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[TRANSLATED] CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Re;surrection (Chapter 12)
Original Scans: courtesy of Comic Walker
Kouwa 2—
A small crack introduced into a world that had been enjoying an unprecedented peace.
The affair of the disappearance of Nunnally vi Britannia and Zero that occurred at Hashvess—
Speculation has it that Schneizel el Britannia, Chief of Staff for the United Federation of Nations' Supreme Council, is secretly involved in the formation and dispatch of the investigation unit that is looking into the involvement of Zilkhstan, the Land of warriors.
An investigation unit that has solicited the help of three civilians, who have now entered the Kingdom of Zilkhstan: Kouzuki Kallen, Lloyd Asplund, and Shinozaki Sayoko1.
There, they happened to reunite with C.C. and the supposedly dead Lelouch2, who had traveled to Zilkhstan for their own disparate reasons.
No, I understand our situation...
LELOUCH
...this state of affairs is simply intolerable.
Nunnally and Zero remain captive.
And not only that, but as a result of a surprise attack from our enemies, Kallen's been caught, too.
SAYOKO
...
LELOUCH
However.
All of this is the result of concern for my well-being.
So, I'm grateful.
SAYOKO
Master Lelouch...
...
LLOYD
Still, with you here...
LLOYD
I'm sure even such a 'state of affairs' will be no real trouble, right, Your Majesty?3
LELOUCH
Heh.
I wouldn't go that far.4
But it's true that we do have what we need to deal with the matter...
LELOUCH
...
Though there's a depressing dearth of intel.
LELOUCH
All right.
Lloyd, I'll be relying on you to take control of this system and construct an information terminal.
Then I'll set the stage.
LLOYD
Ro~ger.
LELOUCH
Sayoko, you locate Kallen.
Do whatever you must to rescue her!
SAYOKO
With pleasure!
(Finally, he's come back to us.)
LELOUCH
I'll explain later, but...
I'll also be needing your assistance,
C.C.
C.C.
All right.
Leave him in command...?
Bitool?
SOLDIER
Yes.
After all, he's the brigands' leader.
SHESTHALL
Which is exactly why...
SOLDIER
?
SHESTHALL
Better to keep your distance when you sense danger, or so they say.
It's curious, though.
C.C.
Curious?
LELOUCH
Yes.
It seems to me that Zilkhstan, having abducted Nunnally and Zero, ought to think Kallen and the others were agents dispatched by the United Nations' Supreme Council.
LELOUCH
So they should also have expected their infiltration of this 'Great Wailing Prison'.
C.C.
What're you...
C.C.
!
The surprise attack?
Just so.
If all they'd wanted was to catch Kallen and the others, it would have been more straightforward to set up an ambush.
Certainly there was no need to allow them to get as far as entering the prison in their disguises.
C.C.
But surely...
C.C.
They must have wanted to know, right?
Why we came to this Great Wailing Prison...
...no, why we came to the Aram Gate.
LELOUCH
It would be reasonable to think so.
I have no idea who's giving them their marching orders, but
whoever our opponent is, it must be someone who knows we had a goal beyond retrieving Nunnally and Zero...
or so it seems to me.
In other words,
someone with a connection to geass.
BITOOL
That's right!
They won't tell us what the intruders're after, and that's fishy.
Now they won't even let me use my Batalalan Du!
But it's better'n makin' some stupid mistake and gettin' punished.
What are you going to do with the woman?
BITOOL
Well, I said I'd hand her over to you lot once I'd had my fun with her, but
seems like she'd make a nice offering for the king or temple princess.
Throw her in the infirmary.
BITOOL
S'more important that we hurry up an' get ready to skedaddle.
Not gonna be long 'fore the elites get sicka waitin'.
"PRISONER"
Leaving the clean-up to the Guard?
BITOOL
Sure, why not.
SAYOKO
Mistress Kallen,
I'll be rescuing you soon.
Master Lelouch.
LELOUCH
What is it?
SAYOKO
It seems Mistress Kallen will be moved to the infirmary.
