Chapter 17: The More You Know

Manuela awoke groggily as she always did after a heavy night of drinking, the odd clattering sounding like something fell off whatever precarious state of balance it was left to the night before. It occurred to her that recognition of her recovery state first and foremost likely spoke volumes about her as a person, but the ache of said recovery state shoved those thoughts aside. Strangely, her bed felt much stiffer than she recalled and only had a single large pillow that her head rested upon. Taking a moment to look around without raising her head, she noticed first that the sheets were the wrong color, a plain beige in contrast to the deep blue her bedding consisted of. Secondly, there was a man in a white jacket preparing what appeared to be breakfast on the desk across from the bed.

Taking a few moments to recall the events of last night, she glanced upwards and saw the man in the white jacket was none other than Byleth. He was sporting a different outfit than he did last night with more clearly armored black leggings and a padded white jacket bearing the Church of Seiros' logo in dark red on the back that could probably soften a few strikes if it had to. "Did you sleep well?" Byleth asked, not even looking back as he prepared a very simple breakfast of sandwiches, some assorted fruit, and began preparing a cup of tea, his hands covered by gloves like Hanneman's.

"Well, the only thing aching is my head, so I'll say it was pretty good," Manuela said, propping herself up on her elbows and taking a proper look around. The scent of the various flowers placed around the room mingled with the smell of relatively fresh food, almost confusing her for a moment as she became more and more awake.

"My bed seems cheaply made. Yours looked nicer, so I wasn't sure mine would be to your liking," Byleth said, popping a candy-looking edible he took from a jar on his desk into his mouth. A loud crunching noise followed, almost startling Manuela, though Byleth seemed completely unaffected. "There's a bucket next to you if you need it," he continued, returning his attention to preparing tea.

"A… oh," Manuela said, glancing down at said metal bucket. She hoped it was empty from disuse and not from any cleaning Byleth may have done. "Then I suppose… we didn't do anything special last night, did we?"

"You tutored me and then we spent the night together as you requested," Byleth said.

"We… ok, hold on," Manuela said. She sat up properly, only then realizing her usual overcoat was draped over the bedhead and the rather small and thin dress she wore underneath it was completely disheveled and slightly stained. She pulled the covers up quickly to cover as much of the stain as she could before speaking again. "What do you mean we spent the night together?"

"We went out to town and visited most of the taverns," Byleth said. "After you recognized it was time to return to the Monastery, you asked me to carry you back. I took you back to your room, but the door was locked. I didn't think it was right to search you, so I brought you back here."

Byleth had omitted the full version of those events, not pointing out that he had a startlingly mirrored encounter with Hubert that very night. After he had left the Knights' Quarters and was making his way back to his room, he took the direct path across the Monastery and headed north towards the end of the student's dorms while carrying Manuela in the same piggyback style he had begun his journey in. As he ascended the final flight of stairs leading back to the section of the dorms with his room, he found himself face to face with Hubert, who was carrying an unconscious Bernadetta in front of him as if he were preparing to throw her into a grave, an arm tucked under her upper back and lower thigh each to balance her.

Both froze at the sight of the other, Hubert's one visible eye widening for a moment as he encountered Byleth. "Professor… it appears we both have some explaining to do," Hubert said.

"Not really," Byleth said. He glanced backwards towards Manuela. "Drunk."

"… Fainted," Hubert said, looking down at Bernadetta.

Byleth nodded, turning his head back to Hubert. "Do you have a key to Bernadetta's room?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I could likely find it on her person, but given her current state…" Hubert said. He glanced at Professor Manuela and sighed. "I believe you have found yourself in the same predicament as I."

"Well, that won't do! Assert your position as Professor!" Sothis said.

"Do you require assistance?" Byleth asked. Hubert raised an eyebrow.

"Are you used to this sort of thing?" he asked.

"I have enough experience aiding the otherwise incapacitated," Byleth said. "How do you plan on handling her when she wakes up?"

"Considering Bernadetta's usual reactions to… anything, really, I had planned to leave a note and disappear lest she suspect anything untoward," Hubert said. "I have no issues foregoing my room for a night to avoid any complications."

"You don't mind her thoroughly searching your room?" Byleth asked. Hubert blinked.

"I… hadn't considered that," he said.

"You should be there when she wakes and calm her. Food and drink are usually suitable offerings," Byleth said. "If you're worried she may have the wrong idea, ask Edelgard for assistance."

"I would rather not trouble Her Highness," Hubert began, but then glanced down at the unconscious Bernadetta in his arms, "but perhaps this situation is something I am ill-equipped to handle alone."

"Good. Make sure there are no misunderstandings," Byleth said.

"Of course, Professor… but one more thing," Hubert said as Byleth began walking past him.

"We saw nothing," Byleth said.

"Yes. We saw nothing," Hubert agreed, continuing the walk back to his room.

"Well… thank you, I suppose," Manuela said, bringing Byleth back to the present. "I must have gotten a little too excited. I'm usually much better about making it back to the Monastery, you know. The groundskeepers have only had to wake me a handful of times."

"I don't know if that's something to brag about," Sothis said.

"Regardless, you'll have to eat quickly," Byleth said. "We have classes to teach in less than an hour."

"Less than an… there's no way I can make it back to my room in time, and if it's this close to classes I'm definitely not going out there in the state I'm in," Manuela said.

"I have spare clothing," Byleth said, pausing for a moment to realize that until a few days ago, that was never the case. He handed Manuela her tea before moving over to the singular dresser he was given. "Drink that to clear your head. Then eat. I'll find something for you to wear."

"The way you talk, it's like you've done this before," Manuela said, taking a quick drink of the tea she was given. Surpassing even the heat itself was a shockingly prevalent bitterness, almost causing her to spit for a moment before she thought better of it. "… Who was the unlucky guest?" she croaked.

"My father, mostly," Byleth said. "He's toned it down these last few years, though that's probably because he's not very welcome in taverns these days."

"What, never paid his tabs?" Manuela asked before forcing herself to take another drink of the bitter tea.

"Yes," Byleth said, deciding Manuela would get some of the lighter pieces of clothing Hilda had helped him choose that he had yet to wear.

"That's not something you expect of a living legend, but I guess everyone's tale is a little taller than they are. Even the Blade Breaker's," Manuela said before taking another drink. As bitter as the tea was, the dull ache in her head was subsiding somewhat with each successive drink.

"Perhaps," Byleth said, thinking his father's habits regarding free drinks didn't have much to do with his strength, but realizing that the 'knight' portion of his claim to fame may be somewhat misleading given what his students thought of knightly ideals. "You can wear these," he continued, placing a simple black shirt, a dark-green jacket with black fur lining the collar and underside, and baggy white pants that would go down to his upper shins but would likely go all the way to Manuela's ankles.

"… Really?" Manuela asked after she finished her tea, looking over Byleth's clothing choices.

"Would you prefer something else?" Byleth asked.

"The top of the outfit is fine, but those pants need to go," Manuela said.

"Someone's picky," Sothis said. Byleth agreed but took the pants back and instead produced a simple set of black shorts with a pink stripe going down the side. While they were shorts for Byleth, they'd likely reach down towards Manuela's upper shins.

"Will this work?" he asked as Manuela shuffled over to his desk and began eating the breakfast he had left there.

