The Martial God Returns

Isn't that so?

Mahiro said with a half-smile, then put down the tablet in his hand and leaned back slightly, as if he didn't care at all about Milly's temptation.

But in reality, hidden by the seat and from an angle unseen by others, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the fair thigh exposed above the knee-high socks, and slowly moved upwards, beginning to wander.

Suddenly, Milly's legs buckled, but thankfully she managed to grab the back of the chair in time, preventing her from falling.

But she also glared fiercely at Mahiro.

Her cheeks were flushed crimson, her watery eyes were alluring, and though she pressed her lips tightly together, she still spoke in a seductive tone:

"That's really going too far, there are still so many people here..."

"Really? I think it's alright... but the style is actually from the sporty series."

"Ugh..."

Milly almost couldn't help but hum aloud.

Mahiro smiled slightly, saw her expression and chose to stop. He glanced at the water stains on his fingertips, Mahiro took out a tissue and wiped them clean.

In situations like this, it's best to act as naturally as possible; otherwise, others won't speculate or pay attention.

But if you appear flustered, it will definitely arouse suspicion.

It's all about mental fortitude.

"Don't play with fire again next time, Milly."

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of you at all."

Milly gave a soft snort and then walked away.

Although her legs were still trembling slightly.

Before the first class in the afternoon began, Suzaku Kururugi asked for leave again, citing the need to go to the hospital to change his dressing.

No one cared, no one offered comfort. Only after Lelouch said a few words to Suzaku Kururugi did Suzaku Kururugi ask for leave and leave the school.

That's for sure.

Suzaku Kururugi didn't get along well with his classmates. At first, some people would talk to him, but after Shirley's father's funeral, no one spoke to him anymore.

Because, in their eyes, Suzaku Kururugi is an absolute executioner.

Moreover, Suzaku Kururugi is not having an easy time in the military right now.

As Lancelot's pilot, Suzaku Kururugi naturally enjoyed preferential treatment and status. However, now that he has lost an arm, he can no longer pilot Lancelot.

I've heard that while Lloyd is giving Lancelot a complete makeover, he's also started looking for other pilots.

This made Suzaku Kururugi very unwilling.

He knew very well that only by being Lancelot's pilot, only by controlling the Lancelot mech, could he possibly come into the sights of those important figures.

Only then will there be a chance to continue climbing!

These days, losing an arm is equivalent to losing everything!

Therefore, he chose to accept a contract he had received from the military a while ago.

"Suzaku Kururugi- kun, won't you reconsider?"

"I've already made up my mind, Miss Cecile."

Faced with Lieutenant Cecile, who was as concerned as an old mother and was currently the only one he could still talk to, Suzaku Kururugi was very grateful, but at the same time shook his head.

He was holding an agreement for a "cyborg modification experiment" in his hand.

Issued by the military, it was originally intended for British soldiers who had lost limbs in the war, much like the mechanized soldier modifications in the Black Bullet World.

However, because the success rate is too low, less than 10%, experiments with mice are required.

So it was a great honor for Suzaku Kururugi, a man of honorary British descent, to be chosen.

He gripped the agreement tightly in his hand, but still managed a forced smile as he said to Cecile:

"Whether it succeeds or not, this is still a contribution to the military."

As if he cared nothing for his own life or death, he simply picked up a pen and quickly signed his name in the blank space of the agreement.

Suzaku Kururugi.

However, just as Suzaku Kururugi was undergoing his modification surgery, Mahiro's phone suddenly rang.

"Euphemia li Britannia?"

Mahiro paused for a moment, then answered the phone.

"Hello, is this Euphemia li Britannia? It's rare for you to call me."

Inside the bedroom, Mahiro sat on the sofa, making no attempt to avoid the situation, and answered the phone in front of CC.

A familiar smile involuntarily crept onto his face, even though he knew the person on the other end of the phone couldn't see it; it had become a habit.

CC hugged Cheese-kun, tilting his head to look at Mahiro. His fake smile amused the witch.

"Um, teacher, actually I have something I'd like to ask you..."

"Oh? What's wrong? If you need to make a phone call... it must be important. Tell me."

"Yes, it is indeed very important. My elder sister hopes that I can choose my knight, but..."

Euphemia li Britannia's gentle voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of hesitation, but Mahiro already understood.

"You have your own ideas and don't want to follow the path Cornelia has laid out for you, right?"

"Um..."

A soft, drawn-out groan served as the answer.

"Then let me guess, the knight you want to choose is Suzaku Kururugi, right?"

"Huh?"

Euphemia gasped softly, then said in a flustered voice:

"No, no, I didn't think that way... No, that's not right either, I did think that way before... Because Suzaku Kururugi an honorary Britannia, and also Japan, and he was recently wounded in battle for Britannia, I wanted to mold him into a hero..."

