[23rd of Great Tree Mooon]

Cloudy

I don't think Robin's getting along with the kids.

Claude is picking every last bit of tactical information out of his brain. Dimitri seems convinced that he's better at the sword than at magic and is talking to him about the glory of the Kingdom, while Edelgard is shooting back every single thing that Dimitri says with pomp.

"Can we-" Robin begins to say before being swamped with more questions from Claude.

I simply stare at him, amused. He shoots me a pleading look which quickly turned to exasperation once he realized I wouldn't be helping him.

I grab this journal from my bag. I think Jeralt saw me do so because he rides up to me.

"You're still keeping up with that, huh?"

I shrug.

"It breaks up the march quite well,"

"Still not willing to talk to anyone, huh,"

"Mikal tried to hit on me the last time. Though, I find Robin comfortable enough to be around,"

"Damn… Do I need to bash his head in?"

"Who, Robin?"

"No, Mikal. This is the, actually, how many times has he done this already?"

"Tenth,"

"Oh Goddess… He really needs to stop before I go and make him a new asshole…" Jeralt sighs and shakes his head. "I hope he hasn't done anything weird to you."

"No. I think he got the message the last time,"

"Good. Don't need a good soldier dead because of a dumb reason,"

I nod.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

Jeralt looks at me with a strange glint in his eyes.

"You've never heard of Garreg Mach? Even Robin has heard of the place,"

I shrug.

"He also handles all the politics," I point out.

Jeralt sighs again, rubbing his brow.

"Right. I keep forgetting that Robin doesn't share this kind of information with you,"

"I do! She just doesn't listen!" Robin yells from the front of the group, momentarily silencing the small gaggle around him.

"Right. Did he mention Garreg Mach, at all?" Jeralt raised an eyebrow.

"I-I think so? He said it is a fortress on top of a mountain that would be suicide to take down without a couple of dragons,"

"Well, that's not… it's technically correct… Damn, I should've guessed he would explain it that way. Yes, it's a fortress, but it's also a sight of worship. People go to pray, and it's also the central administration of the Church of Seiros,"

"So its like the Temple of Naga?"

Jeralt winces.

"By, don't speak of Naga in the Monastery,"

"Why?"

"Because they don't believe in Naga as you and Robin do. I'm still not sure how he managed to convert you… Seriously, how did he do that?"

"He prays to Naga before a battle, and then this glowy red-black aura is wrapped around him for the entirety of the battle and it makes him fight harder. When we get ambushed or he doesn't have the time to pray, the aura doesn't appear and he uses magic more to compensate,"

Jeralt raised an eyebrow.

"So that's what that was, huh… Guess I can't argue with the results. Still, don't talk about Naga when we're inside. Rhea will have you crucified,"

I nod, but I don't understand. I'll ask Robin about it later.

"Who's Rhea?"

"The Archbishop,"

"What's an Archbishop?"

"Rhea is the leader of the Church of Seiros,"

"I see,"

"No more questions?"

"No,"

This is a lie. I have many more questions. I just think that Robin will be better at answering them.

"Still, I think you should stay away from her. Maybe get Robin to stick around you. I think that those two will not be compatible in any sense of the world,"

"Why?"

"...Look, I have a history with her. I think it would be more…prudent to not trust her,"

"You're using a big word, father,"

"I know. This is how much I want you to stay away from her,"

"I see…"

"That's not much of a change for you, huh? You haven't opened up to anyone other than Robin,"

I don't respond.

Jeralt winces.

"Or you," I blink at him.

"Yeah, I somehow doubt that. Stick to fighting, By. You're not very good with people. Goddess knows what Rhea's thinking, dragging not only you and me but also Robin, to Garreg Mach,"

"To teach? The kids seem to really like Robin. Maybe Rhea wants him to teach them,"

"Maybe. He'll be good at it, too, if you're a testament to his teaching abilities. Still, why grab a heretic to be a teacher at a monastery?" Jeralt shook his head. "I still don't understand."

I go to answer, but get distracted by something that Dimitri says.

"Ah, Sir Robin! We're arriving at the monastery now!" Dimitri points off in the distance.

Robin whistles.

"Damn, the books talking about its impregnability weren't lying. Still, I think I could take it, with a good contingent of Chon'sinese infantry, a battalion of Feroxi Warriors, a couple of Shepherds, and my wife," Robin concludes.

"Oh? And how exactly would you do that?" Edelgard perks up at the tactical challenge. Seems like Robin will hit it off with her if she keeps this much interest in strategy. I feel this will be a good idea. Robin will stop bothering me with his insane ideas. Sure, they work, but they're still insane.

"The only way in is that stone bridge. I'll have Tiki clear that, and send in the Feroxi to capture it. If they're more church troops than the Chon'sin army I've brought, then I'll keep the bridgehead as a chokepoint, using their superior numbers against them. I'll have Virion keeping the skies clear with Cordelia and Cherche. When the Church's troops are tired and exhausted, then the attack truly begins. I'll be facing a bunch of tired men with an army of some of the finest men in the world, who are fresh and ready to break some necks," Robin folds his arms in victory.

"Hey Teach, don't forget that they can blow the bridge!" Claude yells with a smirk. He seems to be poking at Robin's brain rather than questioning him; he has the same eyes that Robin has when he sees potential in someone.

"I'd like to see them try with Cherche around. Minerva will eat anyone stupid enough to get into their flight range. Plus, Tiki'll be flying around too. Nobody is getting close to the bridge to destroy it,"

"Who? Minerva?"

"Cherche's wyvern,"

"Oh,"

"I see… That would be a good plan. What if the Immaculate One shows up, however?" Edelgard looks Robin in the eye.

"Er- Who?"

"You believe those old legends, Edelgard? Didn't take you to be one of the hardcore believers," Claude chuckles.

"Wait, who's the Immaculate One?" Robin has a confused look on his face.

"Oh, it's a legend about a massive dragon that dwells in the caverns under Garreg Mach," Dimitri shrugs. "It hasn't been seen for over a thousand years."

"Huh. Didn't know that,"

"So, Sir Robin. What would you do if it did show up?"

"Oh come oh, Edel! Just because you couldn't come up with a plan that wasn't just full frontal assault doesn't mean you have to try and trip him down!"

"Edelgard, how big is the Immaculate One?" Robin frowns, a hand on his chin.

"Uh- we don't know. It is likely the size of several houses,"

"Oh, so not that big then," A bright smile beams from Robin's face.

"Hey Teach, not to burst your bubble, but the Immaculate One is immensely powerful,"

"Oh, it's not that hard to take into account. If she interferes with the bridge, we simply pull back, having the dragon overextended, trapping it. A couple of Wyrmslayers will do the trick,"

"What if it destroys the bridge?" Edelgard frown.

"Unless it is a mindless beast, it wouldn't,"

"Why?"

"They cannot resupply without the bridge. If it breaks the bridge, all I have to do is cut off supply lines and they'll starve,"

"Oh-"

"There's still a massive dragon on the loose, Teach," Claude points out.

"Men hold castles, Claude, not dragons. Believe me, if I could hold off the Valm invasion by sticking Nowi in a castle, I would. Alas, we had to sail and engage them on the open, burning, ocean," Robin shrugs.

"You seem to have a lot of experience, Sir Robin. Are you sure you will not consider joining the Kingdom?" Dimitri asks.

"I, once again, must respectfully decline, Prince Dimitri. I have a promise that I must keep, and I am a man of my word," Robin does a half bow to the blonde prince.

Dimitri sighs.

"Well, what's keeping you from joining, Teach?" Claude asks with a fake grin plastered on his face.

"Why do you call him Teach?" Curiosity gets the better of me and I cut in before Robin can respond.

"Uh- Ah shit! Sorry, Sir Robin, I didn't mean to call you that. It's just that you were acting like a teacher when you were answering Edel's questions, so I assumed you were a teacher or something. And uh- I hope that didn't decrease my chance of hiring you," Claude blinks rapidly.

"Don't. I prefer it if you were less formal with me. I hate stuck-up bureaucrats and petty, squabbling nobles," Robin snorts.