"Much better," Manuela said with a smile before digging into her meal. As Manuela ate, Byleth armed himself for the day, readying two swords at his waist, one on either side, along with his dagger in front. He quickly slung the bag Tomas had given him around to his back as well, prepared for the day's classes.

"Do you require weapons?" Byleth asked. Manuela shook her head, giving him an odd look as she paused eating to put on her clothes, thinking she might be able to eat on the move but certainly not change. Byleth thought nothing of it, but they were interrupted by a knock on his door. Manuela was mid-chew as Byleth went to answer it, trying to swallow quickly to say something. Byleth answered before she could, readying a sword as he gripped his door handle. "Who is it?"

"Me, kid," Jeralt said.

"Don't open the-" Manuela began as she shot up off his bed, falling silent when Byleth opened the door.

"Hey. I wanted to talk to you about-" Jeralt began as he stepped into the room but froze when he saw Manuela hurriedly throwing on Byleth's jacket to cover herself, the woman leaning against the head of his bedframe where her fur coat was draped.

"Captain Jeralt, a… uhh…. Good morning!" Manuela managed. As Jeralt's eyes scanned the room, noting the messy bed, disheveled state of Manuela, and the delivered food and drink, he grimaced. "You… this really isn't-"

"I see this is a bad time," Jeralt said, cutting her off.

"It isn't," Byleth said. Jeralt sighed.

"No, kid, it really is," Jeralt said, turning around and already walking away from the scene. "Come find me when you're done teaching for the day."

"Understood," Byleth said, closing the door and turning back to Manuela. She was red in the face, but his main concern was the leftovers on her plate. "Have you had enough?" he asked, gesturing to the remaining food.

"… Goddess, you really are a strange one," Manuela said. "Bless Jeralt for handling you all these years… and no, I have not."

"Do you still want different pants?" Byleth asked, noticing Manuela was only wearing the jacket. She immediately recalled that as well and hurriedly slipped on the pants she was given before returning to her meal. At that, Byleth simply made himself some tea with what was left of the water and quickly drank that, finishing at roughly the same time Manuela did. As he prepared to leave, she took out a comb from some jacket in her coat and began hurriedly fixing her hair, following him and stuffing it away in the jacket before she waited behind him at the door.

"Are you ready?" he asked, glancing back at her things still lying about his room. Given that she didn't seem too concerned about them, he decided she'd probably come looking for them after classes.

"Yes, but I'd rather we not be seen… can you make sure of that?" Manuela asked.

"Can you run?" Byleth asked.

"In this situation, yes," Manuela said, intent on not dealing with any confrontation before her class began.

Byleth peaked outside, noting the usual trio of Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix making their way past his room towards the loop around for the Officer's Academy, a path the trio normally took. Once they were gone, he peaked out further, noting very few students remaining in the area. He did spot Edelgard, Hubert and Bernadetta heading towards the central pathway to the Officer's Academy, the girls seemingly stuck together as Bernadetta clung to Edelgard while hearing reassurances from the Adrestian Princess. "… Run now," Byleth said, opening the door for her. Manuela made a break for it as Byleth locked his door, the woman dashing towards the central path to avoid taking the usual roundabout method Byleth used.

Passing through an open gate, Manuela let out a breath of relief as she made it to the central hall leading towards the Officer's Academy. "Professor?" Edelgard greeted, her voice almost making Manuela jump out of her skin.

"Oh, good morning, Edelgard!" Manuela said, forcing a smile and deciding to perform a fake stretch as she turned towards her House Leader. "Oh, Hubert and Bernadetta too. What a rare grouping."

"Indeed," Hubert said, his eye oddly shifting towards the area she had just come from but otherwise doing little else. "Out jogging, Professor? I hadn't thought you the type," he continued.

Manuela inwardly thanked the Goddess Hubert gave her an easy act to play. "A girl's got to stay in shape somehow, you know?" Manuela said, remembering to mirror her faked stretch for consistency.

"I'm glad to hear it. In truth, I was getting a bit concerned for your health given your performance in recent training sessions," Edelgard said.

Ignoring any provocations in the interest of keeping up appearances, Manuela simply let out a little chuckle. "Don't you worry, Edelgard. I'm making sure to take care of myself. I was just finishing up, actually," she said. "Since you're all here, shall we head to class?"

With that, the group finished the short walk up to the Officer's Academy and headed for the Black Eagles classroom. Manuela was about to breathe a sigh of relief that she was in the clear until she noticed Hilda and Marianne speaking with Byleth on the green outside of the classes, giving the pink-haired girl a clear line of sight to Manuela as she took a break from seemingly checking on Byleth's apparel. Hilda covered her mouth after a quick gasp, quickly whispering something to Byleth who glanced back towards her. Manuela wanted to listen in, but Edelgard commented first.

"It appears the new Professor is expanding his wardrobe," Edelgard said, having noticed the change in outfit. "Seems he's still not comfortable without any armor, but I suppose that's to be expected of a lifelong mercenary."

Hilda mouthed something to Marianne, who also peeked over to the group before speaking with Byleth. A sudden look of surprise reached her face but was quickly followed by a look of confusion. Hilda giggled about something and was about to speak, but Manuela's hearing was once again cut off by someone speaking.

"Agreed. Life on the battlefield surely has some effect on what one considers 'normal' clothing," Hubert said.

"M-maybe he's really paranoid about being attacked…" Bernadetta suggested.

"That's actually plausible," Edelgard agreed. "What do you think, Professor?"

"He's… probably having trouble leaving the mercenary lifestyle behind him," Manuela said, resigning herself to not knowing what their conversation could possibly be as she entered class. Her strange outfit immediately got her a few odd looks, and she began steeling herself for the rest of the day as she made her way to the front of the class.

Outside, Byleth's conversation continued. "Gosh, Professor, you really put the baggy white pants out first?" Hilda asked.

"I thought she liked white," Byleth said.

"What gave ya that idea?" Hilda asked.

"Her cloak is white," Byleth said.

"Yeah, white fur. That's like, super chic," Hilda said. "You can wear that over most dark stuff and it looks good. Marianne, can you imagine what Professor Manuela would look like if she had to wear super big white pants with that jacket? Professor, I'm almost sad you didn't tell her that was all you had."

"She would have… looked like a funny doll," Marianne admitted, stifling a giggle as she imagined what Manuela might have looked like.

"Would it really have been so garish?" Sothis wondered. Byleth wasn't sure himself but decided not to try and defend the choice any further.

"Fashion doesn't seem to be my strong suit," Byleth admitted.

"Aww, I wouldn't go that far," Hilda said. "I mean, you manage to pull off your outfits just fine!"

"M-maybe it's just difficult to imagine how other people would look?" Marianne suggested.

"Imagine how other people would look…" Byleth said, crossing his arms and putting a hand to his chin. "… I don't think I ever really do that."

Hilda chuckled. "And that's why you leave important fashion stuff to people like me," she said.

Byleth nodded. "And the other thing?" he asked.

"Right, that. I mean, I'll definitely try, but…" Hilda said, glancing over at Marianne. "Isn't 'letting loose' kind of a leap here?"

"W-well, if it's only when I have to fight, then… I-I think I can try it, at least," Marianne said. "Hilda, you just start swinging when you have to fight… can you teach me how to do that?"

