Chapter 16: Capitalism, ho!

A spirit's physical form was not limited. While every spirit had a 'true form' which could be anything from a human to a monstrous being, they could, if they chose to, look like whatever they wanted. Of course, certain beings had a bias towards certain forms. Puck, for example, was most likely catlike in his true form as well, which is why he took his form.

Not being bound by a physical form meant that they could increase their size without a second thought. The problem was that keeping their physical forms intact meant a supply of internal mana being pledged to them. This didn't mean much when one had become a spirit mage, after all, magic could be pulled from the atmosphere now, which allowed Lelouch to increase his own strength slightly. Unfortunately, measuring mana from the atmosphere was hard. After his arm almost blew off earlier, Lelouch had begun using his magic in small doses, trying to get used to the metaphorical third arm that cast his magic now.

Lelouch grunted when he finished filling up the bookshelf with various books. The painted wooden shelf had clearly seen better days, but buying a new one at the craftsman would've cost him at least five times as much, and Lelouch wasn't going to throw out money out of the window. While Lelouch had the money to furnish his new home and more to spare, there were more important things to buy, such as importing books, which quite often cost more than furniture.

He would never be content with an urchin den such as the old man Rom's, but what was more important than a new bookshelf or a bed out of marble was the appearance of someone people would respect. Someone who had money and the respect of their peers. Someone who had the support of his allies.

"You could help me," Lelouch said. The response was a low grumble. Staring at the form on his new bed, Lelouch felt himself grow annoyed. Lying on his bed, Flügel was sleeping with his eyes closed. It was a peculiar sight considering that birds didn't have eyelids. Then again, a cat shouldn't be able to imitate human expressions as well as Puck did. Lelouch simply chalked that up to the forms of spirits being weird.

It took a while for him to wake up after the debacle with Betelgeuse. By the time he was awake again, they had been on their way to the capital, and Lelouch departed immediately, promising to meet them as soon as he found himself a place to stay. He still hadn't done so before leaving towards Mathers' domain, though the actual hunting for a home was rather anticlimactic. His name was recognized. People helped him find a place easily.

And among the silence, Lelouch called out. Feeding the spirit his mana, it materialized. A white-feathered raven. A crude one at that. Flügel's form was appropriate to his name.

Rather than be a small bird, however, Flügel decided to keep his form big. Big enough to lie on his back, his beak half open and snoring while Lelouch was decorating his previously spartan home into something more appropriate. Flügel has not been very talkative, however.

Kneeling in front of his new bed, Lelouch clasped his hands together and focused mana from his gate into the atmosphere. Speaking in a soft voice, he called out. "In accordance to our pledge, I urge you to wake up, Great Spirit."

The wing that slapped his face irritated Lelouch even more. Rather than play the games of the whimsical spirit further, he instead pulled the mana from the spirit back into his body. The form flickered before it turned into a wing-shaped hairpin. It attached to his hair. Lelouch couldn't take it off.

At night, the forms of spirits broke down anyway. The net mana that they took to stay in form was generally a percentage of power, no matter how big the reserves. Feeding the spirit mana again, the hairpin vanished and Flügel sat on the bed in his human form, a young boy with an oversized hat.

"I've not slept in a physical form in over four-hundred years," Flügel said, sounding annoyed. "And you had to ruin it."

"We need to talk," Lelouch said.

"Is this the point where you say 'it's not you, it's me'?" Flügel asked. Lelouch clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Okay, okay, I wanted to talk to you too."

"You've not been very open in your advice, a few cryptic mental messages don't help me."

"You're too tense," Flügel countered. "You need to stop seeing everything that could go wrong and focus on the things that could go right."

"It's very hard doing that considering how the witch keeps killing me if I think things are going well," Lelouch said. Flügel blinked.

"Run that by me again?" Flügel demanded. "Kill you? How are you still alive then?"

"How do you not know?" Lelouch countered, putting an arm over his hip. "Whenever I die, she returns me back to some point-"

Lelouch put his fingers over his mouth, and upon noticing that no hands were coming to kill him, he licked his lips before continuing.

