If Lelouch had known what he would be in for when he made his deal with Zekram, he would still have done it. A thousand times over, he would have. But he would have at least known the kind of sacrifice he would be making, would have been able to prepare himself mentally.
He sat with a fixed expression, nursing a goblet of wine as Zekram chatted up millennia old devils or older. The old guard of the Great King faction. Men and women who preceded the current regime of the New Satans, who had seen the Great War and survived it, who could not for the life of them take the current Satans seriously as leaders. Rarely, one of them would make a comment that if taken in its worst context might suggest a longing for the good old days when the real Satans were in charge. Those, Lelouch took a particular interest in. Whether his ancestor would miraculously convince him of the rightness of the Great King faction, or if he continued his silent support of the New Satans' policies, support for the Old Satans was a danger to all. But, being canny old bastards, that seeming support only ever appeared to be a poorly formed thought prone to misinterpretation.
Seeing such potential serpents in the grass was useful, Lelouch could admit that much. But as for the rest of it...
"I must say," the retired lord Barbatos raised his own goblet as if in toast, "You must be proud, Zekram. For the heir to your house to have seen through the pageantry of the New Satans. To understand at such a young age the true shape and future of our society." He was a devil of somewhere north of two thousand years old who styled himself as an ancient sage of wisdom, completely with flowing white hair, an excessively long beard and copious wrinkles. A far cry from the man he was addressing who happened to have a few thousand years on him and yet styled himself as a gentleman who aged gracefully. It was a choice Barbatos made, to engage in such pageantry himself to appear older and wiser, something that earned him mocking snickers when he and Zekram were in the same room.
Or perhaps, Lelouch mused silently to himself, Barbatos merely chose that appearance to cater to his fetishes. A disgusting old lecher despoiling young girls or something along those lines. So much of devil society revolved around either sex or violence. It was understandable. Natural, even. Devils were just wired differently. Something Lelouch had learned of late with Ana's eager assistance in relieve his stress. Even as he sat and analysed the ancient players of devil politics, a small corner of his mind seemed forever dedicated to remembering the pale princess' soft hands and gentle touch. He wanted to tell himself it was merely because he was a teenager still, but based on the behaviour of his elders (with the notable exception of his own father) he was starting to suspect that was not the case.
"Yes, proud indeed!" the disturbingly fish-like ancestor to the Forneus agreed readily. "Even the heir to my own house is entranced by the New Satan faction. Or I suppose more accurately he dreams of collaring Lady Serafall for his own amusement." The fish devil chortled as he continued, "A desire I can understand of course! I'm sure her flavour is delightful, but he should focus on accomplishing things for himself instead of dreaming of defiling a Satan. Doesn't seem to realise he's succumbing to their charm campaign by watching that insipid show of hers."
"Well," Lelouch interjected, rudely by standard etiquette as he wasn't the one addressed, "I pride myself on seeing beyond mere appearance to understand the heart of the matter." For example, just because Lord Forneus and his spawn were disgusting fish creatures didn't at all mean they were disgusting as people. That was merely a coincidence.
More than one head turned to look at Zekram for his reaction, though less than had done so the first time Lelouch spoke for himself. The ancient devil merely smiled approvingly. That was the point of this banquet, of bringing Lelouch to it. It was a public move to show Lelouch was not merely an adornment to Zekram. He was an actor in his own right who could very much speak for himself and was more than willing to do so. Yes, Lelouch was there ostensibly to learn from his ancestor, but he was also there as a future face of the Bael, much more of one than his father had ever been. And so as the dinner went on and Lelouch spoke for himself, didn't ask for his ancestor's permission and Zekram saw no need to give it, fewer and fewer of the former lords and ladies at the table would overlook him. Instead they began making the effort to speak directly to him and pick his brain on certain subjects.