"That's… I mean, I don't know if its something I can teach?" Hilda said as she fiddled with her hair. "I just kind of do it because its way easier than practicing a stuffy stance and what not. I've got the weapon, and you beat people by swingin' it around, so I swing it around. Like, I don't really know what else to say about it?"

"Think about it when you have time," Byleth said, noting that class was going to start soon. "I think Marianne's on the verge of greatly improving her abilities as a fighter. If you help her with this, I'm certain she'll grow. If you don't have an answer by our next session, I'll see if I can help you find one as well."

"Ok… I'll try," Marianne said. Byleth nodded to them both, saying a quick parting before heading into class.

As Byleth walked inside and was greeted by the Blue Lions, he noticed Petra had opted to sit next to Ashe today. "She's certainly not wasting time. Seems she was being truthful when she said you've got a similar work ethic," Sothis noted.

Preparing everything he thought he'd need for the day, Byleth once again listened in on the idle chatter of his students. "I think we're going to get two new students soon," Sylvain said.

"Who, those girls the Professor was chatting up outside?" Felix asked.

"They've got names, you know. And maybe I do think Hilda and Marianne are gonna join our class," Sylvain said.

"Just because the Professor spoke with them doesn't mean they'll suddenly transfer classes," Ingrid said. "Besides, he's helped both of them before during tutoring sessions. Did you ever think maybe he was doing his job as Professor and was offering them some guidance?"

"Maybe. But I mean, we did get a new student after the Professor had a chat with her," Sylvain said.

"Do you really think the Professor is just going to speak with every girl in school and have them transfer to our class?" Ingrid asked.

"As it happens, the girls in our school are exceptionally talented," Sylvain said. "If the Professor is scouting for talent like some kind of mercenary recruiter, I think picking all of the girls in school is a safe bet."

"Of course you do," Felix said.

"Hey, I'm not just saying that because they're all a bunch of cuties… not to say that's a downside," Sylvain said.

"… Strangely, Sylvain has a point," Ingrid said. "I'm struggling to think of any girl in our class that doesn't have something she's exceptionally good at."

"Really? Even only counting things that mean something on the battlefield?" Felix asked with an incredulous glance.

"What else would the Professor judge people by? I doubt he's partial to Dorothea's singing voice or Leonie's admiration of his father," Ingrid said. "He'd probably appreciate Dorothea's magic and Leonie's tenacity, though."

Deciding he wouldn't get anything he didn't already know from that conversation, Byleth began listening in on Dimitri's conversation. "It's regrettable, but I haven't had any replies from my uncle," Dimitri said. He sighed. "The Knights aren't telling me anything either, saying I shouldn't be worried about such things. We're still completely in the dark regarding the battle."

"My efforts to listen have also ended in failure. The Knights limit their discussion whenever I'm around, although I suppose that is to be expected," Dedue said.

"Thus… we have found nothing. Forgive me, Ashe. I'll try harder," Dimitri said.

"No, no… it's fine, your Highness, really," Ashe said. "There's going to be a few days delay between any news from the front and news that reaches the Monastery anyways. What you hear today probably won't be true tomorrow."

"Perhaps no news is good news," Petra said. "If we do not hear 'Lord Lonato was defeated', then he must be unharmed, correct?"

"Well, I don't know about unharmed… but news of his capture or worse would certainly move quickly," Dimitri said. He nodded. "Petra's right, Ashe. This silence might just indicate something of a standstill. We heard of the Church's early victories, but the lack of news now could indicate that the fighting has lessened, or maybe even ceased. For all we know, there could be negotiations going on."

"Maybe we should not be so optimistic," Petra said. "I do not think one can just… start a battle and apologize."

"That's true. We should consider… more realistic alternatives first," Dedue said.

"… Agreed," Ashe said.

Once Byleth was ready, the day's classes passed without any notable incident regarding the Blue Lions, though he did hear a bit of an outburst of the Black Eagles' classroom near the middle of the day that was quickly quelled. Recalling his father's request, Byleth spent an extra hour in class assisting Petra with her personal studies of Fodlan's language before heading to the Captain of the Knight's quarters.

Knocking on the entryway as he walked in, he found his father sifting through a few of the old records kept on the bookshelf in the corner of the room. "For a moment there, I thought you forgot. Last I recall, classes end a bit earlier than this," Jeralt said.

"Petra Macneary has transferred to my class. I assist her with personal language studies," Byleth said.

"Is that so? Sounds like you're exceling at being a Professor," Jeralt said with a nod.

"That's what I'm told," Byleth said. Jeralt chuckled at that.

"You always did pick things up quickly," he said, returning the book to the shelf. "So… about what I saw this morning."

"What about it?" Byleth asked. Jeralt sighed.

"… I guess I never did bother to teach you this," Jeralt said. "Kid, do you… have you ever heard about work and life being two different things?"

"… They are, are they not?" Byleth asked, glancing over to Sothis as she floated near him. She simply shrugged, also unsure of what Jeralt could mean.

"… Alright, look. Have a seat, and let's talk about this," Jeralt said. Byleth did as instructed, watching as Jeralt shut the door to his office before taking the seat opposite him. "So… what's your relationship with Professor Manuela?"

"We're co-workers," Byleth said. "Friendly terms. No debts. Disagree on some things, but not enough to argue or fight."

"Right, right… and you, uhh, do anything… different last night?" Jeralt asked.

"I went to her room and learned from her," Byleth said. "Then we went tavern hopping. I didn't think much of it, but you might have enjoyed it more."

"… And after that?" Jeralt asked.

"She asked me to carry her back to the Monastery and fell asleep. I didn't have a key to her room, so I took her back to mine," Byleth said. Jeralt gulped.

"So she was asleep?" Jeralt asked.

"Drunker than you used to get," Byleth said.

"Drunker than… ah, so then you…?" Jeralt said, starting to put the pieces together.

"I handled it the same way I always do. Let them sleep it off, give them a wake-up, send them on their way," Byleth said. He tilted his head slightly. "What does this have to do with work and life?"

"Thankfully, not as much as I thought," Jeralt said. He leaned back in his chair to relax somewhat, but then remembered the awkward conversation he had with Catherine. "… But just in case, we should talk about this. First… you know the difference between just being friendly with someone and having a relationship with them, right?"

"A relationship implies connections by work, family, or another source," Byleth said. "While I see no reason in being friendly with people you lack relationships with, I recognize they are different things."

"That's not exactly what I was talking about," Jeralt said. "I was thinking more of… a romantic relationship. You know what that is, right? When you find someone you like and spend a lot of time with them, show affection and what not. You don't have anything like that yet, do you?"

"Should I have one?" Byleth asked. Jeralt shook his head.

"It's not a question of should, it's whether or not you want it… which you will if you really like someone," Jeralt said.

"I don't think I've ever wanted one," Byleth said, seemingly thinking about if such an idea ever crossed his mind. Jeralt instantly relaxed, suppressing the urge to laugh at himself for thinking his son might get into trouble for mixing personal relationships with his work. While he was a little disappointed Byleth hadn't taken interest in anyone, he decided his newfound friendliness with others was more than he could have asked for less than a year before.

"Don't worry too much about it, kid. But just so you know, if you ever do find yourself wanting one, come talk to me so I can give you some advice," Jeralt said. "I know you're pretty new to all this interaction, and I wanted to make sure you didn't stumble into anything complicated without knowing the good from the bad."

