Lelouch followed Astraea’s gaze.
“Is something wrong?”
“I was wondering whether the food at that table looked good.”
It was not entirely a lie.
The stew there did look quite good.
Lelouch narrowed his eyes slightly.
He chose not to press her in front of everyone.
A short while later, Syr returned with a teapot.
“Would anyone like another drink?”
Most of the members requested water or hot tea before leaving.
When Syr poured Lelouch’s cup, she noticed that his attention was on her rather than the tea.
“Is there something on my face?”
She returned the exact question he had asked earlier.
“No.”
“Then what are you looking for?”
Lelouch recognized the deliberate repetition.
“I am reassessing the people around me after receiving a warning about a goddess of beauty.”
Syr’s hand remained completely steady.
Her smile did not change.
“Do I look like a goddess?”
“The goddesses I have met include one who is unnaturally gentle and another who screams about harems through public streets.”
Lelouch glanced toward her.
“I therefore lack a reliable standard.”
Syr laughed softly.
“Then perhaps a goddess could be much closer than you think.”
The words sounded like harmless teasing.
Lelouch remembered them anyway.
“If so, I hope she possesses enough manners to respect another person’s mealtime.”
“You dislike being disturbed?”
“I dislike being told what I should do.”
His violet eyes remained on her.
“Especially by people who have not yet revealed what they want from me.”
Something flickered in Syr’s eyes.
Then her smile became sweeter.
“I’ll remember that.”
She finished pouring tea and returned to work.
Alice leaned toward Lelouch.
“Do you distrust Syr?”
“I distrust anyone who takes an unusual interest in me without a clear reason.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It also improves survival rates.”
The answer was far colder than someone his age should have been capable of giving.
Alice looked at the side of his face.
She did not know what kind of past had taught him that lesson.
“If you’re with us…”
She smiled.
“…you don’t have to watch everyone all the time.”
Lelouch turned toward her.
“We can help watch your back too.”
He wanted to tell her that entrusting one’s back to another person was a weakness.
That trust was one of the easiest openings for an enemy to exploit.
But the words stopped in his throat.
Because somewhere inside—
Something told him he had once trusted his back to many people.
Some had betrayed him.
Some had left.
And some—
Had remained beside him until the very end.
“I’ll remember that.”
The celebration ended not long afterward.
Lyra examined every line of the bill before paying.
Mia gave them a slight discount after hearing that most of the newly secured money would go toward medicine, though she still insisted on charging extra for Neze because the beastwoman had eaten nearly three times as much as an ordinary member.
Neze protested that she was helping prevent food waste.
Kaguya pointed out that the tavern sold food and therefore did not possess surplus food requiring disposal.
On the walk back to the manor—
The Astraea Familia arranged itself around Lelouch with suspicious precision.
Alice walked in front.
Ryu to his left.
Kaguya to his right.
The Amazoness followed behind.
The remaining members spread around them, neatly closing every gap.
Lelouch tolerated this for almost an entire block.
Then—
“I believe this formation is excessive.”
“We’re walking normally,” Alice replied without turning.
“Do you normally surround a Level One member in a defensive circle?”
“Everyone just happens to like these positions.”
Kaguya nodded with an expression far too serious.
“The wind is better on the right.”
Ryu added,
“The left provides a clearer view of the street.”
The Amazoness spoke from behind.
“I prefer the scenery from here.”
Lelouch looked at the wall of a building blocking nearly all scenery.
“Not one of you is convincing.”
Lyra giggled from near Astraea.
“Just accept it, Prince.
You’re a rare asset of the Familia now.”
“I am not an asset.”
Lelouch looked at her.
“And stop calling me Prince.”
“Strategic resource?”
“That is worse.”
“Important rookie?” Alice suggested.
Lelouch sighed.
“That is at least tolerable.”
Alice immediately raised her voice.
“Everyone heard that!
Lelouch admitted he’s our important rookie!”
