Kazuma had started to burn the candle at both ends since Lord Ignis had offered his support. He'd spent hours, both on and off the clock, absorbing any and all information he could about the beastfolk's hearing, trying to find arguments that could be reused as established precedent, or just the basis from which they were made. Unfortunately, little of what he found gave him cause to hope. He didn't let the seeming inevitability of execution as a traitor stop him though, holding onto the chance that if he just prepared hard enough, he could convince the assembled Belzerg nobility the same way he had Lord Dustiness and Bishop Royce. Luckily for him, the timing could not be much better. With the promise of winter hanging over everyone's heads, Lord Ignis had made it clear that the trial would likely be held off until early spring, when it would be safest for travel again.
Missy was thankfully, easily accepted into the day-to-day of the guild as another worker. Being a newbie at the cafe, she'd only ever worked the 'dream shift' rather than the reception role, so she ran little risk of being recognized by either clients or adventurers. She honestly even found it a bit relaxing to not have to worry about slipping around unseen for once. The only hiccup had been her growing hunger pangs resulting from her being unable to do her normal job and a succubus's more 'traditional' method of feeding being out of the question. That issue was solved easily enough by having Darkness stay next door to her a few nights, her father admitting with a heavy sigh that in spite of his initial reaction, Kazuma's plan probably was the best way to handle her behavior, at least in the short-term. Besides, with the amount of life-force Missy took, Darkness herself was perfectly happy shaving a day or two off a lifespan of eighty or so years.
The best side-benefit to Missy's stay, to Kazuma's mind at least, was the fact that it had led to him and Aqua sharing a bed again. With Missy taking up the room he had been exiled to, Aqua had been faced with the choice of Kazuma sharing a room with Missy; Missy sharing a room with her; or her and Kazuma going back to sharing. To Aqua, it was a no-brainer. She was loath to admit it, but the nights without Kazuma's warmth to wrap her arms around, had left her bed feeling empty in a way she hadn't appreciated and she was sure no amount of stuffies would fill.
What wasn't lost on anybody, was that her mood swings became noticeably less severe once they started sharing a room again.
Kazuma himself allowed himself a bit of smugness when Darkness's work had also begun to see major improvements. With her 'hornied out,' she had actually started acting like a respectable Crusader and had proven herself quite competent when she could focus. Her previous 'distractions' had skewed her stats heavily toward resilience, but her strength was nothing to ignore either. Now she was beginning to put points into things like accuracy, she only had her earned reputation to stop her being drowned in party requests!
Within the sea of self improvement however, there was one stubborn boulder. Megumin's frustrations had grown into a knot of resentment and she had become completely obstinate in her refusal to learn any new offensive magic. While her utility was unquestionably expanding, as she'd expanded her knowledge of utility spells, her resentment at not being allowed to use her explosions anymore only made her dig her heels in harder and harder, until things finally came to a head around midwinter.
Megumin's enthusiasm for running errands for Kazuma had been waning for weeks, without having had a single chance to go out on a mission. Ultimately, it was a combination of sleeping poorly, forgetting to buy her favorite jam for breakfast and Chomusuke spilling juice on her favorite dress (it looked just the same as her other dresses, but she could tell the difference - it was softer), that finally put her at the point of snapping. When Kazuma casually asked her to grab a reward in the back for some adventurers turning in the pelts of some white wolves, the last thread of her patience finally gave way. "No! I am done being a glorified desk worker! This endless, pointless drudgery might be okay for you, but I am a Crimson Demon! I'm the genius of the Crimson Demons! I am a master of Explosion! I'm an Archmage, for the Founder's sake! I joined the guild in hopes of finding worthy targets for my destruction and instead I have been tethered to this counter with you! I am DONE doing this boring grunt work until I have finally had my release!" She shouted at Kazuma, panting heavily and staring him 'down' as well as she could, with how much shorter she was than him, her hands balled into fists by her sides and her face flushed red.
Kazuma did his best to look unamused. He was still paying off her last explosion after all and her not going on missions wasn't exactly helping to pay it off. All the same, as he saw the burning tears prickling her one visible eye, he had to admit a certain sympathy, even if he didn't let it show. She did make a decent enough point there though - she was an Archmage, not a lowly Merchant like him, even if she was a kind of useless gimmick mage. As much as he told himself every day that he was only leveling this class until he could switch to something cool, he felt the same kind of frustration she must be having, about not living up to her potential.
