(A/N: Hello and welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall where bad comics burn! …Wait! Wrong intro! Let me try again. (clears throat) Welcome back to Lie and Seek. After a rousing, successful battle that included character development and intense combat, it's time to settle ourselves back in to the usual dialogue first, combat scant second pace we've come to know and love. Scandals are about to be afoot, but paralogues are just around the corner. Fate is shifting and destiny is unpredictable.
Before we begin, I have an anonymous review I'd like to address from a user named Alan wake who has asked if I am planning to give Lelouch a one-girl ending or will it be a harem. Simple question. Even easier answer, but I'm going to give the long version.
I've been writing fanfiction for 15 years. I'm 33 years old now. I've learned a lot in that time, and developed habits. One of those things I've developed, for those of you that remember my Soul Chess days, is that harems are the "easy way out." I could not write Soul Chess the way I wrote it back then, and to date it is the only long running fic I've completed—my heart bleeds for all of my Tales of Bleach: Blades of Destiny fans. So, it's understandable that people would think that, I've done it once, I'll do it again. But my answer is…No. It is going to be a single girl pairing and it's for more reasons than just newly acquired personal preference, in spite of how we all make jokes about Lelouch getting a harem. Because this is a crossover with Fire Emblem, paired endings are a thing. I know some FE games—mostly the older ones and Engage—have solo endings, but I'll be following the paired ending gimmick.
Now, who I plan to pair Lelouch with yet is not set in stone. However, at present, out of the current 29 that are on the poll I made for Lelouch's love life on my fanfiction profile, only the top 12—possibly the top half—will move on to a second round of cutoffs. More information to be discussed about that after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.
And now that I have rambled several paragraphs and bored a few of you to tears, let's get started!)
8th Day of the Wyvern Moon
Lelouch had managed to put himself to sleep the night before with the help of some sleeping pills to thwart his paranoia. Lecturing the Ashen Wolves for the evening certainly helped with matters. Now it was the next day and, after sleeping in on his prescribed weekly day off, he immediately went for his phone. It was a little after 10. That meant that it would be roughly 1am in Deirdru if all went well.
This meant Lelouch needed to somehow kill eight hours before it would be appropriate to phone Nunnally. And, in the meantime, he could throw himself at his other endeavors as a distraction. He left his room, eager to at least get something to eat. As he got some brunch, he noticed how strange a sight it still was, sometimes, to see the Ashen Wolves eating up on the surface. He'd had no interaction with them outside his Zero persona, aside from Yuri who knew his secret. And that was exactly who Lelouch saw sitting by himself down at the part of the dining hall by the entrance hall. He intended to sit down and have a chat—both Lelouch and Yuri could pass the other off as an old acquaintance—but someone got in Yuri's space first and she didn't look happy. That person, was Clara Lanfranc, adopted daughter of Edelgard's uncle Volkhard von Arundel. She was glaring daggers at Yuri.
Yuri, for his part, seemed to notice Clara, but waited an obnoxious amount of time before addressing her angry stare. "You know, I get girls staring at me a lot," he said, not looking up from his bowl of soup, "But they usually have smiles on their faces."
"Shut up! You have some nerve!" Clara exclaimed.
Only now did Yuri pick his head up. "Clara, right? Unless I'm mistaken, I've barely said anything to you ever since Zero got my house made official here at Garreg Mach. So, if you're angry at me for something, you're going to have to spell it out. Even a handsome genius like me isn't always aware of his shortcomings."
Clara started fuming. "You know damn well what you did." She slammed her hands on the table. "I don't know what you did to Bernie, but she's extra scared of you. She's always hiding behind me if she so much as catches a glimpse of you!"
"Whoa, okay, time out, I think I get what's happening. This is all a big misunderstanding. …Well, okay, it's more like a long story."
Clara plopped her butt in the chair across from Yuri. "Talk."
"Bernadetta and I go way back. Way, way back," Yuri explained. "I knew her back when she was just a kid. But time, and tragedy, separated us." That wasn't the whole truth, but unless Clara probed for more information, it was enough to get her off his back, Yuri figured.
Lelouch, curious as to the conversation, sat down to listen. He wasn't encroaching on the two, but rather sitting close enough that he could overhear them, while at the same time not making it obvious that their conversation was the reason why he'd chosen his particular seat. The topic intrigued him.
"So then why is she afraid of you?" Clara snapped.
"Because she thinks I'm out to kill her," Yuri answered sincerely with a completely straight face.
Clara's mood turned into sullen, tranquil fury on a dime. "You so much as harm one hair on her head and I'll absolutely kill you."
"Whoa, slow down there. You know Bernadetta about as well as I do. You know she gets paranoid over the smallest stuff," Yuri requested earnestly, greatly concerned that Clara might have a mind to follow through on her threat. "Listen," he told her with a much less concerned tone, but no less serious of one, "I don't have any ill will towards Bernadetta. If anything, I'd like to see her father find his way to an early grave. But," he began much more chipperly, "no one's hired me for that job yet, so alive he stays."
Clara looked puzzled, not sure how to continue the conversation. Eventually, she settled on simply asking, "You don't like Bernie's dad either?"
"Well, he did beat me half to death," Yuri answered honestly.
"I see," Clara said, her stoic tone hiding her emotions. "Perhaps I had you pegged all wrong, Yuri. But, apologize to Bernie. Your very presence is scaring her!" Clara snapped. "She's my special friend and I'll protect her from anything that upsets her."
"And if I don't do that you'll kill me? That about the size of it?" Yuri asked. "Look, I'd love nothing more than to bury the hatchet with Bernadetta, but she won't even come within half the quad's distance of me, and the rest of the time she's sequestered in her room. Why don't you," he requested with a gesture, "Tell her to stop being such a fraidy cat and have the courage to come talk to her old friend that wants nothing more than to give her hugs, pats on the back and free cake."
Clara didn't much care for Yuri's jokes, but she got the message. "Your life is forfeit if you hurt her."
"Yeah, I got that," Yuri remarked. "You don't have to keep saying it. While I've got you hear though, Clara, I am curious about something."
"And that is?" Clara asked.
"How did a little homeless Britannian girl find herself in the good graces of an Adrestian nobleman?" Yuri asked.
"Lord Arundel happened to be visiting Britannia when he spotted Rolo and me digging through trash to survive," Clara answered.
"What a well-rehearsed bunch of nonsense," Yuri responded with an upbeat tone and a wily smile.
Lelouch gasped when he saw a familiar symbol appear in Clara's eye. He immediately readied his own Geass as a counter if need be to protect Yuri.
"Yuri Leclerc!" Clara shouted, angrily. Her eyes narrowed with intense hatred. And then…nothing.
People walked around the cafeteria. Clara looked like her forehead was straining its muscles, if nothing else, and Yuri appeared quite perplexed.
"Yeah. That's my name. Got a problem with it?"
Did her Geass not work? Lelouch thought, disarming his own. No, best to wait and observe. He narrowed his vision on Clara. The beads of sweat on her forehead indicated discomfort, likely panic. He smirked, returning to his meal. It didn't work, he thought, keeping one eye on her. Interesting.
Why can't I control him? Clara thought. I…I said his name! That's his name! She tried again. "Yuri Leclerc!" Work, dang it!
"Something the matter, Clara? You're acting awfully strange," Yuri said to her.
Clara was now in a cold panic. How best to wrest herself out of this one?
Her assistance came in the form of an unlikely savior as Lelouch slid further down the table. "Sorry, am I interrupting something? Seems like you have some lady trouble, Yuri."
Yuri grumbled. "Tell me about it? You wanna deal with her? Girls just fawn over you at the drop of a hat." He increased the pitch of his voice to sound more feminine. "Yay! Lelouch! He's my favorite! Yay!"
Lelouch forced a laugh to appear casual and with his guard down, but he didn't find the joke very funny.
"Lelouch, tell this jerk to stop bullying Bernie!" Clara shouted.
"Last I checked, I don't take orders from you. You're not the house leader," Lelouch said casually.
