"Is this him? the monster who—"
"shut it, he can probably hear us"
"don't worry he's surrounded by guards"
"guards of the Dra'ig clan he decimated just a few days ago, just be quiet"
The murmuring of the two bystanders quickly blended with all the other commotion around and faded into the sea of the many hushed whispers assaulting Adam's ears.
"do you think those chains can really hold him? I heard he shattered one of those dragon-slaying swords with a flick of his finger."
"that never happened, the Dra'ig clan is just trying to save face. Those chains are more than enough."
"that makes sense. To think the Ash'ai brat managed to defeat him but multiple teams of royal guards could not, how incompetent. Even if they aren't individually as powerful, they could've—"
Once again hushed words of the spectating demons came and went, however, these particular ones angered Adam slightly.
Fucking politicians, all they do is talk while soldiers die on the battlefield. A parasite remains a parasite no matter the species or culture it seems.
"to think those paranoid bastards of the Or'ia clan actually agreed to use their magic so publicly. They would usually flat-out refuse, or ask for the whole court to be evacuated before so they can keep their magic as private as possible."
"That goes to show how serious the demon lord is taking—"
Adam took interest in this mysterious clan and so he listened intently until the words faded away like those before them.
Or'ia clan huh… I'll admit, that is some weird magic. I have never seen anything like it before, I wonder what it does. It doesn't seem to be affecting me, is it enhancement magic?
The guards continued walking down the hall, their formation maintained perfectly along the way.
Four heavily armored demons walked closely to Adam, holding his chains with weak, wavering grips. They knew what he was, what he did, and what it would mean to them and the court if those chains were to break.
The four walking slightly further away, on the other hand, wore very little armor and held no weapons. They were clearly mages and scholars; however, they, unlike the others, showed no fear.
Those guys are lost in their own world. I know magic takes some focus to cast but they've been murmuring absent-mindedly since I was escorted from my cell. They show no fear even when they are completely exposed.
That can only mean one of two things, they are either very stupid or very confident in whatever spell they're using.
The guards continued walking, paying no heed to the poisonous words thrown at them, and before long they reached their destination.
a door at the end of the hall swung open as they approached, revealing the visage of many demons awaiting his arrival within.
The demons stood up from their seats as he stepped in, some looked upon him in disgust, others in pity, and a few in reverence.
The guards pointed at a seat in the middle of the oval-shaped court, motioning him to sit. Adam inspected it with his cuffed hands, checking the soft fabric for any traps as habit dictated.
"There is no need for you to be paranoid, we have not put poison in your food nor sent assassins after as you slept for the past week. We didn't try to kill you then, and we aren't trying to do so now, so please, have a seat."
Onvyr, the only demon to be seated right next to the Demon lord spoke, drawing the hateful eyes of some of the clan heads in the room with his seemingly cowardly words.
Adam sat on his designated seat, trusting the words of the only demon to have bested him since his untimely revival.
"I did you a favor by not simply walking off on the way here, you can repay me by answering a few questions for me."
I have been ignored by basically everyone since I was thrown into my cell afterall.
"what insolence…"
"how dare you… you miserable cur…"
"you dare make demands…"
Adam heard the insults thrown at him by the clan heads but he couldn't care less. He had questions to ask, questions he wanted answered immediately.
"silence, do not forget that you are in the presence of the demon lord… as for your questions, I will personally answer them to the best of my ability once the trial is over, is that acceptable."
Onvyr Interjected, raising his voice and furrowing his brow in disagreement with his peers' childish antics
I suppose that's the best I'll get out of him.
"…very well."
"excellent… but before we start, let's get those chains off of you. Guards remove his—"
"NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT"
The loud, horse voice of one old demon erupted throughout the court, bringing Onvyr's words to an abrupt end.
"lower your voice… you might be the head of the strongest clan, but you hold no power here, only our lord can command this court."
"then how come you can issue orders Onvyr, do you think yourself to be our lord?"
