First of all, no, this story isn't death. I intend to continue and if possible, finish it. Though as I said before, due to real life circumstance, it'll take longer for me to update new chapter.

This chapter serves as a quick notification that this story is still alive... though admitedly I am always curious how women of FE deal with it. Expect Byleth to be OOC. With that being said, please enjoy and review the chapter.

Beta Reader: DarkAngelDan98.

"That will be all for today's lesson, don't forget to complete your essays on the evaluation of the practicality of Faith magic compared to Reason magic."

There was something wrong with Professor Byleth; most of the students of the Black Eagles could easily notice this. While on the outside, the blue haired professor did not seem much different form her usual composed self but the majority of them couldn't help but take note of the brief looks of discomfort or pained expressions that would appear on Byleth's face throughout the lesson. They also didn't fail to notice that the professor seemed to also be intentionally avoiding sitting down. Though none of them inquired about her rather peculiar behavior seeing as how the professor was in the middle of giving an explanation on the theory and brief history of Faith magic, one student did plan to ask the professor if she was fine once the class had come to an end.

However…

"Excuse me professor, but-"

"I'm sorry Dorothea but I'm afraid I am unable to answer any further questions right now as I have…sensitive matters that I must attend to post-haste."

Before Dorothea could even finish asking if the blue haired woman was fine, Byleth had already taken her leave after packing her belongings and papers while giving Dorothea a small smile. Dorothea only could watch the door of the classroom in silence, her mind still trying to comprehend what just happened.

"What is wrong with the professor?" Petra asked no one in particular as she also stared at the door that their professor just left through.

"I wish I knew Petra." Dorothea answered after letting out a sigh.

"Judging from the fact that our professor even referred to it as 'sensitive matters' I don't believe it's something that we need to know about. Whatever is troubling her at the moment, I don't believe it concerns us. If she wanted us to know then I believe Professor Byleth would have already tell us." Edelgard spoke up once she had also packed away her possessions and stood up from her seat.

"At the very least she has enough professional sense not to allow whatever was troubling her to hinder her ability to teach." Hubert commented in his usual haughty tone as he stood up, ready to follow his lady to the next item on her schedule.

"Well, yes that's true but don't you feel at least a little worried? She doesn't normally act like this." Dorothea reasoned while gesturing to the teacher's podium.

"I don't get it; the professor seemed perfectly fine to me, I didn't see anything weird." Caspar chimed in while giving his classmates a confused look.

"To the surprise of absolutely no one." Hubert commented quietly while rolling his eyes.

"If you really wish to know more about what might be ailing her then perhaps some of us could visit Professor Byleth in a reasonable hour such as during teatime." Ferdinand suggested once he had finished putting all of his class utensils into his satchel.

"You mean we should ask her after inviting her out for tea?" Dorothea asked and while she didn't want to say it aloud, the overconfident noble's suggestion did sound like a rather good idea.

"Yes, it seems to be a reasonable course of action in my opinion." Ferdinand stated with a nod.

"While I won't stop any of you from trying to ask our professor about what may have been bothering her, but I at least expect all of you not to not push the subject if the professor is not in a divulgatory mood, understood?" Edelgard advised, or instructed, with a sigh as she crossed her arms.

"Okie-dokie Edie." Dorothea answered with a wink.

Edelgard simply shook her head before she slung her satchel over her shoulder, believing that Dorothea, along with whoever wished to come with her, would be enough to visit their professor and check out her condition as there was no need for the whole class to go and bother the woman. Truthfully, Edelgard didn't see the point of asking what was wrong with their teacher when she didn't seem to have any intention of informing them on just what was the matter. Edelgard knew well that something was meant to be kept as a secret.

Just when the Princess and her retainer were about to leave the class, a familiar white-haired knight appeared in the doorway of the Black Eagle's classroom, looking around with a concerned look on his face.

