Several days after the Kyushu campaign ended. Cornelia and Guilford had largely finished their busy post-war administrative duties, and we were finally back in the Tokyo Settlement. Fortunately, being an outsider, I wasn't particularly busy, but Cornelia and Guilford seemed to have been swamped. Interrogating prisoners, transporting them to the Tokyo Settlement, estimating repair costs for destroyed buildings, and countless other tasks. The fact that even the usually composed Cornelia showed signs of fatigue speaks volumes about the intensity of their work. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was probably the only one to see Cornelia's tired face.
"Now we can finally take a breather."
Cornelia muttered, gazing at the government office. Her reflective tone exuded a sense of relief.
"My brother will be handling the negotiations for this matter, so we can leave the rest to him."
Yes. Indeed, for this particular matter, leaving it to Schneizel would likely be fine. However, if things proceed as per the original story, there's the Special Administrative Zone of Japan to be announced at the Ashford Academy festival. And then, due to Zero's out-of-control Geass, the Eleven—no, the Japanese—who gather at the Special Administrative Zone venue will be massacred. I desperately want to stop that, but… I can't think of a way. All I can think of is directly informing Zero that his Geass is out of control before he talks to Euphemia at the venue. But knowing Lelouch, if I did that, he'd thoroughly investigate me and either make me his pawn with Geass or eliminate me. The visor can block Lelouch's Geass, but I can't wear a visor all the time.
If only the content of his Geass wasn't 'obey me' but something like 'answer my questions,' as he used on Kallen.
"Hm? What's that?"
As I was thinking such things, Guilford made a puzzled sound.
"What is it?"
"No, that woman… I was wondering if she wasn't cold, dressed so revealingly in this season."
"Hm? …!?"
My thoughts froze as I turned my gaze in the direction Guilford was looking.
There stood a woman with hair a different shade of pink than Lemon's. And as Guilford pointed out, she was dressed in highly revealing clothing. The large bag she carried was unusual, which meant…
"Echidna!?"
Echidna, who had approached us, gave a slight bow before me.
"It's been a long time, Captain."
Echidna Isakki. One of the W-Numbers created by Lemon, W16. My comrade-in-arms, who served as my vice-captain on the battlefield.
Naturally, she wasn't a person from this Code Geass world. She should have remained on White Star with Lemon and the technical team…
"Axel?"
I heard a voice, lower than usual for some reason. Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw Cornelia, looking subtly displeased.
"Uh… this is Echidna Isakki. She was in the same unit as me during my mercenary days, mainly serving as my vice-captain. Echidna, this is Cornelia li Britannia. My current employer and a Britannian royal."
"…I see. My apologies for the delayed greeting. As Captain Axel introduced me, I am Echidna Isakki."
Echidna seemed to have understood the general context from my explanation and adapted well.
"Hmm, I see. Pleased to meet you."
Cornelia nodded lightly.
"Captain. I have several things I'd like to report, if you don't mind?"
A report, huh. Of course, it would be about System XN and White Star.
"Understood. Cornelia, I'm sorry, but… well, could I take about two days off, today and tomorrow?"
"Hmm. Not just today, but tomorrow too?"
"Yes. There are various discussions to be had, and we both have things to report."
"…Are you planning to stay somewhere with that woman… No, never mind. Yes, I understand. You haven't had a single day off since I hired you. That's fine."
Good. There should have been nearly a month between the announcement of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan at the academy festival and the actual massacre. Or rather, that much time would be needed to prepare the venue for the Special Administrative Zone announcement. If I talk to Echidna and everything goes well, I can return to White Star, then come back here tomorrow night and begin the actual sabotage. That should be enough time.
"Captain, where shall we make the report?"
"Hmm. We don't want anyone listening, so a nearby park should be fine."
"Understood."
And so, Echidna and I moved to a park near the government office. This park itself was created for the government officials working at the office to relax during lunch or breaks. So, at 10 AM, there was no one, or at most only a few people. It was suitable for a conversation we didn't want anyone to overhear.
"Alright, then. Where should I start?"
I bought two cans of black tea from a vending machine in a corner of the park, tossed one to Echidna, and spoke.
"Let's see. First, how I came here. Although I sent the Captain away with the Lykeios, there was no contact whatsoever when you should have returned immediately. Lemon-sama therefore concluded that some unforeseen situation had occurred, and I was sent here."
"Unforeseen situation, you say… the Aguios link device wasn't functioning properly."
"So it was that, after all."
Echidna nodded at my words, looking as if its malfunction was perfectly natural.
"Do you have any idea why?"
"Yes. It was discovered a few days after the Captain's transfer that there was a problem with the link device's output. With the excess output of the unit equipped with the link device…"
"No, you don't need to explain the details, I won't understand. I'm not Lemon or Windel; asking a field commander for specialized knowledge is troublesome. So, what's the conclusion?"
"If we replace the link device unit in the Trinity Gain with the new unit I brought, it should function normally."
She said, lifting the bag she was carrying. I see, the replacement link device unit and such are in that bag.
"I see. Then, let's go to the suburbs and replace it immediately…"
I stopped midway through my sentence as something occurred to me. The Trinity Gain, equipped with the link device, was stored in my spatial warehouse. A spatial warehouse. In other words, a space different from this one I was in. Yet, how did Echidna safely reach the same world as me?
