The Enemy's Aim.
Later in the day, Esdeath had gathered her class to tell them about this month's mission.
"Alright everyone, I recently received orders from Lady Rhea herself that our mission for this month will be to patrol and set up defenses to stop an believed assassination plot" She said.
"An assassination plot?" Akame asked.
"Indeed. After Byleth and her students dealt with Lonato, they discovered a message that revealed a plan to kill Rhea. As unbelievable as that sounds, it's not a threat that can be brushed aside" Esdeath answered.
Hubert thinks on this "I wonder if an assassination attempt is truly the goal of our enemy...".
Akame looked at him "What do you mean?".
"You must sense that something's off about all of this. A barely concealed secret message, trying to distract us from whatever's really going on. Sloppy, to say the least. And while everyone is out searching for a phantom assassin, they'll be free to accomplish their true goal with ease" Edelgard said.
"I can always rely on your sharp eyes. This could indeed be nothing more than a distraction to draw our attention away from our enemy's real goal. But that leaves us with another question: What could their real goal be?" Esdeath asked.
"The monastery houses many valuable weapons. Perhaps that is their aim?" Ferdinand guessed.
"I hear the monastery has a treasure vault too. Seems like the sort of place a foe would like some alone time in" Dorothea added.
"Garreg Mach is immense, and not just above ground but below as well. Perhaps their aim lies beneath the monastery..." Linhart said.
Akame rubbed her head with a sigh "So all we know there is a chance someone is trying to kill Rhea. And we have no idea what our enemies is after if that's not the case. And it's not like we can just guess our way to the truth".
"You are right on that, Akame. We can't stop our enemies without knowing what they are really trying to do. It seems to me that we should search the monastery for a clue as to what the enemy might be after. Of course, we must never underestimate the need for preparedness, in case a battle should ensue" Hubert said.
"Then that means I am assigning you all a secret mission. You will provide security as ordered by Rhea, but your main focus will be to find clues about anything our enemies could be after. And if you discover something worth while, then you are to tell me about it. Understood?" Esdeath asked.
"Yes professor!" Everyone said, their mission was clear.
With Byleth and her students, they too were talking about the assassination.
"OK... So our task this moon is to patrol and guard the monastery in support of the knights, who are busy trying to stop an assassination plot. Here's the thing. I don't think the bad guys are really trying to assassinate the archbishop" Claude said.
"It's a distraction" Byleth said.
"Precisely. That "secret note" with the assassination plot on it... There's just no way that was real" Claude said "People don't just carry around secret notes. Someone wanted us to find it".
Ignatz thinks "Do you really think the assassination plot is just a distraction?"
"Oh, yeah. That makes complete sense. But then...what are they really after?" Hilda asked.
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be so worried. Let's see... It probably involves somewhere that will be empty during the Rite of Rebirth, yeah?" Claude asked.
Lysithea thinks "Since the ceremony is at the Goddess Tower, it follows that everywhere else at the academy will be severely understaffed".
"Do you think they're after the church's donation money? I hear noble families tend to donate quite generously" Leonie guessed.
"My bet's on the dining hall. It's a treasure trove of delicious food. Makes me angry just thinking about them getting their grubby hands on it!" Raphael said, sounding way to serious.
"Or maybe they are after the Church's deepest, darkest secrets. Like some hidden tombs. I heard those tombs contains great treasure, but are protected by the vengeful spirits of the original owners. Who will eat the soul of anyone who dares to trespass on their resting place" Leone said in a spooky tone.
"Leone! Stop saying stupid things like that! It makes you sound like an even bigger fool than you already are" Lysithea said, though her tone made it clear she wasn't really upset about Leone being stupid.
Leone smirked at her "I even heard they love the souls of little girls".
"I-I'm not little! And I do not believe in ghosts!" Lysithea said, trying but failing to hide her fear.
"Knock it of Leone" Leonie said.
"Alright alright, I'm sorry. But in all seriousness, it is possible they are after the Church's treasure" Leone said.
"Let's split up and look around! I'll keep an eye on the reception hall" Hilda said.
"You should get in some training if you have the time, Hilda. There's a good chance we'll have to fight" Claude pointed out.
Hilda looked annoyed "Uh! Well, I'm not the only one who needs to train here! It's not right to single me out like that".
Suddenly Shamir walked in with a boy next to her "A secret meeting, Professor? Oh, we haven't been introduced. I am Shamir".
"Shamir is one of the Knights of Seiros. And that little go-getter there is–" Claude began but the boy cut him of.
"I work for Lady Rhea! And I'm Shamir's apprentice! Oh, the name's Cyril" He said.
"You work for Rhea? And you are Shamir's apprentice?" Byleth asked.
Cyril nods "Yep. I help Lady Rhea with all kinds of stuff. And Shamir is teaching me about the bow and the sword and all kinds of stuff. I've gotta protect Lady Rhea, so that's why I've gotta learn all I can from Shamir".
