Brought to a larger room, Bell awaited them with a soft smile. The room was perfectly clean, with the walls covered in mirrors and closets. Lucas frowned, not knowing what function this place served.
"Bell, we're looking for clothes fitting for a banquet. Prepare something."
"Right away, Young Master!", stars seemed to have manifested in her eyes as she ran up to Asta and Lucas with a measuring lint. Taking note of their height and waste, she rushed to open a bunch of closets.
Lucas stood in stunned disbelief as clothes were thrown around until she found something that piqued her interest. Asta had moved by himself to stand in front of a random mirror. Spreading his arms to form a T, Bell rushed towards him with her arms hugging a pile of clothes.
Asta simply waited as Bell brought a bunch of shirts and suits and placed them against his chest. Staring at the mirror for a mere moment, she moved on to the next piece. "Is there something you wanted, Master? Something dark blue? Or perhaps we should pick dark red or black? Actually, you would look great in white!"
Ignoring his maid entirely, she seemed unstoppable as she dressed up her young master to her full enjoyment. Lucas barely looked at Asta as he saw the clean floor being covered in stray clothes, which turned into a small heap.
After whom knows how long, Bell was finally satisfied with dressing Asta up. Still, despite how ridiculous her antics, Asta looked like an actual Demon Noble. His red skin contrasted with his dark blue suit. His hair styled back, he looked sleek. His serious look made him seem like he was ready for anything.
'Clothes do make a man somewhat, huh?'
'Bullshit, fabric in some color won't protect their intestines any more than another color.'
'What should we wear?'
'Fucking serious with me right now?'
Bell stared at the pile of clothes on the ground before vaguely gesturing to them. Using a tone to indicate she couldn't care any less about him, "Anything in here you want?", she said.
Seeing a black suit and red tie, Lucas picked it up before putting it on. Making sure he looked clean, he found himself somewhat handsome in the mirror.
'You look like an idiot.'
'Thanks.'
Turning around, Lucas faced Asta, who was ready to leave. Making their way to the entrance of the building took a lot longer than expected. First a long corridor before having multiple layers of stairs. From a normal perspective, it made absolutely no sense, yet when Lucas finally laid his eyes on the entire place, it was hard to give it a name.
It wasn't a mansion, nor was it a castle, it was more a massive complex. As if an entire school building had multiplied itself. There were multiple stories, stacked up to the point Lucas had to take a few steps back to find the end.
Asta scoffed at his reaction before a carriage appeared before them. Bell joined the duo as they boarded the coach and left for another place.
The black carriage with red cushions complimented his own clothes. Seeing Lucas inspect his surroundings, Asta jumped in. "No worries, this carriage holds the seal of the Duke, nobody would even dare to attack us on our way there."
"It's not exactly the journey that I'm worried about, more the destination. This is a different world, I'm expecting some unexpected changes."
Bell nodded for some reason before she lifted her finger. "You should adapt to our customs in order to be a good slave to the Young Master."
"Bell, I already told you, treat him like me, he'll hold the same authority."
Pouting, Bell looked outside. Looking at her, Lucas noticed she also changed wardrobes as she wore a light blue dress with plenty of room for her cleavage to be on full display. Frowning and grabbing the bridge of his nose, Lucas let his questions flow.
"When you mean authority, does that mean you can ask anything of her since she's your servant?"
"Exactly, Young Master can use me for any needs he deems me fit," accentuating her own assets, Asta rolled his eyes while Lucas found the more cynical side of such an agreement. "If I order you to kill yourself, you would have to do so?"
Bell's eyes seemed to grow bigger as she stared at her master. "Don't look at me like a crying puppy, Lucas wouldn't give such an order, but yes, anything you ask she will have to comply, even if it means sacrificing her life."
"I see. Then, I guess it's time you explain what this whole slave thing is about. I haven't brought it up since most people seemed to think it's natural, and I didn't want to raise suspicions."