"I will," Byleth said. "Was that all?"

"From me, yeah," Jeralt said. "Unless you wanna hear more of the same old dull desk duty I'm stuck with or have something else on your mind."

"Jeralt seems to be in a good mood… perhaps now is an ideal time to probe?" Sothis suggested.

"Actually, I have something I've been meaning to ask you," Byleth said, noting this moment.

"That's rare," Jeralt said. "What's up?"

"How did Lady Rhea revive you?" Byleth asked. Jeralt blinked, clearly not ready for that question.

"Where'd you hear that?" Jeralt asked.

"Lady Rhea told me you were injured while working for her and she nursed you back to health," Byleth said. "She said you were badly wounded, but you recovered under her care. How did she revive you?"

"Uhh… Magic and some old-fashioned medicine? Kid, I think I know what you're talking about, but that's ancient history by now. I don't remember every time someone's had to patch me up," Jeralt said. He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of conversations are you having with Lady Rhea for her to be bringing that up anyways?"

"She wanted to know me better. As she put it, I am the son of a dear friend that saved her life," Byleth said. Reflecting on her exact words, Byleth thought to twist them slightly. "She said I felt like family."

Jeralt noticeably tensed at those words, though he managed to contain any audible reaction he may have had. "… Did she, now?" Jeralt asked.

"Is she family?" Byleth asked.

"No," Jeralt said. "Lady Rhea's… well, she's… very distantly related on your mother's side. Something like a twice removed aunt or some crap, I don't remember. But nothing worth mentioning. Your ties to her are no different than the ties you'd have to any of my other old friends or the people you stayed with when you were too young to fight."

"Why are you lying?" Byleth asked. Jeralt winced.

"Of course you can read me, you've watched me for years," he said with a sigh. "Look, kid, just… don't worry about Lady Rhea. And keep your distance from her, alright? No more random talks with her. Treat her like you would any other client and leave it at that. You'll only get yourself into trouble if you get any closer to her."

"What do you mean by trouble?" Byleth asked. Jeralt huffed.

"Dammit, kid, just take my word on this one," he said. "She might be the Archbishop, but she's got weird interests. Keep her at a distance… Once we finish work for the year, we'll pack up and get back on the road, so you don't need to worry about any of this nonsense anymore. It'll be just like old times."

"Jeralt really doesn't want to talk about this, does he," Sothis said. "Although, if we do have some relationship to Lady Rhea… perhaps we can try asking her?"

Byleth agreed but felt like he could get more information from his father. "Understood. But could you tell me one thing?" Byleth asked.

"Depends on what it is," Jeralt said.

"Did my Crest come from my mother?" Byleth asked.

"… Yeah. She never really used it, so she wasn't sure of what it was," Jeralt said. "I told you before your mother wasn't a fighter, and your Crest only activates when you're fighting."

"I see. Where did you get your Crest from?" Byleth asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Jeralt asked.

"I remember you saying you weren't born with it," Byleth said. Jeralt scoffed.

"I was probably piss drunk when I said that. It never activated when I was young, so I was surprised to find out I had it," Jeralt said. "But everyone's born with their Crest, simple as that. They don't do nearly as much as people say they do, but I've got no problem with mine. From what I've seen, you don't mind yours either."

"You didn't get yours after Rhea gave you blood?" Byleth asked.

Jeralt froze at that, pausing to look directly at Byleth. "We'll take that as a yes, then," Sothis said.

"… Byleth, I want you to tell me everything Rhea has told you," Jeralt said.

"About you?" Byleth asked.

Jeralt let out a deep sigh, glancing over to his spear and shield that hung on the wall. "About you."

"… She may have mentioned I was a vessel," Byleth said, recalling his near-death experience facing off against her. Jeralt's eyes widened.

"Go on," he said.

"She said I carried something important. Referred to it as 'her'," Byleth said. Jeralt stood up and ripped his lance down from the wall, turning back to Byleth with a grimace.

"… We're leaving Fodlan, Byleth," Jeralt said. "Get changed into your armor and pack only what you need. I'll see you in a few hours once I take care of a few things."

"Is Lady Rhea one of them?" Byleth asked.

"No. I'm not fool enough to attack her," Jeralt said. "But I need to cause another distraction so we can get a head start. Once the Monastery is in disarray, we'll hoof it to the nearest port town and hop on the first boat to another continent… shit, might even make a living on the water as pirates. Anything to be away from this place from good now that I know just how damned it all is."

"Will you tell me everything once this is over?" Byleth asked.

"It'd only make the whole thing weirder kid… just trust me when I say this is for your own good," Jeralt said.

"I trust you," Byleth said. "But I also want to know more."

As Jeralt turned around to say something, color drained from the world. "So… Jeralt is proof of Flayn's claim about blood donation," Sothis began. "You might be related to Seiros, so you're… part Saint? That needs more looking into… oh, and your Crest was your mother's, who, if she's the one related to Seiros, was a Saint?"

"I don't think we'll know more unless we have a chat with Rhea," Byleth said. "Though it might be strange to mention it without any reason."

"It would be strange to suddenly ask someone if you were related to them," Sothis said. "Hmm… if we're lucky, she'll mention something worth using during one of your little chats?"

"That would be convenient," Byleth said. "All we know is we've reached a standstill and have new questions to answer."

"We certainly have… ah, but do not forget you need new questions for Jeralt!" Sothis said as she raised her arms, the golden sigil in front of her bearing Byleth's Crest and beginning to slowly rotate. "Though I'm guessing you already have those in mind."

Byleth nodded just before events began to play in reverse, finding himself seated across from his father once again. "That's rare," Jeralt said. "What's up?"

"When you were in battle against Lord Lonato's forces, did it seem like they were receiving outside assistance?" Byleth asked.

"Can't say I was looking out for that, so I'm not sure. Most of my time on the field was during the initial battle, and I'll just say Lonato's men could have done with some outside assistance," Jeralt said. "Still, given their sudden shift in tactics to prolong the fight, I wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case. Are you worried about your class' mission this month?"

"A number of my students voiced concerns about the circumstances surrounding this battle," Byleth said. "I realize that may have been them being concerned about fighting someone they know, but some of their reasons were valid. I've been looking into any groups or forces that are close enough to Gaspard territory to influence them or give assistance."

"Close enough to influence them… well, there's the Western Church, which if I recall still has some dumb squabbles against the Central Church," Jeralt said. "Oh, but in case you don't know, the Church-"

"Has divisions, yes. Seteth told me about them," Byleth said.

"Did he, now? You ask him?" Jeralt asked.

"He told me about it before asking me to find some information for him," Byleth said.

"The Professors need to do Seteth favors?" Jeralt asked.

"No, but he influences my paygrade," Byleth said. "Clients that like you pay more, right?"

