บท 3: Chapter 3: In Spite of Death
Lelouch bid farewell to Kadomon, holding his stomach as he made his way towards the red building. He would not be cowed by fear, he would not bow down in defeat.
The disgusting aftertaste of blood and vomit burned in his nose, and he could still feel the strange pull towards the woman who had murdered him twice by this point. Something about her was unnatural, that much was clear, but the fact that he was drawn towards her was concerning in a way that he couldn't stand. Weakness on the battlefield because he didn't work out? He could accept that, he never had the brawns that Suzaku had. But when someone messed with his mind, the kid's gloves had to come off.
He knew that he had no chance to fight alone, and as strong as Lia and Puck had been, even they had been unable to hit Felt. If they were still holding back there, that was nice, but he couldn't rely on that.
Technically, he could, but if he brought Lia to the monster and told her as much as he knew, he would probably end up cut open once again. If he, however, sent her alone, and she died together with Felt, his entire plan would have been for nothing.
Grimacing, Lelouch pushed the door open, and found himself standing in the middle of a rather pompous shop, jewelry behind thick glass staring back at him from where it was lying or hanging off the wall.
He caught a man with a strange outfit staring at him, the pointy hat he wore just screamed 'mage' to Lelouch, but the disgusted look he threw towards him, and the way he quickly left the shop made Lelouch pause. Again. It was the same twisted look of disgust that the woman had given him before schooling her features. What had changed between now and then?
The pain in his stomach vanished, as did the taste in his mouth and nose. When he stepped forward, towards a short man in a more conventionally modern suit, Lelouch gave the man a nod.
"Hello," Lelouch said, towering over the jeweler. "I was pointed towards this shop in case I wished to sell gems."
"Yer in the right place," the man said. He had a lisp and a glass eye. Lelouch did his best not to frown at the spit that flew towards his robes. The man was small enough that he wasn't spitting into his face, at least. His short gray hair was spiky and could probably stab out someone's eyes. "Whaddya wanna sell, sonny?"
Lelouch grabbed his hat and removed the gems. Fortunately, he arrived at the shop before Felt stole anything, so he didn't need to hide it. Handing the gems over to the man, he could see the small jeweler grin.
"Ah, what a craftsmanship," he said. Lelouch wished he had most of the gems that hung down from his robes still. Unfortunately, Suzaku's rather impressive stab has left him tumbling down stairs and left him without the gems as the chains broke from the fall. While his outfit was repaired and all the blood was gone, he was left with only the two gems on his hat. "Emerald, quite large, hmmm…"
"Quite," Lelouch agreed. "They were made for me, but I have no need for them and could use some local money."
"You're not from around here?" the man asked. "The currency of the Dragon Kingdom is recognized far, the coins have the worth of the metal they are made of."
Lelouch didn't miss a beat. "I come from an artisan village, we traded in goods and not in coin."
"I see, hmmm," the man stared at the gems, humming as he turned them and stared at them in the light. "Non-magical, pure emerald. That's impressive. I will give you 2 sacred gold for both of them."
Lelouch didn't know the exact value of gold here, but assuming it was around the same in his world, 4 gold coins could take him far, if he gambled for more. Unfortunately, he simply didn't have the time for that, he had to reach the ghetto before the sun went down.
"That's quite the generous offer," Lelouch said. "I can't help but accept."
He had neither the time, nor the money to learn magic and practice it.
The old man grinned widely. "Please come again if ya wanna sell something else. Ziad's jewelry is open day and night."
"Of course," Lelouch as the elderly man pushed two coins over. They looked white, rather than gold, and a dragon was engraved on them. The man pushed the gems into a drawer and locked it up. "Goodbye, sir."
"Have a nice day."
Lelouch left the jeweler, the two white coins in his pockets. Taking a glance to the left, Lelouch saw the middle aged noblewoman without her handbag. But she wasn't his goal this time around.
Right now, he had something more important to do. Something to learn. The information he had was useful, but didn't help him against the murderer. Trying to fight against her inhuman speed was naught but an effort in futility. So he has to level the ground a bit, find a way to drag her to his level rather than the other way around, and use Lia as backup.
"Excuse me," Lelouch said, walking towards a group of young men who were laughing as they walked down the street. "Could you point me towards a shop where I can buy books?"
One of them gave him a strange look, one eye half closed, his eyebrow moving towards his hairline. "You sure you're not looking for a mansion?"
"Pretty sure," Lelouch said. "I don't own a mansion, I'm afraid."
"Neither do we!" the man suddenly shouted, and the others behind him started to laugh. "You should come drinking with us."
The corners of Lelouch's lips twitched downwards. He had no time for this.
"Might I join you after my visit to the bookstore, then?" Lelouch asked. The man thought, before shrugging and nodding.
"I think I saw one back there," one of them said, pointing towards a side street. "It says 'Isabella's' at the top, you can't miss it."
"Thank you," Lelouch said, smiling. When the men went on their way, he moved forward, into the side street. Looking for the particular name of the bookstore, Lelouch realized that he had made an egregious error. A flaw in his plan that he forgot after dying twice.
He was unable to read the local alphabet. While everyone spoke English and was capable of understanding him as much as he understood them, he was looking for books that he couldn't read anyway.
Cursing himself, Lelouch looked towards the shops instead of their names, and did eventually find the bookstore the young man from earlier had mentioned. Instead of walking in, however, Lelouch stared at the letters above the door.
I-S-A-B-E-L-L-A-'-S. The apostrophe seemed to be the same, and the letters were just as many as the name should have. It seems that learning the local language wouldn't be too complicated.
Lelouch clicked with his tongue. He learned Japanese in two weeks when he was ten years old, there was no way he would falter now. Entering the store, Lelouch approached a girl behind a counter. She had dog ears hanging down on the side of her hair.
