Author's Notes:

Urgh. Being sick sucks. Had to catch up on a lot of work after being sick for a week. I had last chapter written for a while, but didn't manage to finish this one until today. A longer one though to make up for it.

I watched Edelgard and the rest of my students run off and then sighed, staring at the plate of unfinished cake in my hands.

There was still a little under half of it left.

"It'd be a waste to just toss it… and there's the lasagna too." I frowned and glanced back at the leftover food. "I don't really have a place to store it though…"

There was an icebox substituting a fridge in my room, but while it would work for the cake, it'd be annoying to have to reheat the lasagna. Not to mention that since there wasn't a microwave, the lasagna would end up drying out when I reheated it in the oven too.

I shook my head and took a bite from the cake.

Was it because my Edelgard was gone now? For some reason, the sweet cake seemed to taste a bit bitter.

I frowned and kept eating anyway. Like my students kept telling me, I did seem to be thinning out a bit too much recently. Probably from the stress and overwork. It would do some good to eat a bit more.

As I finished the cake and grabbed another slice of lasagna, I heard footsteps coming closer from outside.

I glanced up to see who it was. Edelgard should be gathering everyone up to lecture them considering the mood she was in, so who-?

"You seem quite disappointed, my dear brother."

Ah. Of course.

Stella walked into my room and sat down where Edelgard had moments before. She glanced at the plate of food I was holding and said, "Well, at least you are eating well."

I shook my head and said, "Aren't you supposed to be getting a lecture from Edelgard with the others?"

Stella took Edelgard's plate and served herself a slice of lasagna. After that she said, "Unlike my peers, I am not so foolish as to pry into private affairs."

I gave her a blank look and sighed. "You were just watching how the date went through my memories, weren't you?"

Stella raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect me not to see how my dear brother and sister-in-law were getting along?"

I rolled my eyes and went back to eating.

Stella did as well, and then her eyes widened after taking a bite. "My. I knew from her reaction that this was good, but to think it was this delicious."

"Yeah, yeah." I finished eating and then started cleaning up my room.

Stella ignored me and kept eating her lasagna, humming every now and then with her eyes crinkled in happiness.

An adorable sight. Seeing that, it made me feel a bit better about my time with my Edelgard being cut short-

I paused, a thought suddenly coming to mind, and then turned to stare at Stella.

She noticed and tilted her head. "What is it?"

"So you were watching everything by reading my memories."

Stella nodded. "Of course."

"…That meant that you saw me kiss her and our private conversation about why we love each other."

"…Yes?"

"Pervert."

Stella's eyes widened and she spluttered for a bit before saying, "E-Excuse me?! A pervert? Me?"

I shrugged. "What kind of person other than a pervert spies on a date that could have ended with 'that'?"

Stella flushed and then pointed her spoon at me. "I-I know better than that! I would have stopped watching long before you began making advances on my sister-in-law!"

I crossed my arms. "Uh-huh. Sure. Says the person who I wouldn't even know was spying without hearing from her own mouth. And don't tell me that you aren't curious at all about it-" I paused and then frowned. "…Which reminds me. I should rope some more people into making sure you don't act irresponsible and do something that you would regret."

Stella turned a deeper shade of red and narrowed her eyes. "What do you take me for?! I would never do such a thing!"

I nodded. "I know that you would never do that in your right mind… but hormones are a hell of a drug and it's already clear that you're being affected by your body. Or do we need to talk about that-"

Stella's eyes widened and she immediately said, "We already promised to never speak of it!"

"I'm just saying-"

"You promised!"

I shrugged. "Anyway, it's not that I don't trust you. But it's important to keep things like that in mind."

"Hmph." Stella huffed and finished her food before shoving her plate over. After that she stood up and flopped onto the bed, throwing the covers over her head.

I shook my head and went back to cleaning everything up. I folded the fancy sheets, used the Crest of Indech to get water to wash the dishes before drying things up with a bit of fire, placed the leftovers in the icebox… all in all, it took a little bit of time.

All the while, Stella hid under the covers and pretended to be asleep.

After I closed the lid on the icebox, I turned to my dear sister and said, "You're not fooling me, Stella. And aren't you supposed to be sleeping over at Dory's today anyway?"

