Dungeon of Pride, Laplace



"Buu~" Although still a little discontent Maybell still followed her master's orders and released the Giga Minotaurus from its bindings.

The eyes of the [A] rank beast now released from the familiar covenant, returned back to their usual crimson brownish colour.

"Don't worry, I will get you a better familiar than the minotaurus and it will be from the cat race too in the future" Seeing the dejected sight of Maybell, Simon promised.

"Really?! Yaaay~" As expected of a kitten lover, just merely mentioning cat was enough to get the little girl in high spirits once again.

Simon smiled and along with his group turned to head back to their seats, when the infuriated voice of Duke Arctaurus stopped them.

"What?! You are trying to Nullify our contract? Minos have you gone insane?".

It appeared that the situation was yet to be resolved. The Giga Minotaurus who was now freed from Maybell's binding, was now rejecting and disobeying his former master's command. Even going as far as to nullify their contract.

Contract was a special ability of the demon nobles. Fueled by their special blood, it enables them to forge agreements with their subjects. These contracts are not mere formalities but potent pacts that transcend ordinary alliances.

When a demon noble, be it a Demon Earl or Demon Duke initiates a contract, a remarkable phenomenon unfolds. The noble's blood, flowing with ancient power and primal force, becomes the catalyst for the binding ritual.

It is a connection, a link that intertwines the fates of the contracting parties. The bond forged through a contract is not limited to mere loyalty; it extends to obedience, protection, and even the transfer of knowledge.

The Demon Noble's commands become irresistible whispers in the mind of the bound, their will bending to the desires of their contracted master.

The power of the contract becomes greater the higher the power and rank of the demon is. So it could be imagined how powerful the contract initiated by a Demon Duke whose blood carried millennia of mystical energy and raw ancient power.

The highly pure noble blood of a Demon Duke carries with it a potency that surpasses all other forms of demonic binding. The contracts formed by these illustrious beings are nothing short of legendary, embodying the pinnacle of strength and dominance.

Yet such a contract was being breached; no, dissolved by the subject that it bound. This in itself spoke about how formidable the Giga Minotaurus was.

"Stop Minos!! Come to your right mind already"

Duke Arctaurus' face was aghast when he saw a pale blood coloured mark appear on Giga Minotaur's forehead before dissipating into thin air.

With the dissolution of that mark, the contract was also nullified and the Giga Minotaurus was now free of all the bindings. But of course, it had to pay a heavy price for it. It bled heavily from all of its seven orifices, severe burns appeared on its body and one of its unbreakable horns cracked and fell down.

That was not all, its body shrank and it lost a portion of its power. This was the sacrifice that the Giga Minotaurus had to go through to break the Contract it made with the duke. All so that it could go back and serve the master that had won him over.

The Giga Minotaurus now a little less intimidating, approached Simon and his group before kneeling down beside Maybell.

ROARR… with a subdued roar, it let its intentions known.

"Really you want to serve me? Hehe, you really are a good boy. In that case, I shall… Ah!! i forgot I cannot accept you… master told me that you cannot be my familiar".

Maybell who was about to giddily accept the Giga Minotaurus in her collection of familiars, suddenly recalled the words Simon told her and stopped.

She then turned towards him and tugged his clothes with a coy and heartbroken expression "Master, can't I have him?".

Seeing Maybell's pitiful and sad appearance, Simon released a deep sigh. 'This girl… who taught her this tactic?'  Although he knew she was acting to get what she wanted, it was still hard for Simon to reject her now that the minotaurus even willingly came to her to serve her.

Plus being their parent and creator, he did not like seeing them all sad and unhappy like that. As such, he could only give her a go ahead nod and tackle the problems that would arise from this.

"Earl Simon, how do you explain this? Why is Minos behaving like that towards that girl? What did she do?" the enraged Duke Arctaurus demanded an explanation.

"What is with the commotion here? Duke Arctaurus, I believe I resolved the situation here or are you going against my verdict?".

At this moment when their outburst was starting to gather quite a bit of attention, Belial who had moved forward to settle the disputes with the other demons, interjected in between.

