Author's Note: Gomen-ne, mina-san. This chapter was really challenging for me. Midway through my writing I ran into logical inconsistencies, it took a better part of three weeks just to aligned most of what I was trying to portray in place(and I am still not very happy with it.) My sincerest appreciations to rawrchelle and Rogue12158 and their editing efforts for bring this chapter online. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass in any way or form.

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Chapter 4

Lelouch followed wordlessly behind the woman who called herself the Curator into the magnificent structure. The clicks of their heels echoed crisply on the flawless marble floor. Magnificent paintings and canvas of various sizes hovered magically in midair and the ceiling. The significance of the placements seemed oddly familiar. The compelling sense of familiarity with this very place, with this very woman…

His steps faltered and then stopped as his eyes went wide upon a painting with familiar figures in it. The painting itself was framed in the most delicately crafted gold but it was not the decorations that astonished him. Stood before him, sitting at an ordinary and yet food festive dinning table, was himself, Nunnally and the always vigilant Sayoko toasting before their feast.

For the life of him, he could not recall a single instance throughout his existence that he felt content or happy. And yet, on the canvas, the smile on his lips, the glimmers in his eyes spoke nothing but pure delight.

"Domestic bliss…" he mouthed. C.C.'s mocking tone resounded in his mind. That was what she said at that precise moment; when they were raising their glasses for the Christmas toast that felt like decades ago. The teasing twinkle that she gave him was still afresh. "It suits you, Lelouch," she teased, "More so than the hell-bent adolescent that was trying to right the world."

His lips widened into a thin smile at the memory. Nunnally's chirp laughter and Sayoko's suppressed mirth soon followed after his half-hearted scoff. His hand came up with every intention to trace the line on Nunnally's endearing face. But as soon as his fingers touched the canvas, his vision blurred. It was like someone splashed the painting with a bucket full of water, only the colors didn't get wash off like it should; but instead, it swirled into a vortex of tinctures that assimilated him within.

When the kaleidoscope of colors finally faded away, he was left staring at himself engaged in an animated banter with C.C. while Nunnally giggled still with Sayoko not five feet away in front of him.

"I've told you before; you cannot interfere with her memory."

Lelouch found himself standing in front of the painting once again with his fingers inches away from the canvas; the words that he had hitched in his throat with hot tears wetting his cheeks.

He was preparing to bit back with a series of vicious retorts for her untimely interruption but the golden embroideries on his hovering black sleeve threw him into torrents of confounding emotions.

He wasn't sure when or where he was any more. If the residual pain and anger were any indication. He should have been dressed in his imperial wardrobe, not the Ashford Academy uniform. He gave himself a once over, just to be sure that he was not hallucinating. His bewilderment must have been written quite clearly on his features.

"I am also trying to figure out who you are; now that you are a part of her past, and yet you are here, how fascinating." C.C… no, the Curator said just with just a tiny trace of bemusement.

"Her past? Who-what? C-Two's past?" Lelouch's brows furrowed with puzzlement.

"I think that was one of her names…" The Curator pondered. "Indeed. You saw yourself there in the painting, did you not?" Without further explanation she turned and started walking, with Lelouch trailing behind grudgingly.

"You are a person of her past now," Lelouch heard.

"Does that mean…I am dead?" His voice quavered, the inference caused his steps to slowed and halt.

"That I cannot say," she glanced back, "no dead person has ever made a showing here." The familiar yet foreign orbs stared back unflinchingly.

"Where…where is this place?" he stuttered.

"This is where her collections of experiences turn into memories." She looked around with something resembling yearning.

Something suddenly clicked in his mind.

"Why do you keep on referring to hers? Isn't this," he gestured, "part of you, too?" Lelouch demanded, the direction of his thought began to scare him.

"It was." She started walking again. "But now that obligation is coming to an end."

*********

"Professor," an assistant cried over all the warning beeps, "the subject has negative brain activities!"

"No, no, no, no…" Professor Kassel pushed pass several wounded soldiers, almost fell on his face in the dim emergency lighting over discarded weapons and equipments, shoved the man aside violently and started manipulating the dials.

"This is not fair, C-Two-sama…" Kassel muttered to no one in particular, "I have waited twenty five years for this day…" His movements became frantic.

"Bring me a cart!" he barked over his shoulder.

"But…Professor, it was her-"the man tried to reason.

