Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 36: Trial

The next day comes slowly, making everyone feel on edge, including a certain beast-man. The time came when two long lines of knights came marching down the dungeon, opening up each cell, ushering every prisoner out. Commander Hawkcolt is the one to open Yuuya's cell, glaring at the beast-man in slight judgement. "It's time, let's go." He says in a cold tone. Yuuya gulps and slowly gets up, careful not to trip over the chains attached to his shackles. The commander steps to the side to allow the beast-man to pass, beginning the long journey to the Great Hall. The walk there feels forever, sweat building up amongst the mass, even the knights grew nervous. A good dozen knights march alongside Yuuya with the commander in front, boxing the poor soul should he decide to run, not that he desires to abandon his friends or his crimes. Finally, after an hour the large crowd reach their destination, the large set of door open slowly, revealing another crowd within the Great Hall. On the far end lay the entire Royal family in their designated seat, each wearing a different facial expression. The two youngest held such fear and sympathy to the group while the two oldest sons held a more serious if not a more angered look. The king and queen held blank looks, years of experience made them experts in containing their emotions, something Yuuya was unsure if he should be relieved or worried. Off to the sides and against the walls were filled with many people dressed in such fine and expensive looking clothing, all wearing such disgusted and angered looks. "Would you look at that?" "It really is a beast-man." "How despicable!" Yuuya's ears flatten against his head as all the mean comments direct onto him. As soon as everyone had filed in, the large doors close and thus trapping the beast-man and his companions once more as the queen speaks in a loud voice that silences everyone in an instant, "Now then, let us begin."
The knights make all the prisoners line up in rows while the same dozen knights still box Yuuya, clenching their weapons tightly. A large overweight man in dark orange clothes with a muddy brown classic handlebar style mustache steps towards the center of the floor, his blinding bald head drawing Yuuya's attention the most. "Dear god he's so bald! And that mustache, kinda reminds me of a villain out of a 1990s video game. So tacky." He's so lost in thought that he almost miss when the man begins speaking, "Your Majesty, this savage has entered the sanctity of our beloved capital, posing as one of our own using a powerful magical item." He motions with his head towards one of the servants off to the side, who nods back and steps forward while pushing a cart, on it holds Yuuya's precious amulet under a clear glass cover so all could see. Many soft murmurs could be heard as the servant stops right in front of the noble and calmly walks back to his post. The noble removes the cover and picks up the amulet showcasing the piece of jewelry to everyone, "This item has the ability to change its wearer to any species. Allowing this thing to look human." The voices only got louder at the idea of a magical item with such an ability existing impossible. The noble nods along to their words as if agreeing with them and slowly makes his way over to Gunter. "I know the idea is preposterous, but we have reports from several adventurers including the Guildmaster himself." He stands in front of the man with a smug look, slightly ticking the restrained man off a bit. "Or were you wrong, Mr. Livingtinstone?" Gunter narrows his eyes and speaks calmly despite the growing irritation within him, "No, I am not wrong. The amulet does allow you to change your race when you pour a certain amount of mana into it. However, due to its unique ability it requires quite a large amount. When I had applied my own mana into it for only an hour, I was nearly drained." The noble nods as if in deep thought before turning his back, but not quite walking away as he continues to question the Guildmaster. "You say you were able to activate the magical item and yet the mages at the Magic Tower haven't gotten a single one of the items that was confiscated from the thing to react at all. How were you able to?" Gunter takes a deep breath, pushing down the urge to strangle the smirking man, before answering, "I am not exactly sure how they work, but I believe they are contracted type items. Yuuya was wearing the amulet when I poured my mana into it so perhaps that is why it worked. This is all speculation of course." The noble lets out a short burst of laughter, as if the very thought was hilarious. "Speculation you say? So you're saying that if I put this amulet on this thing then-" "Yuuya." Damian cuts the man's voice off, halting his rant altogether. The noble turns his head at him and narrows his eyes at him, his voice growing cold as he says, "Excuse me?" Damian doesn't even look at him, still staring ahead as he responds, "Yuuya, his name. Not 'thing.' Asshole." He whispers that last word, but the noble