"Alright, we'll begin by having the representatives of the victimized party come forward," Vahn stated, prompting a golden portal to materialize next to Tanya. Moments later, Queen Calca, flanked by Remedios, Kelart, and a Paladin named Gustav, stepped out, their eyes widening at the scene that awaited them.
"...!"
Noticing the demihuman Chieftains nearby, Remedios immediately flared up, her right hand habitually reaching for her waist. Fortunately, she had already been divested of her greatsword. And though she shouted at the top of her lungs, all that came out of her mouth were tiny drops of spittle.
Resisting the urge to exhale a weary sigh, Vahn plainly stated, "Only those who have been recognized by the Tribunal and the Praefecti representing them are permitted to address the chamber. If you have something to say to the opposing party, Grandmaster Custodio, please relay it through your Proxy..."
"...!"
Reacting to something Remedios had said, Tanya, with half-lidded eyes, aimed her left index finger at the incensed Grandmaster and discharged a thin beam of pale gold light. The attack was too swift for Remedios to do more than widen her eyes. But instead of passing through her, the golden light enveloped her body, causing her to disappear and the armor she was wearing to crumple to the ground.
"...!"
Seeing her sister abruptly vanish, Kelart shouted something that caused Tanya to roll her eyes and respond, "I didn't kill her. I just reduced her to a state that better reflects her infantility..."
Following Tanya's words, Remedios's armor shifted, drawing the confused and then astonished gazes of Calca, Kelart, and Gustav as the younger of the Custodio sisters bent down and unfastened the buckles of her elder sister's breastplate. What she found within was a wailing, red-faced infant with curly brown hair flailing its arms and legs.
"...?"
Reacting to a question posed by Queen Calca, Tanya frowned deeply and responded, "I can turn her back. But if she has another outburst or dares to question the legitimacy of my status as a Praefectus, the only way she will return to her original form is if she ages to it naturally..."
"While I empathize with the Praefectus's frustration, that's more of a punishment for those around her than the Grandmaster herself..." Vahn interjected, unable to prevent a hint of amusement from leaking into his tone.
"I can't deny that..." Tanya conceded, closing her eyes and exhaling a weary sigh before snapping with her left hand. As she did, Remedios's body abruptly expanded to its original size and dimensions. Fortunately for her, the armor she had been wearing briefly disappeared in a flash of golden light, obscuring her naked form before reappearing on her body via Requip Magic—courtesy of Vahn.
"...!"
Bolting to a seated position, Remedios, wide-eyed, slightly red in the face, and sweating, gave herself a quick pat-down.
"I will provide you with this one final warning..." Tanya stated, her eyes shimmering gold and her expression a mix of contempt and menace as she threatened, "The next time you raise your voice, insult me, or call into question the legitimacy of these proceedings, you will face accountability for your indiscretion..."
Clenching her teeth hard enough that her gums bled, Remedios gave the impression she had a lot to say in response to Tanya's threat. Instead, she accepted her sister's help standing while Calca, looking more than a little exasperated, offered Tanya an apology.
"Hmmu...there are few things more troublesome for a leader than having fools for subordinates..." Tanya remarked, a playfully evil grin developing across her face as she gave Remedios a sidelong stare.
"A curious choice of words, considering you're presently wasting our and your master's time..." Lasti commented from the bench, causing Tanya to straighten her back, face forward, and place her right hand over her heart, stating, "I apologize for my impertinence..."
"Let's continue—beginning with the grievances the Holy Roble Kingdom wishes to bring forth..." Vahn suggested calmly, giving the tentacle Lasti had placed across his lap a pacifying caress.
"As the Centrum Justiciar decrees..." Tanya affirmed, offering a closed-eyed bow before rising to her full height and declaring, "The Holy Roble Kingdom contends that the invasion of the Demi-Human Alliance was an unprovoked and ultimately illegal act of aggression—as the Chieftains of the aforementioned coalition failed to make their terms known, leaving no room for negotiation or appeasement. Their occupation is accordingly just as illegitimate, as they have exhibited no desire to cultivate or improve the land. They are simply engaging in slaughter."
"Does the representative of the victimized party agree that this is an accurate representation of their grievances...?" Vahn asked, directing the question at Calca.
"It is as the Praefectus has said, Your Honor..." Calca responded, closing her eyes and offering a slight, hands-over-lap bow. And as she had been asked for her response directly, her words were heard by all present—the six Chieftains included.
"Mmn...then we will now hear from the representatives of the offending party..." Vahn stated, turning his attention to Nuvenia and the assortment of Demihumans gathered behind her.
"Thank you, Your Honor..." Nuvenia expressed, offering a slight bow of her own before arguing, "While it cannot be disputed that my clients are guilty of attacking the Holy Roble Kingdom without warning or cited cause, their decision to invade was not unprovoked. The Holy Roble Kingdom regularly dispatches forces into the Abelion Hills near the conclusion of the harvest season. They are also frequently targeted by Adventurers, so calling their invasion unprovoked would be overlooking the many historical grievances between the two parties..."
"Does the opposing party wish to refute these claims?" Vahn questioned, feeling apologetic but sporting a serious expression as he shifted his gaze to Calca. Remedios and Kelart were staring daggers at him, but he did his best to ignore them.