"I know what it was! Just bring me the fucking cart!" he yelled into the man's face, his hand snatched out and grabbed him by the sleeve.

"And clear a bay for me," Kassel growled, "if this doesn't work out, we need to remove the fetus." The ashen face man nodded dumbfounded and fled away.

Kassel pushed his glasses up further on his nose bridge and stare and the display and the lime hair beauty in the cryopod. The noises of dying and wounded once again drown his sensory. He gritted his teeth and curse at his own fortune. He should have been well on his way to the new facility set up by Lord Schneizel, if not for that accursed first tremor. He and his staff were on their way to the waiting transport when that happened. Right away, all routes to the hanger were closed off. And worst still, C.C.-sama was afflicted with some forms of brain annexation, the memories of the messily tossed green hairs that barely conceal the soulless, unblinking eyes were still haunting his memories.

The second tremor hit with a vicious intensity when they got to the infirmary. The power went out instantly; the equipments that they hastily scrap together for the diagnostic were toppled over, the overhead light panel came off and injured some of his and the medical staff. The wounded started to come in soon after. Kassel was so engrossed rerouting power to his equipments, by the time he was ready to perform his diagnostic on his subject, only one of his assistants were by his side, every bunk in the room was occupied. Those attended to were bunching outside the corridors, alongside the bodies of the ones that couldn't be saved; some didn't even have a dignifying drape over them.

Then came the rumor. At first it was muted whispers amongst few of the survivors, but then it rapidly gained recognition and grew in volume.

"Beast, Fiend, Monstrosity," were the first few descriptions they were capable of conveying to the horror that they had witnessed. But then it was followed by "Abomination, Satan, Demon," for the unbound viciousness. "The Wrath of the Demon King" was soon established there after as the general consensus.

To the Professor, his priority was to re-stabilize C.C.-sama so he could continue his research that he was forced to abandon more than two decades ago. But the ever spreading phrase of "Demon King", "Resurrection", and "Wrath" sounded oddly stinging to his ears. He finally took notice when he stumbled on the slippery, blood-tinged floor. Except the ones that couldn't be saved, virtually all bared the same stunned, shell-shocked expression. He didn't want to divulge too much into it, but they all looked like they all had a glimpse of hell from where they came from.

Even before his association with Lord Schneizel, Lelouch Vi Britannia was dubbed by his adversaries as the "Demon King" for the cruel methods that he preferred and employed. And he was there when Lord Schneizel taunted the captured Emperor, although all his attention was on his prized possession, but he did not fail to notice that Lord Schneizel stormed off without as much as a word with him, after all, it was the soon-to-be Emperor who approached him and re-initiated the abandoned Geass research.

Now that he put more thought into it, C.C.-sama had long been casted as the "Grey Witch" and now the rumor of the impending doom from the "Demon King…"

Could it be…?

He pushed his glasses up on his nose again and found the hand slightly trembled, not out of fear, but rather, out of excitement. Maybe C.C.-sama had finally achieved what they had set out to do in the first place, when she herself established the Geass Directorate, perhaps the vision had finally been realized.

Kassel turned and looked at her stilled form, a sense of resentment was manifesting out of control. He was supposed to be the one who should share the fruit and the joy of the research with her, but then she suddenly disappeared one day, without a word, without a trace. The Geass Directorate continued on with other lesser projects to the best of their ability, although V.V.-sama also contributed to the efforts but due to the prominent physiological disparity, the most important portion of the project, namely, his portion was forced to be abandoned.

He was electrified when he found out that C.C.-sama was bearing a child, but if she had already succeeded with the vision, then it would be a simply matter of capturing this…

"Professor Kassel!"

Kassel blinked once, staring blankly at a wheezing Army Captain. His assistant stood close by, breathing equally hard.

The officer swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath. "Sir, Colonel Maldini sent for you. Lord Schneizel summons your immediate audience at the officer's mess. Please come with me quickly." The man was already pulling at his arm, ready to leave.

"Wait!" Kassel yanked hard against him. "Help me carry this woman with us." He stabbed his finger at C.C.'s direction.

"Professor-" The officer tried to object.

"If not, then give me your name and rank so I can denounce you properly in front of Lord Schneizel, should he question why his most promising project cannot be continued!" He was nearly shouting. The man visibly blanched, knowing the professor did indeed possessed the influence that he claimed and hurried off to gather more men.

