the Kingdom and lay down their differences for the greater good.
Miriam sighed as she slowly knelt on the ground. She had been the great elder of the Misty Sect for many years and never in her life had she experienced being forced to kneel in front of someone.
Usually, it was others who knelt before her to beg her for forgiveness. Sometimes, they would beg her, while kneeling, in order to ask her for a favor.
The moment her knees touched the ground, she felt as if the world had lost its color. The disciples of the misty sect tearfully followed their elder's action and kneeled on the ground as well.
As the proud members of the Misty Sect, they never would have thought that a day would come when they had to humble themselves in front of others.
William crossed his arms over his chest and looked down on Miriam as if he was looking at an insect.
Miriam looked up on the boy that she had greatly underestimated. The Half-Elf wasn't that tall, but for some reason, she felt like she was looking up at a towering mountain. A mountain whose peak she couldn't see.
Her lips trembled as she forced herself to speak the words that they had agreed upon before the duel started.
"You are the most handsome Half-Elf in the Southern Continent," Miriam said through gritted teeth. "No one in the world is more handsome than you."
William nodded his head and turned his attention to the Misty Sect Disciples. He was looking at them with the "What are you kids waiting for?" expression on his face.
""You are the most handsome Half-Elf in the Southern Continent. No one in the world is more handsome than you.""
William shifted his gaze to the beautiful young lady that he had exempted from kneeling in front of him. The so-called genius that was born every two-hundred years. The girl that his grandfather had asked to become his fiance when he was still a one-year-old baby.
"Three years from now, I will climb the peaks of the Misty Sect to look for you," William announced. "I will make you understand that in the face of absolute strength, your talent, and beauty are meaningless.
"The reason why I didn't choose to make you kneel today, is because you are, also, a noble of this kingdom. However, three years from now, we will be fighting on your home turf. Wash your knees until then. I will make sure that you properly kneel in front of me."
William then glanced at Rebecca's mother, Agatha.
"I am someone who holds grudges," William stated. "I will make sure to return every insult, every ridicule, that I have received tenfold. Wash your neck until then."
William didn't bother to wait for Rebecca's or Agatha's reply and walked away. He had already said what he wanted to say, and there was no use staying in this place.
Dave's Gryphon, Lionheart, landed a few meters away from William, while pulling the golden carriage. The Half-Elf was about to climb it when Noah gave him a reminder.
"Lord William, tomorrow evening there will be a banquet held at the castle in your honor," Noah stated. "I'll be waiting for you there."
"By your will, your Majesty," William pressed his fist over his chest to salute Noah before climbing into the carriage.
With an arrogant screech, Lionheart ran and soared towards the sky. Soon, the members of the Angorian War Sovereign, along with their Magical Mounts formed a protective formation around the carriage.
Andreas watched this scene with a mischievous smile on his face. He wanted to talk to William, but the boy had decided to return to his own Division in order to escape mingling with the noble households.
'What an interesting junior,' Andreas thought. 'I'd better have a talk with him tomorrow.'
Noah watched as his new Knight Order disappeared into the Horizon. He was very satisfied with William's show of authority. It allowed the nobles of the kingdom to feel good about themselves because even the haughty Misty Sect had no choice but to bow down to a Knight Commander of their kingdom.
Lawrence looked at his granddaughter, who still had the calm expression on her face, before glancing at his daughter-in-law whose face had gone pale from fright.
"Did you see it, Agatha?" Lawrence asked. "That is the same boy you called a filthy shepherd four years ago. You'd better make sure not to annoy or slander him again in the future. I don't want to see my son forced to relinquish his noble peerage because of your short-sightedness."
The Old Duke's veiled threat made Agatha's face even paler. She had never regretted her decision to try to break up her daughter's marriage agreement in the past. But now, things have changed.
William was no longer the lowly shepherd that she had ridiculed in the past. He was now in a position of authority. Not only that, he had even forced the Misty Sect, who was well-known in the Central Continent, to kneel.
Agatha had clearly heard Willliam's words that he was someone who held grudges. She had already seen how ruthless he could be, so she didn't dare find out what kind of revenge the boy would have on her if she provoked him further.
Lawrence saw his daughter-in-law's troubled expression and decided to leave it at that. As an Old Fox, he understood William's intention and even praised him for paving a path for his granddaughter's success in the Misty Sect.
After making their Seven-Year Duel known to everyone, it would force the Misty Sect into pooling all of their resources into making Rebecca stronger. That way, she would be able to beat William in their duel and recover their Sect's prestige.
Lawrence glanced at Joaquin who was currently looking at Wendy's blushing face. The young lady, who was the same age as Rebecca, was clearly infatuated with William. The Old Fox's scheming mind started to turn its gears.
Although he didn't know what the outcome of the Seven-Year Duel would be, it would be best to have a talk with Joaquin and lay out some conditions between the two of them.
-----
Mordred had a very smug expression on his face as his peers looked at him with newfound respect. He wanted to shout and tell everyone "I was the one who raised that kid!" and similar boastful words, but he knew that it was a lie, so he didn't proceed with his plan.
Even so, he was very proud of William's domineering performance which made the other nobles reel in their arrogance. Even those who ridiculed him earlier were keeping quiet for fear that he would remember them.
'Tsk, you lot are lucky that I'm not my father,' Mordred mused. 'If my father were here, all of you would be puking blood because of his shameless demands for compensation.'
Mordred turned his head to look at the hooded figure in the distance. His father didn't come to witness William's ceremony because the Sword Saint would be there. The two of them would definitely not be able to control themselves and land blows on each other.
'Aramis Bran Caliburn…,' Mordred narrowed his eyes. Although Mordred didn't want to admit it, he admired his father's nemesis.
The reason? Because he was the only man that his father had considered a worthy opponent among all the experts in the entire world of Hestia.