"We're almost there," William said as he gazed at the familiar scenery in front of him.
"Meeeeeeeh!"
"Meeeeeeeh!"
"Meeeeeeeh!"
"Meeeeeeeh!"
The goats bleated in excitement as they saw the familiar town in the distance. They had lived in Lont for many years, and this was the first time that they had been away far from home. Some of them were already feeling homesick from their long travel.
Est, Ian, Isaac, Herman, and Nana froze in shock when they saw the Golden Ape (Oroubro) seated near the entrance of Lont. They could see some kids climbing its arms, while others were playing tag near its feet.
"I-Is that the Oroubro that was taken from the battlefield?" Est stuttered.
Although he had already heard from Nana that William's grandfather and his comrades managed to capture three Millennial Beasts from the battle on Windkeep Citadel, this was the first time he had seen something that was almost as big as the Cyclops that they had fought in the trial of courage.
"Yes," William answered. "He is the newly appointed guardian of Lont. His name is Lufie the Monkey."
"Lufie the Monkey…" Herman gulped. "Such a domineering name."
"I know, right?" William had raised his chin in an arrogant manner.
"Why are you acting like you're the one who owns it?" Ian scoffed. "What a pretentious brat you are."
"Mama Ella did you hear someone talk?" William asked.
Ella shook her head.
"It must be one of those ghosts known as attention seekers." William sighed in an exaggerated manner. "Tsk, just because I am handsome they decided to haunt me? Well, I don't mind if that attention seeker is a beauty. However, if it's just a snot-nosed pansy then he could just roll over and suck an egg."
"Who are you calling a snot-nosed pansy?!" Ian asked.
William turned his head to look at the enraged boy sitting on the carriage. "Why are you reacting? Are you a snot-nosed pansy? Tsk, no wonder you're always irate. It must be nice having a period 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
"Y-You!" Ian was about to jump off the carriage and beat William to a pulp when Isaac held on to him with all the strength he could muster.
"Ian, behave yourself," Est ordered.
"Hmp!" Ian averted his gaze in anger.
As the group neared the entrance of Lont, some of the kids waved and called out to William.
"You sure are popular," Est said with a smile.
William nodded his head. "I don't want to brag, but I'm the most handsome boy in Lont. It's only natural that I became popular."
After traveling with William for a few days, the group had grown accustomed to his narcissism. They often wondered where he was getting his confidence from. Of course, they had to admit that William was indeed very handsome.
This was one of the advantages of being a Half-Elf. Although Half-Elves were shunned by the Elven Race for being not pure blooded, no one could deny that the Elven genes made the Half-Elves very pleasing to the eyes.
"William! Oi! William!" Theo shouted as he ran towards his good friend. "You arrived at the right time! Your family has guests over and, from what I've heard, they came here to see you."
"Guests that came to see me?" William pondered. The images of his previous guests appeared in his mind. 'It couldn't possibly be them again, right?'
William remembered Agatha, the mother of his ex-fiance, Rebecca. If this was a week ago, William would definitely be thinking of finding a way to ask them to show him more rare weapons so he could unlock a few Job Classes.
It was quite unfortunate that he was not in the mood to acquire any more Job Classes because he was unable to use them at this point in time.
"Did you recognize them?" William asked. "Do they look like the guests that came to visit last time?"
"I didn't see their faces, but the carriage looks familiar."
"A carriage pulled by a Gryphon?"
"Yes! But, this time, there are three Gryphons!"
"Three?" William felt his liver start to itch. 'This time they called for reinforcements? Do these nobles think that I'm so easy to bully?'
William's expression clouded over. He was regretting the fact that he couldn't use his powers at this moment. If he still had his powers, he would definitely curse their guests until they ran away screaming to whence they came!
"Did we come in a bad time?" Est asked.
"No." William looked at Est and smiled. "All of you are guests. The ones that arrived are pests. Let me kick them out so I can give you a tour of Lont."
William and his entourage entered Lont and headed straight towards the Ainsworth Estate. Just like what Theo said, he saw three Gryphons loitering outside of his home.
"That is the crest of the Duke of Griffith," Herman said as he recognized the coat of arms on the carriage doors. 'Why is a bigshot here in this town of Lont?'
"Duke of Griffith, if I remember correctly, that is the house that gave birth to the genius girl who specializes in Ice Magic," Nana commented. "Is your family acquainted with them, William?"
"Well, that genius girl you spoke of, Lady Nana, is my Ex-Fiance," William replied in a casual manner.
"Fiance?!" Est's expression became serious when he heard that William had a fiance. He felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he doesn't understand why he was feeling this way.
Isaac's and Ian's eyes widened when they heard William's answer. They were trained to read the body language of people and they could tell that William wasn't lying.
"You said Ex-Fiance?" Herman asked. "Why? Are the two of you not betrothed to each other anymore?"
"I canceled the marriage agreement," William answered like it was not a big deal. "Although my Ex-Fiance, Rebecca, is very cute, her mother and her Master have the bloodline of Mandrakes."
"Mandrakes?" Est frowned.
The mandrake was a spiritual plant that was used in alchemy and medicine. However, these plants were quite annoying to get because, when you touch them, they will emit a scream that is strong enough to shatter a person's eardrums.
Herman, Nana, Isaac, and Ian immediately understood what William was hinting at. Just like ladies looking for juicy gossip, the peanut gallery was looking forward to seeing what kind of drama was going to unfold at the Ainsworth Residence.
----
After Herman parked the carriage at the stables, William ordered the goats--aside from Ella--to go to the goat pen. The goats happily bleated in reply and went to their old home with excitement. They were very tired from their journey and wanted to rest in a familiar place. William watched them go with a smile on his face before leading his guests towards the main entrance of their residence.
"My handsome and awesome Grandpa, I'm back!" William announced his arrival.
"Welcome back my handsome grandson," James welcomed William with open arms. "You've only been a way for a few days, but you've become more handsome. Tell me, what kind of sorcery is this?"
"It can't be helped," William raised his chin in arrogance. "I was fated to be handsome the day I was born with your bloodline."
"Hahaha!" James roared in laughter as he patted William's shoulder. "Being handsome is a sin. This is the sin that both of us carry."
"No matter how heavy this sin is, I, William, will carry it until I breathe my last breath!"
"Spoken like a true Ainsworth."
Isaac walked beside Est and whispered in his ear. "Young Master, Now we know where William inherited his narcissism."
Est nodded his head in agreement. This was the first time he saw an old man act like this in public.
"Oh? Is that the grandson that you've been bragging about as of late?" a booming voice asked from behind James. "Not bad. At least he is not lacking when it comes to good looks."
James smiled as he introduced his friend to his grandson.
"Wiliam, this old bastard is a close friend of mine," James introduced his friend with a smirk. "Lawrence Fox Griffith, the old Duke of the Duchy of Griffith."