"You shouldn't exist."

"Xenovia..."

"What?" the teenage exorcist asked her partner as she stood, only momentarily glancing away from the crying Knight. "I'm right, aren't I? Did the devils tell you the sin you are? That you're a monster?"

Before Xenovia could take a step, Lelouch stood in front of Mash. He had agreed to stay out of negotiations, but an exorcist tearing into one of his people was more than enough reason for him to step in. "Have you forgotten why you're here?" he asked.

"We're here for the reason exorcists go anywhere. To protect the world from evil, depravity and sin. I've never heard of a greater sin than that thing. I'd call it a perversion but it's worse than that. It's a mockery and violation of something sacred."

"Stop calling her 'it'!" perhaps the least likely voice demanded. The petite form of Asia Argento speaking out from behind her King. "Her name is Mash and she's a good person!"

"Why does that matter?" Xenovia asked with genuine confusion. "Evil is evil. You really believe it's possible to overcome such a grotesque existence?" She didn't see it, or perhaps didn't care to see it, as Irina winced and looked away and the priest's fists clenched. "I was being polite not mentioning the witch who twice turned her back on God."

Despite the lance of pain through her skull, the former nun still answered defiantly. "I didn't turn my back on God– Owie!"

"Well as you can feel, He turned His back on you and rightfully so." With confidence, she addressed both girls. "If you like, I could kill you both? Perhaps He would see your willing death as repentance. And it wouldn't erase the evil of that thing's creation, but at least it won't suffer its presence in the world any–"

The priest didn't say a word as he rose from his chair. Still blindfolded. Sightless. And yet coordinated enough to take Xenovia's sword arm first, then her other, before he swept a leg out from under her. Unbalanced, he brought her to the floor and straddled her back, her arms pinned to her back.

Just like that, the girl who had done nothing but make threats and demands was left face down, ass up. With a priest sitting on her back and making the sign of the cross.

"I-Issei?!" Irina asked, watching as he raised a hand high, palm down. None of the devils knew whether she was questioning how he just did that so easily, or whether he was really going to spank a church exorcist in front of a room full of devils.

But as he heard Irina call his name, he realised what he was about to do and lowered his hand again, muttering, "Force of habit."

"What do you think you're doing?!" Xenovia demanded, her voice muffled by the carpet.

"Such horrible things," the priest said. And it was as they heard the warble in his voice that everyone present noticed the wet spots on the blindfold. Realised that he had been crying. "You said such horrible things in the name of God. I don't know how to describe how disgusting that was to witness. Those who condemn shall see themselves so condemned. Judge not, that ye be not judged." Hisses of pain spread through the room. "Ah. Sorry. That's my bad." He gathered himself, and looked in the general direction of the other exorcist. "Irina, could you bind her limbs please."

"What?!"

His blindfold looked the devils' way, ignoring Xenovia's protest. "I know you want to and I understand why, but I ask that you don't hurt her for what she said, and you not judge us for it either."

"You expect us to just let that go?" Rias asked.

It was at this moment that Irina paid more attention to their hosts. Specifically to the handful of subtle glows she managed to spot throughout the room. The glimmer of arcane sigils at multiple devils' fingertips.

"I don't expect anything. I'm humbly asking. It's all I can do."

Irina was no longer questioning Issei's actions or requests. Excalibur Mimic stretched out as she lay her hand on the hilt, the metal coiling and shaping into bindings that restricted Xenovia's limbs, allowing Issei to get off her without worry she would do something drastic. It had the unfortunate side effect of leaving her in the exact same position, ass pointed at the sky.

She rolled over, but that was the extent of restoring her dignity. "You bastard! How dare you! Irina, why are you going along with this?!"

"Because the one standing in front of Mash was about to kill you," the brunette answered, deliberately using the girl's name.

Meanwhile the priest turned toward both Mash and her master, made to approach but stopped at the threatening posture. "Can I...? I'd like to apologise."

"If your associate wants to apologise she can do it herself," Lelouch answered.

"It isn't for Xenovia's sake but for your servant's," Issei explained. The devil was right. It wasn't for him to make amends for Xenovia's actions, especially when Xenovia had no intention of backing up the sentiment. The devil stepped aside, letting the priest speak to the one Xenovia called the Abomination. Even so, the priest could still feel the ill intent of the pureblood devil even without needing to see the glow at his fingertip.