Claude blinks then barks out a deep laugh.

"Damn, Teach! I didn't know we shared the same ideas! Hey, if you're still around after you complete whatever mission you're on, would you take up my offer? The Alliance has a lot of like-minded people in high places. You'll fit right in! Plus, your reputation as a schemer overshadows even mine!"

"I'd like to think that I'm a tactician, not a schemer. Makes me sound like the trickster Gangrel or the asshat Validar," Robin sighs.

"Same difference, eh, Teach?"

"I would also like to extend the same invitation, Sir Robin. The Empire is in desperate need of reform, and you will be the best one to facilitate it,"

"Can we please go ten seconds without someone giving me a job offer? I already have a job! I don't want to leave it just yet!" Robin groans.

"You're the one that said to save the brats. You're dealing with the consequences of that choice," Jeralt snorts.

"Don't give that, Jeralt…" Robin sighs. "Plus, it was By that saved them. If anything, they should be pestering her…"

"Yeah, I guess that is weird. Why aren't you three bothering By at all?" Jeralt sniffs.

"Hmmm? She said for us to ask Sir Robin. She said she'll go wherever Sir Robin goes," Dimitri shrugs.

"By! Really?" Jeralt turns to me, a look of hurt in his eyes.

I…shrug.

This was not the correct decision.

Jeralt winces in pain.

"I see…"

"...Robin is a better teacher…" I try to joke.

"That he is…" Jeralt sighs and shakes his head.

"...That was a joke…"

"You're not good at joking, By. Stick to fighting,"

I sigh.

"What are we going to do at Garreg Mach, anyway?"

"It seems they want our services,"

"They need mercenaries?" Robin looks back from where he is. "I thought the church had the knights."

"They don't want us to be mercenaries. They want By as a teacher,"

This gets a snort from Robin. I agree with him. I'm not good at teaching.

"And let me guess, they want you to rejoin the Knights of Seiros or something along those lines,"

"Got it in one, Robin. I'd say I'm surprised, but I'd be lying,"

"What can I say? This lowly tactician likes to be on top of things," A small sad smile appears on Robin's lips.

"What's going to happen to the company?"

"I- don't know…"

I frown.

Silence greets the group as we cross the small stone bridge that connects the Monastery to the rest of the highlands.

On arrival, the three lords took their leave, each leaving with a retainer. Edelgard left with a tall, black-haired boy that Robin pegged as a dark mage before he even saw him, Dimitri left with a taller, muscular, white-haired, and dark-skinned man, while Claude left with a shorter, well-endowed pink-haired girl.

The rest of us walked another two hours into the monastery. By this time, I heard my stomach grumble about not having lunch, but I quietly pushed the thought back down. Robin isn't even hungry, and he can eat enough to feed a small family of four.

As we go through the monastery, I go to ask my father who the woman on one of many spires is.

"Ah… That's Lady Rhea,"

I stare at the tall woman with green hair and frown.

"She's the dangerous one?"

"I'd say. If I didn't know better, I'd say she's a Manakete. Be careful, By. She seems dangerous," Robin sighs, cutting into our conversation.

I nod. If Robin says to be careful, I'll listen.

"Is there anything-"

Alois then cut in with a bad joke about cabbages and lettuce, but I manage to catch the meaning in his joke.

It was time for our audience with the Archbishop.

We enter the chamber. The green-haired woman isn't here, however. A different green-haired person is standing in the room.

I frown. Were we not going to see the Archbishop?

"Jeralt. I see you have returned," The man starts to talk to Jeralt, ignoring Robin and me.

"Seteth. I assure you, I don't think this farce is going to cause a couple of extra wrinkles on your face. What do you want…" Jeralt sighs.

"How uncouth. I wasn't even notified about this meeting beforehand. I don't want to be here as much as you do," The man, Seteth replies with a similarly deep sigh.

"I see. Where exactly is Lady Rhea?" Jeralt asks.

If responding to his question, the tall lady in question steps out from an adjoining drawing room.

"Ah, Lady Rhea. I was wondering where you were," Seteth says with a bow.

"There isn't any need to worry, Seteth. I am not a child that needs to be taken care of," Rhea shakes her head. "Plus, I would not miss this reunion for nothing. It has been too long, Jeralt."

Jeralt bites his lip and replies.

"It has been, Lady Rhea,"

"So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?"

"Yes... Born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child...but I'm afraid we lost her to illness," Jeralt sighs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of Robin's eyebrows rise.

"I see… My condolences…" She turns over to Robin with a confused expression. "And who is this?"

Robin gives a little bow.

"I am but a humble tactician, Your Grace. Robin the Foundling, the nameless,"

"Odd. I had expected 'the Robin who Sings to the Blade Breaker' to be more boisterous," Seteth raises an eyebrow. "Were the stories not true?"

A light chuckle comes from Robin.

"It appears my reputation precedes me by a fair margin. Indeed, I am the Blade Breaker's Tactician, and I have experience beyond what my years may suggest, but that is all there is to me, truly,"

"Hmmm, odd. I was told that you were not from Fodlan. Is this correct?"

"Again, it appears my reputation precedes me. Indeed, I am from a nation across the great sea. I have come here to repay a debt that I owe," Robin gives another bow, though this one is a lot more formal.

"Interesting, indeed. I suppose you have some underlying reason for being with the Blade Breaker?"

"Yes and no," Robin frowns. "Jeralt found me in a field, and I still haven't repaid him for that yet. It just so happens that my old debt aligns with my new one."

"I think that is enough, Seteth. I don't think we should be grilling the poor man. There are more pressing matters to attend to, namely…" Rhea interrupts Seteth before he can speak and turns to me.

"You… I have heard about your exploits from Alois. What is your name?"

I don't reply. I don't like Rhea enough to do so.

This makes Seteth pissed.

"Colour me surprised. I hadn't realized that Jeralt had managed to-"

"I apologize, Sir Seteth. Her name is Byleth. She doesn't like to communicate with people, especially new acquaintances that may pose a threat to her. She does not mean any ill from her lack of speech. Again, I apologize for any insults that her silence may have caused," Robin bows deeply, his words turning sickeningly sweet.

"Well, at least someone has manners here…" Seteth shakes his head, muttering.

He managed to calm Seteth's temper down, offering him an olive branch…

"...I was only giving the hospitality that I was shown,"

…that I shot down immediately. A painful wince comes from Robin's face while a look of sheer outrage can be seen on Seteth's face.

"You-!"

"Now, now, Seteth. She has a point," Rhea chuckles a little bit. I realize her laugh is not natural, something about them seems…off. Robin seems to notice this too, and his eyebrows are furrowed now.

"My dear, my name is Rhea. I am the Archbishop. To be completely honest, I already knew your name from Alois, Byleth. It was rude for me to ask for your name without telling mine," A smile is on Rhea's face. I don't like it.

"I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for saving the students of the Monastery. I know that you made every endeavour to shield them from the worst of the fighting, and took responsibility for their safety from start to finish. Princess Edelgard in particular is in your debt, as is her entire nation. I must once again draw upon that kindness for I must ask you a favour,"

Father sighs.

"It appears that you already know what I was going to ask, Jeralt,"

"Of course, I would. Alois wouldn't stop pestering me about it," Jeralt shakes his head back and forth. "You want me back with the knights, and By keeping tabs on the kids, yes? Not sure what you want with Robin, though."

"That is correct," Seteth nods. "Consider it repayment for squatting."

At this Robin sighs.

"I told you we should have moved," Robin mutters to Jeralt under his breath.

"Robin you knew?" I tilt my head as I ask.

"Knew that Remire had been bought by the church? Of course, I knew! What kind of a tactician would I be if I didn't even know where I was sleeping? Sir Jeralt over here just thought he could slip under the church's nose until we went back to the throat. Holst was very adamant," Robin chuckles.

"I see. I'm starting to like you more and more, Mr Robin. Being on top of things is very important," Seteth nods in approval. "Back to the topic at hand, however. While we are thankful for saving the village, we still require a professor or two to fill in the gaps in our faculty."

