The Power of the European King

Chapter One Check Almost Checkmate

Prologue

Seventeenth of February 2009 Ascension Throne Britannia

Holy Empire of Britannia, Pendragon, Aries Villa

Lelouch was sitting at a long table, pondering his next move. Opposite of him sat his older brother Schneizel, who was far too serene for the young prince's tastes.

He knew he couldn't beat his brother quite yet, but that unperturbed façade was infuriating nonetheless. He could sympathize with how Schneizel's opponents must feel. Dominated, just by that warm open expression.

It was like every move you made merely prolonged the inevitable, and only played into his hands even more. The infuriating part was that Schneizel had the mind to make that feeling reality. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy that quickly became stated fact.

"Are our siblings still calling you the peasant prince Lelouch?" Schneizel asked, after finally making his move. Lelouch grimaced briefly at the reminder, but replied, "Yes, not that it bothers me."

"Oh? How mature of you." It was said calmly, but he clearly didn't buy it.

Lelouch could have expanded of course, that he was proud of his mother's accomplishments. She alone had risen on her own merit, and not on her ancestors' glory. Most of the nobles were incompetent fools, relying on past events to carry them, but his mother had done it in one generation, and before the age of 40 at that.

"They could only wish for a mother half as capable as mine." He said, giving in to his temptation.

"Indeed, not many could have made it all the way from a farmer's daughter to Empress!" He let out a small chuckle. "They call me a prodigy, but I could never surpass your mother's accomplishments." He said it with a smile that revealed nothing, as usual.

It was still quite early in the race for the next Emperor, but already Schneizel was being pegged as a favorite. Cornelia was the runner up, what with her military career. Odysseus though, despite his head start, was losing ground fast to his younger siblings. Already, he was starting to retreat towards being mostly involved in the arts.

In other words, he'd already given up, and was building a reputation as a useless idiot. At the very least, it was an effort to make it not worthwhile to assassinate him without reason. Sure, he was first in line for the throne, but that didn't mean he had to die before another took that position. So long as he publicly announced he was willing to abdicate, then he was no longer a real threat to the others. He hadn't yet of course, because it would make him look weak, but all the players knew the subtle hints that he would when required.

"Even the great Schneizel recognizes her brilliance, though I must admit, there was a fair bit of luck involved." It wouldn't do to brag distastefully, especially when it wasn't about his own accomplishments. He despised those weak fools who recited their ancestor's deeds like they were their own, to make themselves seem more important.

"True. A chance encounter with Ruben Ashford, and becoming the test pilot for the Ganymede were both crucial to her success." The statement was made casually, while he made his move to take his knight.

"Indeed, or she would never have sparked the interest of our father. But I believe she would have gone far regardless." said Lelouch. Despite his words, he was not really convinced of it himself. Britannia placed more value in blood than skills.

His mother couldn't have afforded the Officers Academy. Even if she could've, she would have been discriminated against there every day. She'd excelled through basic training, but would never have attained greatness. At least, not without Ruben Ashford.

The unlikely pair had met and hit it off, thanks to his mother's vivacious personality and humor. They became good friends, and Ruben loaned her the money to attend the officer's academy, good naturedly claiming it was a worthwhile investment.

"It was a shrewd move on Ruben's part to invest in talent when he saw it." complimented Schneizel, after not giving a single twitch when Lelouch gave up his black knight to strike Schneizel's rook.

Indeed, his seemingly whimsical decision paid many dividends when she attracted the attention of Prince Charles. Lord Ashford even gave her stock in the Ashford foundation, to align their interests. Undoubtedly, Ruben Ashford had hoped that prince Charles would look favourably on the company that his romantic interest had a large part in.

The gambit succeeded, and the Ashford family and Marianne threw their lot in with Prince Charles in his bid for the throne, dyeing the streets of Saint Darwin red in the process.

They won and secured their continued hold on the throne by buying all the media companies to spin it to their advantage. The Ashford family earned billions on the military contracts to design and build the Glasgow. Marianne became an empress and Charles the emperor, opposition got a visit from Marianne and the swing votes got bribes and hush money.

They had bribed the key nobles beforehand off course but additional obstacles always emerged. It was Murphy's Law; anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Those key nobles were those who married their daughters to prince Charles before he became emperor and that was why he was so far back in line for the throne. His mother had provided the biggest contribution to making his father emperor but the others had to be bribed first.

