A/N: Special Thanks to Greatkingrat88 for his work on the chapter, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorited the story so far.

This chapter took a bit longer because of a few things, one of which was the research I tried to do to get the setting for some of the scenes just right. Of course, I was also debating on a few other things too, which I will not mention until the author note at the end.

So, before the chapter itself, the reviewers whose reviews I couldn't write a PM response to.

Jay: I agree with you about the harem, but considering how there are some Heroic Spirits who will come from time periods where that short of thing was common it will come up in a discussion at some point. But it doesn't mean I'll do one, and I'll refrain from saying anything further to avoid potential spoilers about the scene I've been thinking of…which will come MUCH later in the story.

I agree as well on that, if it were two for this story it would be encouraged for him to take one human as a lover and the other being a Heroic Spirit to provide what they couldn't, like children and such. Four would be easier to manage, but I do agree that would be the max otherwise I fear it would spiral out of control.

I see no reason to argue with that, and it's a good point to make.

True, if there was one character, I am strongly inclined to pair him with it would be Anastasia. However I am only to keep it open for anyone until at least after the seven singularities or so if the timing seems right for relationships to begin forming. Right now everyone is fair game, not just for Lelouch, but for other characters like Hakuno and Ritsuka since they'll be paired with someone by the end.

Well that is why I was going to let the story grow and see how events play out since you never know if things could allow for such relationships to be possible since this is Lelouch before events of Code Geass starts.

I'll see what I can do for an omake if the inspiration strikes me.

Anyway, on with the chapter.

Chapter 10

Moving Ahead

The following afternoon, Lelouch, Ritsuka and Hakuno made their way north with their servants in tow. The group was moving in the direction of Kyoto and Osaka, but they were not headed for either city. Their destination was the city of Kasagi, which would make for a suitable staging area for their plans to attack Osaka and Kyoto.

For now, the group was stopping at the village of Murō, which was near the middle point between both cities, yet far enough away they shouldn't have drawn any attention. Still, they were not taking any chances. There was a possibility of servants from either side patrolling the area, looking for ways to weaken the other and likely keeping a watch for any attempts at a sneak attack. For this reason, at Lelouch's suggestion, Genghis Khan had sent off most of his summoned army on a longer route to Kasagi, to avoid drawing attention from the two sides.

At present, only a handful of soldiers accompanied them, while others had been left behind at the banners the Khan had already planted. They had reached Murō by now, and it was a sizeable village, almost large enough to call a town. Judging by the number of houses, thousands had to live here. Yet strangely, nobody was around.

"So, this place looks deserted as well," Lelouch observed.

"Maybe all of the fighting between Osaka and Kyoto has spooked all of the people living here," Hakuno said.

"That's possible. It doesn't seem like this town has been attacked," Ushiwakamaru said, glancing around the abandoned buildings and homes.

"I see no signs of forced entry. Many food and trading places are empty, so it's likely they took anything of value when they fled," Genghis said.

"I wonder if something else caused them to flee," Ryoma said, glancing around.

Despite walking through the town at a causal pace, the Heroic Spirits of the party were on high alert. Even if the town seemed deserted at a glance, it still made for an ideal place to ambush someone, especially if for an Assassin-class servant.

"Roman, are you sure this place is empty?" Lelouch said, using his wrist communicator.

"It is supposed to be. I am picking up no signs of human life," Roman reassured him.

"Any signs of Servants?"

"Let's see," Roman said, working on his console.

"Doctor, you should've been more mindful and tracking for active servants," Mash scolded, walking next to Ritsuka. Lelouch was annoyed, but he saw no need to add to the berating. He was more concerned about the possibly of an enemy servant being nearby.

"Wait, is this right?" Roman said, reading his console. "According to this, there is a servant nearby."

"What, where!?" Emiya said, readying his weapons.

"It's thirty yards ahead of you, but it's not moving," Roman said, confident of the reading yet clearly perplexed.

"I'll go on ahead and investigate," Benkei said, boldly marching forward.

"Stay close to us. It could be an enemy trying to bait us into an ambush," Emiya cautioned, moving closer to protect Hakuno.

"We'll follow close behind Benkei just in case," Ryoma said, gesturing for Oryou to follow.

"It has to be trap," Lelouch said, cautiously looking around at the empty buildings.

"Yes, but this seems to be too obvious, though. Unless they are hoping we will think it is too obvious, and good traps are never that complicated," the Khan said.

"But this town is empty like the other ones we have found. Maybe a servant could be taking refuge here?" said Lelouch.

"Possible, but it would be safer to remain in spirit form through. You are harder to detect, unless…" Genghis Khan said, a thought coming to him.

"Wasn't there a leyline passing below this town?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yes, I recall your friend mention a leyline does run under this town," Shuten said, rejoining the group with an opened bottle of sake in one hand and four unopened bottles tucked under her arm. "Not a very strong one, so not many servants could tap it to make use of it beyond replenishing their energy."

"So we might've found a wounded servant trying to recover?" Lelouch said, Hakuno eyeing Shuten suspiciously.

"I guess you've been busy doing a little raiding of your own?"

"Naturally. But it wasn't as fun without anyone trying to stop me. It just sucks the fun out of it," Shuten said, downing a cup of sake.

"Anyway," Ritsuka said trying to change the subject to avoid any conflict. "If the servant is one who is wounded, then who attacked them?"

"That is a good question," Lelouch said with one hand on his chin. "It's possible the wounded servant is being used as bait to draw us in. However, this town being deserted is also suspicious. No signs of battle, and even if an enemy force was advancing on this place, why leave it untouched?"

"You believe something else caused the people living here to flee?" Hakuno asked. Lelouch nodded.

"He might be right," Ushiwakamaru said. "People in a town of this size don't usually run, even if an enemy force was advancing upon them. They might send away the women and children, but not desert it completely. I agree, something else must've driven them off."

"I agree as well. During my days of conquest, the people in large towns and cities rarely fled. They would mount a defense or surrender to my forces, but only small, undefended villages would flee before my armies arrived, knowing it was a fight they couldn't win," the Khan said.

