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Title: Maoh, A Day Late
Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun.
Notes: Yuri and company meet Conrart. There's a fight.
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Part II, Chapter 11
My back to you
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Wolfram didn't wait for Yuri to start arguing again. Once they stepped out of the inn, he simply turned and ran.
If he outpaced Yuri enough, Murata might be able to stop Yuri from interfering, Wolfram thought. He still believed there was no reason for Yuri to take part. And as a loyal Demon Tribesman, he had a duty to protect his king from harm, no matter how stupid and harm-seeking that king.
"Wolfram! Wolfram, wait!" Yuri yelled after him, his voice echoing down the streets.
The sun had risen, and people had begun to go about their day, slowly filling the streets. Wolfram dodged around them skillfully, letting them instead trip Yuri up. He didn't need to think twice about where to go. Big Cimaron's first destination was obvious - the castle.
There was no need for subtlety.
As he hit the main street, winding its way up to the castle, Wolfram caught a glimpse of Big Cimaron's flag and their brown-clad soldiers up ahead. They were almost to the gates.
Wolfram drew his sword. The throngs of people on their way up to the palace scattered as he charged, leaving Yuri and Murata behind in the confusion. Agitation rippled up the column, people glancing back, horses baulking uneasily, until it reached the Big Cimaron contingent.
The soldiers turned, and Wolfram's eyes met their commander's. For a moment, the man's placid mask slipped.
"WELLER!" Wolfram bellowed, raising his sword high. It was a clear challenge, and now there would be no going back. He didn't spare a glance back toward Yuri and Murata, knowing it would only endanger them. Hopefully, they would run or at least be too lost in the chaos to try to help him.
This, he would do alone.
The only danger had been that Weller would retreat and allow his soldiers to face him instead. But Wolfram had never believed that possible - in some way, he still believed in the man Weller had been, proud and honorable.
His brother.
Weller had dismounted and stepped forward to meet Wolfram's charge. Their swords met with a screech, sparks flying as Wolfram pulsed enough magic power through his blade to make it glow red with heat.
From beyond the searing blade, Wolfram snarled at his brother.
"What have you done?" he demanded. "How could you?! We thought... we thought you had died! Do you know how much Mother cried?! Do you know how much I-?!" Even now, he couldn't say the words.
He swung his sword again, only to be parried. The other man's blade was steady, and his face had once again shifted back into its composed mask. "Wolfram... you shouldn't be here," he said, and it was the same stupid voice, the same stupid tone that had always been there as Wolfram was growing up. It was as if nothing had changed.
"Of course I'm here!" Wolfram yelled instead, attacking again and again. "Gwendal tried to hide what you've done, but we found out. All Mother could do was cry and say how happy she is that you're alive! But you, you-!"
'You betrayed us,' he couldn't bring himself to say.
Instead, he attacked with renewed ferocity. Each strike was countered, and Wolfram knew there could be no doubt of the victor. His brother was still superior to him, especially with his magic limited in the human lands.
But, Wolfram noticed with bitter, vicious satisfaction, he had come far enough to push the man, to make him truly fight.
A circle of spectators had formed around their duel, the people keeping well out of reach, whispering amongst themselves. Guards from the palace were trying to squeeze through and disperse the battle, but the Big Cimaron soldiers were holding them back, letting their commander fight the strange whelp that had challenged him.
With a final push, Yuri made it to the inner circle. His eyes widened as he watched the two Demon Tribesmen clash, their swords ringing. The fury on Wolfram's face was underscored by raw pain and betrayal. And his opponent...
"Shibuya, we have to go," Murata muttered in his ear, attempting to pull him back into the crowd. "He's buying us time. Don't waste it. There's nothing we can do."
Slowly, Yuri shook his head. "No... They're both... They don't want to be fighting, so why are they...?"
Yuri didn't know much about swordfighting, but even he could see that both of them were hesitating in their own ways. It was too sad to see siblings fighting each other.
"You swore loyalty to the Demon King!" Wolfram shouted, another swing missing its mark. "You swore your sword to him! You were waiting for him all these years, and now he's finally here! Even if he's a wimp, he's our king, but you're going to turn your back on him too?"
Something about his words pierced through his opponent's calm, and the man's guard slipped for a moment, allowing Wolfram to score a long but shallow cut. "I serve a different master now," he said. He looked pained, perhaps not only from the wound he had received.
"No, this isn't right," Yuri muttered, watching them clash again. Even if their hearts were in clear disarray, the battle was growing more fierce... and more deadly. "They shouldn't be fighting. At this rate, one is going to be killed."
He tried to move toward them, but Murata yanked him back. "If you just run out there, you'll be the one to die!"
Yuri scowled, but he could see that Murata was right. He couldn't count on them to stop if he just threw himself in between them. His eyes darted around the scene, the two fighters, the gathered crowd, the soldiers forcing everyone back...
