Marionette

Chapter 12

"The king is dead..." said Captain Arne behind his desk.

About a week had passed since the Hobgoblin village massacre.

Sitting before the Captain was a disinterested me.

This had been the first day I left my bunk bed that week, as the captain asked to see me personally. Noticing how shattered I looked after we returned from the mission, he gave me the week off.

This time, I did not talk back to the Knight who barged into my tent to tell me that the captain wanted to see me.

I was done. They could execute me now for all I cared. I was not planning to ever join the others again.

"Sergeant, I said the King is dead," repeated the captain.

"And?" I finally replied.

Captain Arne gave me half a smile.

I could tell that he did not care either. The captain probably hated the guy. I had only seen the king talk once to Captain Arne on the first day we were summoned. The king had been nothing but rude to him.

Why am I even analysing this?

"The Queen is now in charge of Milwick," continued the captain. "The army belongs to her."

"Okay," I offered a one-word reply once more.

"It was terrible; what happened to the Hobgoblins..." added the captain. "Everyone in the Capital and nearby villages talk about how a demon attacked the village in the Tall Forest..."

With murder in my eyes, I looked at Captain Arne.

"Did you like what you heard, Captain...?" I asked coldly.

Bringing this up and phrasing it like that was a colossal mistake by the captain.

I decided to kill him there and then. I would then hunt the Knights in the camp. I no longer cared.

Out of view, claws grew from my fingertips, my eyes fixed on the captain's throat.

I was truly mad. 

"I'm not your enemy..." said Captain Arne, sensing my intentions.

"All of Milwick is my enemy," I replied angrily. "You enslaved us and forced our hand. Captain, I truly regret saving you that day..."

"Well, isn't that a shame," replied the captain, and an annoying gentle smile crept on his face. "Do it then; I won't stop you, but you'll also take all the others down with you. The moment the queen finds out that you have taken over the camp, she'll crush the hearts of every Legionnaire, so how about you use that head of yours like you used to do in the past?"

Use my head? Nothing was left in it but the image of the dead Hobgoblin villagers.

My heart, though, whatever was left of it, commanded me to stay put.

The image of Yui flashed before my eyes.

I had fallen far down and was consumed by darkness, but Yui was my last flicker of light, at least for now.

"What do you want of me...?" I sighed, "You have taken everything from me, so I am no longer of any use. Just order my execution already."

"We're more alike than you think, Marco," said the captain, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, how come?" I responded mockingly. "Are you a slave? Have they cursed your heart? Are you from another world? Don't make me laugh, Captain."

"I am a slave of sorts," replied the captain nonchalantly. "And no, they haven't cursed my heart, but they hold my wife and kid hostage. So, if I disobey, they die."