Chapter 1014 - To A Long And Lasting Partners.h.i.+p
"You again? What do you want?" William asked as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Don"t worry. This time, I came to see you just to talk," Caspian replied.
After traveling for two days, William"s group had made good progress on their journey. They didn"t encounter any problems along the way, and everything was smooth sailing. All of that ended when they neared the borders of the desert, where several warring Clans lived.
However, before they could even enter their territory, Caspian appeared and blocked their way.
"Just to talk?" William asked back. "I don"t think we have anything to talk about?"
"Actually there is," Caspian answered with a smile. He then made a gesture for them to land on the ground, in order to continue their discussion.
William frowned, but still decided to hear what the Patriarch of the Rajah Clan wanted to discuss for the time being. He had never liked politics, but the overall situation of the Demon Continent was quite volatile when compared to the peace that everyone enjoyed in the Southern and Central Continents.
Also, he didn"t like to be constantly hounded by one of the most powerful Patriarchs in the Demon Realm. Even though Wiliam could smack Caspian and his summons silly with his Heroic Avatar Form, he also understood that sitting down to discuss things in a civilized manner would avoid any unnecessary conflicts.
William, Vesta, and Caspian, sat as Charmaine and the other Elves served them some snacks and coffee.
The three enjoyed some small talk as they drank and ate. The Half-Elf as well as the green-haired beauty were quite curious why Caspian traveled so far in search of them. Usually, Patriarchs didn"t travel far from their territory, especially without their elite guards, because it was dangerous.
"Originally, I came to find you in order to negotiate certain things,," Caspian said. "However, after hearing the news that you declined to make the Greenskin Clan one of your va.s.sals, I realized that this was a good opportunity to form a collaboration with you."
William arched an eyebrow as he made a gesture for Caspian to continue speaking.
"Be honest with me, do you know Witchcraft and Dark Magic?" Caspian inquired.
"Yes," William answered. "Is this about you being able to summon Impundulu?"
According to the System, only those that practiced witchcraft or specialize in dark magic would be able to make this extremely malevolent creature their subordinate. The Vampiric Lightning bird, Ipundulu, was nearly immortal. Even the strongest DemiG.o.d, Tarasque, wouldn"t be able to kill it because it had only one weakness, and that was flames that held a strong Divinity.
"Yes." Caspian admitted. "I thought that you are going to expose to everyone that I know witchcraft, so I hurriedly came to find you in order to negotiate."
Vesta who was only listening to the side raised her head to voice her opinion.
"Isn"t witchcraft only available to women?" Vesta asked. "How come you can use it?"
"That is because she is a woman," William answered before sipping his coffee. "Right, Caspian?"
Caspian eyed William for a few seconds before waving a hand over his face. The face of the strong demonic tiger that led the Rajah Clan to battle was replaced by a sensual lady who seemed to be in her early twenties.
Her long orange hair, green eyes, and fluffy tiger ears was a very stark contrast from the domineering image that she had shown on the battlefield.
"I never thought that one of the Overlords of South was actually a woman," Vesta muttered. "I see… so that"s why you have to hide your ident.i.ty. The rules of the Rajah Clan don"t allow women to become Patriarch."
Caspian nodded. "When I am in this form, feel free to call me Ca.s.sey. This was the name my mother gave me before she died. As you can see, I"m a Half-breed. In order to gain the seat of patriarch, I had to rely on witchcraft to change my appearance."
William and Vesta nodded in understanding. This rule that only men could inherit the head of the family was very common in Hestia. The Amazon Empire, which was purely ruled by women, was a rare exception to the established rules of the world.
"If you are afraid of your ident.i.ty being exposed by me then you can rest easy," William stated. "I have no intention of divulging your secret. Now, since that is out of the way, what is this collaboration that you are talking about?"
Ca.s.sey smiled because she understood that William didn"t have any intention of bringing up past events to make things difficult for her.
"Tell me, Raymond Parker, what do you think of the Gremory Clan?" Ca.s.sey asked.
"William," William replied. "You can call me that when it is just us."