"Fine," he sighed. "I'll talk to Luna about it. You've been well-behaved enough lately that I might be able to swing her okaying a mission for you to use Explosion. How does blowing up a field of Frost Sprites sound to you? It's decent pay, far away from the city, and a good excuse to get out into the snow."
Megumin's smile could have lit up the night as she nodded at the offer. She should have known her worthy nemesis would understand her frustrations! Even if Snow Sprites weren't the heftiest of targets, there were usually a lot of them and the snow itself would also be interesting to see explode. "That would be perfect! Thank you, Kazuma."
"Alright, go get Darkness and Aqua then. I haven't done anything since the winter started so we'll make it the four of us. I'll get us cleared in the meantime," he instructed her, walking off to let Luna know their plan. He was just thankful he'd done so much research on monsters his first few months here or he wouldn't have known about the Snow Shogun.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
Kazuma and Megumin were both regretting taking this mission. While Aqua was a goddess and resistant to the cold and Darkness was just incredibly tough, the cold weather was making both of them shiver, despite the thick winter clothes they had on.
It had been a few day's walk to get to the mountain clearing where Frost Sprites could generally be found, the four of them sharing a tent for warmth every night. It was worth it though once they found it. The entire field was full of pristine, untouched snow, with the small, adorable white balls of light bouncing around playfully and without a care in the world.
Kazuma banged his gloves together, both to dislodge the snow and to get the attention of his party. "Alright, simple mission. We are getting paid for each confirmed kill, but we can't afford to kill too many or we'll summon the Shogun. So, we're going to let Megumin cast her explosion, set up camp until tomorrow, and we'll let her do it a second time before we leave. If the Shogun shows up, immediately drop your weapons and prostrate yourself. Supposedly, it won't fight an unarmed foe and we're not a match for it anyway, right Aqua?"
The goddess nodded, giving him a thumbs-up and brandishing her bug net. "You did your homework! Most of my spells aren't that good against regular monsters and since water feeds ice, I'm gonna be catching them with this. We can mix them in with our drinks or make a refrigerator in summer!"
"Alright. We honestly shouldn't need you buffing us, considering how weak they are and we're not planning to fight the shogun anyway," Kazuma nodded, stepping back out of the clearing. " Darkness, can you watch Megumin, just in case? I'm going to start setting up camp. Megumin, please make sure to aim far enough away that it won't mess up the tent, okay?" He asked, knowing she'd otherwise just do it right there and then.
While the girls went off on their own, he started on making camp. His first priority was a fire to keep warm while he worked, dry kindling provided by his [Pocket Bank] skill. While he couldn't store entire logs in it, it had proven useful for anything the size of a small book or , a tinderbox, knives, a hammer, and even the tent stakes. That last one had made breaking camp down much easier with how hard the ground was frozen. He'd tried to see if he could keep food fresh in there, but apparently time still passed like normal, as the veggies he'd tested it with had come out withered and soft. Maybe he could ask Aqua for one of the sprites to test if he could refrigerate it? No, that was no good - the skill said it didn't accept living things…
Kazuma's thoughts were interrupted by Megmin's Explosion as he was mid hammer swing, nailing a stake into the ground. Turning to watch, he couldn't help but appreciate just how much boom she could summon. Sure, she was a bit obsessive with it, but it was still damned impressive, from a safe distance.
He'd managed to get the tent fully up and fire burning before they'd returned. The Shogun had indeed shown up, summoned by Megumin wiping out almost a dozen of his servants, but with the earlier warning, they had all done exactly as told and had escaped just fine. Aqua was put out about giving up her bottled sprites, but there was always tomorrow. If this was what a mission was supposed to go like, he could honestly say he was starting to see the appeal.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
With the mass-extermination of Frost Sprites, it was of little surprise that spring came earlier than anticipated. Before the roads had even fully thawed, a rider in royal livery came through with the date of the hearing at the capital. Kazuma had spent so much time preparing and researching, he couldn't even bring himself to be nervous anymore, so much as just resigned. To make matters worse, Aqua's nerves and mood swings had started to return in full force, the goddess clearly worrying about the fate of her followers, even if they mostly were in name alone. At the back of Kazuma's mind, however unknown to Aqua herself, was that the winter had also helped calm her indirectly, by dulling the edge of unrest among her followers in Arcanlatia. Both sides had been forced to focus on things like food and firewood during the cold and the trickle of reinforcements from itinerant preachers and pilgrims drying up as the roads became nigh-impassable. With spring however, the snow no-longer kept people confined to their houses and now their righteous anger was honed by hunger and desperation, many convinced that the 'heretics' were hoarding food to starve them out following the lean months.