"It's not like that Demon Lord. I wouldn't dare to go against your verdict. I have no issues related to your decision over the Ghastly Winding Forest. It's just that the matter is not about the territory but about my subordinate Minos".

"It is behaving oddly for some reason and is disobeying all of my commands. I believe the Demon Earl did something to it. That is why, I was demanding an explanation from him" Duke Arrctaurus explained.

Belial's piercing gaze shifted from the Duke towards the Demon Earl, his curiosity piqued by the discord that unfolded before him. With a measured tone, he addressed Arctaurus, seeking clarification amidst the brewing tension.

"What do you mean, Duke Arctaurus? Why does your subordinate, the Giga Minotaurus, now defy your commands?"..

"Demon Lord Belial, please amend justice. This dastardly Demon Earl has done something to my subordinate. The Giga Minotaurus, once loyal and obedient, now follows the commands of the Demon Earl's familiar. It is an affront to my authority and a blatant act of treachery!".

Hearing the Duke's accusations Belial narrowed his eyes and surveyed the Demon Earl, evaluating the situation with his discerning eyes.

Seeing that the Demon Earl showed no signs of apprehension or any guilty conscience even when faced with his pressure, a slight frown appeared on his face.

He raisied a hand to silence the agitated crowd, before speaking with a subtle air of authority "Demon Earl, you stand accused of tampering with the subordinate of a fellow demon. Such actions carry grave consequences. How do you defend yourself against these allegations?"

The gathering turned their attention back towards Duke Arctaurus and the Demon Earl. It appeared that another complication appeared within them. All eyes focused towards the Demon Earl and the group around him, waiting for another drama to unfold.

However, what they didn't expect was for this drama to get even spicier with the interjection of another unexpected party.

"Demon Lord if I may interject"..

Two figures walked out from amidst the crowd and stood near Duke Arctaurus.

"You are…" Belial glanced at this unexpected interruption before recognising who they were. "I am Earl Avrox, a humble servant of the Demon Archduke Charthros. If I may have your permission, I have something to say in this regard".

The Demon Lord of Envy was silent as he observed the two new figures. One was a Demon Earl who just introduced himself while the other was a Demon Duke named Famoon. Seeing this duo together was quite unusual even for Belial. He nodded his head and allowed the other party to speak their mind.

"Since it's the subordinate of Demon Archduke Charthros, I will give him face and allow you to speak. Pray tell us, why did you interrupt us".

On Belial's beckoning, Avrox pretentiously took a step forward, pointed towards Famoon beside him with one hand and spoke.

"Demon Lord, since you are amending justice for Duke Arctaurus, you must also amend justice for Duke Famoon who similarly trusted that dastardly Earl and had been taken advantage of".

Like a performer, Avrox iterated what Famoon told him. His words carefully put to make the Duke to be the victim here and Earl Simon to be the criminal.

On one side, Duke Arctaurus revelled at this unexpected aid. He thought that with Oswell backing the demon earl, it would be hard for him to press the latter. However, who would have expected that he would gain an unexpected ally in such a situation?

'Snort, a demon earl who doesn't know his position. Since you dared to take away the territory that I desired, let's see how you get out of this situation.

.

.

"So you are telling me that Earl Simon here has stolen an artefact from Duke Famoon that he bought from the auction?"...

"That is right my lord"

Belial's eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and intrigue at the claim made by Earl Avrox. This revelation added a new layer of complexity to the already contentious situation, leaving the observing demons in a state of heightened curiosity.

"Duke Famoon, is it true that Earl Simon has stolen an artefact from you, an artefact that you had acquired through an auction?".

Famoon flashed a wicked smile towards Simon before speaking with an indignant voice "Demon Lord Belial, esteemed demons, I stand before you to confirm the theft of a priceless artefact from my possession. Earl Simon, whom I trusted as a friend and fellow noble, has betrayed that trust and taken what rightfully belonged to me."

As soon as those words fell, gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as demons exchanged astonished glances. They couldnlt believe that a mere Demon earl would be so audacious and fearless as to steal something from a demon duke.