Stella huffed and rolled over in the bed. "What is it to you anyway? Can I not just want to spend time with my dear brother?"

I stared at her hidden form and then said, "You're just scared of being yelled at by Edelgard, aren't you."

"N-Never!" She peeked out at me from beneath the covers and said, "I am merely… desiring to have spend some time with my family."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you couldn't do that with Dad?"

She froze and then gave me the puppy dog look, that adorable expression that fooled everyone and let her get away with various things.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not going to work on me now, Stella."

She huffed and then rolled over.

Seeing that my sister wasn't gracious enough to respond to me, I decided to get to work instead of trying to pry words out from her.

Despite being well-prepared for the date with Edelgard today, or rather because I was well-prepared for the date today, I still hadn't finished writing up the quizzes. Most of it was done, but…

I shifted my gaze to the pile of papers stacked up on the floor and sighed. Realizing that I couldn't get away with leaving it undone, I walked over and grabbed them before moving to the table.

The quiz would be thirty questions. Ten multiple choice, five true/false, and five short answer. Among those, there would be a few alternative questions to differ between the Cadet version and the Officer version. The former would be easier while the latter would be more difficult.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, as I stared at the papers I had written down, I'd only managed to write out the short answer questions. Things like what the shortest path of an attack is and some combat philosophy questions.

There were still twenty five more questions to go… and of those, I had to figure out answers that weren't too obvious but also weren't completely correct so that it wasn't easy.

I let out a long sigh and picked up my pencil, preparing to settle in for another long night of work.

"Byleth."

I paused and turned my head around to glance at Stella. "Yes?"

She was still lying in my bed under the covers, but her head was completely out of them and looking at me. Those charming blue eyes of hers however were furrowed with concern, completely different from her usual look. "What do you think about this upcoming mission?"

I tilted my head. "Nothing much? Are you concerned?"

Stella frowned and said, "I must admit, I would be lying if I said I was not. I have grown quite fond of the little ones, and to even think that any of them might be harmed… It pains me."

"Well that's what the Divine Pulse is for, isn't it? Or did you forget who you really are already?"

Stella sat up and jabbed her index finger in my direction. "Do not get snippy with me! Of course I recall! Even so…" She lowered her hand and said, "I worry. Time is diverging and yet the flow is stable. I fear… I fear that some events may come to pass which we cannot change."

I placed my pencil down on the table and then completely turned to look at Stella.

She looked back at me, worry clear in her eyes.

Seeing that, I decided to do something to calm her. It was a plan that I hadn't finalized yet, a last resort just in case that I didn't even dare to think about too much in case something happened. But even so…

I reached around and grabbed a piece of paper before writing something down.

"Byleth?" Stella frowned. "What are you-"

"Here." I finished writing and handed it to Stella. At the same time, I carefully avoided thinking about what I wrote and blocked it from my mind. While I couldn't stop Stella from reading my thoughts yet, stopping myself was a matter of course.

Stella grabbed the paper and read it. After she did, her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. "No. Byleth, this… you can't-!"

"Will you do it? If the worst comes to pass?"

Stella's hands shook and then she conjured a flame, burning up the paper. After that, she took a deep breath and looked at me, her eyes determined. "That will not happen. I will not allow it."

"But you can do it if it does?"

Stella bit her lip and then nodded. "…Yes."

"Then that's all that matters." I turned around and shuffled my papers. "Now, if you don't mind, I really do need to finish writing this."

Stella was quiet and then she said, "Do not work too hard. Despite your knowledge and powers otherwise, you are still just a human. We… I would be most upset if you worked yourself into an early grave."

"I know, I know." I waved my hand and said, "Now sleep."

It was quiet for a bit, no doubt because Stella was staring at me. But then there was the sounds of sheets rustling, and then soft breathing.

I stared at the unfinished quiz before me and sighed. It would be a long night…

Soft light filtered in through the window.

I stretched and took a look outside. "Morning already, huh?" Thankfully, I managed to finish everything in time.

The sky was still orange beyond the window, but I could see hints of blue starting to show up.