was close so he was able to pick up on the insult. The noble snarls quietly as he stomps towards him. "And just who do you think you are!? I don't recall giving you permission to speak, prisoner." He raises his hand intending to strike, missing the dark looks from several sources, including one that isn't human. Thankfully, the queen intervenes. "Counselor!" His hand freezes instantly as he turns stiffly up at her. Her eyes narrow sharply at him, "Counselor Willcox, continue with the trial or else." He gulps as he slowly puts his hand down. "Of course, Your Majesty." He sends one more glare at Damian before he continues from where he was left off. "As I was saying, if I were to put this amulet on this beast-man," he pointedly looks at Damian who could only glare at him in silence as he carries on, "And pour my mana into it, then he will turn into a human. But if I were to wear it and pour mana into it, then nothing would happen. Is that what you are saying Mr. Livingtinstone?" Gunter nods silently as Willcox hums in thought and walks over to Yuuya, holding no fear at the chained beast-man. "Tell me beast-man, is what he says true?" Yuuya blinks, trying to process what the man just said earlier while the noble thinks, "Ha! As if this thing will actually tell me anything. The moment it begins to show aggression, I'll have it killed! If what Mr. Livingtinstone says true regarding the magic items being contracted types then once it's dead they'll all be up for grabs. I'll be stinking rich!" The man is pulled from his day dreams when Yuuya answers, "Um yes. I earned that." The noble looks flabbergasted as he stares at Yuuya, never having seen a beast-man so calm towards other species before. "Huh?" Yuuya misses the surprised look while he puts his hand to his chin as he thinks out loud, "Although, I'm kinda surprised that Mr. Gunter was able to activate it. I was out cold at the time, maybe it was aware that I was in a vulnerable state and knew I trust Mr. Gunter and that's probably why it accepted his mana. Huh, I should probably check to see if it will work with Sam and Damian..." He mutters towards the end, his gaming senses kicking in at the idea to experiment with his magic items.
Willcox shakes his head and gets in Yuuya's face, his face growing angry, "Enough! Next question." He steps back as he takes a deep breath and motions to another servant. Two servants walk over, one is carrying a cart holding his sword while the other takes the amulet away in the glass cover. The man raises one hand up at his beloved weapon while speaking loudly, "This is your weapon correct?" Yuuya nods as Willcox motions some knights over. Five Knights come over and each grab hold a piece of the sword, grunting in effort as they lift the weapon. "As you can see, it takes about five Royal guards to simply lift the weapon. This indicates that the wielder must have extraordinary strength to actually use it. Many adventurers and townspeople have claimed seeing you with such a strength whether it was fighting monsters or carrying large cargo. Such power is to be wary of, Your Majesty." Whispers of unease fills the room once more as the knights put the sword down, sighing out when they were allowed to let go. Sam furrows his eyes in confusion at the scene as he remembers holding the sword with no issue in the past. "That's weird, I had no problem holding it..." A few people stare at him in surprise before Willcox snaps his head at him, "Pardon?" He asks dumbly. Sam grows nervous at having everyone stare at him suddenly. Beatrice points at him, "Speak up! Explain how and when you held this sword." Sam gulp before he begins, "W-well it was during our B-rank test. We had to take down a banshee. As Damian and Yuuya were attacking it, it had unleashed a powerful wail that stunned Yuuya. It...injured him quite badly." He remembers the terror he felt when he saw Yuuya take that hit, how powerless he felt when he could nothing to help him, how the rage completely took over him when he believed he truly lost him and wanted to kill it, even so far as picking up Yuuya's fallen weapon. He shakes his head to clear the memories and continues, "Yuuya passed out from the blood loss and I just...grabbed his sword and tried to kill the thing that hurt my friend." Damian bumps his shoulder gently, gaining his attention and sees his soft encouraging smile. Sam smiles back before growing determined again. "I'm not sure why, but I just knew I was I able to pick up his sword." Beatrice hums in thought while her husband strokes his beard, both deep in thought. Willcox grits his teeth as he points at Sam accusingly, "Th-that is most highly unlikely, Your Majesty! Perhaps he is mistaking a different weapon altogether." Beatrice looks at the counselor before focusing back on Sam, "Can you confirm that the weapon you held was indeed this one?" Sam nods, "Yes, I don't know how to wield a sword like these two can. I prefer my magic or smaller weapons like daggers, but when I saw Yuuya injured that day, I knew I needed a stronger weapon to defeat that banshee. Yuuya's sword