Clara scrunched up her face. Lelouch watched her lock gazes with him. The Geass appeared in her eye. "Lelouch Lamperouge!"
Calling the name is the activation, Lelouch deduced, having seen her do it twice to Yuri, but to no avail.
Clara was crying now, not understanding why her Geass wasn't working. She fled the lunchroom, eyes on her sleeve in tears.
"What the heck was that all about?" Yuri asked.
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Lelouch told him.
Yuri groaned. "Not you too, Lelouch. I've had enough threats on my life for one morning."
Same here, Lelouch thought. I gambled on the idea that Clara's Geass wouldn't work on me, and I think I know why. In furtherance of his theory, he forked his hashbrowns, chewed the forkful, swallowed, and then asked of Yuri, "Yuri, you're not going by your real name, are you?"
"Oh come on," Yuri stated in a complaining tone, "what's this now?" He sighed, only to smile. "You're not wrong though. Sharp intuition. What gave it away?"
Lelouch drank his milk and then stared at the window opposite his seat. "Going to have to leave you guessing on the explanation."
"Big secret then, got it," Yuri remarked, making it sound like he was fine with not knowing the reason. He had enough respect for Lelouch to also respect the man's privacy. "But yeah, when you're me, going by an alias is important. Heck, sometimes I go by two or three. I'd never use my real given name as part of my alias though, that's just insane."
So the whole thing's a fabrication. Makes sense given his background.
"Course, if you want the juicy details, you'll have to come clean about your own secrets. Information for information after all," Yuri remarked, craning his head back for a brief chuckle.
Lelouch smiled knowingly, "No, just knowing that I was correct is enough."
"You know something about what Clara's deal was just now, don't you? What? Am I not allowed to know?" Yuri asked.
"No," Lelouch said. "In fact, if anyone asks, we never had this conversation." Lelouch could use his Geass on Yuri to make that a command, not a request, but he felt he could have better uses of it on him later. The highest item on that contingency list was making Yuri forget every last thing he knew about Lelouch to make Lelouch untraceable through Yuri if either one of them needed to shake the other for some reason. Lelouch had every intention to work in a code phrase to give the memories back of course.
Yuri didn't seem to readily accept Lelouch's request at first, staring at him oddly. Ultimately, though, he relented. "All right. Fine. Whatever. Sometimes not knowing things keeps me out of danger. Won't stop me from seeking the truth on my own though."
"I pray then, Yuri," Lelouch said seriously, "That you don't find out."
Yuri was about to say something, only for a boisterous voice to declare, "YURI! There you are!"
"Oh no," Yuri groaned. "Lelouch, I don't suppose spacious wormholes to Mars are inside your bag of tricks today?"
"Sorry, just lent the last one to Edelgard," he joked.
"Of course you did," Yuri responded, smirking at Lelouch's response to his jape.
Constance then came barging into the dining hall.
Yuri braced himself for an annoying conversation with a groaning sigh. "What do you need, Shady Lady?"
"Ah! I have specifically asked you not to call me that! And it is not as if I have sought you out for a mundane reason! I, Constance von Nuvelle, have made a breakthrough in magi-technology. Behold!" Constance placed a glowing green rock on the table with what looked like a fan in the center. The rock was palm sized.
"…It's a green salt rock," Yuri said, looking at it.
"It is more than that, thank you," Constance remarked, offended. "On the surface, a harmless rock, but with a little application of magic…" Constance stated as she lifted the rock off the table, and flicked it. The rock began to glow. She then took her hand away, "Ta-dah!" The rock was now floating under its own power.
"What? That's it?" Yuri quipped.
"Ah! Is that it? I have found a way to make an object denser than water float in the air, and all you can say is "that's it?" Have you no understanding of what's fantastical?" Constance remarked, beside herself with Yuri's blasé response.
"Well, can it move?" Yuri asked.
"Er, well, once in place, the object continues to hover in the place it was left," Constance replied, sweating. "It now much harder to move than before when it was subject to gravity."
"Like I thought, rather useless. The most you can hope to do with this is an expensive drink coaster, right Lelouch?" Yuri asked.
"In its current size," Lelouch remarked.
"Lelouch?" Constance questioned and then looked the black-haired boy in the eye. "Goodness! I hardly recognized you! Ah! But I could not forget that face!"
Oh…right, we've met before, Lelouch reminded himself. It was years ago, back when he was a primary schooler. Back then, relations between Adrestia and Britannia were at an all-time high. Adrestia even had its own embassy on Britannian shores. Count Nuvelle was the ambassador the year Lelouch and Constance met. And he thought the same of her as he thought now: she loved the sound of her own voice, and had an ego enough to power a city. Even as a small child, she was stating that she would "grow more beautiful" than his older sisters.
It was fine though. This had happened back at Ashford and Lelouch always had a quick cover. "I'm sorry," he responded with a kind smile. "You must have me confused with someone else. Constance, is it? You seem quite proud of your magical talent."
"Ah! You doubt the memory of a Nuvelle! The nerve of you! I never forget a face!"
"Shady Lady, hard as it might be to believe, this isn't your childhood crush," Yuri remarked.
Good, Yuri's backing my story. I'll probably have to owe him later, but I'd rather owe him than Milly any day of the week.
Constance blushed brightly. "I'll have you know that Lelouch vi Britannia was neither my crush, nor my arranged husband. Thank you very much," she remarked, sweating.
…I don't want to know if that was in the cards, Lelouch found himself thinking.
"Are we done here?" Yuri asked. "Hot food's getting cold, Shady Lady."
"Hold on! Yes, I have shown you all there is to be shown of my invention, but I am not done with Lelouch!"
Lelouch's gaze narrowed. He didn't quite much care for that.
"I challenge you, Lelouch, to a game of chess."
Lelouch stood up with his food. "I must politely decline."
Constance waited until his back was turned before chuckling in mockery. "What's the matter, scared you'll lose?"
Lelouch stopped in his tracks. Rabbit hole or no, nobody questioned his skill at chess.
He immediately sat back down, took out his tablet and loaded a game. "For the record, skill at chess does not make me who you say I am."
"I shall be the judge of that," Constance declared.
"I'll play black," Lelouch stated.
Constance opened with the Réti opening, moving a knight before moving a pawn to take control of the board's center. Lelouch responded with pawn to d5. Constance countered with her own queen's side pawn. Both players then played queen side knights into the c column. Lelouch then finished the knight quartet. A very basic opening if there ever was one. Constance then made a bold play, looking to offer a trade of knights by moving her king side knight to the e5 square.
"I see you play aggressively," Lelouch commented.
"Aha! Is there any other way to play?" Constance retorted with a boisterous chuckle and a backwards tilt of her head.
Lelouch, for now, accepted this trade. Constance captured now threatened Lelouch's kingside knight. Lelouch, rather than threaten with his pawn, looked to threaten Constance with his own knight. Constance took it, expecting a trade of knights.
…But Lelouch didn't take it, utterly baffling her when he moved pawn to d4.
"What's the matter, Constance? Did I confuse you?" Lelouch asked, smugly.
"Wipe that smug grin off your face!" Constance demanded. "I will not be made a mockery of! I am Constance von Nuvelle!" Constance attempted to capture Lelouch's wayward pawn by playing pawn to c3, but Lelouch passed an opportunity to capture yet again, invading Constance's territory further. It wasn't difficult from someone outside the game—Yuri in this case—to see why. The minute Lelouch's pawn moved out of the d column, his queen would be exposed to an attack by Constance. By playing counter to conformity, he was confusing her and her aggressive playstyle.
Chess isn't just about optimization, it's about the psychology of your opponent. You could know a thousand different ways to be beaten at chess, but if your opponent doesn't know any of them, risky plays can pay off, Yuri thought. Gotta hand it to you, Lelouch. You never manage to make things boring.
Lelouch had played Constance for a fiddle. Over the next two moves, he forced her knight to capture his wayward pawn, creating barricade between their queens. However, that barricade was trap Constance had locked herself inside of. Although down a knight, Lelouch now had Constance's knight pinned to her queen. The minute she moved it, Lelouch would be the one to strike and cause the exchange of queens, not her.
