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Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Aries Villa
May 2017 A.T.B.
The last few weeks in the life of Prince Lucius can be considered the most peaceful for some time. Although the internal and international politics of the empire, not to mention the management of the Knights of the Purple Rose and Flash Robotics, the rhythm of all events and their intensity seemed to have definitely decreased. One can even be tempted to say that after years of anxiety, the need to anticipate the movements of political opponents and basically constant checks, these last months were probably one of the most idyllic that only Lucius received from fate.
His greatest political opponent, Gabrielle la Britannia, and her most staunch supporters by far, have been occupied ever since that famous party at Aries Villa with essentially constant efforts to support those who had either left or were about to leave their party. This, of course, required a great commitment on the part of the empress herself, which gave Lucius himself great freedom. It was clear that Gabrielle had lost all political initiative when the Emperor's appearance at the infamous party resulted primarily in a short-lived chaos on the Britannian's political scene. It's just that no one expected it. No one knew how to properly react to something like this, and not even the supporters of Lucius and Schneizel were exceptions to this rule. For several days, literally no one knew what to do or how to react to it, but eventually the whole situation stabilized, at least for the faction of both brothers.
In fact, if it weren't for the need to conduct politics, to oversee the ongoing and constantly implemented reorganization of the Knights of the Purple Rose, Lucius would have had the best time in years, given the chaos and panic in the opposing political factions in the empire. Even for the first few days, he was honestly in one of his best moods in years. This despite the fact that the Geass issue didn't give him the slightest bit of peace of mind. Only after a few days did he return to slightly harder, more strenuous mental work.
Further meetings with political allies - which included the Marquis of Dhabi and his family - were also necessary, and in the process they worked out the details of the strategy to fight primarily with the supporters of the la Britnania family, which could be simplified to a relentless offensive, media and economic, without regard to the fate of the people who support the Empress Gabrielle. If everything goes according to plan, by the end of this month, they could even attack the direct assets belonging directly to her. Not to mention a large number of opportunists or cowards who sensed a great change in the wind in these metaphorical sails and decided to get on the good side of history and cooperate with the victors.
"Now, after so many years, everything is almost perfect, as if I have become some kind of young god favored by fate." Lucius sneered in thought as his gaze settled on the latest messages sent to his e-mail box during the night. At this particular moment, however, his mind was focused on the issue of owners of companies producing Knightmare Frames or other war materials. "Thanks to the contracts proposed to these companies, sooner or later they will become an integral part of Flash Robotics. I am already on my way to fully monopolize the production of Knightmare Frames and their components. There is still a long way to go to all this, but in the current situation it is only a matter of time."
At the moment, Purple Prince is in his office, where he allowed himself to relax for a moment, spreading out in a comfortable chair and enjoying all the comforts that the fluffy and expensive item had to offer him at the moment. A satisfied smile had crept onto his lips a few minutes ago as he was scrolling through messages with almost obsequious requests to join his faction. All of them will receive one and the same contract, under which Flash Robotics - and therefore Lucius himself - will become the owner of their companies, but only in time. A large proportion of greedy or cowardly fools or flatterers accepted all this without thinking and hoping that they would be on the right side of history. Purple Prince was more than happy to take advantage of their shortsightedness.
Aside from that detail, however, a bit less pleasant news soon arrived, as Sir Shin himself had demanded the video call and Lucius already knew what the main subject of the conversation with him would be.
Just as Lucius had guessed - initial courtesy, etiquette and protocol aside - the crux of the matter was the special Knightmare Frames he had ordered for personal use. Purple Prince immediately replied that the delivery date of the machine would be significantly delayed, mainly due to the development of the entire project going back several months, especially in the face of concentration on several new projects that are of much greater importance to Knights of the Purple Rose and Flash Robotics.
Sir Shin accepted this explanation and expressed his belated condolences for Carl's death. On this occasion, he also informed Lucius that one of his knights, one Ashley Ashra, wanted to apply for a transfer to the Knights of the Purple Rose.
At first, Lucius suspected trickery and a desire to plant a spy or even a saboteur among his knights, and it took him a while to remember the slightly mentally unstable man who was nevertheless an excellent Knightmare Frame pilot, who had lost an entire company during one of the battles and was thus events demoted, but still remained a pilot. As it soon turned out, Sir Ashley decided that Lucius and his knights offered him much better conditions for revenge on the Wyvern Zero unit, which he had been striving for continuously since the night when his friends from the order and subordinates fell in a confrontation with enemy pilots.
Sir Shin himself did not mind, so Lucius agreed and soon Sir Ashley would join the ranks of the Knights of the Purple Rose. Basically, a once unacceptable event like a knight leaving or changing his knightly order was completely unthinkable, now it was not something unique, but it was still something very frowned upon both in the military and in Britannian society.
However, apart from this particular scene, the day passed in peace and quiet, browsing through messages, replying to them or arranging meetings for the future. One of this type was to be the visitation of him and his adjutant's group at S.K.F.D. Institute, where a new type of KPR-01 was to be presented, which would be only technically an introduction to the construction and implementation on a mass scale of the KPR-02 Deathtrooper.
All this continued until the desk-mounted communicator that Lucius had used to communicate with the villa's staff with ease did not activate and the voice of his once personal maid of the Purple Prince, now housekeeper of the mansion, was heard. "Your Highness, Lord Alan Black is here to meet you at one o'clock in the afternoon."
"Perfect timing, it's almost one o'clock already." He purred softly after glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, then activated the microphone on the communicator. "Then take him here and make us some tea, that will be all, Anastasia."
"Yes, Your Highness." With these words, the conversation ended and the communicator was deactivated.
Lucius decided to take a look in one of the mirrors in the office to make sure he looked as presentable as possible. His epaulet epaulet uniform, reminiscent of previous eras, was neatly put on as always. The only noticeable difference with the naked eye from how Lucius usually dressed was the lack of half a cloak, which he had taken off for the day and hung in one of the wardrobes in his bedroom.
Only after examining himself and adjusting his hair - so that it was combed back quite well again - did Lucius consider himself presentable enough, then took a seat behind a small table by the window, sitting on one of the two sofas. A moment later, Lord Black himself and the current head of this family arrived at the office.
"Your Highness." He greeted according to protocol as soon as he entered the office and the housekeeper closed the door leading inside. "It's an honor that you agreed to meet me."
"Who am I to refuse someone who has been so eager to meet me, especially since this person, after the tragic death of a large part of the family, is now one of the most important people in our internal politics and the defense industry?" Lucius responded to his solemn words with a question that, although not the most tactful, Purple Prince was well aware that he could afford it at the moment.
"Well, to be honest, I didn't solicit this meeting any more than I did Your Highness for the opportunity to form my own knightly order a few months ago." It is fair to say that the former imperial herald has changed significantly over the years.
