And here it is, a new chapter. Once again, thank you for those who already reviewed the previous chapters. As for Morgan... actually, I haven't decided yet whether I would include him/her or not. If I do decide to include her/him, it probably will be in the later chapters but before part 2 I guess.

Please enjoy the chapter and tell me how I do it in your review, I really appreciate what you think of my progress in this story so far.

Beta Reader: DarkAngelDan98.

She was standing in a flower field, watching nothing in particular as she waited for her father to finally finish his discussion with their current contractor.

"Here, this is for you." the voice behind her stated as she felt something being placed on her head.

She turned around and saw him with his usual kind smile, staring at her amusedly. She reached up and grabbed whatever he had placed on her head to get a good look at it.

It was a bunch of flowers arranged to form a circular shape, something she'd never seen before.

"What is this?"

"A flower crown."

"Why did you put it on my head? Is it a tradition from your homeland?"

"No, there is no such tradition in my homeland even if there is a belief that flower crowns are able to ward off evil spirits." he said as he took the crown from her and put it back on her head.

"However, I put it on your head because I thought it would suit you, and I have to say it most certainly does. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman."

"Beautiful…I don't understand." She said with some confusion.

"Hm? You don't see yourself as beautiful?"

"No…or perhaps it's more accurate to say that I simply don't care. Why does it matter whether I'm beautiful or not?" She didn't understand the concept of beauty…or rather it wasn't important to her to begin with. Her appearance was of little consequence to her since as a mercenary, the only aspects of her body that mattered were the ones that allowed her to make full use of her combat and survival skills. Compared to her work and overall lifestyle, her beauty was less than trivial.

"Perhaps it doesn't but regardless, people will always have their own opinion of you. However, I don't have any ulterior motives other than simply giving you the garland crown. Do you like it?" there was honesty and sincerity in his eyes as he stared at her, which was a far cry from the many men who usually approached her with hidden agendas.

"I…I don't know." she reached up to caress the flowers in her hair, feeling its soft texture beneath her palm.

"Then please follow me." he ended up leading her to a nearby lake where he gestured for her to look directly at the water's surface.

"See for yourself, do you like it?"

She stepped forward and was a bit surprised when she saw her reflection. It was just a bundle of flowers on her head…yet somehow she looked different. She gingerly touched the flowery ornament again, noticing how her eyes looked softer in her reflection…

And she finally answered him.

Byleth slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she noticed was her unfamiliar surroundings. She would have leapt off her bed if her memories didn't return to her and she recalled where she was at the moment.

Right…she had been made a professor…and was now living in the Garreg Mach Monastery.

A sigh escaped her mouth as she rose from bed and prepared herself for the day.

A boy named Cyril came across both her and Robin when they were looking around the Monastery yesterday, specifically when they were in the greenhouse. He had been ordered by the Archbishop herself to give Byleth the key to her quarters which was located on the first floor of the dormitory.

She was a bit worried when Cyril didn't give one to Robin but the man assured her that Alois has been kind enough to allow him to stay in one of the empty rooms in the knights' quarters which might become his new residence depending on the Archbishop's decision.

"Speaking of that man, did your dream stem from memories of the time you spent with him in the past?"

"Sothis? You're awake…and you could see my dream?" Byleth honestly almost forget about the girl in her mind after everything that happened yesterday.

"Yes, it seems that we not only share our thoughts and date of birth but also dreams."

"Dreams? Does that mean I have seen your dreams before? Wait…the dream about that war…do you think that came from you?"

Years ago, Byleth used to have a recurring dream about a bloody war between two armies which mostly focused on a battle between a green haired woman and a white-haired man. The dream has haunted her for many years to the point that she'd usually chose to train rather than go back to sleep whenever she has that dream.

It may seem strange that she was particularly bothered by a dream like that, after all being raised as a mercenary meant that Byleth had seen battlefields, bloodshed and carnage from a relatively early age and she imagined that she most likely took her first life far sooner than most would. However even with her being no stranger to death and fighting she most certainly wasn't used to seeing death and destruction on such a massive scale before, throughout her life as a mercenary she had only gone up against small or moderately sized groups of enemies, she'd never even seen an actual army in the flesh let alone two massive ones colliding in a display of war. The scene she saw in this dream was such a contrast to what she was used to her entire life that she couldn't help but feel unsettled by it, especially because while it was happening she would always get this bizarre feeling that she was both watching it from an outsider's perspective but also felt like she was a part of it somehow.

