It turned out that long carriage rides were absolutely terrible. The constant jarring and shaking as the carriage seemed to make it its life purpose to hit every bump in the road and just the lack of control in general. Several times throughout the trip Lysithea had been tempted to forgo good sense and simply fly her way to the Monastery. Fortunately, the journey had finally come to an end, and she was able to stick her head out of the side to watch the Garreg Mach Monastery come into view.
It was actually fairly impressive. In terms of sheer size of the place the Human Village didn't really compare. This would be her school and home for the next year. An unfamiliar place far outside even Ordelian territory, filled with people she did not know.
Lysithea shook her head and tugged her ribbon.
No. There was no excuse for getting homesick. She was an adult. She could do this.
As the carriage rolled through the town situated below the Monastery, Lysithea popped her head back inside and considered her next move.
The first thing she'd have to do was to prepare her bedroom, preferably on the ground level as she requested, and get everything set up. A Witch needed a proper study and lab to work with, though the constraints of her small living space would pose an interesting challenge. After that… then she might start exploring a bit. Preferably the library first.
If there was one thing she inherited from her Sensei, it was her love of books.
The carriage finally rolled to a stop and Lysithea quickly hopped outside to find herself in an active marketplace located just past the main gate. She now wore the uniform that the Officer's Academy had provided her. It had a color scheme of gold and black, a collar that covered a good portion of her neck, long loose sleeves to allow easier movement, a skirt that reached her knees, and a pair of white boots. Professional with a certain flair while still remaining practical for movement and combat. She still made sure to wear a pair of bloomers underneath because it was a habit you tended to pick when you were flying around everywhere in Gensokyo. The ones that didn't, well they had other means to hide it, didn't care, or enjoyed flashing everyone that happened to be below them.
She didn't think she'd have much of a reason to fly, mostly because she didn't want to cause a panic, but it was good to ensure that her modesty was preserved during emergencies.
"You need all of this taken to your room?" A man, one of several, asked while gesturing toward the giant pile of luggage that had been Lysithea's companion during the Carriage ride.
"Yes. And you can just stack it neatly within my room. It's imperative that they aren't opened and aren't in open sunlight for too long."
"Alright then… Spoiled brat," the man grumbled to himself as he began to carry one of many bags that would end up in Lysithea's room.
She almost summoned a rock to bat the man on the back of the head… but this wasn't Gensokyo and she could understand the man's annoyance, though he could care to learn some manners. Even for nobility she did bring a lot, and more than a few students had walked by curious about the giant stack of belongings. However it was all needed for her progress… and entertainment.
There were a couple of gifts from Remy, which included the newest gaming console that ended up in Gensokyo along with several bottles of wine straight from the Scarlet Devil Mansion's cellars. Both of which Lysithea would have to keep hidden in her room. Most important though were the reagents, books, and tools Sensei deemed important for her to bring for her research. Even at the Officer's Academy Lysithea didn't plan to slack off in her magic at all.
Who knows? She might actually achieve becoming a Witch while she was here… Probably not actually. That would just cause a whole slew of troubles. Though Demonic Beasts were an issue in Fodlan, Youkai were practically nonexistent. And if they did exist here, then they were rare enough or kept to themselves well enough that most people wouldn't have heard of them.
"Woah."
Lysithea was alerted to a short, tanned boy standing nearby. Not a student, judging by his clothes, though he did seem to be around her age. Perhaps a bit younger
"That's a lotta stuff you got there." He spoke informally and seemed the sort of person to go straight to the point.
"It's for my research," Lysithea explained.
"Research?"
"I spend a lot of time studying magic and other such studies."
"One of those types then."
"One of those types?" Lysithea looked at the boy, cautiously.
"Bookworm type. Not so much about around and getting tea parties like the other nobles here."
Not… inaccurate, but Lysithea couldn't help but feel a bit insulted. "You're quick to assume I'm a noble."
The boy shrugged. "Most people here are. And even ignoring all that stuff those guys are moving I can tell. Skin and hair's too nice to be a commoner. Hands look dainty and you're a bit pale too so I don't imagine you go out very often."
Hmph. Surprisingly observant too. "Well, you're right that I do prefer my studies to socializing. What exactly do you do here then?"
"I work. Help out around the Monastery, all for Lady Rhea."
