The atmosphere of the monastery felt too tight. It felt suffocating. The scent of a home was no longer there but a sickly sweet scent of lilies, mint tea, honey, and rotten eggs. Like if an animal was releasing its pheromones to show any outsiders that they would kill anyone entering their territory. The ancient scent, only those with dragonic instincts can smell it. Those with Crest felt a shiver, uncomfortable. It was as if at any moment, those mint eyes would appear in front of them. Always watching and ready to make them submit.
"Achoo!" Hai sneezed as the group arrived at the gates, "Ugh...this sweet smell. It's so overpow-w-Achoo! Achoo! Ugh!" Seteth handed her a tissue.
"You can smell it, can't you?" Flayn said as she wrapped her scarf around her face like a mask.
"Smell what?" Claude asked, looking at them confused.
"Seriously?! Achoo!" Hai jumped off her horse, "You kids can't smell the scent of lilies, mint tea, honey, and—Achoo! rotten eggs?! It's so overpowering! Achoo!" She blew her nose on the handkerchief that she bought.
"No?" The knight trio and the students all looked at each other confused.
"Achoo! Achoo! Goddess dammit! This is why I hate my people sometimes! Over territorial and over pro-Achoo!" Hai complained and Arisa just handed her allergy medicine.
"Hai, do not say the Goddess's name in vain." Seteth gave her a warning as the knights opened the wooden gates.
And the scent got even worse than now Arisa was sneezing. It was too much. She wanted to vomit and gag. Rhea's scent was so overpowering. Was this something dragons did often if they wanted to protect their territory?
"Achoo!" Arisa sneezed and Sothis was frowning as she watched through her eyes.
"Something else happened here. There was looming darkness. Perhaps some sort of argument. I'm worried about Leraje and Alexandra. Those two have been on bad terms with Rhea for quite some time." Sothis muttered.
"If I can figure out how to make my scent surround the place and make everyone feel safe again, I gladly do it." Arisa thought as she took out her scarf and wrapped it around her face.
The front gate of the monastery were knights and they opened it. The hallways were still the same, students bustling around, trying to get to classes. And a few strange stares at those that kept sneezing. Thankfully the allergy medicine was now taking effect on Hai, so her sneezing stopped. Flayn felt uncomfortable but nodded to Arisa.
"Professor!"
Arisa turned and saw Edelgard running towards her and Hubert trying to catch up, which honestly was funny. It had been a while since she had seen the future Aderstian Emperor. Arisa noticed her skin was a bit pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was still white fading to brown, the same amount of brown, which is good. That meant the seal she placed to help her hadn't broken yet. And another thing, Edelgard was a bit skinnier, meaning she must have skipped a few meals. Edelgard stopped in front of her, panting, and raised her hand to give her a moment to catch her breath.
"Lady, Edelgard! Please do not run like that!" Hubert panted as he finally caught up, "Professor, it is good to see your return. Flayn as well."
"I'm glad to be back." Arisa smiled as she moved her scarf a bit, "I hope you both have been doing alright."
She suddenly held Edelgard's face, the poor girl turning crimson. Arisa studied her for a bit and saw her purple eyes were a bit dull, lacking the fire they usually have. Something happened while she was away.
"Your skin is a bit pale." Arisa commented and the princess gulped, "You have some dark circles under your eyes as well as you lost some weight. Have you been eating? Has Hubert made you overwork again?" She asked.
"What?! Professor, I would never do that to Lady Edelgard!" Hubert looked at her shocked and she chuckled.
"I'm just teasing." Arisa gave them a small smile as she let go of her face, "But in all seriousness, Edelgard." The princess looked at her nervously, "You need rest. Come to my room later on. I have some bath bombs I think you will like."
"Oh, umm...thank you, Professor. But you don't need to. You have just returned." Edelgard said.
"Nonsense." Arisa chuckled as she patted her head, "You're my friend and student."
"Friend..." Edelgard whispered to herself.
"Professor!" Arisa looked back in the hallway and saw Seteth was waiting for her along with Flayn and Hai.
"I got to go." She turned back to Edelgard and Hubert, "But I will see you, kids, later!" And back she ran to others as she waved goodbye.
"Where are the others?" Arisa asked as they continued to walk towards the main building.
"The students needed to head back to their classrooms. As for Beleth, Shamir, and Sandana, they went ahead to inform Lady Rhea of our return as well as our guest." Seteth explained as they walked past the dining hall.
"I see." Arisa muttered, "Seteth I'm not sure if this is a good time but I want to discuss something important."
"It will have to wait, unfortunately." Seteth as they finally arrived at the Audience Chamber.
"I'm not looking forward to seeing her." Arisa thought as she subconsciously touched her shoulder.
Seteth noticed she was doing that a lot. The doors to the Audience Chamber opened and the scent of lilies, mint tea, honey, and rotten eggs was far too much for Arisa, Flayn, and Hai that they had to use the wall for support and gagged.
"Are you girls alright?!" The poor man panicked as he saw his daughter and niece having a reaction he never expected.
"It's too much for my senses...Ulp!" Flayn gagged and covered her mouth.
"Achoo! I feel like someone is crushing my lungs!" Hai kept sneezing.
"Make it stop! Urgh!" Arisa almost dropped to her knees.
She hated it. She hated the scent. She registered that Seteth ran into the room, most likely to speak to Rhea and that someone was helping her up.
"Kid, kid!" She looked to her right and saw it was her father. Joy immediately filled her, completely forgetting that she was feeling sick.
"Dad!" Her emotions took over and she hugged her father tightly, never wanting to let go.
Jeralt rarely smiled but this was the moment she did and hugged his daughter tightly, glad she was safe and back home.
"Welcome home kid," Jeralt whispered and the two turned and saw Amir and Alexandra helping Hai and Flayn up. The overwhelming scent was now dwindling and all three girls felt they could breathe normally again. Seteth returned, letting go a sigh of relief once he saw the girls were well again.
"Rhea will see us now. Jeralt, Amir, and Alexandra, please wait outside." Seteth said and they nodded.
"Kid, if Rhea even tries anything, just scream and we'll pack our things and leave the monastery," Jeralt said and she nodded.