When they first met, on that ill-fated day outside the throne room at the Imperial Palace, Alan was a twenty-five-year-old young adult with an outwardly professional but in fact very relaxed, typically youthful demeanor. But now, after all these years, he has become a very focused, alert, and seemingly very cunning type of man. It is hardly surprising when the closest relatives - including his father - died under suspicious circumstances, in a terrorist attack that logically should not even succeed, and the remaining and slightly more distant relatives tried to get rid of him and seize him for the wealth he inherited.
"But getting to the point, and not wasting our time..." Lucius pointed to the seat opposite, on another sofa, and Lord Black sat there as quickly as possible. "I come with, among other things, a business offer that will benefit both Black Arms and Flash Robotics. I want our companies and technology assets to join forces in developing a worthy successor to the fifth-generation Knightmare Frames that our Imperial Army currently has in stock."
"Although you haven't given any details yet, Lord Black, I am willing to accept your proposal." Lucius had already begun to consider the offer and to create a specific document in his head that would allow them to ratify this agreement, but there was still one quite big and important problem to solve. "Nevertheless, why should I accept this offer if you are one of the supporters of my mortal enemy, the Empress la Britannia for years?"
Lucius - to his quite considerable but well-hidden surprise - did not provoke the interlocutor to any violent or submissive reaction, and instead, Lord Black remained quite calm, rather relaxed. He even seemed to anticipate situations where this type of question might be asked, and he definitely had the answer ready.
"Your Highness, I have also come with a second offer which will make my proposal for our business partnership feasible, without fear of any nefarious intentions on my part." His answer came quickly, and the concrete offer was also spoken, without much pause or unnecessary tension. "I intend to sever my ties and connections with anything that has any major connection to the party of the old-blooded nobility. To put it bluntly, my intention is to join your coalition, and His Highness Prime Minister, as one of your allies."
Lucius even raised his eyebrows, and quite significantly, because at that point he was completely taken aback by this man who was basically offering him not only a joint business venture, but basically the beginning of a domino that could potentially lead to the dominance of the vi-el Britannia coalition, to total dominance in the political, military and economic spheres of the Holy Britannian Empire. On the other hand, such a sudden and violent change of front from what was left of the Black family would undoubtedly lead to serious financial losses for the head of the family. Given all these considerations, Lucius saw fit to thoroughly investigate the man's intentions and motivations.
"Why would you put up with such a huge financial loss, which is undoubtedly associated with such a rapid change, when you can stay in your current position and still reap profits, flow in power ...?"
"Because the days of the la Britannia family are already divided, and it's all too clear." Lord Black replied bluntly, looking directly into the eyes of the interlocutor without fear or submission, or even a desire to please, and instead offering Lucius open and complete honesty. "I see perfectly well what is going on, and only fanatics or fools, though the one is very often combined with the other, can still cling to a woman whose position is clearly broken and who is your mortal enemy."
Seeing the obvious interest and some admiration from Lucius, Lord Black decided to continue. "To put it bluntly, I have no intention of losing the achievements of tens of generations of my ancestors who worked hard so that I could enjoy my current position and wield this power. It may be a small amount of power compared to you, but it's better than nothing, or at worst a loss of nobility like the Ashfords, who have basically been reduced to little more than petty businessmen and directors of a network of private educational establishments in the Area 11. I'm not going to let that happen and I won't let everything my father and grandparents worked for be wasted on politics."
"Nevertheless, these reasons are not all there is to it." Lucius was even more interested after this declaration and continued to listen, with a bit more attention and focus than before. "I just hate Empress Gabrielle's supporters, mostly for the hubris and indolence of many of them. For me, these people, this part of the old-blooded nobility, is just a vulgar shack, detached from reality and the needs of ordinary people. As a descendant of many military men who fought for our empire in the Colonial Wars and even in the Napoleonic Wars, I have no intention of being identified with these creatures that could easily represent the seven deadly sins. This is the last of my reasons why I decided to switch fronts, Your Highness."
Although Lucius secretly wanted to destroy this man for supporting the hated empress for many years and being one of her most important business allies, he was well aware that open and devastating conflict with the nobility of his own blood and putting them in a position where they would openly face the possibility of losing all assets, it can end disastrously. First of all, these people would never want to kneel before him, not to mention the fact that Schneizel could easily persuade them to his side, given his talent for telling people what they want to hear and in a way that which is both the sweetest to listen to and the most promising.
That said, the decision could have been one and quite obvious in this particular case. "So be it, Lord Black. I have no doubt that the moment of passing from Empress Gabrielle to me will be the definitive beginning of her end, and therefore everything must take place at a much more convenient time than this, which will be much more difficult for her."
Lord Black was initially confused and did not know exactly what his new overlord was planning. It took a few moments before his expression was finally lit up with unmistakable understanding. "So the news about Your Highness's upcoming trip to ancient Japan, along with part of the Knights of the Purple Rose, is absolutely true."
The fact that the man hadn't asked, but had already guessed at least part of his plans, cheered Lucius up a bit. While having too many overly intelligent subordinates or allies could and did be dangerous for a leader, the Purple Prince greatly appreciated the company of intelligent and imaginative people who could potentially add a lot of value to his environment. For this reason, he was already content with a secret - at least for now - alliance with this powerful and wealthy noble.
"Yes, I intend to leave probably at the end of the month, if things in the capital, in North Africa or in the rest of Asia remain calm and the same, he should leave at the end of next month." Lucius decided to give a few details, because he knew that it was nothing important and would soon be revealed to the public anyway, by his hand or not. "But don't have the slightest illusion about my intentions. I will not conspire against Clovis or attempt to orchestrate an attempt on his life. I will also not attempt to illegally remove him from office or march my troops to the Viceroy Palace, though I suspect His Majesty would be rather pleased and would appoint me as the new Viceroy of that area."
"So what are you actually going to do there, Your Highness?" Lord Black asked the question with as much curiosity as confusion. "I can't imagine that your visit to that corner of our empire would be limited to fighting local terrorists, or testing some new technologies and machines in real battlefield conditions."
"You're right, but I'll keep the details of my personal plans for Area 11 to myself." Lucius replied with a cold smile on his lips. "Suffice it to say that I have no intention of doing anything that would violate the order of the emperor at the beginning of his reign, which he used to repeat practically every year."
"Ah..." Lord Black remembered quite quickly what specific order Purple Prince had mentioned and couldn't hide the smile on his lips. "His Majesty has made it clear many times that he does not want assassinations within the imperial family, which, in his opinion, should appear to the whole world as a hard and unbreakable monolith."
