Chapter 35

A Mirrored Reflection

"What was the primary Soviet atomic weapons production site called?" Shirley asked.

"The Dark Horseman," Rivalz answered, then looked over at Suzaku. "Who was the supreme commander of the Allied forces?"

"Field Marshal Gunter von Esling," the Japanese youth replied, then back to Shirley. "Who commanded the first Britannian Expeditionary Force to land in Europe?"

"Umm, Major-General Benjamin Carville, I believe."

Looking down at his own notes, Suzaku nodded. "That's right."

"Might want to be a bit clearer on which 'first' you're talking about," Rivalz said. "There was that one division that got sent way ahead of everyone else, and then the first proper wave."

"True enough," Suzaku said, jotting down a reminder for himself.

The three were currently in the prefect clubhouse, going over material for their history class in preparation for their final exam. Anyone listening in on the last half hour or so would have been treated to a wide array of trivia about the Great War, from the ironically Germanic origins of the V2 rockets the Soviets employed to the outright annexation of the Turkestan Soviet Socialist Republic by the Chinese Federation, forming what was now known as Xinjiang. That particular annexation stood out as something of an anomaly in comparison to the other SSRs, which were all allowed to continue on as independent nations freed from the Communist yoke. Publicly the explanation was that the Xinjiang region was historically part of China and had only managed to break away due to a Soviet backed revolt, so allowing China to reclaim Xinjiang was simply righting a previous wrong. And while there was not necessarily any untruths in that explanation, that was not the same as it being fully complete. But that was par for the course when it came to geopolitical settlements.

"Man, I can't believe how much stuff Mr. Taylor tried to pound into our head this term," Rivalz said as he stretched his arms. "And that's on top of the stuff in our other classes."

"History isn't too bad," Shirley said. "And the civics course is just an essay. It's the math exam I'm more worried about."

"You just had to remind me about the civics essay," Rivalz groaned. "Milly showed me the one she wrote last year. I felt like I was reading some sort of court briefing."

Shirley gave a slight giggle. "Well, that's not surprising, since this term was all about the Empire's constitution."

Suzaku looked over at the two. "What is taught in the civics class? I'm not actually enrolled in it, but from what little I've heard, the topics sound really interesting."

"Eeeeh, interesting might be stretching it," Rivalz said. "I mean, if you like abstract reasoning, then I suppose it might be interesting."

"As for what we do study, it depends on which unit you're in," Shirley said. "The freshman course is basically an introduction to the Empire's social class system. Things like what a peerage actually is, what duties a peer of the realm has, and where the limits of his or her power are. That's also the unit where the qualifications for inheritance are covered, including needing to pass the civics course with, I think it was, a 90% plus mark. Which is definitely not easy, I got an 86% for my final freshman mark."

"I got an 81%," Rivalz chimed in. "Milly somehow got a bloody 97%."

"Well, she is head girl for a reason," Shirley said.

"Huh, that sounds like something I'd actually like to better understand," Suzaku said. "Though, is it a bit too late to take the course?"

"If your goal is to try taking all three years' worth, then probably," Rivalz said. "The civics course as a whole runs back to back all three years of upper secondary, and we're already at the end of the first term of our junior year. The course really wasn't designed to let you jump in mid-year, so you'd need to wait until the start of your senior year to take any of them. And while it's possible to take all three years at once, I don't think anyone's ever successfully done that."

"I see," Suzaku said. "That's a bit of a shame. Though if that is the case, would there even be any precedent for a senior to take the freshman civics course?"

"There is," Shirley actually nodded at that. "The only people actually required to take all three years of the civics course are the students that might be in line to inherit a peerage or are here on scholarship like me and Rivalz, while others only need to take just one year of it. In your case, you'd be taking it your senior year, and you pick whichever year course you want."

"Oh," Suzaku said again. "Wait, how are you certain I'm not a scholarship student?"

"Student secretaries like Shirley have access to a lot of information, like the financial aid lists," Rivalz said. "If she never saw your name on any of those lists, that usually means your tuition is getting paid in full, which, I hope you don't mind me saying, you need to be pretty loaded to do."

Suzaku smiled wryly. "I can't claim to be particularly loaded myself. I think my tuition is being handled by the military."

And probably Eden Vital, come to think of it.

"You must have friends in some impressively high places," Rivalz let out a whistle.

"Rivalz," Shirley admonished.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, like Shirley said, freshman year is about the structure of the peerage. Junior year is about the imperial constitution and all of the stipulations it spells out. Like, what are the privileges we possess as imperial subjects, and what are the duties we owe to the crown in turn."

"I see," Suzaku said. "That also sounds like something I'd want to learn. Is it possible to take two courses at a time?"

Shirley and Rivalz actually winced at that, indicating what they thought of it.

"Again, possible," Rivalz said, "but one civics course is already a lot of work. And the junior course can get pretty complicated since it covers the law in a pretty detailed fashion."

"A shame," Suzaku was given reason to think so again. "Since I've come to Ashford, I've run into so many interesting opportunities. Too many, in fact. There just never seems to be enough time to take advantage of them all."

"Oh, Mr. DuBois would love having you in his class," Rivalz said with a wide grin.

"Is he the civics instructor?"

Shirley nodded. "One of them. Mr. DuBois is a retired colonel from the Imperial Britannian Army. He was actually part of the army unit that fought for the Emperor Charles in Pendragon to unseat the Emperor Fredrich."

"Really?" Suzaku said, eyes widening.