And of course, while he may have avoided making truly committed statements on certain subjects such as reincarnated devils rights beyond saying the reincarnated were necessary for the continuation of devil society (the only part of his belief that would be acceptable in these circles), he was his usual charming and gregarious self. Or at least the charming and gregarious self he put on for the sake of his station ever since his days of Britannian princedom. And perhaps he added a dash more self-assured pride. Something not only appreciated but expected in this group, it also allowed him to act a touch more naturally than otherwise.
It would have made for a pleasant evening had he not disagreed with everyone at the table so strongly on some of his fundamental principles.
"Well, Lelouch," Zekram finally spoke to him after an extended silence as they walked to the car. The ancient devil only allowed his voice to escape once the car doors were sealed. "Tell me your thoughts."
"The Forneus are disgusting." Lelouch hadn't spoken to them much during the various events he had attended. In hindsight it was the correct choice.
"True, but obvious and unimportant. Continue."
Well if he wanted non-obvious and important. "I counted members of three different pillar houses with potential sympathies to the Old Satan faction."
"Three," Zekram nodded. "Well noticed, though there were four. And I can confirm the Uvall and Asmoday. Considering the close ties between the Nebiros and Naberius, it would not surprise me to see such sympathies there also, making a total of five potential conspirators of the Old Satans."
Five. It was a worrying number that almost wormed its way into Lelouch's mind. But it wasn't five. It was two. Two confirmed, two suspected, one pure conjecture. Even so...
"Tell me your thoughts, Lelouch."
Lelouch sniffed, smirked with resignation. "I congratulate you for justifying the existence of the Great King faction within a single evening, even as I disagree with everything they stand for." How could he not understand, knowing what he now knew? There were only thirty-two pillars left and if so many of them were leaning toward the Old Satans, even with the New Satans still ascendant and popular as they were... There needed to be an alternative. A more reasonable option than radicalism for houses that weren't appreciative of the New Satans' policies. Even if the Great King faction were actively working for self-destructive ends, at least they weren't working for literal self-destructive ends. A faction that would stand for the traditional hierarchy of devil society but not for giving the most politically powerful positions in the Underworld to the suicidal and incompetent.
"So you already admit the Great King faction are a stabilising influence on the underworld, hm? Quite the departure from labelling us the inevitable downfall of pillar house aristocracy."
"Oh, it's still that," Lelouch assured him absently. "In point of fact, putting me in a room with millennia old devils practically masturbating at the dinner table about how powerful and important they are only reinforced my point. However, if fools like that must continue to exist, better they be pushed toward not ruining things for the rest of us." He rested his chin on his hand. "At least until the Old Satans are dealt with, that is."
"Dealt with, you say," Zekram echoed with suspicion and curiosity.
"Of course," Lelouch answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the underworld. Which, to him, it was. "If I see the Great King faction as self-defeating and about as useful as an old boys' club, and the only value you've managed to present them as having is as an alternative to an actively destructive polity, surely the logical conclusion is the destructive polity must in itself be dissolved. Thus the Great King faction no longer has reason to exist and can itself be repurposed for more beneficial societal aims."
"That is a disappointingly shallow view of things, Lelouch."
The teenager offered his six millennia old ancestor a flat stare. "Showing me the much worse alternative is not in any way a reason for me to support the Great King faction. It is a reason to ignore it as a refuse bin for ancient devils unable to let go of past glories. You misunderstand my congratulations. It was for upgrading my assessment of the Great King from less than worthless to worthless." He shrugged slightly. "Progress is progress and as you say, it was in one night alone. I look forward to seeing you work your magic in the long-term."
"And that is a disappointingly blunt assessment," the ancient devil chided.
Lelouch looked to his much much, much elder. Earning Zekram's disapproval was not on his agenda. However, "I give you a blunt assessment because we made an agreement. I will listen to your arguments, I will give the Great King faction a fair hearing. In public I will play along with their goals. In private however, I will give you my honest assessment of what the faction will mean for the future of devils from my perspective. So long as we are both abiding the terms of our arrangement, I will be entirely honest about my opinion of the Great King faction. If you wish for my 'blunt assessment' to change, make a better argument."
