96 - The Trial
Lord Wesley received the urgent summons while he sat in his honey-colored foyer, sipping tea with his wife.
They looked at the vast garden, with its tiered lawn, twinkling mist-covered lake, that reflected the ivory tower, bathed in orange, kissing the sky.
His chateau was alive with activity, even though it was sunset. The staff and contractors had already begun decorating all the guest houses and adorning the entry path for those who would arrive early. It was all led by their hyper-efficient butler, Montclief, and the housekeeper, Miss Emery. Occasionally, one of them would scuttle over here and ask for their master's opinions, but they had enough experience that such occasions were few and far between.
The preparations were officially underway for the grand ball.
Seeing it brought a niggling thought to the back of his mind.
Lord Wesley, of course, knew what this ball meant to ascendant society. His ball had become an annual meeting place for the elite, one that all but those in their intimate, exclusive circle would sacrifice their left arms to attend. Typically, when an invitation was extended, there was no doubt that the invitee would be there.
Until now.
Arielle Blacksoil.
His sons reported that Miss Blacksoil had made no move to befriend or ingratiate herself with either of them. The Lord had thought it shyness at first, and asked both his sons to attempt to befriend her. It appeared, according to the letters, that even Wulfric wasn’t having much luck, which was completely unheard of.
Why was this happening?
Did she hold a grudge against his family?
He ran through several things he could have done to offend her, perhaps even an order he had given that adversely affected her or her family.
There were none. As far as he knew, his sphere of command did not spread to the continent where Mossbornes resided.
Of course, it was ridiculous for him to be bothered about the whims of a teenage girl. In his experience, both with his nephews and his own sons, this was the age children were their most surly and contrarian, seemingly for no reason.
Arielle was likely occupied with whatever pestilence possessed those of her age that made them more prone to negative emotions than otherwise.
However, they would eventually weather that, and she would come to understand what it meant to be a part of his family.
At the Iverson Ball, she would experience for herself the privilege of being a Wesley.
If she attended the ball, that is.
Typically, he would have no doubt, but both the girl and her family had seemed extremely reluctant to accept the invitation, and they had not responded to his letters.
Elric wasn’t sure they would, and he had already told Lord Wesley that he would not force her if she did not wish to attend.
What type of teenage girl does not wish to attend a fancy ball? He thought sourly. Don't they enjoy attiring themselves in frilly nonsense and fluttering their eyelashes at handsome scoundrels and, most importantly, meeting other important families for the sake of discussing vital alliances? Why would she not want that?
Or perhaps the problem was that she was insecure about her upbringing.
Or that she could not find a good enough gown.
In that case, he could fix it. He would send several gown options to the academy, along with a letter assuring her that he would instruct all in attendance to ignore her deficient etiquette.
Of course, she will eventually have to learn proper manners, but that took time, and he would wait until she was better integrated in his family.
That was when the system alert pierced through his thoughts and covered his vision.
He sighed. The sun was just about to hug the horizon, and he was looking forward to a nice roasted duck.
“It appears I cannot join you for dinner after all, Lady Wesley,” he said to the woman who had been drinking tea elegantly beside him, observing the changes. If there was one thing he loved about his wife, it was her silence. It was not the tense sort of silence that made one think about everything they'd done wrong in life. It was the comforting type, the type that grounded you and made you feel like she could not be moved from your side by even the largest of boulders. Lady Wesley had always been like that, not exciting but steady and supportive. “I have received an urgent summons from the council.”
“And what could be so urgent that they summon you at this time?”
“Well, it should be morning in Rittersaal. And the High Ascendant moves at his own convenience. We are all just slaves to his whims.” Of course, there was no guarantee he would be in attendance. As the hand of the gods, he didn't always like to concern himself with trivial human matters.
But the one who had called the urgent meeting was vouched for by Queen Di Santinael herself. One of the last living legendaries.
The Ascendant would certainly be there.
Lord Wesley got to his feet, and before he teleported away, he kissed the top of his wife’s hair. “Tell Lady Borja, should she look for me, that something came up.”
Lady Wesley stiffened invariably, but nodded.
He kissed her again before he disappeared.
He appeared outside the ministry, arriving at the same time as Caleb, one of his nephews.
They exchanged pleasantries as they sauntered through the arched doors and the towering ceilings of the hallways, lined with elaborate pastel work and emblazoned with the coat of arms.
Several people were already in the hallowed halls, their voices suppressed by the vaulted ceilings. The council consisted of thirty-something men and women from the most important families on Earth.