“I did not say the entire sentence.”
Laughter followed them down the night street.
Astraea walked near the rear, watching her children with a smile. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
But whenever shadows shifted between buildings—
Her eyes checked them.
Loki’s warning had not made her more cautious of Freya.
She had already been cautious from the moment she saw Syr’s gaze.
What the warning did—
Was make Astraea realize how quickly Lelouch recognized the weakness in his own Skill.
He had not become intoxicated by immunity to divine authority.
The instant Loki pointed out indirect threats, Lelouch had adjusted his entire threat model.
That was reassuring.
And deeply sad.
People who immediately understood how loved ones might be turned into hostages usually came from worlds where trust had already become far too expensive.
When they returned to the manor, the members gradually separated for the night.
Alice insisted on walking Lelouch all the way to the guest building even though it stood only a few dozen paces from the main house.
Ryu followed because she wanted to make certain he had no renewed headaches from his returning memories.
Kaguya followed because she did not trust Alice not to drag him into another training session in the middle of the night.
Eventually—
Nearly half the Familia stood outside Lelouch’s room.
He turned toward them.
“I am capable of opening the door and going to sleep without assistance.”
“We know,” Alice said.
“Then why are all of you still standing here?”
“We’re making sure no goddess of beauty is hiding inside your room.”
“If someone could infiltrate the center of this manor without any of you noticing, standing outside my door would accomplish very little.”
Several members froze.
“Don’t say terrifying things with such a calm expression!” Lyra complained.
“I’m identifying a flaw in the plan.”
Alice placed both hands on his shoulders.
“If anything unusual happens, shout for us immediately.”
“Understood.”
“And don’t try to handle it alone.”
“I will evaluate the situation when it occurs.”
“You’re supposed to say ‘understood’!”
“I should not make promises I may be unable to keep.”
Alice looked ready to argue.
Astraea stepped beside her.
“Let him rest.”
“He has done enough today.”
“But—”
“We can increase the manor watch without making him feel imprisoned.”
Lelouch looked toward the goddess.
“I heard that.”
Astraea smiled.
“I intended you to.”
“Then at minimum, please instruct the guards not to look through my window.”
Several members suddenly became suspiciously interested in the ground.
Lelouch stared.
“You were actually considering that?”
“Only for security!” Alice answered far too quickly.
“Absolutely not.”
After another prolonged negotiation over the definition of guard duty, Lelouch was finally allowed to enter his room alone.
He removed his coat and placed it over the chair.
His body still hurt from the morning’s training.
His mind was exhausted from the Guild negotiation.
And the celebration that should have been his chance to rest had instead produced one troublesome goddess and a warning about another.
This world had little interest in giving him time to adjust.
Lelouch opened the window.
Moonlight spilled through the trees.
The Tower of Babel stood in the distance.
Orario remained bright even late into the night.
He began reviewing the information.
Loki.
Chaotic on the surface.
Cold underneath.
Self-interested, but unusually honest about those interests.
Dangerous.
Potentially reliable as long as their incentives aligned.
Finn.
A commander who had read the contract quickly, understood most of Lelouch’s intent, and established an information channel during their first meeting.
Riveria and Gareth.
High-level combatants who served as stabilizing forces around their goddess.
Both clearly trusted Finn.
And finally—
Freya.
A goddess of beauty.
Capable of seeing souls.
Commanding a Familia whose captain was Level Six.
There was still no evidence that she was interested in him.
But the possibility could no longer be ignored.
Lelouch touched his left eye.
Geass was not an answer to every problem.
Against a target more than three Levels above him—
Absolute Command failed entirely.
God-Opposer rejected divine authority.
It did not stop a god’s children from wielding swords.
And Armament Creation currently produced weapons that even a Level Three adventurer could deflect while consuming a significant portion of his Mind.
On the board of Orario—
Lelouch remained one of the weakest pieces.