"Excuse me," Lelouch said, trying his best to sound embarrassed. "I'm looking for some books."
"Of course," the girl who couldn't be older than 16 said. "What kind of books are you looking for?"
"Ah, you see, it's," Lelouch stuttered slightly, looking away before leaning in. She leaned in as well. "I'm from a rather poor village, and we couldn't afford teachers, which is why I am unable to read and write."
While he was a great actor, Lelouch was unable to force himself to get red. The woman, however, nodded in sympathy before taking a look down.
"You don't look very poor, though," she said. It wasn't an accusatory statement, more a general one.
"A kind stranger gave me these clothes and some money when I arrived in the city," Lelouch said. She nodded, believing his lie without much thought. "I wish to repay my debt to him, but I need to learn how to read so I can begin working."
"I feel so sorry for you," she said, her eyes getting red. Lelouch tried not to frown at the overly emotional display when she put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you, I can teach you!"
"That would be too kind, miss," Lelouch muttered.
"Call me Isabella!" she all but shouted. Some people in the shop looked towards them. "Please, take a seat while I prepare a list of letters."
Lelouch did, sitting down next to the counter where multiple chairs were put up. Leaning into his seat, he watched the woman begin scribbling letters onto the page. After a while, she pushed the paper over towards him, sitting across him.
Pointing at the first five letters she wrote down, she began to speak.
"A-E-I-O-U."
Lelouch tried not to laugh. Such an earnest effort.
"Write these letters until you can confidently write them while memorizing them," she said. Lelouch nodded, and wrote down the letters in English on his paper before beginning his task.
That was probably a wasted route by now. Even if he hurried towards the ghetto, he would not manage to reach them in time. All he could do right now was learn, and try again.
After a few minutes, he was very confident in writing and reading the first five letters she had offered him. When he pointed it out, she continued.
It took him around half an hour. The way these letters were written was annoying, but something he could used to. And after half an hour, Lelouch was sure that he learned all he could.
"Thank you," Lelouch said, bowing over the counter. "I will repay this debt to you one day."
"Don't worry about it," Isabella said, waving him off. "Just buy a few books and we're even, I just made a new customer after all!"
"Thank you," Lelouch repeated.
"What kind of books are you looking for anyway? You might have memorized them quickly, but you'll probably still want to learn how to read them with a simple book."
"Of course," Lelouch said. "But I was actually interested in books of a more, how do you say, arcane origin."
Isabella blinked. "You're looking for magical books?"
"More books about magic than magical books," Lelouch said, nodding. "I've taken an interest in the matter."
"Well," she said. "We have books about magic, but none that could teach you. There are all these complicated terms like 'affinity' and 'Gate' and all that, I'm not very good on the topic, and I've read everything in here."
With a collection of books this large, and her apparent age, Lelouch couldn't help but feel impressed. Perhaps she was older than she looked, nothing should surprise him anymore, after all.
Grimacing slightly, Lelouch took a look into the shop. "I've heard about those too. Do you know what happens when a mage tries to cast a magic he has no affinity with?"
"If they're really good, they can use weak spells," she said. "But it can be really dangerous. I read that the only person born with all affinities in recent history is Lord Mathers."
"I see," Lelouch said. "And how would one find out someone's affinity?"
"Most high level mages are proficient in it, they can also help people open their Gate," Isabella explained. "So you'll need to find one. And maybe ask if you can buy their books, because I have none on spells here."
Of course it couldn't be that simple. While learning how to read and write had been a step forward into the right direction, the books here, with all their possible history lessons and fictional value, had nothing that interested him.
"Thank you," he said. At least he learned something without sitting down for hours to no end. The question was where to find a mage now? There was one, he recalled, when he woke up and went to Ziad's jewelry. The way that man looked at him, however, made it rather clear that he was not seeing him in a positive light for whatever reason.
Thinking back to the murderer, it became clearer that the mirrored reaction was unlikely to be a coincidence. She called him Archbishop. Said something about the Witch.
"Say," he began. "Do you have something about the Witch of Envy?"
She furrowed her eyebrows and lifted a part of the counter to walk out. "Follow me."
She led him between all the books and towards the end of the entire shop. If he read it correctly, it was the children's book section.
"There's children's books and legends here," she said, taking a book out from the middle of the bookshelf. "This story deals with the Witch of Envy, it's very superficial, though, a lot of information about her has been lost over the time she had reigned."
Lelouch took the book, giving her a grateful smile. "I will take it."
She nodded, and Lelouch fished out a white coin from his pockets, handing it over to her. The girl choked on the air after taking a deep breath.
"I-I don't think I can take that!" she said. "I don't have enough to give you back change-"
"It's alright," Lelouch said. "I will take some other books as well."
And when the sun goes down, he would have to replay everything again. Taking a deep breath, he looked around, walking through the store and picking up half a dozen books, each one thicker than the next before walking towards the exit.
"This is still too much!" Isabella said. Lelouch smiled at her.
"What you gave me is a lot more valuable, Isabella," he said. The girl went red as she balled a fist over the coin. Leaving the shop, Lelouch sighed.
The children's book first. If he learned something useful, he could walk back in and get more books. Opening the first book, he went through the pages until he came to a familiar name.
"Satella, the Witch of Envy," he read. At least she wasn't a glutton like a witch back home. Scrolling through most of the purple prose that seemed to be aimed at adults much more than children, Lelouch found the most important information rather quickly. "After murdering the six other witches, Satella went on a rampage, destroying half the world."
So there used to be more than just her. Yet, all the people he met called her 'The' Witch, so the information about her killing the other six seemed accurate enough. A dangerous being, and feared by many for a reason.
It had no information on how she destroyed it besides mentioning something called 'Mabeasts'.