[—]
The Audience Chamber was still the same as ever as she walked in. Compared to the past, when she walked in, she was afraid of the woman, now she wasn't. Of course, she'll still talk back like usual. She still needs to be careful with Rhea. Dealing with Rhea is like walking on eggshells. Rhea is unstable, and one word that Sothis is back will result in her never being able to leave. The ancient scent was still there but not so overpowering as before. Flayn was holding her hands together, trying to calm herself down while Hai walked straight, with the dignity of a ruler. She did once rule a land. The closer they got the stained glass windows, and the throne there, Rhea stood up and smiled. But she did blink when she saw Hai.
"Welcome Professor." Rhea walked up to them, "I am glad you and Flayn have returned safely. I was informed of what happened in Fhriad by Beleth, Shamir, and Sandana. Cornelia will be receiving a trial next month. The goddess will lay down her judgment upon her for breaking the sacred oath of a Holy Magus." She said and stopped in front of her.
"I'm glad to be back Lady Rhea." Arisa smiled and Rhea twitched.
The older woman noticed a much more mature aura around her and Flayn. Flayn looked at her cautiously instead of trust. Arisa had an aura of someone different. As for the unknown girl, she had the same feeling when she first met the boy, Kaimu.
"I noticed there was an increase in security around the monastery." Arisa's voice made her focus again, "Don't you think you are scaring the students with so many knights stationed around the place? It is as if you are expecting a war." Arisa said as she looked at the woman.
"I decided to increase security once we learned that the Western Church was working with an unknown enemy as well as the investigation of the Death Knight. Along with your disappearance and Flayn's." Rhea said as she walked past her and then turned back to them.
Seteth was silent but he looked at them concerned.
"Your students were very helpful in locating you girls as well as figuring out the time of your return. You trained them, well granddaughter." Rhea smiled.
"Right." Arisa scoffed a bit, "Anyhow, it is the Wyvern Moon. Will The Battle of Eagle and Lion still happen?"
"Originally we were going to cancel it. " Seteth said, "But seeing just how well the students have been preparing as well as that lesson plan you left." He grumbled and Arisa whispered a sorry to him, "We have decided it will happen. You have still 2 weeks to prepare and knowing you Professor, you will catch up quickly."
"Seteth, be honest. Just how much paperwork am I behind on?" Arisa crossed her arms.
"Two months."
"Gooooood luck!" Sothis yelled in her mind and Arisa nodded.
"Then I better get started." Arisa said, "Ah, before I forget." She turned to Flayn, "While we were away, I taught Flayn more advanced magic as well as helped her improve in her healing abilities. She has displayed amazing potential. So Seteth, I was thinking, would it be alright if Flayn joined my class?" She asked.
Rhea's eyes widened and Seteth looked at her shocked.
"We shall talk about this later if that is alright with you." Seteth said and Flayn pouted, "For now, you should see your family and students. They have been waiting for you." He said.
"Alright. And thank you." Arisa said and she turned to leave but gave Hai a look to be careful.
The door closed and Seteth sighed.
"Rhea, there is someone I like you to meet," Seteth said and Flayn squealed as she hugged Hai and the man smiled softly.
"Who is this Seteth?" Rhea asked as she observed the blue-haired woman.
"Rhea, this is Hai. She is...Aubin's and Zuna's second daughter." Seteth said and Hai stepped forward and her hand stretched out.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Hai! I learned from Flayn that you are your father's younger sister and Seteth is his younger brother! I used to live in Albinea, my parents once ruled there!" Hai introduced herself.
"What?" Rhea took a step back, "That's impossible! Aubin and Zuna...they..." her eyes widened in realization once she sensed the power of the woman better but...
"This wretched scent..."
Hai blinked and was confused when Rhea's eyes became cold.
"You're half Agarthan, aren't you?" She snarled and Hai was confused as she looked at Flayn Seteth, who was worried.
"Yes, why? My mother was Agrathan and my father Nabatean. I was created from their blood. The same method the Progenitor God used to create her children." Hai said and Rhea gritted her teeth.
"What?" Seteth gasped, "You were created the same method Mother used?"
"Yes." Hai said, "Father and mother wanted me to watch over the humans once they passed down their rulership to them. For many years I watched and guided them. Eventually, they did not need me anymore. I just watched over their growth. That was all. As for my blood rune, I did pass it down to a selected amount of humans I know were trustworthy." She explained.
Rhea took a deep breath and looked at the woman coldly.
"We will be having a long discussion."
[—]
"INCOMING!"
Leonine screamed out once she saw Arisa heading to the Blue Lions classroom. The students quickly scrambled in as fast they could, closing the door. Some were giggling and Yuri had the camera ready. They could hear talking as they got closer to the door.
"I'm worried about the amount of paperwork I have to do." Arisa sighed as she stopped in front of the door.
"You think the paperwork is bad, you should have seen how much it increased during their midterms," Alexandra said.
"Kid, you sure you don't want me to grab paper stacks and burn them? It'll save you the trouble." Jeralt smirked and Arisa couldn't help but laugh.
"Dad, I didn't think you suggested that," Arisa said as she started to push the doors open.
"Anything for you kid," Jeralt said.
The doors opened, Arisa expecting to see her students and hug them what she didn't expect.
"WELCOME BACK!"
The scent of food filled her nostrils, the sight of decorations all over the classroom as well as a huge Welcome Back banner spread across the chalkboard. The students of all four houses were gathered together, all grinning. She was shocked.
"Wha-Wha?" Arisa gasped and then screamed when so many pounced on her, "I can't breathe!"
Flayn walked into the classroom and got pulled into the hug. She was so happy to see everyone again. She was surprised about the party they set up for them.
"Welcome back, you two!" Anna walked to them, "I'm glad you both are safe. You two had us all worried! The number of locator potions your students bought was massive."
"They didn't cause too much trouble did they?" Arisa chuckled as they let go of her.
"Come on Professor!"
" You think we cause trouble?"
"Well, Annette, Ashe, and Caspar did set the kitchen on fire last week..."
"Oh come on!"
"They made me make a profit!" Anna gave thumbs up and Arisa had a bead of sweat ran down her cheek.
"No one went into my room..." she slowly turned back to her students with a closed eye smile but that smile was anything but sweet, "right?" It was territorial.
"Don't worry." Chris chuckled as he patted her head, "I only went there to get the lesson plans you had." And an instant groan from everyone in the classroom came.
"Professor, you know how to make a lady cry." Manuela chuckled as she walked up, "But I'm glad you're back, you too Flayn." She hugged both girls.
"I have a lot of paperwork to catch up to, so I was hoping to do it today." Arisa chuckled.
"Oh no!" Manuela raised her finger, "You just arrived and already want to work?! But, then again, you seem different. Almost more mature."