"I can talk with you about it without dying," Lelouch said. "It seems an improvement. Maybe due to the contract?"

"Could you go back for a bit to the part where she kills you?" Flügel asked. "Then how are you still alive?"

"She returns me to some sort of point she decides," Lelouch said. "I've died very often in the past few weeks. Whenever I die, I keep my memories. It's some sort of curse that makes me unable to talk about it too. It's not just her that kills me, of course. Sometimes I died due to other circumstances. The one she was involved in was… more memorable, however."

"It makes sense," Flügel muttered. "Every calculation, every spell created specifically to kill Satella…"

The Sage jumped off the bed, pacing around the room, his hands holding the oversized hat, pulling it slightly down over his eyes.

"Whenever we tried to kill her, she kept dodging, blocking us," Flügel said, sounding incredibly distant as he mentioned killing his spouse. "There was something we were missing. It's this, isn't it? You die, you come back, you remember. So whenever we killed her... "

Flügel's fists clenched, the parts of the hat he grabbed crinkling.

"Die!" Flügel ordered. "The contract might've changed something about it, we need to check if I can keep my memories as well-"

"I'm not going to die for no reason;" Lelouch said. "If anything changed, it would be a reason not to go around killing myself."

Flügel actually pouted at his refusal to die at his command. Too bad Flügel didn't have a Geass.

"It's very conditional, to the point where I can't predict whatever triggers it," Lelouch explained. "If I help someone, I end up dying. If I help them in another way, I still die, but at a different time. If I don't save a person, Satella stirs. When her mana entered my body, I destroyed it, and she killed me, but her mana-"

"Her mana makes people who can use magic aware that you have a connection to the witch, yes," Flügel said. "It's… not a pretty smell. She only began smelling like this after she killed our friends."

"The other witches?" Lelouch assumed. Flügel nodded.

"They've helped. It took years from the first contact with the Witch Genes before she actually snapped."

"Witch Genes?" Lelouch asked. "As in, genes which hold the Witch memories and powers?"

"Kind of, those were more specific, though. They don't hold a memory, but a state," Flügel said. "The Witch powers are as ancient as that old dragon I knew back in the day. I never managed to study them considering everything that happened, but the Witch genes need you to be compatible."

"And Satella wasn't?"

"She wasn't. That's not to say that the others didn't occasionally mess up too. Daphne made a bunch of mabeasts. We got rid of them, but Satella taking her authority just brought them back worse."

"Why would she-"

"World hunger," Flügel interrupted quickly. Lelouch blinked a few times at the obviously reflexive answer before shaking his head.

"I've got a feeling that this world was doomed before Satella snapped," Lelouch said. Flügel nodded.

"Perhaps so." The young-looking spirit was still pacing around the room, but his hands had now found his sides instead of his hat, leaving him pacing with big strides. "But these were all problems that had easy solutions. Those solutions don't exist anymore."

Lelouch sat down on his bed, rubbing his forehead. "So there's nothing you can tell me about this curse?"

"If it's not a curse, but the authority of Envy, I don't think you can do much besides finding a way to force it on someone else. Besides that… I think I can help you move around conditions in which she kills you. I know her better than anyone."

"The fact that you're trying to help me with your insane wife that you've failed to kill makes me rather wary," Lelouch admitted. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I loved Satella," Flügel said smoothly, his hand over his chest. It felt rather weird hearing it from someone that took the form of someone so young, yet Lelouch could easily hear the emotion in his words. "I loved her so much, I'd have ended the world for her. But that monster that looks like her, it's not Satella. It's the Witch of Envy."

Lelouch didn't have to ask what kind of difference there was. "The magic you created was for her convenience, right? A spell that brought you to her, one that let you communicate?"

Flügel nodded again, smiling softly. "She's been… lonely. Even before she got into the contact with the genes, she was the kind of person that became attached quickly. I… I can barely remember those times, though. It feels like there's a hole, and all that remains is her smiling face. That girl, Emilia, she looks like her."

"You know about Emilia?" Lelouch asked. Considering the spirit's unawareness of the curse, he hadn't expected Flügel to be aware of the outside.