Kazuma had expected to make the journey to the capital with Missy in tow on his own accord, only to be surprised by Lord Dustiness and a small contingent of guards, in a mix of Dustiness and royal colors, arriving the day before they were due to set out and announcing they had been instructed to escort Kazuma, 'The Demoness' and any associates to the capital. Marigold had initially wanted to join them, but ultimately it had been agreed that she should remain behind - if things went badly, she would be needed to get her girls out of the city as fast as possible. Aqua had insisted she come along however, demanding with a great deal of whining that Kazuma save 'her' demons and making their party a threesome (Missy's words, not hers).
Lord Ignis gave Kazuma an apologetic look, as they boarded the carriage outside the guild - the escort had apparently not been his decision. Just before the door closed, the trio caught sight of Madame Marigold watching from the shadows of an alley, suitably disguised, but her face full of concern for them all. The company rode in relative silence, Kazuma nervous about representing somebody he'd come to call a friend, Missy feeling like she was going to the gallows, in spite of the lack of shackles and Aqua still largely conflicted about the whole affair.
The trip was at least relatively comfortable, riding in one of Lord Ignis's coaches and staying at inns along the road. Every step of the journey had clearly been planned out by the stone-faced royal guards and with so many accompanying them, they were as safe as could be from the dangers of the road, arriving in the capital of Belzerg exactly on time. The sight of the city almost made the journey worth it in itself, the three of them gawking through the windows at the majesty of the capital as they rolled through the cobbled streets. This was the seat of power of the Royal House of Belzerg, who gave their name to the kingdom and it showed: Just the ramparts around the city made Axel's walls look like a garden fence. Ornate, spires of gleaming white rose from the homes of the city's rich and powerful, as well as temples to the various gods (of which Aqua was outraged to find, Eris's was by far the grandest). The streets were broad avenues, swept clean and fringed by trees and even the poorest citizens on the tail end of a hard winter, looked well-fed and content. Rising over everything, the royal castle and citadel stood as a backdrop to it all, its imposing walls and majestic domes sharing the city's pristine beauty, the melting snow granting them a glittering and pure silver-white. Were it not for the serious nature of their visit, the three visitors would have been left in awe. As it was, in spite of the beauty all around them, they may as well have been escorted through a mausoleum.
The guards brought them directly to the castle and for a horrible moment as they passed under the portcullis, Kazuma worried that they were being brought to the dungeons. His fears were unfounded though, as they were afforded comfortable, if not luxurious quarters to await the trial, albeit with guards watching their every move. Lord Dustiness's influence and his family's sterling reputation as knights clearly bought them a great deal of leniency. Even Missy was allowed to stay in what amounted to guest quarters, rather than a cell, although the guards insisted that she wear an enchanted collar that suppressed any magic she might use and would kill her immediately if she set foot outside the areas she was allowed. Missy accepted it placidly, well aware that any complaint or indication of ill intentions could see them forgo the formality of a trial and have her head decorating a pike over the castle gate in an instant.
The wait was interminable, but the day of the trial still felt like it came too soon. Lord Ignis arrived alongside several of the royal guards, to escort them to the assembly chamber.
The courtroom was massive, intimidating even before the fine architecture and expensive seating could be taken into account. High banks of seating like highschool bleachers rose against the walls of the high-domed room, all filled with nobles from across the kingdom. Lord Dustiness was seated among them, but somewhat isolated from many of his peers. Kazuma's studies had included even things like the seating arrangements among the assembled dignitaries, so he knew that those surrounding Ignis had to also be from military families, but it seemed news of his endorsing Missy had already spread and had wrought ruin upon the lord's less-stalwart allies.
The trio were directed to wait in the wings until their case was called. They had been warned ahead of time that several different issues were to be addressed over the course of the assembly, of which this was but a single day. With the nobles dedicated to ruling over their own parts of the kingdom and the ongoing war against the Demon King demanding much of the nation's attention, such gatherings had a great deal to go through. For ten days following the end of winter, the King would hear petitions and the great families of the nation would debate policy, joined by international observers. In more peaceful times, there would be another gathering in midsummer and the king might have heard petitions every month, but no living human could recall such a time. The fact that this would lead to the entire nobility of the country passing judgment on the succubi as a whole didn't make Kazuma any less nervous.
