CHAPTER 7:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

"Well, you've made your big debut, boy," CC said the next morning, as they had breakfast. Nunnally, along with the members of the Student Council (sans Kallen), were doing so too. Their breakfast had been served by Pestonia S Puppydog(1), who had the body of a beautiful woman, but a scarred dog's head on that. Still, Pestonia, the head of the homunculi maids of Nazarick (but not the Pleiades, who were led by Sebas), was one of the better-natured NPCs.

"Yes. I managed to rescue Suzaku, who has reported that his court martial has proceeded according to our plan rather than Kewell's. Jeremiah has now thrown Kewell into a holding cell, and is hurriedly trying to polish things up before Cornelia arrives. And Zero is already making a splash on the world's media. Still, this is where things get even more dangerous. We've drawn attention to Ainz Ooal Gown, and Cornelia's a much better military commander than Clovis."

"And you still hold some feelings for her, don't you, big brother?" Nunnally said.

"I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Of our siblings, aside from Nunnally, obviously, I liked Euphemia and Cornelia best. Cornelia idolised my mother, and Euphemia was sweet and, well, nice, genuinely so."

"I'm surprised that she managed to endure that cesspit of a family of yours, then," Milly remarked. "Then again, with our family having been part of the court in Britannia before, I know for a fact that Cornelia protected her. Still, what are you going to do with her?"

"Sow discord. Cornelia will doubtlessly be partly motivated for revenge against Clovis' killer. Have we made any inroads to capturing General Aspirius?"

"He was taken into custody by the Purists in the wake of the attack on Clovis," Milly said, smirking. "Gottwald, or rather, Sebas, used the Puppeteer Palm to interrogate him as to the data mentioned by Clovis. While most of Code-R, as the project was called, had been dismantled or moved, the data still exists, and we have dispatched people to retrieve it."

"Good work," Lelouch said. "The reason why I bring that up is because, if Clovis' crimes are exposed, and in such a way that it doesn't endanger CC, Cornelia will have some of her resolve taken away. Oh, her resolve would still be strong to take me out, as an enemy of Britannia, but it would also be a PR disaster for the Britannians. We just need to find an avenue to exposing it via the media. Speaking of which, that man who filmed me last night, who is he?"

"Diethard Ried, according to Gottwald," Milly remarked with a sniff of disdain. "A petty little parasite of a pressman. He's a producer of news and current affairs programs here at Hi-TV, or at least the propaganda that passes for news here. I'll ask grandfather about him discreetly. Are you considering using him as your conduit to the press?"

"Perhaps. Does Jeremiah have an opinion of him?"

"I just expressed it. I only know of the man, whereas Gottwald's met him. Though thinking about his ilk puts me off my meal somewhat. My apologies, Pestonia."

"I am sorry you were put off your meal, Lady Shalltear, woof," Pestonia said.

"I'd like to add something, my lord," Shirley, aka Solution Epsilon, said. "According to Gottwald's report, my father was amongst the personnel named by Aspirius as a worker at Code-R. I confess to still having sentiments for him, so if his disposal becomes necessary, then I would like it to be swift."

"I'll consider it," Lelouch said. "If I can ensure his loyalty to Ainz Ooal Gown, I will avoid it. CC, do you have anything to add?"

"Not really."

"Hmm. I've asked Pandora's Actor about the Ariadne System, and judging by his response, the system either deactivated when the Tomb became real, or else it simply crashed(2). For now, I'm willing to let that state of affairs continue. The air is breathable within Nazarick, resources can be brought in and out via portals, and I'm not sure where to begin to try and excavate an entranceway. Seismographs may detect excavation that far underground. Another thing I want to try is enhancing Knightmare Frames with items from the Treasury to enhance their durability and offensive capability. I want something that, if necessary, can outperform Shizu's current body. After all, the Lancelot is a prototype of a seventh generation Knightmare Frame. If it or an equivalent gets mass-produced, we may need something to match it, especially if we need to get older models. We'll need to find ways to obtain Sutherlands at the very least, if not Gloucesters. Also, there is a point I should address. I will tell the other Floor Guardians and inhabitants of Nazarick where necessary, but I will make this clear right now. We will, in the end, ally ourselves with human groups. I know many of you will feel…ill at ease doing so. I ask for your indulgence, to hold your tongues."

