Visiting Seteth to obtain a small stack of papers had been quite the ordeal. More so than Lucas ever expected. As he approached the old Nabatean's office, Lucas grew increasingly embarrassed. He was no stranger to speaking with Seteth. Yet, he couldn't help but shrivel up inside as he continued to think of how Lady Rhea's trusted advisor might decide to chew him out in his next meeting with the man in question.
As he had done so for all of his students up to that point, Lucas requested a stack of class certification exam papers. Seteth stopped, an eyebrow of massive scrutiny raised, poised to see through Lucas' gaze and into his soul. A breath of disappointment was emitted from the man behind the desk.
"Why am I not surprised?" Seteth rhetorically asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You have spent four months without undergoing any certification exams. Have you-no, what manner of simpleton forgets to do that?"
"H-hey, I've been busy!" Lucas defended himself.
"Of course. You work yourself to the bone in an admittedly admirable attempt to improve your combat capabilities. I have even heard from Tomas that you have frequently been taking out books of assorted topics from the library. Quite commendable of you, I must say," Seteth complemented the man in front of him. "But please work on your memory. It would not do you any favors if you were unable to recall something important."
"...Are you talking about my foreknowledge?"
Seteth seemed surprised, if only slightly. "I wasn't. Although that does apply to your unique wealth of knowledge. I have no reason to suspect you will slip up in that regard. You have been rather prompt with your predictions. However…"
Lucas continued to listen.
"It is clear to me that you have not been sharing everything. I have some idea of why you may be choosing to deliberately give information to us in segments, but I would like to hear it from you. Why have you only been telling us what will happen in the next month? Why not tell us what will happen in the month after, or even further beyond? What is your reason for this?" Seteth interrogated, leaning forward in his chair.
Lucas began to sweat.
"Uh, I…" he mentally scurried for some sort of answer. "If I told you everything, you may do something in your power to stop it. And then you might use that to discredit me."
"You have already proven yourself. To some extent, at the very least. I do not believe you will need to fear being 'discredited'," Seteth countered.
"Ah, you see-!" Lucas interrupted his line of thinking with another line of thinking. "I...I don't know. Maybe if some things get out early and have time to spread around, that might lead to our enemies somehow changing their plans to something completely unforeseen."
"How would our enemies find out? I assume you are referring to the Agarthans," Seteth guessed.
Lucas nodded. "Y-yeah, those guys. I don't know if I can say why, but Seteth, trust me. Please. I have a plan that can't be executed just yet. Give it another month or so and it'll be ready to go. Trust me."
"Will you tell him about next month?" Byleth inquired.
"I…" Lucas fought against his urges to show a physical reaction to this idea. "Maybe later. I really don't know."
Byleth seemed satisfied.
"If that is what you wish. I believe I already know what you are implying. I hope for all of our sakes that it is not the case," Seteth wished, his tone of voice decreasing its intensity. "Good luck with your certification exam. Do remember that a professor's exam works somewhat differently to a student's. While a student would have to hand their test to their professor, since you are a professor, you will have to give your finished test to a colleague. That means either Manuela or Hanneman will have to grade your test."
"Okay, that'll be fine. Just to confirm, there's no physical portion of the exam, right?" Lucas wondered. "I haven't had to do one for any of my students, but I don't know if it's different for professors or not."
"Why would there be a physical portion? The completion of the written test should already prove the examinee's understanding of the class they have chosen to follow. Any practical application of their knowledge should be handled in future training sessions," explained Seteth. "Do you have any other questions?"
"No, I think I'm good. Th-thanks, Seteth."
"You are welcome. Hopefully the next time I see you, I will be looking at a Myrmidon. Good luck."
Lucas smiled in return. He left the office, certification exam papers in hand - all while being very confused. The strange kindess that Seteth was showing alongside his distaste for the bumbling professor was an odd combination. Not that Lucas was complaining. Not entirely, anyway. He at least hoped that one day, Seteth would be completely fine with him.
