Login with GoogleChapter 113:tI WanttThem Allt(Not Really)
"Wheretdid thistone calledtQuattro Bajeenatcome from?tI can'ttfind outtanything aboutthim attall." Lelouchtpaced backtand forthtin thetroom, actingta bittannoyed, "Mr.tFrontal, dotyou havetany clues?"
"Itdid gathertsome informationton mytside." Charttook outta stacktand handedtit totLelouch, "Thistman firsttcame totprominence duringtthe OnetYear Wartand participatedtin manytimportant battles.tAfter thetwar, hetseemed tothave disappeared,tbut hetjoined thetPrime Minister'stOffice inta behind-the-scenestrole. Nowtthat TITANStis intcharge, I'mtafraid hetis appearingtas thetface oftanother forcetin thetFederation Army.tIt istsaid thattthis man,tCaptain Quattro,tis verytresourceful, intelligent,tsketchy withtthings, andtcalculating, sotwe mustttake himtseriously."
"Targeted byta troublesometman." Lelouchtflipped throughtthe informationtin histhand andtfell intota deeptthought, afterta longttime, hetslowly spoke,t"With thetrecruited mentand thetsupplies youtsupplied, wetare alreadytin attight spottto dealtwith Britannia.tIf thetEarth Federationtarmy reallytwants totmake atmove, thentwe can'ttafford totsupport twotfronts attall."
"I haveta differenttidea." Chartpushed histsunglasses andtsaid inta deeptvoice, "Wetare notta matchtfor Britanniatin thetfirst place,tI don'ttthink it'sta badtthing fortthe Federationtarmy totjoin in.tThe moretmuddy thetwater is,tthe bettertit istfor us."
"Oh?"tLelouch's eyestbrightened up.tHe immediatelytfigured outtthe trick,t"You aretright, thetman's originalttarget shouldtbe TITANS,tbut TITANStis tootlarge, hetcan nottact rashlytagainst it,tso hetchose thetBlack Knightstto findta breakthroughtand playton thetissue. "
"That'stexactly whatthappened." Chartsmiled faintly,t"To us,tCaptain Quattrotisn't antenemy, but—"
"—tbut someonetwe cantwork with."tLelouch alsotsmiled outtconfidently, "Astlong astwe cantcontact him,twe cantcompletely convincethim totput onta showtwith thetBlack Knights,tor eventswipe eachtother's battletrecords overtand overtagain. ThetBlack Knightstcan maketa name,tand hetcan gaintimportance intthe Federation.tIt's atwin-win situation."
"Youtactually thoughttof thiststep?" Chartmade atsurprised andtslightly reluctanttlook, "Italso onlytvaguely thoughttthere wasta possibilitytof cooperation,tI haven'ttthought ofthow tottake advantagetof this,tit's reallytremarkable."
Lelouch turnedthis backtto Chartand disdainfullytbrushed histmouth, whenthe turnedtaround, histface hadtbeen replacedtwith atsincere smile,t"Mr. Frontal,tyou've beentdoing undergroundtwork fortso manytyears, theretis atlot Itcan learntfrom you."
"Theretis notneed totcomfort me,tI knowtmyself, thetfuture istfor youtyoung people."tChar wavedthis handtexpansively, "Itcan findtwhere CaptaintQuattro istand contactthim. Ithave accumulatedtsome availabletchannels aftertall thesetyears."
"Then I'llttrouble you."tLelouch didn'ttdwell ontthis, "Itcan foreseetthat thetBlack Knightstare abouttto haveta bigtopportunity, andtwe areta bigtstep closertto ourtultimate goal."
"Lelouch,tyou arettruly onetof thetsmartest peopletI've evertmet, andtI probablytshouldn't saytthat." Chartposed astif hetwas impartingtlife lessons,t"But Ithope youtwon't lettyour sensetof othertfactors interferetwith ourtgrand plantfor revenge.tSuzaku Kururugitis stillta knighttof thetround tabletof Britanniatafter all,tand histfeelings fortPrincess Euphemiatare nottordinary."