"That might have happened before all of us were born, but in a lot of ways, it wasn't actually that long ago," Rivalz said. "Then again, there're still plenty of people that were alive during the Great War."

"Speaking of which, we should probably get back to reviewing," Shirley suggested. "That is our first exam, after all."

"Right, right," Rivalz agreed with a sigh. "Okay, so, what happened to the Korean Peninsula after the end of the war?"

"Japan renounced its claim and ceded it back to China," Suzaku said, scratching his head.

Shirley tilted her head when the youth did not come up with a follow-up question. "Something wrong?"

"Well, it's just, I can't help but be taken aback by how reckless the Japanese military was. I mean, they basically tried to pick a fight with so many other powers. They couldn't have possibly thought they could actually win, could they?"

"They actually might have," Rivalz said. "Or rather, they were probably counting on the other powers getting tired of fighting before they were."

Suzaku blinked. "What?"

"You remember the reading material all of us reviewed for the proposed Japanese history course?"

The Japanese youth nodded. As part of putting together the curriculum for the Japanese-centric courses, Ashford Academy had tapped a variety of students to get some measure of feedback. All of the prefects were defacto drafted into the endeavor, though Suzaku did not personally mind, as it provided him with an opportunity to learn more about his own country.

"Well, they've also been holding some mock lectures as well," Rivalz said. "You've actually been missing them, the first one was when you were out recovering after Lake Kawaguchi. The other times you were also off-campus with your army work."

"Oh, that's too bad," Suzaku said earnestly. "I would've liked to have sat in on those."

Rivalz chuckled. "I'm sure you would have. But anyway, one of those lectures covered the Meiji Restoration and the political climate that emerged. And to be honest, the mentality of the military that emerged from that time period was, well, quite fanatical."

"Fanatical?" Suzaku said, tilting his head aside.

"They really, really believed in Japan's ascension onto the world stage," Rivalz continued, "and they really, really believed that the Japanese, well, will, could carry them through any challenge."

"I see," Suzaku said, lips pursed.

"Now don't get me wrong here," Rivalz quickly added. "It's not like Japan was alone in thinking like this. The European War of 1914 pretty much started because of that sort of nationalistic sentiment. And the Empire sure is guilty of that kind of mentality from time to time as well. But well, if you're looking for a reason as to why the Japanese military would be so, reckless, that sort of mentality isn't quite as uncommon as we'd probably all wish."

To that Shirley gave a nod of agreement, one which Suzaku found himself in joining. That there were people sufficiently overconfident, or even callous, that they would disregard the suffering of others in pursuit of their own ambitions was certainly not unique to Japan or Britannia. Taking it even further, there were even those that would sacrifice others for the sake of an entirely futile cause, wasting lives in an entirely pointless display.

Suzaku frowned as a sharp pain pierced his head. The youth clutched the side of his head, a motion that did not go unnoticed.

"You okay, man?" Rivalz asked.

"It's fine," Suzaku said, though a grimace remained on his face. "Just a small headache."

"We have been studying for quite a bit," Shirley said. "Maybe we should take a break."

"I'm all for that," Rivalz said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Suzaku agreed.

The pain was fading now, though seeing as Suzaku did not even know why it started in the first place, he could not say if the relief was only temporary. It had come completely out of nowhere, scrambling his thoughts in the process. What was he thinking about? Something about futile causes and-

Before Suzaku could recall exactly his prior train of thought, the door to the clubhouse opened with a loud thud and the chilled air from outside swept in. Looking over, the trio saw Euphemia hurry in, cradling something wrapped in her jacket.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Euphemia said. "Umm, I could really use some help here!"

Rivalz and Shirley were immediately on their feet, while Suzaku maneuvered his wheelchair around to follow. A slight gasp sounded from Shirley as she caught sight of what Euphemia was holding.

"Oh no, the poor dear, is he okay?"

Now that Suzaku himself was closer, he could see that there was a small cat curled up in Euphemia's jacket. Its eyes were closed, but the shivering of its body made clear the cat was still alive, albeit quite cold.

"I found him collapsed out in the cold," Euphemia explained. "He doesn't have a collar, so he's probably a stray, but I couldn't just leave him out there."

"It's Patches," Rivalz said, then when Euphemia and Suzaku looked at him quizzically. "That's his nickname. See that patch pattern around his eye? He's a stray that's been living on campus grounds for a while now. A damn good mouser too, he's the reason the kitchen staff didn't even realize there was a rodent infestation last year because of how many rats he took down just by himself." He straightened. "I'll go get some blankets, see if we can warm him up better."

"And I'll go heat up some milk!" Shirley as she similarly hurried away.

Euphemia laid the cat down on the sofa, gently caressing it.

"You'll be okay now," she said soothingly. "See, you're in a nice and warm place."

A slight purr sounded, but the cat still shivered.

"Here," Suzaku said, taking off his jacket uniform. "Let's give him another layer."

"Thank you, Suzaku," Euphemia said, further wrapping the cat up. "Just hang in there, alright? We'll get you some nice milk and a soft, warm bed."

Watching Euphemia tend to the cat, Suzaku could not help but smile slightly. He had already known that Euphemia possessed a kind and gentle heart. Seeing it only display now somehow was a balm for his own troubled heart.