"The Archbishop?"
The boy nodded. "Yes. She took me in. I owe her everything and I'll do everything I can for her."
Young and loyal to a fault, but not someone Lysithea saw having troubles with in the future. Not unless she was going to do something that would make her an enemy of the Archbishop. "You must be busy; I won't take up any of your time. Maybe we'll see each other more now that I'm a student here… um."
"Cyril."
"Lysithea," the apprentice Witch introduced herself before going back to supervising the men carrying her belongings. Some of those things were fragile and needed to be treated with the utmost of care.
"Now that it seems that most of us here, let's start the first official meeting of the Golden Deer," Claude Von Riegan said as he looked at each and every person in the room. There were other students in his and the other Houses, hundreds of them, there had to be in a Monastery as big as this. But this class and those next door were the ones that he and the other House Leaders would personally lead, which immediately set them apart.
"First introductions. I'm Claude Von Reigan, heir to House Reigan and all that jazz. I'll be your House leader for a year. Now that I'm introduced." He pointed to a boy with glasses. "You're up."
"… Um," The kid seemed nervous but was able to answer soon enough. "I'm Ignatz. I'm here to become a knight at my parent's request. I'm a bit inexperienced and I don't have many skills to make note of."
His parent's request, not his own?
"Ignatz don't sell yourself short man," a large hulking man whose muscles seemed ready to tear apart the shirt he wore patted Ignatz on the back. "I'm Raphael and I'm here to become a Knight."
"That's a great goal Raphael," a girl with short orange hair said. "I'm Leonie, the greatest apprentice of Jeralt the Blade Breaker!"
The Blade Breaker. Claude had her mentions of the man before. Apparently, he was an accomplished mercenary that fulfilled nearly every task that he had taken all while charging a fair price. It made him a suitable mercenary for both nobles and commoners alike.
"So you traveled in his mercenary company?" Claude asked.
"Well… no," Leonie admitted. "But he did visit my village once. He trained me during the entire time he was there!"
Ah, hero worship then. Something to keep in mind.
"I'm sure you were a great student then," Claude replied before turning to the rest of the room. "Any of the other ladies here want to introduce themselves?" He purposefully ignored the purple haired noble who now looked disgruntled.
"I'm Hilda," a pink haired girl with twintails introduced herself. "Just a delicate little lady away from home. I'd reeaaallly appreciate it you guys could take the time to help out little old me."
"Why of course," the purple haired noble was quick to input himself in the introductions. "As Lorenz Hellman Gloucester heir to House Gloucester it would be my honor to assist a fine lady such as you."
"Aw shucks. You're making me blush."
Hilda was most definitely not blushing and there was a predatory gleam in her eye as she located an easy target. She was definitely trouble.
Claude could tell he was going to like her already.
"What about you?" He turned to the last remaining blue haired girl in the room.
There were dark bags in her eyes and her skin was quite pale. A lack of sleep? Depression? Or something else?
"I'm… Marianne," the girl replied quietly. "Sorry I'm not very good at talking with people."
Hilda looked away from the preening Lorenz for a moment to look at Marianne. "Well, I'm sure you'll get better. You seem like a nice girl."
"It's fine… you don't need to bother with me."
"It's not a bother. I'm sure we'll find something you can help me out with."
Calm and sympathetic toward a girl she had just met. Perhaps that was in. And also, a good trait to have in a second in command.
"Now that we know each other's names, maybe we should learn more about each other," Leonie suggested. "Likes and dislikes. It would make it easier for us to work together."
"Good idea, we'll have to get through that," Claude took out a roster he had kept in his jacket and looked through it. "But I think we're missing someone."
"Wait, if you were handed a Roster then why did you have us introduce ourselves?" Hilda asked.
"For everyone else. Also, it's more fun this way," Claude replied offhandedly as he read through the list. "Anybody seen Lysithea Von Ordelia?"
He only knew a bit about her. Sole heir to the declining House Ordelia. Youngest student admitted to the academy. Little strange and reclusive, but apparently had to be gifted to get in the academy this young.
The majority of the newly formed Golden Deer shook their heads apart from Hilda. "Well I heard she's a bit of a recluse."
"So she's that shut in that never leaves her room?" Leonie asked.