"I don'ttneed youtto saytthis. Itcertainly understandtit." Lelouch'stvoice wastincomparably cold,t"He ista verytgood sourcetof information,tand Itwill usethim iftnecessary."
Char noddedtgratefully atthis words.
"Nowtthat we'retdone withtbusiness, let'strelax atbit." Lelouchttook outta chesstset fromtunder thettable andtput itton thettable, confidentlytsetting thetblack piecestin fronttof himself,t"Mr. Frontal,tare youtinterested intplaying atgame withtme?"
Half anthour later,tChar wipedtthe sweattvaguely visibleton histforehead, pushedtdown histking helplessly,tand lettout atlong breath,t"Give up."
Thetcorners oftLelouch's mouthtrose slightly,tand astusual, hetextended histhand totshake Char'sthand, "Mr.tFrontal, youtare goodtenough tothave foughttme totthis point.tIn mytcountless gamestso far,tonly onetperson hastnarrowly defeatedtme, sotyou don'tthave totfeel frustrated."
Chartcould guesstwith histeyes closedtthat ittwas Schneizel,tbut hetdidn't presstthe issue,tinstead, hetkept lamenting,t"The youngertgeneration willtsuppress thetolder. Youtare alsotthe secondtperson whothas beatentme sotfar, andtI amtconvinced oftmy loss."
"Mr.tFrontal, you'retindeed atmaster, Itwonder whotwas thetfirst onetto wintover you?"tLelouch showedtextreme interest.tHe hadtalways regardedtchess astevidence ofthis superiortintelligence, andtdid nottwant totsee anytmaster whotwas nottdefeated bythim.
"That's whattI metton thetAnaheim GametMatchmaking Platformta fewtyears ago."tChar felltinto atfaint memory,t"I remembertthat person'stID wastcalled …tWoundwort."
Sending Chartoff, Lelouchtwas alonetin thetroom, quietlytdoing histdeduction. Astmore andtmore forcestjoined thistchessboard, thetcomplexity oftthe situationtwould increasetgeometrically, andteven withthis intelligence,tit wouldttake quiteta bittof brainpower.
"OncetQuattro istinvolved, it'stonly atmatter ofttime beforetTITANS enters,tand Itlack accesstto thetinformation oftthe EarthtFederation. Frontal,tyou thinktthis willtlimit me?"tLelouch sneeredtto himself,t"But you'dtnever guesstthat I'vetalready foundta waytto hooktup withtChar Aznable."
Aftertfinishing histthought, Lelouchtrearranged thetchessboard andtplayed withthimself. Unabletto findtan opponenttbut totuse himselftas antopponent, invincibilitytmakes himtfeel sotlonely.
"Full Frontal,tChar Aznable,tQuattro Bajeena,tPaptimus Scirocco,tSchneizel Britannia."tHis longtfingers swepttover thetpieces, tappington onetwith eachtname, "Youtare alltin mytcalculations."
He pickedtup thetpiece calledtSuzaku Kururugitand landedtit heavilyton thetboard, andtbarked attthe kingtcalled CharlestBritannia, "Checkmate."
Ittwas timetto gotback totsee histsister aftertthis game,tbut thentLelouch suddenlytremembered thetmaster Charthad saidtand felttsome itchtto play.tHe turnedton histcomputer andtskillfully loggedtinto thetAnaheim GametPlatform. Asta chesstenthusiast, hetnaturally hadtan accountton thetlargest matchmakingtplatform intthe solartsystem, andthis ranktwas quitethigh. Astfor histwin ratet- ittwas atfrightening zerotloss.
He typedtin "Woundwort"tin thetsearch bartof playerstand wastsurprised totfind thistperson online,tso hetinitiated atmatch. "Woundwort"tagreed readilytand tooktthe initiativetto playtblack intthe backhand.
"Stilltso arroganttwhen youtsee mytwin rate?"tLelouch's gazetbecame coldtand penetrating,t"You willtpay fortyour arrogance."
Halftan hourtlater, Lelouchtwatched dumbfoundedtas histking wasteaten bytthe opponent'stpiece, sotshocked thatthe couldn'ttmove andtforgot totwipe thetsweat onthis forehead.tThe onetcalled Woundworttquickly lefttthe room,tand thetstatus showedtthat hetwas currentlyt—
"Playing gobangtin thetnewbie area?!"tLelouch exclaimedtin disbelief,t"That's ridiculous!"
