Quaestor Amalthus, you say?” The King briefly glances towards Minoth before looking back to Addam. “You speak of the same Driver that climbed the World Tree and wielded the Master Blade against Coeia?”
“Yes. The one in the same.” Addam turns his attention to Malos. “This, in fact, is the Master Blade you speak of.”
The other man sits up straighter in his seat. “You dare to bring that dangerous-”
“Peace, Zettar.” The King raises a hand to quiet the man. “I am certain Addam has good reason for bringing him here.”
“I do, my lord.” Addam tenses under Zettar’s piercing gaze. “Malos himself became a victim of Amalthus’s experimentation, and he escaped from Indol, taking with him another test subject- a human child that Amalthus purchased. They can both testify to the truth of Minoth’s claims.”
Mikhail peeks out from behind Malos’s legs before concealing himself once more after finding himself the object of both the King and Zettar’s attention.
The King says nothing for several seconds, but then his eyes turn back to Addam. “Is the Praetor aware of these experiments?”
“It’s... unclear, my lord.” Addam admits.
The King sighs. “These are disturbing accusations, but I’m afraid there is little Torna can do.”
Addam furrows his eyebrows. “I do not understand. Surely with a bit of pressure from Torna-”
“Torna has no justifiable reason to place any sanction on Indol. By your own admission, it is unclear if the Praetor is involved in these experiments, or if this is solely the work of one quaestor. Either way, this is an Indoline affair that has no bearing on Torna.”
“But, my lord, they took a Tornan child.” Addam gestures to Mikhail. “This boy is obviously of Tornan blood. No one could mistake that.”
“You said the Quaestor purchased the boy?” The King questions, continuing when Addam nods. “Then the kidnappers are the only ones we can lawfully pursue at this time. Unless you can prove that Indoline soldiers crossed into Tornan territory to take the child, there is nothing Torna can do. If Indol still had the boy, we could demand his return, but that is no longer relevant.”
“This cruelty against civilians and refugees breaks international conventions-”
“Indol is not part of the treaty you refer to. As such, they remain immune to such accusations.” The King looks to Malos. “If you wish to remain in Torna as a refugee from your Driver’s abuse, then we will grant you sanctuary, so long as you agree to remain with Addam and his men. If you choose to turn your powers against Torna, you will be dealt with accordingly.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Malos crosses his arms. “I’ll behave.”
“Then you are dismissed.”
“So Indol is to be allowed to continue purchasing children from Torna? To torture and even kill them?” Addam hands curl into fists before he forces them to loosen. “Surely we have a duty to protect our own?”
“You have evidence of one child, Addam.” The King says, not unkindly. “If this issue grows, then further steps may be taken, but for the time being, there is simply nothing that can be done. If you are bothered by this, I would suggest tracking down those responsible for the boy’s kidnapping and going from there.”
“My lord-” Addam stops himself, shoulders hunching over. “Very well. Thank you for your time.”
Addam turns from the room, followed quickly by Minoth and Milton- with Malos and Mikhail not far behind.