I rubbed my eyes. "Another night without sleep." Realizing that, I glanced around back at my bed.

Thankfully, it seemed like my dear sister was still fast asleep. It seemed that she was tired or stressed out from yesterday, enough to keep sleeping through the first rays of light.

Well that or she was staying up far too late while out of my supervision.

I shook my head and gathered my papers. Since I was already up and sleep wasn't really an option, I might as well get in some training to wake up.

Stella's soft breathing echoed in the room, followed by light snores.

I smiled and then walked over to my wardrobe, grabbing a spare change of clothes. That done, I tucked it into a cloth bag I had lying around along with my papers and headed out, locking the door behind me.

There were surprisingly few people around in the morning. Walking towards the training ground, I only saw a single Knight of Seiros along the way and not a single student. Considering that it was now 5/2 and Friday though, I thought that there would have been a few more people around.

Maybe they were all busy getting ready? Rhea said all the houses had missions, but maybe the knights had some too…

"You're up early, Boss." A cheerful voice called out to me.

I glanced towards it to see Claude walking over, his hands held behind his head. He was dressed in his uniform already and had a bow strapped to his back and a quiver at his side.

He smiled and said, "Did your dear princess keep you up all night?" He winked and gave me a sly smile.

"I wish." I froze, realizing what I just said, and then sighed.

Claude's eyes widened and then he frowned. He lowered his hands and said, "You must really be out of it."

I nodded. "I stayed up all night writing a quiz for the Black Eagles. The questions weren't so bad, but having to handwrite copies for thirty students…"

Claude raised an eyebrow and said, "Why don't you just write the questions on the board and tell everyone to write out the answers on their own paper?"

I froze and then let out a long sigh. "Thanks Claude. I'll remember to do that for the test."

It would definitely save my hand and wrist from writing so much at least…

Claude shook his head and said, "Man, Boss. At this rate you're going to fold under the paperwork you'll have to do as the Archbishop."

I remembered that Rhea had announced me as her successor and let out another deep sigh. "Well… I guess we'll find out when that comes."

Claude nodded and walked beside me as I headed to the training ground.

I glanced at him and said, "So what brings you here? Your room's on the other side of the monastery, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I actually came over to chat with you for a bit."

"Hm?"

Claude shook his head and said, "Since our mission is urgent, we're actually leaving today. I'm supposed to be rounding up the Golden Deer, but I wanted to check in with you before we headed out." He turned to look at me and said, "What do you think about this, Boss? Our first mission was supposed to be a bandit clearing, but this… It's different." He frowned.

"Hm." I frowned too and said, "Yeah, our mission is different too. And from what I remember, the Golden Deer shouldn't have your mission until far later."

Claude hummed. "Do you think our 'friends' have something to do with it? From what I heard from the old man, things should have been fine in our territory. To have pirates, and supposedly Almyran ones too… It's odd."

I nodded. "I agree. It is strange… and dangerous." I frowned and stared at Claude in his eyes before saying, "Be careful. Ideally I'd want to come along for insurance, but…"

Claude laughed and said, "I appreciate the thought, Boss, but I'll be fine." He kept smiling but his eyes became cold. "If our friends want to give us a nasty surprise, well let's just say that I've got a few hidden away myself."

I remembered what Claude pulled in the mock battle and then nodded. "Even so, keep an eye out."

Claude patted my shoulder and said, "No problem, Boss. I'll make sure to do so… and you take care too. While you aren't my dear friend, we're at least allies now in this crazy time."

I gave him a wry smile and said, "Geez. And I thought we were already friends. Just allies?"

Claude removed his hand and placed it behind his neck. "Eh… I'll think about it after you figure out a way to get Hilda off my back."

"That was your fault to begin with, Claude. You shouldn't have promised what you couldn't deliver."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you're so weird. Or that Dimitri's pretending to not know anything either." Claude shook his head and said, "Really. What a mess this all is…"

I sighed. "Tell me about it… I just hope things ease up soon."

Claude nodded. "Me too."

We arrived in front of the training grounds.

I came to a stop and turned to look at Claude.

He seemed a bit confused and then nodded. "Ah, getting in some early training, huh Boss? I gotcha… Must be feeling kind of out of it after that miserable mock battle."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the guy who didn't foresee his strongest mage backstabbing him."

