Chapter 121: Provoked
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Still, there was an odd sense of accomplishment he could feel springing from within himself as he beheld something he never would have been able to do as a human.
'I guess Rias had a point.' Lelouch thought as he summoned his teleportation circle to take him back to the villa. 'I really have become stronger.' It was the second to last day of training, in two days Rias and her Peerage would be fighting Riser and his own.
Everyone had done their part to grow stronger or help the others grow so that, when the time came, they could kick Riser and his Peerage to the curb and help set Rias free from the contract she had been forced under by being born the Daughter of Gremory.
Asia had done her best to increase her reserves and her control so that she could heal everyone faster.
She could even heal them at a distance now, keeping her out of danger. Though the closer she was, the more effective her healing would be.
Issei's power as a Pawn had grown tremendously once Rias released his full potential, though it had taken some time for him to get used to his new level of power enough to control it.
Even now, his control flickered between decent and run he's about to blow something to hell.
But overall, Lelouch was legitimately impressed with how the pervert had managed to knuckle down and actually become productive.
He had even struck up an interesting friendship with Gasper, who seemed to believe that Issei was the epitome of manliness for seeking to become the Harem King, capitalization as insisted by said pervert.
Speaking of the Dhampir, the book Lelouch had helped him look for the other night in the library had been of little help.
The only thing Gasper could do that he couldn't do before was stop moving objects, provided he focused enough and avoided allowing his fear to cloud his judgment and powers. But he was still a valuable asset because of his determination to help Rias.
Rias herself had spent quite a bit of time with Lelouch, developing strategies and counterstrategies.
Lelouch was legitimately impressed with her creativity in some instances and had begun to feel a sense of greater respect for the young woman than he had before.
Akeno was already a monster in regards to power as far as Lelouch was concerned, but she had somehow managed to fine tune her control while she was helping Asia and now had become legitimately terrifying since she no longer expended nearly as much energy as she used to.
Koneko's attacks had only become more ferocious as training went on, but Lelouch had to wonder if it was something to do with the fact that she had been sparring with him rather than any sort of change on her part.
He still had yet to give her or Akeno an answer, and, as far as he knew, neither one knew what the other had told him.
Lelouch felt a shiver of fear as he realized he had one more day on Akeno's limit and he didn't think things would end very well, but he knew he would survive.
The amount of pain he would be in would vary depending on the result his answer provoked.
Kiba had been the least stressful of all of his relationships to manage, Gasper was still too scared to spend more than a few hours outside of his room at any one time without returning to "recharge" and Koneko and Akeno each were waiting for him to respond to their feelings for him.
The Knight had managed to refine his swordplay through his mock duels with Lelouch, though his skills hadn't needed much refinement in the first place.
Lelouch himself, well, he hadn't been idle. Discounting the training he had received from his fellow Peerage members, he had managed to develop and perfect at least a few more Void spells during his little self-study sessions in the forests.
Although the areas he had trained when he couldn't sleep couldn't exactly be called forested anymore, they were more like craters with forest debris than anything else.
A few hours after dinner, Lelouch found himself unable to sleep and decided to once again take to wandering the villa.
But, for all that he had managed to stumble across in the past week, he finally ran into something he never expected to see.
Outside, standing under the gazebo as she looked out at the night sky, was Rias. She was dressed in a rather thin nighty, something very much not meant for the autumn chill, but he doubted she cared very much about that.
She was conversing with Issei, whose eyes hadn't once dropped below Rias' neckline as they had a serious discussion.
Lelouch couldn't hear it, but seeing Rias look at Issei like that made him smile sadly as he recognized the beginnings of what would probably become love. 'I can recognize it without, but not within.' Lelouch thought to himself, feeling bitterly amused at the realization.
His heart was far too conflicted, between all of the self-loathing, the hatred, the pain, and the sheer overwhelming guilt and the need to face judgment for his previous crimes, to love again.
He wasn't even sure he could feel love for anyone besides Nunnally anymore, and that was only because he had ingrained those feelings into his very soul.
Turning back to head to his room, Lelouch sighed quietly.
"Lelouch?" Gasper's soft voice sounded out behind the Knight. Lelouch turned and smiled at the shy Dhampir who was dressed in a nightie he thought suited Koneko more than him.
"What're you doin?" The young boy yawned widely. He was without his mask for now, leaving his face open for anyone to see.
"Just wandering the halls." He whispered, slowly making his way to Gasper's side. "How bout you?" Lelouch found himself yawning as well. Gasper's yawn was apparently contagious.
"I couldn't sleep." Gasper admitted softly as the pair began to talk as they walked the halls. "I'm really nervous about the upcoming Game." Clutching his skirt, Gasper looked down at the floor in shame.
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