Ball of Nothing

Only four people including Zero would be attending the trial from Baal's castle. Zero didn't ask why Coux was coming along, it was obvious that Baal needed his secretary to ensure he doesn't shrink from his duties. On the other hand, Zero was slightly puzzled as to why Baal chose to invite Ruth along at the very last possible minute. The Demon Lord practically manhandled the child into the carriage and tossed him onto one of those plush seats. Just before the vampire could protest, Baal shoved a specially prepared sandwich in the boy's mouth to avoid dealing with any objections for the time being.

Needless to say, Ruth didn't deny food. He scoffed the whole thing down in three bites. Zero was slightly worried. He'd have to teach Ruth the importance of chewing food thoroughly one of these days. After breakfast was complete, the Q&A session began. Zero watched both his friend and friend-to-be with concern. He didn't know what to do if a fight broke out. There was no doubt about it, Ruth would be overpowered. Still, it seemed like Ruth still had some sense left in him because he merely glowered at the Demon Lord in silence. Baal outrightly ignored that heated glare and took a nap, much to Coux's dismay.

"Do you have any idea why Bell threw him in here at the last minute?" Zero whispered to Coux, not wanting to wake Baal up. The Demon Lord's crankiness hasn't changed all that much when he didn't have his much-desired rest. Zero was not taking any chances, not on an important day like this. luckily, Zero's magic pillow did the job of keeping the Demon Lord asleep while they whispered.

Ruth didn't appreciate being left out of the conversation, especially with his keen sense of hearing. In retaliation, the vampire cleared his throat loudly for attention. Baal jostled in his sleep but didn't awake, much to Zero's relief. The secretary shot Ruth a warning glare for his outright disobedience. Regardless of how Zero thinks about the situation, Ruth was a highly dangerous slave and it was the only reason why he was forced to follow them.

Ruth got the message and quickly fell silent once more, sulking while glancing outside the window into the dreary scenery. Coux smiled kindly at Zero and thought of how to word it in the nicest way so that Zero's feelings wouldn't be hurt.

"Let me guess," Zero stopped her before she could start. "It's Bell, isn't it? He doesn't trust Ruth to stay in the castle alone."

The half-succubus froze, unsure if she should deny it and lie or admit it. In the end, she remained silent and allowed Zero to form his own conclusions. The scowl on the young doctor's face was obvious much to Ruth's amusement. Zero glared at Baal and was deciding if he should start confronting his friend about it and disturb him from his nap right before the trial.

Thankfully, with Mii's rational input, Zero decided to hold it off till after the trial. Baal might have meant well but this was Zero's responsibility. He knew about Ruth's intentions to escape and wanted this to be a test of faith but Baal had gone ahead to ruin it completely. If he was going to complete the quest and have Ruth become a servant-friend, he wanted Ruth to be a willing servant much like Truen. While binding someone with power was easier, it wasn't as effective as winning someone's loyalty over completely. Zero didn't want to force Ruth to choose this path even if he wanted the vampire to be a friend. It's true that he bought the vampire from the auction house out of pity and a sense of righteousness to satisfy himself. However, he knew what it meant to be responsible. It's like saving an injured cat. You either take care of them until they heal and let them go when they are ready to leave or provide a home for them. Whichever choice that Ruth makes in future, Zero wouldn't interfere. He would love to have Ruth as a friend but he wasn't going to impose his feelings on the vampire who'd suffered greatly in the cruel hands of fate.

"I apologise for Baal's treatment," the doctor-in-training bowed, surprising the vampire. It was the first time someone had apologised to him sincerely for something that someone else had done to him.

Fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, the vampire looked to Coux for some sort of help but the secretary wore her poker face well. There was no doubt that Coux was observing how Ruth would react only to report it to Baal later.

Ruth was in troubled. Back in his clan, they would acknowledge the other party's apology and carry on as if the wrong wasn't committed in the first place after dishing out punishment to the wrongdoer often in the form of a hard punch to the face. He didn't think that it was appropriate to be punching Zero or Baal and had to think twice about acknowledging the apology. as a slave, he was in no position to offer opinions or decisions, much less accept anything that gives status and respect.

Sensing Ruth's conflict, Zero smiled apologetically and waved it off. "It's just something that I wanted to say, you don't have to treat it seriously if you don't want to. I know that this may not be the way things work in the abyss but it's what I believe needs to be done, regardless of cultural differences."