Onvyr, perhaps the most patient demon in all the clans, was starting to lose his temper. He disliked the Ash'ai clan since their unworthy rise to power, and he even attributed this whole mess to their mishandling of the situation.
"I speak for his majesty for he needn't bother himself with issuing every minuscule order, does he?"
He looked towards the demon lord as he spoke.
"this one will allow it—"
"BUT MY LORD—"
"SILENCE… I understand your concern Sariel, but I believe our guest will behave. Guards, remove his bindings."
The guards heeded the order of the demon lord without a question and hurriedly removed the heavy chains binding Adam.
Sariel and many other demons looked in disdain and silence as Adam smiled wide and rubbed his sore wrists in satisfaction.
"now let us begin this trial. I, Onvyr In'shi, head of the In'shi clan and advisor of his majesty the demon lord will now read the crimes of the accused, the human who goes by the name of Adam Williams."
The angry grumbling of the demons grew quiet as they all waited for Adam's crimes to be listed. Some with delight, others with disdain, but all with anticipation.
"you have murdered several squadrons of the Dra'ig clan as they attempted to uphold their duty of defending the palace, this is true is it not?"
Adam nodded, remembering his needlessly bloody battle in the palace with a hint of regret in his eyes.
"you have wounded and attempted to kill three members of the Ash'ai clan when they first came in contact with you, this is true is it not?"
Adam nodded once again, this time remembering his battle against Uzan and the surprising power of Onvyr.
"lastly, you have used a powerful and ancient one-of-a-kind human artifact to destroy a forest belonging to his highness the demon lord… this is true, is it not?"
An artifact? What is he—
Adam looked up in confusion, about to start questioning Onvyr's memory and sanity, but once their eyes met, he quickly understood what was happening.
I see… you want me to cover up the existence of the Iai for whatever reason… fine, I can use this as a bargaining chip later if needed.
"yes, I used a powerful human weapon that I found…"
"a weapon capable of such destruction is still functional after all these years?"
"we need to find these weapons and learn how to utilize them before they fall into the hands of terrorists"
"as expected of humans, weapons capable of lasting for 500 years without losing any power are quite astounding"
The demons argued amongst themselves, startled by the existence of such weapons yet enticed by the prospects they offer.
Onvyr waved his hand, waiting for the room to go quiet again before he continued.
"now that you, the heads of the major clans, have heard his crimes we shall open the floor to those of you who would like to suggest a fitting punishment for him, but remember, he was promised to keep his life. Keep it in mind before speaking up."
The first demon to stand up and speak was a young lady, too young to be the head of a clan. She had white long hair that made her already short horns appear even shorter and weirdly contrasted with her black scale dress.
"I shall go first if the elders allow it. I am Sora Nar'ii, Head of the Nar'ii clan and commander of the first, second, and third scouting regiments serving his majesty the demon lord."
Onvyr scanned the room quickly for any objections before waving her to proceed.
"I suggest we keep the human in indefinite, high-security containment where we can… interrogate him for whatever useful information we can get. He has unexplainable powers that could prove vital if studied correctly, especially his powerful regeneration ability that borders on immortality. He is useless to us dead anyway so I understand the wisdom behind his majesty's decision of keeping him alive, and I think we should make the most out of it."
She's only young in appearance I see, what a diabolical plan. that's exactly what our generals would do though, so I can't judge too harshly.
murmurs and audible arguments broke out amongst the crowd once again. heated conversations about the possibility of implementing Sari's solutions filled the court, and it didn't die down until another demon stood up and spoke louder than the others.
"I disagree your majesty, and I would like to voice my opinion on her incredibly foolish idea to the court."
Sora looked at the demon speaking with an annoyed expression before rolling her eyes and sitting back down, allowing him to have the floor unhindered.
The demon was old, with a stout stature and a long grey bread. He wore long robes that differed greatly from the outfits of the others present, making him look like an outsider even amongst his peers.
"I am Nula Vu'ul, the head of clan Vu'ul and overseer of the grand library."
Onvyr did a quick scan again before allowing him to resume.
