The bell chimed. Noon, the end of lectures.

I set down the piece of chalk I was using as a pointer and turned to face my students. "That will cover the end of today's lectures. There are no assignments today, but there will be a quiz on the lecture material at the end of the week after the mock battle. As a result, I hope that you take careful notes and seek out aid if you lack understanding."

When I finished talking, Edelgard stood up. She glanced back and said, "Everyone, rise to thank the professor!"

There was a chorus of chairs moving and papers shuffling before all the students stood up.

"On three," Edelgard said. "One, two, three… Thank you Professor!"

"THANK YOU PROFESSOR!"

Edelgard nodded and said, "Dismissed!"

With her words, most of the students began packing up to leave. The crowd of extra students I had filtered out through the door, leaving in pairs and groups.

There were still people in the room, but the ones remaining were the faces I had gotten used to in these past few days… or rather the students that I knew the best.

The core students of the Black Eagles lagged behind, as if waiting for me.

I walked back to my podium and stacked my notes together before muttering, "What a mess."

Somehow, I managed to get through it. There was a big hiccup with the fact that I wasn't expecting to teach more than just the core group of the Black Eagles, so the lessons I had in mind were meant to continue from where I last left off. Thankfully, I managed to improvise and do a quick summary to transition over.

"You did a great job, my teacher." Edelgard walked over and smiled.

I shook my head. "It's only the start. This… is going to be a long year."

Ferdinand walked over and said, "Perhaps. However, I agree with Edelgard in her assessment. I must admit that I was somewhat concerned of your ability to teach so many at once, but you did an admirable job in explaining the concepts."

"No… It could have been better. Not everyone was engaged in my lectures."

I noticed the blank stares and distracted looks some students tried to hide. Others were clearly just there to idle away their time… it was similar to universities in college. Even so, I felt directly responsible for it.

Was this always how teachers felt? If so, I wanted out… or so I would say, but it was too late now. And considering the fact that Jeritza was the only other candidate for being the house professor, I couldn't just quit. Not unless I wanted to leave their education to the guy whose best talent was to cut people down.

I at least had a bit of teaching knowledge…

Edelgard laughed.

I frowned and stared at her. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, my teacher. Just… I never expected you to be so serious about teaching."

"You're the one who asked me that question. Don't tell me you thought I wasn't going to do my best at teaching."

Edelgard smiled and then said, "Well then… shall we go?"

I blinked. "Go? Where?"

Stella walked over and said, "To lunch, you idiot. Or were you planning to skip a meal yet again?"

I glanced at the mountain of papers I had to grade. "…Of course not."

Stella rolled her eyes and grabbed my left arm. "Come now. You can concern yourself with those papers later. For now, it is essential to fuel your body with the proper nutrients."

"Your sister is right, my teacher." Edelgard walked to my right side and took my hand. "And it would deeply hurt me if you would collapse due to stress and your work. You would not do that to me, would you?" She glanced at me, her violet eyes peering up into my own.

I sighed. "Stella. When did you teach Edelgard the look?"

My sister looked away. "I have no idea what you mean, Byleth."

Before I could make up an excuse to leave, my students quickly closed in on us, boxing me in.

Hubert and Ferdinand walked up in front, serving as the vanguard.

Dorothea moved to Edelgard's side while Caspar took up position next to Stella's left.

Finally, Linhardt, Bernie, and Petra took care of the rear.

Like that, our little group began heading towards the dining hall.

I followed along with it, slightly amused, and said, "Are you guys that afraid that I won't eat anything?"

Hubert glanced back and said, "The fact that the thought crossed your mind shows your true intentions, Professor."

I frowned. "…Fine. I admit that I thought about skipping lunch… but have you seen my work load? Forget a knife in the back or a sword to the neck, it's starting to look like my impending demise will be death by paperwork…"

Caspar laughed from the back and said, "I don't envy you, Prof! It's a good thing that all we have to do is train and do assignments."

I glanced back at him and said, "I could always use a teacher's aide…"

His eyes widened and he immediately averted his gaze.

Linhardt yawned and said, "Does being your aide mean I get to skip lectures?"

I paused.

Dorothea frowned and said, "Don't encourage him, Professor! And Lin, you need to stop falling asleep during class!"

