Chapter 249: Mahiro's Terrible Idea
Above.
During the time Suzaku was being interrogated and brutally beaten, evening quickly arrived.
Due to the events reported in the news, school had let out early.
Milly and Shirley had also unusually returned to their own homes.
As for Kallen, one of the participants in the Shinjuku incident, she left school with complicated feelings.
She had never understood why Britannia, with so many remaining troops at the time, had let them go. Now she understood.
The then-Viceroy Clovis must have been threatened.
And then he was killed by that man named Suzaku Kururugi...
Which meant that the person who supported their counterattack back then was Suzaku Kururugi?
For a moment, Kallen's thoughts fell into chaos.
But soon, she received a phone call.
"It seems you're alright, Q1."
Huh!
The familiar voice from the phone made Kallen freeze on the spot. She turned around in disbelief, looking at the empty Ashford Academy behind her.
Not Suzaku Kururugi?
Suzaku Kururugi was currently imprisoned and couldn't possibly be calling her.
Then who was it?!
"4 PM the day after tomorrow! The observation deck of the old Tokyo Tower, come alone!"
"Who are you really? The one who made Clovis issue the stop command in Shinjuku was..."
Beep!
Kallen quickly pressed for answers, but from the other end of the phone came only the sound of the call being disconnected.
"Hey, answer me, don't hang up!..."
Kallen called out anxiously, but aside from the dial tone, there was no other response.
"Sensei, that news during the day... it was about Suzaku Kururugi, right?"
"Yes, I remember that name. They say he was the eldest son of Genbu Kururugi, Japan's last prime minister. What a pity about Clovis..."
While pretending to hold Nunnally and placing her on the bed, Mahiro-sensei feigned sympathy.
But Nunnally remained silent throughout.
Or rather, she didn't know how to begin.
Seven years ago, Suzaku Kururugi had lived with her and Lelouch. Though those days were frugal and couldn't compare to life in the Aries Palace, they were still happy times.
Later, when Britannia's war reached Japan, she and her brother lost contact with Suzaku Kururugi completely.
Yet now, seven years later, Suzaku Kururugi had appeared in news reports as the murderer of her imperial brother Clovis.
For a moment, Nunnally was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
She didn't even know what expression to make.
Though she didn't believe Suzaku Kururugi could do such a thing.
D.....
"Rest easy, don't worry. No matter what happens, I'm here, and so is your brother Lelouch."
"I understand. Goodnight, Mahiro-sensei."
"Goodnight, Nunnally. Sweet dreams."
After leaving a goodnight kiss on Nunnally's forehead, tucking her in, and turning off the light, Mahiro left the room.
In the hallway, he encountered Lelouch.
"Nunnally... is she asleep?"
"She's already asleep. What about you? Finished your call?"
"...."
Lelouch gave a slight nod, though his expression was somewhat complicated.
He felt conflicted, hesitant, but more than anything, furious.
Furious that his close friend Suzaku Kururugi had been framed as the murderer, furious that the proof of his revenge against Britannia had been stolen from him.
"So, what do you plan to do next?" Mahiro asked.
"I've arranged to meet Q1 the day after tomorrow at Tokyo Tower."
"But that's not the real meeting place, is it?"
"Nothing escapes you, Sensei," Lelouch smiled bitterly. "I plan to meet those terrorists on the circular Shinkansen line that runs through the settlement."
Standing on the Shinkansen, it was like being on the boundary between yin and yang—one could clearly see the contrast between the old Japan and the new era settlement.
This place was simply perfect as the starting point for rebellion!
Additionally, Lelouch needed to have a custom outfit made—one that would both conceal his identity and serve as a symbol of resistance!
"Well then, it seems you don't need my help."
"No, I need your assistance, Mahiro-sensei!"
Just as Mahiro was about to leave, Lelouch grabbed his arm, only to immediately feel the world spin around him before being thrown to the ground.
"Lelouch, you never learn, do you? How many times have I told you—use your words, don't grab people."
"I... cough... I know I was wrong, Sensei..."
"Hmm, good attitude in admitting your mistake. So tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"
Mahiro brushed the dust off his hands while Lelouch slowly sat up from the ground, saying:
"...I want to rescue Suzaku. I hope you can help me, Sensei."
"That murderer Suzaku Kururugi on TV?"
"Yes, Sensei, you should know—Suzaku has been framed. I'm the one who killed Clovis, so..."
"So you want me to help you break him out before his execution? I don't really understand—isn't it good to have someone take the blame for you?"
Mahiro asked knowingly, but was met with Lelouch's sharp rebuttal:
"I don't need that! Killing Clovis was my declaration of rebellion against Britannia, against that man! I won't allow anyone to take that away! Besides..."
Here, Lelouch hesitated for a moment, but still spoke the truth.