"I admit, my heart was unfaithful, beating at her appearance and her soft smile," Flügel said, his hand clenching over his chest. "Yet I could never betray the woman I love even four-hundred years after her passing…"

"Was it your emotions bleeding through?" Lelouch asked. "The reason I feel myself attracted to various women?"

While the effect about Pandora and Elsa had passed quickly, the one on Emilia was still remaining. Lelouch could keep the feeling at bay.

"It might be?" Flügel admitted. "I'm not sure just how much my presence affected you, I've been attached to you until you were ready to meet me. It's been a few years."

Lelouch frowned. Years? As if reading his thoughts, and he might very well have done considering his presence as a contracted spirit, Flügel raised his arms and waved them in front of Lelouch.

"I was sleeping until you arrived here! The only things I know is that you were born one day back when I was still looking for someone to inherit my ideals."

"You don't remember a lot of things," Lelouch said. "Nor are you very forthcoming on the information you do remember. If you're trying to work with me, I'd need you to be more open."

"A bit of mystery never hurt, did it?" Flügel winked at him. Lelouch very much disagreed. A bit of mystery killed him quite often by now. "I can teach you some tricks on how to improve with your magic, though!"

"Tricks?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that tricks would make it that easy, unless you've found a way to cast magic that nobody else did."

Lelouch wasn't sure if the magical circles counted. There was ritualistic magic that was similar, which didn't make Flügel's brand of magic that unique.

"It is when you have fun doing it," Flügel said. The child stood next to him, spreading his arms and then flopping back down on the bed. Lying on his back now, Flügel yawned. "I studied magic for years and I found something to be fun every day. You're super tense. Too rigid."

"I've just recently gone toe to toe with a madman," Lelouch said. He wasn't shaken up by this experience alone, no. The fact that he had to fear for his life so often, even with an ability like that, made Lelouch suspicious of everything. Every conversation he held, every person he met. Everyone could be responsible for his next death.

The scar on his arm from where the insane Archbishop had bitten off a piece of him would remain, however. That wasn't something he could fix easily.

"What happened to your genes anyway?" Lelouch asked. Flügel drew his lips into a line and looked out of the window.

"Might have looked for someone else, that's what I'd have done as spirit if you had inherited them," Flügel said. "Only one I can think might be rather pissed when they arrive. You'll meet her eventually."

"Your apprentice," Lelouch was sure of it. "The one most people think was the Sage?"

"After the seal was in place, I didn't have much interest in sticking around," he explained. "There's… a lesson about that, you could say. Magic is stronger if you have a certain intent that aligns with the kind of spell."

"Wanting to burn something with a fireball, wanting to cut something when creating a sword?"

Flügel nodded. "But before that, magic is easier if it has a purpose. My purpose, my entire life long, was to make Satella happy. So with that purpose, I created spells that let me do that. When my purpose was to fix the mistakes I made when the Witch of Envy broke out, I created spells that could kill her. What's your purpose, Lelouch? Your goal?"

Lelouch only had one answer at this point.

"To annihilate the witch cult," he freely admitted. "And crush them to the point that even history books won't mention the specks of dust they'd become under my feet."

"If that purpose fuels you, you're wasting your time learning magic like a child learning the alphabet. You don't learn the A before the Z here. Wait, hold on."

Flügel sat up.

"That's why you had the diary open further every time!" Flügel pointed an accusing finger at Lelouch. "You kept dying and remembering the pages!"

"If the diary was less fickle with its decisions," Lelouch told him. "I'd die less and you'd know more about the headaches I had dealing with the Archbishop."

"Yeah, he kinda went off the deep end," Flügel agreed. "Used to help us out back in the day, then he got a gospel after the sealing went off. I blame that bitch."

"Bitch?" Lelouch asked.

"Pandora."

"Ah."

The woman who had started his vendetta against the witch cult was still kind of an enigma. She was a Witch, but not one of the seven that made up the Witch of Envy at the height of her power. If someone that powerful wanted to revive Satella for whatever reason, it would be hard to stop her. Lelouch had to.