Constance was not to be fooled though, she moved pawn to e4 to threaten Lelouch's Queen…but Lelouch just captured it to play check at no cost to himself. Left with few moves, Constance blocked Lelouch's check with her own queen. Lelouch captured straight away. Constance completed the trade by capturing with her light squared bishop.
Grandmasters of chess would call Lelouch's position a losing one. He was down a knight and his board set up was far less developed. However, Lelouch had full confidence he would win this game, and he was banking on Constance's own overconfidence and aggressive playstyle to win it for him.
Over the course of the next twenty moves, Constance would continue to be in what would be considered a winning position. In spite of Lelouch winning a pawn via a maneuver with a pinned bishop, and in spite of Constance putting Lelouch in the first check that didn't immediately result in capturing the attacker, Constance continued to, unknowingly, control the board. And not know when you had the advantage was the downfall of any chess practitioner as all it took was one fouled up move to completely cost you the game.
Although Constance was in the lead for 20 moves or so, it was 6 moves after the queen capture when Lelouch's counterattack started to take shape, unbeknownst to the blonde when she castled queenside. But it was her 21st move after the queen exchange that ultimately handed Lelouch the game, practically giftwrapped it to him.
Constance was in a bad position few chess players wanted to be in: having a rook check your king on your home row—Row 1 since Constance was playing white. Concerned about her pawns in the a, b and c columns, Constance moved her king to b2, likely intending to aid her pawns with the later move of king to b3. The problem? Lelouch had a pawn all the way on column e and Constance's only stronger pieces, her remaining knight and rook, were currently busy trying to threaten Lelouch's own king.
Lelouch then moved pawn to e3. Constance, panicking, played knight to d5, desperately trying to take that pawn from Lelouch. Lelouch simply played pawn to e2. To buy time, Constance played Rook to c7. Check. Although her rook was right up against Lelouch's king, he couldn't capture it because of her knight on d5. He only had two moves, king to a8 or the move he picked, king to b8, which forced Constance to move her Rook. Fortunately, she already knew where to go: Rook to e7.
Lelouch passed his pawn, transforming it into a queen. Constance captured, only to be captured right back. And now, having been down the game for quite some time, Lelouch had not just a positional lead, but a figure lead as well. Each player had three pawns and a king, but Constance had a knight and Lelouch had a rook. At that point, Lelouch simply distracted Constance by playing Rook vs Knight long enough for his pawn on the h column to promote to a queen. The game ended on move 56 with Lelouch sandwiching Constance's king between his queen and pawn, using the diagonal of a4 and b3 to protect the two pieces from the king.
"Checkmate," Lelouch declared as he made his move.
"AHHHHHH!" With only a king left, Constance, at best, could have hoped for a stalemate turns ago, but seeing herself checkmated was still a rare sight. However, after processing her loss, she was over the moon. She was beaming with energy. "Aha! Such splendor at a noble's favorite game! Are you sure you're not the son of Marianne?"
Lelouch spoke coldly as he locked his tablet and put it away. He stood over the table. "Lelouch vi Britannia died seven years ago to the attack the church made on Japan. Check any public record and it'll tell you precisely that," he snapped. He looked to Yuri. "We'll have to finish our conversation later."
"No worries," Yuri told him. "See ya."
Lelouch then left the dining hall, leaving a confused Constance who still wasn't wholly convinced he wasn't the man she thought he was. "But…"
After storming out of the dining hall, Lelouch went looking not for Clara, but for C.C. He found her in abyss inside the local Pizza Hut. Where else would she be? She was in a corner by herself with a meat lovers with extra cheese.
"Rare for you to come down here without the mantle," she remarked, noting that Lelouch wasn't dressed as Zero.
"It's more convenient," Lelouch responded. "I can't talk to you here privately without the Ashen Wolves wanting part of the conversation if I was the other me. Officially, this place is open to all students now. Seteth now just has guards watching the library. But, guards won't help against Geass. And that's precisely what I want to talk to you about."
"What about it?" C.C asked.
"I always figured there might be others like me out there in the world. I just never thought I'd run into them here at Garreg Mach."
Lelouch noticed C.C.'s pupils dilate as if she was greatly concerned about what he was going to say.
"Clara Lanfranc, what do you know about her?" Lelouch inquired.
He noticed his accomplice's fear immediately cease and she went back to being the usual, surly C.C. However, rare for her, she actually answered his question, "If you're suggesting Clara has a Geass, that's news to me."
"So then where did she get it? Do you know?"
"…"
Ah. There was the usual unhelpful silence.
"It's dangerous if I don't know where she got it from," Lelouch stated.
"There are many others in the order that I hail from. It's likely she got it from one of them. I didn't give it to her. That's the truth," C.C. told him.
Lelouch had no choice but to take C.C. at her word. His Geass wouldn't work on her. He had to simply trust that she wasn't lying to him.
"Heard from your sister at all?" the green-haired witch suddenly asked him.
Lelouch checked his phone. It was now a little after noon. "No. And it's too early to call her. It's three in the morning over there."
"I see," C.C. answered and then went back to her pizza. "Care for a slice?"
"I just ate," Lelouch told her.
She shrugged. "More for me then."
"What did you mean when you said 'your order?' You've never mentioned you were part of anything until now, only that Britannia was after you," Lelouch said. He expected uncomfortable silence.
"…"
And it seemed like that was what he was going to get.
"Are you expecting me to figure it out?"
"…"
"The Savage Mockingbird network is vast. I'll figure it out sooner or later," Lelouch pointed out to her.
"That'll cost Yuri a lot of good men," she said, taking a bite of pizza.
"So, it's dangerous then," Lelouch pointed.
"…"
"You told me that I should fulfill your one wish. If you don't help me accomplish my goal, how can I help you with yours?" Lelouch said snippily.
"I wasn't aware mid-pubescent girls were crucial to taking down Britannia," C.C. snarked.
"If there are other Geass users running around, then I need to know everything there is to know about my best weapon," Lelouch pointed out to her. "And if Clara has one, it's entirely within the realm of possibility Rolo does too, given Arundel "found" them together."
The two sat in silence for a bit before C.C. spoke up with a surprising offer. "If you're that concerned, why not expand your weapon's capacity?"
Lelouch cocked his head in curiosity, not quite sure what she meant.
"You're not special in your ability to receive my power. Any member of the Ashen Wolves could be given one, and it's quite unknown how it would manifest as well," C.C. stated.
That was an interesting prospect.
"Well, what do you think?"
Lelouch leaned back against the chair he was sitting in, putting his hands above his head. "No, for now, I'd prefer to leave things as they are."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"I don't want to get into a conversation with the others about my power. It'd be dangerous if they knew, some may even question their own loyalty. When the time is right, I might at least start with Yuri," Lelouch told her. "But thank you, I do believe I understand the need for your secrecy and what you're trying to imply. I'll work around it."
C.C. nodded. "You don't have to wait around for a phone call, by the way. I imagine you have other ways of finding out a mission report, do you not?"
Lelouch, realizing what she was driving at, suddenly booked it for the elevator.
"My, my, one tracked mind when it comes to her, doesn't he?" She asked rhetorically. She then frowned as if reacting to the words to an invisible friend only she could hear. "Yes, yes, I know he doesn't trust the church enough to have considered that. They're still friends." She crinkled her brow further. "The difference is that they have lives to live and things to hold onto, while I pass through, like a ghost."
Suzaku Kururugi was busy doing what he did best when he didn't have a mission to do: weapon maintenance. Lelouch knew this fact well and found him in the storage room by the training yard.
"Suzaku…" he panted on his hands and knees. "There you are…need…report…Nunnally…"
Suzaku stopped inspecting weapons long enough to get Lelouch a bottle of water. Lelouch took it graciously and started chugging it. "Do I even want to know where you ran all the way here from?" Suzaku asked. He was going to put aside Lelouch's out of breath outbursts for the moment, at least until Lelouch could talk normal sentences.
