Demon King of Britannia
Dying hurts. Being reborn into royalty can be even more painful, especially a royal family constantly trying to one up the others. Add in an encounter with an Ancient King and a rebellion in the East and life can only get more interesting.
And now its time for another flurry into my demented psychi. This chapter is set a year after the previous one, meaning that Erens had some time to come to grips with his power. This will also contain Erens first meeting with one of his violent siblings, as well as the girls who will become his Knights in the future. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
I smiled as I gazed out over the rolling Tuscan hills, taking in the gorgeous Italian Landscape. I had always wanted to go to Italy in my last life but never really had the chance. I had made plans with my friends to go once we had graduated from University, but being struck by lightning kinda puts a crimp in plans like that. Now I finally had the chance to see all of the things I wanted to, albeit slightly different due to the different paths history took in this world.
It had been a year since I had slain Arthur and in that time Raffaello had stepped up my training, teaching me all she could about the Magic of the world, the Heretic Gods and my fellow Campione. There were currently six, including me, although I had a feeling that I was actually the seventh with Doni having slain Nuadha but was still amnesiac. We had come to Italy to visit some of the Mage Associations in the country and get me some alleys for the future.
Just then the piece was broken as a huge spike of power erupted and a castle on a nearby cliffside was suddenly split in two as if smote by a sword from the heavens, the two halves falling away from one another as the building a hill crumbled.
"What in the world is going on over there?" asked Raffaello, trotting up beside me on her grey horse.
"Well, judging from the amount of power it was either a Heretic God or one of my fellows," I said, getting to my feet, and moving over to my own steed, a young, jet black stallion.
I mounted the horse and rested a hand on the sheathed sword that was attached to the side of the saddle.
"Either way, I'd best go take a look," I said, "I'm eager to meet one of my Siblings and itching for a fight!"
Raffaello shook her head as the two of us spurred our horses in the direction of the pile of rubble that used to be a castle.
"And here I thought you were different," she said.
I just grinned.
It didn't take long to arrive at the location of the disturbance and when we did it was to find a group of familiar individuals. The first, and most important, was the happy go lucky idiot that would later be known as the King of Swords, one Salvatore Doni. He was a good looking, blond Italian with blue eyes and a pair of sunglasses resting in his hair. He was wearing a rather loud shirt that was unbuttoned to show off his toned torso and a pair of baggy shorts, with sandals on his feet. In his hand he held a fake sword that he had channeled his Authority through.
The other two were a pair of girls my age who were looking at my idiot brother with fear in their eyes and another two I had been eager to meet since becoming a Campione, the Knights, Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar. Even at this young age, it was clear that Erica was going to grow into a true beauty. She had long, blond hair and the beginnings of the killer figure she would have in a few years and was clad in the combat uniform of the Copper Black Cross, consisting of form fitting black trousers and shirt, with a red and black striped mantel and brown, leather boots.
Liliana was also a very pretty girl, almost fairy like with long, silver hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a similar outfit to Erica, only her mantel was blue and black, the colours of the Bronze Black Cross.
At the sight of the blond moron my teacher let out a growl and muttered something in Italian under her breath that I'm pretty sure wasn't suitable to be said around kids.
"I was wondering if it was an invasion started by some association," said Raffaello as we approached, "And who does it turn out to be? Salvatore Doni. Though I suppose our brief contact makes you my unworthy disciple, what on earth is going on here? Depending on circumstances, I may have to cut off your head as compensation."
Doni just stared at my tutor with an intense look in his eye as the two girls eyed us with trepidation. I shot a grin their way and Liliana looked away with an eep and a blush while Erica returned the grin with a dazzling smile of her own.
What's up, Doni?" asked Raffaello, "Did you forget my face because of injuries from the beating you took? I wouldn't be surprised if that ass the case. You always did cause more trouble than you were worth."
"It seems you're right," said Doni, "I do seem to have lost my memory."
"Don't say it like you caught a flu, moron!" snapped my tutor
"Now now, no need to get angry," said Doni, "I woke up this morning on some unknown country roadside with no memory and thought it would be best to try and get it back. I heard your name mentioned at a monastery and somehow knew you had something to do with my memory. Now that I see you, I know what I have to do."
Doni smiled a friendly smile that shone like the sun, although I could see the hidden edge beneath it, the same edge my own smile held.
"What I needed to do was see you," continued the King of Swords, "And if I could fight you then that sense of vagueness would surely go away. That's what I have been feeling, and it's unbearable."
He took a stance with his fake sword. There was nothing really special about the stance, in fact it was downright awful, but Doni still gave out an aura of menace that marked him as a Campione.