The smile on Ca.s.sey"s face widened because she understood what William was trying to say. In order to gain his trust, she was willing to show him her true form. The black-haired young man"s gesture of good will made her feel that her effort to find him was not in vain.
"Very well, William," Ca.s.sey said. "What do you think of the Gremory Clan?"
"I don"t know much about the Gremory Clan," William answered. "However, I have a grudge against the Demon Lord. So, tell me, Ca.s.sey, are you perhaps aiming for the seat of Demon Lord?"
Ca.s.sey firmly shook her head. "A very tempting offer. But, I am someone that looks at reality. What I want to do is simply change the rules a bit."
"Oh? I see." William nodded in understanding. "So you want to make it so that women can also have the right to sit as the head of the clan? But, I don"t understand. What does the Gremory Clan have to do with what you plan to do?"
Ca.s.sey"s expression became serious as she looked at William. During her journey to find him, she had thought about many things along the way. One of those was to reshuffle the Major Clans in the Demon Continent.
She wanted to kick the strongest Clan out of their seat and make hers, the Rajah Clan, the new Head of the Major Demon Clans in the continent.
"My Domain is in the South, while the Gremory Clan"s territory is in the North," Ca.s.sey explained. In normal conditions, it is impossible for me to travel to the North and wage war with him. However, from what I"ve heard, you and your entourage are headed North."
William nodded. "I see. So your plan is to use us as your army to clap their b.u.t.tcheeks, while letting your Clan remain in the South. You won"t even send any of your men to fight, leaving us to be used as cannon fodder to fight your battle for you."
Ca.s.sey chuckled. "Cannon Fodder? I think not. I have four Myriad Beasts under my command. They are more than enough to trample my adversaries. Also, the Impundulu"s one and only weakness, which is fire, can easily be countered by the Ancient Fire Elemental under my command. With the two of them fighting side by side, I am invincible."
"True," William nodded his head in agreement. "But, this logic only holds true until a DemiG.o.d comes along and wrecks your plan."
Ca.s.sey gave William a knowing smile, which made the latter"s liver itch.
"And, that is where you come in," Ca.s.sey stated. "Alone, I am more than enough to bring the Gremory Clan to their knees. But, if a DemiG.o.d intervenes, I hope that you can hold them off for me."
William lightly tapped his fingers on the table as he pondered Ca.s.sey"s proposal. Anything that would make the Demon Lord feel constipated was a worthwhile endeavor to do. Weakening his backing was very important because his influence over the other Clans would also fade.
Even though he was the strongest Demon in the continent, his rank was only at the Peak of a Saint. He had weakened considerably after fighting against William"s father, Maxwell, and losing his arm in the process.
"My priority is to find someone in the North," William said after careful consideration. "I would not make trouble with the Gremory Clan until I found her first. Once she is in my custody, I don"t mind going with you to pay a visit to the Gremory Clan."
Ca.s.sey raised the coffee cup on the table and took a sip. She then stared at William with a curious gaze as she voiced the question in her mind.
"In the rare chance that the Demon Lord is there when we declare war on them, what will you do?" Ca.s.sey asked. Although she knew that William was strong, she needed to know if he had the resolve to face the one who held the greatest influence in the entirety of the Demon Realm.
William smiled evilly after hearing Ca.s.sey"s words.
"Believe me when I say that I would love to see the Demon Lord in that place," William said. "That will save me the trouble of finding him, and giving him a beating that is long overdue."
Ca.s.sey smirked as she extended her hand towards William. They said that the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Right now, William was an ally that could tip the balance of power in the Demonic Continent.
If they really succeeded in what they planned to do, she would not only be able to legitimately sit in the position of Clan Head, but also take her revenge on the scheming Demon, who was responsible for the a.s.sasination of her mother when she was only ten years old.
"To a long and lasting partners.h.i.+p," Ca.s.sey said as she shook William"s hand.
"Likewise," William replied as he shook Ca.s.sey"s hand.
He had to admit that Ca.s.sey"s plan was in line with what he had wanted to do in the past. Since there was an opportunity for a collaboration, he was more than happy to join her and make the lives of those who supported the Demon Lord, and those of his family, a living h.e.l.l.