"Well, it may have even a moderate effect, but in the end, an empty wish will remain just that if there is so much mutual antagonism among the living members of the imperial family." Lucius widened his smile a bit before giving it up completely and leaning in a bit. "Nevertheless, most imprecise orders, not to mention even more wishful ones, can be easily circumvented. Especially if I'm with him in a place full of terrorists and rebels who are just waiting for the life of someone from the imperial family, especially someone so high in the hierarchy."
"I don't know if I want to hear the rest of these highly suggestive plans of action after you arrive at Area 11, Your Highness." Lord Black responded to his words with obvious reserve, but natural curiosity did not stop him from asking one question. "Nevertheless, why would you tell me your plans, which in theory I could divulge without much difficulty?"
"Because I trust you." Lucius lied easily, for in fact he still didn't trust his new ally, and this was going to be a test for this man. "And since I trust you and you are now one of my most important allies, you deserve to share some information regarding my plans in this god-forsaken place that is ancient Japan."
"Indeed, Your Highness." Black seemed to buy this explanation on his part, without the slightest hint of suspicion, external or internal. "If you will excuse me, Your Highness, I would now like to discuss the details of the deal between Black Arms and Flash Robotics."
"So be it, it will probably be the first of many talks before a proper deal is reached." What Lucius said was obvious to both of them, because no one would ever allow themselves to conclude such binding agreements right away, without any consideration or analysis of potential profits and losses.
Despite everything, the Purple Prince couldn't help but be quite concerned that this might cause some trouble among his allies. First of all, Sir Shin, whom Lucius had promised to destroy the old nobility. Justifying this, and accepting many people from that environment, would require great intellectual gymnastics and twisted logic on his part, but it would be doable.
As for the negotiations themselves, they ended as Lucius predicted - and in the meantime the servants brought them tea - without agreeing on any specific details, which will only be after some time. Basically, Alan Black openly admitted to knowing about the work of the Camelot Engineering Corps and their work on the first seventh generation prototype machine. Lucius meanwhile confirmed his suspicions, and both agreed that with the results obtained in the course of Camelot's work, it would be possible to create a new series of mass-produced machines for the Britannian Army. At the very end, both also agreed that it would be necessary for them to visit Camelot together at some point, talk to the chief engineers, learn the details of the new machines and, on this basis, start work on new machines.
Lucius, meanwhile, had his own interest in all this, but he kept it to himself and would never tell anyone but old friends. He personally had a plan, according to which he would be able to gain access not only to the prototype, but above all to some of the technologies that Camelot was working on, and on which work on him had been stopped or completely lost, as a result of the unfortunate - for Lucius - development events in Egypt. This, in turn, meant more and less that he had to resort to less noble methods if he wanted to stay on top of this ever-ongoing arms race.
However, despite how painful the death of Carl and much of his staff really was, this conversation ended quite promisingly, despite the still few specifics, modest arrangements - which could basically be classified as the first drafts of cooperation - or lacking a binding agreement. digressions about potential specific models.
On this occasion, a topic was raised that Lucius himself had treated with great indulgence and did not pay much attention to, and which turned out to be quite fascinating. The deployment of new types of sixth-generation machines by him in Egypt, their massive use at a later stage of the campaign, brought not only victories at the front, but also absolute panic at home. First of all, entire teams of engineers, designers and corporate presidents reacted with almost panic and attempts to create something that could match the machine used in Africa.
However, while the late Chief Engineer Carl Tallgeese worked on his children for quite a long time, these wild and uncoordinated attempts met with the creation of more or less successful designs, which, however, either in combat conditions turned out to be worse than - in this now somewhat obsolete - the Sutherlands, or were so highly fail-safe and uncertain that their use no longer bordered on courage, but on pure bravado or desperation. Anyway, very often the result of the use of all these and quite often emergency constructions was the death of the pilots testing the machine. Very often it turned out that the core of the machine or energy fillers were so loaded that they exploded.
Although the test results of these machines were disastrous at best and disastrous at worst for the pilots and even for the spectators. For there was even a case where the explosion of the machine resulted in the destruction of Sakuradite stockpiles stored nearby and contrary to safety rules, that army officers, a team of engineers and a pilot were killed. Nevertheless, this did not stop numerous attempts to create machines and it resulted - so far at least - in the production of over 100 more or less successful Knightmare Frames.
Lucius remained quite pensive for the next several hours after Lord Black left and arranged his next meeting. Yes, he was still looking at the news, but that had finally come to an end, and he was left with no work to do for a while.
In fact, he was so used to having almost full days texting, reading messages, meeting political or business allies, that he had practically forgotten what it was like to have a little more time to himself. Imperial politics absorbed him almost to no end, as if that were his sole purpose in life. Even simulator training in Knightmare Frame piloting, absolutely essential for a pilot to maintain his effectiveness, has also become a definite rarity. For him one of the best - although he was far from the level of the best among the Knights of the Round - it was something normally unthinkable that influenced his decisions.
All this despite the fact of trying to reduce the obligations imposed on each other in terms of Knights of the Purple Rose, hence the implementation of the Sword Master system and quite a lot of independence of brigade commanders when making decisions.
With this in mind, he quickly headed to the room in the basement of the villa, where he had a total of two simulators to practice piloting and fighting with the use of Knightmare Frames. He got there after less than two minutes of brisk walking, and in the meantime asked the servants he encountered to bring him a bottle of cold sparkling water as well.
As for the interior itself, this room, although with the dimensions of a standard room in Aries Villa, was different from the rest. The most noticeable difference, however, was the striking minimalism, bordering on utilitarianism. After all, it never made sense to give a royal aura to a room that is only used for exercise and is unlikely to ever be made available to guests.
Lucius's eyes, as soon as he took off his uniform and donned the latex flight suit intended for practice, fell almost immediately to the simulators in the room, two to be exact. The first one on the right was the main one and used most often, while the second one was there just in case, in case of failure of the first one.
In purely visual terms and without going into any specifics, both simulators resembled from the outside primarily the standard cockpit of the Britannian's Knightmare Frames, which could be easily encountered in Gloucesters, Sutherlands or Glasgows. As it soon turned out - after Lucius entered - it was also not much different from the standard Britannian's Knightmare Frames cockpit. The only noticeable difference was the stairs mounted to the back, which were supposed to help in getting inside.
Lucius entered very quickly and his eyes saw almost the same interior as many years earlier, when he first had the opportunity to see the interior of this type of simulator, and in this case it was the previous version. The current and much more modern one has been adapted to some changes that the Britannians Knightmare Frames have undergone since those distant times from this point. First of all, the controllers responsible for the movement of the machine were refined and had much more sensitivity than the initial models of this type of machine. The keys responsible for entering the combat mode or controlling the speed of the Landspinners have been placed in more intuitive and practically at hand, so closer to the controls. In general, the whole thing has undergone minor changes over the years, but nevertheless quite significant for the pilot's performance on the battlefield.