"And I am thankful for that. In the entirety of Sabaoth, Demons rule the land. And while in Aurora, you had Demonic Cults worshiping the Demons, we are no gods. Humans are seen as lesser and weak. Thus, we tried to expand our influence to Aurora to gain more resources. Here, only Demons rule the land, anything else should be looked down upon."
Giving such a basic explanation was enough for Lucas to understand his own position. In the Underground, he was worshiped as a sacred being due to his skin, here he would be on the opposite end. If the demons only came in contact with humans when they either ran away in fear or worshiping them to Godhood, it wasn't hard to think why things were the way they are.
Bell nodded, "In stories from the past, there was a point in time when humans and demons fought side by side, but then the humans betrayed us. From that point, we started to rule over humans," the somewhat arrogant grin pissed Lucas off, so he smiled.
"Bell, from now on you will have to pretend that I'm a slave of Asta while knowing full well I'm also your master."
"Of cours- Wait!", a panicked look appeared on her face as she wouldn't be able to disobey his order. Bell had always fully believed Lucas to be lower than Asta, but now, she wouldn't be able to feel it, only displaying it.
"How petty, Lucas, we have bigger things to worry about."
"I just liked her reaction. Tell me about the horns, do they signify status?", while not being in this world for a long time, it was clear there was some link between hierarchy and the size of the horns.
Bell had half a broken horn, while Trane had two small full horns. The Duke had two large horns that reached for the sky, yet Asta had nothing between the black locks of hair. He was the missing piece of intel to prove his own hypothesis.
Asta nodded slightly with a small sigh, "Yes, horns represent some form of authority. It's not directly linked to a position, function or status, but it shows how powerful your Demonic Powers are, or more accurately, can be."
The carriage seemed to continue riding over a smooth road, yet the deafening silence within it was overwhelming. Lucas simply stared deeply into the eyes of Asta, who felt like he was being under interrogation.
Holding his hands up, Asta explained further. "All demons have demonic powers, the horns just show capacity, not actual power."
"So you had Demonic Powers all this time."
"Yes."
"And you never bothered to use them in many of our almost life-threatening situations?"
"...Yes."
"..."
Bell sat as stiff as a board, not even daring to intervene in the slightest. She could almost see the electric currents shoot out of Lucas' eyes.
"...Look, I can explain. This society runs by obeying the more powerful Demons, the bigger the horns, the more power they potentially have. I also had horns, but I cut them off."
"Why throw away power you were freely given?"
"Not all power should be used. Demonic Powers are similar to Elemental Magic, it uses emotion as fuel."
Lucas sighed heavily, "So you threw away innate power for some petty belief that emotions shouldn't be used in magic?"
Hearing that, Asta felt insulted, raising his voice and chest slightly, he rebuked Lucas. "I'll not have my beliefs be called petty by someone who uses every dirty tactic available to win."
"That's called surviving, you willingly abandoned such a power just for beliefs?"
"My beliefs are the reason I've made it this far, dammit!"
Not knowing what to answer, Lucas backed off. He rarely saw Asta getting emotional, but now, the anger in his eyes proved something was behind his beliefs that he simply didn't know yet. Instead of stoking the flames, he let go.
"Fine, so be it. So the people I need to look out for are the ones with large horns?"
"Mostly, you can skip the elders, they are there to show their support for their candidate."
"Who's your support?"
"Nobody."
"..."
"..."
Lucas sighed again, it wasn't like Asta to be so unopportunistic. Back in Aurora, he had an entire network to use, yet here, there was barely anyone.
"I assume cutting off your horns is looked down upon?"
"Yes, those buffoons think that horns signify everything, despite them knowing full well that it matters little."
"How so?"
"Above the Dukes, there is a single Demon King, who can become a Demon God. The very first Demon God known to history is one with little horns. So they mean nothing in the grand scheme of things."
"Cultures often places extreme value in little things. Why did you do it?"
