"You wished to meet with me, Your -"
Lelouch shot Jeremiah a warning look.
"My apologies," Jeremiah nodded in understanding. "I forgot myself, Mr. Lamperouge." It wouldn't do for Jeremiah to address him as "Lelouch" here, and especially not "Your Highness."
"That's better."
Jeremiah took a seat across from him in the diner. Outside, the steady patter of rain could be heard. Most people did not want to be outside during Japan's rainy season, so there were relatively few people in the diner who might overhear them, but that also meant they had to be careful, as their voices would travel more easily.
"I want to thank you for the excellent work you did. My other contact confirmed your information, but it was only after the fact." What had taken Diethard so long?
"I will always give my utmost for you, Mr. Lamperouge. But in all fairness to the media man, I have access to sources that he does not."
"True enough."
"If I may, Mr. Lamperouge, to what do I owe the pleasure of an audience with you?"
Lelouch grimaced. "You're still being far too formal."
"As you wish."
"I called you here because I wanted to seek your advice."
"Advice on what, Mr. Lamperouge?"
"Relationships."
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "It's no surprise that a man like you would have many would-be suitors, Mr. Lamperouge."
"How did you know?"
"You are from excellent stock. I have no doubt that you inherited your mother's charm, and you are of course your father's son."
Lelouch scowled. "I am nothing like my father."
"I meant no offense, but I think you have more in common with him than you care to admit." He leaned closer. "Your father is known for his… prowess, and at Tanabata, I saw you in the company of several quite fetching young women. Your compatriots, are they not?"
Lelouch grimaced. His father might have 108 wives, but he imagined that most of them were attracted more to the power Charles zi Britannia wielded as Emperor, with the attendant prestige that being his consort would bestow upon them, to say nothing of the claim to the throne that it would give their children. It was a classic form of political alliance. As for his father, the historical purpose of allowing the Emperor to have multiple wives was nominally to preserve the royal bloodline, back from a time when infant and childhood mortality rates were high, but Charles zi Britannia had turned it into the embodiment of Britannia's social Darwinist ideology. The Emperor pitted his many offspring against each other, seeking only the strongest and most intelligent to lead Britannia's armies and administer the Empire on his behalf, while encouraging ruthless competition among them to cull the weak. Lelouch doubted concepts like love even factored into his father's mind at all.
"They are," Lelouch replied after several moments, returning to the task at hand. He felt irritated by how quickly his father had entered the conversation, though he supposed it had been inevitable, given Jeremiah's past employment as a royal guard.
"From the way the young lady with the red hair took your arm, I assume the two of you are in a relationship."
"That's correct."
"So you're having trouble with the relationship? Or perhaps you're unsure of how to handle the affections of so many young women."
"You could say that."
"If I may ask, Mr. Lamperouge, what makes you think that I would be able to give you the advice that you seek?"
"I thought…" Lelouch started, only for his words to trail off as he fumbled with what to say.
"I'm honored, Mr. Lamperouge. Really, I am. It's not that I've never been in a relationship before. Imagine what people at the academy would have said if I was unable to go out with or even talk to a girl. But unfortunately my past relationships lacked any real commitment."
"Villetta," Lelouch said.
"I will admit, there was some attraction between us. The other Purists certainly thought that was why I kept her around, and maybe they were right, at first. But quickly, I was impressed by her competence and her drive to advance herself. Though of course, she went too far in the end," he added. "I did miss her company when she transferred into Intelligence." Jeremiah sighed. "Yet even Villetta was but a shadow of your mother's brilliance. Other women couldn't possibly compare to her, and so it started to seem that my younger sister Lilycia would have to be the one to pass down the Gottwald name. Not that I would ever dare do anything improper where your mother was concerned," he said quickly, noticing the look that Lelouch was giving him.
"Started?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "So there's someone who managed to live up to your expectations after all?"
"It's nothing," Jeremiah replied. "Not yet anyway. Please forgive me for speaking such foolishness in your presence. We digress. As I was saying, I may not be the best person to ask for the advice you seek, but I will do my best for you."
