"Are you nuts??" Damien couldn't help but ask her as he ran forward and grabbed her arm since it seemed like she was really serious. This was the first time he was seeing someone being so eager to have their hands cut off.
"Let go of me!" Mira shook off his hand with an irritable look and said, "You can't fool me with your words. I already know you will end up dead if you fight his slave. And you very well know with your death, my Master's heart would break, and she would never be the same. Those cunning enemies of ours might very well use Master's sad state to take advantage and destroy our clan. As her only disciple, I won't sit still and let that happen," Mira vehemently said.
Damien could see that she really was nuts. For the sake of protecting the clan and her Master, she was willing to go to any lengths. He wasn't disappointed that she assumed he would lose since any sane person would expect the same with such a considerable difference in cultivation.
Instead, he was glad that his aunt had someone as loyal and passionate as her by her side. But in this situation, he can't let her do as she wished since, in the long run, it would only cause more trouble, even if it means he has to take a huge risk. She was just too headstrong to see it.
"No, I can't let you. Remember the bet you lost with me? This is my condition which I want you to follow. You won't do anything stupid, and let me handle this. And remember this also, your Master agreed to my condition, and that means if you disobey her, it would mean you are disrespecting her. As her only disciple, shouldn't you at least know the basic manners towards your Master?" Damien asked with a narrowed gaze, making Mira look at him with clenched fists, feeling cornered.
She realized she couldn't do as she wished, not only because of the bet she lost but also because she remembered that she couldn't go against her Master's wishes, no matter how flawed they may seem to her.
"You…" She wanted to yell at him but took a deep breath and asked with crossed arms, "Why do you care so much about saving my hands?" Her eyes had a strange look as she looked at him.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Damien softly chuckled with an amused look as he leaned forward, making Mira unconsciously lean sideways, "Don't misunderstand. Other than not making Mehron suspicious of me, I don't want my aunt to feel sad thinking about you losing your hands for nothing."
With a wink, Damien stepped back, making Mira harrumph as she felt like he was mocking her.
"Now that we settled that, I was about to ask…Where did my aunt go?" Damien asked with a glazed expression.
Mira placed her hands on her hips as she asked with a skeptical look, "Why would you want to know?"
"I heard she is going to hold a meeting with the other three Warlords. How about you sneak me in there so that I could see what's going on and also learn more about these warlords. I might come upon them someday, so it's better to know what kind of people they are beforehand," Damien said as he tapped his finger against his arm.
"You must be dreaming. Nobody can simply crash into their meeting. Only the Warlords of the four clans and one or few of their most important people can stand there. Even I am not going since Master is taking people more suitable for the meeting to attend the meeting with her," Mira said, though she was also curious about the meeting since this most probably would involve the issue she caused.
"But I am assuming you have a way for us to at least eavesdrop from a distance. After tagging along with my aunt for so long, you must have a trick or two up your sleeves, right? Think about it. This meeting will surely involve a topic surrounding you. So aren't you curious?" Damien asked with a subtle smile, as he could guess that Mira also seemed interested.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})After a few moments of hesitation, Mira looked at him with squinted eyes, "If…there is a way, you will have to disguise yourself as a ghoul and listen to me when we go out. I don't want you acting against whatever I say and risking everything."
"Sounds good. Let's do it," Damien said with a smile.
—-
The Ghoul Hall was located in the middle of the City, on the top of the largest building in the city, named the Godwin Tower. It was named after the Godwin Clan since ancient times as a sign of respect towards the Purple Thunder Knight who laid the foundations of this city.
The Ghoul Hall was a large, high-ceilinged chamber with an open area in the center and there were three groups of multiple chairs arranged in an orderly fashion.
On the left side there were two groups of chairs. One of the group of chairs had dark red color while the other had dark blue color.
On the right side there was only a set of dark silver chairs.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"}) There were four pillars behind each group of chairs, with banners having the symbol of each clan on them.
And up top, on the elevated platform, there was a grand, dark purple chair with a large black banner behind the chair, having the symbol of a dark purple snake baring its fangs. Any ghoul would easily recognize this symbol since it was the symbol of the most ancient clan in the history of ghouls.
The grandest chair in the hall belonged to the Chief Warlord, Akira, and she was already sitting on this chair with an old man and woman standing by her side. She was wearing an elegant, dark purple gown she usually wore for such meetings.
The old man standing beside her was clad in a dark purple shirt that reached over his knees with a pant that went well along with his shirt. He only had a gray mustache and long gray hair with a face that exuded calmness and wisdom. His name was Nahur, and he was the War Elder of the Godwin Clan.
The old woman was dressed in a relatively simple yet graceful dark purple tunic. Her bearings and face exuded kindness and a sense of warmth, though her wisened eyes seemed like she could see through things ordinary people cannot.
If Damien had seen her, he would have recognized her as Jayna, the old maid who handed over some clothes to him. But he had no idea that she was more than just a maid to Akira but also the Clan Elder of the Godwin Clan.
War Elder was a position considered to be the highest authority below a Warlord since they advised Warlords on how to make their clan more powerful and make decisions on external affairs. But the Clan Elder wasn't a position too far below the War Elder since they managed the internal affairs of the clan and were indispensable.
And right now, Akira's eyes were focused as she tapped her fingers on the armrest upon seeing four shadows approaching the large entrance.
