Ch 260: Mess of a day.

Early morning on the next day, Akeno and Da Vinci followed Kallen, Lelouch, Sayako and Nunnally, still in her wheelchair for now but her eyes watching everything, down a familiar hallway. Lelouch knocked on the door of the Student Council room and opened it, gesturing for them to enter first.

She smiled as she saw the four people already present, Milly, Shirley, Nina and Suzaku, looking back at her with stiff expressions. They of course knew that Akeno had returned the day before with a number of people from the URE and weren't quite sure how to react.

"Nunnally! Your eyes!" exclaimed Shirley, the first to notice.

"Ah?!" gasped Milly.

"Nunnally, are you…" started Suzaku in shock

"Everyone, it is so good to see you!" happily replied Nunnally with that heart melting smile.

Before they knew it, they had gathered close to Nunnally.

"H-How?"

"Akeno helped me."

"I just gave her a little push." shrugged Akeno. when the eyes turned back to her. "I am happy to see you again, everyone."

"Yes." sighed Milly. "You lied to us, Akeno, and we're not happy about it. Even if I can understand why."

Akeno nodded, a rare expression of shame on her face. "Yes, and I am truly sorry for doing so. But I could hardly come here and claim to be a half-fallen angel sent by gods to save the world. You would have called security on the crazy girl."

Shirley's lips twitched as she tried to suppress a smile.

"Well, you did help Nunnally, so I am feeling in a forgiving mood. But no more lies, okay?"

"Yes. I am fully exposed now anyway, so I do not mind answering all of your questions. And thank you, Shirley." smiled Akeno.

"I will forgive you as well." nodded Suzaku. "You exerted extraordinary restraint when you kidnapped Princess Euphemia, and while I still have qualms about your methods, this incident ended with no one being severely injured."

"You kidnapped Princess Euphemia?" gasped Milly and Shirley, looking outraged. Nina had her mouth hanging open.

"Only to exchange her the same day for Princess Sakuya who had been held captive by Britannia since the start of the invasion." shrugged Akeno. "Well, actually, it was a body double they had, and the real princess had escaped the country, but that's beside the point. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. And I didn't mistreat Euphemia, aside from tying her up. I even fed her my best chocolate cake!"

Suzaku's phone rang, and he made a short apology before leaving the room.

"Since we are speaking about apologies, I should present mine as well." sighed Kallen, looking ashamed. "I am not sick. I never was. I was only a convenient cover to explain often being away from school. I am actually a member of the Black Knights."

"…Ah?! Kallen?!" shouted Shirley in complete shock.

"Yes. I am sorry for lying."

"But you are a Britannian!" protested Nina, her eyes wide.

"I am half-Japanese, actually."

"Kallen!"

"Ahem, this is Da Vinci, my faction's greatest genius and inventor." said Akeno, wanting to divert attention from Kallen.

"Tabane-chan would so object to this statement." chuckled Da Vinci before she looked back at the Student Council members and nodded to them.

"I am Da Vinci, as Akeno said. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Yes, nice to meet you." replied Milly with a stiff smile, still angry at Kallen.

"All those times we were worried about your health, Kallen!"

But if Milly was angry and disappointed about being lied to, it was nothing compared to the expression of pure anguish Shirley's face.

"Kallen, you… my father…"

Kallen flinched. She had actually been the one who had triggered, at Zero's order, the landslide who had not only buried a group of Britannian Knightmares and cut of Cornelia's retreat, but also hit a field hospital where one of the doctors was Shirley's father.

"I'm sorry, Shirley."

"Shirley, let's make a deal. I'll ask my boyfriend to revive your father. He's the Champion of a goddess, and he can do that, within limits. Just don't be angry at Kallen. It is Zero who ordered for that landslide to happen and underestimated the damage it would do." said Akeno, not hesitating a second before throwing him under the bus.

"You can, bring him back?" asked Shirley, shocked.

"Noah can. But he is in another world and can't come to this one himself, so I am afraid that you will only be able to communicate with your father via my magic smartphone, unless you choose to come with us when we leave."

"Your boyfriend can truly revive the dead?" asked Milly, not believing it.

"Yes. My own mother was revived by him." smiled Akeno. "How about we give you a live demonstration? It wouldn't be the first time."

"If you can, please…" asked Shirley with a choking voice.

The door opened, and Suzaku entered, phone in hand. He noticed the strange atmosphere but didn't have time to ask.