When Lucius tried to activate the simulator - which was done by clicking on a button located where the activation key hole would normally be - nothing happened and the cockpit remained dark, only illuminated by an outside light, which nevertheless revealed enough A lot.
Purple Prince tried a few more times until he was getting quite annoyed with the whole situation. At one point, he even went outside with the intention of using a second simulator when he discovered a rather prosaic thing. The plug connecting the simulator with the electrical outlet was removed from the electrical contact.
Lucius even blushed a little in embarrassment and barely refrained from slapping his forehead with his hand, annoyed at something so trivial that shouldn't happen around someone like him, but it did. It was another of many reminders to him over the years that he was, in fact, still only human, prone to making mistakes. Even if not great, they are still small and seemingly insignificant, which, however, can affect the outcome of political games, intrigues or the course of fights on a modern and dynamic battlefield.
After all, a single person could succeed on a hundred different battlefields, gain great fame, wealth, power, and defeat all those who stood in his way to victory. Such a person could face a hundred of the most dangerous enemies, but come out victorious and even unscathed. But what is the use of all these successes for such an individual if all power and glory are squandered in one seemingly minor mistake or unfortunate series of events?
Lucius shook his head, and there was a certain resolve not to worry too much about it, for it could only bring too many doubts, which in excessive amounts were neither healthy nor helpful, especially in a position of power where certainty and determination were necessary. Not only to make the best possible decisions, but also to give stable support to subordinates.
Regardless, it wasn't long before the simulator was activated by him, and immediately before Lucius's eyes, he had the option of choosing a potential battle scenario and the machine he would use.
He almost remembered training in New Colchester, where there was an emphasis on high-quality training for Knightmare Frames pilots. However, there was no one particular element on which the greatest emphasis was placed during the training, or at least that was the apparent conclusion after looking at what the training looked like at first glance. All the years, they put emphasis on different elements. In the beginning, it was getting to know the machines, their capabilities, roles dedicated to Knightmare Frames, piloting, partly repairing and only at the end of the first year of New Colchester, it was a fight. In the second year, the emphasis was on learning how to fight in squads, with different personnel sizes. This year was important because it was during the second year of training that future combat pilots were taught as a whole, and not as an individual as before, and it was not easy. Nevertheless, it was a necessary preparation for the third year, when the pilots were ready regardless of team composition, easily fight together, support each other and could be aligned with the Britannian Army doctrine regarding the use of Knightmare Frames.
One exception to this rule were pilots assigned to the Panzer Marines Corps, who were primarily trained to coordinate their operations with the regular fleet. Thinking of both the Panzer Marines and the Britannian Imperial Fleet, Lucius couldn't help but smile quite a bit, both cold and malicious. However, everything had one source, because when the designs of systems that will allow ships and Knightmare Frames to fly into the air are completed, naval units will become an obsolete type of armament that will sooner or later have to be scrapped.
Despite these considerations, Lucius, after some thought, decided on a scenario in which, piloting the RPI-13 Sutherland and driving through the ruins of the city, he was ambushed by two Alexander Commanders and one Panzer-Hummel, which in this case acted as support, for other units. This choice was dictated by the fact that an ambush - especially in a bomb-ravaged city and with the enemy outnumbered - is the kind of battle that will test the pilot's skills in every, even the smallest detail. How else to define the requirements of a situation where any mistake can lead to a disaster?
Purple Prince always tried to take his simulation battle deadly serious, as if any mistake could mean his death. It used to come with great difficulty to him and treat it as something real. With time, it came much easier, when this thought sounded many times every time he sat at the helm. It became especially easy for him to imagine this when he fought his first battle.
Although this battle was devoid of the knightly qualities or accents that Lucius had once liked to attribute to a battle at the front from time to time. It was the first of many lessons Purple Prince had learned on the front lines that there was no such thing as honor, at least not on the chaotic battlefield itself, where shell fragments flew like guts and other types of human guts, which Lucius had never heard of or had no interest in learning about, due to the breadth of this particular subject. However, this did not change the fact that Purple Prince had seen enough of the inside of human corpses to ever miss these views.
Even now, just to mention it lightly, Lucius had flashes of the fierce fighting of the early days of his Imperial Panzer Infantry service, when combat was often deadly and there was no room for even the slightest hesitation that could mean death and dismissal under these conditions. what's left of the Knightmare Frames pilot - literally - in pieces, back to Homeland. Because of this, even now he remembered all too well all those moments when he couldn't find mercy while in the middle of a fight. For this reason and some remorse, Lucius decided to find mercy for defeated opponents after the battle, so as not to go mad.
The immediate catalyst for this attitude was the sight of two EU pilots each trying desperately to save the other. It got to such a grotesque absurdity that Lucius, when he was about to help the one of the two, was literally slashed open and his arm missing. Instead of accepting help, he desperately insisted that Lucius help his friend who was about to have children and a pregnant wife. With that came one of the most traumatic memories, because when Lucius tried to help the other one, who seemingly only had his cheek torn off and nothing else, this one was already dead and the body was starting to cool.
Since then, Lucius had vowed to himself that while on the battlefield he would remain deadly efficient and merciless to still-fighting foes - as was always required of a knight, Britannian Prince, or soldier - after the battle, even if his supplies or forces were exhausted, he would anything to help wounded soldiers, regardless of the side they fought for. For him, it was a matter of honor, or rather that small dose of honor that, as a high-ranking military man and politician, he could afford.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts and glancing at the clock, it became clear to him that he had spent the last few minutes unproductively, reminiscing about a past that would never come back, but would rather be etched into his memories until the end. Perhaps even later, if you believe the most pessimistic views on fate after death, according to which there is eternal life. Lucius, at least, considered such a prospect pessimistic, because in his estimation this one, undoubtedly intense life, was enough for all eternity.
Regardless of his views, the fact was that he had finally activated the scenario, and a moment later the entrance to the simulator closed and he was able to go into action. It was amazing to some extent how extensive and detailed tools simulators of this type remained. Everything was designed by programmers and other people responsible for creating this brilliant invention in such a way that, on the one hand, it reflected the battlefield and the capabilities of enemy Knightmare Frames as best as possible, so that the training pilot could form some ideas about the battlefield, which was also helped by an extraordinary multitude of scenarios, while generating the terrain of action already during loading.
It didn't take long for Purple Prince to start practicing and very quickly he was pinned on the defensive as the enemy AI was doing very well. Characteristic of such simulators was the lack of ability to choose the difficulty level, and the algorithms randomly selected the level of advancement for individual AIs. Everything was to prepare the pilots - and constantly remind the veterans - how unpredictable the field is, and how easy it is to run into two extremely different opponents in terms of skill range in one battle.