-(-)-
Time passed. Slowly. Infuriatingly slowly as Lelouch continued to follow Zekram's direction as being a member of the Great King faction. While the Bael heir was willing to play his part, he wasn't willing to forego his relationships with his friends no matter how gently or firmly Zekram pressed him to do so. Were he being quite honest, it was possible it was only through his peerage, Rias, Sona and Seekvaira that he managed to keep himself sane. Constantly being surrounded by deluded egotists expecting him to bob his head in agreement with their foolish and idealistic views drove him to his wits' end. Perhaps it was bias talking, but he couldn't help but see similarities to how Rias complained about how her anime should have gone if the characters weren't stupid.
Of course with Rias he could point out how the story would have been short and boring that way. That she wouldn't have gotten to experience all the dramatic highs and lows that way. He could say that to a twelve year old, she would take it on board and end up agreeing with him to an extent. But if he tried to point out to, say, the former Lord Barbatos how no actually the New Satans' policy on reincarnated devil advancement allowed for even greater contributions from said devils, making it all worth it. If he tried to say that, the ancient devil with his pretentions of wisdom would consider it the height of rudeness. Never mind all the other consequences of actually speaking his mind. Refusing to toe the line perfectly would be the greatest betrayal.
It made sense, Lelouch supposed. The Great King faction were the middle child of devil politics. The Old Satans were by far the weakest, barely above criminals. And so they'd take the allies they could get so long as those allies generally hated what everyone else was doing. The New Satans were able to get by from just keeping a majority of houses generally favourable to them. The Great King faction were in the difficult middle ground. Too big to act rashly, too small to allow dissent in the ranks.
Regardless, if Lelouch was unwilling to even temporarily sever ties with the young ladies related to the Satans, Zekram couldn't entirely fault him. Much as it sent mixed messages to others among his faction, it was only sensible to keep any ties Lelouch could forge. And so eventually Zekram settled on an alternative solution. 'Encourage' Lelouch to forge bonds with the young heirs of the Great King houses.
It was thanks to this decision that Lelouch learned just how much he wanted Gragg Forneus to die. Painfully, if possible. Perhaps by slowly severing the top of his head off starting at the corners of his fish mouth. Even in his past, the many people Lelouch had wanted dead, he never particularly cared to consider the method. In fact, he preferred the idea of true malice to be destroying everything they ever built before ending it with a simple bullet at the exact moment they realised true despair. But Gragg? Gragg hadn't built anything. Not yet. And even if he had, Lelouch knew he could destroy it all and would still feel the fish hadn't suffered enough.
In a sense, it was a problem Lelouch had brought onto himself, getting the Forneus' attention the way he had. It had been a long time since Rias' debut but his fierce defense of the Gremory's joy was still a strong memory for those who cared. Gragg, it turned out, was one of those people who cared. He waxed grotesquely poetic about the redhead's blossoming figure, what he would like to do to her. Both now and when she inevitably came into her own as a very shapely woman. Thanks to Lelouch's very public actions on Rias' behalf, he had essentially declared himself the defender of her virtue. That if someone wanted to wed (or bed) Rias Gremory they had to receive Lelouch's approval first.
After only two excursions with the Forneus heir, Lelouch sent a message to Zekram that if he ever had to interact with Gragg again for any reason, he would end up atomising the fish bastard.
Zekram considered it a lesson well learned.
A year passed. An agonisingly slow year. For whatever reason, Lelouch couldn't entirely fathom it, his ancestor was pleased with the progress made. Enough so that he finally gave Lelouch a lead. A potential path to restoring his mother to health.
Though the Bael heir could also see the gain in it for Zekram just from what exactly that lead was. "The Naberius." One of the pillar houses Zekram suspected to be in cahoots with the Old Satan faction.
"That's right," Zekram confirmed with a casualness of a man used to solving problems by solving other problems. "They have been conducting research into ways the Great King faction might match the power of the New Satans. There are multiple projects ongoing for the purposes of this, but one in particular might be of interest to you. What do you know of the sage arts?"
