Chapter Two: Feeding the Hungry
Years had passed, and he was fifteen.
Outside the window of the kitchen, Lelouch Lamprouge remembered Lelouch Vi Britannia. The broken and shattered remnants of Tokyo that he had seen when he arrived had not been repaired. But nor had they been cleared.
Britannian forces had arrived. They'd cleared out a spot to suit the new settlement and herded the designated 'elevens' into a ghetto. Now the rotting carcasses of ancient skyscrapers stretched before them into the skyline. Even bulletproof glass couldn't protect against the depressing sight.
For now, Lelouch was working on cleaning off the table. It didn't need it, but doing it a second time couldn't hurt. The smell of Shirley cooking just behind the dining hall was there, and Lelouch glanced back. The leggy orange-haired girl was clad in a simple white skirt at Lelouch's insistence.
Lelouch checked the shotgun he kept behind the counter and then looked up. Where was he? He didn't want to open early, but people would be coming. Word of what they did here was spreading through the ghettos. "Milly, Is there any sign of the shipment yet?"
Milly Ashford, clad similar to Shirley, was sweeping up. Her blonde hair was tied up above her head. And she'd worn an outfit that clung to her ample breasts far too much for Lelouch's liking. It also had cleavage. Appearing pretty made you a target in these places, but Milly could not resist the urge to look sexy.
"Not yet, Lelouch," said Milly nonchalantly. "You asked that five minutes ago."
Lelouch nodded and concluded he had done more or less everything he needed to. Moving to the side, he drew out his phone and made a call. One moment passed, then another, and then someone picked up.
"Master Lelouch?" asked Sayoko.
"Sayoko, could you put me through to Nunnally please?" asked Lelouch.
"Of course, Master Lelouch," said Sayoko.
This was something he did every weekend when they started up. And the longer their operations went on, the more likely they'd all get killed. So he always called Nunnally, knowing it might be the last time they ever spoke.
"Lelouch, is everything going well?" asked Nunally, her sweet voice soothing his nerves.
"As well as I can hope," said Lelouch. "The soup kitchen is all set up, as usual. How are things going with Sayoko?"
"We're folding paper cranes together," said Nunnally. "They say if you fold a thousand of them and make a wish, your wish will come true."
Lelouch nodded. "Oh really, what would you wish for?"
"I'd wish for a more peaceful world," said Nunnally. "A place where no one went hungry."
"Well, I hope we'll be able to get it for you," said Lelouch, not believing they would for a second. "Have you finished checking the finances?" He'd gone to great lengths to give her that job.
"Yes, um, well, it doesn't look like we'll have as much in the way of donations next month, Lelouch," said Nunnally. "When we first asked people to contribute to this plan, everyone was so enthusiastic. But now we're getting a lot less money for it."
Lelouch nodded. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry to hear it.
"Don't worry, Nunnally. If worst comes to worst, I can take care of the financial problems."
He'd always had a talent for chess. You made sacrifices and you lived with them.
"You want to go gambling again? Shirley won't be happy about that," laughed Nunnally.
"Well, we have to pay for this somehow," said Lelouch. "I don't like patronizing Babel Tower, but people are starving out here." And a lot of those starving people would happily kill them all for fun in other circumstances.
This was suicide. The only question was when they'd get killed.
"Lelouch, the shipment is here!" said Milly.
Lelouch nodded. "Right, I'll be right there Milly. Just give me a sec.
"I have to go, Nunnally. I love you. I'll double-check the finances when I get back." And he hung up. As he did, he saw Nina had come out of the kitchen and was staring at him accusingly.
"Lelouch, why are you having Nunnally add up the finances?" asked Nina. "I checked them myself. And you double-checked them for me."
Lelouch sighed. "I know, Nina.
"But Nunnally is the one who came up with this idea, Milly. She wants to be a part of it and not feel worthless and out of place. It can't hurt to have a second person do the math after Nina.
"And it motivates her to keep learning. All we have to do is copy the reports into metal shapes she can feel out. Then she can read them easily."
