~.~.~
Title: Maoh, A Day Late
Summary: Yuri and Murata consider taking a trip. Gunter disapproves... excessively.
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Part VI, Chapter 1
Head over heels
~.~.~
Groaning, Yuri let his head fall with a dull thump onto the thick tome he had been looking through.
"I've been wondering for a while, Shibuya," Murata commented without looking up from his own manuscript, "but do you even understand any of what you're reading?"
"No? I'm just looking for any of the words you wrote out for me," Yuri mumbled into the dry pages. They smelled faintly moldy.
"I mean, can you even understand any of the symbols? Or are they just scribbles to you? Since these books are all hand-written, the cursive will have a lot of variation," Murata explained, turning a page.
Yuri waved one hand vaguely, not even lifting his head. "Gunter's taught me the alphabet," he said. "I can sound out the stuff you wrote, although I don't know what most of it means. I only know 'other world' and 'gateway' and 'spiritual plane.'"
"That's kind of a weird combination," Murata noted absently.
"It came up in the novel Wolf lent me," Yuri said, finally propping his head up with one hand.
This time, Murata did look up, his eyebrows rising in a rather insulting way. "You're that far along? Lord Von Crist must be an amazing teacher," he commented.
Yuri scowled and turned away with a huff. "Not really. He keeps turning red and... wiggling whenever I try to ask him for help with the book. Something about being so honored and his unworthy drabbles," Yuri complained.
Hiding a smile behind the book he had been reading, Murata thought, 'Oh, I see. That must be the book Lord Von Crist wrote himself. It was the hottest gossip topic among the shrine maidens for a while...'
"But he's really good at this paperwork and researching stuff," Yuri admitted. "Why don't we ask him for help?"
"In his copious free time?" Murata said, amazingly keeping his tone completely free of sarcasm. "He already runs half the kingdom for you." While Gwendal ran the other half.
Sulking, Yuri turned away. "Well, we're not getting anywhere on our own," he said. "Besides, weren't you around when they wrote most of these?"
"It's not like I remember everything that happened in all my past lives completely perfectly," Murata muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"I guess old people often have memory problems," Yuri sniped, getting his revenge.
Scowling, Murata snapped shut the book he had been reading. His show of indignation was somewhat ruined when he choked on the cloud of dust released.
"Maybe we should get help," Murata agreed. "We can try asking Ulrike. She might have some insight."
Yuri supported that notion. Anything to get out of the Tomb's musty archives.
~.~.~
"Operating the gateway between worlds?" Ulrike repeated, peering up at them both. She had met them in the Tomb courtyard as soon as Murata had sent for her. Yuri wondered guiltily if they had pulled her away from some other duties – or perhaps from some well-deserved rest. She looked pale, more so than usual.
"Earhart Wincott had his younger brother Crystel take the last Box, the Bottom of the Mirror, to Earth," Murata explained. "Last I checked, it was still under the protection of the Demon Tribe on the other side. We need to retrieve it. Without all four Boxes, we won't be able to reinforce the seal."
Yuri shot his friend a quick look, thankfully unnoticed by Ulrike as she considered their question. 'Reinforcing the seal? Is that what we're doing?' Yuri thought, frowning. Murata's usual smile provided no insight into what was going through his mind.
"To be honest, I've only operated the gateway successfully twice," Ulrike admitted, drooping under the shame of her perceived failing. "To send Lord Weller to the other world and to bring him home. On the way back, the Demon Tribe of Earth initiated it from their end, and we simply guided Lord Weller to arrive here. On the way there…" She wrung her hands nervously. "He said it was a rather rough arrival."
Murata nodded thoughtfully, as if this all meant a great deal to him. "That's what I expected," he muttered.
"…I don't get it," Yuri said, making Murata sigh.
"I already explained it to you, Shibuya," he complained. "Remember? The problem isn't actually opening the gate, though that does take a lot of power and some preparation. It's... navigation. We need someone on the other side to guide us there. Like I said before, we only made it here because Ulrike was praying almost constantly, and we happened to catch her at the right time. We lucked out."
The priestess blushed as Murata gave her a warm smile. Yuri grinned too, but it faded into a look of confusion. "But then how did Conrad get to Earth? I mean, did they coordinate it somehow? Can't we do it too?"
Murata and Ulrike exchanged a look, and Yuri realized they were trying to figure out how to put it in terms he would understand. "The Great One's existence is different from a living being," Murata finally said. "So he doesn't have the same limits. What we're talking about is what would be required for us to operate the gateway successfully."
'That's… unhelpful,' Yuri thought grouchily.
"I'm sorry I can't help you any further," Ulrike apologized.
"It's alright. There isn't any reason for you to know about this sort of thing," Murata assured her. Something seemed to occur to him. "But Ondine might know. Do you know what happened to her?"