"Indeed. I believe it would be beneficial for both parties for you to accept our proposition," Rhea nods.

"Well, I certainly can't say no; Alois will bug me for the next five years if I did that. By, however… She's more than capable of deciding for herself. Convince her, not me," Jeralt shrugs.

Wait, why me? Robin makes all of my decisions anyway!

"I see. Do you accept, Byleth?" Rhea now turns her attention to me.

"Robin, should I accept?" I toss the ball into his side of the court.

He blinks a couple of times in surprise. He turns over to me with a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean, By?"

"You make all the decisions for me," I remind him. He sighs deeply. Rhea looks as if she wants to interject, but Robin replies before she can make up her mind.

"It's completely up to you, By. I'll follow your decision this time. Think of it as training," Robin nods to himself, satisfied with his own explanation.

I frown. That was not what I was expecting.

I don't know why it took me so long to answer. I wanted to say no, I really did. But something about the students… I don't know why, but it seemed like they needed help. Maybe Robin is rubbing off on me in the wrong way.

"I accept with two conditions, however,"

"What are they?" Seteth's eyes narrow.

"First, I would like Robin to be a co-professor. I do not have the amount of experience that he does, and he has much more knowledge of topics such as magic and tactics than I do. I do not know how to teach. Robin does,"

Seteth sighs. Robin just looks shell-shocked.

"I suppose that is a valid concern. However, I would like to do an examination of his abilities beforehand, if that's alright with Sir Robin," Seteth sighs again.

"Um, By?"

"Yes?"

"A-Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," I say firmly.

"R-Really? I don't think this is a good idea…"

"You aren't the one thinking this time. I personally think its a great idea," Jeralt chuckles with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Robin visibly deflates.

"Fine then," Robin sighs and shakes his head.

"What is your second condition, Byleth?" Seteh asks.

"I'd like Robin to share a room with me," I smile slightly at the face that Robin, Jeralt, and Seteth makes.

Robin looks extremely panicked for some reason.

Jeralt looks angry.

Seteth looks…exasperated? Confused? Done with it all?

"J-jeralt, I can explain," Robin turns towards father and slowly backs away from him.

"You'd better. One minute, starting now,"

"I- Actually, I can't explain. I have never had those thoughts at all, Jeralt. I don't know why By would ask for us to share the same room. I've only ever been in her room once, and that was because she refused to let me heal her. You were there, Jeralt. Futhermore, I am a married man, and am too scared of my wife to even dare to touch another woman," Robin spits the words out with a speed I didn't know he could speak at before.

"When why?"

"I don't know! Ask By!"

"By, why?" Jeralt turns towards me.

Why did I do that? Part of me wants to say it was for laughs, but the other part wants to tell Father the truth.

The truth wins out.

"Robin makes me feel at home. I don't want him far away from me," I admit.

Robin has… an effect on me. I don't know how to describe it, but he makes me feel safe. I wanted him to be near me. Is that so weird?

Jeralt thinks it's weird.

"Robin, what exactly did you do to my daughter?" Jeralt asks with a fury I don't think I have ever seen from him before.

"Nothing! I swear! I swear!"

"By, has he done anything weird to you?"

"No?" I don't know what Jeralt is talking about. "Unless pouring vulneraries on me after every battle is considered weird."

"Alright fine then," Jeralt mutters.

"Are we good now, Jeralt? I swear I didn't and will not do anything to your daughter. In fact, I would refuse if not for the fact that By would be upset and try to kill me if I did," Robin shudders a little. I wonder why.

"Fine, I'll trust you on this. But if I hear anything from your room, I'll kill you," Jeralt sighs. He then mutters something under his breath.

"Has the family drama been concluded, or do I have to wait…" Seteth remarks dryly.

"Yes," I nod.

"I don't mind that you two will be sharing a room. In fact, it will make it much easier to accommodate Sir Robin. However, I will stress the fact that public dis-"

"No! We won't do that! Please, don't mention that! Jeralt was this close to killing me, I don't need to remind him of what's going on!" Robin suddenly speaks up, cutting off Seteth's words.

The green-haired man's face oscillates between rage and amusement before settling on the latter.

"I see. Don't make me have to speak of it again. I will get the other two professors here for your assessment. Please bear with me," Seteth snorts with amusement.

As the Archbishop's advisor leaves the room, Robin visibly deflates, even more than he did before.

"By, what was that for? You could have told me in advance!" Robin turns to me.

"We shared a house in Remire. I didn't want to let that go,"

"You could have asked Jeralt!"

"Jeralt doesn't comfort me,"

"Robin, you are sounding suspicious again," Jeralt folds his arms.

Robin's face turns white and he bites his lips. This causes Jeralt to chuckle.

"Don't worry about it. I've seen you trying to comfort By when Ada died. In fact, I'm glad you got her to open up to at least one person. I was getting scared that she wouldn't be able to show emotion at all,"

"Hey, isn't the Archbishop still here?" Robin turns around to stare at the green-haired woman.

"I am still here indeed. Is there something you need from me, Sir Robin?"

"I have a question, in fact,"

"Speak your question, child,"

"Why are you choosing Byleth?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why are you choosing Byleth to become the next professor? Aren't there better options? Heck, Jeralt is a better pick than By, no offence,"

"None taken," I shake my head.

"I… Have my reason. Those reasons you are not privy to," Rhea gives a curt nod.

Robin shrugs and sighs.

"I understand. It's probably a need-to-know basis, anyhow,"

We then went into silence.

After a long while, Seteth comes into the chamber with two people, both of them very tall.

"Manuela, Hanneman, please welcome our newest additions to Garegg Mach," Seteth said before walking back to Rhea's side.

"Well, if it isn't the strapping young knight, the bright new mage, and the grizzled professor!"

Jeralt chuckles.

"I think you got it backwards, lady. She's the professor, I'm the knight. You got the mage in one, though,"

"Oh really? Not expecting such a beauty to be the new professor,"

"I was not aware that you swung that way, Manuela," The older man with a monocle shakes his head.

"Oh come on, Hanneman, I'm just making conversation," Manuela sighs.

"Still, why are we here? I don't think Seteth would want us to come here if it's just to introduce the new professor,"

"Indeed. I have called you two here to judge whether or not Sir Robin here would be a good fit for a Professor. Robin, this is Hanneman, a Crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy, and Manuela a professor and a physician,"

"Robin? Is that the mage?"

"Yup! That's me!" Robin nods with a large grin. "It's an honour to meet you both. I hope we will have a wonderful year at the Monastery,"

"Well then, are we going to start?"

As they started to talk, I slowly tuned out the conversation they were having. They seemed to start with general knowledge that Robin, of course, aced. By the time they got to logistics, Manuela excused herself to get some materials. When they started to talk about naval tactics, Manuela came back to an incredibly confused Hanneman. When they started to talk about the proper usage of calvary, Manuela gave up following the conversation. Hanneman dropped out halfway through an explanation of what he called the "Eliwood Gambit".

Even Seteth had to admit that his knowledge of tactics is unmatched.

"I think that will be all…" Seteth shakes his head, cutting off Robin's speech about the usage of heavy ordinance during a siege. "I think you've proved without a doubt that you're incredibly knowledgable and overqualified to be a professor. If Rhea doesn't have any objections, then we would welcome you as an adjutant to Byleth."

Rhea doesn't speak.

"Rhea?"

"..."

"Rhea, what are you doing?"

The Archbishop blinks a couple of times and turns towards her advisor.

"My apologies, Seteth. I was lost in thoughts, all alone," Robin chokes on something as Rhea says this. "I believe Sir Robin has proven to us that he is qualified to be a professor. However, I must stress that this is a Fodlani school. You will be second to Professor Byleth. You are not to overstep her boundaries. I trust you because both Jeralt and Professor Byleth trust you. Do not break that trust, Robin the nameless,"

Rhea then leaves back to the drawing room. Seteth blinks a couple of times in confusion.

"Understood…?" Robin gives Seteth an odd stare. "What was that all about?"

Seteth doesn't answer, and instead changes the subject entirely.