"I can't help it." Linhardt yawned again and said, "Too many interesting projects to work on."

"Even so…"

Ferdinand turned back and said, "To answer your initial question, Professor, while it is true that we were all concerned about your tendency to forget your own health, this is in fact to show our solidarity. Though we are not the only students in the Black Eagles house, as you are now well aware, we are still the Officers, those meant to lead."

I nodded. "That makes sense…"

"Also," Ferdinand said. "With Edelgard's current situation, this is a good way to prevent any untoward advances or questioning."

Dorothea nodded. "What Ferdie said. Also, I've got a feeling you and Stella would get swarmed pretty quickly if you were by yourselves, you know?"

"Yeah!" Caspar chimed in and said, "I've already had to punch a few guys who were getting too close to Stella!"

I narrowed my eyes and glanced back. "Anyone I know?"

Stella sighed. "Honestly, you should mind your own business, dear brother of mine." She pouted and said, "I can handle myself quite well, thank you very much."

I ignored her and stared at Caspar.

He shrugged and said, "Don't think so. Just some uppity Cadets I think… no one in our class at least."

"Hm…" I glanced at Dorothea and said, "When you have the chance, mind teaching Stella how to break a few legs?"

The former idol blinked and then laughed. "Well, I never expected to hear that from you, Professor… but sure. We can make it a girl's night out again like last time. How's that sound, Stella?"

My sister sighed and said, "Since it would appear my dear brother is adamant about this… I suppose I would not mind. And assignments always do go faster with friends…"

"Ooh!" Bernie chimed in and said, "Can I join too? It's been a while since I've had a slumber party!"

Petra nodded. "I would be liking to participate as well!"

Dorothea laughed and said, "Sure! The more the merrier… though should we meet up at my room? It's a bit too close to other people though, and we might bother them…"

Bernie spoke up and said, "We can hang out in my room! I've got snacks, cakes, and a lot of board games! It's near the Professor's room too, so we can run over if anything happens!"

I blinked and glanced back. "Bernie. Your room's near mine?"

She nodded. "Yeah! I see you every morning!" She paused, her eyes widening. "Oh no… Y-You won't get mad at me, will you Professor? It's not like I'm stalking you or anything!"

Ferdinand shook his head. "You should relax, Bernadetta. I am sure that our Professor would not be upset over something like that. Right, Professor?"

I nodded. "Right. I was just curious. I never saw anyone else around, so I always assumed you all had dorms in the main building."

Petra said, "That is not being the case, Professor. My room is being near yours as well. Only a few down, if I am remembering correct."

"Huh. Good to know…"

I should probably make a note to find out everyone's rooms. Maybe ask Seteth about it later. It's probably information I'd need sooner or later if I was going to be forced to make and grade stuff.

"Phew." Bernie sighed and said, "I thought Bernie was going to have to lock herself up again."

I frowned. "On a side note, Bernie. Is there a reason you keep referring to yourself in the third person? Not that I mind, but-"

Someone cleared their throat. Hubert. The gloomy dark magic user turned around and said, "If you are all done with your inane chatter… We have arrived at the dining hall."

I stood in line carrying a metal tray. As I did, I let out a deep sigh. "Never thought I'd be doing this again…"

I thought that my days of waiting in school cafeterias for lunch were over, but it seemed like I was mistaken about that. It wasn't so bad on the weekend when most of the students hadn't arrived, but now…

Anyway, after entering the dining hall, a majority of my students scattered off to do their own things, blending into the bustling crowd of students already standing around.

As a result, my party of nine students dwindled down to just Hubert, Edelgard, and Stella.

Hubert was in the lead, followed by Stella and then Edelgard, with me in the back of our group. There were some other students around as well, but maybe due to the difference in status or just Hubert's gloomy atmosphere, there was a bit of space between us while we moved up the line.

Edelgard glanced back at me and said, "Again? Have you eaten like this before, Professor?"

"Yes." Hubert looked back and said, "From my understanding, you have never been to the academy, have you? By what exactly do you mean 'doing this again'?"

