Chapter 260: Hotel Hijacking Incident
In the impoverished slums, where sorrowful cries and desperate wails perpetually drifted through the air, the ruins steeped in such an atmosphere suddenly began to tremble violently.
This tremor struck like a hammer, pounding again and again against the chests of all the ELEVEN living in the slums.
It was the sound of the high-speed train passing over the slums. Aboard that magnificent train sat the invaders of this land—subjects of the Britannian Empire.
They were like lofty deities, forever unaware of the hellish existence endured by the ELEVEN living beneath them.
And at this moment, Mahiro happened to be riding on that very train.
Amid the roaring noise of wheels grinding over steel tracks, he stood inside the train's washroom, washing his hands.
Outside in the corridor, Alpha leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
Her attire remained as always—a black, form-fitting gown that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure, paired with a wide-brimmed white sunhat tilted downward, obscuring most of her face.
Her golden hair cascaded down like flowing tassels.
"I never knew you had such interests."
"What interests? I'm just helping someone by posing as their fiancé. It's a small favor. What, are you jealous?"
"I couldn't care less about such trivial matters."
After finishing washing his hands, Mahiro turned and met Alpha's slender, elegant sapphire-blue eyes. After just a brief moment of eye contact, Alpha averted her gaze.
She snorted lightly and said:
"I wouldn't get jealous over something so insignificant."
"Yes, yes, I know. My Lady Alpha is the most broad-minded and magnanimous."
Stepping out of the washroom into the corridor, Mahiro noticed Alpha hadn't left. He took her hand, pulled her into his embrace, and kissed her directly.
Their lips met.
Alpha's eyes widened slightly, and her body tensed involuntarily.
Though it wasn't her first kiss—in fact, she had grown accustomed to it—this was the first time in public, with so many people watching.
Just as she had feared, the surrounding passengers, witnessing their intimacy, gasped in surprise, covering their mouths with involuntary, knowing smiles.
Their expressions seemed to say, "Ah, youth is wonderful."
After all, they looked no different from any young couple on an outing, and with their innate noble bearing, most assumed they were descendants of some prestigious aristocratic family.
Gradually, Alpha stopped caring about the onlookers, ceased resisting, and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.
The invasive masculine aura gradually softened her body, and she leaned into Mahiro's embrace.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Whether from lack of air or sheer embarrassment, a captivating blush spread across Alpha's cheeks, and a warm, hazy breath escaped her rosy lips.
"So, still jealous?" Mahiro asked with a smile.
But Alpha didn't respond. Instead, she shot him a coquettish glare before stepping out of his embrace.
After straightening her clothes and adjusting her hat, she reached out to fix his tie and smooth the wrinkles on his shirt, behaving just like a gentle, devoted wife.
"I have something to report to you this time."
"About the Shadow Garden?"
"Yes, but not entirely."
"Oh?"
Alpha's response made him pause for a moment, as if he had thought of something, a slight smile curling at the corners of his lips as he said, "Then go ahead and tell me."
"Mm."
Alpha nodded, and after straightening his clothes, she completely slipped out of his embrace, leaning against the corridor wall once again before speaking:
"First, regarding the Knightmare. Eta has completed the development of our Knightmare. Its performance fully surpasses the previously captured Lancelot Z-01, but the quantity is limited—only nine units have been completed so far. They cannot yet be allocated to the numbered members."
"So mass production hasn't started? That's fine, but there won't be any issues with subsequent modifications and upgrades, right?"
"No issues. As per your request, all units are semi-finished and can be equipped with entirely new weapon systems at any time."
"Good."
Mahiro replied with understanding.
It wasn't that he looked down on Eta's intelligence and capabilities. The reason he had them produce only semi-finished units and prevented Eta from spending time researching new weapons was mainly because the development speed of mechs in this world was absurdly fast.
Suzaku Kururugi's Lancelot and Kallen's Guren—these two mechs were like an arms race.