"Don't worry about it." Arisa smiled but it was a bit hollow, "But since Flayn and I just came back, we can't just let this food go to waste." She snickered a bit.
"Let us enjoy the feast!"
[—]
"Sigh...it's been so long." Arisa sighed as walked through the courtyard late at night.
Everyone was asleep yet she was still wide awake except a few knights that were keeping guard of the place. The court was the same as always. The lush green grass, the ginkgo on maple tree leaves had turned to shades of yellow and orange because of the fall season. There were piles of leaves and some of those piles were flat because of the children playing with them. There were a few flower decorations left on the bushes from the harvest festival that happened a week before she returned. She kept walking around the monastery, greeting any knights she met. Also letting them know she was also keeping a lookout.
"Good Night Arisa!" Alm grinned as he stood next to the gate, "I'm glad you've returned safely. Celiac was getting ready to jump on a boat and bring you a Flayn back!" He chuckled and Arisa couldn't help but join him.
"I'll be sure to drop by in the morning. How things have been for you Alm?" Arisa said as she leaned the wall, crossing her legs a bit.
"Well, things have been tense." Alm frowned a bit, "Don't get me wrong. I love my job but lately, things just haven't been the same. The kids don't feel safe and the atmosphere around the monastery has been suffocating. And whenever Lady Rhea comes out, how do I put this into words..." he held his chin and no thought for a bit.
Arisa's had become half-lidded as she waited, listening to the young man as he thought for a moment.
"It's like..." Alm hesitated a bit, "the air around us becomes thinner. Like you can't breathe. And if she looks at you, you almost feel like you're being intimidated." He looked back to her worried, "I do apologize if I offended you since Lady Rhea is your grandmother."
"No. It's alright." Arisa said as she looked to the ground, "Rhea to me isn't family."
Alm looked at her shocked as she continued.
"Yes, we share blood but that is it." Arisa sighed, "I tried to bond with her but I just don't feel that click. Even more, I don't like the way she treats others and especially Alexandra. I even noticed how she treats Dimitri." She looked up to the sky.
She did try to get to know Rhea but the more time passes, Arisa is just seeing her become worse. She feels she is watching Rhea turn to her Crimson Flower self. No matter what she does, Rhea is being consumed by degeneration.
"I can't do much...all I can do is slow it down..." Arisa thought and she felt Sothis smile sadly.
"You know," Alm smiled sadly, "I think I understand what you mean. I had a relative of mine. We didn't have the best relationship. He...doesn't exactly accept me like family even if we are blood-related. But you know...at some point, I just stopped trying to connect with him. I realized I already had a family. My friends have always been there for me and even to this day. We can't choose who we are related to but we can choose who our family is. Family isn't blood, it's those who truly love you." Arisa couldn't help but smile sadly.
"Thank you Alm for listening to me." Arisa said as she turned her head to look up to the sky a bit, "I think I needed to hear that."
"And thank you for listening to me. It's been a while since I've spoken to them. Sigh..." he also looked towards the sky as he tipped his helmet a bit up, "I wonder where they are?"
"Did something happen to them? If you don't feel comfortable saying it, it is alright." Arisa gave him a concerned look.
"It's alright." Alm sighed a bit, "They disappeared. I have no idea where they are. But...I know they have a daughter. She's here in the academy and I keep an eye on her. I'm glad she's doing well." He smiled a bit.
"Who is she? Is she one of my students?" She asked and Alm nodded.
"It's Marianne."
And Arisa knew exactly who Marianne's parents were in this world.
"Dammit...Why can't Beruk and Reina catch a break?" She thought as her eye twitched a bit and turned to the man, "Huh. That's surprising. I promise I will make sure she is safe." The two nodded at each other.
SHATTER!
They quickly turned around and saw that Anna's light in her tent was on. Also, some clothing flew out of the tent. The two looked at each other concerned and nodded that they should check on the merchant. They jogged down the stairs and to the tent. They also had to dodge a shoe that flew out. They hear Anna was in a panic as she was turning her tent into a tornado.
"Anna?" Arisa yelled out a bit from outside, "Everything alright?" Alm said.
"No, everything is not alright!" The woman yelled and the two looked at each other concerned.
"We're coming in!" Arisa said and they went.
"Holy Serios..." Alm gasped as they saw just what a disaster the inside of the tent had become.
All the books on the shelf were scattered on the floor. Some were opened and others in piles. Clothing was thrown all over the place, some even hanging on the walls and one shirt was hanging on the horn of a moose head. Trunks were opened and their contents spilled out. However, certain items, like those in the glass cases were left alone. They spotted the redhead near her small kitchen, pulling out drawers in a very frantic and panicked state.
"My barrier is up 24/7! How is it gone?!" The woman pulled her hair and Arisa carefully held her shoulders and had her sit down.
"Anna, what happened?" Arisa spoke in a calm tone.
"Someone broke into my tent!" Anna screeched and they looked at her shocked.
"That's impossible." Alm said, "You have a barrier that not even the most talented mage could get in."
"Well, I don't know how they got in!" Anna growled, "I'm worried about the items they stole!"
"What did they steal?" Arisa asked.
"A poison called Sothal." Arisa flinched as she felt her scars sting.
"Why do you have highly illegal poison in your shop?!" Alm screeched.
"I'm a merchant!" Anna argued back, "Some weird cube-shaped thing I found a few months ago."
"A what?" Alm and Arisa said together.
"Look, it is the shape of a cube." Anna tried to make a cube shape with her hand, "The size of an apple, had these weird markings on it and made this weird beep sound. Oh! And it had different colors on each side!" She remembered the details.
"A Rubix cube?" Arisa raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, you know what it's called?" Now it was Anna and Alm that looked at her confused.
"Well..." Arisa scratched her cheek a bit, "yes I do but here's the thing. Those don't exist here in Fodlan. Also, it's a toy for kids and adults." She explained.
"You sure it's a toy because I sensed some weird magic from that thing." Anna said, "Anyhow, the third item that was stolen from me is a dagger I recovered from a ruin 5 years ago in the Empire." Anna shivered a bit, "It was an old ruin near Saylon lake in Hevring Territory. What was weird was in an underground cave. I have never seen anything like it. What I did find strange was finding the symbol of my crest there." She sighed.
"...could it be an ancient Nabatean temple?" Sothis muttered in her mind.
"The reason I'm worried about the dagger is because of this." Anna pulled up her sleeve to reveal a scar.