Oddly enough, she stopped having that dream after telling Robin about it…though she never questioned whether it was his presence that stopped the dream or not as she was content with the knowledge that she would not have that dream plaguing her sleep anymore.

"It does seem likely since it's clear that you have never taken part in a conflict such as the one from the dream though I admit I cannot remember anything other than what the dream showed…or perhaps I did witness the war personally and my amnesia prevents me from remembering it consciously."

Byleth made a mental note to tell Robin about it later when they met up. The white-haired man had already told her that he would be probably busy for most of the day because he, along with her father and Alois, would be meeting the Archbishop in the morning and depending on the Archbishop's decision, Robin might immediately begin serving under a knight as a squire or be made an official knight.

Byleth herself would also be spending most of the day occupied with other matters. After having breakfast at the dining hall, she was required to meet the Archbishop and other professors to decide which house that she would be responsible for guiding and teaching for the next year. Afterward, she would have to meet her new students. She had already chosen which house she wanted to teach after a discussion with Robin yesterday plus she had already met most of them during her walk around Monastery with Robin.

She had read a little about what she needed to expect when it came to teaching during their little tour since Robin refused to leave the library unless he managed to finish a book (he finished three books), so she figured that she might as well take the chance to read something to aid in her preparation for her first day on the job. For now she planned to personally see how skilled each of her students were and then hopefully she could think of how to handle things from there.

"A half-baked plan is still a plan nonetheless, but I suppose you have already prepared enough for today. By the way, you haven't exactly answered my question."

"You mean about the dream? Yes, that dream was a memory from what happened about a year ago. We were on Adrestian's territory if I'm not mistaken." Byleth replied as she put her brooch in its usual place and made sure her hair looked presentable.

"That was sweet of him to make you that crown. What was your answer? The dream ended before you answered his query."

A smile formed on her face as she walked to the door and opened it, ready to face the day.

"I liked the flower crown he made for me."

"And considering the lack of skilled magic users within our ranks, I thought it would be a good opportunity to finally add a member who has not only mastered the arts of magic but is also an adept swordsman too. I believe it would be unwise to keep relying on Professor Manuela and Hanneman if we need a magic user for certain missions, considering they both have their own responsibilities, with Manuela being our physician and Hanneman as our expert on Crestology not to mention their positions as professors to our students."

Robin had to admit, despite his eccentric and joyful personality, Alois certainly has a way with words. The Archbishop seemed to look as though she was truly considering his words carefully.

At the moment, Robin was back in the audience chamber with Jeralt and Alois in order to convince Lady Rhea to accept him as a member of the Knights of Seiros, as a knight, not a squire. Both Jeralt and Alois have vouched for both his skills and his character and deemed him worthy to be made as a knight directly especially since it seemed, as Alois said, the order was rather lacking when it came to knights who were well versed in the mystic arts.

However, Robin only paid half attention to what Jeralt and Alois have to say about him, especially since Jeralt made it clear earlier to only speak when he was asked to, while he used the other half of his attention to focus on the Archbishop herself. That feeling from yesterday had returned now that he was within the Archbishop's presence again, it wasn't as strong though since Seteth wasn't with them at the moment, and he wanted to determine if this feeling wasn't just his imagination…

If only he could see her ears, unfortunately her hair prevented him from getting so much as a glimpse of them.

"I think I have heard enough." Rhea finally spoke up, prompting Robin to immediately stop staring at the green haired woman intensely before she gets the wrong idea.

"Robin Daraen, I've heard from Alois yesterday how you assisted in defending our students and now to hear both Jeralt and Alois vouching for you like this; it would certainly be reassuring to consider one such as yourself as an ally to the Church. However, I must ask if you are willing to adopt the selfless ideals that we encouraged all of our knights to embrace and if you are willing to devote yourself to working for the safety and prosperity not only for those here at Garreg Mach Monastery but also for all people of Fodlan despite not being from this land?"