"Prep the pod for transport." Kassel told his assistant carelessly, his mind already wandered off to the matter at hand. The more that he thought about it, the more hopeful his assumption was. Instead of expending valuable time and resource reconstituting the project, why not use C.C. to lure her creation into his grasp?

********

"What do you mean by that?" Lelouch demanded angrily - again. The Curator had been ignoring him for the past few minutes. She was merely going from one gallery to the next. At a wave of her hand, a wall would materialize in thin air and encased it completely. She was shutting down this place, and that frightened him immensely.

His collected reasoning deduced the importance of this place, but shutting it down only means one thing…

"Answer me, damn you!" he shouted, no longer able to contain his dread. Out of sheer desperation, his hand shot out and made for a grab of her departing form, expecting to clutch at nothing but thin air…

The Curator gasped sharply in surprise as her detaining arm turned her body along. Her once cascading green lush flung before his eyes. Lelouch was equally surprised that he let go of her like his hand had been burned.

They stared at one another, their feet rooting in place. Her inquisitive golden orbs gazed into his dubious lilac. After a long moment, her right eyebrow arched up slightly, "I never would have thought…but a Code Bearer?"

"H…huh?" Lelouch felt his jaw slackened.

Code Bearer? Me? I have the code? What was she talking about? C.C. didn't…

"Only a Code Bearer has the ability to manipulate object in the World of C…" She trailed off, leaning her head sideways, as if to reason with herself.

Lelouch was caught in the torrent of thoughts himself. He had not realized that he could no longer summon Geass. It wasn't there anymore; the surge of red, burning satisfaction that used to course through his vein was surreally absent, what is happening…

And that was when he saw it, no far down from where they stood, a dark, satin canopy swathed gently back and forth over an enormous arcade. Shades of vibrant tint seeped through the cleft like a beacon, captivating his attention. Not only the lights, there were voices, her voices – C.C.'s voices resonating from within, however faint it was, he could hear it. His eyes widened at the implication, he stepped around the woman in front of him-

The Curator moved to block his path; her features visibly darkened. "You do not want to be in there."

But Lelouch was beyond caring. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed her, dearly. He missed her playful sarcasm. He missed her nonchalant, yet piercing gaze. But most of all, he missed her reserve but affectionate touch. Without thinking, he brushed the Curator aside and barged through.

And his knees buckled at the sight.

He nearly collapsed against the nearest wall, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the mounting tremors as jealousy and resentment rippled through his body.

Lelouch was not unaware of C.C.'s tormenting memories, he had witnessed it, felt it on rare occasions when she lost restrain as she was ruptured by ecstasy. The sickening sensation would flash past quickly in a blur as she regained her awareness. She knew that he saw it, but she never once offers any explanation and he didn't feel that he had the right to demand such an answer.

Except what he saw in glimpse of C.C.'s torturous past, even the ones from their memory fusion was only a grain of sand comparing to all the beaches and the deserts in the world combined.

Before his very eyes, rows after rows of paintings suspended in cohorts, each with men, multitudes of men, engaging in despicable acts of sexual feats: oral, anal, sublimation and masturbation with C.C. Not just the sexual acts, but acts of torture, rape and overly sadistic methods of cruelties. Unlike the still painting outside, scenes from each painting was looping back over and over again. Even with his eyes shut tight and his hands over his head, he was helpless from blocking the imageries from imposing into his mind.

To his mortifying soul, instead of feeling disgusted by the display, as his initial rage subsided, he felt incredibly aroused by it. Her breathless moans and pleading cries drew a stark contrast to those of beasty clamors, further fueled his growing arousal. But it was soon replaced by an unbearable desolation as he staggered deeper into the blight darkness. It was almost like watching a video diary; only this one was from the darkest part of her shadows - her own condemnation at her existence, her gut wrenching regrets at her decisions, and every conceivable, tormenting emotion known to mankind.

Looking at what was before him, it had finally dawned on him, about her purpose, her motivations and her forced detachments. She was once seduced by hopelessness and despair. Inflicted by the greatest curse of the undying – with her bleak, unfading memories. She might try to forget it, she might try to hide it, or even attempt to forge it, but it would always be there, lingering like a ghost, a silent reminder of her sins in the past. The sex, the physical pleasure, the Geass Directorate, the human experimentations and the creation of Geass Lineage were all part of pretense to obscure her own unending misery - a distorted belief to find the ultimate escape for her sufferings. He saw it through her watery eyes and felt it through every breaking hearts.