After coughing out some excess drinking water, Lelouch stood upright, the tightly capped bottle in his hand. "Nunnally went out on an important mission with the Golden Deer with a young knight named Alice. Has…there been any report. Even if it's the early hours of the morning over there, there might have been a report check in from Alice the night before."
"Sure, let me take a look," Suzaku said without argument. He saw helping Lelouch as part of a knight's duty, and was one of the few people in Garreg Mach that understood Lelouch's pain if Nunnally was in danger…with…out… he stopped. "Wait, hang on, let me see if I'm getting my facts straight here. You let Nunnally leave Rome, forget just Garreg Mach, with her class, and you aren't with her?"
"Yes," Lelouch answered bluntly with a completely straight face.
Suzaku turned his head and muttered quietly to the air above his left shoulder. "I never thought I'd live to see a day like this."
Not quietly enough though. "I don't have time for cheap shots at my ego! Do you have a report or not?"
Suzaku chuckled as he opened an app on his tablet that the Knights of Seiros used for work. "Think of it as getting you back for your cheap shot from the other day," Suzaku replied, referring to Lelouch asking if he had a crush on the Archbishop.
Lelouch stewed, arms now folded, waiting patiently.
"Alice…Alice…do you know her last name?"
"Einhart if I'm not mistaken. I asked around," Lelouch stated. Specifically, he'd asked Shamir as Zero the same day after departure, and she told him.
"Ah! Here we are! Alice Einhart. Report coming in from 11pm local time," Suzaku stated. "It's a request for transport, asking for relocation from Deirdru to Gloucester territory." Suzaku read the report silently, getting the details before condensing it down out loud. "Sounds like the Victor Family's initial request is leading back to some political trouble with Count Gloucester. Lorenz and Claude want to have an audience with him."
"What about Nunnally?" Lelouch asked. He could put aside political issues under the Deer returned. He could always use his Geass on Lorenz for the details.
"I'm looking," Suzaku stated. He then followed up with, "No fatalities reported."
Lelouch let out a breath he'd been holding onto since he woke up.
Suzaku smiled and put his tablet away. "Will that be all?"
"Yeah, thanks," Lelouch replied with a nod.
"No problem. You know I care about Nunnally a great deal. Gotta hand it to you though, I never thought you'd let her fly on her own without your supervision," Suzaku stated.
"It wasn't my call," Lelouch said, painfully recalling the conversation. "Nunnally wanted to go. She wanted to try."
"Well, color me impressed. I didn't think she was the type," Suzaku said, smile increasing.
"Me either," Lelouch replied somberly.
"Lelouch, don't act like you were planning to keep her innocent forever. Look, I get it, combat's the last place someone like her should be, but you brought her to Garreg Mach. I know you. I get it was to keep an eye on her and enrolling her here was safer than letting her stay in a refugee camp. You didn't even know I was here when you enrolled. So, since she's here, she's jumping at the opportunity. I'd call that admirable," Suzaku stated.
"I know but…"
"She's all you have left, I know," Suzaku said, face turning gravely serious. "Hey, while you're here, do you mind if I see your progress?"
"Huh?" Lelouch asked.
Suzaku set aside the firearm he'd been inspecting and turned the safety on.
"Captain Jeralt and Professor Eisner taught you the basics of combat themselves, right? Plus, there's everything outside a Knightmare Frame, hard light or otherwise, that you've learned here at Garreg Mach. I'd like to see how that's panning out for you. I mean, if you have the time." He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."
Lelouch thought about it. "Like a practice spar?"
Suzaku nodded. "Come on, you're training to be a knight while I already am one. I'd like to see how you're coming along, maybe give a few pointers here or there. Catherine trained me herself after all."
Lelouch found this to be a great opportunity. If there was a flaw in what he deemed his "emergency combat strategy" he'd like to see Suzaku point it out. Plus, it would kill time. "All right, sounds like I have nothing to lose. Just don't send me to Manuela."
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Suzaku said and strolled out onto a small, private training plot. "Come on, show me what you've got." Suzaku raised his bare hands into a guarded posture. It was clear he wanted to do this fist to…whatever Lelouch had in mind.
Lelouch got onto the plot and set up the hard light barriers.
"You first," Suzaku said. "That way I can show you more easily where you're going wrong."
Lelouch nodded. He began by firing a blast of miasma from a distance he didn't think Suzaku could cover quickly. Suzaku surprised him by speeding towards him, flanking him. Lelouch, rather than back up in a straight line, rotated counter to Suzaku's approach, firing a blast not at where Suzaku was but where he was going to be. He was hardly surprised when Suzaku leapt over the attack and went to slam his fist into Lelouch's face. Lelouch leapt out of the way, getting another spell ready. "I thought you were taking it easy."
Suzaku dodged right as the spell came at him. "I could say the same of you. You're coming at me with raw, unfiltered magic."
"Yeah, but unlike me, I know you can handle it!" Lelouch declared, letting out a blast wave of just pure dark magic. Suzaku bent over backwards to avoid the attack, but by the time he got upright, Lelouch was flanking him at a distance.
"Banshee Theta!"
Suzaku gasped, having not expected Lelouch to use such high-level magic. He weaved to and fro around the multi-hit localized attack. He sped forward, fist ready. Lelouch looking surprised by Suzaku's power and speed. And then…
"…And that's how we ended up here, Professor Manuela," Suzaku stated, rubbing the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
Lelouch, arms folded and massively irritated, could only give Suzaku intensely hateful side-eye…out of his one good eye.
"Oh! Honestly! Boys and their roughhousing!" Manuela complained. She sighed and then put on a smile. "Sit down, Lelouch. I'll have you fixed up in minutes. I just hope the swelling looks worse than it actually is."
It was hours later, shortly before dinner, when Lelouch finally received a phone call from Nunnally's phone. He answered it as fast as humanly possible. "Nunnally," he said, like he hadn't spent the whole day fretting and recently recovered from a black eye, "So glad you called. How's everything?"
"Oh! I'm fine! Claude had his family's servants make everyone a big feast! We're just about to have breakfast. How are you, big brother? Did the day treat you well?" Nunnally asked.
"I'm fine, honest. Made myself busy so I wouldn't have to worry about you too much," he half-lied.
Nunnally giggled. "That's a relief. Well, you don't have to worry about a thing. Everything's a-okay. Oh, but I won't be home until late tomorrow. Claude and Lorenz want to talk to Count Gloucester about the big sea monster we fought. It was really scary, but Hilda saved us all. So everyone's safe."
"Oh, really? Is she there?" Lelouch asked, barely able to contain the strain in his voice. "If so, put her on, I'd like to thank her for a job well-done."
"Oh! Sure!" Nunnally exclaimed. Lelouch then heard a faint, "It's for you," as she passed the phone to Hilda.
"Helloooooo! Leicester's latest and greatest savior speaking!" Hilda exclaimed.
"Hilda, I owe you. Truly," Lelouch told her honestly. "I'm glad I was able to count on you."
"Aha! Well, I got a charge out of it myself. It was great to finally accomplish a serious responsibility I was charged with. Don't skip out on the praise now. Hearing you thank me earnestly is charming to my ear," Hilda stated chipperly.
"Don't go getting a big head," Lelouch replied bitingly. "Saved us all was an interesting choice of words Nunnally used. Talk. Saving means there was danger that need to be avoided. What? Happened?"
"Okay, okay, I can hear the protective big brother attitude over the phone. Honestly, you and Holst both," Hilda complained. She then said much more cheerfully, "Look, it was a big, scary sea monster, but I took care of it. Pitiful thing once I finally went all out. Oh yeah, that reminds me, did you know just how strong I am when I really put my back into it? I surprised myself even."
Lelouch spoke in an even more irritated tone into the phone than before. "Hilda, I know exactly how strong you have the potential to be. You're a Goneril. Holst runs around, fighting off hoards of Almyran war machines on foot because the man is insane and built like he could arm wrestle Jeralt to a standstill. And he doesn't have a crest. You do. Of course I know how strong you can be. That was why I knew I could entrust Nunnally to you."
