Blue Sea Moon.

The next month rolled around and tensions were quite high in the monastery. The students were made aware of the potential assassination plot on Rhea's life. As such, the various houses had to come together to figure out the truth. Byleth met with her students, along with those of the Blue Lions and Golden Deer. It was imperative that they figure out some sort of plan to ascertain the enemy's true goal. "I wonder if assassination is the true goal of the enemy…" Hubert wondered aloud to get the conversation rolling.

"I doubt it…" Byleth shook her head. "They're after Lady Rhea, but that just…doesn't seem like it will be possible. Every one of the Knights I've asked said that Lady Rhea can hold her own easily. Just getting to her seems like it'll be difficult…"

"I was thinking the same thing." Shez scratched the back of her head. "Doesn't this whole thing just feel off?"

"I was thinking the same thing." Edelgard nodded in agreement. "A barely concealed secret message, trying to distract us from whatever's going on. Sloppy, to say the least."

"Right?" Claude couldn't help but chuckle a bit. The situation was serious, but the amateur nature of the plot amused him. "Honestly, when you tell me someone's planning to assassinate Lady Rhea, the first thing I'd do is doubt it. If they're trying to sell us a story, they need to use a little less spice."

"Be that as it may," Dimitri began. "It is still something we must at least consider. There is a chance it could be very real, and we cannot dismiss that."

"I feel like we can." Luke immediately spoke up.

"While everyone is out searching for a phantom assassin, they'll be free to accomplish whatever their goal is with ease." Edelgard added. "The 'spice' of their story is likely nothing more than added flavor to make people react."

"I suppose the Knights don't have a choice but to respond." Leonie said. "Even the Captain is getting into position. Even if it does end up being nothing…"

"Ugh, why do they have to cause so much trouble?" Hilda groaned. "I don't want to spend the month chasing ghosts."

"Gh-Ghost?" Lysithea reacted first. But she shook it off. "Don't be ridiculous. Ghosts don't exist."

"I don't think that's what she was going for…" Ignatz quietly remarked.

"Garreg Mach is immense." Linhardt said with a yawn. "And not just above ground, but below as well. Perhaps their true aim lies beneath the monastery."

"This means we should do a thorough investigation of the monastery." Dedue told everyone.

"The enemy is after something and we don't have the slightest clue what it could be…" Byleth said.

"In that case, it's in everyone's best interest to do their homework." Manuela remarked. She was taking this seriously. The situation was too risky to avoid slacking on it.

That's when Shamir approached, and she wasn't alone. She brought Cyril with her, the boy from Almyra that Rhea took in. "Has everyone figured out what they want to do?"

"Oh, Shamir!" Raphael waved at her. She just…kinda appeared out of nowhere. She does that a lot.

"Oh, I recognize you…" Byleth glanced at Cyril.

"This is Cyril." Shamir introduced him. She had no shortage of work going for her; taking part in the Lonato Rebellion, and now doing her part in ensuring that the assassination plot fell through. "He adores Rhea."

"I gotta learn everything I can from Shamir to protect Rhea." Cyril said enthusiastically. This situation was important to him as well.

"…" Claude glanced at Cyril. He didn't say anything, though…

"We're going to do some looking around." Byleth told Shamir.

"That's a good idea." Shamir said. "If you need anything, just let me know." This situation did concern everyone after all. So they all needed to put forth their best effort.

.

.

From this point on, the days were filled with many of the students asking around or investigating things about the monastery. They had to figure out where the enemy's true goal may lie. Shez was in the library, looking over a few books. "Hmmm…"

"What are you looking for?" Arval asked.

"Something that can give me a lead about the monastery." Shez said aloud.

Shez wasn't alone in this search. Lysithea was also in the library. They had the same idea. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing yet." Shez shook her head. "Honestly, I've been reading so many books I'm starting to get a headache…"

"What have you there?" Shez was approached by Tomas the librarian. "You've been here for quite a while, enthralled by those books."

"Huh?" Shez blinked. She didn't even realize Tomas was here. She heard about him, but this was the first time she was actually having a conversation with him. He looked like the kind of old man that could collapse if a stiff breeze came in his direction. "Just a few books. You heard about what's happening, right?"