"It took us hours last time, Lelouch," said Nina. "Are you really sure Nunally is helping here?"
Nina was shorter than everyone else in the group and very slim. Being the most intelligent person in the room was sort of her thing. So Lelouch suspected she felt offended as Nunnally double-checking things. "Nunnally doesn't want me to shelter her, Nina. She wants to make a difference, but there isn't much she can do.
"Just let her have this."
"Nina, could you help me with something?!" called Shirley.
"Right," said Nina. Then she hurried off.
Lelouch turned to see that Rivalz was entering the garage in the next room. This building had been expensive. More expensive than many of the options Milly had suggested. But Lelouch had chosen it for several reasons:
With only three rooms, it was small. It was made of strong material and would not be easily broken. The garage meant they could bring a vehicle in without it being ripped apart.
Rivalz pulled in, got off, and shut the garage door. Lelouch took the opportunity to turn on the light, and Rivalz approached. "Hey buddy, I got the supplies you requested here. I swear these supply runs are getting worse every day. People drive like crazy, and there are all kinds of weird stuff on the roads."
"Like what?" asked Lelouch.
"Like the smoking skyscraper, some genius decided to bomb on my way to the store," said Rivalz. He pulled a large package out of her car. "I nearly crashed."
In they brought the package and began to unpack them, putting the books onto a table. All of them were written in Japanese. Rivalz and he finished unpacking them, and then the bluenette turned to Milly.
"Wow, the kitchen is looking good Madam President," said Rivalz. Lelouch began trying to set the books up in an organized way. Neat rows would do, and a sign saying that anyone who wanted to take one could.
He suspected that most people who took one were hoping to sell it. But, what was the worst that could happen.
"Yeah, well, it's amazing how much better you can make a place look with a few little touches," said Milly. "Still, we should be able to open up soon enough."
"Not quite," said Lelouch, moving over to the counter and drawing out the shotgun. Checking it, he made sure it was still loaded.
"Why do you always do that, Lulu?" asked Shirley.
"Hmm?" asked Lelouch.
"Obsess over the shotgun," said Shirley.
"Yeah, I mean, what do you think this is, the wild west?" asked Rivalz.
"Worst than that, Rivalz," said Lelouch. "There isn't any law here except what the 'resistance' groups provide. That's why Clovis tolerates them. But, that also means someone might decide to shoot us for fun.
"I'm not taking any chances."
"Oh come on," said Rivalz. "There are people starving to death all over Area 11. And you think the terrorists are going to go after someone feeding the hungry? I'm pretty sure there are better targets for a bombing."
"Are there?" asked Lelouch, who had researched the subject. "Eliminate hunger, and the resistance can't ingratiate itself to the populace. Offering food is one way of recruiting. Stabilize the ghettos, and they lose their power.
"A couple of dead Britannians is small price to pay. Especially if they are corrupting the youth. Or something along those lines."
"Damn, that's pretty cynical, buddy," said Rivalz.
"Do you have your pistol?" asked Lelouch.
"Yes, I have my pistol," said Rivalz. "I always have it like you insist, and I keep training at the firing range.
"But if I end up facing some guy who wants me dead, I'm probably going to book it via motorcycle. We're not even in the ghettos anyway."
"Booking it is probably the smart move. And we're close enough," mused Lelouch. The purpose of the gun was so that people knew they had guns. Common thugs were unlikely to storm a place they knew was filled with armed combatants. Lelouch did not think the Student Council would do any good in a holdout.
The weapons were a deterrent. If there was shooting, they had failed in their function.
"Shirley, Nina, are you almost done?" asked Rivalz.
"Well yeah," said Shirley, brushing back her hair. "I had a whole lot of great ideas on what to cook, but somebody vetoed virtually all of them. Nina."
"Shirley, I know you like cooking but think about it," said Nina. "A lot of the..." She hesitated at choosing a word. "People we'll be serving may have allergies or illnesses. We've got to cook food that can be eaten by pretty much anyone, or we could accidentally kill someone. That could cause a lot of the dissent we're trying to stop.
