Chapter 35: Musings on Distant Rumblings

Good news, everyone! I beat the OG Fire Emblem game, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light. It took me a while, if just I kept on redoing the maps to try and get more favorable outcomes. I tell you, those last five maps really spike up in difficulty. But overall, I can definitely say that I enjoyed playing that game. Too bad that you can't actually buy it on the Switch now, since Nintendo seems to like treating their older games like carnival rides or something. I swear, being a Nintendo fan is a love-hate relationship…

XXX

Despite how boring it appeared looking from the outside, Professor Byleth had no issues at all with grading assignment papers at his desk in the Golden Deer classroom. Sure, it was a bright and crisp day outside, but something like the weather outside being nice was hardly much of a concern to the Ashen Demon. Tasks and actions were far more important and engaging rather than something passively existing in the background. He supposed he was lucky that he took to such a mindset so easily.

People had assumed of him that he would want to be the kind of teacher like Jeritza, someone who only cared for the martial-side of the Officer's Academy's educational program. However, those people could not be more wrong. There was as much power in a book as there was at the end of a sword or spear. Knowing only the strength and fury of combat tended to make a hypothetical person into a rampaging beast, someone consumed with bloodlust and rage. Byleth at least prided himself somewhat on being a better brand of mercenary than that. And along those similar lines, a better brand of educator as well. Therefore, it only stood to reason that he would seek to balance logical thinking and strategizing skills with that of the blade arts.

"Do you think the class did well to absorb your lesson today?" a feminine voice asked inside of Professor Byleth's mind.

By far, the more shocking thing that people could learn about Byleth Eisner wasn't that he was a teacher who was legitimately invested in giving a proper education, but it was the fact that he had a small, green-haired girl with long ears living inside of his head. At first, he figured that she was the result of some untreated concussion that he got while on the job, but the girl called Sothis was far too vivid to be a mere delusion. Indeed, her presence was too independent from his own, her voice was too high pitched and borderline-whiny, her observations were often supplied without asking for them, her—

"Hey!" Sothis complained. "I asked you a question, you know. It's quite rude to ignore someone addressing you."

Oh, right. He was thinking about her rather than the question she asked. "For their sakes at the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, I would hope so," Byleth replied.

If he were to give himself a self-assessment, then Professor Byleth would say that he did a fantastic job going over the preparations for the day of the staged battle. He had been drilling them on the physical combat aspects for the past two weeks, more so than mandated by the academy's charter. That day, however, Byleth had elected to go over the more psychological preparations necessary for the upcoming battle. It would be nothing like the initial battle that every student was obligated to attend. With the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, the three Houses would be fighting for glory, and thus were less obliged to hold back or otherwise half-ass their fighting.

Indeed, that day was entirely dedicated to mental partitioning and making sure every one of the Golden Deer had a grasp on their battle sense. To Byleth, there was no doubt that at least some of his students would feel a bit of apprehension to the idea of harming people that they had become friends with over the course of the year thus far. While understandable to have, such a sense of sentimentality would be harmful on the battlefield. A moment's hesitation could result in defeat, and defeat was a bad lesson to carry into real combat scenarios, where soldiers, brigands, and mercenaries attempting to kill someone for real were waiting. It wasn't the most pleasant lesson, but certainly a necessary one when dealing with people his students actually knew.

In any case, the good Professor certainly hoped that his students took that day's lesson to heart, because he was going to move onto other important topics soon. There was a lot to cover before the Golden Deer were to charge into the fray for the honor of their House and home nation, the Leicester Alliance. That was why on the lesson plan for the next day, he was planning on talking about things such as target prioritization, flanking routes shown on the maps of Gronder Field that the Church had provided for the Officer's Academy, and how to properly think for themselves when faced with a situation without support. The Battle of the Eagle and Lion was a way for the Golden Deer to prove that they did not need to rely on his leadership and guidance at all times, as they had with their Church-sponsored missions before. But Byleth was at least confident that Claude could take the reins in his stead. The swarthy lad had the makings of a master strategist about him. Despite the friendly smile that Byleth could tell that Claude deliberately wore at all times, he could see the constantly calculating and analyzing glint in his House Leader's eyes. Those eyes were capable of leading entire armies. It was just up to Byleth to draw out that talent more, as Claude's professor.

"In any case, I think your students have proven themselves to be competent enough that they stand a decently fair chance of winning," Sothis commented.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," flatly replied Professor Byleth.

"Was that sarcastic or not? I can still never tell with you," then said Sothis.

Byleth shrugged. "It could mean what you want it to mean."

"Blunt and evasive. I should not have expected anything less from you," Sothis noted, slightly scowling.

"I merely cannot help my own nature," was Professor Byleth's reply, before focusing his attention back on grading papers. "It's like the story of the scorpion and the frog. Well, loosely so."

"Only loosely?" asked Sothis.

"The scorpion hurts the frog only because it enjoys doing so, despite the self-destructive risks it poses," explained Byleth, not looking up from his pile of parchments. "I only hurt deliberately when I'm paid to. Any other times are purely coincidental or accidental."

Sothis crossed her arms, floating in front of Byleth's desk. "You are a regular paragon of virtue."

"I try my best," Professor Byleth dryly stated.

"And what if your convictions bade you to do act, regardless of your career or payment?" challenged Sothis. She clearly wasn't going to let this one go. The squatter living in Byleth's brain sure was a chatty one. "What would you do then?"

