"I hear that my sister has taken a liking to you and Edelgard," Seteth commented to Lysithea as he looked at the patrol reports she had handed to him. "She calls you two her fish friends now."
Normally the students would hand these reports to one of the other faculty or a Knights of Seiros but Seteth had requested that Lysithea meet with him in his office. It was more of a demand then a request really.
"Of course, she did," Lysithea replied plainly. She hadn't known Flayn for very long but that absolutely sounded like something she'd say. The girl's obsession with fish and the sea was only matched by her piety to the Goddess. "Do you have any news about the people… I've been looking for?" she asked as she waited for him to read the report.
"We've been investigating the Ordelia territory with your family's permission, but there has been little to no evidence of their presence there."
"I'm sure my existence and the graves of all my siblings is evidence enough."
Seteth visibly flinched at her words. "I assure you that I believe your story fully, but these… people have been alluding the church for centuries if not millennium. I have suspicions they might be in league with those threatening the Archbishop's life, but that is merely a suspicion at most. It is likely we won't find a single trace of them anytime soon."
Lysithea was disappointed but that was to be expected. They had disappeared without a trace once their experiments had been done. Had she not lived as long as she had then perhaps no one would've heard a thing about them.
"Your house hasn't found any suspicious activity?" he asked once he was done.
"No, and we've been thorough with our patrol routes." At least she had been. Hilda and Marianne were a bit more questionable when they weren't paired together.
"Good. Continue remaining vigilant. As the Rite of Rebirth gets closer so does the chances that our enemies will strike," Seteth filed the form away and looked at her carefully. "I'm grateful that you've spent time with my sister. She's been somewhat lonely since arriving at the Monastery"
"You're welcome. She's seems like a very nice person." Peculiarities aside. Lysithea had only talked with Flayn a few times so far and yet somehow the girl seemed both naïve and wise beyond her years. She was a bit of a contradiction really.
"That she is. Kind to fault really. I constantly worry for her, especially with recent events."
"I'm sure her safety is assured in the monastery. I along with the rest of the students here are fully capable of protecting her," Lysithea replied confidently.
"Excellent then," Seteth responded. "I have something to ask of you."
"What is it?" If Seteth was actually willing to give her a personal assignment then, depending on what it was, she would take it to prove her worth as a student.
"Flayn has expressed a desire to more extensively explore the monastery. I do not have the time to always be with her, so I wish for you and Edelgard to ensure her safety and ensure that she stays within the monastery walls."
So Seteth wanted her and the future Empress of the Adrestian Empire to act as glorified bodyguards for his sister. Well that was certainly a show of nepotism at its finest then.
"Perhaps there would be others more suited to the role?" Lysithea simply didn't have the time to do that. There was still so much she had to do, countless books and reports that she planned to read through and study.
"She would not agree nor be fond of a knight escorting her. She is however fond of you two and the two of you will also serve as sufficient obstacles for any… boys that wish to seek her affections."
Wow. Granted if any of Lysithea's younger siblings had survived then she'd also be protective of them but Seteth seemed to take this a notch too far. It certainly explained some of the looks Seteth shot the Professor every time he had gone fishing with his sister.
"You will of course be compensated for your time and you being with Flayn also serves another purpose," Seteth continued.
"And that is?"
"My sister is a skilled healer in her own right. She'll be able to keep an eye on your… condition and provide treatment when necessary."
"That's… quite considerate of you."
"It is my duty to ensure the welfare of the students here. I'll provide what aid I can, but I need you to be honest with me. Have your fits been getting worse?"
It wasn't surprising that Seteth would know of her fits with Hanneman having to constantly report to him.
"They've been happening less frequently… but the coughing has been getting more intense," Lysithea admitted. "I've also been getting less time or warning of when they come."
"Are you still in condition to go out on assignments?"
"Outside of my fits I'm still fully capable both physically and mentally. I won't be burden on the battlefield."
"You are far from a burden, if anything I believe you've taken up too much on your plate. It is why I sent Cyril to assist you."
"Honestly, you should be more worried about Cyril. He does more work than everyone else in the monastery."
"I have addressed that issue with him, multiple times."
"And yet he's still at it."
Seteth sighed. "Unfortunately, it's not in my place to make his choices for him and he convinced that he's satisfied with devoting his life to Rhea. Though I appreciate and admire it, I do wish that he would find other motivations aside from that."
"You really want to help him, don't you?"
"If there were something he desired then I and the church would support him in any way we could."
"We just have to find him something to be passionate about then."
"Indeed." Seteth began rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Though what that would be, I cannot say."
"Maybe you could have the Professor help him."
Seteth looked at her curiously. "And how would you believe that Professor Eisner would be able to help him?" It wasn't condescending or doubting in any way, it was just a genuine question.
"Well, the Professor has just been helping my entire class and even the students outside of our classes. He listens to us, helps us, and shows us how to be our best. You can even ask the rest of us, we all appreciate the things that he does."
"You think highly of him," Seteth observed.
"I do. He's the best teacher I've ever had." Lysithea had several private tutors before she had gone to the Monastery. Though they were perfectly competent in their fields they simply couldn't prepare her the same way that the Professor had done for her. There was so much she had learned under him and so much more to learn.
"Then perhaps Cyril would be best joining the Golden Deer as a student."
It was an excellent idea. If there was anyone that could get through to Cyril it would be the Professor. Lysithea would've been completely behind it had there not been one issue. "He doesn't know how to read though."
Seteth's eyes shot up like Bernedetta's every time she ran into Hubert. "Are you certain?"
"I am. I've been teaching him actually. He's been working hard, but he'll still need a bit of time before he's ready."
"This is an unacceptable oversight," Seteth began mumbling to himself. "I always thought- I didn't think that- no I only have myself to blame for missing something so important."
"Um Seteth?"
"I am deeply sorry for making such an error. Rest assured that the proper tutors will be provided to him to give him the skills he needs to join your house."
On one hand Lysithea was actually going to miss teaching Cyril. She enjoyed acting as a teacher to him and he was a great student, but she was also glad that he would finally get the education that he needed. Every person should have the chance to learn after all.
"Now onto one last piece of business. I've been hearing reports from the chefs in the Mess Hall about your dietary choices."
"I always finish my plate," Lysithea replied quickly as beads of sweat gathered at the back of her neck. She had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.
"And yet your diet consists primarily on sugar and dairy, with very little meat, vegetables, or fish."
"I- It's not a problem," Lysithea stammered nervously.
"Have you not considered that such an unbalanced diet might be a contributing factor to your condition?"
"I assure you Seteth that I will continue having fits, even if I eat all my greens."
"Perhaps, but the first step to improving your body is a proper diet and you have been forgoing that for too long."
"I'm sure that we can be reasonable here." She could add some fruit and maybe some nuts to her meals. That would satisfy him right?
"From now on the chefs shall prepare personal meals for you upon my request. Until you improve your eating habits you will no longer be able to request dishes from the kitchen. Your Professor will also be informed of this should he wishes to dine with you in the future."
"But-"
"That is all."
Oh dear Sothis, this was going to be nightmare.