James whistled as he sat on top of the ramparts of the stronghold that bordered the Zelan Dynasty.
When the Demons invaded the academy, the Two Dynasties, Anaesha and Zelan, launched an invasion at the same time. The first Fortress that defended against the Anaesha Army fell after two days.
The survivors hurriedly regrouped at the Windsor Fortress in order to resist the advance of the Anaesha Army that numbered in the millions. The bulk of their army was made up of Ant Type Beasts.
This was the main reason why the first line of defense in the East was easily overrun. Although they did their best to resist, the sheer number of enemies outnumbered the defenders two hundred to one.
Only when Aramis, and the Archmages, arrived in Windsor Fortress did the numbers of the ant army decrease drastically.
As for the stronghold that was facing the Zelan Army, they were able to hold out until James and Lawrence arrived as reinforcements. Together, the two managed to make the invaders temporarily retreat.
The Beast Army was a little late in their mobilization and arrived late at the battlefield. This was why the defenders were able to endure until reinforcements arrived, forcing the Zelan Army to retreat.
"Aren't you worried about Windsor Fortress?" Lawrence, Rebecca's Grandfather, and James' good friend, asked. "I heard that it can collapse any moment now."
James scratched his bum as he looked at the vast army that was slowly approaching the stronghold.
"I'm more worried about the enemy once that lizard gets serious," James replied without a care in the world. "I hope they kill the bastard so I can spit on his grave. I've been dreaming of it for years."
Lawrence sighed as he shook his head helplessly. He knew about the bad blood between James and Aramis and so did the other old fogeys that had served the former king. The two were like oil and water, and would immediately attack each other if they were given an opportunity.
"Oh, what a big Ox," James nodded in satisfaction as he appraised the towering giant in the distance. "If I'm not mistaken, its name is Erchitu. Not bad, at least Millennial Rank. I wonder if I can use that Ox to expand our farmlands. Hey, is an Ox part of a Herd?"
"Herd? Well, I guess that you can consider a group of Oxen a herd," Lawrence replied after eyeing the beast from afar. "I didn't know you were interested in these kinds of things."
James chuckled, but didn't say anything else. How could he possibly say that he was planning to catch the Giant Ox and give it to William. The boy had casually told him a few years ago that if James were to see a strong beast that belonged to the herd, he should catch it and bring it back to Lont, so that the Half-Elf could try his hand at taming it.
Although James didn't fully understand how William would be able to tame a Millennial Beast, he was more than happy to agree to his grandson's request.
"Minotaurs, Inferno Bulls, and three Lamassu," James muttered as he scratched his head in frustration. 'Hah~ forget it. I'll just knock them all out and drag them back to Lont so that William can take a look at them, once he wakes up from his coma. If they are useless, I'll just cook them to eat.'
"Damian! Gideon!"
""Yes, Boss?""
"Get some of those minotaurs later, and one of those Lamassu," James ordered. "Choose Class B and above. Make sure to get the high-quality ones. I'll handle that Erchitu myself."
"Okay."
"Sure thing."
The Overlord of Lont then glanced at Jekyll who was busy flossing his teeth at the side. "You stay here and guard the fortress. Don't eat any of the beasts. William might have a need for them."
"I'll think about it," Jekyll replied as he eyed the monster army. Some of them had caught his eye and he was also planning to bring them back to Lont to be used in his experiments.
James massaged his forehead because Jekyll had that look on his face that screamed murder. He knew better than to get in the way of the "Dentist" of Lont when he found something of interest.
He sighed before facing his old friend, Lawrence. "I'll leave the human armies to you. Leave the Beast Army to me."
Lawrence nodded his head. "Fine. Let's end this quickly."
The five men stared at the Hundred Thousand Army in front of them as if they were just dealing with toddlers. Although there were existences within the Zelan army that were equal to them in strength, they were not the least bit worried about it.
Why? Because James was there to oversee the battle.
If he was so easy to kill, Aramis would have already done it long ago. The fact that James was still alive and kicking proved that he was a tough nut to crack.
'It has been a while since I saw the Beast Conqueror in action.' Lawrence narrowed his eyes as he looked at his old friend. 'I swear to the Gods, each and every member of the Ainsworth family is a freak of nature. I'm glad they are not my enemy.'
-----
"Okay, focus," Issei said with a serious expression. "Don't force it. Let your consciousness slowly spread towards your body."
