5/2
"GHA!"
Caspar stumbled to the floor, dropping his gauntlets. A mix of applause and worried mumblings came from the onlooking Eagles. Everything was hurting; he'd done his morning run three times further than usual, so his legs were throbbing. He helped lifted a carriage out of the mud, so his core and back were sore. And now his arms were being assailed by the Ashen Demon. Even with a training sword, only a handful of strikes were needed to floor him. The rumors of the Ashen Demon were no joke. If she was as harsh a teacher as she was a sparring partner, his grades were going to plummet, no doubt.
"You need to improve your stance. Here, let me show you." Byleth dropped her sword and helped Caspar up. She grabbed his arms and used them to demonstrate her point. "You see, you're leading right hand. When fighting with gauntlets, you want to lead with your left. Not only are gauntlets striking tools, but they're also a shield. When I extend at you, use the top part to block. And one final tip."
Byleth backed off, grabbing her sword. "Shouting 'Here it comes!' before you strike is one of the best ways to get killed in a real battle. If you need to be loud or silent in front of an enemy, it's best to be silent the vast majority of the time." A few snickers came from the onlooking students. Even Linhardt woke up for a few seconds just to chuckle at him, the lazy jerk he was.
The second sparring session went even worse. Caspar's blows were even less precise than before, and he kept shifting his stance. Byleth knocked him off balance in less than 15 seconds, leaving him on the floor again. "...I see. We'll have to work on that. Ferdinand, your turn."
Caspar wasn't exactly sure what the point of all this training was. The entire class that day only amounted to the Ashen Demon flattening every single one of the Black Eagles, often in under 30 seconds. Caspar himself didn't mind; combat training was all he was really interested in. But he felt he knew the other students well enough to know they wouldn't find this kind of environment productive.
By the time the bell rang, the students were heading back to their rooms exhausted, bruised, and unfulfilled. Except Petra, for some reason; Byleth seemed to be holding back against her. She lasted nearly 40 seconds, unheard of among the Demon's other challengers. But Caspar stayed behind. Not only to look at the weapons, but also to talk to the substitute.
"So, what's our assignment, professor? You haven't told us yet." Byleth seemed to flinch a bit. "Um, we're... still discussing it with Rhea, so the assignment is still to be determined." "The Blue Lions and Golden Deer are gonna fight bandits. We're probably gonna fight bandits too; what's the big deal?" Caspar was a bit gullible and quick to act, but he knew a bald-faced lie when he saw one.
"Um... OH! Right, before I forget." Byleth walked over to her pile of training equipment and rooted around for a minute before pulling out a letter. "This arrived earlier today, it's addressed to you." "Huh. I don't usually get mail. Who's it from?" "...Someone calling himself Holst Goneril."
Caspar immediately recognized that name. He snatched the letter and opened it. The letter was only a few letters long, but it was enough to send a message. "If you hurt my beloved sister again, I'll run you through." "...Wow." "...Professor, how do you think the Ashen Demon would fare against Holst Goneril?" "If we were on an even playing field, I'd win, more likely than not."
The brash teen crumpled up the letter and stuffed it in his vest pocket. "I don't know about that. I've heard tales of him, and given what I heard, he might even be able to give my father a tough time. And he almost took down Brigid singlehandedly! The Ashen Demon is one thing, but Holst and my father are completely different animals."
"...Wh-Who knows. Maybe I can test their strength someday." "I would pay good money to watch that. A three-way fight between you, Goneril, and my father? Three of the most famous warriors in all of Fodlan? That would be the greatest fight of all time!"
5/3
"I don't understand it." 5 of Adrestia's finest sit embroiled in conversation over pasta and salad, bruised and tried after their usual classtime was again overtaken by Byleth's physical education. Granted, this time they were sparring against each other as well, but multiple hours of sparring, without breaks, rotating partners with the Ashen Demon in the rotation, and a complete disregard for magic of any varieties would leave anybody utterly exhausted.