Most likely to the facility on B4. And moreover...
SAYOKO
It seems that command of the manhunt is being turned over to the Elite Guard.
LELOUCH
Elite Guard?
SAYOKO
Yes.
They seem to be standing by outside.
LELOUCH
Understood.
The mission will proceed with Plan Zebra, then.
Is this country in the midst of a civil war?
Their actions suggest some sort of turf war.
C.C.
Well, it is being ruled by a pair of siblings...
C.C.
The older sister handles religious affairs,
the younger brother military affairs.
But that's all I know.
LELOUCH
Honestly.
Surely it's basic strategy to arrange an escape route before you infiltrate...
Hm?
<Your Majesty...!>
LLOYD
I've taken over the system, but...
!
LELOUCH
I see. Well done.
Then, I suppose you uncovered this floor's purpose?
LLOYD
I take it Your Majesty also noticed...
The one and only one person left behind there.
Someone there was no need to transport, even in this situation...?
Or someone of such great importance that he couldn't be moved rashly...
<groan>
SFX
<type, type, type>
FIGURE (LELOUCH)
Sorry.
I didn't mean to wake you,
Zero...
LELOUCH
Or should I say—
Kururugi Suzaku.
You really shouldn't move until you've been seen to by the doctor.
Our enemies are unlikely to make any rash moves as long as you're here.
LELOUCH
Fortunate for us, by the way.
Your strength is one of the things I need to clear the conditions.
...Lelou...ch...?
LELOUCH
Indeed.
SUZAKU
Is it
really you?
LELOUCH
Confirm for yourself5.
Oh...
You're alive...
LELOUCH
Apparently so.
SUZAKU
"Apparently"?
"Apparently"?!
Like it's somebody else's problem!6
LELOUCH
That's how it is,
after all.
SUZAKU
You mean—
SUZAKU
You mean you lied again?!
LELOUCH
I won't claim otherwise.
Do as you please.
SUZAKU
<Lelouch!!>
To me!
SUZAKU
To all of them!
SUZAKU
How much of it?!
SUZAKU
How much!
How much of it were you keeping from us7—
SUZAKU
You coward!
!
C.C.
Suzaku, stop!
Lelouch meant to die!
C.C.
I was the one who was selfish!
C.C.?
C.C.
...Honestly, in this condition...
...it's amazing he was able to move at all.
LELOUCH
...
Attention, facility intruders!
LELOUCH
!
SHESTHAAL
I am Shesthaal Forgner, Captain of the Priestess's Elite Guard!
SHESTHAAL
We already
have the prison facility surrounded!
Surrender!
SHESTHAAL
I repeat!
Surrender at once!
It won't be long before the evacuation of facility personnel is complete.
If you haven't contacted us by then, I will be unable to guarantee your safety.
SHESTHAAL
Furthermore — anyone who may have once associated with the leader of this invading group wishes to surrender, you will be treated with the same decorum as a guest of the state.
LELOUCH
A guest of the state, is it.
Does he want something from you?
C.C.
Who can say?
I took my leave of this place more than three hundred years ago.
I suppose something must have happened to the founder, too?
Your Majesty,
I tried to base it on a KMF simulator, but~...
LELOUCH
What about communications?
LLOYD
Like so.
SHESTHAAL
From the criminals?
SOLDIER
Yes.
Is that all right?
SHESTHAAL
Yes, fine.
Connect me.
LELOUCH
Attention, to the insolent Shesthaal Forgner.
We are but simple travelers.
LELOUCH
It would be best if you abandon your foolish siege
and depart from this place at once.
SHESTHAAL
Ugh!
Insult me all you like,
but this affront to the Forgner name demands recompense!
LELOUCH
Oho.
Who knew the name of a mercenary who came to this land a mere 120 years ago could be so... prestigious8.
<whoosh>
C.C./SOLDIER
<ker-chak>
!
LELOUCH
No, I'm sorry.
Everyone needs their pride.
SFX
<swish>
LELOUCH
Even brigands and bandits.