"It was actually pretty clever on Lelouch's part," C.C. said in between a sip of tea. "The kitchen staff would have noticed if a cake were missing outright, so he didn't bother trying to steal one of those. Instead what Lelouch had been doing was building up a stockpile of ingredients, powdered eggs, baking chocolate, flour, even a few cooking implements. And then he'd use one of the side kitchens that wasn't scheduled for use to mix all the ingredients together to bake a cake, and then use slices of that cake to basically butter up the proctors to get other things he might want or need."

"And he did all this when he was just twelve!?" Milly said incredulously.

"And the proctors did not realize what he was doing until about half a year later," C.C. said with an almost wistful smile. "By that point enough of them had exchanged stories about Lelouch's cakes that they realized he was up to something. It still took a bit longer to actually figure out where he was getting the cakes from."

"Did they stop him from baking any more afterwards?" Kaguya asked.

"Certainly not," C.C. responded. "Especially when his cakes were so delicious, and improving all the time. And it wasn't just the proctors that Lelouch plied with his cakes, he also used them to get the other cohorts to do things for him."

"Wheeling and dealing at such a young age," Milly said, even as a wide grin was plastered over her face.

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Kallen, the fourth and last attendee of the tea party, remarked.

The list of participants for the afternoon's tea party was not drawn up on a whim, as all four of the ladies present had something very important in common. And contrary what certain overly focused minds observing the gathering might construe, while Lelouch was indeed a point of commonality, as well as being the topic of their present conversation, talking about the cardinal was not the reason why they were all here today.

"I wonder if the chocolate cakes we always have for desert here at the palace were ones he backed himself," Milly mused, glancing over at Kallen.

"Don't look at me," the girl said. "I don't spend enough time at the palace to know what he actually spends his time on."

"Fair enough," Milly said. "I should hit up Sancia."

"Would you be disappointed if the answer was in the negative?" C.C. asked.

"No, it just means I can insist he handle the wedding cake as recompense," Milly said with a smirk.

Kallen snorted while Kaguya made a small gasp. C.C. on the other hand gave a bark of laughter.

Lelouch might not be the reason for their gathering today, but that did not mean they could not amuse themselves on his account. Or his expense, depending on one's perspective.

"Perhaps I should ask him to bake a cake for the Ise dedication ceremony," Kaguya mused. "Or would that be presumptuous?"

"No harm in trying," Milly said. "How goes reconstruction, by the way?"

"We're still in the planning stages, it being winter," Kaguya said, "but the architects are already drawing up detailed blueprints and figuring out how much wood we'll need. There's arguably an overabundance cypress trees in Japan, so we at least have plenty of materials for it."

And here lay the real reason for the gathering. As C.C. had promised, Eden Vital was fully prepared to help reconstitute the Ise Grand Shrine by providing both technical expertise and equipment. The tea party today was to further discuss ways the manner of that assistance, with Milly and Kallen being positioned to serve as representatives to that end. In Milly's case, the girl was actually intended less as a representative of Eden Vital and more as an intermediary for the various industrial interests that would be interested in obtaining compute time in the Kamine Island thought elevator once it was back online. It would of course be quite a few years yet before that happened, but setting up the channels now would be a good long-term investment, and by the time the actual provisioning of compute time began, Milly herself would be old enough to more formally assume the position of liaison.

As for Kallen, the plan was to actually train her up on performing computational jobs on the Kamine Island thought elevator, which would then allow her to help train Ise candidates as they were recruited and augmented. In the meantime, those computational tasks used as part of her training could be drawn from the Sumeragi Group's backlog, therefore serving the dual purpose of helping Kallen with her training while letting the Group start utilizing the thought elevator even before Ise was fully reconstituted. That being said, because Kallen was still officially an Eden Vital contractor, Ise was not going to be allowed to keep borrowing her like this. As someone assigned to Lelouch's entourage, once the cardinal's duties in Japan were completed and he was recalled, Kallen would be obliged to accompany him. Indeed, that Kallen was being permitted to assist Ise at all like this was a consequence of Lelouch pretty blatantly ignoring C.C.'s edict that Eden Vital would not grant any contractors to Ise unless the Shrine accepted communion or provided some other significant concession. So far the grandmaster had not deigned to rebuke her protégé over this, and so long as Lelouch did not exceed his authority too much, Kallen's loyalties lay more with Lelouch than Eden Vital after all, she seemed willing to turn a blind eye.

"Hopefully you'll have enough priests and priestesses to man all the posts when Ise is reopened," Milly added.

Kaguya sighed slightly. "Hopefully indeed. It is proving somewhat difficult finding qualified persons."

"Really?" Kallen said, glancing slightly in C.C.'s direction. "Even with the Order's help?"

"What Eden Vital can provide is equipment to test people with," Kaguya said. "We still need to do the tests individually. And so far none of the candidates tested have met the necessary thresholds."

"What about yourself?" Milly asked.

"I do meet the threshold," Kaguya said, "but even setting aside my other duties, I'm still one person."

"That is true," Milly said with a thoughtful look, then. "What about your cousin, Suzaku?"

"Suzaku we already know he also exceeds the threshold," Kaguya said to the surprise of the other girl. "Eden Vital apparently tested him beforehand for other reasons. But well, I'm not sure if I can convince him to resign from the military at this point, even if I did explain how important the thought elevator is."

"Why, because he's smitten with Euphie?" Milly said.

Kaguya looked over at Milly.

"What, you think you're the only one that's noticed?" the older girl said.

"Well, no, I suppose he hasn't been that subtle. But, you are not worried?"

"Euphie's her own person, and I trust her to make her own decisions about who she likes or doesn't like," Milly said with a shrug.