A chorus of "Understood" came in reply.

"Nunnally, how's the surveillance experiments going with your insects?" Lelouch asked.

"Very well, big brother. Few people pay attention to small amounts of insects, as long as they are relatively innocuous ones. Cockroaches are noticed rather swiftly, but flies, mosquitoes and small insects are less conspicuous. However, my control is limited, partly because my abilities are more designed for combat, not espionage. The further away my target is, the more control I have to exert."

"Good. We'll see if we can find a way to fix your spine. I should've brought Lupusregina in to try earlier, but with everything that's been happening…sorry, Nunnally."

"It's okay, big brother. Being the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick does come with many duties," Nunnally said. "And we have no guarantee that healing magic can heal such old injuries."

That was a good point, one that had been nagging at Lelouch. He had been worried that, even if he did try to heal Nunnally, it wouldn't work. Maybe he could use the Shooting Star ring he had? That her eyes had opened up during the reinstatement of her memories was a miracle itself, though the doctors he had examining her did tell him that her blindness was psychogenic. It wasn't nerve damage or any damage to the eye that blinded her, but the sheer trauma of seeing her mother died.

"Speaking of old injuries," Milly began, perhaps a little tactlessly, "how did you regain your eyesight, Nunnally? I remember the doctors my grandfather obtained for you saying that your blindness was born from the trauma at witnessing your mother's death, not from physical injury. So why did your blindness dispel itself when you regained your true memories?"

"That's a good question," Lelouch said. "Thoughts?"

"Maybe it was…like a status effect, a debuff?" Nina asked timidly. "In a way, what happened to us was like a resurrection spell, and that can remove debuffs most other spells can't. Maybe even those from World Items."

"Yeah, Nina's got a point," Rivalz said. "But…I also know my way around debuffs, being a tamer and all. Blindness effects generally affect the eyes directly. Wasn't Nunnally's brain affected? I mean, you've got a Geass that can take control of anyone, and we've heard from CC that there's some guy who can read minds. So, who's to say that her blindness wasn't caused by a Geass? I mean, there's the Emperor, not to mention others VV could have given the Geass to."

Lelouch looked to CC, who nodded. "It is possible. A Geass may have been used on Nunnally to blind her. In fact, it would explain a lot."

"The how, yes," Lelouch said, "but not the why."

"Protection, possibly," CC said. "Perversely enough, if Nunnally was seen to be blind, and could not remember or describe any assassins, then she might be safe from reprisals. Of course, it would also make Marianne's children look weak, or one of them at least, thus weakening their position at court."

"I don't actually remember anything of the sort. Just…the gunshots, my mother protecting me with her body…the pain…" Nunnally said, grimacing.

"I had sworn to bring to account those responsible," Lelouch said, gritting his teeth. "My resolve has not been shaken."

"Lelouch," Milly said, "if another of the Supreme Beings or other Players have ended up in this world…what do we do with them?"

"Ainz Ooal Gown was a Player Killer guild amongst other things, so its reputation wasn't the best for some," Lelouch said. "However, hopefully, the Players will be able to tell the difference between Yggdrasil and reality, so unless they prove hostile, we treat them well. As for the Supreme Beings, I want you to all understand that any who turn up are to be treated as honoured guests. Don't get me wrong, I believe the odds of our finding anyone are slim, but…"

His thinking out loud was interrupted by a Message. No actual message, nobody's voice speaking yet, but there was something there…a sense of anticipation. As if he was called up by someone who was waiting for him to say…Hello?

Helloooo, Momongaaa!

Lelouch actually recoiled at the lilting, sugary voice, both familiar and unfamiliar. It was a familiar voice, with familiar intonations, but the voice and the intonations didn't belong together, rendering the combined result unfamiliar. It took a moment for his mind to pick apart what he knew. The voice itself was maddeningly familiar, but he realised he remembered the intonations. They came from a very familiar place. On a whim, he took out a certain watch from his inventory, and fiddled with it, only to be greeted by a similarly sugary voice.