For now, Lucas had a certification exam to do.
Taking an empty seat at the front of the empty Black Eagles classroom, Lucas pulled out a quill he had prepared in his pocket and laid out the first page of his exam. Before beginning, he stole a quick glance at the bundle of papers beneath him. Five pages, all filled with questions, boxes and the like. Lucas groaned, then began the exam.
Question 1 -
What is the meaning of the word "Myrmidon"? Write your answer in the box below.
Lucas blinked. "Hey, wait a sec. I know this. Didn't they explain this in that one book...Beginner Classes for Beginners? I'm pretty sure that it had explanations of all the beginner classes and stuff, which must've included the Myrmidon. I reckon it was something like this!"
Someone who follows a cause or directive without question.
"There! That should be good! What's next?"
Question 2 -
Which of the following aspects of combat does a Myrmidon focus on? Place a cross within the box that represents your answer.
[_] - Strength [_] - Skill [_] - Speed [_] - Trickery
Lucas scoffed. "Oh, easy!"
[x] - Speed
"These questions have been pretty simple so far. Though it does make sense, considering this is only the beginning. How many sheets are there again? Let's see...five. And there are seven questions on this page. So there's thirty-five questions in total?! Fuck, this is what I've been putting my students through?!"
Lucas deflated.
"There is no use in complaining. You will have to finish the test if you wish to become a Myrmidon. I have done it, all of the students have done it, and even all of the faculty have done it. You can do it too," Byleth encouraged him.
"Thanks, Byleth," Lucas smiled. "It's just a lot, y'know? I just wish-hey, wait a second! You've taken this test before, right? Can you-"
"No."
Lucas deflated again. "Oh. Worth a shot. I don't suppose you'll let me use Divine Pulse either."
"No."
"Alright, fine. Let's just continue. What's this next question, then?"
Question 3 -
What is the lightest material a sword can be made out of? Write your answer in the box below.
"Well, Training Swords are the lightest variety of swords. That was true in the game and it's true here. But what the hell are they made out of? Clearly not iron or steel. Considering they're dark in colour, they're either gonna be bronze or wooden. And I have no idea how easy bronze is to get in Fodlan. So my best guess is-!"
Wood.
The rest of the certification exam persisted with its format of question after question. As Lucas suspected, its difficulty did increase over time, though he was able to find solid answers for most questions. For those he wasn't entirely sure of, he was sure to use his knowledge to come up with an educated guess, giving answers he felt were right.
"Professor, are you having any busy-" came a new voice from somewhere behind him.
"Jesus-!" Lucas jumped in place, startled. He'd been so focused on his exam that he tuned out his surroundings. This new arrival tuned them back in for him. He swung himself around on the long seat he was sitting in, finding the source of the voice that surprised him. "Oh, it's just you. Hi there, Petra."
"Hello," the Bridigian greeted. "What are you doing there, Professor? If it is not any trouble to ask."
Lucas was reluctant to speak, but there was something about being in Petra's presence that eased him a bit. "W-well, I'm actually taking a certification exam right now. I feel so embarrassed to say that."
"Why would you be embarrassed? It is a good thing to be wanting to improve yourself." Petra tilted her head in confusion.
"It's, uh...well, this is something I should've done a while ago. You guys did your certification exams back in the Garland Moon. I'm only just catching up," Lucas explained.
Petra paused, seemingly finding the right words to say. "I do not think that is a problem, Professor. Some people improve differently than...than others do. You should not feel embarrassed that you are improving at a slower pace than everyone."
That unexplainable, comforting aura of hers shined brighter when she said that. It was infectious, causing Lucas to smile.
"Heh, you're right. Thanks, Petra," he thanked his student. "Did you need anything?"
"I was hoping to ask you a question, but I will do that when you are done. Sorry to have bothering you, Professor. I will, uh, be seeing you later."