Lelouch blinked back his tears, the crushing weight of sorrow was overwhelming; standing in the middle of the glimmering darkness, and he took a shuddering breath, willing his seething rage and wretchedness to recede...

For someone who had constantly been left behind by her loved ones, she had a bizarre way of showing her contempt. And for everything that was exacted upon her, she still chose to protect humanity through her own suffering – by not allowing his father to obtain her Code, or by passing on the Code to either himself or Mao, knowing full well that they are more than eligible to receive it.

And the world branded her as the wicked.

"That foolish, foolish witch…" He scoffed softly under his breath, as the realization hit him with full force. For an immortal, she should have been the one who lost faith in love and yet…everything that she had done was borne of it.

Lelouch was not ashamed to admit that he had been craving for her closeness ever since their physical intimacy following the Black Rebellion. He was shocked to discover, for the first time, that another woman would completely captivate his attention other than Nunnally. In the cockpit of the Gawain, if not for C.C.'s insistence shove to push him away, he would have ravaged her at the co-pilot's seat, with the proximity of their enemy ignored, the safety of his kidnap sister forgotten.

Their year-long separation after his capture certainly did not diminish his intolerable yearning for her. The kiss she gave him to retrieve his altered memory at the Babel Tower only reawaken his long suppressed lust. He remembered pinning her by the arms against the wall, the keys from the Battle Frame pilot discarded. He lunged forward and claimed her lips before the pilot's limp body hit the floor and was genuinely delighted to have C.C. return the kiss with equal ardor. In the field littered with burning corpses and lifeless bodies, their reunion was rejoiced by their long awaited copulation. Their movements were wild and frantic; their hips moved in unison and every thrust was more forceful then last. Her painless whimpers and his laboring gasp reverberated off the concrete walls.

The way she moved against him, bend to his desire, submit to his will fostered his mounting urgency. Just then, C.C. began to thrashed wildly. "S-stop-stop, Lelouch-ha-h, stop, it's hot, so hot-"she begged breathlessly, pushing ineffective against him. That caused Lelouch to rock with a newfound energy and quickened his pace, faster, closer, higher…

With a guttering cry Lelouch felt a tidal wave of sensation doused over him as C.C. similarly convulsed under, stifled her moan with bitten lips. He was there in time to witness pain and confusion flush her features. The time seemed to stop as he looked down at their heaving forms; her eyes were brimming with tears, tears of joy and contentment, open and earnest.

Those precious moments were rare and far in between.

He should have realized, he did realize it during the Chinese Federation campaign, that their growing intimacy had inadvertently place C.C. in a special place in his heart. Every night without her by his side was virtually assured that his day ahead would be fruitless and tiresome. Any major decisions that he made without her counsel would place him on the height of anxiety. If he had the courage to confront her past, had he not been so blind by selfishness, and…if he had the courage to show her know how he felt…

Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

For all the elaborate pledge and promise that he made to her, in the end, he only thought about what he wanted. C.C. saw right through it, and yet, she voiced no protest nor objection, faithfully supported his campaigns and devices, knowing full well that she would be forsaken in the end, with the implementation of the Zero Requiem. Even with that knowledge, she had remained truthful while everyone else turned against him, his Black Knights, his friends, even the sister that they fought and sacrificed so much for. All he ever did was to use her, body and soul, for his own satisfaction. He is no better than those beasts that he have seen earlier…

His nostrils flared, the hands retched into fists.

No more!

Humanity's betrayal would end this day. His unfaithfulness would be vanquished. He will repay humanity's debt that was long overdue to her with his unyielding devotion. Despite of what he had witnessed and learned, he felt nothing but compassion for her. He swore that he will mend her broken heart with every ounce of love he could muster. He would bring her laughter, at his every waking moment, for as long as their body and soul would permit.

I will endure her sins. He vowed silently.

And I will crash her enemies.

His eyes opened to ever increasing flickers of blue flames. The once darkened room was illuminated in a bright purple hue and one by one, each canvas vanished as more burst into flames, until finally, the room was obscured by the shadows.