The soldiers. Ducking away from Murata's restraining hand, Yuri disappeared into the crowd again. Cursing quietly, Murata followed.
The two combatants pulled back in surprise as a commotion broke out among the crowd. Someone screamed, and people began to shove away from something within their ranks. Suddenly, a Big Cimaron soldier was thrown into the open, his helmet knocked off his head. More soldiers ran up to the source of the disturbance, only for one to yelp as a firm kick nailed him in the shin.
Wolfram watched in shock as Yuri's face flashed in the confusion. Another soldier grabbed him from behind, only for Yuri to try to headbutt him. The boy was too short, but Yuri only stumbled for a moment before instead kicking backward, at the man's crotch. The soldier groaned and went down, only for his compatriots to pull out their weapons.
Finding himself surrounded by sharp steel, Yuri drew back and, after a moment, held up his hands in surrender.
Wolfram stared, trying to under how the situation had changed so suddenly. The crowd had parted around Yuri, leaving another clear circle around him, the soldier he had punched, the two he had kicked, and those that now had him prisoner. Only Murata had remained still while the onlookers fled, now standing obviously just a few steps behind Yuri.
It wouldn't be long before he was captured too, his association with them undeniable. Those two idiots...!
Yuri waved sheepishly.
For a moment, Wolfram was caught between two impulses and unable to act. His duty to his king or to his family? Which should he choose? But almost before he knew what was happening, Wolfram's sword had lowered. His shoulders slumped as a terrible tension he hadn't quite recognized slipped away.
Big Cimaron soldiers surrounded him as well, and Wolfram allowed his sword to slip from his hand. Before he was forced to the ground, he caught a glimpse of his brother's face. He looked... relieved.
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The three Demon Tribesmen were quickly captured and tied up. As Big Cimaron soldiers herded them up the path to the castle and into the courtyard, Wolfram allowed himself to drift closer to Yuri.
"What were you thinking?" he hissed, glaring.
Yuri glared back. "If you'd kept going, one of you would have died," he hissed in return. "And neither of you wants that! Even I can recognize killing intent, and there was none of it between you two!"
"Keep quiet!" a soldier barked, hitting them both across the back with his spear.
The two boys were sent to their knees, Murata following. The position was eerily familiar to Yuri, so like his situation a few weeks back. However, it wasn't Maxine's gloating form that looked down on them, but rather Antoine's uncertain gaze.
The king of Francia wrung his hands as he took in the chaos that had descended upon his castle courtyard. It was impossible to tell just where his nervousness stemmed from, and next to him Lyla stood expressionless, giving nothing away.
"Your Majesty," Wolfram's brother stepped forward, bowing to the king, "we apprehended these Demon Tribesmen within your city. We respectfully ask to use your dungeon to detain them until they can be properly interrogated and moved to Big Cimaron, if necessary."
"Um..." Antoine stalled, glancing at Lyla.
"Don't think you've stopped us!" Wolfram suddenly declared, drawing everyone's attention. "I just came back alone to deal with you, and these two idiots followed me! The rest of our group is well on their way to completing our mission."
He smirked as the soldiers began to whisper among themselves. All they could hope was that Lyla and Antoine understood his message - the plan was still on, despite minor alterations - though their faces showed no relief.
Unlike his soldiers, Wolfram's brother appeared unconcerned with the news and its implications. "That was foolish," he commented mildly. "You shouldn't have come back. Now, you and your friends will not be able to escape so easily." His cool brown eyes shifted to Yuri and Murata.
"They're not my friends," Wolfram said testily. "They're just two useless half-breeds." He ignored Yuri's part-wounded, part-indignant look. If anything, it adds to the authenticity of his claim.
"I'm Chris," Murata added. "I'm a scholar. I specialize in the Age of Founding."
"I'm Ernst," Yuri finished, firmly reminding himself not to say anything unnecessary.
Wolfram's brother studied them for a moment longer. Murata had tilted his head down, his glasses gleaming and hiding his features, but when the man's eyes rested on him, Yuri felt a sudden and irrational thought that he could see straight through his illusion.
Then, the man turned away without comment. "Lord Von Bielefelt will need to be kept in one of the esoteric stone prisons," he instructed, both to his own soldiers and to Francia's people. "The other two should be fine in one of the normal cells."
Big Cimaron's soldiers moved quickly, hauling them to their feet and separating Wolfram from the other two. Yuri and Wolfram exchanged a meaningful look, both trying to convey the same message - don't do anything stupid. Then, they were being herded into the castle and down into the dungeons.
"Is Wolfram going to be alright?" Yuri asked once they were thrown into their cell. Approaching the bars, he tried to peer out into the corridor, just barely able to spot the single Big Cimaron soldier posted as guard at the end of the tunnel.
"He'll be weak, but I doubt there'll be any real harm," Murata said, instead heading deeper into the cell and plopping down on the single cot. Crossing his arms behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling.