And she left it at that, making no mention of any potential causes for worry. In her own way, that was Milly signaling she herself did not give a crap about the racial aspects of such a match. Somehow, that was more reassuring than any open assertions the girl could have made.

"I wonder if Euphemia herself has noticed," Kaguya said with a slight smile.

"I give it 50/50," Milly said. "Euphie's had a lot on her mind the past few months, but now that a bunch of those problems have been resolved, she might have the necessary attention to pick up the hints."

"Hmm, Euphemia," C.C. mused. "She would be Victoria's daughter." And then shrugged. "I see nothing wrong with such a pairing."

And thus implicitly granted her own blessing, as opposed to withholding it like with Lelouch and Kaguya. That likely meant as far as C.C. was concerned, any child that might be born from such a union did not impinge upon Eden Vital's own breeding program.

"Though if you are having trouble finding candidates, should you perhaps not look up Ise's own genealogical records?" the grandmaster suggested. "Ise did have its own arranged unions for the purpose of strengthening desired qualities."

"We've tried testing relatives of the priesthood," Kaguya said, "but while they definitely show better levels of compatibility, they're still not at the level that can be effectively employed."

C.C. blinked. "Wherever did I suggest the testing of direct relatives?"

This time it was Kaguya that blinked. "Did you not say genealogical records? What else would that have meant?"

"Eden Vital maintains a list of alternate lineages not actively incorporated into the Order's breeding lines that can also serve as candidates," C.C. explained. "They serve as sources of fresh genetic input every few generations, but they're also a sort of backup reserve, where if the Order has need to reconstitute heavy losses or the like, members of those lines can be tapped to rebuild our ranks of contractors within a generation or two. I presume Ise would have a similar list."

"Maybe," Kaguya said with pursed lips, "but if such a list exists, I have no idea where it might be."

To that C.C. gave a snort. "Where else would it be but the most secure place Ise has for storing its secrets?"

Realization struck Kaguya as her eyes widened. "The Kamine Island thought elevator."

"Exactly," C.C. said, then smirked. "What did you think me overlooking Lelouch's loaning of Kallen to you was for? You need someone actually capable of interacting safely with the thought elevator to extract that list, after all."

Kallen frowned ever so slightly. "I hope you don't intend me to provide a copy of that list for Eden Vital as well, Grandmaster."

C.C. gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "The Order has no need. We already have a massive pool of candidates from the Empire's general population bases."

Kallen and Kaguya both let out slight sighs of relief there. While neither were going to just let that list be taken from Ise, if the grandmaster had really been determined to get a copy, she arguably could have bulldozed right through any objections or obstructions they might put up. Then again, there did remain the possibility that C.C. was just humoring them here and was indeed planning on more surreptitious means of obtaining that information, but the probability of that seemed rather low. The reward simply did not seem worth the effort, seeing as C.C. pointed out, Eden Vital already had a massive pool of candidates available to it.

"We might need to move up the Kamine thought elevator's reactivation then," Kaguya said. "Though the earliest is probably still after the new year."

There were just too many things on everyone's plates before then.

"It will also need to wait for the observers from the Holy See to arrive," C.C. said. "They will insist on observing the activation process, if only to be assured that the Kamine Island thought elevator truly remains in Ise's hands."

Kaguya shifted slightly. "And how long do they intend to remain in Japan observing?"

"The Britannian government has granted them a six-month visa," C.C. said. "We shall see if they request an extension."

In one respect, the presence of the Catholic observers arguably gave Kaguya an alternate avenue by which to get technical assistance. That being said, trying to play the great powers against each other was what got Japan in its current mess, and that was when they were still an independent polity. For now, Ise needed time to recover, and if that meant doing so under the ostensible patronage and protection of one power and forsaking any offers of support from another, well, it was ultimately on Kaguya to make sure that such support did not result in complete dependency in the end.

"If you don't mind my asking," Kaguya said, "but what exactly differentiates Eden Vital from the Catholic Church? I'm afraid as a Japanese, I've never grasped the nuances between the various Christian denominations."

"You mean aside from the fact that the Vatican once decreed Eden Vital to be heretical?" C.C. said dryly.

"Well, presumably there was some specific belief that went against the Catholic orthodoxy to warrant such a claim," Kaguya said.

The grandmaster chuckled. "True enough. From a doctrinal perspective, the main thing that distinguishes Eden Vital from the Catholic Church is our rejection of revelation as a source of religious knowledge. We emphasize the primacy of reason and observation as the means by which the existence of God can be established. After all, why would God have granted us our intellect if not so that we may exercise it?"

Seeing as Kaguya was not herself Christian, much less an Eden Vital adherent, that was not a question she could readily muster an answer to. Fortunately, C.C. had intended the question to be rhetorical as she continued her explanation.

"The Catholic Church on the other hand believes that direct communication from God via revelations grants truths which underpin their doctrine, and that the revealed truths are absolute and infallible." The grandmaster's lips thinned. "And on a purely personal level, I have a slight problem with any supposed truths that demands I be burned at the stake."

Kaguya inhaled sharply, while Milly and Kallen's expressions also clouded. While C.C.'s enmity to the Catholic Church had not prejudiced her to the point where she outright refused to interact with the Holy See, she was unlikely to ever accord the Vatican with any sort of actual respect, not when some of the fundamental doctrines that branded her a heretic all those centuries ago remained part of the Catholic canon. It was highly unlikely those doctrines would ever be removed, at least not without the Church functionally collapsing, but that hardly mattered to C.C. From her perspective, the continued viability of the Catholic Church was not her problem. The continued erosion of the Catholic Church's standing, in spite of its possession of two thought elevators, was ultimately a failing of its very mortal leaders. If they could not adjust to and provide for the needs of contemporary society, their slide towards obsolesce was simply the natural course of things.