"Ah, yes…I've heard the whispers. It's very terrible…" Tomas shook his head. "You're the student that was brought in with the new Professor, correct? Where do you come from? Nobility?"

"Uh…." Shez had to think about this. Not that she had any problems answering, but her circumstances were…different. "I'm not exactly a noble."

"You aren't?" Tomas blinked. "I don't mean to sound rude…"

"It's because I can read, right?" Shez rubbed the back of her neck. "Ashe told me that commoners don't really get the chance to learn how to read. But it was my mother who taught me."

"Your mother?" This was the first Lysithea was hearing of this. Or rather, this was just the first that Shez was even mentioning her past or upbringing. "Come to think about it, I don't think anyone's even asked where you're from."

"You're right, no one's asked." Shez shrugged. "But I don't mind talking about it. I was raised in the mountains near Ordelia territory, actually."

"Wait, really?" Lysithea blinked, surprised. Shez was raised in her backyard?

"…Ordelia Territory?" Tomas took interest in this conversation.

"Yeah." Shez nodded. "Oh, and she wasn't by mother by blood or anything. She just adopted me and taught me everything I know. She was…a little mysterious. I can't even remember her name."

"That's…so strange." Lysithea furrowed her brows. "But this explains a lot about you. You do give off the vibe of someone who was raised in the mountains."

It was true. But Lysithea was blunt and it sounded a little like an insult. "Ah…yeah." Shez said with a nervous laugh.

"I see. How interesting." Tomas had a friendly smile. "Ah, forgive me. The two of you have some important work to be done. I will take my leave." Tomas used his cane and hobbled away slowly.

"He seems nice." Shez said.

"Tomas is one of the nicest people. He's been at the monastery for a long time." Lysithea remarked. "But more importantly, we have to keep looking."

"Are you sure? I could go for a break…" Shez was tired of reading.

"We don't have time to slow down." Lysithea was very insistent on this. "If there are enemies plotting something in the shadows, I have a new spell I want to use of them."

"You sound a little too eager for this." Shez just rolled her eyes. She felt something and her gaze immediately went to Tomas. But he was just smiling at her. "….."

"What was that?" Lysithea noticed.

"N-Nothing…" Shez shook her head. She must have been imagining that. For a moment, she swore she felt some kind of malicious, killing intent emanating from Tomas. But that was impossible…he was just a nice old man.

"….." Tomas held his smile. On the outside, he was the friendliest man anyone in the monastery knew. But on the inside? The way he gripped his cane wasn't noticeable, but his hand did tighten around it. "You…."

.

.

Byleth was out gathering information on her own. She was asking around a few Knights of Seiros about any locations that might be exposed while security was tight at the Goddess Tower. Along the way, she ran into a monk. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." The monk turned to Byleth and his eyes widened slightly. "…Are you…Jeralt's child?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. That's me. I'm the newest Professor." Byleth states. "Do you know my father?" She still didn't know a lot about Jeralt's past.

"Yes, I do." The monk nodded. "My name is Aelfric. I know your father…and I knew your mother as well."

Byleth stared at Aelfric. Her expression shifted ever so slightly, which was the best way she could convey the shock she felt. Jeralt didn't talk about her mother often – all she knew is that her mother died. "You knew my mother?"

"Yes, I did. She was my friend." Aelfric said with a smile. "I recognized you immediately, because you look just like her…."

"Jeralt says the same thing." Byleth replied.

Aelfric would've loved to continue this conversation, but he was aware of how dire things were around the monastery. "I don't want to hold you up for much longer. If you're curious about your mother, her grave isn't too far from here. You can visit it if you'd like, I'm sure she'd like that. I'm busy at Abyss. Yuri and the other Ashen Wolves are doing their best to figure things out as well."

"You're in charge of Abyss?" Byleth asked.

"That's right. Someone has to look out for them." Aelfric replied with a gentle smile. "I'll see you soon, Byleth." With that, he made his exit.