Coux didn't let it show but she was secretly overjoyed that Zero was maturing into a fine young man. Humility is one of the most difficult things to master when one becomes powerful and more knowledgeable. Zero has gotten it down to a pat, there was nothing to worry much about with his determination to learn more about responsibilities.

Ruth sat awkwardly throughout the rest of the journey with only Baal's light snoring in the background. Coux took the opportunity to brief Zero about the etiquettes and procedures in the courtroom via the party call that Zero shared with her using the Skill-Transfer. The half-succubus only pretended to look through the documents one last time while communicating with Zero who was breathing out onto the glass and drawing random scribbles on the fog created.

Ruth observed his master with interest. Zero looked older than him but behaved very childishly at times. In fact, everything about Zero was an enigma to him. How could he not have heard about such a powerful existence? Surely with Zero's level of power, he could easily become a Demon Lord. Where has Zero been this whole time? Also, Zero's demeanour didn't strike him as someone raised with a golden spoon in his mouth. The things he was able to afford spoke differently. While Zero wasn't uneducated, he was strangely naive about many things in the world. No matter how sheltered a child was, they would eventually discover emotions that are less desirable. Zero doesn't seem to possess any of those things. He wasn't greedy or complacent. He wasn't arrogant or selfish. In fact, Zero was the epitome of an angel except the vampire knew that angels can be a real snobbish pain in the back with their holier-than-thou attitude.

***

Lucifer's domain was very different from Baal's. For starters, it looked very clean and well-lit. Zero thought that some of the buildings looked strangely familiar to the ones in La Boutique. Several architectures reminded him about the smaller shrines he'd seen while in Heaven. How did Lucifer know about them? Weren't demons and angels enemies from long ago?

In the middle of the town was a huge building that Coux introduced as the campus. That was the Morning Star Academy that only the most talented demons get to attend. Of course, school fees were expensive but there were things called scholarship for the poor students who worked hard. Beelzebub was a scholarship student at the Academy much to Zero's surprise. He was more astonished to hear that mammon had agreed to be Beel's sponsor while he was in school.

"They also happen to have the greatest library in the abyss at the campus. Books from other worlds and dimensions can be found here. Their librarian is a fae from a different dimension and they have very unique teachers who are the best in their specialised fields. There isn't anything that the Academy doesn't teach. Lucifer ensures that every student is stretched to their maximum potential while studying at his campus. It's one of the reasons why this is a magic-free zone."

Zero blinked and Ruth twitched. "Magic-free zone?"

The secretary nodded. "There is a powerful barrier that seals all chakra channels. Anyone without the seal of approval from Lucifer is unable to use magic in the area."

"But the trial... En needs to use magic."

Coux smiled. "Of course, those with a higher authority than the Ruler of Hell will be able to use magic. Special arrangements have been made for King Yama, Lord Hades and the other attending Demon Lords."

Zero briefly wondered if he was on that list of exception but shook his head. It didn't really matter. The Inheritor of Sins is an ability that doesn't require mana. Besides, he didn't need mana when he could simply convert the stored energy into spells. Blocking the chakra network isn't going to affect Zero at all. He came well-prepared.

As the carriage drew closer, Zero wondered where they were headed to. From the invitation, the trial would be held in one of the auditoriums in the campus. It was a trial open to the public for witnesses. Coincidentally, it was an event that would be recorded down in Hell's history. Zero had many questions but he chose to observe for now.

His suspicions were confirmed when the carriage pulled to a stop outside of a menacing looking castle. When Zero said menacing, he meant something that had many weapons lined on the walls pointing at whoever approaches it. The gate was heavy and bolted. The spikes glued to them didn't make them seem friendlier and the thorny branches crawling across the castle walls deterred any potential unwanted visitors. The security was so tight that Zero wondered how sloppy Baal's castle was compared to all the other Demon Lords.

The heavy spiked doors creaked open and Lucifer's voice echoed loudly. "Welcome, Anita will guide you. Please follow her."

Coux bowed and led the way after Zero woke Baal up. The Demon Lord wasn't as cranky as everyone feared. Zero's pillow must have worked well and Ruth chose to totter behind Zero instead of Baal. The Demon Lord didn't seem to pay the vampire much attention and demanded that Zero carry him on his back since he was too lazy to walk.

"No, Bell. You should exercise else you might end up pudgy. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of short walks like this. Being deskbound mean that there will be many accumulated health issues in the long run. It's never too early to take some preventive measures."

