Chapter 1016 - Second Son Of The Rhanes Clan
They had just entered the desert area, and this place had several warring clans inside it. The desert had very limited resources, especially water, so most clans built their cities around oases, and guarded them with all of their might.
"Bro, if we follow our flight path, we will arrive at my Clan\'s territory in three days\' time," Kira said while talking to William from his carriage window. "It has been months since I\'ve seen my family. If it isn\'t too much of a bother, can we drop by and stay for a day or two. I want to assure my parents that I\'m doing fine. Also, I want to introduce them to you."
William pondered for a bit before nodding his head.
"Sure," William replied. "Spending time with family is important. I don\'t mind if it\'s only for two days."
William had taken a liking to Kira and Athrun, and both of them had become his friends. They had also signed a contract to not divulge his secrets, which gave the Half-Elf some peace of mind. The travel towards the Northeastern Regions was long, and he didn\'t mind making a few stopovers along the way, as long as it didn\'t take too much time.
Athrun\'s family lived near the capital of the Demon Realm, which was not within the route that they had chosen. When William asked if Athrun wanted to visit his clan, the handsome scholar only shook his head and said that he had no attachments to his family.
Since the Half-Elf wasn\'t willing to pry in Athrun\'s past, the latter didn\'t mention anything about his circumstances with his family.
Truth be told, this was the first time that William was traveling over a desert. As far as the eye could see, there were only desert sands. He had seen them several times in T.V, but seeing them in reality made him understand how vast the world really was.
It was quite hot during the day, and very cold at night. This was why he, and Vesta, stayed inside the Thousand Beast Domain most of the time, leaving Kira and Athrun to deal with Cassey, whom William didn\'t fully trust.
On the third day, after entering the desert, they landed on the outskirts of a medium-sized city that was brimming with life.
Out of respect for Kira\'s family, William placed Gluteus and Maximus inside his Thousand Beast Domain. He was certain that if the Sand Clan patriarch saw the two dangerous Flying Armored Elephants enter the city, he would surely die from a heart attack.
Cassey had decided to use her true form, while she journeyed with William so that no one would recognize her. She also wore a style of clothes that was quite different to what the Rajah Clan wore on a regular basis.
After her discussion with William, both of them decided to make her William\'s adviser. As someone who was familiar with the customs of the Demon Realm, Cassey\'s new identity was fool proof.
Even if the Demon Lord or the Patriarch of the Gremory Clan were to sit at the table with her, neither of them would be able to tell that she was, in fact, the reigning patriarch of one of the Major Clans in the continent.
"Open the gates," Kira ordered as he disembarked from his carriage. "I have returned."
The Guard Captain immediately recognized Kira, but didn\'t make a move to open the gates for him.
"Young Master, I apologize but I cannot open the gates even for you," the Guard Captain said. "Your father is currently in a high-level meeting with someone, and because of this, the entire city is under martial law. No one is allowed to enter, and no one is allowed to exit. I apologize, but I cannot allow the Young Master to enter the city at this point in time."
Kira frowned because this had never happened in the past. The city of Altan had never been put into martial law ever since his grandfather had become the Patriarch.
"Who is the person that Grandfather is meeting with?" Kira asked. "Surely, you can tell me this much, right?"
The Guard Captain didn\'t answer right away. Instead, he pondered if he really could tell his Young Master who their VIP guest was. However, before he could even decide, a loud, and confident voice spoke out from his side.
"Oh, so you\'re here, Kira," a man dressed in a white robe, and holding a fan in his hand, said with a smile. "Have you gotten tired of pursuing that Vesta girl?"
"Orryn…," Kira muttered as he gazed at the second oldest son of the Rhanes Clan.
The Rhanes Clan was the Lord of the Sand Clan. The reason why Kira had left his family was not because of his wish to pursue Vesta. It was because he didn\'t want to participate in the upcoming struggle for the seat of Patriarch of the Rhanes Clan.
Their Clan had always been neutral, and didn\'t dabble in politics. However, the four heirs of the Rhanes Clan were busy trying to gather as many factions under them before the selection ceremony.
Even the Sand Clan\'s neutrality was being put to the test due to the insistence of the candidates for the position of Patriarch.
"Yes, it is me, Kira," Orryn smiled. "Welcome back… is what I\'d like to say. Unfortunately, this city is currently under my older brother\'s jurisdiction. No one is allowed in, or out, unless the Sand Clan agrees to join our faction."
Kira\'s expression immediately became gloomy after hearing Orryn\'s words. He had expected that they would be forced to choose a side, but he never expected that Orryn and the brother he was supporting were going to use such a high-handed method to deal with them.
As Kira clenched his fist in anger, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, which made him turn his head to his right side.
"Who is this guy, Kira?" William asked. "Is he the one responsible for preventing us from entering the city?"
"His name is Orryn," Kira answered. "He is one of the sons of the Rhanes Clan, which is our Lord in this part of the desert."
William rubbed his chin. If he wanted to, he could easily smash the gates and enter the town if he wished. However, since this was Kira\'s hometown, he definitely wouldn\'t use such a barbaric method.
\'Vesta, come out for a while,\' William said to Vesta, who was currently playing Let\'s Dance Revolution with Chiffon and Medusa in his Thousand Beast Domain. \'I need your help with something.\'
Orryn looked at Kira and the person standing next to him in disdain. As one of the sons of the Rhanes Clan, his word was law among the vassals who served their family. He had long wanted to put Kira into his place, and he thought that this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
Kira looked up at the arrogant son of the Rhanes Clan with contempt in his heart. If he was alone, he would definitely not be able to put up any resistance. However, he was no longer alone.
The person standing next to him was no ordinary man. Kira wondered what would happen if William revealed his identity to the pompous young master, who was looking at them as if they were dogs wandering in the streets.
\'No good,\' Kira thought as he suppressed the sneer that was about to appear on his face. \'I am very tempted to ask Bro to let Gluteus and Maximus make an appearance. I\'m sure that if this bastard saw them, he would be running like his life depended on it.\'
A few years ago, a herd of Flying Armored Elephants destroyed half of the city where the Main Residence of the Rhanes Family was located. Ever since then, Orryn\'s family had long dreaded these Beasts who were known to cause mass destruction wherever they went.
He was sure that if the two behemoths were to suddenly appear at the gates of the city, not only would Orryn panic, but the entirety of the Sand Clan would be engulfed in complete and utter pandemonium.