The scar ran diagonal and the flesh dark, it looked like someone lodged an axe. But what made it disturbing was the flesh around the scar, as if it was eaten away. The flesh healed but the scar remains along with the scars of veins.
"Whoa..." Alm gulped as Anna fixed her sleeve.
"I was lucky that Doctor Robert lived nearby or else I would have lost my arm." Anna sighed, "Sadly I can't cast magic from my left arm anymore because of the dagger. The doctor studied it and was able to confirm it had dark magic as well as it was covered in poison, Sothal. That's why I'm worried. As for the cube, I was going to give it to Florencio so he can investigate it and report it to Lady Rhea and Seteth." She finished.
"Say..." Arisa spoke, "has there been a girl by the name of...Monica come around?"
"Miss Ochos?" Alm raised an eyebrow, "I've seen her but haven't spoken to her yet. But I don't go near her but...she gives me this weird feeling, I don't like it. Why?" He asked.
"Arisa..." Anna looked at her concerned, "Yes. She hangs out a lot in the market. She especially buys things from the Warlock shop."
"I'll be making a stop there tomorrow."
[—-]
With what happened last night, Arisa was on edge. It may be her second day returning but she didn't care. Kronya was already moving behind the shadows and that spelled disaster. It was early in the morning as she walked down the hallways. Only servants were up as they opened the doors to the dining hall as well as the merchants setting up their shops. She arrived at the market area and spotted the old warlock setting up his tent. The man turned when he heard footsteps and smiled.
"Miss Byleth! Good to see you again!" The man chuckled as they shook hands.
"Good to see you too." Arisa smiled, "I see you getting the shop ready. Need a bit of help?"
"No, I'm good. Thank you for the offer though. This old man isn't ready to drop yet!" He chuckled as he placed some herbs down on the table.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked and he nodded, "One of my students has been coming to your shop a lot and it is a bit concerning."
"Did something happen?" He looked at her concerned as he placed a tome on a shelf.
"Can you tell me what she has been buying? Her name is Monica. Red hair and creepy smile." She said and the Warlock thought for a moment.
"Hmm..." he held his chin for a bit, "Ah yes! I know who you are talking about. She comes by every Wednesday to buy Ruby Cobra blood, desert scorpion stringers, black mamba fangs, and...what was that last one...OH!" His eyes widened and he quickly picked up two small glass bottles with a single seed in them.
"She keeps trying to buy this! This is a seed of Sothal Flower. One of a kind. And the other is a seed of a Sirius flower. I don't sell them to children. And these are my only ones. Damn brats. I swear." He huffed and placed it down.
"But will you sell them to me?"
"Arisa, what are you doing?!" Sothis hissed and Arisa only smiled.
"Hmm..." The Warlock thought for a moment, "Alright. I'll sell them to you. 2000 gold each." He smiled.
"WHAT?!" Sothis screamed, "Don't do it! It's to—"
"Sothis, did you forget I'm a rich bitch because of my salary when I worked for the king?" Arisa thought as she chuckled and handed the man the sack of gold coins, "Also, I'm not letting Kronya get her hands on these. It's only a matter of time till she tries to break in to steal these." She picked up the two small bottles.
The Sothal seed looked like a little red diamond with black veins while the Sirius seed looked like a little emerald with white liquid in it.
"Beautiful isn't it?" The Warlock hummed, "Got them a couple of years ago. No one has been able to buy them because of the high price." He leaned in and whispered, "Do not tell anyone you got that Sothal seed." He leaned away, "And don't worry. When someone buys these things from me, I won't say who they are." He winked.
"Thank you."
[—-]
"And done." Arisa sighed as put down her wood carving tool, "I never thought I would make one of these again." She smiled proudly at her work.
It was a wooden Rubix cube. She painted on the traditional colors and it could twist and turn like usual. She began to twist and turn it left and right up and down to mix up the colors.
"I made three more of these. One for Sylvain, one for Claude, one for Yuri, and the last one for Linhardt." She muttered as she placed her paintbrush down, "This should keep them busy for a while. Also a little fun."
She stood up from her chair and her eyes trailed to the glass bottles she bought this morning.
"I'm still mad at you." Sothis huffed, "But you should put those seeds in your magic vault." She muttered.
And Arisa did just that. She looked at her clock and sighed. It was time for her to get to her class. She left her room and headed down the hallway to her classroom. She munched an apple as she walked and a few minutes later arrived at her classroom but um, seems she was not alone.
"Uuuhhhhhhhh..."
"Hai?" Arisa stepped in, closed the doors, and briskly walked to the woman who sat at Annette's desk, "What's wrong?"
Hai sat up straight, her eyes red and puffy and...
"Why is your lip busted?" Arisa looked at her shocked while Hai looked away, "Who did this?"
"Rhea..." Hai whispered, "We talked and I called her out on everything." Hai hugged her knees, "I told her she was sitting on a throne of lies. That she was letting fear and rage control her. That she is an imbecile for hiding the truth of our family and making their murders heroes. And that the age of the gods was over and that humanity needed to stand on its own. That the truth needs to be said. And that peace with humans is possible if she only listened. That she is controlling and that her vision of Eternity will crumble because she needs to accept that Sothis has passed on. After that she...well you can see." Hai sighed.
"She wasn't left unscathed though." Hai snorted, "I gave her a black eye and a broken nose."
"Jesus fucken Christ...uuughhhh..." Arisa grains and covered her mouth a bit, "Is Ummm...I'm assuming you met Crescent?"
"Yes. Uncle was cheering me on before Uncle Seteth and he broke us up!" She grinned.
SMACK!
"Oooooowww!" Hai held her head and pouted as she gently rubbed the back.
"While I appreciate you calling out her bullshit," she knelt and made her left-hand hover over her lip, "You've only agitated her more. At least now you gave her a piece of her mind. Now hold still." Arisa said.
Her hand glowed a light blue and the wounded skin on Hai's lip healed. Hai let go a sigh of relief as she touched her lip. Now that Arisa had a closer look at her, she was wearing the academy uniform long sleeve shirt with a ruffled black skirt that stopped at her knees. She made her ears look human.
"Hai? Why are you wearing the academy uniform?" Arisa asked.
"Crescent offered me to learn more about the country so I decided to take the opportunity. He told Rhea he would pay for me to attend as a student since Rhea was already making plans to banish me." Hai explained and Arisa just faced palms.