"They say Satella takes the form of a silver-haired half-elf…" Lelouch thought back to Lia. It seems she had been born under a rather unfortunate star. For someone who was a candidate for the royal election, this probably meant she was disadvantaged. That was pretty much all the information he could glimpse of it.
The last thing that caught his attention, however, was the end of that particular story.
"Satella was eventually defeated at a great loss of lives," Lelouch read, whispering the story to himself. "The names of these heroes were Reid Astraea the Sword Saint, and his allies, the revered Dragon Volcanica, and Flügel the Sage."
So that's where the dragon came from. The Dragon Kingdom was named after this particular dragon, it seemed.
The sun was nearing the point where the sky would turn red, and Lelouch grabbed the next book. Information about the noble families of this kingdom.
It took him exactly one second to recognize the name that the first chapter dealt with. It was not the family of the king, no, instead, it was the name from the children's book: Astraea.
The Sword Sage's bloodline was still alive. If they were as powerful as their ancestor, then looking for them might not be a bad idea. The book spoke of Astraea's descendants becoming knights, using their skills to protect the country more than dealing with the things most nobles did.
Which, in Lelouch's opinion, was sit on their asses and suck up to the king. It seems that the nobles here were a bit more benevolent than Britannian scum. Though from what he saw of the middle aged women, some of them seem to think themselves more important than the common folk nonetheless.
Looking for more names he could recognize, Lelouch eventually found Mathers, the name that Isabella had mentioned about a man with all magical affinities.
Slowly, he learned more. About the kingdom, about the people, the nobles, even the Dragon.
The sun was going down, and Lelouch felt himself grow uneasy. He had to die to reset. If he had a gun, it would be over in a second, but the best he could get here would probably be a sword, and that would be painful. No building looked high enough to jump off from.
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch left the books lying on the ground where he sat down and stood, walking down the side street. There were many shops selling all kinds of weapons around, just as many as shops for food.
Grabbing the coin from inside his pocket, Lelouch walked into one of them. It was hot inside, way too hot, and Lelouch could almost see the air distorting near the red hot flames of the blacksmith's workshop further in. The small bell that rung as he walked in was enough to make the hammering stop, and a few minutes later, a stout woman stepped out of the workshop.
Lelouch didn't talk. All he did was grab a long dagger and move the coin over the counter. The woman blinked, but did not protest like Isabella had as he just walked out.
He was Lelouch vi Britannia. He had looked into the eyes of death three times already. Even though every fiber of his body screamed against pointing the dagger towards his chest, he walked into an alley and did. Poking into his skin through the clothes, he aimed in between his ribs, towards his heart.
He clicked his tongue.
C.C. would be very amused.
###
"Oi, you having a stroke there?"
Lelouch stood up, grabbing his chest in pain as the feeling of the dagger subsided. Compared to the pain that he felt after the raven haired woman was done with him, this was nothing, and it left twice as fast.
Step one to learn some magic. Grab a mage.
Not even saying anything to Kadomon, Lelouch immediately rushed towards Aziz's jewelry, certain that he would be able to get information about what disgusted the mage the last loop or at least ask him what his affinity is.
Not quite kicking the door open, but still drawing a lot of attention towards him with his hasty entrance, Lelouch watched the reaction of the mage. He didn't get that same look. What had changed? His eyebrows furrowing, Lelouch approached the man with slow steps, and everyone in the shop stopped paying attention to him.
"Excuse me," Lelouch said, slightly out of breath. The man in the pointed hat turned to him. "Are you a mage?"
He had tanned skin and shoulder length teal hair, his nose rather large in proportion to the rest of his face, and the dark robes he wore seemed to glow slightly.
"Yes," the man said. "I am an apprentice mage of the great master Michel-"
"Can I meet him?" Lelouch asked. The mage blinked, giving Lelouch a once over and shrugging.
"Why?" he asked.
"I wish to learn magic," Lelouch said. The mage scoffed. "I only wish for him to hear me out, I can pay you if you bring me to him."
"Pay me, with what?" he asked. Despite his words, Lelouch could see a glimmer in his eyes, and from the looks of Lelouch's robes, the man must be assuming he did have quite some coin.
"How does one gold coin sound?" Lelouch asked. The mage grinned.
"Sure, only bring you to him, though, you'll need to talk with him on your own."
"Of course."
Lelouch moved to the old man with a lisp, taking the two emeralds off his hat and handing them over to them, spinning the story of the artisan village again and taking four gold coins instead of two sacred gold.
Stepping back towards the mage, Lelouch handed him a gold coin and smiled as the man pocketed it, moving towards the exit. Lelouch followed after him. It didn't take very long to reach a large building that was actually standing closer to the ghettos than the residential district. The construct of stone looked almost unnatural compared to the rest of the buildings nearby, and the way it was built made Lelouch wonder if it was magic.
The mage he had paid moved through a larger gate towards the building, motioning for Lelouch to follow him. When they reached the door, the man knocked on it.
"Open up!" he shouted. "It is Harald, open the door, I have a guest for the master!"
The door opened slightly, and a small child peeked out. No, not a child. In the light of the sun, he could see the form of a child, but the being in front of him was not human. It was a construct of earth, like a robot, but looking strangely alive. It opened the door further when it saw Harald and Lelouch, before stepping away.
Harald didn't even give it a second glance as they stepped in.
"Wait here," Harald said. Lelouch nodded, leaning against a wall while observing the child of dirt and clay. It looked at him in what could be curiousity, before turning towards a staple of books and lifting them up. The construct was a lot stronger than the first glance would have made him assume.
Something like this could be helpful, and Lelouch hoped that an earth affinity might allow him to create such a construct on his own.