The Li Family had their three representatives, including Gio Li, who already seemed bored with the proceedings. They had the highest number of representatives outside of the Wesleys, who had four.
The Antigones had three as well.
Then there were the Callohans, the Gregors, the Salinas, the Moons...
All from Noble and good families except for one, who was from the Demonic Sect.
Everyone was accounted for and seated when the High Ascendant finally appeared. He was the sole individual allowed to teleport into this sacred room.
Lord Wesley's heart caught and beat faster when he saw the Ascendant. Fear and awe mixed within him, and he instantly dropped his gaze as he stood.
It was an involuntary reaction to the man with limitless authority, one he had no hope of restraining.
No one in this room could defy him even if they tried.
It was hard to describe exactly what the High Ascendant looked like, except to say that his aura was closer to that of a god than a man. Being in his presence was a wholly humbling experience, the very hush glittering with his glory.
It was said that no one could look directly into his eyes, nor look at his face for long. His appearance was youthful, even though he was as old as the Universe they lived in, a man who had conversations with the Sentinel who had united the Primordials.
His will was sacred, and his word was truth. He was not simply a religious figure or a symbol of power. He was so much more than they could even comprehend.
At least that was the impression he gave off.
All bowed before him as he took measured steps to his throne.
Only when he was seated did they all finally look up in unison.
“Where is the one who called for this meeting?” The High Ascendant had taken great care to restrain the authority in his voice, but even it trembled with power.
It was Queen Di Santinael who spoke. “She should be here any moment. She enjoys making an entrance."
She?
Lord Wesley glanced around. All the female members of the council were already in attendance.
Unless she means…
The doors swept open, and though almost no one reacted, the room filled with palpable surprise.
Vittoria Di Santinael. Her allies called her the Giver of Life. Her foes called her the Golden Beast.
The heroic commander who had led legions to defend against the longest and most organized attack on human sovereignty.
The one whose very name made people tremble on the battlefield. Whose retirement had been illegal but ultimately unquestioned. She had been given the privilege of a Legendary even without being one herself, just from how well she had served in her long tenure.
Though the end of it had been quite contentious and she had cursed at the council and sworn never to return...well, now here she was.
“The prodigal daughter has returned home," Lord Wesley murmured, and his nephew, Caleb, who sat beside him on the pew, gave him a look to suggest that this wasn’t a laughing matter. Lord Wesley thought it highly amusing, though, and everyone needed some levity in their lives.
Vittoria bowed. “High Ascendant, and Distinguished Council. I know that I likely have no right to be here, after my dramatic exit years ago, but I have sought clemency to report an offense of the highest order, a crime with no parallel, one that insults us and undermines the very safety of our world."
Ears perked up, and people shifted forward in their seats. Even Gio Li began to pay attention.
Despite her last outburst in the council, Vittoria was not known for making histrionic statements, and everyone wanted to know what would cause her to return in such a grand fashion.
"I am accusing the demonic sect leadership of consorting with the very demonic forces they are supposed to oppose, allowing them to infiltrate our defenses and act with impunity in our world.” She pointed at Yseult. “And I am accusing Archmage Yseult of knowingly covering this up."
This triggered a sharp intake of breath from Caleb, although the older council members maintained composure.
Archmage Yseult had always been a suspicious character, and Lord Wesley was one of those who had voted against his inclusion in this very council. It was unheard of for a sect with as many infractions as his to have a representative on the council. Additionally, Yseult's rise to power has been...suspicious to say the least. It wasn't shocking that he was part of yet another controversy.
But while Vittoria's announcement had not knocked Lord Wesley's socks off, it had shifted the shoes quite a bit.
Especially as she kept talking:
"The demonic sect has been infiltrated by a demon Lord and his kin, likely through Elder Manu. Some in the sect know about this but are either accomplices or have been sworn to secrecy. The demons have been attempting to spread their influence through inhumane experiments that turn the sect residents into demonkin in an attempt to give them some power to summon and control other demons. Such experiments led to deaths and the disease of innocents. Some have managed to summon these demons, but the control aspect is still unstable, which is what led to the situation in Khor. That was caused by one of the sect members, a successful experiment driven mad by revenge. He and a few others attempted to summon a demon in Khor, but summoned a troll instead, which was set to kill the Lord and Lady Draco."
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"Where is the summoner now?" Gio Li asked when Vittoria took a breath. He seemed now to be fully enraptured by the story.
