“The Exiled King…”
The words left Astraea’s lips in little more than a whisper.
Yet in the absolute stillness of the room, Lelouch heard them clearly.
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t move yet.”
There was no panic in the goddess’s voice.
But the tension appearing there for the first time was enough to make Lelouch obey.
The Falna inscriptions across his back were still shifting as though alive.
Black and crimson characters emerged line by line, while Astraea’s divine blood—blood that should have been absorbed into the body of the one receiving her blessing—was being pushed away by an unseen force.
A single crimson droplet trembled above his skin.
It refused to sink in.
“Is the Falna rejecting me?” Lelouch asked.
“The opposite.”
Astraea studied the phenomenon closely.
“You are rejecting my Falna.”
“I accepted it willingly.”
“Your conscious mind did.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“But something deeper in your soul is still rejecting divine authority by instinct.”
Astraea placed two fingers against the center of his back once more.
Heat exploded from the inscriptions.
Lelouch clenched his teeth.
Every muscle in his body tightened as though an invisible hand were trying to force the goddess away from him.
“Lelouch.”
Astraea’s voice remained gentle.
“I am asking for your permission to bestow my blessing upon you and to read what is appearing within your Falna.”
She paused.
“Do you consent?”
It sounded almost ceremonial.
And yet—
The instant she asked, Lelouch felt something waiting.
Not Astraea alone.
His own soul was waiting for his answer.
“I consent.”
The resistance vanished.
Immediately.
The suspended droplet of divine blood sank into his skin.
The black-crimson inscriptions stilled, then gradually returned to the ordinary blue glow of Falna.
Warm power flowed from his back through his limbs.
His body did not suddenly become stronger.
But he could feel it—
A door inside himself had opened.
Something waited behind it.
A power he had once known.
A power that, for some reason, inspired a deeper fear within him than any enemy he could remember.
BANG!
The door burst open.
“Lady Astraea!”
Alice entered first, one hand already on the hilt of her sword.
Ryu, Kaguya, Lyra, and Neze followed immediately behind her, while the remaining members spread out through the corridor.
“We saw some kind of strange light, and the whole building started shaking—”
Alice stopped.
Lelouch was sitting shirtless with his back toward Astraea.
Lyra peeked between the others.
“Oh.
Has the initiation ceremony already advanced to this stage?”
Kaguya smacked the top of the Prum’s head with her scabbard.
“Do not phrase it in a way that invites misunderstanding.”
“Ow!
I didn’t even say anything!”
“Your expression said more than enough.”
Astraea turned toward them.
“No one has been harmed.
The power you felt came from Lelouch’s Falna.”
Ryu’s gaze moved toward the inscriptions on his back.
Her expression grew more serious.
“Was there an abnormality?”
“I’m not yet certain.”
That answer—
Coming from the goddess who had bestowed the Falna herself—
Silenced everyone.
Astraea placed a sheet of paper against Lelouch’s back.
Using her blood, she attempted to copy his Status in the ordinary manner.
The instant divine power flowed through her fingertips—
The paper snapped away as though struck by a violent gust.
The letters that should have appeared on its surface shattered into particles of light.
Astraea went still.
She tried again.
This time with greater concentration.
The result was identical.
“Even copying his Status doesn’t work?” Alice asked.
Astraea did not answer immediately.
Her eyes went to the final line of sacred text that had just finished forming.
Then she looked at Lelouch.
“May I copy your Status onto paper?”
Lelouch understood what she was testing.
“You may.”
This time—
The paper remained perfectly still.
Astraea’s power flowed smoothly through her fingers.
Sacred characters appeared one line at a time.
Ryu’s eyes widened slightly.
“Your divine power was being rejected until he explicitly permitted it…”
“That appears to be the case.”
Once the copy was complete, Astraea lifted the sheet.
The farther her eyes traveled down the page—
The more serious her expression became.
“Lady Astraea,” Kaguya said.
“What exactly appeared on his Status?”
Astraea looked at everyone gathered in the room.
“Before I read this aloud, I need all of you to promise that nothing heard tonight will leave this house.”
Her gentle voice became unmistakably firm.
“No written reports.”
“Nothing to the Guild.”
“And nothing to any other god—even one allied with us.”
Alice placed one hand against her chest without hesitation.
“I promise.”
Ryu, Kaguya, and the others followed.
Only then did Astraea lay the sheet on the table.
The translated Status was clearly visible.
Name: Lelouch
Level: 1
Strength: I 0Endurance: I 0Dexterity: I 0Agility: I 0Magic: I 0
Magic
Geass
—The authority of the Exiled King.
A chantless Magic possessing two manifestations.
Absolute Command
—Issues a command through the left eye to a target who makes direct eye contact.
—Targets of equal or lower Level are compelled to obey, provided the command lies within the physical limits of what their bodies are capable of performing.
—The same target may be affected again once the previous command mark has faded.