Petra bowed as a sign of respect before departing from the classroom. Shrugging off any potential speculation as to what her question might have been, Lucas returned to his exam, keen to finish off those last few questions.
Over an hour passed. Lucas had spent well over sixty minutes answering the rest of the questions in his certification exam. As soon as he finished putting quill to paper on question number thirty-five, he slammed said quill onto the table and raised his fists into the air.
"Finally!" Lucas exclaimed, stretching his arms for the sake of relief. "Now to get this shit marked. Who isn't busy right now…?"
Placing his quill back into his pocket and picking up his papers, Lucas departed from the classroom. He peered into the next room over - the Blue Lions classroom - to hopefully find Hanneman or someone. Nobody notable was in there, so he ventured down to the Golden Deer's learning space. The door was closed, but through the stained glass windows, he could make out the shapes of various people. Most seemed to be sitting down, although one individual was walking around.
Instinctively, Lucas checked the watch he never owned to find that it was wrist o'clock. Embarrassed, he put his arm back down and chose to wait. It didn't take much longer for the doors to open. Out from behind them came a whole host of students, particularly Priests and other mages such as Mercedes, Linhardt and Marianne. Curious, Lucas dipped his head into the room, finding Manuela hovering around her desk. He entered and began to approach the woman.
"Hey, Manuela! How're things?" He greeted her.
"They're good, thank you for asking," Manuela happily responded, turning around on the spot. She noticed the papers. "Let me guess. You've taken a certification exam and you want me to grade it."
"Yes, actually. Good guess. If you wouldn't mind?" Lucas requested, offering his colleague the exam papers.
"Certainly! I'm no stranger to this. Hanneman's gotten me to do his, you know. I'm not sure why he hasn't asked you, but if he's thinking the same thing I am, it might be that he doesn't want to overwork you. Since you're new to this whole professorship thing," Manuela commented after accepting the papers.
"Really? Well, I appreciate it. That's really kind of you two," Lucas smiled.
"You're very welcome," Manuela glanced at the top of the exam's first page. "Myrmidon, huh? I almost considered taking this myself at one point. But then I decided to go completely down the route of Monk, then Priest and...you get the idea. Anyway, I'll be sure to get this thing back to you as soon as possible. Just gotta grab the answer sheet from Seteth. Where can I expect to find you later?"
"Hmm," Lucas checked the clock on the wall.
His eyes almost bugged out when he saw the time. "Oh shit! My seminar's in five minutes!" He exclaimed.
"Seriously? You'd better get to it, then! I'll just find you when I'm done! Go, get moving! Don't be late to your own seminar! I know I'm not one to talk, but go!"
"R-right!"
With a sudden flash of determination surging through him, Lucas zoomed out of the classroom, his mind immediately turning away from the exam and to the very first seminar he would ever teach.
Lucas prepared for his seminar at light speed. He rushed over to his bedroom, collected some notes he had ready for the session and ran back to the classroom, hoping to get there before anyone else to maintain a sense of responsibility. Unfortunately, this didn't work out for him.
Four people were in the Black Eagles classroom waiting for him. The specific number of students gave Lucas a short-lived flashback to his time on Earth just before arriving in Fodlan. He shook it off before entering the room through its open door.
On the left half of the seating arrangement was Leonie from the Golden Deer as well as Felix from the Blue Lions. On the right was Ferdinand and Petra from his own house. They were the sort of people he'd been expecting to show up. The sound of his footsteps tapping against the stone floor made his presence known to the four. Petra, Ferdinand and Leonie stared at him with anticipation shining in their eyes, yet Felix merely glared some kind of vague interest at the newbie professor. Lucas could already tell what they were hoping for.
"Sorry I'm a little late, everyone. I suddenly got really busy right before this thing started," he apologised to his students after arriving at the teacher's desk. "So, is it just you four? Are we expecting anyone else?"
"Nope! Not as far as I'm aware, Professor," Leonie answered promptly.