"You aren't a monster," Issei said. "What she said was uncalled for. A pretty girl like you who can cry so hard, that kind of sadness doesn't belong to a monster. It belongs to a girl with a big heart."

It was a sentiment genuinely meant. But even as tears still tracked down the girl's cheeks, Mash paid little attention to the young man trying to comfort her. Instead, her eyes were focused unerringly on the sister still bound on the floor. More specifically, the metal coiled around her body. "Are those really fragments of Excalibur?"

Being blindfolded, the priest couldn't see where she was looking. Wasn't aware of how little attention she had given to the insults and condemnations she had endured. "Please forgive me for saying, but you're taking some very mean words really well..."

"She didn't say anything I don't already know."

Guilt crashed into the sisters like a wave, not that Xenovia would ever show it. The words were spoken with the weight of understanding. A maudlin acceptance of everything the more hostile exorcist had said. With that single sentence, she declared that she fully understood the horror that went into her creation and carried the guilt of it always.

"Yes," Irina answered. "I have Excalibur Mimic. Xenovia has Excalibur Destruction."

"... May I see?"

Irina looked at Xenovia and instantly saw that was a bad idea on every level, not just for handing over church property to a devil. Issei meanwhile, "Ah, a pretty girl asking so sweetly, but that's probably a little much. I'm sorry."

"No, no, you're right. Sorry."

The excitement had been defused, which allowed the negotiations to continue. And with Xenovia disabled and humbled, they were able to go much smoother.

"In the interests of letting cooler heads prevail," Sona said as two out of three church affiliates retook their seats, "Here are our terms. We will permit you to pursue your investigation in the city. However, you will be watched while here."

Irina grimaced. "We would rather not–"

"We would rather not have holy swords or their wielders in the city at all, present devil excluded of course. But this is the situation we have. We will monitor your activity for our safety and yours." Both swordswomen bristled at the implication they would need devils' protection. "You want to retrieve the swords, we want them away from our city. Our goals aren't the same, but they're aligned enough that we can agree to a tentative cooperation." The Sitri heiress looked the way of the still bound exorcist. "Provided the... Unruly element can behave herself."

"... If that's the way it has to be," the exorcist reluctantly agreed. "If it's watching, but not interfering with our investigation, that's acceptable."

"Then for all our sakes, best to call this meeting over," Rias suggested with the reserved fake cheer she utilised as her pleasant facade. "Akeno, if you'd escort them out?"

"Of course, Buchou!" the Queen agreed with matching politeness, but also genuine amusement as she approached the tied up exorcist. "Shall I get your baggage for you?"

"Don't touch me, devil!" The angry barking gave away Xenovia's fear at being rendered so vulnerable.

"I've got her, please stay away."

Akeno sighed with disappointment as one exorcist picked up the other and carried her back to the entrance. The especially buxom girl considered having fun in a different way by teasing the lecherous priest, but that had potential to backfire on her terribly judging by his reaction to just seeing large breasts. If he felt hers, why, the entire city might light up with holy energy. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she led them out. "Thank you for visiting!" she chirped as she left them at the school gates.

Once she was gone, Irina grabbed the hilt of Excalibur Mimic and willed it to uncoil from Xenovia, letting the now very angry girl free to stand again.

"I...!" She struggled to even articulate her anger, staring at the priest as he finally took off his blindfold. "How... How dare you humiliate me like that!"

"I didn't humiliate you," Issei responded, sounding a little like a disappointed parent. "They already thought you were less than dirt after what you said. Xenovia, she hadn't said or done anything to you. She was crying. And you said all that to her. You threatened to kill her."

"I didn't threaten anything! I offered to end her suffering! I know if I was forced to endure such a cursed existence, that's what I'd want!"

"That says more about you than it does about her," he observed. "She understands her nature. She endures it, and does her best despite it."

"She's a devil." It was said as though that countered his argument entirely.

"And didn't spend a single moment judging you for your misdeeds while you were busy judging her for existing. The way I see it, that puts her one up on you."

"What?!"

