"Come with me," Feronia said before she opened the door and stepped outside.
Lucifer and the others also left, taking one last glance inside the bar.
They could see the red-haired woman clenching her teeth, really upset.
As Lucifer and his group left, the door once again closed. The bar returned to its silence and darkness. It was so silent that even the breathing of Nobles could be heard.
"That guy was really the lease of Warlock Council. I think I can understand why Her Majesty wants him alive."
"Think about our dignity when we kill the leaders of one of the strongest forces outside of the Divine Empire. The Annual Divine Competition would be fun."
"Yeah. I can't wait to see how strong these Warlock Council people are. From the initial impression, they weren't weak at all. But then again, he only got a surprise attack on Jia."
The Nobles returned to their discussion, forgetting the red-haired woman they were talking about.
"Warlock Council leader, Huh. I'll return all the insults and embarrassment to you soon. You'll regret this day," the red hair woman known as Jia muttered under her breath.
She walked back to the couch, bringing the bare-chested man closer to her. She inserted her fangs in the neck of the men, even sharply.
Unlike before, the man didn't seem like he was in ecstasy this time. He was in extreme pain as Jia didn't hold back this time. She was angry at Lucifer, and she was letting it out on the man by failing to control herself properly.
...
The citizens of the Divine Empire were waiting eagerly outside the bar to see what was going to happen. Most of them believed that Lucifer and his friends weren't going to return alive.
Unfortunately, something entirely different happened. The door of the once opened and Lucifer stepped out with his team members. Let alone being killed; there wasn't even a scratch on him and the other guys.
They were being escorted by Feronia once again. Soon, they left the place, leaving the big crowd behind, wondering about the identity of these men.
They couldn't understand why these men were getting special treatment. What was the identity of these people?
Many questions remained in the heads of the civilians as they watched everything unfold before their eyes. The conversation started happening, and soon the information spread in the entire city about what had just happened.
Many people also started wondering about the identity of these people.
Some thought that they were from the guests from the outside world, and that's why they weren't killed, while others thought they were the relatives of Feronia, which was why they were getting special treatment.
Some even guessed that they were probably the ones who were soon going to become Nobles too, which was why no one was offended when they entered a noble-only establishment.
...
Feronia escorted Lucifer to another Palace inside the city. The new palace was smaller than the Royal Palace of the queen, but it still looked very lavish and beautiful.
The entire palace was pure white as if made from the purest of marbles. As for the gates, they seemed to be made from gold.
Some Newborns were standing at the entrance. Seeing Feronia approach, they opened the doors.
Feronia, Lucifer, and the others stepped inside the premises of the Palace.
"This will be where you'll stay. Tomorrow, I'll come to take you to the tournament where you'll be taking part. You aren't allowed to leave this place, and if you broke more rules by sneaking out without any permission, you'd be killed mercilessly," Feronia informed Lucifer, who was the leader for her.
It once again stunned Heath. What was happening? Why did it seem like Lucifer was the leader instead? He had been walking in the lead all this while.
Even inside the bar, Caen was asking him for orders, and now this. Something seemed odd, but he didn't know if he should ask.
"To serve you, there are human maids inside the Palace. They'll bring human food to you. That will be all." Finishing up, Feronia turned and left. She didn't want to stay for longer than she had to.
As Feronia left, Lucifer stopped looking at her. He had entered the Palace, and now he was observing the interior of the Palace.
The Palace looked like it was in a perfect condition. There weren't any cracks on the walls, nor was there any damage. The paint still looked as good as new. Moreover, everything was spotless.
Not even a little dust could be seen as if this place was thoroughly cleaned every day.
Inside the main hall at the entrance, a few couches were placed, probably for guests.
Walking towards one of them, Lucifer sat down, resting one leg above the other, sitting relaxed. Caen and Salazar also sat on the following couches.
Heath was also following suit when he was stopped.
"Go and select a room for yourself. And find that maid they talked about," Caen told Heath just as he was about to sit. "Tell her to prepare something to eat and bring out the wine bottles if there are any."
He used this as an excuse to send Heath away so they could have some privacy, but at the same time, these were genuine tasks that needed to be done.
"Ah, yes." Health nodded, going upstairs to find the maid.
After Heath left, the three of them were the only ones left in the giant hall.
"So, what's the plan? I don't think this contest was something any of us could have expected. Are we really going to take part in it?" Caen asked Lucifer, frowning.
"Yes. Also, not us. Only I and Salazar will take part in the competition," Lucifer explained.
"Hmm? Why? Why do we need to take part in the competition? What about the old plan? We were here for something else, right? Or was getting that stone our only goal?" Caen asked, confused.
"Of course, we're here for more than just the stone. And our goals have always been the same. But we can't be hasty. Tonight, we'll do recii and understand more about this place and the defenses of the Palace. Tomorrow, we'll take part in the first stage of the event."
"Since it's only the first stage, the enemies will be weak. We can win without revealing too much of our abilities. And tomorrow night, we'll use the information we collect tonight to... I'm sure you can understand."
Lucifer explained the plan vaguely but in a manner where Caen could understand it. So he wanted to understand more about this place before attacking.