"…Echidna, you were there when I told everyone on White Star about my abilities, weren't you?"
"Huh? Yes. I was listening next to Lemon-sama. Spatial warehouse and Slime, right?"
"Yes. And I've kept the Trinity Gain in the spatial warehouse for quite some time now… or rather, for most of the time since I came to this world. Yet, how was White Star able to connect to the world I'm in using the link device?"
Echidna tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled at my words.
"According to what I heard from Lemon-sama, the link device on their side was functioning normally. As for the output issue, the Lykeios solved it with White Star's device."
…What?
"Does that mean that even with the Trinity Gain in the spatial warehouse, the Lykeios could connect to the world I'm in?"
"If the Captain's words are correct, then yes, that would be the case."
The Trinity Gain's link device inside the spatial warehouse can pinpoint my location, huh. No, it's better than not being able to pinpoint it, but… its performance is still absurd.
"…Well, never mind. Maybe if I go back to White Star and consult Lemon, we'll find something out. Then, let's go ahead and replace the Trinity Gain's link device. The location… it can't be in the Settlement, at least. We'll have to take a train to the suburbs, into a forest or something."
"Understood. Let's go immediately then."
Echidna, who had finished her black tea without me noticing, took the empty can from me and tossed it into a trash can in the corner of the park. It went right in, despite being over 100 meters away.
In the mountains, about three hours by train from the Tokyo Settlement. There, Echidna and I stood.
"Alright, I'm bringing it out."
I displayed the list of my spatial warehouse in my mind and selected Trinity Gain. The next moment, a Trinity Gain over 40 meters tall was resting beside me.
"Echidna, can I leave the link device replacement to you?"
Echidna, who had slightly frowned at my words, spoke.
"Yes, I know all the procedures. More importantly, Captain. There are no other people here, so you can call me W16 instead of Echidna."
"…No, from now on, I'll call you Echidna instead of W16. I mentioned it before, didn't I? That you're changing, just like Lamia Loveless. This is to accelerate that change."
"I am not broken, unlike W17… but if the Captain insists."
Reluctantly, Echidna nodded, agreeing to be called by the name Echidna Isakki.
"Then I will begin the device replacement immediately. It will take about 10 minutes, so please wait."
"Device replacement complete. With this, we can return to White Star immediately."
"I see, then let's go back once. …What about Echidna?"
"I would like to return with the Captain, if that's alright?"
"That's perfectly fine. Then, together…"
As I said that, something suddenly occurred to me. Returning to White Star using the link device. That's fine. But in that case, would I be able to come back to the Code Geass world again?
"…Echidna. If we return to White Star using Trinity Gain's Aguios, will it be possible to come back to this world again?"
"No. Since the link device is aboard the Trinity Gain, I don't believe we can return to this world again."
"That's a bit problematic. Can't we do something about it?"
Echidna nodded at my words and took out a fist-sized device from her bag.
"Lemon-sama entrusted this to me in case the Captain said something like that."
"What is it?"
"Lemon-sama told me it's like a marker. Unlike the link device, it has no transfer capabilities whatsoever. It's merely a marker for this world."
"Hmm. So, if I place that marker in this world, I can come to this world via White Star's Lykeios, is that it?"
"Yes. However, due to the system, it's not possible to directly transfer to this marker with the Aguios. She said that transfer is only possible via the Lykeios."
I see. It's a bit ambiguous whether it's convenient or inconvenient, but if it means I can come back to this world again, then I have no complaints.
"Then set up that marker."
"Understood."
Echidna nodded at my command, placed the device in a corner of the space where the Trinity Gain stood, and camouflaged it with fallen dead wood and grass.
"Completed."
"…Is that all for preparation?"
"Yes. It's a simple marker, so once the switch is turned on, preparation is complete."
"I see. Is this where I should be amazed by Lemon's technical skill? …Well, never mind. More importantly, Echidna, you come to the Trinity Gain's cockpit too. We're initiating transfer."
"Understood."
I confirmed Echidna had entered and closed the cockpit.
"Link device, activate… normal operation confirmed. Link destination coordinates fixed. Transfer field generation initiated. Transfer destination linked to system… OK. Transfer field generation complete. …Transfer!"
The transfer field that enveloped the Trinity Gain glowed for an instant, and the next moment, I had already completed the transfer to White Star's transfer zone.
"My nostalgic home…"
It hadn't actually been that long since I made White Star my residence, but seeing Lemon's face on the Trinity Gain's monitor made me unintentionally say that.
"Lemon-sama was also very worried about Captain Axel. Please show your face and put her at ease."
I nodded at Echidna's words and exited the Trinity Gain's cockpit. Simultaneously, I came face-to-face with Lemon, who was approaching me.
"…In this case, should I say, 'I'm home'?"
"Yes. You kept me waiting a long time, but I'm a capable woman. I'll just say, 'Welcome home' without complaint."
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 35
PP: 330
Melee: 246
Ranged: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evasion: 281
Accuracy: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Increases Slime's performance by consuming SP)
Growth Type: All-Rounder, Special
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate: SP 4
Effort: SP 8
Concentration: SP 16
Direct Hit: SP 30
Awaken: SP 32
Love: SP 48
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
Infight Lv.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Kills: 223
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