"Now that we have confirmed your professorship, I'd like for you two to get acquainted with both the other professors and the students," Seteth nods to himself. "I will take my leave now."

"Great job there, Robin. You managed to piss off the Archbishop and somehow confused Seteth. Not an easy task, mind you," Jeralt chuckles and pats Robin on the back. "I'll go and find Alois, he's probably getting anxious."

Robin sighs

"Well, I believe we will be coworkers for the foreseeable future," Robin bows to the other two professors.

"I believe we will," Hanneman nods. "I hope you two will be a good influence on Manuela. Goddess knows I've tried my best, but I'd like to see you two give it a shot as well."

"Come on, old bones, loosen up a little. They're young children, they deserve to play a bit,"

"No thanks, Professor Manuela. I believe that a job is done best when one is serious. However, being off duty? That's a different topic all together!" A small, wicked grin appears on Robin's face. "Oh yeah, we should probably get out of the audience chamber, yeah?"

"That's a good idea. Let's walk and talk," Manuela nods.

"So, who are we going to be teaching this year?" Robin starts up the conversation. He's good at that, unlike me.

"As you may well know, there are three major houses within our monastery. The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Yellow Deer," Hanneman informs us.

"We did not know that," I respond, causing Hanneman to blink.

"Oh, did nobody tell you?"

"Rhea didn't explain much before she left…" Robin shrugs.

"I see…" Hanneman sighs. "Well, The Black Eagles are made up of students from the Adrestian Empire. They are currently led by Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg, the heir apparent of the Empire."

"The Blue Lions are made up of students from the Holy Kingdom of Faergus. Their leader is Crown Prince Dimitri. They're a close-knit bunch, but not too much to handle," Manuela supplies.

"And the Golden Deer are from the Leicester Alliance. This year they are being led by Claude von Riegan, the heir to the Grand Duchy of the same name," Hanneman finishes.

"I see…" I nod.

"So, do we get to choose which class we teach? It would be irrelevant otherwise, I think," Robin shrugs.

"Indeed. Since you two are going to be new Professors, Hanneman and I thought you two should get the first pick for the new school year. In exchange, we'll choose the starting positions for the mock battle in a week's time," Manuela informs us with a wink.

"Well, I guess that would make sense, in a way. Are you sure you won't let us pick the positions too? We are new, after all," Robin frowns.

"Oh dear, the rugged tactician can't handle a small disadvantage?" Manuela teasingly remarks.

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Robin raises an eyebrow. "Because if it is, I'll bet my entire first month's salary that we'll win this mock battle."

"Oho? Making such bold statements already?" A glint appears in Manuela's eyes.

"They're not bold if they're based on experience," Robin rebuts, a similar and more familiar glint in his eyes. He has his challenge face on right now.

"Oh, you're on! Whoever loses the mock battle will have to give the other a month's worth of salary!"

"Now now, Manuela, I don't think it's a good time to be placing bets, not before we've gotten to know which class we are going to be teaching," Hanneman sighs. "To that end, I believe it to be critical for you two to speak with the house leaders and have them introduce you two to the houses."

"I guess that's a good point," Robin scratches the back of his head. "Well, we'd better get going then. It's past lunchtime and I'm starving. I prefer to talk to people with a full stomach.

We then left for the dining hall.

I almost got lost on the way to the dining hall. For some reason, Robin is really good at navigating the massive monastery. Did he have experience with living in such a place before?

We managed to reach the diving hall while the food was still hot, and we went to get some food.

I chose the Onion Gratin Soup, but Robin elected to cook something himself and came back with a pile of roasted meat.

"What are you eating?" I asked him.

"Bear meat,"

"Where'd you get it?"

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"From a bear?"

"I mean when,"

"This morning,"

Ah, that explains it.

He had sat down in a relatively empty area of the hall. A couple of the students gave us a curious glance, but none tried to approach us. Until that is, I caught Edelgard marching towards us from the corner of my eye.

"Princess Edelgard! For what do we owe the honour?" A large smile erupts onto Robin's face as the Princess in question sits down next to him with a tray of her own.

"Sir Robin, what exactly is that?"

"It's Roasted Bear Meat," Robin shrugs.

"I…was not aware that they served bear meat at the Academy,"

"Oh, they don't. I asked the head chef if I could use the kitchen. I cooked this up by myself," Robin grins and puts a thumb up.

"You know how to cook?"

"Of course! It is but one skill required during a long march. Plus, Sumia is a great teacher. I got cooking lessons in exchange for babysitting little Lucy,"

"That sounds… intriguing. May I… try some?" Edelgard points to a piece of meat that looks like it doesn't have much fat on it.

"Sure. It's very gamey, though," Robin grabs a metal skewer, impales that slice of meat onto it, and hands it over to Edelgard.

After blinking a couple of times at it, she takes a timid bite, before coughing and putting the skewer down.

"Very gamey? That's worse than anything I've ever eaten!"

"Ha! That's what Say'ri said! With a lot more 'Fie!' and less sass, though," Robin chuckles. "Though I must admit, it is an acquired taste. Only Chrom, his two daughters, and I were able to consume bear without gagging back home. I'm not surprised that that was your reaction."

"Are you saying that I'm weak?" Edelgard narrows her eyes. "If so, I will prove to you that I am not."

She picks up the skewer and eats the entire piece of meat in a single bite. A painful grimace erupts on her face, but she manages to force the bear meat down.

Robin simply stares, half amused, half surprised.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd take that as a challenge. It took me ordering Frederick as his superior when we got drunk for him to even get bear meat past his lips. Colour me impressed, Princess Edelgard. You're certainly better at this 'Badass Princess' than a certain blonde I know," Robin blinks a couple of times in surprise, then snorts in amusement.

A flush of red rises through Edelgard's face, before being fought back down.

"I'll have you know that I will not back down from a challenge,"

This somehow causes Robin's eyes to start twinkling with a mischievous glint.

"Oho? Dear Princess, you do realize that accepting every single challenge that comes your way isn't tactically sound?" A small grin starts to appear on Robin's face. "A good leader knows when to back away and seek an alternative avenue of attack."

"I will not become a coward if that is what you're suggesting," Edelgard sniffs.

"I'm not suggesting that. I'm suggesting it's important to pick your battles, For example, do you know what this coat means?"

"It means something?"

"Yup! It's the standard travelling coat for the Grimleal, a cult of insane, evil, insanely evil, and maleficent insane dark mages,"

"You are one of these…Grimleal?"

"I'm an ex-Grimleal. I refuse to deal with dark magic. I just really like their coats. However, I still can sense dark magic like Gaius senses sweets," Robin shrugs. "So, don't think that you can hide over there, Mister Adjutant!"

I blink a couple of times as Robin cocks his head over to a dark corner of the room and yells towards it.

Edelgard winces as a tall, pale, and thin man with oily black hair apperates from the darkness and walks over to the dining table, sitting next to Edelgard.

"Hubert… You were watching?"

"I am ever vigilant, your highness," Hubert slightly bows. "And I would thank you for not feeding the heir of Adrestia wild bear."

Robin shrugs.

"She wanted to try some. I wasn't even going to give her any if she didn't ask so politely,"

"Still, I would appreciate it if you refrained from giving her such food,"

Robin just sighs.

"Look, I not going to stop her from doing anything unless it will be a danger to her health. The worst that the bear was going to do to her is giving her a mild stomachache that will go away in a couple of hours. She isn't allergic to gamey foods, is she?"

Hubert bites his lip and stews for a couple of seconds.

"But still, I-"

Robin sighs, cutting off whatever the black-haired man was going to say.

"Look, man. You're not intimidating. I can tell that you're a dark mage, which means you're making me compare you to titans of the dark arts like Aversa, Tharja, and Henry. You're barely out of puberty, and nowhere close to Tharja when I first met her. At least she could break through my magical defence. I doubt you could do the same. So drop the tough act, alright? If you really want me to distance myself from your liege, find a different way to achieve that result," Robin shakes his head.

I chuckle a little bit. It's always funny seeing Robin ripping through a confident man's skills.

Still, Hubert looked ready to murder Robin. Nothing new, that.