Caspar seemed to enjoy it and escaped the Ashen Demon's wrath with only a sore knuckle, but most of the other students weren't so lucky. Ferdinand's leg was hit pretty hard. It wasn't broken, but he walked with a very noticeable limp after his session with Byleth. Linhardt's wrists were struck, impairing his ability to write, and use utensils. Ariadne's nose started to bleed after her bout, the mercenary having hit Ariadne in the face with the butt of her sword when she got too close. Magnus, a blond-haired teen who forsook his academy uniform coat in favor of a bearskin cloak, wasn't using his shoulder at all, having dislocated it during his match. Although it was put back in position, his shoulder was still inflamed, and moving it hurt like hell. And poor Bernadetta, while managing to land a hit on Byleth, did so when it wasn't her turn, and she was chased. Although she escaped unharmed, Ferdinand, Ingrid, and Ariadne had to drag her kicking and screaming to dinner, quite literally.
"I don't see the point in having us spar all day." Ariadne spoke, wiping her nose with her napkin, a metallic smell overpowering the dinner sat in front of them. "Most of us are still beginners. Yes, we all have... some experience with weapons, but most thieves likely have us outmatched. Unless we improve our techniques and learn new ways of fighting, this accomplishes nothing." "With all due respect, she seems unprepared to lead a class in sparring, let alone academically. We haven't used the classroom in four days now."
"...Yeah. And for people like me, who kind of need an education, this is frustrating beyond belief." Magnus paused as he clumsily lifted his fork to his mouth. "She even claims to not know our class assignment. I know she means well, but bloody hell, she's impotent." "Lord Bartels, please watch your language, there are children around!" Ferdinand quietly snapped at the unkempt noble opposite him. "And please don't speak with your mouth full." "Sorry, sorry. But you get my point. ...By the way, what happened to Professor Keyair?"
All eyes turned towards Ariadne. "He's been cleared of suspicion, thankfully, but the Golden Deer's victory has been stripped from them. To summarize if you haven't heard the story, Miss Phelgethon had a real sword on her during the mock battle that everybody failed to notice somehow. She used it to try and assassinate Professor Eisner. He turned around at the last minute and got wounded. As you know, he's alive, but because the wound was so close to his lungs and heart, giving lectures is beyond his abilities at the moment. because of that, the Golden Deer House has been disqualified for foul play. And so, the mock battle victor this year is the Blue Lion House."
"That sounds quite upsetting." Linhardt spoke up. "Frankly, I believe we should have won, since it was our professor who was nearly killed." "We were effectively the first team out by multiple minutes." "...No, Bernadetta and I were the last two standing." Magnus glared at Linhardt. "That would be because you decided to take a nap in a tree, and Bernadetta was running around like a headless chicken." If it was possible for Bernadetta to sink further into her seat, she would have.
"...On a related topic, I do not understand why Professor Keyair seems to hate Professor Eisner." Ariadne sighed before addressing Ferdinand's inquiry. "It's a bit petty, but originally, Uncle Orpheus wasn't supposed to be here. Following the bandit attack and professor what's-his-name running off, Seteth searched for a replacement, and my uncle was his first choice."
Ferdinand gave an approving nod. "I can certainly see why that would be the case. I have yet to meet the man myself in a civil context, but I have heard of his passion for teaching. He graduated Garreg Mach in... Was it 1175?" "1176." "Yes, that's right. And he's been teaching the commoners in your lands to read and write unrecompensed, correct?"
"Absolutely. His efforts have tripled the literacy rate in our lands. He wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. And that's why, when given the opportunity to teach here, he dropped everything and came as quickly as he could." Ariadne chuckled as she cast her eyes downward. "Imagine how he felt when he was told his position was taken by a mercenary with no education of his own, put in the position on a whim. The only reason he's here right now is because Manuela broke her leg the day classes were supposed to start, and he was still on-campus. And since he told her his story, she'd feel guilty if she kicked him out, so she relinquished her position to him entirely."
"...I suppose I can see how that would leave one feeling bitter. But as nobles, is it not our duty to be the bigger person in conflicts?" "I suppose so, but while such sentiments are easy to preach, they can prove quite difficult to practice. ...Bernadetta, your food's getting cold-" "I'MSORRYI'MSORRYPLEASEDON'TCALLTHEPROFESSOROVER!"
"That girl is going to be something of a problem..." "Yeah, but not half the problem Byleth is going to be if THIS is going to be our lesson plan for the rest of the year." "There's not much we can do about it until Professor Eisner's wound heals enough for Manuela to let him give lectures again, though." Ariadne grabbed her plate and stood up. "Thanks for talking with me. I need to wake up early tomorrow, so I need to start preparing for bed now. Have a nice weekend." "I second that. It was nice to eat with you all."