The way Rhea stared at him now felt like she was staring directly into his soul, as if her eyes could see through all of his thoughts. But Robin had faced far more intimidating stares in the past, the kind of looks that no ordinary man could survive…like the intense stare of the legendary Frederick(son) for example!

"I am willing to devote myself and all my skills to the safety and well-being of all people in Fodlan." Robin replied without hesitation while staring directly into Rhea's eyes, trying to communicate his resolution clearly to Rhea.

After staring at him in silence for a few seconds with a look that made it clear to the three men that she was silently asserting Robin's intent, the Archbishop finally closed her eyes as a small serene smile bloomed on her face.

"I see. I have deemed that your words are sincere. While it is my hope that you will also come to accept some of the teachings of Seiros please do not feel as though you're obligated to convert to our faith completely. However, I do expect that you will at least conduct yourself in an exemplary manner and show a strong devotion to our cause."

"Wait, does that mean-" Robin couldn't help but asked as he blinked his eyes twice.

"Yes Sir Robin Daraen, I accept your admission to be an official member of the Knights of Seiros, and not as a squire but as a knight just as Jeralt and Alois wish for you to be. I welcome you into our esteemed order; may the Goddess shines her light upon you and guide your sword so that you may slay the wicked and protect the innocent." Rhea confirmed, clasping her hands together and closing her eyes in a brief gesture of prayer before looking at the newly appointed knight with a serene smile and a gentle nod.

"Thank you Your Grace, I shall do my best as a Knight of Seiros." Robin replied humbly as he channeled his inner Frederick(son) and gave the Archbishop a bow, Fodlan-style.

"Thank you for your time and for accepting our request Lady Rhea." Jeralt spoke up as he, alongside Alois, bow their body to show their gratitude over her decision.

Afterward, the three men excused themselves since now that he'd gotten the job both Jeralt and Alois needed to brief Robin on what his duties and responsibilities as a member of the Knights of Seiros were. Though the three of them were also aware that the Archbishop was a busy woman and probably would have either left them or asked them to leave soon enough to attend her other duties.

Robin honestly was a little disappointed that he didn't get any glimpses of her ears, then he would've known if his suspicions were correct or…

"Alright then! First, we ought to introduce you to your peers but since most of them are currently at their posts all over the Monastery or patrolling around the grounds I suppose that starting things off with a patrol would also be a good decision, especially since that way we essentially killed two birds with one stone." Alois exclaimed once the three of them have left the audience chamber. Robin supposed he could see the logic behind Alois' plan, he needed to get to know his peers better yet they are on duty now so why not greet them one by one while also patrolling around the Monastery?

"Then I believe I can trust you to handle the boy from here on your own Alois?" Jeralt asked as he gave his former squire a raised eyebrow.

"Leave it to me Captain!" Alois said confidently as he gave the now Captain of Knights of Seiros a formal bow. Jeralt simply nodded in response before he shifts his attention to Robin.

"I'll go back to my office; there is some paperwork that I still need to deal with. If you need me for anything, just come by my office." Jeralt told him though Robin also caught the way Jeralt's gaze momentarily directed to the entrance of the audience chamber, a silent message to him perhaps. Though it was crystal clear what the message was.

And with that, Jeralt turned around and walked away, leaving Robin and Alois behind.

"Right, we should get going too." Alois said as he gestured for Robin to follow him with a nod.

"I'll be under your care for today Sir Alois." Robin stated with a formal bow before he followed Alois who simply laughed aloud after hearing his words.

"I guess you are. But there is no need to be so formal with me when there are only the two of us, just Alois is more than fine." Alois replied kindly as he patted Robin's shoulder.

"Especially since the two of us are fellow right-hand men who know the struggles of being Jeralt's second-in-command." Robin joked with a grin, earning another laugh from the knight.

He liked this man already, cheerful and kind, something that wasn't too far from how Robin himself usually acted. While Robin would never be able to be as loud as Alois, if the way he tended to shout while talking when they first met yesterday was any indication, from what he observed when they walked toward the audience chamber earlier, the man seemed to be pretty popular among the knights and Robin could see why.

