Chapter 8: Magical Maladies

Lelouch was feeling faint. Working against the Witch's scent inside him allowed him to observe the phenomenon for a while. Trying to push aside the image of Ferris' hands, Lelouch leaned against the wall, sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Should I bring you anything?" Reinhard asked. Lelouch shook his head. Even Felt looked worried, an expression he hadn't seen very often on her face.

"I will just rest," Lelouch said, gritting his teeth. The black hands, the Witch's scent. The effect was weakening. "I'm afraid this won't be an isolated incident."

Reinhard nodded, his eyes hard. Of course, Ferris' words still rang true. If there was someone who could remove a curse like this, a curse that was holding onto him with the hands of the Witch, then it would be one who defeated her. If Ferris had noticed the Witch's scent, he didn't show it, so there was a bit of hope that this loop wasn't a lost cause yet.

"Could I ask a favor of you?" Lelouch spoke up again, swallowing. Reinhard nodded without missing a beat, giving Lelouch a small smile. "I've been invited to the Barielle mansion today, but I can't go in this condition, obviously."

"Want me to write a letter then?" Reinhard asked. Lelouch nodded. If the assassin became aware that he won't be arriving at the mansion, then Tristan and Henry might stay alive. Remaining close to Reinhard would stop the assassin from making his move. "I'll get to it after breakfast then."

"Thank you," Lelouch said. Having a friend like Reinhard didn't seem too bad.

"Come, Lady Felt," Reinhard said. Felt looked between him and Lelouch as the red-haired knight stepped out of the room. Reinhard understood Lelouch well enough without any further words being exchanged - a bit of time alone would be nice.

When Felt left the room with her nose high and her arms crossed, Lelouch waited until the door behind them closed until he collapsed to the ground. All he had to do was to get rid of the scent. Get rid of the mana.

The book on Yang magic has explained it quite clearly. Lelouch raised his hands in front of him, visualizing his gate and pushing the black mana towards it.

"Sabal," he said. Magic felt 'warm'. It was not exactly pleasant, but not bad either. In this case, his magic began to feel like holding his hands in boiling water. The black mana and some of his own began to seep out, forming into a dagger at a snail's pace. Compared to his fast creation against Elsa, this one took way too long.

When he was done, the dagger fell on the ground, and Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief, the black mana gone. The dagger in front of him looked different to the last creation. Rather than a normal blade, the golden hilt was holding onto a black blade.

Unable to hold onto the creation without making it self-sustainable on environmental mana, Lelouch watched as it began to break apart, flaking away as if a wind was blowing on a pile of ashes.

Standing up, Lelouch watched the last parts of the dagger vanish before he gave another sigh, wiping the sweat off his brow with his sleeve. It opened up new possibilities in case he ever wanted to try telling someone minor details of the looping curse, but the lengths he had to go to destroy the scent afterwards might not be worth it.

Stepping out of the room, Lelouch walked to the right, ready to join Reinhard and Felt at breakfast, only to walk into said knight of the Royal Guard, leaning against the wall. Lelouch took a step back.

"You know," Lelouch said accusingly. He was still not feeling that well, and there was no way that Reinhard couldn't just take him down. Reinhard gave a small smile.

"I could feel it," Reinhard admitted, shrugging. "I know what kind of curse it is now, at least. I understand why you wanted to keep it secret."

Lelouch's hand twitched. Resigning himself to the bad end, Lelouch shrugged.

"I suppose you'll have to report it to your superiors?" Lelouch asked. Surprisingly, Reinhard just shook his head, moving away from the wall and taking a step to Lelouch.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're not one of those Witch cultists," Reinhard said, a large white grin on his face. Lelouch frowned. The Archbishops. "I'll keep your secret, because we're friends."

"Friends, huh?" Lelouch repeated the word carefully, his shoulders sagging. Taking a step towards the dining room, he waited for Reinhard to follow before continuing. "I suppose I've misjudged you."

"Oh?" Reinhard said. Lelouch couldn't see his face, but he knew the man was still smiling softly. "I suppose I'm not simply that noble who is trying to manipulate his queen candidate, then?"