In this case, all enemy machines were undoubtedly of a very high level, because they cooperated perfectly with each other, placing a firewall or massed fire at one specific point. With all this in mind, and the fact that his position was constantly deteriorating, Lucius decided to react and began maneuvers, very aggressive ones, which at first had some results, as he managed to outmaneuver and get out of the firing line, in some ruined square with many craters on the bullets or broken lanterns, or even torn apart. Not to mention quite a number of car wrecks that seemed to be scattered like rag dolls.
A quick view of the map and an overview of the weapons, combined with the combat experience of Knightmare Frames of the Lucius, gave a certain chance of winning, or at least eliminating several enemy machines. In addition to a large assault rifle, he also had a lance, stun tonfas, and chest-mounted slash harkens at his disposal, of course.
With this in mind, he drove through the cramped and rubble-strewn side streets of the ruined city, then began to fill up the roads behind him in an effort to lose the pursuit that was undoubtedly chasing him. This also put him at a disadvantage, because Alexanders - regardless of type - were much better machines, primarily in terms of possible speeds. Old Sutherland had no comparison to these Knightmares in that respect, but there was still the matter of deciding that on the battlefield.
With that in mind, he dived between the destroyed buildings and maneuvered until he found a fairly comfortable viewing position. So he saw quickly and easily that the enemy Alexanders and one Panzer-Hummel were carefully moving in the middle of the street, with the heavier and older machine in the middle. A sensible tactic considering that leaving Panzer-Hummel behind as support would undoubtedly leave it vulnerable to surprise destruction, while placing it in the rear of the formation would have a similar effect. Positioning in the middle meant that if attacked, Lucius would find himself between two much more modern machines relative to his Sutherland, and it would inevitably end in his defeat.
Given all these circumstances, he decided to slowly drive to some alley, to the rear of the enemy formation. Considering the circumstances, it took quite a long time, especially since the enemies were moving all the time. Finally, however, when the opportunity presented itself, Lucius immediately extended the arm of the machine with a large machine gun and began firing. Although usually few people paid attention to the precision of the fire and the intensity, the Purple Prince acted a bit differently as a pilot. He made it one of the goals of his training to learn to shoot as accurately as possible, as it increased his chances of surviving, and his knights were trained similarly.
In any case, the shelling turned out to be so intense and accurate that the closest to his position, Alexander, did not even have time to react properly before it exploded and its wreck was consumed by flames. The other two machines quickly realized what was happening and began firing as well, but Sutherland had already taken cover and this proved ineffective.
The tactics chosen for the occasion were simple, hit-and-run, with no flashy maneuvers or use of terrain, for there was no need.
Knowing that in war a stationary target is a dead target, Lucius instantly changed position and dived again into the sea of ruins, trying to cover himself, this time not having as much effect as before, for just as he was about to fire his slash harkens, Hummel came round the corner and aware of his position, he launched a massive fire that tore off Sutherland's machine-gun hand.
With no other choice, Lucius moved forward and used evasive maneuvers until he got close enough to use his Slash Harkens, which easily spent the thinner parts of the Hummel's hull, enough to destroy the machine.
Lucius, however, did not lose his vigilance, especially since he could hear Alexander approaching, so he readied his lance for battle and successfully parried the enemy's blow, delivered with a dagger-shaped blade. As a result, a fight ensued, quite fierce, during which a large lance - designed for momentum thrusts - clashed with a quite handy dagger.
Here the reason why Lucius, in the machines he chose for himself and built for the needs of Knights of the Purple Rose, stopped using these huge lances as a means of combat, was the incredible unwieldiness of this type of weapon and his specific type of combat, with which he was effective. Such combat tactics assumed a massive attack, as a result of which the enemy forces, even if also equipped with Knightmare Frames, would be easily penetrated and destroyed. Needless to say, such an ideal scenario rarely had a chance to come true.
An extension of such a doctrine were the great spears, dedicated as equipment to the Gloucesters. However, Purple Prince wouldn't allow that - except as equipment for official ceremonies - and effectively went for the greatswords first, which were much more versatile and had more uses - despite their shorter range - not to mention Maser Vibration Swords , whose battle properties many times exceeded those offered by great lances or spears, which Purple Prince himself and his knights considered as relics, even relics, of previous generations of Knightmare Frames.
Lucius was clearly not helped by the fact that the enemy AI was much better at hand-to-hand combat, while his hand-to-hand combat skills in Knightmare Frames were rusty and predictable. At one point, the hostile Alexander simply knocked the large lance out of his hand and stabbed the knife into the center of Sutherland's torso where the core was mounted, which ended up exploding the machine and logging Lucius out of the simulator.
"By goddamn Odin's beard." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, although that first session had been extremely helpful as it allowed him to identify a range of skills that had evidently rusted and needed improvement, or perhaps more emphasis on training in the future. "In situations like this, I'm glad that the Tallgeese series machines have been stripped of all those lances whose second property, apart from the thrusts themselves, can at least be defense."
It reminded him a bit of one of the rules Nonette and Cornelia had tried to force into our minds ever since he started fighting in Knightmare Frames: "It's not the weapon a warrior wields, but what use he makes of it."
Lucius - it might seem - that he forgot about this rule for some time, thus he got used to it - over the years of piloting machines armed with firearms or swords, a bit more versatile than lances. Nevertheless, it was a very clear warning to him that nothing is certain in combat, not even the equipment a soldier goes into battle with.
With a sigh, but with a certain determination still present, Lucius ran several more scenarios, with more or less enemies. However, regardless of the number of enemy AIs, the longer it lasted, the better it got at it, especially when it changed from Sutherland to Gloucester, and then to the Sutherland Swordman, an unpopular variant of this machine, which, however, was intended to become a sensible response to the threat from Gloucester, which at the time gained wide recognition among pilots. As a result, it became necessary to withdraw the Sutherlands primarily to the role of a machine for garrisons, or for reserve formations that were necessary in every army.
However, that didn't matter so much now, and the change to Sutherland Swordman was very pleasant for Purple Prince. It should be mentioned, however, that this was not the original Sutherland Swordman MK1, which went to the tests that crossed out this machine as the new basis for Knightmare Frames of the Britannian Army. High failure rate, the need to use extremely expensive components, materials and ridiculously expensive production time are just a few of the problems of this machine, which was introduced to army tests in a huge hurry.
However, it is fair to say that the corporation that sired this bastard in great haste set to work extremely quickly after receiving crushingly bad feedback about their new prototype, to fix the botched design as soon as possible, which resulted in the first MK2 being built, and two months later the MK3, which basically became the final version. However, it was too late, as orders for Gloucesters had already been placed and production began to reach several dozen within a week. So, finally, production was limited to 235 copies. As a consolation, however, it can be added that several formations and factions within the Holy Britannian Empire have agreed to purchase and use it.