"But something made them flee, right?" Emiya said.

"Yes, but the question is who or what?" Mash said, noticing Ryoma returning with his partner in tow.

"What did you find?" Hakuno asked, while Shuten continued drinking sake behind them.

Seeming uncertain how to best answer that question, he said, "It's best if you all see this yourselves."

He led the group to what appeared to be a shop with stools and a counter set up. Lelouch had seen some before, usually they were places where people got food or drinks outdoors. It was fairly small and it was among a half of dozen others similar situated in the town's marketplace. At a glance it seemed to be as deserted as the rest of the town, but they noticed someone slumped over one of the counters of a small restaurant, seated on one of the stools. Approaching carefully, Lelouch got a good look at the person seated on the stool. It was a young woman around Hakuno's age, with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair, dressed in a Taisho-style pink kimono with a black bow on the back, a red Hakama and black long leather boots. There was a katana in a black sheath next to her, leaning against the stool.

"She is still alive, right?" Mash asked, taking defensive stance.

"Yes, she has a pulse, but its strangely weak. She seems uninjured, though," Benkei said, keeping a cautious eye on the girl.

"Or she might have healed whatever injuries she had resting here," Ushiwakamaru suggested.

"So what do we do?" Ritsuka asked, but Tamamo Cat stepped forward.

"Leave this to me. TIME TO WAKE UP!" Tamamo declared, before dumping a bucket of water collected seemingly from nowhere onto the girl's head.

Waking in a panic, the girl sat up so quickly her stool she fell backwards onto the ground. Her pale-yellow eyes snapped wide open to full alertness, but before she could grab her weapon, both Ushiwakamaru and Benkei leveled their weapons at her.

"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" The girl shouted. Her expression was a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"You are a Heroic Spirit, aren't you? Are you with Nobunaga or Kagetora?" said Tamamo.

"Yes, I am a Heroic Spirit, and I am not involved with them? I don't even know why I was summoned here without a master. I've been wandering around for the past couple days until I found this town empty," the girl said. Her eyes wandered.

Eight Heroic Spirits, and three humans?

"Wait, are those command seals? Are you three masters?" The girl asked taking notice of Lelouch, Hakuno and Ritsuka.

"Yes, which means you are just another wandering spirit, not affiliated with anyone," Genghis Khan said, keeping his hand on his sword.

"Wait… that face, hair, and voice," Ryoma said, realization dawning on him. "Okita…is that you?"

"Who…" Okita said, before focusing on Ryoma. "Wait, I recognize you. Are you Sakamoto Ryoma?"

"You know each other?" Hakuno asked, but Lelouch had figured it out.

"You must be Okita Souji, the First Unit Captain of Shinsengumi. The public order organization that was active in Kyoto during the closing days of the Edo period. The genius swordswoman?" Lelouch said.

"How did you know?" Hakuno asked.

"It's because during my time in Kyoto I had some run-ins with the Shinsengumi who were out to arrest me, given my work and who I was involved with. I always managed to give them the slip, but Okita was among its scarier members," Ryoma explained, impressed with Lelouch's deduction skills and knowledge. "Trust me, she is as good with a sword as they say."

"Really?" Ushiwakamaru said with a raised eyebrow. "So we got the drop on her for once."

Okita's cheeks reddened in anger and embarrassment.

"Yes, I am Okita Souji," Okita said, trying to save face as much as she could.

"So why were you sleeping here? Were you wounded?" Emiya asked.

"Well-" Okita started, but before she could continue, she had a coughing fit. Upon removing her hand from her mouth, there was blood in her palm.

"I see what happened," Ryoma said.

"Right. The sickness she famous for dying to," Lelouch said, reaching the same conclusion.

"Sickness?" Hakuno asked, confused. "She's a Heroic Spirit, so why is she sick?"

"Remember how I mentioned the more well known a Heroic Spirit is, the more powerful they are? It can even affect how they manifest, making them stronger or giving them additional strengths and powers they didn't have in life," Emiya said. "Well, that is a double-edged sword, because conversely it can affect them in negative ways."

"That's right. She is famously remembered for dying of tuberculosis in her early twenties. Some tales wrote it helped improved her good-looks and standards of beauty at the time, because she was known to be quite… beautiful. I guess as a result, it became a part of her as a Heroic Spirit," Lelouch explained.

"That sucks," Hakuno said, Ritsuka and Mash nodding in agreement.

"So, we couldn't help her?" Ritsuka asked, but Lelouch shook his head.

"No. It's part of her as a Heroic Spirit."

"Even so, I wouldn't underestimate her," Ryoma cautioned. "Even before her tuberculosis ate away at her strength, she was still the deadliest fighter in the Shinsengumi."

"Thank you for that," Okita said. "But perhaps you all could tell me what is going on?"

Back at Chaldea, Sion was spending time with Olga once again, and there were signs that she was showing improvement. Olga was far from recovered still, but progress was being made.

"I knew this job was too much for me, but I had an obligation to accept it after my father died," Olga said, sitting down at the sofa next to Sion.

"Weren't you still a student and training to become a master at the time? That had to be quite a schedule."

Olga nodded, "Yes. I just wanted my father to acknowledge me for once."

"Once?"

"My father never took any time to raise me, let alone acknowledge I was there. He put most of his time trying to establish Chaldea, and training his true heir, Kirschtaria."

"But you legally inherited Chaldea upon his death, so that seems…"

"Confusing? Yes, I know. However, because of the laws of the Mage's Association are very clear that only blood relatives can inherit a mage's household, especially if they are one of the Twelve Lords. Unless Kirschtaria married me, he couldn't legally take control of Chaldea and the Animusphere Family's holdings," Olga said.

"So you inherited Chaldea along with control of the Animusphere Family as Marisbury's only living child?"

"Yes, but my father never saw me as his daughter. Or anything, for that matter."

"What do you mean? Did he abuse you?"