His mother could have taken them out, but that would descend the entire country into civil war and the word of the emperor would be worth nothing. So they were stuck, a contract was made and had to be honoured.

In some ways, the emperor's position was just as precarious as Lelouch's. He had to maintain an air of superiority and invincibility at all times. The public may spout love for the imperial family but weren't really loyal; some even outright hated them. But, they were brainwashed to believe that nobles were superior, and therefore had the right to rule, without really caring who those nobles were. Without the showmanship to convince the public he was indeed superior, his hold on the throne was tenuous at best.

It was a den of snakes, and his father was just the biggest snake around. It wouldn't be long before like in lion prides, a new male lion would challenge his authority and kill him to take over. It made Lelouch wonder why so many nobles were so eager to be associated with the imperial family, when they knew about its bloody history.

"A move worthy of yourself no doubt." Lelouch finally answered after a few moments of contemplation.

"You flatter me Lelouch." Schneizel took his compliment gracefully.

He didn't have enough support to make his own bid and they both knew it. That left only a good right hand man status in one of the factions vying for power. The other factions looked down on him too much to recognize his worth, but Schneizel was different and already sinking his claws into him at this early age to cement his loyalty.

It was indeed shrewd and a good plan, but Lelouch didn't want to make commitments too early. Early entrance meant a high position in the hierarchy, but also tied you down. Schneizel was good, but Lelouch wasn't sure what his end game was, so he decided to play hard to get a while longer.

It didn't really matter; he wasn't pressed for an answer. They both knew he was too young to make any real impact just yet, but they were dancing around each other nonetheless. So, he was playing hard to get, to make Schneizel value him more, instead of sucking up and being turned into a expendable servant.

Schneizel made his next move, which gave Lelouch pause. He could see he had already lost.

"Well this has been fun, but it seems you got me Schneizel." The remark was good natured, casually hiding how much it vexed him to lose yet again.

"Don't sell yourself short Lelouch, you might still win. You won't know unless you try."

"Very well."

Despite Schneizel's encouragement it was a lost game, but fighting back when at a disadvantage was a valuable skill, and one Lelouch was getting good at. It was both good practice, and a metaphor for his life. Always the underdog trying to survive not win, while protecting the king, his sister Nunnally.

As expected he lost, but in the end, he managed to force Schneizel to give up a few more pieces than initially expected. It could be considered a win, if a bit hollow.

"Same time next week." he proposed amicably.

"Looking forward to it Lelouch." Schneizel said, as he got up from his seat.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and parted ways, one to head for the parliament, and the other to go play a game of hide and seek with his little sister. The difference in itinerary made it painfully obvious to Lelouch that they weren't on the same playing level, although he had some plans to get there.

Pendragon, Hospital

The day after the assassination of the empress Marianne VI Britannia

Lelouch had trouble believing his eyes but no matter how many times he blinked or pinched himself. He still saw the same damn thing, a frail looking Nunnaly about to undergo another medical scan of one variety or another. MRI or CT scan, he had no clue what it all meant but they all told the same story, his sister would never walk again.

This handicap was troublesome but certainly manageable with modern technology, some roads had closed to her and others had become more difficult but she still had plenty of options to choose from if it was just that. No the gods hadn't decided to be that merciful, no they had opted to take her sight as well.

There was no medical explanation for it other than perhaps some severe mental trauma that suppressed her ability to even see. It made no sense to him and he doubted he even wanted to fully understand it, at least for the moment. He would probably research it exhaustively within two weeks, but now he couldn't focus on it.

So many things had gone wrong and he found himself losing track of how many problems he had to fix. Nunnaly was essentially a worthless pawn on the board now.

"It will be alright your highness" reassured one of the royal guards, a man by the name of Jeremiah Gottwald. He wouldn't have even acknowledged his presence if he hadn't been included in the many games Lelouch played with Nunnaly. He actually could offer some heartfelt consolations rather than meaningless platitudes meant to butter him up for future ploys.

"How Jerry, how can it ever be alright?" he asked a bit more harshly than he had intended but he could barely contain his fury at the situation.