I blinked, realizing that I slipped up. "Waiting in line for food, I mean. It was already a pain lining up for stew in the mercenary troop, but this-"

"That is a lie, Professor." Hubert stared at me and then frowned. "…No. Not completely a lie, but a half-truth. Hm."

Edelgard sighed. "There is no need to point out all of our Professor's inconsistencies, Hubert."

He nodded. "I am aware, Lady Edelgard. However, if he is to eventually stand by your side in the Empire, he must become more aware of such things." He paused. "Though I suppose he could simply remain quiet…" He looked at me and said, "If not for your words, you would be completely inscrutable, Professor."

Stella laughed. "Indeed. My dear brother's greatest flaw would tend to be his acting without consideration of the consequences."

I narrowed my eyes. "And yours is that sharp tongue. You'll never find a proper husband at this rate, you know?"

"Hmph! As if there would even be any worth my time in this world."

"…Don't tell me you're planning on being a recluse in my house when you get older."

Stella stuck out her tongue at me.

"You-" I suddenly saw a bit of curly light green hair in the distance. Seeing that, I smirked and waved. "Flayn! Nice to see you!"

Stella's eyes widened and she said, "Do not-"

"Professor!" Flayn ran over, a bright smile on her face. "Ah, and… Miss Hresvelg is it? As well as… Hubbie?"

Edelgard smiled. "You can call me Edelgard, Flayn. And Hubbie, was it?" She looked to Hubert and said, "My, Hubert. I wasn't aware that you had set your mark on Seteth's little sister."

Flayn gasped and put her hands over her mouth. She bowed her head and said, "My apologies! I did not mean to misremember your name! Ooh, how embarrassing…" She flushed and lowered her gaze.

Hubert sighed. "It is fine, Miss Flayn. I have been called worse in my time." He glanced at me.

I smiled back.

"Even so," Flayn said. "You have my sincerest apologies! I will make it up to you in the future, surely!"

I glanced at Flayn and said, "Anyway, what are you doing here, Flayn? Just grabbing some lunch?"

"Oh!" She clapped her hands together and said, "I had wished to ask Stella to have lunch with me!" Flayn turned towards my sister and said, "Would you kindly? Our last meal was ever so delightful! I greatly enjoyed talking with you, and would very appreciate if you would deign to do so once more!"

We arrived at the serving area, with Flayn walking alongside us.

Lunch today seemed to be Garreg Mach Meat Pie. As for the meat… I wasn't sure, but it smelled good. Savory, like pot roast, but with the scent of freshly baked bread from the crispy crust.

…And it seemed like one serving per person was a whole pie. It looked like they really wanted the students to eat their fill, huh?

Stella grabbed a pie, loading it onto her tray beside some silverware, and then turned towards Flayn. After that, she glanced towards me.

Flayn saw that and said, "Oh! Of course!" She looked to me and said, "Would you allow Stella to come eat with me, Professor? I assure you we will not go far. I have reserved a table by the window over there in plain sight. I assure you that nothing will go wrong!"

Do not dare agree! I have already spent enough time-

"I trust you, Flayn. Besides…" I glanced at Stella and said, "My sister could use a friend near her own age.

…I will get you back for this.

Oh come on. You can't tell me that you don't enjoy hanging around your granddaughter… aunt… person? Hm. The family tree is a bit complicated now, huh?

"Wonderful!" Flayn smiled and clasped her hands together. "Then, Stella. Shall we go?"

Stella plastered a smile on her face and said, "Of course, Flayn. Let us be off and talk about… delightful things. Like fish. And cats. And stories."

"Ah! Speaking of stories, I have just the thing that you might be interested in! My brother recently procured an ancient story book, and I believe you would quite like it! From what he tells me, it is of a young plainswoman who found a young man unconscious upon the fields…"

Flayn's voice faded away beneath the murmur of the dining hall as she walked away with Stella.

Still, what Flayn said sounded vaguely familiar…

Edelgard called out to me. "Professor? Shall we find a place to sit?"

I blinked and realized that she and Hubert had already gotten their food.

I quickly grabbed a pie, placing it next to my silverware, and nodded. "Let's-"

"Byleth! Ah, I mean… Professor!" A polite male voice called out.

I glanced over to see Dimitri walking towards us.