Aqua and Kazuma were seated and awaiting upon their turn for what felt like hours as the great and the good squabbled over the right to plow and tax land; trade tariffs and guild charters; potential laws and the implementation of old ones; lobbying for some favor or another and the occasional high-profile criminal issue. Kazuma tried to bend half an ear to what some of the discussions might mean for the markets - as a 'merchant' it was practically his responsibility, if not a potential goldmine of information in a world where the concept of 'insider trading' didn't exist. But given he had no assets to use the information and the impending case that would decide if his, Lord Ignis and Missy's heads remained acquainted with their bodies, he found it hard to focus. His leg was starting to develop a nervous twitch the longer they waited, so he turned his attention elsewhere.
Kazuma couldn't help but study the king presiding over all of this, seated on a high-backed throne on a dais. Normally, his majesty would be on the front lines, fighting against the Demon King's forces. Part of the reason this assembly only happened once a year was that ten days was about all that he could be spared from the fighting, such was his importance to the war. Kazuma had found out that the royal line had taken in many of the past heroes of the nation, marrying them into the family and strengthening their bloodline through, if not effectively eugenics, then at least selective breeding and the consumption of rare and magical foods to increase the levels of the royal family. He'd even heard that the princess, who was younger than even Megumin, was over level fifty despite having lived inside the castle her whole life!
Seeing the serious and overbearing presence of the king, he could believe it. The man cut the kind of imposing figure one would expect from a bloodline of heroes, with blonde hair and blue eyes that carried both wisdom and cunning. He had a well-trimmed beard and mustache, much like Lord Ignis (who probably copied it from his monarch) and the hard, powerful build of someone used to the rigors of war. The red robe of state and his rich clothes did nothing to spoil the impression, although in Kazuma's opinion, the arched crown perched atop his head was just small enough to look somewhat silly.
Just before Kazuma's butt could fall asleep sitting on the wooden chair and thin cushion, the king nodded to a white-haired but vigorous old man in a blue surcoat - the chancellor who ceremoniously called each case. He stood and thumped his heavy staff of office on the floor behind his podium, the sound booming through the room and stifling the low murmur of conversation that had followed the ruling on the previous topic. "My lords, the final article of this morning's affairs: Seeking a hearing and judgment of The Crown and peers so assembled, concerning the right of humanity. Let the petitioner step forward and be recognized."
Lord Dustiness stood and dried his palms on a handkerchief, tucking it into his coat pocket as he proceeded down the steps of the stand, to the floor, kneeling before the king and bowing his head differently. "I, Lord Dustiness Ford Ignis, seek the adjudication of my lord king and the lords of the realm, in the sight of the gods, on behalf of a free tennant of the City of Axel, over which I preside as vassal lord of Belzerg."
"Let the aforenamed step forward and be recognized," the chancellor intoned. Kazuma took a deep breath and stood, gulping. He led Missy and Aqua forward and the two of them knelt just behind Lord Ignis. He'd memorized the words he had to speak so thoroughly that Aqua had once accused him of mumbling them in his sleep. "I, Satou Kazuma, speak on behalf of one who possesses no voice in law, that she may be recognized as worthy in the sight of gods and men, as was once granted to the beastfolk in days long past." Next to him, Missy unfastened the long cloak around her and pushed back the hood, letting the ensemble fall to the ground and revealing the batlike wings on her head and the tail poking from beneath the humble, but provocative dress she had elected to wear in place of her more usual lingerie. "I bring with me the girl for whom I speak, Missy the Succubus."
Kazuma had expected the quiet and orderly hall to immediately erupt into pandemonium at Missy's grand reveal to the gathered nobles. Instead, there was merely a low rumble of discontent and anger, like the promise of thunder in an oncoming storm. Clearly, his suspicions that the rumors of their petition preceded them had been well-founded.
The king raised his hand, motioning for silence and the assembly complied with an almost supernatural quickness, even as Kazuma and Aqua started to sweat for their friend. Aqua's hand sought out Kazuma's, the two squeezing each other to share their strength.