They were originally beyond the sixth generation, introduced as seventh-generation guided weapons.
First, the Lancelot was equipped with an energy shield, and then the Guren immediately developed a radiation wave weapon specifically to counter it.
Later, flight systems appeared, with speeds surpassing even fighter jets.
After that, there were hadron cannons, charged particle cannons, the Druid System, and the Absolute Defense System, which boasted fortress-level defensive capabilities.
And all of this happened in just a few months.
Of course, Mahiro didn't care about these things because the Guardian Deity Mech he piloted was essentially a massive CAD.
All of these could be accomplished with magic.
But the Shadow Garden was different. They didn't have something as broken as the Copy Eye, nor could they master all types of magic.
And with Eta working alone behind closed doors, she couldn't possibly surpass the long-researched achievements of this world's natives.
So it was better to wait for these things to come to them willingly and then upgrade the mechs accordingly.
When they reached their limits, he could always develop further based on these foundations—for instance, turning that antimatter bomb Freya into a mounted weapon.
"Anything else? What other matters are there?"
"There's one more thing about the Japan Liberation Front. An army lieutenant colonel is planning to attack the Convention Center Hotel at Lake Kawaguchi. That place is..."
"I know."
Mahiro interrupted Alpha, speaking softly, "I've known for a while."
"..."
"It doesn't matter. If they're willing to come and aren't afraid of dying, let them. If they're not afraid of being surrounded by Cornelia or ganged up on by the Knights of Rounds, then let them come."
He shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.
"Moreover, don't you think this is a perfect opportunity to make an appearance? A chance for Shadow Garden to formally reveal itself to the public.
It's time for us to step out from behind the curtains and come to the forefront."
After hearing him say this, Alpha's eyes widened slightly.
She hadn't expected him to harbor such intentions, but if that were the case... then...
"I understand what needs to be done."
With those words, Alpha departed.
She left the train speeding along the rails.
As for how she would manage it, Mahiro wasn't concerned—she always had her own methods.
When he returned to the passenger car and saw the three young girls sitting in the VIP seats, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.
Today was a holiday, with the entire Ashford Academy on break.
Additionally, today was originally meant to be Milly's matchmaking day, but unexpectedly, besides dragging him along, she had also brought Shirley and Nina.
When he saw these two, he basically remembered what was going to happen today.
This was the beginning of Honor Student Nina...
Just at that moment, the train entered a tunnel, and the windows immediately turned completely dark.
Nina, who had been sitting quietly in her seat, let out a frightened scream and slightly curled up her body.
"It's alright. Lake Kawaguchi has many Britannian tourists, and public security is good. Nothing terrible like what happens in the settlement areas will occur here."
Milly stepped forward and took hold of Nina's small hand that was fearfully clutching her own skirt, comforting her.
Shirley, sitting nearby, though unaware of what exactly had happened to Nina in the past, knew that Nina held immense fear towards ELEVEN and remained silent while supporting Nina's back.
"..."
With the comfort from her two friends, Nina's fear eased somewhat, though her voice still carried traces of fright.
"We'll stay by your side and won't abandon you. Besides, isn't Mahiro-sensei here too? He'll protect you as well, Nina, right? Mahiro-sensei."
"Exactly."
Mahiro also approached at this moment, gently taking hold of Nina's small hand, even able to feel the coldness in her fingertips.
Though this touch caused Nina's body to tremble slightly, she didn't refuse it, and her tense body gradually relaxed.
Seeing her like this, Mahiro asked with some confusion: "But I don't quite understand, Nina-san, why are you so afraid?"
It was just a tunnel passage, yet Nina was so frightened she almost hid under the seat.
This clearly went beyond ordinary dislike and fear of ELEVEN, didn't it?
It was almost like a nightmare...
"...Nina, is it alright?"
Milly, completely unlike the mischievous student council president from the academy, instead acted like a caring older sister, attending to Nina's feelings and seeking her opinion.