was the one. It was the only one unoccupied at the time and the only one I could grabbed that could do more damage on the banshee. I swear on my name to the Goddess that the weapon I picked up that day is the same as the one over there." He points to the sword on the cart with determined eyes at the queen, his earlier fears forgotten. Beatrice nods and leans back. "Very well, I will take your word." She looks at Yuuya, "Could you explain this phenomenon Yuuya?" Yuuya thinks for a second as he recalls his weapons traits back from the game before a lightbulb flashes in his mind. "Ah! I think I know why!" Yuuya points to his sword, "Do you see three green gems on the hilt?" Everyone leans over, confirming their observations. Yuuya begins to explain, "Each gem holds a special trait to the sword. One allows the wielder to track it should they lose it, something both the Solarclouds and Mr. Gunter is aware of back when we were trying to catch a thief." Some of the prisoners laugh at the memory, even the queen hides a smile behind her hand. "The next gem allows the wielder to call it should they separate, it only works a certain distance though. That's why I panicked when it was stolen from me and had to use the tracking trait instead." Some of the prisoners go 'oh' and 'ah' as they realize this fact. Yuuya continues to the last gem, "The last gem allows the wielder to choose a temporary substitute. I can choose one person from my list of friends to wield it whenever I want." People begin the chat, but Yuuya interrupts them, "However, I never got the chance to set that up yet." Beatrice's eyes widen slightly as her husband decides to step in, "If you didn't set it up, then how was this man able to lift the sword?" Yuuya doesn't answer as he thinks over the traits, trying to see any loopholes. "Maybe I died and when Sam picked up it became his weapon, but I can't be sure that I actually died. Sam said I stopped breathing, but my heart could've still been beating which means I still could've been alive...Hmm maybe the Goddess stepped in? There's too many variables annnnd a lot of people are staring at me, gotta come up with something for now." Yuuya opens his eyes as he wings it, "If I had to guess, maybe because we are in a party? The sword is a magic item and picks up on a lot of things, maybe it knew Sam and Damian are my friends and that they could be trusted? Could explain why he was able to pick up, but wasn't able to fully activate it, that's a different access. Being the temporary substitute would give access to all the sword's abilities, not just being able to pick it up." Sam's eyes widen at the fact as he thinks back to how that fight did seem a bit off when all he did was wave the sword around when he knew it could do so much more. "Is that why I couldn't use that weird energy strike like he could? At the time all I could think about was killing the banshee, I didn't actually put any thought into activating the sword..." Willcox's face grows angry at Yuuya's logical thinking and continues to argue, "Your Majesty, this is absurd! No weapon in the world could ever have such three powerful traits. This savage is clearly lying!" The nobles talk amongst themselves while the prisoners glare daggers into the counselor. Yuuya simply stares and asks, "How do you know I'm lying? Why not test the sword yourself?" He looks up at the queen, silently asking her for permission. She puts her hand on her chin before nodding, "Very well. Let us test out the sword's abilities." The servant that had brought the weapon out walks over to the cart, carefully pulls out one of the gems. He hands the gem to the commander as he inspects it, sensing a faint amount of mana within it. He eyes the beast-man wearily before handing it to him. Yuuya holds the gem as he watches the servant take the sword away. Everyone waits patiently until the magic stone with carved runes on it glows in a knight's hand, she nods to the queen signaling to her they were ready. "Now then, the sword is hidden somewhere within the castle. Can you track where it is?" Yuuya nods and holds the gem. Normally, he would have to pour mana into it to activate the spell, but with the mana suppressor collar on, that would be difficult. "Hopefully it'll still work..." Yuuya prays with all his might that his leftover mana residue was enough to produce some result. Looks like luck is on his side as the gem begins to glow until a bright beam shoots out and phases through the floor right under Yuuya's feet. Everyone gasps at the sight and try to lean in close to get a better view. Yuuya focuses on the gem until he sees his sword on the cart in a plain bedroom before the image becomes blurry. While he is focusing on the gem, the knight with the carved stone is listening intensely, nodding along. The glow in the gem dies down till the beam disappears altogether. Yuuya opens his eyes and stares up at the queen. "It's in an empty bedroom, unfortunately, unless we go down I can't be sure of its exact location. However, the beam should've been seen on the other end." The knight speaks