"I'm assuming you're part of the Blue Lions now?" Arisa went to her desk.
"Yes," Hai said.
"Well, I think I'm going to make you my assistant instead." Arisa smiled, " But seriously Hai, be careful here. This isn't Albinea anymore. This is Rhea's territory and she will not hesitate to get rid of you to keep her sanctuary." She warned her.
The doors to the Blue Lions classroom opened and in came to her students. Confusion filled their features when they saw Hai, who gave them a wave. They all said good morning and quickly went to their desk. Hai moved to allow Annette to sit and walked upfront and also Flayn, who arrived with the group. Arisa took a deep breath and spoke.
"Good morning everyone." She said as the final student walked in closed the doors.
"Good morning professor!" Everyone yelled out.
"I am glad to see you all are well and I'm also glad to be back. I know some of you are confused as to why Flayn is here along with our new guest." She nodded to Hai.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Hai and I am an exchange student from Albinea and also Flayn's cousin." Hai introduced herself as she placed her hand over her heart.
Many murmurs and whispers filled the classroom and quickly quiet down.
"As for Flayn, she and Hai will both be now part of the Blue Lions House," Arisa said.
"I look forward to working with all of you!" Flayn smiled as she clasped her hands together and Shirou let out cute bark.
"Hai, please sit next to Dedue on the left, and Flayn, sit next to Felix." She said and the girls nodded and went to take their seats.
She waited a bit before she spoke. She sat on top of her desk as she crossed her arms.
"While I am glad to be back, I spoke to the other professors regarding your performances as well as test results from the midterms." Already she could see people sweating, "I also received the evaluations from your performances in the lesson plans I left Professor Christian." And immediately the entire class began groaning.
"Now now." She put her hand up, "I'm not here to talk you down or anything like that. Quite the opposite." Murmurs and whispers filled the room.
Arisa smiled as she held up a pile of papers.
"Congratulations everyone. You all have been given the green light to now study the advanced arts! Not a single one of you failed!" She said and the entire class broke into cheers.
"I'm proud of you all. But just because you all passed does not mean I want you slacking off. Also, with The Battle of the Eagle and Lion two weeks away, ff you none can do the splits when we go train for battle formations, looks like I'm going to have to start some extra lessons you kids need to exercise." Half the class began groaning.
"Another thing." She held up a dark seal, "These next few months are crucial for you all. I will be preparing you all for the advanced classes." The entire class went silent.
"As you know, I am a Holy Magus. And the requirements for me to receive my certificate are to have mastered the classes monk, mage and priest, warlock, bishop, and dark bishop. Having these certificates allows me to become a Gremory, who must master all forms of magic. If I wasn't a Gremory, you see Seteth kicking me out right now." Flayn snickered along with many.
"As for physical training, I will be having you all spar me." She said.
"YES!"
Felix yelled out and Arisa sighed.
"Felix, I'll be kicking your ass again." Dimitri along with many others had to cover their mouths.
"Now, there is a twist." And now everyone was scared, "If you are a Brawler I will fight you as a Brawler. If you are a paladin I will fight you as a paladin. And..." she looked straight at Dimitri and Lestia, "If you are the Lord class, I will fight you as a Lord Class."
Everyone was confused and whispered to each other.
"Annette!" Arisa yelled out.
"YES MA'AM!" Annette bolted up quickly from her chair.
"Dear relax, I'm not a general." Arisa chuckled and Mercedes gave her a light pat on the shoulder, "How many students in this class?"
"149 plus Hai and Flayn. So 151." Annette said and Arisa gave her a nod to sit down.
"Each of you will gather into a group with those of the same class. After that, that group will all go against me." Arisa explained as she was looking at the list of her students with their classes, "I will evaluate you and see what you need to work on. Let's see...Any questions?" She looked around the classroom.
Dimitri raised his hand.
"Yes, Dimitri?" Arisa said the prince stood up.
"Will we be given each a list of reports we need to do?" He asked.
"Reports? I haven't heard anything of that." Arisa blinked, "But no. Also!" She looked to the class, "I want each of you to write a 500-word essay on what your current plans for the future are."
The prince sat back down.
"Now that that is settled," she jumped off the desk, "let us get to the good part."
And she turned to her chalkboard and began writing down formations. However, everyone's faces were becoming confused at the formations she was writing as well as the big letters of pair-up formations.
"I see many of you confused." She turned to face the class, " Today I am committing heresy."
The entire class gasped, others shocked or horrified.
"Not actual heresy." Arisa rolled her eyes, "Today, we will not be looking at Fodlanese battle strategies but...Sreng's."
The entire class burst while those of the main class, Dimitri, Ashe, Mercedes, Dedue, Felix, Lysithea, Annette, Ingrid, Hai, Lestia, and Flayn sat in their seats. She expected this. Some were in dismay or confused or some even just being racist. Arisa raised her hand and made a bolt of lightning crash down in the center of the class. Everyone went silent and slowly turned to look at the burn black spot of the carpet that sizzled and slowly turned back to the professor.
"Alright, since when do kids think of themselves as high and mighty or holier than thou?! Eh?!" She started walking down the center of the classroom.
Her heels clinked as her eyes turned a shade of mint. No one wanted to go near her.
"I see I have to repeat my words from the first day." She stopped and turned to face the direction of her desk and slowly began to walk back as she spoke.
"Kill or be killed."
Stopped and looked around.
"They were the words my father, aunt, uncle and all those in my father's company told me as I grew up. They are AND WILL ALWAYS BE the words they taught to recruits before they began training us." She said as her eyes closed, "Those words hold much more meaning than they let on. They are the words of the harsh reality of this word. But it is those words that made me and everyone in the company the strong warriors we are today." She opened her eyes just a tad bit, "They are the words of the harsh reality that we could die any day and we must survive. Fight to live onto the next day. In battle, it is either you or your enemies that die. These words are also in the mind of your enemy. Both of you are fighting for survival. Your goal, make sure you live and your enemy dies." She said as she walked back to her desk, her eyes, void of any emotions.
She turned to the front, students were silent or avoided eye contact. Some even just looked to the ground. She gritted her teeth.