Someone knocked on the door, and Lelouch turned to it. Grabbing Felt's gift from the wall and approaching it, Lelouch heard the form of Flügel behind him shift. "Who is this?"

"Sir Golden, I'm a messenger from the castle, sir!" a young voice called out. Keeping the sword still in hand, he opened the door slightly and stared at the child in a butler outfit. Instead of lowering his voice, the boy who whose eyes were closed began shouting again. "I am here to invite you to the castle for a meeting with the Sage council and the Royal Knight representative! Russell Fellows asked for your presence!"

"Quiet, boy," Lelouch chided. Half the people were looking out of their windows and witnessing the rather shameful display. "Are you taking me there now or is the meeting scheduled due another time?"

The boy opened his eyes, and Lelouch found himself scowling at the amber eyed youth.

"The meeting is in an hour. It shouldn't take longer than five minutes there in a carriage."

"I'll take my own ride," Lelouch decided. Staring at the small raven that had begun to sleep on his pillow again, he planned his approach. He wanted to make a scene. Something people paid attention to. Crusch Karsten would probably hate him, but he had no interest in taking the place of the Sage. "Thank you for your service, messenger. Please try to keep your voice down the next time."

"Yes, sir!" the boy shouted. Lelouch breathed out strongly through his nose when the boy ran off to the carriage in front of his home and jumped into the driver's seat, taking off. Spinning around on his heel and throwing the sword aside, Lelouch grinned at Flügel.

"We're making a trip," Lelouch said. "You'll carry me."

"Do I have to?"

"It'll be beneficial to achieving my goal."

Flügel began humming slightly, though it sounded rather rough from the throat of a raven. Righting himself up, he turned to Lelouch. "Hmmm, we can't keep calling me Flügel in this form, can we?"

"No, we definitely can't," Lelouch agreed. "Do you have any preference?"

Flügel floated into the air without even flapping his wings. It was a comical display. A second later he spread one wing far out and the other on his chest. "I will be known as Alchiba! Great Yang Spirit Alchiba!"

Alchiba. Alpha Corvi.

While the constellations were not the same in this world, many names related to stars, Lelouch noticed early. Flügel was from another world, and if he had studied the constellations, he would know the names and the images they were supposed to portray.

"We will go with Alchiba," Lelouch said. "Don't embarrass us."

"Bah." Flügel shook his head. "I've always hated those self-important pricks who pretended to be relevant. I made the Sage council for the purpose of helping the common people, and now they behave like they're nobles themselves!"

"You made them?"

"Ever had that awkward moment when you realized you made a huge mistake and it's way too late to fix it?" Flügel asked. Lelouch nodded. "They're mine."

Esteemed council that has existed since the first days the royal family ascended the throne. The mistake of a man who was too busy chasing after the love of his life rather than take care they don't end up corrupt, or worse, incompetent.

"Don't say anything that'd make them suspicious then," Lelouch warned. Flügel gave him a look that made Lelouch sure he would regret letting the spirit carry him to the castle.

###

It has been a rather quiet day for the castle guards, just like the last few days. Just like the last few weeks. The last time that the guards actually had something to do was when Reinhard stormed the gates with a limp young man and a princess in tow, and even then the Royal knights took care of everything.

Life was slow.

At least until a shadow was cast over them and they looked up to see a white robed man sitting on a white-feathered raven that was at least twice his size, flying through the sky. Something about the wing flapping looked off, but besides that, it was a rather impressive display.

When the bird stopped right above the guards and fell. Slamming into ground in front of them and kicking up dirt, the rather unsophisticated landing left the gate guards speechless.

"In accordance to the prophecy, I've arrived," Flügel declared. Lelouch jumped off the raven's back and dusted himself off slightly before turning to the guards.

"Don't pay him any attention," Lelouch said, making a note to find a way to make Flügel uncomfortable without outright hurting him. "I've come for the meeting that was scheduled today, my name is Lelouch Lamperouge."

The left guard nodded, taking a step aside to let Lelouch pass. Flügel turned small and settled on his shoulder when the gates opened and Lelouch stepped in.

