(A/N: So I hope everyone liked the "opening" for this story in the last chapter. I'm not gonna have it in every chapter, but I think I'll mix things up as we changes "seasons". Currently, we're in season 1. Not sure when Season 2 will start yet, but when it does, expect a new opening and ending. Until then, please "like and subscribe" and get the word out that this is being made. From how I understand it, nobody has tried a story like this, mostly because it is extremely difficult to do without having a firm understanding of 1st millennia history XD. I would again like to thank FairyFeller and EpicLinkSam for their assistance in helping me over the several hurdles I've had getting this story off the ground. I would also like to thank all of you contributing to the fandom of this story because your feedback is what keeps me going. Special mention this chapter to Ranger24ff whose comment I'd like to partially highlight:
"Suzaku does not get paid enough to explain social mobility to Lorenz"
Laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. Anyway, I'm blathering. You're here for a juicy crossover. Let's keep it going, shall we?)
5th Day of the Garland Moon
In between lunch and afternoon lecture, Edelgard von Hresvelg found herself playing chess again, but today her opponent was not Lelouch. Today, she was, voluntarily, squaring off against Marrybell mel Britannia. Hubert and Oldrin stood over the shoulders of their respective lords, watching silently.
Of course, the game was hardly what was important. Instead, it was the politics going on between the two women playing.
"I am surprised, Princess Marrybell. I would have thought there would be more discord around Garreg Mach regarding Prince Clovis's imprisonment," Edelgard said, moving her king.
"Big Brother Schneizel made it quite clear that Clovis was to be treated as if he betrayed the Empire," Marrybell said. "Back home even our countrymen are treating him like a pariah. It helps when you can control the media in times such as these." Marrybell moved a knight.
"Still, internal strife within a country tends to weaken it. Just look at the Alliance," Edelgard said and moved her rook up four spaces.
"The Glinda Knights are an anti-terrorist unit," Marrybell responded. "Pointing weapons at us is no different than turning your back on the Empire. Clovis's ambition grew too big for his own good." She slammed her queen down onto the third column from the left. "Check."
Edelgard moved a knight to block Marrybell's queen. Marrybell could take it, but she would be opening up her queen to death by rook. Instead, she moved a pawn forward that she'd neglected for several turns.
The game continued rhythmically as the girls continued to talk. "Don't you think life in prison is a bit harsh? Certainly Clovis made a mistake," Edelgard said. "But the rest of his career is painted with accomplishments for the Britannian embassies and other offices across the world. I've also heard he was a stellar painter. My uncle purchased a few of his works not that long ago."
"All right then," Marrybell said with the utmost seriousness. "When there comes a day when Hubert or Marrybell find themselves pointing weapons at you, we'll see how merciful you are."
Edelgard pondered Marrybell's response for a minute before conceding. "You know what? Fair enough."
It was a little longer into the game when Marrybell said. "Honestly, even Lonato's rebellion has me rather put off."
"Oh? Why is that?" Edelgard asked.
"The Sovereign Nation of Rome is the pinnacle of law upon the Earth. Turning your back on it is like turning your back on humanity. It's the greatest sin I can imagine. Far as I'm concerned," she said, putting a rook down with a loud clacking sound, "He'll get what's coming to him: divine justice."
"Divine justice? You think that's what it should be considered? I look at it a tad more nuanced," Edelgard commented. She moved her king sideways. "Perhaps the law might consider it taboo for him to bear his fangs against the church, but men like him don't act in such manners without good reason."
"Reasoning with terrorists is pointless," Marrybell said, advancing her rook closer to Edelgard's side of the board. "Whatever their reasons, the minute you break the law and begin a war, you've lost the moral high ground. Diplomacy is always an option and nothing has come out that Lonato tried to even meet with the current regent of Faerghus to try and sanction the church."
"I see. But, have you considered that the current diplomacy of Faerghus might be corrupt and so Lonato's hand was forced," Edelgard said. She moved a bishop into a position that gave Marrybell's queen the ability to snatch it. However, there was a problem. Moving her queen to take Edelgard's bishop would open her up to an instant loss given where Marrybell's king was currently positioned. She had to move her queen in a manner that still protected her king, but doing so would give Edelgard the ability to press deeper into her side of the board, gaining a significant advantage in setting Edelgard up for the win. The only other option would be to use a knight to block the bishop, sacrificing it in the process. However, this would only delay the inevitable. Marrybell had no choice but to go on the defensive.
"Even then, terrorism is not the answer," Marrybell said. "I refuse to believe Lonato was so driven into a corner that he was willing to turn his people into a militia against the church. Lady Edelgard, I gave up my bid to the Britannian throne in order to start the Glinda Knights because in my vision for a perfect world, there is no such thing as terrorism. My knights would move swiftly to protect the populace and prevent groups like Lonato's rebels from harming the innocent."
"Then you live in a world of fantasy," Hubert snickered.
"What was that?" Marrybell asked, snapping.
"Hubert, uncalled for," Edelgard said, chastising him.
"Apologies," Hubert responded, bowing.
"Still, I understand what Mary wants," Oldrin said. "And if terrorists have to sprout up, in their own warped opinion, they are fighting for what they want. That doesn't make it right, but Mary is correct that if the world was perfect, there would be no need for terrorism."
"I think that is something we can both agree with," Edelgard said. "But as things currently stand, with the way the world currently is, that day will never come. Do you know what creates such a perfect world? Strong ambition and the willingness to do things others may hesitate to do in the name of progress." With a slap of her queen near the center of the board, Edelgard declared, "Checkmate."
Marrybell was floored. She looked at the board, as many chess players often did, to double check if their opponent had called it prematurely, but, no, Edelgard had soundly beaten her.
The Imperial Princess stood up. "Thank you for the game, Princess Marrybell. It was a nice change of pace. Now, if you'll excuse me, afternoon lectures will be beginning shortly. Come, Hubert," she said, giving him side eye.
"Of course, Lady Edelgard," Hubert responded and followed her.
Marrybell began to pack up her chess set. Oldrin noticed her hands shaking.
"Mary, are you okay?" Oldrin asked.
"I'm…not sure, but…I stand by what I said," Marrybell stated. "And…I still believe in destroying terrorists, down to the last one."
Evening of the 6th Day of the Garland Moon
In the depths of Abyss, Zero stood at the board giving instruction to the Ashen Wolves, based on lectures from his own schooling. Despite being younger than half the wolves, he was still able to be as good of a teacher as his own Professor, Byleth. At least…he was attempting to. While Yuri, Hapi, Constance and Akito frequently paid attention to his lectures, the other four were not. Balthus was snoring, leaned back in his chair. Yukiya was playing on his game console. Ryo had his feet on the desk, nodding off to some capacity, but still awake. Ayano was listening to music, drumming a pencil on her desk, not even looking at the board. And then there was C.C who while she attended lecture—she spent all of it eating pizza and not giving anything resembling a care.