The interior looked plain, the bookshelves on the side next to two wooden doors were simply made to hold books, and not look good while doing so. Harald walked up the stairs right across the entrance, towards a higher floor and out of sight.
A few minutes after the construct sorted all the books in a nearby shelf and set itself against the wall like Lelouch, mirroring him exactly, a man walked down the large stairs in the middle of the room. He was old, a trimmed white beard on his chin and eyes that spoke of experience. Compared to his student, he was dressed more like ordinary people outside. It wasn't the image of a mighty master mage that Lelouch had assumed.
"My student said a guest was here to speak with me," he said. The old man, Michel, grabbed something out of his pockets - a pair of glasses. Putting on the plain glasses, the old man continued his descent until he reached Lelouch.
The former emperor bowed.
"Hello, sir," Lelouch said. "I am Lelouch Lamperouge, and wish to study magic."
"Magic, you say? Hm…" the old man walked around Lelouch, humming as he stared. "Do you even know if you are capable?"
"Excuse me?" Lelouch asked. "I was under the assumption that everyone was capable of using magic."
"It is a common misconception, I admit," Michel said. "Magic in in everyone. But some people are born without affinity, rare, but possible. A person is already considered well off with the affinity to fire, water, wind or earth."
"And if one does not have the affinity?" Lelouch asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Then learning magic is futile, because you simply have no talent," he said. "The other possibility is that you cannot open your Gate, but there is a magical artifact that forces it open. Last I've heard it went on the market for around 25 sacred gold… it's how talentless nobles try to gain power nowadays."
"I see," Lelouch said. That wouldn't do. There was no way he could gather together so much money in one day. "I was not actually here to learn magic from you, sir, I wanted to find out if I had an affinity, and if I could open my Gate to use it."
"Ah, yes, yes, I see," the old man nodded. "Rickard, please, prepare some tea."
The child-like construct nodded and went through the door to the left. Michel moved towards the door on the opposite side.
"Follow me, young Lelouch," he said. Lelouch did, trailing after the old man as they entered a room. It was something akin to a study, with a lot of gadgets sitting on the desk rather than books. The old man threw all of them on the ground, and sat down at a large desk. "Please, sit down."
Lelouch looked around, but found no other chair. The old man seemed to realize his mistake and waved his hand, creating a chair out of stone that grew out of the ground.
"Impressive," Lelouch said.
"Simple transfiguration of already existing earth is not 'impressive'," the old man said, sounding annoyed. "But I digress, say, young Lelouch, do you know anything about affinities? How many are 'normal'?"
Lelouch shook his head. "I admit, I was unaware of practical magic until a few days ago. The woman who taught me seemed a bit… uninformed of the world."
"Oh?"
"She was an elf, and apparently not used to the city," Lelouch explained. The old man hummed loudly.
"Interesting, yes, elves are all gifted in magic, that might be where the mistake came from," he said. "There are six affinities, having one is not unusual. Having none is rare, and mostly crops up in certain races who balance it out with sheer physical strength."
"And having two? Or more?"
"Unless your name is Roswall L. Mathers," Michel said. "Then you are, at most, capable of holding five affinities. The probability of that is so low, however, that you might hit the 'no affinity' lottery earlier. Having one affinity is the most likely, having two means you are definitely gifted. Having three is incredible rare and it would not be unusual for you to have a blessing."
"So one or two are the most likely," Lelouch mused. "And the four normal elements are the most likely?"
"Yes, having one of them makes life easier. Imagine someone like me doing work in the field, using my magic to help raise crops."
"I imagine that would earn you a lot of money," Lelouch said. The old man chuckled.
"It did," he said. "That way people who work hard and learn a lot can make a career. People become healers, soldiers, farmers, and earn so much money they could easily buy themselves land and with the favor of the current king, be declared a noble."
"Are you a noble, sir?" Lelouch asked.
"No, I have no need for titles, all I want is to live my life to the fullest, and die in peace," he said before breaking out in laughter. "But that will be a while!"
Lelouch laughed softly, shaking his head. "What about Yin and Yang?"
"Those are rare," he said. "And while rare, not as useful as the other four. There are few who specialize in them."
"So one needs the ability to open the Gate, an affinity, and they can learn magic?" Lelouch asked. "Just like that?"
"Of course, talent is also important. Affinities can be stronger or weaker, it's a connection that has a thicker or a thinner string."
"I see," Lelouch said, a hand coming up to touch his chest. "Could you tell me if I had such an affinity and how powerful it is?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you about its power," he said. "For a mage like me, the affinity is most I can tell you. Spirits and incredibly powerful mages could compare your affinity to their absolute strength, I'm just a talentless vagabond!"
The last sentence was shouted with howling laughter. Lelouch's eyebrow twitched. A bit later, the construct, Rickard, entered and put a tray with tea on the table.
"Of course, you would have to convince me first," Michel said, his voice taking a more serious tone. "Why should I tell you what affinity you have instead of just letting you go through the hoops of finding out on your own?"
Lelouch chuckled.
"I suppose a man of your caliber doesn't have need for an extra gold coin or two," Lelouch said. "So let me be frank with you - I'm weak and a person prone to put himself in danger."
"Why that? If you wished to relax and take life easy, why not just do that?"
"Because there are people who need my help," Lelouch said smoothly. People whose debts he could collect if necessary. "And I know they are in danger."
"And you believe that you can learn magic fast enough, the nuances of the arcane arts… you think you can learn it so quickly?" he asked. Lelouch grimaced.
"If I have to," he said, thinking not to Lia and Felt, but to his friends and family. "If I needed to destroy my body and take limb after limb off to protect the people I need to protect, I would do so without a second thought."
The old man's eyes were hard. Michel stared at Lelouch with an intensity that was comparable to the murderer's stare. Lelouch wanted to shrink away from the scrutiny, but held firmly, glaring back at the man.