"There is no such thing as honor in war. There is no such thing as chivalry in a battle. There is no such thing as purity in this world. Such as there is no such thing as perfection." That instantly made many tenses, "I shall repeat these words here and now. We-are-all-sinners. We all have done questionable acts throughout our lives, some even the smallest of things. As I said, we are all sinners." She placed her hand over her stomach, "I will be strict. I will be harsh. I will train you with all the skills and knowledge needed to survive. If you are not prepared, you will lose more than just your life. You could cause the downfall of your allies." she opened her eyes once more and many gulped, "You aren't kids anymore. You are young adults. My job is to guide you. To teach you. I know you kids are better than this. Create the change that we adults failed to do." She muttered and raised her shirt halfway up.
"GASP!"
Many were shocked and horrified when they saw the scar on her stomach. Dimitri was too stunned to even sit up or move while those like Annette felt sick or Mercedes was trying not to pass out. Ingrid felt her throat become dry as Felix had a flashback when his brother returned to Faerghus. Dedue frowned and looked at her sadly but also remembered the scars his sister bears. Flayn and Hai looked at each other from across the room, worried. Arisa placed her left gently over the scar.
"This is the result of me not having a leveled head. This is the result of me letting my emotions control me in battle. This is me failing to protect someone I care about. And this is me..." she put her shirt down, "now standing here before you. Someone who needed to face their fears. Someone who was slapped by reality and needed a wake-up call." She said.
"Open your minds! Learn about the world around you! Take that leap of faith! Learn more than just Fodlan history! Because the day you open a book about the history of another country is the day you took the steps no one wanted to take. To create the change you want. To make the world a better place." She said and pointed to the chalkboard.
"We will be learning more than just strategies." She quickly went to her bookshelf and pulled out a pile of books, slamming them on her desk, "We're going to learn about the world. From the magic used in Sreng and Almyra to the strategies used in the last wars as well as ones from the countries of Ylisse, Valentina, and many more. So, who's ready actually to learn?" She said.
Her eyes went wide as the first person to raise their hand was Mercedes, followed by Annette and slowly many began raising their hands. She smiled and had to keep herself from crying. Sothis smiled proudly as she looked around, seeing so many students chose to take the first steps forward.
"Finally...The change we all need."
[—]
"...I don't like this," Monica muttered and warped to a room at the back of the library.
The room was hidden behind the walls, a secret passage was the only way to access it, the old room was covered in cobwebs and dust. An old bed that had begun to fall apart as time went by. She removed her disguise as she heard footsteps enter the room.
"Kronya, I do not like it when you call for me during the day. What do you want?" Solon looked at her coldly as his eyes twitched.
"It's the professor, the Blue Lion one. She's creating a ripple and I don't like it. She just returned and already she's saying she's committing heresy." Kronya growled.
"You think she knows more than she lets on." Kronya said, "Also, that old man sold the Sothal and Sirius seeds! Someone paid him the. 4000 gold coins!" She yelled.
"That's impossible." Solon gritted his teeth, "Keep an eye on the Professor." He turned to leave, "And also...keep an eye 60. That child...is becoming too ambiguous."
[—]
Well, Arisa learned that Cyril had joined the Golden Deer Class. She was so happy when she saw him. Just like before, she gave the same speech and lesson plan to the Golden Deer. Though their reaction to her committing heresy was a mixture of horror and cheers. Which was honestly shocking. Still, the lesson went great even though she scared a few kids by showing her scars. Now it was time to teach the Black Eagles.
However...
"Hello Professor!"
Arisa stopped at the front door of the Black Eagles classroom as she was about to enter and turned her head to the left to see Edelgard arriving with...Monica. she had to keep her eye from twitching as she felt Sothis start hissing like a snake.
"Greetings. Monica von Ochos I presume?" Arisa said and Monica clapped her hands.
"Yes! I am glad you already know of me!" Monica smiled.
"Yes..." Arisa said and looked at her clipboard, "I was told you nearly ran over Professor Christian with your horse as well as mixed up a concoction that exploded in the Black Eagles classroom two weeks ago." The smile was slowly fading away from Monica's face.
"Not only that, I received complaints from Anna that you keep trying to buy the Green Viper fangs and I got a complaint from the Potion shop in town that you terrorize the children." She flipped through the pages on her clipboard while Edelgard looked like she wanted to jump off a bridge.
"Yes, Miss Ochos. I have heard of you and the numerous reports of complaints from the other professors. Oh and Edelgard," Arisa turned to look at the princess, "Her always being on your good grace is not a good look. Multiple tumors have already started." She smiled and walked into the class.
"I hate her," Monica said in a monotone tone as she turned to Edelgard.
They went into the class where the others were already seat. Except for Bernadetta who was talking excitedly to Arisa about the new plants, she received from Florencio.
"Ew." Monica internally cringed at the kind motherly face the Professor making at the coward of Indech descant.
"Alright everyone, settle down!" Arisa said and everyone in the classroom quiets down.
She gave the same speech, the reactions again a mixture of horror and cheers. But Edelgard's reaction to seeing her scar was one she was not expecting.
"Breath Edie, breath," Dorothea spoke gently as Arisa was using a heal spell to calm her down.
"I wasn't expecting that reaction." Arisa thought, "She had a minor panic attack. And based on the way she reacted, she must have seen a wound similar to her mine in the past. But who?" She finished.
"You alright?" She asked carefully.
"I'm alright now Professor," Edelgard assured her as Dorothea helped her stand up.
"You're lying." Arisa said and suddenly the air in the class went tense, "But this will be discussed later. Meet me in my office later."
"Yes, my teacher," Edelgard mumbled and Arisa patted her on the head.
A blush crept up on the girl and Dorothea chuckled as they went back to their desk.
"Okay!" Arisa went to her desk then turned back to everyone, "Now that things calmed down there was another thing I was going to say." Everyone looked at each other confused, "I will not tolerate skipping classes, copying homework, pranks, or sneaking things into The Battle of Eagle and Lion." Every single student looked over to Monica.
"Why is everyone looking at me?!" Monica looked at them offended.
"You gave Yuri that itching powder!"
"You made the class smell like Wyvern dung for a whole week!"
"You keep skipping Manuela's classes!"
"You ate my pudding!"
"Oh come on!" Monica rolled her eyes as she leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms.
"Reminding me, Monica!" Arisa yelled out and the girl perked up a bit, "I see you are the only one in the class with the Assassin Certificate. You are the only Assassin in the class. So that means you will be sparring me...let's see..." Arisa looked at her list, "Tomorrow."
Monica quickly sat up straight.
"Let's see...Dorothea." she turned to look at the singer, "I'm surprised you didn't apply for the Songstress class."
"Wait, there is a Songstress class?!"