His only meaningful advantage was that most of the board had not yet realized—
This particular piece could think for itself.
Knock.
Knock.
Lelouch immediately turned.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Astraea.
He opened the door.
The goddess stood alone, holding a tray with warm milk and medicine for muscle pain.
“I thought you might still be awake.”
“You don’t need to be a goddess to guess that someone who spends an entire day thinking about problems will not suddenly stop thinking because he entered his bedroom.”
She offered the tray.
Lelouch accepted it and stepped aside.
Astraea sat in the chair near the window.
He remained on the edge of the bed.
“Are you worried about Loki’s warning?”
“I’m evaluating it.”
“For you, those may mean the same thing.”
Lelouch did not deny it.
“How well do you know Freya?”
Astraea considered the direct question.
“Well enough to know that she is not evil in some simple, one-dimensional sense.”
She paused.
“And well enough not to underestimate her when she wants something.”
“She can control mortals through Charm?”
“She can.”
“And if that Charm fails?”
Astraea met his eyes.
“She may lose interest.”
“Or become more interested.”
“No one can know until it happens.”
It was a more honest answer than reassurance would have been.
Lelouch trusted it more for that reason.
“Your Skill is not a shield that places you above the gods,” Astraea continued.
“It only ensures that you retain the right to refuse when one of us attempts to touch something that belongs to you.”
“My body.”
“My mind.”
“My soul.”
“Yes.”
Astraea looked toward the city lights.
“But the world outside those things can still be changed.”
“A god unable to command your heart could purchase the house you live in.”
“Employ someone you trust.”
“Change the rules of the city.”
“Or make the people around you hate you.”
“Loki said essentially the same thing.”
“Because she understands power far better than her behavior suggests.”
Lelouch lifted the cup of milk but did not drink yet.
“Do you trust her?”
“Loki?”
“Yes.”
Astraea thought for a moment.
“I trust that she will act in the interests of her children.”
“And I trust that she will not destroy Orario merely for amusement.”
She smiled slightly.
“So long as those two facts continue aligning with our interests, she is a reliable ally.”
Lelouch gave a small nod.
“That is a clear answer.”
“I thought you’d prefer one.”
Astraea’s smile faded slightly.
“As for Freya…”
She stopped.
The image of Syr looking at Lelouch returned.
Astraea could tell him now.
Tell him that the waitress who had poured his tea was the very goddess Loki had just warned him about.
But exposing an identity Freya had chosen to conceal could immediately create conflict between gods.
And Lelouch remained incapable of defending himself from indirect consequences.
Most importantly—
Freya had not harmed him.
Justice did not permit condemning someone solely for what they might do.
“What about Freya?” Lelouch asked.
Astraea chose her words carefully.
“Do not judge people only by the face they choose to show.”
Her eyes rested on him.
“And trust your instincts if you ever feel that someone is looking deeper than they should.”
Lelouch immediately thought of Syr’s gray eyes.
He did not say her name.
Astraea did not say it either.
Both allowed the silence to answer a question that still lacked sufficient evidence.
“I understand.”
“Then rest.”
Astraea rose.
“Alice will probably drag you out for another run tomorrow.”
“I had hoped the new funding might put her in a good enough mood to reduce the distance.”
“I suspect the opposite.”
Astraea looked amused.
“She will probably argue that better food means you’ll become stronger faster and increase the number of laps.”
Lelouch went silent.
“In that case…”
His expression became grave.
“Freya may no longer be the most immediate threat to my survival.”
Astraea laughed.
“Good night, Lelouch.”
“Good night.”
After she left, Lelouch closed the door and finished the warm milk.
The medicine gradually eased the pain in his muscles.
But Loki’s warning remained.
Someone who refuses to belong to anyone is exactly what Freya wants most.
Lelouch sat beneath the moonlight.
Then quietly spoke to himself.
“I belong to no god.”
It was not reassurance.
It was a declaration.
….
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….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it