"A life lived in half-truths won't bring you happiness, young Lelouch," Michel said, pouring the tea into two cups. Lelouch couldn't keep the frown of his face. "But I understand that your conviction is real. Say, young Lelouch, are you aware of what happens when you mess up with magic?"
"You can become exhausted so much that you can't move and might die from dehydration if your body locked up," Lelouch said. Michel nodded, grabbing a spoon and the sugar on the tray.
"Indeed, it's dangerous, but there is more," he said. "The wrong kind of spell might kill you if you make a mistake, dabbling with magical items you are attempting to create can blow up in your face. The life of a mage is a slow one, because we have to be careful."
"And if you end up using your magic in the middle of a populated place," Lelouch muttered, thinking back to Puck's spears. "Then you might end up hitting people you don't want to."
"You're not as foolish as I thought, then, you are aware of the consequences," Michel said. Lelouch took a sip of the tea, it was delicious. Michel filled his cup with the fifth spoon of sugar before stirring. "Have you ever had an unfortunate accident involving magic?"
"Yes," Lelouch said, grabbing his chest again. The spears weren't as bad as being gutted, but it was not pleasant in the slightest. "Which does remind me. I have once met a mage…"
"Oh? Was it Theodore from the mage knights-"
"No," Lelouch interrupted, his fingers digging into his robe. "I don't know what kind of mage he was, but he had a most peculiar reaction. When he caught sight of me, he turned away in disgust, and as he moved away from me, I heard him mutter something about the smell of the Witch."
The teacup fell the fingers of Michel, fortunately only a millimeter above the table. It still spilled some of the tea across the table.
"The Witch's Scent, you say?" Michel said, the hardness in his eyes returning. "Such an accusation should not go unchallenged-"
"What does it mean?" Lelouch asked.
"Most mages, deep into their studies, learn that the Witches had servants," Michel explained. "Granting them a part of their powers for their servitude. It is not unlike the covenant to the Dragon our nation has, or even learning from a master mage and managing to reach certain points faster because the teacher had breakthroughs that allowed him to simplify the process of learning."
"And the accusation of holding the Witch's scent?" Lelouch said, a question apparent in his tone.
"A disgusting matter," he said. "These people wouldn't be hunted down without a just cause, but it causes trouble. Don't worry, though, if the Witch's scent was on you, I would smell it."
"Can all mages do so?" Lelouch asked. Was the murderer one? She didn't use any magic he could see.
"Mages, monsters and certain races with an inherent magical ability," he said. "Monsters are drawn to the Witch's Scent."
"I see," Lelouch said. He could make his own theory from that. Obviously, something put the Witch's Scent on him before the monster of a woman walked into the room. The next loop, he still had it on him.
That was when Harald turned away from him in disgust. But one loop later…
Who did he speak to that day? Nobody, he walked to the ghetto. The only people he had a conversation with was Rom and Felt. The conversation he had…
Lelouch swallowed, his chest tightening. He didn't forget it, of course, but that it had something to do with it? The hands that nearly crushed his heart when he talked to Rom about his power?
"Could I ask you one last question," Lelouch said. "The Witch of Envy, what kind of magic did she use?"
"The Witches' magic is beyond normal affinities," Michel explained. "Satella, as far as I recall the old books, was capable of summoning over two-thousand black hands that she used to fight with, she was truly an overwhelming monster…"
Lelouch clicked his tongue. The first piece of a way too large puzzle fell into place.
"Truly frightening," Lelouch said, grinding his teeth slightly. "I'll be sure to call the man out on his behavior the next time I meet him."
"You should." Michel nodded, taking a sip of his tea. "So, young Lelouch, do you wish to learn?"
"Yes," Lelouch said. Finally.
"Then take my hand," he said, putting the tea down. "I can tell you that way. Excuse me, but my age has slowed me down on that front, so I will need to take it easy."
Lelouch took the man's offered hand and watched in fascination as absolutely nothing interesting happened. The old man closed his eyes.
"Your affinity with fire is nonexistent," he said. Lelouch's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Water, nonexistent."
So no healing. That was bad, but he could still deal as long as he had something.
"Earth, nonexistent." So no magical constructs. "Wind, nonexistent. Yin, nonexistent. I admit, young Lelouch, I don't think I've ever seen someone with absolutely no connection to any other elements-"
Lelouch scowled. He was about to let go of the hand when the old man grabbed on tight, making him grunt in pain.
"There we go," he said. "Yang. While I can't say on what scale, it seems to be quite the strong connection."
"I see," Lelouch said, smiling slightly. At least something. "And my Gate can be opened?"
"Yes," he said. "I'll guide you through the process in a bit. Do you know what Yang magic is about?"
"Not quite," Lelouch said. "Would you care to elaborate, sir?"
"I'm not a good person on the matter," Michel admitted. "Yang is the element of enhancement. As with any element, it can be used offensively and defensively, of course. Most people who create magical items are Yang mages."
"Interesting," Lelouch said. "Things like making swords that can cut through steel like it was butter, or increase physical strength of themselves or allies?"
Michel nodded, grinning at Lelouch.
"I suppose all that worry about not having an affinity was getting to you, hm?"
"What worry?" Lelouch said, his smile going wide. Michel chuckled, shrugging. A few minutes later, the tea was gone.
"Due to your age, opening your gate will be problematic," he said. "Most people start young, and work on it slowly. So the older you are, the worse the consequences of using magic without hesitation."
"What about a mage who uses spirits?"
"Those also use their gates, but differently to us normal mages," Michel said. "They use mana from the atmosphere and can summon spirits to help them by going into a covenant with them."
So Lia was a bit different, of course, she was so young and still incredibly powerful with Puck on her side.
