Chapter 7
Following that minor confrontation, Crow goes back to his book while Kevin relaxes near him...
While they were both relaxing, Crow says "I get that I was at a disadvantage, but aren't you being a bit too casual about all this? I mean, I am the leader of a national terrorist group."
Kevin nods, and says "That's true..."
Crow then continues, saying with a smirk "I'm kinda stuck, but if I just take ya out, I'd be free to do what I want, right Kev...?"
Hearing this, Kevin laughs to himself, surprising Crow, before saying "Well, you sure can try; but I can't say whether that'd work or not. Because ya see, I'm not just some mid-tier grail knight on a secret mission. I'm a Dominion, the 5th in fact, so I guess you could try your luck..."
After that, Crow sighs and says "Dang, you're the real deal huh? Since I don't got a choice, I'll be on my best behavior. Would you mind making a solid excuse to Instructor Sara? She'd kill me otherwise..." He laughs to himself after saying this, making Kevin relieved that even though Crow was trying to run a dangerous organization, he was still his laidback self deep down.
And once that conversation ended, Kevin left Crow alone, ready to move on with his day...
A few hours later, Town Center, Legram
In this southern area of Erebonia, Estelle, Joshua, and Renne were meeting with their local contact, now that they were in the country...
Now that the group was in Erebonia proper, they head to Legram's Bracer guildhall, hoping to meet up with their contact. And when they head in, they see the blonde slightly spikey haired Bracer Toval Randonneur, who casually waves and says "Nice to see you guys again! Congrats on making it into the country..."
Seeing that their old friend was here, Estelle grins and says "Toval! We missed ya!"
Joshua smiles, and says "I should have guessed that you'd be our contact, Toval..."
Renne smirks, and says "It's not a difficult thing to figure out, since you Bracers are practically wiped from Erebonia..."
Hearing this, Toval sighs and says "Do you always need to be so brutally honest, Renne? But I can't deny it..."
Estelle responds by glaring at Renne, while saying "Don't be so harsh, Renne... Things got really tough here for Bracers..."
Toval nods, and says "Yeah. The stuff with Jester Corp sure didn't help, but it was Chancellor Osborne in the end that really made things tough for us..."
Hearing this, Joshua says "Really? I wouldn't have thought that..."
Renne nods, and says "Yeah. Though I'm sure Campanella expected something like this to happen, after drawing out Cassius Bright..."
Estelle than gasps, and says "Hold on a sec, Renne! Do you think that they planned for the Erebonian government to react how they did?"
Renne nods again, and says "Yep. Keep in mind that the society and Osborne would regularly use each other..."
Then Toval interjects, and says "I firmly believe that all this started when the society did their operation to lure out Cassius though. It gave Chancellor Osborne just the excuse he needed to crack down on us. Since we prioritize the safety of the common citizenry over individual governments, he probably saw us as a threat."
But then Joshua clears his throat, and says "That's all true, but could you fill us in on the situation here? We received a secret letter from Olivert, but we're in the dark besides that."
Following that, Toval starts to explain why Prince Olivert needed them, while the Liberl bracers listened on...
Around the same time, Thors Library, Trista
Presently, Emma Millstein, a member of Class VII, was studying in the library, while Ries suddenly enters the building...
Once Ries enters, she sees Instructor Thomas doing some light reading, so she goes up to him and says "Hello instructor! Reading anything interesting?"
Thomas smiles and nods, before saying "Of course, Ries! It's an old piece detailing how Erebonians in Emperor Dreichels' time interacted with the Septian Church. Quite fascinating..." After that, he reaches for another book, and says "You might find this one interesting! It is a study of how The Church is seen in modern Erebonia..."
Following this, Ries respectfully nods and says "I'll take a look at it. Thank you for the suggestion..." She then walks off, and finds a nice quiet place to sit, near another student.
When she sits down, the student puts down her book, and says "Oh, are you doing some reading as well? That book looks interesting..."
Ries smiles, but then sighs and says "Well honestly, I didn't want to disappoint Thomas. As a member of the Church, I felt like it was the right thing to do..."