"I know I do things differently from most of the church but I don't reject the foundational principles of the church." The priest sighed. Priests. At varying times they played roles as teachers, parents, community leaders, therapists. And despite his youth, he proved his position with careful reprimands. "Every person is born with sin, Xenovia. You, me, Irina, everyone, everywhere. It's only the mercy of the Lord that forgives that sin. To judge someone for where they came from rather than what they do, it spits on the sacrifice the Lord made for us. I know there are some in the church who would disagree, but I don't believe faith should be used as a cudgel or a shield. We aren't right just because we have faith. I want to live up to the example He and his angels set for us." As if in response, his words and smile were reinforced with the subtle glow of holy energy. "That's what my faith drives me to do. Where does your faith come from, Xenovia? Where does it lead you?"

With gritted teeth, the blue-haired exorcist turned from the priest to her partner. "You should have never brought him with us."

"Xenovia–!"

But she was already walking away. "Unless you've both forgotten, we have a job to do! Something more important than dwelling on unimportant questions."

Within the old school building, plans were in motion. The Gremory and Sitri peerages working together to establish their next steps.

"Pairs then."

"Pairs seems reasonable," Rias agreed with Sona. "For familiarity's sake, we'll keep it within peerages, except for you and I. Oh, and Gasper won't be participating in the surveillance."

Sona grimaced. "Ah." Then nodded. "Yes, I can understand how this may be a problem for him. Even beyond his social issues and agoraphobia, he would do very poorly around any amount of holy energy."

"It was absurd how much power that boy seemed to have," Rias complained. "The clergy channelling their faith into light weaponry is one thing but a truly holy aura out of nothing at all? Is he a living saint or something?"

Sona sniffed disdainfully. "Given his behaviour? I doubt it. Still, researching the matter might be worthwhile." She glanced her fiance's way, wondering about asking for his help as he was somewhat better at that sort of thing, but shook her head. She didn't need to ask. He would be looking into it regardless. "I'll arrange a timetable for monitoring them then. Pairs will be Kiba and Asia, Garou and Hime–?"

"No," the Gremory shook her head in the negative. "Yuuto and Akeno."

Sona raised her eyebrows, but shrugged. "You know your peerage best. I'll have a timetable for you in an hour. Tsubaki, take Momo and keep an eye on our visitors for the time being, would you?"

"Yes, President."

Situation in hand for the moment, the bespectacled heiress approached her fiance and his servant. Mash had calmed down in the moments after the church trio had left. Smiling at him, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek as a sweet gesture of appreciation. "Thank you for not interfering. I know how much you wanted to. It was a far more difficult task to stay passive than I would have dreamed it would be." She glanced at the girl with a face still marked by tear tracks. "I'm not sure I would have been able to do the same."

"If the priest hadn't stepped in, I would have." The prepared spell hadn't been an idle threat, even if he wouldn't have aimed to kill. Lelouch was certain Sona and Rias had similar ideas. Even a desire to keep the peace had a limit. All things had limits.

"I understand." Once again she focused on the Knight. "Mash, I'm sorry to ask, but could I have a moment alone with–?"

"Oh, of course!" the homunculus devil agreed, wiping her eyes one last time. "I can wait for you at home, Master–!"

"It won't take that long, I promise," Sona assured her. "Please, just a moment."

"Um... Okay."

As the Knight stepped away, Sona erected a sound absorbing barrier around herself and her fiance. "Lelouch... Why do you think Rias wanted Mash here?"

"There's no way to be certain, and from what Sirzechs told me, she won't fully know herself." The question prompting it, he couldn't help but consider it anyway. "Defusing the priest's idiocy would be the most obvious reason, but it seems a little mundane. I doubt he would have done severe damage... Though doing more severe harm to Tsubaki wouldn't have endeared you to the church at all."

"No, it would not," Sona agreed in a flat tone. "Still, it isn't as though we're getting along with them regardless. I'd argue it might have even gone worse on that front due to Mash's presence. I'm just.. .Struggling to understand what her expectations are."

"From my understanding, it isn't expectations. She reads possibilities without knowing it, and gets a feeling of what the best path forward is."

"Best for whom?"

"Her, obviously," he answered without hesitation. "There are many things I appreciate Rias for, but I wouldn't deny she can be a little selfish at times. But, her selfishness also extends to wanting to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of those she cares about. A list we happen to be on."

"Is Mash?"

"... What brought this on?" he asked. "You've never shown concerns about her insights before."

The Sitri folded her arms. "Before it was about silly things. Like how she set the arena for your rating game. This is something far more portentous. It makes me uneasy to have to rely on factors I can't plan around."