The worst part of this was that Zero didn't even have the authority to punish the troublemakers. He had self-appointed himself the leader of the Ashen Wolves, but it was clear that he was, in some ways, better off trying to teach mice how to dance. Besides, the Ashen Wolves had enough chemistry with each other that they sometimes policed themselves.
"Ohhhhh that is IT!" Constance suddenly shouted. "Balthus you good for nothing, lazy slacker, wake up!" Constance pelted an eraser at Balthus' chin, causing him to snort and bolt upright.
"Ah! Bwah! All the money on five!" He gasped.
His fellow wolves laughed at him.
"So nice of you to join us Mr. von Albrecht," Zero said.
Balthus groaned. "Aw, c'mon pal, you're still going on and on? I know most of this stuff already. I nearly graduated from this place. Wake me up when you get to the interesting bits," Balthus said, waving his hand flippantly and put a dirty magazine over his face.
Zero groaned internally, pressing his fingertips to the visor of his mask.
"Nothing wrong with reviewing the basics, B," Hapi said. "Zero's trying to help us get our freedom. We at least owe him respect for that, don't we?"
"Boy, aren't you the noble one, Hapi," Yukiya sassed from across the room.
"I wasn't talking to you, Yuki," Hapi said, irritated.
"Look, at this rate, we're all bound to get splattered into dirt of the old road by Catherine, what's the point of learning anything?" Yukiya asked. "Nothing we learn is gonna help us beat her."
"Not every conflict was won due to one side having an overwhelming power advantage using one small group of soldiers that stood above the rest. Even Saint Seiros did not win the Battle of the Tailtean Plains alone. While her ferocity helped her kill Nemesis in single combat, she could not have gotten that far against Charlemagne's forces without help," Zero explained. "There are many battles in history where the day was won by the smaller, more strategic army."
"Oh yeah? Name one," Yukiya stated.
Zero raised his arms to the ceiling. "Flavius Belisarius of the Eastern Roman Empire defeated the Persians at Darah despite being outnumbered, using well prepared defenses and superior tactics. By choosing his battlefield well and goading the Persians into fighting a battle on his terms, he was able to crush their numerically superior army. Then there's Hannibal Barca. Despite being numerically inferior, he defeated the powerful Roman Republic repeatedly, thanks to his superior strategic and tactical skills. At Cannae, 86,000 Romans faced the worst defeat in their history to just 50,000 Carthaginian and allied troops, all thanks to a carefully laid trap that saw the romans surrounded and butchered."
"Hannibal…isn't that the Alps crossing guy?" Balthus asked.
"I see you have something resembling a brain in there," Zero responded with a snarky disposition. "But yes, Hannibal Barca of Carthage." Zero erased a bunch of stuff on the board and began to tap the chalk to it to begin an off-script lecture. He began writing details and talking points on the board. "In 216BC, Paullus and Varro made for Cannae at dawn's first light, leaving behind a Garrison of 10,000 strong to cut off Hannibal's escape once battle went in favor of the Romans. With only two-kilometers of terrain," Zero said, underscoring the measurement on the board, "The romans were not expecting what Hannibal could bring to them."
"Question," Hapi said, raising her hand. "Rome's the future home of Seiros, right? Why are we learning about our enemies?"
"Because, my dear Hapi," Zero said, throwing his cape out to one side, "Those who do not learn from the defeats of history are doomed to repeat it. Now then…" he went back into lecture mode. "The romans had the terrain going for them, owing to a river to one side of the Carthaginian formation, forcing them into a head on collision with superior numbers. However, Hannibal had his light infantry creating as much dust as possible to hide the formation of his troops, deleting enemy information that would have otherwise been extremely useful. He instructed his most disciplined men at the back of his formation to catch the Romans off-guard. He was a man, like we are by talking about him, who learned from his mistakes."
Yukiya pounded the desk, "But we're not talking about a force of superior numbers and might! We're talking about one woman who can kill us with one swing of her sword and make it look easy! She's the strongest Holy Knight of them all, Zero! We. Can't. Beat. Her."
Zero lowed his chalk holding arm and stood silently in front of his students. He could see it on their faces. They all shared Yukiya's sentiments. "We have not yet committed to the idea of going out there ourselves."
"Oh, don't give me that!" Yukiya exclaimed. "You know damn well we're probably going to be offering close, personal assistance to Lonato to undermine the church's authority and cause some damage. And if anyone else were on that battlefield, we might have a chance. But we don't. We're up against Thunder Catherine. You may as well be marching us to fight Bismarck Waldstein or Princess Cornelia."
Zero stood silently, soaking Yukiya's worries in. Eventually, he spoke, "You all seem to be under the impression we have to get anywhere near Catherine to win. Let me correct your perceptions. Lonato has to defeat Catherine to win. We are not joining this battle to aid Lonato, but for our own personal benefit."
Ryo took his feet off the desk and sat up straight. Zero suddenly had his attention.
Erasing the board, Zero suddenly began showing a mark up of the Roman forces and what little would be left of Lonato's army. "As things currently stand, Lonato's stragglers are likely to come in through here," he said, marking the board, "along the northwest." He marked the board towards the top. "We'll be coming in here, far to the north, then move west to meet up with the straggler force, offering our aide." He drew an arrow sweeping south east. "We'll then sow discord and chaos through the battlefield at its frontline," he drew two more arrows, "before breaking formation and flanking the enemy force. We won't commit to any battles in particular, just sweep along until we reach the enemy's rear guard. Then we'll make a big sweep from the east, clockwise back to and behind Lonato's forces. By this point, most of the battle should be caught in the center," he said, tapping the chalk to the board, "And Catherine's army's morale will be shaken. She's likely to have to do a lot of heavy lifting. We'll then sweep northwest and start striking back against the Church's forces of battles long since lost. Hit and run tactics until we find Lonato's corpse of whatever remains there are of him. From there, we can formulate a strategy of figuring out who his benefactor is. If we're lucky, that person, or group, will contact us first." He put the chalk down. "Does anyone have any questions?"
Ayano raised her hand.
"Yes, Ayano?"
"How are you so certain we can survive this? How do you know we can disrupt Thunder Catherine's forces without her hunting us all down and slaughtering us like cattle?" Ayano asked.
"Simple, because Thunder Catherine wasn't deployed to deal with us. Catherine sticks too much by the book. She'll treat us as enemies if we annoy her, but if we suddenly retreat and leave Lonato's army to rot, she won't have the resources to really worry about us. She has to concentrate on the main body. We're nothing more, in the grand scheme of things, than gnats buzzing around the battlefield, vultures picking off the rotting flesh of Rome's corruption. And that, my dear wolves, is why we will succeed. Catherine, and by extension Rome, expects us to play by the rules of warfare."
Zero erased his current board and re-created the one he was talking about when he started talking about Hannibal Barca, "But playing counter to convention and expectation is exactly how battles are won. Let's go back to Hannibal. The Romans expected him to just play by their play book, but that was why he sent Hasdrubal to flank the enemy and break through their cavalry and attack from behind," Zero said, drawing a big arrow. "Once the Roman citizen cavalry was broken and demoralized, the next wave of cavalry attacked the next flank."