up, "That has been confirmed. The servant saw a bright green beam of light hitting the sword through the ceiling." The queen nods and looks back at Yuuya. "One of the skills has been confirmed, let us see the other two." It takes a few minutes before the servant returns with his sword, making everyone nervous of what's to come. Willcox is the one to voice these concerns, "Your Majesty, it's unwise to allow this savage access to his weapon. Perhaps we may try a different method?" He questions at the end as a couple of droplets of sweat drip down his face. Beatrice narrows her eyes at the bald man, "You were the one doubting this sword's abilities. It's only right we continue with these tests." The servant brings the cart closer as the front row of knights step to the side, readying their weapons. Yuuya looks up, waiting patiently for her permission which she gives with a nod. Yuuya smiles and stretches his hand, silently calling his weapon. The sword twitches for a second before suddenly standing up, making everyone gasp as it flies right into Yuuya's hands. The knights around him point their weapons at him, readying for anything. Yuuya smiles and slowly puts his sword down and takes a few steps back. "And there you have it, the homing skill." He looks behind and motions to Sam, "Next up, we need Sam to test the final skill." Beatrice nods to the commander who motions a couple of knights near the blue haired man. They each take hold of his arms, making everyone watch intensely as they escort him to the weapon on the floor. Sam looks up nervously and catches the encouraging smile from Yuuya. He gulps down his anxiety and slowly grabs hold of the weapon, his movements come to a sudden halt when he hears the sound of weapons being drawn. He looks behind and see the same two knights from earlier raising their weapons at him. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and stands up, the sword light in his hands. Several people gasp as they see Sam hold the proven heavy weapon being held easily by the young man in chains. "My word that weapon is special." "How in the world did that beast ever get such a weapon?" "There's no way that man is as strong as that savage and yet it took five knights to lift the bloody thing!" Many of the nobles whisper amongst themselves as Sam slowly and carefully puts the sword back on the cart, not the least bit fatigued. Once the weapon was back on the cart, the knights that escorted him put their own weapons away and drag Sam back to the group of prisoners in the back. Yuuya smiles brightly at his friend and looks back at the queen, "And that's three for three! Told you I'm not liar." He wants to stick his tongue out at the counselor, but decides against it, not wanting to irritate the man further and make this trial that much harder. Willcox grinds his teeth before recomposing himself when Beatrice speaks, "So it would seem. We can conclude that this weapon is as powerful as it was described. You know counselor, this shows that this prisoner has no intention of lying as well nor the intention to harm others." Willcox gulps at the glare she sends him as she speaks in a dark tone, "Do you have any other evidence against this beast-man?"
Sadly, Willcox did. He kept bringing out each magical item that was confiscated after the fight against the Sacred Beast. He brought out the Amulet of Healing, Leonis talisman, necklace of Garuda, Faith's Spiritstaff, Dominion whip, bronzed bracelet of Taurus, hell, they even brought out the earrings he traded with the librarian for that kitsune history book. Yuuya explained each item's function and how he used them, upsetting the counselor more and more as Yuuya remained patient and compliant. As Yuuya explained how the earrings works, Willcox bites on his fingernails as his anxiety continued to climb. "Damnit! This isn't how it was supposed to go. Why the hell isn't this thing fighting back!? I have seen countless beast-men and none of them are this calm! It doesn't make sense..." His eyes move slowly over to the group of prisoners in the back, two people in specific. An unsettling idea forms in his mind, a cocky smile forms on his lips as he thinks, "Well, guess I'll to give it a shove and show everyone here the monster it really is." He straightens his coat as he waits for Yuuya to finish. "And that's how it works, really simple honestly. I highly recommend it during the summer, I actually have a few spares if you're interested." A few curious whispers goes around at the idea of a new trend. Beatrice nods while she internally smiles at Yuuya's pleasant sales pitch. "Things are going well so far. Thankfully, Yuuya hasn't done anything dangerous or illegal the entire time he's been in the capital. Just need to pass on the judgment, hopefully that bastard Willcox will stop interfering. Goddess, I wish I could just throw him in the dungeon and throw away the key. This man has caused me so many headaches." Her eyes narrow when she sees the very man she has been thinking about smile confidently, her instincts telling her something bad was about to occur.