Claude shrugged, a smile on his face. But then his expression became serious. "In all seriousness, Boss- No. Byleth. Be careful. Ah, and keep Lissy safe, will you? Not too sure what I did to send her your way… well, actually I've got a good idea in hindsight… but even still, I don't want to see her hurt. Alright?"

I nodded. "I definitely will… And you should act more relaxed around your peers. While they might not be the same as the ones you remember, they're still your friends, you know? You should trust them more and stop playing so mysterious."

Claude froze and then sighed. "I'll keep that in mind." He shook his head and then waved. "Then, I'll be going now, Boss. See you when I see you!"

I waved back and watched him leave.

When Claude rounded the corner, I turned back and headed into the training area.

A sword cut towards my neck.

I moved my own sword to meet it and then spun sweeping my opponent's legs.

He leaped back to avoid it, causing his long blonde ponytail to unravel, sending his hair scattering behind him.

I didn't let up and immediately swung my left arm out, sending a surge of flames towards him.

Jeritza narrowed his eyes and then slashed with his sword at a blinding speed, fast enough to create a vacuum and draw the flames together and snuff them out.

But I was expecting that. In the moment Jeritza slashed, I gathered wind around my feet and surged forward, thrusting towards his heart.

Jeritza's eyes widened a fraction. Since he was off balance from the slash, even if he could swing his sword quickly, it was still too slow to block my attack.

Or so I thought.

Instead of blocking with his sword, Jeritza threw it away. Then, as I attacked, he twisted his chest, causing my strike to miss, brushing along his shirt instead. After that, he grabbed my arm and tossed me to the ground.

I winced, having the wind knocked out of me. I reflexively started tracing my Crests to stop Jeritza, but before I could, my own sword was placed against my neck.

Jeritza stared down at me, his gaze flickering with madness. But before anything happened, he took a deep breath and calmed down before taking a step back. After that, he tossed my sword to the side and held out his right hand.

I grabbed it.

Jeritza pulled me to my feet and then said, "You have improved."

I let go of his hand and picked up my sword. After that, I brushed off my clothes and said, "And you're still scarily skilled as ever."

Yet again, I was grateful for the fact that he was on my side instead of against me.

Jeritza simply stared at me and then said, "Your strikes are more vicious than before. Varied as well."

I rolled my shoulder and said, "Yeah. Decided to take your advice after the mock battle. I'm not a proper fighter, so there's no point in trying to fight like one."

Jeritza nodded. "That is more like it. Vicious monsters like us should be true to our hearts in fighting rather than putting on our masks… A pity though. A fight to the death would truly be enjoyable."

"Well, if it's a fight to the death you want, I'm sure things will pick up here soon enough." I frowned, remembering the odd timing and missions all the houses were taking. "Our 'friends' will probably get a bit more active soon."

Jeritza frowned. "Those worms… I have heard similar from Lady Edelgard. While distasteful, I suppose it will be nice to cut loose after a while." He smiled, a dark glint shining in his eyes.

I nodded and swung my sword a bit. "Yeah, it'll be nice to let off some steam from dealing with all the students." And stress. Killing off some Agarthans who were to blame for most of the mess I was in would be cathartic-

I paused, suddenly realizing something, and looked at Jeritza.

He stared back and frowned. "What?"

"You're a professor too, right?" I frowned and said, "What do you actually teach, Jeritza?"

He shrugged. "They pay me to be the fencing instructor, but there isn't much to do now that you have arrived."

My frown deepened and then I said, "What do you even do all day then?"

"Train. Eat sweets. Teach the children around the monastery." Jeritza walked over to pick up his discarded sword. After checking it for damage, he sheathed it at his side.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "And that's fine with you? And your other self?"

Jeritza frowned. "I would be lying if I said that 'he' is happy with this situation. Yet, it seems that 'he' is… calm. There is a sort of anticipation." Jeritza's frown deepened and he said, "It is… an odd feeling. I would liken it to… waiting for dessert at the end of a long day?"

I blinked. "Dessert at the end of a long day…?"