Recovery time varies according to Level, willpower, and the severity and duration of the prior command.
—Against targets of a higher Level, coercive power diminishes according to the Level difference.
The target may resist, distort, or break free from the command.
—Completely ineffective against targets more than three Levels above the user.
Armament Creation
—Creates equipment from nothing by consuming Mind.
—Created objects must fall within the user’s proficiency, familiarity, and structural understanding.
Skill
God-Opposer
—Divine authority that directly targets the possessor’s body, mind, or soul is completely rejected without the possessor’s consent.
The silence after Astraea finished reading was heavier than before.
Lyra—
Who normally had something to say about everything—
Was staring open-mouthed.
Neze’s wolf ears twitched as though she were unsure she had heard correctly.
Alice grabbed the paper and read it again herself.
Then, for no logical reason, flipped it over to check the back.
“That’s all?”
Kaguya stared at her.
“You think that is too little?”
“No!
I’ve just never seen the Status of someone who received Falna five minutes ago come with an instruction manual.”
“Ordinary people do not awaken both Magic and a Skill immediately upon receiving Falna,” Ryu said.
“Even among exceptional talents, manifesting Magic before developing any Status is nearly unheard of.”
Every gaze returned to Lelouch.
He was still sitting in the chair.
Still shirtless.
“Before anything else,” Lelouch said in a cold voice, “could someone please return my shirt?”
Everyone blinked.
“Holding a strategic discussion about abilities that may potentially alter the balance of power in this city while I am half-dressed is unnecessarily distracting.”
Alice finally remembered.
“Oh!”
She hurriedly handed it over.
“Sorry.
I completely forgot after seeing your Status.”
“That does not improve the situation.”
Lyra gave an awkward laugh.
“Well, at least now we know your physique is less dangerous than your face.”
Lelouch turned his head.
“If you wish, I can recommend several trap designs capable of making excessively talkative people significantly quieter.”
“Oh?
Threatening senior members already?”
“I am merely offering technical assistance relevant to your responsibilities.”
Lyra grinned.
“I like him more every minute.”
Once Lelouch had dressed, the atmosphere gradually became serious again.
He took the Status sheet and read it himself.
The word Geass—
Burned.
Heat flared through his left eye.
Images flooded his mind.
Eyes branded with crimson sigils.
A man raising a firearm to his own head.
Soldiers turning their weapons against one another.
A pink-haired girl standing in the middle of a crowd—
Her gentle face twisted in horror as her lips formed an order that was not truly hers.
—Kill…
“Ugh—!”
Lelouch’s hand tightened around the paper hard enough to crease it.
The memory vanished before he could hear the rest.
The guilt it left behind remained.
Sharper than before.
He had used this power.
Many times.
And at least once—
It had destroyed something that should never have been destroyed.
“Do you recognize this Magic?” Ryu asked.
“My body does.”
Lelouch stared at the word.
“My memories are gone, but the moment I saw its name, I knew how it was used.”
“Then this power existed before you received Falna,” Kaguya said.
“Possibly.”
“And you used it to command people?”
Lelouch did not answer immediately.
His eyes remained on the paper.
Then—
“I saw people being forced to obey.”
His voice was quiet.
“And I know that at least one command led to a tragedy.”
Kaguya’s hand moved toward her sword.
Ryu did not touch a weapon, but the caution in her eyes deepened.
Alice looked worried rather than afraid.
“Do you remember what happened?”
“No.”
“And the girl you saw…?”
“I cannot remember her name.”
Lelouch’s voice dropped.
“But I think…”
His fingers tightened.
“I think I destroyed her dream.”
Astraea watched him for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
“Not everything written in Falna is something I give to a person.”
Lelouch looked up.
“Falna opens doors.”
“It makes possibilities already present within the soul take form.”
She touched the Status sheet.
“Your Geass followed you from your former life.”
“As for Armament Creation, I suspect Falna interpreted skills, knowledge, and aptitudes still buried within you.”
“Creating equipment out of nothing…”
Lyra’s eyes lit up again.
“If you can produce high-grade swords whenever you want, we’re rich.”
“You overlooked the phrase enormous Mind consumption,” Ryu said.
“Every investment has a cost.”
“You’re planning to monetize the new member’s Magic on his first night?” Kaguya asked.
“I’m exploring economic possibilities!”
Lelouch reread the description.
“Structural understanding…”
His expression sharpened.
“So knowing an object’s external appearance would not be enough.”
“Probably not,” Astraea said.
“And proficiency suggests that even if you understood every stage involved in forging a sword, if you had no familiarity with actually using it, the result might still be incomplete.”
Alice raised her weapon.
“Want to try making my sword?”
“I do not understand the internal structure of your sword.”
“Then I can draw it.”
“Seeing a blade once does not transform me into a master smith.”
“Still worth trying.”
“It may cost all of my Mind.”
Astraea nodded.
“Lelouch is right.
We do not yet know how expensive this Magic is.