Shaking her head, Calca calmly conceded, "I cannot deny that the Holy Roble Kingdom regularly dispatches its forces into the Abellion Hills. But our doing so has less to do with our faith than necessity. For if we do not regularly patrol and clear the trade routes connecting our Kingdom to the lands of Re-Estize, our country would be strangled to death by the pirates and subaquatic races that regulate sea trade..."
"Then, if the tribes of the Abelion Hills didn't hinder trade between the Holy Roble Kingdom and Re-Estize, you would have no reason to attack them. Is that fair to say...?" Vahn asked, causing Calca's brows to rise in mild surprise.
Leaving Calca to mull over her response, Vahn directed his gaze to the demihuman delegation and asked, "What says your group? If the Roble Holy Kingdom agrees to leave your people in peace, will you permit the safe travel of merchants through the route Queen Calca has mentioned? More to the point, what motivates your alliance? What compelled you to join forces and launch this campaign at this particular moment? And who among you led the charge in your union?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seemingly unsure of how to respond to Vahn's questions, the leaders of the Demi-Human Alliance exchanged nervous looks. Those who were able to sweat did so. And Rokesh, serving as the group's de facto leader, found himself beginning to tremble from his core.
"Please put your minds and hearts at ease..." Nuvenia expressed, sporting a professional smile as she explained, "Though this might resemble a trial, you were not brought here to determine your innocence or guilt. The goal of these proceedings is to ascertain the underlying motivations and goals of all parties to determine a solution or compromise. So long as you speak honestly and set aside your pride, you will not be held to account for your preceding words and actions—only those you take henceforth."
With Nuvenia's words directed at him, Rokesh briefly met the gazes of his fellow Chieftains before slithering forward, his slitted, amethyst-pink eyes rising to the bench as he touched his chest and carefully expressed, "I am Rokesh Rakashasaha of the Naga Raja Tribe...and though I was not aware of its existence before today...it is a tremendous honor to stand before the Dragon God and this Tribunal. For one to command the loyalty of so many Dragons...your greatness is beyond measure..."
"Are you the one who unified the tribes of the Abelion Hills...?" Vahn asked plainly.
Shaking his head, Rokesh caused the other Chieftains to tense as he revealed, "While it is true that I serve as the Commander of the Demi-Human Alliance, it was not my strength or will that unified the tribes. It was another's..."
"Oh? Does this person have a name...?" Vahn asked, his curiosity piqued. The name and face of Demiurge immediately came to mind. But he didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"He did not provide us with his name, but his strength was overwhelming. More than half of my children and personal guard were slain by him within a single instant..." Rokesh explained, his voice trembling as he lowered his head and recalled the scene of his kin being slaughtered.
"Hmm...allow me to confirm things directly..." Vahn said, leaving Rokesh confused until the snake-headed man raised his gaze and found himself in what appeared to be his tent. For a moment, it seemed that the scene he was imagining would play out anew. Thankfully, time within the scene appeared to be suspended. And, more notably, Vahn was there, standing next to the masked and hooded figure who had approached him and the other Chieftains...
"Is this an illusion...?" Rokesh asked, his words spoken with extreme care.
"That would be the simplest way to explain it..." Vahn responded, his gaze focused on the masked figure. It didn't look like Demiurge, but that meant very little in a world where Doppelgangers and magic that could change a person's appearance existed. And, unfortunately, he could render only as many details within the scene as Rokesh was able to recall...
"Hmmn...?"
Noticing a leather pouch at the hooded figure's waist, Vahn undid the clasps and pulled out a red book that was mostly a hazy shadow. A few sections of the spine must have been visible to Rokesh at some point, as while the cover was completely illegible, it was possible to make out the symbol of the Slane Theocracy above a golden hexagram.
"That star...it is the symbol of the Six Scriptures..." Rokesh contributed solemnly, slithering forward but maintaining a respectable distance from Vahn. He didn't outright assert that the hooded figure was a member of the Six Scriptures, but that was what the leather-bound book seemed to be pointing toward.
"Close your eyes..." Vahn said calmly, prompting Rokesh to close his eyes and lower his head. The moment he did, the scene around them began to play out several times faster than it had occurred in reality. To Vahn's and Sis's senses, however, it may as well have been playing out in super slow motion.
Seeing the hooded and masked figure blast Rokesh's guards away with a pulse of what appeared to be holy power, Vahn's expression morphed into a frown. The Slane Theocracy advocated for human supremacy and had a fervent mistrust of other races. The Roble Holy Kingdom held very similar beliefs, so he couldn't readily conceive of why they might orchestrate the formation of the Demi-Human Alliance to cripple a nation that shared their values...
(Perhaps it was to highlight the threat of demihumans and provide their people with a proper motivation to continue hating them? As you noted, the Roble Holy Kingdom shares many of the same values. If such a nation were to spontaneously be wiped out by a coalition of demihumans—what better way to reinforce the sentiment that demihumans need to be wiped out?) Sis speculated.
'There is also the emergence of the Sorcerer Kingdom to consider...' Vahn appended, his expression turning grim as he imagined the higher-ups in the Slane Theocracy giving the order to sacrifice the Roble Holy Kingdom to further the enmity between humans and non-humans. He wasn't going to disregard other possibilities. But once he had helped to resolve things with the Holy Roble Kingdom, confronting the Slane Theocracy seemed to be the next thing on his to-do list...
...
..
.