The king motioned to a clerk, who quickly offered him a letter which bore Lord Dustiness's seal. Doubtless he already knew the particulars of the case, but he still made a show of reading it over to make sure of the exact chain of events that had brought this creature before him. In the meantime, the Chancellor fixed Kazuma and Ignis with a stare that could have a giant sweating. "Satou Kazuma, do you understand the nature of this petition? That should your case be found to be without merit, you and your patron shall both be guilty of treason? Knowing this, do you still wish to continue with your appeal?"
"I do, your honor," Kazuma nodded, relieved he'd managed to keep the tremor from his voice.
The king handed the letter back to the clerk and stroked his chin, gesturing for them to stand. "It seems we have here a supposedly 'innocent' succubus seeking clemency. Well, I can certainly say that is a new one for me." The king chuckled and smiled beatifically. "Satou Kazuma, you are representing this creature, correct? What in the gods' name has possessed you?"
Kazuma rose, bowing as he did so. He hadn't needed a book to tell him that was appropriate, but Luna had to teach him the correct manner when he defaulted to the stiff, Japanese style out of nerves. "Yes, your Majesty, I am Missy's representative, by my right as an adventurer and free tenant of the kingdom."
The king hid his smile of approval at Kazuma's subtle correction, as did Ignis and several of his remaining allies. He hadn't directly corrected the king, but had still managed to humanize the girl in a way that referring to a creature had robbed her of initially. A few silently applauded the youngman, happy to see bright young minds in the upcoming generation, even if they were perhaps misdirected.
"Very well then, make your case. However, as a succubus, her crime is self-evident, is it not? She is a demon, after all. I confess I look forward to seeing just how you plan to argue against what is as plain as day." The king asked, gesturing to Missy's rather obvious demonic features, curious as to just what this boy had planned.
"Could you possibly enlighten me as to precisely what law her existence has broken?" Kazuma asked, a flicker of a smile on his face giving the king pause for a second, as he re-assessed his opinion of the adventurer before him. Something about that smug attitude, letting his opponent know there was an ace up his sleeve… He couldn't work out if it was endearing, or irritating. The king's eyes flickered to his chancellor, who caught the gesture at once and spoke up. If the kid had something planned, it would not do to have him spring such a trap on the monarch himself.
"Surely you are aware, Master Satou," the chancellor frowned, "That the mere existence of a demon within the lands of his majesty, is a crime punishable by death, as it is to knowingly aid or shelter such a fiend?"
"It is? Which law is it that says that, I wonder?" Kazuma responded, tapping his cheek somewhat impudently. "You see, over the winter, I scoured every ruling I could find and you know what I couldn't find? While what makes a creature a demon is well defined, not a single judgment outlawing succubi, or any other breed of demon, purely on the basis of their existence actually exists!"
That brought the expected response. The hall erupted in cries of 'preposterous', 'lies' and 'insolence!' Kazuma breathed a quiet sigh of relief: He was back on the kind of ground he'd expected and prepared for. Outrage was something he could work with - if the nobles were denied the shelter of precedent and tradition, they resorted to anger and much like breaking a calm and collected enemy's guard, that gave him something to work with.
The king fought to keep a grin off his face, as the lad's impertinence suddenly made sense. He'd been informed the young man's class was 'merchant', but he was behaving more like the kind of warriors he had come to respect on the front lines, even if his cocky act did grate against his nerves. He looked to the clerks and judges who were present as his advisors and their furious whispering and tense expressions told him all he needed to know. He theatrically shook his head and tutted at his chancellor. "It would seem Chancellor Sturm," he sighed. "That Master Satou is correct. There is no such explicit law. Yet." He allowed the disbelieving rumble among the assembly to continue for a short while, before raising his hand once more, the gesture carrying more than enough weight to silence the nobles. "That said however, your argument fails to account for the state of war between ourself and the so-called Demon King. Would any here dispute that the demons are enemies of the crown and nation? Or that such a law forbidding their presence in our lands under pain of death is justified? What then, Master Satou?"