Jeralt chuckled at that. "True enough. Well alright, there's those bastards who probably have some kinda hand in this," he continued. "Who else is around Magdred Way and Gaspard territory? …A few Empire territories, I guess, but they've got some difficult routes to cross. They can't be providing too much aid unless they know something I don't about the area. House Rowe is nearby, but I haven't seen or heard anything about them getting involved. Lord Gideon's too far north to make any moves without committing a sizable convoy, and word would have gotten out about that long ago. So… hmm. Maybe an operation based under cover from the Brionac Plateau taking the river? They'd be able to get supplies by boat without much interruption, maybe a few extra troops… but given the size of that river, I doubt they'd bring anything crazy. And something based out there could belong to any one of those factions, so all you've got is that there is some outside assistance. Can't exactly send troops around to check it out since the battle's still going on, slow as it is."

"I see. I hadn't considered someone operating from the Brionac Plateau. I'll keep that in mind," Byleth said.

"Sure, though knowing they've got a little support from someone way out of reach doesn't help too much," Jeralt said.

"No. But it provides a location of interest to track," Byleth said.

"Ah, you're thinking to check on what group has made moves in the area," Jeralt said. Byleth nodded. "Not a bad idea… but why are you so interested in this?"

"If I present the information to Seteth…" Byleth began. Jeralt chuckled again.

"Is the pay really that bad?" he asked.

"I could do better taking two dangerous jobs a month," Byleth said. He paused. "… How much do you make?"

"Six thousand a month as an assistant only in months with no active duty. More when I do get into fights, which has started as of this month," Jeralt said. "Aren't you supposed to get something like that?"

"That's a ridiculous difference!" Sothis yelled.

"A large part of my paycheck is deducted for living expenses," Byleth said. "I told them I'd camp outside the Monastery if it was cheaper, but they insisted I remain in a room. I can get more money taking on an extra duty, but I doubt I'll make as much as you."

"Shit, really?" Jeralt said as he scratched the back of his head. He sighed. "Look, I don't handle the gold here, but I've already started making a little savings bank. If you're strapped for coin, I'll help you out. It's the least I can do after letting you get dragged into the teaching gig."

"I'm good now, but I'll keep that in mind," Byleth said.

"Sure, sure… so, what else have you got to do today?" Jeralt asked.

"I have archery tutoring in a little, so I was thinking I'd eat then go prepare," Byleth said.

"Right, one of the usual teachers is out in the field," Jeralt said. "Say, have you met her? She's a knight now, but she used to be a former mercenary. Quiet type… I think you two would get along pretty well, actually."

"Shamir and I do," Byleth said. Jeralt couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well damn, kid. Guess I've gotta get used to you being the person who knows everyone now," he said with an approving nod.

"How is she?" Byleth asked.

"She's leading the search most of the time. Busted up a few units with her own squads," Jeralt said. "Unfortunately, there's limits to what she can do. Damned fog keeps rolling in and forcing her to slow down. Still, she makes sure we can always track them."

"I see," Byleth said. After a few moments of silence, Byleth spoke again. "Want to join me for lunch?"

"I do, but I've actually got some briefing to go over before sundown," Jeralt said with a sigh. "Need to make sure I know what to say before I make a fool of myself."

"Then I'll see you later, father," Byleth said.

"See ya, kid," Jeralt continued. He and Byleth headed to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by a stretching and yawning Catherine walking by Jeralt's office. She glanced over to the duo and smirked.

"Well, if it isn't tough and tougher," she greeted. "Surprisingly rare to catch both of you in the same place. What's the occasion?"

"Do father and son need an occasion to speak?" Byleth asked. Catherine chuckled at that.

"I'm not trying to push your buttons or anything… honestly just wanted to get the conversation going," she admitted.

"It's been a little since we've caught up. Nothing too fancy otherwise," Jeralt said.

"Right," Catherine said, seemingly not satisfied with Jeralt's answer but not willing to pry any further.

"Are you busy right now?" Byleth asked.

"I wish. Trained all morning then ran out of things to do," Catherine said.

"Want to go eat?" Byleth asked. Both Jeralt and Catherine gave Byleth an odd glance, Jeralt's look tinged with the slightest worry while Catherine appeared pleasantly surprised.

"I'm game. Let's go," Catherine said. Byleth nodded, heading towards the stairs. Catherine followed, but not before turning back to Jeralt and mouthing 'wish me luck' with a wink.

"… I'm gonna start back day drinking at this rate," Jeralt muttered as he shook his head and headed for the Library.

Once they were downstairs, Byleth spoke. "Were you waiting on me to leave that room?" he asked.

"Damn, you're an observant one," Catherine said.

"You warned me beforehand you'd watch me," Byleth said.

"Ah, fair enough. But don't worry. I might watch you, but I'm not going to eavesdrop on a father-son conversation," Catherine said.

"Doesn't that limit what you could learn?" Byleth asked.

"Maybe, but I've got standards, you know?" Catherine said. Byleth hummed, recognizing that was probably the 'knight' in her speaking.

"What do you do when you aren't on missions?" Byleth asked.

"Train, help out Lady Rhea and Seteth with whatever odd jobs they might have for me, hang out with a few other knights. Speaking of hanging out, we should go drinking sometime. Your treat," Catherine said.

"Are you free this coming day of rest?" Byleth asked.

"Oh? Is that a date?" Catherine asked.

"It's the fifteenth," Byleth said. Catherine chuckled at that.

"Good one," she said. Byleth simply nodded, though he didn't think his knowledge of the calendar was praiseworthy.

As the two made their way through the Main Hall, Byleth noticed a few of the other knights and students stopping to look in their direction. "It must look like trouble when two people so fearsome are moving together. This isn't unlike our marching with Jeralt," Sothis noted.

"Ah, I just remembered," Catherine said, getting Byleth's attention. "Alois has been meaning to have a chance to sit down and talk to you sometime."

"Why?" Byleth asked.

"Something about you being the Captain's son so you're practically family," Catherine said with a shrug. "I think he feels guilty that he was the one who got you started here and has been absent since."

"Why would he feel guilty for finding me a job?" Byleth asked.

"Alois feels a lot of things I don't understand," Catherine said.

"Oh, Byleth! There you are!" Manuela greeted, the woman still wearing his clothing as she intercepted the two before they reached the Entrance Hall that led to the Dining Hall. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Manuela," Byleth greeted. Catherine nodded, though she clearly found Manuela's appearance rather odd. "What do you need?"

"Could I… retrieve a few things I left with you?" she asked, rather conscious of who they were around. Try as Manuela might to conceal her meaning, however, Catherine picked up on it and smirked.

"Wild night?" Catherine asked.

"That's a rather improper question, don't you-" Manuela began.

"Not really," Byleth said. Catherine stifled a laugh as Manuela suddenly looked as though she had taken a Javelin to the chest.

"… Anyways," Manuela said as she recovered, deciding to put that behind her. "I'd like to retrieve my things, Byleth."

"Of course," Byleth said. "Catherine, do you mind if I join you a bit later?"

"You know I got all day," Catherine said with a shrug, a huge grin on her face for reasons Byleth was unsure of and Manuela was certain were borne from misinterpretation. With that, she gave Manuela a small nod before walking off, leaving her and Byleth to begin the short march to his room.

"… I take it you aren't one for secrecy," Manuela said as they reached his door.

"What do you mean?" Byleth asked as he got his key.

"You could have said nothing to Catherine about what happened last night," Manuela said.

"I answered her question without including any details," Byleth said as he opened his door. "I didn't see any reason to be more secret than that."

"… Telling someone your impression of a night spent together is… uncouth, for lack of a better word," Manuela said as she entered Byleth's room and hurriedly began retrieving her clothing. "A situation like that asks for silence on the matter."