To Lelouch's credit, he didn't even miss a beat before answering. Reinhard was very observant, he knew, but obviously he was completely wrong about a lot of things.

"No," Lelouch admitted. "You're not. What gave you the impression I saw you in such a light?"

"Eh, call it a gut feeling. You'd not be the only one who threw that at my head," Reinhard said. They walked into the dining room, where Felt had already sat down. Rom was still missing, as was Wilhelm. "If I had to be honest, I'd say what interested me about Lady Felt is what interests me in you as well."

Having only caught the end of the conversation, Felt stared at them with wide eyes. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Lelouch asked. Reinhard turned to her as well, a quizzical look on his face.

"You're gay!" she said loudly. The maid who just walked into the room to serve the food made a small noise, red in the face. "I heard it clearly! You're interested in him!"

"That's not what I said at all," Reinhard said, giving a rather half-hearted dismissal. "I just meant that I'd like to be friends with you and him both. I'm your knight, after all."

"Yeah, right," Felt said, not sounding convinced in the slightest. Lelouch shook his head, not very invested in whatever theories she had. Sitting down, the former emperor smiled at the maid who served the food. She flushed more. "So why aren't you married yet? Don't you nobles marry early?"

"My father isn't very interested in marrying me off to some family," Reinhard answered the question simply, sitting down next to her. "And I've long since decided that I'd prefer to find someone like my grandfather had."

"Oh?" Lelouch asked. "How did your grandfather find his wife?"

"He defeated the former Sword Saint, my grandmother in a duel," Reinhard said. "I heard he got beaten up pretty badly all the time until he finally managed to win."

"So you want to be beaten?" Lelouch asked. Felt snorted.

"That sounds stupid," she said. "Shouldn't you just find someone you love?"

"Ah, I suppose if I do that, I'll just do that." His smile widened. "But I suppose you could say that I'm attracted to strong people."

"People!" she said, stabbing the fork into the food in front of her. "Not women!"

"Ahahaha," Reinhard laughed it off. "It seems you are rather invested in my love life, Lady Felt."

"I'm not," she said, vehemently shaking her head, a small blush creeping up on her face. "I'll prove that you two are into each other, though, mark my words!"

"I'll be looking forward to it then," Reinhard said, giving her a thumbs up. Lelouch sighed.

"You'll just make her more persistent if you encourage her like that, Reinhard," Lelouch said. The red-haired knight winked at him.

"Of course," he said. "It's good to see someone invested in something. Just like you and your magic, or me and my swordsmanship."

"I suppose that's true," Lelouch said, lifting up a fork. His hand was shaking, strongly. Letting go of it quickly, Lelouch gave the food a look before sighing. "Ah, I seem to have lost my appetite after the ordeal earlier."

"That's too bad," Felt said, speaking through mouths full of bread.

"Lady Felt, please, swallow before you speak," Reinhard said. She stuck her tongue out at him, crumbs falling out onto her clothes. He put a handkerchief under her chin, catching some of them. Lelouch had the feeling the girl was quite okay with being pampered like that occasionally. This time, she didn't even try to hit him.

Raising his hand off the table slightly, Lelouch grimaced. No way he could write the letter instead, it seemed he still had to rely on Reinhard for that.

"Reinhard, about that person Ferris spoke of," Lelouch said. The red-haired knight wiped a few crumbs from Felt's face while looking towards Lelouch. "The Sage. Is he dead?"

"Nobody ever found the body if he is," Reinhard said. "Some people have hopes that he is still alive, there's rumors of where he might be, but nobody ever returned alive from there."

"I see," Lelouch said. "I suppose I'll have to lift my curse in some other way then."

"That's…" Reinhard began. Lelouch shook his head, cutting the man off.

"I know it's unlikely." Lelouch gave the man a smile, his hands on his lap, hiding them under the table. He didn't want to get rid of the looping, it was useful, in a way, but the things surrounding it, the Witch's scent, the pain of speaking about it. If he could get rid of that part of the curse only… "But I have nothing but the time to try, right?"

"I suppose," Reinhard said. The knight sounded uncertain, but resigned himself to Lelouch's decision. "I've got the feeling we might have a rowdy day tomorrow."