"Then why do you sound so annoyed?" Hilda asked. He could hear her frowning over the phone.
"I'm annoyed because it sounds like you had to force yourself to step it up because things were going badly. Well, am I even remotely close?" Lelouch asked with an attitude.
"Ugh, it is scary how you can tell all that just from a few choice words. But yeah, I'm not gonna deny it. Things got pretty dicey back there. But…no more. Hilda Valentine Goneril is a changed woman. Just wait until I make it back to Garreg Mach!"
"Oh then I should retract my submission of your picture to the Webster Dictionary for the word lazy," Lelouch joked.
"Oh Ha ha, like I haven't heard a variation of that one from Claude before," Hilda responded, annoyed. "Look, I'm not gonna pull my punches and act like I don't know my own strength, but you can count me out of boring chores and tedious stuff."
"That's a shame. I have a lot of money and I'm willing to spend it on someone reliable. There are things you can only buy in Rome."
There was a telling silence on the other end of the line. Granted, Lelouch was having a gaff, but it was fun to toy with others.
"N-Now when you say things, could you be more specific?" Hilda asked.
Lelouch thought how best to answer, not sure if he should tease the girl a bit more, or actually make a sincere offer as a thank you for keeping Nunnally safe. However, before he could say something, he heard Hilda talking.
"Nunna, no! I'm not gonna say that!" Hilda responded. The sounds of her sudden embarrassment were anything but subtle. Before Lelouch could get a word in edgewise, he heard her follow up with, "Oh my gosh, you! Stop it! Seriously! He can probably hear me!"
"I can hear you. Can't hear Nunnally though. Something I should know about?" Lelouch questioned.
"No! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Hahaha! In fact the last forty seconds never happened! It was a figment of your imagination!"
Given the pace at which Hilda was talking and the embarrassment in her voice, Lelouch was fairly certain that Nunnally was trying to pair the two up again. "Tell my sister to stay out of her brother's romantic affairs, or I'll do the same back to her."
"Hear that, Nunna? Lelouch is going to pick your future spouse for you if you keep being a cheeky little mischief maker."
Ah, perfect guess, Lelouch thought.
"She laughed," Hilda said. "So, report's in. How are things over at Garreg Mach?"
"Peaceful caused by a decisive lack of Claude," Lelouch commented.
Hilda laughed so hard she was snorting. "Oh. Oh that was a good one. Ooh! They've got Deidru style waffles! It's been forever! Talk to you later, Lelouch!" She hurriedly handed the phone back to Nunnally.
"I love you, big brother. I'll see you soon, okay?" Nunnally asked.
"Love you too, Nunnally," Lelouch said to her and hung up. He then sighed and let out another deep breath.
"Everything okay?"
Lelouch nearly jumped out of his skin. He'd been so caught up in his conversation, he hadn't even heard Byleth approach.
"Since when did you master the art of stealth?" Lelouch asked.
"Roughly overnight after I got to meet Shamir," Byleth replied with a straight face. As always, hard to tell if she was joking or not.
Lelouch felt it best just to answer honestly. "Nunnally called. She's alive and well in Leicester. Sounds like the job went off without a hitch."
"I see. I'm glad to know she's doing all right," Byleth responded plainly.
"I would say 'you certainly don't sound it', but I've known you long enough to know that that's just how you are," Lelouch stated.
Byleth nodded. "Have you had dinner yet? Jeralt's free for once so I was looking for someone else to join me."
Lelouch only needed a moment to process the request as he put his phone away. "You know," he said with a smile. "Dinner with you and Jeralt sounds really good. Count me in." The pair then headed for the dining hall.
As night and even midnight fell on Garreg Mach, the day was just beginning in the Golden Deer. After touching down in Gloucester territory again, they got held up by Count Gloucester's busy schedule. Fortunately, as a man of high caliber, he could always make time for his son, and Claude. It was just the three of them in the man's home office.
"I appreciate you seeing us on such short notice, father. I know you must be quite busy," Lorenz stated.
"Formalities are appreciated, but can be set aside, Lorenz. What's this about?" Erwin asked his boy.
"I'm afraid I must insist on the formalities until I know the truth. I come here not just as a concerned son, but also a knight in training and future Count Gloucester," Lorenz replied.
Erwin was both impressed and disquieted. "I'm intrigued. Do go on."
"I'll…give you the details," Claude stated and quickly brought the count up to speed on everything.
"That's…hmm," Erwin responded after hearing the whole ordeal.
"Father…these attacks have come to our territory's benefit and to the detriment of House Riegan. If you were involved in any conceivable way…"
"Let me just start by saying that while I believe you kids, the idea that I was involved is a load of balderdash!" Erwin exclaimed.
"Ah, yeah, figures you'd say that," Claude responded.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Erwin asked, glancing over at him.
"Guilty as charged," Claude said with a smirk.
"Look, I'm a man of many faults. I charge taxes some complain are too high. I'm particularly picky about how I take my steamed vegetables. And some can accuse me of being unsportsmanlike when I get competitive at chess. But putting citizenry in danger, especially citizenry I know personally, isn't just insane, it's laughable to even consider," Erwin responded sternly.
"You sure? Every shrewd politician with aspirations of something greater has their dark side," Claude responded cheekily.
"Look, Claude, I get it. It's your family that's suffering, and I'm the loudest, most obnoxious voice at the round table against your grandfather, and previously your Uncle, when it comes to getting my way. But that is because that is my strategy to prove House Gloucester's superiority. What would I stand to gain by acting in a manner as scandalous as the one you have described? I'd be shunned by the round table. Forget House Riegan's distaste, Holst would throw me out of the room and let me fall to my death!" Erwin reasoned.
"Let me be clear that I'm on your side, father, but I just had to be sure. Every child has that moment where they come across some dark secret they didn't know about their parent, especially in today's political climate. Britannia. Adrestia. Even Faerghus. I dreaded to think such ill may have befallen our own territory," Lorenz responded, airing out his woes.
"Lorenz…" Erwin called his son's name, sympathetic to his boy's fears.
"So, Count, if you're not the one pulling the strings, as you so claim, do you know how this happened under your watch?" Claude asked him.
"No, but it won't take me long to find out now that it's come to my attention. Give me a week, no, half of one, and I'll have this whole blasted territory turned upside-down in search of answers. And you can bet your arses that the Leicester newscasters will be pumping out my official statement from morning until the eleven at night news," Erwin responded.
"I look forward to your proof of innocence, Father. May House Gloucester rise above its accusations," Lorenz replied with a smile.
"Yeah, sure, proof of innocence," Claude said sarcastically, only to add a sincere chuckle and a, "I'm kidding. It sounds like someone played foul and tried to pin it on the Count."
"If I need help from either of you, I'll be sure to reach out," Erwin told them.
"As nobles, we will respond swiftly. This matter is of the utmost importance until it is settled. And to the lives lost prior to our success, while this will not bring their grieving loved ones happiness, I pray to the Goddess it finds them peace."
"Mmmmmm," Erwin agreed, and then dismissed the pair. He had a lot of work to do to get to the bottom of this.
9th Day of the Wyvern Moon
Early the next morning, Seteth entered his and Rhea's joint office with a report. "Lady Rhea, I bring…some news. It's about Zero."
"I may have heard this report from Catherine earlier this morning, but go on," Rhea pointed out.
Seteth cleared his throat and then spoke gravely. "One of…them appears to be among the Ashen Wolves."
"Yes, Kronya I believe Catherine said her name was," Rhea said.
"Ah, so then this report will be a waste of time," Seteth responded, disheartened.
"No, no, I wish to discuss this with you privately. Please…close the door."
Seteth did so.
"How long has it been since one of them has surfaced? Catherine said she had information that Kronya was at Saitama and at the attack on the Mausoleum. I don't know how or why Zero has her on a leash, but he does. I find that troubling," Rhea responded, looking concerned.