"I was unaware," Byleth said, though he was a bit confused as to why privacy was even a concern considering how many people had seen the two together last night. Regardless, he heeded his father's advice and decided not to question a woman's lecturing before it got worse.

"I realize that," Manuela said. "But you'd best keep that in mind. I'm a rather understanding woman, but if you had done that to someone less put together, you'd have serious problems. Answering another woman no less… you're lucky you're still cute enough to get away with that."

"… What's that supposed to mean?" Sothis asked. Byleth was unsure as well, though he assumed it had something to do with people telling him he was good looking for a mercenary. Saying nothing, he simply waited for Manuela to finish gathering her things before she exited his room, allowing him to lock it once more.

"Thank you for taking time out of… whatever it is you and Catherine are doing," Manuela said. Byleth simply nodded as she took her leave, deciding that it would be best to avoid speaking with her in her angered state.

Heading to the Dining Hall, Byleth quickly grabbed some food before joining Catherine, who seemed to have found another dining partner before he showed up. "There you are," Catherine greeted.

"Heya, Professor!" Caspar greeted.

"Catherine, Caspar," Byleth said as he quickly sat down.

"That took longer than expected," Catherine said. "Was it that much to move?"

"Unwieldly load," Byleth said, thinking that Manuela probably could have made it easier on herself had she not haphazardly bundled up her cloak and simply flung it around her shoulders. Given the odd lecture he just received, he thought it best to omit any identifying details.

Thankfully, Catherine played along. "I see. Well, you better start eating. Your tutoring is coming up soon," she said. "And my food might get cold if I keep yapping."

"Whaddya teachin' today?" Caspar asked mid-chew, the boy stuffing his mouth as quickly as he could. Byleth took a bite of his meal and waited a few moments to see if Catherine would say anything about it, but she was digging in just as fervently as Caspar.

"Seems they're both less keen on this etiquette system than most," Sothis noted.

"Archery," Byleth said quickly before taking another bite.

"You're an archer?" Caspar asked.

"When I have to be," Byleth said. "Can't always get in close," he continued, taking another bite, "an' I've only got one dagger."

"Oh… huh. Never thought about it like that," Caspar said.

"How did ya think of it?" Byleth asked.

"Uhh…" Caspar said, pausing for a moment. Catherine chuckled at that.

"I think he meant 'never thought of that'," she said.

"You should think about range in a fight," Byleth said.

"… Hey, you know Linhardt told me something like that!" Caspar said. "If you're sayin' it too, guess he was right."

"Linhardt? The sleepy boy?" Sothis asked, jogging Byleth's memory.

"Didn't think he knew much about fighting," Byleth said.

"I know, right?! A real sleepy, laidback guy that likes to just poof away his problems with magic cuz' its convenient knowing all the tricks when ya gotta fight up close… maybe I should ask Edelgard to have him join gauntlet training. With all he knows, I bet he'd be pretty good! He's kinda tall, too!"

"If that happens, you better invite me to watch," Catherine said, already smirking at the prospect of watching the lackadaisical boy she vaguely registered as some Adrestian noble getting smacked around. Not only would she find it funny, but she was pretty sure it'd get a real laugh out of Shamir as well.

"Why just watch? You could totally join in!" Caspar said. "And speakin' of training, have you two trained together yet? Or better, did you guys ever fight it out to see who was the strongest? I heard Ferdinand mention you two in the Training Grounds once, so c'mon! What happened?"

"We did… some light sparring," Catherine said with a little glance at Byleth. "Can't exactly fight each other seriously, or one of us would probably end up dead."

"Really? Professor, is that how it is?" Caspar asked.

Byleth nodded. "Once you've taken part in enough real battles, you'll get a sense of what we're saying," he said. "But if you want to know what we can do, ask the Knights that accompanied us on missions."

"Man, I gotta ask them?" Caspar asked.

"That way, you'll know we aren't hyping ourselves up," Catherine said. "Plus, do you have any idea how lame it is to go around telling people how great you are?"

"… Alright, you got a point there," Caspar said. He let out a burp, having just finished his meal. "Next time you two do any training, tell me! I wanna see how I do against you guys!"

"You already know how you fare against me," Byleth said.

"Not with your sword versus my axe," Caspar said. "In fact, I'm gonna go work on that right now!"

"The Training Grounds are being used for tutoring," Byleth said.

"Yeah, but the Knights' Hall isn't," Caspar said. "Oh, but I can't really just go in there and start swinging, can I?"

"Not alone, you can't," Catherine said. She let out a content sigh, having also finished her meal. "But if you're training with me, it should be fine."

"Wait… you wanna train with me?! For real?!" Caspar asked.

"Maybe," Catherine said. She smirked. "Or maybe I'm a little offended you want to test sword versus axe and didn't ask someone known for their legendary swordsmanship first."

"… R-right," Caspar said, a slight shiver passing through him as Catherine simply went over to return her plate. Byleth was certain the boy was afraid, but that fear quickly turned to excitement as he started laughing to himself. "Okay, training with the Thunder Catherine… c'mon, me, let's do this."

"What's the matter? Chickening out?" Catherine asked as she returned, glancing down at the still seated Caspar.

"Hah! You wish," Caspar said, springing to his feet. "I'm just thinking of how awesome this is gonna be! You better not pull any punches!" he continued, hurriedly going to return his plate.

"Kid's feisty," Catherine said. "Hope the ones you're stuck with are half as eager to get smacked around."

"They're the best to work with," Byleth agreed. Catherine chuckled at that before following a waving Caspar out of the Dining Hall.

"Those feisty ones are the best to work with, since they don't complain about taking a hit…" Sothis said as Byleth finished his meal. "… Should we try to add him to our class?"

Byleth paused for a moment, considering the possibility. Given what he knew of Caspar's skillset and attitude, the boy would easily fit into the Blue Lions. However, he didn't have the time to fully consider it, realizing he needed to hurry to the Training Ground if he wanted anything set for tutoring.

Arriving at his destination without issue, Byleth began setting up a few training dummies as he normally did. "Aren't you teaching Archery?" Sothis asked after he set down the third dummy. Byleth paused, recalling that there were targets scattered about near the back of the Training Ground supply room. "… Well, you could always say they aren't very likely to encounter target shaped enemies," she continued, realizing he'd have to go through the trouble of putting the dummies away and dragging the targets out.

Byleth decided to take Sothis' advice and then continue on a step further, taking enough padded training armor to cover the dummies as if they were reasonably armed and even equipping one with a replica of the large shield typically wielded by heavily armored knights. As he finished setting all the dummies up, he decided to grab two more and add much less armor to them, the memory of a certain encounter serving as the template for what he'd make the day's exercise revolve around.

As he finished preparing the last of the dummies, he heard the door to the Training Grounds open. "Huh, the Professor is covering for Shamir," Leonie said as she entered, Claude and Ignatz close behind.

"Did you really think I was lying?" Claude asked, the boy feigning offense. Leonie shrugged, walking towards Byleth without another word.

"I guess it would have to be Professor Byleth since Professor Hanneman is tutoring for magic today," Ignatz said. "I wonder how good of an archer the Professor is."

"He shot you and Lorenz pretty good," Claude said with a smirk.