Almost no one besides her knew why Nina was like this.
Nina looked up at Milly, then gazed at Mahiro for a moment before slightly nodding.
Having received her consent, Milly released her hand, sat up straight in her seat, and with a serious expression and solemn tone, began:
"Actually, the main reason Nina became like this was because of an incident that happened six years ago..."
Six years ago, it was the second year after Britannia occupied Japan and renamed it Area 11.
At that time, Area 11 was far from stable, with many resistance forces like the Red Moon or Saitama groups active.
Back then, Nina had just arrived in Area 11 with her parents to start a new life. Unlike her current fear of Elevens, Nina's family belonged to the anti-war faction and sought peaceful coexistence with Elevens.
They often visited the slums to distribute charity.
But one day, tragedy struck.
A group of resistance fighters suddenly appeared and killed Nina's parents right before her eyes.
From that moment, a seed of terror took root in Nina's heart—an immense fear of Elevens that would haunt her like a nightmare.
Hearing this story, even Mahiro fell into silence.
Some people always vent their emotions on those who treat them kindly, yet remain meek as lambs when facing their actual oppressors.
Such is the flawed nature of humanity.
"Don't worry, Nina. As long as I'm here, I'll never let any Eleven harm you," Mahiro-sensei vowed.
"Mahiro-sensei..."
"Rest assured, I'll handle everything."
He gently grasped Nina's cold, small hands, making this solemn pledge to the girl with unwavering determination.
Looking at her teacher's sincere expression, Nina felt she had finally found her own knight in shining armor.
Soon, the train reached its final destination—
The Convention Center Hotel, standing by Lake Kawaguchi at the foot of Mount Fuji.
As Milly had mentioned, the area was predominantly frequented by Britannians, though many foreign guests were present as well.
However, most weren't tourists. Today marked the Sakuradite Distribution Conference, and nearly all attendees were members gathered for this annual event.
Additionally, there was both good news and bad news.
The bad news was that Lloyd, that eccentric bastard, had stood up Milly by not showing up.
The good news was that Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front arrived as planned, launching an attack and taking hostage all conference members—including Chairman James—along with every tourist present.
"I am Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front! We fight for Japan's independence and liberation! Though you here aren't soldiers, you're all Britannians—our oppressors! Just obey quietly, otherwise..."
Inside the hotel, Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe stood at the entrance of a cramped room, loudly declaring his manifesto and warnings to the captive hostages.
Below, Nina trembled in terror upon seeing Elevens again, curling into a ball as Milly held her tightly.
Naturally, Mahiro was among the hostages.
When Kusakabe recorded footage of the hostages to broadcast externally—intending to warn Britannian forces against taking reckless action—
Both Lelouch and Cornelia wore stunned expressions upon seeing this footage.
Seriously? Was Mahiro-sensei actually taken hostage by terrorists?!!!
This might be the most absurd thing they had witnessed in their lives.
This was even more unbelievable than the Japanese Liberation Front suddenly storming the Pendragon palace to kidnap Emperor Charles!
After all, as his students, they knew all too well what kind of capabilities Mahiro possessed.
However, when they spotted Euphy among the hostages, they immediately understood.
Mahiro-sensei had likely chosen to surrender because he feared these people might harm Euphy.
"Lord Guilford, summon the Knights of Rounds and order all personnel to cease their current tasks. Surround the hotel by Lake Kawaguchi—no one is to escape from there!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Everyone, it's time for our debut. From this moment onward, we are no longer the former Red Moon Resistance, but agents of justice! We shall deliver judgment upon all injustices—even the Japanese Liberation Front is no exception!
Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe has acted recklessly by kidnapping civilians. He has tarnished our righteous cause of resisting Britannia. Let his life cleanse this engraved disgrace!"
ZERO was delivering an impassioned speech.
He seemed like a natural orator, arguably no less skilled than the one from that little tavern.