Hellooo, is there anyone there? the voice pouted. Please don't tell me I gave you a heart attack, Momonga. After that performance you gave in front of so many Knightmares ready to turn you into mince…

I'm here, I'm here, Lelouch said hurriedly. Then, tentatively, scarcely daring to hope, he added, …BubblingTeapot? Is that you?

Yep! Then, her voice became a little more sombre, even a bit more recognisable. I…I wanted to come to your little get-together, but I decided to do some PKing first, so I set off to do just that before the time came around. Came across some idiot going on about his rare Big Orange Ring, so I PKed him and stole it(3). I mean, there were only a few hours left in the game. It took longer than I thought, though, and, well, I realised there were only a few minutes left. I made it to the Round Table, but I couldn't find you. I was panicking a little, didn't think to use a Message…and to tell the truth, I was in a bad way anyway.

The emotion in her voice caught his notice. …What happened?

…My little brother was murdered the night before the Yggdrasil shutdown.

This was news to Lelouch. Peroroncino, murdered? His eyes flicked to Milly, wondering how best to tell her that her creator in another life was dead, before he went back to his conversation. How? Who? he asked in shock.

Some bastard who mugged him while he was getting food from the convenience store, BubblingTeapot said with a snarl. The police called me in to identify his body. Ugh, that was a saga. One of the cops recognised my voice from an H-Game I did, and made creepy remarks. Touch Me was there, and he told that guy off. By the way, he said to say sorry he couldn't make it to the reunion. Apparently he was going to a retirement party for one of his fellow officers.

Lelouch nodded, acknowledging Touch Me's message. Still, most of him felt for BubblingTeapot. Peroroncino was dead? Wow. Peroroncino seemed like one of the sorts who'd live fast and die young (probably while fapping over some hentai), but still…getting killed by a mugger? His friend was dead because of some opportunistic arsehole.

Eventually, he said, gently, I'm sorry about what happened. I really am. This…this is a bit much to take in. But…I need to know…why didn't you contact me earlier?

You mean when I first regained my memories? I was panicking at remembering myself, and then, well, I went to private mode. It took me ages to figure out how to fix that, and I only really wanted to try and contact you after I saw that little performance. A coy note entered her voice. You always said I went over the top as a voice actress, but after seeing you as Zero, I think that's the pot calling the kettle black. I could smell the daikon from here. Or was that ham(4)?

Lelouch rolled his eyes. That was nothing compared to the performance on that watch you gave me. Seriously…I did not need to hear you screaming like that when I set the watch that way. But how did you know it was me?

…You were the only member of Ainz Ooal Gown, apart from me, who was online at the time, BubblingTeapot said. It was a good guess. Well, unless HeroHero came back online at the last minute. Look, I'm a bit busy at the moment…but I want to meet you.

And meet the NPCs. Most of the Floor Guardians and the Pleiades have been reincarnated in this world, Lelouch said. That includes Aura and Mare…though they have swapped genders, so they're technically not crossdressing anymore.

Oh? Really? I need to see this for myself. And my brother's creation?

Yes, she's aware. I'll let her know. Where are you?

I'm in the Britannian Settlement. I'm…well, without spoiling the surprise, I'm being looked after by some very overprotective people, so I thought I'd go and sightsee. I'll be escaping very soon. See you soon, Momongaaa…

Milly, predictably, didn't take the news of her creator's death too well, and they spent much of the day comforting her. Even Kallen, with her Albedo-influenced rivalry if not outright hostility towards Shalltear, comforted her once she arrived at school. Kallen's reaction to BubblingTeapot's arrival was mixed, elation and what could be jealousy mixed up, but eventually, she seemed resigned to it.

However, eventually, BubblingTeapot asked if they could meet in Nazarick that evening. Suzaku had apparently met her, but had been sworn to secrecy. So when the denizens gathered in the Throne Room, Lelouch was more than a little apprehensive. He could see Rivalz and Nina quivering with excitement and anticipation.