"Also, their strength depends on the spirit they're contracted to. So if they contract a powerful spirit, they just cheat the entire process and become powerful quickly."
That explained it. So Puck was that strong, hm? Michel didn't really seem too happy about it.
"And how easy is it to find a spirit to enter a covenant with?"
"So close to nil that you might as well have started searching fifty years ago."
Lelouch shrugged. It seems that there were more things about Lia that he didn't know. "I see, so how would we go about opening the Gate?"
"That's actually rather simple," Michel said, standing up. He moved around the desk, and used his hand to force the chair around, making Lelouch face him. "Usually, a mage of the same element could use their own mana to knock it open and let you use a spell. It's something of an initiation, and gives you some practical knowledge on how to use the spell."
"And in my case?" Lelouch asked.
"There is a simple spell of Yang that I am capable of, it's one that creates shards of light which illuminate the way ahead," he said. "It should be a Fire spell, but I managed to replicate it with most other elements, as horrible as I am with them. Memorize the incantation, it's 'Lox'."
Lelouch's eyebrows twitched, it sounded incredibly close to Latin 'Lux'. With the word 'Lox', sparks appeared, half a dozen just shining and swirling around Michel's hand. When the lights vanished, Michel took a hold of Lelouch's head.
"Visualize your mana," he said. "Imagine a sphere of hot energy inside you, ready to spill over."
Lelouch closed his eyes and concentrated. Meditating wasn't hard for him. Taking a deep breath, he followed the instructions of the old man.
"To expel the mana from your body, you have to open your gate. It is a blockade, a cork, whatever you imagine it as, make sure you imagine it as something that can open or be removed."
Right above his navel, something hot began to gather.
"Say the incantation while forcing your mana to flow through the gate, I will help you force it open."
"Lox," Lelouch said, pushing the hot energy forward. A loud noise echoed through the room, and Lelouch closed his eyes as bright light appeared everywhere around him.
"Concentrate on it moving to your hand, not your head," he said. Lelouch felt drained, but still stronger than before. Following the instruction, the bright light left his head and he could open his eyes, holding the bright sparks around his hands. "Not bad, but you really need more practice if you start looking like a corpse by using just one spell."
Lelouch chuckled. So this is mana. Magic. He could use it, it was a power he earned himself without a contract, without paying, simply by holding a conversation.
"Thank you," Lelouch said, his voice sounding distant in his tired state.
"No problem, you might want to rest a bit, I will have more tea made-"
"It's quite alright, sir," Lelouch said, standing up on uneasy feet. "I might have one last favor to ask, for a bit of information."
"A Yang mage to teach you, hm?" Michel said, as if he could read Lelouch's mind. "That might be a problem. I believe the closest one is outside of the city."
"Ah, that's too bad," Lelouch said, holding his chest as his breathing finally slowed. "Do you know where I might be able to buy books for self study?"
"That'd be unwise," he said. "I will tell you, if you promise to bring them to me and learn here, rather than alone. I wouldn't want someone I taught to die so foolishly."
"Of course, sir, I promise," Lelouch said, bowing.
"Haha, you're a polite one, at least! Call me Master Michel, you're my student from now on!"
Lelouch smiled slightly. Only until the loop resets. "The books, Master Michel?"
"There is a magic market," Michel said. "It's heavily regulated due to the items that are sold, so they placed it close to the knight headquarters. You need to show that you are capable of magic to be let in."
"I see, that's… great," Lelouch stumbled towards the door. "Thank you, again, I cannot express just how much you have helped me today. I shall meet you here after finding some books."
"Are you sure you do not wish to rest for a while longer?" Michel asked. Lelouch shook his head. The sun was already going down.
"No," Lelouch said. "There is something I have to do before the sun goes down."
"Alright, I won't hold you." The master smiled widely. "Godspeed."
Lelouch chuckled slightly. Despite himself, he couldn't help but like the man, even if his mood swings were a bit concerning.
But his way was not towards the magic market. Instead, Lelouch walked into the next blacksmith shop he could find and bought a dagger.
He really needed to find a more painless way.
###
Lelouch felt refreshed, and he stood up the moment he heard the "Oi".
Breathing in deeply as he hurried towards the red building, Lelouch was content to find out that the gate remained 'open'. He was still capable of feeling the strange energy that Michel had called mana, and it seemed to give him just a slight boost to his body.
It was enough for him not to be completely out of breath by the time he sold the gems and got his two sacred gold coins for them. While he didn't feel particularly happy about having to kill himself twice by now, Lelouch felt that he was making progress.
And on the road of progress, hesitation would throw one back.
The residential district seemed rather… pompous. The buildings were large, all kinds of beautiful homes gathered near the knight headquarters. A stark contrast to the ghettos in the opposite direction. The difference between poor and rich was still noticeably large.
It didn't take him very long to find the magical market afterwards. There were soldiers, dressed in classic armor and standing guard everywhere. If they didn't rush after the middle aged woman called them, at this distance to the ghetto, it was probably impossible for them to reach them quick enough.
None of the knights actually wore a white uniform, however. So these weren't the Royal Guard, which means they weren't as strong as Puck had stated.
Following the strangely warm feeling of mana, Lelouch found a warehouse where the market was and stepped forward. Two men in armor stopped him.
"Exclusive market," one of them said, the helmet hiding his features.
"Lox," Lelouch intoned, and focused on using the least amount of mana possible to avoid draining himself. He was successful, though still felt the drain as two lights sparkled in front of his palm. The two men nodded and moved out of the way. The small door inside was plain, but the interior of the warehouse was magical.
Lelouch could see hundreds of people, dressed in robes, dressed in plain clothes, the power in this room was noticeable. It was like the murderer, an electricity in the room he couldn't explain. The strange warmth he felt in his body surrounded him this time, existing inside each person here.