The man just radiated positivity, a trait that was similar to both Robin himself and his best friend. If his experience in serving in the military was any indication, optimism and kindness could prove useful in unifying your comrades. He hoped that the other knights here also had this productive trait or at least shared a similar viewpoint.

"Alright then, now allow me to explain what exactly it is that you'll be expected to do while serving as a knight. Basically, every knight has the same duties; patrol duty, guard duty, and carrying out the missions that are assigned to us by the Church." Alois said as he started to explain about what Robin would do as a member of the Knights of Seiros.

"Patrol duty, as you would already expect, involves patrolling either inside the Monastery or around the surrounding perimeter. You're expected to stop any disturbance that might happen during your patrol and you're also given permission to use force if required but only as a last resort. Once your patrol ends, head over to the Knights Hall to write your report and submit it to the Captain. Most of the time, you'll patrol on your own but there will be times when you'll do it with a partner. While not strictly mandatory it is strongly recommended that you do more than one patrol before your shift ends." Robin gave Alois a nod and tried to memorize the information.

"Then there's guard duty, much simpler than patrols but just as important, you'll be stationed at a certain post where you'll watch over the area until your shift ends. Just like with patrol duty, you're expected to deal with any trouble that might happen under your watch but fortunately, you don't need to write any reports if nothing significant happened during your shift. Even if something happens, give a direct verbal report rather than a written one. Oh, you also may leave your post if you are summoned by either the Captain or the Archbishop." Alois paused momentarily to return the greeting of two students that walked past by.

The students also gave Robin a curious look but ignored him. Well…that was rude, though from what he gathered there were a fair amount of nobles attending this school so dealing with a few prudish students was to be expected.

"Then we come to your final duty, carrying out missions, you could receive one at any time depending on the situation around Fodlan. The mission we receive can range from stopping a group of bandits, investigating certain incidents, to preventing a rebellion from spiraling out of control. We always embark on our mission with a full squad of knights with one of the more experienced knights as the leader though we also sometimes accompany the students and the professors on their own mission."

"Hold on, the students and professors also go on missions?"

"Yes, to give the students practical experience. Each month, the professor and the students will also receive a mission to complete from the Church, and there are times when the knights will also accompany them. Though unlike them, the knights could receive more than one mission a month depending on the situation."

Robin guessed he could see why allowing the students to go on missions under the supervision of their professor could give them valuable practical experience that could serve them well in the future as well as prepare them for the harsh conditions of true battle but wouldn't it better to give them at least one year of training before moving onto missions? But then again this wasn't his homeland and he sure the people here knew how to handle themselves better than he did. After all, there must be a good reason why the Officers Academy here was known as a prestigious academy.

"Aside from those duties, it's not unheard of for knights with sufficient skills to gain additional responsibility to train the new recruits or the newly knighted squires. Of course, I will also recommend that you head down to the Training Ground as frequently as you can so that you can spar against your fellow knights, keeping your skills sharp while also bonding with them, once again killing two birds with one stone. But of course, don't let the flames of competitiveness cloude your mind or you'll get a burn, hehehe."

Ah yes, Jeralt has also warned him about Alois' 'sense of humor'. Robin simply shook his head with a small smile; even if he didn't find the joke funny, at least the man's cheerful nature was truly a comforting sight for him.

"Now, before we begin our patrol, let's head to the barracks to get you a weapon." Alois said just as they finally reached the front entrance of the building they were in at the moment.

"Are you ready to begin your first day as a member of the Knights of Seiros?" Alois asked, a warm smile decorating his friendly face.

This was it; there was no turning back anymore. But he already made up his mind yesterday, that he would serve under an order of knight of a different land for an unknown amount of time.

"I am."

Naga please gave him strength…

Byleth crossed her arms as she watched an axe user fought a spear user, silently analyzing their move and finding any flaws she could.