"Hm?" Felt turned to her knight.

"Why that?" Lelouch asked.

"I know that Ferris' injuries were an accident," Reinhard said. Lelouch grimaced. "But his master, Lady Karsten, she might be unhappy."

"Ferris decided to heal him," Felt said. "And you paid that cat to do it, all he had to do was refuse."

She was new to it, but not without a brain. Lelouch could see that Felt had thought about the matter before Reinhard brought it up, her blatant and confident statement showing that.

"That's true, but nobles are unpredictable," Reinhard said. Lelouch nodded in agreement. "Lady Karsten is unlikely to blame us for it, but that doesn't mean she'll let the situation go unchallenged."

"Unchallenged? She might seek reparations?" Lelouch asked. Felt pursed her lips as she picked up a glass next to her to drink some water.

"Fucking nobles," she muttered.

"No," Reinhard said. "She'll first listen to our side of the story, then she'll make a decision. Ferris will have told her everything by then, so it's more a formality."

"Posturing and pretending," Lelouch said, furrowing his eyebrows. "I'll be awaiting her then. Meeting another candidate sounds too good to pass up."

"A rival for that rotten throne, eh?" Felt asked. "Let her come."

"I fear you and her might actually get along splendidly," Reinhard told Felt, chuckling. Lelouch raised his hand to his face, his eyelids heavy. The tiredness wouldn't quite leave yet, it wasn't just exhaustion from using too much mana. "And you!"

Reinhard pointed at Lelouch, making the young man blink through his tired gaze.

"You go rest," Reinhard said. "I'll call for you if something comes up. But you need to stop pushing yourself so hard."

Lelouch laughed softly. "I'm not someone to push myself, you should know that."

"With twigs like that as legs, I'm wondering how you can stand on your own," Reinhard said. The teasing tone in voice made Lelouch smile. "Now off you go, I'll write that letter to the Barielle's in a bit, get some more sleep."

"Of course," Lelouch said, standing up. The third set of information would come today - if he wasn't at the mansion, but instead under the protection of the Astraea family with Reinhard here, what would happen? Tristan and Henry staying alive? The assassin trying to break in here? "Thank you, Reinhard."

"Don't worry about it," Reinhard said. "We're friends. You should trust me a bit more."

Lelouch's smile weakened as he stepped out of the dining room, up to his room. Easier said than done.

-#-

Lelouch was restless. Despite his exhaustion, he was unable to keep his eyes closed. White spots in his vision flashed up and made him blink, strange itches on his body made him twitch every few seconds.

All traces of the scent were gone, so why did he feel worse than before? His condition was improving right after the dagger had dissolved, and now it was rapidly diminishing again.

He couldn't have been poisoned if he hadn't touched his food. Maybe he was simply sick? No. The itch became worse, and Lelouch barely stopped himself from scratching away the skin on his neck when it exploded in pain.

Something touched him. His eyes snapped open, and his body locked up. A weight settled on him.

The world was white. His body hurt, itched, and someone was sitting on him. His eyes wide, Lelouch could only watch in sick fascination as strands of silver hair grew from his body. The weight became worse, pressing down on him. A head appeared under the locks of silver hair, but the face was not visible. Neck and shoulders followed, pristine skin of a nude body ripped through his own, destroying his clothes. It was a woman, obviously. The face was cloaked by black hands, hundreds of which also held up the infinitely long hair to stop it from falling. Pointed ears became visible.

She stood on his chest, making it impossible to breathe. Lelouch tried to struggle, knock her away from him, get himself help. His struggle was rewarded when he was able to move his neck and look down, where he found himself held down by more of the black hands.

They moved one foot away from his chest, all the weight concentrated on one leg now, and making him grunt in pain. The other foot came up to his face, one toe trailing down his face and forcing him to look up to her again. Then, she shifted her weight, crushing his head under her foot.

"Mine."

He heard one word, and she was gone.

Drawing a sharp breath, Lelouch threw himself out of the bed, crawling away from it until he hit the door with his back. He held his neck, his chest, his face.