Simultaneously, both Cornelia and Lelouch sprang into action, mobilizing all available forces to head toward the epicenter of the conflict.
"Order the special sniper team to hold their positions. All squad leaders, confirm receipt."
Night had fallen. Britannian forces had been in a standoff with Kusakabe's faction of the Japanese Liberation Front for several hours.
Despite extensive preparations, the artificial lake made any breakthrough impossible.
Multiple attempts had been made, but all ended in failure.
Across the river, Cécile from the Special Division was assisting with adjustments to the Lancelot Z-01, which had been specially transported to the location.
Unfortunately, the Lancelot had no opportunity to deploy.
This was solely because Cornelia drew a sharp distinction between Britannians and Numbers—she placed no trust in so-called Honorary Britannians.
As for why this system was established, one could only say it was merely a means to pacify the colonies.
"By the way, Suzaku-kun, the student among the hostages must be from the student council, right? Negotiations are still ongoing, so there's no need to worry."
During a lull, Cécile chatted with Suzaku, doing her best to comfort Kururugi Suzaku, who was also a member of Ashford Academy.
Unfortunately, she overthought it—Suzaku wasn't anxious at all. Instead, he remained remarkably calm.
"I am part of the organization. Above personal feelings, I prioritize following the organization's rules!"
Suzaku gazed calmly at the hotel across the lake, his composed reply carrying a detached tone that gave Cécile a slight pause.
She even halted her work briefly.
Though Suzaku's answer wasn't wrong, something felt off.
"Miss Cécile, look over there!"
The next second, Cécile's attention was swiftly diverted by Suzaku's exclamation.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
Suzaku, sitting in the driver's seat, shifted the screen's display to the hotel rooftop where movement had been detected. There, several armed individuals were shoving a bound Britannian man toward the edge—a sheer drop of twenty stories.
"Are they going to throw the hostage...?"
"..."
Cécile and Suzaku watched the scene with horrified expressions.
Cécile immediately sensed something terrible was about to happen, and her premonition proved correct.
Under the gaze of all present, the ruthless terrorists pushed the innocent Britannian citizen off the building. Even from across the lake, they could almost clearly hear the man's desperate, dying scream.
"Stop!!!"
Witnessing an innocent hostage brutally killed before his eyes, Suzaku roared in agony. But his compatriots could not hear him, nor would they change their resolve because of him.
"If our demands continue to go unanswered, we will push one person off every thirty minutes. For the sake of the hostages, we hope you will make a sincere decision!"
Colonel Kusakabe's image reappeared, announcing the decision to execute hostages—proof that their patience was wearing thin.
"Using such brutal tactics to intimidate others... those savages!"
Due to the terrorists' slaughter of civilians, Cornelia, stationed in the command room, once again consulted her subordinates on viable strategies.
Yet even her most resourceful advisors felt a headache coming on, faced with the terrorists' ruthless determination.
"How about negotiating for the release of only women and children first?"
Guilford, the knight accompanying Cornelia, offered this suggestion.
If they could rescue Princess Euphemia, they wouldn't need to worry about the other civilians and could storm the hotel directly.
"No! Engaging in negotiations would only validate the terrorists' methods!"
Cornelia immediately rejected the idea.
Unlike Suzaku, who strictly adhered to rules over personal feelings, Cornelia valued emotion more highly—but her sense of responsibility was equally strong.
They absolutely must not compromise with terrorists!
The pressing question now was: what could they do instead?
Cornelia racked her brains, her gaze shifting from her subordinate knights to other advisors, and finally settling on the silent Knights of Rounds present: Anya Alstreim, who had been quietly fiddling with her phone; Gino Weinberg, observing from the side; and Monica Krushevsky, who carried herself with the poise of a demure young lady.
"Your Highness, Princess Cornelia, why trouble yourself with all this? With us Knights of Rounds here, wouldn't a direct frontal assault be the best option?"