He looked at Edelgard and said, "El! And Hubert as well, I see. I do not mean to impose, but I was wondering if you would you care to join me for lunch?"

Hubert shook his head. "I am fine, your Highness. There are certain matters that I must tend to." He glanced at me and said, "I leave Lady Edelgard in your hands, Professor." He nodded his head and then walked away… and out of the dining hall?

Could you even do that? I mean, I guess there weren't really any rules saying you had to eat lunch here… and I suppose no one would really risk telling Hubert of all people to obey the rules…

Edelgard nodded. "I suppose it would be nice to share a meal with you… It has been quite some time, after all."

Dimitri smiled. "Wonderful! Then, if you would follow me…"

I laughed. "What? Do I not get a say in this?"

Dimitri paused. "…Ah. Did you not want to eat with us, Professor?"

Edelgard frowned and stared at me. "Do not tell me that you are planning to sneak off and grade papers."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're being awfully assertive today, Edelgard. What happened to the meek and lovely girl I adored?"

She flushed and poked me. "E-Enough of that!"

Dimitri shook his head and said, "Well, if you two are done flirting-"

"I'm not flirting."

"We are not flirting!"

Edelgard stared at me and huffed.

Dimitri smiled and said, "I would ask you to follow me to my table."

The Prince of Faerghus led us to a table in the direct center of the dining hall. Yet, in spite of its location, the place was vacant of students everywhere within a three table radius.

For a split second, I wondered why that was. Did Dimitri arrange for that to happen?

And then I saw Dedue sitting there and I realized why that was.

Dimitri walked over and said, "Thank you for keeping our place, Dedue."

The Man of Duscur smiled and said, "It is my honor, Your Majesty. Now, if you would excuse me, I promised Ashe that we would discuss recipes today over lunch."

"Ah, of course you are, Dedue!" Dimitri waved him off and said, "I can handle things from here. Thank you again, my friend."

Dedue smiled and stood up. "Then I will be off." He looked towards me and Edelgard and said, "Enjoy your meals, Lady Edelgard. Professor." With a nod, the Man of Duscur left.

I glanced at Dimitri and said, "Did you have something you wanted to talk about in private?"

Dimitri sat down at the table, pulling over his tray of food, and said, "Nothing of the sort. I merely wanted to enjoy a proper meal with my remaining family... and my new one." He gave me a pointed look.

I put my tray down on the table and took the seat across from Dimitri. "So you heard, huh?"

Dimitri cut a piece of his pie and said, "It would be hard not to from the rumors abounding the monastery. Though, it would appear that you are not the only likely candidate for my dear sister's mystery fiancé."

Edelgard took a seat next to me and said, "Quite. From what I've heard… there were rumors of you proposing to me as well, Dima." She raised an eyebrow and said, "I suspect you had a hand in this?"

Dimitri took a bite from his pie and then said, "Well, after our talk the other night, El, I thought some interference might be useful." He smiled and said, "Misunderstandings… while occasionally leading to tragedy, do have their uses. Do they not?"

"I suppose." Edelgard picked off a bit of the crust from her pie and chewed on it. "Unnecessary… But I appreciate it, Dima."

Dimitri's smile widened.

I glanced between the two of them and shook my head. "No wonder people ship you two…"

"Hm?" Dimitri looked at me and said, "Ship? El and I?"

Edelgard frowned. "Yes… What exactly do you mean, Professor?"

I cut off a piece from my pie and shook my head. "Don't mind me. Just musing to myself to try and delay the inevitable moment when reality comes crashing in and I remember that I'm responsible for the future of over thirty students. No pressure."

Dimitri laughed. "I see." He glanced towards Edelgard and said, "I presume most of the cadets went to the Black Eagles?"

Edelgard sighed. "Regrettably. I had been hoping against that case such that the work load of my beloved… Ah, my beloved teacher, I mean, would not be too great."

"Careful with your words there, Edelgard," I said. "But wait." I looked at Dimitri and said, "What do you mean 'most' of the Cadets? Are you telling me that my class has the bulk of the students this year?"

Dimitri nodded. "You mentioned over thirty students, correct?"

"That's right."

"Well," Dimitri said. "Class sizes are usually around twenty students per house, consisting of eight Officers and a dozen or so Cadets. The core members would be those like myself, Edelgard, and our peers that you met in the first few days at the monastery. The rest are those that arrived today."