Lelouch nodded. "That's all I can ask of you."
"If you are happy with your current relationship, and are merely worried about sparing the feelings of your other suitors, you should be forthright with them. To do otherwise is to unfairly lead them on, which will only hurt them more in the long run."
"That all makes sense… But what if I'm not sure about what I feel?"
"You would know if you were happy with the relationship as it is," Jeremiah said firmly. "The question is, are you dissatisfied with your partner, or yourself?"
It had to be himself. Kallen was loyal to a fault, but he was the one who had strained their relationship with feelings he couldn't control.
"It's not her," he told Jeremiah.
"I see." He paused. "How would you feel if she was with someone else? Or if the same was true for one of your other suitors?"
Intellectually, he knew he should be happy for them in such a case. It would mean that Kallen and Shirley had moved past what was, by any objective means, their unhealthy devotion to him. But other emotions shot through him. He didn't want to lose them. Without them, he would….
"Whatever your answer, Mr. Lamperouge, I will not think less of you."
Lelouch frowned. He hated to bring things back to his father, but he had to ask. "How did my mother cope with the fact that my father was married to many other women?"
"It is simple, Mr. Lamperouge. Your mother was confident in the belief that she was the one who your father loved above all else. As such, the other women couldn't possibly be a threat to her position at his side."
"If he loved her, he would have done something about her death. He wouldn't have abandoned us!" Lelouch hissed. In any case, that was of no help to him. He couldn't say honestly say that he loved Kallen or Shirley more than the other. Shirley had resigned herself to the fact that Kallen had triumphed over her, yet Kallen seemed to fear that Shirley might yet supplant her. He felt like a solution was staring him in the face, and for a moment he glimpsed it. Shirley might be willing to accept such an arrangement, but what would be in it for Kallen? No, it was just a bad idea. Kallen would never accept it.
Except maybe she would, part of him whispered.
But even then, he couldn't accept it, not yet.
Jeremiah frowned. "I sense that I've been of no help to you, Mr. Lamperouge."
Lelouch shook his head. "No. You've given me much to think about. It's just… complicated." He looked up. "We should meet again soon."
"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Lamperouge."
The Hanged Man resonated within Lelouch.
xXx
It was still raining the next day, when he met with Diethard.
"To be sitting on such a story, and to be unable to report it!" the media man confided in him. "It's been driving me crazy! Of course, I had to proceed cautiously, especially when I realized the likely connection between that girl and Code-R, hence my delay. I have no desire to end up as the next mental shutdown victim on the evening news."
"But you've figured out how to publish it anyway."
Diethard grinned wickedly. "Perceptive as always, Mr. Lamperouge. But it's better than that. Take a look." He opened his laptop, and turned it toward Lelouch. "Do you recognize this site, Mr. Lamperouge?"
He did. It was KnightWatch, but it looked…
"Whoever designed it was a complete amateur," Diethard continued. "But at long last, I managed to secure a position as one of its administrators. From there, I redesigned the site from the bottom up. I'm sure that you'll agree that it's a far more professional-looking platform. I also took the liberty of purging those accounts that obviously existed only to spread misinformation and sow discord. Now we can make sure that its users receive only the unvarnished truth about the Black Knights, all protected by the best encryption I could put together. Even the Viceroy couldn't shut it down if she tried. I've even added a polling feature! Here's the first official poll on the new and improved Knightwatch."
Lelouch glanced at the screen.
Do You Think the Black Knights Will Defeat Medjed?
Yes: 42.3%
A comments section was below, along with moderation tools for Diethard. Several users anonymously expressed support for the Black Knights. Others claimed that they didn't agree with the Black Knights, but they thought that the Black Knights would defeat Medjed anyway, given their successes in taking down Clovis and Black King. More said that Medjed would win because the Black Knights were almost out of time, or that they hoped that Medjed would "smite the wicked" and avenge the death of Prince Clovis.
Diethard was clearly a man of many talents. It would be exceedingly dangerous if one with such technical savvy ever turned against him.