Byleth watched Aelfric leave. She knew where the graveyard was, she just didn't have a reason to visit until now. Did Jeralt know about her mother's grave being here? Questions for later. She would take the brief detour to visit the grave of Sitri Eisner.

.

.

Luke returned to Anna, but he wasn't alone. He had Mercedes, Sylvain, and Dimitri with him. Anna saw the small crowd approaching. "Welcome! What can I do for all of you?" She liked the business opportunities she saw before her.

"We're out doing some legwork, but I wanted to stop by on that thing we talked about." Luke said. "That I also already paid for."

"Aw." Anna pouted. It didn't sound like she was getting any money today. But a favor was still just as good.

"Did we come just to see a beautiful woman?" Sylvain asked Luke.

"I don't actually remember asking you to come." Luke gave Sylvain a deadpanned stare. "But…if you must know, I had Anna look into who actually wrote the letter. And with her wealth of information, I was certain she had something for me by now."

"You'd be correct. You know me well." Anna wagged a finger. "It's always worth the price, too. It turns out, that secret message was written by someone within the Western Church."

"The Western Church…?" Mercedes was a little shocked by this news.

"But that's…" Dimitri started.

"…Not what I was expecting to hear." Luke rubs the back of his neck. "But then again…"

"The other church factions don't exactly get along with the central church." Anna leaned on a box. "But to think they would try something so bold as planning to kill the Archbishop! Well, even if that's not their goal, they certainly have the audacity to announce it."

"This is quite huge information…" Dimitri stroked his chin. "We now have the 'who'. But we still lack the 'why', the 'what' and the 'where…"

"The why is probably what they have against the church." That was Sylvain's guess. "But I could be wrong.

"Sorry, I couldn't get that information." Anna shrugged. "I tried, but I couldn't find anything more."

"You've still given us a lot. You've been a big help, Anna." Mercedes smiled.

"I accept tips." Anna grinned.

Sylvain was just about to open his mouth to say something, but he was silenced by the sudden appearance of Ingrid. "Don't you say anything, and leave that poor shopkeeper alone. Or do we have to revisit the scarecrow incident? Or the one with my granny!"

Sylvain put his hands up. Ingrid's voice was getting louder and she was starting to draw a crowd. "Okay! Okay! No need to go that far! I'm going!" Sylvain was instantly defeated by Ingrid's very clear threats. So the others just decided to usher him away, while Luke remained with Anna.

"…The Western Church, huh?" Luke closed his eyes. "…When Rhea hears about this, they're toasts."

"Rumor has it the Western Church has been acting a little strange lately." Anna continued. She wasn't actually finished, but the others left before she could continue. "I don't know what they're up to, but this is a pretty big move."

Luke could only sigh. This was going to be one hell of a messy situation. "I guess we can cross that bridge when we get there. Thanks, Anna. You're always reliable."

"I pride myself on that." Anna puffed her chest out. "Besides, you're the only one that knows my secret."

"It's not like I intended to know, or really want to use that information in anyway. It was just…an unfortunate accident that I saw you with that Crest on your back." Luke said in a low whisper.

"And you covered for me that one time when I was suspected of having it. So I owe you for that." Anna shrugged. "But only for the friends discount. Not the friends and family, there's a difference."

Luke gave an exasperated smile. "Of course there is…"

.

.

Edelgard was sitting along in the courtyard, thinking over their situation. Claude suddenly sat across from her, causing her to stare at him with mild irritation. "Is there something I can help you with, Claude?"

"I just wanted to bounce an idea off of you, Your Highness." Claude said with an annoying smile. He knew he was bothering Edelgard but didn't seem to care. He could also see Hubert out of the corner of his eye…stuck to her hip as always.

"What is it?" Edelgard just sighed. They could at least be productive and figure out the enemy's aim this way, maybe.

"Just a hypothetical. We know Lady Rhea's not really in danger, but what if she were?" Claude asked.

"Well, I'm certain she's capable of handling herself." Edelgard responded. "Assuming her 'attackers' could even get past the Knights. If they could, perhaps that element of surprise would be to their advantage. But the Knights have to protect her…who knows what would happen if Rhea were to die."