The Curator was waiting for him just outside the threshold, who gazed at him with solemn eyes.

"Are you certain of you choice?" She asked carefully. "You will carry those memories through eternity."

Lelouch's expressionless feature broke into a sincere smile. "She had endured so much for so long, it's time that someone share the burden." He paused briefly, trying to find the right words. "It's not about my choice anymore, but hers. From now on, she will only know love…" Lelouch met her eyes unflinchingly.

"Now would you please take me to her?"

********

How ironic.

She mused.

She must have truly gone insane.

For all the pains and sufferings that she had tolerated in the past centuries, she had decided to go into exile over one man, a teenage boy no less, just so she could be spare from her memories of him. But what did she do? She brought a reminiscence of him with her into the Void, just so she could torment herself some more. For all the men she had loved and those whom loved her in return, she took HIM along for her eternal damnation.

C.C. snorted bitterly.

She feared loneliness above all else, and who else was better suited to remind her for all the sins that she committed against countless men, women and children.

When Lelouch released her from the containment sphere, she could scarcely suppress her exhilaration after nearly two decades of separation, when their destiny crossed path once more. She was immensely amazed, when her hand grasped his for the validation process, by the intensity of his anguish and despair that buried deep underneath. It was nearly a mirror image of herself. The fleeting touch of their lips further solidified her belief from all those years ago, all the while waiting for Lelouch's Geass to be awakened.

This grown-up Lelouch had matured, more mature beyond his young age. His newly acquainted power and retaliatory motive made him darker, almost sinister by demeanor. But that didn't stop the growing fondness she had felt for the boy.

She already knew about his exile to Area Eleven, Marianne told her as much, from the many infrequent conversations that they had in the World of C. Her fascination with him would have ended there if he was the same self-absorbing, world hating bigot that she came across numerous times during her existence. But not her Lelouch, not the man she set her eyes on during his infancy. His was so determine to shape a better world for his beloved but crippled sister that he was willing to sacrifice anything, including his soul.

Her genuine admiration for Lelouch's righteous defiant grew as she watch him scuffled through countless brush with death. Her aching heart would go out for him as she nurtured him through his every struggles and blunders - in her subtle ways. And watching him after the event of "Tokyo Massacre," she was more than willing to bear with her darkness and jeopardized her soul just to bring him back from the depth of guilt ridden destruction.

Her heart fluttered knowing his Geass had fully manifested. But the thought of passing the code to him had never crossed her mind. She didn't know what disturbed her more…the thought of him enduring the same hellish nightmares that she had or the fact that she was unwilling to leave his side.

Her greatest wish, the one she had not voiced to anything or anyone, was promised to her by Lelouch…twice. Her yearning desire for death was due to the ceaseless accumulation of memories and the disappointments of finding a true companion…an equal to her, who was capable of loving her out of his free will, not from the influence of Code or Geass.

C.C. believed that she found that quality in Lelouch. She had decided, after her reckoning, that she would forsake her salvation, in hope that Lelouch, however minuscule, would achieve her ultimate wish.

She had the one chance to give up her code, to end her long suffering of timeless imprisonment, back in the Sword of Akatash. But she resisted, her tears of remorse blurred her vision. It was so tempting to just simply surrender to the temptation and end it. But she couldn't. She could not allow Charles to take her Code, for the World, for Lelouch. She could hear Lelouch's frightful scream from his cockpit. If you are going to die than at least put some smiles on your face before you go!

C.C. let loose a chuckle. Only Lelouch would make a plea sound like an accusation.

She knew the implications should Charles have two Codes. She had discovered Charles and V.V.'s treacherous scheme long before Marianne's supposed assassination. So she fled under a moonless night, leaving everything behind, the Geass Directorate, the Research and Lelouch - the man who she knew would set her free.

But that was no longer possible. Her severed link with Lelouch only meant one thing – his untimely demise. Her scream of his name was filled with longing, and above all, grief. She abandoned her physical vessel without a second thought; no longer have the will to face her haunting past, not when Lelouch is no longer by her side.

Staring sightlessly into the grey emptiness, C.C. cradled the painting of him in her embrace closer to her heart, and closed her eyes.

********

"So the Grey Witch is useless to me then?" Schneizel peered at the woman lying motionless in the Cryopod.

"Not entirely so, My Lord." Professor Kassel answered hastily, rubbing his sweating palms in the process.

