“And the moment we did that they'd say we killed their empress. We have to let the High Eunuchs make that last mortal blow.”
Kanon Maldini Quotes
2 quotes from Code Geass, each with commentary on what it means and why it stuck.
Spoiler — from the ending. Tap to reveal.
“You've done a great deed here, Sir Kururugi. Excellent work. You've managed to bring this war to an end.”
Kanon puts a hand on Suzaku's shoulder as Suzaku tries to deny Lelouch's accusation of a setup. The congratulations supplies a different account before that denial can develop: Suzaku has done excellent work by delivering Zero. Praise makes him the author of an intervention that has visibly surprised him. Lelouch has just begun to accept an offer of cooperation when the soldiers arrive. In that setting, Kanon's approval is more damaging than a neutral announcement of the arrest. It gives the interruption the appearance of a successful plan shared with Suzaku. Lelouch hears confirmation of betrayal where Suzaku is trying to protest it. The line does not prove that Kanon has ended the war, despite his claim. Its immediate achievement is smaller and more intimate: it makes an accusation sound endorsed by the people who would have benefited from the alleged deception. A compliment becomes a way to assign responsibility without securing agreement from its recipient. Kanon does not have to speak directly to Lelouch for the praise to reach its most vulnerable listener. Suzaku is addressed as the successful agent, but Lelouch is the person invited to interpret their interrupted agreement through that description.
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Nina asks whether a shot from the Mordred could demolish the mausoleum. Lloyd confirms the destructive possibility, and Kanon objects to who would be blamed for the empress's death. His proposed alternative leaves the fatal blow to the High Eunuchs. The pause in attacking is therefore a poor sign of concern for the person inside. Restraint can look reassuring when it prevents the immediate use of overwhelming force. Kanon's explanation removes that reassurance. He wants the threatened death assigned to another actor, not necessarily prevented. What matters to his calculation is the account that could follow the attack. The scene stops short of establishing that the empress will actually die, and his plan should not be mistaken for an accomplished outcome. It nevertheless reveals the object of his caution. He is protecting his side from a particular accusation while accepting the death that would make the accusation possible.