After a long and explicit conversation about… things, my dad finally left me alone. Maybe because of the conversation as well, Stella made it clear that she was going to have a sleepover again, but this time with her 'dearest Sister-in-law'.

Which meant I was all alone in my room again.

Fortunately, I had a lot of work to do. Like memorizing my lecture notes. Seteth already made it explicitly clear he wasn't against the thought of having Jeritza take over for a while if I didn't do a good job. That, and considering the rumor mill… well, it was in everyone's best interest for me to be professional.

I sat at my desk, using the light of an oil lantern to see my papers. They were a bit scattered, mostly out of exasperation from 'The Talk, Part Two', so I tidied it up a bit before flipping through them again.

"Let's see…" I muttered and glanced at tomorrow's lecture notes.

First off, we'd start with questions… probably a good thing to orient the start of every week. After that, general combat principles… types of attacks and then like. Beyond that, the art of deception was probably a good topic. How to feint and stuff. And then the concept of deliberate practice… how to get better at getting better.

Attack, deceive, and practice…

For a split second, a bit of the explicit descriptions of Dad's lecture flashed in my head… and then Delly's loving gaze-

SMACK.

"…God dammit."

I lifted my head from my table. The impact helped to break that chain of thought… but it seemed like I'd gotten either sturdier than expected or my sense of pain was messed up from my experiments. Either way, it didn't hurt… even though I'd made a dent in the table?

I sighed and stood up, stretching.

Outside, the light of the moon lit up the night scenery.

I stared at it and frowned. "The whole day's gone already?"

I barely got anything done...

"…Why do I feel like the year's going to fly by?"

Everything seemed so slow up until this point, but now it seemed to speed up.

I'd attribute it to the theory of relativity and the day being enjoyable, but considering how little interaction I had with Delly all day…

"And remember. If you're planning to smell the flowers with that girl of yours, make sure to-"

I groaned and started reciting the alphabet backwards. At the same time, I walked over to my closet and grabbed a spare coat. With the way things were going, I wasn't going to get anything done any time soon, so I might as well get some fresh air…

With only a few days left until the mock battle, the moon was full and bright. Paired with the lack of clouds in the sky, it meant that there was plenty to see by while I walked around.

Not that it'd be a problem for me anyway. After that weird realization with seeing the Agarthans, my eyes had been kind of weird in letting me pick up mana signatures… though it still seemed to be on and off. Like how a radio could catch a few stations at once when you scanned through.

I was walking on the path circling the monastery, heading north past the training grounds. It was late… probably far beyond curfew if I had to guess.

There were knights on patrol, but I was memorable enough that they didn't react too much to me as I passed.

Well, that wasn't completely true.

A few nodded at me as I passed, a mere courtesy, but more gave me a warm and knowing smile… while others gave me disappointed glares.

It seemed like the reactions to me proposing to Edelgard were mixed… and judging from what Dad said, probably due to the implications and timing.

What was that saying about hindsight again…? Right, it was 20/20.

I shook my head and continued on my way.

The wind was cool, a light breeze blowing through the monastery. Nice and calming, the perfect thing to slow my racing thoughts.

…Racing thoughts?

Bright light, blue and red. Sirens blaring nearby, me reaching out my hand…

I winced and clutched my head with my left hand.

"Are you sure? You'll forget, you know?"

An ambiguous voice, one that was familiar, but one I couldn't quite make out.

"Boss?" Claude walked over, dressed in a loose black and gold version of his uniform. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting up for class tomorrow?"

I blinked, snapping back to reality. After that, I frowned and said, "I could ask you the same thing, Claude."

The bow-using lord sighed. "I would… but a certain someone went and made a mess of everything, Boss. It's been a huge hassle trying to sort it out, so I decided to take a walk to clear my thoughts." He paused for a moment, making sure no one was around, and then leaned forward and whispered. "Did you really have to propose to Edelgard? I mean, I get that all's fair in love and war, but…"

I frowned and thought for a bit.

Claude leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. "Geez, what's with the serious face, Boss? If you're serious about it, I'm not judging. Just-"

"Claude."

"Yeah, Boss?"

I stared at him, carefully observing his face, and then said, "Will you be honest with me for once?"

Claude smiled. "I'm always honest, Boss."

"I mean it."