"Of course, all of this is a means to shape truth in the mind of the public." Lelouch said after a moment. "To persuade them to accept your version of the truth."
"Our truth, Mr. Lamperouge," Diethard corrected. "You supply me with the information and the angle that you want, and I'll write the narrative to match." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "After all, your association with the Black Knights goes far deeper than one who simply attends the same school as their founding members, or even one who sympathizes with their cause. No simple high school student would be able to procure such information on a classified project run by the late Third Prince. Then there's the matter of your other requests for me. A mobster, a girl who is supposed to be dead… You're not going to try to tell me that you're not a Black Knight yourself, or at least working for them, are you?"
"If I'm in league with the Black Knights, then you are as well."
Diethard laughed. "Spoken like a true politician. Carefully not admitting to anything, and then turning it all back on me. But you needn't worry. Both you and I have undoubtedly have enough potential blackmail material on each other by this point to assure mutual destruction, but neither of us can betray the other without admitting to our own involvement. And why would either of us want that? Our relationship is symbiotic, and I for one wouldn't pass up this story for a lifetime!"
It was a deal with a devil. Lelouch sensed that if Diethard ever grew tired of the Black Knights, or found another who promised an even greater upheaval in society, he wouldn't hesitate to jump ship to pursue the newer and more exciting story. But for now, Diethard was useful to him, and Lelouch felt himself more immersed in the power of the Devil Arcana than ever.
Do You Think the Black Knights Will Defeat Medjed?
Yes: 41.7%
xXx
"I see you were expecting me again," Lelouch said as he greeted Kaguya outside the shrine. The rain had finally let up.
"That's right!" Kaguya said cheerfully. She became less chipper and more business. "I set up that meeting you wanted with Kirihara. If you're ready, I can take you to see him."
"Thank you, Kaguya. I've been looking forward to this."
"There is one teensy thing though," Kaguya said. "I'm not supposed to let outsiders know Kirihara's exact whereabouts." She took out a thick piece of dark cloth. "So you'll have to go blindfolded. Is that okay, Oni?" she asked, playful once again. "After all, it's this or a sack over your head."
"I have no objections," Lelouch told her. He felt he had a pretty good idea as to where they would be going, but the blindfold would help conceal his identity until his meeting with Kirihara.
"Okay! Bend down so that I can blindfold you."
Lelouch complied.
"There! Done!"
Tightly wrapped as the blindfold was around his face, Lelouch couldn't see a thing. Of course, for him it would only be a momentary inconvenience. Nunnally had lived in darkness for years, and he still couldn't help but marvel at what it must mean for her to be able to see again.
"Here, take my hand, Oni," Kaguya said. "I'll lead you to where we're going."
Lelouch let Kaguya guide him away from the shrine, and heard the door of a car open. After Kaguya's bodyguards patted him down, checking for any weapons that might be concealed on his person, he was ushered inside, and the door locked behind him. The car's engine hummed to life, and they were off. Kaguya seemed to be sitting to his side, to the consternation of her bodyguards, but they did as they were told.
They continued to ride in the car for an indeterminate time, but eventually Lelouch heard heavy doors opening to let them into an undisclosed location, which then closed behind them.
"We're here," Kaguya said next to him, helping him out of the car. Lelouch heard the sound of footsteps against metal as Kaguya led him forward.
Yes, he was certain he knew where they were: Mount Fuji. More specifically, Kirihara Industries' mining operation there, nominally conducted on the behalf of the Britannian regime, a tiered metal shell that defaced a whole side of the mountain that was held as sacred to the Japanese people. Indeed, it was the most iconic symbol of the Britannian occupation.
