Dungeon of Pride, Laplace



"Good… Theodore, Maybell I leave the six of them to you. From now on, you two will be responsible for them, so keep that in mind. Also after you are done here, bring them to the bathhouse. I will tell the Valkyries to prepare some clothes for them".

Leaving these instructions behind, Simon and the others left the place. Now it was only the six demihumans who have been turned into a true vampire and their masters, the twins left remaining inside the prison.

Main floor, White Palace…

"So you are telling me they are the subordinates created by those two?" Irene questioned after they teleported back.

Putting it as creating might be an overstatement when the six demihumans were a living entity to begin with. However, she who had seen the changes those six people had undergone, couldn't find any other words than that.

The six demihumans were no longer the same, whether it be their body, mind, blood and even their genetic structure, everything inside them had undergone a distinctive change. It was as if they were born anew once again.

Looking at them, no one would be able to tell that they were the same six demihumans. That was how big of a change they had gone through.

Simon expected others to be confused so he explained—"Standing at the very top of the vampire hierarchy, Theodore and Maybell possess the power to create kindred vampires. That is to say, they have the ability to make more of their kind".

"There are different ranks to a vampire with the Antediluvian Ancestors standing at the very top. After them are the Vecnas who are the True Vampires. Right after comes the Elder and so on so forth. Whenever a kindred vampire who is bestowed the power of an Elder or above is created, they have to undergo the Trials of the Shadows".

"Those who complete this trail, are born anew as a completely different being. You can also say that their bodies which is the vessel for that power is remodelled completely to hold that power".

"I see, that explains why those six demihumans' powers skyrocketed all of a sudden. If they are already this strong right after their creation, I wonder how strong they will become in the future" Irene spoke.

As she said that, her eyes turned towards the Valkyries "It looks like you all won't be able to stay relaxed any longer or else, they might overtake you".

A small smile formed on Irene's lips as she watched the Valkyries show various kinds of emotions. A look of determination flashed on Annette's and the other face. It was obvious that Irene's comment got into them. They didn't want the newbies to outdo them.

After lighting a fire under the valkyries, Irene turned her attention towards Simon who seemed to be lost while thinking something in his head.

"What are you thinking about?".

"It's nothing… just that I have decided which two subordinates I'm going to bring with me" Simon flashed a smile and answered.

Time passed by and soon midnight arrived.

"Why do I have to wear such a costly suit?" Simon spoke in annoyance. Nevertheless, he still allowed the Valkyries to fix his outfit.

He was wearing a clean shirt above, a sleek vest with six buttons and V-line on top. The coat he was wearing was a perfect for him and made him look more elegant and dignified. It was longer on the back and had vents on the either side. 

The trousers he was wearing was of a different but complementary colour and created a perfect balance with his shoes. 

"Master cannot say that. Clothes are one of the factors that decides how others view you. Good clothes not only make one look elegant, but it also helps to project their aura" the Valkyries protested fixing his tie.

"I know that, but why do we have to go with such a costly one? There are other suits in the shop too you know. Plus, a flashier one will only make me stand out".

The suit that Simon was currently wearing cost him around 80,000 DP. Of course, things like luxury items are always costly in the [shop]; however, it was very extravagant if you think about how the suit he purchased when he went to the Walpurgis, didnot een cost him one fourth of this suit.

"You cannot do that master, cheap clothes will only make others look down on you. We cannot have that" the Valkyries were adamant.

"They are right. I know that you intend to stay low key. However, if you are too inconspicuous, it might have a reverse effect. To mix in with the crowd, you at least need to wear some decent clothes. Even the invitation said so" Irene added in.

Simon could only smile helplessly and do as he was told.

Stepping near the gate, he waited for his two subordinates who soon showed themselves.

"Masterrr" the twins flew over from the direction of the white palace and stood in front of him. Needless to say, the two subordinates he was going to bring along with him were Theodore and Maybell.

"Are you guys all prepared?" Simon asked.

Currently, other than Irene, the twins were the strongest entity in his dungeon. But that is not the only reason he was taking them. The twins had a skill that could instantly change a disadvantageous situation in their favour. As such, for this journey, Simon felt like taking them was the best choice.

Additionally, he also had the Eon's Cube with him and in the worst case scenario, he could always use 'that'. Therefore, even if it's the Demon Duke that he was up against, he had nothing to fear.

"Yes" the twins nodded their heads telling Simon that they were all prepared.

"Use these to cover your face" Simon took out three masquerade masks, wore one and passed the other two to the twins.

When attending the Auction of the Damned, it was mandatory for all the demon nobles to come in disguise. All the demons attending the auction would be wearing masks like these to hide their identity.

The masquerade mask that Simon wore, covered his eyes and gave him an air of mystery. Maybell had a pretty one on and Theodore got a cool looking one just like he wanted.

"Alright, let us depart. I leave the dungeon to you all in my absence" Simon turned towards the Gate levitating on the ceiling.

"Leave everything here to us. You make sure to take care of yourself out there" Irene and the others bid them goodbye.

With that, the three of them stepped towards the gate whose doors slowly creaked open at this moment.

"Hehe, I wonder what kind of place we are going to" Theodore's eyes sparkled with excitement while Maybell tightly clutched her plushie in nervousness.

The inside of the gate pulsed with a dark blue light like a whirlpool that could swallow anything.

"Before we head in, let me set some ground rules" Simon turned to face the twins and said sternly "You guys shouldn't stray too far away from me. Do not talk to anyone unless they initiate a conversation with you first. Do not take any food that strangers offer you. Do not make too much noise. Do not..".

Simon continued to give one instruction after another like a parent who was worried about their child.

"Hahh!! Master we know that, so let's going already" Theodore interjected finding his words boring.

"Alright.." Simon sighed and stepped forward feeling a rush of excitement. Theodore and Maybell closely followed behind him.

Bang… The doors of the gate shut closed as soon as they stepped in.

"They left. I hope everything goes well this time" Irene muttered to herself. However, even she couldn't predict what sorts of great strom this simple auction was going to brew. An event that would encompass the entire demon continent was about to begin.

.

.

Simon flew through the spatial tunnel for a while before finding himself being pulled by gravity. He landed on the ground and stared at the peculiar space he found himself on.

The floor he was currently stepping on, looked like a giant chessboard with each square perfectly placed and alternating between black and white. The walls here were made of dark stone that seemed to absorb the light, making it impossible to see beyond a certain range.

Peculiar murals of deities and demonic beings decorated the place. No matter how one looked at it, the place looked extremely bizarre.

As Simon was observing the place, he suddenly realised that Thedorea and Maybell were not with him. What was going on? Were they teleported to a different place?

Simon tried to call out to his subordinates, he even used mental transmission. However, in this dark space, nothing seemed to work. Just as he was about to grow a little impatient, from the corner of his eyes he saw a blue flame flickering in the distance.

At first, it was just a single of wisp of flame but soon, there were multiple of them. What's more, these flames appeared to be getting closer to him with each passing moment.

CLACK… CLACK… Also, he heard someone's footsteps approaching him.

"Welcome esteemed guest"… a voice sounded out. It was deep and guttural and sounded almost like a growl of a beast. A figure slowly walked out illuminated by the flickering wisps of blue flames. 

They stopped a few meters away from Simon allowing the latter to get a good look at the other's appearance.