"And remember that if someone if showing signs of malnourishment, you use this serving. If someone starving to death eats a full meal, the shock to their system can kill them.
"I uh..."
"What's wrong, Nina?" asked Rivalz.
"Lelouch, I don't think I can do this," said Nina. "I know I was supposed to be upfront this time, but-"
"It's fine; you and Shirley can be behind the scenes," said Lelouch. "You won't have to see or interact with anyone." He paused. "Oh, and remember everyone, we use the words Japanese and Japan. Nobody even mention the number eleven. Doing it could cause us some serious problems."
"We know!" said everyone at once.
That caused some scattered laughter.
"I still can't believe we got this far with just donations," said Rivalz. "I figured we'd have to do some crazy gambling plans or something."
"I considered it," said Lelouch. "But the idea of patronizing Babel Tower never sat right with me. It's too much like blood money. Unfortunately, I may have to do that anyway."
"Lulu, you aren't thinking of doing more gambling, are you?" asked Shirley. "I thought you said you were going to stop that."
"The donations are drying up, Shirley," said Lelouch. "We have to fund this place somehow, and I can't pay for it all via my income from the stock market."
"Also, the stock market is basically gambling," said Rivalz. "Complete with a rigged house. The only difference is that casinos don't get bailed out."
"Give them time," said Lelouch. "All I'm saying is that it may be necessary."
Shirley nodded. "Fine, let's just do this."
Lelouch nodded. "Open the doors, Milly. Rivalz, you help her." Then he paused. "Oh, um, this is our second month anniversary. So if we all get killed by a mob, it's been an honor."
"You say that every time we open the doors," said Rivalz.
"Just call it a magic spell to ward off bad luck," said Milly. "I'm a Witch, so I should know."
And so the doors were opened, and people began to arrive.
Usually, what happened was a few people arrived before a rush came in later. But today, however, many people arrived early. And the rush only got bigger. Lelouch, meanwhile, sat in the corner looking through the window by the books. His job was to keep an eye out for any trouble and warn people.
A back door was kept sealed until such a time as they had to make an escape.
And he watched people who were hungry come in to get a meal free of charge. Lelouch wondered if doing this actually helped them at all. Maybe they'd just waste away a few days later than they would have otherwise. Most of them were clad in rags or lower quality clothes at best.
It had all been Nunnally's idea.
Britannia had always maintained that the poor deserved to waste away and die. It was a convenient excuse to provide no social services for the lower classes. Then it stoked racial hatred and feelings of superiority. All against anyone who wasn't a Britannian. This ignoring the fact that 'Britannians' were not an ethnic group.
They were an arbitrary label that had been applied to a great many ethnic groups. Just because they happened to live on the same landmass. That label was then used to create a common identity defined by malice and hatred of the arbitrary other. They utilized this common identity. All to keep the people they enslaved tearing at each other like beasts.
The gist of Britannia's attitude toward the needy was this;
If you were starving to death, you deserved to starve to death.
But, Nunnally had come up with the idea of creating a place that would feed the hungry free of charge. And since Nunnally could not do it herself, Lelouch had chosen to do it for her. And since she believes greatly in the faith, she had the idea of handing out the books. Just in case anyone wanted them.
Not that Lelouch planned to push them. He saw nothing as several people took a book and read through it after finishing their meal. Likewise, he said nothing to those who ignored the books. They could read it or not read it, believe it or not, believe it.
It made no difference to him.
However, what did make a difference was a man in much better clothes throwing the door open. He had spiky red hair and held an assault rifle in his hands. "Hey, what's going on here? Just who in the hell are you Brits?"
A stir went up, but Lelouch stood up quickly and raised a hand. Milly was half bending down for the shotgun, but Lelouch shook his head. "We are charity workers."
"Oh yeah, and who in the hell says we need your charity?" asked the man.
"No one," said Lelouch. "We're simply making the offer."
"Oh right, and I'll be your asking for favors or expecting us to bow down and kiss the ground you're walking on, huh?" asked the man.