"No, he just… completely ignored me. With me being the inferior heir, I was left to be raised by the maids of our family, and other caretakers like Lev," Olga answered, seemingly on the verge of tears. "I couldn't even be a master at Chaldea, despite being more than capable as a magus. I suppose that is all my life has been. One big failure."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself. Yes, you made mistakes, but you are still alive. You can make it right."

"I don't know… everyone hates me."

"I don't hate you. I think you've been way too hard on yourself and others. Maybe just take a step back from everything?" Sion suggested.

"I…"

"How about we take a break. Shall I bring you back lunch?"

"No thank you," Olga said.

"Okay. I'll be back in a little bit. Maybe think on what we've talked about."

With that, Sion left Olga's room to head to the cafeteria for lunch. In her visits with the Director of Chaldea, it seemed she was opening up more. It was a good sign; although the director hadn't shown signs of it yet, she wanted to steer her away from starting to have suicidal thoughts. But the road to a full recovery from the trauma of Lev's betrayal was still going to take time.

Of course, it was another question if anyone would even accept her as the Director of Chaldea.

It would be nice if Lelouch and the others found a Heroic Spirit who would be better suited to damage control with Olga than me.

Sion was disappointed with C.C.'s running of the cafeteria, as again there was only pizza to eat. But she needed protein to help her brain cells, and she knew they would be needed to help Olga.

She might be opening up more with me, but she could slip back into her slump if I am not careful.

As Sion entered the cafeteria, she was surprised to find Roman in line, looking at the different pizzas available.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Roman?" she said, walking up to him. He seemed caught off guard. "Grabbing a quick lunch, I see?"

"Yes, well, it was more of Da Vinci's suggestion I take a break."

"By suggestion, I assume she kicked you out of the command center to get a lunch break," Sion said with an amused smile. The two to shared a laugh.

"Maybe so, but I didn't expect you would come to the cafeteria to eat. I thought you no longer needed food to survive?"

"True," Sion said with a nod. "However, beyond drinking the synthetic blood and vitamins that I need to sustain myself, I can still enjoy food and drink like any other human if I want to. I suppose all other foods beyond what I need I guess are considered junk food, and like everyone else I can partake of it from time to time, especially if it helps me blend in when needed."

"Makes sense, especially since you have very best benefits of being a vampire with none of the downsides. Immortal life, eternal youth, regeneration, and so on."

"Yes, more or less. Minus the need to consume human blood and all of that nonsense, thanks to me and my father working out a way for it to work," Sion said, although Roman wasn't entirely sure what powers of the vampire Sion had beyond immorality and eternal youth. She was open about how drinking blood made her akin to a vampire, but she was different enough where she wasn't considered one to be hunted by the church. But what other powers and benefits her current state gave her was unknown; Sion had avoided giving any specifics.

Regardless, she has abilities a magus would kill for, Roman thought.

"Anyway, let's not talk about that in the open here like this," Sion said with a dismissive hand wave.

"Right."

Roman and Sion grabbed a plate with pizza slices before finding a table to sit at, to eat and continue their conversation.

"How has Olga been doing?" Roman asked.

"She has recovered somewhat," Sion said uncertainly. "It's hard to say if she has come to terms with what happened."

"I can't imagine it will be easy, being betrayed like that," Roman said sympathetically.

"That isn't the only problem."

"What do you mean?"

Sion hesitated before relenting.

"Olga was under an enormous amount of stress, which made her a lot more dependent on Lev as a pillar of support. She has been a lot more open with me lately and I've pieced together some things. She never really wanted to the Director of Chaldea, but it was an expectation thrust upon her as the heiress of the family, following her father's demise. She couldn't be a master because she lacked the compatibility, so she thought she could prove she could handle the responsibility instead."

Roman sighed, "And she found herself way in over her head."

"Exactly. She was still a high school student when she took over Chaldea after her father died."

"And on top of the expectations, she ended up discovering some of her father's more unpleasant projects," Roman said, knowing what would come up next.

Sion was surprised, her eyes narrowing.

"I suppose as Mash's caretaker you would've know about the experiments that made her," Sion said. A pained, saddened expression came across Roman's face.

"I wish I had known about them sooner. I could've done something, but I know Olga didn't react well to the news of what her father had been doing."

"Olga told me as much. She was unable to eat for a week over what she had learned about the experiments her father had done. Mash was the sole survivor of the Demi-Servant Project, while hundreds of designer babies like her all perished," Sion said, shaking her head.

For his ideals and desires behind the creation and purpose of Chaldea, Marisbury Animusphere had been a man willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. Experimentation on children was one of the things the former director hadn't hesitated to engage in if it aided in his goals. Roman even remembered Marisbury explaining the experiments, how Mash was a success, since once her body reached its prime it would never age further beyond it, despite seemingly failing to bond with a Heroic Spirit at the time.

I remember how passive and logical he was talking about it. It's hard to imagine this was the same man who created an organization for the preservation of humanity, that he was willing to go to such extremes, Roman thought.

"To top it off, Marisbury was the worst father ever," Sion said. "While he didn't abuse her as such, he neglected her so badly it could be considered almost the same."

"Yes, I believe he had considered Kirschtaria a superior heir, given how well he adapted and could use the Animusphere style of magecraft better than Olga in some ways."

"I guess Marisbury must've forgotten to legally make Kirschtaria his heir in his will instead of Olga. This might've been intentional though, so he could focus on his duties at Team-A as Marisbury intended," Sion said, taking a bite of her pizza.

"That is possible, but now he's in very bad shape," Roman retorted, chewing down some pizza himself.

"That reminds me, how are the other masters in cryogenic suspension?"

"Well, we can't risk attempting to revive them with our limited supplies and staff. Not to mention the damage their bodies sustained is very serious, but…"

"But?"

"One of them, Ophelia, is the least critically damaged of Team-A. She might be the only one we could attempt to revive with a higher success rate than the others," Roman said, sounding cautiously hopeful. "Right now, we are weighing our options, but I won't try it unless we are completely sure."

"If you are successful, it would mean another Master to call upon."

"That will depend on how much time she'll need to recover, even if the surgery to save her life is a success."