The Demon Lord gave Zero the stink eye and snapped his fingers so that he was floating along while pulling Zero's shirt to move. After seeing how Bal was stretching the fabric of his neatly pressed shirt, Zero decided that holding Baal's hand was much easier than trying to correct the Demon Lord. The party of four entered a sitting room and was served tea by a different demon servant. For once, Zero thought that Demon Lords were really wealthy and well-respected.

"You were just thinking about something really rude, weren't you?" Baal scowled, sensing Zero's thoughts.

The young doctor sat up straight that instant and denied it profusely while not looking at his friend in the eye.

Baal clicked his tongue and rolled his eye. He could guess what Zero was thinking about. Compared to his dingy castle, Lucifer's was a whole new world. It wasn't too far from the truth. It's common knowledge that Lucifer has the most number of servants and the most extravagant castle in the abyss. Considering that this castle was once built for an archangel, nobody was going to refute that claim. The Prince of Hell was formerly an archangel and a brother-of-sorts with Michael before the falling out. Naturally, to fit in with the harsh theme of the abyss, some modifications were done to the building but nobody could deny the grandiose structure.

They didn't have to wait long before the other guests started filtering in. King Yama was the first to be seen as he held the door open for his father, Zero's teacher and Buddha. Lucifer was still nowhere to be seen but knowing the Demon Lord's love for theatrics, he would announce his presence later in an attention-grabbing way.

"En!" Zero's face lit up at the sight of his friend and ran over to crush the now smaller Demigod in his arms.

Enma was taken aback to see Zero's physical change but got over it quickly. Zero exchanged letters with him explaining his plan to save Schaf. He also received the update this morning about the new ability to absorb sins to his benefit. While it solved the issue of punishing Schaf, Enma didn't know if that was a wise thing to do. Not everyone would be as repentant as Douglas.

"I'm so glad to see you!"

Enma smiled. "I'm so glad to see you too. It gave me quite the scare to hear that you were unconscious. Are you alright now?"

Baal rolled his eyes at the stiff formalities. It would take a while before they could get down to actual business so the Demon Lord helped himself to some snacks and tea while waiting. Coux didn't stop him so Baal snuck on a few more and offered the vampire some. Ruth politely declined, not knowing if it was safe for consumption. Baal shrugged it off and continued munching while Enam and Zero chatted without care about Hades who looked like a kicked puppy waiting at the door.

"Oh dear," Zero blinked after noticing the gloomy shadow growing from the corner of his eye. He'd been too caught up with answering Enma's questions that he forgot there was another visitor.

"Sorry, Hades. How have you been? Kerberos missed you, have you seen him yet?"

The God of Death brightened up when Zero turned the attention away from his son to him. Enma went over to join Baal on the couch, sipping on tea and discussing some details about the trial later. Hades smiled at Zero's concern. It was different seeing the boy in a teenage form but it wasn't unwelcomed.

"He's doing well. I've discussed with Hua Tuo about it and he agreed to oversee Kerberos' punishment with Merlin."

"That's great! Oh, I have something for you..."

Hades was pleasantly surprised at the odd but intriguing git that Zero prepared for him. "What's this?"

"They are what I now dub as Shadow Balloons. I decided to give it to you personally because I knew I would be seeing you today. I sent the rest of the gifts using a courier service, I don't know if they received it yet."

Buddha smiled. "Yes, I received it. It is now planted in the pond of reflection and helped with my recovery greatly."

Hua Tuo was curious about how Zero obtained such a unique lotus but held his question. There would be plenty of time back in the village to ask Zero that. for now, he was content to allow his apprentice to catch up with his friends. The physician inspected the scrawny vampire that Zero recently adopted. He'd never thought to cure the thirst of vampires and their inability to eat anything else so when Zero's question came through the communicator, the physician was stunned. After being a doctor for so long, Hua Tuo had forgotten to consider the possibilities of new diseases and illness apart from the ones already known to him. While drinking blood was a common trait of vampires, it was still odd that they couldn't eat anything else for sustenance.

Ruth caught the strange human-looking old man staring at him and felt his skin prickle uncomfortably. That feeling lasted for a while before fading away and Ruth let out a sigh of relief. Whatever it was, the vampire was certain that the old man wasn't simply checking him out. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think about it when the Judge for today's trial turned to him.

"So, how did you meet Zero?"