"What do I know about a powerful mystical art that I effectively cannot use and don't expect to meet a wielder of any time soon?" the violet-eyed devil asked with a raised eyebrow. "Enough to understand its broad capabilities and potential counters, of course."
"Excellent," his many times great grandfather nodded with satisfaction. "As the youkai of Japan have never been on especially friendly terms with our kind, their near monopoly on the sage arts has left it an almost entirely unexplored avenue of research for curing the sleeping sickness. So I've been speaking to Lord Naberius on your behalf and he has agreed to allow you to observe the experiments for a time."
"And he'll simply let me walk in and spy on their progress," Lelouch stated, voice overflowing with doubt.
"Indeed," Zekram ignored said doubt. "The circumstances are in our favour. Studying the sage arts is the project from which they have seen the least progress, it is overseen by a branch member of Naberius and so he is detached from the dealings of the main house. And of course you have a valid interest not at all related to research of Super Devils. They just happen to have a rare resource you would find a use for. And," he gave his heir a severe look, "If what they have turns out to be a solution to your issue, the house of Bael will owe them a favour."
Lelouch's eyes shut. "I see. So you expect they are dealing their research to the Nebiros under the table, and you hope for me to find incriminating information on their activities so they are forced to immediately spend said potential favour for us to keep said dealings quiet. Or if this doesn't help Mother recover, for us to have their entire house over a barrel."
"I said nothing about any such expectations or hopes," Zelram smiled guilelessly, waving a hand, "But if you took it upon yourself to keep your eyes and ears open during your visit it may be to our mutual benefit."
-(-)-
The home and laboratory of Bain Naberius was modest. Not just for a devil home, for a human home. Not a palatial estate, nor a stately manse as most devil homes would be to a human perspective. A single story building perhaps a few meters wider in one dimension than an ordinary bungalow home. Even for a branch member of a pillar house this would be considered a pauper's home. Just from this alone Lelouch could tell Bain was not concerned with creature comforts. He was the sort of man driven by pride rather than any other great vice or sin. A researcher through and through.
Whether he would be more like Lloyd or Rakshata was yet to be seen.
He approached the home, Ana at his side murmuring complaints about the heat. It was like pulling teeth trying to convince her to leave the heavy winter clothes at home when they travelled away from the generally chilly Bael lands.
The instant his finger touched the doorbell, before he could even press it, the door opened a crack, a golden eye peering through the gap. "Nya~~~~...!" the distinctly feminine voice... meowed? The door opened fully to reveal the girl behind it. A teenage girl with dark hair, golden eyes and cat ears at the top of her head. "Visitors?"
A cat. A catgirl. Right, Zekram had said the Naberius had access to reincarnated youkai and that was why they were able to conduct this research. Still, Lelouch hadn't been expecting cats. As memories of a certain furry grey terror rose into his mind, he couldn't help the sinking feeling that this would be far more taxing than he hoped.
"Nice to meet you," Lelouch greeted, choosing to be more casual with what was clearly a member of Bain's peerage. He couldn't estimate her value, which meant she was already taken. "My name is Lelouch Bael and this is my Bishop Anastasia." Said girl curtsied slightly. "I think your master should be expecting us?"
"Mmmmnya, he didn't say anything about it to me, but he never does," she shrugged. "I'm Kuroka, Master Bain's Bishop. He's busy in his lab at the moment. Should... I... Show you to him?"
From the tone of her voice it seemed very much like she didn't want to. Unfortunately, "Yes, that might be best." A scientist invested in his work could mean Lelouch would be left waiting for hours on end otherwise.
"Okay, come on in, nya," she offered with a resigned sigh. "Master Bain! We have visitors, nya!" she called out as she led the guests through the house toward a basement.
As they walked, Lelouch noticed another, clearly much younger girl of white colouration hiding poorly behind a chair, her head peeking up over the top to stare at him. He smiled at her which only earned him narrowed eyes and flattened ears. And a quiet (and adorable) growling sound.
Yes. Far more taxing. At least he didn't have an incredibly conspicuous helmet for her to steal.