Chapter 734: A World That Is Far From My Reach

A day passed after Elliot and Chloee had left the academy.

Elliot had already told William that he was planning to tour the city with Chloee, so the Half-Elf didn't think much about it.

The Angelic Familiar was almost always wandering around the academy, and William had already gotten used to it.

As for Conan, the pitiful Devil would do its best to run away from Claire. However, for some uncanny reason, the little moody fairy was always able to find Conan's hiding place. It was as if she had placed some kind of tracker to him, making him unable to escape her grasp.

Because of this, the Little Devil had returned inside William's body and refused to come out. This was the only way that he could think of that would allow him to escape the Physical Examination that Claire had been performing on him these past few days.

In the end, Claire had no choice but to set aside her plans for an extensive examination and accompany William to the shrine located on the East side of the academy. The moody little fairy had somehow gotten the Headmaster's approval, which surprised the Half-Elf.

Because of this, his impression of Claire rose. However, that impression hit rock bottom when he found out the real reason why Byron agreed to let William see Shannon.

Claire simply said that if Byron didn't agree to allow William to go to the shrine, she would ask her sister to break Byron's prized collections. Because of this threat, Byron reluctantly agreed to accommodate Claire's request and gave his approval. 

After hearing that Byron had compromised, Celeste decided to accompany William to see Shannon. It was not only her that chose to accompany the red-headed teenager. Princess Sidonie, Chiffon, Kenneth, and Lilith chose to accompany him as well.

Ian also wanted to go, but Celeste told her that Shannon's power might overwhelm her spiritual resistance, and force her to commit suicide. Even William wasn't an exception, but Celeste believed that as long as she and the rest of the sins were around, they could prevent the worst case scenario from happening to the Half-Elf.

As the group walked towards the shrine, Celeste decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since William opened up the subject of how he became aware of Shannon's existence.

"Who told you about Shannon?" Celeste asked. "As far as I know, less than ten people in the world know where she is currently staying. I know all of those people, so it is impossible for you to get any information from them. How did you find out about her existence?"

William pondered on how to best answer this question, but every excuse that appeared in his mind was not feasible. In the end, he decided to use the safest method to answer Celeste's inquiry.

"A God told me about her," William replied. "That God also told me that I needed to solve her problem. By doing so, I will be rewarded with riches that would make me a happy man."

Celeste eyed William with a doubtful expression, but she also couldn't rule out the Half-Elf's words. Since the people that knew about Shannon's plight were trustworthy people, only those outside of their circle could have told William where she could be found.

"Listen. I know you have a strong willpower, but the person you will face is beyond comprehension," Celeste warned. "If I deem that you are unable to hold on to your reasoning, I will immediately evict you from the shrine. Do I make myself clear?"

William nodded. He had heard about Shannon's notoriety, and because of this, the shrine had become a restricted area and was heavily guarded. 

Several layers of protection had also been added in place creating multiple barriers that prevented others from going in, and coming out of, the shrine.

The Guards allowed William's group to pass because they had already been informed of their coming. Celeste was also one of the handful of people that could enter the place, so seeing her with William put the guards at ease.

"This layer of security is even tighter than the one that guarded the treasury of our kingdom," Princess Sidonie said after they had passed the last checkpoint, leading to the shrine.

"Over a hundred people have died coming here," Celeste commented. "Some of them were high-ranking nobles of the Empires of the Central Continent. Unfortunately, their curiosity had gotten the better of them and their lives ended before they could even do great things to benefit the world."

Celeste then gave William a side-long glance before shifting her attention back to the entrance of the Shrine.

"I just hope that you don't end up like them, William," Celeste said. "You are one of the pillars of the young generation. If you die here, it will be a great loss for Humanity."

Celeste didn't add that if William died, her sister, Celine, would also be very sad. The beautiful Elf swore that she would do her best to prevent William from taking his own life the moment he saw the person that had been staying in the shrine since she was five years old.

"Remember, if he does something funny, all of you will restrain him as soon as possible," Celeste said to the members of the Deadly Sins that had come with William. "Knock him unconscious if you have to. Just don't let him end his life."

Princess Sidonie, Chiffon, Kenneth, and Lilith nodded their heads. Their faces became serious as Celeste opened the door that led to the innermost area of the shrine.

The sound of a chime reverberated in the surroundings as the door was opened. The bells were placed there to alert Shannon that someone had entered the Shrine.

William's gaze froze when he saw the person that was sitting in the center of the room. 

She held a paintbrush in her left hand and her eyes were focused on the canvas. 

William felt something grip his heart, as his thoughts started to grow hazy. Even so, he focused his willpower on his sight, as he took in the visage of the girl whose sadness was etched on her beautiful face.

"I see that you have brought me some guest, Professor Celeste," a soul stirring voice escaped the young lady's lips. She then turned her head to appraise the guests that had come to visit her. 

"My heart tells me that the three of you are my sisters," the young lady said and a trace of surprise could be detected in her soul stirring voice. 

After a while, her gaze landed on William, and a smile of ridicule appeared on her beautiful face.

"Tell me, stranger. What kind of crime did you commit for these girls to bring you here to die?" the young lady asked. Her sad gaze, and voice, carried a power that made William's legs weaken, and almost made the Half-Elf collapse on the ground.

Fortunately, the others were paying close attention to him. Princess Sidonie and Chiffon hurriedly supported his body, so that he could remain standing.

This act made the young lady that was seated on the chair arch an eyebrow in surprise. With a glance, she could tell that the red-headed teenager was someone that her "sisters" cared for. This piqued her interest, and she once again gazed at the man whose breathing was starting to get heavy.

"I…," William tried to force a word to clear his thoughts that were starting to scatter.

This feeling was far stronger than the Befuddlement Spell that Byron had cast on him when he was being interrogated back in Antilia Island. 

That was the last word that William uttered before he felt a pain at the back of his head. 

As his eyes slowly closed, and his senses started to abandon him, the sigh of the beautiful girl, who made his soul tremble, reached his ears.

It was such a sad sigh, filled with loneliness and helplessness. That was the last thing that William heard before he fainted in his lovers' embrace.

"Sisters, come visit me when you have time," the young lady commented as she looked at William who was being supported by Princess Sidonie and Chiffon. "If you care about his well being, it will be best if you keep him away from this place."

The young lady then lifted her brush and started to draw on the blank canvas. "I will wait for all of you to tell me stories of the outside world.. A world that is far away from my reach."

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