Once the servant takes the earrings back, Willcox steps forward. "Your Majesty, if I may, I would like to bring forward a few witnesses if you'll allow it." Beatrice briefly looks at her husband, both wearing  an uncertain look, before staring back at the counselor and reluctantly says, "Proceed." He nods and points to Gunter, "I would first like to bring forward the Guildmaster." Gunter narrows his eyes as a couple of knights push him forward. Willcox faces him once more with a smug grin, "Mr. Livingtinstone, were you aware that this beast-man was in disguise this whole time, and I must remind you you are speaking in front of the entire Royal family so please answer honestly." Gunter grits his teeth before sighing as he answers, "Yes." Several gasps are heard as Willcox continues, "And is it true that you were the one to handle their physical test when they first registered to be adventurers? Follow up question, did you receive injuries during this test along with a loss?" Gunter grows angrier as he sees what Willcox was aiming for, but continues to answer honestly, "Yes, I was their instructor during the physical test and yes I did receive both injuries and lost the fight." Willcox twirls around as he holds up his hands, "As you have heard, this man has betrayed this country and even allowed this savage to join the Adventurer's Guild. He lost on purpose just so his guild could look better against the Royal Guard." Several people talk amongst themselves as Gunter angrily argues back, "That's not what I said!" Willcox sees his opening and rounds back on him, "So you're saying you didn't loose on purpose and were easily defeated by this savage? You, the once great Grim Thunder, who has hunted down several dungeon bosses and even other non-human species back in his adventuring days, was defeated by this savage? I find that hard to believe." Gunter grits his teeth as he looks up briefly to see the worried looks of the royal family, his heart aching when he sees Yuuya giving him a scared look. "Fuck! I can't just say yes cause then they'll see him as a dangerous threat. Damnit!" Seeing him stump, Willcox waves his hand with a bored expression, "Let's move on." The guards pull Gunter back to the prisoners, only to grab the entire Solarclouds group. Each member stand stiffly as they watch Willcox pace in front of them. "Mr. Knox, you are captain of this group, Solarclouds, correct?" Callian keeps calm as he coldly responds, "Yes." Willcox pauses while nodding as if he was in deep thought before continues, "And when this savage and his little group reached B-rank, did you welcome them?" Callian narrows his eyes as he slowly answers, "Yes." Willcox gets up into his face, "You seem to be very close to this group. Were you aware that this savage was not human?" Callian feels his anger start to build, but continues to answer calmly, "No, we didn't know Yuuya wasn't human until the fight against Sacred Beast..." Willcox steps back a bit and twirls the end of his mustache as he sighs, "I find it hard to understand how an experienced group such as yourselves could mistake this thing as a fellow adventurer." He snaps his fingers, summoning a servant that is holding a stack of papers. The servant places a few sheets to Willcox as he combs through the documents, "We have interrogated the entire Adventurer's Guild. These documents contain statements from another experienced group of adventurers. They state that when they offered the group, Orion's Pax, some assistance after reaching B-rank, that thing-" He points accusingly at Yuuya as he continues in a terrified tone, "attacked them! He nearly broke the captain's arm, gave one of the other members a concussion, and even damaged property!" Hushed whispers are heard as everyone in chains put the pieces together. Callian thinks darkly, "Shattered Force, of course. Lousy scumbags." Willcox hides his grin behind the documents as he speaks in a mournful tone, "To think, this thing, nearly killed proud adventurers when they were just trying to help." Diana tries to intervene, "Wait, that's not how-" Willcox glares furiously at her as he yells, "I didn't give you permission to speak, prisoner!" Diana holds her tongue as she glares back at him. Willcox clears his throat as he looks to the queen, "Solarclouds were the only group to be on such friendly terms with Orion's Pax. This is mighty suspicious..." He points at them as he loudly claims, "This proves that Solarclouds were in cahoots with Orion's Pax! Dare I even say, they did indeed know this savage's true nature from the very beginning just like the Guildmaster." Several people agree to his words as Solarclouds try to argue back, "That is ridiculous!" "Yuuya only