He should not attempt anything complicated.”
Lyra hopped onto the edge of the table.
“Then make whatever you know best.”
“It doesn’t have to be a weapon.”
Lelouch intended to refuse.
Then—
Something surfaced.
The instant he thought of equipment, one object appeared inside his mind with frightening clarity.
Black.
Cold metal.
A weight designed to settle neatly into his palm.
His fingers knew the position of every mechanism even though his mind did not know where that knowledge came from.
Lelouch extended his right hand.
“I’ll try.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Is it dangerous?” Ryu asked.
“I don’t know.”
“That is precisely why you should move.”
Everyone stepped away.
Kaguya moved in front of Astraea almost automatically.
Alice rested one hand on her sword.
Lelouch closed his eyes.
The internal structure assembled within his mind.
Barrel.
Chamber.
Trigger assembly.
Spring.
Magazine.
Dozens of fitted metal components, each arranged with a precision that was almost disturbing.
Mind vanished from his body.
Immediately.
Black-violet light gathered over his palm.
Metal appeared from nothing—
Layer by layer—
Until a compact black weapon took shape.
Lelouch caught it by instinct.
His index finger remained outside the trigger guard.
The muzzle angled toward the floor.
He pressed a release near the grip.
Removed the magazine.
Pulled the slide and checked the chamber.
Then reassembled everything in smooth, practiced motions.
Every movement looked as natural as breathing.
As though he had done it thousands of times.
Alice stared.
“What is that?”
The answer appeared before Lelouch consciously searched for it.
“A handgun.”
“A ranged weapon?” Ryu asked.
“Yes.”
He studied it.
“It uses an explosion to propel a small metal projectile through the barrel at high velocity.”
Lyra jumped down from the table and moved closer.
“No magic stone.
No magic circuit.”
She stared at the weapon.
“Then what creates the explosion?”
“A rapidly combusting chemical mixture contained within the cartridge.”
Lelouch answered—
Then stopped.
He did not know where he had been born.
Did not know what nation he had lived in.
Did not know the names of his own family.
Yet he understood an unfamiliar weapon at the level of its internal mechanics.
“If you understand it that deeply,” Astraea said, “you must have used one before.”
“It appears so.”
Alice’s eyes shone.
“Can we fire it?”
“In Lady Astraea’s room?” Ryu snapped.
“We can go outside.”
“We do not even know whether the weapon itself is stable.”
Lelouch was about to agree with Ryu.
Then the room tilted.
His Mind had fallen far lower than he anticipated.
His limbs weakened.
The weapon in his hand began to blur.
“Lelouch!”
Alice caught him before he reached the floor.
The handgun dissolved into violet particles and vanished.
Lelouch tried to stand without assistance.
His legs refused.
“Mind Down,” Astraea said immediately.
She knelt and checked him.
“Stop using Magic.”
“I already have.”
“Do not answer me as though this were trivial.”
Her tone hardened.
“You nearly exhausted your entire Mind reserve in one use.
If you had pushed any farther, you might have lost consciousness for hours.”
“That much…”
Kaguya stared at the place where the handgun had disappeared.
“For something so small?”
“Size isn’t everything,” Lyra said.
For once, her expression was completely serious.
“That thing had dozens of tiny components.”
“Every one of them needed precise dimensions.”
“If even one part were wrong, the weapon might malfunction—or explode in the user’s hand.”
She looked at Lelouch.
“Creating that entire mechanism from nothing on the first attempt was bound to cost a ridiculous amount.”
Astraea nodded.
“Your Magic stat is still I 0.”
“Creating it at all is abnormal enough.”
She pointed at him.
“Until you learn control, you are forbidden from using Armament Creation without supervision.”
“Understood.”
“And not again tonight.”
“I wasn’t planning to—”
Astraea stared at him.
Lelouch paused.
“…Understood.
Not again tonight.”
Alice helped him back into the chair.
Lyra retrieved a Mind potion from a cabinet.
The bitterness struck immediately.
Lelouch frowned.
“Someone who nearly collapses from his first spell isn’t allowed to complain about the taste,” Lyra said.
“Making medicine unpleasant does not increase its effectiveness.”
“If it tasted good, adventurers would drink it recreationally and waste supplies.”
“That logic is absurd.”
“But you’re arguing again, so clearly you’re recovering.”
Lelouch set the bottle down.
Then returned his attention to the Status.
Armament Creation had obvious restrictions.
He could produce only what he genuinely understood and knew how to use.
Complexity dramatically increased the cost.
Superficial knowledge was insufficient.
He could not glance at Alice’s weapon once and reproduce an equivalent blade.
Nor could he read several pages from a manual and create a machine he had never properly operated.
But—
If he studied something until he truly understood it…
If he practiced until it became familiar…
Then the range of what he could create would expand with him.
A power that grew alongside knowledge.
Lelouch’s eyes narrowed.
That may have been far more dangerous than an ability with fixed limitations.
….
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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