Zero could now see that all eight wolves were giving him their undivided attention. He continued to lecture, talking about the battle, explaining about how Hannibal stood with his men and controlled their withdrawal despite superior numbers. He spoke of how Varro fled in self-preservation when he spotted Hasdrubal's incoming forces, giving Hannibal the advantage of now having the only cavalry on the battlefield.
"And so Hannibal had once again befuddled the Romans," Zero lectured. "He created a no-win scenario as his best men marched on the flanks of the Romans, crushing them under the weight of their own hubris! Boxed in and with no way out, an army of 50,000 crushed a force of superior number and grit. And that," Zero said, slamming the chalk down on the desk, rather than the sill underneath the board, "Is how we're going to one day crush our oppressors. Little by little, we will raise our own army. Women like Thunder Catherine, and men like Bismarck Waldstein may be strong, but at the end of the day they are men and women as much as any of us in this room!" Zero held his hand aloft as if holding an invisible chalice, "And when an army in perfect sync marches on an army led only by the strong, even the weak can become conquerors of the battlefield!" Zero fanned his arms out above his shoulders. "THAT, my dear wolves, is how we will one day free ourselves from the tyranny of oppression!"
"Yay, verily!" Constance cheered with a big smile. "To the glory of the Ashen Wolves!"
"I see someone's a bit taken in," Yuri said, chuckling.
"It was a good lecture," Akito said with a simple nod.
"Gee pal, if the whole war commander doesn't work out, you should be a scholar," Balthus joked, chuckling.
"I still think we're gonna be running straight into somewhere we have no place being, but…I think I'll be all right as long as you're the one leading the charge, Zero," Hapi said calmly, with a smile.
Zero bowed. "My aim is to instill the loyalty in my pack, nay, my knights."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Yuri said with a smirk. "We've still got to win this battle of ours. Doing anything else is putting the cart before the horse."
"Agreed, but for tonight, this is enough," Zero said and made for the door. "I will be back tomorrow. And I expect proper attention."
Yuri chuckled. "We'll see."
Afternoon of the 7th Day of the Garland Moon
Hapi and Constance were sitting around a big-time cantina in Abyss, having lunch, or what passed for it.
Constanced suddenly cackled.
"What's got you in such a good mood, Coco?" Hapi asked.
"As if you have to ask, but I shall explain anyway. It is Zero, obviously. I have never felt such hope welling within me. I believe if we follow him to the ends of the Earth that I shall one day see the restoration of House Nuvelle," Constance told her.
"I'll be honest, Zero's kind of a whack job," Hapi said, "But he's a cool kind of whack job."
Yukiya came over with Ayano and Ryo. "Talking about Zero again, huh?" Yukiya asked.
Hapi nodded.
"I gotta admit, the guy knows his stuff," Ryo said. "Almost makes it seem like we can win this upcoming suicide mission."
"We will win," Constance said, pumping her fist. "I have faith in Zero and therefore our victory is guaranteed. What other kind of endorsement do you need?"
"Yeaaaaaah, I'm not touching that one," Yukiya said.
"Ah! You doubt me, Yukiya?" Constance asked, wide-eyed. "The nerve!"
"I'm just saying, your track record speaks for itself," Yukiya said, biting into his cold-cut sandwich.
"AH!" Constance yelped, sounding even more offended.
"If you came here to bully Coco, you guys can leave," Hapi said, frowning.
"Nah, that's just a side effect," Yukiya said, swallowing a bite of sandwich.
"I'll be honest, I've never really liked it down here, but…this place has become home," Ayano said. "I'm…scared taking such a big risk for such a big cause. I don't exactly think we're the right people for this."
"I know what you mean Aya," Hapi responded, "But…" she cocked her head to the side, contemplative, "I dunno, I kind of believe Zero when he says we can do this. He just…he says it with such pathos it's hard not to just get caught up in what he's saying."
"Here's the big question though, can we trust him?" Ryo said, leaning over the table as he tapped two fingers against it.
"Oh, I never said I trusted him," Hapi said. "I don't even think Yuri bird trusts him for what it's worth. But…I do think he's not planning to betray us by stabbing us in the back. We're playing into whatever grand scheme he's got cooked up for us, but we've got the same goal, so I honestly don't mind giving him my support."
"What goal is that?" Yukiya asked.
"Well, like how Coco wants her house back, I want my curse lifted," Hapi said frowning. "I'm tired of sighing and animals get drawn to my location and start attacking people. It's fine when you're in a big city and it's just birds and squirrels, but out into the wilderness like where we're heading, it's gonna be bears and wolves and I can't control them either. It's gonna be one giant mess." Hapi then downed half her drink to avoid sighing on the spot.
"Well, as long as we're all on the same page, I think we're gonna be just fine," Ryo said.
"Well I for one would currently trust Zero with my very life," Constance said.
"That's because you're naïve and stupid," Yukiya said, turning his attention back to his game, smirking smugly.
Constance took the insult as being over the line and began incantating. "Darkness beyond twilight. Crimson beyond blood that flows."
Hapi clamped her hand over Constance's mouth and her wrist. "Okaaaaaay. Let's not go there."
Despite Constance's current attempts at a struggle the other Ashen Wolves laughed. And when she finally broke Hapi's grip, Constance laughed too. None of them realized that it was the happiest any of them had felt in quite a long while.
Evening of the 8th Day of the Garland Moon
Aside from teaching duties, all professors at the academy were expected to do things like equipment checks and helping out with various tasks across the monastery. Having drawn what felt to him like the short straw today, Kaname Ohgi was busy cleaning up the training ground before dinner. He was banding up a bunch of used, broken equipment to be placed on a flat bed and brought to the incinerator. He thought he had it all down pat, only for one of the cords to break and give him a good elastic whap in the forehead.
"Agh! Ow!" Ohgi complained, rubbing his sore face.
"Oh!" A girl emerged from elsewhere on the training ground, spotting him, "Professor Ohgi, are you okay?"
Ohgi looked at the short, ringlet haired orange-haired girl in front of him. "Oh, hey Annette," he said with a gentle smile. "I'm fine. Just ended up with a bad bungie cord for the old equipment is all. "Do you think you could do me a favor and grab me one?"
"Sure, not a problem. Be right back," Annette said and came quickly back with a cord. "Here, you go. One cord."
"Thanks," Ohgi said and started to pack stuff up.
"Hey, Professor, what does the church do with all this old stuff anyway? Do we really just burn it all in the incinerator? Seems like kind of a waste," Annette said.
"Well, the church makes due apparently with the money they collect from all over the world. So, as new products come off the production line, the church has no problem flushing money they collect as taxes and donations back into the economy. Capitalism at its finest," Ohgi said as he finished tying the cord. "There we go. Much better."
"Oh yeah, I guess despite Rome's size, it probably has a lot of money given how many people believe in the Church of Seiros," Annette said.