"Newbie, over here," someone called out. Lelouch turned to them. A small woman sat there, maybe reaching up to his hip if she stood, but even smaller on the chair. "You're gonna learn some rules of this place, aight?"
Lelouch nodded. "Of course."
"Three important laws. First: Magical beasts, don't buy them, don't sell them. If you find someone trying to hook you up, call the guard."
"Are these the 'mabeasts'?" Lelouch asked.
"Can be," she said. "Sometimes people sell eggs too, and it ends up being the egg of some demi-human clan. You don't wanna know what happens when a hungry harpy baby hatches in the night and finds you sleeping in bed."
Lelouch shuddered. He could imagine.
"Second law: Do not steal. I shouldn't have to say that, but stealing is dangerous here. The place has been enhanced, it will drain you and increase the power of the shopkeeper you try to steal from so you're at their mercy. If you're powerful enough that this won't be a concern, you're welcome to try escaping when everyone is after your ass."
Lelouch laughed slightly, realizing that she wasn't joking at all.
"Last but not least, don't sign anything, don't give any verbal promises besides buying something, be very careful," she said. "There are some mages here who might abuse something like that, and we don't want people running to us crying about how they can't fix their own mess. Want to fuck up your life and shake someone's hand in brotherhood only for them to stab you in the back, do it outside."
"I understand," Lelouch said. "Thank you for the introduction. My name is Lelouch. Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Don't care, young one, welcome to Lugnica's Magical Market, fried salamander eggs taste like shit."
With that last part of wisdom, the woman waved him off, and Lelouch sighed, looking around. "One last question-"
"Piss off."
"Alright."
Lelouch left, moving through the mass of mages. If he were a shop for magical tomes that contained arcane knowledge, where would he hide? Lelouch wasn't sure. The strange items he saw around seemed to be boiling over with magic, all these enhancements that might be useful if he knew what the did.
Lelouch sighed again as he reached the end of the warehouse, and turned left, to explore the other side.
"Out of the way," he heard. Instead of waiting for him to move out of the way, he was knocked aside, barely managing to keep his footing. Glaring at the person, Lelouch found himself staring at a young woman with orange-blonde hair and red eyes. "Oh my, a commoner glaring at me with such intensity, whatever did I do to deserve this?"
A man stepped forward, towering over the woman with a large sword strapped on his back and scars covering his body. He seemed to be missing an arm, and a helmet hid his entire head.
"Absolutely nothing, miss," Lelouch said. He knew how to play the courts. He knew how to play the nobles. "I'm afraid that I have confused you for someone else."
His late brother. One of them. The way her eyes moved over the crowds with such arrogance and scrutiny, the way her blood red dress swayed around when she did the most simple of motions.
He couldn't tell if she was closer to Clovis or Schneizel.
"Mistake me for someone?" she asked, her voice condescending. "Me? Priscilla Barielle? You, fool, speak your name."
Lelouch recognized the name from the book about noble families he read.
"Lelouch Lamperouge, miss," he introduced himself. The large man reacted, bowing slightly to whisper something into Priscilla's ear. He couldn't make it out over the chattering of the crowd around them, but Priscilla nodded. Scrunching up her nose, Priscilla made the best impression of someone who had just smelled something foul that Lelouch had ever seen.
"Very well, Lamperouge, I shall remember your name," she said. "The world was made for me, and I have no place for people like you here."
"Of course," Lelouch said. If he walked away now, she would simply snap at him. Whatever the man with the helmet had said, it seemed to have taken the edge of her voice.
Priscilla Barielle. A name to remember.
###
It took Lelouch well over an hour to walk in between the masses of people to find a shop that held books. Many of them color coded for convenience, Lelouch realized that the black and white books that probably held information about Yin and Yang magic were scarce.
So scarce, in fact, that he only saw one white book and two black ones compared to the dozen or so red, green, blue and brown.
Approaching the shopkeeper, a tall but thin man sitting inside what looked like a small tent, Lelouch knelt to be at an eye level with him.
"Welcome... to my humble shop," the man said, speaking slowly. "What are you looking for?"
"I have recently learned that my affinity lies in Yang magic," Lelouch said. "How much for the white book?"
"Six gold coins," the man said. "It is a rare tome, made by a son who was the student of someone who had once learned from the second cousin of the Sage Flügel."
Lelouch didn't really care who wrote it, but he needed it.
"I'm afraid I can't go over two coins," Lelouch said, smiling slightly. "With that much gold, I might as well afford a trip to the next master mage who can teach me."
"Hmmm…" the man nodded. "Five gold pieces then?"
"Four," Lelouch said. "And I'll even give you this hat."
The man looked at Lelouch's hat with the red glass sphere inside. Shrugging, the man offered his hand. Lelouch shook it.
Handing over the two coins of sacred gold and his hat, Lelouch left with the white tome in his hands, exiting the warehouse quickly. Looking around, Lelouch found a spot not too far off from the warehouse. The castle was visible in the distance.
Opening the book, Lelouch began to read.
Yang magic, the magic of enhancing, was an amplifier. It could, theoretically, be used to give a magical property to a normal object. Cutting into stone with a sword, or even creating a strong gust of wind with a fan.
The study in magic was interesting. It was new. Learning as much as he could as the sun began to set above him, Lelouch grinned.
The first spell on the list might actually be useful. It allowed him to see further, and better, and it could be used in the night as well to grant him a better vision. He didn't really wish to practice them right now, not before he memorized the explanations on how to cast them and confirmed that he could easily call out their names without a second thought.
A shield spell. A spell to make his body faster. A spell to make his voice louder. Where Yin made people weaker, Lelouch could make them, and himself, stronger. He felt a certain sense of happiness, maybe a bit of glee. It was the ability that, without a doubt, was fit for a ruler.