The Black Eagles, the house that represented the Adrestian Empire. She had decided to choose this house after interacting with each of the student during her stroll around the Monastery and discussing it with Robin in the library yesterday. The house was filled with students that have diverse talents with three mages, four close quarters combatants, and one archer though this girl, Petra if she wasn't wrong, also claimed that she excelled at archery too.

At the moment, Byleth was carefully assessing her new students' skills. There had already been one match before this, between Caspar whose recklessness she needed to fix somehow and Petra who utilized a sword technique that Byleth had never seen before, probably because the girl wasn't from Fodlan.

Now, it was a match between Edelgard and Ferdinand, the boy who, according to Edelgard, regarded the princess as his rival for some reason.

Ferdinand thrust his spear forward which Edelgard easily dodged by stepping aside. Byleth let out a silent sigh when instead of putting some distance between him and his opponent while trying rethink his strategy, Ferdinand instead chose to swing his spear horizontally which, once again, Edelgard easily dodged by crouching down. Edelgard then quickly rose to her feet while swinging her axe upward with enough force to disarm Ferdinand before the white-haired girl immediately went for the finishing blow.

Had this been a real battle, Ferdinand's skull should be split open by now but Edelgard stopped her axe right in front of the boy's face. It was clear that she knew that she was the victor.

"That's enough. Edelgard wins." Byleth stated as she uncrossed her arms.

"Ferdinand, it is clear that you're well-trained in spear." Byleth began her examination, causing the boy to smile in pride.

"But not well enough, you made many tactical mistakes. For instance, just before Edelgard disarmed you, it would have been better if you stepped back and waited for another opening instead of focusing solely on your offense. Spears gave you an advantage in range compared to axes yet you threw away your advantage even when it was clear Edelgard could step in to your defense where your weapon wouldn't be able to help you as much. It was fine to go on the offensive when you think the opportunity has presented itself, however, you also need to make a quick judgment over whether this opportunity will backfire on you or not. Do you understand?"

The proud smile on the boy's face immediately disappeared after hearing her assessment but the fire in his eyes still remained. At least, he had the determination to improve.

"Thank you for your feedback professor, it's very clear that I still needed to improve more in various aspects. But do not worry as I, Ferdinand Von Aegir, promise you shall bear witness to a better performance the next time you assess me! And don't you think you have won yet Edelgard! This is nothing but a temporary defeat; I shall be the victor on our next match!"

Byleth could hear the irritated sigh that escaped Edelgard's lips after hearing Ferdinand's declaration and Byleth was starting to understand why the girl sounded rather annoyed when she described Ferdinand yesterday.

"Edelgard, you performed really well and did an exemplary job taking advantage of Ferdinand's misstep at the end the match. There were improvements that could be made to your overall technique and, more prominently, your footwork. But I believe it that we should be able to make a good progress on an ideal pace." Byleth explained.

"Thank you professor, I look forward to what else you could teach me so that both my peers and I may improve ourselves." Edelgard replied with a graceful nod and a pleasant smile.

"Now, the magic users." Byleth declared as she closed her eyes briefly before she glanced at the three magic users of the Black Eagles House; Dorothea, Lindhardt, and Hubert.

"Frankly speaking, while I know how to cast some spells, I wasn't the best spell caster even within my father's mercenary company." Byleth admitted as she glanced at the four dummies that Caspar has set out at her order earlier. One was already pierced by Bernadetta's arrow when she wanted to test the archer's skills; the three dummies left were for the magic users.

"Still, I wish to see what you can do. Dorothea, you go first."

"Okay professor!" Dorothea replied with a wink and a cheeky grin before she thrusts her hand forward.

Byleth raised her eyebrow in interest when she noticed a yellow magic circle appeared in front of Dorothea's fingers instead of palm. A lightning bolt escaped the magic circle and hit the dummy on its head a few seconds later.

"I see, you release the spell from your finger rather than your palm for better precision." Byleth observed as she crossed her arms.

Robin has taught her that when casting a spell, using finger would give the caster greater accuracy while using palm would result in a spell with greater firepower. Byleth herself preferred to cast with her palm seeing as how it was, admittedly, easier to conjure a spell from the larger surface area than through finger.