"I believe that what we experienced was divine retribution from the spirits of old, as was written in the book of the elders. We have destroyed the heritage of the humans and disturbed their slumber, and so their spirits must have revived this warrior to wreak havoc on us. We must not imprison, nor harm this messenger of the other side, but let him go so we don't anger the spirits any further."
Soft chuckles and nearly inaudible mockery were the only response from the crowd with the exception of Onvyr, the demon lord, and a few other clan heads who remained silent and collected.
"you can mock me all you want; his revival is proof of my—"
"enough of your ramblings you old fool, I, Sariel Ash'ai, Head of the Ash'ai clan and commander of the first, second, and third assault regiments shall speak."
Onvyr did a slow scan of the crowd, hoping to find anyone else who wants to speak before reluctantly giving the floor to Sariel.
"this human. this pitiful, foolish human has not only disturbed the sanctity of the royal palace but also murdered a number of royal guards unprovoked."
Unprovoked huh? it seems the others are agreeing with him too. I don't like where this is going, I should prepare to escape should this go sideways.
"he has too much blood on his hands to be forgiven, monsters like him can only be dealt with in one way… execution."
"Sariel, as I already told you, execution is—"
Onvyr answered in a tired calm voice as if he already knew what Sariel was going to say as soon as he stood up.
"to hell with your promises Onvyr, he spilled demon blood in the heart of our capital, what fool would let such a—"
"do you think this one's words are so cheap that you can easily discard them as you see fit?"
The demon lord was the one to speak up instead of Onvyr this time, causing the court to grow so silent a pin drop could be heard.
"n-no my—"
"be silent, I have ignored your problematic behavior for long enough. Do not pretend that you care about the blood of the Dra'ig clan, I know you only care about what he did to your son, and while it is unfortunate it does not excuse your actions."
"but—"
"you will either sit there in silence for the rest of this trial or leave, make your decision quickly."
Sariel gritted his teeth and lowered his head in embarrassment before sitting back down without another word.
The demon lord sighed and pinched his brows in frustration and weariness before speaking again.
"enough, this one has grown tired already. You all have brought up good points but I want to hear what you think Onvyr. You as the wisest of our people, how would you have me punish this criminal?"
"hmmmmm, well my lord, here's what I think. He, as we all know, is a very powerful warrior with unexplainably high regenerative power, and he undoubtedly holds ancient knowledge that we ourselves don't."
"this one agrees with you, but what do you mean to say? He's too useful not to utilize this one knows, but are we just to let him go unpunished for the blood he spilled?"
"not at all my lord, I suggest that he undertakes a penance quest in your name to earn his freedom."
What the hell is that? I've never heard of penance quests before… this isn't going to end well I can feel it.
The demons, who all sat in their seats and listened quietly to Onvyr up until now, stood up violently, shouting and screaming in opposition.
"SILENCE, THIS ONE WILL NOT TOLERATE DISORDER AGAIN"
The demon lord struck his chair arm in anger showing a violent and reactive side of himself that usually remains hidden. This sudden surge of anger managed to quickly silence the room and reestablish order amongst the demons.
"as I was saying, my lord, if he was to go on a penance quest and return alive, he would prove his loyalty and be of use to your majesty, and if he dies… well that would be his punishment. And besides, we already have the perfect mission for him to undertake, the one which has been bothering your majesty for a few months now."
"ah, that mist city in the north; It is a suicide mission indeed, so it'll make for a good penance quest, however, you are overlooking a few crucial details. Penance quests can only be taken by demon soldiers who belong to a great clan, and he is no demon."
"actually, the book of the first lord does not explicitly states that the quest taker must be a demon."
The demon lord was visibly irritated now, he did not understand what Onvyr was trying to get at.
"you are boring me Onvyr. Demon or not, he still is clanless."
"that's why my clan will take him in"
Those few words caused everyone's jaws to drop in disbelief, even Adam himself was shocked at what he heard.
What? Is he insane? I'm not joining a damn demon clan!
