William looked at the ring on his ring finger when the light around him receded. He could still feel Belle's warmth on his body, and the lingering sweetness of her kiss on his lips.
The red-headed boy stood there in a daze completely oblivious of his surroundings. It was as if he was trying to hold on to the memory of his star-crossed lover that was now far beyond his reach.
Suddenly, a light cough brought him out of his trance. William sighed and raised his head to look at the beautiful woman in front of him wearing priestess clothes.
"Congratulations on passing the Trial of Enlightenment," The Oracle of the Peak of Divinity said with a smile. "Come with me, our Sovereign wants to have a chat with you."
William nodded his head and followed behind The Oracle. He wanted to meet the Demigod that governed the Kyrintor Mountains and personally thank him for the opportunity that was given to him.
The two walked for ten minutes before arriving at a white gate that was over ten meters tall. Several golden runes were written on its surface and they twinkled like the stars in the sky.
The Oracle raised her hand and the gates swung open, William couldn't see what was inside the room because his sight was blocked by a white mist. Even so, he walked forward with steady steps and entered the room fearlessly.
He had only walked a few steps into the room when the gates closed behind him.
"Over here, young shepherd," a confident and domineering voice called out to him.
William walked towards the voice with a calm expression.
Soon, the mist started to recede and he came face to face with a three-meter tall humanoid goat with its wings spread wide. A black, five-pointed star (pentacle) could be seen on its forehead and its golden eyes stared at William like it was appraising a rare species of animal.
William felt like the goat looked familiar because he had seen it somewhere before. He pondered for a while and his eyes widened in shock when he finally recognized that Demigod that was standing before him.
"Baphomet," William muttered as he unconsciously took a step back.
"Oh? You know my father?" The humanoid goat's gaze softened when he heard William mention his father's name. "I didn't know that he was popular in the Lower Realm. Even so, it's good to know that his name is not forgotten."
The goat unfurled his wings as he sat on the white throne behind him. He then propped the side of his face on his fist as he crossed his legs. To once again stare at the boy whom the Goddess has chosen.
"I already know your name, but it would be best if we introduced ourselves to each other like civilized beings," the Demigod said. "The Tribes of the Kyrintor Mountains call me the Great One, for I do not want them to know my real name. However, for you, I will make an exception. You may call me by my name, Takam."
-----
< Takam >
-- The King of Goats
-- Demigod
-- Threat Level: Calamity (Low)
-- Can be added to the herd
-- Success Rate: .00000000000000000000001%
-- ?????
-- ?????
-- ?????
-- ?????
-- ?????
-----
Aside from the general information of the being in front of him, William wasn't able to know more about the Demigod that ruled over the tribes of the Northern Region.
The red-headed boy pressed his fist over his chest and gave a brief bow, "William Von Ainsworth. It's an honor meeting you, Your Excellency."
A playful smile appeared on Takam's face as he made a gesture for William to come closer.
"I know you have many questions. Fortunately, I have all the time in the world to answer them all," Takam said with a smile. "It's very rare for me to have guests, so I'll give you the VIP treatment."
Takam snapped his finger and a small table, ladened with sweets, and tea appeared in front of William. With another snap of his finger, the boy found himself sitting on a chair and holding a cup of tea in his hand.
"Wet your throat first," Takam said in a teasing tone. "You must be feeling very thirsty after kissing your girl until the last second."
William wanted to retort, but decided that it was not a good idea to argue with a Demigod. The latter was treating him as a guest, so it would be best if he just went with the flow for now.
The tea he drank tasted oddly familiar and William drank again to confirm his suspicions. He had tasted tea like this during the three days that he had stayed with Belle and it felt weird tasting it again here in Hestia.
"Although your old world is in the Lower Realm, it has many interesting things, especially this Leapton Ice Tea." Takam chuckled. "Fortunately, We were able to get this item in bulk given the small timeframe that we had."
William's ears perked up as he listened to the Demigod. He then placed the teacup on top of the table and looked at the Humanoid Goat sitting on the throne.
"Can I go back to Earth?" William asked. This was the most important question in his mind right now. If possible, he wanted to find a way to travel between worlds to be with Belle from time to time.
"No, is what I'd like to say, but since you already managed to get there once… I guess the possibility exists," Takam replied in a casual manner. "To be frank, even I was surprised when the Trial of Enlightenment sent you to the Lower Realms. The Trial was about testing one's resolve. If you had chosen to stay in your old world then you would have stayed there until your dying breath.
"William, do you know? A God doesn't have the power to send someone from the Higher Realm to the Lower Realm. Even if two Gods were to work together it would still be very hard, unless both of them are extremely powerful Gods."
William carefully listened to Takam's explanation as if he was afraid of missing a single word. He then thought that if one or two Gods can't do it, what about four? The images of the Four Gods who had a good relationship with William appeared on his head and wondered if they were the ones responsible for his reunion with Belle.
'I will properly thank them the next time we meet,' William swore in his heart.
----
Back in the Ten Thousand Temple…
Lily: Was it you?
Gavin: No.
Lily and Gavin then stared at the two Gods that were playing a game of chess beside them.
David: *Whistles*
Issei: *Whistles*
Lily, Gavin: …
-----
William took a deep breath then asked his second question.
"What about my friends?" William inquired. "What happened to them?"
"Don't worry about them," Takam answered. "All of them have passed the trial and are now waiting for you at the Main Hall. This might be the first time that a group of people has succeeded in overcoming the Trial of Enlightenment at the same time."
William sighed in relief after knowing that his friends were safe. He then talked to Takam about the difficulties of the Hellan Kingdom and the reason why he came to the Kyrintor Mountains.
Takam listened with a smile and waited for William to finish his explanation.
"I am already aware of your purpose for coming…." Takam rubbed his chin. "Sadly, I can't agree to your request."
"Why?" William asked.
"Because this war is only the start of something more sinister and I need to preserve the strength of the Northern Tribes until the right moment arrives." Takam gazed in the distance as if looking past the white mists that surrounded them. "You don't have to worry about the Tribes stabbing you in the back, I will not allow that to happen. However, that also means that I can not offer you any assistance."
His expression didn't change, but William could tell that the Demigod had already made a decision. He would not get help from the Tribes during the war, but he was thankful that their planned invasion had come to a halt.
"You said that the war is only the start of something more sinister. What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?" William inquired.
"William."
"Your Excellency?"
"Survive the war first," Takam turned his head to look at the boy that he could easily pinch to oblivion if he felt like it. "Then and only then can you come to the North to ask for assistance. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Let's meet again when the Sky Falls."
Those were the last words that William heard before his surroundings faded. His meeting with the Demigod had come to an end, but their talk only brought more questions than answers.
William was forced to put these matters aside for now because the Demi-God was right. He needed to survive the war first. As long as he was alive, there would be plenty of opportunities to find a way to be reunited with the beautiful lady that was waiting for him back on Earth.