"I suppose, but at least it's a good sign," Sion said, in a positive tone.

"Yes, and I am sure that probably added to all of the stress Olga is under. Should we somehow restore the world, the Mage's Association will not take kindly to what happened," Roman warned.

"No kidding. Over twenty mages from distinguished families in critical condition would've been bad enough. The world ended, and should the world be restored, that could be an entire year the world will miss, and that's likely to spark a panic."

"We both know the Mage's Association would be more concerned about how this could've exposed the existence of Magecraft to the world than the world having actually ended," Roman said with a sigh.

"Exactly, which means Olga is likely in for some serious hell from the Lords of the Clock Tower. But right now, I am more concerned for Lelouch, Ritsuka and Hakuno."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I am talking about, Roman. Granted Olga is in a lot of hot water, but Lelouch, Hakuno and Ritsuka could be facing even bigger both know the Lords of the Clock Tower and other distinguished magi families would turn the whole thing into a circus, all of them using it to curry favor with the Lords and find excuses to seize Chaldea for themselves."

Roman sighed.

"Right. To the magi of the Clock Tower, those three are unknowns who appeared out of nowhere. It will be even worse for Hakuno and Ritsuka, because they were your average joe without connections, only high affinities for being a master. They'll come up with something as stupid as pinning them as Lev's accomplices, despite all evidence to the contrary."

"Yet we both know that won't be the only accusation they'll come up with," Sion said, sounding annoyed. "It could be more problematic for Lelouch, although he is the most likely to get off lightly, ironically enough."

"True enough," Roman said. Being a prince counted for something.

There was an unofficial fourth branch of the Mages' Association called the Mage's Guild of Britannia, who would take an interest. It had been formed by some of the most distinguished British and European Magi families, forced to flee to Britannia during the Age of Revolution. However, those families lost their prestige with the Clock Tower, and those who had managed to remain in Europe and Britain under the new United Republic of Europia seized on this, increasing their own prestige and filling the empty positions the families forced to flee had left vacant. Unsurprisingly, this led to a lot of anger and accusations that the magus families who stayed behind had supported the revolutionaries that forced their removal, but took advantage of it to seize their lands, ensuring they could become wealthy citizens in the new republic. The other side claimed it was for self-preservation, but no one could deny their support of the revolutions across Europe did greatly benefit them in the end.

In response, the magi families now living in the newly born Holy Britannian Empire formed the Mage's Guild of Britannia. Under the control and aegis of the founding Emperor, Ricardo von Britannia, the Mage's Guild flourished, but it's refusal to acknowledge the authority of the Clock Tower led to tensions and power struggles between the two. The lingering chaos and priorities for the two sides to secure their new gains kept any conflicts between the two to the political arena, but there had always been unofficial clashes between mages of the two sides.

Things remained constant between the two organizations, until the ascension of Charles zi Britannia.

Charles would see Britannia begin an aggressive campaign of expansion that would lead to the conquest of Japan, after most of the Pacific Ocean and the unclaimed islands were placed under Britannian control. Then, Charles would oversee the conquest of Russia and initiate a war with the E.U. that would lead to most of Africa falling under Britannian control, with smaller nations like Middle Eastern Federation being under threat, with some having fallen already.

This would be a serious problem for the Clock Tower, as they realized they could not wage war against Britannia without risking the exposure of Magecraft, something Charles was taking advantage of to neutralize them as a threat to his goals of conquest.

That reminds me, Roman thought. I wonder how exactly Marisbury managed to establish an observatory in Hawaii? Or rather, just what kind of deals he cut with the Mages Guild to gain so much influence in Britannia…

Roman wasn't shocked by the notion that one of the Twelve Lords would make back-alley deals with Britannia and by extension the Mages' Guild. Given how the likelihood of the E.U. of winning against Britannia was diminishing daily, they probably were making deals with Britannia to save themselves, fearful the Clock Tower might not survive if the E.U. fell to Britannia. How Marisbury was able to be in such a position, able to wield such influence in Britannia, had been a mystery to Roman. It was likely what enabled Marisbury to not only build an observatory in Hawaii as part of Chaldea, but to hide and fake the deaths of Nunnally and Lelouch. After all, hiding members of the Britannian Royal Family, leaders of the Mages' Guild by one of the Clock Tower's Twelve Lords no less, would have been a political bomb for Marisbury, had anyone found out.

"Either way it won't be pretty for Lelouch, and it's not only because the risk of his real identity being known would be very high," Sion said, shaking Roman from his thoughts.

"No kidding. And he's going to get tangled up in the political games between the Clock Tower and Guild, too," Roman replied.

"At worst, he'll likely end up in a political marriage. Although in comparison to what could happen to Hakuno and Ritsuka, that wouldn't be too bad."

"Not to you," Roman said before drinking from his coffee cup before a smirk appeared on his face. "If it comes to that, maybe you should marry Lelouch, since you are the daughter of the head of Atlas."

Sion choked on her pizza slice as Roman playfully offered that idea. Her cheeks did redden for a moment, before she regained her composure. Roman hadn't expected such a reaction from her; he had been joking when he said that.

"Ha ha, very funny Roman," Sion said mockingly, her checks staying red. "I don't think I would be a good choice for Lelouch as a wife. I would outlive him and I am twice his age, despite my looks."

So you're close to forty, which is your real age then? Roman thought.

"He would be by far more preferable as a husband for me when compared to men likely to seek my hand as the Director of Atlas's daughter, though," Sion added with a smile.

"Considering the kind of men most magi tend to be, that's high praise," Roman said with smile.

"Anyway," Sion said, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "We're you hoping I'd marry Lelouch, or did you have someone else in mind?"

"Uh," Roman said, realizing he was in the hot seat now, "Well if a political marriage is Lelouch's only way out, should it come to that, then I was hoping he would marry someone he knows very well."

"Fair enough," Sion said before finding an opening with a smile. "So is that why you were pleased about the prospect of Ophelia being revived? Hoping to play match maker between them? A marriage between Lelouch and the daughter of the Phamrsolone Family could be a good one."