He had heard much about this place. For starters, Sakuradite mining was very dangerous and painstaking work. The pink stone was extremely unstable when disturbed, especially when impacted with any significant force. Miners had to painstakingly shave off sakuradite from the ore, bit by bit, lest they trigger an explosion, killing or maiming the one who had triggered it, or causing the entire tunnel to collapse, burying all those within alive. Even in its liquid form, Sakuradite remained highly explosive. It was also said that the guards would summarily execute any intruders found on the premises. While ostensibly to protect the Sakuradite, an issue of national security for Britannia, Lelouch suspected that the true reason was to deter those who might seek to investigate Kirihara's activities too closely. Kirihara had not survived by being careless, and with that came a certain ruthlessness. To those who did not know him, 'Kirihara the Traitor' might have even seemed just as bad as any of the Palace Rulers whose hearts the Black Knights had stolen.
But Kirihara would help the Black Knights. He was sure of it.
The route that they took through the Mount Fuji mining facility seemed circuitous, but eventually Kaguya announced that they had arrived.
"Is this the one you spoke of?" Lelouch heard a harsh and aging male voice ask. It was Kirihara's voice.
"He is," she replied firmly.
"Guards, wait outside," Kirhara ordered tersely.
"But sir!"
"If this person is who she says he is, this meeting requires the utmost secrecy. If he tries to leave without his escort or before I have recalled you, then he is not to be trusted, and should be eliminated at once. Now go!"
"As you wish, sir," they replied, though their reluctance was clear.
Once they had left, Kirihara spoke to Kaguya. "Remove his blindfold so that I may see his face."
Lelouch knelt so that Kaguya could do so, and the darkness lifted from his eyes. Amidst a backdrop of large pipes gleaming red in the lights that illuminated the chamber, there was a raised platform in front of him, framed by what appeared to be a torii, a Shinto shrine gate, only constructed out of metal instead of wood, and painted in alternating yellow and white. A man was seated cross-legged in the middle of the platform, utterly dwarfed by the torii. His features were concealed behind a black screen embroidered with golden flower patterns, but Lelouch knew that the man was Kirihara.
"You…" Kirihara said, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"I told you it was him!" Kaguya said cheerfully.
"Taizo Kirihara… it's been a long time," Lelouch said, knowing that his first objective had been cleared.
"Is it really you?" Kirihara asked. "It's been nearly eight years since that family received you as a hostage."
"Yes. I am Lelouch vi Britannia, and I've come seeking your help. But you may also call me Zero, leader of the Black Knights."
"Wait! You're a Black Knight?" Kaguya asked. Suddenly, she was practically upon him, her green eyes gleaming as she stared up at him. "You're the one who took down Clovis and the Black King! That's so cool! That's it! I've decided! You're going to be my future husband!"
"Wait, what?!" Lelouch thought.
"Kaguya!" Kirihara said sharply. "Is this how you conduct yourself, in such an undignified manner? You were taught better than that!"
"Our meeting was fate!" Kaguya retorted. "Besides, I'd much rather marry a hero like him than my own cousin!"
"Aren't you jumping into things too fast?" Lelouch asked, still off balance from her sudden declaration. "You barely know me! We've only met three times before today!"
"Nope! That's more than enough! Haven't you heard of love at first sight? Well, I suppose it's at second sight in this case…"
"I already have a girlfriend," he said, trying to dissuade her, though he felt very foolish having to say something like that in front of Kirihara.
"That doesn't matter! She and I can be your Court Ladies!"
"Enough!" Kirihara shouted, cutting Kaguya off. Pushing back the screen with a knobbed cane, he revealed himself to Lelouch. Kirihara hadn't changed much in nearly eight years, save for some more wrinkles. Seventy years old now, his skin was tanned from a lifetime's exposure to the sun, though he didn't seem to be getting much of it in here, and he was completely bald. He might have seemed decrepit, but the piercing gaze of his dark eyes revealed that his mind was as sharp as it had ever been. "Why reveal yourself as a Black Knight?"
"To gain your trust."
"Even though I collaborate with the colonial government?"
"We both know that's just a front. You pretended to be a traitor to the Japanese people to avoid tribunals, but you, along with Miss Sumeragi, are both leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto, funneling intelligence and supplies to resistance groups across Japan."