"My lord?" he questioned unsure of how to respond to that

"My sister was naïve and gullible, which made her easy prey in court intrigue, making her an unfavourable bride to begin with for most power hungry nobles. That combined with her physical and now apparently also mental handicaps and they wouldn't want to touch her with a ten foot pole." snapped Lelouch knowing full well the implications of social Darwinism.

"I understand the need to marry well, but such scum is unworthy of the lady Nunnaly!" Jeremiah said with conviction.

"Agreed, normally I would say good riddance to the lot of them. They weren't worthy to lick her boots, let alone marry her. But now with the tragic demise of our mother, we are vulnerable Jeremiah. "Admitted Lelouch though the very notion of selling off his sister to the highest bidder to earn him a better position turned his stomach.

Seeing Jeremiah's uncomprehending face Lelouch continued through gritted teeth "With the death of our mother we are unprotected and only worth as much as the other nobles deem us, and right now the prevailing consensus is worthless." As much as it sickened him, there would be no escaping trading a marriage offer to gain other nobles' protection. The emperor was a callous bastard on the best of days so he wouldn't expect anything from him.

"Perhaps prince Schneizel or Princess Cornelia can help then, they have always been good friends of the family." proposed Jeremiah while keeping strategic silence on the rest of the family. It might be construed as treason if he aired his real opinion on them.

"Possible but not enough. There is some plot afoot with backing from someone high up the ranks. Schneizel won't involve himself in this mess without a clear incentive, which he doesn't have. That man is a master of coming out of any situation smelling like roses and the basics of that skill is not stepping into a situation he isn't sure he can win. "Lelouch silently cursed himself for playing 'hard to get' now. He could really use some mutually exchanged promises of support right about now. It might not have been enough to convince Schneizel to help him but it would be a good starting point.

"How about princess Cornelia then? She might still be held up in the investigation but she will be cleared soon enough, and can take you under her wing." offered Jeremiah without agreeing or disagreeing on the calculating and ruthless nature of the second prince according to Lelouch.

"A better alternative or at least a cheaper one." Lelouch mused "However she is too brutish to understand the problem enough to deal with it. She is learning but she managed mostly by staying out of court affairs by claiming she needed to focus on her military career." Which was a good excuse because no noble could doubt her statements after she said 'All Hail Britannia'. It wasn't just a national slogan but also a dismissal that couldn't be ignored.

The fact that she was a pure-blooded noble didn't hurt either but it also meant that she would have a hard time seeing all the possible threats. Nobles who were kind-hearted and forgiving towards her could be the fiercest opponents for Lelouch.

The fun thing about court intrigue was that the rules of engagement and who the enemy was differed from person to person. It was the main reason why it was so incomprehensible to an outsider and only by long observation could one truly understand it. Cornelia's voluntary exile from court did her no favours there.

"I see." Jeremiah grudgingly accepted "Well it doesn't matter until she is released from her holding cell but you might want to reconsider, she is a better player than you give her credit for." said Jeremiah who still had faith in his captain.

"Perhaps." allowed Lelouch realizing belatedly that his less than high opinion of his sister's political skills would now undoubtedly get back to her. He may now have to sooth his sister's ego before expecting any help from that corner. His big mouth had just created another problem for him to deal with.

He didn't question the fact that she could help, but only the amount and whether it would be enough. She herself was in the middle of her own political battle after the questionable death of his mother. Her sudden withdrawal was suspicious because it was well known that Marianne didn't trust any noble other than the emperor. Cornelia's enemies were coming out of the woodwork, now that they smelled blood in the water. The attacks coming from princes Carine's mother were especially fierce and unfair, taking special care to twist everything into their favour.

Luckily, the Li Britannia line had plenty of firepower to survive the onslaught relatively unharmed but it would temporarily cripple their political power, leaving Cornelia without much ammo to fight on his behalf. Somehow, he suspected that to be the reason for his half sister's attack, they couldn't strike at him directly so soon after the tragic demise of his mother but they could erode his support before they landed the final blow. They always held a strong hatred for him based on his commoner origins and believed him to be a stain on the honour of the imperial family that should be wiped out.

Sadly, he knew they would soon have enough momentum to get their wish now that their mother couldn't strong arm the emperor into protecting them anymore. He held no childish illusions despite what his mother may have said about his father, that man didn't love any of his children.

