I sense a rush of excitement from Nina, who's been exceptionally quiet throughout this meeting.
"Fufufu…discerning guilt would be no concern, Mizuki. I could always use that spell, and I'm sure Queen Elira would approve of its use if there were a demonstration now. I am happy to do this for my loyal subordinate if it would set your mind at ease." (Nina)
I act surprised and deeply grateful, then bow to Nina.
"My Lady, you humble me with your generosity!" (Mizuki)
The nobles are now sufficiently confused, as is Elira, and Tessa is eyeing me suspiciously.
"Mizuki, what is Lady Nedonera referring to?" (Elira)
"Ah, as you've seen before, Elder Dragons possess many unknown abilities and blessings. Even among other Elder Dragons, my Lady is quite exceptional. You see, she knows and can perform a spell that makes it impossible to lie in her presence, which she is offering to demonstrate to you. With that spell, you could simply ask suspected perpetrators about their crimes and there would be no doubt of their guilt or innocence." (Mizuki)
Elira's and Dargo's eyes go wide in surprise, and shock registers on Tessa's face.
"Ridiculous! There is no such spell in existence! If there were, it would be known to elven scholars! There is no point in even entertaining this absurd claim!" (Tessa)
"Oh, like hell there isn't, Tessa! There's no way I'm about to pass up a magic demonstration by an Elder Dragon, especially one for a completely unprecedented spell." (Helena)
Helena is now leaning forward expectantly. Elira stares at me suspiciously, no doubt wondering if this is a ploy. It is, but a semi-honest one!
"Mizuki, I think we would very much appreciate such a demonstration. Great Dragon, do you mind?" (Elira)
Nina shakes her head, then rises from her seat and smiles. Then, she begins her 'incantation'.
"Oh, divine oracle of light! Come forth, and grant dragon's punishment to those who would deceive me!" (Nina)
That's my cue. I focus on forming a roughly one-meter-wide sphere of my magic in the space above the table, then have it generate white light by altering radiation from the air molecules inside the sphere. It's that same glowing ball spell Nina loved so much at the hot springs.
Everyone is staring at the ball of light, transfixed. Even without what we're about to do, I'm sure they've never seen anything like it. Cara runs her hand through it cautiously.
"There's nothing there…no heat or fire, it's just light. Remarkable!" (Cara)
Helena is watching intently.
"Great Dragon, how does this spell make it impossible to lie?" (Helena)
"It is simple, if a question is asked in its presence and answered, this light will turn green if the answer was truthful. If the answer is a lie, it will turn red, and the deceiver will be punished with a nonlethal force that causes pain. These actions are beyond my control – I can only activate and remove the spell." (Nina)
I focus on narrowing the wavelength of the light ball spell, so that green light pours out, then revert it back to white light after a moment. Nina did just answer a question after all. There's a round of surprised gasps from the nobles.
"Queen Elira, Lords and Ladies, would anyone like to volunteer to test out my Lady's spell? You can use whatever information you want to test lies and truths, so long as you don't mind it being revealed." (Mizuki)
Helena is quick to volunteer – she stands up.
"Someone ask me what my favorite color is!" (Helena)
I stifle my laughter and oblige.
"Uhm…Lady Helena, what is your favorite color?" (Mizuki)
"Blue." (Helena)
[Lies.] (Nina)
That crazy elf. I shift the light ball to red temporarily, then activate a gravity spell on Helena, and she's slammed to the ground forcefully. Everyone looks on in horror. I release the gravity spell after a moment, and Helena climbs shakily to her feet and begins rubbing the bruises on her arms.
"Gah! Damn that hurt! So, this thing is for real, huh?" (Helena)
"Fufufu…Helena, what is your favorite color?" (Darak)
Darak gives Helena a teasing look, and Helena just glares back at him, then glances nervously at the light ball. Tessa is staring at me with a murderous glare – I think she knows that this isn't a bluff anymore, and what it means for her plans to undermine me.
"I'm not answering that, Darak." (Helena)
Is she embarrassed of it? That's funny for someone as direct as her. To my surprise, Alara steps forward next.
"Mizuki, you may ask me whatever questions you want." (Alara)
Elira looks surprised, then turns to me curiously. I'm surprised, too, but this might be fun. I already trust her not to lie to me, but I have some idle curiosities. This is as good a time as any.
"Very well. Let's start with…why are you volunteering?" (Mizuki)
Alara directs a surprised glance at me.
"I…want you to trust me going forward. This spell seems like a good opportunity to help with that." (Alara)
[Truth.] (Nina)
I cycle the light ball green. Everyone looks between Alara and I in confusion.
"Well, I already trust you, sort of. I understand your nature and feel confident about what your actions will be – it doesn't concern me. Next question. We promised that we'd help you develop your territory. So, what is the thing you most want to see in your territory in the next year?" (Mizuki)
Alara is again shocked, and the nobles are looking on in surprise as well.