"No, that's Varley. Lysithea I think was seen going to the library or getting food in the Mess Hall at the very least. Kinda hard to miss her with that long white hair of hers."
The only one with that sort of hair color the Monastery was Edelgard, and there was no way you were ever confusing her Imperial Highness for someone else. Claude would know, he had almost been on the business end of her axe when he had tried to play a prank on her.
"If she isn't around then maybe we should check her room first?" Claude suggested.
"I can go and pick her up," Raphael volunteered as he stood up from his seat, ready to make his way out of the classroom.
"Woah there big guy," Claude stopped the man before he could leave. "You gotta know where her room is first."
"Oh," Raphael sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Right."
"And why just you?" Claude turned to the rest of the Golden Deer with a smile on his face. "Let's give our missing classmate a proper Golden Deer welcome."
Lysithea woke up, her eyes dry and her ears ringing from some sort of incessant pounding that reverberated throughout her room. It wasn't until she blinked a few times and roused a bit that she finally realized the pounding was coming from her door.
"Is anyone in?" An obnoxious and loud voice asked.
Lysithea simply groaned and buried her head back in her arms, hoping that they'd just leave after receiving no response.
"She's… not answering," another voice, female and much quieter, commented.
"Do you guys think we should get someone to unlock the door?" another voice asked.
"She could be in trouble! Don't worry guys I'll get us in."
"How?"
"I'll break the door down!"
Lysithea's eyes immediately opened and she shot out of her chair. "Wait no!" Her warning came too late as a literal giant of a man, seriously the dude was larger than some Onis, barreled through the doors and sent them flat on the ground.
The Witch's apprentice hissed as a bright light suddenly assaulted her eyes. She quickly covered them and turned her face toward the source of her anger. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
The man froze though not for the reason that she wanted. "Woooaah," the man's voice took on a tone of wonderment. "You got a lot of cool stuff here."
Once her eyes had recovered, Lysithea discovered to her dismay that the man was not alone and there was a significantly large group behind him. Each of them all enraptured by the sight of her room. Her private study and workshop that had taken several days to get ready.
At least she had locked and hidden her wine away in a solid wooden chest before these people so rudely barged into her room. That would've been another issue that she was currently not prepared to deal with.
"Alright. Get out, all of you. Why did you have to break into my room while I was sleeping? Do you even know what time it is?" Lysithea attempted to shoo them off.
"An hour till noon actually," a tanned man replied.
"An hou- oh…" Unlike her Master, she wasn't always quite as good as keeping track of the time, especially when she had to sleep.
"I'm Claude Von Reigan. We were just wondering why you didn't show up. It's the first and mandatory gathering of the Golden Deer," Claude explained. The rest of the people behind him were quick to introduce themselves.
Okay. So apparently these people were her classmates for the year... And here she was just woken and in her pajamas that Sensei had gifted. They were incredibly comfortable, but also kind of bright, frilly… and definitely made her look like a child.
"I…" Lysithea glanced at her clock and confirmed the time. "I… was asleep," she admitted as she reached the back of her head only to tug on nothing, her ribbon still on the drawer next to her bed. Instead, she tried to smooth out her hair and clothes in an attempt to salvage some degree of modesty. "My research took me a bit longer than I expected."
"More like you became so caught up you ended up losing track of the time I imagine," Claude replied as he looked around the room. There was a persistent smile on his face, one that Lysithea couldn't help but be wary of. "You've certainly got some interesting things in here."
"Yea…" Lysithea walked to her desk and quickly put on her ring. She then finally realized that the rest of the Golden Deer had actually stepped inside and began digging around her room.
"What's this?" Leonie picked up one of the books that Lysithea had brought with her. "Never seen symbols like these before?"
It was a book on the cycles of Wu Xing written in Chinese. Lysithea had nearly flown up to snatch the book on instinct. Instead, she rushed off her chair and had to jump to grab it out of the taller girl's hand. "Nothing you need to be concerned with."
"What's this thing?" Raphael, the big brute that had broken down her door, lifted a strange rectangular object. He tugged on it and unfolded it to reveal a pair of blank rectangular screens.
"My DS!" Lysithea immediately began jumping for it much to the man's confusion
"Your what?"