"Uhh…" Ignatz said, suddenly becoming very interested in the pillar away from Claude.

"Aw, c'mon, Ignatz. I know that was Lorenz's fault for dragging you out into the open," Claude said, giving the boy a little nudge. "To be honest, I'm pretty curious myself. I wonder if he's got any tricks outside of a straight shot."

As those two went to gather training bows and arrows, Leonie approached Byleth. "Interesting set-up you've got here," she said, looking over the array of training dummies. "So, any reason we're not using targets today?"

"I haven't fought a target-shaped person in my life," Byleth said, adjusting the arms on the dummies so the shields and weaponry were in more realistic positions than simply bent and to the sides. "If you want to learn to shoot people, you should practice shooting people. I don't think I can make you do that, so people-shaped things are the next best option."

"That's fair. Shame they don't have legs though," Leonie said.

"You shouldn't aim for your targets' legs," Byleth said. "They're generally well protected, small targets, and aiming at them makes you look down, reducing your view of the battlefield."

"True, but even if you hit their armor, it'll sting and stop them. Couldn't you aim for the legs if you wanted to capture them?" Leonie asked.

"Have you ever seen someone run with an arrow through their arm or shoulder?" Byleth asked.

"… No?" Leonie answered, a little confused about the question.

"They don't move very quickly," Byleth said. "Hurts them too much, so they slow down. Most people outright stop to address the problem, giving you a head start on catching them. The arm the arrow's pierced is typically disabled as well, meaning they'll put up less of a fight when you need to capture them."

"It's a two for one… that is pretty smart," Leonie said. "Did Captain Jeralt teach you that one?"

"Sort of," Byleth said. "He shot a bounty in the arm then beat with the blunt end of a spear when he tried to crawl away. Did it a few more times and I understood the trick."

"Pretty neat. I wish the Monastery let us learn more stuff like that," Leonie said. "That is, the whole learning by working with someone really good at their job. The monthly missions seem like good opportunities to get some experience, but my class hasn't seen a real fight yet."

"The Blue Lions were the first blooded, and if this next mission goes as poorly as possible, they'll continue down a bloody path," Sothis said.

"You're eager to fight," Byleth said. "Why are you studying at a Monastery if you want action?"

"I'm studying here so I can be the best there is, Professor," Leonie said with a grin. "Just like Captain Jeralt. Say, do you think I've got what it in me to be a top-tier mercenary, Professor?"

"You really want to bring in the money, huh?" Byleth asked, noticing the similarities between Leonie's enthusiasm and several his father's recruits who were excited to work with the Blade Breaker.

"I do! Though, it's about so much more than being rich," Leonie said. "It's about honor."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Byleth said as he finished setting up the last dummy.

"Really? Why's that?" Leonie asked.

"If you're good enough, that'll come naturally," Byleth said. "I was given my title by people who knew what I could do. The same thing should happen to you once you've worked enough. Until that happens, just keep working."

"That's a pretty nonchalant attitude to have about your life's work," Leonie said. "But I kind of get what you mean. You can call yourself anything you want, but those are just words until someone else recognizes it."

"… Something like that," Byleth said, not sure if Leonie understood his message or not. "You should get ready. We're going to start."

"Sure. This looks like it'll be interesting," Leonie said, jogging away to grab a training bow.

"Is it just me, or did that girl want to disagree with you?" Sothis asked. Byleth wasn't sure, instead simply getting his own training gear and checking to make sure that the final two attendees were present. Sure enough, he saw Bernadetta skitter away once he went to take his equipment and noticed Ashe near the entrance with his gear already prepped, the boy remaining notably distant from everyone else until Byleth called everyone together.

Once everyone was prepared, Byleth explained their exercise. "Today's session will be a little different," he began. "I've arranged these five dummies in a basic formation. There's a heavily armored knight in the front, two fighters with lighter armor backing them up, and two almost unarmored combatants in the back. Think of them as archers or mages. We'll be using this formation to test your skills by acting out real combat situations."

"A real situation where the enemy doesn't fight back?" Claude asked.

"That's dependent on the situation," Byleth said. "For example, the first scenario I have in mind is simple. I and two others will walk towards these dummies. The rest of you will remain behind the pillars and attempt to weaken or eliminate the enemy forces before we engage. You'll receive the results once your allies begin the battle."

"So it'd be like providing cover for a charge?" Ignatz asked. Byleth nodded.

"Good. You, Bernadetta, and Ashe will be the first group," he said, getting a quick gasp from Ignatz and Bernadetta. "Take positions behind those pillars near the entrance. Claude, Leonie, join me."

"A-aren't we getting a demonstration?" Bernadetta asked.

"Shoot the enemy. Don't shoot your allies," Byleth said. "That should be all you need."

"… Yeah. Don't overthink it," Ashe said, readying his bow as he moved towards one of the pillars. Ignatz and Bernadetta both gulped but followed suit.

"Hey, not to be that guy, but should we grab helmets or…?" Claude asked.

"No. If they shoot an ally in the back of the head, I want them to remember it," Byleth said.

"They're definitely gonna remember it if they shoot me in the back of the head," Leonie said. "Gonna be remembering it for a long time."

"… Suddenly, I'm a little concerned by Captain Jeralt's training methods," Claude said.

Taking a moment to place Claude and Leonie at a distance where they could plausibly keep weapons at their sides if they all charged forwards, Byleth looked back and saw the three archers readying their bows. "Begin," he said as he started walking forwards, not giving them time to first take aim.

Hearing a few startled gasps as he began walking forwards did nothing to his confidence, though he noticed Claude and Leonie both glance at each other nervously when only a single arrow passed by them after their first few steps. It flew by the head of the armored dummy and struck one of the unarmored ones at the back high in the chest. "Good shot from Ashe," Sothis said, watching the archer trio as she floated backwards next to Byleth. "Next shot from the scared girl…"

Bernadetta's arrow flew over Byleth and the dummy formation entirely, the girl seemingly trying to safely shoot over her allies and ultimately missing her opponents as well. Ignatz fired next, the boy's arrow passing between Leonie and Byleth but clipping the shield of the armored knight at the front, effectively doing nothing. He grumbled, but quickly went about notching another arrow. Byleth realized that had Ignatz not clipped the shield, the arrow was going straight into the stomach of one of the lightly armored fighters.

Ashe fired another arrow, this one striking the armored knight's helmet and rattling it. Byleth considered how much damage that would actually do in battle before Sothis exclaimed. "Duck!" she shouted, realizing Bernadetta's next arrow was going to hit the back of Byleth's head.

Steeling himself, Byleth took the arrow, the blunted shaft cracking against the back of his skull and splintering as he let himself fall forwards a few feet from the dummies. "Did you really just take that for the sake of this being realistic?" Sothis asked.

Byleth noted he had to do something given the argument Claude had brought up earlier. With no mechanism allowing him to move the dummies around, he'd have to make a less static situation with what could move.

Sothis sighed as the students all stopped and ran over to him. "I don't think they're ready for that kind of realism just yet," she said.

"Professor! Hey, Professor!" Leonie said, quickly shaking him as Claude brushed what was left of the arrow out of Byleth's hair. There was a slight trickle of blood from where the arrow struck, though Byleth wasn't responding to her shakes.