I paused and ran some quick math in my head.

Eight officers, a dozen cadets…

I had eight… nine officers in my class at the moment and about twenty cadets.

Wait.

If there were twenty in each house…

My eyes widened. "Don't I have over half the student body in my class?!"

Dimitri nodded. "It would appear so. And from what I heard, the rest are in the Golden Deer."

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "You have no cadets in the Blue Lions?"

Dimitri shrugged. "Between Professor Manuela, Professor Hanneman, and Byleth here, is it any wonder that was how things turned out?"

"Wait." I frowned and said, "I get Manuela drawing some students and Hanneman pushing them away… but why is everyone in my class?"

Dimitri blinked and held up three fingers.

"…Three?"

He nodded. "Three reasons. You, El, and Stella." Dimitri lowered his hand and said, "Between Edelgard's mystery fiancé, your mysterious past, and your adorable sister, you still wonder why you pulled a majority of the Cadets?"

I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. "…I'm going on strike. This is way too much work… no, how the heck was a ridiculous situation like this even approved-"

I stopped and remembered the load of paperwork Seteth had to deal with now that I proposed to Delly. A load of paperwork on top of what Rhea already left him. "Hah. This is my fault, huh?"

Seteth really was fond of petty revenge, wasn't he?

"In any case," Dimitri said. "Let us eat. The food will grow cold if we continue to talk like this."

I sighed. "You've got a point." I took a bite from my pie, this time actually savoring it. After all, it would probably be the only source of enjoyment I had all day until dinner…

Hm. Savory, with only a bit of salt. The crust was nice and crispy though. Flaky with that light starchy taste.

Edelgard took a bite from her pie as well and smiled.

Dimitri noticed and said, "You seem happy, El."

Edelgard nodded and said, "When I think of the past, it makes me grateful for things like this. Having a nice, relaxing meal…"

"And spending time with Byleth?"

"Of course." Edelgard immediately responded. A wistful look settled on her face and she twirled her fork in her hands. "Were it that I could spend every day with him like this…"

I flushed and quickly took another bite from my pie.

Dimitri grinned and said, "Well. It seems that I may have to put in some effort in my misdirection. If you continue acting like that, Professor, suspicion may quickly become fact."

"Hm?" Edelgard looked over. When she saw my face, a smile crossed her own and she said, "Professor… are you blushing again?"

"Aaand I'm done." I stood up, carrying my tray with me.

"Come now, Byleth!" Dimitri waved me down and said, "Sit a while with us! It was only said in jest… There is no need to be so upset."

"I know… but I also really should get going." I frowned and said, "Because of a certain green-haired person's petty revenge, unless you two want me to die a death of paperwork, I need to make some emergency revisions to my lesson plans." I shook my head and said, "There's no way I can grade thirty papers in a week and still teach everything… not to mention that combat training and drills are coming up soon."

"Ah." Edelgard frowned. "I suppose that is true…"

Dimitri nodded. "Then… I will do my best to keep my dear sister company in your absence, Professor. Best of luck to you in your quest."

I scoffed. "Quest, right…" I shook my head and walked off.

Behind me, I heard Edelgard talk.

"So… shall we throw some fire onto the rumor mill, Dima?"

"Whatever you require of me, El, you have it."

"Very well. Now, if you could just take my left hand and carefully examine my ring… Ah, lean forward a bit. Tilt your head… yes, like that."

As I walked away, I wondered.

…Should I be concerned about how skilled Delly was at acting and fueling the rumor mill?

An open field off the side of the mountain. It was the training area for the Knights of Seiros… ordinarily. At the moment, however, some other poor unfortunate souls were suffering there instead.

I stared at the Black Eagles running various drills across the training area and said, "You know, I'm really glad that you're here to help me out with this, Dad. Gotta say, I'd be a wreck if you weren't."

A voice cried out, weak and raspy. "Water… Someone give me water…!"

…It wasn't one that I was really familiar with though, so I ignored it and looked to the person standing beside me, overlooking the field.

