While some demons were enjoying the misery of the Demon Earl, a few even laughed out loud unable to contain their laughter. They knew full well what kind of character Famoon was and what was he referring to with the word artefact.
Being a high ranking demon and a Demon Lord, how could Belial not know what sort of items the latter bought from the auction? He knew full well that this clown of a Duke got scammed by the merchant of the Damned.
However, that being said, being a demon lord who claimed to uphold justice and lead all the demons, he must amend justice for him. As such, Belial turned towards Simon, so did all eyes present in the venue. They all turned toward the accused, awaiting his defence.
On Simon's side, the Demon himself and Oswell both wore a frown of consternation, feeling a headache coming. If it was just Duke Arctauus' accusation they could have somehow dealt with it.
However, Famoon also had to join in at this moment making the situation even more troublesome for them.
"I want to know how did it come to this but first of all, who is this demon? Why is he tangling and making things difficult for you" Oswell scratched his hair in frustration. The situation was so messed up that even with his wits, he couldn't find a solution out of this.
"Even if you ask me, I don't know" Simon himself was confused as to why this demon was trying to make things difficult for him. He did not recognise the other party nor did he have any enmity with him so why?
It needs to be mentioned that Simon had never met Avrox as such, he was largely clueless as to who the other party was.
"I see.. that aside, how will you deal with this situation? Do you have any plans?".
Simon simply shook his head at Oswell's question and replied with a 'I will deal with it somehow attitude'.
With a mixture of frustration and annoyance etched upon his countenance, Simon addressed the gathered assembly "Demon Lord, noble demons, I vehemently deny the allegations made against me by Duke Arctaurus and Duke Famoon".
"Neither I nor my subordinate have done something to force the Duke's subordinate to nullify the contract. The latter came to us on their own will. As for the matter of Duke Famoon's artefact, I did not steal it rather I took it from the other party with my own ability. It was Duke Famoon who came to me with the intention to steal my subordinate."
"Nonsense, if you haven't done something, then why is my subordinate behaving like that"…
"Right, Demon lord he speaking nonsense. I did not do such things"…
"Earl Simon you shouldn't accuse someone falsely"...
Duke Arctaurus and Duke Famoon vehemently tried to accuse Simon while Avrox supported them.
On Simon's side, Oswell stood firm in defending his friend. The tension among the parties was starting to escalate when Belial raised his hand, signalling for calm. His voice carried a pressure that demanded obedience from all demons present in the venue.
"Let us not jump to conclusions without a fair examination of the evidence and a thorough investigation. Accusations and counter-accusations will not lead us to the truth. I assure everyone that justice will be amended. However, before that we need to investigate the allegations made by both sides".
Seeing that the rowdy crowd had been silenced, Belial continued "Now then, which side will speak first?".
Avrox, waiting for his chance, spoke on behalf of Duke Arctaurus and Duke Famoon.
"Demon Lord, we have witnessed the behaviour of the Giga Minotaurus which changed right after the Ritual of the Blades. It is evident that there is some manipulation at play here, and the stolen artefact from Duke Famoon only adds to the suspicion against Earl Simon."
Belial nodded his head and turned towards Simon to hear what he had to say.
"Demon Lord, I stand by my words. The actions of Duke Arctaurus's subordinate are the consequences of their own will. They have acted of their own accord and have nothing to do with my subordinate. As for Duke Famoon's alleged theft, I assert that I acquired the artefact through my own abilities and it was not stolen from him."
It was not a lie, the subordinate of Duke Arctaurus, the Giga Minotaurus came to them even after Myabell released her familiar covenant and as for Duke Famoon, the latter got what he deserved.
The Eye of Enimga or in other words, the Celestial Oculairs had chosen Simon as its master and bound itself with him. As such, the item became his possession. There was no way he was going to give an item back that fell into his possession.
