The Dai Shimaron Patriot
Summary: A captive half-demon soldier is brought before King Belar, challenging his claim to the throne of Dai Shimaron. Belar takes Sir Weller under his wing, but who is using who? Takes place between episodes 27 and 41. Belar POV.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou or its characters.
Warnings: Dub-con, sexual themes, same sort of violence seen in the anime/manga/novel.
Chapter 4: The Maou of Shin Makoku
It was snowing. A thin coat of white powder fell on the crowd in Dai Shimaron's coliseum. In his private viewing box, King Belar watched the World's Greatest Fighter in action.
The battle had quickly become boring. While the competitor from Caloria clearly did not have the skills to defeat Sir Weller, the Dai Shimaron representative seemed unwilling to finish the fight. He simply blocked each attack, never advancing nor attacking.
"What is he doing?" growled Belar. His pride in his newest conquest was turning sour. "Doesn't he want to claim victory?" Perhaps he was dragging the fight out, stringing his opponent along. Or maybe he was trying to give the crowd something to look at? Either way, if he wished to play with an opponent he could have waited for someone better. The boy looked exhausted. He waved his sword in Conrart's general direction.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dai Shimaron's second representative rushed the field, charging the boy from Caloria. Surprised, Sir Weller whirled around and blocked his attack.
"Who ordered this interruption?" barked Belar. "Someone get him out of there!"
The man in the black Dai Shimaron uniform seemed intent on killing the Calorian representative. Whether he filled with some sort of bloodlust, or if he had something against the Calorian people, King Belar did not know. The man put his sword to the ground and the earth began to tremble. He was using human magic! The ground surrounding Sir Weller broke apart and he was quickly encased in a shell of earth. The man in black was then free to focus his assault on the representative from Caloria.
King Belar was now standing, calling for his guards to settle the interference. If it somehow caused Dai Shimaron to lose there would be hell to pay. If only Sir Weller had ended the fight instead of dragging it on! What was he thinking?
"What in the world is he…?" the Dai Shimaron representative stood in front of the Calorian boy, apparently ready to end his life once and for all. Sir Weller had released himself from the trap and was running towards them, apparently attempting to break up the fight. He stopped and yelled something at the man in the black… who immediately stopped his charge and whirled around. Did they know each other?
At the same time, the fellow representatives from Caloria broke out of their prison and joined their friend's side. A bloodbath would ensue if Belar didn't put a stop to it. The referee from Dai Shimaron was attempting to send everyone back to their seats so the match could resume. Belar lifted his hands to his people.
"Calm down, my people!" he said. "I understand your concerns. This confusion must not occur during a World's Greatest Fighter Tournament match. This interruption besmirches the rich history of the Tournament and is a disgrace to its participants. It will not stand! In order not to despoil this magnificent tournament, I declare that the match cannot proceed any further. Thus, because it is the defending champion, Dai Shimaron is, by default, still the champion." Belar was smiling. He had forced it, but Dai Shimaron had won the tournament once again. He lowered his hands.
"Also, those who have disrupted this tournament will receive severe punishment! Capture the representatives from Caloria!" Soldiers charged the group in the middle. Belar was still grinning. He would be able to show his people the might of Dai Shimaron's army, at the very least. Sir Weller stepped back to let the soldiers do their work. The man in black walked slowly towards his seat. Belar would have to deal with him later.
Belar was leaning in to watch his mighty soldiers do their work when he recoiled. There was a faint glow coming from the middle of the group of Calorians. Suddenly, a great wind broke out, swirling around the entire stadium! People were gripping their seats in order to prevent being blown away. Soldiers were knocked off of their feet, sent careening back. The expensive hat on Belar's head went flying, never to be seen again. Only Sir Weller was still standing, his sword thrust into the ground, as if he had been expecting this great sorcery to occur. And then there was the voice. It spoke softly, yet could be heard by everyone in the area, as if by magic.
"When events do not go your way, you brandish your sword high above your head in order to distort the truth. How cowardly. You shall atone for the sin of ruining this dignified sport!" The ground began to tremble and crack. "Spilling blood is not my style, but it cannot be helped. Punishment!"