"In that case, your majesty, I would argue that the law itself is flawed." Kazuma's reply again provoked a storm of outraged disbelief and rumbling from the nobles, before the King again silenced them, motioning for Kazuma to elaborate. The young man breathed an internal sigh of relief that he had read the king correctly. He'd only had Lord Dustiness's accounts to go on when planning this approach and he was relieved to see that just as he guessed, the king was inclined to indulge his curiosity when presented with the unexpected. "It implies that the ability to do something makes a creature inherently evil. The way your majesty's existing decree is phrased is 'any creature or being inherently capable of draining the life force of a human is an inherent enemy of humanity and the crown.' It does not care for the intent or actions of the being in question. As your majesty must surely have noted in the worthy Lord Dustiness's letter, one of your own royal prosecutors confirmed that the succubus in question has never forcefully taken life essence, only doing so as part of an informed exchange, with explicit permission from the party involved. Even then, her feeding off of what amounts to five minutes from the end of the life of a human, can sustain her for upwards of a week. If a contract is signed and the exchange is free of deception or coercion, a transaction is deemed legal under your majesty's own laws concerning trade. I ask you then, under such stipulations, how has a crime been committed?" Kazuma spoke from admittedly shaky ground, but he knew that. He was counting on equal parts legality, audacity and a sense of fairness to make this case and honestly, the fact that this gamble was his best bet stung more than he wanted to admit. What sent a cold sweat down his spine was the look of many of the nobles in the stands. More than half led him to believe they hadn't even truly listened, having just deemed Missy 'best dead' upon revealing herself. The numbers were close however, just as he'd hoped and he was counting on at least enough following the leader, to sway the eventual vote. If he could just convince the king, there was still a chance of walking out of here with his head.
The king hummed in thought, conceding that the lad made some good points. If the law were to persecute somebody just because they could cause a loss of life, he'd have to be prosecuted himself. He had reviewed Prosecutor Sena's report of the succubus's testimony as well and it remained as watertight as ever. The more he thought about it, the creature, Missy, did truly seem to be benevolent, or, at the least just trying to survive. The issue however, didn't lie in the legality of the matter. With enough political clout, laws could be ignored or excused, as he had proven before. The real issue was one this boy had yet to consider, one that only those with experience of ruling would have considered before all else: The message such an exception would send out. "While I understand your perspective, have you considered how the populace might react? Imagine, if you will, having never heard of succubi living in the kingdom, only to find out the lords of the land willingly and lawfully allowed them to operate. As the protectors of the people, it would shake faith in our rule to the very core. It is not unlikely that riots and demands for blood would result, believing that our enemy had subverted the very nobility to whom the smallfolk have trusted their protection. You have spoken well, Master Kazuma and I sympathize with you, truly, but we as a nation cannot willingly suffer the existence of a demon within our borders without suffering civil unrest." It was truly a pity. Under a kinder fate, this Kazuma may have had a brilliant future and been a boon to Belzerg, but as a king in a time of war, he could not afford to overlook a youthful indiscretion born of naivete.
Kazuma's heart sank and filled with ice. Despite what the king believed, he had indeed considered the public reaction and that had been his biggest fear. He could directly appeal to the royals and nobility all he wanted, but at the end of the day, common people could and might riot if Missy went free. He had hoped that perhaps his arguments might persuade the assembly that the law and common decency should prevail and that they'd find a way to calm the people, but it had ended up being for naught. He was out of options, knowing that nothing he said could persuade the king who had chosen his nation first.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
Aqua had other plans. She had been a nervous wreck the entire time, biting her tongue and hoping she'd not need to do anything, but Missy was her demon damn it! She'd signed the paperwork and everything! What kind of goddess would she be if she just let one of hers die for existing? Besides, if Missy was condemned, that sent Kazuma to the chopping block too! HER Kazuma! No way, no how was she letting a bunch of arrogant mortals take away her favorite bed-mate!
Her resolve set, she burst to her feet, pointing at Missy. "As an Arch Priestess of the Axis Order, this succubus has the protection of my church. She and her friends all joined before winter and have been nothing but exemplary in their behavior. You are aware, o king, what it would mean to execute one of the faithful?"
The look of 'oh no' traveled across the room in an instant, even the king wincing. He had been wondering what part the blue-haired beauty next to Kazuma had in all this and this development was worse than he'd thought. A demon and an Axis Cultist? This was going to be a headache. He almost wished he'd sent his son to deal with today's meeting instead of attending personally, but as capable as Jatis was, this required experience his son and heir as yet lacked. Collecting himself, the king cleared his throat and nodded gravely. "Be that as it may, if one of the faithful was found to be a traitor, no clemency would be afforded them for their faith. The law exists to preserve the nation and the order that allows it to exist. Short of her no longer being a demon, we have no alternatives."