"I do believe Caspar wished to join, but I am unsure why he isn't present. Perhaps he simply lost track of time," Ferdinand theorised. "Either way, there should be no one else coming."
"Excellent! In that case, let's move over to the training grounds. I've got it booked for our session today, so we should probably actually make use of it. Let's go," Lucas instructed, picking up his notes.
He and his miniature class quickly made their way over to the nearby training grounds. It was empty - devoid of any users. Some monastery personnel still hung around, likely in the case of an accident or something as Lucas guessed, but the place was mostly void of people. Apart from the ones in the seminar. They all walked to the regular training ground area, with its rectangular arena and the wide path surrounding said arena. Once they arrived, Lucas turned around to address his four students.
"Alright! So, as you probably already know, my seminar is all about non-Combat Art techniques. Manoeuvres I've thought up myself, that kind of thing. Some of them may vary in effectiveness. Their usefulness may also differ between you all. But one thing's for sure…" Lucas paused to build up anticipation. "You'll definitely be learning something new here."
Leonie raised a hand. Lucas allowed her to speak. "You only use swords. Will all of your techniques only involve them or do you have some for other weapon types?"
"I've got some for other types." Lucas allayed her fears. "I also have techniques that will work with all weapons, but they might not work the best with some varieties. Lances aren't built to do the same things an axe can do, for example."
"Does that involve magic?" Felix spoke up for the first time.
Lucas' eyebrow raised slightly in curiosity. "Not at the moment. I'm still trying to learn Reason magic, myself. I've only just mastered Fire. I might be able to come up with something about it later, but for now, no magic. Sorry."
"Whatever," Felix replied with a huff.
Shrugging off the Blue Lion's strange behaviour, Lucas waited to see if anyone else would raise their hand (or shout out as per Felix's example). Nothing. That indicated to the professor he could move on with the session. He led his group over to the collection of training weapons, then grabbed a sword and walked out onto the arena.
"Alright, first up is a technique that can, well, really be used by any weapon, but it's most effective with a sword. I think," Lucas began. "It's called...Spin Attack. Watch."
Placing his notes onto the ground a fair distance away before initiating his demonstration, Lucas pulled his sword-wielding arm back and hunched forward slightly. Then, he swung the blade all around himself in a full circle, twisting his legs to allow for the entire range to be attained.
"It's useful for dealing with enemies that are coming from all sides. As long as you keep a good grip on your weapon and your swing is strong, then it's sure to deal a solid amount of damage," Lucas explained more of the technique. "Thanks for that one, Legend of Zelda. I'll be sure to credit you never."
"Wouldn't it be better to quickly turn and stab whoever's coming at you?" Felix inquired.
"If you want to stab, that is. Sometimes a slash works better and in a situation like that, you may not have enough time to turn around, prepare a stab and execute it. The Spin Attack eliminates that preparation and execution time. All you've gotta do is turn while swinging," Lucas answered. He motioned towards the weapon rack. "Give the Spin Attack a feel for yourselves. I haven't tried it with any other weapon type, but I imagine it must work with lances and stuff."
The students grabbed their specific specialities and entered the arena, all before beginning to practice the new technique their professor had just shown them. Petra, along with Felix, had the easiest time replicating the move since they were using swords. Ferdinand and Leonie came across some difficulty as a result of their choice to use lances. As Lucas studied the movements of the latter duo, a realisation came to him.
"You know, I think a lance probably works better with the Spin Attack than swords. Lances just have more range," he stated. "What do you guys think?"
"As someone who has wielded a blade as well as a lance, I must concur. The additional range that a lance provides makes for a more effective attack. While swords are more efficient at slashing, the pointed end of a lance allows it to be just as sharp as a blade," Ferdinand commented on the matter. "Each weapon has its upsides."
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me, as well," Leonie agreed. "Though I haven't used swords a whole lot myself, I feel I can make some good guesses about them. Ferdinand's comment makes sense."