"Hubert. Sir Robin has a point. He was able to see you even when you were cloaked. If anything, I'm curious about these 'titans of the dark arts' that the honourable sir mentioned," Edelgard interrupts the staring contest between a furious Hubert and a nonchalant Robin.

"They were, or are, Grimleal. Aversa's dead. Henry converted when he married Lissa, and Tharja was never a believer in the first place. She was there for the power," Robin shrugs. "Just remember that Henry could switch people's bodies, Aversa could raise the dead, and Tharja could probably reduce any city to smouldering ruins if she tried hard enough."

I feel as if Robin is hiding something, but I stay silent.

I am good at that.

"Raising the dead? I didn't know you were such a prolific liar," Hubert snorts.

"I mean, the Risen aren't technically resurrecting the dead, but none of us has truly figured out what they actually are. The Deadlords are even worse. Technically, Porcus is one of Marth's companions, but I don't think Marth would ever accept him as the man he once was. Not sure if it's necromancy or not. Definitely not what Hel does, that's for sure,"

Robin snorts at the face that Edelgard is making. Hubert has a mask of calm but was probably stewing under it.

"It's not like I can find out, you know? I killed Gri-the man who made both the Risen and the twelve deadlords," He chuckles a little bit as he finishes the last bit of his lunch.

I realize that I hadn't eaten yet, and attack my Onion Gratin Soup with vigour.

Before anyone else could say anything, the blonde-haired leader of the Blue Lions arrives and smiles at Robin and me. A hulking mass of a man is standing behind him, carrying two trays.

"Ah! Lady Byleth! Sir Robin! May I have this seat?" Dimitri asks, pointing to the seat to the immediate left of Robin.

"Blondie," I nod. I prefer simple greetings.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Robin does a little bow.

Dimitri frowns.

"Please, call me Dimitri. We're not too different in age, no?"

"You'd be surprised. I'm twenty-nine. You?"

Dimitri looks shocked.

"You're twenty-nine?"

"Yeah, and By's twenty-four. How old are you exactly?"

"I'm seventeen…"

"So we are very different in age. Don't worry, I'll still call you Dimitri if you wish,"

"Y-yes, that would be preferred,"

"Alright then. Oh, fish. I thought people from Faergus preferred red meat,"

"I want to try different cuisine, Sir Robin,"

"I see. Hey Dimitri, could you show us your house later? Actually, now that I think about it, you should do that too, Edelgard,"

"Uh- Ok? Is there a reason for this?" Edelgard asks.

"Manuela and Hanneman are having us draw first for the house choice. Unlike my companion here, I like to be prepared for anything," Robin gestures to me. I respond by punching him in the shoulder, causing him to flick my forehead. Before this can devolve into a full-on brawl, Dimitri speaks up.

"Sir Robin! Are you being hired as a Professor this year?" He seems excited.

"You are? Then you must-" Edelgard cuts in.

"Halt, Edelgard. You interrupted me back in Remire. Please let me get through my own proposal first!" Dimitri huffs. "Please, the Blue Lions would be a wonderful choice for you, Sir-no Professor Robin."

"Hmph. He would fit in much more in the Black Eagles," Edelgard folds her arms.

"Hey hey, you know it's not my choice, right? Not only are we both going to be teaching a single class, but the draw is random" Robin chuckles a little bit. "By here is going to be doing most of the teaching. I'm just here as her adjutant."

"I see… Then, is it appropriate if I introduced the two of you to the Blue Lions house after lunch today?" Dimitri proposes.

"It would be. Should we go to your classroom?" Robin nods.

"That would be appreciated," Dimitri smiles, though his eyes settle on a point behind Robin's face.

"When will you have time, Professor Robin? I would also like to introduce my house to you," Edelgard frowns.

"I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing anyway. I'll go find you after we meet Dimitri's class, if that's ok with you, By,"

I nod. I think Robin wants us to meet with the houses, but I'm not sure at this point.

"I believe that will be a good arrangement. I will inform my house about the meeting," Edelgard nods and leaves.

"Huh. I never expected her to be like this. She jealous?" Robin asks Dimitri, who just frowns.

"I'm not sure, Professor. I've never seen her like this before,"

"I see… You should probably gather your house too, Dimitri. Don't want to embarrass the house on the first day, huh?" Robin gives the blondie a witty smile.

"Indeed… I will be going, Professor. Please excuse me," Dimitri and the dark-skinned giant leave.

"Well, that leaves us alone again," Robin notes, looking at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"You know you're more talkative when with me. So? Do you want to talk?' Robin leans back in his chair.

"...Not really?" I respond, confused at his question.

"Really? Nothing to say? Nothing to complain about, nothing to be excited about?" Robin chuckles.

"No. Nothing,"

"Then, can I rant to you a little bit? It won't be as bad as that one time you made a pincushion costume on the battlefield that one time,"

"Of course," I nod.

"Good," Robin takes a deep breath. "Personally, I don't like this. Not at all. I would rather be on the run than directly under the thumb of the church."

"You never liked religion," I shrug.

"Wrong. I dislike religions whose deity isn't a likeable person," Robin then lowers his voice. "I know my deity on a personal level. I trust Naga with my life, and she's the best mother-in-law I could have. I have never met Sothis, so of course, I'm going to be a little careful around her followers."

"Sothis?" Isn't that the name of the little girl who lives in my head?

Robin blinks a couple of times then sighs.

"Sothis is the deity that the Church of Seiros worship. She's a goddess. The Goddess, if you take the scripture for what it's worth," Robin sighs again, chuckling a bit.

This I did not know. Does that mean that the Goddess lives in my head? Does she live in everyone's head? Is that normal? Do gods just live in our heads? Is this why Robin knows Divine Naga personally? No, that wouldn't explain the 'best mother-in-law' bit. I wonder who his wife is. He never mentions who Tiki is.

"Hey, Robin?"

"Hmmm? Yes? You finally have something to say?"

"I have a question,"

"Shoot,"

"Is it normal for there to be a god in your head?"

"...What?" Robin looks like he's been slapped. A look of pure shock is on his face. His amber eyes have swelled up to an incredible size, and his eyebrows have migrated to his forehead.

It's a very funny face, and I cannot help but laugh.

"By! Why are you laughing? This is serious!"

"I-I'm s-sorry! Your face is t-too funny!" I giggle more.

Robin sighs and smiles at me. He gives me a couple of seconds to calm myself before he goes back to his serious face.

"Right. This is really bad, By. I'd rather talk about it in private where we don't have people around, but I will need to have a word with the 'god' in your head,"

I nod.

"Also, finish your food. Dimitri's probably waiting for us. Don't want to keep your crush waiting, eh?" Robin points at the Onion Gratin Soup that I've barely touched.

I stare at him with a pointed look. I do not have a crush on Dimitri, no matter what Robin thinks.

This causes Robin to start giggling.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. Finish your food,"

I grumble, but start eating my food nonetheless.

The Blue Lion's classroom isn't very large. That's the first thing I notice about it. Still, it's big enough to house 20 or so students, but not much more.

It's nothing like the massive auditoriums that Robin described at the Ylissian Academy of Magic, which according to him, could house upwards of 150 people each.

Dimitri, amazingly, was able to get the entire house together in just under twenty minutes, though two of them, the blue-haired one and the redhead, look extremely tired.

All in all, there are 8 students in the house. I wonder if this is the normal number or just the number of noble houses who have children in this age range in the Kingdom. As for the gender mix, there is one more boy than there are girls. The hair colours are also a mixed bag. A good majority have blonde hair, but the rest are truly unique. In fact, the giant dark-skinned man has short white hair, similar to Robin. He doesn't seem that old; does he have a similar condition to Robin?

"Hello Professor Byleth, Professor Robin! Welcome to the classroom of the Blue Lions! We are extremely excited to be meeting the new professors this year! I truly hope that you'll choose our house," Dimitri bows slightly. Robin returns it.

I simply stare at the blondie.

"Enjoying the view, By?" Robin whispers in a low voice so only I can hear it. I sigh and jab him in the side, hard.