Lelouch looked at the people standing and sitting terrified. "...Can we take this outside? You are terrifying our customers."
The man paused. "Fine by me."
Lelouch walked outside to the window and turned around to see the man pointing the assault rifle at him. Did he really think guns gave you power?
"Now start talking and start talking fast!" asked the man. "What are you really up to! Are you some kind of spy?"
"This is a soup kitchen," said Lelouch, raising his hands. "We feed people who are hungry without charging anything. The money comes from concerned Britannian citizens. No strings attached."
"Yeah, well, we don't want your kind or your worthless pity!" said the man.
Lelouch considered his chances of walking out of here. He decided that outright submission would do no good. So, it would be best to take the offensive. "...Are you speaking for yourself or everyone in this building?"
"What was that?!" said the man.
"Nothing, I just..." Lelouch feigned intimidation. This man was only trying to feel powerful so as long as he looked afraid, he should hear him out. "Well, these people all seem to want the meals we're providing. What is your problem with us?"
"Our problem?!" said the man. "You wrecked this city in the first place. You ruined our country, and now you expect us to treat you like a messiah cause you're giving back some of what you stole?!"
"I don't expect anyone to treat me like a messiah," said Lelouch "I'm just trying to help people. A lot of people are hungry, and we want to help feed them."
"Oh yeah, and why don't you do something about your Emperor slaughtering people by the thousands!" said the man.
"Because I would be instantly mowed down by the military before I came anywhere near him," said Lelouch. "I don't that would help anyone. If anything, it would just make the Emperor start killing Britannians as well."
The man scoffed at this. "Well, that'd be a nice change of pace."
He was trying to get Lelouch riled up or cowed. Either would do for him. If Lelouch was riled up, he could shoot him and feel big. If he was cowed, he could run him off and feel big. How to respond?
"...What exactly is it you want from me?" asked Lelouch after a moment.
"I want you to get out of our city!" said the man.
"Why?" asked Lelouch.
"I just said why! You're the ones who wrecked this place!" said the man.
"I have never piloted a knightmare frame in my life," said Lelouch. Nor have I worked for the Britannian government. I have no say over foreign policy." This was a risk; he could be gunned down any second. "I'm just trying to feed the hungry."
"I don't care why you're doing this! I want you out of here, or else!" said the man, taking off the safety.
Well, nothing for it then. "Fine then.
"If you really want us to move, we'll move. We can't pick a fight with you, and the police aren't going to help. We'll have to go to some other area. I've had a difficult time getting some of them to come out this far. And if we're forced out at gunpoint we might not come back.
"So you won't have to worry about us again.
"Will you let us finish our operations today, at least?"
The man looked to the people eating, looking at him warily. "Alright, fine, you can finish up here. But after today, that's it." He turned the safety back on.
Lelouch nodded. Now to strike at the weakness, he didn't even know he'd exposed. "Very well then.
"Do you want to tell the people in there this is the last day? Or would you rather I do it?"
The man stopped dead, looking over to them. Then he looked back to Lelouch and lowered his gun. "I... well um..."
"You do want them to know your decision, don't you?" asked Lelouch. "Many of them have come a long way just to get a meal. One which they won't be able to get anywhere else. If someone doesn't tell them, they'll come all this tomorrow for nothing."
"Well I..." The man halted. "I don't need to explain myself to you or them! A real Japanese shouldn't take charity from foreigners!"
"Perhaps you should explain that to them then," said Lelouch, looking over to them nervously. "I don't think I'm qualified to know."
The man halted and realized he was in a no-win scenario. Whichever choice he made, these people would blame him. And Lelouch he'd already dismissed as a wimp and coward, so he didn't view him as a threat. After all, Lelouch was already doing what he wanted.
"...Hang on, what are those books you were handing out? Some kind of propaganda." asked the man suddenly.
Ah, distract from the point and change the subject. This was an opportunity. "I'll get one for you; hold on."
Lelouch hurried back into the kitchen and motioned for everyone to keep going as is. Milly continued providing food. As Lelouch went to grab a book, several more people came in, looking at the man warily. Lelouch let them pass, then went outside.