My dad… no, Jeralt Reus Eisner, de facto Captain of the Knights of Seiros and the infamous 'Back-Breaking Drill Sergeant', nodded his head and clapped his hand on my shoulder. He looked to me and smiled, saying, "Glad I could be of help, Kid. Though… you sure you wanted me to be in charge of drills and formations? I can whip them into shape, but… well, you know my methods are a bit unorthodox."

I remembered how he gave me a hands-on lesson in anatomy and gave him a blank look. "I'm well aware, Dad."

He shrugged. "Just so you know."

From down below, more voices drifted up.

"Damn you… Professor Eisner…!"

"I should have… chosen… the Golden Deer…!"

"I won't give up… Not here… Not in this place… I'll keep going, even if I have to crawl…"

I pointedly ignored the words that sounded like death cries coming from the ones being run through the ringer by Clark and Diane.

My dad looked at me and said, "Anyway… How's that paperwork coming along, Kid? You manage to get some time to file the marriage certificate yet?"

I blinked. "The what?"

"Come on, Kid!" My dad shook his head and said, "Don't tell me you forgot to do that? With Seteth being so busy and Rhea gone, this is the perfect chance to slip it in before anyone can notice!"

I frowned. "And I'd want to do that because…?"

"Hey. Future emperor or not, if the marriage was approved by the Archbishop herself… or the acting Archbishop in this case, then nobody can say anything." My dad placed his hand back on my shoulder and said, "If there's anything I learned in my hund- er, decades being alive, it's that people will even believe the sky is green if Rhea says it enough times."

My frown deepened. "…There are many, many things wrong with what you said, Dad. But you do have a point…"

It probably wasn't the best course of action, but it was a valid one to take…

"Also, Rhea won't be able to say anything against it when she finds out. That's what I did to marry your mother, anyway." My dad smirked. "Heh, the look on Rhea's face when she found out that she was going to be my mother-in-law because she accidently stamped a paper I gave her when she was sleepy…"

I gave him a blank stare. "Don't tell me that's why you ran away?"

My dad bopped me on my head and said, "Don't get snippy with me, Kid. I'm the one volunteering my precious time here to whip your students into shape."

"You're also the one who said to delegate… and what precious time? You're not even in charge of doing anything more than patrol right now until Rhea gets back."

My dad lowered his hand and frowned. "Hey, even an old guy like your dad wants some alone time. It's not like there's any woman out here that I can-"

"Aaand that's officially too much information."

"Heh. Guess you're still just a kid if that bothers you."

"Says the one who makes corny and lewd jokes when in private company."

"That's just being a dad, Kid. You'll get it when you're my age."

"Three hundred and some change years old?"

"…Well, there's no mistaking that you're Iris's kid with that sharp tongue of yours…"

I shook my head and stared out at the field again, homing in on my main students, the eight… well, nine including Stella, that were the core members of the Black Eagles.

It seemed like they were running laps at the moment to build endurance.

Caspar jogged, hopping up and down with barely concealed energy. "Whoo! Ten more!" He glanced at the purple-haired girl beside him and said, "Let's go, Bernie!"

"Urk…" Bernie paled, sweat completely drenching her clothes, and said, "Can't we… take a break?"

Dorothea jogged up beside her, not a single sweat on the former idol's body, and said, "Come on, Bernie! Since you like sweets so much, you're going to have to work hard to keep your figure. Look at Edie and Stella!" She pointed in front of her, to the two students leading the group.

My dear sister was sprinting, but doing so in a way that made it look like she was just out for a stroll. Her breath was steady and she wasn't even breathing deeply.

It was enough to make me briefly consider trying to make a new body for myself too if the Crests of Seiros and Flames made for such an obnoxiously broken combination.

But only briefly.

Anyway, Edelgard was running beside Stella. Surprisingly, she was fine as well. It seemed like the ring I gave her was managing to keep everything in check, at least enough for simple things like this.

…Though seeing how easily she ran beside Stella made me envious.

I shifted my gaze towards my remaining students.

Tailing the group were Hubert, Petra, Ferdinand, and Linhardt.

Petra and Ferdinand were easily keeping pace, but it seemed like the two magic users were having some difficulty. Thus, being nice, it seemed like Petra and Ferdinand were lagging behind to show some solidarity.

Nice of them.