"Good afternoon Sir Robin, if you're looking for Professor Byleth she just left not too long ago." Dorothea greeted while informing the knight that the person he was looking for had already left. It didn't take much to figure out why the knight was here given how it wasn't unusual to find him in the company of the former mercenary…maybe he knew more about what was wrong with their professor? While him arriving at their classroom looking for her wasn't strange since he did appear to be rather concerned surely that must have meant that he was aware of what was troubling the blue haired professor, right?

"Oh, thank you Dorothea. Then good-"

"Hold on Sir, if it isn't too much trouble, would you mind telling us if there's something wrong with Professor Byleth today? She…looked a little off this morning." Dorothea decided to ask, hoping that the man could provide her with an answer since the two of them seemed close, very close from what she could tell.

However, instead of answering her question, Robin simply gave her an amused look. Dorothea blinked her eyes in confusion, silently wondering if there was something funny with what she just said.

"I'd have thought you of all people would know what's troubling Byleth starting today." Robin said as he titled his head slightly, amusement could be heard in his tone.

Dorothea once again found herself blinking in confusion before she glanced at her classmates to see if one of them had understood what the knight was getting at. Predictably, most of them looked just as confused as her.

"Dorothea, what happens in a female's body periodically, normally every month, once they have reached a certain age?" Robin asked once he noticed the perplexed expressions on the faces of Byleth's students.

It took Dorothea a few seconds before she fully comprehended what the knight just asked her and when the answer hit her, both her hazelnut eyes widened slightly in realization. Oh…so that was why the professor looked so uncomfortable during this morning's class.

"Oh."

"Ah, I see."

Edelgard and Ferdinand muttered respectively, seemingly coming to the same conclusion as Dorothea. From the look of realization on Petra's face, even she seemed to realize just what it was that their professor was experiencing at the present time.

"If you all understand then I'll advise you to please give your professor some space, she just needs to adjust to dealing with her monthly condition in this new environment, I'm pretty sure the girls especially can understand this." Robin advised which prompted Dorothea, Edelgard, and Petra to nod their head almost automatically. Bernadetta, on the other hand, chose to simply avert her gaze away while her whole face started to redden as even she understood what the knight was talking about.

"Good then, I'll see you all later." Robin nodded with a playful wink before he left the classroom, presumably to search for the blue haired professor.

"Still want to visit the professor Dorothea?" Edelgard asked as she crossed her arms while glancing at the former songstress.

"I think I will take Sir Robin's advice and simply give our professor time to adjust." Dorothea answered with a sigh. With the question she wanted to ask finally answered, she saw no reason to visit her professor now. In fact, she wasn't sure if Professor Byleth would appreciate any visitors now that Dorothea was aware what it was their instructor was dealing with.

Now that the students had a good understanding of the situation, their worry started to dissolve as they started to pack their items into their satchels to head over to the next item in their itinerary. However, one student still seemed just as confused despite the explanation that had already been provided.

"I still don't get it." Caspar stated in confusion as he crossed his arms though by this point, no one was surprised…or even bothered to explain what was going on with their professor.

"This is stupid."

Byleth let out a sigh as she slowly and gently sat on her bed. She always disliked this time of the month where her body would enter a state where her lower region would feel painful and require her to put "something" that will absorb all the "fluid" that came out from her body. The last time she forgot to do this, she needed brand new shorts as her old ones has gotten far too stained to be used without being washed thoroughly.

"Try to show some patience, this is simply a natural part of female body's cycle, right? How long does this process usually take for you?" Sothis asked, her tone indicated that the girl was trying to comfort her.

Yet there was something…detached about the way the girl spoke, almost as if she was speaking as though she was observing this process for the first time rather the tone of one who had experienced it first-hand. Which didn't seem too strange, despite her having repeatedly insisted that she was not a child, her outward appearance was undoubtedly similar to a young girl just entering her teen years. While it wasn't abnormal for fledgling maidens to begin this bothersome process at that age it could come a few years later as well.