"Why thank you, Miss Leonie! As a noble, I must-" Ferdinand thanked his compatriot before being interrupted.
"Don't push your luck, pal. Nobility's got nothing to do with this," Leonie interjected, frowning at the man in question before turning back to the professor. "Anyway, how'd you come up with something like this, Professor? This seems like the kind of move a kid would invent while playing swords with his friends or something."
Ferdinand seemed to have a flash of realisation. "Is this how people fight in your homeland of England?"
"Uh..." Lucas froze. "Shit! Why the hell is Ferdie leaking that?! The more people that learn about a land that doesn't exist, the more attention that gets thrown onto me! Goddess fucking damn it!"
"That is what you deserve for acting so reckless with your personal information. Honestly, what were you thinking?" Sothis quipped. "Also, please don't say that last thing you said ever again. I do not want to picture it."
"Oh, hi Sothis. Good afternoon, hope you're having a fine day and all. Just so you know, if I want a smug quip from you, I'll ask for one," Lucas responded, sighing in the mental void of his mind.
"You shall have one even if you do not desire it. Now, hush! Your students are looking at you with expectant faces. You would best come up with something."
Lucas returned to reality, finding that Ferdinand was staring at him, waiting for a response. Leonie and Petra were looking at him with much confusion while Felix only seemed to have a little bit of bewilderment. Lucas cursed out Sothis' name before speaking aloud.
"Uh, well, no. Not a lot of people fight where I come from," he eventually spoke. "Before the rest of you ask, yes, I do come from a place called England. It's not somewhere you can get to as easily as Brigid, Dagda, Duscur or Almyra. It's much further away."
"If it's that far away, how did you even get here?" Felix wondered, his eyes narrowing a little.
"Good question. Unfortunately, I don't have a very good answer," Lucas scratched his head in mild embarrassment. "One day, I was in my homeland. Next thing I knew, I was in Fodlan. Not much else I can say about that."
"What, you just warped here? That's pretty strange," Leonie remarked.
"Tell me about it. Listen, I'd appreciate it if you three kept quiet about this. I only told Ferdinand because I was in a good mood. If certain people hear that I'm not actually from Fodlan, that could cause some issues," requested Lucas.
"Does Lady Rhea have any knowing of this?" Petra asked.
"She does," Lucas lied, nodding. "As well as Seteth. They're both trying to figure out some way I can...get back."
His head drooped. Any semblance of a smile he had was no more. Ferdinand, having noticed this change in his professor's state, placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Not to worry, Professor! I am certain Lady Rhea will be able to happen upon a method you can use to return home. Your family and friends will not have to wait very long!" He reassured the older man.
Lucas' smile returned. "Thanks, Ferdinand. I really appreciate it."
"You are welcome, Professor. Now, why don't we get back to learning your techniques? I am interested to see what else you have up your sleeve."
Getting back to the lesson was enough to stave off the tidal wave of worry that was almost about to hit Lucas. Petra and Ferdinand were more than happy to learn some more, but it was clear Leonie and Felix still felt suspicious about what they just learnt regarding their teacher. In spite of that, the rest of the seminar went smoothly. Lucas was able to introduce several borrowed techniques from his dimension, changing some of them slightly to befit the more realistic nature of the world he inhabited.
Once it was over, the five of them packed up and dispersed from one another. It seemed to Lucas that it was quite the satisfactory session for his students, though he couldn't help but feel as if they weren't entirely pleased with it. He wasn't able to pin exactly why he felt that way. That left him with a strange, empty feeling that persisted even as he went off to go rest.
He then spent some time lying down upon his bed, facing the ceiling as he dealt with this unusual parasite that was festering within his mind. Interrupting his wallowing was a knock on the door.
"Hey, Teach. Mind if we speak?" Claude requested, standing on the other side of the bedroom door.
Lucas was going to say something, but suddenly decided he wasn't in the mood.