The clothes were still whole, the pain in his body gone, the itches as well. A bad dream. A nightmare due to his tiredness, nothing more. Checking for the Witch's scent, Lelouch found only his own mana flowing through him. The shock of the nightmare waking him up, Lelouch's tiredness was as fleeting as the dream.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Lelouch?" he heard Reinhard speak. Lelouch looked out of the window, the sun was already down.

"Yes?" Lelouch said, standing up.

"Are you alright? I heard something-"

"I'm alright," Lelouch said a bit too quickly. Removing himself off the ground, he opened the door. Reinhard stared at him with wide eyes.

"You don't really look alright," Reinhard said. Lelouch chuckled.

"I suppose I could do with a bath," Lelouch said. "Any new developments?"

"Yes, quite, we got this one letter for you," he said. Lelouch blinked. "It's from the Lord Mathers, a thank you and invitation to discuss a reward with you."

Lelouch furrowed his eyebrows. Something he missed due to his earlier deaths. It seemed that he could still learn more.

"He's the sponsor of Lady Emilia, correct?" Lelouch asked. Of course he was, Lelouch knew that. On Reinhard's nod, he smiled. "Do you think I should accept the invitation?"

"It's your decision," Reinhard said. "I don't have a lot to do with him. My friend Julius knows him better than I do."

"Julius?" Lelouch asked.

"A member of the Royal Guard like me," Reinhard answered. "He's the knight of Anastasia Hoshin."

"I see," Lelouch said. "I think I will wait before accepting the invitation, I still have things to do around here."

Like take care of that assassin and find out more about the circumstances surrounding the assassination.

"A bad dream," Reinhard muttered. Lelouch gave him a curious look, but the red-haired knight simply shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't feel anything, but I have a bad feeling."

"You don't really miss anything, do you?" Lelouch asked, chuckling softly. Reinhard lowered his head. "It's alright. I promise you, if anything comes up, I'll come to you first."

The silver haired elven body on him. There was no doubt what a nightmare that was.

"Of course," Reinhard said. "What are friends for, right?"

That word was thrown around too casually lately, for Lelouch's taste. But for someone whom he had thought a manipulative noble to prove him wrong again and again, it gave Lelouch a weird feeling.

Either he was the genuine article of a good friend, or Lelouch was the one who was being manipulated right now. Considering how hard the latter was to do...

Lelouch could do with a friend.

"Sir," a servant came up the stairs, all but rushing and slightly out of breath. "Sir, Lady Crusch Karsten has arrived. Lord Wilhelm granted her entry."

"I see," Reinhard said, smiling at the man. "Please, have them be comfortable, we will join them in a bit."

Lelouch grit his teeth. He was not looking very presentable right now, nor did he feel like playing politics with a royal candidate in his current state.

"Get yourself cleaned up," Reinhard said, as if reading his mind. "I'll keep make sure that Lady Felt doesn't say anything we might regret."

Lelouch chuckled, nodding at the man in silent thanks. A quick bath wouldn't be too bad.

-#-

When Lelouch stepped out of the baths, he found his golden and white emperor robes instead of the other clothes he had taken with him. He remembered that Reinhard said they were taken to be cleaned not too long ago, and it seemed that this was done by now. While he had no value for them anymore, and said so, Reinhard didn't seem so think so.

Sighing, he dressed in them and was about to move back to his room and change his clothes. Unfortunately for him, Reinhard was waiting in front of his door with a large smile on his face. The reason these robes had been there became apparent quickly.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Lelouch asked, his lips twitching.

"Well," Reinhard said. "You're about to meet a princess, I think being dressed the part isn't that bad."

"And what is wrong with the other clothes I bought?"

"They're harder to make fun of," Reinhard said. Lelouch frowned at him, but the man just laughed. "It's just a joke. I feel like Lady Karsten might get a better impression of you in these clothes. You should keep them."

"I see," Lelouch said. So Reinhard thought ahead. While the people who knew the Royal Guard would never confuse his clothes for theirs, as proven by people like Rom and Reinhard himself, there was apparently something cultural about it. "I suppose Lady Felt has been forced into a dress as well?"

Reinhard laughed, making Lelouch smile.

"What is it about my clothes that makes them more presentable?" Lelouch asked.