"Just put it down!" Lysithea realized quickly that no amount of jumping would allow her to surmount the man's overwhelming size. "It's a delicate device, and I'm not going to start over after I finally got that Shiny."
"Shiny?" Raphael asked, but ultimately put down the gaming console.
"Uh your desk is smoking," a meek looking boy with glasses commented.
Oh shit, the sunlight!
Lysithe quickly dragged out the bucket of water she kept for emergencies and dumped the entirety of her experiment in it. It released a thick smoke, so she opened a window and dumped the contents, bucket included, outside.
"Well, that's nine hours gone to waste!" Lysithea shouted, just completely done with the day even though it just started. "Is there anything else you guys want to ruin?"
"That's hardly fair," a stuffy, likely noble, boy stepped up to address her. "Your behavior is unbecoming for someone of your position."
"Oh, get Gapped."
The noble boy blinked. "What?"
"I don't have time for stuffy noble pretensions right now. Once I've fixed up my room, fixed the door, and changed out of my sleepwear, then maybe, maybe I'll give you the time of day."
"I'm sorry," Marianne whispered in a way that made Lysithea feel bad for some reason.
"Look look, obviously we've gotten out on the wrong foot here," Claude attempted to mediate, as if he wasn't just chuckling at her tirade against the noble boy. "We're sorry for the mess, but we're here because we were worried when you didn't show up."
Lysithea pinched her brow. "I will take full responsibility for my inability to show up to the classroom on time. But please do not barge into my room like this in the future. Some of my experiments are incredibly volatile and explosive if exposed to outside elements."
"Isn't that kinda dangerous to have in your room?" Leonie asked.
"I am perfectly capable of keeping things under control barring outside interference," Lysithea replied as she began to pack away all her belongings into the nearby closet.
"What sort of stuff are you working on? It's nothing like I've seen before," Claude asked.
"Magic."
"Doesn't seem like any magic I'm familiar with."
"It's different and I had a good Sensei," Lysithea commented off handedly.
"Sensei?"
"Er, teacher. She taught me her personal magic, nothing you need to be concerned with."
"Well considering we're having a mock battle at the end of the month-"
"Then I'll show you my spells once we start classes. Unless you want a more practical application right now," Lysithea glanced at Claude with a pointed look.
"And that's my que to leave. Come on, let's let our little Deer here to clean up after us."
Lysithea's eye twitched. "Little Deer?"
"Well, you're a part of the Golden Deer."
"But, little!?" Lysithea shouted as she walked up to him and began to clench her fists.
"What? Just stating the facts. Or would you prefer to be called the class fawn or kid?"
It was a day to remember at the Monastery and one that stories would be told of for a while as the leader of Golden Deer was chased by an enraged petite white-haired girl. Said girl was slinging fireballs at him while wearing a quirky, frilly, and cute looking set of pajamas.
Perhaps it was just a one-off event or perhaps it was the first of many strange moments to come during the school year. Either way it certainly promised to be interesting.
"You know he kinda had this coming," Hilda commented as she and the rest of the Golden Deer watched Lysithea chase Claude across the courtyard. "Quick on his feet though."
"Though I would expect Miss Ordelia of conduct better becoming of a noble… I can't help but sympathize," Lorenz commented. "Riegan has a tendency to aggravate even the most patient of people."
"You got history with him?" Leonie asked.
"House Riegan has been a bane on House Gloucester for years, and there is certainly proving to be more of the same." The noble shook his head. "To think that this is the man set to be the leading figure of the Alliance."
Lysithea threw several fireballs, each coming within inches of Claude as he ducked, weaved, and used a stone table for cover. Eventually he had somehow circled around, fled past the Golden Deer, and headed straight into the Black Eagle classroom with the enraged spell flinging Lysithea still behind him. Panicked shouting and plenty of wildly flown spells could be heard within.
"Damage to the Monastery aside, this would actually make an interesting piece to paint," Ignatz muttered to himself. "The serene setting contrasting with the wild nature of its inhabitants."
"Oh, you paint?" Hilda asked.
"It's a hobby of mine. Not really anything to speak ab-"
"Ignatz is a great painter," Raphael interrupted. "You should see the painting he made for my sister on her birthday!"
"Maybe I can have you make a painting for me," Hilda suggested excitedly.