A human joining one of the great clans was an absurd notion, especially one with Adam's combat prowess. The hierarchy would have to completely shift around to accommodate a nigh immortal human who can rival even the strongest of the demon race becoming a part of a clan, the ancient knowledge he holds alone would likely propel that clan to the top and give it unimaginable influence.
"explain…"
The demon lord looked at Onvyr as if he was mad for suggesting such outlandish ideas.
"well, there is no law prohibiting me from taking a human into my clan, no such law was ever written, not even during the war, so I am well within my rights to take him in am I not?"
"…technically you are, but your clan will be the one who bears the shame if he fails the penance quest, Are you okay with that Onvyr?"
Onvyr nodded in approval as the crowd watched in silence, they all wanted to object, especially Sariel, but they held their tongues in fear of the demon lord's wrath.
"then you may proceed with the naming rite, I and the others will serve as your witnesses."
Onvyr stood up from his seat and walked down the steps towards Adam, never breaking eye contact with the human as he got closer.
"just go with it, this is the best outcome possible, believe me."
Onvyr spoke as quietly as he could, making sure only Adam can pick up what he says clearly.
"are you mad? I am not joining a demon clan, not in a million years!!"
"would you rather fight your way out of here? And even if you did where will you go? What will you do? You don't want to live on the run for the rest of your life, do you?"
Adam gritted his teeth in frustration. He thought about standing up and escaping but he knew deep down that it was a bad idea that would only result in more pointless death and despair.
With regret and repressed anger, he finally agreed, allowing Onvyr to proceed with the naming rite.
Onvyr pulled out his sword and cut his right palm with one edge of the blade, and beckoned Adam to cut his left hand on the other. Once both their blood was smeared on the blade, he raised it in the air as if to show the others.
"good, now take a knee we are nearly finished."
"damn it… wait, tell me about this penance thing before I go through with this at least."
"no time, I'll tell you after we're done, now put your right hand upon the blade, hurry."
Adam begrudgingly rested his hand on the bloody blade while trying not to let his anger and embarrassment leak out of his mouth.
"do you swear to serve the In'shi clan loyally until your spirit ascends to the infinite beyond?"
"I…I do"
"do you swear to obey the order of his majesty the demon lord no matter what it may be?"
"I do"
"do you swear to denounce your previous name and embrace the name of the In'shi as your own and only name?"
God damn it "I do"
"I hereby declare that your name is Adam Williams no more, henceforth you shall be known as Moren In'shi warrior and proud member of the In'shi clan, and servant of his majesty the demon lord."
"you can stand up now… are you…okay?"
Onvyr whispered to him once again.
The newly named Moren stood up, boiling with silent hidden rage mostly aimed at himself for even getting into this mess to begin with. He stared at his surroundings once again to see the faces of his "comrades" staring back at him in disbelief; he took a deep breath to calm himself and sat back down waiting for this embarrassing charade to end.
"…this one has no objections to the rite, and I assume no one here does, am I wrong?"
That last part was clearly meant for Sariel who was fuming in silence while watching over the rite as an unwilling witness, but it also served to intimidate any others who were thinking of voicing their opposition into silence.
"It is decided then, Moren In'shi, you Shall take make your way to the mist city of the north, where none of those who went before you managed to return. Uncover the mystery behind the mist and get rid of it and whoever caused it; you shall be granted a single none warrior guide that will get you where you need to go, and only minimal equipment and rations to carry out your mission. If you return victorious your crimes will be forgiven and forgotten, but if you were to fail, your clan will have to carry the shame and punishment for your crime. And if you try to escape, know that you will be hunted down for the rest of days… You have 3 days to prepare for the journey, you will be given the details of your quest by Onvyr, best of luck to you Moren… court dismissed."
This better be worth it Onvyr… if I don't get my answers soon I might just bring something worst than shame on "our" clan.
Moren sat in silence as the demons left one by one, grinding his teeth and trying to ignore the fact that he has just joined the very enemies he swore to destroy.