"I see you haven't changed, still doing what you want while muttering to yourself," muttered Raffaello as she got of her horse and approached the Amnesiac King, "Eren, take care of my horse and stand back."
"Yes ma'am," I said, taking her horse's reins and leading it over to where Liliana and Erica were stood.
The Knight and amnesiac Campione faced off, one with a blank face, while hte other was grinning widely in anticipation of the fight to come.
"I keep feeling that my sword training has reached a glass ceiling," said Doni, "Which is why I want to fight with the strongest swordsman I know to see if I can find out how to continue."
"You have no idea how the world works, do you?" asked the Knight, "You always were the biggest moron."
A magic circle appeared over Raffaello's hand as her Cuore di Leone appeared in her grip. At the sight of the magic sword, the two girls caught their breath.
"I know you are one of those people for whom words are a waste of time," said Raffaello, "Salvatore Doni, you are a true genius, a monstrous child of heaven in regard to swords... However, you are not a man who plays games, what new technique have you mastered now to do this?"
She indicated to the ruined castle.
"Things like this remind me that your stupidity is so great that not even death can cure it. Now, enough words, let's talk with the blades of our swords. Come, you unworthy idiot disciple, it's been a while since I gave you a good ass kicking..."
I leant forwards, eager to see the battle between my teacher and fellow Campione. The two young Knights at my side seemed to be conflicted about something and it was easy to guess what as Liliana stepped forwards
"Please wait a moment, Saint Raffaello!" she called, causing the Knight and the King to stop their staredown for a moment to look at her.
"Yes, what is it child?" asked Raffaello.
Liliana looked like she wanted to run as the formiddible swordswomans gaze fell on her, but she steeled herself and held herself strong.
"It is a pleasure to meet you my lady," she said formally, "I am Liliana Kranjcar, knight belonging to the Bronze Black Cross. I came looking for you today for the sake of inheriting the famed twin swords in your possession."
Erica looked shocked for a moment, before she drew herself up and stepped forwards
"I, Erica Blandelli, have also arrived for the same purpose as Dame Liliana here," she said, bowing elegently to the elder Knight, "We accompanied Sir Salvatore as it seemed that he was looking for you to, although he didn't know his relationship with you due to memory loss."
Liliana bowed alongside her rival. Raffaello sighed at the two girls request.
"Based on your family names, you must be the successors to the Houses of Kranjcar and Blandelli," she said, "I feel sorry that you got caught up in this moron's antics. He is extremely talented with the sword, but a complete failure in magic. I should know, I taught him myself, as troublesome as it was putting up with the idiot."
"Hmm... I can't really remember," said Doni, scratching his chin, "Even if you glare at me with such scary eyes..."
"You were almost as troublesome as Eren over their…"
"OI!"
"...And had a complete lack of manners and any form of intellect whatsoever, but you still managed to learn my sword techniques in a month. In other words, you're the complete opposite of Eren."
I actually fell of my horse at that, tears running down my face.
"Teachers so mean!" I wined.
"Suck it up," said Raffaello without even looking at me.
"Did we have that kind of relationship...?" asked Doni, looking thoughtful, "Well, anyway, that has little to do with our meeting here now."
The genius swordsman looked over at us with a knowing smile.
"Could you three back off for a while? I should be done in a bit. Anyway, sorry!"
Doni's right arm began shining with a bright silver luster, before he stabbed the replica sword into the ground and simply pulled it out again. With a deep rumbling sound, the earth began to split, a chasm opening and moving rapidly towards us. Before it could drop us into the depths of the earth, I drew Excalibur and drove it into the ground, causing a crack to appear perpendicular to Donis, stopping the chasm in its tracks.
"No need to drop us into the earth," I said, "We can watch from here thanks."
Doni eyed me with interest as Erica and Liliana looked at me in shock and more than a little bit of fear.
"Damn show off prince," said Raffaello, although there was a faint grin on her lips.
I grinned and sheathed my sword, leaning against a nearby rock as Doni and Raffaello began their fight, clashing again and again with more and more force as they began to pull out all the stops.
"Who are you?" asked a voice suddenly, drawing my attention away from the fight happening in front of me.
I looked around to see Erica and Liliana still eyeing me.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" I pushed of the wall and gave an elegant bow, "My name is Eren li Britannia. I'm here on a training trip with my teacher."
"Wait, your a member of the Britannian royal family?" asked Liliana, shifting her stance slightly, "Why would you be here?"
"Because Teach wanted me to meet some of the leaders of the Mages Associations around the world," I said.
"Your a mage?" asked Erica, looking at me with interest.
"You could say that," I said with a smirk.