Jeritza nodded. "Yes." His eyes became distant and he said, "Like enjoying a refreshing peach sorbet after a long training session in the summer heat."

From that expression, it seemed that Jeritza knew exactly how the Death Knight was feeling.

But the fact that the Death Knight was feeling that way… It worried me.

Could it be that Jeritza was starting to remember things as well? For most people, it seemed to have been subconscious, but since the Death Knight was Jeritza's subconscious mind when he wasn't wearing the armor or killing people…

I glanced briefly at my left shoulder and my artificial Crest sitting there, the symbol for Earth emblazoned on my arm. It seemed like it might be time to seriously look into what that thing did.

Jeritza shook his head and then looked to me. After that, he said, "I heard that the students are setting off on missions soon. What are they?"

I blinked and then tilted my head. "You're awfully talkative today."

Jeritza frowned and crossed his arms. "I am a normal person as well. Even I can be curious about things other than fighting."

"Ah. Right." I nodded. "Sorry about that."

Jeritza let out an exasperated sigh and said, "Just get on with it."

"Well," I said. "The Blue Lions are heading to Faerghus to deal with a situation in Duscur. The Golden Deer are heading to Derdriu to deal with pirates… And then me and my students are going to help Anna out with an expedition to some ruins."

Jeritza placed his right hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes. "I see. Perhaps I should request to accompany Hanneman..."

I paused, briefly considering what would happen if Jeritza went along with the Blue Lions.

Knowing him, and also with him now reconciling with Mercedes, the guy would probably be extremely overprotective.

Meaning that any hopes of a Duscur rebel surviving would be reduced to nil since the guy would probably kill them all on sight for daring to raise their weapons against Mercedes.

I quickly intervened and said, "Actually, I was hoping that you could come along to help us out on our mission."

"Hm?" Jeritza glanced towards me and said, "You are more than enough to protect Lady Edelgard and the others, are you not? Especially now that you have embraced the demon within."

I didn't necessarily agree with his last part, but the first part was valid. Still…

I shook my head and said, "While true, you should know by now. Every time I set out for an ordinary affair with my students, our friends seem to jump in somehow and make it chaotic."

Jeritza shook his head. "Even so, your father, Captain Jeralt will be accompanying you, will he not? Combined with your own strength, even those mindless worms would think twice. Furthermore…" He frowned and said, "I am concerned about my sister."

I blinked. "You're… concerned about Mercedes?"

Jeritza narrowed his eyes. "Do you truly see me as so inhuman? Of course I care for my dear sister." He crossed his arms and said, "In truth, I should be saying that to you. How can a demon like yourself care for Lady Edelgard and the students?"

"Sorry." I shook my head and said, "I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just… Odd? To hear you say it so clearly. I knew how you felt, but…"

"Whatever." Jeritza shook his head. "The fact remains that I am concerned for my sister. While I cannot discount the abilities of Prince Dimitri, Hanneman, and the others… there is still a chance that the unthinkable could occur."

"Huh."

Jeritza glanced towards me. "What is it this time?"

I shook my head again. "Nothing. Just…" I frowned. "Realizing how similar we are to each other."

It was eerie actually. Was that how Stella felt? Jeritza's words were a bit arrogant and selfish, thinking that they couldn't do anything without him or that something would happen if he wasn't there.

Jeritza sighed. "If that is all you have to say, then I bid you-"

"Wait." I stopped him and said, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go with the Blue Lions."

Jeritza paused and then narrowed his eyes. "Pray tell why you believe so?"

"Well for one… Do you think that Mercedes would want you to? Especially considering what you intend to do to protect her?"

Jeritza stiffened, but then he shook his head. "Even so, it will be better for her to be safe and hate me than harmed."

Damn. It really was like looking into a mirror. Twisted a bit, sure, but… weird.

"I can't say I disagree… but you're forgetting something. There's more than one way to protect her if you're worried."

"And that would be?"

I glanced at Jeritza's shirt. Specifically, at the mana signature of the item he wore beneath it.

He followed my gaze and then his eyes widened. "I see." Jeritza reached beneath his shirt and pulled out what I was looking at.