Training in the simulator for the Sutherland Swordman selection was a pleasure, and several simulations ended successfully for Lucius, but the sad conclusion was that his skills had clearly deteriorated and work was needed, especially with his imminent departure to Area 11, where death was on the line. extremely easily, and where terrorists would only wait for an opportunity to confront him.
However, things started to go much better for him when he returned to the well-known Tallgeese Stormcommander, which had been serving him for the last few months and which had simply become his default machine. But even here, his melee skills left a lot to be desired.
Basically, and despite switching to a machine to which he was more adapted, it did not save him from the necessity of high - almost total - involvement in the fight. His mind and peace of mind was put to a pretty hard test every time it came to a direct confrontation with the enemy AI.
It went on for another forty minutes until Lucius, exhausted, above all mentally, decided to end the exercises in the simulator. Before he left the machine, however, he drank a whole bottle of water, which by this time had definitely stopped being icy. It was very pleasant for him and it made him feel a little better, so he went outside with a smile on his face, but he definitely wasn't expecting the person who greeted him with a beaming smile and threw herself on his neck.
"Monica!" Lucius was smiling and more than happy because of the unannounced visit of his beloved and now also fiancée. "I didn't expect you to show up at my villa that day."
"Well, two days ago I made it clear that he would be arriving soon to discuss the details of our wedding." She answered him with a smile. "Personally, I think, given the obvious amount of free time you have, that now is the best time to do so."
"I won't deny it, my dear." He replied, then reciprocated the hug and soon the lover found themselves in a rather pleasant, mutual state. "Nevertheless, let me take a shower. I'm afraid that the sweat of training in the Knightmare Frames combat simulator has caused me quite a bit of stress and required a lot of intellectual involvement on my part."
Monica regaled him with some snide comments about it after that before they both extricated themselves from their grip, after which Purple Prince took his princely uniform left aside and the two headed for the exit.
Lucius naturally went to the shower as soon as possible, cold and extremely relaxing for him and his mind, and then immediately headed to the living room, where his beloved was already waiting for him, with tea prepared - on her order - by the servants and a few sweet treats.
Although Monica herself usually adhered to a strict diet and did not allow herself to indulge in pleasures of this nature, which could potentially harm her figure and, consequently, her physical fitness, meetings with her beloved constituted an exception to this rule, for which, in her opinion, it was forget about it for a while. Thus giving yourself pleasure.
They both sat next to each other in an embrace, satisfied with the current situation and mutual closeness. Over the years, they developed these relationships to the point where a moment of closeness such as this gave them especially great joy and a sense of comfort. It was safe to say that they were two halves to that extent, despite the lack of a formal marriage certificate and the necessary ceremony.
Initially, Lucius began their meeting with questions about her current day and what had happened during her time as Knight of Twelve and Commander of the Imperial Royal Guard. As it soon turned out, this day was quite boring for her, apart from a small and ended draw, fencing sparring with Sir Luciano Bradley.
Lucius initially didn't want to know what madness had driven this man to fight his fiancée, especially at this particular moment. Nevertheless, the main reason for this was supposed to be some quarrel over the details of one operation in South America, where anti-Britannian activity was developing quite rapidly, especially in the south-eastern corner of the continent, among the former Numbers and to a large extent assimilated Honorary Britannians.
Luciano almost immediately proposed a brutal and ruthless pacification which, in his own words, "was to show these assimilated Numbers where they belong in Britannian society."
As Monica herself recounted, Bismarck and a good many were to be disgusted almost immediately by this brutally crude idea that only the most radical section of the Purists and other such groups in the military and beyond, and, of course, a thoroughly bloodthirsty Knight of the Round, who was obviously going to satisfy his lust.
Despite widespread indignation among the best knights in the empire, it was Monica who first reacted to his words, calling him without any ceremony a mad beast. Though it wasn't even an open secret, no one - not even among the best Imperial knights - had ever dared say it to his face, especially with such indignation and emotion as she had.
Luciano couldn't let that insult go unanswered, even with his obvious bloodthirstiness and reveling in it among others. Therefore, he quickly challenged Monica to a fencing duel. There was a pretty good reason why it didn't happen in Knightmare Frames, two actually. The first was the fact that if such duels were to take place in expensive machines, the treasury or participating in the fight - depending on who would undertake to finance and pay for damages - would be huge and literally no one could afford it to let. The second was the tradition of dueling with melee weapons, in an open and honorable clash.
Sir Bismarck allowed this fight, and quite quickly - after half an hour - both fighters faced each other in the arena specially prepared for this occasion in the Imperial Palace. To everyone's surprise, the Emperor himself came to watch the fight, and without much ceremony gave the signal to begin.
"We clashed with fury and a willingness to fight for our beliefs, and the sparks generated by our steel seemed to us in those moments to reflect magma eruptions in the sun." Monica reminisced about the moment poetically as Lucius stroked her beautiful long blonde hair until he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Neither I, much less Luciano, had any intention of letting go. Until it got to the point that our blade broke after the final clash, and while I went into the fight unscathed, my opponent received quite unattractive scars on the nose and above the mouth."
Lucius chuckled, although internally he was extremely worried about what could have happened to his beloved and fiancée at that moment. "I knew you could handle it, considering we trained a lot ourselves and learned from our styles. For the future though, I advise you to be much more careful, people are absolutely unpredictable in every sense of the word."
"I experienced it fully myself, even though my life was as short as those flowers that have not yet fully blossomed." As he spoke, memories of what had happened so many years ago in the throne room flashed back, and there was a distinct sadness in his tone at the end.
Monica reacted almost immediately as soon as she understood what he was referring to and placed her hand on his cheek. "I will remember that for our future and happiness. Regardless, she couldn't help but react like this. This man, and I use that term generously for Luciano, is more than ready and willing to perform this type of operation in the future. As a Knight of the Holy Britannian Empire, and especially as a Knight of the Round, I cannot allow this dishonorable bestiality. Fortunately, the Emperor himself adjudicated our dispute and allowed me to propose a plan of action since I opposed the proposal of the Knight of Ten."
This intrigued Lucius and effectively snapped him out of his memories of the past. "And what did you propose about it?"
"Precise and carefully planned counter-terrorism operations, prepared with the support and information from the local police and administration." Monica replied as if it was the most obvious thing, but Lucius only gave her a slightly confused look. "Ah, although you are aware of the threat of terrorism, you do not have as much experience and knowledge on a tactical level as you would like."
Lucius just nodded, obviously dissatisfied with the obvious shortcomings in this regard, which Monica herself took as a sign to continue. "Operation Caatinga Leaf, to which the first squads from Chimera Knights and Glinda Knights, formed so far and separated for the needs of the action, will be involved. Colonel Kycilia and Princess Marrybell, were more than willing to lend me their forces for this operation that will test our current capabilities against terrorists."