"I was wondering the exact same thing myself." Claude withheld a quiet chuckle. "Fodlan would be a very different place, that's for sure. But I guess we have to do our part and make sure that doesn't happen, huh?"

"Our part, hm?" Edelgard closed her eyes. "I suppose so. It's in everyone's best interest that nothing happens to Rhea after all." She said that, but she didn't really mean it. It was just the right thing to say.

"Yeah, I guess so." Claude was dancing around his point and meaning, simply trying to figure out where Edelgard stood on the matter. They were both already aware that the central church most likely earned the ire recently aimed in its direction. "The tree's about to rattle, so we can only see what's about to fall out of it."

.

.

The month passed by without incident and everyone was able to gather some kind of information. The three houses gathered in the main hall to discuss their plan. "The Holy Mausoleum is the most likely target." Edelgard stated.

"How confident do you feel about this, Professor?" Hubert asked Byleth.

"Well, based on what we've discussed, it seems likely." Byleth said.

"….Those odds still worry me…" Bernadetta whined.

"At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how the enemy moves, right?" Claude said. "So if we catch them red handed…"

Seteth approached with Flayn during this discussion. "You seem a mite too relaxed for my liking." Seteth said bluntly. "The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth is about to begin. While we are in the Goddess Tower, we are relying on you to secure the locations that are lacking in defense."

"Do not worry, Seteth. We are handling it." Dimitri said calmly.

"May I let you in on something, Professor Byleth?" Flayn spoke up. "My brother can be a bit…callous. He told me he was concerned about you, and hinted that perhaps you would be better patrolling a coffin." After she said this, a giggle escaped her.

Byleth blinked. "…Excuse me…?" How in the world was she supposed to react to that…?

Seteth was sweating a bit. "That was…said in jest, Flayn. And in confidence. Please just remain by my side and do not cause any more."

"Please excuse us, everyone. We shall see you again after the ceremony has concluded." Flayn said politely. She and Seteth made her exit.

"A coffin? How amusing." Huber stifled a laugh.

It was then that Yuri and Shez came in. "Are you guys done playing around? We spotted some suspicious people lurking about exactly where we thought they might be." Yuri said.

"There's a lot of them, too. I don't know how they got in there, but they have numbers." Shez added.

"Hah!" Constance fanned herself. "Little do they know that we have already been expecting them! Their numbers will mean little to my magical might!"

"The enemy is already here…" Ignatz was surprised. It was so quiet and they slipped in so easily!?

"There's no time to waste then, right?" Hilda asked. She was absolutely right. They could talk about their surprise later.

"The enemy has moved as predicted. I don't know how they got here, but we can cut off their escape and capture every last one of them." Edelgard stated. Everyone else was in agreement. They were all prepared with their weapons and went off as fast as they could to the Holy Mausoleum.

.

.

Just as everyone thought, there were intruders in the Mausoleum; a lot of them, too. Some of them were Western Church soldiers, and the others…the dark mages from Zanado. In the middle of the large chamber, there was the Death Knight, just sitting upon his obsidian horse. On the far end of the chamber, Odesse was working on a sealed container in the back, what was known as the tomb of Saint Seiros. "…So they found us out. I need more time before I can open this."

"Understood!" A western church soldier said.

"It really is the Western Church…" Marianne heard about this information, but she still had a hard time believing it was true. They all believed in the Goddess, and yet…

"Not time to think about the why." Luke said while pulling his sword out. "We've gotta stop them."

"Exactly." Byleth nodded while looking at the others. "Tread carefully, but we cannot take too long. I think they're in a hurry, but if we rush in, it could be bad for us as well. Stay in groups and push on."

"You heard Teach." Claude said.

Shez stepped forward. "Don't worry. I'll mow 'em all down before they know what hit 'em!"

From the shadows, Myson was watching. This was an opportunity for them. They had a goal here in the Church, but Shez presented a chance at something else instead. "There you are, you beast. We're going to solve the mystery of what you are and how you got that power, at the cost of your life. That power you possess should not belong to you, and we're going to take it back."