A necklace made of gold, with a crescent moon turned downwards and wrapping a Crest Stone. The Rafail Gem, the Hero's Relic of Lamine.

Jeritza glanced at me and said, "…While I question how you realized I possess this, I admit that it would provide sufficient protection." He paused and said, "And I suppose Mercedes would appreciate the gesture more than my presence…"

I nodded. "She would."

It was a sign of concern, but also trust, something that Mercedes would find touching.

That was also a lesson I made a mental note to keep in mind since it was a bit too close for comfort.

Jeritza paused, staring at the Rafail Gem with a contemplative gaze. After a bit, he tucked it into his pocket and turned back to me. "I suppose you wish for me to accompany you and your students then."

"I do. But it won't be for free or as a favor. For the other 'you', there will be a lot of fighting and death. And for you, well… Does an all you can eat sweets buffet sound good?"

Jeritza stared at me for a while longer and then gave me a curt nod. "Fine. This once, I will acquiesce. However, prepare yourself. Should I find the feast you promise lacking…"

"You'll cut my head off and toss it on a pike in Enbarr, yeah, yeah."

Jeritza nodded. "So long as you recall."

At that time, the bell rang. Seven chimes, reminding everyone that it was seven o'clock.

I froze and then let out a long sigh.

Jeritza smiled. "It seems that time has arrived for you to return to your duties."

I shook my head, well aware of the fact that Jeritza was enjoying my misery. "Sadist."

Jeritza raised an eyebrow. "And you are not?"

I sighed and walked off towards the exit. As I did, I waved at Jeritza and said, "Thanks again for the spar and the help."

Jeritza nodded and said, "Until tomorrow then. And remember to send me a missive as soon as the details of the mission have been confirmed. I will need to take the date into consideration and inform the children of my departure."

I shook my head at his words, realizing the soft heart he was hiding, and then headed to take a quick shower.

I stood at my podium, staring at the students sitting at the tables in front of me.

The Black Eagles classroom was quiet, each of the students looking back at me with somber focus.

Seeing I had their attention, I nodded and said, "This quiz will be your first proper assessment. While relatively short, it is an important gauge of both your learning capabilities and the future path that your studies will take."

A quiet murmur echoed among the cadets sitting to my left. My core students though, Edelgard and the others, remained calm and quiet.

I continued. "Know that if you find this difficult, the following lessons will only continue to increase in that difficulty. Think of this quiz as a measure of your performance and an adjustive measure. If you find it difficult, seek help. If you find it simple, continue as you have."

At that time, someone raised their hand. From the right side of the room… and someone who usually didn't speak up.

Bernie raised her left hand, trembling slightly, and said, "U-Um, Professor?"

I looked to her and said, "Yes, Bernadetta?"

Meeting my gaze, her trembling intensified. But after a deep breath, she gathered the courage to continue and said, "This… What happens if we fail?"

"Then you should reconsider your life choices…"

Bernie let out a small eep and quickly lowered her hand.

"…Is what I would say," I continued. "But this quiz isn't devastating even if you do fail." I paused, putting a hand on my chin, and said, "I will just… be forced to admit you to remedial lessons since I expected better of you as an officer student."

Another of my students raised their hand. Caspar.

I called on him. "Yes, Caspar?"

"Prof- I mean, Professor," he said. "What exactly are remedial lessons?"

I smiled and said, "Fail and you'll find out. Though I will add that if you find combat training difficult, you will not enjoy the remedial lessons."

Mostly because I would not be happy about having to spend extra time teaching them to catch up… and partly because the most effective way for them to remember the lessons if they failed with be with their bodies.

Did the students realize my intentions? The room became deathly quiet for a moment before clear gulps echoed from various students.

I waited for more questions. Seeing that there weren't any, I looked to Edelgard, who was sitting in the aisle seat in the front row of desks to my right, and said, "House Leader." I gestured towards a stack of quizzes I had on my podium and said, "If you would."

Edelgard nodded and stood up, walking over with measured steps.

When she arrived, I picked up the quizzes, the 'B' forms for the cadets, and handed her the pile. "Please pass these out to the students on the left."

Edelgard gave me a professional nod and said, "As you say, Professor." With that, she moved to the left side of the room and began passing out the quizzes.