And then, a Gate opened up, and a figure walked through it. A very familiar figure. Not BubblingTeapot's avatar within the game, an orange slime. But rather, someone Lelouch himself knew, had known back in Pendragon, before events tore him away from that cesspit.

A slender figure, like a doll. Her beautiful, innocent-seeming features were framed by long pink hair, a pair of twin buns at her temples like Leia from Star Wars. Violet eyes twinkled at him in amusement, especially as he gaped in surprise.

"Oh my, Momonga, you've been naughty. Or should that be big brother Lelouch vi Britannia?"

"…BubblingTeapot…you're…"

The former voice actress smiled. "Yes, of course. I'm now Euphemia li Britannia…"

CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:

Holy shit! So, not only is another member of Ainz Ooal Gown in the Code Geass-verse, but it's BubblingTeapot as Euphie! This ought to shake things up. And I noticed how a lot of you guessed who it was, at least the Code Geass character part of it.

Now, I had it in my mind for some time that Euphie would be eventually revealed to be a reincarnation. I did need to cover for why she didn't reveal herself sooner, as well as justification for her to be in Yggdrasil, but not near Momonga before everything went south. I'm sorry, fans of Peroroncino, for killing him off.

Now, choosing BubblingTeapot was a bit of a no-brainer. If I was going to integrate one of the so-called 'Supreme Beings', then it'd be one of four: BubblingTeapot/Bukubukuchagama, Peroroncino, HeroHero, and Touch Me. Ulbert, the only other one of the members really characterised as much in the books, doesn't interest me, and the others don't have quite as much characterisation. Given that BubblingTeapot is one of the few female members named for the series, I decided to use her for Euphie. I won't rule out another Player reincarnating as a character down the track, but for now, as I have no actual plans, it's Euphie only.

Review-answering time! Blake Tourdner: No, Table-kun isn't getting a workout this time, and certainly not by a Dark Elf. This version of Nina, while still timid as hell, is a lot more mentally stable for one thing. For another, given the identity of Euphemia as BubblingTeapot, that ain't going anywhere. Finally, Nina only has the mismatched eyes of Mare, not the rest of her appearance…for now.

Kaiya Azure: Indeed. Lelouch is currently working on the defensive. Momonga was still a cautious character, but he was also working in canon Overlord in a world where magic existed. Here, he needs to be careful what abilities he shows off, at least up to a point. Come Saitama, he will have some of the Floor Guardians show off, albeit in disguise, just to put the fear of Ainz Ooal Gown into Cornelia.

MM Browsing: I am not including characters from Akito the Exiled. I haven't watched that. Lelouch may use his original face as Satoru Suzuki at times. He is having CC under surveillance, but CC knows that, and so carries on her conversations with Marianne in the privacy of her own head rather than talking out loud. Keep in mind, though, CC is pretty much wholly on Lelouch's side, because he is interesting, and CC actually wants to have some revenge on Charles for basically aiding and abetting Clovis in keeping her confined. Marianne and Charles are aware of what has happened to a degree, but they're not overly worried. They think that Charles' Geass would be a good trump card, not to mention that they aren't aware of just how powerful Lelouch's arsenal is. And there's other Geass users they could use: Geass powers pretty much act like a World Item by Yggdrasil terms, being ridiculously OP in what they do.

1. As with BubblingTeapot, I decided to use the light novel translation for this character, also known as Pestonya S Wanko ('wanko' meaning 'puppy' in Japanese, derived from 'wan', the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog's bark).

2. This little bit of plothole filling came about from a review by framfrit. I had honestly forgotten about the Ariadne System, despite only having recently read the seventh novel, which introduced it (AFAIK). Ariadne, for those who don't know, is a reference to the myth of the Minotaur: Ariadne gives Theseus a 'clue': namely, a ball of string to allow him to escape the Labyrinth once he slew the Minotaur. Indeed, the word clue used to mean a ball of string or clew.

3. This is a reference to what Momonga did to one unfortunate player group in the prologue to Numbskulls' Overlord Abridged Episode 1 (formerly Team Dai-Gurren).

4. I found out that the Japanese equivalent of 'ham' (as in a ham actor) is 'daikon', as in their horseradish.