"You sure know how to make a ruckus," Est said as he stared at the handsome Half-Elf who was lying on the couch.
"I missed you, too, Est," William replied as he looked at his good friend, whom he hadn't seen for a month. "How is everything in the academy?"
"Nothing much has changed, but the academy will resume their lessons a week from now," Est reported. "Are you sure you want to get on the bad side of the Misty Sect? They're quite a strong faction in the Central Continent."
"They attacked me first," William countered. "I was minding my own business, but they just had to annoy me. Do you think I will just stand there and allow them to humiliate me? Not happening."
Est sighed, but William was right. If Kingsley hadn't made a scene, everything would have ended smoothly. Ian and Isaac stood behind Est and nodded their heads in agreement.
"By the way, are you guys interested in joining my Knight Order?" William asked. "If you join now, I'll throw in a Wyvern as a freebie."
Est snorted, but still felt happy that William invited him to join his Knight Order. Unfortunately, he couldn't due to some complicated reasons.
"Although I can't join you, I'll ask around my Division to see if there is anyone interested," Est replied.
William smiled and nodded his head. He was a little disappointed that Est didn't join him, but he didn't allow it to show on his face.
It was then when a knock was heard on the door and William raised his lazy bum to answer it.
"Who is it?" William asked while his hand held the handle of the door.
"It's me, Wendy," Wendy replied. "I came here because Thor wants to see you."
William grinned and opened the door. Immediately, the beautiful blonde girl appeared before his eyes. It had been a month since he last saw Wendy and it made him want to tease her.
"Are you sure that it is only Thor that misses me?" William inquired with a mischievous smirk.
Wendy lowered her head as a blush crept on her face. She could still vividly remember what happened an hour ago. William's arrogance made her see a side of him that she hadn't seen before.
For some reason, seeing her crush's "bad boy" image made her heart skip a beat.
"I guess I missed you a little as well," Wendy compromised as she forced herself to answer.
William didn't want to bully her so much and decided to stop his teasing. He then opened the door wider and invited Wendy to come inside the room.
"Head Prefect, you're also here?" Wendy asked as soon as she saw Est.
"I just arrived ten minutes ago," Est answered.
William pulled Wendy along as he made her sit on the couch beside him. Seeing the two of them this close made Est's and Ian's hearts itch, but there was nothing they could do.
Both of them know that Wendy was a good girl. They also knew that she had a big crush on William. Even so, they still felt envious that Wendy got to spend some time with William in a carefree manner, without worrying about anything in the world.
Wendy picked up Thor from the floor and placed him on her lap. She then started to pat his head. The beautiful lady was trying to build up her courage in order to ask William if he would like to dance with her tomorrow at the banquet that was prepared in his honor.
While she was organizing her thoughts, William casually held her hand, which made her raise her head to look at him.
"Tomorrow, at the banquet, can you be my first dance?" William asked. "I'm worried that because of how handsome I am, the ladies will fight for the chance to dance with me. In order to prevent this calamity from happening, I will have to ask you to accompany me for the duration of the banquet."
""Huh?!""
Est and Ian were dumbfounded by William's proposal. He asked it so naturally that it didn't sound out of place. Also, he gave a valid excuse in order to make Wendy agree to his request.
It never occurred to the two of them that William could be this smooth when interacting with the ladies. Their gazes locked on William's and Wendy's hands that were enclasped to each other.
"O-Okay," Wendy replied. "I will accompany you tomorrow and make sure that none of the girls bother you."
"Great." William grinned.
After taking his revenge on Kingsley and showing the old hag her place, William was in a very good mood. He was not afraid of the Misty Sect because their area of influence was in the Central Continent. Also, he was the Commander of the Second Knight Order in the Hellan Kingdom. Miriam would think thrice before messing with him again.
William's strategy was for the Misty Sect to focus their attention on Rebecca and help her become strong, so that she would be able to defeat him during their promised battle. The Half-Elf was confident that the Misty Sect wouldn't allow their reputation to be tarnished so they would not make any foul moves on him for the remaining duration of the agreement.
It was also William's own way to tell the nobles that he was not a pushover. If they thought that they could belittle him, just because he was young, they had another thing coming for them.
"Although I'm fine with accompanying you tomorrow, is it really fine for me to do that?" Wendy asked. "There are many girls who want to form a connection with you at tomorrow's banquet. I don't think I will be able to hold them all off."
"Don't worry." William assured her. "I have a Plan B."
"And just what is this Plan B of yours?" Ian asked.
He wasn't able to stop himself from asking the smug-faced boy who was still holding Wendy's hand. If looks could maim, William would have already been castrated a hundred times over.
William glanced at Ian and snorted. "You'll find out tomorrow. I'm not telling you anything."
Ian clicked his tongue, but didn't continue the argument. He had come to know that arguing with William was pointless because the red-headed boy has a thick skin.
"Ah! Why didn't I think of this sooner," William said as he returned his gaze to Wendy. "Would you like to join my Knight Order?"
Wendy's eyes widened in surprise. Truth be told, she was hoping that she could join William's Knight Order, so she could become closer to him. "Can I?"
"Of course you can. If you like, you can be assigned to my personal Knight Squadron." William glanced at Est who had a frown on his face. "Will you allow her to join my Knight Order?"
Est reluctantly nodded his head. He didn't have a reason to stop Wendy from joining William's Knight Order because he knew that William needed more talented people under him. However, he was worried that William and Wendy would become closer if the two were left alone, so he decided to use a method to prevent them from taking their relationship to the next level.
"Can you let Ian also join your Knight Order?" Est asked. "He's a very capable warrior. I'm sure that he would be a great addition to your ranks."
"No." William replied in a heartbeat. "Why would I allow this snot-nosed pansy to join my Knight Order? No way!"
Ian raised an eyebrow but he kept his silence. He was wondering what Est was up to, so he decided not to make a move that might jeopardize his Young Master's plan.
"Listen, the way things are right now, it would be hard for you to move around without people proficient in magic," Est explained. "Also, even though the two of you argue a lot, Ian would not do anything that would put your Knight Order into chaos."
William leaned back on the couch and considered Est's proposal. It was true that although he argued with Ian a lot, he had a feeling that he could put his trust in the snot-nosed pansy who was always trying to pick a fight with him.
Having Ian around was better than having complete strangers become part of his personal Knight Squadron.
"Fine, but I have a condition," William stated. "From now on, you are not allowed to purposely anger me again. Also, after you join my Knight Order, you will call me Sir. If you can agree to these two conditions then I will allow you to join my organization.
Ian glanced at Est and the latter nodded his head. Est's loyal retainer knew that he had been entrusted with an important mission by his Young Master. Although he didn't know the full details, it would be best to agree to it for now and consult with Est later when they returned to the Magic Division Class.
"Very well, I promise," Ian replied. "I will do my best to be of service to you, Sir."
Est looked at his trusted retainer while sighing inside. This was the only thing he could do to monitor William's actions. As a new Knight Order under the King's Banner, there were a lot of expectations that were placed on William's shoulders.
Est was hoping that by adding Ian as his supporter, he would be able to ease his friend's burden even if it was only by a little bit.