The emperor saw every single one of his children as a card to be played depending on its value. Some were good at politics like Schneizel or the military like Cornelia but most weren't especially valuable, so he didn't play them and left them alone. He would have been fine with rotting in obscurity but he had now become a liability, a source of discord within the court with no redeeming features despite the promise he had shown as an intellectual. The emperor wouldn't chance destabilizing his empire to indulge on a whim that Lelouch might someday prove a valuable investment. Most would crack under that kind of pressure making the investment worthless to begin with, Lelouch had confidence he could succeed but he doubted he would get the chance.

The only way he was going to avoid a suicide assignment in the near future was to take the bulls-eye off his back, or in other words his claim to the throne. So long as he had that, he held power over Brittanian nobles and remained a threat. However, with none willing to join his cause it was a hollow power at best and more of a burden, so it was best to discard it.

He had to hurry, but still give a valid reason for doing it or risk sounding like a spoilt brat on a temper tantrum.

He then noticed that Jeremiah was still squirming next to him apparently he was working up the courage to say something, judging from his mouth opening and closing repeatedly without saying anything .

"Spit it out Jeremiah!" he ordered

"My, my lord I regret to inform you that the royal investigation has been called off by the emperor." He said fearfully though Lelouch could see the anguish in his eyes too as he gave the message. Judging from the phone in his hands, he had just heard the news himself. The man looked on the verge of a breakdown and was only keeping it together for his sake. He held little doubt the man would collapse as soon as he left his presence.

Anger was boiling up inside him at this betrayal by the emperor; apparently, he was already caving to the pressures of the royal court. Or maybe he had just rolled over right away to prevent any more discontent among the nobles, by disclaiming any love he had held for his so-called favourite consort.

It was a shrewd political move to cut any and all losses right away, but sadly those losses meant not finding his mother's killer and he and Nunnaly were next on the list.

He took another glance at Nunnaly and smiled wickedly, the answer to his problem was staring right at him.

"Jeremiah request an audience with the emperor as soon as possible." He ordered firmly with only a hint of righteous fury seeping into his tone. It wouldn't do to lose his composure now, better to save it for his performance later on.

Jeremiah was quick to follow his order and left the room

Lelouch followed him but with a different destination in mind than the imperial palace. He stared up at the sky as he contemplated his new course; it would seem their time as royalty had ran out. The only thing he could do now was to play his stall tactic, while putting the pieces in place for his next move.

As he walked he pondered if he could perhaps include Jeremiah, the man seemed loyal enough. He seemed to be blaming himself and craved if not absolution or forgiveness at least a way to atone. He could twist that into loyalty to himself and Nunnaly, if he played his cards right.

Pendragon Aries Villa

Lelouch was on the phone micromanaging the last details of his plan. Due to his young age, nobody wanted to take him seriously, forcing him to use a law firm as intermediaries. For some reason everyone respected a lawyer in a suit more than a prepubescent prince.

His plan was mostly focused on monetary damage because he couldn't hope to convince anyone to partake in lethal solutions. They would write him off as a little kid not knowing what he was talking about. So he would have to settle for the lesser revenge for now.

"My apologies your highness, but it's time you have been summoned to the royal court." Jeremiah informed him

Lelouch sighed at the roll call for his scheduled performance. Though he knew why he had to do it, he still dreaded the moment he had to utter the words. For years, it had been drilled into him that disinheriting himself was as bad as killing himself. In a way it was true, he would be effectively dead on the board but faking his political death was the only way to survive.

He did a mental check of his actions so far to make sure he hadn't done anything that could be traced back to him, not yet at least. Even Schneizel shouldn't have anticipated his moves before the first strike became public. So there shouldn't be anything to be thrown in his face in front of the emperor, he hoped.

Pendragon Imperial Palace

Lelouch showed up in impeccable attire worthy of a prince despite him feeling trapped within it, for more than one reason. He listened to the barely restrained whispers about his mother's fate and how glad they were that they no longer had to put up with that filthy commoner. His blood boiled listening to these vultures. However, he restrained himself and put up a cool façade of emotionless indifference. He bowed to the emperor and waited at his pleasure.

When prompted with the question why he had requested an audience he loudly demanded justice for his mother by having the emperor investigate the murder. It came off as slightly foolish and naïve but it was excusable with his age. Though it was only the precursor to his next move, the raw emotion bleeding into his voice was real.

He toyed with the idea of airing out why the emperor couldn't investigate the murder to shame him but refrained. There was no need to go that far, if he did, it would lead to more than him just being disinherited.

