Along a dark hallway, Ferris and Judas followed the guard who was holding a lamplight to show the way.
Taking out his phone, he saw that the ti was around midnight. It was definitely a strange ti to be asked to visit the de facto leader of this group of people.
Although it would've been a great opportunity to et the queen herself and perhaps even get closer to her and beco friends with her, which could co with benefits like financial and even social points—
No, it's because it's the middle of the night that my mind is thinking of strange things... Ferris pointed out that his ntal issue was the result of sleep deprivation.
While Ferris quietly lampooned his sleep disturbance, Judas tapped his finger on Ferris's shoulder.
"Hey, why do I have to co along?" Judas asked with a concerned and nervous expression.
Suddenly Judas realized sothing.
"Could it be that Miss Elizabeth considers you as soone powerful and strong? And I'm only being taken with you because I'm with you, and that might make look stronger than I look?"
"Or could it be... that my blessing is actually more useful than it looks? Hey Ferris, you haven't actually told what your blessing—
So this is what he ant by stopping him, Ferris had a eureka mont as he placed his palm on Judas's mouth.
"There are people sleeping," Ferris pointed out.
Even the hallways were occupied by so few dozen people, and so few who were awake to stand guard.
Once Ferris removed his palm, Judas simply nodded in agreent.
The three walked deeper inside the mall and went up the top floors. Only then were they truly alone.
Ferris kept his guard up during the entire walk, there was still the chance that sothing crazy would happen, which had beco a common occurrence for him.
But after moving up the last flight of stairs and entering the roof of the mall, he let his guard down at the sight of a small sprawl of well-lit camping tents amongst a wide open area that was mostly barren other than so few dead solar panels and utility boxes.
This looks way better than where I slept in.
He assud that this was where the "higher ups" stayed, and it was clear to him that this place was in a better state than the conditions of the lower floors.
But he didn't mind the inequality, things were usually better when there was a clear command structure and a defined separation of ranks, including differences in authority and living conditions.
So long as they didn't abuse it too much, Ferris wouldn't mind this. They were all in the sa boat, after all.
After the tents, Ferris's eyes were caught by a small gathering of people near the tents.
Just by looking at their faces alone, Ferris could tell that they weren't as collected as him when it ca to the difference in housing quality.
But no matter the difference, they couldn't do much about it because of the presence of bodyguards that were with Elizabeth.
Looking at the essence alone, the entire group of almost 20 people had roughly equal essence with the bodyguards who only numbered 4.
So if they rioted right about now, the 20 weaker blessing users would most certainly lose.
The guard stopped and faced the two of them. "Go join them and wait for further instructions," he ordered them before joining his fellow bodyguards.
Huh... so boring, Ferris stared at the bodyguards who wore the sa color, sa design suits.
To think you can even bring guards to a hero exam, Ferris wondered how far money could take soone up the ranks.
But seeing first-hand how strong Elizabeth is, he didn't let his opinions get in the way of judging her at face value.
Ferris and Judas joined the group and waited.
In the anti, Judas began to ramble from nervousness as he felt that all of the people here looked so much more experienced than himself.
Eventually, it got to the point that Ferris once again made him shut up, as the other people around them—excluding Ferris—didn't have the patience of a knight like he did.
I'm practically babysitting him now… should I just pretend I don't know him? Ferris weighed his needs against his knight's creed.
Unfortunately, Protecting the weak was one of the creeds, and so Ferris had no other choice.
After a long while of waiting, another one of the bodyguards finally erged from the central tent.
Unlike the others who wore formal suits, this one's attire was far more casual. Yet despite his unassuming appearance, Ferris could imdiately tell he was stronger—almost as if the man wasn't even bothering to hide his essence.
The bodyguard stopped in front of them.
"Call Lionheart," he introduced himself, his tone calm but firm. "I apologize for the delay on behalf of Miss Elizabeth."
He didn't waste any ti after his second sentence.
"I'll get straight to the point. As you are all aware, we are currently trapped here and must find a way to escape. To accomplish this, we require an elite team of Blessing users. Our leader has personally selected each of you for this mission. Rest assured, it cos with certain benefits."
For so reason, Ferris suddenly lit up.
"To ensure you remain in peak condition, you will not be subject to food rationing—you will be well-fed and provided with improved accommodations. Additionally, given the uncertainty of our stay, I will personally train you all in order to enhance your combat abilities."
That last statent drew imdiate backlash as one man shot to his feet, his voice rising with anger. "What makes you think you can train us?"
Ferris watched curiously, wondering how this would play out.
Lionheart simply stared at the man without saying a word. Then, without any further acknowledgnt, he continued his speech as if nothing had happened—covering topics like group formations and operational rules.
Ferris's attention, however, stayed locked on the man who had interrupted Lionheart.
He's not moving, but he's breathing… a Blessing that petrifies people? Ferris was mildly impressed.
That kind of ability would make almost any one-on-one fight completely unfair for the opponent. And if Lionheart could petrify more than one person at once, it'd practically be a real-life cheat.
Eventually, Ferris lost interest and looked back at Lionheart but only to find that the bodyguard had already finished speaking.
"That's all," Lionheart said, concluding his speech. "Everything I've ntioned will take effect tomorrow. Co back here after lunch for our first briefing. If you don't want to be part of the elite team, then don't show up."
Without waiting for a response, Lionheart turned and walked back toward the central tent.
He didn't need to hear the people out—after all, who wouldn't want to join an elite team? Sure enough, the group quickly dispersed from the rooftop to return to their sleep.
Well… maybe everyone except one person.
Ferris thought about it deeply. The food and housing part was tempting, but beyond that, the deal didn't sit right with him.
Joining an elite team wasn't his style, he preferred to act on his own judgnt and accord, and he wasn't ashad of it. He knew he could contribute more by simply governing himself.
And so, he stayed behind.
Judas let out a long sigh a full minute after the eting ended.
"Thank gosh… it's good to know I don't have to participate," he said, breathing in and out heavily, clutching his chest in relief.
As he turned to leave, his eyes caught Ferris's unmoving figure. The relief on his face quickly faded. The rightful source is NoveI(F)ire
"Uh… Ferris, shouldn't we go?"
. . .
"You can go. I'll stay behind," Ferris replied calmly.
Judas stepped back, almost in anguish. "Why?!"
"I need to speak to the manager."
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