"People that are happy to be there…I think. There's no existing structures or settlements, and on my own I expected it to be decades before it has even one thriving city. The idea of being virtually alone there for years is depressing." (Alara)
[Truth…and very sad.] (Nina)
Yeah…no kidding. I give a green light, and it kind of sobers the mood around the table.
"I really am sorry. I think we can make it so that you have a home, stable income, and basic settlement with people within a year. We'll do our best to make your transition into a true noble as tolerable as possible. I don't have any other questions I want to ask right now. However, you can ask me a question if you want." (Mizuki)
I get several incredulous looks when I mention the timeline for her territory. When I offer to answer a question of Alara's, Elira and Cara both sit forward expectantly.
"Uhm…Mizuki, could I also ask a question of you?" (Cara)
"No, Lady Cara. It won't do you any good, because of our existing agreement. Feel free to ask me later, in private, so you're not wasting a spell." (Mizuki)
I give a green light. Cara looks surprised. Ahh…so she didn't believe I'd never lie based on our agreement alone. Darak gives me a curious look.
"Mizuki, what is this about an agreement with Cara?" (Darak)
"Lady Cara was exceptionally kind to me at the reception. To show my gratitude, I offered her a personal favor of her choosing, so long as it only inconvenienced me and not my Lady. She asked if I'd agree to never give her false information. I granted her request – our agreement is that I'll never lie to her in private." (Mizuki)
I give a green light. Darak's eyes go wide in surprise.
"You really intend to abide by such a thing indefinitely?" (Darak)
"Yes, I do, Lord Darak. I take my promises very seriously, and I uphold them to the letter. Now, I won't be answering further questions under this spell from anyone other than Princess Alara, unless my Lady compels me to." (Mizuki)
I flash a green light. Darak and the other nobles stare at me dumbfounded, then he shakes his head in exasperation. Elira seems disappointed that I shot down further questions. Alara looks at me meekly, then seems to make up her mind.
"Mizuki, I'd like to ask…would it ever be possible for us to be on as good of terms as you are with the other elf in Lady Nedonera's party? Miss Alto, I believe it was." (Alara)
I smile apologetically.
"No, Princess Alara. Alto is irreplaceable, and excluding my Lady, I could never put as much trust in anyone as I do her. However, that's not a question that I think is fair to you. If you want to know if we could ever have a friendly relationship with trust, like I have with Zara…I'd say it's possible with time." (Mizuki)
[After all, Alara, we have roughly eight millennia together before the end of your life. A lot can happen in that time.] (Mizuki)
I flash a green light. Alara's eyes go wide in shock. Probably from a combination of my verbal response and my implication that I'll outlive her natural lifespan. However, she smiles after a moment and nods towards me – she is relieved. Helena finally speaks up again, and her face is one of bewilderment.
"You really have that much trust in someone that isn't even your own race!?" (Helena)
"That answer is already obvious, Lady Helena, and I just declined to answer subsequent questions. Queen Elira, are you convinced of this spell's effectiveness, to the point that you'd consider it credible evidence in a royal investigation? If not, perform whatever additional tests you'd like now." (Mizuki)
Helena gives me an annoyed look but says nothing. Elira has an amused smile, but her eyes are mildly suspicious of me.
"Yes, Mizuki, I believe the spell would be effective against any elf we needed to question. I will accept it as a credible form of evidence if the need ever arises. Nobles of the Kingdom, does anyone wish to officially object to this decision? If so, I expect you to provide evidence that the spell cannot be trusted, which exceeds the contrary evidence provided by Lady Nedonera and her party here today." (Elira)
[She believes it would work against elves. I'm guessing she's not sure about it working on you.] (Nina)
I flash a green light.
There is silence, and then a series of dismissive remarks from the nobles – nobody is willing to officially object. I glance at Tessa and Jorah, and they both appear more despairing than vindictive. I don't think I have anything to worry about.
"Very well, I will remove the spell now." (Nina)
Nina holds up her hands towards the light, and I remove the spell. Elira breathes a sigh of relief.
"Very well then, let's consider all official business concluded for the day. Our relevant decisions will be announced to the people tomorrow during the official royal announcement. After the subsequent royal celebration, we will have one final meeting to discuss the matter of how much additional access to the country to give Lady Nedonera and her party. Everyone is dismissed." (Elira)
With that, the biggest pain in my ass of this royal announcement is over…probably.
[Alara, come find me in the library after this. I should finally tell you about some of my ideas to help you get started in your territory. The announcement tomorrow will be the perfect opportunity for you to advertise it to the people, so you can begin recruiting subjects.] (Mizuki)
Alara gives me a curious look, and she nods her head subtly. Good. I formulate my ideas as I exit the conference room, and I make my way to the library to wait for Alara.