"It's a demon! A demon has come to kill us all!" came the cries from the crowd.
Belar stared in shock and horror, his hair and robes billowing around him. It was a demon…
"Why? Why is a demon here?" Powerful gusts of wind picked up the snow on the ground and sent it up into the air, creating a tornado of snowflakes and water. The crowd was screaming in terror. And then, as if it had never happened the wind stopped. The boy from Caloria lay in the arms of his friend. And in the ground there was carved an inscription which Belar could not read. The snow began to fall again. Sir Weller released the grasp on his sword and stood still, observing the group of Calorians before them. But Belar knew then that they were not Calorians, but demons from Shin Makoku. That much was clear.
The band of demons ran from the stadium, as the soldiers, slowly got to their feet and began their chase. Sir Weller did not move. Belar's eyes narrowed as he observed his charge. There was only one demon who could use such power in human lands… that demon must have been… the Maou. Sir Weller had been fighting the Maou the entire time, and had done nothing. The traitor.
Belar was standing in a back room in the coliseum. The crowd had cleared and the soldiers were gone. In a chair sat Sir Weller, his eyes downcast, looking at the table in front of him.
"What were you thinking?" asked Belar angrily.
Conrart seemed unusually irritated. "Do you mean when I discovered that the Maou of Shin Makoku was to be the third competitor? Or when one of your poorly-trained representatives was a former soldier of that country?"
"So that's who it was? And you knew it the whole time? What game are you playing? Why didn't you assassinate the Maou on the spot? Why did you allow him to escape? What a fool you are!"
Conrart's hand slammed into the table and he rose angrily.
"It is you who is the fool! What should I have done? Killed a fifteen-year-old boy in front of tens of thousands of civilians? That would have endeared them to you, I'm sure! You ask me what game I am playing… it is yours! Everything that I have done is for the country of Dai Shimaron. I did as you asked and fought in your name. Was it my fault you paid no attention to who was competing in your own competition? Was it my fault your soldiers are poorly trained? Did you expect me to single-handedly defeat the Maou of Shin Makoku and all of his retainers with no backup? I am only one man." He sat down again, and spoke more calmly this time.
"When I saw that he was my opponent, what could I do? I obeyed the rules of the competition. And when the Maou recognized me and asked me why I betrayed him… what could I do but tell him that you were my master now? That I belonged to Dai Shimaron? I was ordered to serve as a competitor in this competition, not your executioner. I did only what I could do at that point in time."
"I had him in my hands! Just a thrust of your sword, that's all it would have taken to make the world fall into my grasp."
Sir Weller looked up at Belar sharply. "What you do not understand," he said, "is that it is the will of the people that makes a king. If I was to kill that boy in front of Dai Shimaron's most powerful, it might serve to turn the will of the people against you. What would be the purpose of a world free for the taking with no king to take it? You asked me to prove my loyalty to you. I could have killed the Maou and used it to turn the will of the people against you. I could have assassinated you on your throne and there would not be a single soldier who could have stopped me. But I instead did as I was told and served you honorably. And now what will you do? Will you try to have me executed? Send me away?"
Belar stopped pacing and peered at Sir Weller with searching eyes.
"I think you know I cannot do that."
Sir Weller stood once again. "Then let us raise the stakes, shall we? Your soldiers are poorly trained. They will never be able to capture the Maou in their current state. I will train them to do so. I know many things about Shin Makoku that will prove valuable to you. Let's use them to Dai Shimaron's benefit. I tire of participating in showy competitions. I am here to fight for you. I have led some of Shin Makoku's greatest armies. Should I not lead yours?"
"You speak as if you are king of this country, Sir Weller," said Belar. "You serve me, and will do as I command. I will not stand for insubordination."
"In Shin Makoku, I was in a position close to the Maou. No one understood his motives like I did. His intentions are the same as yours – to unite the world. I know how he thinks, how he makes decisions. Are you not going to use me? I can literally deliver the Maou into your hands… but I will only act on your order."
Belar walked over to where Sir Weller stood. Putting his hand on the table, he leaned in closely.
"Make good on your promise. The Maou is likely still in Dai Shimaron. Take a contingent of soldiers and search for him." Sir Weller nodded.
"As you wish."