Claude's smile dropped. The playful glint of the charming Golden Deer House Leader faded, replaced by the calculating look of the Master Tactician.

Seeing that he was listening, I spoke what was on my mind… what I needed to know now that things had gotten to this point.

"Can I trust you? Or will you betray me?"

Like he said, everything was thrown out the window now.

Part… well, most of that was due to me, but I'd gotten hints now that things went further back than just me. There were things that changed in the past, unknowns that I couldn't account for. Not because I couldn't anticipate them… but because I wasn't a strategic genius.

I had Byleth's talent, skills, and memories as well as a bunch of knowledge from Earth. That meant that I had the potential to reach, if not exceed the abilities Byleth had at the end of the game, enough skill to charge straight into Enbarr and beat out the Imperial Army with just a ragtag bunch of students… but I wasn't skilled enough right now.

And time was of the essence. Even if I abused Divine Pulses to buy time… and that was a terrible idea considering that the other side could realize that I was using them, let alone potentially giving them more time travel ideas, I was only one guy with barely any practical experience in subterfuge, warfare, and intelligence gathering.

Claude on the other hand… he had much more experience. Not only did he live past the ending of Verdant Wind, but from what he implied he had years beyond that, enough at least to research the Divine Pulse enough to send him back in time.

That also meant years of experience getting rid of any lingering Agarthans, governing, and intelligence gathering.

Claude stared at me, contemplative, and then said, "If you want me to be honest, then I'm going to have to ask you to be honest with me first. That fair?"

I hesitated and then nodded.

"Alright." Claude looked at me and then said, "Does Edelgard still plan on starting the war? She seems different now, softer… your doing, of course. But I never was able to read her very well… if I had, the war might have ended differently." His gaze became distant for a moment.

The war might have ended differently?

…Right. That was true. Their goals were compatible, so if they had just talked things out…

"Anyway," Claude said. "If she still plans to do that… Well." He looked at me and said, "Similar to my friend or not, we'll be at opposite ends, Boss." His eyes turned frosty. "While it may not be the future that my friend wanted to see, the time I came from was bright and filled with promise. I won't allow this time to reach a future worse than what we created together. On the other hand, if you're really working towards a brighter future, one where none of us has to fight against each other… Well, for what little it's worth, you have my word that I won't betray you." He smiled and said, "An eye for an eye, I always say. You do right by me and I'll do right by you."

I stared at Claude. Despite his cold words… he didn't look like he was lying. And I didn't sense any falsehood in his voice or demeanor.

"In that case," I said. "I'll be straight with you."

"Considering you proposed to Edelgard, I'd be surprised if you weren't."

I glared at him.

Claude held up his hands. "Fine, fine. No jokes. Got it." He nodded and said, "Serious mode."

I sighed, shaking my head at his antics. Still, it did help ease up the mood, so I couldn't fault it. "I need your help. A proper cooperation and not just non-interference."

Claude's eyes widened. "Wait, you serious?"

I nodded. "At first, I thought I could settle everything myself…"

After all, foresight, magical theories, and other trump cards promised an easy time fixing things. Unfortunately, promises could be broken… as I learned the hard way.

I shook my head and said, "But as you well know, things are completely out of hand now."

Claude raised an eyebrow. "Understatement of the century- no, millennium there, Boss. With your 'sister' and proposal, it'd be weird if things weren't getting out of hand."

"True… but that's what I wanted to talk about. An exchange of information. Some things are different, obviously, but there should be commonalities between our times, right? We need to use that to nail down the main points that should be prepared for… the concrete details."

Claude placed his right hand on his chin and frowned. "Hm… well if we're talking about things that are different, do you know where the molehill is?"

I froze and then carefully said, "It should be in Goneril territory… right?"

Claude froze as well and then let out a dry laugh. "So it was supposed to be the same, huh? That's… Well, damn."

I felt a headache starting. "Don't tell me it wasn't there."

"Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, Boss… but it wasn't." He frowned and said, "Just what kind of messed up timeline did I end up in?"

I groaned. "I wish I knew. This is different from what should be happening too…"

Was it my fault? No, things were already a bit off the moment I arrived… like how Rhea and Seteth's uniforms were a different color. The arrangement of buildings, and then the facilities…

I felt like I was missing something- No, that something or someone else was at play…

"Come on, Boss! Look on the bright side!"