"Personal reasons. Either way, my siblings are around my age, some a bit younger with only two older. What you need to know is that the eldest of my siblings are holding all the cards at the moment."
"Anything to watch out for?"
"Agares and Alastor, sister and brother of mine. Alastor believes that intelligence should be the top priority for any ruler, while Agares believes in power."
Before Lucas asked the obvious, Asta explained a little further, "They chose the name to be as close as possible to Astaroth without infringing upon our territory, so it will be confusing at the start."
Suddenly, the coach stopped in place as a voice came from outside. "Young Master, we've arrived."
"You'll learn more later, for now, focus on studying your opponents," with that Asta left the carriage, Bell right behind him.
Lucas took a second to think about what would transpire next. As a human in this world, he was already in a bad spot, so he would need to follow Asta for the most part. Turning his skin red might work, but any decent mage would be able to tell, so there would be no point.
Instead, Lucas was thankful how this world worked. In Aurora, tons of little things proved your worth, whether it be connections, funds, artifacts or position. In Sabaoth, as long as he could demonstrate his own powers, he would be respected.
Having some idea on how to act, he stepped outside the carriage and took a dignified stand behind Asta, waiting for his command. Catching on his performance, Asta nodded slightly before moving forward.
Walking on a red carpet that dampened their steps, they passed a large gate, making way to a large open garden with a small castle at the end. Despite the sky above still being somewhat red, night was about to set in, making the lights that came from the castle light their way.
As they took the steps to enter the castle, a few guards examined them before nodding. A butler, who was stationed only at the front door, looked at Asta for a single second before clapping twice.
"The Direct Descendant of the Great Duke Astaroth the 51st has entered! Welcome Astaroth the 52nd!"
What followed was complete silence. A large ballroom filled to the brim with people stopped conversing with each other as they stared at the incoming trio. Their stares were anything but friendly.
Even Lucas, who had an easier time ignoring others, felt awkward standing there as eyes checked their every movement, always judging.
Glancing across the room, Lucas saw three to four separate groups of demons. Each with a few older ones displaying great polished horns. It didn't take long for Lucas to realize they were the only ones with a demon without horns and one with a broken one.
The nobles in the ballroom were dressed extravagantly, their clothing meant to flaunt status and power. Many of them wore deep, jewel-toned garments embroidered with gold or silver thread. Velvet and silk dominated the fabric choices, draping elegantly while catching the faint glow of the chandeliers. Masks of civility hid thinly veiled contempt, their smiles sharp and eyes colder than the castle's stone.
Their horns were meticulously polished, some curved like rams and others sleek and sharp like blades, a living crown that proclaims their heritage.
Asta stepped forward and went to a nearby corner to get some drinks. Heads turned in silence as they watched his every step.
Eventually, the conversation started to ramp up again. Giving Lucas and Asta some breathing room.
"You really know how to make an entrance," Lucas grabbed a drink out of politeness, but having never drunk anything alcoholic, he didn't know how it would taste. Finding comfort in safety, he didn't consume anything that was offered.
Asta wasn't sure what to say. "Frankly, I wasn't expecting their animosity to build up this much since I was gone."
"Just what did you do to deserve all that?"
"For starters, I brought you here."
The glares he got only proved exactly that. Seeing no reason to continue their conversation, Lucas started to inspect the people he deemed possible candidates. The people who got the most attention or had the most people with fake smiles around them. It wasn't hard to pinpoint them, the issue was gathering useful information.
'If we were them, and this whole banquet was around the corner, what would we do?'
'Kill them.'
'They can't, it's not allowed. Besides, the food and drinks should be completely safe.'
'So? Since when did I give a shit about rules? If you don't want to be targeted, just make it impossible to prove it was you.'
'Hmm, all the targets would gather here. It only makes sense to remove all obstacles in a single sweep.'
After thinking it through some more, Lucas had a few possible ideas, but without anything to go off of, he was grasping in the dark. Given some time, Lucas noticed something strange, it wasn't enough to panic, just enough to raise concern.
