"I believe I explicitly told you to return immediately once the dimensional transfer was successful. So, would you care to explain why it took this long?"
Lemon closed in on me. She was as beautiful as ever, but she radiated an aura so intense it would likely send a demon running for the hills. I knew it stemmed from her worry for me, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.
"Calm down. The link device on the Trinity Gain wasn't functioning correctly. I'm sure you've already heard the details from Echidna—you must have predicted something like this might happen."
"Oh? It's 'Echidna' now, not W16?"
"Yeah. She seems to be developing a sense of self, much like Lamia. I decided to call her Echidna to encourage that growth."
"I see... Very well. Out of deference to W16... no, to Echidna, I will let you off the hook this time. But first, let's move. I can't settle down and talk in this cavernous transfer bay."
With that, Lemon turned on her heel and exited the bay. I followed her, boarding an air car for a transit that took over ten minutes. We didn't arrive at a briefing room, but rather Lemon's quarters—and not her lab, but her private room.
"Using air cars just to move around the interior of the White Star, huh?"
"The White Star is massive, after all," Lemon replied.
It was true; the fortress was the size of a colony, so the distance was unavoidable. However, before I transferred to the world of Code Geass, everyone just used whatever vehicle they liked. There was even one idiot who used a mass-produced Gespenst Mk-II for personal transport. Yet, from what I saw on the way here, everyone's mode of transport had been unified to air cars.
"The White Star you know is from less than a month after we arrived here. How much time do you think has passed since then? Things change, Axel."
I see. Indeed, I had only been on the White Star for barely a month, yet I had spent nearly half a year in the Code Geass world. In other words, I missed the fortress's developmental phase.
"So, where did you end up? Was it the world where Helios is?"
Lemon placed a cup of tea on the table and sat down. I shook my head silently.
"Oh? I assumed Lyceum and Helios were connected... Does that mean you went to our original world?"
"No, not there either. It was a world completely unrelated to us."
"...Hoh. That sounds interesting. What kind of world was it?"
"Well, for starters, in that world, a nation called Britannia rules one-third of the globe."
"Britannia? The UK?"
"No. I don't know the detailed history of that side, but based on our geography, it seems to be what we call America, just under the name Britannia."
I proceeded to explain the state of the Code Geass world: the deadlock between Britannia, the Chinese Federation, and the EU; Knightmare Frames (KMF) and Sakuradite; and the relationship between Japan and Area 11.
It took about two hours to explain everything.
"Hearing it like that, it really is completely different from the worlds we know. But still... KMFs. Scaling a humanoid mobile weapon down to four or five meters is impressive, but if they can't fly independently, they seem technologically far behind us."
"Yeah. They've just succeeded in developing a device called a Float System for their latest experimental unit, but apparently, the energy consumption is severe. Also, they fundamentally lack the technology to go into space."
"I am somewhat interested in this 'Sakuradite'... but if it's a resource unique to that world, that's a problem. Axel, did you bring a KMF back?"
"Britannian military security is tight, so that wasn't possible. However, I did store a few Chinese Federation 'Gun-Ru' units in my dimensional warehouse... though calling the Gun-Ru a KMF is a stretch. It's more like a cheap knock-off."
I had pilfered the Gun-Rus during the chaos of the Kyushu Campaign. Cornelia and Guilford had been too busy with post-war cleanup, so I had plenty of time to help myself.
"I see. Well, they might serve as research material, so hand them over to the tech team later. I understand the world now, but what exactly were you doing over there, Axel?"
"The transfer dumped me on a mountain in Japan, where I was seen by local terrorists... or I suppose 'resistance' is the polite term. Anyway, they saw the Trinity Gain. On top of that, as you can see, I don't look Japanese. They mistook me for a Britannian soldier and attacked. After I fought them off, I decided to crush their base since there were witnesses to my machine. That's when I ran into the Britannian military. I claimed to be a mercenary and got hired directly by a Princess who happened to be commanding the unit."
"Uh, wait..."
As she listened, Lemon buried her face in her hands. She groaned something unintelligible before taking a deep breath to compose herself.
"There are a million things I want to retort to there, but... Axel, the weapons you possess are PTs (Personal Troopers) and AMs (Armored Modules). Compared to the KMFs of that world, they're massive, aren't they?"
"True. The Landlion I used at the time is nearly 20 meters tall."
"...I'm amazed they let you walk around with blatantly unknown technology like that."
"There was a clause in my employment contract to analyze the Landlion, but since it doesn't have a Tesla Drive, I judged it wouldn't be a problem."
"But what about the armor materials? The OS? The nuclear fusion generator?"
I blinked. Now that she mentioned it, I realized my oversight. Since KMFs of this era couldn't fly, I had only been wary of the Tesla Drive. I hadn't been guarding the technologies Lemon just listed. However, nuclear research in that world wasn't established yet; it was basically just Nina at Ashford Academy doing it as a hobby. That research wouldn't bear fruit until the FLEIJA warheads in R2.