"However, I noticed that there is a delay in your casting." Byleth pointed out, causing the brown-haired mage to blink in confusion.

"Delay?"

Instead of explaining it verbally, Byleth decided to demonstrate her point by casting a spell that prompted a white magic circle to manifest in front of her open palm before a sphere of light immediately fired from the circle and hit the dummy that Dorothea had targeted with her own spell.

"Did you notice the difference?" Byleth asked as she returned her attention to Dorothea.

"I noticed, when Dorothea cast her spell, there was a delay between when the magic circle appeared and when the spell fired yet when you did it, the spell was released as soon as the magic circle formed." Lindhardt spoke up, surprising Byleth a bit. She thought the boy would already sleep while standing considering his love for nap though it seemed despite his lax disposition he had a bit of a sharp eye.

"Good observation Lindhardt." Byleth praised regardless with a nod.

"But how did you do that? I've seen enough mages cast their spell and all of them have at least a slight delay in between the initial casting and spell firing." Lindhardt asked in curiosity with a surprisingly intrigued look on his face as he looked at her.

Byleth only could blink her eyes after hearing Lindhardt's question. She…had honestly never noticed that though that was mainly because in the heat of battle, she only thought of how she could defeat her foes as well as finding any openings that she could exploit to do so. Moreover, mages weren't exactly plentiful out there and if they did encounter mages, she wasn't the one who ended up taking care of them.

"That was because of the difference between how one draws out power to cast their spell."

Byleth turned around when Robin's voice reached her to see the man himself walking toward their direction. She also noticed the sheathed sword that strapped on Robin's hip which might indicated one thing.

"Robin." Byleth greeted with a nod and a small smile.

"Sorry if I interrupted your class professor." Robin replied with a smile and a nod of his own. Byleth simply shook her head to say it was fine before she shifts her attention back to her students.

"This man is Robin Daraen, my father's second-in-command and a skilled mercenary." Byleth introduced Robin to her students with her smile still present on her face.

"Who also happened to just recently get knighted." Robin added, causing Byleth to face him again.

"She accepted you?" Robin simply gave her a grin and a thumb up to answer her question, prompting Byleth's expression to soften slightly.

That meant he would be able to stay here too…

"Congratulations Sir Daraen, while I'm sure I am missing some context here but I believe the order could use a skilled individual such as yourself." Edelgard congratulated with a smile.

Though Byleth couldn't help but notice her eyes seemed to express something different.

"Yeah that's great, now can we get back to the topic at hand? What do you mean by the difference between how one draws out power to cast their spell?" Lindhardt interrupted, appearing to be eager to learn more about what Robin just said.

"It's simple actually. From what I observed, mages of Fodlan use their own power to fuel the spell. When that happens, a process that I refer to as 'charging' happened. This spot here is the center of your inner or magical power." Robin said as he pointed at the center of his chest.

"When you cast a spell, the power will travel from this spot to either your palm or your finger, or even to both your palms depending on the type and complexity of the spells. That was the reason for the delay." Robin then stepped forward and thrust his hand forward.

"My method however utilizes something different. Instead of using my own magical power, I use the magical power provided by nature, in other words, the atmosphere itself." a yellow magic circle appeared in front of Robin's palm before, just like with Byleth, a lightning bolt immediately fired from the circle and destroyed one of the two remaining dummies.

"That is why there was no delay, because the energy was already around my palm when I cast the spell. Another advantage of this method was that casting multiple spells won't drain you as you didn't use your own power to do it. Does that answer your question?" Robin finished his explanation before turning his attention back to the green haired boy.

"Fascinating…I didn't know such a method was even possible." Lindhardt muttered as he put a hand under his chin and started to mutter something else under his breath.

"I don't get it all." Caspar said with a confused frown as he crossed his arms.

"That's not surprising in the slightest. But still, how could you possibly use the magic energy around us to cast a spell? How do you even go about gathering it in the first place?" Lindhardt questioned further.

"To think I'd see the day where you of all people would get so passionate about something Lin; talk about surprisingly unexpected." Dorothea joked as she nudged Lindhardt's elbow with a giggle, causing the boy to roll his eyes.