"Actually, it's precisely because of Rome's size that it's so wealthy," Ohgi said. "Because its main army is much smaller, it can pour more production costs into outfitting that smaller body with better equipment. And because the land is smaller, fewer costs have to go into maintaining it. Sure, the turbines that keep this place afloat are really expensive, but given how many churches sit as extra-judiciary soil around the world, they don't exactly see a drop in profit. Rome is big, but from what I understand, the costs don't even equate to powering six Tokyos," Ohgi said. "They have their own agriculture and…well…now they're leeching off the Japanese too."
Annette's enthusiasm deflated. "I…don't know much about the situation in Neo-Japan. I'm from Faerghus and I never actually ventured far outside my home region. I've been away from Dominic territory but that was only to go to the School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad. Plus, I was still a little kid when Japan got taken over."
"Well, it's not exactly a sunny situation, I can tell you that," Ohgi said. "The church pretty much told us to accept the Goddess or we would all be killed. A lot of us swallowed our pride, many of us pretended to. Truthfully, I don't exactly have a problem with the Seiros faith. What I have an issue with is how adamant the church is about destroying our religion. I went to middle school with a lot of guys who were practiced Buddhism and Shinto. But the church wants those religions to be outlawed if we want to be allowed to live as freely as we had, almost as if it's afraid of other religions."
Annette was taken aback. "That's terrible."
"Yeah, and don't I know it," Ohgi said. "I came here and offered to teach here because I had too many questions that needed answers. For a religion that pushes so much messaging about love and peace, why did it go to war with us? Why did it choose to crush the Japanese people? Maybe I'll never understand that, but…I want to be the bigger man here and give the church a chance to explain itself with peace so that open war doesn't have to come between Rome and Japan."
Annette smiled. "Well, I don't really get a lot of that, but…" she pumped her fists, "…I'm rooting for you, Professor Ohgi. I hope it all works out."
Ohgi smiled. "Thank you, Annette. And keep up the good work."
Afternoon of the 9th Day of the Garland Moon
When it came to the Golden Deer House, there was no question which of them was the hardest working, and brightest member of them all: Lysithea von Ordelia. Though small and not quite fully developed, she was a genius, and her magic scores weren't just the top of the Golden Deer, they were the highest scoring records in the current graduating year at Garreg Mach. Nobody even came close to her magical prowess. Her test scores, presently, were also perfect 100s. Very few other students had those numbers.
Most importantly, Lysithea did not take her current standing at Garreg Mach for granted, either. She studied harder and harder, pushing herself ever further in order to obtain even greater results. This is, of course, what brought her to the Garreg Mach library and face to face with the librarian, an old man named Tomas.
"Oh, Lysithea, come to check out more books. My, I think I see you ever day," the old man said, hunched over his cane.
"You do see me every day," Lysithea said politely with a nod. "A scholar's work is never done."
"Heh heh," the old man said with a happy smile. "Well then, by all means. It's a beautiful public library after all."
"Thank you," Lysithea said, cheery as could be and strolled right in, passing by Linhardt who was passed out at one of the desks, snoring on a pillow he'd brought with him that was laid across a book. She paid him no mind. She knew which book she needed as she made her way to the back of the library. She grumbled and muttered angrily as she had to get a foot stool in order to reach it. However, as she planted the stool down and went to reach for the book, someone plucked it off the shelf.
"Hey! I was gonna check that out!" Lysithea snapped. "Give it here!"
"Just a moment. I just need to check one of the pages for something. You can wait five minutes, can't you?" A condescendingly come voice remarked, flipping through the book.
Lysithea recognized this book thief on sight. Who wouldn't after his display during the mock battle. "Grrrrrrrrr, I request you relinquish your greedy hands off that book at once, Lelouch," Lysithea barked.
"I told you I only need it for a few minutes," Lelouch said.
"Oh yeah? What for? That's a book about white magic offensive spell theory. Last I checked, you're a dark magic caster, so quit hogging it and give it to me," Lysithea snapped.
"You know, for someone that doesn't want to be treated like a child, you sure don't do enough to dispel that notion," Lelouch said.
"What the…" Lysithea uttered, taken off-guard. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
"Inside voices. We're in a library," Lelouch said to her.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr," Lysithea growled.
"My sister is an entire year younger than you," Lelouch said, "Yet she has an air of maturity and politeness you lack. You're so eager to grow up that you overlook vital components of what makes someone mature." Lelouch shut the book and passed it to Lysithea without turning around. "Either that, or you are emulating the worst traits adults have to offer."
"I don't want to hear that from someone I have to stand on a stool to meet their gaze!" Lysithea snapped, grabbing the book, but Lelouch's grip on it held firm a moment.
"People treat other people like children only due to their behavior and how they let society see them," Lelouch said as she slowly slid his hand off the book, "Maybe take a good like in the mirror and see why people could mistake you for a child before demanding, like a child, that you are not a child."
Lysithea lost her temper and swiftly kicked Lelouch in the back of the leg, snatching the book. "You think you know so much, don't you?" she snapped. "Well you don't! You don't know me and you don't know my circumstances! I'm taking my book and I'm leaving!" she ran halfway across the library, only to turn around and holler. "Jerk!" And then stormed out.
Lelouch sighed. Some people, it seemed, just didn't want to hear the truth spoken. And that's why society doesn't grow.
Still, he had more pressing matters to concern himself with than Lysithea's bad attitude. It's as I suspected. There's a big gap in the history of the development of the ultimate white magic spell: Abraxas. Lelouch was researching many things during his time at Garreg Mach to expose the church's seediness. This was just one thing on top of the pile. Is the church censoring things? I wonder…
Evening of the 10th Day of the Garland Moon
Zero was once again back in Abyss. He'd heard word that Abyss had its own library from the ever faithful Gatekeeper, and the Abyss Keeper corroborated the speaking with Yuri, Zero was escorted to a much larger and taller library contained within Abyss.
"This is every book taken out of Garreg Mach's records," Yuri remarked. "Lost magic. Lost technology. Anything that the church says is black and doesn't belong in society, comes down here. Let me show you a good example." Yuri plucked a book off the shelf in the right corner and boomerang tossed it at Zero. The revolutionary-to-be caught it. It only took him a few pages in before Lelouch was blushing on the inside of the suit, and passing it back to Yuri.
"I see some people like Saint Seiros a little too much," Zero remarked.
Yuri laughed. "Ain't that the truth. So, were you looking for anything specific?"
"No, just seeing the library here confirms my suspicions that the church is censoring information in order to maintain public order," Zero remarked. He looked at a lot of books around the library. "But with the printing press, the church can't possibly ban it all. And why have a library of censored material down here anyway?"
"Beats me, maybe they just don't want the faithful to get their hands on it. A lot of these things are really old. Like, check this out," Yuri said. He very carefully pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to Zero. It looked really worn. The title was in French. Zero carefully received it. A lot of the text was faded and worn and several pages were missing. However, one passage caught Zero's eye:
"It is believed that the greatest enemy to Rome is not in the enemies that surround us, but of one we cannot even see, one lurking in the shadows. I shall call this unseen enemy Those that Slither in the Dark."