"Well, we'll see, but I don't think that's the most important part of this game right now." Lucius replied to her, to which she replied with a giggle.
"You're right up to a point, Luc, at least as far as our happiness is concerned." With that, Monica lay down on his lap and started stretching her tendons and bones like some lazy cat that was far too comfortable. "About our wedding, everything was more or less planned with the steward of the Imperial Palace and the Emperor, who made no problems because of our desire to hold the wedding there."
"My father's clemency over the last few weeks or more seems to me more and more suspicious every day." Lucius sneered, though recent insights from his thoughts were beginning to form in his mind, especially in the context of revealing to him the existence of something like Geass.
If his father had it, weren't there more people in the empire with this unique, on a case-by-case basis, power? If this was the case, should he, Lucius vi Britannia, be afraid of it, or should he see it as an opportunity and opportunity to secure or strengthen his position in the empire? The last and most important question that quickly popped into his mind was: did his mother have anything to do with this power?
Initially, the idea that his mother could have anything to do with Geass seemed completely absurd to him, but over time more and more things began to fall into place quite well in his mind, into a quite coherent and logical whole. First of all, why were the bombers never discovered? Yes, he had repeatedly expressed his belief and certainty that his father had dealt with the bombers in his own secret ways, but that made no sense after a deeper analysis in almost every case.
If outside forces were responsible for the assassination - which was not so unlikely, given Marianne The Flash's reputation as an extremely dangerous foe - then Lucius's father, the Emperor, would use these opportunities only for another act of aggression, or to have any casus belli to starting hostilities with a hostile power. Given the power of the OSI, its resources, and the fact that the Director answered directly to the Emperor, it wouldn't be much of a problem, even if the evidence and the whole thing were false. But for some reason this is not so, it did not happen, and this theory lost all sense in the face of these facts.
There was also the possibility that someone inside was responsible for the assassination, some powerful and influential noble, or perhaps even one of the Empresses, in which case it would most likely be Empress Gabrielle, given her influence, list of powerful allies, and hatred towards Lucius's mother. This hypothesis, however, also failed in the face of the fact that the Emperor had made it more than clear to Purple Prince that his mother was his favorite wife, and such a crime would have met with his fury.
What lends credence to the hypothesis of participation in the murder of the Empress Gabrielle is the fact that the Emperor gave Lucius support, at least in public and informational terms. But if that was the case, then why did the father of the Purple Prince wait so many years? was it a matter of providing evidence to him recently, or perhaps waiting for the right moment? This led to further conclusions and questions that could neither be confirmed nor answered satisfactorily. For example: why then did the Emperor never do anything about it, or did he play with the assassin's principals?
The most recent hypothesis that entered the mind of the Purple Prince, however, was that his mother had a Geass or knowledge of this power, and she would expose herself to someone who also possessed it. This seemed to be the most fitting of the whole, for if it was so, it would explain the confidentiality of the whole crackdown that the Emperor had undoubtedly undertaken with the assassins. Alternatively, it could explain the lack of any movement on his father's part, as perhaps he could not stand up to this man or group of people, and was just waiting for the right moment.
Regardless, however, Lucius returned to reality, because he had - at least in his own opinion - at that moment to focus primarily on his and Monica's future, and not on something that was present only as a relic of the past. In the creations of popular culture or other kinds of stories, there have been many times people who wanted revenge above all else and gave in to this lust, with disastrous results for them. While Lucius wasn't an idiot to consider such things to be an accurate representation of the real world, he couldn't deny that these really good works were able to get to the heart of some real human phenomena or behavior. Revenge, presented as something naturally attractive and destructive to the individual, was no exception to this rule.
That said, Lucius turned his attention to the future, to the details of the wedding, ceremony, and subsequent reception, which was to be a grand and extravagant event. Although he normally counted literally every piece of any currency spent on pleasures or other activities that he considered mere luxuries, he had no intention of sparing money for the wedding.
The best example of this would be the dinner itself. Extravagant, because it consists of over a hundred dishes, which are various variations of Britannian cuisine. In addition, one of the most exclusive orchestral bands in the homeland and a space that can comfortably accommodate hundreds of guests. First of all, the highest dignitaries in the empire, Lucius' political allies, not to mention his friends, who would simply have to appear at such an event, the most important in his life so far.
There were still a few things to consider, such as the exact date of their wedding, but Lucius had his own, already established plans for that.
"Everything will take place as soon as possible after I return from Area 11, after I suppress the terrorist activity there and..." He clicked his tongue in a slight thoughtfulness and in the meantime stroked his chin a little. "Finally, I'll get hands-on experience fighting a new threat to our empire."
"I have no doubt that you will succeed as always." Monica smiled and placed one of her hands on his. "You have faced many threats over the years, we both have, and I have no doubt that you will come back victorious this time as well."
"I'm sure of that too, Monica." Lucius replied, but then frowned as some perfectly reasonable doubts entered his mind. "After all, I have a strange feeling about it that has come up quite recently."
Monica got up from his lap and looked him straight in the eye. "You know very well that you can tell me anything, so say it."
"If that's what you want." Lucius sighed deeply. "Every time I'm faced with such a huge problem or threat, I can't shake the feeling that almost every time it's the system that we all operate under."
Monica was about to interrupt him, but seeing that, Purple Prince continued before she could say anything and snap him out of his thoughts. "Every time I fought on the front in Africa or our domestic politics, I couldn't shake the feeling that in fact, and despite what our system has created, the most powerful empire in the history of the known world, it is in fact so imperfect that that it will collapse sooner than you might think."
"It's impossible, Lucius." Monica answered him quickly. She consciously did it so quickly that he couldn't prevent her from doing it again. "The Holy Britannian Empire has built its power over generations, like ancient Rome or China. We have solid foundations and we are now at the peak of our power. It's just not possible that this great structure is about to collapse right now."
"Perhaps you are right, and perhaps we are on a straight path to repeating the mistakes of the French Republic, which, being the greatest colonial power in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century, was badly defeated by the power of the German Reich." Lucius replied with a historical anecdote that was quite unlike him. "Although France was able to recover from the Weltkrieg and become the political center of United Europia, the fall was still painful, both prestige and economically."
"Without a doubt, and while I honestly don't love our colonial system and how Numbers are treated, it's still much better, in my opinion, much more healthy for society as a whole than a degenerate democracy where people are constantly destroying each other on internal plane." Monica wasn't about to raise doubts about the future of the Holy Britnanian Empire, especially since she was part of and beneficiary of that system. "I believe that despite the obvious flaws of our society and system, against the backdrop of degenerated European democracy and fossilized Chinese Federation, we will manage to survive and stay on top of the world for centuries. What will give us that is young people like me and you."