"Akeno, I have Princess Euphemia on the line. She is requesting permission to visit you with Princess Cornelia."

"…Sure, why not? When?" shrugged Akeno. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Nunnally and Lelouch going stiff.

"This afternoon?"

"I'm fine with it. I'll ask Princess Sakuya if she can be present as well."

"Thank you." said Suzaku, returning to the hallway.

"I'll call Noah, and see if he can do it right away." smiled Akeno, and Shirley nodded.

…

Noah was sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning, as he contemplated the printed list Sayko had given Akeno.

Either Sayoko was a very early riser, or they had used the time dilation feature of the Sanctuary to cheat the clock get it done fast, but clearly, they were motivated with this and sent it to him without delay, and he kept reading.

…

Good Girls do not masturbate without permission

Good Girls do not come without permission.

Good Girls refer to their Master or Mistress with their full title.

Good Girls suck cock with gusto.

Good Girls perform fellatio with grace.

Good Girls' lips are sealed.

Good Girls' tongues are dexterous.

Good Girls must always swallow.

Good Girls must savor its taste.

Good Girls must relish its scent.

Good Girls clean after themselves.

Good Girls are disciplined.

Good Girls do not complain.

Good Girls obey the rules.

Good Girls accept their punishments.

Good Girls kneel when ordered.

Good Girls submit to their bonds.

Good Girls are loyal.

Good Girls are reverent.

…

And on and on.

There were a few things on that list that he didn't like. He crossed the full title part, noting on the side he liked being called different ways according to the person doing it.

He did the same about the girls' clits being ringed, since he disliked jewelry, or girls not being allowed to complain if he ever went too far.

Another thing he crossed was about 'Good Girls being seen and not heard'. He didn't want his girls to fall silent and line up at attention whenever he entered a room.

But overall, that list wasn't quite as extreme as he feared. What was rather hardcore were the proposed examples of punishments for breaking the rules.

Noah paused his reading of the list to reread the one for masturbating to orgasm without permission.

"The Bad Girl will be bound in a strict strappado position and put into sensory deprivation using ballet boots, ankle spreader bar, armbinder, posture collar, cock gag, blindfold, ear plugs and earmuffs. A rabbit vibrator churning at low intensity will be plunged into her pussy, and the bad girl will endure her punishment for six hours. At the end of it, the Bad Girl will be asked, after removal of the earmuffs and ear plugs, to admit to her mistakes and promise to be a Good Girl again. If she does, she will be rewarded with one single orgasm before being released from her bonds, then sent on her way after cleaning her mess with standard cleaning tools."

"If the Bad Girl let the vibrator fall at any time or doesn't admit to her faults, she will be chastised with a paddle, the number of strikes and their intensity being at the discretion of the person overseeing the punishment. The Bad Girl will then be asked to confess to her mistakes and promise to become a Good Girl again, leading to another round of chastisement in case of refusal, and denied any orgasm before being released and asked to clean her mess."

"If she orgasms without permission during her punishment or her chastisement, the Bad Girl will be further punished with 48 hours of edging, strict bondage, and sensory deprivation, and equipped with a chastity belt, whose removal will be at the Master’s discretion. For repeat offenders, that time might be extended for up to a full week, and the chastity belt might become a permanent part of her attire, to be removed only when serving the Master and reequipped afterwards."

Shaking his head while thinking about a certain blonde-haired crusader, Noah returned to the list.

Most of the individual items on the list were things he had no problem with. Some, he fiercely approved, for obvious reasons. However, the list as a whole told a story about a rather cold-hearted Master, and he wasn't really fine with it.

…Still, in the end, it wasn't really his decision. The girls would have to decide on it, and maybe make a few changes. And with the ability to heal themselves at any time, even stringent bondage position wouldn't cause them much suffering.

His phone rang.

Checking the name on the screen, he smiled as he accepted it.

"Akeno?"

"Hi, Noah. I just sort of promised Shirley Fenette that you would revive her father live in front of the members of the Student Council."

"…Give me a minute to go to an appropriate place for it."

"Thanks! I knew I could count on you!"

"As always, my dear." smiled Noah, teleporting to an empty room.

…

Several hours after Noah revived Shirley's father, Akeno and part of her group, as well as the members of the Student Council, walked toward the gate of the campus.

She smiled as she looked back at Da Vinci and Nina tagging slightly behind, still discussing some obscure math equations and whatnot as they walked. The two girls were already bonding, and Akeno was willing to bet an arm that Da Vinci would make Nina her disciple and bring her to Chaldea.