I frowned. "What bright side?"

"The moles won't be moving for a while now that they showed their faces. Even though they're pretty dangerous, they're still forced to hide. With everything going on, it'll take some time to regroup and refuel… not to mention they're probably busy trying to consolidate their power in the Kingdom and Empire."

That… was true, huh? Even if things had changed, they couldn't have drifted to the point where there was an army of Agarthans to use, right?

…Though the fact that so many attacked us was concerning, even if they were somehow manufacturing them through cloning or whatever, they'd taken a hefty blow.

Claude noticed me thinking and said, "See? So you shouldn't worry about it too much, Boss. I'd give it at least a month or two before they try anything again."

"Even so…"

Claude shook his head. "You should just focus on teaching, Boss. If you're anything like my friend, that's your strong point anyway, right? Leave the shady stuff to the professionals… like me."

I stared at Claude and slowly nodded. "I guess that's true. It's not like I'll have much time to do that anyway between the mountain of papers I'll have to grade."

Claude laughed. "Try being a king then. My friend always complained about his hand aching from all the writing."

I froze, suddenly realizing the future that awaited me when everything went well… namely being either the next Archbishop or whatever title Delly planned to give me when she ascended the throne.

"…I guess I should get good at that, huh?"

Claude seriously nodded. "If you plan on staying in power, I definitely would get a start on that."

I sighed.

"Anyway… before I forget. Here." Claude held out his hand.

I stared at it for a bit before grabbing it. After that, I looked Claude in the eye and said, "I'm going out on a limb here, Claude, so don't let me down. And I swear to god, if you're actually the Flame Emperor and things go to hell, I'm going to personally burn Almyra down to the ground."

"Geez, talk about paranoid… though I can't blame you. Instead… I'll say the same thing back at you." His eyes narrowed. "If you're the Flame Emperor and things go to hell… Well, as strong and skilled as Edelgard and Hubert may be, and as prepared as you might be… I've gotten decades of practice at poisons, accidents, and other lovely skills. It'd be a shame to have to use them."

I glared at him.

He glared back.

After a while, we both relaxed and then shook each other's hand.

"To a bright new dawn," Claude said.

I nodded and said, "To a fruitful cooperation."

Claude let go of my hand and then placed both of his back behind his head. "I'll stop by every now and then to check in with you… maybe over tea?"

"Sounds good. I'll invite you if something comes up."

"Alright." He waved and said, "Later, Boss. Try not to let the ghosts get you on your way back."

"Heh." I shook my head and started walking towards my room.

And then I realized that my head was filled with even more thoughts now that I'd had the talk with Claude, completely defeating the purpose of why I went out to walk in the first place.

…Maybe I should actually give a serious go at trying to use Alchemy to make some coffee. God knows I'll need it at this rate…

I flipped through my notes, munching on a piece of toast I'd grabbed from the dining hall when it opened.

Sadly, the attempts at making coffee were fruitless. Apparently, it was too complex or I knew too little about it for me to black box it with my Alchemy. I knew how it tasted, smelled, and looked, both in bean and liquid form, but it still wasn't enough.

I managed to get a pinch of some dubious white powder as a result, but considering its origins, I got rid of it instead of trying it. Just in case it was a pharmaceutical product with dangerous effects… or poison. Both were just as likely.

I took another bite of my toast and frowned.

After the long night, I had gone to the Black Eagles classroom when the sun rose, determined to make sure Seteth lacked any excuse to sack me. It was already clear that he wasn't above petty revenge… I didn't want to give him an excuse to turn that to actual revenge.

…Which meant my dear sister would probably have to make a sacrifice for the greater good and spend time with Flayn.

But that was for later. For now, I had to sort out my battle plan as a professor.

First off, lecture topics. That was already squared away. Combat principles, the art of deception, and deliberate practice.

…In other words, teaching them to teach themselves. A bit lazy and more like a coach than a professor… but better to double down on what I was good at then half-heartedly teach something I wasn't good at.

Either way, the primary goal for me and the students was to get good enough to certify for multiple novice classes or an advanced class by the end of the year. Lectures were secondary, only supplementary material.

That meant that this could work.

…I should probably read up on the all the classes and how they actually worked though. From what I knew, they were like titles or professions, but there was the weird thing about needing a magical seal…

The door opened, and someone walked inside. A moment later, a stern male voice called out. "I see that you are off to an early start, Professor."