"Besides, Suzaku Kururugi is the friend Nunnally and I made when we first came to Japan. He took good care of us back then, so I don't want him to die like this."
Hearing this, Mahiro silently watched Lelouch for a long time, noticing the seriousness and determination written all over his face.
He finally couldn't help but sigh:
"You're really willful, Lelouch, just like a child... But fine, I'll help you, as long as you won't regret this later."
"?"
What did that mean?
Just as Lelouch was about to ask, Mahiro had already turned and left.
Soon disappearing from Lelouch's sight, merging into the silent night.
Time passed quickly.
Soon it was the day of the scheduled meeting.
Lelouch left early in the morning with his custom-made outfit.
Shortly after, Mahiro also left the academy.
But he wasn't following Lelouch to meet the resistance group called "Red Moon"—instead, he headed straight for Shinjuku.
He had received word that the disassembly and analysis of Lancelot Z-01 had been completed.
Thus, he decided to go take a look.
However, upon arriving at the designated address, Mahiro found only ruins—desolate abandoned buildings standing lonely in the area, without a single soul in sight.
Weeds grew rampant everywhere, creating an overwhelmingly bleak atmosphere.
"Lord Mahiro, over here."
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind.
It was Nu.
She was dressed in her usual secretary-like attire: a thin white blouse that seemed almost translucent, and sheer black stockings under her skirt that clung tightly to her shapely thighs, revealing hints of skin beneath.
Her delicate feet were nestled in a pair of pitch-black high heels.
The sight was irresistibly alluring, tempting one to hold and admire them.
"Please follow me."
With that, Nu led the way, guiding him into an alley and opening a dilapidated iron door.
Below lay endless darkness and a staircase leading to unknown depths.
Chilling gusts of wind surged up from the underground passage, as if it led straight to the netherworld, all the way to the Yellow Springs.
However, this was merely a disguise—a facade to conceal the true gathering place, located nearly two hundred meters underground at the end of this passage!
"I'm amazed you managed to dig this deep in such a short time..."
But in reality, upon reaching the gathering place, he found it even more spectacular inside!
Soaring ceilings, smooth white walls, and floors paved with marble, all equipped with security checks, alarm systems, and automatic doors.
It was completely different from what one might imagine a hideout to be—it could easily be mistaken for a corporate facility buried deep underground!
The people coming and going here were all girls from Shadow Garden. Whether beast-kin or elves, they had uniformly concealed their racial traits.
They appeared no different from ordinary human girls.
The technology on display here perfectly integrated science and magic. Not even Britannia could compare, and even in the world of The Irregular at Magic High School, few could rival it.
Almost everyone here had learned how to use CAD.
It had become fully integrated into their daily lives and work.
Mahiro admired his surroundings as he continued to follow Nu deeper into the underground base.
Taking the elevator, they descended even further underground.
What lay buried deep below was entirely different from the upper levels—it was a research institute.
All the technology above originated from here.
Upon opening the door, he met the true master of this area: Eta, who appeared drowsy and was wearing a white lab coat, fiddling with a PAD in her hands.
She looked so exhausted it seemed her eyes might close at any moment.
Until she noticed his arrival.
"Ah... Brother Mahiro, you're here..."
Eta slowly turned her gaze, her long hair disheveled, and wobbled unsteadily toward him.
"Seriously, how long has it been since you last slept?"
Mahiro hurried forward to support Eta's frail, swaying figure, asking with a slight headache.
"How long... has it been since I last slept? When was the last time I slept...?"
Eta tilted her head, murmuring to herself, unclear whether she was asking him or herself.
After a moment, Eta seemed to recall and spoke up:
"Ah... I remember now. The last time I slept was about a week ago..."
Her words trailed off like fragmented whispers.
Hiss—
A week ago?
So this girl hasn't closed her eyes for an entire week???
Even Mahiro couldn't help but gasp in shock upon hearing this.
No wonder she was in such a state.
"Then go to sleep right now."
"But... I haven't yet shown you the research results from the components we disassembled from that robot."
As she spoke, Eta yawned and picked up her tablet, fiddling with it.
But the next moment—
Eta suddenly felt her hands go empty.
Mahiro had snatched her tablet away.
"This is an order—go back and sleep now! Aren't all your research findings recorded on this tablet? I'll review them myself!"
And so, a drowsy Eta was briskly ushered away by him and, with the help of other researchers, taken back to her room to sleep.
They say researchers are mad—now he had truly witnessed it.
Though he had assigned her this task, staying awake for a whole week over a pile of scrap metal?
Wasn't that just pure insanity?!
"Go, summon Alpha for me. Tell her I need to see her," Mahiro instructed Nu while fiddling with the tablet and reviewing its contents.