He screams. Loudly. But not unmanly.

This gets an amusing reaction from the students.

Dimitri looks surprised, the orange-haired girl, the two blonde girls, the silver-haired boy, and the orange-haired boy all seem shocked, the dark-skinned giant seems indifferent, and the blue-haired boy sneers at Robin.

"Cough cough What was that for, By!" Robin recovers and grips his side, sighs. He shakes his head at me. "What did I due to deserve your wrath, my lady?"

"You know what you did," I snort.

"Well, they seem lively," The orange-haired boy notices. "Wonder if she'll join me for tea."

The shorter blonde girl snorts.

"Don't try it, Sylvain. She'll kick your sorry butt to Faergus and back if Dimitri's story is true,"

"Hey, that just makes it more exciting!"

"Sylvain! They can hear you, you know!" Dimitri barks at the orange-haired boy. The boy, Sylvain, flinches. "I'm sorry for his behaviour, Professors. I promise to keep Sylvain's philandering to a minimum."

Robin outright laughs at this.

"Don't worry about him, Sylvain. I have experience dealing with a very similar man. Best way to deal with him? Hit him till he stops thinking about it, because one day he'll hit on the daughter of someone who won't be so kind to him," A bright smile illuminates Robin's face.

Sylvain's face pales by a couple of shades.

"I guess so. Well, this is the Blue Lion's house. This is my retainer, Dedue," Dimitri points to the giant man next to him.

The white-haired man nods.

"I am Dedue,"

Not much for conversation, huh?

"He doesn't talk very much, does he?" Robin notes.

"I'm sorry Professor, Dedue is…intense sometimes, but he means no ill," Dimitri explains.

"I see. And the mage is…?" Robin turns his head towards the short girl with orange hair.

"Oh! You can tell that I'm a mage! I'm Annette, by the way! Annette Fantine Dominic!" Annette bows a little bit. "Wait, how…exactly could you tell that I'm a mage?"

Robin chuckles and gets that glint in his eyes.

"Well, Miss Dominic, there are three noticeable signs. Firstly, your stance. It isn't any martial stance, and you don't seem to care about the positioning of your weight. Look at Dimitri, for example. His weight is constantly shifting from right to left, never letting one leg take all of his weight yet also allowing his body to move at a moment's notice. You aren't doing anything like that. Even the silver-haired boy is controlling his weight better than you are, and he seems like a thief, not a warrior,"

Dimitri, Annette, and the silver-haired boy's eyes go wide at Robin's explanation.

"Furthermore," Robin goes on. "You've been staring at me more than By. She looks like quite the warrior, no? The bluenette and Sylvain have been staring holes into her ever since she stepped in the room, though for different reasons, I'm sure. You, however? You've been staring at me and this tome hungerly the moment my foot crossed that doorframe. You want knowledge, and you want it pretty badly."

"The last reason is more specific to my condition. I can sense dark magic. You've at least understood the basics of dark magic. I think Miasma, or maybe Flux? No, you don't use Flux here… A minor hex? Dunno. You know some dark magic, I know that for sure," Robin folds his arm and smiles.

"H-How do you figure this out?" Annette blinks a couple of times and stumbles through her words.

"Experience and a hyperactive mind, Miss Dominic," Robin chuckles. "You'll be able to get to my level in a decade or so, especially if I stick around."

"Right… Well, I was going to introduce Annette, but it seems like you've figured it out. The girl next to her is Mercedes, our healer and white magic user," The blonde girl nods in response to her name being called by Dimitri. "The Bluenette, as you called him, is Felix of House Fraldarius. He's a swordsman. A good one, too. Sylvain Jose Gautier and Ingrid Brandl Galatea, the person standing next to him, are our other lance users. Ashe Ubert is our archer, he's the one with silver hair and green eyes."

Robin nods and each person responds to their name being called in different ways. Felix snorts and looks away, Sylvain flashed me a smile that I didn't understand, Ingrid snorted and kicked Sylvain in the back of the knee and shook her head, and Ashe raised his hand and waved.

"I see…" Robin hums to himself.

"Well?" Dimitri has a small smile on his face. "You have any other observations you would like to share with us? The way you completely deconstructed Annette's behaviour has me very curious about what you can do."

"Oh? Do you want me to talk about these things? I must warn you, it will feel very creepy for all involved, especially you, Dimitri," Robin's eyes light up.

"Don't worry, I can take it,"

"Yeah! We're the Blue Lions! We can take a bit of creepy," Sylvain smiles at me. Stop doing that, it's weird.

"Well, let's start with Dedue. I'm guessing you're a bodyguard, yes? The way you stand close to Dimitri is telltale. Probably some sort of blood debt? Or maybe some other kind of non-contractual agreement? Probably an axe user, as well. Judging by your stance, I'd say you also wear heavy armour. I suggest classing into a Great Knight since your Prince will probably stick to the lance and he's much faster than you. That way, you can keep up with him on the battlefield," Dedue's eyes show just the slightest hint of surprise, while Dimitri's face looks blown wide open, the wide eyes and shocked glance at Robin before calming slightly are hilarious. He needs to understand that this is what Robin does on a daily basis and get used to it.

"Next! Mercedes! Let's see… You're probably highly religious. I don't have much experience with the Fodlani faithful, but you give off the vibes of the faithful in other places that I've been to. Perhaps a bit too faithful… A question, if I may," Robin scratches his chin.

Mercedes nods, though a little taken aback.

"Ask away, Professor. Though, I don't think being too faithful is ever a bad thing,"

Robin chuckles darkly.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Why did you think you got to this Monastery?"

"The Goddess lead me here," Mercedes said without a second of hesitation.

"Thank you. Next! Ashe! You're not a noble, that much is clear. Not only do you not have a middle name, which seems so popular with Kingdom Nobles, but the way you stand is more like the way I stand. We weren't raised in a noble's court, even if we are nobles or related to one. I'm guessing adoption? Either that or legitimized bastard, though that one's quite unlikely," Robin nods to himself. Ashe instantly goes stiff.

"P-Professor… You're also a noble?" The meek boy asks.

"Well, technically. Never was raised in court, though. Don't come to me expecting a prim and proper gentleman, I will severely disappoint you," Robin chuckles.

"Moving on! Felix! You fight because you want to fight. You probably have a disturbing past that you don't want anyone outside your immediate circle to know, though you trust those around you to keep that secret. I'd suggest that you have an aversion to women, but that doesn't seem like the case. In any case, stop being an ass and you should be fine. Find a reason to fight that isn't just fighting, though. It'll help you out," Robin smiles at the scowling boy, though his words seem to strike home.

"Sylvain! You're a womanizer. Stop that. You're going to push people away, especially if you try too hard. Don't be like Inigo and fall too hard down that hole, alright?" Ingrid gives the orange-haired boy a pointed look. Good. He deserves it.

"And you, Ingrid. You want to be a knight, yes? Well, don't give up on your dream, especially since you're a noble. Being a noble doesn't mean that you can't be a knight. In fact, some of the best knights back home are or are related to royalty. Catch that dream! Also, why are you so uncomfortable around Dedue? Were you affected by Duscur? Just remember that Duscur was both a region ruled by a ruler and a people. Don't blame the people for the crimes of their leader," Ingrid looks both glad and happy and slapped. She doesn't know which emotion to display.

"Lastly, the dear Crown Prince. Is everything alright there, Dimitri? You've been staring over there for a long time. Are you seeing things? Perhaps an evil god coming to destroy the world, hmmm? Something terrible's happened to you as well, though you are taking it even worse than Felix is. Don't be afraid to ask for help, no matter what people, living or dead, say," Robin sighs to himself. "Don't worry about what happened, just look towards the future and look on the bright side. You've got a long life ahead of you, unlike these old bones."

Robin chuckles even more, though the entire class looks stunned.

"Um… Professor Robin, how old are you, exactly?" Annette asks timidly.

"Twenty-nine. I'm over eleven years older than Dimitri here," Robin folds his arms.

This revelation completely shocks the group of students here, with the exception of Dimitri, who only has an 'I know it right…?' look on his face.