After thinking it over, he knew that his mother's assassination was not being investigated by the emperor, because it put him in an awkward position. The emperor couldn't punish the other royal families without proof, and to expose them would damage his reputation by extension. Nor could he quietly kill them all, because that would lower the invincibility of the emperor. He couldn't appear powerless to stop some assassins from killing his entire family.

It all came down to prestige, his mother did not have enough of it and his father had to retain it. It was a corrupt system, his mother was worth far more than these measly nobles were but they had to look good to the public and other nobles. His mother had already served her purpose in gaining the throne but those who killed her kept his father on it. Because of this simple reality, his mother was comparatively worthless. Talk of how she was his favourite wife did nothing in the end to save her.

The emperor denied him as expected but much more harshly than he had expected. He was shocked and struck speechless with the callous disregard the man had for him.

Lelouch had no trouble summoning the necessary outrage to sell his performance as he tried to barter his royal inheritance against the investigation. It must have sounded like a desperate gambit from a foolish child but he didn't care. In fact, he was hoping it sounded like that because it would only make people overlook him more.

Though the proudly defying the emperor bit would help him later, if he was to ever plan his return. He had no intention of doing so, but it wasn't wise to burn all his bridges and besides his ego demanded he died politically in a manner he could be proud off.

Naturally, the emperor was unfazed and just reiterated how worthless he really was to him. He even went so far as to throw him away as a political hostage. Lelouch knew enough of the Sakuradite issue to know it was a war waiting to happen. Japan wasn't compromising enough to Britannia's liking in their trade deals. And even If they caved, Britannia would still prefer the precious resource to be under their complete control to prevent shortages and arm-twisting at a later stage. If you took morality out of the issue which was a given for Britannia. Then you could logically conclude that it was imperative for Britannia to control a monopoly of Sakuradite as soon as possible.

With the introduction of Sakuradite, new technological innovations became possible that were written off as just pure science fiction before. If Britannia dragged its feet to control it, they would be left behind in the inevitable arms race. And with the majority of the world already resentful of Britannia, it was only a matter of time before they declared war as a united front to liberate the areas.

So in a nutshell, the very survival of the empire depended on them gaining and staying in control of the main source of Sakuradite. They had the most powerful military in the world but it didn't mean they could beat all the others combined. They couldn't risk giving a pretext that the democratic countries could use to rally their civilians against Britannia.

So they needed a provocation or justification to stay the hand of the EU, the only powerhouse they couldn't win a protracted war against. This was where he and Nunnaly came in.

They would probably get a few months to live before dying tragically as martyrs to embolden the Britannian soldiers and keep foreign interference to pointless diplomatic chatter. It struck him as funny that the emperor proclaimed him to be dead to him since the moment he was born in the same breath as he sentenced him to death.

This changed things rather drastically, no longer was a mere ploy for survival good enough because the emperor just sentenced him to death. He needed everything he had to ensure his survival but he had just thrown away his most potent tool in doing so, his right to the throne!

It was ironic that he threw away everything to save his life only to lose it anyway and needed to regain it if he stood any chance of survival.

He supposed he should have seen it coming. He had tried to become a worthless card so the emperor would play him like he did his siblings, to avoid attracting their petty jealousies but now he was worthless and apparently still a liability to the emperor so he got discarded from the deck.

He had counted on the man showing some mercy if his hand wasn't forced by the other nobles. But now he realized he was a fool to think so. He stared up into those deep purple eyes seething at how easily he was played and discarded. The emperor stared back unflinchingly as if daring him to defy him further.

But Lelouch had no move left to play. He was alone on the board and already at check, nearly checkmate. He needed to survive and gather new pieces on his board but he knew he could not hope to do so here. Everyone who had power and influence was against him here. The best he could do was joining the military, win some impressive victories, and with that gain the favour of the commoners and some nobles. But he would be deprived of most resources to do so. He was confident enough that he could do it but to what end?

He would rise in court standing but would always remain unsure when the house of cards would collapse. He would go through life at gunpoint with a knife in his back that the other nobles liked to twist at their leisure. It was life and it would protect Nunnaly but it was too uncertain. His second option was to fake his death and live a life as a commoner. It was doable and more satisfying knowing he wouldn't have to put up with the whims of nobles. But what would happen when the nobles found them?