"At her current state," Kassel glanced over at her prone form, "C-Two Sama-" he quickly caught himself, feeling Schneizel's eyes bored into his.

"The Grey Witch will not be of much use, we need her conscious to validate most of my theories, for reason we cannot explain, all her brain function simply ceased…"

"But," he added quickly, sensing Schneizel's growing agitation, "since we recovered most of my research data from the Geass Directorate intact." Kassel's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Together with the fruit of our research that was never carried out coming to us-to her," He pointed toward the unmoving woman.

"The day of our reckoning is almost upon us."

Schneizel's feature twitched imperceptible, the start of a scorn thawed into a forced grin.

"My good professor, I wish I share your enthusiasm, but our recent setbacks," he looked in Maldini's direction, of who looked down in disgrace, "prevented from doing just that."

"This creature that you spoke of," Schneizel pursed his lips, "how confident are you that you can facilitate its capture?"

"My Lord, we are fortunate enough have in our possession a portable anti-Geass emitter. And with this…" The professor produced an injector vial with blue-green gel looking liquid in it. "My latest creation - nano machines that induced stasis in any living organisms." The professor gloated. "And together with high endurance arrestor netting meant for battle frame, the chance of capturing it is highly probable."

"Professor, I have every confidence that you would succeed. But please be cautious, if the reports are correct, this 'thing' has already killed a battalion of our valiant men and women," Schneizel offered.

"Thank you my Lord, you are most benevolent, but I believe we have the resources to affect the capture. I must beg for your forgiveness, I have to attend for the preparations."

"He is not without confidence," Schneizel wondered aloud, watching the professor hurried off and consult with the Captain that was assigned to him.

"How long do we have?" He turned and inquired mildly, but the coldness in his eye had not abated.

"General Manser estimated splashdown in approximately…" Maldini checked his watch. "Thirty-five minutes. The Damage Control managed to contain the fire but remaining generators are not enough to sustain both the shield and the Float system. The current capacities will only keep us afloat until then…" He hesitated.

"What else?" Schneizel sighed.

"We lost contact with our surface action group," Maldini gulped, "the last report was from HMS Glorious. They reported possible mutiny but the explosion took out our communication array…" He paused, unable to go on.

Schneizel chuckled, "Not only are we falling from the sky, we are also cut off from the rest of our forces. The Grey Witch has turned into a sleeping beauty. Tell me, Maldini, what else can possible go wrong?"

Maldini dared not look up at his face, but it was his duty to advise his liege. "M-My Lord, perhaps…perhaps we should detonate the remaining F.L.E.I.J.A. munitions together with the monster-"

"You mean the Demon King?" Schneizel teased coldly. He had seen the combat footage; the fuzzy image of a pale figure with dark cloak, the resemblance was startling.

"My Lord-"Maldini tried to protest, but was silenced by Schneizel's raised hand.

"It has merit. Do you have the secondary detonator?" he asked.

Maldini produced the said device from his inner pocket and presented it with both hands.

"It would only activate by your thumbprint and no others," Maldini added. His eyes narrowed at an approaching figure of which Schneizel noticed and pocketed the device right away.

"Mr. Ried, a pleasure to see you here," Schneizel greeted warmly to the defector from the Black Knight. Although he had no stomach for traitors, but Ried did provide fountain of information concerning Lelouch which in some respect brought him the victory. Plus the man's political insight and media influence couldn't be easily undermined. He might still have a use for the two-face.

"My Lord, I beg for your permission to film the capture of this abomination. After all, the world needs to see how the Demon King fell," the media man pleaded his case.

"Come now, Mr. Ried. My brother Lelouch couldn't be this monstrosity that the rumors seemed to be spreading," he purred. "Perhaps it is not wise to, what was the saying, jumping on the band wagon, especially on this matter."

"I've seen the footage, my Lord," one of Schneizel's brow arch up slightly, "and I believe it to be the traitor Lelouch. Please allow me the privilege and I will show the world that you are truly the rightful ruler of the world," Ried implored.

Schneizel smiled at him. "I will take your resume under consideration. In the meantime, stay out of harm's way and show me your aptitude for theatrical finale of the Demon King."

"I am honored, my Lord. You shall not be disappointed." Ried grinned brilliantly and gave his future emperor a deep, respected bow.

To Be Continue…

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