Then again Sothis' hair was far longer than what should be possible a girl that age should be capable of growing and her ears were clearly unlike anything that one would expect form a human so Byleth could understand how Sothis might truly be unfamiliar with this cycle.

So much about her situation with the shorter female was so far from normal that she supposed that it would be a waste of time for her to try and apply what is considered to be 'ordinary' for most people to her.

"It usually ends on the fourth or fifth day." Byleth answered while wincing slightly when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her lower region.

When she first experienced her period, at the age of 13, she honestly thought that she was either injured or ill since blood kept coming from… her "private" part. When she told her father about it, he immediately grimaced in a way that indicated that he was had been expecting it but at the same time dreading it. He tried to explain what happened to her as best as he could before he eventually gave up and brought her to the nearest physician, who thankfully also happened to be a woman too, who gave her a more detailed explanation of what was happening within her body.

Byleth thought that it was stupid that her body needed to go through something like that periodically every month, but she gave up on trying to do anything about it because as the physician said, it was not some sort of affliction and so there was no cure for it and all women in the world, whether they were noble or commoner, experiences it too once they reached a certain age.

Her father always made sure to exclude her from any jobs during the first few months after she first experienced her period so she could get used to fighting while dealing with the rather unpleasant side effects. Admittedly, it wasn't easy at first as the pain and uncomfortable sensations could be very distracting but eventually, she managed to get a handle on it and became capable of fighting even when she was experiencing her time of the month…though in all honesty she still preferred it when she didn't have to fight while she was experiencing it.

And now, she needed to adjust herself to juggling several different activities even when she was dealing with her period as unlike when she was still part of her father's group where she could just do nothing all day when her period came, her new work schedule wouldn't wait for her so she simply needed to grit her teeth and bear it. While she was grateful that at least she wasn't currently on the mission that had been lined up for her and the students to complete, she also knew that said mission could literally start tomorrow so she needed to prepare herself for it.

At least, she wouldn't be alone in protecting and watching over her students.

Byleth almost let out a groan when a knock came from her door. In all honesty, she wasn't in the mood to receive any visitor, even if it turned out to be one of her students. She understood their concern but she would much rather have them give her some space so she could deal with this irritation in peace.

"Come now, if it turns out to be one of your female students at the door perhaps you could use this chance to speak to them. Maybe they even can offer some suggestions to help you handle this cycle easier." Sothis stated, pointing out a possible suggestion that Byleth could benefit from if it was one of her female students who had decided to visit her.

Byleth let out a silent sigh as she carefully stood back on her feet. Sothis was right, if her visitor was one of her students belonging to the same sex, which was highly likely considering Dorothea's concerned inquiry before she left the classroom, then perhaps she could use this chance to talk about this annoying cycle of period with them. After all, Byleth had rarely gotten the chance to interact with a member of her own gender since, excluding herself, all of the mercenaries that were a part of her Father's group just so happened to be men. There were times when they encountered and worked with female mercenaries over the years of course but none of them ever seemed to stick around for long. Meaning that growing up, she had no one to talk to about her period ever since she first experienced it.

Though technically, there was one person whom she has discussed her period with in the past.

When Byleth opened the door, her expression instantly lit up. Because standing in front of her room was no other than the white-haired man that she had been hoping would visit her.

"Hey Professor, I heard from your- whoa!" Byleth didn't even let Robin finished his statement as she dragged him inside, closed her door, and dragged him further inward.

"Sit." Byleth commanded once they have reached her bed.

"Alright Professor, let me unbuckle my skirt first." Robin stated with a chuckle as he started to unbuckle the belts that held up the skirt that was made from leather and acted as armor for his lower region. While Robin was fiddling with his belts, Byleth once again slowly and carefully sat on her bed…only to wince the moment she once again sat on the matress. This was why she thought of this period of hers as utterly stupid, even sitting down could cause pain if she wasn't careful.

It was nothing short of infuriating.

Once his skirt has slid down to the floor, Robin sat down next to her which prompted Byleth to carefully lay her head onto his lap as she didn't want to upset her lower abdomen again.