The author of the book was a historic count by the very first Baron Vestra—back when the name Vestra was still a barony—in the year 919.
Those That Slither in the Dark, Zero thought. Not exactly a concise name, but I'll need to gather more information.
"Leave me here for a while. I'll be to the lecture hall in time for the lesson," Zero remarked.
"Sure thing, Teach. See you in a bit," Yuri said and walked away.
Zero began plucking books off the shelf and flipping through them intermittently, trying to get a good sense of what was down here. A wealth of information he didn't know even existed was now at his fingertips.
While flipping through a book on lost magic, Zero came across on how a magic scholar believed it was possibly to conduct the human skin tissue and develop a way to turn the entire human body into living rubber. Rubber Body Magic it was called.
Zero put the book back on the shelf, Some magic ideas deserve to stay lost, he thought.
Just before lecture, he grabbed one last book. Not only were books of filth, historic counts, and outdated history books down here, but so were journalistic magazines, newspapers and even, as Zero pulled this book off the shelf, books on scandals and containing relatively modern census details.
This book was dated 2010, the year Lelouch vi Britannia died, which was why it caught Zero's eye. It was also written in Britannian, which is what also drew him to it. It was a reporter's account of those that died in the Church's attack on Japan. A passage caught Zero's attention.
"Though it is believed he died along with the rest, neither body nor prized possession can be found of the eldest child of the late Empress Marianne, Lelouch vi Britannia. Per my account, I will not include him or his sister Nunnally among the dead."
There was a sticky note pressed atop the page. It was in Seteth's handwriting.
"Do not allow publication. By orders of his majesty Emperor Charles zi Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia is confirmed dead."
Zero froze in place. Someone was trying to report Lelouch as alive, and Charles had the church step in and declare him dead. That meant that Rhea, or even Seteth, may even believe Lelouch himself alive and well. Did…did Seteth know? Did Rhea know? He had to get answers. This could not wait.
Poking his head into the lecture hall, Zero declared, "Lecture will be delayed. I have sudden business to attend to. Private study." He didn't even wait for confirmation, he tucked the book under his arms and made for Seteth's office. He could feel his left eye glowing. He needed to hear the truth.
Seteth worked late into the night most days, except on the Church of Seiros day of rest, Sunday. So, Lelouch was unsurprised to find Seteth in his office. However, as he approached, he heard a young girl's voice.
"Brother, this is quite ridiculous. I demand you reconsider!" the childlike female voice exclaimed.
A girl's voice? Lelouch put his back to the wall of the dark hallway and eavesdropped.
"Flyan, my word on the matter is final," Seteth rebuked.
"But mother would—"
Seteth cut her off. "Don't you presume to me about what your mother would want," Seteth stated. "She left me charge. Flayn, I cannot condone the idea of you endangering yourself over such a silly expedition."
"But you yourself said that a new type of food was needed to aid in the growing starvation population in Adrestia and Leicester's poor. I thought this could help."
"If it is proven that this fish you suppose to exist, does, in fact, exist, when the meat can be brought back to Rome, I promise you that you will be the first to try the dishes we make with it," Seteth told her. "You are not going in person."
Flayn got annoyed. "You never let me do anything fun!"
At this Lelouch very nonchalantly pivoted and knocked on the inside of the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Seteth picked his head up. "Ah, Lelouch. My apologies. No, you're not interrupting anything. Just a little family dispute. My sister was just leaving, right Flayn? Your brother is very busy."
"Hmph," Flayn complained and darted off. Lelouch watched the small, green haired girl in a junior academy uniform go running off into the hall.
"I am sorry you had to see that," Seteth said. "Flayn is usually such a sweet girl, but when she gets these little ideas in her head about how to help people she lets emotions cloud her judgment."
Lelouch took a seat. "I wasn't even aware you had a sister."
"It's not something I try to make public knowledge," Seteth said, shaking his head. "Flayn means the world to me. If something were to happen to her, I haven't the faintest idea how I would react." Seteth smiled at Lelouch. "From one brother with little other family to speak of, I'm sure you can understand."
Lelouch smiled. "I completely understand." Internally, his grin grew wider. I understand that I now know your critical weakness, Seteth.
"Well, is there something you need?" Seteth asked. "And what's that book in your hand, exactly?"
"Oh, nothing you need to concern yourself with," Lelouch said and suddenly activated his Geass, "But I'm going to need you to answer a few questions for me."
In the next instant, Seteth suddenly looked as though in trance. "I humbly await your questions."
"Good," Lelouch said. He put the book on the table, holding it upright. "Let's start with an easy one. Do you recognize this book?"
"Yes."
"You had this book removed from the library yourself?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes."
"The Emperor asked you to?" Lelouch interrogated.
"Yes."
"Do you believe Lelouch vi Britannia to still be alive?" Lelouch asked.
He wasn't sure what answer he would get, but became on edge when Seteth answered, "Yes."
"Does the Archbishop share this belief with you?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes," Seteth responded.
So Rhea knows the truth.
"Do either of you believe that I am the long lost Lelouch vi Britannia?" Lelouch asked.
"I have not eradicated the possibility. Rhea has no idea," Seteth answered.
"One last question, what would you have done if you and Rhea had not been forced to censor this knowledge?" Lelouch asked.
"We were prepared to send the Knights of Seiros to find young Lelouch vi Britannia, and bring him to the monastery," Seteth answered.
As I suspected, Lelouch deduced.
"Was I going to be placed in Abyss?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes. Lady Rhea's directive," Seteth answered.
Lelouch hissed at this answer. Rhea may have seen Abyss as shelter, but Lelouch knew what it meant: one cage in exchange for another. He'd seen the state of Abyss. He may have struggled to survive, but Nunnally would not have lasted down there. Perhaps Abyss itself was kept up by Rhea, but the people suffered and Lelouch knew this was merely oversight in the name of "not infringing on their desires on how to live."
He would confront the Archbishop over this at a later date. He didn't know what her guard detail at night was like outside the two men guarding the entrance to the staircase that led to the top floor of the monastery. At least students were allowed near Seteth's office as long as the door was open.
Lelouch broke his hold on Seteth as he tucked the book under his arms. He made to leave.
"Excuse me, Lelouch! I believe I asked a question. What is that book?" Seteth asked.
Lelouch activated his Geass again. "Don't worry about it."
"I'm requesting an answer, Lelouch. I hope you're not involving yourself in anything dangerous."
Uh oh. Seteth wasn't responding to his Geass.
"I said it's nothing to be concerned about," Lelouch said more irritably, Geass still active.
"You saying that is only going to make me more concerned," Seteth said.
Lelouch had not been experimenting with the power C.C. gave him. He'd been too focused on his studies and had very little cover to track. However, he hadn't expected that the power, as he currently theorized, only worked on a person once in their entire lifespan. He needed a plan fast to throw Seteth off the trail.
"Lelouch, have you been down in Abyss perchance?" Seteth asked.
Twice the danger now. If Seteth figured out why Lelouch came here, his cover would be completely blown.