Lelouch went up to him and offered him the book. The man took it and eyed it warily. "What is this?"
"It's a translation of the Holy Bible. A Christian text," said Lelouch. "Britannia had been trying to stamp it out through bread, circuses and propaganda."
"What do you mean? Christianity was spread here by them," said Tamaki. "We actually had to do a police action and put down a rebellion once."
If by police action he meant systematic genocide, then yes. But it would not be wise to say as much here. "Them and the Europeans," said Lelouch. "The truth is, Britannians vaunted social darwinism is not so ancient as the nobles claim. The glorious rise of Europe and Britannia was due to Judeo-Christian civilization. Social darwinism is just a corruption of an incomplete theory.
"There are a lot of flowery words applied to it.
"But all Britannian ideology really amounts to is;
"' I can do whatever I want to get whatever I like.'
"And they aren't even consistent about it. If a noble were to be shot dead in the street, the media would be afire with tragedy. If a Britannian commoner was gunned down as often happens? No one would care. They are the same race but of a different breed.
"That's why they've made it their mission to obliterate the Judeo Christian tradition."
This offensive threw the man even further off balance. Lelouch was providing him with common cause they both shared. Which undermined his view of Lelouch as the enemy and his own racism. It was a subtle attack on his identity, but he seemed to reconsider. "Why, what's so great about it they want it destroyed?"
"Well, it speaks of an all-powerful god who values all members of his creation equally," said Lelouch. "One that has destroyed nations like Britannia with fire from heaven. In fact, Christianity destroyed ancient Rome, which Britannia claim to be successors to."
"What do you mean?" asked the man, now seeming interesting. The prospect of Britannia burning with fire from heaven obviously appealed to him. Lelouch didn't blame him.
"The Romans had a complex series of deities and also regarded their Emperor as a god," said Lelouch. "And they expected their subjects to acknowledge the Emperor as more or less a divine figure on Earth. The Britannians just took that theory and applied it to their race." This was a gross oversimplification, but there was no time for a proper history lesson. "But, the Christians refused to worship him. They were tortured, thrown to lions, burned, and forced to hide. Every one of Christ's apostles came to a horrifying end, but each one refused to yield their faith. In return, the Christians method of fighting back was to aid the poor and needy, and help others."
The last part bemused him, and he probably thought it anticlimactic. "That seems pretty weak."
"How many Romans do you see around these days?" asked Lelouch. "Christianity not only survived. It turned the tables on Paganism and became the main religion of the Empire. It survived even the fall of Rome and many other upheavals."
"How the hell did you manage that?" asked the man, in outright disbelief.
"Well, the book has a pretty detailed account of its founding," said Lelouch. "You can keep that if you want, we're giving them out for free." Then he paused. "If there's nothing else, I really should get back to work. I'm sort of there as security."
"Right, sure," said the man. "Actually uh... you can keep doing this. For now. Don't test us, though, we've got our eye on you."
"Don't worry," said Lelouch. "We're not looking for any trouble.
"Oh, what's your name?"
"I'm Tamaki," said the man.
Lelouch offered him a hand. "Lelouch Lamprouge. It was nice to meet you."
Reluctantly, Tamaki took it and then fled as quickly as he could while seeming tough.
Lelouch went back into the kitchen and sighed. "Nothing to worry about, everyone. There were some issues, but everything has been resolved." Then he repeated the same statement in Japanese.
The rest of the day went without incident.
Lelouch met with the others afterward, and they went their separate ways. Shirley, Milly, and Nina used mass transit to get back home. Lelouch, however, opted to hitch a ride with Rivalz in the sidecar. He did offer it to others, but Shirley and Milly wanted to talk, and Nina hated motorcycles.
"So uh," Rivalz paused. "What was that all about before?"
"Just what I said," said Lelouch. "We talked things out, and we can keep doing this, no strings attached. Also, I may have made Nunnally a convert."
"How did you do that?" asked Rivalz. "I mean, he was pointing an AK 47 at you. I thought you were dead."