"Uh, maybe. When we have the time. Just don't expect too much," Ingatz replied.
"I don't mean to interrupt," Marianne watched with wide eyes as the commotion in the Black Eagles classroom seemed to get even worse. "But isn't this kind of bad?"
"I'm sure it'll work out," Hilda commented as Claude fled from the classroom, now being chased by a taller white-haired girl holding a very big wooden axe. As for Lysithea, she was being carried out of the classroom by two of the students in the Black Eagles. She had the good sense to look sheepish and embarrassed as a tall lanky black-haired man began to lecture her, all while she was still in her sleepwear. "Actually, one of us should probably go and help her out."
Lysithea was livid, embarrassed, and a bunch of other emotions she couldn't really describe right now as she stood there being lectured by a lanky creepy looking man. It didn't help that she was still in her damn pajamas and that so many people were watching.
"If this is the Alliance's declaration of war then they will sur-"
"This was of my own accord. I had… personal grievances against a certain heir to the Alliance," Lysithea replied. If anything she was the one declaring war on the Alliance considering she had just tried to set the heir of one of its eminent houses on fire.
"Then this was a poor method of assassination, but it seems that subtlety and tact are beyond you."
Lysithea wished she could argue with the man… but well here she was. Also, subtlety or tact weren't exactly necessary for most people living in Gensokyo.
"Hey there uh…" Hilda suddenly approached, walked up, and looked at the black haired man.
"Hubert."
"Hubbie. Would you please forgive Lysithea for us?" Hilda clasped her hands together and gave Hubert what Lysithea could only describe as the most potent pair of puppy eyes she had ever seen. And this was compared to actual dog Youkai that had a tendency to be both needy and adorable. "It's her first day meeting the class and well, she's been kind of a mess from the stress and homesickness and all that."
"I am not!" Lysithea shouted.
"See? Super high strung. You could forgive her for having a little tantrum considering how small she is."
"Small! I swear to the Gods I'l-"
Leonie clamped Lysithea's mouth closed with a hand and none-too subtly began to back away with her. "I'm sure the Golden Deer will be able to do what it takes to make this all go away."
"Yea, no need to make this a bigger deal than it already is. Right?" Hilda asked.
Hubert looked completely unconvinced and very amused. "If you believe that that's enough to absolve this child-"
The only thing stopping Lysithea from roasting the man alive was Leonie and Hilda's combined efforts to keep her restrained.
"Then you are sorely mi-"
"Hubert, it's fine," the white-haired woman that had been previously chasing Claude with an axe returned looking none the worse for wear, apart from a few misplaced hairs that she quickly fixed.
"Are you certain?" Hubert asked.
"Yes."
"As you command Lady Edelgard."
Edelgard. The Imperial Princess. Lysithea had just thrown a tantrum in her pajamas in front of the Princess of the Empire. The same nation responsible for the experiments performed on her and her family.
Great. Wonderful first day of school.
"I've heard about it from Claude and your classmates," the Imperial Princess said as she looked at Lysithea sympathetically. "Though it doesn't absolve you of all blame I can certainly understand why you felt a need to chase after him. I just ask in the future that you consider your surroundings and do it in a more composed manner."
Lysithea sheepishly nodded her head and was finally let go by her classmates now that she calmed down. "I understand."
Edelgard looked at her in approval. "Hubert, I believe she's learned her lesson. At the very least she should be allowed to retain some of her modesty."
Lysithea blushed even further and tugged on the sleeves of her pajamas as the retainer addressed his Lord.
"Come," Edelgard gestured to Lysithea. "Let's get to your room so you can get changed."
"Well, if the Imperial Princess herself is volunteering, who am I to get in the way?" Hilda was quick to give work to someone else.
"I'll help out," Leonie replied.
Lysithea could only walk back to her room in shame as the two women escorted her. Could this day get any worse?
"You know, I'm surprised we just got away with detention," Claude commented. He turned toward Lysithea who had simply slammed her forehead against the desk and left it at that.
"Why did they put me here with you?" Lysithea grumbled, not even deigning to look at the man.
"I'm sure they just want us all to get along. We're going to be classmates for the year after all."
"To my great horror and dismay."
"So," Claude turned toward the red-haired man also joining them that day. "Who are you and what are you in for?"