After Shirley was done talking to her dad and gave Akeno back her smartphone, she had taken Kallen away for a chat. Akeno didn't know what the two girls had said to each other, but it seemed that Shirley had forgiven Kallen, from the way they were now acting. She was still angry at Zero, though.

Lelouch and Nunnally had decided to attend the meeting, although not without some deep reservations. They realized that it would likely mean their identities as members of the royal family being revealed. Poor Milly was about to receive yet another shock.

"Akeno, I'd like to speak to you in private after this meeting." said Lelouch in a low voice.

"Okay." nodded Akeno, hoping it wouldn't be about a request to revive his mother. Considering the timing, it probably would.

They only had to wait a few minutes before seeing an armored limo escorted by eight Knightmares belonging to the Glaston Knights come and stop in front of the gates.

The driver left his seat and opened the passenger door, and both princesses slowly left et vehicle, staring at the people waiting for them.

Akeno saw their complicated expressions when they looked at her and Sakuya, but also the flash of astonishment and recognition when they recognized Nunnally and Lelouch.

"Lelouch! Nunnally!" happily exclaimed Euphemia as she broke protocol and walked to them with unbecoming haste. Cornelia was frowning at both Lelouch and Akeno as she followed with brisk steps. Darlton and three other soldiers of the Glaston Knights left their Knightmares and quickly gathered behind the two princesses.

"It has been a long time, Euphemia." nodded Lelouch. "You seem to be doing well."

"Yes, and… Nunnally, I wasn't aware that you had been healed and could see again. I am very happy!"

"Thank you, Euphemia nee-sama." smiled Nunnally.

Milly and Shirley unfroze, and they both screamed "Ehhhhh!?!" at the same time.

"…Complicated family circumstances. Please do not mind it." sighed Lelouch.

"That means you're…" started Milly, before she shook herself and turned to the two princesses with a deep bow.

"W-Welcome to Ashford Academy, your highnesses. We are greatly honored by your visit. I am Milly Ashford, the granddaughter of the superintendent. He would have welcomed you in person, but is regrettably away in the mainland and didn't have time to return."

"Thank you, Miss Ashford." smiled Cornelia, "We'll apologize for the short notice, but it has been something of an impulsive decision. We hope accommodating us doesn't cause too much of a disturbance."

Cornelia sent a pointed look at Euphemia as she spoke, making it clear whose impulsive decision it was.

"The students are only too happy for the occasion, although we have confined them to their classes for security reasons." smiled Milly. Cornelia nodded and turned her attention to Sakuya and Akeno.

"Greetings, Princess Sakuya, Akeno. Thank you for accepting our request."

"Yes. Thank you for indulging my selfishness." nodded Euphemia with a nod and a smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia." smiled Sakuya. "I hope this meeting will be a step toward normalizing relations between the Holy Empire and the United States of Japan."

"Hi, Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia." smiled Akeno. "I wasn't expecting to ever interact with you again, but your visit isn't unwelcome. We prepared tea and snacks!"

"Would you be willing to follow us to the reception hall?" asked Milly, and the Britannian princesses nodded.

As they walked toward the campus's reception hall, Akeno glanced at het surrounding buildings. As expected, the students were packed at the windows, watching the Princesses.

The reception hall was a large, round-shaped room with balconies, that could be used either as a ballroom for dancing, or as a dining room with dozens of round tables. For this meeting, Sayoko, with the help of Selesia, Monica, Dorothea, Liliana, Angelise and Marika, all dressed in maid uniforms, had set up a half-dozen tables near the center with tea and snacks.

After inviting the two princesses to sit, Sakuya and Akeno sat on the same table facing them, and the temporary maids served tea.

Cornelia and Euphemia looked at the former Knights and Valkyries dressed like maids, barely believing their eyes.

"Akeno, would you be willing to release your captives? Surely you do not need them anymore now that the war is over?" asked Cornelia.

"They aren't my captives anymore." said Akeno as she shook her head. "Selesia, for example. Do you wish to return to Britannia."

"Not at all, Akeno-sama." smiled Selesia. "Even though I intended to kill you, you took mercy on me and offered me immortality and so much more. I am happier now than I was as a Britannian soldier, and I wouldn't give it up for the world."

"There you have it. The Gods are always on the lookout for capable servants, and finding more is part of my responsibilities." said Akeno, taking one pastry and biting into it.