"Are you even awake?" Claude waited for a response. Nothing. "Huh. Guess all these snacks are gonna go to waste. Maybe I'll hand 'em all over to Lysithea or something. But what am I gonna do with all this tea…?"
Lucas' ears twitched. A surge of determination came through him like a lightning storm. With it, he zoomed to the door and opened it wide.
"You said something about tea?"
A few minutes later, Lucas was burning his tongue on a piping hot cup of tea while eying up the collection of cookies and pastries on the snack holding device. Claude was laying back on the other end of the table, scrutinising the professor's every action. He smirked.
"Gotta say, Teach. Didn't take you for a tea fanatic," the Golden Deer's house leader noted that one down mentally. "Do you like that kind? I just picked at random. I have no idea which is your favorite."
Lucas downed another sip. "It's fine. Not the best, but it'll do. And yeah, me too. I dunno which tea variety is my favourite either."
"Really? Guess we'll have to keep trying until we find the one you like best," Claude said, taking a sip of his own tea. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about, though. Something aside from tea."
"What's that?" Lucas asked, pensively. He had no idea what to expect. When Claude began revealing his desired topic, Lucas almost gasped.
"I wanna talk to you about what happened in Abyss. Particularly with that Aelfric guy."
Lucas placed his half-empty cup down onto its plate and took a deep breath.
"W-what do you wanna know specifically? There's a lot to cover," he queried, stammering slightly.
"Yuri said he was hired by Rhea to investigate Aelfric, right? I just think it's a little strange that he would only kill the guy after meeting you. Not only that, but…" Claude trailed off for no real reason other than to build suspense, Lucas assumed. "The way you stopped our fight with the Ashen Wolves when we first met them. You seemed to know all about Hilda's relationship with Balthus. Combine that with the Aelfric thing and, well, you get something that doesn't quite add up. I think you know a lot more than you're letting on."
Lucas froze. Although he was shaking, he was able to take another sip of his tea, thawing his mind out from the chilly cage it soon found itself in. Partially, at least.
"Hmm...the deerling seems to have caught your tongue," Sothis observed. "What will you do? Aside from turning back the hands of time, of course. I won't allow you to escape from this situation so easily. Rely on your own strength. Not my own."
"Rely on my own strength, except for when I'm about to die. Isn't that right?" Lucas rhetorically asked. Sothis glared at him. "Alright, alright. Sorry. I don't know what I'm gonna do. Should I tell Claude about my foreknowledge?"
"Don't ask me. Figure this one out for yourself. I will sit back and observe."
Lucas frowned. "Fine then. I don't see any benefit to telling him. In fact, doing that might only complicate things later. But if I don't tell him, he'll probably keep probing me until I either tell him or the whole universe implodes. Whichever happens first. My options sure are limited…"
Claude waited patiently. He could wait for the truth. Especially this truth. Luckily for him, Lucas eventually decided to speak.
"I know some things," he said. "What about it?"
"Playing coy, huh? That's alright, I'm used to that. You do that a lot when we're playing board games, y'know," Claude mentioned, grinning. "Anyway, I'd say Rhea told you about some of this stuff, but then, that wouldn't make sense. If she already knew about Aelfric, why sic Yuri on him? So clearly, you couldn't have had any help from the church. If you were an Alliance spy, I'd know about you. And you've got no semblance of a traceable history. Who are you, Teach?"
"Y-you're pretty mysterious yourself, Claude. You have quite the treasure trove of secrets. I-I should be interrogating you," stammered Lucas, attempting to turn the tables.
"Shouldn't that be an indication that I'm a good secret keeper? Come on, you can tell me. I'll keep asking you until you do it."
Lucas sipped his final drop of tea. "F-fine. I'll tell you. You may not even believe me, anyway."
"Heh, I'll be the judge of that. So, tell me. What's up with you?" Claude leaned forward, keen to hear the truth.
Lucas sighed.