"Still at large. Perhaps he has disappeared into the demonic realm. But we will find him soon."
Gio Li cocked his head, some doubt ruffling his features. It was not easy for a human to survive in the demonic realm. In fact, going to the demonic realm was guaranteed death.
But Vittoria ignored his doubt and said, "The perpetrator unleashed the troll as revenge for all the suffering they had endured, suffering that they could not even speak of. Suffering that Yseult sanctioned. Several of the citizens are trapped in oaths binding their tongues, oaths that our very Archmage sitting there has tied them to.”
She turned, and her gaze was positively scathing. If looks could kill, Archmage Yseult would be dead.
He regarded her with a cool stare.
“He has known of this for years, but has not reported it to the council because he believed, as the demons and the elders convinced him, that their experiments would grant the sect more power than they had now. That it would allow them to control demons who attacked them. So he allowed this sinister, inhumane activity to go on, championed by Elder Manu and the entirety of the sect elite, including the Lord and Lady Draco.”
That landed with a ringing silence. No one spoke or did more than breathe for a handful of seconds as Vittoria gestured with her hand, activating their system screens.
"You do not have to take just my word for it. All the evidence has been gathered by Elric Earthbinder with his notes on the side."
"Where is Elric?" Archmage Helena Calloway asked. "I thought he was in charge of this investigation."
"Elric is currently recovering from a rather convenient demonic attack that occurred on the day that he was supposed to give you this report himself. He had called in for help, but Yseult assigned it with the lowest threat level, even though it was quite a high-level threat."
Yseult spoke then. "When I arrived, the Overlord had transported the battle to a different plane. There was nothing there."
"I saw them clearly when I arrived," Vittoria said.
"Yseult, is your power not supposed to be good for seeing through demonic enchantments? Don't you have an immunity to them?" Caleb asked.
"He was more powerful than I anticipated," Yseult said. "It was wholly my mistake, I will admit to that. The rest, however, is a gross misrepresentation of events."
"So not a lie," Lord Wesley commented.
Archmage Yseult's face was tense, but he didn't deny it. "Not entirely. But there is more to the story."
"I notice none of your notes, Vittoria, mentions a demonic Lord on the compound,” Lord Angenas said, clearly reading through the documents on the system. "How do you know that there was one?"
"I observed it myself," Vittoria said.
“And how did you observe such a thing?" Yseult said, with a blatant dare in his tone.
Vittoria responded without a single stutter. “Well, because I disregarded international law and broke into the sect compound to retrieve the Saint's Blood panacea after Elric was poisoned with demon blood."
That triggered a loud reaction, particularly from the Earthbinder factions. Lord Earthbinder might not be here himself–he refused to abandon his very important duty of whatever he was doing–but this news would no doubt reach his ears.
It was difficult to know how much the man cared for his son, but as the sole Earthbinder Archmage, Elric was important to their family.
Not to mention, he was simply all around likeable, which couldn't be said for most people in his position. It would have been a real shame to have lost him.
"Elric is fine now," Vittoria said. "I cured him. But I saw the demons while I was there. Even fought them."
“I see,” the High Ascendant finally said. "Is that all?"
"Yes. Everything else has been reported in the notes."
"Permission to make my own testimony, High Ascendant?” Yseult said.
The man-god nodded, and Yseult also stood on his podium and said, "I will admit that I did note a demonic invasion into the sect. However, it was not as obvious or grievous a breach as the Lady is making it out to be. Were that to be the case, and were the demons to really be in charge of the demonic sect, then we would have already lost our battle against them. We would all be altered, infected, and turned into demon kin. Would we not?"
He turned to the listening audience, all of whom eyed him in suspicion.
"It was also not a secret. I reported my first contact with the demonic invasion to the High Ascendant himself. The experimentation, however, I did not make public knowledge. Because I was afraid that it would condemn the poor victims of this grievous act to an instant death. Instead, I sought to gather them together and look for ways to heal them of their affliction. I even killed the Elder that had been behind this barbaric practice in the first place. It was not Elder Manu."
"You're saying you did not know it was happening prior to that?" someone asked.
"Not at first," he said. "When I discovered what had been done, my initial concern was for the infected citizens. It was hard to say how many of them had been infected, as such a thing can lie dormant for years and is impossible to discover in a test. They would have all been killed to prevent further spread. I did not want them to suffer for something that was not their fault. So I sought a cure. And this forced me to utilize the very same demons that had caused the problems."