Byleth dipped a quill into his desk's inkwell and began to make notes on the assignments before him. "I would have to find some convictions in the first place."

Sothis rolled her illusive eyes. "Now you are just being obtuse. There is no way you have no convictions or morals."

"I do have them. But I cannot say that I've ever killed for the sake of them," was Byleth's even-toned response.

Sothis sighed. "Given the state of this land, I fear you will not be able to say that for much longer…"

"In which case," replied Byleth, "it is my duty to make sure that such a day where I can't say such a thing doesn't come to pass. My work here is important. It factors into that goal."

"Oh ho? Then I'm sure you can explain to me how fishing during the free study period for the class fits into your overall plan for the future," Sothis then teased.

Byleth suppressed the urge to groan. Of course she would get him on that one. "Please don't tell Seteth about that."

"I physically cannot," Sothis rather obviously pointed out, gesturing to her ephemeral body projection.

Professor Byleth only had one word to say to that: "Good."

Before the conversation could continue, a familiar face made his presence known as the large wooden doors of the Golden Deer classroom swung open, and a certain Reigan heir entered with an air of self-satisfaction about him. With a rather sly smile on his face, he placed a glass vial down on a nearby desk with a satisfying sound of resonating glass on hard wood rang out.

"Claude, if you're here to discuss another poisoning plan for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, I'm going to have to refuse your offer," immediately stated Byleth, not even looking up at the familiar House Leader.

Still not breaking his smile, Claude picked up the vial of liquid and stuffed it back in his pockets. "I think you're getting too used to me," he lightly joked. "You read my intentions like an open book. Heck, you didn't even need to look up."

"It's your walking gait," the good Professor Byleth explained. "Everyone has a unique one. As for your intentions, you've brought up the topic before. It's not hard to guess that you wanted a repeat of that conversation."

"You're definitely a hard one to surprise, Teach," Claude observed.

"I at least hope that I saved you the time of going over a discussion that would've resulted in another rejection," said Byleth, finally finishing annotating one document and moving onto the next.

"Well, wouldn't you know it? I happen to have a backup, just in case you shot down my lightly induced illness idea," smirked Claude.

Byleth wrote some notes on how to improve a strategy proposed on Lorenz's work sheet. "Which is?"

"I simply propose that we scope out the competition," stated Claude, that damned smile still present despite Byleth paying it no mind.

Byleth hummed briefly in thought, as if he was mulling over Claude's proposal. Then, he replied with, "If you're proposing to spy on others, you know I'm obligated to say no to that as well."

"Now now," assuaged Claude, putting up his hands as a mea culpa, "I wasn't thinking of going that far. But I do think it's in our best interests to keep an eye out for how our opponents fight. It could give us a decent edge at the battle."

"Information is a crucial part of battle… but knowing you, I could be giving you permission to go a bit far with your methods," Professor Byleth then thought aloud.

"All I'm merely proposing is that we keep an eye out on students that have skills that they could use to their own advantage. Horse riding, swordsmanship, those kinds of things," further elaborated Claude.

Professor Byleth began to actually consider what the Riegan scion was saying. "And can I have your word that you will push no boundaries? Don't do something that I'll need to punish you for."

At the sound of that, Claude let out a rather exaggerated full-body shiver. "I dread to think of what punishments you could come up with, Teach. For that reason, you have my word."

"…Fine," Byleth conceded. "But like I said, don't do anything to break my trust in you. Keep it to mild, sporting observation only. I'm holding you to that, Claude von Riegan."

"I'll take it!" Claude glibly responded. "I knew I'd get through to you eventually, Teach."

That just elicited an ambiguous-sounding grunt from Professor Byleth, who then turned his attention fully back to the papers. The only indication he gave to Claude that he was done talking was a brief wave of the hand in the direction of the Golden Deer's House Leader. Fortunately, Claude was well-versed in the subtle language of Professor Byleth's non-verbal cues, which in that case meant that he could see that the good professor wanted him to piss off and leave him to markup papers in peace.

At that cue, Claude made himself scarce and walked a way with his so-called unique gait leading him out of the Golden Deer's classroom. The sound of the heavy wooden doors closing behind him signaled a small bit of relief deep inside of Byleth. Finally, he could actually get some work done without any interrupting conversations.

Still, at the back of his mind, the idea of Claude pressing into other people's matters lingered within Byleth. He realized that it was a bit of a hypocrisy of his to ask that of the leader of the Golden Deer, yet he himself was already aware of many other secret things thanks to Sothis. Like the relationship between Sylvain and Bernadetta, for example. It was honestly a bit voyeuristic to know such a closely-kept secret, especially one that Sylvain seemed intent on keeping hidden.

But now that Byleth had the knowledge, he supposed that he was obligated to do something positive with it. It was for that reason that he would at least like to think that he supported their bond, whatever form it took. If he spun it in a more positive direction, then knowing such things couldn't have been too bad, or so he liked to think. Life was a collection of contradictions and odd circumstances, so one more on the pile couldn't hurt.

It was a pile he would have to deal with another time, however. The stack of student work in front of Byleth was far more important than something as ephemeral as the hypocritical nature of man. And so, he worked.

XXX

I was wanting to write a bit of Byleth and Sothis banter, so hopefully the exchange at the top of the chapter does them some justice. Honestly, writing Byleth is pretty damn fun. "Stoic and smart weirdo" is a fun archetype to work with.

Anyway, this has been The Draigg, and I'm signing off for now!