SHESTHAAL
Wha—!
Now, run along, if you've any sense.
Or, if you're a fool, by all means — come and face me.
SHESTHAAL
Ugh!
All units, prepare for battle!
We'll seize the facility one floor at a time!
LELOUCH
Coming to challenge me, then?
Fool...
LELOUCH
Suzaku.
SUZAKU
I know, Lelouch.
You really have come back to us, huh...
Hold on, wait!
Bwah—
LLOYD
Piloting such an ugly machine in that condition...!
SUZAKU
It's fine9.
SUZAKU
I'm Zero, after all.
One who exists only because he vowed to sacrifice himself for the world10.
That might be your strength, but...
It's also a weakness.
SUZAKU
I'm well-aware.
But I can think of no other way to make up for my blunder.
SUZAKU
So...
My apologies.
But it seems we're going to need your strength.
LELOUCH
So Lelouch vi Britannia commands you...
1 Just a general footnote, which should really have been placed on a much earlier chapter and might get moved there later: one of the problems with translating a series like Code Geass which is being presented as monolingual but in-universe is multilingual is name order. IMHO, characters like Kallen should always have been saying their own names in Japanese order (Kouzuki Kallen), whereas characters like Suzaku, as Honorary Britannians who were primarily being addressed by Britannians, should have been saying their own names mostly in "Western" order (Suzaku Kururugi). The dub for Code Geass was quite good for the most part, but in some ways the care with with the English voice actors pronounced especially difficult names like "Kururugi" was... actively OOC, heh. It would've been neat to see the different attitudes that, for example, R1 Schneizel and Cornelia had towards people like Suzaku reflected in how they pronounced his name. ...But this is a Peaceful World, where Japan's sovereignty has been restored, so everyone should be saying Kallen's name in the order she prefers, etc. And my translations will reflect that.↩
2 Gotta love how concise Japanese can be with its predicate phrases. ジルクスタンを訪れていたC.C.と死んだはずのルルーシュ = "the pair of C.C. and Lelouch-who-should-be-dead, who-had-been-visiting-Zilkhstan".↩
3 Somehow, something will totally/absolutely be done about this state of affairs.↩
4 Lit. "You overvalue me excessively."↩
5 確かめたい is one of Suzaku's noteworthy phrases. He doesn't say it nearly as often as Lelouch says 条件はクリア, but it's definitely not an accident that Lelouch borrowed his word here.↩
6 「らしい」？「らしい」だって？そんな他人事みたいに言って！ ...this is hard to translate, but Lelouch's そうらしいな response to Suzaku murmuring that he's alive is how you'd talk about something that had happened to someone else; something you're only reporting second-hand. Suzaku's reaction is therefore very much: "That's all you've got to say for yourself?! Talking about this like you had nothing to do with it and it's not really any of my business?!" Emphasis mine, because this phrase really makes it no one's business, when Suzaku could easily have specified ([君|僕]に関係ない) that he was only objecting to Lelouch talking like it's someone else who died, or talking like he doesn't expect Suzaku to care. No, Suzaku's phrasing very concisely conveys both.↩
7 ALSO difficult to translate. 君は！ 君はまた嘘をついたのか！ 俺が！ みんなが！ どれだけ！ どれだけ！ なぜ秘密にした！ この卑怯者が！Suzaku's Japanese is more fragmented, and the second-to-last sentence is more literally "Why did/would you make this a secret," but I think the intent here is clearly: how much of what I thought the plan was... was actually a lie, and how much more were you keeping secret? (The Japanese fragments serve both purposes.)↩
8 名誉 was also used in phrases like 名誉ブリタニア人 (Honorary Britannian).↩
9 Suddenly all ですます again. Well, it's how he's used to talking to Lloyd, probably.↩
10 Lit. An existence or being that vowed to sacrifice itself for the world. 己(おのれ ) is oneself, like 自分, but Suzaku's used 自分 so much as a regular personal pronoun (in place of 私 in all his formal sentences, among other things) that I guess they felt they needed something else to emphasize the depersonalization happening here.↩
Kouwa 2—
A small crack introduced into a world that had been enjoying an unprecedented peace.