Roman realized he was trapped in a corner with no way out. Sion kept smiling, having turned the tables on him.

"Don't you think it's bad form to talk about someone like that?" Olga said, looming over the two with a plate of pizza slices in her hands.

"Director?" Sion said, surprised.

Thanks for the save Olga, glad to see you… HUH, Roman thought.

"I thought you weren't planning to come out of your room?" Sion said having not expected this.

"I…got tired of being in there," Olga said, sitting down next to Sion. "So, I've heard you've been quite busy, Romani?"

"Well, of course. I've had to run the place since you've locked yourself in your room," Roman replied.

"Really," Olga said as her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Not only have you been carrying out your duties in the medical wing, but you've been carrying out overseeing missions, and equipment maintenance as well? Are you sure you are the Dr. Romani I know?"

"Given how the world has ended and we lost a lot of our staff with only a year to fix it I suppose it was time for me to step up," Roman said with a nervous laugh.

"Maybe, but I didn't know you were skilled with equipment maintenance?"

"I guess I am just a Jack of all trades when pushed into a corner?" Romani said. "I did work a lot of field hospitals in less than friendly locations, so we had our equipment break down often. I had to learn how to tend to them myself."

"Really?" Olga said skeptically.

"I promise you he's the real Roman," Sion said. "To my surprise, I found out he's a polymath sometime after we first met, which is probably why he was able to teach Lelouch Magecraft, despite lacking the ability to use it."

"Really? And you held back until now?" Olga said. "I don't know if I should praise you or scold you for being lazy up till now?"

"How about neither, and we'll call it even," Roman said, wanting to avoid incurring her wrath.

"It's fine," Olga said waving her hand dismissively. Then, her expression turned to someone swallowing bitter pill. "You've proven to be better at the position than I was."

"Really?" Roman said timidly, wondering if he should have kept quiet.

"However," Olga said eyeing Roman suspiciously, "I can't overlook how you've held back all of this time. Is that why you were close to my father?"

"Huh?"

"Well, he and your father were heavily involved with relocating and taking custody of Lelouch," Sion said. Quietly, Roman panicked.

Don't add fuel to the fire!

Olga was now glaring at Roman, and an uneasy silence settled in.

"How did a nobody like you become close to my father? I know he personally hired you to join Chaldea right out of the blue. Before I joined, I knew nothing about you. My father didn't think much of me, and yet a nobody who can't even use magecraft was a close friend?" Olga said.

"We just hit it off when we ran into each other at the Clock Tower?" Roman said quickly.

"Really." Olga said, clearly not buying that story. "I don't get it. What was so special about you that my father considered you a friend and me, his own daughter, beneath his notice?"

Roman kept offering up one excuse after another, and Olga kept pressing for an honest answer. Sion only watched, mildly amused. She was pleased to see Olga interacting with someone else besides her… even if she was arguing with them.

Admitting her failings as a director couldn't have been easy, Sion remarked internally.

In their talks Sion had encouraged Olga to recognize her faults in how she acted and her failures, so she could choose the best path forward to redeem herself and emerge from it as a better person. It hadn't been easy for Sion to get Olga to recognize her faults, but she seemed to believe her words got through.

She has a long way to go before she'll be accepted again by the rest of the staff and Olga recovers fully, though, Sion thought.

Due to Olga's short tempter and incompetence as Director of Chaldea, she was hated by most of the staff. Lev had deflected all criticism and made up for her incompetence, but he was gone now. Without him, Olga had a chance to develop into someone better. All she needed was time and opportunity.

Back in Japan, Ryoma had finished briefing Okita on the situation. She was now fully aware of the situation and humanity's dire situation, which was staggering to say the least. She never could have imagined something of such an apocalyptic scale could happen.

"So that explains why I was summoned without a master," Okita said, sitting on a mat before a table.

Ryoma sat across from her, having finished telling Okita everything.

"Yes, and it created this highly unusual Holy Grail War."

"Instead of competing for a Holy Grail, we are being asked to defend and restore history on its correct course," Okita asked. Ryoma nodded. "Then I shall assist you in your endeavor. You have my sword."

"Thank you, Okita," Ryoma said, with a relieved expression.

"So, what is the plan?"

"Right now, we are doing some reconnaissance of the area between Kyoto and Osaka, while trying to avoid drawing attention," Ryoma answered. "I don't know the details, but Lelouch has a plan to bring down both of Nobunaga and Kagetora. Ushiwakamaru and Genghis Khan called it a bold, risky and ingenious plan, but it lacks one element to make it work."

Around the same time, Ritsuka, Hakuno, Mash and Emiya were holed up in an empty house, which made for a workable temporary base. As Ryoma was explaining everything to Okita, the group had decided to have lunch before moving on, expecting Ryoma to finish by the time they are done.

"Where is Lelouch," Mash asked.

"He is in one of the other houses talking to Leonardo, with Ushiwakamaru and Genghis," Hakuno answered.

"Why he is being so secretive?" Ritsuka asked. Mash placed a hand on her chin.

"Roman told me that Lelouch could be secretive at times, but in this case, he doesn't like sharing things that aren't finished," she explained.

"Must be something for the three of them, plus someone of Da Vinci's intelligence to be involved," Emiya said. "Of course, that could mean there is something about the plan that's hard to work out."

"I get the feeling that might be it," Hakuno said in agreement.

"LUNCH TIME, WOOF!" Tamamo Cat announced suddenly, as she presented everyone with their meals, a bento box lunch.

Everyone began digging into their lunches, while Benkei stood guard outside the building, keeping an eye out for any hostile enemies. Suddenly Lelouch, Ushiwakamaru and the Khan emerged from the abandoned building in a hurry.

"What's wrong?" Benkei asked as the trio approached him.

"Leonardo picked up two servants approaching us, but it seemed one is chasing after the other judging by their movements," Ushiwakamaru said.

"An enemy in hot pursuit. So we could ambush them?" said Benkei.

"Exactly. We can eliminate one of the enemy servants, reducing our enemy's battle strength," Lelouch said.

"What of the servant being pursued?"