"They run primarily on electrical energy. Nuclear tech shouldn't be developed there at all yet."
"That doesn't mean you know who might be researching it in secret... Well, fine. It's not like you're going back to that world anyway."
...Damn. I hadn't told her that part yet.
"My bad. Actually, I plan to head back there as soon as tomorrow."
"...Excuse me?"
Lemon glared at me with eyes that could physically pierce steel, but I couldn't back down on this.
"If my knowledge is correct, a massive slaughter is about to happen. I want to stop it, at the very least."
"Knowledge, you say? Wait a minute. That means..."
"Yeah. As you guessed."
She realized it was a story I knew from my previous life. Lemon let out an exasperated sigh.
"Lemon..."
"No, I understand. Trying to stop you would be a waste of breath, wouldn't it?"
She likely judged this to be the same as when I forced the Lyceum experiment. She gave a wry smile and leaned her weight against me.
"Fine. I'll use the Lyceum to send you back tomorrow. Since you're talking like this, I assume the marker I gave Echidna was left behind in that world?"
"Yeah, we planted it nearby just before transferring to the White Star."
"Then it's simple. We can transfer you without issue. More importantly... we haven't seen each other in a while. Let's spend some time acting like a couple."
The next day, I stood in the transfer bay. Unlike last time, I wasn't boarding the Grungust or the Trinity Gain. Thanks to the marker, the destination was fixed. Incidentally, the reason the link device worked while the Trinity Gain was inside the dimensional warehouse remained a mystery even to Lemon, but she eventually accepted it as a "Reincarnation Perk." Well, it wasn't an issue that inconvenienced me, so I didn't mind.
"Alright, initiating transfer sequence. Are you ready?" Lemon asked, looking at me.
"Yeah. I'll handle the trouble over there and come back quick, so don't worry."
"I know. Just to be safe, I'm having Echidna go with you. You don't mind, do you?"
At Lemon's words, Echidna stepped forward to stand beside me.
"No, I don't mind, but... what about a machine?"
"If I could use something suitable from your warehouse, Captain..."
Hmm, a unit from the warehouse. Should I let her use a Guarlion like mine? Or perhaps one of the VC-series units I didn't use because they weren't to my taste?
"Understood. Let's get ready then."
Hearing my confirmation, Lemon began inputting the coordinates into the computer.
"Destination coordinates, link connection with marker established... Connection fixed. Coordinate axis locked. Generating transfer field... Generation complete. Alright then—have a safe trip. Transfer start."
With Lemon's voice, the world was swallowed by blinding light. By the time I came to, Echidna and I had already completed the transfer to the world of Code Geass.
We were deep in a forest, surrounded by thick trees. There was no mistake; this was the place from which I had left. I could see the grass and branches Echidna had used to conceal the marker nearby.
"Echidna, the marker."
"Yes."
Echidna nodded, brushed aside the foliage, and retrieved the device.
"It's safer in my warehouse than in your hands."
"Agreed. Please, Captain."
I took the marker and stored it in my dimensional warehouse. The preliminary preparations were complete.
"Now then, let's head back to the Tokyo Settlement. The objective is to stop the massacre that might occur at the ceremony for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. The only method I can think of is to prevent Zero's Geass from going out of control... You have the knowledge regarding Geass?"
"I have received a compressed data packet regarding this world from Lady Lemon. There is no problem."
I've thought this a few times before, but the W-Numbers are enviable in situations like this. Just compress the info, shove it into their heads, and they can handle almost anything.
"Alright. Let's go, then. To stop a massacre that has no reason to happen."
After a three-hour train ride, we finally arrived at the Tokyo Settlement.
It had been early morning when we returned to this world, but now it was nearing noon. I thought about grabbing some food before going to see Cornelia... but as I looked around the city, I noticed a buzz in the air that was different from usual.
Britannians and Elevens alike were discussing something passionately. I strained my ears and caught words like "Zero," "Lady Euphemia," and "Special Zone Japan."
Apparently, while I was back at the White Star yesterday, Euphemia had successfully announced the Special Administrative Zone concept at the Ashford Academy festival.
Great. This means Cornelia and Euphemia are going to be at odds again.
But my idle thoughts were shattered into a million pieces the moment I looked up at a street monitor.
The large screen was broadcasting the ceremony. And there, I saw a familiar figure. Euphemia.
Ignoring the sudden chill that ran down my spine, Euphemia opened her mouth.
"I have a favor to ask of you all who call yourselves Japanese. Could you please die?"
"You have to be kidding me!?"
When I heard those words, I spat out the denial instinctively, my mind going completely blank.
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 35
PP: 330
Melee: 246
Shooting: 264
Skill: 256
Defense: 253
Evasion: 281
Accuracy: 303
SP: 422
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to increase slime performance)
Growth Type: Versatile / Special
Terrain: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: B | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Gain (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Attack (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Regen & Concentration)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Limit Break (Will Limit Break)
Geass (Gray)
???
???
???
???
???
Kills: 223
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"