"Perhaps you are right and I worry about too many things." Lucius had no intention of telling her about what he had learned from his father and how in the face of it, the subject of the empire and the future of their state seemed insignificant. "Nevertheless, I cannot help but think that it would be a good idea to consolidate all the resources I have, bring them to some well populated and developed place in this world, and then start all over again, building my own legacy. Everything on the best, at least in my opinion, foundations."
The metaphor at the end, and the content of the rest, amused Monica to a large extent. "So it's all about your ambitions. Honestly, at least you're not one of those pathetic young old nobility who, drunk on their own power, fall into self-destructive stagnation and hedonism."
"You're not opposed to this ambition on my part to de facto build your own empire by preying on this body?" Lucius was a bit surprised, considering how loyal Monica was to the empire, the Emperor, and Britannian culture.
"Slightly, but two things reassure me about this plan." She replied, pleased to surprise him. "First, you and I will be responsible for the creation of the new world, so everything will remain in our hands and it will be up to us to shape certain details. We don't have to get rid of the nobility and our way of life. It is enough that everything will be properly adapted to the new realities and will suit us better."
"Honestly, I didn't expect such selfish thoughts from you." Lucius said it after a moment, because at the time he wasn't sure how to react to it properly.
"And who says." Monica snorted inelegantly and rolled her eyes. "If I remember correctly, everything you've done so far is to make the memory of your siblings and mother immortal. isn't it?"
"You know perfectly well that it is." Lucius replied shortly.
"Don't you find it selfish at best and just an excuse to pursue your own ambitions at worst?" The question came with a note of firmness on her part, but was met with a quick response.
"No, and I see no reason why I should consider my pursuits purely selfish, my dear. In fact, I am of the opinion that over the years I have managed to find a golden mean that allows me to fulfill my personal ambitions on the one hand, and to make the memory of my loved ones eternal on the other hand." Lucius was sure of himself, absolutely sure that he was absolutely right, and there was no doubt in his words. "If I am remembered as a great man, no matter how my greatness is expressed, my family and loved ones will also be remembered. Ultimately, none of us winners will ever be forgotten in the mists of history."
"It makes sense." Monica had to agree with him, because there was a certain logic to it. "Anyway, what about all the people you kill on the way to your goal?"
Lucius even winced a bit at the mention that already at this point in his life, he had been responsible for the deaths not of hundreds or thousands, but probably tens of thousands. "Well, it may sound absurd, but all these people would have died anyway, regardless of whether I was passive or active, as I am even at the moment. If they hadn't died, they would have just become puppets in the hands of other people. It is our nature as a species, either we engage in politics and weave intrigues that inevitably lead to the creation of a new order, or we inevitably become entangled in other people's intrigues."
Monica smiled at him. "And you prefer to create intrigues and draw others into them whenever possible."
"Draw would be quite an understatement in this case, my dear." Lucius didn't smile back and instead remained serious, just to let her know that the words were meant with all seriousness. "I'd rather say that I prefer to involve others in my intrigues. It's either me or others, and given the unpredictability of the human factor, you just can't deny that my intentions, compared to some people, are almost worthy of saints or even angels."
Monica laughed. "Indeed, in that case, you're an angel with purple wings plotting to make this world just a little bit better."
"If you say so, my dear." Lucius laughed as well, and they both found themselves in each other's arms once more. "To tell you the truth, my potential has not yet been fully realized, so I would like to see how it all ends and what result I will achieve in the end."
Then they drank their tea - which had already cooled down a bit - and ate snacks, but it was still not enough. Lucius ordered the servants to give them red, centuries-old wine and glasses, which the people who happened to be at hand did without objection.
The day ended with the engaged couple getting drunk and joking around for the rest of the day, or reminiscing about happy moments from their past when things were easier and others decided what to do and think for them. On this occasion, they recalled their long journey to where they now stood.
They recalled how Lucius had become an ambitious and honorable man after coming out of the self-blame phase for his siblings' deaths. Meanwhile, another memory would be Monica's transition from being quite a shy and indecisive girl to becoming the proud and respectable Knight of the Round, and fiancée of one of the Britannian princes.
At the end, they both lay down in Lucius's bed and, observing the custom of pre-wedding chastity, fell asleep in their own arms. So they both could call it night.
AN: This is the next chapter of the story, about Prince Lucius vi Britannia, but before I get to the point, let me answer the comments, which I forgot to do before. So I'll start with this:
- Diabolos Aides - Well, Lucius will get Geass upon arrival in Area 11, but not right away. Not only him, but I will not reveal more details. Rest assured, however, that I will try not to disappoint you and other readers.
- .upg - I'm glad to hear that.
- Guest - then write your own Fic if you don't like this one :).
But seriously now, my goal has never been to create a story about how the lead MC overcomes new adversity. I was more aiming at a story about someone who had already gained a fairly stable position and power, but constantly and at every turn. he faces the prospect of losing it all.
I've mentioned this in I think a few previous ANs, mostly in reference to the Sword of Damocles that hangs over anyone who wields great power in life, and can fall upon such a person, bringing their undoing.
In this particular work, I also focus on showing how ungrateful, time-consuming, stressful and simply difficult power can be, and I try to emphasize it at every step.
Not to mention the fact that throughout the story I tried to present Lucius as different from Lelouch, but not better. Both are equal in intellect, IQ (if the ability to manipulate abstractions is any useful and reliable measure of a person's intellectual worth). The only thing that strictly speaks in favor of Lucius is his athletic and toned body, nothing more.
Rather than creating an MC with multiple flaws, I was trying to present the fact that Lucius is just part of a larger world - more or less friendly to him, as to all of us - and does not live apart from it. Another point on which I placed great emphasis is the ongoing arms race, both between and among the great powers
Also, Lelouch, while brilliant and energetic, is also impulsive and reckless at times, as shown many times in the series. Lucius, meanwhile, although apparently calmer, much more methodical and moderate, is also - as I have shown at least once - also quite vain at times and can be lethargic, despite his ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. What I will show in the future is that while Lelouch relies most of his advantage in battle on terrain, the environment and the ability to manipulate it, Lucius bases his advantage primarily on technological issues and having a primacy in this regard.
- DarkerEvening - as always, thanks for the reviews and the pretty accurate chapter summary.
I also encourage readers to check out the DarkerEvening account.
This is basically all for now, maybe not much and modestly, but I decided that there is no point in raising some issues if I am not asked to do so in the review, or if I do not consider it appropriate to develop or clarify a topic raised in a specific chapter.
In fact, in this one I have allowed myself to present what I think the training of pilots of the Knightmare Frames can look like, taking into account the fact that a quick reaction time is absolutely necessary to use this type of machines effectively and defeat the enemy. Not to mention the need to constantly test skills so that they don't rust, so to speak.
That's absolutely all for now, so have a nice day or night and see you in the future.
I love you all!