fought back because they threatened his group first!" "Just because we are such good friends doesn't mean we knew!" Willcox smugly grins at them as he shoos them away, "Enough of your lies, next!" He looks over at the commander and points to him, "I call the commander of the Royal Guards himself to stand forward." Hawkcolt narrows his eyes as he looks at Beatrice, she nods to him. He sighs and steps forward in the center of the room. Willcox walks over to him. "Commander Hawkcolt, you have been in charge of the Royal Guards for a long time." Hawkcolt nods, "Yes, over a decade now." Willcox nods and gives him a short bow, "And I thank you for your service." Hawkcolt doesn't respond, simply boring holes into the counselor. "Allow me to ask, you challenged this thing to a duel, is that correct?" Hawkcolt nods, "That is correct." Willcox nods while asking, "Could you describe the duel? What was it like to fight this thing?" Hawkcolt recalls his duel against Yuuya, the rage feeling he felt that day, "At first, it seemed as if I was fighting a young child who barely knew how to wield a sword. I had intended to simply put him in his place as he was facing an elite knight, but then...something changed." He takes a moment to think over how Yuuya grew more bold and somehow stronger before continuing, "He was able to use powerful magic without chanting and had burned through all of my spells. I was forced to use my most potent spell, Barbed Prey. It held him in place for a bit to the point I had believed that I won. However, that was short lived..." He remembers the angered expression Yuuya wore as he yelled at him for hurting his son, how much blood he shed as he ripped himself free from the spell, nearly dying in the process. Willcox narrows his eyes as he asks, "What happened afterwards?" The memory continues to roll through the commander's mind, the way Yuuya gained his confidence back while he lost his compusture, his magic overpowering his own, how he lost, but what he focuses on the most is the same words that still haunt him to this day, "What do you remember of your wife? Her death or how she lived?" Hawkcolt snaps out his daydream when someone clears their throat, "Commander?" Hawkcolt's expression goes neutral once more as he finishes, "The beast-man used his magic to overpower my own and won the duel." Willcox looks annoyed before a smirk grows back on his face, "Even you were no match for this thing." He turns to the crowd as he says, "The strongest knight in the country was defeated by this thing, can you imagine the horror this savage could bring about in our lands, our homes!?" He points at Yuuya with a furious look, "How can we trust this savage won't go after us next?" Yuuya blinks in surprise before he frowns, "Hey, that's not-" Willcox yells at him, "Don't you dare utter another word beast!" Yuuya flinches at his loud voice as his ears and tail hug his body in fear. Sam and Damian glare dangerously at the counselor, "Leave him alone!" "Why don't you just piss off already!" They loudly yell. Willcox's eye twitches as he smiles darkly, "And this brings us to our last witnesses." He motions the knights to bring Sam and Damian forward, who only grumble in irritation. Hawkcolt watches from his original spot nervously as he sees his son in the center while thinking, "Please Goddess, I pray nothing bad happens to Damian..." The two stare at the counselor with highly irritated looks, Willcox simply ignores their looks. "Now then, explain how you met this thing." Sam and Damian share a look before Sam responds first, "I met Yuuya back in Escal Forest a few months ago. I was being attacked by a bull-wolf, but then he saved me." Several people talk before being interrupted by Willcox's loud laughter. "Hahaha! Please, beast-men prioritize their own, why would this thing ever rescue a human?" He twirls his mustache as he speaks darkly, "Perhaps you made a deal with this thing." He looks to the crowd as he loudly exclaims, "In exchange for your life, you would lead it here to our beloved capital, allowing it to create chaos in our peaceful home!" The other nobles whisper amongst themselves in fear as Sam tries to explain, "What!? No! Yuuya would never hurt anyone! He took care of me and my family. He even helped several people here!" Willcox yells back, "Lies! You must've been seduced by this wretched thing!" Sam glares darkly at the man and makes a move to step forward, "That's not true-" He gets cut off when a couple of knights hold him back. Willcox huffs at him before turning to Damian, "You, how did you meet this beast-man?" Damian grits his teeth before taking a deep breath to calm his temper. He looks directly into Willcox's eyes and speaks in a