Right at the gates, a maid came up to him and bowed. She had gray hair, and the wrinkles on her face showed her age. The confident stride she took while walking made Lelouch assume that she had been here for a while already, compared to some of the younger servants who were constantly nervous around the presence of the armed nobles. "Please follow me, sir."

The increased presence of Royal Guard members was the only thing that had changed since the last time he was here. Lelouch was led towards a relatively small room.

The servant that was his guide towards the meeting opened the door after knocking on it and poked her head in. A second later, she opened the door fully and announced his name. "Lelouch Lamperouge."

"And Alchiba," Flügel said from his shoulder. The people turned to the bird. A man with light purple hair that went down to his chin was staring rather intensely. He was standing behind a man with green hair who was dressed in a more traditional armor.

Lelouch stepped in with a confident stride.

"Ah, that must be the spirit that brought you here," an old man with a long beard said. If Lelouch recalled his name correctly, this was Miklotov, the representative of the Sage council. "The messenger was rather quick to announce your arrival."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, I've had some things to handle before arriving here so I had to hurry," Lelouch said, bowing. The green haired man was wearing a constant frown, though Lelouch could see it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"It is alright," Miklotov said, the old man sounding more eager as he accepted Lelouch's apology. "I am Miklotov McMahon, the leader of the Sage council. Sitting to my left is Marcos Gildark, the captain of the Royal Guard, and behind him the Knight Julius. You are already an acquaintance Sir Fellow, I believe."

"I am," Lelouch said, sitting down in the fourth seat that was around the circular table. "I believe the last time I've put on a rather shameful display. Thank you for helping me back to the capital in my indisposed state, Sir Fellow."

"It's still Russell," Russell said, grinning. "It's not every day one kills an Archbishop, there's nothing shameful about exhausting oneself."

Marcos coughed. "I believe that's not why we're here. I would like to thank you personally for your deeds after this meeting, but right now we're speaking about something just as important to the safety of our kingdom."

"I believe we're still waiting for someone who has requested entry to the proceedings," Miklotov interrupted. Julius nodded at that. "Pardon my rambling, but I believe that we have some time to speak about other things than business."

Marcos didn't look too happy about it, but nodded nonetheless. The Sage council had the command of the Royal Guard as long as there was no royal family, but even if they hadn't, Lelouch doubted Marcos would've simply disrespected the old man with a demand to continue the negotiations.

Not that these were supposed to be negotiations. Lelouch was offering a lot more than he would receive back. It was for the purpose of helping himself further along.

"If I may ask," Julius began. "That's quite the presence on your shoulder there."

"Ohh, that's one interesting blessing you have there," Flügel said. The people turned their attention to the raven again. "Makes it hard to dislike you, I think we could get along pretty well."

Julius bowed, smiling softly. "It's an honor to meet a great spirit such as you, Alchiba. I've not heard that the Sir Lamperouge had found himself with a contract to someone such as you."

"It's a rather recent development," Lelouch said. "After the Archbishop's death, the spirit approached me for a contract. It's been rather enlightening."

"At least someone knows how to pay me some respect," Flügel muttered rather loudly. "I should contract you instead."

"I'm afraid that it won't be possible, I have an arrangement already and would risk it," Julius said. "Thank you for the offer."

"Can't even take a joke," Flügel muttered again. "Call me when you need me, I'm not one for meetings."

The form flashed and vanished. Lelouch felt the wing-shaped hairpin end up in his hair. He fought against the frown that was creeping up on his face and won by a small margin.

The door opened again and upon a nod from the Sage representative, a voice rang out.

"Anastasia Hoshin," the maid from before called. A fifth chair was brought to the table and Lelouch moved aside to let the young woman with hair similar to the shade of Julius' sit down between Russell and himself. Julius moved away from the spot behind his captain and instead settled behind Anastasia.

Lelouch stared at the woman who looked way too overdressed for the weather in Lugnica. Her pelt-lined clothes gave her the presence of someone who had money. A lot of money. Her face was shapely and smooth. Maybe not quite as beautiful as Emilia or Priscilla Barielle, but 'adorable'.

