"Your Majesty, I wish to join the Knights of the Round!"
Suzaku Kururugi dragged the half-dead Lelouch into the palace, knelt on one knee before the emperor, and spoke respectfully.
Throughout Britannia's history, commoners becoming Knights of the Round had been exceedingly rare.
The last commoner to distinguish herself so remarkably had been Marianne.
Not only had she served as a Knight of the Round, she had also become an imperial consort.
But... an Honorary Britannian? An Eleven, at that?
With that status, even becoming a Knightmare pilot or a knight serving a member of the imperial family had already required exceptions.
If another exception were made to admit him into the Knights of the Round, the resistance would come not merely from a particular family, organization, or faction, but from the entire imperial family and nobility, from top to bottom.
Even successive emperors had not dared to completely disregard the opinions and wishes of the imperial family and nobles...
Except for the ninety-eighth emperor, Charles.
A single order from him could admit Suzaku Kururugi into the Knights of the Round. There would still be opposition, but the prestige he had accumulated by leading Britannia in its conquest of the world, along with the power concentrated in his hands, was enough to silence every dissenting voice.
Failing that, he could simply offer the nobles a few benefits.
That was precisely why Suzaku Kururugi dared to state his wishes so boldly before this emperor.
Charles's expression remained unchanged as he asked in an imposing voice:
"Do you intend to exchange the achievement of capturing Zero for a seat among the Knights of the Round?"
"Yes."
"Did Ask teach you to say this?"
"No. This is my own wish."
Suzaku Kururugi showed not the slightest hesitation or uncertainty as he continued:
"His