"Should we enter?" One of the Devil Bishops asked. Now that Noel had sealed himself inside, there was a chance that he would come out again. Additionally, there would be a problem if Noel somehow outsmarted them and took a few of them down before making a run for it.
They were concerned about the endless possibilities inside, especially since they saw how Noel defeated a Spirit Master easily. If they were careless, even a Devil Bishop would fall in his hands.
"If we do that, we'll—" Before he finished his words, he and the others felt an incoming presence. They jumped back out of reflex as that person smashed the ground so hard that it trembled for a second.
"Who are you people?" The man who shouted at them was none other than Legolaz. It was true that he was a Spirit Grandmaster like the four Devil Bishops. But it didn't change the fact that this was his territory. People from the Supreme Devil Organization couldn't run rampant if they wanted to stay here.
"…" The people from the organizations couldn't help but exchange looks, wondering what they should do. The situation had just become even more complicated.
On the one hand, it would be troublesome if Legolaz reported their transgression. On the other hand, Legolaz had yet to know about their identities. If they could hide it, they could get away with it. However, they had heard about Noel's wits. There was no way that person wouldn't give away their identity.
"If you're not going to talk, then…" Legolaz released all his Spiritual Energy, ready to fight them.
However, another fluctuation of Spiritual Energy occurred from the side as a soft, aged voice echoed in their ears.
"Please cease your action, Mr. Great Protector. We come from the same place as the one we're chasing right now. As long as you can give him away to us, we'll definitely be grateful. There is no need to cause a bloodbath in this place."
"!!!" Legolaz's body shivered when sensing her energy. He couldn't help but raise his head, seeing Qiel standing on top of the ruin. 'When did she come? No, looking at that bow, she is most likely the one shooting that powerful strike.'
"Before you complain to us, I have made sure to aim my strike at an open space. I believe there are no casualties on your side from my strike. We would like to have your cooperation. We assure you that we won't harm any of your people and will be gone as soon as we capture that person."
Legolaz narrowed his eyes before asking, "Who are you people?"
"Unfortunately, we cannot answer your question."
"You do know that you are currently stepping on Atrecaeca's soil."
"I believe that is a little insignificant unless you're planning to force us to exterminate all living witnesses in this place." Qiel started releasing her Spiritual Energy. Her Spiritual Energy far surpassed a normal Spirit Grandmaster, including Legolaz.
The only person who could stop her was Dimitri. But he was stopped by Nelfer, whose strength wasn't losing to Dimitri.
In other words, if Qiel wanted it, she could probably eliminate all of them. Legolaz and the second prince would definitely die. It was true that there would be an investigation, but Legolaz would prioritize the second prince's safety, considering he wanted him to become the next Grand Protector. It would be useless if the kingdom would avenge him, but he was already dead in their hands.
Legolaz fell silent, considering his current option. He would feel ashamed to let people from a different kingdom force him to retreat to his own country. At the same time, it would be troublesome if they died.
Legolaz's status was higher than the prince's in some cases. And he would only lower his head to the second prince because he recognized him as a successor of the Grand Protector, nothing else.
So, he was the one making this hard decision.
Legolaz said, "We are also aiming to explore this ruin. We can't fully trust you in this matter. There is a chance that you're plundering what we want from this place."
"We can assure you that we won't take a single thing from this place."
"I can't trust you. You can't even give away your identity, so there's no way it's possible. Hence, I have to accompany you. If I see you or your subordinates stealing something from the ruin, then the deal is off. Even if I have to die, I'm going to make you and whatever organization you're coming from pay its price."
Qiel squinted her eyes. It would be troublesome if he was there when Noel shouted out their identities. But if they didn't comply, the situation would be troublesome. They might have to kill all the people to hide their tracks. If they let any of them escape, there was a chance they would inform the kingdom and bring forth a lot of reinforcements.
When that happened, a huge war would come. The Demon Banner Army was already troublesome enough, so if the Atrecaeca Kingdom would add to their problems… Qiel couldn't imagine all the problems. In addition, Noel could also show his status as the author of the Rune Book, persuading them.
"…" Qiel was carefully considering everything. After a moment, Qiel said, "Alright. We won't be entering the ruin so that it won't cause any trouble to your side."
"!!!" Legolaz widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting this kind of answer. He thought Qiel would comply, but it seemed that they were more passive than he originally thought.
After considering the situation, Legolaz said, "Alright. If I see you inside, then I will have to report this to the kingdom."
He had to leave behind a few people to protect the ruin, making sure they didn't destroy the ruin from the outside.
Obviously, Qiel's decision also confused the people in the organization. After all, if they didn't come back, they wouldn't be able to capture Noel.
But Qiel had already waved her hand and said, "Move out."
In that instant, Qiel disappeared, followed by her subordinates.
Legolaz was hesitant, but he still had to go down. When he looked at the glasses that covered a hole, he knew whatever he was searching for was hidden underneath them.
After the negotiation, Legolaz finally returned to the battlefield, clearing up all the demons around.
Of course, he was curious about the Superior Demon that stopped Qiel, but surprisingly, the Demon had died tragically. Its entire body was flattened after being shot by that powerful arrow multiple times.
He had some trouble fighting against the Superior Demon, yet, Qiel managed to defeat it within a few minutes. It was clear that the opponents weren't as simple as people thought.
If they did clash, all these people wouldn't last for more than thirty minutes.
It felt like he had made a good decision this time. Though, he was also curious about the identity of that person.
…
While Legolaz was fighting the remaining demons, he didn't move too far from the ruin. At the very least, he could maintain the entrance in the corner of his vision, making sure that no one sneaked inside without his knowledge. Qiel was his priority, considering the old woman managed to appear without him feeling it.
Legolaz informed the second prince about the situation and came to the exact conclusion. They didn't want to interfere too much with their chase, but they were curious about Noel's true identity.
While he was taking care of the demons, Qiel and her group moved away from the location.
They all didn't dare to say anything, considering Qiel was the brain of the organization. However, it didn't change the fact that Qiel had made a questionable decision. It would be troublesome if they couldn't capture Noel when he was trapped inside.
And it seemed that Nelfer had noticed it. After several minutes, his clash with Dimitri had stopped as Nelfer came to Qiel while gritting his teeth.
"Old hag. I think I need an explanation!"
Qiel stood with a poker face, raising her head as Nelfer stood right before her. He was glaring at her, showing his anger.
Qiel simply said, "It's the only way for now."
"Are you serious? He is now trapped inside! We should chase and capture him right away. Even if he does anything, I can stop Dimitri while you ultimately capture him."
"You should know it would be troublesome if you fought Dimitri inside that place. And you better not underestimate Dimitri. He still has his True Spirit Body. If the entire ruin collapses, only Dimitri might be able to survive."
"Still, are you saying that we should let him get away?"
"I told you earlier. We can't destroy the ruin. There is also a chance that our target is hiding within the shadow thanks to Dimitri. That's why we'll be waiting for him here, making sure that he is not escaping through all kinds of ways, including the shadow. We are here not because we aren't capturing him. Instead, we stay here because we'll be waiting for him to come out. You should know that a ruin from the previous civilization can't be entered rashly, so the only way for him to leave that building is through the main door."
"…" Nelfer fell silent, looking at Qiel as if he wasn't convinced.
"Don't worry. I have another plan. We'll execute it later. But for now, stay here and watch out for Dimitri and any fluctuation of energy. We can't let him escape from the ruin."
"Fine. You will be the one responsible for this matter." Nelfer clicked his tongue.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