"Ondine?" Yuri repeated.
"My predecessor," Ulrike said. "She went home, back to the lake, after she passed the mantle to me."
"We might need to go visit her," Murata decided. "If I remember correctly, the Great One gave her some assignment relating to traveling between the two worlds. She studied it extensively."
"A trip to visit a lake? Sounds nice," Yuri mused. "I could use a break from all the paperwork."
"All the paperwork you keep dumping on Lord Von Crist and Lord Von Voltaire?" Murata muttered.
~.~.~
Paperwork had overtaken Gwendal's usually neat and orderly office. Towering stacks perched not only on his massive desk, but also on the side table and across the floor. They were even beginning to edge out his collection of knitted stuffed animals.
Gwendal had been slaving away at filing it all since early morning, but it felt like he had barely made a dent. He eyed the slightly shorter stacks in front of him – the only product of his hard work.
"Are you listening to me, Gwendal? It's terrible, terrible I tell you!" Gunter insisted, leaning over the shortened paper piles.
"I heard you the first time," Gwendal grumbled.
"His Majesty wants to leave us!" Gunter continued, as if he hadn't heard his response. "His Majesty and His Eminence have been combing the library for books about traveling between worlds! They've even gone to the Tomb archive for more information!"
"Instead of listening to the maids gossip, how about doing your work?" Gwendal said, refusing to look up from the form he was filling out. "Since His Majesty is so preoccupied, you'll need to put in at least five extra hours to cover his slack."
"How can you worry about paperwork at a time like this?!" Gunter wailed overdramatically. "What if His Majesty leaves us to return to his original world? What'll we do?! Your Majesty, don't forsaken your faithful servant!"
"We'll deal with it," Gwendal said, carefully dipping his pen into the inkwell. "I suppose we can pass the extra extra work on Conrart, since he'll have plenty of free time." Gwendal paused thoughtfully and muttered, "Hm, maybe I can do that now? After all, it's not like he follow the brat to the library or to the Tomb…"
"You're heartless!" Gunter declared. Sobbing, he burst from the room and disappeared in search of other sources of commiseration.
Gwendal cursed as the resulting gust of wind sent papers flying everywhere.
Gunter found that cold-hearted man's two brothers in the courtyard. They were wrapping up their daily sparring, which had become something of a regular entertainment for the staff. Gunter fell in with the maids watching from the surrounding open corridors.
Wolfram still had a long way to go, and it was clear that Conrart was easily keeping him at bay, occasionally offering a comment or suggestion. That wasn't necessarily a correct indication of Wolfram's skill, however – Conrart was truly the greatest swordsman of the Demon Kingdom, and Gunter felt a swell of pride at his once student.
Finally, Wolfram called an end to their training, immediately slumping and gasping for breath.
"If nothing else, my stamina's certainly going to improve," he grumbled and wiped at the sweat pouring down his face. A particularly brave maid offered him a towel. When Wolfram smiled in thanks and flipped his hair, she swooned.
"Your swordsmanship is improving too," Conrart assured him. He looked infuriatingly unruffled by their sparring, perhaps breathing a touch more heavily, but nothing more. Still, Wolfram was willing to accept even that small victory.
"Indeed!" Gunter agreed, coming up to the two. "You're grown so much, Lord Von Bielefelt!" 'Who would have thought that selfish brat could come this far,' he thought. 'Ah, His Majesty's influence is simply astounding!'
Wolfram shrugged, but it was clear he felt quite pleased by the praise.
"He's sure to surpass me in no time," Conrart teased. "And then he'll set his sights on you, Gunter."
"We both know you passed me long ago, as far as swordsmanship is concerned," Gunter said, shaking his head. 'Your problem was getting weighed down by your feelings,' he thought. 'But I'm sure if we dueled again, I would be the one to lose. The way you are now, you would win.'
From the way Conrart's eyes crinkled at the corners and his smile widened just a little, it was clear he was thinking of the same incident - their duel at the military academy, so long ago - and how things had changed since then.
"I seek only to serve His Majesty," Conrart demurred. "That is what I live for."
Normally, those words would have warmed Gunter's heart, but now they simply reminded him of the terrible state of things.
"Oh, Your Majesty!" Gunter wailed, bursting into tears again as Wolfram and Conrart stared in surprise. "Can't you see how your loyal servants depend on you? You mustn't leave us! We would be lost without you!"
"What's wrong with you? Pull yourself together!" Wolfram barked, unnerved by Gunter's sudden histrionics.
"You're heartless too! Just like your brother! How can you be so calm while His Majesty moves ever closer to leaving us?" Gunter sobbed.
"What are you talking about?" Wolfram demanded, his very limited patience stretched to the limit.