"Cyril adores Rhea. That aside, if you need anything, ask" Shamir said.
Byleth nods, having some help was always a good thing.
Later that day Akame was trying to think of something that would be a logical target for the enemies. But for all she knew, the enemies could be after something didn't even know about. She was sure Rhea and the Church had more secrets than truths, people in high positions always do. This whole situation was just one big mess.
Akame sighs and shakes her head "This isn't going to work. If I am going to find any clues, I need to start looking. But where do I even start?".
"Hey Akame" Came an familiar voice.
Akame looked "Hello Felix. Sorry, but if you want to spar, I'm afraid I am busy at the moment".
"So I've heard. Sending an assassin to the monastery, hm? Hopefully it's someone worth crossing blades with" Felix said.
"It's possible, if an assassination is even the real plan" Akame said.
"What makes you say that?" Felix asked.
"Which I could tell you. But we have reasons to suspect the assassination is nothing but a distraction" Akame said.
"So the enemy would have an easier time claiming their real goal... yeah, that does make sense I guess" Felix said.
Akame nods "I am familiar with assassinations, and any half decent assassin wouldn't make their intentions so clear. The whole point of an assassination is to make sure no one learns about it. Otherwise it becomes a lot harder".
"You do seem to know a lot about assassinations. How come?" Felix asked.
Akame realized she said more than she meant to. Maybe her talk with Edelgard lessened her tongue a little to much "It's a long story".
"One neither of us have time for. Well, when everything settles down, maybe you can tell me. But if you don't want to, then I won't push it" Felix said.
Akame couldn't help but to smile "Felix, if I didn't know any better, I would think you care about me".
"Don't be stupid. I just don't want to lose one of the only half decent rivals I have in this dull place. So try not to get killed by being to distracted" Felix said, though Akame could notice the faintest blush on his face.
"Alright, I promise I will not die until we've settle our scores" Akame said.
"You better not, or I will scold you at your tombstone. Now, I have things to do" Felix said before walking away.
Akame smiled before she heard Dorothea speak behind her "My Akame, I had no idea you liked the quiet ones".
Akame blushed "It's not like that, we are just sparring partners".
Dorothea smiled "I'm not so sure about that. I can see it now. Two rivals, battling each other for victory. Only for the true price to be their realization of their feelings for each other. Feelings that will lead to marriage, and they live happy long lives".
Akame blushed more "Marriage!? This is move a little to fast for my liking".
Dorothea giggled "It was part of an opera I saw back in the days. I always hoped my soul mate would find me one day, so I can have my long and happy life".
"Is that why you always seem to cling to random men?" Akame asked.
"Yes... Is there a problem with that? Look, I know what I'm doing. My acclaim as a diva won't last forever, after all. I must look to the future. As a man, you may not feel so rushed about these things, but I know my beauty will eventually fade" Dorothea said in a matter of fact tone.
"Somehow, I think your beauty will last well in to old age" Akame said.
"Thank you Akame, that is very sweet of you to say. And speaking about beauty, I am surprised boys hasn't been throwing themselves at you. You have the beauty of an angel of the night" Dorothea said.
Akame blushed a little "I am not that beautiful".
Dorothea gave her an 'Are you serious?' look and shook her head "Never knew you were this modest, Akame. You are beautiful. With some make up, you would look more like a goddess".
"I am never smearing that stuff on my face, takes forever to put on and wash of" Akame said.
"Oh I will get some make up on that pretty face of yours one of these days. Come now Akame, you can't expect me to believe you've never considered finding someone to spend your life with" Dorothea said.
"I... honestly never thought about it. I grew up with a protective adopted father and older sister. Love never really crossed my mind" Akame said.
Dorothea sighed "You missed out on a lot. I think you should open your heart a little more. If you do, you will feel something that pulls you towards someone. And if they are the one your heart desire, you need to hold on them. Nothing feels better than spending the rest of your life with someone you love".
Akame thinks about what Dorothea just said "I guess I could try. But I'm not sure if I ma comfortable of leaving myself vulnerable like that".
"Sometimes to win a battle, you need to let your guard down and take down some of your walls. Don't worry Akame, I will be here for you if you need help" Dorothea said.
Akame smiled "Thank you, Dorothea. Maybe I will try falling in love one day".
Dorothea smiled back "And when you do, you already have a contender for your heart".
"I told you it was not like that!" Akame argued, but Dorothea just laughed.
Still, love is a new concept for Akame. It can be a great source of strength and happiness... but it can also be a weakness that brings a lot of pain. Love is a risk Akame has never taken before, and while she is not sure if she should open her hear that much, she couldn't deny that falling in love and spending the rest of her life with someone she can trust does sound appealing.
Question is: Is she ready?
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A shorter chapter this time. Tell me what you think.