"From a more practical angle, Eden Vital has no restrictions on what roles and duties men and women can perform," C.C. continued. "So long as one is physically and mentally capable of the task, they can be appointed to the respective role."

Case in point, of the currently serving cardinals, Lelouch happened to be the only man. And while the hierarchies below the cardinals were not quite as imbalanced, there was no denying that women were thoroughly entrenched throughout the entire chain of command.

"The Catholic Church on the other hand still does not permit women to serve in a wide variety of roles, especially those of actual ecclesiastical authority," C.C. stated. "Every time the notion is mooted, conservative elements within the Church decry it as deviating from the doctrine handed down by the Church Fathers. In other words, because some old man centuries ago constructed doctrines based on the contemporary wisdom of his time, they are considered equally applicable to this day and age."

C.C. was clearly not one to put much weight on tradition.

"At the same time, they hand down edicts and rulings that directly affect the circumstances of millions of women, all without ever taking into account our views or needs, as if their own perspectives alone are sufficient. Are they merely ignorant of their own ignorance, or too arrogant to admit their ignorance?"

Probably a little bit of both. One did not necessarily need to be ignorant to also be arrogant, after all.

"Perhaps they're also scared?" Kaguya ventured.

The others looked at her, the silence a clear invitation for the girl to elucidate further.

"People often cling to the familiar as an anchor. When something appears that is unfamiliar, or which might even robe them of their anchor, they reflexively fear or scorn it. That is, in the end, a very human reaction."

"A very human reaction indeed, but we still must live with the consequences of their self-doubt impacting others. What say you to that?"

That sounded very much like a test, and the way in which C.C.'s gaze was fixed upon Kaguya showed a certain expectancy in the girl's response. Kaguya pursed her lips as she considered how to answer.

"I don't know what the right answer to that is. In fact, I'm not sure there is a single right answer. But, merely scorning them in turn won't solve anything. They must be met, unflinchingly. By a hard or soft hand will depend on the person, I think, but we should never turn away from them."

Whether that was the right or wrong answer in C.C.'s estimation the grandmaster's demeanor did not immediately reveal. Still when the teacup reached her lips, a hint of a smile could be seen upon them.

A pair of brightly colored capes flowed off the two women standing at attention in Lelouch's office, one a light shade violet and the other a lime green. The woman wearing the former also had a wide smirk on her face, while the latter maintained a more stoic demeanor. Still, both assumed a poise of supreme confidence, which was not surprising in the least. For the Knights of the Round stood at the absolute pinnacle of Britannia's martial legions, recognized as the very best warriors and even commanders at His Majesty's beck and call.

Despite the symbolism of the round table, there existed an explicit organization and hierarchy amongst the knights, both for the sake of modern military chains of command also to more cleanly delineate the respective duties of each knight. Knights like Monica Krushevsky, the young woman clad in green, served in a more frontline capacity. They were the fighters, providing protection for His Majesty's person, or whichever notable the emperor assigned as their charge. Then there were the knights like Bismarck Waldstein, who served as the overall commander of the military units protecting Pendragon. While still a formidable warrior at his age, Bismarck rarely took to the field these days, busy as he was in his capacity as a flag officer.

And then there were those knights like Nonette Enneagram, the woman in the violet cape, that were a little bit of both. A field commander, Nonette had greater opportunity to take to battle herself, but was still obliged to spend a good chunk of her time at a desk or behind the frontlines issuing orders. In due time, she might even rise to such lofty ranks as held by Bismarck, but the woman seemed in no great hurry to be pulled even further from the battlefield. Fighting flesh and blood opponents was after all more fun than battling paperwork. Though for everyone's sake, Nonette would do well not to be derelict in the less glamorous aspects of her duty.

"Dame Nonette, Dame Monica," Lelouch said. "Welcome to Japan."

"My thanks, Your Eminence," Nonette answered for both of them. "From the sound of things, you've been eagerly awaiting our arrival."

"I will certainly breathe easier once I am able to offload certain duties upon your shoulders," Lelouch responded frankly.

"You can leave it to your big sis," Nonette said, still smirking.

While Monica gave her fellow knight a tolerant glance aside, the younger knight did not seem at all surprised by Nonette's flippant demeanor. Neither did Leouch, as a matter of fact.

"I see the years have done little to temper your glibness."

"I prefer to think of myself as a free spirit," Nonette answered completely unabashed.

Lelouch on the other hand was starting to wonder if the knight would be the cause of more headaches than she was here ostensibly to solve.

"So where's Cornelia, anyway?" Nonette asked, not even bothering with the princess' courtesies. "Shouldn't she be here welcoming me as well?"

"Her Highness is attending to her duties as Marshal of the Empire," Lelouch stated. And for once even seemed eager to do so, the cardinal did not mention. "You will have ample opportunity to see her over the course of your own duties."

"Feh, and here I was hoping I could get in a duel before all the formalities kicked in."

Which probably explained why Cornelia had made herself scarce today.

"Oh, by the way," Nonette began. "Marrybell asked me to pass on a message. 'How long are you intending to hang onto my girlfriend?' is what she said."