"Indeed it is. You have no idea how much it pains me to desecrate Mount Fuji, once known for its clear waters and quiet beauty, now a place of hideous violation, bent to the Empire's will. But what do you seek to achieve by changing hearts?"
"The downfall of Britannia, and an end to the mental shutdowns throughout the Tokyo Settlement."
"I know not the means by which you change hearts, nor how many follow you in the Black Knights," Kirihara said. "Are you sure that you can do it?"
"I can, because I must."
Kirihara laughed. "So the flower planted eight years ago has finally bloomed! Very well, Lelouch, or shall I say, Zero! You shall have the aid of Kyoto behind you! What do you need?"
"Small arms, medicines, access to Kyoto's intelligence networks, and your counsel, plus incidental favors from time to time."
"That is easily arranged," Kirihara said, faintly grinning.
I am thou… thou art I
Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity
With the birth of the Tower Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
The Tower… was it because Kirihara had lived to see the ruin or desecration of all he held dear, while his own reputation was in tatters? Yet even as he awakened to the new Arcana, the Sun's power also increased within him.
"There is something you should know though," Kirihara said. "What we have discussed today must not leave this room, but especially not this. You said that you were you were also looking for the one behind the mental shutdowns."
"That's correct."
"Then it may interest you to know that while they have only come to the attention of the media this year, as far as I have been able to determine, the first known mental shutdown in Japan occurred soon after the Britannian invasion."
Lelouch felt a sudden dread pass through him.
"Are you saying-"
"I am. Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi was killed by what would eventually become known as a mental shutdown. The one responsible for his death is still unknown." Kirihara paused. "Be very careful, Lelouch. Whoever Genbu Kururugi's assassin is, he has been doing this for a long time."
Do You Think the Black Knights Will Defeat Medjed?
Yes: 39.8%
xXx
"The day upon which the terrorist known as Medjed promised to reveal the secrets of the Black Knights has come, but so far we have only heard silence from both the Black Knights and Medjed. Neither group has issued a statement of any kind! What does this mean? To find out, we've once again assembled our panel, with leading experts in counter-terrorism and criminal psychology!"
Lelouch turned off the broadcast. It was just drivel, as the networks desperately struggled to fill time as their anticipated story failed to materialize. The activity on KnightWatch was far more interesting, as Diethard leaked findings about Code-R onto the internet, redacted to remove any references to Shirley's family or the Irregulars. What he had put together was fragmentary, but it was still enough to work certain elements into a furor, while it would get others to at least question their government. Of course, the TV news couldn't report that, so they ignored it, and pretended that the far more scandalous story didn't exist.
"Are you pleased with yourself, brother?" Nunnally asked.
"Very."
"I'm still bothered about what happened to Medjed…"
"We've been over this, Nunnally. It had to be done. It was either him or us. Let it go. He's gone now, and I say good riddance."
"What happens next?"
"The Black Knights will seek their next target. As will the Irregulars, I presume."
"As long as there are people looking for Alice and her friends," Nunnally nodded gravely.
Lelouch chuckled. "Cheer up Nunnally! There's something we're forgetting! The school trip is just around the corner. Madam President has something special planned for us. I can tell. That should be fun. Then again, with Madam President, she's sure to put her own zany spin on things."
Nunnally giggled. "She means well, though." Looking up, her eyes were drawn to the portrait hanging on the wall, Clovis' Treasure.
"That's Mom, and the two of us, back when we were at the Aries Villa…" She paused. "Clovis painted this, didn't he?"
"Technically, it's a Cognitive copy of the original painting, which is in the Government Bureau," Lelouch replied. "But yes, he did."
"I thought so," Nunnally replied sadly. "We'll get to the bottom of this, won't we? We'll find out why brother Clovis did those horrible things, why Alice and her friends had to suffer, and who's behind those Black Masks, right?"
"Yes, Nunnally. I promise."
A/N: Thus concludes the fourth arc of the story. I was originally planning to do Ashford Academy's summer trip next, but upon further thought, I have decided that it is better as part of the fifth arc, so the next interrogation scene will be up next, followed by the summer trip.