Seteth walked in with a book under his left arm.

I glanced over and said, "Good morning to you too, Seteth."

He walked over to me and glanced at my notes. "It is good to see you showing due diligence. Perhaps we might have a proper professor for once in many years."

Was that sarcasm? It felt like sarcasm, but he was also being sincere…

I decided to treat it as sincere, less of a headache on my part in doing so, and sighed. "It's not like I have a choice with how packed the schedule is. Hanneman and Manuela didn't mention that part."

Seteth shrugged. "That is likely because it differs every years. And before you speak, I mean the order of events and not the time table. The school day has always gone from eight in the morning to five in the evening."

"…I wasn't going to say that."

Seteth smiled, clearly amused at my irritation. "In any case… I have come to give you something."

"Hm?"

Seteth placed the book on my podium.

I picked it up and examined it. The thing was a bound book with a black leather cover. Flipping through it, I saw pages filled with information about various students. Mostly mine.

I looked up at Seteth and said, "What's this?"

"Your main class roster," he said. "I had forgotten to give it to you earlier in all of the trouble." Seteth waved his hand and said, "It holds information about students, compiled to better aid you in guiding their studies as officers."

I nodded. That was definitely useful… and something that would have saved time earlier. I wouldn't have needed to pass out that questionnaire if I had the roster… though I suppose it helped me get familiar with everyone so I couldn't really complain.

"As customary, the roster contains mostly information about the students in your house, the Black Eagles, but there are additional pages for you to fill out information of any students that wish to join your core class. For example…" He took the book from me and flipped to near the end. "Miss Ordelia has already requested a transfer, so I have taken the liberty of adding her information into your roster."

I blinked. "Wait, Lysithea actually put in the request to transfer? I thought she was upset at me…"

Seteth shook his head. "Miss Ordelia was very insistent upon her request… and also muttered something about making it so you could not refuse her." He gave me a strange look. "…I hope that you are not planning to-"

"Stop. Whatever you're thinking, stop."

"…If you say so. But in any case… this should aid you in your role as a professor. Paired with your diligence, it would be hard for you to not be a model instructor… something I wish were true for your colleagues as well. Ah, barring your relationship concerns, of course."

I sighed. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

Seteth stared at me and said, "I will do my best to avoid bothering you with this issue… but considering the excess paperwork and meetings it has caused me, I hope you do not mind too much when I become… exasperated and the issue slips out." He smiled, a thin line on his stern face, and said, "Even my vast patience has a limit. Clear?"

I quickly nodded. "Crystal."

"Good." Seteth returned to his usual stern face and said, "Then that will be all- Ah. One more thing. There will be a staff meeting the day after the mock battle to discuss the following month's mission." He frowned. "While Rhea has yet to return, I have received word that she should arrive back at the monastery around that time."

"She's fine, right?"

Seteth nodded. "Of course. However, she also implied that she would be having a long conversation with you when she returned. One involving your father as well as your dear sister. Ah, and Miss Hresvelg, of course." He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "…I suggest you prepare yourself."

I sighed.

Seteth lowered his hand and turned around to leave. "I bid you a good day, Professor."

"You too, Seteth- Wait."

"Hm?" He turned around, stopping at the door.

"Where can I get some coffee?"

Seteth smiled. "Well, Professor… That depends upon your results in the mock battle. If the Black Eagles perform well… I may consider adding it as an employment benefit to your contract."

"…Wait. I have a contract?"

Seteth's smile turned into a smirk and then he turned around to leave.

"…Note to self. Don't piss off Seteth in the future."

Not only was the guy willing to resort to petty vengeance, but he was good at blindsiding you too.

…Probably came from having to deal with Rhea's BS through the years.

I shook my head and went back to flipping through my notes.

Author's Notes:

Woohoo! Fire Emblem Three Houses won Player's Choice and Best Strategy Game at the Game Awards!

...It also meant that my sleep schedule got wrecked since I stayed up watching it later than I usually did, hence this late update.

The plan was to get to the lesson part, but it looks like that'll be tomorrow.

Not much to say other than the life of a professor is suffering.

Hope the chapter was enjoyable and I'll see you tomorrow!

Thanks for reading and leaving your input. As always, I greatly appreciate it.