confident tone, "I met Yuuya when he was taking his physical entrance exam with Sam." Sam looks at him in surprise, but is ignored. "I was wary of him at first, after all, only Commander Hawkcolt has been the only one to defeat the Guildmaster ever." Hawkcolt's eyes widen slightly, wondering how his son has heard the news while also feeling a twinge of hurt in his heart at being called by his title. Damian continues, "I watched them for a bit and I was shocked how fast they completed three E-rank quests on their first day. I even challenged Yuuya to a fight." Yuuya can't help let out a small chuckle at the memory. Damian cheeks turn pink at hearing the soft chuckle while he continues, "But, he never accepted. He simply dodged all my attacks and hid from me." He can't help feeling a bit ashamed at his earlier actions, but was brought back to reality when Willcox hums in thought. "Right, we do have reports of you starting a fight in the guild that day. When was it you learned of this thing's true nature?" Damian's eye twitches, but bites his tongue before he could insult the man, "Back when we took the B-rank quest to qualify ourselves to be B-rank adventurers. We were attacking a banshee when it...gravely injured Yuuya." He feels his blood turn cold at the memory of Yuuya taking that blow, how his blood sprayed across the ground as if in slow motion, the terror he felt when Sam returned without Yuuya, only his sword in hand. Damian shakes off the memory and continues, "He must've lost consciousness after that because when he saved us he had reverted into his true form." Willcox smirks as he looks at Damian, "And how did you feel when you discovered this fact?" Damian bites his lip and looks over at Yuuya, seeing his worried glance. He speaks in a soft tone, "At first, I was shocked and confused over how he had hid his identity. Then I felt angry and betrayed." Willcox nods as he gives a false look of pity, "I'm sure you must've, after all-" He's interrupted by Damian as he speaks, "But then I realized: Yuuya isn't bad." Willcox snaps his head at him while Yuuya's ears twitch in interest. Damian speaks as if he could no longer contain his emotions, "I was going to tell everyone about Yuuya's identity, but then I went over how much good he did. How he put everyone's safety first before his own. Hell, he even got mad at me for being reckless when I chased down the banshee on my own, how he cried over the very idea of me being dead. My whole life only two other people have ever been concerned over my wellbeing: my mother...and the Guildmaster." Gunter smiles fondly at Damian. Damian looks up and speaks more confidently, "Even though he lied to me in the beginning, and showing me his true form was an accident, he still trusted me to make the right decision...whether it was telling everyone the truth or not. Either way, I'm feel honored to have been trusted and I will do everything I can to make sure Yuuya gets out of here safely." He narrows his eyes at Willcox as he still holds a stunned look at him, "And show everyone here just how good and kind Yuuya is." Yuuya feels his eyes water at Damian's kind words, his tail wagging slightly, "Damian..." Damian smiles comfortingly at him before he hears a dark chuckle coming from the man in front of him. "Good and kind? Don't make me laugh." Damian glares at him as Willcox's face turns red, "Beast-men are nothing but cruel savages concerned over their own kind! How could a once proud noble be so foolish and allow himself be charmed by the very thing that has taken several of our own!?" He looks to the crowd of nobles as Damian tries to go over to Willcox, his patient having snapped by his comments, only to be restrained by a few knights. "It would seem these people have been threatened or even bargained with the savage. We can longer put our trust in them!" Several people yell in agreement, their minds made up. Willcox looks up at the queen as he coldly states, "I say we execute the prisoners, save the beast-man for last!" The nobles all cheer while the group of prisoners fight back against the knights, fearing for their lives. The Solarclouds, Gunter, Sam, and Damian fight the hardest as they try to explain both for their innocence and Yuuya's. Speaking of, the very beast-man is seen with pale skin, his eyes wide with horror, and his mouth trembling, "E-execute? My friends?" Queen Beatrice tries to bring back order, "Silence! I have not given judgement. Counselor, you will cease this-" A loud growl is what quietens the room along with a suffocating presence in the air. Everyone turns their attention to Yuuya, seeing his eyes glowing as his body shaking. The chains around his body snaps along with his sanity.