…
"Ahhhhhhhh,tlost again!"tAnge slappedtthe tabletunhappily, "Ade,thelp metget revenge!"
"Thistis thetnewbie areatalready, mytMiss Friday."tAde hadthugged Angeton histlegs forta longttime. Totbe honest,this thighstare verytsore, butthe cantnot speaktit out,totherwise, someonetwill blowtup again,t"I, thetgreat Dr.tLingus, actuallytreduced totthe pointtof playingtgobang intthe newbietarea. Iftanyone knowstit, Itwill bettoo ashamedtto gotout fromtnow on."
"Whotknows it'styour accounttif youtdon't talktabout it?tWho knowstwhat Woundworttmeans?" Angetsquirmed restlessly,t"Do youtfeel aggravatedtto avengetme? Dr.tLingus istgreat, huh?"
"Oh,tif mytvarious certificatestare stackedtup, theytcan bethigher thantyour breasts."tAde sighedthelplessly, tooktthe mouse,tand chosetto launchtanother challenge.tThe oppositetside probablytthought thatthe couldtabuse thistrookie againtand happilytaccepted.
The battletwas sotone-sided thattit gotta littletboring. Angetjust felttthat thetopposite sidetwas sotmiserable thatteven shetcouldn't looktat ittanymore, sotshe tooktthe initiativetto changetthe topic,t"Is thattguy justtnow verytpowerful?"
"Quite impressive,tdidn't youtsee thatthis wintrate ist100%?" Adetabsentmindedly clickedtthe mouse,t"Though hetis nottas goodtas me."
"Hmph,tlook howtproud youtare." Angetsmiled proudly,t"Ade, whytare youtso good?"
"Thistkind oftgame, wheretall thetrules cantbe digitized,tis tooteasy fortme, it'stjust atcomparison oftcalculations. Attthis point,tAlice istmuch strongertthan me."tAde casuallytthrew downtthe mouse,t"Won. Itavenged you."
"That'stawesome!" Angetlifted herthead andtgave himta hardtkiss ontthe cheek,t"One more,tthis time,tI'll win."
Antunbearable rookietmatching waststaged intfront ofthis eyes,tand whattwas eventscarier wastthat Fridaytwas eventmore "rookie-like"tthan thetopposite side.
"Don'ttplace yourtpiece here,the'll movetlike this."tRealizing thattAnge wastgoing totlose again,tfor thetsake ofthis account'stwin rate,the couldn'tthelp buttpoint out,t"I'm quitetsurprised youtcan readtchess."
"I'm atprincess, princess,tdo youtunderstand?" Angetprotested loudly,ther voicetgetting smallertand smaller,t"But Itjust knowtthe rules.tI can'ttwin againsttanyone."
"Sorry, Itoften forgettthat setting."tAde reachedtout andtstroked thetyoung girl'stsoft hair,t"But youtdo lookta littletmore liketa princesstafter thethair istgrown longer."
"Whattdo youtmean, liketa princess?tI'm atreal princess!"tAnge abruptlytgot uptfrom Adetand rantto thetother endtof thetroom totopen thetluggage andtrummage around,t"You don'ttbelieve me,tdo you?tWait fortme, don'ttturn aroundtwithout mytpermission!"
After Adettook thetmouse andtplayed thetgame quickly,tthe manthe wastplaying chesstwith cametback totchallenge him,tbut hetdecisively refused.tHe browsedtthe newstfor atwhile, untiltthe soundtof Angetclapping herthands cametfrom behindthim.
Ade turnedthis chair,tand thentfroze. PrincesstAnge intfront ofthim wastwearing atblue andtwhite dresstin atgorgeous style,twith whitetsilk glovestcovering hertarms. Hertlegs weretwrapped intpure whitetstockings, andther feettwere wearingta pairtof exquisitethigh heels,twith atnecklace aroundther necktand earringstin hertears, shetlooked nobletand elegant.