"Asta, do you also have magical beasts or monsters here?"
Bell looked dumbfounded, while her young master slowly nodded. "Yes, there are plenty. Might I ask how you came to ask that strange question?"
Lucas went in close and whispered into Asta's ears. His eyes widened for the slightest amount before focussing on his environment again.
"I see, if that's the case, your assumptions are correct. Should we make preparations?"
"No, doing so would only tip them off and make us suspicious. Whoever did this would try to pin the blame on someone else," Lucas said conspiratorially, as his eyes lit up with a certain type of mana.
"Estimated damage?"
"Can't tell their Rank without willpower, when is the Duke supposed to come here?"
"In a few hours or so."
"Then that'll be the deadline. How many siblings are we missing?"
"Just two."
Lucas nodded right as the butler at the entrance clapped twice again. "The eldest of the candidates has arrived! Welcome, Alastor the 7th!"
Suddenly, people started to clap and welcome him, a stark contrast to mere moments ago.
Arriving with an unmistakable presence, Alastor behaved as if the room belonged to him. His clothes were finely tailored, a long black coat trimmed in crimson, layered over a high-collared shirt of pale silk.
Every line of his attire is sharp and deliberate. His horns, prominent, long and sleek, polished to a dark gleam, setting him apart from the crowd. His constant smirk roused the ire in some, while others admired his attitude. One that was amused by everything and fearing nothing.
Frowning, Asta started to inspect his surroundings with a more careful eye.
"What's going on, Young Master?", Bell whispered, not knowing why both of them looked so serious all of a sudden. Sure, they were surrounded by people who most likely hated them, but it wasn't an excuse to prepare for a fight.
"Bell, keep quiet about this, but there might be some... I suppose monsters, here. Make a commotion with one of the waiters on the other side of the room to give us some room."
"Young Master, please, I-"
"Do it, Bell, for your own safety."
Since he was in a foreign place, Lucas had been gathering information non-stop. From the moment he opened his eyes, to simply walking across a room, never did he try to process as much intel as his brain could handle.
From the smallest of details to the large architecture, nothing escaped his eyes. The only problem was the fact that he couldn't use willpower to check the other Demons out. Doing so would mean risking his own life for no good reason. Instead, he had been experimenting with different elemental views.
Using fire to check for heat, he simply wanted to see the difference between humans and demons, yet the moment he did so there were demons who didn't give off any warmth. It tipped him off, since all living things normally radiated some kind of heat. It was how he explored dark areas without too much worry, since even the smallest insects had some amount of heat depending on the environment.
Splitting up, each went their own way to inspect the place. Nobody cared for Asta or Lucas in the first place, but some still eyed their movements. The candidates wouldn't let Asta out of their sights so easily.
Lucas saw the many people in the ballroom, almost all were trying to curry favor with the candidates, making Lucas believe they were all Rank 2, perhaps a few a single Rank higher. Still, without checking it with his willpower, it would be hard to say, so for now, he had to remain cautious.
Bell, on the other hand, looked fantastic, but her broken horn was a sign not to interact with her. Even the mere butlers of this place, servants to the Duke, had moderate horns, making her small broken one stick out all the more.
'Young Master, why ask this of me?'
She was getting embarrassed just for standing there alone, but she had to make a commotion? Tears almost welled up in her eyes before she wiped them away.
'I'm just following orders... my poor dress, I'm sorry.'
A waitress passed by with a tray of drinks before Bell bumped into her, making the glasses fall over, covered her beautiful light blue dress in a light red. The stench of wine wafted from her dress not long after.
"Ah! How dare you bump into me?!"
"...", the waitress didn't respond as she picked up the broken glasses on her tray and left her alone.
"Huh?", Bell felt confused, nobody cared for her in the slightest. The people who were looking at her either ignored her right after checking her head or were noble women who laughed at her state.
Humiliated, Bell simply stood there in her own silence as the mocking laughter from certain groups reached her ears.