"You must suspect the same thing I do then, that Zero may be using honeyed words to lure humanity into a trap, with Kronya as his ace up his sleeve. Those forsaken by the Goddess have been dormant for too long since our last encounter with them," Seteth stated.
"I do worry, yes, but I also do not believe it probable. Zero first appeared at Magdred Way. Kronya was not there at the time. It was just him and the Ashen Wolves. And, the mages that were aiding Lonato, were those very same people Kronya is a part of. If Zero was one of them, why not simply work together?" Rhea questioned.
"Mhm, a rogue agent perhaps, unless we're off the trail altogether?" Seteth questioned.
"It's a non-zero chance, pardon the unintended pun," Rhea remarked.
Seteth chuckled. "Then we must proceed with the more prevailing theory, that Zero is…among those here at Garreg Mach, perhaps even one of our students."
"I concur. But…I cannot think of any student that would resent the world so horrendously they would bare their fangs as it," Rhea responded.
"Surely you have some way of narrowing down the search?" Seteth asked.
Rhea put her hands together in prayer. "Though I invented this religion, I am a firm believer of its teachings. I believe in the good of those who pray to the Goddess. As long as they have their faith, there is no reason to wear a mask and spark fear and rebellion in others," Rhea stated.
"Even so, we have already seen what the Western Church, and even Lonato, are willing to do after having lost their faith. We cannot be so close-minded as to think the pull of the church is universal. There is a reason both China and Almyra have their own way of doing things and why Japan continues to resent us," Seteth stated.
Rhea exhaled. "Did we really have no other choice?"
"A matter to discuss another time, Rhea. What should we do about Kronya? I would hate to leave one of her kind unchecked. Say the word, and I shall order the knights to cut her down."
"No, not now," Rhea responded. "As dangerous and as troubling as Kronya's continued presence is, I do not wish to break the tentative peace I currently possess with Zero. Kronya will either turn on him of her own accord, and we can offer aid then, or he will turn on her after accepting the Goddess back into his heart." Rhea then tilted her head back, glaring, "And should they both reject the Goddess and bear their fangs at me, there will be no mercy!"
Seteth took a deep breath. "Understood, your grace," he said not with a smile, but with a stern disposition. "Rhea, if I might make a request."
"Hmm?"
"You have guided humanity for far too long. Don't you think it's time you stepped down, even for perhaps two generations. I can take over! Just say the word and I'll—"
"I appreciate the concern, Seteth," Rhea said in an unnervingly quiet and calm voice, "But I can handle it. I have performed this sacred duty for far too long. I shall not give it up. Not until mother returns."
Seteth took a deep breath and only now did he smile. "I understand. May the Goddess watch over you."
"You as well," Rhea replied with a smile.
"Okay, let's see," Cyril thought aloud as he stood in front of the greenhouse. "The training ground's been mopped up. The plants are pruned and watered and with fresh soil. I think all that's left is the warehouse checks at the hangar and I'm all done. Guess that means I could take an early lunch before getting more tasks."
"Cyril! There you are!"
…Or I could skip lunch and have an extra side with dinner. He turned towards the approaching nuisance. "What do you want, Clara? I'm kind of busy, as always."
"I have a complaint," Clara snapped, standing in front of him, arms folded.
"Of course you do," Cyril sighed.
"You're not doing enough for Bernie! She needs a piece of chocolate cake brought to her at 9 in the evening, every day for her late night snack! And also, tell Seteth we need motorized scooters so she can run away from mean people faster! And another thing—"
"Clara, no offense, these are all things you can do for her. Don't add it to my plate," Cyril protested.
Clara growled. "How dare you! You should be more appreciative of such a wonderful girl!"
"Clara, I get that you're Bernadetta's biggest supporter, but…not everyone sees her the way you do and not everyone's going to, either. Look, I'm real busy. Maybe talk to your foster brother about it, Rolo, I think his name is."
Clara puffed one cheek in annoyance.
"If she's sick you take her to Manuela. If she needs something a friend can do, that's your business. Unless she lost something valuable or made a mess of the storage room again, it's not really my problem to fix," Cyril stated, honestly.
"Cyril…" Clara growled, making direct eye contact.
Once again though, her Geass did not work. Cyril wasn't the boy's full name, but he didn't really know his birth given surname either. He'd lost his parents to the constant war between Almyra and House Goneril, and later shifted hands from a servant of the people that killed his parents, to the kindness and generosity of the Church.
Confused, angry, and losing her temper a little, Clara settled for slapping Cyril across the face and running off.
Cyril thought it best to just…take it. It would be too much of a problem if he reported this to Seteth. He'd have to fill out paperwork. Clara would get in trouble—not that she didn't deserve it for committing assault on a staff member—and he'd probably then have to have a conversation with Catherine, Shamir or Archbishop Rhea about it, which would just cut into his time needed to work on his daily tasks. No, best to let the angry girl blow off some steam and, if she felt like it, apologize later.
Collecting himself, Cyril headed off for the hangar.
At the hangar, he saw Lelouch standing around, but the man was habitually checking his phone for the time. Cyril, out of the loop, proceeded to Warehouse G inconspicuously. He didn't need two insanely crazy champions of young women they revered getting on his case.
As for Lelouch, he was simply waiting for the transport with the Golden Deer on it and paid Cyril no mind. It was late now by 2 minutes and soon to be 37 seconds. Fortunately, it arrived shortly after and Lelouch could breathe again. The exit ramp lowered and Claude's voice echoed into the hangar.
"Ahhhh, home away from home sweet home," he remarked rolling his shoulders.
"I'll say. It's good to be back," Hilda said, walking up next to him.
Lelouch watched the Golden Deer congregate, surprised to see when not Hilda, but Alice was the one with Nunnally and her wheelchair.
The two made eye contact. Alice wheeled the blind paraplegic straight up to her brother. "Here she is, you worrywart, safe and sound."
In life, few things are more relieving than a family member coming home from war. And while it wasn't war Nunnally had come home from, she'd still come home alive from her first taste of a truly dangerous mission that had pushed Lelouch's anxiety to its absolute limit.
Smiling, she reached up her arms to her big brother.
Inadvertently shedding a couple of tears, Lelouch picked Nunnally up and held her in his arms. He stroked her hair and felt her small hands wrap around his back. She was home. More importantly, she was safe.
Nunnally could hear Lelouch gasping emotionally, trying to keep himself from crying. "I made it back," she said.
She felt him nod, saying nothing.
"I got a lot stronger," she told Lelouch. "So…you don't have to worry about me so much, okay?" She stroked the back of Lelouch's head.
"I do worry about you. You're my only little sister. I'd be lost without you," Lelouch told her.
Nunnally giggled. "I'll always come home, Lelouch. I promise." She nestled her head in his chest. "So, always come home to me too, okay, big brother? You're my only big brother after all."
Lelouch nodded gently, stroking the back of Nunnally's head some more.
Back by the ramp, Claude tapped Hilda on the shoulder and pointed out the scene to her. Hilda, who was in the middle of texting Holst, turned to look at the happy siblings reunited.
Claude smirked, leaning on Hilda's shoulder. "See? Nunnally doesn't find it embarrassing," Claude quipped.
"Lelouch also doesn't check up on her well-being every five minutes. He was as well behaved as she was while we were away," Hilda remarked. "I remember when Holst was at the Officer's Academy and it felt like every hour he would send me a text, asking if I was healthy or needed him to come home. So, so embarrassing. But those two," she smiled widely, "Those two are going to be all right. They're probably the healthiest sibling relationship I've ever seen."
"Kind of makes me jealous," Claude said, still grinning.
Raphael, having overheard the two, laughed heartily as he looked at the sibling duo reunited. Lelouch was replacing Nunnally back to her wheelchair and preparing to take her to her room for a rest after jet lag. He and Alice appeared to be having a conversation, but they were too far away and speaking too quietly to be heard.
"I'm like that with Maya all the time," Raphael remarked, noting Lelouch's brotherly instincts. "Man, come to think of it, I bet she'll want to attend Garreg Mach someday herself. I better work extra hard to make enough money as a knight myself so she can attend." He then walked off.