The affair of the disappearance of Nunnally vi Britannia and Zero that occurred at Hashvess—
Speculation has it that Schneizel el Britannia, Chief of Staff for the United Federation of Nations' Supreme Council, is secretly involved in the formation and dispatch of the investigation unit that is looking into the involvement of Zilkhstan, the Land of warriors.
An investigation unit that has solicited the help of three civilians, who have now entered the Kingdom of Zilkhstan: Kouzuki Kallen, Lloyd Asplund, and Shinozaki Sayoko1.
There, they happened to reunite with C.C. and the supposedly dead Lelouch2, who had traveled to Zilkhstan for their own disparate reasons.
No, I understand our situation...
LELOUCH
...this state of affairs is simply intolerable.
Nunnally and Zero remain captive.
And not only that, but as a result of a surprise attack from our enemies, Kallen's been caught, too.
SAYOKO
...
LELOUCH
However.
All of this is the result of concern for my well-being.
So, I'm grateful.
SAYOKO
Master Lelouch...
...
LLOYD
Still, with you here...
LLOYD
I'm sure even such a 'state of affairs' will be no real trouble, right, Your Majesty?3
LELOUCH
Heh.
I wouldn't go that far.4
But it's true that we do have what we need to deal with the matter...
LELOUCH
...
Though there's a depressing dearth of intel.
LELOUCH
All right.
Lloyd, I'll be relying on you to take control of this system and construct an information terminal.
Then I'll set the stage.
LLOYD
Ro~ger.
LELOUCH
Sayoko, you locate Kallen.
Do whatever you must to rescue her!
SAYOKO
With pleasure!
(Finally, he's come back to us.)
LELOUCH
I'll explain later, but...
I'll also be needing your assistance,
C.C.
C.C.
All right.
Leave him in command...?
Bitool?
SOLDIER
Yes.
After all, he's the brigands' leader.
SHESTHALL
Which is exactly why...
SOLDIER
?
SHESTHALL
Better to keep your distance when you sense danger, or so they say.
It's curious, though.
C.C.
Curious?
LELOUCH
Yes.
It seems to me that Zilkhstan, having abducted Nunnally and Zero, ought to think Kallen and the others were agents dispatched by the United Nations' Supreme Council.
LELOUCH
So they should also have expected their infiltration of this 'Great Wailing Prison'.
C.C.
What're you...
C.C.
!
The surprise attack?
Just so.
If all they'd wanted was to catch Kallen and the others, it would have been more straightforward to set up an ambush.
Certainly there was no need to allow them to get as far as entering the prison in their disguises.
C.C.
But surely...
C.C.
They must have wanted to know, right?
Why we came to this Great Wailing Prison...
...no, why we came to the Aram Gate.
LELOUCH
It would be reasonable to think so.
I have no idea who's giving them their marching orders, but
whoever our opponent is, it must be someone who knows we had a goal beyond retrieving Nunnally and Zero...
or so it seems to me.
In other words,
someone with a connection to geass.
BITOOL
That's right!
They won't tell us what the intruders're after, and that's fishy.
Now they won't even let me use my Batalalan Du!
But it's better'n makin' some stupid mistake and gettin' punished.
What are you going to do with the woman?
BITOOL
Well, I said I'd hand her over to you lot once I'd had my fun with her, but
seems like she'd make a nice offering for the king or temple princess.
Throw her in the infirmary.
BITOOL
S'more important that we hurry up an' get ready to skedaddle.
Not gonna be long 'fore the elites get sicka waitin'.
"PRISONER"
Leaving the clean-up to the Guard?
BITOOL
Sure, why not.
SAYOKO
Mistress Kallen,
I'll be rescuing you soon.
Master Lelouch.
LELOUCH
What is it?
SAYOKO
It seems Mistress Kallen will be moved to the infirmary.
Most likely to the facility on B4. And moreover...