Alastor was the only person who didn't look at her with disgust or schadenfreude, his eyes were focussed on her actions and effect, or lack thereof. Smirking slightly, he looked for her missing companions.
Furious with their treatment, Bell cared little for the other members. Seeing another waiter come by with drinks, she placed her hand on his back and pushed him towards the group of women laughing at her.
"Oops."
The waiter lost his balance as the drinks inside the glasses flew out in their direction, covering not only their dress in wine, but their hair and horns as well. "What the-!?"
The women panicked as their dress and hair were all ruined by that small accident. Bell had a smile on her face until the women started to direct their hatred to her.
"You ugly bitch, how dare you do this!"
"You should be hung!"
The women got louder and louder, making some others step in to calm them down, but all attention was brought to them.
Alastor cared little for the commotion, as his eyes were trailing two strange people, one blond haired human who was inspecting the ceiling for some reason, while the other a sibling of his who was known for his arrogance and magical prowess despite the limitations he set upon himself.
"How fun," he spoke to himself, disregarding the people around him that were asking for his attention.
Suddenly, the room darkened, turning it pitch black before the ground started to shake heavily. People panicked as they didn't know what was going on.
Voices disappeared as the ground started to regain its balance. The soft carpet-covered floor was gone as the people felt the irregularities in the ground underneath their shoes. They were standing on uneven rocks, having an almost gravel-like form.
Only a few remained calm as silence took over.
"Is everyone alright?", an older voice, appeared in the dark as a ball of Light brightened the room. The luxurious hall was replaced by an underground cavern with no clear way out.
The people who remained were all candidates and a few outliers. Since they were all mages, they were more than capable, a dark cavern would mean little to them, yet most were afraid.
"What happened here?", a younger demon, stepped into the center of the light, voicing his concern as he inspected his surroundings.
Alastor stepped up, holding his hands behind his back, he had a small grin plastered on his face. "Descartes, we've been warped to a different location," the giddiness in his voice was almost blatantly clear.
Descartes, a younger sibling of Asta frowned hearing his tone of voice. "Alastor, why are you so happy about our lives being in danger?"
Descartes's appearance contrasted Alastor's darker tone. A noble's uniform in shades of white and gold, the design more youthful and practical than indulgent. His horns, shorter, signifying his inferiority to his siblings, but he holds himself with determination. Despite his fine garments, his expression betrays unease, not that it was clearly visible in this dark room.
"That's not the question you should be asking, you know?", using his finger to wave no, it gradually pissed Descartes off with each turn.
"Who can use spatial magic so flexibly?", Asta asked as he stayed in the darkness of the cavern.
"Not many people, there's barely any in the Duke's family who have that power," Isale spoke up, making sure she looked and sounded perfect despite the circumstances. All the candidates sprung forward, for as foolish it might've seemed to some, this was a prime time to show off their skills and abilities. Leadership was important if one wanted the seat.
If they were pressured and scared of this development, they weren't suited for the position of the Duke. One of their siblings, Agatha, fell victim to such a curse. Tears had reached her eyes as she stuck close to her supporters. Being the youngest and weakest of them all, nobody was surprised, even if they unconsciously wrote her off.
"While that is an interesting question to ask, shouldn't we focus more on our current circumstances? If all the candidates were brought here through the powers of an expert, I assume our lives might be in serious danger."
Alastor barely finished his sentence before a part of the cavern opened up. A group of enlarged red ants seemed to pour out, attacking any who got too close. Being lesser in power, the ants got demolished by the group of mages.
"Hah! Is that all?", Isale stood on the head of one of the ants with a whip covered in thorns. "What easy prey. Hope you all can follow my pace, let's go."
Leading the charge, Isale marched into the opening made by the ants. With her followers in tow, they make quick work of anything that was bound to stand in their way.
Seeing a way out, many instantly followed her example. Each candidate needed to show they were the one true leader, having Isale take the initiative away from them made them all scurry to prove their own worth.