"Sylvain," the man introduced himself before looking sheepish. "I may have accidentally flirted with a girl, who happened to be the sister… of the Archbishop's second in command."
That got Lysithea to take her head off her desk and look at Sylvain in complete disbelief. "Really?"
"In my defense she's a very cute and dainty girl. Also, the resemblance was just sorta there."
After dealing with Koakuma for years, Lysithea could recognize a flirt when she saw one. "Why do I feel like you're going to be an enemy for all womankind?"
Omake: The Scent of a Lady
"That's a cute ribbon you're wearing, Lysithea," Hilda commented before straightening out some of Lysithea's hair with her fingers. "It really suits you."
"Thank you." Lysithea didn't mind the touching of her hair. Mostly because Hilda had proved that she was very good at taking care of hers and others' appearances. Also, because Hilda smelled nice, likely from some form of perfume. "I've had it for a very long time."
Seven years at this point. It had been constantly repaired and resized during that time, but it was something that she would never give up.
"I can tell." Hilda began to tighten the ribbon. "You took real good care of it. A woman's accessories show all the love and care they put into it and their appearances."
"Anything to look like a proper lady of course," Lysithea replied smugly.
"Yea… A lady. A perfectly and dainty ribbon for a lady," Hilda replied before letting go. "Well there you go."
"Thank you Hilda."
"Now since I went and took some time to help you, you wouldn't have some answers to the homework I can copy."
It was definitely against the rules and Lysithea was determined to be a good student after that whole fiasco with Claude, but she had also learned from Gensokyo that sometimes it was okay to twist the rules as long as you kept to the spirit of them.
Marisa could definitely attest to that.
"Wow Lysithea, the answers are super easy to understand with your writing. You must be really smart."
"I learned from the best," Lysithea said smugly.
"Well since you're so good with this stuff. Maybe you could help save me some time. It takes me so long just to get my homework done."
If she had never dealt with a flirt or a suck up before Lysithea might've fallen for it. Thankfully she knew Koakuma. "I admire you Hilda."
"Oh, that's nice. What for?"
"Everything about your outward appearance is immaculate and well thought out. Even your fingernails are always well-kept and painted—no doubt your toenails are the same. It is all done for the express purpose of getting others to do your work for you in order to compensate for your natural laziness."
"I can't tell if you're complimenting or accusing me of something."
"Not at all. Like I said, I admire it. You get other people to get to do your work for you without ever pressuring them and they're happy to do so. It's efficient and you build connections at the same time."
"Well, thanks I guess."
"You have mastered the art of acting and appearing as a lady. There's no mistake that you would certainly succeed in a Noble setting provided you actually put in the effort."
"Now you're making me blush."
"Also, you smell nice. Like candy with a bit of a floral fragrance."
"I'm so glad you noticed! It's oil extracted from a flower that only blooms at night."
"Interesting…" Lysithea replied as a plan began to form in her head. "How about this? You give me a bit of that fragrance and help me out with becoming more of a lady and I'll help you with your homework." After years of living with Devils she knew how to make a contract.
"Wow Lysithea, I'd say you're a bit cunning yourself."
"I never said that about you."
"No, but it was implied. Would've loved to have you as a little sister growing up," Hilda replied as she reached into her uniform pulled out a small bottle and began spritzing it on the girl. "There we go! I put it on your wrists, so you'll want to rub them together. Body heat is what activates the scent. Your wrists and your neck are relatively warm, so they're good spots to apply the fragrance. For a very subtle fragrance, you can also try putting it under your clothing."
Lysithea began sniffing herself.
"So, what do you think?"
"Mmm. It's lovely. Now I smell just like you, Hilda," Lysithea said without much thought. Unfortunately knowing how to recognize a flirt didn't mean she necessarily knew how to interact with them or how her own words might be construed. "Thank you, I'll make sure to put this to good use."
As Lysithea left the room, Hilda could only sit there with her mouth wide open.
"Wow," she eventually said. "I think my heart skipped a beat back there."
Author's Notes
Kinda weird how there are technically hundreds of NPC students hanging around the Monastery that you never really teach, so I mostly had to make up a justification for that in order to acknowledge their existence without them getting in the way of the story.
As for the omake it's just the Hilda and Lysithea C support with a little twist.