I picked up the other pile of quizzes, the 'A' form and prepared to head to the right side of the room to pass them out as well.

Before I could, a male cadet with short black hair raised his hand. "Professor! Why is Lady Edelgard passing out the quizzes? She gets to look at the questions ahead of time! How is that fair?"

I looked at him, my face blank and impassive. Byleth's usual expression.

The cadet flinched, but he clenched his hands and said, "I get that there's favoritism, but this is-"

I scowled. "Are you doubting my teaching?" I wracked my mind to remember who that cadet was. While I couldn't bring his name to mind, I did recall his performance. "You, the one whose sword techniques I personally revised after you couldn't keep up?"

That time the cadet visibly wilted. "I mean… It's just…"

I shook my head and looked out at the cadet students. "I suppose you must all think the same… You must feel that I am giving an advantage to Miss Hresvelg by allowing her to pass out the quizzes."

The room was silent, but I could see the unspoken agreement in the gazes of the cadet students.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Dorothea and the others seem to want to intervene, but seeing my expression, they held back.

Edelgard paused, partway to the front desks on the left side.

I sighed. "While there are many words I wish to say to you… I will leave it at this. The cadets and the officers have different quizzes, with the officers having a more difficult assessment as I expect more of them. Through agreeing to help pass out quizzes to you cadets, Miss Hresvelg is sacrificing her own time to ensure that you all have at least the same time advantage as the officers."

That male cadet became quiet, unable to retort.

However, someone else did. A young woman with glasses, purple hair, and a no-nonsense look about her. She raised her hand and said, "Professor. Do you mean to say that you are purposefully favoring the officers over us?" She shook her head and said, "Such a discrepancy of treatment is-"

"Don't get me wrong." I interrupted her and said, "If you want to take the officer's quiz, by all means do so. However, do know that I will treat you with the same standard as I do them… meaning that you will be subjected to same remedial lessons as them."

The female cadet froze.

I smiled, remembering the performance of that female cadet. "Considering your struggles in combat practice… Well. You will not die in the remedial lessons… but you may wish that you had instead by the time you are through."

The female cadet lowered her head, avoiding my gaze.

I nodded and then said, "Are there any more questions?"

That time, not a person dared to speak up.

"Very well." I picked up the other quizzes and looked at Edelgard. "Continue, House Leader."

"As you say, Professor." Edelgard nodded and started passing out quizzes to the cadets.

Seeing that, I moved over to the right side of the room to start passing out quizzes to my other students.

In the front row of desks, Edelgard, Stella, Dorothea, and Hubert were sitting one seat apart from each other. Well, Edelgard was helping out right now, so she wasn't there, but the others were.

I placed a quiz face down on Edelgard's seat and then moved over to hand one to Stella.

My dear sister grabbed the paper with an exasperated look. You need not have been so dramatic, my dear brother. Why, I think that you even scarred quite a few of the little ones.

I have to place my foot down somewhere. And you should take this seriously. Your remedial lessons if you fail will involve Flayn, so unless you want to spend more time with our bright and sunny cousin…

Stella's eyes widened and then she quickly glared at the quiz, as if trying to burn the questions into memory.

I shook my head and walked over to hand a quiz to Dorothea.

The former idol took it with a smile and whispered, "Thanks, Professor. Ah. And… is it that bad?"

I simply smiled back.

Dorothea tensed and then set the quiz down, seriously reading through it.

I walked over to Hubert and handed him a quiz.

He took it with a scoff and immediately set to work.

That finished the first row. In the next, Ferdinand, Bernie, and Lysithea were seated one seat apart from each other.

I walked over to Lysithea and handed her a quiz.

The white-haired young girl didn't say anything, simply taking it with a brief nod before settling down to work on it.

After that, I handed a quiz to Bernie.

The lavender-haired archer took the piece of paper from me with shaky hands, like a person on death row. But when she glanced at the questions, her eyes widened and she calmed down, surprised. "Eh? This is…?" She looked up at me, confusion in her eyes.

I shook my head, amused at her reaction.

Bernie worried too much. Despite her nerves, she didn't lose out to anyone in terms of theory and concepts.