Probably not smart, considering that I saw Diane swiftly running up from behind, but nice.

I decided to look away from the imminent carnage and picked up my pile of papers.

"Hm?" My dad glanced down and said, "Trying to get a head start on those?"

I nodded. "Clark and Diane have everything squared away here… not to mention you watching it all."

"Heh. Leaving it up to me again, eh Kid? Well, can't say I blame you since I raised you up that way." He shrugged and ruffled my hair. "Go on and work on those papers. I'll make sure to keep an eye on things here."

I nodded and then picked up the first stack of papers I could reach.

Dorothea's, from the look of it.

Hm. Well, I suppose you could apply close combat principles like that to disarm someone. A straight line towards the shins, a circle to grab and break the arms, and a curve to crush the groins… A bit gruesome and excessive, but it worked.

Also, note to self. When Dorothea mentions a rose having thorns, she neglects to mention that said thorns are made of unyielding steel and already covered in blood.

Dinnertime.

After the grueling training session that I'd offloaded to my dad, Clark, and Diane, me and my precious students were gathered together around a table to share our evening meal, a bowl of Daphnel Stew with some freshly baked bread.

And by precious students, I of course meant Edelgard and the others. Not the extras that showed up unannounced to my class and shackled me with responsibility.

…No I wasn't bitter about that. Nope. Not at all.

On one side of the table sat Bernie, Stella, me, Edelgard, and Dorothea, all in that order.

Across from us sat Linhardt, Ferdinand, Hubert, Petra, and Caspar, with Linhardt sitting across from Bernie.

"Argh. My legs are killing me…" Dorothea massaged her thighs and frowned.

Bernie groaned and brought a trembling spoon filled with stew up to her mouth. After carefully taking a bite, she swallowed and said, "Don't remind me. Bernie thought she was going to die out there…" She glared at me and said, "You evil, evil man! Why did you leave us with those two demons?"

I shrugged. "I'm not qualified to teach you guys how to fight with battalions. Clark and Diane have plenty of expertise in that regard… as well as physical conditioning."

Granted, I could probably find some magical supplements and use Alchemy to create a bunch… but I had a feeling I'd be put under some heavy scrutiny if I did.

Maybe after the new year…

Ferdinand rolled his shoulder and winced. "Well, I cannot deny that those two are quite the effective instructors…" He looked to Hubert and said, "What say you, Hubert?"

"Hmph. They are… passable."

Edelgard shook her head. "Coming from you, that's high praise, Hubert."

Petra spoke up. "I am being impressed with the training instructors that Professor invited. But I am also having confusion." She looked to me and said, "Will you not be teaching us combat now? I was looking ahead to- ah, looking forward to your teachings."

Caspar looked towards me and said, "Yeah, Prof! Your friends are great and all, but I really wanted to get into it sparring with you! I've got all these ideas I want to try out!"

Linhardt groaned. "Quiet, Caspar. You're being too loud." He shifted his head over and covered his ears.

Dorothea sighed. "At least eat something first, Lin. You don't want to end up pale and pasty like Hubie over there, do you?"

Hubert sighed. "That's rude of you, Dorothea."

She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it true?"

"I will have you know that I eat plenty." Hubert smiled and said, "It takes a great deal of sustenance to fuel my body so that I can effectively act in Lady Edelgard's best interests."

Dorothea stared at Hubert and then said, "Do you try to play up the vampire act, Hubie or is that just natural to you?"

"I have no idea what you mean." He smirked.

Bernie tensed and pulled her hood up, hiding her neck. "Bernie's blood isn't good! Don't bite me!"

Hubert's smirk faded and he shook his head. "It was said in jest, Bernadetta. I am no vampire nor ghost… nor grim reaper, as you might believe."

"R-Right." Bernie slowly lowered her hood and said, "Sorry. Force of habit…" She paused and said, "Maybe I really should lay back on the sugar…"

I shook my head, letting my students banter while I finished up my food.

Edelgard noticed my silence and said, "Copper for your thoughts, my teacher?"

"No need. You're already living among them rent free."

It took a bit for Edelgard to realize what I said and then she poked me and flushed. "Stop that! You'll give things away!"