He knew that the prevailing ideology among the nobles was that they were superior to everyone and that included foreigners. And that their very refusal to follow their commands was a slight that they only tolerated for the moment. World conquest was the end game all the nobles had in mind, for different reasons but it amounted to the same thing. Some wanted more land granted to them in the new area's others wanted to exploit the new markets and a few deluded themselves into thinking they were bringing culture and civilization to those backwater countries.

The world would fall under imperial rule or the empire would fall it was one or the other there were no two ways about it and no way to change it from within. Not even assassinating the emperor would make much of a difference, now that his policies of hate were widely accepted.

Neither could he just accept it and go with the flow. He couldn't bring himself to suppress and enslave a free people. He himself was living a wretched live in a gilded cage but a cage nonetheless. He wasn't deluded enough to think he had it bad compared to the numbers but he could still sympathize.

No, he wouldn't serve his father so he needed a new master before he could strike out on his own, if he ever could that is. So who to pick?

The EU was the most powerful and in the most conflicts with the empire allowing him, enough chances to climb based on his merit in combat. They had a democratic system so if he could sway the masses he could gain power rather than be denied because he wasn't pure nobility. The problem was passing himself off as just another refugee who flooded into Europe with little more than a name. He was frankly too manicured to be believed at first glance right now but he could roughen himself up a bit to sell the story.

The real problem was climbing up from the refugee status, because Europeans for all their vaunted slogans of equality, freedom and brotherhood were still suspicious of newcomers. He would no doubt be investigated for being a spy if he showed any remarkable skill. With him being unable to successfully fake a history, they might find out he was actually a prince. That would make him a political hostage before he could prove his worth and gain allies.

The Chinese federation was no better; they just had worse refugee facilities and even worse opportunities for advancement. From what he could gather, the high eunuchs had long ago forgotten they governed for the people. The economic situation was deteriorating and most people were silently dissatisfied with the government though hopeful the empress would remedy the situation once she came off age. He had to suppress a scoff at that, her parents were their only hope and his father had successfully assassinated them, to remove that thorn from his side when he began expanding.

The empress was a figurehead no one was afraid off or respected who actually had enough power to do something in China, not entirely surprising considering she was still a baby. The empire was mostly content to let that corpse rot while they conquered the rest of the world. They figured that by the time they deigned to show up, the populace would embrace any chance for a better life even if it was under foreign rule.

Lelouch had to admit that it was a decent plan, though he would probably include some media spectacle to sway public opinion more in his favour than just grudging approval. But he supposed that Schneizel would think up something when the time came for that step, probably in ten to fifteen years from now.

So his only real option was the EU but that was a huge risk and one he couldn't take with Nunnaly in her frail condition. He sighed sometimes the better part of valour was choosing to pick your battles so he would wait until the time was ripe in the shadows.

He was startled out of his musing about his future when he heard the booming voice of his father dismissing him again. Apparently, he had missed the first one in his contemplation. He rose as gracefully as possible and strode out of the room with his head held high. It was an act to cover up the fact he had just left with his tail between his legs. He stubbornly ignored the quiet snickers of the nobles at his expense. He risked one backwards glance over his shoulders to gauge the reaction in the room. He needed to memorize the political landscape in case there were any opportunities to exploit to regain some standing.

His gaze raked over the pretentious fools and only found barely contained sadistic glee at his misfortune with the notable exception of the emperor. The bastard had the nerve to look indifferent, so he wouldn't give away any weaknesses to his loyal subjects.

As he suspected the only allies, he could expect to find here were Ruben Ashford and his sister Cornelia. Schneizel had been present but notably silent when the judgement to use him as a political hostage was presented. That either meant he wasn't going to help him or only do so later on in smaller ways or until he proved himself worthy of the aid.

There was no way he could rely on any of them. Cornelia wasn't well versed in court politics, Ruben was practically ruined and he wasn't willing to dance to the whims of his older brother. Well that was a lie, he was willing. He just couldn't prove himself worthy in any conceivable way while in Japan.

With a sigh, he walked out of the throne room pondering his future and how he needed to adjust his contingency plans.

Author note

The cover image is created by Deto15 on minitokyo and the original art is from Takahiro Kimura.

i also want to thank my new beta Lord Darkly for making this story more readable.