"It's all about appealing to the person in the right way," said Lelouch. "To convert the Scandinavians, Church made an embellished account of Christ's life. One which told the same story as the New Testament but focused on different elements. They played with the story to make it appeal to local traditions.
"The mangar became a hillfort. And cutting off the ear of a soldier became the greatest headwound ever inflicted.
"The man was a rebel, so I pitched Christianity to him as the ultimate rebel success story."
"Why are you even playing missionary for a faith you don't hold?" asked Rivalz. "I mean, I know you read bible verses to Nunnally. But you've never once gone to church."
"Why would a faithful person go to church?" asked Lelouch flatly. "None of their sermons are worth a damn. They are custom-tailored to appease the egos of rich nobles who care nothing for the teachings of Christ? For the community? If you aren't obscenely rich, no one will even give you the time of day.
"For help in a time of need? What help was given to the Japanese Christians? They were herded into the ghettos like all the rest. What about the other Christian groups in nations Britannia annexed and brutalized?
"Where are the protests? The sermons calling that people love thy neighbor? Why hasn't the Papacy Excommunicated Britannia for it's atrocities against mankind? When have any of the vaunted religions stood their ground for their beliefs? They are quick to protect and cover-up rapists, but to object to the butchery of their flock? Never in a million years.
"After all, what are lambs for if not the slaughter.
"They don't really believe. Not one of them is a real Christian. Not one. And if there is such a god, why would the world have come to this?"
"Then why are you so deadset on spreading the word?" asked Rivalz.
"Because Nunnally can't," admitted Lelouch. "I'm doing it for her. Besides, what moral system do we have as an alternative? Social Darwinism? Racial superiority?
"This world isn't evil, Rivalz. Because to be evil, you have to be acting contrary to divine law. There is no law anymore, no measure by which justice can be meted out. All that is left is hedonism, and might makes right. If civilization is going to survive, we need something else. Even if it's just an illusion.
"Yeah, maybe," said Rivalz, driving on.
And then one of the huge television screens on every building flared to life. A public broadcast to the entire settlement was coming. "And now, his Majesty Prince Clovis will address the nation," said a voice.
"To all my imperial subjects," said Clovis. "Including, of course, the many cooperate elevens who choose to serve the Empire as well. We stand now near the seventh anniversary of the liberation of old Japan from the shackles of the old world. While there was much tragic destruction, and the road to rebuilding was a long one, we are nearly there.
"The Tokyo Settlement today is a beacon of civilization. One where both Britannian and eleven work side by side. The Honorary Britannian system has done it's work well. More people are daily being brought into the light of civilization.
"Now everyone, I would like you to continue to work for the betterment of one and all! Do not fear these terrorists, for they are doomed to defeat!"
Rivalz let out a laugh as they passed the Tokyo settlement. "...So this is what passes for the moderates then?"
"He treats the forcible annexation of nations as if it was an act of evangelism," said Lelouch. Ironically, Clovis was probably the least terrible of the Area governors.
"Well to be fair, the wars of religion got pretty rough," said Rivalz.
Lelouch had studied Christian history. Nunnally had converted and remained so, but he'd had to do research. Nothing had been more disheartening than reading history. "People don't fight for religion, Rivalz. They fight for the cultural and economic structure that has been built around a religion. When the religion is just getting started, those structures are small and can be ignored. That's usually remembered as a golden age where everyone was a true believer.
"But once a religion attracts a lot of followers, an organization is needed. Then that organization starts handling money. The money draws or creates bad actors. They corrupt it from within until the system becomes so loathsome that the serfs decide to burn it down. At that point, either the corrupt system purges its worst aspects and repents. Or it collapses in on itself and is replaced.
"Either way, the cycle begins anew.
"But sooner or later, things fall apart."
"Do you think we'll ever get big like that?" asked Rivalz.
Lelouch laughed. "What are you kidding? At best, we'll start a fad."
"Yeah, I guess," said Rivalz.