[-]
"Thank you for coming, Professor." Seteth said as Arisa closed the door to his office, "Please take a seat." He motioned to the chair and she sat down.
"What did you want to speak about, Seteth?" Arisa asked as Seteth observed her for a moment then spoke.
"First, I want to thank you for protecting Flayn. Truly." He muttered, "During our time here, I worked with Florencio to figure out why Flayn was targeted. We believed they were after Flayn's blood." He said and Arisa nodded.
"Yes, they were." Arisa said, "While I was passed out for a while...they took some of her blood, but umm...sigh." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I made a deal with a mage name Odesse." Seteth stiffened, "In exchange, not a single hair is touched on Flayn, I allowed...myself to be experimented on."
"What?!" Seteth abruptly stood up from his chair, "Oh, I'm so sorry." He sighed and sat back down, "Are you alright?"
"I am. I recovered in Albinea and received help. But...Flayn told me that her blood is seen as special." Arisa said and Seteth nodded, "As well...that you and she are father and daughter."
"Sigh...I knew it would come at some point." Seteth sighed and smiled sadly, " It is true, Flayn is my daughter. Many would seek to harm Flayn due to the unique blood she bears. Falsifying her identity is necessary to conceal her from such individuals. Mercifully, I happen to look quite young for my age. We make rather convincing siblings, do we not?" Arisa snorted and couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"To be honest...you act like my father so it was pretty easy to tell, well for me at least, that you two are father and daughter." She chuckled as Seteth sighed.
"And here I thought we had hidden it skillfully." He said and smiled a bit, "Your father, Sir Jeralt, also figured it out."
"It's alright Seteth. I already promised Flayn I will not say anything. Cross my heart and hope to die. Or if I tell a lie, I'll be thrown in ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze my tongue off so I never lie again." Arisa said and Seteth just gawked and looked at her horrified.
"Miss Eisner, I would never do such a thing!" And Arisa could not help but burst out laughing.
"I know." She calmed down, "I was just teasing. But..." she sighed, "There is a different subject I wish to speak to you about."
"This is about Cornelia, isn't it?" Seteth said and Arisa nodded.
"It is." Arisa muttered, "When will her trial be held?" She asked.
"It has been decided that Cornelia's trial will be held next month. Alexandra has also filed in her report of what she endured as a child as well as what was done to her and her condition. She has decided to speak out against Cornelia and many others have also stepped forward to speak of her abuse of authority and power. And Emily," he slumped, " she is enjoying this too much and pulling out her pile of evidence for the trial. As for me, I will be presenting the evidence found from Lord Alexander's case and Rensen as well." He said.
"Seteth, I know this may be pushing it but do you believe that Cornelia may have a connection to Pittacus and Odesse?" Arisa asked to see Seteth twitched.
"This is bait, isn't it?" Sothis muttered in her mind, "Arisa doesn't push it. Seteth is observant like Crescent."
"Professor, what exactly happened in Albinea? I've noticed you kept constantly touching your right shoulder and seem...different." He said and Arisa quickly looked to the door.
"Rhea is asleep right?" She asked.
"In these late hours, she is. Also, she is...recovering from a mishap." Seteth coughed because his mind remembered the brutal fight Rhea and their newly discovered niece got into.
It didn't help that Hai screamed to Rhea that she is 2000 years older than her, which seemed to have struck a nerve in the Archbishop. Still, he was curious as to why the Professor seemed worried when she asked if his sister was asleep.
"Seteth, what I am about to show you, no one, and I mean no one must know about this? Can I trust you?" Arisa was taking a big risk with Seteth.
Seteth was loyal to Rhea, and that loyalty showed till the bitter end. In Crimson Flower he stayed loyal till Flayn escaped. That is if Byleth chose to let them live. If not, he fought till the end. In Silver snow, he swore to carry on the pride and legacy of the Nabateans as Rhea was put to rest when she went berserk. This is Seteth, a man who is loyal till a certain point and she was taking the biggest risk of her life. If Seteth reacts in a way of anger, shock, and chooses to tell Rhea, she will turn back time, the event never happening. But, she has to rely on the changes that have been happening these past few months. Seteth in the game did not witness Rhea's ugly side unless you chose to join Edelgard, Crimson flower. But, in all the other routes, he loses his trust in her once he learns and understands the circumstances of Byleth's birth and why they have Sothis's power. Arisa looked at Seteth with a concerned yet serious look. The man was silent for a moment but sighed.
"If what I see is something I determine to be a threat to Rhea, anyone else, and especially Flayn, I will not hesitate to arrest and report you to Rhea. Do I make myself clear?" Seteth looked at her grimly but nodded.
Arisa nodded. She placed her hand and her chest and pulled the sword out of it slowly. Seteth's eyes slowly widened as he saw the changes on the sword as it was being pulled out. She finished and held it in her hands as if she was displaying it. Her head was down as she spoke.
"During our time in Albinea...we encountered a man who used dark magic to make himself immortal. He..." she let out a shuttered breath, " targeted me. He wanted...my crest. We fought and in the process...the sword shattered and...I let my emotions get the best of me. I let the sword's corrupted power take over me." She looked up at him.
Seteth was silent as he looked at the sword and then at her. He didn't speak but his eyes told her to continue.
"The moment I saw Flayn and our friends being attacked, I just snapped. I was injured and I couldn't do anything. But I just...heard a voice. It called me...I was just so desperate I accepted the aid of the voice. Before I know it, I...it's kind of fuzzy. But I remember very well the rage, hatred, sorrow, and regret I felt. I felt as if I had become someone else. At some point, I was able to regain control and tell Flayn to run for her life. After that...I remembered I killed that man. And...suffering the consequences of accepting that power." She said and looked up the Seteth, who had an unreadable expression.
"As for the sword...the reason it looks like this is because Hai gifted me the relic that was passed down to her. She said it belonged to the Progenitor God and to use it to fix the Sword of The Creator. And...this is the result. That's all." Arisa said.
"There is something else you are not telling." Seteth spoke, "It's about your right arm, isn't it?"
Arisa gulped but nodded. She walked past Seteth and placed the sword on the desk. She turned back and removed her half cloak, revealing her bandaged arm with the seals. There was suffocating silence as the man observed her then narrowed his eyes as he looked at a particular seal.
"Wait a minute...!" He gasped, "I recognize this seal! Did a mage named Shade make these seals?!"
Arisa was stupified as she slowly nodded and the man couldn't help but let out a small bitter laugh.