Aqua puffed her cheeks out, rage growing inside of her at her claim being dismissed with such a blase attitude, king or otherwise. She was a goddess, damn them! What did she have to do to get some respect for her and her power for heaven's sake?! That's when inspiration struck her like divine lightning. She was a goddess! Sure, she may not look quite like one now, but with a little bit of help from Eris, she could do something about that, right? Divine intervention might not be quite what's needed but maybe a miracle? Clearing her throat, she bowed, trying to play up the manners Kazuma had drilled into her. "Your Majesty, may I ask for a brief stay of your decision so that I might pray? I know I ask for much, but I know that the goddess would not abandon her faithful to such a fate. It may well be that today we are witness to a miracle."
The king was curious, to say the least. This might be the most reasonable he'd ever seen an Axis Cultist. "Very well. We will address other issues for now and hold our final judgment until the end of the day." After all, it wasn't like he'd intended to have her dragged out and killed until after they were done anyway. Besides, there was the matter of those 'friends' the arch priestess had let slip and the cafe Prosecutor Sena had dutifully included in her report.
Aqua bowed in appreciation, quickly dashing away for privacy, pointedly ignoring Kazuma's horrified look and mute question of, What in the hell are you doing, you crazy goddess?!
Once in private, she started whispering angrily to get Eris's attention. "Eris, I have an idea, but I need some of my heavenly powers or a helping hand here!"
While Eris and Aqua had their private chat, Missy's mood had turned even more dour. She'd honestly had some hope coming into this, slight though it may have been. Now, she was back in chains and resigned to death at the hands of the kingdom. The sole bright point in this entire charade was that at least her sisters would be spared, her sacrifice giving them a chance to escape joining her under the headsman's ax.
The king was wrapping up the few final orders of business, occasionally glancing at the succubus and her friend. He might not be allowed to show it, but he did truly feel bad for her. In less treacherous times, he might have been inclined to simply quash the unrest that would result from her pardon - if nothing else, it would provide a way to drain the Demon King's support, if his followers knew there was a peaceful way out. But with the war as it was, the creature's fate was sealed. It was nothing within her control, but she had to die for the good of the kingdom. Demon or not, he'd have to ask Eris for mercy as he added yet another stain to his soul. Such was the price of kingship. Once he'd passed judgment on the last article for the day (these old men argued over the same laws every year!) he stood, motioning for Missy to retake the stand. "Missy," he could at least do her the courtesy of using her name when sentencing her to death "The sun grows low and the day's affairs reach their end. As is my duty as king of Belzerg and in absence of the intercession of the gods, I must now pass judgment. I hereby-"
"Wait!" At the eleventh hour, Aqua came rushing in, panting wildly and a massive wash basin in her arms. Stopping next to Missy, she took a moment to catch her breath, winded from the run and carrying such a large, metal basin. "I have, oh goddess have mercy, a divine relic here!" She managed to pant out, placing it in front of the podium. After catching her breath while the assembly murmured in disbelief, she motioned to the basin. "This basin before you is a relic of the Axel Church, delivered by the hand of the goddess herself! Any who wash themselves with it, should their intentions be pure, will be cleansed of their sins. I see no reason why the sin of being a demon would be any different!"
The king blinked in astonishment. He had never heard of such a relic, but given how anyone with a lick of sense stayed clear of Axis Cultists, that was not surprising. He couldn't really fault the logic either, not being much of a theologian himself. Still, such a miracle was indeed convenient, to say the least. "Would you be terribly insulted if we allowed an Eris priest to inspect this relic, to clarify your claims?" He asked, looking to the section of the stands where the bishops and arch-priests, nobled in their own right and lords of the kingdom's various dioceses sat, currently looking pale and stunned.
"Not at all. I don't want any doubt left in the innocence of this girl!" Aqua conceded, smiling triumphantly and bowing out of the way of the priests, inviting them to investigate the basin.
For a moment, there was frantic whispering from the clergy, before one stood, wearing the robes of an Archbishop of Eris. The old priest's voice shook as he spoke, his awe immediately noticeable. "Your Majesty, there is no need to inspect it closer. She speaks the truth! This is one of the most divine relics I have ever personally seen - even from here, not a priest or priestess among us could fail to recognise it!"