Lelouch tapped his temple, a thoroughly exasperated look on his face. That only elicited a bark of laughter from Nonette.

"Ah, to be young again. Anyway, if there's nothing else, I'll go and start taking a load off your shoulder."

Technically, due to being entirely outside of the normal chain of command, Nonette did not need Lelouch's permission to take her leave. She was however at least civil enough to ask for it, even if in a somewhat offhand manner.

"See to it that you actually are doing that, instead of adding to it," Lelouch said with a wave.

While Nonette did indeed head for the exit, Monica remained standing in the room. Only after the door was closed did she let out a slight sigh. It seemed Lelouch was not the only one feeling a bit exasperated in dealing with Nonette.

"Sometimes I have to wonder just where His Majesty finds such characters," Lelouch remarked.

Complaining, or at least making a backhanded remark, about one member of the Round to another was arguably not the most sensible thing to do, even for someone of Lelouch's station. Monica on the other hand actually cracked a slight smile at that.

"Would Your Eminence be including myself in that characterization?" the knight inquired.

"Don't you mean whether I'm including myself?" Lelouch responded with a smirk of his own, then softened his expression into an actual smile. "It's good to see you again, Dame Monica."

"Likewise, Your Eminence," Monica responded in kind.

Monica Krushevsky was, as her appearance and bearing suggested, a young woman of noble birth. She was most certainly not a member of Eden Vital, ordained or otherwise. Monica however had spent a period of time in the Order's care, during which she received the same augmentation suite as other contractor candidates. And while the knight had ultimately not forged a contract with C.C., she had been given one of the most cutting-edge developments Eden Vital had achieved in the past decade or so, a geass jammer.

As its name implied, the geass jammer was able to disrupt the ability of contractors to use their abilities, though its efficacy in doing so depended heavily on how powerful a contractor Monica was facing. Against someone like Lelouch, the cardinal could actually power through the interference, albeit with considerable effort. Even so, possession of the jammer made Monica probably the best person to face off against a geass wielder short of another contractor. Having Monica accompany Cornelia would therefore significantly increase the relative safety of the princess, which would actually allow Lelouch to pull back some of the resources he had been forced to expend on his sister and deploy them elsewhere. A good thing too, considering Lelouch's priorities had shifted drastically with Kaguya's unveiling.

What was more, as the current exchange showed, Monica was someone Lelouch was on amicable terms with. The two had trained together while Monica was in the Order's care, and in the process developed a healthy rapport and respect for each other. In her own way, Monica was as eager a fighter as Nonette, so while the Knight of Nine had been looking forward to a good scrap with Cornelia, the Knight of Twelve was more inclined to challenge Lelouch.

"Are you free for some exercise this evening?" Monica thus inquired.

"I believe I can set aside some time," Lelouch said. "Are you still using your old direct number?"

The cardinal himself did not mind, if nothing else dueling and sparring with Monica would help him maintain his edge. And the knight herself was a studious, hardworking sort, qualities that Lelouch could appreciate.

The knight nodded. "I am not due to pick up a guard shift until tomorrow, so my evening is entirely free."

In another time and place, such appreciation might have sparked something further. Indeed, Monica was arguably one of the first friends outside the Order that Lelouch made after he was taken into Eden Vital's custody. But much as with Oldrin, nothing further had come of that rapport, aside perhaps a remark that Lelouch seemed to have a thing for blonds. Not that the cardinal himself was ever made aware of his supposed predilection. As for Monica, the young woman seemed to regard Lelouch more like a slightly less foolish brother figure than most of the other men her age that she encountered. Which to be fair was not that high a bar considering the other youth Monica had cause to interact frequently with due to her position in the Rounds.

"Very well, I will notify you of when I am free. Till then, Dame Monica."

Clicking her heels together, Monica took her leave. Incidentally, the result of their evening bout was three-to-one. A distinct look of satisfaction was on Monica's face when she took up her post the next day.

The rise and fall of the bedding coincided with the breathing of the woman sleeping underneath it. One could easily mistake the deepness of her slumber as a sign of contentment. The youth putting on his clothes before taking his leave was not likely to do so, considering he was responsible for inducing it. When the door closed, an annoyed voice sounded.

"When I agreed to assist in your little vendetta," Mao said with a frown, "it was with the understanding that doing so might allow us to obtain some useful intel on that Eden Vital contractor, not so you could spend your time copulating with a woman twice your age."

Mao glared at his compatriot. "Well how was I supposed to know that this Kallen was estranged from her father? Or that the viscountess was similarly discontented?"

"A cursory investigation before you made contact might have done just that," Mao retorted, then sighed. "We can ill-afford to waste more time on this, especially with indications that the viceroyalty is beginning to take seriously suspicions regarding Babel's activities."

"Oh? They figure out where the Refrain trafficking is centered?"

"Not quite yet, but it is only a matter of time," Mao said. "We need to extricate our assets to ensure they're not caught up in the sweep."

"Alright, we've probably milked McDougal for all that he's worth. Though, if we are to write him and Babel off, perhaps we can do so in a way that at least inconveniences the viceroyalty."

Mao narrowed her eyes. "What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, nothing much," Mao said, a sadistic smirk crossing his face. "I was just thinking how badly it would reflect upon the good cardinal if Babel were to turn into a bloodbath on his watch."

Mao looked at her partner with a blank expression. It was not as if she was somehow averse to the loss of life, but she at least did take such perverse pleasure in the shedding of blood. Still, Mao's bloody-mindedness could, when channeled appropriately, produce useful results.