"Well, well," she began. "Ain't you a handsome one."

She had an accent that made her innocent presence crumble to dust. Lelouch simply smiled at her.

"I hadn't expected a candidate to join the proceedings," Lelouch said. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Hoshin."

"Same," she said. She reminded him of Felt. And from what he heard, she came from similar circumstances and worked herself up the ladder of her company until she took it over. Someone like that was not easily intimidated, nor easily impressed. They wouldn't be convinced as easily as Felt was when he suggested helping the poor people by becoming queen. "To make it fair, I asked the others if they wanted to join in too, they refused. I believe the half-elf knows about the plan already."

Priscilla wouldn't care much, and Crusch Karsten was likely in on the idea of receiving the spell for the kingdom knights. Emilia knew already and Felt was not interested.

Of course only the trading company mogul would appear.

"While I don't want to start off the wrong impression, I believe that I've made my intention clear," Lelouch said, glancing towards Russell. "There's danger in the spell spreading too much. The knights of Lugnica, and no one else. How sure can we be that you won't teach the spell in Kararagi?"

The question wasn't asked in a way that'd sound like an accusation. It didn't matter. Julius narrowed his eyes, and even Russell looked slightly uncomfortable. Merely Marcos nodded, as if appreciative that Lelouch had asked the question before he had to.

"No worries about that," she said, her face neutral. "I'm here to make you an offer that'd be hard to refuse~"

Her playful tone made him shiver. Something was off about her.

"And that would be?"

"Perhaps we could discuss the terms for Lugnica first," Marcos interrupted. Miklotov didn't stop him this time, and Russell spoke up immediately.

"Lelouch has offered a spell created by the Sage Flügel which would replace the more fragile metias," Russell said. "I've briefed you on that already, the conditions were simple. To make sure that the spell does not move into the hands of cultists or criminals, only the Royal Guard would receive the spell, while the metia would go into the hands of individuals in the populace to call for aid from the knights quicker. This spell would allow us to organize better, and help our efforts against the witch cult and common crime in the capital, which is the responsibility of the royal family."

"The royal family, however, passed away," Miklotov said, his voice heavy. "Which is why this decision now lies with the Sage council and Captain Marcos."

"The terms are more than generous," Anastasia said, raising her nose slightly as she closed her eyes. "Which is strange considering you're a foreigner."

"You'd accuse me of manipulating the spell into something that benefits me," Lelouch deduced. She glanced at him through half-lidded eyes. He smiled at her. "I don't mind presenting the spell applied on myself and giving the Sage council the formula to take care of the rest."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Anastasia admitted. Lelouch wasn't sure just how truthful she was being. "But both of us are not members of this kingdom, yet people know where I come from. If that spell appeared in the hands of Kararagi, they'd accuse me, even if you decided to teach it to people there."

"You think his gain lies in smearing you?" Marcos asked. The man sounded doubtful of her assumption. "Everything we've learned about him has not given me the impression of such a person."

"How so?" Julius asked. "We know nearly nothing about him."

"He left the sanctuary that was the Sword Saint's mansion and fought an assassin to the death," Marcos said. "Then killed an Archbishop in Mathers' domain. Lady Karsten met with him, and he announced neutrality to each candidate."

"He did?" Anastasia asked. Her fingers were tapping on the table, creating a soft staccato. Crusch Karsten didn't inform her.

She informed Emilia by proxy when she sent Russell to Mathers. She probably informed her cousin Priscilla, and Felt was present when he left the mansion, knowing his reasons, though not happy with them.

Then why not Anastasia?

Was it because she was a foreigner? Emilia's origins were unknown as well, as far as he knew. Was it because she was worried what Anastasia would do with such information? The young woman was competent, without a doubt, but what could neutrality do for her?

"Then perhaps I have to re-evaluate my offer," Anastasia said. "I take back my concerns. Instead, until the queen has been crowned, I shall not learn the spell. As a foreigner, I'll hold back from that."