Lelouch put on the best friendly face he could muster. "Ah, you know, it's such a quiet location for the most part with its own sub-culture. I found it by accident. Great place to study, to be honest."
Lelouch could see the look on Seteth's face. The Director wasn't sure how much he bought that answer, but he couldn't exactly disprove Lelouch's claim either. "Just be sure you keep a book you find down there where you find it. Those books have been removed from the public eye for a reason. I'll overlook it just this once, and I won't give you disciplinary action, but please do not do foolish things that could get you hurt."
"I promise," Lelouch lied, but said it in a manner that prevented the lie from being noticeable.
Seteth sighed with relief. "That's all I ask."
"Have a good night, Director," Lelouch said and left the office.
Morning of the 11th Day of the Garland Moon
Despite the fact that today was supposed to be a day off for most students, there needed to be a special announcement from teachers to students in their respective lecture halls. Byleth went around passing out a flier to all members of the Violet Tigers.
"Certification exams can be started at the end of next week," Byleth told them.
"Certification exams?" Rivalz asked.
Oldrin stood up to explain. "Certification exams are special exams that allow a knight or soldier to gain special certifications that can greatly increase the power of their HLKMFs. There are multiple branches and varying levels of certifications from beginner, to standard, to advanced, to master class." Oldrin looked extremely proud of herself as she stated. "For example, My Lancelot Paladin has the Advanced Paladin Class certification equipped to it, which is why it's so powerful."
Marrybell stood up to speak. "Oz is actually the only member of the Glinda Knights to have anything higher than a standard cert. Of course, all of the Knights of the Round have either Advanced class or Master class certs."
"But what makes an HLKMF powerful isn't just its cert level, its experience and personal growth, right?" Shirley asked, whilst her hand was raised.
"That's exactly right," Marrybell said with a nod.
"I'm handing out the fliers that has all of the exam types on them and the requirements are listed on the back. There's a website you can access that can tell you more," Byleth explained.
Lelouch took a look at the flier. He did his best to memorize the information.
Beginner class: Myrmidon, Soldier, Fighter and Monk
Intermediate: Mercenary, Thief, Heavy Infantry, KMF Specialist, Shock Trooper, Rifleman, Brawler, Mage, Priest and Float System Specialist
Advanced: Knight, Swordmaster, Assassin, Tank Captain, Paladin, Float System Tactical Trooper (FSTT), Demolitions Expert, Sniper, Grappler, Warlock, and Bishop
Master: Float System Master, Tactical Air Striker (TAS), Master Spy, High Paladin, Mobile Fortress Specialist, Sorcery Knight, Medical Knight, Master-At-Arms, and Gremory.
"These are just the exams that Garreg Mach offers," Byleth explained as she strolled back to the front of the room. "There are others."
"Like what?" Nunnally asked.
Byleth picked up a piece of paper from her desk. "There is one class in the Intermediate level: Dark Mage. And there are five at the advanced level: Trickster, Medical Shock Trooper, Float System Sorcerer, and Valkyrie. In addition, several nations may also build custom classes for their HLKMFs, but these are not documented in church records with one exception. Lady Rhea's own HLKMF—a state secret—has an upgrade equivalent to a Master Class Seal known as the Saint Class."
Nina swooned. "Ahhhhh, I bet Lady Rhea's HLKMF is as divine as the Goddess herself."
"Really?" Nunnally questioned aloud. "I can't even picture Lady Rhea in a war machine like an HLKMF."
Shirley kicked herself over the fact that she could.
"I'll bet she looks really good in that skin tight KMF suit," Milly said with a wily smirk.
"You really will perv on anyone, won't you?" Shirley asked, decisively unamused.
"Guilty as charged," Milly said, smiling.
Over by the Glinda Knights section of the room, Sokkia was now drooling and blushing at the mental image Milly had just inadvertently put in her head.
Byleth red the document she was holding. "Certification exams are held once a week on Sundays and must be agreed upon by Professor and student to be taken."
"I thought Sundays were supposed to be our day off," Rivalz complained.
"Maybe from normal lectures, but I guess exams are different," Shirley said.
"It's personal growth, of course it's different," Lelouch pointed out.
"I…guess that makes sense," Shirley said, scratching the back of her temple.
"Hey, speaking of certs, The Ashen Demon is one of the most powerful HLKMFs in the world, right? I know Bismarck Waldstein's HLKMF uses the Master-At-Arms cert and I know the Knight of Nine, Nonette Enneagram uses the High Paladin cert," Leonhardt said with enthusiasm, gushing about his heroes from back home. "Which certification do you use, Professor? I bet it's something really awesome the Float System Master, or the Master Spy, or the Mobile—"
"Mercenary," Byleth said flat without skipping a beat.
That was the week that every single one of her students did all of their homework and got it done early that week too.
Afternoon of the 12th Day of the Garland Moon
Because Lelouch was going to be pouring all of his growth into his Zero Matrix going forward, he wasn't too concerned about the growth of his Dark Beast. Chances are Byleth would force him to take an exam or two or three, but chances were high that he would just go with whatever she told him. Right now he was having lunch and against his favorite opponent at Garreg Mach: Edelgard von Hresvelg.
"I must say, I'm glad the exams are finally coming around," Edelgard said. "My school sanctioned HLKMF might be at the peak of its growth without one."
"I wasn't aware peaks could be hit. I thought HLKMFs could evolve endlessly," Lelouch responded.
"To a degree, but not without a certification. Only with a Master Class certification can an HLKMF reach its most powerful state," Edelgard told him.
"Oh…" A voice said that then yawned, "Are you two talking about certification exams?"
Lelouch and Edelgard turned to look at Linhardt passing by the table.
"I wasn't aware you took an interest in anything other than your daily naps, Linhardt," Lelouch said.
"I could say similar of you, Lelouch," Linhardt said, "But in your case it is chess, your sister, and apparently night crawling."
Edelgard blushed, pushing her chair back.
"I'll thank you not to ruin my reputation with unprovable accusations, Linhardt," Lelouch said, flatly.
"Oh? Perhaps that is the wrong term. I was only implying you're frequently going out at night and not returning until curfew," Linhardt said.
"That's night prowling, Linhardt. That's very different," Edelgard said.
"Ah, my mistake," Linhardt said and then looked at the chess board. "Oh. Chess is it? I would like to play winner, if that's all right."
"You? Chess?" Edelgard asked. "Next thing I know, pigs will be taking to the air."
"Oh, I've dabbled in chess as a boy," Linhardt said with a yawn. "Can barely keep the energy up to play it most of the time though. But, my father insisted I learned, said it was important given I'll one day need to succeed him as minister." Linhardt sighed. "Lousy…lousy job."
Lelouch was now slightly intrigued by Linhardt. He had originally written him off as a lazy loser, but now… "You resent the idea of succeeding your father?"
"Oh, without a doubt," Linhardt said. "I can't stand the fussiness of the court, or its rules. I'd much rather pursue my own endeavors that interest me. Crests, fishing, the science of Sakuradite in general. I've actually thought of taking the knowledge I've gained here during my year at Garreg Mach and moving to Neo-Japan."