"Hahaha!" His laughter stopped abruptly as he saw her scowl. "Sorry. I know you don't like it when it seems like I'm looking down on you. I'm not. But there are always things you can't plan around."

"I know that."

"Of course. What I'm saying is, Rias is one of those things. Something you just don't know or understand, and so we have to work with the information we have. In this case, at least the unknown element is entirely on our side, right?"

"Right. Right," she repeated, her lips twisting. "You're right. Alright."

"Alright."

Sona's eyes narrowed at him, but she couldn't hide her amused smirk. Once again she leaned up and kissed him. "Thank you. Now, I think your Knight could use her King's support."

He gave her a kiss in return, before moving toward his Knight and guiding her into Rias' en-suite to splash water on her face, before heading outside with her. They didn't go far. Instead of going wandering, he flexed his wings and carried her up to the roof of the main school building.

"Oh!" Mash gasped as he put her down. "Um, Master, I could've flown myself."

"I know. But I can lift you up when you're feeling down."

... He was usually so eloquent. But, there were always moments of less than spectacular execution. It sounded far more suave in his head, but he regretted it the moment the words left his lips.

"Oh! Um..." The girl blushed as pink as her hair. "W-Well, thank you Master. I feel better knowing that."

... Thankfully Mash was a painfully innocent girl so it didn't matter if his lines were cheesy beyond belief. He pulled her down with him to sit on the edge of the roof. "That was a strong reaction you had to the Excaliburs."

"I'm sorry. It caused such a fuss."

"I'm not blaming you for anything," he assured her, squeezing her shoulder. "Where did it come from?"

"I... I don't know." It was her answer for only a moment. "No, that isn't true. There's only one place it could have come from, isn't there? It's Galahad."

"You're not Galahad."

"No, but there's enough of him in me, or, almost all of me is him in some way. There's no way that could be true and some of his... Nature... Or experiences... That it wouldn't come through in me. I'm not him, but I'm made of him." She began tearing up again and Lelouch was ready, handing her a handkerchief. "Thank you. I... When I looked at those swords, it was just pain. It felt like heartbreak. Like the loss of something so special that the whole world shines a little less brightly without it. Does that make sense?"

"I can empathise with the sentiment at least."

"I wish I knew Arthur," she confided with a tearful smile. "The original King Arthur. Just the amount of sorrow at seeing the broken Excaliburs, there's only that much sadness at the loss of incredible joy. Purpose. Galahad loved him, I'm sure. They set out to change the world together, to make it a better place. I know it ended badly, but knowing that was nothing to seeing that beautiful sword shattered into pale copies of it." Her eyes gained a faraway quality. "The original, the True Excalibur... It must have been so beautiful."

"It must have been." He pulled her close. There was very little to be said more than that. Even that much felt disingenuous coming from a devil.

"I'm sorry, Master. I'll be okay. It was just... Surprising. I wasn't prepared for such strong feelings to hit me all at once."

"I told you, you don't need to apologise." He smiled, kissing her hair. Once again bringing out that cute and innocent blush. "Mash, what the exorcist said–"

"Yes," she cut him off calmly. "You don't need to worry, I already know and accept all of those things she said."

Yes, that was the problem. "You don't deserve to die. You aren't to blame for how you were made. Don't cavalierly accept that burden on yourself. There's no cause to crush yourself under the weight of others' actions."

"Master..." The title spoken softly, almost like a sigh. "If I don't take that responsibility, that burden, who will? All of those lives, someone has to give it meaning and I'm the only one who can do that. I know they'll never thank me for it even if they could. They deserved their lives but I can't give them that, so I'll give them what I can. It can't be for nothing. No matter how little I can offer compared to what they deserve, it's something. That's worth living for."

Lelouch cursed his past self. When he first brought this girl into his peerage, he wanted to make her utterly subservient. How foolish he had been back then. He had never been more glad to fail. This girl, she was so much more than he ever expected, with a spirit to withstand what had been made of her. To carry her burdens gladly for the sake of seeing a brighter world.

"Master?" Mash said quietly, looking up at him from under her bangs. "I know it's selfish, but could we stay here like this for a while?"

He rested his hand atop hers. "Of course. As long as you like."

-(-)-

A/N: This chapter seen very very early on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!