"Shade was once a professor here at the Officers Academy 40 years ago. However..." Arisa raised her hand as she closed her eyes, sighing.
"Let me guess. Rhea." Arisa groaned and Seteth nodded, unfortunately.
"Shade was an amazing professor and brought out the full potential of the students, however..." the man frowned as a memory from the past resurfaced.
Shade and Rhea had gotten at each other's throats, the argument turned to a screaming match and before he knew it, Shade had publicly announced that she was renouncing her title of Holy Magus and also stopped being a professor. And the worst part...
"MY OTHER REASON IS THAT THIS BITCH HAS CREATED NOTHING BUT A THRONE OF LIES!"
"YOU ARE BANISHED!"
"Rhea didn't approve of Shade's teaching methods and the two clashed. It resulted in Rhea taking things to the extreme and chose to banish her from Fodlan. Even if many of the students protested against it, Shade was still banished, unfortunately." He sighed as he crossed his arms and looked back to Arisa, "I will not tell Rhea. You have my word. As much as I hate to say this...Rhea...no longer has my trust."
Arisa couldn't help but lung at Seteth and hug him tightly.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Arisa jumped as she hugged him.
"Professor, I can't-breath!" Seteth gasped for air and Arisa quickly let him go.
"Sorry..." she mumbled as she fiddled with her fingers, "But seriously, thank you Seteth. Truly I am. I..I will be honest. I was afraid you turned me into Rhea because of..how distrustful you were of me. I understand why. You can't just bring in someone random with multiple identities and questionable backgrounds into the academy. If I was in your position, I too would be suspicious." Arisa said as Seteth nodded.
"Thank you for understanding. If I may ask, what is the reason why you had so many identities?" Seteth asked.
Arisa sighed as she gently placed her hand over her heart, as Sothis embraced her.
"My father...He doesn't trust Rhea. He wanted to protect me from her. When I learned about my crest at a young age, my father told me I must never tell anyone about it." She muttered as she felt herself relax, "Now that I am older, I can see why he hid me from Rhea. Her attitude towards me, it's not familia," she looked up to him, "it's obsession. It's like she's expecting me to become some enlightened being! I'm not! I'm not some God! She's placing me on such a high pedestal and I hate it." Arisa said.
"I just want to teach my students without constantly feeling that I am being watched! Rhea expects me to use The Sword of the Creator during The Battle of The Eagle and Lion. She wants me to show off that power and I do not want to. But nothing I say will go through to her. I see how she treats Alexandra. I see how she treats Dimitri. I see how she looks down on so many! And I'm just tired of seeing her turning her back on the evidence we have found of that strange cult called Those Who Sliver in the Dark. Seteth, I don't trust Rhea and I never will." Arisa finished as she saw Seteth's lips become a thin line and a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.
"I understand," Seteth said and walked to his desk.
He opened the drawer and pulled out a document as she turned around.
"As much as Crescent and I are on bad terms, we are both investigating that group." He handed it to her, "Just like you trusted me, I trust you with this information. And, I will speak with Rhea. I will make sure it is forbidden to use any of the Hero's Relics."
"Thank Seteth...Thank you."
[—-]
"Miss Monica Von Ochos the third."
A week has passed since her talk with Seteth and she was glad she did. The biggest gamble of her life paid off and now she had his trust. She learned from Alexandra that while she was away Dedue, Lorenz, Alois, Shamir, Ingrid, Dorothea, Felix, and Hanneman, and Manuela's paralogues were done. The only ones left are hers and Sothis, Cyril, Hilda's, and the Ashen Wolves. However, she has a mattered to focus on right now as her eye twitched. She held up the girl's test.
"Sleeves up." Arisa and Sothis said together and the girl just smiled as she did.
They were clean as a whistle but Arisa made her hand glow and with a flick of her wrist, a clean arm turned filled with writing. The color drained from the girl's face.
"Invisible ink made from lemon juice and a drop of sheila flower extract. Not bad because Sheila makes it difficult to detect but only if you mix it right. Miss Ochos, you have violated the rules and thus, you are suspended from participating in The Battle of Eagle and Lion." And she turned back to her desk.
"What?!" Monica yelled, "No, no, no! This is the only chance to get that beast blood!" She thought.
"No, no! I've been looking forward to this! Please!" Monica begged and Arisa turned to her with a cold gaze.
"I clearly said that I will not tolerate any cheating in my test and you did just that! This is your third warning and you still did it anyway! If this is how you act now, then you still have a long way from EVER becoming the head of house or a high position or any job!" Arisa said without raising her voice.
"Argh, I hate you!" Monica roared and stormed towards the door.
"And one more thing." Arisa said and Monica stopped, "Don't think I don't know about 60's busted lip and bruises."
A gasp filled the classroom and Monica gritted her teeth and slammed the door closed. The loud bang filled the classroom echoing through the place as an uncomfortable silence took over. Arisa was just tired of Kronya's antics. She knows these are forms to throw things off but she knows she needs to purposely take the bait to make the enemy think she is fooled. So far it is working but at the cost of her sanity. Still, she's glad she has Sothis's help in keeping an eye on the classroom during tests. The number of nobles she caught cheating was ridiculous. She sighed as she closed her eyes.
"Professor?"
She opened them and looked up to see Caspar had raised his hand. He looked concerned.
"Is 60 alright?" He asked since she was a friend of his and Ashe's.
She has seen them play with the cats and dogs at the pound area and around the monastery.
"She's alright. I had Manuela check her." Arisa said.
"Professor, why would you help her? She is a servant like that Almyran kid that serves Lady Rhea." One boy said and he flinched at her cold glare.
"Because I care." She said coldly, "Because I care Kevin. And the Almyran Kid has a name. His name is Cyril. And he is also a student. Both of them are living beings. Humans." She said.
Edelgard had to keep herself from scoffing. Not at Cyril, but 60. The girl is an Agrathan.
"It doesn't matter what race human or any mythical creature is. They are alive, they have a heart, emotions like us." She let go a breath, "Class dismissed."
When the door closed, she let go of a deep breath. It's been a week and already she wants to jump into the pond. She heard a knock and the door open and came in Tomas.
"Ah. Professor, I am glad to see you." Tomas smiled as he walked towards her, "I see the students have been taking up your time." He saw the pile of papers on the desk.
"I'll survive." Arisa sighed as she started writing.
She was going to finish half of Hanneman's work to give the guy a break. Tomas nodded and spoke.
"I wanted to speak to you."