His tone carried a hint of displeasure, which Nu could sense, but there was something she still had to say.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Mahiro. Lady Alpha is not currently at this base. This base is managed by Lady Beta and No. 559..."
"No. 559?"
Mahiro was momentarily taken aback.
It wasn't unusual for Alpha to be absent, as she had many areas to oversee.
But who was this No. 559...?
Oh, he remembered—it was that saintess named Victoria.
With her pink-gold long hair covering one eye, she had left quite an impression.
"Then summon them here."
"Yes."
Not long after Nu left, Beta arrived, with No. 559 following behind her.
"Good day, Lord Mahiro!"
Both knelt on one knee to pay their respects.
"Enough, rise."
"Yes, Lord Mahiro."
As they stood, Mahiro suddenly spoke again:
"Explain—what's going on with Eta? How could you let her go without sleep for a week without stopping her?"
Hearing this, both No. 559 and Beta shrank their necks timidly, lowering their heads and stammering:
"Apologies, Lord Mahiro, it's not that we didn't try to stop her... but... but..."
"It was impossible..."
As Beta's eyes darted uneasily and she struggled to speak, looking pained, Victoria stepped in to explain:
"Lord Mahiro, Lady Beta was unable to stop Lady Eta..."
Indeed.
Beta had tried to stop her, but every time she ended up being tormented by Eta, crying eight times over the course of a week.
As for Victoria, there was no need to even mention her.
If even Beta couldn't handle it, she, being merely a numbered member—though granted power by Mahiro himself—stood no chance against Eta.
Seeing Beta's pitiful state, Mahiro couldn't help but sigh.
Despite being the second-in-command of Shadow Garden, she and Gamma were the most bullied among the Seven Shadows.
Gamma was always bullied by Delta, while Beta suffered at the hands of Eta.
Eta would constantly use her bizarre inventions on Beta.
Thinking of this, Mahiro reached out and gently stroked her silver-white short hair.
"Alright, alright, let it slide this time. If it happens again, contact me or Alpha directly, understood?"
"Yes, I understand, Lord Mahiro..."
"Good. Now, give me an introduction to your research findings."
Mahiro handed over the tablet, and Beta took it, carefully explaining everything to him.
Over these past days, Eta had indeed worked tirelessly, thoroughly mastering all the technology of the Lancelot Z-01.
This included the power system, the energy shields (Blaze Luminous) on both arms, and the high-frequency vibration sword MVS, among others.
According to simulation data, the seventh-generation Lancelot's mobility performance alone was 1.6 times that of the Sutherland, not to mention its massive energy reserves.
Powered directly by Sakuradite, it offered greater endurance than the standard Sutherland.
"What about the Knightmare? How far along is the design?"
"My apologies, Lord Mahiro. Time is a bit tight, and we're still in the design phase..."
"Oh, that's fine, no rush."
Mahiro nodded slightly and continued, "What about the pile of scrap metal after disassembly?"
"It's in the warehouse. Do you have a use for those things, Lord Mahiro?"
"Nothing in particular, just asking. If you're done with them, clean them up and dump the pile in front of the Governor's Mansion in the Tokyo Settlement."
"Huh?"
Beta was taken aback and quickly said, "Lord Mahiro, with all due respect, I believe that although that pile is scrap, if we keep it for parts to assemble the next-generation Knightmare, it could be put to better use."
However, upon hearing her suggestion, Mahiro shook his head.
"No, you're mistaken, Beta. Sending those things back will be more useful than keeping them in our hands."
Beta blinked, looking at him in confusion.
"Sorry, Lord Mahiro, I'm a bit slow-witted and don't quite understand..."
"No problem, I'll explain it to you slowly..."
The reason is actually quite simple.
The Lancelot Z-01 is the latest generation of Knightmare frame, the proud masterpiece of Lloyd Asplund, nicknamed the "Earl of Pudding."
If we keep the parts, although Lloyd will develop the second-generation Lancelot, it will undoubtedly take a long time.
So it would be better to return the Lancelot parts whose technology they had already mastered to him, let him reassemble it, and then update it even faster.
After that, they could capture it again, disassemble it once more, and continue absorbing the technology.
Improving upon others' technology was always faster than conducting slow, independent research.
Take for example the FLOAT SYSTEM (hover flight system) and the hadron cannon, among others.
Although these weapons weren't particularly powerful, they had the advantage of convenience—especially the hover flight system, which was far more convenient than magic-driven alternatives.
When Beta and 559 heard his utterly unscrupulous yet brilliant "rotten" idea, they couldn't help but show looks of astonishment and admiration.
Lord Mahiro was truly Lord Mahiro—even his ideas were exceptional.
Why bother reinventing the wheel behind closed doors when the other side would deliver the technology right to their doorstep!