"I can see the future. And the past. And some bits of the present an average person wouldn't know about, such as Balthus and Hilda's relationship," the teacher reluctantly disclosed. "For the past few months, I've been using this ability of mine to inform Rhea and Seteth about what'll be happening in the next moon to come. I told them about the bandit problem my house took care of in the Harpstring Moon, the Lonato rebellion from the Garland Moon, the Holy Mausoleum infiltration from last month as well as the theft of the Lance of Ruin that happened this moon."
Claude was speechless. Initially, at least. He'd been so bewildered that he couldn't think of anything to say right away. His grin then returned. "Quite the story, Teach. Suppose it wouldn't be a good idea to go verify that with Rhea herself."
Lucas shook his head.
"I figured as much." Claude drank some of his now cold tea. "I guess that explains a lot. Like you said, it makes sense as to why you would have known about the Hilda and Balthus thing. But what you just told me was so incredibly unbelievable that I don't know if I can believe it at all."
"I warned you."
"True! You did indeed warn me. I will say this, though. I know all about telling lies and truths and whatnot. I know what sort of facial expressions people will have as they do either. You? You were staring at me like you were admitting your deepest, darkest secret."
"I can prove it to you if you want," Lucas offered.
Claude sipped some more tea. "Oh? Go right ahead, Teach. What's gonna happen next month?"
"Flayn will be kidnapped," Lucas revealed without any hesitation.
A pause.
"W-what?! Are you...you're serious, aren't you?" Claude asked. Lucas confirmed with a nod. "Huh. Well, I guess we wait and see if it happens. You gonna stop it somehow? Wait, have you even told Seteth about this yet?"
Lucas blinked. "Oh crap. I-I forgot about that."
"You've been telling him and Rhea about the future, right? If what you're saying is true, then you should probably tell Seteth sooner rather than later. He'd freak out on you if it happened and then if he learned you could've stopped it."
"You're actually right. The issue is though, if I tell him, he'll just become overly protective of Flayn. More so than usual. That'll really mess things up. He might even get kidnapped as well," suggested Lucas. He stood up. "I'll...have to think about this. Thanks for reminding me, Claude."
"No problem. Let me know how it all works out. I'd love to hear more. Oh, and your secret is safe with me, Teach! My lips are forever sealed."
Lucas smiled once more before leaving the tea party area. He walked through the gate that led to the dormitories and proceeded to head back to his room in order to think privately. Yet he couldn't help but do so on the way there.
"I shouldn't have told Claude, should I? Oh fuck, he's a wildcard. He's just gonna use this information to do something himself. He'll mess up the timeline, damn it! Ugh, I wish Sothis would let me Divine Pulse. Claude is right, though. I should probably tell Seteth-"
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Manuela. She approached him just as he was about to reach the door to his room, waving around papers that he vaguely recognised.
"Lucas, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Manuela exclaimed, breathing to catch some air.
"What's up? Did something happen?" Lucas puzzled, confused.
"Did something happen? Your exam results happened, that's what!" Manuela waved the papers around again. She offered them to him. "Congratulations, you're a certified Myrmidon now!"
"Oh. OH," Lucas realised. He grabbed the papers and looked them over, finding that his colleague was telling the truth. "Fuckin' nice."
Author Notes: Lucas finally remembers to take his certification exam! Those clearly don't work here exactly as they do in the game. After all, there's no Seals involved. I wanted to include them somehow but I couldn't figure out how to do so without it making sense. So I just made it a written exam thing instead, matching the animation from the game. So Lucas is now a Myrmidon! That won't mean much for the story, but hey, it's progress. It also allowed me to end this chapter on a funny note, heh.
Don't forget to join the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server! I'm there along with a whole load of other cool writers! Here's the invite code: 9XG3U7a.
See y'all next time!
EDIT (29/11/2021): Guess what? That's right, time for more "Fun Facts With ModernHog!".
What's Lucas' favourite British television show? It's a toss-up between Mr. Bean and Only Fools and Horses. He could go either way, honestly.