But later, my elder sister talked to me a lot, and I gave up."

The course of history has changed.

Suzaku Kururugi was injured, and Euphemia also abandoned Suzaku Kururugi as her knight.

Perhaps the future will take a completely different turn because of this?

Mahiro listened carefully, then nodded as if he understood but not quite.

"So what happened then? You must have a new candidate in mind, right?"

"Yes."

Euphemia li Britannia's voice hesitated again on the other end of the phone, and a faint gasp could be heard as if she were gathering her courage.

Who exactly did Euphemia fall for that turned her into this?

But the next second, the third princess of Britannia uttered something completely unexpected—

"I hope that you, Mahiro, can become my knight!"

Yotsuba Mahiro: "Huh???"

Chapter 289 The Return of the Martial God (5.3K)

"Pfft, cough cough cough cough... cough cough cough!"

The sudden, blunt remark caused him to spit out the mouthful of soda he had just drunk, and he even choked quite a bit.

"Teacher, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, cough cough... wait, what did you just say? You want me to be your knight?"

His voice sounded an octave higher, as if he had choked on something in his trachea.

"... Um, teacher... no, is it not allowed?"

Yotsuba Mahiro: "..."

This isn't a question of whether it's possible or not.

Making him someone's knight or something, if it's just symbolic, that's fine, but in a substantial way...

"Euphemia li Britannia, before we go any further, let me ask you something. You should know that Cornelia made the same request to you before, right?"

"Yes, I know..."

That was a long, long time ago, probably a year before Mahiro was about to leave Britannia.

At that time, he was still serving as a royal tutor, and Cornelia, as his student, had said the same thing to him at the Aries Palace, asking him to become her knight.

In fact, they would accept any conditions proposed.

However, Mahiro still refused at the time, and after Alpha found out about this, perhaps out of jealousy, he gave Cornelia a severe beating during their sparring session.

His little bottom was so red from being spanked that he had to lie on the bed for over a week to recover.

Euphemia remembers this incident vividly.

"But teacher, my thoughts are different from my elder sister's. I hope to use my power to protect you and safeguard you..."

"The idea is good, but you have to understand, Euphemia li Britannia. Rather than protecting me, I'd much rather you live a good life, away from this place of trouble."

"Hehe, teacher, your statement is the same as my elder brother's."

Euphemia li Britannia's sweet laughter came through the phone, like a girl secretly calling her boyfriend far away. Even through the computer screen, you could imagine her adorable face as she covered her mouth and giggled.

But soon, the laughter disappeared, replaced by a somewhat somber tone.

"Brother Schneizel and you, teacher, said the same thing, that I am not suitable to serve as the deputy governor of Area 11, and that I should return home as soon as possible... But I don't want to go back. I want to help my sister and my teacher, and do my part."

My brother Schneizel couldn't dissuade me and agreed to let me stay, but he also advised me that I should choose Suzaku Kururugi, because Master... doesn't need Euphemia li Britannia's help."

Euphemia's voice was low and soft, as if she were telling him about her endless troubles.

But...

"Schneizel really said that?"

"Um."

"Heh, this guy, he's still the same as always, hasn't changed at all..."

Mahiro chuckled, imagining Euphemia li Britannia's puzzled expression on the other end of the phone, and explained:

"You must be wondering why I say this, right? Actually, the reason is very simple. It's because Suzaku Kururugi's identity is not ordinary. He is not only Eleven and an honorary Briton, but also the only son of the late Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi."

If he were to become your knight, Euphemia li Britannia, though your reputation would be damaged, Suzaku Kururugi would have the honor of becoming a symbol of the Eleven's subservient faction.

This would make the rule of the colonies smoother, and could also be seen as a disguised form of suppression against the Black Knights, who needed popular support.

Is... is that so?

Euphemia li Britannia's eyes widened slightly, as if she was only realizing it belatedly, and only after being told this did she understand that there were so many intricacies involved.

She wasn't particularly adept at political maneuvering, so even if Schneizel really sold her out, she would still be counting the money along with him.

"That's it. So, Euphemia li Britannia, if you really need a knight and there's no suitable candidate, how about your teacher introduces one to you?"

"R-really, is that okay?"

"Of course, I can't speak for everything else, but in terms of strength, there's absolutely nothing to criticize."

He planned to pick one directly from the Shadow Garden; even a numbered one would be more than enough to be Euphemia li Britannia's knight.

"Thank you so much, teacher!"

Euphemia li Britannia's voice visibly brightened with joy; she was more inclined to believe the person her teacher had chosen for her than her elder sister Cornelia.

That was a choice made without any selfish motives whatsoever.

"Of course it's true,"

Mahiro smiled indulgently.