"You know, when I think about it, Holst might be overbearing, but he really does have the best of intentions. Maybe I can ease up on him a little," Hilda remarked, chuckling to herself.
"You know what would put him at ease, you making good on your decision to actually try," Claude told her without a hint of sass. For once he was being sincere.
"Yeah," Hilda said without any of her usual grumbling on putting in effort. "Look out world, here comes Hilda Valentine Goneril!"
10th Day of the Wyvern Moon
Part of Lorenz's daily routine was to watch the news in the morning with his pre-breakfast tea. This helped him learn more about what was going on in the world, created excellent talking points with peers for social activity, and also helped him wake up if he was particularly disheveled from a poor night's sleep. This morning, however, he almost spit out his tea.
"Breaking news: Leicester Mercenary group detained by House Gloucester late yesterday evening has been reportedly executed by Count Gloucester after a thorough investigation by the man himself. We now take you live to the scene."
Lorenz muted the TV and called his father up immediately. It would still be late evening of the 9th day of the Wyvern Moon over there. If the news was reporting live, his father should still be awake.
His father picked up immediately. "Good evening, Lorenz. Although I suppose it's morning over there."
"Father, I would like to hear an explanation before the media sullies your good name," Lorenz stated, covering his face.
"Relax and take a deep breath. I'm planning on holding a press conference in the morning when it should be dinnertime for you," Erwin told his son. "But, I'll divulge the entire situation now to you. You are my son, you more than deserve an explanation."
"Yes, please. If people think you are an indiscriminate killer of PMCs, it will reflect badly on our venerable house," Lorenz requested in earnest.
Count Gloucester began to explain. "Do you recall the incident which led to the previous Duke Riegan's demise? At the time, official sources said it was the direct result of a thunderstorm that capsized the boat. However, I had a good second look at the recovered, wrecked vessel. And, do you know what I found that was never previously reported?"
"What did you find?"
"Bite marks," Erwin stated. "Bite marks wholly like that of the creature young Miss Goneril split in half. I had our militias bring me the head and run tests. A perfect match."
"Father, that was years ago. I was just a boy. And you were the Count even back then," Lorenz stated harshly. "How did this slip past us?"
"Lorenz, as Count I am wise, but not omniscient. I hire people to do the work they are assigned among the lesser nobility within our territory. As head, I must trust these people to do their jobs. To encroach on said work is a breach of trust. Yet, it would appear, that someone beneath me was acting in bad faith. I've yet to find which Viscount or Baron is wholly responsible. It may have even been a servant in our very house, but I do know I am as close to the truth as I can get. The savages responsible for sending that monster after our citizens, Lorenz, described that they were receiving orders from men in black robes with pale skin."
Lorenz gasped. "The people that attacked at Magdred Way…and the Rite of Rebirth."
"Those were my thoughts. I did offer the men an honest pardon, but they threw it in my face, calling me a sham and threatening to cover everything up. They refused to believe that I had no part in their corrupt dealings. Such savages need to be made an example of. If they would not atone, then they needed to be a message to others that I do not tolerate having my good name denigrated, nor will I stand here and be framed for crimes I have no hand in. Perhaps it is a bit over the limit, but who knows who those men could have met in one of our prisons, or who they would be hired by if left unchecked and intending to make the same mistakes twice," Erwin reasoned.
"Father, remnants of that same group may come back to come for your head," Lorenz told him.
"Lorenz, if you don't like how I do things, it's up to you to change House Gloucester for the better when you become Count," Erwin told him. "Politics is a messy business, my son."
"Father, self-sacrificing yourself for me isn't right. House Gloucester should not slump simply for me to prop it back up. We are a house of progress, not peaks and valleys," Lorenz criticized.
Erwin laughed. "You're growing up by the day, Lorenz. You're going to make a fine Count when your time arrives. I hope to still be alive at that point."
"Still be alive?" Lorenz gasped. "Father…are you planning on stepping down?"
"I'm old, boy," Erwin remarked. "Too old to be keeping up with Holst, and Claude's grandfather isn't getting any younger. The next generation will be the ones who decide the fate of Leicester's future, not the current one. Just like in chess, you have to think five moves down the line, not one or two."
Lorenz smiled. "I think I understand. As your son, and future Count, I shall trust your judgment, and react accordingly. Have a pleasant sleep, Father. Glory to House Gloucester."
"Glory to House Gloucester," Erwin responded and then hung up.
As Count Gloucester had said, by dinnertime, the news was in full swing about the scandal. This did not go unnoticed by Lelouch, who immediately sent word to Yuri to get as much information about the scandal as possible, asking his fellow conspirator to dig up as much as he could about it. That was before dinner, and at the moment, Lelouch, as Zero, was wrapping up his evening lecture with the Ashen Wolves.
"Remember, your next exam is Monday, pre-empted by certification exams on Sunday. If you are available, I have clearance to hold them here down in Abyss," Zero stated. "For now though, I bid you all a pleasant evening."
As the students from other houses piled out, Constance marched up to Zero as he collected his teaching materials to put them away.
"Does this mean you are immediately going back to the surface?" Constance asked.
"I am," Zero replied.
"Ah! How magnificent! Then I shall join you," Constance replied.
Zero froze. This was new.
"I have business on the surface world at this hour before I turn in. It will be a pleasant elevator ride, don't you think?" Constance asked.
Zero took out his phone and began texting Shamir. "Company to the surface won't be necessarily unwelcome."
Most of the students preferred the stairs since the staircase emptied out right next to the dorm rooms. Lelouch preferred the elevator since it gave him an isolated room to change into his civilian identity and gave him the opportunity to come up with a cover story before returning to his room. Constance looking to ride with him was going to complicate that.
His text to Shamir read as follows: Clean out tower 2 and then circle around to the cemetery. You'll find my teaching materials when you make it back. Please have them secured somewhere in the student library and text me their location for retrieval later. Do NOT ask questions. Do NOT stakeout their location to discover my identity when I go to retrieve them.
If he absolutely had to, he'd Geass Shamir if it came down to it.
He then took his materials and followed with Constance into the elevator. "I know you hate sunlight, but I didn't take you for someone that went out late at night for personal gain. Meeting someone I should know about?"
"Just an old friend," Constance replied.
Lelouch would later regret not asking for more details than that. If he had, he could have better prepared himself for what came next.
After shedding his Zero identity in the tower Shamir cleaned out, and leaving his teaching materials behind, Lelouch took the long way to the dorm rooms to avoid detection. He was looking forward to a good night's sleep. What he wasn't expecting was to find Constance loitering just outside his dorm room.
"Aha! There you are!" she declared far too loudly for this time of night. "I had a feeling you were not yet asleep."
Lelouch was now very tempted to use his Geass on Constance. Forget you ever met Lelouch vi Britannia as a child would be simple, effective, and get her off his back. However, if he miscalculated that decision, he didn't want to deal with the consequences. What if she knew Nunnally too?
"Constance, you're becoming a nuisance. I'm exhausted," Lelouch told her.
"I'm a nuisance? You won't even acknowledge me, or explain how you look good for dead!" she snapped.
"I am not Lelouch vi Britannia," Lelouch insisted.
"That attitude might work on lesser folk, but not on a Nuvelle!" Constance shouted.
"Constance, you're going to wake the entire dormitory up. If you want to talk, let's do it inside," Lelouch said and opened the door to his room. There was nothing in here that could point him to being Zero or his status as an exiled prince, at least nothing that wasn't well-hidden. Lelouch shut the door behind the pair and flicked on the light. The moonlight shone in through the window.
"I did a little snooping after our chess match the other day," Constance declared, "I know you have a little sister. Both of your names match the children of the late Empress. Do you really think me so dumb as to think it mere coincidence?"
"Hard as that may be to believe that is the case," Lelouch told her. "I am not the man you think I am." He took a deep breath. "Let's presume, for the sake of argument, you were right, what then? The restoration of House Nuvelle would be beyond an exiled prince declared dead to the world by even his own nation."
"This isn't about House Nuvelle! This would be about you!" Constance exclaimed, angry.