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Right. And you think that having Dimitri lovingly caress your neck to whisper into your ear is worse than you blushing?"

"My." She crossed her arms under her chest and leaned towards me. "Are you jealous, my love?"

I frowned. "Hey. That's not fair."

Stella rolled her eyes and jabbed me in my ribs. "Just eat already. Unlike us, you have no time to waste. Or have you forgotten the mountain of paperwork awaiting you in our room?"

I froze and then sighed. "You're right." I quickly finished my stew and stood up.

Caspar noticed and said, "Leaving already, Prof?"

I nodded. "I wish I could stay with you guys like we've been these past few days… but I have to be a responsible adult now and do paperwork."

Bernie's eyes widened. "B-Being a responsible adult means you have to do paperwork!?"

Ferdinand nodded. "Of course, Bernadetta. It is especially true for men and women in our stations. …Were you not aware?"

"Bernie doesn't want to do paperwork!" She groaned and said, "…Maybe I should elope. Wait, if I run away with someone, that means I don't have to deal with it, right?" She sat up, as if she had an epiphany, and then ran over to Caspar.

The blue haired young man flinched. "B-Bernie?"

She grabbed his hands and said, "Take me away, Caspar! Like when you kidnapped me to see the sunrise! If you do that, then I don't have to do paperwork!" She paused and said, "U-Um… I can write, cook, and fight too! Please say yes!"

"What?"

Petra frowned. "That is being rude of you, Bernadetta. I am… what is the saying? Calling dibs on Caspar."

Caspar blinked again. "…What?"

Dorothea laughed and covered her mouth. "Looks like 'big bro' really is growing up. A proposal and then a young maiden staking her claim… my, how fast they grow up."

"Wait, hold on! I'm confused. What's going on here?!" He looked to me and said, "Prof! Help me out!"

I stared at him. Then I saw Bernadetta's desperate eyes and Petra's fierce determination and decided it wasn't worth my time.

"…Good night everyone. I'll see you around eight tomorrow morning."

"Prof!"

Edelgard laughed and said, "Good night, my teacher. Do not stay up too late."

Stella nodded and said, "What your princess said. Ah, and worry not about myself. I will be sure to take the proper countermeasures."

I was a bit worried about what she meant by 'countermeasures'… but so long as she was being careful. I waved and then walked out of the dining hall.

On seeing the giant pile of papers sitting on my desk, I decided it was best to relocate. There wasn't enough room for me to lay everything out, let alone organize things.

As a result, I took the accursed pile of papers with me into the main building of the monastery towards the library. If I remembered right, that place should have decent lighting and some tables to lay things out…

After heading up the stairs and entering the library, I noticed that I wasn't the only one who had that idea.

Seteth sat on the edge of one of the long tables in the library, an array of maps, documents, letters, and other paperwork spread before him. He had a stamp and a quill with a bottle of ink within close reach while he quickly flipped through all the documents. There was also a thermos on the seat beside him, with a few cups laid out.

He looked up when he noticed me enter.

Our eyes met, and we didn't say anything.

After some time passed, Seteth poured a cup of coffee and placed it down on the long table behind him. That done, he nodded and went back to flipping through his paperwork.

It seemed that even petty revenge lost to the comfort of shared misery.

I sighed and took up my spot behind Seteth, settling in for a long night against my most troublesome foe yet.

Like that, time passed by in a blur and it was the day of the mock battle.

Author's Notes:

I hope everyone's doing well/did well with their finals if you have them and are making it safely back home if you're traveling. Also that you're not as sick as I feel.

I wasn't planning to update today, but I couldn't fall asleep. Various medications and all, as well as a slight fever kept me up, so we get this. It seems pretty good to my feverish mind, so I hope it's alright. If not, I hope it's at least enjoyable to read in how ridiculous it is.

The past few chapters covered the base of a standard school day for Byleth, so I think we'll be skipping most days now unless something important comes up. You can assume that he's just too swamped by paperwork otherwise to do anything important.

That's my head canon on why the week days pass by in a blur at least.

Thanks for reading and any input you might decide to leave. I really appreciate it.

That's all for now. I'll see you… well, the plan is Friday. I'd like to be able to get some sleep, but if I can't sleep again, then we might see each other sooner.