Hearing this, the student frowns and says "Oh, well I hope you enjoy it regardless. I'm Emma by the way! It's nice to meet you. Are you helping out at the Trista chapel?"
Ries smiles and then says "My name is Ries. It's a pleasure, Emma. And yes, I've been assigned there for the time being. This is my first time in Erebonia, and Trista is quite nice."
Emma nods, and says "I'm glad you've had a nice experience so far. I'm happy my field studies have allowed me to see different aspects of my home country."
But then Ries stands up, and says "I'm sorry, but I need to get going actually. I need to do a few things at the chapel. It was nice meeting you, Emma..."
Emma nods, and gets back to her book, as Ries left the building...
Around the same time, Class VII Dorm, Trista
Kevin was currently having some lunch, while Sharon worked in the kitchen, right as Agate entered the building...
Agate sits down next to Kevin, and says "Things are getting pretty crazy in Erebonia, Kevin. Want me to give you the run down?"
Kevin takes a bite out of his sandwich, and says "Lay it on me, Agate!"
But before Agate began, Sharon leans over, and says "Would you like some tea, Master Agate? Of maybe a sandwich?"
Hearing this, Agate says "I can't believe these kids have a maid... I'd normally make something for myself, but if you're offering..."
Upon that response, Sharon smiles and nods, before bringing over a cup of tea and a fresh sandwich, while saying "Enjoy..."
Agate nods, and says "Thanks Sharon." Then he turns to Kevin, and says "Okay, things are getting pretty crazy. Some military lady went up to me and told me that a dangerous guy was leading a bunch of jeagers down in Celdic."
Hearing this, Kevin raises an eyebrow, and says "How dangerous are we talking?"
Agate responds, saying "According to her, it was Walter from the Society..."
Kevin quickly covers his mouth, before saying "Him...? That ain't good..." But then he turns to Sharon, and says "You know anything about this?"
Before Sharon responds, Agate asks "Wait, why are you asking her?"
Kevin answers, saying "Oh yeah, you probably didn't hear. Sharon here is also an enforcer in the society. She goes by the Severing Chains..."
Upon hearing this, Agate grips the hilt of his blade, as he says "You're telling me that she's a member of Ouroboros?"
Noticing his apprehension, Sharon bows and says "I can assure you, Master Agate, that I am of no threat to you. I may be a member, but I consider myself 'on leave' from the society.
Hearing this, Agate loosens his grip, and says "Well, if you're not planning on anything, I guess I shouldn't worry." Then he pauses for a moment, and adds, saying "So, what do you know about Walter? If you can say anything..."
Sharon taps her chin, and eventually saying "I shouldn't say much, although he is incredibly skilled. But I'm sure you already know that..."
Agate nods, and says "Well, I figured I'd try." Then he turns to Kevin, and says "So, that's what I know. Guess things really are getting crazy..."
Kevin nods back, and says "You've got that right..." Then, Kevin scratches his chin, and says "Speaking of that, I had a weird experience too..."
Hearing this, Agate says "Really? What happened?"
Kevin then explains, saying "Well, I was relaxing in the town center on a bench, when this cute brown haired girl sat down next to me. She might've been a few years older than me at most. The weird part was that the Recluse Cube reacted when she sat next to me, and I got a strikingly similar vibe to how Weismann seemed like."
Agate remains silent as his eyes widen, while Sharon gasps and says "Kevin, what that how she looked...?"
Kevin answers, saying "Yeah, just about. You know who she is...?"
Sharon nods, but says "I'm not sure if I should tell you or not..." She starts to grumble to herself, and then says "Oh well! That must have been Vita Clotilde, The Azure Abyss. She's one of the Anguis of the society..."
Upon that revelation, Kevin sighs and says "So somebody that dangerous is just hanging around Trista... When she approached, it felt like she was challenging me. I appreciate the info, Sharon."
Sharon respectfully nods, and says "Of course. As a humble request, please keep my involvement a secret. I'm sure the other members wouldn't appreciate my loose tongue."
Kevin nods back, and says "You got it. I'm good at keepin' secrets!"