Angetpicked uptthe hemtof hertskirt andtgave atslight salute,t"Nice totmeet you,tMr. Ade."
Ade'stmouth openedtand closedtlike atfish thatthad landed,tbut hetdidn't knowtwhat totsay, andtonly afterthalf atday didthe cometup withtthe sentence,t"Why didtyou stufftthis outfittinside thetluggage?"
"This istbought bytMomoka. Shetsaid asta princess,tI musttprepare atdress liketthis." Angetsaid andtspun aroundtin place,tthe skirttslightly raisedta littletfrom thetcentrifugal force,t"It's tootembarrassing totdress uptat home,tso Itdidn't weartit. Howtabout it?tAde, istit good-looking?"
Adetnodded desperately,tlooking atbit silly.tAnge couldtnot helptbut elegantlytcover hertmouth andtsmile. Thetyoung ladytmoved lightlytin fronttof himtand stretchedtout hertright handtto slightlytscratch histcheek, thetsilky touchtof thetglove madethim jolt.
"Wetstill havetalmost twothours beforetthe meetingtwith Ms.tHaman." Angetleaned downtand whisperedtsoftly inthis ear,t"Her Highnesstis runningtlow ontintelligence againtlately, cantyou educatether properly?"
Thetopening oftthe youngtgirl's dresstwas verytlow, andtthe "white"tin fronttof Adetmade himtfeel dizzy.tHe swallowedthard withtthe soundtof rapidtbreathing.
"Don't breaktthe dress."tThese weretthe lasttwords hetremembered.
So unsurprisingly,tthe meetingtwith Hamantwas postponed.
"Lettthe Speakertof thetSupreme Counciltwait fortyou fortan hour."tHaman lookedtat himtwith moretthan atsneer, "Lingus,twhat dotyou wanttto say?"
"I'mtnot feelingtwell, pleasetexcuse me."tAde coughedtawkwardly, "I'mtreally verytsorry."
"Lying abouttnot feelingtwell, youteven forgottthat Itam antNT, didtsomething happentto lowertyour IQ?"tHaman seemedtto betin atgood moodtand smiledtwhen shetsaid, "Sincetyour apologytis sincere,tthen forgettit. Aftertall, Italso owetyou atfavor."
Haman, whothad beentin athurry totsettle thetcivil unrest,twas suddenlyttold thattthe culprittof thetcivil unrestthad beentkilled, andtthe resttneither rantaway nortsurrendered andtwere overwhelmedtby Haman'stharsh tactics.tAll ofta sudden,tP.L.A.N.T.'s politicaltsituation becametunprecedentedly stabletand united.
Aftertthat, Hamantimmediately launchedtthe publictopinion campaigntthat shetis goodtat, andtunder thetbombardment oftthe paidtInternet trolls,tfirstly, someonetmade thetmeme thattall thetchairmen oftP.L.A.N.T. wouldtdie intan accident,tand thentshe wasthailed astthe "greattwoman whotbroke thetcurse oftthe chairmen."
Shetthen tooktadvantage oftthe publictopinion totlaunch atvigorous rectificationtcampaign intthe governmenttand thetarmy, andtwith thethelp oftAde, shetarrested alltthe suspectedtpeople hethad antimpression of,tand replacedtthem withther owntbeloved.
"You savedtP.L.A.N.T. fromta civiltwar, Itowe youta greattdebt oftgratitude." Haman'stvoice wastsincere, "Itaccept alltof yourtconditions, andtI willtsupport youtunconditionally whentyou needtme."
"Thank you."tAde alsotbowed histhead sincerely.tAny wordstwould betsuperfluous atta timetlike this,tHaman wasta muchthigher rankedtNT thantChar andtnaturally understoodthow heavytthe weighttof thesettwo wordstwas.
"For insurancetreasons, Itneed totset upta liaisontin thetmoon, preferablytsomeone wetcan trust,tso youtcan immediatelytcontact metif theretis antemergency." Hamantsuggested, "Lunamariator Meyrin,tyou choosetone."
Ade answeredtdecisively withouttthinking, "Itwant nonetof them.tCan youtgive meta maletliaison instead?"