Consequences of the Maou\'s Heart

Chapter 9

The clang of metal rang out from one of the castle’s training grounds. A group of twelve men lounged while watching an additional two men sparing with dull practice swords. One of the fighters miscalculated his opponent’s strike and over compensated in an attempt to block only to find himself knocked to the ground a moment later. He groaned, stood up, and dusted off the back of his royal blue uniform before walking over to join the rest of the men. The victor of the match looked out over the soldiers before pointing at one of the men. With a heaving sigh the man rose to his feet and approached the other picking up the discarded practice sword as he went. Both men shared a brief grin before squaring off and beginning to fight.

Wolfram couldn’t help but smile as he watched his unit training mostly hidden from their sight by the shadow of one of the arches that lined the castle wall. A few decades ago there would have been twenty or thirty men but in this time of peace many of his men chose to return home to families they had before they became soldiers or attempt to start families of their own, he was left with the military career men. The blond former prince supported the men who were able to leave the military for other lives. He’d seen too many who were unable to let go of the fighting and blood shed. When he’d first been given the chance to lead a unit he had gotten two kinds of soldiers, those who had become burnt out and those who had no experience at all. Basically he got the soldiers no one else wanted. Very little had been expected out of the group of less than desirable men and their pretty boy captain but Wolfram was eager too prove that he was something other than the beautiful third prince. Despite a lack luster start the unit managed to make a reputation for themselves after returning home from some rather bloody battles mostly intact. They were survivors, some made claims that they must have held back and let others do the fighting but those who were on the battlefield with them knew otherwise. It had been years since the make up of the unit had changed by more than a man or two. The smile Wolfram wore turned to a grimace. Even the most cohesive unit could be thrown in to chaos at the loss of a commanding officer. Wolfram worried about the futures of his men, most of the younger ones would be able to recover from such a blow to their careers now that they had some military experience but the older ones were mostly in his unit because they had been passed around other units and labeled as undesirable. There were only three of his men that fell in to the older category, one was nearing retirement age and was already preparing to leave the military life behind. However, the other two still had decades to go before they would be expected to leave. He wondered if perhaps Gisela would be willing to take on a few personal guards if nothing else panned out for the men. Wolfram hated imposing on his friend so much but at the moment she was the only one he could really count on to keep a clear head once news of his death reached the castle. Shaking off his melancholy he walked towards the ring of soldiers just in time to witness the victor from the previous bout knock his second opponent to the ground as well.

“Nice work Edward, but you left yourself open again once Geoff hit the ground, just because your opponent is down doesn’t mean he’s out just yet.” The men snapped to attention the moment they heard Wolfram start speaking. Edward, the victor of the match, blushed sheepishly at his commanding officer’s praise and admonishment. He nodded his understanding sharply.

“At ease,” with the simple command the soldiers relaxed some but did not return to the casual state they were in before. Wolfram rarely interrupted their sparring sessions unless he had specific reason to. It was the one type of training he left them alone during so that they could interact as soldiers without the feeling of being on display for their commanding officer’s approval or dissatisfaction.

“Edward, Simon I need to speak with you two,” Wolfram spoke calmly not wanting to arise any more suspicions than needed. The two soldiers were his right hand men when it came to military matters and it wasn’t unheard of for him to discuss new training ideas and the like with them before implementing them.

“Yes Sir!” Simon barked out as he and Edward moved away from the other soldiers.

“As you were men,” Wolfram turned and walked away from the group with Simon and Edward following him. The remaining soldiers glanced at each other mildly confused before returning to their training. Wolfram briskly lead the way to his study, which when needed also served as his office. He opened the unlocked door and ushered the two men inside. Few people entered his sanctuary for fear of becoming his newest artistic model, however his own men were unconcerned by the possibility and seemed perfectly comfortable in the space. Wolfram gestured towards the small office desk and the two chairs that permanently sat in front of it. His men nodded and walked over to sit gingerly in the chairs. After closing and locking the door Wolfram joined the men. His eyes flicked towards the leather monstrosity that sat behind the desk before perching on the desk itself. The action put him closer to the soldiers than would be seen as socially appropriate, yet he couldn’t seem to care. These particular men knew him in a way even his family didn’t, they had watched him go thought the grief of accepting his own death and had understood just what was going on. Their help and support had kept him from breaking down completely.

“Gentlemen I’m sure you are wondering why I asked to see you this morning,” they nodded and Wolfram continued, “I’m not sure when but soon Heika will ending the engagement he and I have been a part of these last few years.” The looks of disbelief followed by shock indicated the soldiers’ understanding of the implications.

“But Sir that means…” Simon spoke softly not wanting to annoy Wolfram.

“Yes that means I’m not long for this world, situations have changed since the first time we knew of my impending death. With Yuri Heika in charge there is little to no chance of a war breaking out. However, he has a soft heart that would not deal well with knowing that he could keep me alive at the cost of his own potential happiness. All things considered I will, with a bit of help, be leaving the castle shortly after the announcement is made.”

“Sir,” Simon quietly exclaimed, both soldiers were looking distressed at the information coming to light, “are you sure that is the best option?”

“No, for me it’s likely one of the worst options,” Wolfram turned his head so that he was no longer looking at his men, hoping not to display his emotions more than needed, “However, it’s the best for Heika and Shin Makoku. It pains me to have to ask this of you two but it would be odd for me to leave alone and I’ll need someone to relay the news of my death back to my family once it happens… Oh hell what I’m trying to say is will you come with me?” After a moment of tense silence Wolfram was somewhat shocked at the arms that wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Edward had gotten up to hug him while he’d been so caught up in not looking at them while he spoke.

“I think he’s saying yes and the same goes for me. You’re our Captain; we’d follow you into hell if it came right down to it.” Simon smiled sadly at the normally stoic Edward awkwardly hugging Wolfram and wondered how long it would last. How long before they had to leave? How long before they came back to inform Lady Celi of her son’s death?

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AN: Ich I’m so bad about these short chapters. Well hopefully the next one will be a bit longer.