William didn't know if Captain Marvel would come looking for trouble, but he knew that staying at Chelsea's new stadium was safer than being alone.
Understanding this, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he turned to Chelsea's general manager, Kenny, and said, "Contact the most popular singers and bands in England. After the match, I'll treat every fan in the stadium to a concert, along with free fried chicken, burgers, and beer."
"…What?"
Kenny was utterly stunned by William's sudden idea. With the first half of the match nearly over, even if they started making calls immediately, there was barely an hour to prepare. Even if the performers agreed to come, reaching the stadium in time would be a challenge.
"Is there a problem? Or do you think I can't afford it?"
Hearing William's question, Kenny realized that if there was a problem, it was his own incompetence. He immediately nodded. "No problem, boss. I'll take care of it right away."
Lena, equally surprised, rolled her eyes at her son. Just as Kenny was about to leave, she called out, "Wait."
Lowering her voice, she reminded William, "What if Chelsea loses?"
Waving Kenny off to handle the arrangements, William grinned at his mother. "Don't worry, Mom. If I say we'll win, we'll win."
Not long after, during halftime, the stadium's announcer broke the news.
In an instant, the entire crowd—Chelsea fans and rivals alike—cheered wildly at the prospect of free food, drinks, and a concert.
Unfortunately, just before the match ended, William suddenly had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to stay at the stadium in peace.
Sure enough, Sunday soon reported that an ancient tomb had been discovered beneath the desert base.
Viewing the live feed through his smart glasses, William immediately recognized what was buried there.
Fortunately, if his memory was correct, the mummies inside might look terrifying, but they weren't particularly powerful.
Even the so-called god Set could be considered nothing more than an extradimensional entity.
If that being tried to manifest in the human world by possessing a host, it wouldn't just be England's wizards who would intervene—
The sorcerers from the London Sanctum of Kamar-Taj would surely step in as well.
And if things went really wrong, the Ancient One herself might appear, which would make things very interesting.
Just as William was contemplating whether to retrieve the ruby imbued with Set's power, a knock sounded at the door.
Sweeping the area with his mental energy, he was startled to find that his scan was blocked by an invisible force before it could reach the person outside.
"Hm?"
This was the first time his psychic scan had failed. William immediately stood up, instinctively pulling Lena behind him.
Lena's bodyguards, Antonov and the towering 2-meter-tall Ivan, reacted instantly to William's movements.
Without hesitation, they drew their concealed weapons. Ivan stepped forward to shield William, while Antonov whispered into his earpiece, "Yakov, Valentin, report in. Do you copy?"
This sudden development was quickly picked up by two cameras that had been monitoring the VIP suite.
One belonged to ITV, which was preparing to broadcast the post-match concert, while the other was from Sky Sports.
The two networks had different priorities, leading them to react in different ways.
ITV immediately called the police and alerted stadium security.
Sky Sports, on the other hand, decided to broadcast the footage live.
Across England, tens of thousands of football fans, furious at the abrupt change in the broadcast, cursed the network—
Until they heard the director's voice explaining that this was happening in Chelsea's new stadium and involved William and his mother, Lena.
At that moment, most viewers were either worried or fearful, while a small number were excited and curious.
Inside the suite, the door swung open on its own.
Standing in the doorway was a thin figure draped in a long, ancient-looking yellow robe, their hood pulled low over their face.
"Hold!"
The moment he saw the visitor, William quickly stopped Antonov and Ivan from taking action. He patted Ivan's shoulder reassuringly.
Antonov and Ivan looked back at him in confusion. William nodded at them and said, "Go check on Yakov and Valentin. Don't come back until I call for you."
"Understood, boss."
As soon as they left, Sunday's report played in William's earpiece.
His eyes flickered with understanding. If this was being broadcast live, there might be unexpected advantages to be gained.
Turning to Lena, he reassured her before stepping forward and bowing slightly in greeting.
"Welcome, esteemed Sorcerer Supreme."
"You do recognize me."
The Ancient One lowered her hood, smiling at Lena. "I apologize for the intrusion, madam, but if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with William alone."
Lena was stunned.
The bald, gaunt-faced woman before her had just walked in and immediately asked her to leave.
But what truly shocked her was William's demeanor.
In all these years, this was the first time she had ever seen her son show genuine respect toward anyone.
And what had he just called her?
Sorcerer Supreme?
A sorcerer? A magician?
The thought flashed through Lena's mind, and suddenly, she began attributing all of William's extraordinary abilities to magic.
And if this woman had taught him, then she was likely his mentor.
Meanwhile, millions of TV viewers watched in awe.
After seeing William bow respectfully, they now saw his mother, Lena, curtsy deeply—
Bowing in the kind of reverence one would show only to royalty.
To Lena, anyone who had trained her son to be this capable was someone worthy of gratitude and respect.
But to the rest of the world, this scene caused an uproar.
Everyone's minds were filled with questions.
Who was this mysterious robed woman?
The only thing they could confirm was that, in William's eyes, she was of higher status than even the King of England.
William had a pretty good idea of why his mother was behaving this way.
But he had no intention of correcting her misunderstanding.
Sometimes, a well-placed lie was easier for people to accept than the truth.
And if magic became the official explanation for his abilities, so much the better.
As for whether the Ancient One would mind—William didn't care.
After all, he already knew most of Kamar-Taj's magic.
"Mom, please find Sophia and ask her to prepare some tea and snacks for our guest."
"Of course, William."
Lena gratefully turned to the Ancient One.
"Welcome, Sorcerer Supreme. I'll leave you two to talk."
"No need."
The Ancient One glanced outside, where thousands of fans were staring at the suite.
Shaking her head, she turned back to William.
"Let's go somewhere quieter. This won't take long."
Since she wasn't interested in staying, William wouldn't force the issue.
He had already achieved his goal of portraying the Ancient One as a friend or even a mentor figure.
There was no need to overdo it and risk annoying her.
(End of Chapter)
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