There wasn't a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
Staring coldly at the young girl, Damnatio Kira pronounced his accusations like a judge delivering a verdict on a heinous criminal:
"Her name is Marley Adelaine, once the heiress of the noble Adelaine family. Now she's a fallen aristocrat living under the care of an orphanage. Our investigation has confirmed that during the recent battle, she used sleep magic—causing both direct and indirect damage to the Magic Knights and the citizens of the Clover Kingdom."
Despite her age, despite her fragile form, not a soul in the chamber offered her any sympathy.
The nobles muttered with disdain.
"She's just a child!"
"A child who used magic in wartime. That makes her a threat."
"Disgraceful. I can't believe someone like that once bore a noble name…"
"As Chairman of the Magic Parliament," Damnatio's voice rang through the chamber, "I declare you guilty. The punishment shall be carried out immediately."
At his signal, several magic knights raised their wands—prepared, without hesitation, to execute a child.
Marley's face turned pale. Terror filled her eyes.
"Why?" he shouted. "Why won't you listen? She's just a little girl! She didn't mean any harm!"
Even facing literal devils hadn't made him feel this level of helpless rage.
Now the people he had fought to protect turned on the very ones he'd sworn to save.
"Why is it," he growled, trembling with fury, "that those I protect… always end up wanting me dead?"
A volley of magical beams burst forth—heading straight for Marley.
But something even faster intercepted them. A blur of black, demonic energy surged across the room.
Asta stood between Marley and the attacks.
One arm shielding the girl in his embrace.
The other wielding his Demon-Slayer Sword, cutting the spells from the air like paper.
"I get it now... This is what you really wanted, isn't it?!"
His devilish transformation burst forth in full view. His face twisted in fury, eyes blazing with wrath.
The entire chamber erupted.
"It's true! He is a demon!"
"Kill him! Slay the demon before he strikes!"
The whispers became a frenzy.
Even those who had held doubts before now saw Asta's demonic form as undeniable proof.
His words, his truth—it didn't matter anymore. No amount of pleading would save him now.
"At last, your true form is revealed," Damnatio sneered. "Everyone wants you dead, demon. Can you hear them?"
Asta's grip on his sword tightened.
Looking at Damnatio, he felt a rage that burned deeper than any battle had ever provoked.
He could crush them all. He could end this charade with one strike.
Even if he broke free…
Even if he tore through the Magic Parliament and escaped…
He'd have to leave the Black Bulls, Hage Village, and everything—everyone—he cared about.
And so, he hesitated.
The crack of a slap echoed through the chamber.
Damnatio was sent flying sideways like he'd been hit by a train.
Everyone turned in shock.
A man stood at the center of the room, casually shaking his right hand.
"Damn… your smug face nearly broke my fingers," he muttered to himself.
It was Ethan Hayes, captain of the 10th Magic Knight Squad – Dawnlight Division.
"Did he… just slap the Chairman of the Parliament?"
"Impossible! He hit Damnatio?!"
"Who is this lunatic?!"
Anger exploded from the nobles.
"How dare you trespass into the Parliament!"
"Kill him! He's mocking the law!"
"Blasphemy! Death is the only path to forgiveness!"
More and more voices turned on Ethan. Some, however, finally recognized him.
"That's Ethan Hayes! Captain of the Dawnlight Division!"
"Even so! He should know better—violating the law is a crime in itself!"
From the floor, Damnatio clutched his cheek in disbelief.
In front of everyone.
"You're his accomplice, then," Damnatio growled. "Have you come to free your little demon friend?"
More self-righteous fury.
More judgmental eyes.
"Yeah," he said simply. "I'm his accomplice. So what are you gonna do about it?"
"Wha…? You… you're not even going to deny it?!"
"Why should I?" Ethan shrugged. "You weren't gonna listen anyway."
Damnatio's lips curled in a sneer.
"Fine then. You've confessed. That spares us the drama."
He raised his hand to the crowd.
"Everyone—witness this man. A captain of the Magic Knights, aiding a known demon. He defies the Kingdom and aligns with its enemies.
As Chairman of this Parliament, I sentence him—GUILTY! Immediate execution!"
This time, Damnatio's other cheek lit up red.
He staggered again, eyes wide.
"You? Sentence me?" Ethan laughed coldly. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
The room was in chaos.
He had done it again.
Not once, but twice—he had slapped the most powerful political figure in the kingdom. In public. Without fear.
"You insolent brat! This is the Magic Parliament!"
"How dare you insult our laws!"
Damnatio, face flushed with rage and humiliation, finally lost control.
"Scales of Justice—Ratio Control!"
A strange pressure swept through the chamber.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
He could feel it—his power was being drained.
What had once been ten units of magical energy now felt like five.
Still more than enough.
But before he could react—
A magical blast aimed at Ethan was caught… by a girl in odd, ceremonial armor.
She gripped the spell in one hand—crushed it—and let the remnants scatter like stardust.
It was Zephyra, the sword spirit in her human form.
"What do you think you're doing," she said softly, "to my master?"
Her presence was serene, but her aura radiated deadly power.
The nobles stepped back, speechless.
If they could sense her strength, they'd realize—
She wasn't just decoration.
She was a warrior on par with Ethan himself.
A being of the Zero Domain.
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