They got back to the Ashford Academy building, and Lelouch got off the bike. Looking to Rivalz, he smiled and tried to shrug off his doubts. "Thanks for dropping me off, Rivalz."
"Don't worry about it," said Rivalz, who drove off.
Lelouch walked in the waning light to his house. As he did, he wondered if anything he had done had changed anything. Would what he had done make any difference? And would they be able to keep doing it?
He hoped, almost prayed, that they would be able to continue it.
Life for the two of them was comfortable now. Reuban Ashford had arranged for their housing, and Lelouch had managed to own the house in a year. His chess skills had let him gamble for a lot of money. Gambles that paid off.
Eventually, he invested, and they no longer had to gamble at all.
But it was all meaningless.
Opening the door, Lelouch saw Sayoko waiting for him in the entrance hall at the bottom of the stairs. She nodded to him. "Master Lelouch, you've returned."
"Yes, Sayoko, sorry to keep you waiting. We had a lot of people today," said Lelouch, putting on a smile. Appearing nice and carefree was something he had always been good at. He'd learned it early but only perfected it after Mother died.
Lelouch cooked dinner and together served Nunnally. Together, they ate within a large dining hall. A very luxurious one he'd been able to set up, not that Nunnally could see it. Oaken tables and glass windows...
It was all nice and all meaningless.
"Is everything going well, Lelouch?" asked Nunnaly. "I finished reading through those finance reports."
"As well as could be hoped," said Lelouch. "And I'll take a look at them as soon as I can. We may have made some new converts today, Nunnally.
"And we fed a lot of hungry people."
"So why do you sound so sad?" asked Nunnally.
Lelouch had never been able to hide anything from her. "It's nothing.
"You see the weight of misery there is in one place. It would take a miracle to make even a single place better. And then... Clovis talked like he was changing the whole world. But I don't think he has ever seen outside his window.
"Maybe he sees the skyscrapers, but he doesn't comprehend them.
"And there is nothing I can do about any of it.
"It doesn't matter how hard you try.
"You can't change the world."
Nunnally put a hand to his. "We'll change it, Lelouch. You just have to keep at it."
Lelouch felt a surge of irritation but refused to show it. Instead, he smiled at her and kissed her hand. "Oh yeah?
"And what quest shall I undertake for you, noble lady?"
"Well, maybe you could think about if there is anything more you can do," said Nunnally. "After all, you and Milly and the others worked for years to start that soup kitchen project. Let's think if there is something we can do as well as that to make things better."
"Like what?" asked Lelouch. He doubted any of her ideas would be of use. But Nunnally had wanted to play a part, so he must humor her.
"Well um... things are pretty bad in the ghetto, aren't they?" asked Nunnally.
"Yes," said Lelouch. "The place has a lot of broken buildings, and you can just feel the despair coming off everyone. But there is nothing I can do about that, we've got our hands full."
Nunnally nodded. "Well, you can find someone who can do something?"
"Raise awareness, you mean?" asked Lelouch. He'd been so focused on getting the soup kitchen project done that he hadn't thought beyond it.
Lelouch nodded. "Why not?
"If more people know about what needs to be done, then more people will do it."
Obliterate Britannia.
That was what he had sworn to do on that day—what a worthless oath. Britannia was already doomed. It's own depravity and malice would consume it sooner or later. Even if it conquered the world, it would be forced into a never-ending guerilla war. It would continue until they were lost and destroyed. And when they were forced to retreat, their empty victory would be followed by bitter defeat. They would have the eternal hatred of the world. No one in all the world would care as their cities were ruined and their people brutalized.
Britannia was already doomed. A reading of history in the Bible had revealed that much. Israel had become a great power, greater than any other. But it lasted only as long as the virtues of those who dwelled there. Whether by God, or simple rules of entropy, the nation would die. The power they took would be turned against them, and all their achievements made dust. Nothing Lelouch could do could save it, nor could he speed its destruction.
Vengeance wasn't his in the end, whether he wanted it or not. All Lelouch could do was try to help Nunnally's dream become a reality.
At until the end of everything.