"Oh, I see," Conrart murmured, one hand rising to his chin. "You mean the research His Majesty and His Eminence have been conducting, about traveling between worlds."
"Yuri's trying to find out how to travel between worlds?" Wolfram repeated, momentarily thrown.
Gunter's sobs grew even louder. "He's leaving us!"
Wolfram shrugged, scowling. "So? He'll be back. He chose to come here in the first place! And... of course he wants to go back for a while." While visiting his uncle, Wolfram had tried and tried to imagine what it would be like to never be able to return to your childhood home. To be an entire world away, from your friends, from your family, from everything you knew. It was a terrifying thought, if he was honest.
"Ah... His Majesty did mention he was lured in by a puppet bearing his mother's visage," Gunter murmured, pausing in his melodramatics. "Had seeing his mother's face brought forth all his feelings of longing? His Majesty is still so young. He must miss his parents so much! Your Majesty! I am so sorry for not considering your feelings!"
Wolfram rolled his eyes at this new direction.
"As Wolfram said, I'm sure His Majesty will always return to us," Conrart said, his smile fond. "Besides which, I believe His Majesty's goal is to retrieve the fourth Box, which His Eminence believes to be on Earth."
"So he's still thinking about the kingdom first," Wolfram muttered with an annoyed sigh. "Typical. That wimp."
"That's the way our king is. But I'm sure that seeing his family again will greatly ease his heart," Conrart said.
"Ah, Your Majesty!" Gunter flailed.
~.~.~
Breathing a deep sigh of relief, both Murata and Ulrike lowered their outstretched arms.
"This should be enough to contain it for a while," Murata decided, nodding to himself as he inspected the faintly glowing barrier they had created around the three Boxes.
It rippled as the dark power beyond pressed against its cage.
Moving to Ulrike's side, he gently steadied the tiny priestess. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
Ulrike offered him a tired smile. "I'm alright, Your Eminence. With this barrier, I'll be able to rest a little, even if you and His Majesty leave for awhile," she said.
"I'm not looking forward to explaining that to Lord Von Voltaire," Murata muttered. "I should make Shibuya do it. Let him get glared at. He deserves it."
That earned him a quiet giggle, as Ulrike made a cupping gesture with her hands. A pedestal made of black stone rose seamlessly from the floor, a large opaque orb floating above it. Lights danced inside of it, like tiny stars.
"The flow of the spirits doesn't appear to have been disturbed," she reported, peering at something inside the sphere that only she could see. "That means there should be no deterioration from spiritual dissonance. I believe the spirits may even bolster this barrier a little... What amazing work, Your Eminence!"
Murata couldn't help preening a little under her praise. It was so nice to be appreciated by someone who actually understood what he had done. "It's all about how you set up the flow of particles..." he began, only to trail off as Ulrike's brow furrowed in confusion. She was peering deeper into the crystal ball, something catching her attention.
"...That's strange," she murmured. "How is that possible?"
"What is it?" Murata asked, moving to look into the orb over her shoulder.
"Look, that soul there," Ulrike said, pointing to a bright star just a little off to one side. "It just suddenly appeared. I'm sure I've never seen it before, but how can that be possible? Even souls between lives do not disappear and reappear so completely."
Murata was silent, staring at the tiny light. "Ulrike, that next to it, that's Ondine, isn't it?" he said suddenly.
Her eyes widening, Ulrike glanced at the softly pulsing, muted star next to their aberration. It was, she realized, indeed the soul of her predecessor.
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A knock on his door made Gwendal look up from his work with a fearsome scowl. "Yes, what is it?" he snapped. His eyes narrowed as Murata's dark-clothed figure slipped, shutting the door behind him.
With the afternoon light reflecting off the Wiseman's glasses, his expression was almost completely obscured, but Gwendal knew this couldn't be anything good.
"If you're here to tell that you and the king need to take off for a while," he said preemptively, "then I've already begun to make arrangements. However, I respectfully demand that he at least come to tell me himself." 'He should at least suffer some consequences,' Gwendal thought.
Murata shook his head. He at least had the courtesy of not trying his smiling mask on Gwendal. Instead, he said shortly, "There's something I need you to investigate."
Gwendal's eyes narrowed, and he set aside his pen.
"You're going to have to give me a bit more information than that," Gwendal noted dryly.
Murata smiled crookedly. "Just look for someone who's completely out of place, like they just suddenly appeared."
"And the location?" Gwendal asked, raising an eyebrow at the Wiseman's evasive manner.
"Here in the Demon Kingdom," Murata replied. "At a certain lake."
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((This is where we begin the slide toward the ending and aaangst. Also, this is the point where I really got tired of writing this story, which probably shows in the deteriorating quality. The execution really suffered. Sorry about that.))