"I… see." sighed Cornelia, carefully watching the former Knights' expression and understanding that they were lost to Britannia. She wondered how Akeno had turned them in so little time.

"I had requested this meeting for a few reasons, miss Akeno." said Euphemia, wanting to redirect the conversation to something more positive. "The first was to thank you. You have consistently gone out of your way to kill as few Britannian soldiers as you could. I realize that thousands of Britannian citizens, despite taking arms against you, would be dead if not for your leniency."

"You can thank the timing and circumstances for this." shrugged Akeno. "I can guarantee you that if I had been around when Clovis ordered his soldiers to slaughter the Japanese civilians in Shinjuku, I would have killed every single one of them."

She suddenly smiled as she gestured to the twins. "Besides, this world is Izumi's and Kasumi's first as Agents of the Gods, so I had to be a good example for them."

Euphemia and the twins smiled at each other and exchanged a nod.

"Can you tell me more about the Gods?" asked Euphemia. "Since you revealed their existence, or rather seemed to confirm it, this has been a popular topic!"

Akeno didn't mind, and explained about the Primordial and Lesser Gods, their habits to name Champions to supervise the worlds they created, and her being the right-hand of one such Champion, although no Champion would end up in charge of this world.

With Euphemia satisfied with her explanation, the conversation turned to matters of trade and foreign policy, and Sakuya and Cornelia took over the conversation.

Akeno, casually watching Cornelia as she sipped her tea, read from her body language and occasional trigger of her lie detection ability that Britannia wasn't interested in long-term peace with Japan, and she sighed. That peace wouldn't last much longer after her departure.

She glanced at Da Vinci seating nearby, who nodded. They would make sure the Black Knights were ready.

And then the conversation somehow turned back to Akeno's kidnapping of Euphemia and Darlton.

"Akeno." asked Cornelia. "Why did you target Euphemia in particular?"

"Because I knew she is the person you care about the most. I knew that if it was her, you would respect the terms of the exchange, at least until she was safe."

"But how did you know that? This isn't exactly public knowledge, or did Lilith tell you about it?"

"No, Lilith-sama and a few other Gods and Goddesses gave us our overall mission to save six dozen worlds, but they are very hands-off about how we go about it. Its…"

Akeno considered for a few seconds, and decided to explain, more for the sake of the people present who would return to Chaldea with her than to satisfy Cornelia's curiosity.

She lifted a finger in the air, and drew a horizontal yellow line with a cross at one end.

"Let's say this represents time. The cross is the present moment, and the line behind it is the past, singular and immutable. Even the Gods cannot do time travel or turn back the clock."

Akeno then drew a dozen more lines connected to the cross, spreading in the shape of a cone

"Those lines represent some of the possible futures. Depending on the choices each of us make and other random factors, one of them will become reality. The number of futures is infinite, and even the gods cannot say for certainty which one will happen."

She then turned one of the new lines from yellow to red.

"However, the Gods can peek into some of those possible futures, and Noah, the Champion I serve, can, to some extent, do the same. He has seen what was going to happen in one of those futures for this world. That future is not going to happen, since our very presence has started to introduce changes and push the future in another direction. But still, Noah has been able to gather a lot of background information from it and told me about it."

"Really? Asked Euphemia, interested. "What happen in that future that isn't going to be?"

"A lot of things." shrugged Akeno. "For example, Shirley here would have been murdered by Rolo whatshisname, the pilot of the golden Knightmare that followed the Knights in battle."

"W-What? I die in that future?"

Akeno smiled at the flabbergasted Shirley.

"Don't worry, Shirley, I made sure to kill him during that battle. At least I think so. Princess Cornelia, it was him in that cockpit, right?"

"…It was. As far as I am aware, he died that day." nodded Cornelia, considering Shirley and wondering why Rolo would have targeted her. "Do you know about his motive?"

"He would have developed an obsession with Lelouch at some point. His goal was to isolate him. Shirley was the first, but wouldn't have been the last if Lelouch hadn't found out and killed him in revenge."

"But if you want to know about more impactful events, I could speak about this attempt by the Chinese Federation to invade Fukuoka, using a Japanese politician in exile as a puppet and justification. I sort of pulled the rug right from under them by convincing you to withdraw peacefully. They have no pretext anymore, and somehow, I do not think they will want to mess with me."

"I do not think so, either." replied Cornelia with a shake of her head.

"That reminds me, if the Eunuchs contact your government about marrying Empress Tianzi off to one of your nobles, I would like for you to decline. I have plans for her."