Vittoria's eyes flared slightly, but Yseult continued, "When I found the demons, I trapped them. began to use them to find the cure. With this, a rare opportunity had presented itself."
"Meaning?" Caleb inquired with a low voice, looking every bit the stern man his father had been.
"Meaning that the so-called demons that had invaded the sect were not your typical demons. They were partially human."
"That does not matter when it comes to demons. Human-demons are just as demonic as the pure demons.”
"That’s what we think," Yseult said. "You see, human-demon hybrids are also just as susceptible to the demonic sect's blood magic, which is what enabled me to trap and contain them. They also faced persecution in the demon realm. It was why they escaped to the human realm. As such, they held a grudge against the demonic elite and had a lot of insight into how to defeat them. They were all too happy to give me that insight, and it has allowed me to foil several demonic plots in the past few years, as can be seen in my records. With that, we had a collaborative relationship, rather than a contentious one."
"You mean you started an alliance with demons?" Lord Antigones said, his voice as shocked as the rest of the council. They were all dumbfounded by the gall of Yseult, the sheer casual tone with which he admitted to what he had just admitted to.
What utter nonsense.
"Yes," he said without shame, the gnat. "Their initial actions in poisoning the sect had not been of their own volition but bound by a blood oath with the now-dead Elder. They had only been following his orders, not acting on their own. However, now, they are bound by me and are only dedicated to finding a cure. They were willing to give up much to stay in the human realm amongst humans."
"Are you addled in the head?" Caleb demanded. "Trusting a demon? What is wrong with you?"
"With the demons, we are able to perfect a cure," he continued as though Caleb had not spoken. "It has helped reverse the illness plaguing many of our citizens. It can also cure a demon blood infection. However, some who had not received the cure were still plagued by demonic urges, and they are the ones who caused the problem in Khor."
"So why not say so earlier?" Marquis Moon asked. “With the start of the investigation, you could have told us all this.”
"I was concerned the information might fall into the wrong hands. I was aware that the Archmage Elric had begun this investigation, refusing to enlist the work of investigators, who should have been utilized or consulted in this process. He took the job, though it was outside his jurisdiction, and he almost immediately turned the investigation onto me and the demonic sect, demanding all sorts of scrolls and evidence. We complied with all his requests, never withholding any of the information he asked for. Still, he insisted on asking for more and more, including things that had nothing to do with it. I was scared he was working on behalf of someone else, not in the best interest of the council. I heard from a few people worrying reports that he had crafted these mad theories and had an obsession with ousting me from the council even though the sect has been compliant with all his demands."
"You didn’t have to withhold information because you had concealed it," Vittoria said. "You allowed your demons to alter memories and made everyone swear an oath not to speak of what happened. That is why a few in this room may not remember the conversation Elric had with them."
"That was to protect the infected," he said. "And are you going to tell me, Vittoria, that neither you nor Elric has ever altered a memory to protect someone?"
Vittoria's eyes flared open as Yseult cocked an eyebrow.
"If I were simply altering minds indiscriminately, why did I not alter your mind?” Yseult said. “Or that of Elric when he visited? If my plan was full subterfuge, would that not solve my entire problem? Why would I go this far?"
"Because you're a crazy asshole."
That earned some suspicious coughs from the council, and Lord Wesley smiled even though, again, this was no laughing matter. If everything Vittoria was saying was true, then this was quite the cause for alarm.
"Then why did you put a spell on the scrolls?" Vittoria said. "If you weren't hiding anything."
"I didn't say I wasn't hiding. I said, I would have complied with Elric if I thought he was acting in the best interest of the council. I would have explained everything to him. But I didn't want family secrets to fall into the wrong hands. And I will note that not once did Elric ask me to remove the protective spells I placed on the scrolls. Instead, he had it removed with means that I do not understand. I truly wish he were here, so he could explain to me and ascertain that he did not tamper with the evidence. I also would like you to explain how, and why, you resorted to not asking me for the antidote, but instead breaking into the demonic sect and stealing, not just that, but other treasures in our treasure chamber as well. How did you access that Vittoria?”
“I’m not the one on trial here, Yseult.”
He nodded. “I understand. In any case, that should also be looked into, along with the fact that you kidnapped my cousin, our beloved family maid." He inhaled. "Elric and your actions have been totally out of order, maybe borne of paranoia and forces you yourself may not entirely understand. Elric's attack and demonic poisoning was not instigated by me. It might have to do with those that have turned him."
