Not long past Astaroth confronted Vivia in the courtyard on one side, tensions within the council chamber had begun to escalate. Zerath stood before the floor-to-ceiling glazed windows where he had a clear view of the other side of the courtyard below.
Gressil broke the quiet first.
"The child's mother was taken away by force?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zerath said, "It seems so. Eurus waited for his mother. But she never returned."
Malphas scoffed. "That doesn't mean anything. That mother must've abandoned him!"
"No, she didn't. She had assured him of her return."
Draconis said, "Adults lie too, my lord. If that child was a burden to her, then her assurance means nothing."
"Lie…" he whispered under his breath.
He closed his eyes briefly, pushing away unnecessary thoughts. When he opened them again, he turned to face the Council.
"I want to believe in her vow. But it's possible as Sir Draconis suggests too. Whether intentional or by force, the truth remains that Eurus was left alone in the cave to fend for himself. It's not him we should question but the circumstances surrounding his abandonment."
"This is excusing the child's responsibility!" Balam protested. "We cannot simply forgive him after the havoc he has wrecked."
A subtle smile graced Zerath's lips.
"I remember the day when cousin Astaroth lost his control and accidentally set fire in the city of Grasca while we were touring the market."
Balam's expression tightened.
"It happened because he was young and had only begun to learn to use his flames. Many got burned and wounded. Yet he was excused by His Majesty, was he not?"
Asmodea calmly fanned her face. "I agree."
"Lady Asmodea-"
She interrupted him mid-sentence.
"The only difference between Eurus and young lord Astaroth was the presence of a master. Eurus didn't have one to train him, besides he got separated from his mother, whereas Cousin Astaroth was fortunate. Should we punish a child for something he had no control over?"
Orobas and Gressil shared glances but remained silent. Doloros had already stated his stance, so he had nothing further to argue.
Balam clenched his fists and grudgingly said, "I may concede for once that we could excuse the child, provided we investigate his parents. But what I cannot forgive is my lord's intervention, Your Majesty. Nethermoor was under my son's jurisdiction, not his!"
Zerath calmly asked, "Sir Balam, do you know when cousin Astaroth last visited Nethermoor?"
Balam frowned. "Why do you ask that?"
"It has been more than four years now since he last paid a visit. The citizens were quite concerned."
"So what? My son was diligently trying to solve Nethermoor's crisis!"
Zerath smiled. "Sir Gressil, can you kindly open the ledger placed on my desk?"
Gressil did as instructed and flipped the pages open.
"Cousin has been receiving a steady flow of gold from the royal treasury. He was given forty thousand gold coins every year, not only to find the answer, but also to take care of the citizens' basic necessities like food, clothes and water. He soon requested an allocation of fifty thousand coins as the crisis grew more and more severe, and forty thousand was insufficient. This continued on for many years. At present, he receives one hundred thousand gold coins."
Orobas almost coughed out blood.
"But as opposed to the gold he received, the situation at Nethermoor remained quite grim. Let's keep aside eternal winter for now. Nethermoor citizens lacked basic amenities like food and water. Many demons were cold and sick. This was the state I witnessed upon my visit yesterday. One hundred thousand gold coins are more than enough to sustain Nethermoor while simultaneously working with the Ministry of Magic for research."
Zerath's unsaid question was easily understood.
Orobas was flabbergasted. "On hundred thousand gold coins to young lord Astaroth? That's impossible! No ministry in this council receives that large of a sum. My ministry struggled to build routes with the limited allocation that was never increased, so how did young lord Astaroth's request got approved?"
Balam breathed hard. "My lord is tarnishing my son's name! He is your brother. How can you accuse him of being a thief?"
"It's not me but the ledger that speaks, Sir Balam. The gold wasn't spent toward Nethermoor's wellbeing but for his own personal luxuries. I have every record of where my cousin spent the royal treasury's gold in the past few years. You can see it for yourself if you doubt me."
Balam lunged to snatch the ledger from Gressil's hand, but he failed in his attempt.
"I'm still reading, Sir Balam," Gressil furrowed his brows with displeasure. "Have some patience."
Orobas flared his nostrils. "Hand me that ledger next!"
"Certainly."
"And Sir Draconis!" Orobas hissed at him next. "If young lord Astaroth wasn't using the gold for Nethermoor's crisis, then what were you two even working on?"
"Na-Naturally, we were working day in and out to find the answer, what else?" Draconis stammered in his defense.
He sneered. "Or maybe you were taking your own share from the gold as well, so you didn't raise any grievances against this!"
"Sir Orobas, mind your accusations!"
"I wouldn't when my ministry was struggling with a meager thirty thousand gold coins!"
Gressil mumbled, flipping the pages. "I got only twenty thousand…"
Suddenly, an ominous thunder rumbled through the skies, and everybody jolted in shock. Darkness veiled the council chamber without any hint of a warning.
Asmodea blinked. "How is it so dark already?"
Zerath looked out through the glazed windows and stared at the dark grey clouds blanketing the blue sky. His lips parted, stunned.
Why does it look like Nethermoor…?
Malphas's eyes stretched wide. "What's happening?"
Nefarion's gaze squinted dangerously. "Gressil, is this some enemy's rebellion?"
He sprang to his feet. "I'll check the situation right away."
"No, wait."
Zerath stopped him, his gaze fixed outside.
Balam was utterly displeased. "Why should we be waiting when we our under-"
"Sir Draconis, open a passage out of this chamber for us immediately!" Zerath sharply bellowed, taking everybody by shock.
Draconis was startled. "Passage? So suddenly-"
"NOW!"