"Will you take her with you when you leave?" asked Cornelia, starting to think about the political instability it would cause, and how to exploit it.

Akeno only smiled and changed the subject.

"Now, to talk about something really big, there is also a certain person whose research led to the creation of weapons of mass destruction on a terrifying scale. The first deployment of a Fleija Warhead would have destroyed most of the Tokyo settlement, killing thirty-five million."

Akeno glanced around, seeing shocked and pale faces. Nina in particular had her hands on her mouth and looked like she was thinking about throwing up, but no one would find her reaction suspicious.

"Later, an even bigger one would have been used against Pendragon, blotting the imperial capital off the map and leaving a crater nearly a hundred kilometers in radius in its place. That person isn't a problem anymore, so the creation of those weapons will be delayed. But I am not optimist enough to believe they will never be made. I just hope that the world will be at peace by the time they become a thing."

"From what he told me, the very world Noah was born into almost destroyed itself several times when over a dozen major nations each possessed hundreds or thousands of city-destroying warheads. It led to the MAD era, standing for Mutually Assured Destruction, where civilians lived in fear of the apocalypse for decades, until some treaties were signed and the nations agreed to reduce the size of their stockpiles."

Akeno fell silent for a while, wanting to give the Britannians time to imagine what a world with multiple nations having Fleija warheads would be like. Euphemia looked scared, as she should, while Cornelia was pale, her lips firmly pressed together.

"Still…" said Akeno with a softer voice. "…That future Noah saw ended relatively well, with a new United Federation of Nations being created, basically everyone except Britannia, forming a power block powerful enough to make you guys give up on conquering the world, and the world being at peace for maybe ten years before a splinter group of Britannia invaded half of Japan again, installing on their borders huge devices causing any Yggdrasil Drives in their proximity to shut down. They still lost after a few months."

"Japan will be ready." said Sakuya with determination.

"Yes, and we will help with that. We are going to leave more behind us than just the Hakens." nodded Akeno, wanting for Brittania to know that Japan would be stronger that they could assume. Hopefully, the awareness that there was something they didn't know about in Japan's arsenal would make them hesitate.

"I am glad that the recent events seem to be headed toward a more peaceful future." sighed Euphemia.

"Yes. I am quite happy with how this turned out in the end." nodded Akeno. "Now I can just relax and enjoy some peace and quiet. It's pretty rare, you know? When we're sent to a world after another, the Gods expect us to help with whatever crisis the locals have while we wait for our objective to be located, and it's a rather intense pace."

"I can imagine, and I am grateful for that." nodded Euphemia. "And since you mentioned your objective, can you tell us what it is? Maybe we can help you find it?"

"Eager to get rid of us, are we?" chuckled Akeno. Euphemia was about to protest, then smiled as she understood that Akeno was only teasing her.

Akeno created a two-meter-tall image of a demonic pillar using hard light arsenal.

"I may as well show you. Who knows, maybe you'll stumble upon it and shorten our stay. Imagine this thing, but a hundred fifty meters tall. It has hidden itself somewhere in this world, maybe in a desert, maybe at the bottom of a lake. It can use magic, and all those we found previously had erected a dome-like shield around them providing them with optical camouflage to avoid detection from long range or satellite imagery. And all the eyes are able to independently launch various kinds of offensive magic to defend the main body."

"What is it?" gasped Euphemia.

"A great demon, coming from another world to destroy yours, because they just hate humans. We have an ally who will over time be able to attune herself to their magic signature and locate it, wherever it is hiding. Considering the size of the Holy Empire, there is a fair chance that I will later request permission to enter your territory and won't take no for an answer. If I do, now you know why."

"Yes. I would like you to inform us before you enter the Holy Empire, so that no soldier will mistakenly see your presence as an attack and do something regrettable, but I think that the Emperor would agree." nodded Euphemia.

Akeno glanced at Cornelia, who was still pale and looked lost in thoughts. She had barely paid attention to the information she gave them about the demon pillar.

Euphemia noticed as well.

"…Onee-sama? Are you not feeling well?"

Cornelia broke her train of thoughts and looked at Euphemia, then back at Akeno, and her eyes looked… haunted.

"…Those weapons you mentioned… those Fleija warheads. Does their production involve… sizable amounts of highly refined Sakuradite?"

Akeno's pleasant mood crashed instantly, and she sat straighter as she stared at Cornelia.