"It is done in the same manner you draw power from within yourself but with a few additions and differences. It would be easier to explain if I had one of my tomes to demonstrate but I left them all behind back at home since I outgrew the need for them." Robin replied as he stepped closer to Byleth so he would stand next to her again.

"Tomes? As in books?" Ferdinand asked as he blinked his eyes in confusion.

"That's right. I would like to explain more but someone is waiting for me." Robin said before he nods toward the direction of a knight that seemed to be waiting for him.

"I will be waiting for you here." Byleth whispered so only Robin would hear her.

Robin simply nodded at her before he gave her students one last smile and walked away toward the knight that was waiting for him.

"As expected, he really is just as skilled in magic as I remember." Edelgard commented as she and her fellow Black Eagles, with the exception of Bernadetta, stared at the white-haired man.

"He is; he was the one who taught me how to cast spells in the first place." Byleth admitted with a nod before she closes her eyes briefly.

"Now, let's continue. Hubert, you're next."

"A mock battle?"

"Yes, Seteth said it will be held at the end of this month. I need to prepare my students for that specific bout to prove my credibility as a professor."

At the moment, Robin and Byleth were heading toward Professor Hanneman's office. The scholar had requested Byleth to come over so he could see if the new professor possessed a Crest or not. Robin was just tagging along since he had no more duties to attend to and was still waiting for Jeralt to give him his official schedule.

"That was kind of unfair. You didn't even get a chance to refuse this job, right? Yet they immediately put you in this situation." Robin replied.

"Whether it was unfair or not, I have no other choice but to do it. Seteth didn't mention whether there was any consequences if the house I lead lose so perhaps it is just meant to test my skill. Though there's also a possibility that this mock battle is simply the part of the academy's curriculum and I just happened to get the job at the same time that this mock battle was scheduled to take place." Byleth concluded with a shrug, already accepting the fact that there was nothing she could do aside from moving forward at this point.

"By the way, Sothis has woken up." Byleth deciding to tell him now, seeing that they were on their own without anyone around to eavesdrop.

"Really? Did she say anything else to you?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow, in truth part of him had forgotten all about this new voice in Byleth's head.

"Not much, only that it seems we also can see each other's dream. We believe that the dream I used to have years ago, the one I told you before, belongs to her."

"So, she is still unable to remember anything else?"

"Nothing new so far…oh, and she just said good morning to you." Byleth said as she gave Robin an amused smile, an action that Robin returned in kind.

"Good morning to you too Sothis. But back to what you were saying, for an amnesiac, even a dream could mean something related to their past. Perhaps her dream is actually a fragment of a memory, something that she herself witnessed."

"Sothis also said the same this morning. But father told me that there hasn't been any large-scale wars in Fodlan for ages. Perhaps that means Sothis might not be of Fodlan?"

"Possibly but the biggest questions here are who she is and how she ended up in your head, and if she really isn't from Fodlan then that will only complicate the issue even more. But the main problem is we won't get anywhere unless Sothis can remember something other than her name."

"He has a point. All this speculation will only get us so far without my memories to back up any theory that the two of you craft."

"For now, all we can do is to simply adapt to our new environment. Let's focus our attention on the closest obstacle ahead, like the mock battle." Robin reassured with a smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Byleth returned his smile as she placed her hand over the one that rested on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly.

She found squeezing his hand to be comforting whenever she was feeling troubled by something.

Once they finally reached Hanneman's office, the gentleman greeted them politely before getting right down to business, something that Robin appreciated since he wanted to spend some time in the library after this now that he was an official resident of the Monastery.

This meant he could read books there for as long as he wanted!

…Well, at least until Byleth came to drag him out if he spent too much time there.

"Now then, please go ahead and hold out your arm over this device here." Hanneman instructed as he held out a strange device, one that even Robin hadn't seen before.

Considering that this was a device meant to detect Crests within people it only stood to reason that Robin had never come across something like this seeing as how Crests did not exist in any of the lands that he had been to.

Byleth glanced at him and only held out her hand over the device when Robin gave her a nod and a smile.