The whispers among the nobles returned, rising to a dull roar of disbelief and shock, some even decrying the validity of such a divinity, coming from the patroness of the Axis Cult. The king motioned for silence once again, raising his voice against the tide, before scowling and angrily gesturing to the chancellor to loudly bang his staff upon the floor to catch the attention of the room this time. "I will have order in this chamber! All here heard the words of arch-priests of Eris! If they who hear the voice of our benevolent goddess do not doubt this relic's divinity, who would court heresy to gainsay them?" That shut the doubters up fast enough for it to almost be comical. The king turned back to Aqua and nodded. "So, she must wash herself with water from the basin? How much? I wouldn't exactly be able to approve of a succubus stripping in these halls" He smirked, many of the nobles chuckling at the levity of the joke, as it drained some of the tension from the room.
"Oh, just washing her hands and face should be enough. If it pleases you, I'll fill the basin myself?" With a terse nod from the king, Aqua did just that, spreading her hands and water condensing from thin air, pouring into the basin, clear and pure. Missy's wide eyes darted from Aqua to the relic, looking terrified. This sounded possibly more deadly than when she'd signed up for the Axis Order in the first place! Soon enough, the basin was filled and Aqua went over to Missy, giving her a hug and whispering in her ear. "You'll be safe, trust me." The fact that Missy didn't even feel a burning sensation from Aqua did more to assure her that she'd be alright compared to the words.
Missy knelt before the basin, the guards stepping forward to remove her chains as she stared at her reflection in the water. Despite being a demon, despite the fact that the goddess she was praying to was right there next to her, she felt a sudden and strong urge to pray. Telling herself that she truly was repentant of whatever sins she had committed, she tentatively dipped her hands in, washing them before splashing her face and doing the same. She didn't feel any different, but judging by the awed rustling, the nobles and the priests all seemed to be shocked. The only odd sensation she'd felt was an odd warmth near the bottom of the basin that felt oddly welcoming. Once done, she stood back up, shrugging unsurely, not knowing what to expect.
Aqua gestured grandly to Missy, smiling. "And like that, she is washed of her sins! Executing her now would be spitting in the face of a goddess, right?" She looked directly and defiantly into the king's eyes, playing up the fact that this was 'ordained' by Aqua herself.
The king could only smile, shaking his head, as not a few of the bishops and more devout lords clasped their hands in prayer. The relic was real, the demon was still alive and she was innocent in the eyes of the gods. Regardless of her reputation, Aqua was very firmly on the side of mankind, none could dispute that. It was just enough to convince the citizens of the nation that he wasn't allowing evil demons to live among them, but was instead bowing to the will of the gods in the face of a miracle. It was enough for him! "I believe that it would, your grace. Do any here claim otherwise, to know better than the gods themselves?" Much to his delight, the silence rang like a bell. If Axis Cultists could bring this kind of accord to his assembly, perhaps he should invite them more often. "Well then, Missy, by the intervention of the goddess Aqua, you are free of sin and judged innocent in the sight of this assembly. Go in peace, as an equal to any man or beastfolk of equal birth. Arch Priestess, if I understood correctly, there are several others in a similar situation as Missy here. I do hope that that basin will find its way to them also, so they might be properly cleansed."
Aqua almost tackled a dumbstruck Missy at that, soon joined by Kazuma, the two hugging the now innocent girl. Shaken to her core and thoroughly exhausted by her abrupt reversal in fortunes, Missy did the only thing she could think to do at that point: She broke down crying, clinging to her friends.
-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-
Once back in Axel, the basin stored in Aqua and Kazuma's room, Kazuma finally decided it was safe enough to question Aqua. "So, what's with the basin? Eris send it down for you?"
"Um, not exactly?" She smiled sheepishly and overturned the tub, before punching out the bottom of the basin, revealing that it had been a false, papier-mache bottom, concealing the pin she'd used to confront the succubi, stuck to the base with a short length of tape. "I might have decided to bluff them a bit? There's no real relic that can just 'wash away your sins' and Eris giving us divine intervention would have raised too many questions why she's responding and not me. So, I improvised" she proudly stated, putting the pin back on their desk and looking far too smug.
"…You bet Missy's life on a bluff?" Kazuma gaped "You bet my life on a bluff?! I-! I'm not sure if that's genius or insane. But it worked!" He laughed and swept Aqua up in a hug and spun her around the room.