It put her at a disadvantage. The Sage council wouldn't hesitate to give such an essential spell to the other candidates. But…

"Julius will receive it, and he's your knight, correct?" Lelouch asked. She nodded. Looking up to the knight who was still not looking too happy with Lelouch's earlier accusation, he spoke up again. "It is because I am a foreigner that I have to ask this question, and I apologize if it comes off as insulting, but who is the Royal Knight Julius loyal to?"

"What do you mean?" Julius asked. Marcos closed his eyes, lowering his head and waiting for his answer.

"Is it the royal family, the kingdom of Lugnica and the other knights?" Lelouch asked. "Or is it Anastasia Hoshin, candidate to the throne, owner of the Hoshin Trading Company whose home is Kararagi?"

Julius, surprisingly, did not get angry. If anything, the expression on his face made it obvious that he was more annoyed with Lelouch's presence than anything.

"I don't see a difference." Julius took the third option. "After all, the next queen of Lugnica will be Lady Hoshin, so I've sworn it upon my blade and honor as a knight."

"Then if Lady Hoshin ordered you to teach the spell to one of her countrymen and keep silent about it, would you do it?" Lelouch asked.

"No," Anastasia said. "He won't."

"Lady Anastasia!" Julius said, his voice rising.

"A hard face doesn't suit you, Julius," she said, shaking her head. "His loyalties lie, first and foremost with the Royal family. I would not dare to threaten the possibility of my throne ascension with such a triviality. Julius Juukulius will not, under any circumstances, refuse the demand of the Sage council to keep the spell in the hands of Lugnica's knights only."

It was symbolic, because she could very well order him to do that under his oath as a knight to her. The point was made, however, and Lelouch nodded.

"I accept these terms," Lelouch said smoothly. "Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, Lady Hoshin."

"Under terms of neutrality, I'd like to invite you to Kararagi one day," Anastasia decided. Lelouch nodded - when meeting under her terms, she'd let her guard down. "If it is all the same to you, I'll excuse myself for now. Though our meeting has been short, it's was an honor to be here."

She gave a dignified bow and left the room with Julius. Marcos opened his eyes when he heard the door close behind her.

"If you're done with the politics," the captain said. "Then perhaps we could go back to the actual issue at hand. I can't accept the conditions as they are."

"Why that?" Miklotov asked. Lelouch turned to the armored man who kept an unreadable expression.

"It would simply leave us indebted. I cannot accept this. Under these circumstances, I have to offer something."

"I'd not dare refuse an offer that would let me help the people with this spell," Lelouch said quickly. The man shook his head.

"I know not where your loyalties lie, but Reinhard speaks of you as a friend, and if there's anyone who's a good judge of character, it's him," Marcos said. "As a friend of Reinhard, and someone who seems to hold the people of Lugnica in high regard, under the circumstances that revolved around the Sin Archbishop Betelgeuse Romani-Conti; I wish to invite you to join the Royal Guard. Though you're not a knight, I'm sure we can make one out of you."

Russell began coughing, and even the Sage Miklotov looked surprised by the suggestion. Even Lelouch hadn't exactly expected it. To his knowledge, the Royal Guard was handpicked by the captain, among the strongest knights in the kingdom. In fact, he didn't hear about any of them not being somehow related to a noble family of some kind.

It was a serious gesture. Symbolic in that refusing it would mean he refused to swear loyalty to the Royal family. A man as competent enough to take over the duty of captain of such a force would never be unaware in what a spot he would put someone by extending such an offer.

"I cannot," Lelouch said. Russell breathed out the word 'gods', shaking his head ever so slightly, but Marcos didn't look surprised or put off in the slightest.

"Might I inquire why, Sir Lamperouge?"

"I don't know who will ascend the throne," Lelouch said. "I don't know all of the candidates personally. Let me rephrase my answer."

Coughing slightly as all the attention turned to him, Lelouch gave his most charming smile and spread his fingers on his chest, bowing slightly.

"I will accept your gracious offer perhaps in the future, but not at this point in time," Lelouch corrected himself. "There's something that I couldn't do if I was training to become a knight, nor would I disrespect you by not giving you all I have while in such a training."

