“Lady Astraea,” Ryu asked.
“When it says divine authority, what exactly does that include?”
“Based on what happened earlier…”
Astraea looked at Lelouch.
“At minimum, granting, reading, and manipulating Falna.”
“I could bless him because he consented.”
“And I could copy his Status only after explicitly asking.”
“What about Charm?” Lyra asked.
“The kind possessed by goddesses of beauty?”
Astraea considered the question.
“If such an ability directly interferes with his mind or soul, and Lelouch refuses it…”
She nodded slowly.
“Then it likely would not affect him.”
Several expressions changed at once.
Orario was home to many gods.
Some possessed beauty capable of making mortals abandon everything for a single glance.
Some could perceive souls.
Sense lies.
Or exert residual divine qualities upon others even while their Arcanum remained sealed in the Lower World.
Lelouch—
Could apparently reject such interference through sheer consent.
“What if a god physically attacks him?” Alice asked.
“This Skill does not make his body invulnerable,” Astraea explained.
“If a god picks up a knife and stabs him, the blade still wounds him.”
“If a god destroys a building and it collapses on top of him, he can still be crushed.”
“It rejects divine authority that directly acts upon him.”
“It does not erase every physical consequence caused by a god.”
Lelouch nodded.
“So the distinction is between refusing a ruler’s command and refusing a rock the ruler throws at my head.”
Astraea smiled faintly.
“That is surprisingly accurate.”
“And if he consents initially, then changes his mind while the divine power is still active?” Ryu asked.
Astraea reread the description.
“Consent appears to be continuous.”
“Not permanent authorization.”
“If he withdraws it, the divine influence should be expelled immediately.”
Kaguya murmured,
“A Skill even the gods cannot force their way through…”
Lelouch stared at his own hand.
The wrathful voice returned.
—Be exiled.
—Live without a name.
—Without a throne.
—Without anyone who remembers you.
“This may not be something your blessing created,” he said.
“I believe the same,” Astraea replied.
“A god once used power against me without my consent.”
Lelouch’s hand closed into a fist.
“He took my memories and cast me into this world.”
“If Skills are born from a person’s experiences and desires…”
His eyes narrowed.
“Then perhaps this is the final resistance of my soul.”
Alice’s expression darkened with anger on his behalf.
“Who was that god?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you remember, tell me.”
She clenched one fist.
“I’ll punch him.”
Lelouch looked at her.
“He is a god from another world.”
“So?”
Alice frowned as though the objection were completely irrelevant. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“A god is still a god.”
“If he did something awful, he deserves to get punched.”
Astraea covered a smile with one hand.
“Alice, perhaps exercise slightly more caution when discussing punching gods in front of a goddess.”
“You don’t do things like that, Lady Astraea.”
Alice nodded confidently.
“So you don’t need to worry about me punching you.”
“I suppose I should be grateful.”
Lelouch stared at his captain.
She had just announced with complete seriousness that she intended to assault a deity from another world.
The proposition was almost certainly impossible.
And yet—
There was no falsehood in her voice.
If that god somehow appeared before them, Alice would probably draw her sword without pausing to consider what she was challenging.
Foolish.
Irrational.
And, for reasons Lelouch did not care to examine—
Enviable.
“Regardless,” Astraea said, “this Skill must remain our highest-level secret.”
“If other gods learn that a mortal can reject their authority, some may become curious.”
“Others may become afraid.”
“And some may decide to eliminate him before he has the chance to grow.”
“Especially when combined with Geass,” Ryu added.
“He rejects authority from above while possessing authority over those below.”
Lelouch glanced at her.
“You make me sound like an ideal tyrant.”
Ryu did not deny it.
“If those powers belonged to the wrong person…”
“That is exactly what you would become.”
Lelouch’s expression became still.
“Then how do you know they don’t?”
No one answered at first.
He had not asked sarcastically.
He genuinely wanted to know.
His memories were full of blood.
Commands.
Guilt.
Perhaps he had been exactly the kind of tyrant Ryu described.
Perhaps he had treated people like pieces on a board.
Perhaps once—
He had forced the entire world to kneel.
If so, returning this power to him might have been a mistake.
Astraea answered.
“We don’t.”
Lelouch looked at her.
“Trust is not the result of exhausting every possible doubt until nothing remains.”
“No one can do that.”
Her voice remained calm.
“Trust is choosing to give someone an opportunity while accepting that the decision may hurt you.”
“You would take that risk because I helped one child?”
“Not only because of that.”
Astraea looked directly into his eyes.
“Truly dangerous people often rejoice when they gain power over others.”
“You…”
Her gaze softened.
“You look at that power like a man holding a blade that has already wounded someone precious to him.”
Lelouch said nothing.
“Fear does not guarantee that you will never misuse it.”
“But it tells me that you understand the cost of misuse.”
“I do not believe you are a good person because I am incapable of seeing darkness inside you, Lelouch.”
Her expression was gentle.
“I choose to believe in you because you can see that darkness too.”
“And you’re still trying not to let it consume you.”
The pink-haired girl appeared again.
No blood this time.
Only a smile filled with impossible faith.
Lelouch closed his eyes briefly.
“You really are very similar to her.”
“The person you’ve forgotten?”
“Yes.”
“She must have been very kind.”
“Too kind to have remained near someone like me.”
Astraea tilted her head.
“But she did remain near you, didn’t she?”
Lelouch had no answer.
His memories did not know.
His heart did.
Astraea moved behind him and prepared to conceal the Falna markings.
Before touching his back—
She stopped.
“May I seal your Status?”
“I consent.”
This time, no resistance appeared.
Blue light faded.
The inscriptions disappeared beneath his skin.
The small act confirmed the Skill’s description completely.
No god could touch him—
Unless he opened the door first.
Astraea folded the Status sheet and handed it to Lelouch.
“Keep this somewhere safe.”
“Do not let anyone else see it.”
“You aren’t keeping a copy?”
“It’s your life.”
“And your secret.”
She smiled.
“You should possess it.”
Lelouch accepted the paper.
This goddess had taken an unidentified stranger into her home—
And now returned the most valuable information she possessed about him without even keeping a copy.
“You trust me too much.”
“Perhaps.”
Astraea admitted it easily.
“But if I kept it because I feared you, I would be teaching you to begin your new life through suspicion.”
“Suspicion keeps people alive.”
“And trust gives survival meaning.”
Lelouch looked down at the folded Status.
He did not agree completely.
Trust without contingencies was foolish.
People who exposed their hearts too freely eventually found them exploited.
And yet—
He did not want to become the person who proved Astraea wrong.
“I’ll keep it safe.”
That brief answer was enough to make her smile.
….
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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