Lelouch was intrigued, but he did not show it on his face. Constance caring about something other than the restoration of her house was a rarity.
"Everything about the young 11th prince prior to his exile and death was that he was a child genius, potential in magic rivaling even myself, you see," Constance said. "That kind of skill should be put under Zero's command. Sure, the Ashen Wolves have Yuri as our House Leader, but double the stats, half the problem, I always say. And if anyone would have a reason to see the world revolutionized, it would be a young, exiled prince that escaped death."
I have to give her credit for thinking that far into it, but she's clearly missing the obvious.
"I don't know what you want me to say then. I am not Lelouch vi Britannia," Lelouch told her. "No matter how much you want it to be so, he died seven years ago, per public record. I am Lelouch Eisner, a rich commoner born in Southern Britannia that was living in Japan before it fell under church rule. I have no connection to the Emperor and even less to the nobility. My father earned all of his money in the stock market, and my wealth comes from the inheritance my parents left behind."
"But…" Constance sounded disheartened.
Lelouch was clever enough to pick up on the problem. "You sound as if you want your truth to be reality. Why?"
Constance sighed deeply. "I…I want my friend back," Constance responded, dismayed. "When we met, I thought I had found a kindred spirit. An ego and drive to match my own. And…were my Lelouch still alive…he would understand what I have been through. I too…have lost everything."
"Constance…"
"I have no money, no home, even the name Nuvelle means nothing to people these days. I am…a fallen noble. All…all the more reason to stand where I once stood, to reclaim my rightful title as Countess!"
Lelouch could see a mental chessboard and, as with their game a couple days ago, he found a winning strategy to escape Constance, and her accusations. "Nobility is far from ideal," he said. "It is that very noble system which led to the fall of House Nuvelle and left you with nothing. Yet you would plunge yourself into that chaos once again? How simple-minded," he spat.
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. You have working ears. The glory of House Nuvelle was eaten alive by those around it that thought it better to see it vanish off the map."
"Th-that is not true! Duke Gerth has promised I can have my lands back once I have the resources to maintain them!" Constance exclaimed.
"And what a delightful cover story that is to a man likely laughing behind your back," Lelouch spat. Even if Duke Gerth was being genuine, acting contemptuous of the nobility was certain to piss Constance off and distance her from thinking he was just like her.
"That's a lie!" Constance shouted. She looked particularly pissed now. Thank the Goddess the window was merely uncovered, and not wide open to let cold air in. Her voice would have carried and surely woken up some of the students. "Duke Gerth would never! How can you say something you have no frame of reference for?"
"Then enlighten me. How can a woman that's lost everything put herself into that pain again, to be a puppet on the stage of a political theater, that her curtain call could come at any time. Last time it was your home, Constance von Nuvelle, next time, it could be your life," Lelouch told her.
The look on Constance's face said it all, Lelouch had struck to her core with that one. She stood there in abject silence before resuming her tirade of anger. "I…how dare you give me these doubts! My home and my luxuries are everything! How can you simply disparage them with mere words? If I am not Countess Constance von Nuvelle, then who am I? Hmm? Who am I?"
"Perhaps that's something you need to ask yourself before you go begging for money to restore your house to its rightful glory," Lelouch told her bitterly.
Constance slumped into Lelouch's desk chair, staring at her hands in her lap.
"You cling to your former status like a rope meant to pull you out of a bottomless pit. You claw for the life you had, instead of forging a path you could make with what you have. That's why people around you don't take you seriously. You congregate with the common folk, but you act as if they are all beneath you. You don't see us, Constance von Nuvelle. You don't even pretend to. The only thing your tunneled vision can see, is an empty plot of land suddenly having a mansion dropped onto it by a cargo plane."
Constance's eyes shook. She wanted to deny what Lelouch was saying, but she hadn't the means, nor the tact. An emotionally pained whimper escaped her lips.
Lelouch was floored when Constance lowered her head and, what stared back at him was none other than her other self, the one that only came out in the sunlight. "If I am not who I once was, then I am merely a cockroach not meant to exist," Constance stated. "I would be unworthy to even lick your boots, Lelouch Eisner."
Lelouch immediately became concerned. He'd never seen Constance's alternate personality come out when the sun wasn't shining. The only explanation was that he had pushed Constance too far mentally, and this was her escape.
He then realized something crucial about Constance. Now it all makes sense. It was dawn when she saw that devastation to her land, her home. She couldn't comprehend that the world would want to hurt her as badly as it did. In the same way, I made her confront a truth she wasn't able to comprehend. Yet another victim of nobility's brutality.
"Keep following Zero, Constance," Lelouch told her. "He has all the answers you're looking for. Not I."
Lelouch felt relieved when Constance reverted to her normal self. It appeared reminding her of the hope Zero instilled in her brought her back to her senses.
"You believe in Zero too, Lelouch?" Constance asked.
"I do," Lelouch said.
"Then…you should attend his lectures once in a while," Constance stated. "Your skill at chess speaks for itself. Even if you are not the former prince, your intellect would still be greatly appreciated amidst the Ashen Wolves. Why do you not simply—"
"My priority is to my little sister, to make her happy," Lelouch explained. "I cannot be apart from her for too long. But, in my own way, I am supporting Zero." By being him. "One day, Constance, I believe that the world will make sense to you. But…today is not that day."
"It would appear so," Constance agreed.
Lelouch then opened a drawer and took out his check book. He scribbled something on a check and then handed it to Constance. "Here," he said.
Constance gasped. The amount written on the check was insane for someone who claimed to be living off his parents' inheritance. "Lelouch…I…"
Lelouch clicked the pen and put it in his shirt pocket. "Decide what you want to do with it. Only you know the future you want." Lelouch turned to face her, speaking not with a smile, but with a stern expression, "Make it a reality."
Constance, touched, grabbed the check, and smiled. "Yes…" she said, tears suddenly coming down her face. "I will."
Lelouch let go of the check. "Constance, I can't replace the prince you lost. I can't ride on a white horse and sweep you off your feet into the sunset. But, every ending comes with a new beginning, the way life and death are part of the same cycle. Lelouch vi Britannia is gone, but I, Lelouch Eisner, I can see the merit in Constance von Nuvelle, even as broke as she is."
Constance blushed. She wiped her eyes of tears. She then laughed a little. "I can see why so many women desire you, you are quite kind."
Lelouch smiled tiredly. "No. I just…the check was just…" he tried to make an excuse, but words suddenly failed him.
"Ahaha, fear not, for I shall not demand your hand in marriage." Constance triumphantly rose to her feet. "For I, Constance von Nuvelle, shall prove myself so superior to all women in your life that you will feel compelled to propose to me."
Lelouch laughed. "I'd like to see you pull that off," he teased.
"Then tis a challenge I shall meet!" Constance declared. "I bid thee a goodnight and safe week of study. May the Goddess watch over you." She made for the door.
"You as well," Lelouch said, flicking off the light.
He heard her go and then watched her pass under his window and across Garreg Mach's grounds.
He smiled. One day, I hope to be able to tell you the truth. And when that time comes, I hope you will understand. He gazed up at the moon. The paths we forge for ourselves are never easy, but I want to be there to help those to misfortunate to help themselves. And even then, as head of the Ashen Wolves, Constance is a soldier under my command. I will protect my pack. No matter what.
Lelouch then drew the curtain, finished changing into his night clothes and tumbled into bed. Tomorrow would be another day. With this new scandal erupted, he knew Zero would soon be busy. And he'd dance onto that battlefield with all the splendor and theatrics he deemed appropriate. And he'd do it with Constance, Yuri, Kronya, Hapi, and the other Ashen Wolves firmly at his side.
(A/N: Man, that was a lot to go through, wasn't it? Pretty heavy chapter too. Yeesh. Next time, a scandal erupts and a love to hate minor antagonist makes his first appearance XD. I dare not say more.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support of my work, especially ShawnH, my one and currently only Patron. Please feel free to join if you feel so inclined. I'm currently unemployed after all. And, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)