"…assuming it does, why are you asking such a precise question? It must have come from somewhere."

"…Schneizel asked me to secretly send tons of it to Cambodia."

"Hime-sama!" blurted out Darlton, unable to contain his surprise.

"Yes, I am committing treason right now, Darlton. If you think I am wrong, draw your weapon and shoot me." sighed Cornelia. "But those weapons, they aren't something we should create."

Darlton shook his head, intensely displeased by the situation, but he would support whatever decision Cornelia made to the end.

Akeno chuckled, but there was no humor into it.

"Ufufu, you guys just don't know when to quit, do you? I was hoping you would at least be careful to wait until we were gone. But no… Cornelia, you realize that I have to break our agreement and take action, right? If I give Schneizel time to make even one warhead, his first target will be wherever he believes I am, this very campus."

The members of the student council gasped, their faces going pale.

"I'm aware, and I will not hold it against you." sighed Cornelia.

"It's the Toromo Agency in Cambodia? In the future Noah saw, it was them who created the first Fleija warheads."

"It is." replied Cornelia, and Akeno nodded.

"So, what do we do about it… In that other future, Schneizel learned something important about Zero and used a mix a half-truths and misdirection to turn the Black Knights against him and make them into his pawns, then created a three-kilometer-tall floating fortress named Damocles and armed with dozens of those warheads. His plan was to bring that fortress into low orbit, out of reach from any attempt to destroy it, and where he would be able to demand the submission of all nations, or launch warheads at their capitals. He still failed, obviously."

"One option would be for me to just raid the place and destroy everything, especially kill the scientists, but they probably have backups of their data elsewhere… Another option would be to give Japan another superweapon to act as a deterrent. Da Vinci, what do you think about something like the Memento Mori from that other world?"

"Memento Mori?" asked Euphemia, dreading the answer. She knew what the name meant, and it was very ominous.

"Something vaguely similar to your Stark Hadron Cannons, but the size of half of Ashford Academy, and made to destroy cities from orbit." replied Akeno with a grim voice.

"…IF it comes down to that, I want it to be controlled by an AI, not by any single nation." objected Da Vinci, clearly disgusted at the idea of creating such a thing. "I would program it to open fire at Damocles on sight, but otherwise, only retaliate against nations who use Fleija munitions on cities."

"I am not sure creating even more weapons of that kind would be a good idea." frowned Sakuya.

"I'm not, either, but if Britannia seems intend to go into that route anyway, a peace obtained by the MAD doctrine is still better than Britannia erasing a few capitals and turning all other people into little more than slaves to be oppressed…"

Akeno's eyes widened as she thought about something. She actually had the solution right under her nose, and it wouldn't even break her promise to behave herself, mostly.

"…Wait, I have an idea. I can deal with that threat without actually killing anyone, and it will likely take only a few days. However, Princess Cornelia, Princess Euphemia, and the rest of your entourage, as well as the students, I need your promise that you won't tell anyone about anything we said about those weapons for at least two weeks. If you don't, I'll have to create magically enforced contracts to insure your silence. And I will know if you do not mean that promise. We are living lie detectors."

One by one, the people in question swore secrecy, some more enthusiastically than others, but Akeno didn't need to use any contract. Cornelia's soldiers were very loyal to Cornelia and were only too happy to sweep her indiscretion under the rug.

For a few more minutes, Cornelia and Sakuya argued about foreign policy matters, but their mood was muted, and the two Britannian Princesses decided it was time to go. Akeno and the others accompanied them back to the gate, said goodbye, and watched them leave.

"Well, then." sighed Akeno. "First things first, Lelouch, you said you wanted to speak to me privately."

"Yes." nodded Lelouch. "The rooftop?"

"Fine with me."

Akeno nodded and followed him to the rooftop containing the student council's room. She made sure they were truly alone before nodding to Lelouch.

"First, I wanted to know if it was possible for you to ask Noah and revive my mother, Empress Marianne."

Akeno sighed.

"It is possible, but… There are things you do not know about your mother, Lelouch. She was a Geass user, able to project her consciousness into someone else’s body. When she was gunned down that day, she used it on a young maid-apprentice who happened to be there, and that is how Anya became a Knight of Rounds, with Charles's support."

"Oh… Is she still..."

"No. When I captured Anya, I got rid of your mother's consciousness and sent her to the afterlife. She isn't a good person, Lelouch. She was an active accomplice in his plan to merge all human consciousnesses into a single being. Did I mention anything about that to you?"