"The Sage, his name was Flugel," Reinhard said, as they walked down the stairs. "Flugel means 'Wing'. The wings on your clothes and your interest in magic make for an interesting image."

"I see," Lelouch said. Flugel means Wing. He knew some German, of course, so he assumed so, but… "What language does the word Flugel come from?"

"Huh? It's… hm," Reinhard said, leading him to a door. "I'm not sure, if I recall correctly, it's what Flugel himself told people."

So Flugel knew German? That'd be something to inquire about with people who might be more familiar with the elusive Sage of lore.

Opening the door, Reinhard revealed a large room with masterfully crafted large chairs. Something akin to a living room, it seemed. On the one side, Felt sat with her legs wide despite her dress, in stark contrast to the elegant young woman across her, dressed in what seemed to be a military uniform.

A military uniform that wouldn't look out of place in his world. Giving the amber eyed woman a soft smile, Lelouch bowed as he stepped forward. She stood, giving him a curt bow as well. Ferris and Wilhelm were standing besides her chair.

Ferris had his hands behind his back, and Wilhelm was practically oozing hostility.

"It's unbecoming to keep guests waiting," Crusch Karsten declared, sitting down again. When Lelouch rose from his bow, a flash of white made him blink.

"I apologize," Lelouch said. "But I'm afraid I was not looking very presentable after resting."

"I understand," she said. "Please, have a seat."

The steel in her voice made Lelouch twitch. Where Priscilla had given Lelouch the feeling of standing in front of some strange mix of Clovis and Schneizel, this woman reminded him of Cornelia.

Reinhard stood next to Felt's seat, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here and out of that dress as fast as possible. Taking a seat next to Felt, Lelouch bit his tongue as his back flared up in pain when he sat down.

"I've heard of what transpired this morning," Crusch said. She was gazing at Lelouch without blinking, not with a glare, or an accusing look. The stone faced young woman had a presence that made Lelouch forget the strange pain in his back. Like Reinhard, she was refreshing, in a different way.

"Yes," Lelouch said, letting the genuine regret he felt about the situation taint his voice. He met her gaze, remembering what Reinhard had explained about her. Someone who liked when people work hard for what they want. "I'm afraid my condition led to an unfortunate accident."

"Reinhard called it that as well," Crusch said. "An accident. I'm not quite convinced."

"Oh?" Lelouch said. He didn't like the tone of her voice as she said that. Wilhelm's hands twitched. When the feeling of a hand was on Lelouch's neck, Lelouch raised his own and slapped it over the spot. Crusch twitched.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The accusing tone in her voice was gone, replaced by something that might be worry or curiosity.

"Yes," Lelouch said. No. Something was going on.

"It's that curse," Ferris said. He wasn't smiling, even though his voice had the usual cheer. "He can't talk about it."

No, if it was that curse, he could take care of it by simply not saying anything. He swallowed, the pain in his back flaring up again.

"I'm alright," Lelouch said. Reinhard looked unconvinced, but didn't speak up. "Please, let us continue. You accused me of foul play."

"No, I'm not," Crusch said. "I'm saying it was not an accident. I feel like this was arranged."

"Someone arranged for me to be cursed to hurt your servant?" Lelouch asked. Crusch shook her head again. "You're not very open for a person that has been described as direct to me."

"Let me summarize all the information I've been able to gather, Lelouch Lamperouge," she said. Lelouch tensed at the use of his full name, leaning forward to relieve some of the pain in his back. "You appeared in Lugnica not long ago, there is absolutely nothing about you before that day. Information about nobles in every kingdom couldn't dig up anything about you, assuming you were some disowned son or even a bastard."

Lelouch grimaced. He hadn't expected a place without computers and surveillance to gather information that quickly, nor that his lack of a past here could lead to such an inquiry.

"I admit, I've only been gathering information since Miss Felt was found and brought to the castle, so I might have missed something, but make no mistake, if there is something you have been hiding, I will be sure to find it."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Lelouch said, leaning further forward. He had to look slightly up now to meet her gaze. Something moved next to her, a person. Lelouch blinked, pushing the hand from his neck up to his eyes. "Of course, that doesn't answer what foul play you're claiming about my curse or Sir Ferris' wounds."