"If they have any allegiance to Nobunaga or Kagetora, we'll take them out too. However…" Genghis trailed off.

"What is it?" Benkei asked.

"Besides the two servants, Leonardo detected fifty unknowns accompanying the pursuing servant," Lelouch said uncertain of what they are. "They aren't reading as shadow servants according to Da Vinci, but even if their signals are weaker, they are similar in a fashion."

"I see. How long do we have before they arrive?"

"Unless the enemy changes direction, they should be here in ten minutes," Genghis warned. "I've ordered my men to take up positions to hit the enemy from behind."

"We'll be setting up a noose, one we'll close as the enemy pursues the servant through town," Lelouch added.

"Right, so we need to tell everyone to prepare for battle," Ushiwakamaru said, with urgency.

It didn't take long for everyone to prepare for the ambush once the rest of the group had been briefed on the situation. Emiya located one of the buildings with a good vantage point to attack from a distance. He would remain in spirit form until the time was right.

The Khan, Ushiwakamaru, Benkei and Okita found positions to hide before shifting to spirit form, awaiting the most opportune time to attack. Tamamo Cat, Ryoma and Mash stayed with Lelouch, Ritsuka and Hakuno to protect them from potential enemy attacks. Shuten was lounging around on the second floor, but promised she would help once she was done drinking. All that was left to do was to wait for the enemy to approach, to enter the noose they had prepared.

"I welcome the change of pace where we can get the drop on the enemy for once," Hakuno said, cautiously glancing out the window.

"Likewise, but I wish I knew what these fifty unknowns are," Lelouch said.

"Maybe they could be a part of someone's Noble Phantasm? Like how those soldiers Genghis Khan can summon?" Ritsuka suggested.

"That is possible. Some Noble Phantasms can call on allies, but it's rare such Noble Phantasms could summon more than a dozen," Mash said, readying her shield.

"Then this servant could be someone capable of calling an army?" Hakuno said, cautiously looking out the window with Lelouch.

"Someone is coming," Ritsuka said, noticing a figure emerge from between the alleyway between two buildings. The servant being chased switched from spirit form back into physical form, after an attempt to shake her pursuers. She looked identical to Tamamo Cat, expect her hair was styled into a pair of ponytails on the top of her head, tied with blue ribbons and a large blue bow on her head. She also had human hands and feet, a notable difference. Her choice of attire was fairly revealing and similar in style, but her kimono was blue and had a more refined air to it.

"It's her, the evil one," Tamamo Cat said, glaring daggers at the other Tamamo. "You should take her out along with the servant chasing her!"

"She doesn't look evil?" Ritsuka said raising an eyebrow.

"I agree," Mash added.

"We shouldn't judge people by appearance alone," Lelouch said cautiously.

"Exactly," Tamamo Cat said, quick to agree with Lelouch. "She may act like a shrine maiden, but do not be deceived. She can have a very sharp and wicked tongue, and she's the jealous type who would curse you if you cross her."

"That doesn't sound evil? That might make her unpleasant at most, but hardly evil," Hakuno said, eyeing Tamamo Cat with suspicion.

"Ha, what I told you is the chocolate covered shell, but she is far viler underneath. If she falls for all of you, she will go to any lengths to keep you for herself. She is the ultimate yandere. She'll even give you a drugged non-alcoholic Chocolate Driver cocktail so she can get into your pants to claim you," Tamamo Cat said with a worried expression.

"That last part sounded oddly specific," Lelouch said.

"If nothing else, you are making her sound more like a desperate virgin," Ritsuka remarked. "But it does sound a little outrageous."

"I kinda agree," Hakuno said. "She might be troublesome, but I don't think she is bad at all."

"What makes you say that?" Lelouch asked.

"I am not sure. Call it a gut feeling," Hakuno said seemingly uncertain of why she said that.

"She's fooling herself. Tamamo-no-Mae is pure evil!" Tamamo Cat said.

"You know, your description of Tamamo-no-Mae is very different from what you told me and Oryou when we first met," Ryoma said with a suspicios expression.

"Oryou agrees, that is very different," Oryou said.

"Uh…" Tamamo said realizing her mistake.

"I think you just dislike her, so be honest and say it," Hakuno said, but Lelouch was forced to interrupt.

"Everyone, quiet! The enemy is coming, and she is heading in our direction," he said firmly.

Outside, Tamamo was trying to find a place to hide, baffled over how her pursuers knew where she was going. Soon enough they caught up to her, and their appearance left Lelouch and the others in shock.

"What…" Ritsuka began, his jaw dropping.

"The hell…" Hakuno said, her higher thought processes coming to a grinding halt.

"…are those things," Lelouch said as he felt his own higher thought processes crash.

"Nobbu!"

They were as bizarre as they were cartoonish. The creatures wore a black uniform, childish-looking flintlock muskets, decorated military hats, and they had long black hair and white eyes. Three of them were running ahead of the group, which was some fifty strong. Despite their very short stature and small limbs, they were shockingly fast.

"Nobbu, Nobbu!" one of them shouted, ordering their fellow Mini-Nobu to open fire.

Tamamo-no-Mae ducked for cover inside a store. The Mini-Nobu stopped shooting, as the servant leading them approached. Mori Nagayoshi grinned maliciously.

"Well, I had a feeling you would run to this town hoping to hide," Mori said, laughing. "I guess that didn't work out for you."

"I didn't know this town was abandoned. I thought-" Tamamo said, sounding a little panicked.

"I have an idea of why the people ditched this place." Mori said, smiling grimly. "But you won't live long enough to find out. It's time for me to collect some points."

As Mori charged to impale Tamamo with his spear, Okita emerged from her hiding place. Compared to when they met her, Lelouch and the others were seeing a different side to the swordswoman. Her eyes reflected a hardened discipline and determination, her body moving faster than the eye could track. She deflected Mori's attack, engaging the Berserker in battle. Following her lead, Ushiwakamaru and Genghis Khan joined the battle alongside Benkei, after Emiya opened fire upon the Mini-Nobus. His first attack hit the middle of the bizarre creatures, triggering a large explosion, and many were sent flying. Genghis Khan's men joined the battle, the riders charging the Mini-Nobus from behind.