The voice of the Harem God whispered in William's ears as he slowly joined his consciousness with his spirit body.
Issei was training William how to merge back with his body, so he could check on the current status of his King Chess Piece.
The Harem God Insisted that, although William was still unable to use the full power of his Divinity because he was still under-aged, Ian's sacrifice made it possible for William to connect with her through the Spirit Core embedded inside his body.
William felt light-headed as his consciousness merged back with his Spirit Body. Although he was still unable to move his body, he was able to communicate with the System and ask it about certain things regarding the changes in his Divinities.
'System, open the status of the King Chess Piece,' William ordered.
< Opening Chess Piece Status Page >
< Accessing Usable Abilities >
-----
< King's Chess Piece >
-- King's Legion
-- Accolade
-- Familia (NEW!)
-----
William didn't hesitate and asked the system to open the Familia Option. He was curious what this new ability could do for him in his current state.
-----
< Familia >
-- Allows the Host to harness the power of his bond with his Familia Members.
-- Depending on the strength of the bond, the host will be able to use his Familia's ability and vice versa.
Familia:
( Available )
( Not Available )
( Not Available )
( Not Available )
( Not Available )
-----
"Do you see it now? I was planning to wait for your Coming of Age Ceremony before discussing this ability to you. But, since this is already here, it is time for you to train your bond with your Mermaid lover." Issei said. " However, there is a special condition when registering a Nymph to your Familia."
"Nymph?" William inquired. "Ian is a Nymph?"
"Half-Nymph," Issei answered. "But, a Nymph nevertheless. In order to add her to your Familia, you need to know her true name first. Unlike Humans, Nymphs are bestowed a true name on the day of their birth."
Issei's voice became extremely serious as he continued his explanation. "Remember this William, there are some beings in the world that are born with a true name. Whoever knows their name will be able to command them to do anything."
William nodded his head in understanding. Although he had read similar things in novels before, this was the first time he would actually put it into practice.
"What's wrong?" Issei asked after a few minutes passed in silence. "Are you perhaps hesitating to have full control over the lives of others?"
"...Yes. Somehow, this feels wrong."
"Wrong? Are you stupid? Indecisive guys like you are the ones that get NTR'd in real life. Since Ian has already given you half of her heart, you should take responsibility and not be a wishy washy individual. Or, are you perhaps waiting for other men to know her true name?"
"Of course not! It's just…"
"Just?"
"I've been quarrelling with her for a long time and have always treated her as a boy. Never did I dream that the boy who always picked a fight with me would someday turn into a mermaid and become my lover. It just feels unreal."
Issei sighed, "This is the problem with virgins. Once you graduate, you will never hesitate again. Obviously, you can't do that now. But, William, time waits for no one. It won't wait for you to be ready, or for Ian to be ready. Whether it is a mortal, or the Gods, time will not wait for them. So… go already!"
Issei gave William a mental kick which forced his consciousness to merge with the blue gem embedded in his chest.
Currently, Wendy and Est had gone to the frontlines to assist the defenders because it was a critical time. They only stayed for a few days because they were worried about William. Now that they finally knew that he was safe, the two magicians returned to their duties as Knights of the Hellan Kingdom.
They left William in Ian's care because she was the only one that could nourish his spiritual body.
Within William's Sea of Consciousness, the beautiful mermaid laid on top of William with her chest touching his. The gems within their respective bodies were pressed against each other in order to make the spirit transfer more effective.
The moment William's consciousness entered the Spirit Core, a jolt of electricity passed through Ian's body which made her body tremble.
"W-William?" Ian asked with uncertainty.
William had already told them that he didn't know when he could communicate with them again. Although Ian had attempted several times to communicate with him through her spirit core, the unconscious boy remained unresponsive.
This was the first time since their first discussion that Ian got a reaction from him.
'It's me, Ian. There is something very important that we need to talk about.'
"What is it?"
'Do you regret it?" William asked. "Do you regret giving me half or your heart?"
William wanted to slap himself for asking such a cheesy question. He had thought of a lot of things he could say to start the conversation, but nothing came to mind. It was at that moment when this question suddenly appeared in his consciousness.
Since William was currently in this conscious form, all the things that pop up inside his head were automatically spoken out loud. The Half-Elf watched as Ian's expressions suddenly became serious.
He waited with bated breath for Ian's answer. The answer that would take their relationship to the next level.