Agate nods as well, and says "If you're willing to give that kinda info out, then I'm willing to do you the favor. I ain't saying a word about you."
Following that, Agate and Kevin continue to chat while they enjoy their sandwiches, as Sharon joins them after finishing her cleaning duties...
Around the same time, Principal's Office, Trista
Presently, Principal Vandyke was meeting with Instructors Sara and Neithardt, to discuss a few new additions to the Thors faculty...
Both instructors were seated in front of Principal Vandyke's desk, as he says "Let me cut right to the chase. There will be two new instructors here in Thors. The first will be our guest, Kevin Graham, who will teach a new religious studies course for the students. This should alleviate some pressure from Thomas, who undoubtedly needs to cover as much as he can during the students' two year stays."
Hearing this, Neithardt says "From what I've seen of him, he doesn't seem to carry himself the way an instructor should. I'd worry, since we already have to worry about Instructor Sara..."
Sara pouts, and says "Hey! I can be serious when I wanna!" Neithardt just shakes his head, as Sara then smiles and says "And Kevin's a high ranking Gralsritter, remember? I think he'd do a great job..."
Then Neithardt folds his arms, and says "That's related to another point I had. Are we only bringing on Father Graham because of how he needs to work with Rean Schwarzer? Are you certain that we should be motivated just by that?"
Principal Vandyke nods, and then says "I understand your concerns, Neithardt, but Kevin Graham has an abundance of experience that would be valuable to the students. I say that we should strive to find the most varied and experienced individuals for instructors at Thors. Don't you agree?"
Hearing this, Neithardt scratches his chin, and says "That does make sense. I appreciate you listening to my concerns, sir."
Sara nods, but then says "So who's the other new addition?"
Principal Vandyke scratches at his beard, and then says "I believe we can wait until he arrives tonight, but he is highly experienced in espionage and intelligence gathering, so he'll be teaching a course in those areas."
Hearing this, Neithardt and Sara continue to debrief with Principal Vandyke...
About an hour later, Town Center, Trista
Around this time, Rean was working on a task for the student council, while Alisa Reinford and Machias Regnitz were nearby...
The two of them see Rean looking fairly worried, so they walk over, with the intention of helping him out. Once they get closer, Alisa says "Hey Rean; what's up?"
Machias nods, and says "Yeah, do you need a hand?"
Rean sighs, and says "I'd definitely appreciate it. Another student is missing their orbal camera, and somebody left this weird message about it. It's almost like a riddle..."
Once they both look over the written message, the three of them start walking around town, trying their best to figure out the strange task they had ahead of them. And as they looked around, a man in a fancy suite with long blue hair watched from a nearby alleyway. As he watched, he quietly laughs to himself, and says "That Rean is a curious one. I wonder how long it will take for them to solve my challenge...?"
But at the same time, Ries was sitting at Kirsche's Café eating a hearty early dinner while suspiciously eying that blue haired man. And once their eyes met, Ries glares while the man smirks and casually approaches. When he reaches the café, he sits down across from Ries, and says "I must say, you look just as fiery as I remember, young Gralsritter squire..."
Ries continues to glare, as she says "So you remember what happened in Phantasma, Phantom Thief?"
The man shakes his head, and says "Sadly, I only can remember segments of that, which already isn't much given my limited role in that affair... But I do remember Kevin Graham's resolute squire."
Ries quickly grabs the hilt of her templar sword, as she says "Are you looking for a fight, Bleublanc?"
Bleublanc merely laughs softly, as he says "I am not here for trouble, my dear... I simply wish to test that interesting Rean, and see how he reacts to my ploys. When he solves my little riddle, I will depart without any disturbance. You have my word, as an honorable and artful thief..."
Following that, he skillfully creates a puff of smoke, masking his trail as he seems to disappear from sight. As that happens, Ries sighs and says "If someone like him is in Trista, I should inform Kevin..."
After that surprising event, Ries finishes her meal, not wanting her perfectly good food to go to waste...
END CHAPTER 7
Notes:
Hope you all liked the chapter! There aren't any reviews to respond to this time, but feel free to leave on if you feel the desire to share your thoughts.
