Gressil caught Vivia's confusion and said, "The revered and mysterious demon whose major contribution ended the war five hundred years ago."
Vivia coughed.
He smiled. "I know you humans believe that the mysterious figure was human."
The bleak war between the human and demon races five hundred years ago had been the deadliest in history. Countless lives were lost, all consumed by immense hatred.
Amidst that seemingly endless conflict, appeared a man whose intervention slowly brought both realms to peace. Legend had that he was an honourable soldier from the Emberlain Royal Army, who went above and beyond his duty.
But soon, both sides argued over his origin. Demons wanted credit for brokering peace, and so did humans. Each claimed the mysterious savior as their own. They wanted the pride of saying their race rose above to end the war.
So the demons call him the Varkhail like we call him the Luminar.
Nefarion could barely contain his excitement. "It must be some remnant of the Varkhail's power that helped Zerath! After all, he brought peace to our realm five hundred years ago. Perhaps his sword sensed the danger and helped us!"
She was stunned.
Why does he think that Varkhail's power dwells in Zerath's sword?
Gressil caught that question in her eyes as well. "It's because supposedly, my lord's sword once belonged to the great Varkhail. His Majesty discovered it years ago in the Realm of Harmony, near the Aetherios and gifted it to my lord."
Is that really the Luminar's sword!? She was dumbfounded.
She recalled the pleasant and mystical feeling when she first held Zerath's sword as she had aimed it at his neck to overpower him in their first meeting.
Is it really…? Ah, I feel so jealous of Zerath now!
Gressil added. "Truth to be told, nobody actually believes that claim, except His Majesty."
Isn't that rather sad? She coughed.
Balam shot a nervous glance at Draconis, but the latter was helpless. There was no way to refute the crystal ball's silence.
Nefarion composed himself and said, "This proves Zerath cannot use magic."
Draconis bowed. "Indeed, Your Majesty."
Now the pressure began to mount on Balam. Since the attention was on Zerath, it was necessary to maintain that momentum.
Balam narrowed his eyes. "My lord says that he was still figuring out the mysterious powers, yet you were confident that it would stop the ice onslaught."
"That was an educated assumption. Honestly, it was a gamble if it'd even work or not. We had run out of options anyway," Zerath said.
"But couldn't you have used the same power to end the eternal winter as well?"
Malphas and Orobas exchanged glances, gradually understanding his point.
"The source of the eternal winter and the ice tide was the same ice demon child. So if you could stop the tide, couldn't you have made a breakthrough with Nethermoor's crisis too? Why stay silent all this time?"
Astaroth, dejected at first, now found a renewed hope to turn the tide upon Zerath.
Malphas chimed in. "I see a point there, Sir Balam. With my lord's powers, Nethermoor's crisis could've ended a long time ago. Though he claims that he only recently realized this power, it feels hard to believe him with the way how things have unfolded today."
Balam's tone turned bitter. "Is it because my lord enjoyed seeing my son failing? Even though you had the power to end this cursed situation, you chose to make Astaroth keep running around in circles! Is this how you treat one of the Three Greats?"
Vivia grimaced.
The Three Greats were the three noble families in both realms from whom the blessed was born. The Harbinger of Seasons held the power to control the seasons, whereas the blessed demon, the Sovereign of Sun and Moon, influenced the solar and lunar phenomenon.
Though they were referred to as the Three Greats, Vivia felt nothing great about Astaroth and his family at the moment.
Three Greats, Three Greats…No wonder he's so arrogant if his own parents keep flaunting their status like that. A flame demon, a divine blessed - his ego shoots through the sky.
Zerath calmly replied. "I hadn't honed the power well enough to help Nethermoor. Eternal winter was far more severe. I had visited Nethermoor several times, but it didn't work. It was only in recent months that I noticed a change. It still wasn't enough to help Nethermoor where it stretched on for two decades, but I believed it could stop this tide, which was more of an impromptu incident, thanks to my cousin here."
Astaroth sneered. "Very convenient now, isn't it!"
Balam bowed to Nefarion and Veloria.
"Your Majesty, I humbly beg for justice. My lord has concealed his powers and made a fool of us! He let Nethermoor's citizens suffer in agony for the sake of humiliating my son!"
Astaroth added. "Never thought that you could be so calculative. You deserve the worst punishment possible!"
"That's foolish!"
Everyone jolted with Vivia's sudden outburst. Though Astaroth was the flame demon, it seemed now as if she wielded the true power of the flames. She had reached her tipping point with Astaroth and his family shamelessly trying to smear Zerath's name.
Vivia unreservedly pointed at Astaroth. "Who deserves the worst punishment possible? Is it the Crown Prince who did everything he could to help Nethermoor or is it the flame demon standing before me who embezzled royal funds for his own pleasure?"
Astaroth froze. The entire courtroom, even Balam, Xeraphine and Zerath, stared at Vivia, stunned. She was only summoned for her testimony, so it landed as an unexpected development when a human suddenly intervened in a demons' court gathering.
Even Vivia didn't stand completely unaffected. Inwardly, her nerves were shaking and trembling as if she would collapse on her knees at any moment. She was in a court full of demons, after all, and as such, a lone human raising her voice was a hard voice to keep up when pointed, burning gazes were drilling holes right through her.
Yet, she couldn't keep her calm. She was aware that the demons wouldn't welcome her interference, but she strangely couldn't sit still with Astaroth running his mouth against Zerath. Not when she had witnessed his valiant efforts to stop the tide at the risk of his life. Not when he carried out his duty toward the Nethermoor's people when it was supposed to be Astaroth's job.
So when Astaroth kept throwing mud at Zerath's efforts and reputation, the resentment and fury in her heart kept bubbling up like a volcano ready to burst.
"Don't make me laugh. Do you think we're so foolish to not realize what you and your father are trying to do? Trying to bring down the curtain upon your evil actions by pushing the blame onto the Crown Prince?"
She sneered. "The demon who didn't bother to meet Nethermoor's citizens and comfort them even once in all these wintry years now feels he has the right to judge the Crown Prince, who didn't hesitate, even for a moment, to put his life on the line battling the ice tide?"
"Princess Clairette!!" Astaroth exclaimed, fury palpable through his trembling body.
"Screaming doesn't change the truth, young lord. You accuse the Crown Prince of hiding his powers, but you're equally guilty of embezzlement and betrayal. Does the assumption of his betrayal negate yours?"
Furious veins bulged on his forehead.
"You accuse the Crown Prince of not using his powers to help Nethermoor but…" her eyes narrowed, "Did you ever use your own power either as the Sovereign of the Sun and Moon?"
A stark silence fell.
Asmodea stared at her. Hidden beneath her fan was an expression impossible to decipher.
I thought the Princess was a naive rabbit…Turns out that she could become a wolf, after all.
Vivia glared at Astaroth with her icy stare. "Your flames might've failed, but God's blessing has far greater powers. It's superior to magic. With Nethermoor's eternal winter crisis, did it never occur to you that you could use the divine power of the Sun to end it?"