So absorbed in his reading, Lelouch didn't notice someone approach the open field where he began his studying until the sun had set and Lelouch was halfway through the tome. When Lelouch turned to the sound of grunting, he found a red haired man, punching a tree.
Or through a tree.
Lelouch couldn't help but stare at the display of physical skill, the man was powerful, and from the looks of his white uniform, finally a person who could help him.
The sun was already too far down to reach it in time, so Lelouch had only one chance.
"Excuse me," Lelouch said, walking up to the man. He stopped punching, and touched the tree, slowly regenerating it back.
"Yo!" the man said, a large grin on his face. He had something refreshing about him. An aura that made Lelouch relax.
"Are you one of the Royal Guard?"
"Yes," the man nodded. "I'm having a day off, but if you need me, I can help you."
Lelouch smiled. Perfect. "I just wanted to ask, I think I've seen you earlier today, afternoon, I think."
"Ah, maybe?" he said. "I was walking around the market district, buying groceries. There's that really nice shop with a lot of grilled meats!"
Lelouch remembered where that was. He blinked. Had he missed him this easily? Of course, the man said he was on his day off, and maybe he wasn't in uniform at that time.
"I see, I will have to try it as well," Lelouch said, his stomach growling. The red-haired man laughed.
"You can have some of mine, I bought a lot of it," he said, grabbing a bag from next to the tree. "I'm Reinhard van Astraea, by the way."
"Lelouch Lamperouge," he introduced himself, his heart jumping in joy and his stomach celebrating. He had no money to buy himself a knife and go into an alley. He would have to hurry later. But for now, Lelouch enjoyed some food with the man who might be able to end that damn loop of his.
Reinhard van Astraea. In spite of death, he finally found someone that could keep him alive.
###
"Oi, you having a stroke."
Lelouch clicked with his tongue as he woke up. Holding his chest and neck, he cursed the damn blacksmith who tried to keep him from bleeding out by apparently strangling him to unconsciousness while wrestling the knife out of his hands. Fortunately, Lelouch was able to blind him long enough to die.
It was a rather morbid thing to think about, but Lelouch could finally relax slightly. Taking his time, Lelouch hid the two gems and moved towards the red building with slow steps. Muttering under his breath, Lelouch tried to use the spell to enhance his eyes.
'Luris' was the incantation. There were 'stronger' versions of spells by increasing the incantations using different syllables, he learned. While the book only held six spells and went into a great detail on how these spells were created, by whom, and how the author had improved them, Lelouch felt that these seven spells he memorized were a key to success. Lelouch felt the mana move towards his eyes.
When a yellow blur sprinted past him on the way towards the grilled food shop, Lelouch grinned, recognizing Felt clearly. Opening the door to the shop after greeting the woman who was grilling outside, Lelouch found Reinhard quickly, capable of taking in the sight with a glance.
He was sitting at a table, eating a plate of the grilled potatoes he had brought to the open place. Half a dozen empty plates were sitting next to him.
"Excuse me," Lelouch said, sitting down across him. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you Reinhard van Astraea?"
The man swallowed the hot potatoes without much concern of his tongue and nodded, giving him the same easy going grin that Lelouch had received the last loup.
"I am, is everything alright? You seem rather pale," he said. Lelouch let go of the spell in his eyes, and the magic he used did indeed tire him out slightly.
"Yes, it's just… I've witnessed something strange today, and wished to bring the matter up to the Royal Guard, unfortunately, all of them are in the castle…"
"I see," Reinhard said, looking surprised. "And you found me, how lucky! I'm on my day off, but if you really need my help, I can't refuse."
Lelouch smiled. That man reminded him of Suzaku in a way.
"What happened?" Reinhard asked. Lelouch thought back to Felt and the emblem.
"A thief stole something from a young woman," Lelouch explained. "It was an emblem with a red gem in the middle."
Reinhard narrowed his eyes slightly. It was a strange look on the man's face, something that seemed rather hostile.
"Ah, I see, and you wish for me to retrieve that object?"
"Well, of course, but," Lelouch hesitated, biting his lip, trying his best to seem nervous as he looked around. The tiredness due to his mana use helped immensely. "When the thief touched the emblem, it began to glow."
Reinhard blinked. "Ah."
"Yes, quite," Lelouch said, nodding. He was still dressed like a noble with his hat and clothes, so knowing what the emblems were for wasn't too far off, unless Reinhard knew all the nobles in the city by face and name. "I had wondered if you were capable of dealing with the matter in a more… secretive way."
"I understand," Reinhard says. "Could you describe the girl that stole the emblem?"
"Blonde," Lelouch said. "Fierce, like an animal rather than a princess, and dressed in very revealing clothes. She looked about fifteen, maybe fourteen."
Reinhard nodded. "So it's not Priscilla, right?"
"Priscilla?" Lelouch asked.
"There are five royal candidates," Reinhard says. "Four were known by now, Priscilla Barielle, Emilia of the elven forest, Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin. With the thief girl, it's five."
Emilia. So that was her name. And that blonde noble who had been so haughty and seemed to express danger with every step she took was one too.
It seems that the royal elections might be a bit more interesting than he thought with someone like Priscilla in the run.
"Ah." Lelouch nodded. "I admit, I wasn't aware of all the candidates. I only knew Emilia and this fifth one because I've seen them today."
"Alright," Reinhard said. "Do you know where the girl went?"
"Actually, I do," Lelouch said, smiling. "I'm capable of magic and was able to track her rush towards the ghetto. I think I might be able to find her hiding spot if necessary."
"Let's go then," Reinhard said. "I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves. I'm Reinhard van Astraea, one of the Sword Saint's descendants."
"Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch introduced himself once more. "Just a concerned citizen doing his job."
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