“Your Highness, how did the meeting with His Majesty go?” a middle-aged demon, that had a single horn on his head, asked.
“Same as always,” Felix replied. “Have you made the necessary preparations, Sebas?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Sebas replied. “They are all waiting for you at the ruins.”
Felix nodded as he rode the flying carriage that was especially prepared for him. Right now, the Demonic Clans had gathered in the capital because of the great undertaking that his father, Luciel, wanted to accomplish.
For that to happen, he needed the support of the Patriarchs of the various clans in order to raise an army. As to what that army was supposed to do, only Luciel knew.
That had always been the case. The Demon Lord didn’t trust anyone, even his children, when it came to important matters of the realm. Luciel was a selfish, self-centered, individual who only cared about things that would benefit him greatly.
Felix sneered inside his heart as he thought of his crippled father who desperately clung to his throne. Although Luciel still had the support of the majority of the Demonic Clans, his rule was growing more and more unstable with each passing year.
“Your Highness, we will now be entering the Teleportation Gate,” Sebas announced.
Felix nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. As Luciel’s eldest son, Felix was busy building his own factions that would support him when the time came for him to take over his father’s mantle.
‘Still, getting the support of these candidates is not going to be easy,’ Felix thought as his flying carriage passed through the teleportation gate that would bring him to the recently discovered ancient ruins.
All of the candidates that he was going to meet were all prodigies. Proud geniuses who were a cut above the rest. Between him and his father, he was sure that the candidates would choose the latter to support, but Felix wasn’t someone who gave up easily.
If he was able to convince a few of them to join his faction, he would already consider it a victory.
—-
Ancient Ruins of Atrum…
Felix walked proudly, while Sebas followed a few steps behind him.
The guards stationed at the temporary stronghold, that was built on the outskirts of the ruins, pressed their hands to their chests in order to salute him.
Felix gave them a brief nod, as he passed through the gates. There, he was escorted to the lodgings of the candidates who wielded the power of darkness.
The moment he entered the spacious training room, thirty three pairs of eyes locked onto his body. This wasn’t the first time he’d met the candidates. Some of them respected him because he was the son of the Demon Lord, while others ignored him because he was merely a son and not the Demon Lord.
Felix was already used to this kind of treatment since it was something he had frequently encountered when he was young, so he didn’t mind it one bit.
The first thing he did was approach the strongest, and youngest, among the candidates present in the training room. Felix knew that if he wanted to gather as many elites as possible, he should first take the leader of the pack under his wing.
Once he succeeded, it was only a matter of time before a few more joined as his subordinates.
“Adam, how’s your training coming along? Are you satisfied with the arrangements I made for you?” Felix asked with a smile.
A demon who was in his late teens smiled and nodded his head. Adam was a few years younger than Felix, but his purple eyes seemed to have seen many battles in life, which made him look more mature than he actually was.
“This place is wonderful, Your Highness,” Adam replied. “However, I’m very curious about the ruins. I feel like there’s something inside it that is calling to me. No. To be more exact, there is something inside it that is calling to all of us. Am I right, everyone?”
The other candidates that were older than Adam and Felix by a few years nodded their heads in agreement.
As wielders of the Dark Arts, the ancient ruins were like an oasis to them, who thirsted for water. There was a feeling deep inside their hearts, that what they sought could be found within its depths, which was protected by layers upon layers of deadly arrays.
This was the reason why Feilx had sent every other Demon with lesser potential to explore the ruins. He hoped that once they found a way to reach its depths, they would be able to proceed with the second phase of their plan.
“Rest assured,” Felix said as he patted Adam’s shoulder. “Once the explorers return, I will let all of you enter the ancient ruins. I just hope that after you manage to learn its secrets, you will share them with me.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Good.”
Felix nodded in satisfaction. Adam had already secretly pledged his allegiance to him, so it wasn’t bad to give the young prodigy some benefits to solidify his trust.
The eldest son of the Demon Lord then turned his head to the side to look at the other candidates, who were also looking in his direction.
“To those who will excel in this endeavor, you may ask me of one wish,” Felix stated. “If I have the power to grant it, I will give it to you without fail. So, do your best to train your Dark Arts until the explorers return. We no longer need to stay here in the Demonic Continent. The world is ours for the taking!”
“”Yes!””
The other candidates raised their fists high in the air as if to proclaim that they would be the new conquerors of the world. Felix smiled as he looked at this scene. He was already looking forward to seeing how many of these candidates would become his followers.
Since he was too preoccupied with his thoughts of one-upping his father, he didn’t notice the sneer that had briefly appeared on Adam’s lips.
A sneer that showed his disdain for the Demon Lord, as well as those who carried his bloodline. For Adam, only one thing mattered and that was power.
As long as he had it, he was willing to bow his head and bide his time until he reached a height that could no longer be reached by others.
Adam was a patient person. As a wielder of Dark Magic, he knew better than anyone else how to act low-key until the perfect opportunity arrived, to claim what was rightfully his by birth.