"Very well. Perhaps," Marcos said, stressing the word as he nodded. "In the future then. I have no other objections."

"The conditions were accepted, it's not much of a negotiation, but it is what it is," Russell said, clapping his hands together. "Thank you for your service to the kingdom, Lelouch."

"It's my pleasure," Lelouch said. "Though I'm afraid I might have made a bad impression in front of Lady Hoshin."

"The people from Kararagi are a bit different, but she means well," Russell said. "Nobody but her has a plan B in case they don't win - she's been nothing but supportive of tax-free trading between the kingdoms as long as we can secure the roads."

"Sir Lamperouge," Marcos stopped Russell's gushing. The man stood up, showing off his height. "Would you be ready to speak with me for a moment? It shouldn't take too long. You can teach the Sage how to use the spell afterwards."

"Lead the way," Lelouch said, following the man out of the room. They were walking through a long hallway.

"Reinhard trusts you," Marcos repeated. "And his mistress seems to do the same. While I trust his judgement, there's something about you which makes me wonder just what your origins are."

"That would be?"

"You smell worse than any Archbishop I've ever faced," Marcos said. "I've my own theories about you. Your origins. Indulge me for a moment."

"As you wish," Lelouch said. "I'll not shy away from admitting that there's a reason I don't like to speak about my past. If the line of questioning goes into a direction I don't feel comfortable with, do excuse if I refuse to answer."

Marcos nodded, unabashed and unyielding.

"You seem genuine when you say that you want to help people. Crusch Karsten did not describe you as a liar, but rather someone who goes certain lengths to hide the truth," Marcos said. "Because in your past, you've done things you regret. You don't wish those things to taint your future."

Lelouch grinned slightly. "You sound like you speak from experience."

"Chivalry is dead," Marcos said. "And men often seek redemption among death. There is no task as hard as that of a knight. Everyone has their demons, even someone like Reinhard. Some are simply more vile, more haunting, than others."

Lelouch didn't mind that the captain had such an image of him. There was something flattering about it.

"And sometimes, those demons can only vanish if one fixes their mistakes with their own hands rather than make up for them with good deeds," Marcos said. "Even if it meant killing those one called allies."

The off-handed way the man said it made Lelouch almost stumble. He stopped in his tracks, and the man did as well, turning around to face Lelouch directly. The former emperor's mind kept moving at a rapid pace, parsing the sentence again and again.

"You believe I had ties to the Witch Cult," Lelouch accused him. "And that I'm trying to redeem myself by killing them?"

Marcos nodded.

Unabashed and unyielding.

"And if it were so?" Lelouch asked. "Hypothetically speaking, I was someone like that. A person who had committed atrocities that would have seen him sent to the gallows a hundred times over. What would you do to someone like that?"

How would someone like him, captain of the Royal Guard, knight of an incredibly powerful kingdom, judge the demon emperor?

"Nothing," Marcos said. "If you were, hypothetically speaking, a former member of the cult, and are now working against them, I'd do nobody a favor by judging you for a crime when I have no evidence of your wrongdoing."

The man sounded almost empathetic, and his stony facade was cracked - revealing but a splinter of sympathy.

"What I was or wasn't," Lelouch said, shaking his head. Even if it was pure conjecture, the man thought he had him all figured out. No, he did have him figured out pretty well. "It doesn't matter now. If you wish to believe that, then do so, but please don't inform others of your suspicions, I'd rather not depend on people acting like you."

"My lips are sealed," Marcos said. Lelouch could've sworn that he saw a small grin on the man's lips. Of course, it might just have been the light. The captain, now certain he knew all about Lelouch, would let his guard down. "And if you ever need help facing your demons, call for me. There are those that they took away, the people who would rest more easily knowing they've been avenged."

"Thank you."

Lelouch felt genuine gratitude. It was not redemption he was seeking, it was the safety of his world.

In a way, that was Lelouch's redemption. To keep the world he destroyed and created anew safe, he needed to kill Pandora.

Flügel's voice hummed approvingly in his mind.