The True Elites

Chapter 3-5: Dominion On A Desert Island

Suzaku's POV

I slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the tall trees by the morning sun, making sure not to step on any branches as I trailed my target. This was the mission assigned to me by Ayanokōji.

He'd predicted that the silver-haired girl walking some distance in front of me would leave in the middle of the night. I didn't understand how he'd known that but, here she was, departing at the crack of dawn.

"I want you to wake up early, and follow Shiina Hiyori when she wakes up and leaves. If you stay hidden and don't make your presence known, you will discover useful information for us when she reaches her destination."

"Huh? How do you know that she'll leave? And why don't you do it yourself, Ayanokōji?"

"I have other important business to attend to on the fourth day. I chose you to do it instead because I thought that you'd have some experience in concealing your presence, having been military trained and all. As for how I know... I'll explain it all after the exam."

Those were the last words to me before Ayanokōji Kiyotaka vanished into the night. I briefly wondered whether the rest of Class D even knew what he was up to. I certainly didn't.

He was right, however. During my extensive training in the army, concealing my presence was one of the many skills I'd picked up. Normally, a soldier would have no reason to learn something like that, but I was no normal soldier.

An honorary Britannian. These were viewed differently to regular Britannian soldiers – they weren't viewed as anywhere near as valuable, since they were actually Japanese. Because of this, I ended up receiving very specialized training.

The Lancelot Unit. It was an experimental unit, separate from the main army branches. It reported directly to the emperor, Charles zi Britannia. I was the only soldier in it – they would never test a new training system that could easily go wrong on an actual Britannian soldier.

"Am I nothing more than a guinea pig after all?" I muttered under my breath.

The experiment ended up a success, though. Through their extensive and hellish experimental training, they were able to create in me the ultimate soldier. Britannia ended up falling before it could be tested further, though, meaning I was the only product of the Lancelot Unit. The only one in the world who'd gained this much strength in a mere seven years of training.

Of course, my existence was top-secret, even within Britannia. Few knew of me, even then, and nobody outside of Britannia would ever be able to discover me. Even Lelouch doesn't know about the training I endured.

It was comforting, but also instilled an odd feeling of loneliness in me. As if I'll never be able to relate to anyone.

"Ah, Shiina, glad you could make it."

A voice cut through my thoughts, bringing my focus back to the task at hand. It seemed that Shiina had, indeed, arrived at her destination. The voice that called out to her was undoubtedly that of Ryūen Kakeru.

"Good morning, Ryūen-san!" Shiina's voice was unexpectedly cheerful.

"So? Were you successful, even after being caught out as a spy?"

Ryūen demanded answers straight away. He didn't mess around when it came to business, it seemed.

"Eto, yes, I believe that I was able to figure out the Class D leader."

A wave of surprise washed over me. She figured out that the leader was Ayanokōji? How? When? Questions bounced around in my head.

"They were very vigilant about me, but had one slip-up. Just as I arrived, Sora-kun called out to Ayanokōji-kun, asking him how he took so long just to occupy two spots. At that time, he probably didn't notice me, as I was trailing behind Ayanokōji-kun."