"T-Twenty-nine?" Annette looks the most surprised of the group. "You're older than Felix's uncle!"

"I-I thought you were closer to our age, Professor Robin! I didn't know you were that much older than us! W-Wait, does that mean that Professor Byleth is also as old as you?" Ashe exclaims.

"Nope! She's twenty-four! Still very young," Robin smiles at me. "So you should learn to enjoy yourself, By."

At this, Sylvain looks at me and nods. I dislike him.

I feel that I'm being made fun of, and I choose a quick comeback that I've used before and spit it back at Robin.

"And where did that have you end up, Robin?"

Robin winces and sighs, much to the shock and confusion of the students, especially Dimitri and Annette.

"A really low blow, By. Though, I should have seen it coming a long way away. You've used that more than fifty times now. Still wondering why it still hurts as much as it did the first time," He waves me off. "Back on topic, any more questions or things I should know about from you, Dimitri?"

The prince shakes his head.

"I was going to tell you more about each of us, but you figured out what I was going to tell you and more before I even had the chance to tell you. When Sir Jeralt told me that you were good, I didn't know you were this good," Dimitri sighs. "You simply must teach this class. Between your tactical acumen and Professor Byleth's combat ability we will be unstoppable."

"Well, I have two other classes to see, Dimitri. Again, it's a random draw. I'm only doing this because I want to be prepared for what I might get into. Remember, a leader must always be prepared!" Robin smiles as he throws out one of his favourite catchphrases. I seriously don't understand his speech patterns. Between talking about preparation and his fascination with scales, I get confused very often.

"A good motto to live by, Professor," Dimitri nods.

"Oh right! One last quick question before we leave. How do you feel about the church, Dimitri?"

The prince frowns.

"What do you mean, Professor?"

"How do you view the church, Dimitri? I'm asking for your opinion,"

"Oh, I see. I believe that it is a just and able organization that seeks the betterment of the people,"

"A response not unexpected from the Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faergus. Thank you, Dimitri. If we do teach your house, then I look forward to teaching you. If not, then we will be open to personal lessons, if you wish to take them," Robin bows, before gesturing for me to leave the classroom with him.

A short thank you from everyone in the Blue Lions catches us on the way out. I turn towards Robin when we're out of earshot of the Blue Lion's classroom, a question on my lips.

"What was that last question for, Robin?"

"Hmmm?" Robin looks up from staring at the ground in thought. He looks surprised that I noticed something off about that last question he asked. "W-Well, you know we don't belong here at the church, being devotees of Naga and all, so I wanted to see if maybe Dimitri wasn't all too keen on following the church. If push comes to shove, I want to have allies here."

"So you don't like their house?"

"No! Not at all! In fact, I like their house a lot. I was kinda disappointed when Dimitri answered like that. They- They remind me of old friends a little bit too much. Some…painful memories have started to emerge…" Robin sighs and shakes his head, his eyes focusing on a point behind my head. A small frown emerges on his face, but it quickly disappears. "I-I don't want to pick them. Honestly, I don't. It's not safe for us. But…if you want them, I won't mind."

"I don't like them,"

Robin raises an eyebrow.

"Really? Why?"

"The orange-head kid makes me want to punch him in the face," The look that he gave me the entire time came close to making me lash out at him.

"Ah… Remind me to never introduce you to Inigo. That man doesn't deserve to die quite yet," Robin chuckles, though his face returns to his serious look after a while. "Hey By, why don't you hand the introduction for the Black Eagles? The Princess looks quite…interested in you."

I blink at him.

"I don't know how,"

"Just listen to what the Princess has to say," Robin sighs and shakes his head. "If you have any questions, ask her."

"I don't know how to communicate with people,"

"Then it's a perfect time to learn. Come on, their classroom is right over there,"

I sigh as I'm dragged by Robin over to the Black Eagles' classroom.

Whatever I was expecting from the Black Eagles House, it was not what was shown.

A light-blue-haired boy was arm wrestling a magenta-haired girl with face markings reminiscent of those from Brigid on one of the tables, while a green-haired boy was sleeping next to them, his face in a book.

A brown-haired girl with an impressive bust was talking to a short purple-haired girl who was sitting on the ground, a book over her head. Edelgard is arguing with a different orange-haired boy while Hubert stared on.

Robin sighs and gives me a pointed look. I ignore him. He's only going to make fun of me if I say anything.

Still, since Edelgard is too busy arguing with Sylvain 2, I suppose I have to get this class into order.

I cough loudly into my first, startling everyone except for Robin, who looks on the verge of laughing. Am I that bad at ordering people around? I handled my battalion well, I think?

At least my coughing had the intended effect for all of twenty seconds. After turning their head at me, the room suddenly erupted into a cacophony of different voices.

"Hey! Is that the new professor?"

"Oh no…"

"Is he the one who saved you, Edelgard?"

"I'd thank you for properly addressing your Princess, Ferdinand,"

"I am having much interest in our new professor,"

"Oh! Professor Byleth! Professor Robin!"

We are barraged by a stream of questions and inquiries. I try to speak, but I'm drowned out quickly and cannot get the near-endless stream of words to stop.

I turn towards Robin, who is looking at me with an amused and pitiable stare.

Robin uses his pointer finger to draw a circle around the group of squabbling students and then puts both hands on his chest, then extends them towards me if offering something.

I sigh again.

This is the hand signal for offering help; Robin wants to know if I need help with managing the students.

At that moment, I thought I could sort it out, so I put my pointer finger in front of my face and move it diagonally across my face.

Not a chance.

Robin snickers and lightly claps his hands twice then looks at me pointedly.

You sure?

I snort and tap my left cheek twice, then curl my hand into a fist and moved it across my mouth.

I got this, shut up.

Robin gives me a large grin and two thumbs up.

I shake my head.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem like the house noticed our silent exchange. They've started to bicker amongst themselves, paying us no mind. That is, everyone who wasn't named Hubert. He's been staring at us while we had our conversation with a confused yet interesting look.

"Everyone please calm down," I command, soft yet firmly. It doesn't work.

"Everyone, please calm down!" I exclaim again, this time louder. Still doesn't work.

My mind wander a bit, thinking of times when Robin managed to get the attention of a large group when his voice couldn't reach them.

It wanders until it finds the memory of Robin during an assault on an Almyrian fortress. To get the company's attention, he blasted an elfire spell into the air. The resulting explosion caused everyone in the area to look at him. Since only the mercenaries of Jeralt's company knew that specific spell, they understood what Robin was trying to do and ordered up for attention, while other mercenaries had no idea what was going on.

The problems with replicating such an event are many. Firstly, I can't cast elfire yet. I have never been good with the fire line in general, and can barely form a coherent combat fire spell as it is. An elfire spell would be impossible for me. Secondly, I don't have an elfire tome, only a combined tome with thunder, elthunder and arcthunder in it.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, elfire is a very potent spell. I might accidentally burn the monastery down with it if there's enough wind today.

I thought for a moment and decided that a high-powered thunder spell will be able to replace the elfire spell. It's loud enough, and an elthunder might collapse the building.

Feeling my connection with the yellow tome in my coat tightening, I point a hand towards the ceiling and start to manifest the basic magic circle for the spell.

Before the bolt of electricity can be created from my finger, I notice Hubert, Edelgard, and the brown-haired girl's eyes go wide and they realize what I'm about to do.

The bolt of lightning shoots out my finger with a loud bang, smashing into the wooden rafters and causing a shower of black splinters to rain down. Thankfully, none of them hit me or the students. Said students all jump at least a couple of inches up in the air at the sound, with the meek purple-haired girl screaming at the sound. The sleeping boy also wakes up, frowns, and falls back asleep.

"Everyone, please calm down!" I command, and this time the students listen. "I am Professor Byleth, and this is Professor Robin," I gesture to Robin, who is trying not to laugh. "We are here to get to get introduced to this house before we are assigned a house."

This causes a fog of silence to descend onto the room. Edelgard frowns and sighs.

"I'm sorry, Professor. They usually aren't this…rowdy,"

"What are you talking about, Edelgard? This is what we're usually like!" The blue-haired boy pumps his fist up.