"I see, so you will still shamelessly deny all accusations. You have degraded the face of all of us Demon Earls" Avrox determined to further his agenda, spoke once again.
"Demon Lord, I beseech you to consider the evidence before you. Earl Simon's claims are baseless and his attempts to shift blame onto Duke Arctaurus and Duke Famoon are nothing but a desperate ploy. We have witnessed the chaos caused by his subordinate, the change in behaviour of the Giga Minotaurus, and we have heard the allegations of the stolen artefact".
"It is clear where the guilt lies. I would also like to implore Duke Oswell to see through Earl Simon's deceit. His actions have caused discord and unrest within our realm. By siding with him, we risk undermining the very foundation of justice and order that we strive to uphold.".
Avrox wanted to use this chance and influence Oswell to discard Simon and cut off all support the latter had. However, what he didn't know was that contrary to their expectation Oswell wasn't using Simon as a pawn to do his bidding but was instead genuinely helping his friend.
Even though he had the choice of backing down, he was involving himself more and more in this perilous situation just to help his friend.
"Earl Avrox, you with your humble rank speak as if you know everything. However, aren't you just being biased towards Earl Simon and using this chance to gain the favour of the two Dukes?"
"You say that the Gga Minotaurus'behaviour changed after the Ritual of the Blades? Then why didn't we all who have witnessed the Ritual of the Blades with our own eyes, did not sense anything? Or Earl Avrox are you trying to say that your perception ability is even better than the Demon Lord and the Ancient Archdukes here?"
"As for the matter regarding Famoon, I was there too. As such, I can testify that he was the one who came with ill intentions first. There were a few demons nearby at that time. If Demon Lord investigates them, I'm sure you will easily be able to find the truth" Oswell flashed a thumbs up towards Simon and stood resolutely beside him.
This caused the two dukes and Avrox to be taken aback. They couldn't understand why Oswell was supporting this demon earl so strongly.
The arbiter in this matter, Belial was torn between upholding justice and maintaining a delicate balance of power. On one side was Duke Arctaurus, Duke Famoon and the subordinate of Archduke Charthros, and on another Oswell, a demon who even while being just a demon duke could compete with many of the ancient Demon Archdukes.
Both sides were important to him if he wanted to rule the demon continent. As such, he couldn't just dismiss any one party.
To further complex the situation, his father Demon Archduke Gareth sent him a sound transmission informing him of a special presence observing the gathering.
Belial took a moment to gather all the thoughts racing in his mind before addressing the gathered demons.
"In light of all the new information presented, it is clear that both parties were at fault for this one. And so to amend an impartial and fair justice I ask both the parties to compromise on this one".
"Duke Oswell, Earl Simon… I understand that the matter with Duke Famoon was a personal feud. As such, I will not hold you charge for this matter as long as you reimburse the Duke with an appropriate amount of DP. As for the matter relating to the subordinate of Duke Arctaurus, I will have you return the Giga Minotaurus to them".
Belial gave his verdict forcing both the parties into a compromise. However, was his justice really fair and impartial to everyone? Of course it was not, it was heavily biased towards Simon who was just a Demon Earl and favoured the Demon Dukes.
So what if he had the backing of Oswell? In the end, he was still a mere Demon Earl whose position and importance was incomparable to the influential Demon Dukes.
Had it been Oswell or some other Demon Duke in place of him, Belial wouldn't have given such a verdict. However, all those charges and allegations were on a Demon Earl. As such, one didn't need to think twice to know, which side the demon lord would support.
In the society of Demon Nobles, your standing decided your fate. If you are a high ranking demon and possess immense power, you will be respected by all the demons. Heck, others might even be fawning over you to get to your good side.
Just like how all the demons here wanted to make a connection with Oswell. However, if you are just a bottom ranking demon earl whose place was merely to be a subordinate of the high ranking demons, you have no standing in this society.
Forget about being heard in a gathering like this, even if you were oppressed and took advantage of, nobody would bat an eye.
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