As the dust of the immediate conflict began to settle, William's mind turned to the cold, strategic necessity of the task at hand. The enemy had targeted Berry's clan not out of a simple territorial dispute, but because of the ancient secrets they guarded.
To the dark orchestrators of this war, taking down the clan was a must, and killing everyone—including Berry and her grandfather—was a logistical requirement they were determined to fulfil.
William, however, wasn't overly worried about the old man's survival. He had lived long enough and seen enough of the world's hidden gears to guess that the patriarch was far from a simple or easy foe.
Even when William had asked the old man to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory to face the formidable leaders of the monster tide, he hadn't felt a pang of doubt. He knew the old man possessed depths that few in the Novice Kingdom could fathom.