"Is he alright?!" Ignatz asked.

"Oh god, I killed him! Bernie, what's wrong with you?!" Bernadetta said as she tore at her hair.

"S-should someone call Professor Manuela?" Ashe asked.

"If this were a real combat situation," Byleth said, simply getting up from his prone position, "you would all be dead soon after you stopped firing and stopped advancing. The enemy wouldn't hesitate to finish you off in a moment of weakness."

"Teach, I think maybe now's not the time to worry about that," Claude said. "You're bleeding from your head."

"This is a minor injury," Byleth said, wiping the blood away with one hand. "I told you we were acting. I fell down as if I had perished because shooting your ally in the back of their head typically kills them."

"Typically?!" Ignatz asked.

"If I had a helmet like that," Byleth said, pointing to the armored knight dummy, "then I may have simply shrugged it off. Bu that's beside the point. Bernadetta, Ignatz, you're in the shooting group again. Claude, swap with Ashe."

"Not missing a beat, huh?" Claude asked. "I get the feeling this session is only going to get stranger."

As it happened, the rest of the session was progressively more and more foreign to the students. Byleth had them shoot the dummies while he and the others posed as fleeing civilians, stood as hostages, remained engaged in the thrall of enemy forces, or were 'pinned' by their opponents. The second half of the session switched from the usual role of being a still archer once Byleth realized the students rarely tried to maneuver into better firing positions even when he hadn't positions. The first exercise began with Byleth chasing down each student while they tried to get enough distance to safely shoot at the dummies. Bernadetta's screams managed to attract enough attention for Seteth to intervene, prompting a lengthy explanation of the exercise's rationale.

"… So to be clear," Seteth began, "this exercise you've devised is intended to simulate both the pursuit of a high priority target and the pursuit of the archer, correct?"

Byleth nodded.

"And you do accomplish this by pointing out one of the dummies amongst that formation you've set-up," Seteth continued, "then telling a student to land a hit against said target while you chase them around… with a training sword in hand."

Before Byleth could nod, Sothis hissed. "He's looking to get you into trouble!" she said.

"The sword is a… prop," Byleth said. "I typically just grab their arm or shoulder to let them know they've been caught or would have been struck. Holding the sword makes me look more like a real threat."

"… I see," Seteth said. "The rationale behind this exercise is… sound, albeit I feel a little excessive for simple training. After all, a student was screaming and very nearly crying because of it," he added with a glance at Bernadetta, who had huddled into a corner after letting out a huge shriek when Byleth caught her. "Therefore, as a precaution, I shall remain here and oversee the rest of these exercises."

"Oversee? Hmph. If the henchman's that interested…" Sothis began.

"Would you like to assist me with them?" Byleth asked.

"Assist you?" Seteth asked.

"The next exercise requires allies on the battlefield," Byleth said. "Having an additional one present would make the battle seem more realistic."

Seteth stared at Byleth, the man's gaze attempting to pierce into him. He was no fool, and a part of him was fairly certain the offer Byleth just made was some sly attempt at having him shot by a student, and he'd certainly make note of any quick whispers Byleth made to them before this exercise of his began. On the other hand, Byleth had a point, as the other scenarios utilizing twice as many enemies than there were allies in a frontal confrontation did seem like something the students wouldn't face very often. Unfortunately, the Professor proved expressionless and unreadable, meaning Seteth only had one safe answer.

"I think not. I cannot properly observe if actively playing a part on the field," Seteth said.

"Ugh! Now we can't have Claude shoot him," Sothis said.

"Very well," Byleth said before returning to his instruction. After a few more exercises with notably less chasing to avoid another Bernadetta shriek, the tutoring session finally came to an end. Given the strange nature of the tutoring and the tension between Byleth and Seteth that even the students seemed to notice, Byleth quickly found himself alone at the end of the session and went about hurriedly packing the Training Grounds.

After using what little of the afternoon he had left to garden and tend to his harvest, Byleth cleaned himself up before a quick dinner alone which he noted would probably have resulted in a meal with Shamir were she not currently on a mission. Afterwards, Byleth began making his way to the Library to continue his usual nightly research, starting a bit later than he usually did. As he made his way towards the second floor, he stopped near the Main Hall's entrance, noticing Dedue hurriedly in pursuit of another figure.

"Your Highness, the hour is late," Dedue said. The figure he was following, Dimitri, stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "May I ask where it is you're going?"

"I'm off to the Library for a bit of research before I train," Dimitri said. "After that, a bath and bed."

"That was very straightforward. Though this is an odd time for those things," Sothis chimed, listening in along with Byleth.

"Very well. I shall accompany you," Dedue said.

"Ah, no, there's no need for that," Dimitri said. He chuckled. "I am a grown man, after all."

"You sustained an injury during yesterday's training," Dedue said. Byleth thought back to the events of the previous day and didn't recall hearing of any such thing. "My presence may be of use to you."

"It was a mere bruise that will heal in time," Dimitri said. Byleth thought as much, as he realized Dimitri was much sturdier than his face suggested. "No need to fret over me, Dedue."

"Are you dissatisfied with me, Your Highness?" Dedue asked, a bit of concern in his voice. "Please, do not hesitate to correct me."

Dimitri sighed. "And there it is again," he said.

"Yes? What is it?" Dedue asked, intent on correcting himself.

"Well… you often choose to address me as 'Your Highness'," Dimitri said. "When we first met, you used to call me by my name."

"That was because I was unfamiliar with Fodlan speech," Dedue said. He grimaced. "Thinking back, such rude manners were inexcusable."

"To be honest, I much preferred it," Dimitri said. "I feel more comfortable being addressed by my name, rather than with the honorifics that go along with being a prince."

"But…" Dedue began. Dimitri shook his head.

"I did not teach you to read and write so you'd know how to address me properly," Dimitri said.

"Hmm… didn't know that about those two," Sothis said.

"And I brought you to the academy as my friend, not a vassal," Dimitri said.

Byleth considered those two things and realized Dedue's quick mention of being indebted to someone might stem from the seemingly large debt he has to Dimitri.

"But Your Highness, a vassal is precisely what I am," Dedue said, supporting Byleth's thought.

"So much has happened since we met, yet we cannot seem to bridge this gap…" Dimitri said. He sighed again before clearing his throat. "So be it. I give you leave to return to your quarters. Take an early night and reflect on what I've said," he commanded, his voice sterner than usual. He seemed to have noticed this himself, and returned to his usual lighter tone, adding a "Please," at the end.

"I couldn't possibly," Dedue said. "I said I would accompany you, did I not?"

"True, but I would much prefer that we take steps to ease this mindset of yours…" Dimitri said, simply turning around and continuing down his path. Dedue followed suit, the two proceeding towards the stairs and out of earshot.

After waiting a few minutes, Byleth emerged and proceeded towards the library as well. He realized there was much about his students he didn't know and thought perhaps his initial understanding of them based on papers and files may not be enough. "That may be true. We know their abilities well enough, but I must admit only a few have opened up to us…" Sothis said. "Seems Jeralt was right. Knowing too many people makes things difficult."

With that in mind, Byleth headed to the library for continued research. He decided he could plan methods of getting to know more about his students when he wasn't actively looking for information that might save their lives. If he was lucky, it would be similar to what just happened and involve much less conversation than he endured today.