"What do you mean, turned him?" Vittoria practically snarled.
"I mean, for all we know, Elric could be unknowingly, consorting with demonic elite who are trying to kill the demons that are helping us foil their plans. After all, you and him have managed to do several impossible things, have you not?"
Vittoria raised her eyebrow and cocked her head. "Who is Cornelius Draco?"
Yseult stiffened.
"He is my brother," he said. "He disappeared centuries ago."
"Why is there no record of him on any system? Why are the citizens forbidden from speaking of him?"
"It's quite a sensitive family matter, and it has nothing to do with this."
"Of course," she said and turned away. "Perhaps his brother was a sacrifice to the demon lord."
"How dare you–" Yseult snarled, and the Ascendant held up his hand.
“Will both of you be willing to subject yourselves to Truthseekers?” the High Ascendant spoke softly, though commandingly, nevertheless.
Both Yseult and Vittoria seemed reluctant.
Truthseekers were skilled at uncovering memories and determining falsehood. However, once you were under the thrall of a truthseeker, you had no control over what they would find. Even your deepest secrets were at their mercy.
No one would willingly subject themselves to a Truthseeker, even if they were telling the truth. They were only ordered in extreme cases, where the preponderance of evidence was on neither side.
However, Vittoria's case was far better documented and made a lot more sense than Yseult's. It was shameful that Yseult was even attempting to make a case for so-called 'reasonable workman' demons that he could control and use to get rid of other demons.
Demons, even so-called demon-humans, had strong bonds with each other and were natural predators to humans. They could not be trusted, and they were just as wicked as the rest of them.
It was outrageous that he would even suggest otherwise.
“And here I thought he was smart, if nothing else,” Lord Wesley murmured.
Vittoria loudly announced, “I will swear on my life that everything I have said is what I truly believe.”
Well, that was one way to get out of a Truthseeker intervention. Staking her life on it.
"I can do the same too," Yseult said, which seemed to surprise Vittoria.
Well.
They could not both be telling the truth. Or could they?
If he were a betting man he would bet everything he owned that Yseult was the liar here. His story did not make sense and could not convince anyone with more than half a brain cell, which is why most of the people in the council today stared at him unimpressed. Even just the part about Elric being supposedly obsessed with outing him…no one who had actually met Elric would ever suggest that he was the type to do such a thing. He did not have a vindictive or powerhungry bone in his body. He certainly never seemed possessed to Lord Wesley.
And even if Yseult was somehow telling the truth, the severity of his crimes made it preposterous for him to even suggest that he was justified in his actions. He had essentially gone behind the council’s back and conspired with the very creatures that plagued them constantly.
Yseult had to be insane to think anyone would buy his argument. Unless he had managed to bribe or buy off a significant amount of council members, and even then it would be a hard battle to win.
But there was one more thing to note.
However well Vittoria had convinced the council of her cause, it all depended on the High Ascendant himself.
It was hard to trick a man-god.
Lord Wesley suspected that he always knew when people were lying to him, even though they might use a manner of tricks, including altering their own mind, to conceal the truth. All trials were only for the benefit of the council, all of whom were likely on Vittoria's side.
However, it all came down to the High Ascendant. The council could vote on the judgment and the punishments, but the final verdict depended on the Ascendant.
He almost never went against the council's wishes, especially when it came to things this important.
But, at the end of the day, the truth only mattered to a certain extent in his final judgment.
What mattered even more was how he viewed the events would help or hinder him. He could not, of course, allow Yseult’s crime to go unpunished, no matter what. That would be spitting in the face of all their laws and statues, and the council would not accept that without an appeal.
They might even rebel against such a thing, which is why something like that had not happened yet.
Yseult had to be punished, if for nothing else, for the complete lack of oversight that endangered multiple citizens and nearly cost Elric his life. Even if his own mind had been altered and he'd had no clue about the nature of the demons, he could no longer be left in charge. He had to be imprisoned, and his mana suppressed.
Which Yseult likely knew.
That was when Lord Wesley realized something.
Yseult’s had not been making a case for his innocence at all.
He had not looked bothered that the council were not convinced, because he was not trying to convince for them.
He was instead trying to convince the High Ascendant of his usefulness.
If what he was saying was true, he could find a way to reverse demon blood infections and control other demons…
He might be more useful alive than dead.
Suddenly, everything else was still up in the air.
Lord Wesley waited to see which way the coin would land.