"You don't say," Lelouch said, now slightly more interested in Linhardt than previously.
Linhardt took a seat at the table's edge. "So, may I play winner?"
Edelgard looked at Lelouch. "I'm all right with it if you are."
"I haven't an issue at all."
When it came to his chess matches with Edelgard, while Lelouch had yet to lose a bout with the princess, he did often tie with her. I wonder if this is how Schneizel felt when he would constantly defeat me, Lelouch thought as he beat Edelgard today as well.
Acknowledging her defeat, Edelgard switched places with Linhardt. Linhardt had white, Lelouch had black. For the longest time, Lelouch and Linhardt sat there and no one had touched the board.
"Linhardt, it's your move," Lelouch said.
"Oh, are we starting?" Linhardt asked. "I was waiting for you to say something." He grabbed the pawn in front of his queen side bishop and moved it forward two spaces.
English opening? Lelouch thought, referring to the name of the tactic.
Expecting a Queen's Gambit, Lelouch moved the pawn in front of his King two spaces. However, Linhardt played completely counter to this and simply moved his pawn two spaces in front of his king side rook. He didn't even hesitate.
Lelouch was very confused. What is this guy? A total amateur? No…maybe it's a tactic I've never seen before.
As the game continued, Lelouch found Linhardt's playstyle more and more bizarre. The tall young man didn't hesitate during any of his moves as if he knew something that Lelouch didn't and it was driving Lelouch crazy. Edelgard believed it was the first time she'd ever seen Lelouch sweat during a chess match. Linhardt's periodic yawning did not help matters for Lelouch's mental health.
An intense game ensued with Edelgard watching pieces fly off the board left and right until only few remained. Very few of her games with Lelouch ever got this intense, typically only occurring when there would soon be insufficient pieces to create a checkmate, such as only having a king and a knight on each side. And yet…that was not what happened.
Edelgard and Lelouch watched Linhardt move a rook three spaces towards Lelouch's side of the board and then, before Lelouch could reach for the board, blinked in astonishment. "Oh. I do believe that's checkmate."
Lelouch and Edelgard both did a double take. They leaned over the board. No. Linhardt winning against Lelouch in chess? Ridiculous. …Right?
But…no, Linhardt was right. He'd won.
How did he…? "Rematch," Lelouch demanded calmly as he began resetting the board.
Linhardt yawned loudly. "Oh. No. No. That game took a lot out of me. I'm quite tired. Perhaps another time."
"Don't give me that. I need to see your technique again. Play me one more time," Lelouch snapped.
"Oh, Lelouch, I'm terribly sorry, but I need to get in my pre-afternoon lecture nap. Please excuse me," Linhardt said and left the dining hall.
Lelouch got up to grab the guy, but Edelgard grabbed his shoulder and shook her head.
Lelouch grinded his teeth. No. This had to be a dream. Any moment, Lelouch would gaze down and find himself with no pants, or someone would walk into the dining hall with the head of a duck, or a horse, or a moose or something. But, no, this was real. He just lost a game of chess and he had zero idea how.
LINHAAAAAAAAAAAARDT!
…He was taking it well.
Afternoon of the 13th Day of the Garland Moon
When it came to his knightly duties, Suzaku Kururugi had three main things he had to protect: Lady Rhea, the walls and halls of Garreg Mach, and the students. As far as Suzaku was concerned, he performed those skills admirably and with the utmost devotion to his employer, Archbishop Rhea. He never really questioned his newfound faith, or his orders. He felt he was doing a good thing.
Which was why he didn't suspect much of anything at first when Edelgard von Hresvelg approached him. "Suzaku, may you spare a moment?" Edelgard asked.
"Of course. I can always spare a moment for a student," Suzaku replied. His body language showed that he was giving Edelgard his full attention.
"Excellent, then I will cut right to the point. The church invaded your homeland and forced itself upon your people. You, one of the most prominent members of its political circle, not only took refuge here in Rome, you went so far as to join the Knights of Seiros, the very same force that massacred and oppressed your people. How do you sleep at night? You've basically turned your back on Japan," Edelgard stated.
Suzaku didn't think he could be offended, but here he was. He felt like he was being interrogated by Lelouch. "There's a lot of nuance going on," he said calmly, but sternly.
Edelgard glared at him. "Then please. Enlighten me. I would love to know why you chose to betray your own people just to suck up to the church."
"I didn't betray anyone. The people of Japan were given a non-violent request to allow the church to establish he faith and they defiantly told the church to leave them alone. It was obvious to everyone in the political climate, especially my father, that defying the church was only going to rise tensions. Britannia was going grab Japan for itself and both Adrestia and Faerghus were looking to back Japan for its independence. The church was willing to bail us out and my father said no," Suzaku said, sounding greatly annoyed. "As far as I'm concerned, the church had the best intentions."
"Oh, is that what you call forcing the Japanese people to give up their faith in exchange for their protection. That's not coming to the rescue, it's extortion," Edelgard said.
"Look, it was a bad situation all around. I'm sure if my father hadn't just flat out told the Archbishop to go away or however he told her off, he might have been able to negotiate the faith of the Japanese people. Our problems were our own making. And if the church was wrong in its behaviors then I want to rise to the top so I can help fix those problems," Suzaku said.
Edelgard looked disgusted. "You're brainwashed and you don't even know it."
"Where's all this coming from, anyway?" Suzaku asked. "I was under the impression that Adrestia and the church had a worthwhile relationship second only to Rome's relationship with Faerghus."
"I am not my people," Edelgard said rudely. "I am my own person with my own ideals for what is right."
"Then I can say the same of myself and the Japanese. Don't paint us all with the same brush, Your Highness."
Edelgard grunted, sounding offended. She stared at Suzaku scornfully.
"Look, I don't have to make you like the church, Edelgard. But Lady Rhea has earned my respect these past seven years. I don't believe the choices I made were wrong. And whatever it is you're planning to do with Adrestia, Lady Edelgard, don't think that all of the actions you take will be adored by everyone."
Edelgard glared more, now growling at Suzaku.
"Was that the only thing you wanted to ask?" Suzaku asked.
"Yes." Her answer was blunt and to the point.
"Then I'll be returning to my duties," Suzaku said. He turned to leave, only to stop and say, without turning around. "Oh, and by the way, your question was flawed from the start." He turned only his head towards Edelgard as he said to her, "I don't sleep at night." He then stormed off.
Edelgard's anger subsided as she gazed at Suzaku's back with pity. Suzkau Kururugi, I hope I am able to end your suffering before it is too late.
Night of the 14th Day of the Garland Moon
Owls were hooting and crickets were chirping as Lelouch, in the Zero Matrix armor, went skulking about the Monastery alone. Ever since his blunder with Seteth, he had taken great pains to firmly get the full understanding of the power C.C. granted him.
The power had a maximum distance of 270 meters. It could see through eyeglasses without an issue, but darker shades and even tempered, colored glass would be too much. It could only be used on one person at any given time and there did not appear to be any limit to the ability either. This power went far beyond the capabilities of simple hypnosis.