Ushiwakamaru cut a surprised Mini Nobu in two, while Genghis Khan beheaded another. Emiya continued his attack on the creatures, using Noble Phantasm projectiles that weren't as destructive, but enough to kill anyone he hit. Benkei cleaved a minion in half before moving onto his next one, while Ushiwakamaru hurried to aid Okita in battle. She was a blur, moving around Mori while dodging and parting all of his attacks. The young general was moving about as fast as Okita, making it difficult to tell which one was which. It was dizzying to watch.

"Look at them go," Hakuno said, in awe.

"I am going dizzy from trying to keep up, but that big guy is managing to hold his own against them," Ritsuka said.

True enough, any average human would have had a hard time watching the fight. Ushiwakamaru and Okita kept attacking at blinding speeds, but remarkably, Mori was able to parry her attacks.

That Noble Phantasm he has… I have a bad feeling about that spear, Ushiwakamaru thought, making a mental note to avoid his weapon. She could tell it was his Noble Phantasm thanks to her instincts, but what it could do was unknown to her. It was all the more reason to avoid it. Right now though, the fight was a stalemate with neither one giving way.

Master, could you ask Emiya to target the enemy servant so he can create an opening for us? Ushiwakamaru asked, speaking to Lelouch telepathically.

Understood, Lelouch replied, relaying her instruction to Emiya via Hakuno.

Meanwhile, Emiya had successfully sniped many of the Mini-Nobus, leaving only a hand full left, but then some explosions caught his eye from his vantage point. He didn't know what was causing them, but in the corner of his eye Emiya saw a Mini Nobu running towards the base of the tower he was using as his sniper post.

Could that be some kind of bomb?

Emiya only just had the time to notice the hira-gumo tea kettle it was carrying, before it rammed the base of the tower the Archer servant was in. Upon contact, the tea kettle and the Mini Nobu exploded, demolishing the foundations of the building. The tower collapsed. Emiya leapt off the tower as it crumbled. While he was in midair, he swiftly used his bow to take out the Mini Nobus on the ground, realizing the danger they could pose if they began turning into suicide bombers, especially to Hakuno and the others.

Master, watch out! Those strange creatures can use explosives, like some kind of suicide bomber, Emiya said, warning Hakuno through their mind-link.

Huh?!

The Archer noticed movement near the ruins of the tower he had used as a sniper's nest. The Mini-Nobu responsible for destroying the tower was moving about, unharmed by the explosion it had created.

So they can survive using their own tea kettle bombs? I'll need to take them all out before they begin destroying this town, Emiya thought, swiftly dispatching the little monster with an arrow to the head.

Unbeknownst to Emiya, Genghis Khan and Benkei had already discovered the Mini-Nobu's ability to not only use highly explosive hira-gumo tea kettles in what seemed to be suicide bombing tactics, but survive the explosion as well. The men Genghis Khan had assigned to attack the Mini Nobus from behind had performed well initially, but once they turned and charged them with their explosive tea kettles, they were caught in the resulting explosions.

"Nobu!" one of the Mini-Nobus shouted, rushing at Genghis Khan with a tea kettle in hand. The Khagan kept his distance, cleverly luring the Mini-Nobus towards him before unleashing a blast of energy from his sword to cut them down before they could get too close to him. Even if some of their tea kettles detonated, causing them to reappear within a short distance, either Genghis or Benkei found them before promptly cutting them down.

They look silly, but they are surprisingly dangerous, Genghis thought.

Meanwhile the fight continued against Mori. Okita broke away, while Ushiwakamaru continued the fight to keep the Berserker occupied.

"Receive the brilliance of my concealed sword!" Okita said as her body began glowing as she activated her Noble Phantasm. "One silent step…"

Okita seemed to suddenly vanish, but unseen by all she was moving faster than anyone could track. At that moment, Emiya fired an arrow towards Mori, hoping that between it and Ushiwakamaru's persistent attacks, it would create an opening.

"Two steps infinite," Okita said as she passed Mori. "Three steps, a sword absolute! Lightless, Three Stage Thrust!"

Blood erupted from a wound beginning from near the base of Mori's neck and down his shoulder, even damaging his armor. Although at first he howled in pain, those howls turned into laughter.

"You're going to get me a lot of points when I kill you. No one has managed to land a blow that has done this much damage since I was summoned," he said with a grin.

That should've killed him, or at least seriously wounded him, but he has barely slowed down, Ushiwakamaru thought. Even so…

Taking advantage of Mori's stalled movements after Okita's attack, she successfully landed a follow up, taking one of Mori's arms.

"Focus more on fighting than talking," Ushiwakamaru said scolding her enemy.

"You're right," Mori shouted with glee.

You're kidding me! He's missing an arm, survived my Noble Phantasm and he is still going, Okita thought in shock.

Mori began laughing like a madman, wielding his lance in one hand. Despite losing an arm, he was still managing to fend off both Okita and Ushiwakamaru. However, after the last of the Mini-Nobus were wiped out, Emiya soon joined the fight, and soon Benkei and Genghis Khan followed suit to overwhelm the wounded Berserker with superior numbers.

The Khan swung his sword, unleashing a blast of magical energy in an effort to hit the berserker that refused to go down. Benkei covered the Khan from retaliation, intending to back him up. Emiya kept his distance, firing arrows at Mori. But despite fending off attacks from four servants at once, the berserker managed to dodge or deflect Emiya's shots. The fight was dragging on and despite Mori's wounds he kept going, much to the growing anger and concern of the Heroic Spirits fighting him.

"This battle cannot continue," Benkei cautioned.

"I agree. We'll need an opening to take him down," Genghis Khan said.

"Let me," Tamamo no Mae said, stepping forward as an ornate mirror materialized in the air near her, beginning to glow with magical power. "O gods of Izumo! Let this be the proof of your purity, as this mirror becomes your sacred treasure: Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu!"