"If done sloppily, we risk instead eliciting the populace's sympathies for the cardinal," Mao pointed out, "or handing him yet another opportunity to demonstrate his decisiveness. So whatever you come up with, it had better be a credible plan instead of you acting on a whim."

Mao snorted. "Oh ye of little faith. I shall see the cardinal's good name bloodied, or at least smeared, have no fear of that." And then he chuckled unpleasantly. "And I'll even do it in a way that ties up that loose end."

The jerk of his head towards the closed door was clear indication of which loose end he meant. Mao regarded said door before letting out a weary sigh. Already she could envision Mao's machinations running out of control. A cunning enough plotter at a tactical level, all too often her partner tended to miss the bigger picture. But that was fine, for that was her job. So long as Mao was able to stir up some measure of chaos, she could probably take advantage of it. And who knows, maybe they would get lucky and actually take out someone of relevance. More unlikely things had happened after all.

Within the viceroy's palace, besides the multitude of offices, conference rooms, and residential suites, were of course several large halls intended to host major social events. One such event, a ball, had been Prince Clovis' welcome to his brother's arrival in Japan. It had also been the last such event as a consequence of the events that followed, until the state dinner being held this evening. And despite everything that had happened, there was arguably much to commemorate on the twilight eve of the old year.

Perhaps not surprising, the guest list for the dinner was a veritable who's who of prominent families in Japan, along with those children that were old enough and well behaved enough to be trusted at such an event. Indeed, one could almost be forgiven thinking this was some Ashford Academy event that students' families were invited to, considering how many of the teens here were also enrolled at the school. This impression was made all the stronger with Milly's presence at the hall entrance greeting the arriving guests. Though her attachment to the Cardinal Lamperouge was still rather informal, what with the lack of an official betrothal, that she was playing hostess was a firm indicator of how close the two were nonetheless. Lelouch himself had yet to make an appearance, but since he lived in the viceroy's palace, there was not too much concern that he would be late to the party he was supposed to be hosting. When the cardinal finally made his appearance however, he caused quite a stir by having another woman at his arms. From the way Milly smiled warmly at the approaching pair, the Ashford heiress quite clearly expecting this. Just as the quizzical murmurs reached the point of actually being audible, the crier's announcement settled the puzzlement.

"Now entering, His Eminence the Cardinal Lelouch Lamperouge, accompanying Her Highness the Princess Euphemia li Britannia."

Gasps now interspersed the whispers as the other guests recognized the latter's name, even if only a select few could have put a face to that name. After the Empress Marianne's murder, almost all of the younger imperial scions were withdrawn from the public eye, ostensibly for their own safety. They tended to only reemerge into the public scene as each one approached their age of majority, much as the Prince Clovis had, shortly before his appointment as viceroy. That said, while Euphemia was indeed approaching that age, few of the attending guests could have ever imagined she would make her debut here, in Tokyo, instead of back in Pendragon. That she was doing so nonetheless, plenty of subtext to be read there.

While Milly was greeting her boyfriend and his sister amicably enough, an observer, not even necessarily a sharp-eyed one, could readily see a flat, blank expression on the Princess Cornelia's face as she sat at the head table. The absence of any open display was, for someone like Her Highness, proof enough that she was not happy with the current development. Still, her unhappiness had clearly not prevented the day's events from unfolding, and the actually observant onlookers could discern at least a slight measure of pride in how Cornelia regarded her little sister.

With all the guests having arrived, Lelouch disengaged from Euphemia and took Milly's arms into his as they headed for their seats. Three tables were set at the front of the hall, with the center reserved for the cardinal. Euphemia had a spot to his immediate right, with Cornelia one seat down, while to Lelouch's left was Milly and then Ruben. Further to the right at the neighboring table were seated not just a few of the more prominent personages of Lelouch's cabinet, but also two women dressed in the colors of the Rounds. Nonette and Monica might have been attending as guests instead of guards this evening, but even so, strapped behind their waists were a sidearm just in case they needed to act upon their duty as knights.

On the other side, at the table to the left, several distinctly Japanese visages were seated. If one were to ascribe proximity to the cardinal as to the importance His Eminence invested in a guest, then the ordering of Kaguya, then Kallen, and then a few other members of the Numbers Administration Council was certainly revealing. Kaguya, after her dramatic declaration of faith in Lelouch, some degree of consideration was almost to be expected. Kallen however was the subject of quite a bit of speculation. The Stadtfeld heiress' mixed lineage was at this point fairly widely known, and she had also made a few public appearances, often accompanying Milly or Kaguya, to highlight one or another of the viceroyalty's progress in rebuilding Japan. That by itself did not seem to warrant such consideration as this. On the other hand, if she actually was the redhaired woman of which people had caught only a fleeting glimpse of in Kaguya's rescue, her presence made much more sense, even if there remained as yet no public confirmation of that fact.

As the guests all seated themselves, Euphemia took a spoon and tapped it against the edge of her wineglass. The crystalline ring reverberated through the entire hall, causing a hushed silence to fall in its wake. This too was something the princess had practiced, so as to not come up short on the day of. All eyes were on the finely dressed young woman, who remained standing while the cardinal himself was already seated. The purpose of this signal was clear enough. Euphemia, not Lelouch, would be delivering the New Year's Eve address. Quite the daunting task placed atop the young woman's shoulder alongside her debut. If the young woman was at all nervous however, she kept it masterfully hidden under her serene composure.