Suddenly, my hand snapped out, catching the hilt of Donis sword as it flew towards me. I looked over at where my master and brother were talking and smirked, before beginning to make my way over.
"So, have you regained your memories?" I asked.
"I have," said Doni, eyeing me with curiosity, "Say, you seem different from most people. Why is that?"
I chuckled and allowed some of my aura to leak out.
"You're not the only one who has slain a God, brother," I said, my grin widening as I heard startled gasps coming from behind me.
Donis eyes widened, before a grin crossed his own face and he clenched his fist.
"So, what do you think, up for another fight?" I asked, holding out the sword in my hand, "I'm eager to see what another Campione is capable of."
Donis only response was to smile wider and take the sword from my hand. We both saluted, before walking to opposite ends of the courtyard as Raffaello lead the two girls FAR away from us so as to avoid the fallout. I drew Excalibur and took a stance, the legendary sword glowing brightly as Doni activated his own Authority. There was no need of either of us to hold back in this fight. Both of us began to glow as our Auras began to overflow, Doni with his light pink while mine was a deep, royal blue. Then, we charged.
The battle lasted for nearly an hour and resulted in the rubble of the castle Doni had destroyed being pulverized completely and more than a few hills being flattened completely. By the end of it, both of us were flat on our backs, panting heavily with massive grins on our faces in the middle of the destruction.
"That..pant...was...huff...the most...pant...fun...puff…I've had in ages!" I said with a grin, finally regaining my breath.
"No kidding," said Doni, pushing himself to his feet with his battered sword, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
I got to my feet and offered my hand.
"Damn right, if I get to fight like that again there's no way I'm turning down that offer!"
Doni grinned as he accepted my hand.
At the sidelines, the two young Knights stared in wide eyed awe at the destruction.
"So this is what the power of a Devil King is capable of," whispered Liliana in awe.
Erica just nodded, although she did look a little flushed. I turned away from my Campione Brother and made my way over to the group of women. As I approached, Erica and Liliana dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
"Please forgive us King, we didn't know who you were," said Liliana, fear plain in her tone.
I sighed and rubbed the back of my head in exasperation. It was the same no matter where I went, everyone bowing and scraping because I was a Prince of Britannia or a Devil King or indeed both. It was annoying.
"Oh get up you two," I said, irritation clear in my tone, "I hate people bowing and scraping as if I'm some kind of king."
"You kind of are brat," said Raffaello with a smirk, "I would have thought you'd be used to it, being a prince and all."
"That doesn't make it any less annoying," I snapped, before sighing, "And we still gotta go and greet the leaders of the Bronze and Copper Black Cross. Oh joy of joys."
Raffaello snickered at my misfortune, before turning to regard the two girls.
"So, you wish to inherit my swords?" she asked, looking thoughtful.
Erica and Liliana immediately snapped to attention and gave the older Knight their full attention. Raffaello thought for a moment, before a grin crossed her face.
"Tell you what, I'll give you the swords and even teach you a spell each from The Book in Praise of David's Great Works if you agree to do something for me in return."
Erica and Liliana looked at one another in shock while I eyed my teacher wearily. She was up to something.
"What is it you wish us to do?" asked Liliana.
"I want you to become the brats Knights," said Raffaello, making me balk and stare at her, "Hes always getting into trouble and needs someone to keep him in line while his sisters aren't around. You two seem to be the perfect people for the job."
The two Knights looked shocked as Doni cracked up in the background, before I finally managed to find my voice.
"Whoa, I don't need a babysitter!" I protested, "I do just fine on my own!"
"Oh really?" asked my teacher, raising an eyebrow at me, "And what about that time you got lost in the mall?"
"I was looking for the the toilet and took a wrong turn!"
"Or when you accidentally shredded Schneizels completed paperwork and he nearly threw you out the window?"
"That was a misunderstanding."
"Or the time you got into Lloyds research and spilt orange juice in his server room?"
"That was an accident!"
Raffaello continued to list of the many times my luck had got the best of me and landed me in trouble with someone, usually someone in my family, all the while with her smirk growing larger as the two young Knights tried to hide there snickers and Doni openly laughed.
"Or…"
"Alright, you've made your point," I said, my face bright red, "Fine, I'll accept them."
"I knew you'd see things my way," said the Swordswoman smugly, before turning to the girls, "So, what do you say?"
Erica and Liliana looked at one another and nodded.
"Deal."
And thats where I'm going to end it. Man, two posts in one day, I'm on a roll! Next time will take us to the Code Geass story proper and possibly the next God Erens going to have to fight. Still looking for pairing suggestions for both Lelouch and Eren! Please leave me a review!