Next off was Ferdinand.

The orange-haired noble took his quiz with a neutral expression, quietly radiating confidence.

And then it was the last row, with Caspar, Petra, and Linhardt.

I handed Caspar his quiz.

The blue brawler took it with a sigh, as if resigning himself already to failure.

Which was smart. Unless the guy had bugged Linhardt all night, he would probably need those remedial lessons… but the guy learned better through application anyway, so I'd already accounted for that in my lesson plans later.

Next was Petra.

The Brigid Princess smiled after taking it and whispered, "I give you thanks, Professor."

I nodded and then walked over to my last student.

Linhardt was fast asleep, his head already placed down on the table and using it as a makeshift pillow.

I shook my head and placed the quiz by his right arm.

He stirred a bit, opening an eye to look at me, and then yawned, lazily sitting back up.

With the quizzes all passed out, I headed back to my podium.

Edelgard finished about the same time and headed back to her seat as well. When she sat down, she glanced at me, a smile on her face.

I smiled back and then smoothed my expression, gazing at my students again.

It seemed they sensed my gaze, since everyone lowered their quizzes and looked at me.

"You have until lunch to finish the quiz. Of course, should you finish early, feel free to leave. Preparedness should be rewarded, should it not? Simply hand your quiz to me on the way out-"

Linhardt straightened and immediately began writing out answer on his quiz.

"-and you are free to go."

Linhardt flipped over his quiz and continued writing.

Seeing Linhardt's actions, I shook my head in amusement for a bit before looking back at the others. "Good luck. Some of you will need it."

With that, the sounds of papers rustling and both pencils and pens scratching filled the room.

And then Linhardt jumped out of his seat, grabbing his belongings with him. Holding his quiz in his right hand, he quickly walked up to the podium and then handed it to me.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Done already?"

Linhardt bit back a yawn and said, "Too easy."

I shrugged and took it, placing it on my podium. After that though, I picked up another note that I had prepared for this exact situation and handed it to Linhardt.

The sleepy student took it, confused. "What's this Professor? More extra credit?"

I shook my head and said in a hushed voice, "Not really. It's more something that I thought you might be interested in and something I needed help with."

Linhardt scanned the note and then raised an eyebrow. "I see…" He nodded and looked up at me. "I'll get started on it then, Professor. And thanks for the break."

I smiled and shooed him away. "Alright, hurry up and get out then. You're intimidating the others."

Over half of the cadets were gazing at Linhardt now. Some were envious, others furious, but most shocked.

Linhardt followed my gaze and then rubbed the back of his neck. "I see what you mean… I'll be leaving then, Professor." He waved and said, "Try to not be too bored."

I nodded and then watched him leave.

After the door shut behind Linhardt, I turned my attention back to my remaining students.

The cadets seemed to be working under an invisible pressure, some stressing, others determined.

As for the others… Well, their reactions were obvious.

Caspar, Bernie, Ferdinand, and Petra were too involved in their quizzes to notice.

Hubert looked amused, Dorothea seemed exasperated, and Stella rolled her eyes.

Lysithea took Linhardt's actions as a challenge and began furiously writing as well, determined to not slack behind.

As for Edelgard, my dear fiancée shook her head, as if expecting the situation.

Seeing everyone was settling in to work, I glanced out the window.

The sky was blue and the sun was still low in the sky, far from noon.

Over three hours to go…

I sighed.

Let's see. What did I have to do again today…?

Author's Notes:

Thanks for waiting and I hope the chapter was enjoyable! Finally back to full health. Also determined to just stay inside as much as I can now until spring. . Seems like everyone is being sick and contagious.

Anyway, Byleth is now officially in Smash, along with a bunch of awesome new remixes. I hope you guys have been having fun if you have the fighter's pass! Also, the final DLC for Three Houses should be out soon too... Not sure what I'll do with it, but here's hoping that they slide in an update for Crimson Flower with it too. :fingerscrossed:

Thanks again for reading and your input! I really appreciate as always. And hopefully I don't get railroaded with another flu or cold...

I'll see you tomorrow! Not sure how long the chapter will be, but there will definitely be something!

Until then, take care!