"My lords and ladies, ladies and gentlemen," the princess began, her voice carrying throughout the hall thanks to strategically placed speakers. "We are here this evening to reflect upon the past year behind us, as well as welcome all the possibilities that the new year represents. Much has happened this past year, for both good and ill. My brother, the Prince Clovis, is parted with this mortal coil, the culmination of certain events that brought both disrepute upon Britannia, and great suffering to those that should be under our stewardship."

While Lelouch had given the final approval of the speech's content, he had let Euphemia flesh out its entirety without interference. That was not to say the girl drafted it entirely without outside input, she had solicited suggestions from several persons in the process. But the core of the speech was her own, both the good and the bad that she so referenced unflinchingly.

"The immutable past behind is however neither something that should weigh us down, nor something that we should forget. It serves as a lesson, of how we can do better. For much as we look forward to the coming year, that is only the first of many of what we all hope to be a brighter, better future."

For all the regrets hinted at, Euphemia clearly sought to emphasize hope instead.

"This land, Japan, is a new place to me. But for many of you gathered today, it is home. And home should be a place of rest, of nurture, of the heart. There remains much to be done, before Japan can be the home that many of you remember, that many of you wish for. And even when such dreams are achieved, they are but the foundations up which to build an even greater future, this I believe."

Not a lot of people had had cause for optimism in Japan, on both sides of the occupational divide. And while it would be easy enough to dismiss Euphemia's words as empty platitudes, that the princess was herself in Japan to deliver them suggested at least a measure of earnestness on her part. That she was allowed to be here to do so, well, support for her doing so might not be unequivocal, considering the guarded expression displayed by the Princess Cornelia, but such reserve clearly was outweighed by those that felt Japan safe enough for Euphemia to be here.

"The path to our dreams will no doubt be long and arduous, as with all things worth achieving. But know, that you do not walk it alone. For you will find at your side not only those seated beside you this day, but many more from beyond these walls. Together, we will pave the way. And together, we will make our shared dream reality."

A message of unity to accompany the hope she previously espoused. Euphemia might still be young and untampered compared to her siblings, but the princess at least possessed a degree of vision in knowing what she herself sought. As a place to start from, it was no bad foundation.

While Euphemia was speaking, Lelouch had deftly filled the wineglass she previously used to signal for attention. The crimson liquid sparkled under the hall's light. Taking hold of the glass, Euphemia raised it up.

"My lords and ladies," Euphemia repeated, "ladies and gentlemen. May the New Year grace us with a new dawn, for Japan and Britannia both."

Soon enough countless other glasses were so raised, forming a mosaic of sparkling color, as if the light they cast might truly serve to brighten the path forward.

End of Chapter 35

Bloody hell, I had to seriously rejuggle a couple of scenes due to a major sequencing cockup that emerged as I was writing. As a specific scene was developing, it became clear that the events that happen right after needed to happen very, very quickly afterward, the ramifications of which then made it nearly impossible for later scenes to play out the way I originally intended. Hence me shoving the two opening scenes at the start of this chapter way further ahead than originally intended. This is one of those instances where had I been writing ahead instead of publishing as I go, I would have been able to tweak the flow of the narrative to handle this more gracefully. As it is, I think I can still handle the Refrain arc in a decent fashion, but I'm having to exert a bit more effort to do so.

This is not the first time I've given Monica an expanded role in my story. Though seeing as this is only my second Code Geass story ever (out of a mooted three, after which I'll basically be out of ideas that I actually want to pursue), that's not saying much. When I wrote Calculus, I had actually bumped Monica's age up a bit, since 17 was just a tad too young for the role I needed her to serve in. Here, I'm keeping her canonical age, though how much that'll come into play remains to be seen, I'm leaving it as is because right now it doesn't interfere with my envisioned role for her. And while I gave her a sort of geass canceler in Calculus, here I'm explicitly giving her a jammer instead. The distinction will be dealt with in the story proper.

I can already hear the shippers rubbing their hands together in glee…

C.C. quite clearly does not like the Catholic Church. For that matter, it's official Eden Vital policy to treat the Holy See solely in terms of its secular, sovereign statehood. The Order flatly rejects any claim of universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction beyond that of the Vatican itself. For this reason, and others, those times when Eden Vital and the Catholic Church do need to negotiate with each other, C.C. tends to be kept far, far away from the actual discussions aside from issuing the overall objective of the talks. The Church as a whole is a giant berserk button for her, and the Church knows it, hence why they're usually more than happy to talk to intermediaries. It says a lot about how much the Vatican wants a contractor that they actually requested to directly negotiate with C.C. One can imagine that was not a pleasant experience for all involved.

If C.C. hates the Catholic Church so much, why then did she select them as one of the other stewards of the thought elevators in the Treaty of London instead of, say the Orthodox Church? There is a reason, and it's been hinted at in this chapter. I will withhold a more explicit explanation until such time as it becomes narratively relevant, or we're past that point and I'm infodumping to tie up loose ends as the story draws near its conclusion. Readers are of course free to speculate as they want. Readers are also free to speculate as to why C.C. hates the Catholic Church. Trying to burn her at the stake is just the tip of the iceberg, frankly.

Yeah, Kohaku's name was something that I ended up tweaking. I originally considered whether I wanted to play off the Ka sound with Kallen, but eventually decided to go with duplicating the Ko sound with Kouzuki. That's also ignoring that Kanon was a really bad choice in the first place, since it conflicts with the name of Schneizel's aide.