As Lelouch stormed towards Garreg Mach's prison, he reminded himself of how he described this power, this Geass: a rewrite of a person's neural impulses. Hypnotism used the power of suggestion to force someone's hand. His Geass appeared to completely rewrite a person's impulses down to the most primal level. And so, believing he was finally prepared to demand answers, Lelouch passed straight by the prison guards and into the elevator. They had been Geassed well ahead of time in preparation for this moment.
Swiping a key card through the elevator controls to activate restricted access, he made his way to the lowest basement. Once the elevator opened, he stepped out onto the floor. His footsteps echoed. Predictably, the nearby knights raised their weapons to try and stop him.
Disabling the hard light of his Zero Matrix over only his left eye, Lelouch said to the guards, "Everything is under control. You will not report anything out of the ordinary. I was never here and you never saw me."
"Yes, my lord," the guards said standing at attention.
Eventually, Lelouch made his way to Clovis' cell. He gazed inside it. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but Clovis had definitely seen better days. The once well-groomed prince now looked about as filthy as a street rat. His hair was a mess and his prison jumpsuit was in tatters. He had a chain around his neck connecting him to the wall and despite being confined to his cell, his hands were bound behind his back. An almost empty bowl, like one would use to feed a dog sat off to the side. No. There were two, one for water and one for food.
Lelouch was far from surprised. This was exactly what he expected from the church.
"Prince Clovis of Britannia. You certainly don't seem yourself anymore," Zero said to him.
Clovis gazed up and panicked. "I-I already told Lady Rhea everything! No! Please don't hurt me! I beg of you, I'll do whatever you want."
Lelouch didn't bat an eye at how panicked Clovis looked. This was just what he expected from someone who had been given the church's "hospitality". "Then, gaze into my eye, Prince Clovis. You are to do exactly as I say."
Clovis quickly fell under Zero's spell.
"Tell me, by whose hand was Lady Marianne vi Britannia slain?" Zero asked.
"My brother, Second Prince Schneizel, and my sister, Second Princess Cornelia, they can tell you," Clovis answered in a dull monotone.
Zero gasped. "They were at the heart of this?"
Clovis didn't answer.
That's all that you know, isn't it?
Zero relinquished his hold on Clovis. Clovis proceeded to continue to panic. "I swear! Whatever you want, I'll tell you everything you—"
Zero took out a pistol and aimed it through the bars. Clovis whimpered in response.
"If anyone asks, no one visited your cell tonight. If I find out you raised the alarm, I will come back here and you will breathe your last," Zero told Clovis ominously.
"Y-Yes! Yes, of course! You were never here! I—"
Thwip!
Zero gasped, watching as blood dribbled out of Clovis' neck and the man fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood.
"Oh come on, don't sound so surprised."
Zero turned his gun towards the source of the voice. He recognized it well. Approaching from the shadows came Yuri Leclerc.
"Yuri?" Zero was very confused. "How did you get in here?"
"The prison connects to Abyss. There are some tunnels only I know about," Yuri said to him.
"You can't just kill royalty, even royalty that's been locked up," Zero said.
"Oh, don't be like that," Yuri said with a smirk. "A bunch of people were after this guy's head. Assassination was bound to happen eventually. Besides," Yuri remarked as he holstered his gun, "Don't act like if he wasn't imprisoned that you wouldn't have done the same. Right, Lelouch vi Britannia?"
Zero didn't flinch outwardly, but internally Lelouch was panicking.
"Your composure's pretty calm for someone whose secret was blown wide open," Yuri stated. "Don't even bother trying to play dumb. I'm basically certain I know who I'm talking to even if I don't see your face."
Zero did not budge.
"You got sloppy, Zero," Yuri said. "I didn't realize who you were until just the other day, but I slowly put all of the pieces together. You're obviously a student here at Garreg Mach, which meant that when you asked me for help, you had to be a member of the Violet Tigers. That alone shrank haystack I was searching a needle for in considerably. So, after that, it was a matter of checking public operational records for Knights of Seiros missions. Lelouch Eisner, a good cover. Not good enough though. See, the way I saw it, if you didn't have anything to hide from us you wouldn't have come down here all covered up. At first, I didn't realize you were the one who brought us down here. Even C.C. was largely uncooperative. Stubborn woman that one," Yuri said with a smirk.
He continued, "However…I started having people poke around and get the full story about what went down. At first, I didn't actually know Lelouch Eisner was the one who called for my support. I knew your name from the minute you showed up in that HLKMF you come to Abyss wearing."
Lelouch sweat a little. He didn't like where this was going.
"Then came the library. I know a lot of books in that library and when you left in a hurry and told us to study by ourselves, I got…curious. When I saw the book that was missing, I knew exactly what I was dealing with. Because I've read that book, and I knew just from it being there that Lelouch vi Britannia had to still be alive. Emperor Charles wanted him rubbed out from society for one reason or another. The high court stabbed Lady Marianne in the back and Charles is either being paid off by someone, or was just looking for an excuse to get rid of the children of the commoner consort."
Lelouch tried his best to restrain his anger, but he ended up clutching his gun more tightly.
"Watch your temper, would you? You could put out one of my pretty eyes with that thing," Yuri said extremely casually.
"Anyway, I have no intention of selling our your secret, Zero. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me at all." He strolled towards Zero. "I'm not going to blackmail you over it. I'm not going to turn you over to the authorities, and I'm not going to tell any of the other wolves. This is our little secret."
"You think I'll trust you?" Zero asked.
"I suppose I don't exactly paint the most trustworthy picture of myself, it's true. However, I can offer you something, if you decide to trust me, that you wouldn't be able to be offered anywhere else. If we work together, we will be unstoppable. Not only could your dream become a reality, but so can mine. I only ask that you remember who got you back onto your feet in return," Yuri stated.
"Let me guess, the Savage Mockingbird sends his regards," Lelouch said, pulling back on the hammer.
"Bingo," Yuri remarked. "And I'll let you mull over what that means to yourself. But, I can guarantee the cooperation of the Mockingbird. He's…taken an interest in you Zero. And he would really like to see the world you create."
"Oh, really?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'm as shady as they come after I just assassinated your half-brother, but I came forward like this because I wanted to make a request not to the man in the mask, but the man behind the mask one simple question."
"And what's that?" Lelouch asked.
Yuri got down on one knee and stared at the prison floor. "Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince to the Britannian Empire." Yuri sharply turned his head upward to meet Lelouch's gaze.
"I need your help."
(A/N: Ooooooooh, spicy cliffhanger, eh? Ball's really rolling now, ain't it? What exactly does Yuri need help with? F3H veterans might know but people who never got the DLC or who are only Code Geass fans probably don't. I always knew Yuri would figure out the truth about Lelouch, I just wasn't sure I wanted to play this card this soon. However, considering it doesn't change anything in the grand scheme of things if Yuri knew it or not, I thought, eh, what the heck? Why not?
Not really much else to say at this juncture. Just that, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)