"What is this?!" both Robin and Byleth blinked in surprise at the scholar's sudden outburst before they both glance down at the device and notice that something has appeared on its surface.

"A pattern I've never seen before…Is it possible that an as-yet undiscovered Crest has been detected? To think there are still Crests out there that even I am unaware of! How thrilling!" Hanneman announced excitedly, causing Robin and Byleth to exchange a glance.

An undiscovered Crest? Possessed by her? Just when she thought her world was finally starting to calm down she ended up discovering yet another fact she didn't know about herself.

"Professor Hanneman, is it possible for one to be unaware that he or she possesses a Crest for most of their life?" Robin asked, feeling that he needed to get more information about this revelation.

He knew about Crests, after all he had done a lot of reading about Fodlan while travelling around with Jeralt's mercenary group, and from what he knew, Crests usually only manifested in noble and royal bloodlines or those related to them. It was quite rare for a commoner to possess a Crest so the idea of Byleth possessing one never came to him until now. Especially since he had fought alongside her for years now and she hadn't displayed any notable signs of bearing a Crest, though since he wasn't an expert on Crestology it's not as though he was even aware of all the indications that a person has a Crest so maybe she had shown signs that he had missed.

"Huh? Oh, ahem, yes of course. Pardon my unrestrained jubilation but yes, it is possible. Without a proper checkup, it is possible for an individual to be unaware that they possess a Crest for a while as some Crests require a conscious effort to be used. Professor Byleth here is just one such example of this happening in real life." Hanneman explained after clearing his throat and recomposing himself.

"Your father didn't happen to have an unknown ancestor that bears an unknown Crest, right?" Robin asked as he turned his attention the blue haired woman.

"I…don't know. My father never talks about his past." Byleth answered with a shake of her head, prompting Robin to let out a sigh.

Of course, as expected of Jeralt.

"It might be possible that even your father might be unaware. After all, one's family tree can branch out and encompass more than one would expect." Hanneman reasoned as he pulled out a paper, dipped his quill into ink, and started to draw the pattern that showed up on his device. After making sure that the pattern that he drew was a perfect copy, Hanneman nodded to himself in satisfaction before he turned his attention to Robin.

"Pardon for the wait, my device only can detect one Crest at a time. Now Sir Robin, please do the same. I have been informed by Alois that you have been accepted into the Knights of Seiros, congratulations by the way, and thus you also need to be checked in case you actually possess a Crest too."

"Is that really necessary?" Byleth looked up at Robin in concern when she noticed the discomfort and hesitation in Robin's tone, something that she had heard only once before in all her time of knowing the man.

"I'm afraid so. It is simply standard procedure around here, no exceptions I'm afraid. Come, I promise it won't hurt." Hanneman assured as he stepped closer to Robin with his device.

Robin looked at the device hesitatingly before assuring himself that nothing will happen. What he has was quite different from a Crest, which have been described as blessings from Fodlan's Goddess, so no pattern should appear on Hanneman's device, right?

...Right?

Robin felt his gut drop as he was instantly proven wrong when the device ended up reacting to him…but in a way that no one expected. The moment Robin held his hand over the device, purple sparks instantly surrounded the device, shocking the scholar who immediately threw the device away.

A wise decision, considering the device blew up a few seconds later.

"What in the world?" Hanneman muttered in shock while Byleth simply stared at the remains of the device in shock before she looked up at Robin who was clutching his right hand close to his chest.

"Robin, are you okay?"

Robin didn't answer as he focused on calming himself through his breathing, especially since his right palm now felt hot, really hot but not to an extent where it was unbearable. He could sense it, he could feel it, and if he took his glove off, he has no doubt that he also could see it…

A very familiar Brand…

…One he would've preferred to never lay eyes on again.

And there you go, his Brand still remains but why? How? Anyway, I also like to ask if I indeed decide to include Morgan, do you think it is possible for him/her to inherit both Robin's Brand of Defile and Byleth's Crest of Flames since both Brand and Crest related to one's bloodline? Heh, he/she would be a literal child of darkness and light (though, I think you can do the same by having Robin S-supporting Tiki, shame that FE: Awakening didn't explore this union).