"You did in one of our phone calls, yes." sighed Lelouch, understanding that if he managed to convince her, it wouldn't be today. "Akeno, I am also considering asking you to take Nunnally with you when you leave and make her immortal. But can you promise me that she won't participate in any fighting?"

"I can. We recruited more than enough agents already to insure that at least some of them won't have to experience any hardship of that kind. She can later fulfill her duty as an Agent by visiting hospitals to heal people. But are you sure? It's a one-way trip."

"I am sure. Her safety is my priority, and I think I can entrust her in your hands, just like I do with Shirley."

"I will gladly accept, then. I am very fond of her. But I have one condition, Lelouch. You'll have to do something for me. Something big." smiled Akeno.

"What is it?"

"I was originally thinking about entrusting the direction of Japan to you, Ohgi, and Suzaku when Sakuya leaves with me. But what we learned today changes things, and I need your Geass, Lelouch.  Akeno's smile turned sly "What do you think about enslaving your brother and your father and becoming Britannia's new Emperor?".

Lelouch nodded, unsurprised. "We reached the same strategy to solve this issue. But do you have a way to bring me to the Emperor unnoticed?"

"I am 80% confident, and I will crush any opposition that may appear." nodded Akeno.

"Then let's do it." replied Lelouch.

"We leave tonight. Try to find an excuse for being away a few days." replied Akeno.

…

"Isn't this the first formal gathering of the Heads, Noah-sama?" asked Grayfia with an envious look at Rias sitting on Noah's lap, and Noah nodded.

"The early bird gets the worm. You taught me that yourself, Grayfia." winked Rias, and Grayfia replied with a dignified sniff as she sat on one on the room's sofas.

"It is, and for an important reason, although not really an urgent one. I am sorry for disrupting your schedules on short notice." said Noah.

He had requested for the Heads of the harem, Grayfia, Rias, Venelana, Elisabeth, Asuna, Ren, Yoruichi, Lizel, and Misaka 9982, representing all the Sisters, to be present. Akeno and Mayumi couldn't be there, for obvious reasons.

And Mayumi wasn't even aware yet that she was part of his harem in the first place.

"It's fine." smiled Ren. "You saved me from a boring meeting with… doesn't matter. Now that we are all gathered, what is this about?"

"Akeno recently met a young woman named Sayoko Shinozaki, a governess who was trained as a servant in a very… hierarchical-minded environment. I would draw a parallel to last-century British aristocracy, with a barely hidden sexual component to it where female servants are concerned. She was also trained as a kunoichi, and she had some very definite ideas on how servants should be treated by their Masters. This apparently led with her and Akeno exchanging ideas, and Akeno called me."

"In her call, Akeno expressed some dissatisfaction with our relationship. She said that while it was nice and thoughtful that I trained you all to enjoy lesbian sex and have fun with other members of the harem, this only sated her physical needs, but didn't really do much to fill a deeper, spiritual desire for submission. That she wants to feel more controlled in her everyday life and have to follow a strict set of rules. I would first like to know if you girls feel the same way."

For a few seconds, the girls looked at each other, maybe wanting to see who would speak first. Ren was the first.

"What do you think about it, Noah? You are our Master, and what you say, goes."

"I think that I am outnumbered ten thousand to one." replied Noah. "I may consider my own opinion as being somewhat more important than that of any single one of you when I am unwilling to budge on something, but my priority is and will ever be for my girls to be happy to be mine."

"Hum." nodded Ren with a smile, as if she was expecting this answer all along. "I get where Akeno is coming from. You taught me to enjoy following your orders, but it is true that playful submission when we have sessions with each other isn't the same as true submission, and isn't nearly as satisfying. I wouldn't mind having a more disciplined lifestyle, as long as the rules aren't excessive and do not interfere with my duty. There's no public indecency involved, right?"

"This might lead to some girls wearing a few interesting items under their clothes, but nothing overt or overly distracting."

"Then I'm fine with it. But you haven't answered my question yet. What do you think about it?"

"…As a control-freak, I enjoy the idea of more Discipline for you girls, as well as having more opportunities to punish some Bad Girls for breaking the rules. At the same time, I am afraid that playing the role of the stern Master might eventually stop being a role, and that I would push things too far and become cruel."

"It is fine, Noah." smiled Venelana. "That is why you have a council of Heads in the first place, to talk sense into you if you go overboard. You entrusted us with making sure the family was running smoothly, and we will reign you in before you become a tyrant. If you mess up, we'll do a sex strike until you reflect properly!"