SAYOKO
It seems that command of the manhunt is being turned over to the Elite Guard.
LELOUCH
Elite Guard?
SAYOKO
Yes.
They seem to be standing by outside.
LELOUCH
Understood.
The mission will proceed with Plan Zebra, then.
Is this country in the midst of a civil war?
Their actions suggest some sort of turf war.
C.C.
Well, it is being ruled by a pair of siblings...
C.C.
The older sister handles religious affairs,
the younger brother military affairs.
But that's all I know.
LELOUCH
Honestly.
Surely it's basic strategy to arrange an escape route before you infiltrate...
Hm?
<Your Majesty...!>
LLOYD
I've taken over the system, but...
!
LELOUCH
I see. Well done.
Then, I suppose you uncovered this floor's purpose?
LLOYD
I take it Your Majesty also noticed...
The one and only one person left behind there.
Someone there was no need to transport, even in this situation...?
Or someone of such great importance that he couldn't be moved rashly...
<groan>
SFX
<type, type, type>
FIGURE (LELOUCH)
Sorry.
I didn't mean to wake you,
Zero...
LELOUCH
Or should I say—
Kururugi Suzaku.
You really shouldn't move until you've been seen to by the doctor.
Our enemies are unlikely to make any rash moves as long as you're here.
LELOUCH
Fortunate for us, by the way.
Your strength is one of the things I need to clear the conditions.
...Lelou...ch...?
LELOUCH
Indeed.
SUZAKU
Is it
really you?
LELOUCH
Confirm for yourself5.
Oh...
You're alive...
LELOUCH
Apparently so.
SUZAKU
"Apparently"?
"Apparently"?!
Like it's somebody else's problem!6
LELOUCH
That's how it is,
after all.
SUZAKU
You mean—
SUZAKU
You mean you lied again?!
LELOUCH
I won't claim otherwise.
Do as you please.
SUZAKU
<Lelouch!!>
To me!
SUZAKU
To all of them!
SUZAKU
How much of it?!
SUZAKU
How much!
How much of it were you keeping from us7—
SUZAKU
You coward!
!
C.C.
Suzaku, stop!
Lelouch meant to die!
C.C.
I was the one who was selfish!
C.C.?
C.C.
...Honestly, in this condition...
...it's amazing he was able to move at all.
LELOUCH
...
Attention, facility intruders!
LELOUCH
!
SHESTHAAL
I am Shesthaal Forgner, Captain of the Priestess's Elite Guard!
SHESTHAAL
We already
have the prison facility surrounded!
Surrender!
SHESTHAAL
I repeat!
Surrender at once!
It won't be long before the evacuation of facility personnel is complete.
If you haven't contacted us by then, I will be unable to guarantee your safety.
SHESTHAAL
Furthermore — anyone who may have once associated with the leader of this invading group wishes to surrender, you will be treated with the same decorum as a guest of the state.
LELOUCH
A guest of the state, is it.
Does he want something from you?
C.C.
Who can say?
I took my leave of this place more than three hundred years ago.
I suppose something must have happened to the founder, too?
Your Majesty,
I tried to base it on a KMF simulator, but~...
LELOUCH
What about communications?
LLOYD
Like so.
SHESTHAAL
From the criminals?
SOLDIER
Yes.
Is that all right?
SHESTHAAL
Yes, fine.
Connect me.
LELOUCH
Attention, to the insolent Shesthaal Forgner.
We are but simple travelers.
LELOUCH
It would be best if you abandon your foolish siege
and depart from this place at once.
SHESTHAAL
Ugh!
Insult me all you like,
but this affront to the Forgner name demands recompense!
LELOUCH
Oho.
Who knew the name of a mercenary who came to this land a mere 120 years ago could be so... prestigious8.
<whoosh>
C.C./SOLDIER
<ker-chak>
!
LELOUCH
No, I'm sorry.
Everyone needs their pride.
SFX
<swish>
LELOUCH
Even brigands and bandits.
SHESTHAAL
Wha—!
