Masks (A Mephisto Pheles/ Rin Okumura x female reader)

Chapter 21 (The Trial)

The sound of footsteps echoed through the long marble tiled hallway. Arthur Auguste Angel wore a stern glare as he led the demon king to his trial. This was the second one the king had to attend in 3 months. It was not looking good for Mephisto's reputation. Rin Okumura, the son of satan, was the centre of his last litigation. He had rehearsed and anticipated that trial for nearly years beforehand. He was more than ready. He knew exactly what to do and say to get the outcome he wanted. However, since y/n had come into his life, he had gotten sloppy. He was incredibly distracted, only thinking about y/n and her needs. Because of this, he hadn't seen this coming. He hadn't prepared. It was almost embarrassing to the time king.

He had no choice but to improvise.

Glaring at the blonde, he knew he would first need to discover where y/n was being held. Then he could come up with a plan from there. She was his first  priority. He needed to get her to safety. His teeth practically ground with rage at the thought of what the Paladin had done. The exorcist told him all about how he had to resort to violence against y/n. How Lewin, his right hand, felt he had to do the same and how the only thing stopping them from killing her now was the cradle barrier protecting her.

All he wanted to do was crush the paladins 206 bones in one swift blow and that was the merciful option. The only thing stopping the king was the looming war with his brother. He needed every strong warrior he could find to fight for humanity. Arthur couldn't be that warrior while being dead.

So, the king played along. Only for now. Arthur would have to be tolerated. The trial on the other hand was a much simpler ball park. Once he figured out where y/n and his unborn child were (which he thought would most likely be revealed at the trial), this whole event would be easy to sweep under the rug. The king could simply snip all of the knights memories and cover up everything all over again. However, this could only be done once per person. He had saved this last resort for a time like today. Then the only issue would be his traumatized y/n, Arthur's memories, and his brothers.

It would take time for y/n to recover. With a lot of love he was sure that wouldn't be a problem. Arthur's memories were a problem that he could control as well. However, his brothers would be sure to take interest in his new kin. With the cradle barrier activating, it wouldn't be long now before the child's first heart beat. Once beating, his brothers would sense the new power. Mephisto was sure his child would be powerful and hard to ignore. The baby had his blood after all. 

It was only a matter of when.

"We're here." Arthur exclaimed, opening the doors to the opera house court room. The giant 3 story opera house was a large circular room lined with balcony's and decorative wall edgings. Each balcony was filled with exorcists acting as a jury of sorts to the case. They all whispered amongst themselves, surely gossiping about the king. Above them was an especially large chandelier illuminating the large set of stairs straight ahead. This stair case led the path up to the stand where the accused were expected to stand during their trials. Directly ahead of that was a especially large balcony holding the 3 members of the grigori. They were acting sages and the only ones with a higher ranking than the Paladin.

All answered to them and their rule.

Drawing everyone's attention was an older gentlemen's wooden hammer. Noticing Mephisto's arrival he smashed it against the top of his desk signifying the court was in session. He was the acting judge in their court room and he was responsible for running each trial. It was a job he took very seriously.

"Order! Order! Attention please. The accused proceed to the stand!" He barked. Mephisto's signature smirk was no where to be found. All he could think about was y/n. He wanted her safe and all who hurt her to be dead. He felt nothing but an unbridled rage. It took every strength within him not to let it loose. He walked up the steps to the stand and bore only a stern glare. He feelings showed all over his face. It only attracted more interest from the crowd. It was rather unusual for the demon king to act in such a way.