Upon her activating her Noble Phantasm, Okita and Ushiwakamaru felt renewed, but at the same time Mori became afflicted with curses that began appearing on his body. The wounds he had suffered made him more vulnerable to them. Since the battle began, Tamamo had been taking the chance to replenish her energy by tapping the leyline. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

"My turn," Ushiwakamaru said, activating one of her Noble Phantasms. "Dan-no-Ura: Eight-Boat Leap!"

Around Ushiwakamaru, eight copies manifested behind her, leaping into action, moving faster and with greater jumping ability than before. Now Mori was struggling to fend off eight more servants. Although the copies weren't quite as potent as the real thing, they were enough of a dangerous threat that the berserker was starting to be overwhelmed. It was remarkable, and a testament to Mori's prowess as a warrior, that despite his armor and attire being cut up and missing an arm, the Berserker was still alive.

Until…

"This time I'll take his head," Okita said, using her Noble Phantasm again. This time she beheaded Mori, slaying the Berserker servant.

"I thought that bastard was never going to die," The Khan said with a sigh, putting away his sword.

"Thank you for the save," Tamamo said as she dismissed her mirror. "I knew I had sensed something or someone tapping the leylines, so I had hoped a friendly servant would be here."

"You must be Tamamo no Mae," Benkei began before raising an eyebrow at her. "You are not as Tamamo Cat described you."

"Huh?!" Tamamo said in surprise before her eyes narrowed. "Who said what?"

"Kill her, kill the evil one!" Tamamo Cat shouted from the window of the house; Hakuno, Lelouch and the others were taking refuge in.

"You! What are you doing, spreading lies about me! In fact, what kind of lies have you been spreading?"

As Tamamo argued with Tamamo Cat, the founder of the Mongol Empire turned to Okita.

"Your swordplay and agility were very impressive, Miss Okita," he said.

"Yes, perhaps we should spar some time. Few people are able to keep up with me," Ushiwakamaru added with a smile.

"Oh, it was nothing, I felt I had to prove what I could do as a servant after that embarrassing-" Okita began, but she coughed up blood before she could finish. She sighed in disappointment. "Not again."

Watching from the house Hakuno, Mash, Ritsuka, Ryoma and Lelouch could only watch the argument as Tamamo Cat had left to confront Tamamo no Mae. The pair couldn't hear what the two were arguing about, but they could tell it was likely to take a while unless someone intervened.

I suppose the number of allied servants is growing, at least, Lelouch thought.

A/N: Now a few things I should touch upon, and the first of which I didn't mention when I brought in Tamamo Cat is how difficult it has been trying to get her unique dialogue just right.

Second was if I should involve the Mini Nobus or not, but how they appear I'll cover that in a coming chapter.

Finally the battle with Mori, and if he should have his armor or not since that was something that wouldn't be part of his normal summon so I debated it. Then of course how intense the battle should be as well if I did it right to do his character.

Mori might've fallen, but as a Heroic Spirit there is a chance he could come back. I am not saying he will or not, but the chance is there.

Now we have Okita and Tamamo-no-Mae joining the group. Like Nobunaga I intend to use a mix of Okita's Fate/Red-Line and Fate/Grand Order appearance to fit with the atmosphere of the story.

But will they join the group as permanent servants and under which masters I wonder?

But if the appearance of the Mini Nobus are any indication expect some crazy events down the road.

Now I do want to address a review from the fifth chapter left by sawtooth44.

I usually don't have a problem with criticism especially if it's constructive which I prefer that doesn't point out what I got wrong and needs to be fixed but what I got right too especially if I am working with a new series and characters for the first time.

Now I understood his issues with Genghis Khan, and yes I probably should've gotten some serious help with his skills. Granted he could've been better as a Rider, but I did devise a way to make him work as a Saber which he did not read that far.

Emiya on the other there is a reason for being able to call upon Excalibur Image even though only his Fate/Extra counterpart was able to do so in the fighting game while Fate Emiya couldn't, I left some hints in the chapter. I wish to say no more to avoid any spoilers but it will be touched upon later in the story. There is a good reason for it, but I can't elaborate without spoilers.

Now here was what I took issue with his review the most that had me laughing.

"i was hoping for a story of Lelouch being a tactical genius rather then the khan solving everything because he has too many skills"

You are aware while Lelouch is undoubtedly a tactical genius he lacks the experience and Genghis Khan has had far more experience leading armies being a very successful conquer in life. Furthermore the situation in Fuyuki was very chaotic and there wasn't much opportunities for him to flex his tactical mind.

However the plan is for Lelouch and Genghis Khan to bounce off of each other with occasionally working with Ushiwakamaru who is renowned as one of Japan's greatest generals.

Not to mention many of these past eras would be more in Khan's wheelhouse than Lelouch's, BUT as I've said they'll bounce off of each other meaning Lelouch will not only have a chance to flex his brilliant mind but also learn from these historical leaders gaining more experience.

I will also note Ushiwakamaru and Genghis Khan will not be the only ones Lelouch will learn from to expand and build on his tactical genius with real battlefield experience.

So just imagine how much more of a capable leader and tactical genius Lelouch be by the end?

His reviews felt very swallow after that, not to mention the times when the notifications come for them felt like he was skimming on the chapters so I banned him because of his poorly written review. Not something I normally do, but if you are going to be critical of my story then at least show you made an effort to read the story and if I feel you didn't read it or skimmed over it then I'll ban that person because that person likely didn't make any effort to leave a proper review that is written in a way that I can take it seriously that feels more creditable than what I see as lazily written by someone who didn't fully read the chapters and author notes.

I won't ban folks for a negative review, but if the review is lazy, poorly written in a way that they didn't read the story just to say how bad it is without reading it then I'll consider banning you.

But moving on, don't forget just as Lelouch can learn from famed generals, leaders, tacticians and others so can Hakuno and Ritsuka giving them a role to play in events later.

Now that I got that out of my system and addressed it, but I do apologize for the rant his reviews just annoyed me at how he just skipped over much of the chapters and should've taken more time to write his reviews better.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next chapter.