The girls all nodded in agreement. When they had discussed the idea of a Council or Heads, Noah had ordered them to oppose him if they thought that he was doing something wrong or harmful to the family, and told them that this order superseded any subsequent order he might give them.

"I want to try it." nodded Rias with a slight blush. "It's going to be something like wearing a chastity belt, right?"

"One of the rules Sayoko sent me forbids masturbation without the Master's approval. Chastity belts would be for the Bad Girls who can't keep their fingers off themselves." smirked Noah.

"Oh…" said Rias, blushing and wondering how long she would be able to refrain from touching herself. Considering the lifestyle she had been immersed in recently and her masochistic streak, probably not very long. She was so going to end up with a belt. A thought that definitely excited her more than it scared her.

"That would be a problem when the harem is already so large, Noah-sama." frowned Grayfia.

"I thought about it and have a suggestion. I am thinking about having everyone form teams of ten members. One of the ten would assume the role of the disciplinarian for a month, and the position would rotate."

"Every day, the disciplinarian would ask the other nine if they have been Good Girls the previous day, then tell about themselves, and provide me with a list of the Bad Girls and their transgressions. I will choose which ones to punish personally, and the disciplinarians will take care of the others."

"Yes, that would work. nodded Lizel. "Although, depending on how easy it is to follow the rules and the duration of the punishments, we may want smaller teams, maybe five or six."

Noah nodded and took from his inventory several sets of stapled papers, copies of the list he had amended, and created hands of hardened light to distribute them without having to get Rias off his lap.

"These are copies of the rules Sayoko suggested to me, some examples of punishments, and the amendments I already made to it. And I am of course open to more changes."

The girls started reading, and Noah studied their reactions as they did.

Rias was getting excited, her legs slightly rubbing against each other as she started shifting her weight from one butt cheek to another. Asuna was blushing, a somewhat lewd smile growing on her face. Elizebeth's breathing was accelerating. Lizel was nodding along with a poker face, but her cheeks were reddening as well. Misaka had quickly scanned the papers, then seemed lost in thoughts. The Sisters Network was likely abuzz.

Noah used his far sight ability to check on the Sisters in the island, and they all had stopped what they were doing, even those having fun in the dungeon rooms.

"Yes, definitely smaller teams." nodded Lizel after she was done reading.

"Akeno is right, Master." said Asuna with eager eyes. "Being able to have fun with each other is nice, but it is still too consensual to really scratch my itch for submission and bondage. Not in the way those rules and punishments would."

"Are you willing to give up physical pleasure for this, however?" asked Noah. "You must realize that you'll get less orgasms this way. A lot less. A whole week without any might become a regular occurrence."

"Physical pleasure isn't just the orgasms, Master." grinned Asuna. "It is also the edging and the anticipation, and from the looks of it, we will get plenty of that. And if it becomes too much, we can always become Bad Girls and break the rules, as long as we're ready to pay the price!"

"We should set up a system where being a Good Girl for a number of consecutive days will allow for an orgasm as a reward." suggested Ren. "From the looks of it, only Noah will be allowed to give permission otherwise, and we know he'll eventually be away for years."

Noah and the girls nodded as it was a sensible thing to add, and would cut down on the number of girls violating rules on purpose. He suspected that plenty would do so anyway.

"Sayoko-san should be made a Head when Akeno is done with her mission." declared Grayfia with a satisfied smile. "I do not think any of the devils in the harem would object to being Disciplined with a firm hand."

"Misaka agrees with following rules from now on. All of us do." nodded Misaka 9982 with flushed cheeks.

The others nodded, and Noah smiled.

"We will run with this, then. Once every single one of the people living there is actually part of the harem, we will adopt this discipline as our default, although the girls who wish to be exempted will have the right to do so."

"How many people does that leave?" asked Venelana.

"If I’m not forgetting anyone, Asia, Aria, Rossweisse and Miyako, Miyabi's mother. Akeno's cousin Suzaku as well." replied Noah. "I will take care of Rossweisse soon. Should already have done so, really. Odin will eventually lose patience if I keep delaying that demonstration I promised him. There's also Bambietta I need to tame, but she can wait, and Ophis has seen enough that we do not need to hide this from her. We will still keep the rules for the common areas as they are, for when we have guests."

"Of course." replied Venelana.

"Let's go over each rule and punishment once move before we ask the others…"