For a few moments, both brooded, lost in their own thoughts.
"What do you think is up with him? Wolfram's brother?" Yuri asked finally. From his place on the cot, Murata made a questioning sound. "Something's weird. I mean, he... lost his arm, right? So how come he has two of them again? Regrowing an arm is just crazy. There isn't a healer alive powerful enough to do that. I don't think there ever has been."
"Maybe he didn't regrow it," Murata murmured, almost to himself. "Maybe... he had a different arm attached."
Yuri considered the idea, but shook his head. "That's crazy too. Magic is really not good for handling rejection. You can't really transplant with it," he said with an odd authoritativeness.
"For the healing artes," Murata agreed. "But if it matches in a ritual way..."
At that, Yuri turned to look at him over his shoulder, his brow furrowing. Something about Murata's voice had been strange, holding a tone Yuri hadn't heard from him often.
"I guess," Yuri said dubiously, turning away again to peer through the bars. "But it would still be pretty crazy. Who can even pull off something like that?"
Murata didn't answer.
"And what did he even mean about serving another master?" Yuri continued, huffing. "Did he mean the king of Big Cimaron? Why would he do that? He didn't look, I don't know, triumphant or anything. But then," Yuri mused, his eyes narrowing, "he didn't look like he'd been hypnotized either." 'Amnesia? No, he remembered Wolfram. Mistaken identity? But Wolfram seemed sure...' Yuri considered other possibilities, each one more soap opera material than the last.
"Big Cimaron isn't really known for its magic users, of any discipline," Murata said. "Or at least, they weren't when I was here last. I didn't get the impression that had changed. If anything, they're more technologically advanced than most nations."
"So did they attach him a new arm through science?" Yuri wondered rather sourly. "No way. Even Earth technology can't do that." His expression grew pensive. "Something doesn't add up at all."
Even as his hands gripped the bars tighter, Yuri continued to stare into the shadows lurked across the dungeon. Still, Murata could almost feel his accusing stare. 'You know something,' it seemed to say. And he did. But...
"I'm sorry." The words were out before Murata could stop them, and instead of falling silent, he just kept talking. "I'm sorry. I don't want to keep secrets from you or hide things, but... I..."
Yuri was looking at him again, with clear, calm eyes. "It's fine," he said without a hint of reprisal. He smiled, bright and sincere. "I know that you'll tell me anything I need to know."
'You're being unfair, Shibuya,' Murata thought hopelessly. 'What can I say to that?'
Seeing something of Murata's thoughts in his face, Yuri laughed. "You've supported me all this time, Murata. How could I not trust you? I've only been able to make it this far because of all your help - with doing what I need to do, even with Hube, with coming to this world, and... three years ago."
He turned away, his shoulders slumping. His hand gripped the bars tightly. "Remember when you came to see me in the hospital? I had remembered all those things, and I was so confused. I barely knew who I was. It all faded away later, like a dream, but at the time, I was a complete mess. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't been able to tell you and if you hadn't listened to me and told me about your own past lives. I don't know if I would've been able to handle it."
In the dark, damp cell, even Yuri's usually bright nature was subdued. His voice was full of melancholy, his head bowed. It didn't suit him at all, Murata thought. He should not have had to bear this burden.
"You're wrong, Shibuya," Murata said, swallowing heavily. "I'm the one who's grateful." 'Do you know long it had been since I'd even tried telling anyone those things? Just the fact that you trusted in me and listened to me was...' He sighed. "That happened in the first place only because you were trying to help me."
'But I guess that's the kind of guy you are, Shibuya. I swear, I'll support you, as much as I am able. I won't let you faith be wasted.'
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((I don't think even Conrart, in all of his obsessiveness, would truly be able to recognize the features of an infant in a teenage boy. Even if that boy is Japanese in a European fantasy land. Because, you know, I don't think that part is ever acknowledged.))
So, the other weird thing about the manga: the Julia-Conrart-Adalbert relationship. In the anime, the impression I got was that Julia and Adalbert were happy together. Adalbert clearly loved her very much, and there's no hint that Julia was somehow unhappy with it, if not outright reciprocated. Conrart probably had an unrequited love for her, but the entire thing is mostly sidestepped.
In the manga, everyone else clearly believes that Conrart and Julia were in love. To the point that Josak says that Conrart could have been lord of Wincott Castle. And Wolfram outright states that Julia's father planned to break off the arranged marriage between her and Adalbert and that Lord Von Wincott approved of Conrart, so basically Conrart and Julia would have gotten married if she hadn't died. That's his assumption, perhaps, but the fact that we're getting this is...
Conrart himself says nothing on the issue, so... I dunno. But that's a pretty big change. Anyway, we do see a lot more "vision" shots of Julia in the manga, practically every other time Yuri uses his magic. I'm not sure what to make of it all.
On a different note, I really wonder about you guys. Do you not want updates? :(