Now, run along, if you've any sense.
Or, if you're a fool, by all means — come and face me.
SHESTHAAL
Ugh!
All units, prepare for battle!
We'll seize the facility one floor at a time!
LELOUCH
Coming to challenge me, then?
Fool...
LELOUCH
Suzaku.
SUZAKU
I know, Lelouch.
You really have come back to us, huh...
Hold on, wait!
Bwah—
LLOYD
Piloting such an ugly machine in that condition...!
SUZAKU
It's fine9.
SUZAKU
I'm Zero, after all.
One who exists only because he vowed to sacrifice himself for the world10.
That might be your strength, but...
It's also a weakness.
SUZAKU
I'm well-aware.
But I can think of no other way to make up for my blunder.
SUZAKU
So...
My apologies.
But it seems we're going to need your strength.
LELOUCH
So Lelouch vi Britannia commands you...
1 Just a general footnote, which should really have been placed on a much earlier chapter and might get moved there later: one of the problems with translating a series like Code Geass which is being presented as monolingual but in-universe is multilingual is name order. IMHO, characters like Kallen should always have been saying their own names in Japanese order (Kouzuki Kallen), whereas characters like Suzaku, as Honorary Britannians who were primarily being addressed by Britannians, should have been saying their own names mostly in "Western" order (Suzaku Kururugi). The dub for Code Geass was quite good for the most part, but in some ways the care with with the English voice actors pronounced especially difficult names like "Kururugi" was... actively OOC, heh. It would've been neat to see the different attitudes that, for example, R1 Schneizel and Cornelia had towards people like Suzaku reflected in how they pronounced his name. ...But this is a Peaceful World, where Japan's sovereignty has been restored, so everyone should be saying Kallen's name in the order she prefers, etc. And my translations will reflect that.↩
2 Gotta love how concise Japanese can be with its predicate phrases. ジルクスタンを訪れていたC.C.と死んだはずのルルーシュ = "the pair of C.C. and Lelouch-who-should-be-dead, who-had-been-visiting-Zilkhstan".↩
3 Somehow, something will totally/absolutely be done about this state of affairs.↩
4 Lit. "You overvalue me excessively."↩
5 確かめたい is one of Suzaku's noteworthy phrases. He doesn't say it nearly as often as Lelouch says 条件はクリア, but it's definitely not an accident that Lelouch borrowed his word here.↩
6 「らしい」？「らしい」だって？そんな他人事みたいに言って！ ...this is hard to translate, but Lelouch's そうらしいな response to Suzaku murmuring that he's alive is how you'd talk about something that had happened to someone else; something you're only reporting second-hand. Suzaku's reaction is therefore very much: "That's all you've got to say for yourself?! Talking about this like you had nothing to do with it and it's not really any of my business?!" Emphasis mine, because this phrase really makes it no one's business, when Suzaku could easily have specified ([君|僕]に関係ない) that he was only objecting to Lelouch talking like it's someone else who died, or talking like he doesn't expect Suzaku to care. No, Suzaku's phrasing very concisely conveys both.↩
7 ALSO difficult to translate. 君は！ 君はまた嘘をついたのか！ 俺が！ みんなが！ どれだけ！ どれだけ！ なぜ秘密にした！ この卑怯者が！Suzaku's Japanese is more fragmented, and the second-to-last sentence is more literally "Why did/would you make this a secret," but I think the intent here is clearly: how much of what I thought the plan was... was actually a lie, and how much more were you keeping secret? (The Japanese fragments serve both purposes.)↩
8 名誉 was also used in phrases like 名誉ブリタニア人 (Honorary Britannian).↩
9 Suddenly all ですます again. Well, it's how he's used to talking to Lloyd, probably.↩
10 Lit. An existence or being that vowed to sacrifice itself for the world. 己(おのれ ) is oneself, like 自分, but Suzaku's used 自分 so much as a regular personal pronoun (in place of 私 in all his formal sentences, among other things) that I guess they felt they needed something else to emphasize the depersonalization happening here.↩