"Caspar! We're trying to make a good first impression!"

"What's a first impression? Are we trying to impress the professors?"

At this point, hearing the peculiar accent of the magenta-haired girl, I try some Brigidian.

Ciallaíonn sé an chéad tuiscint a dhéanamh, gan dul i gcion ar dhuine.

This causes her eyes to widen in surprise, followed by everyone else in the room in short order.

"I-I was not of expecting you to speak Brigidian, Professor. I am having surprise," The girl informs me in Fodlani.

"Hold on, you can speak Brigidian?" The blue-haired boy asks me.

I nod.

"Well, coloured me surprised, Professor. Where did you learn it?" Edelgard asks.

"Some mercenaries on the throat were Brigidian. I spent too long near them, I guess,"

This is when Robin laughs and interrupts me.

"She's lying. I taught her Brigidian after I and Josan were making fun of her in it. She was very adamant about it,"

Damn it, Robin. You could have just stayed silent.

Thankfully, Edelgard coughs and gets the house's attention.

"Professor, you are here for me to introduce you to the house, correct?"

I nod.

"Well, I supposed I'd get on that. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, Heir Aparant to the Adrestian Empire. You've already met both me and my retainer, Hubert von Vestria. That over there is Ferdinand von Aegir, and the girl next to her is Bernadetta von Varley. The one standing over her is-"

"Halt, Edelgard! I believe it is best if we introduce ourselves. Professor, I am Ferdinand von Aegir, heir to the Duchy of Aegir, the most prestigious and noble house in the Empire!"

"Ferdinand, while I understand your concern, you shouldn't try and interrupt me every time I speak," Edelgard sighs.

"If we're all introducing ourselves, then I'm next! I'm Caspar von Bergliez! Second son of the Count von Bergliz! Say, you look like you can fight, even if you can use magic. Wanna spar later?" The bright blue-haired boy smiles at me, though not in the same creepy way that Sylvain looks at me. He's looking at me in the same way that Mikal looks at me, a quiet assessment of danger.

"Dorothea Arnault, former songstress of the Mittlefrank Opera Company, at your service. I can sing, dance, and do whatever you need of me. I'm sure we can find some time together in between lessons," She winks at Robin.

"Sorry Miss Arnault, I'm already taken. Try your luck with another man. Or girl, I don't judge," Robin shakes his head.

"I am Petra Macneary, Princess of Brigid. I am having an apology. I am not yet learned in this language,"

I shake my head.

"Iarr cabhair ar Robin nó ormsa le Foldani, tá an teanga á labhairt againn"

"I will, thank you," She smiles and nods.

"Is that everyone?" I ask after a moment of silence. Before Edelgard could open her mouth to speak, a loud snort comes from the back of the room.

"That would be the one missing. Linhardt von Hreving, a genius, if he could stop sleeping during class. Don't worry, Professor, I'll wake him," Edelgard sighs, walking towards the green-haired man.

Robin chuckles and shakes his head.

"I got this. I know how to deal with sleepyheads," Robin looks towards me. "Permission, Professor?"

I nod and silently apologize to this Linhardt.

Robin walks behind the sleeping form of Linhardt. He first leans into the boy's exposed ear and whispers something into it. It makes Linhardt visibly uncomfortable. Nodding to himself, Robin pulls a tome from inside one of his many pockets. It has a dark purple cover, and it's the tome that Robin refuses to use unless the spell is so small that there is no way for the spell to kill someone.

A thick purple liquid emerges from his fingers as he casts a tiny flux spell. He drips the liquid onto Linhardt's ear, and walks back to the table next to me, sitting on it.

After a little bit of time, Linhardt shoots up and screams. Not the scream of a dying man, nor the scream of rage, but the scream of sheer, unfiltered, terror.

He screams so loudly that it gives Robin a headache.

"Should've used less if I knew it would be this bad," Robin mutters under his breath while rubbing his temples.

After a full twenty seconds of screaming, Linhardt finally stops. Sweat drips down his face in streams, and his face is deathly pale.

"Welcome to the world of the living," I say dryly as I nod my head. "Linhardt von Herving, was it? Please introduce yourself."

I think I hear a whimper from Bernadetta as Linhardt sits down and steadies his breathing.

"P-P-Professor, what in the name of the Goddess was that?"

"Something Robin cooked up to wake me up every morning," I sigh. Back when Robin trained me, I would sleep in until the late morning. Didn't need to train with a mage, I thought. I paid for that decision dearly with many nightmares. In a way, that alone helped me become a better fighter by making me fear nothing.

"Professor Robin uses that on you every morning? How are you still alive?"

I shrug.

"Still, introduce yourself,"

"I suppose I have to now," Linhardt sighs, the colour returning to his face. "I am Linhardt von Herving, the heir to House Herving. I am a healer and a crest researcher. Please don't have me do any physical work; I prefer to work on my magic."

"Well, that's what Robin's here for,"

"He's still going to have to work on his physical prowess sooner or later. Can't have a healer who can't even keep up with the main army," Robin shrugs. "That is, of course, if we choose your house. I doubt Hanneman will have you running laps."

Linhardt's face brightens slightly at my words, only to be cut down by Robin's. Still, he seems more comfortable around the Purple Coat Man now.

"A quick question, if I may," Hubert asks me.

"Of course,"

"What exactly does that spell do?"

"It gives the brain a shock of pure fear. Dark Magic, apparently," I shrug. I don't know how Robin makes these spells, but he just does.

"What spell is it, exactly?"

"Ask Robin, not me,"

Hubert stares at Robin until the tactician sighs.

"It's the flux spell. I've modified it a bit so it-" Robin stops himself. "Look, if we become your professor, you can ask when we do a Black Magic seminar. If we're not, then just pop by our room and I'll write it out for you. Too much information, not enough time."

Hubert seems content with that answer and goes back to being silent.

"Right, then. Is that finally everyone?"

Dorothea coughs a little and stares at Bernadetta, who shrinks back.

"Bernie, you have to,"

"B-But what if the scary Professor does to me what he did to Linhardt?"

"Scary Professor?" Robin puts a hand to his mouth. "Am I that scary?"

"Eeek! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"I'm not mad, just surprised, that's all. It's been so long since someone's called me scary," Robin smiles at the girl, which causes her to relax a little.

"So, who are you, Bernadetta?"

"O-Oh! I-I am Bernadetta von Varley, d-daughter of Duke Varley. I am an archer, but I'm not very good at it…"

"Well, that's why you're here then? To learn?" I reply.

"Well…"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sound of a massive bell.

Robin blinks a couple of times.

"Oh shit. I didn't think it would be this late already,"

I tilt my head in confusion. Robin goes to answer my question, but a yell from Caspar cuts him off.

"Oh Yeah! It's dinnertime! Finally, I've been waiting for this since this morning!" The light blue-haired boy dashes out the door and into the monastery grounds.

Edelgard sighs.

"I suppose we all have to go to dinner now… I didn't think it would take this long. I apologize for taking so much of your time, Professors,"

"Don't worry about it, Edelgard," I smile at her, drawing the faintest blush onto her cheeks. I guess Robin was right when he said she had interesting feelings towards me. "We are getting dinner together, after all."

She smiles brightly.

Robin coughs quietly.

"Sorry to break this up, but we still need to get our room keys, By. It's going to be dark in a while, and I'd rather not have to find Seteth by moon and candlelight,"

I sigh. Robin's right.

"Sorry about that, Edelgard. I'll find you after we get our rooming situation sorted out,"

"A-Alright," She nods.

"Oh yeah, Edelgard?" Robin asks.

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about the church?"

She frowns.

"I…believe that, while the church is good in its intentions, it sometimes does more harm than good," She says, weighing her words as she says them.

Robin simply nods and walks off. I follow him.

AN: Sorry that it took this long. I'm really sorry, but I can only write around a thousand words a day, and the chapters are only going to get longer from here on out. Expect 2 weeks for the next chapter. Again, I'm sorry, but I just can't write that quickly.

Also, poor Linhardt.