It was Wilhelm who spoke up.

"You've been in contact with Miss Emilia, the Witch's relative."

"That name is completely inappropriate, Lady Karsten," Reinhard said, frowning at his grandfather.

"Indeed," Crusch said, glaring at the old man. "I apologize for my servant. It is not Emilia I do not trust."

"Who then?" Reinhard asked.

"Roswaal L. Mathers," Crusch said. Reinhard blinked, and Lelouch leaned back again, slowly drawing his hand away from his eyes. She ignored his antics due to Ferris' explanation. "He's the only mage I know that would be capable of cursing someone in such a way, and he might have done so to inevitably set up a situation in which Miss Felt died. Due to the curse being discovered earlier, it was Ferris who was hit-"

"Gahhh!" Felt shouted in frustrating, standing up. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"

Crusch looked surprised at the outburst, a look Lelouch hadn't expected to see on the young woman's face. It was an almost childlike expression on such a usually serious face.

"Stop being so two faced!" Felt demanded. "Be direct! Be straight up about what you want! Wanna fight it out? That it? He'll take you on."

"Lady Felt…" Reinhard said. She ignored him, crossing her arms.

"I know what you're saying," Felt said, shaking her fist towards Crusch. "He purposely let himself be cursed so he can't talk about it-"

"She has not said that at all," Lelouch said, gritting his teeth. Felt blinked at him.

"No?" she asked. "She sounded pretty accusing."

"She's saying that I might be a pawn in someone else's game to hurt you," Lelouch said. Felt made an 'ah' sound before sitting down again. Crusch smiled at the young girl. "I can tell you for sure that Lord Mathers had nothing to do with this. Reinhard, tell her."

This entire loop was full of pain. He'd have to end it soon, so he could afford to be reckless now. Reinhard looked at him as if looking for confirmation, and Lelouch nodded. Sighing, the red-haired knight stepped up, in front of Lelouch as if to shield him.

"It seems that the curse is the Witch's," Reinhard said. Crusch didn't react, but her servants did. Ferris flinched back, while Wilhelm stepped forward, his hands going towards his sides, where swords would be strapped if he wasn't at home.

"So it was Emilia-"

"No," Reinhard said. "The Witch."

"I see," Crusch said calmly. "The Witch's curse. Of course, that makes sense."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes at her nonchalant attitude. Felt was looking back and forth, confused.

"Say, Lelouch Lamperouge," Crusch said. "You're an aspiring sage, are you not?"

"Hm?" Lelouch made a noise through grit teeth. "I suppose my interest in magic and my outfit made you think so?"

"Possibly," Crusch gave a noncommittal answer. "Yang mages are rare, and so far I could hire none, would you work for me if I promise to find someone to lift your curse?"

"No," Lelouch said. "I'm afraid I'll be long dead before that happens."

She frowned, but said nothing else. Reinhard was looking at him in surprise.

"You said you're alright-"

"I'm not."

The pain had grown worse, the flashes of white, the person that appeared in his vision next to everyone he looked at. Lelouch's ears were ringing, his chest pounded. It got to the point where it was torture, worse than the whips, worse than the shanking. The feeling of pain loosened his tongue slightly.

"Sabal," Lelouch said. A dagger appeared in his hands as he drove them towards his chest. If he tried to walk out of the room, his legs would give out. He had to hurry. Unfortunately, he underestimated Reinhard's reflexes. Both he and Wilhelm had grasped his hands and stopped him, the pain increasing.

In the white world, the Witch of Envy was embracing him, her fingers tracing his back.

His back exploded in a shower of blood, painting everyone in the room red.

"Ferris, heal him!" Crusch ordered. Ferris hesitated. He could see the young man's hands tremble as he stepped forward.

Too many variables. Lelouch messed up, he couldn't confirm where the pain came from. Was it because he didn't go to the Barielle mansion? Was it because he tried to talk about the loop and destroyed her mana? He couldn't tell. The blue glow around Ferris' trembling hands spoke volumes about the young man's fear of him after the ordeal this morning.

Lelouch died before Ferris had to touch him.