Ferdinand seconded Ariadne's sentiments, grabbing his own dishes as she began walking away. And to nobody's surprise, Linhardt was asleep. Of the group, only Magnus and Bernadetta remained.
And at the very moment she realized that, Bernadetta froze completely. She felt his icy gaze shift towards her, and felt his dark presence looming ever closer, reaching out its hand to grab her! He was going to murder her, right there in the mess hall! And nobody would do anything about it! As his had clasped onto her shoulder, she felt the end coming, with her being unable to do anything but await the-
"I saw you sneaking into the mess hall last night, and you came out with a kind of cake the mess hall doesn't serve. Did you make it yourself?" ...Was this some kind of trick? A way to get her to expose herself for breaking curfew? "Because if so, I'd like to ask a favor. Meet me back here two hours after the curfew bell." "...Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Why...?" "We're going to bake something for him."
5/4
Every step was a reawakening of the nightmare of what she agreed to. How could she agree to meet with someone so aggressive, so late at night, in a place where nobody would be able to see them?! Every corner she turned, Bernadetta braced to be shouted at by a passing guard, or maybe even killed by the Ashen Demon! The meet-up could just be an ambush in disguise! To expose her, to kill her; nothing good! But if she didn't go, he'd probably kill her, anyways!
As she climbed up the steps to the first floor, she could see it right then; the moment she got to the top, Magnus would show up and shove her down! She'd be hurt, maybe killed, and left right in front of the lake for a convenient place to drown her and dispose of her body! Even when he wasn't there, that just made things worse once she entered the mess hall itself! It was ghostly quiet, filled with plenty of cooking ordinance, and plenty of things that could be used to kill her! Maybe even make her death look like an accident! She wouldn't be surprised if everyone thought her stupid enough to drown in a boiling pot!
"Good, you're-" "I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYPLEASEDON'TKILLMEDON'TKILLMEJUSTMAKEITQUICK!" "Stop shouting, you're going to alert the guards! Listen, calm down, okay? Calm down. There are no ghosts, there are no criminals lurking around in the dark, the Goddess isn't waiting in the corner to smite us for being up past curfew. We came here to bake, okay? Let's bake."
Magnus walked behind the counter and washed his hands in the staff laver. It was too dark for her to see what he was washing off, though. Was it blood?! It was probably blood! After washing his hands, he grabbed a torch and started to stare at Bernadetta.
"...Um, Bernadetta, you know to bake, right? I... don't know how to bake." "B-Bake what?!" "I was thinking of baking him something he could have leftovers of. If we made him a whole cake, it would probably spoil. I'd like to give him something that can be stored." "I-I know how to make sweet buns..." "That should work perfectly. Let's get started, then." It would be a lot easier if she could actually read his face, but the torchlight could only reveal so much of his face at a time. She still didn't know if it was a good idea, but he'd probably kill her if she didn't do as he said, so...
Making the bun batter was easy, and so was adding everything she could to make it taste better. Sugar, banana cream, even some chopped chocolate. But he had one more ingredient she wasn't very comfortable about. He reached into his bag and pulled out an expensive, crystal-like blue bottle. He emptied around half of the bottle into the batter and put what remained back in his pouch.
"What's that liquid? It's not poison, is it?! You're not trying to poison Professor Eisner, are you?!" "Quite the opposite. It's an elixir from the infirmary. Soaking the batter in it should ensure the buns retain enough of it to dull the pain and hasten the healing process." "How did you get your hands on that?!"
Magnus put the torch back and rubbed his hands together. Some white powdery specks were on them. "I climbed the walls and snuck in through a window. I'm going to put this back, and nobody will be any the wiser." "I-Isn't that stuff reserved for life-or-death injuries?" "Yes, but they have hundreds of the bloody things. And how often does someone get life-or-death hurt on monastery grounds? The biggest problem is whether or not the elixir will compromise the taste."
Magnus left shortly after, leaving Bernadetta alone. And a few minutes later, he returned, sweating and out of breath. Something was wrong. "I have good news and bad news." "Wh-What's the bad news...?!" "I got spotted climbing down the infirmary walls." "Oh no... What's the g-good news...?" As if on cue, 5 more students entered the dining hall behind Magnus. Bernadetta panicked, preparing to be shouted at, but instead of chastising her for breaking the rules, they started looking through the pantry.
"I was spotted by all the right people."