"Better." Byleth hummed as she snuggled on the man's baggy pants. Robin simply chuckled in watching the woman's actions before he started to gently stroke her hair.

"You should have come sooner." Byleth complained as she gave him an irritated look.

"You know I have a job to do, right? You're lucky that my guard shift ended just a few minutes after your class ended otherwise you would've had to have waited longer." Robin explained gently as he kept stroking the woman's blue hair.

"He's right, don't behave like a spoiled child. You're lucky that his schedule happens to match yours so that he was able to come and be here with you in person." Sothis scolded her lightly, she was well aware that while she could always accompany Byleth, she was unable to provide her with the physical comfort that she needed to help her with her current condition.

Byleth couldn't help but pout a little after hearing Sothis' words, considering she was already having to deal with her period she didn't believe that she deserved to be reprimanded by a girl inside her head. Though, she returned her attention to Robin when she felt him poking her cheek a few times.

"What's with the pouty lips?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow though she could see his amusement through his eyes and smile.

"Sothis was scolding me." Byleth admitted after only staring at Robin with a passive expression for a few seconds. As she expected, Robin immediately laughed upon hearing the reason for her expression though hearing his laughter was enough to make a small smile formed on her lips.

"Well, you can't blame her. You do tend to act a little childish when dealing with your time of the month." Robin said with an amused sigh once he managed to get his mirth under control.

"Excuse me for acting more childish than usual then. You two wouldn't understand how I feel unless you've experienced a period yourself." Byleth complained while pouting again, feeling that she was well within her rights to behave a bit immaturely when dealing with her period.

"Well, no offense, but am I glad that I wasn't born as a female." Robin replied with an amused chuckle which earned him an irritated glare from the blue haired professor.

"It just isn't fair that I need to go through this every single month while you can just carry on never having to worry about this accursed hinderance just because you were born as a different gender." Byleth complained while still giving the white-haired knight an irritated glare.

"As I have told you before, your body is simply preparing itself for something later down the line." Robin said with an amused sigh. They'd already had this conversation before where she would complain about how unjust it was that only women went through this kind of experience while men didn't need to go through the same thing. And Robin always answered with the same response every time, that this was simply a method in which her body was undergoing a form of preparation…at least, that was what the book he'd read told him about woman's period.

"And why is it that only a woman's body needs go through regular pain and discomfort in order to prepare itself, while the body of a man doesn't need to go through any of such process?" Byleth can't help but ask, still feeling as though this arrangement where only women were required to endure this was nothing short of inequality.

"That, unfortunately, isn't something that I can answer seeing that I wasn't the one who designed the workings of human biology." Robin answered in amusement before he pokes Byleth's cheek with a grin. Byleth only averted her gaze with a huff, clearly unsatisfied with his answer but honestly, what could he say? He really didn't know why it as that the bodies of men and women worked in such different ways.

"How childish." Sothis couldn't help but once again voice her disapproval of the behaviour of the one she shared her mind with though Byleth decided to ignore her comment.

Robin started to smile gently when he watched how Byleth tried to get comfortable by snuggling on his pants as he kept gently stroking her blue hair. He has learned from experience that Byleth always acted this way during the first, and usually second, day of her period cycle and the best way to deal with her during these time was simply to physically comfort her like this, she especially seemed to enjoy receiving a lap pillow from him during these times.

"How about I ask the kitchen staff to make your favorite dish?" Robin offered, knowing that food was another method that could comfort her. He would have cooked her favorite food himself if he could, but Robin has learned a long time ago that his cooking was good for only one thing…giving someone a stomachache that lasted three whole days. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if there was any chance that he could weaponize his cooking.

"Is that allowed?" Byleth asked as she glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't worry; I'm pretty sure they won't mind doing this small favor for me as long as I provide the ingredients for them." Robin assured her with a playful wink. Besides, he was already rather familiar and friendly with the kitchen staff of Garreg Mach due to visiting them frequently…to help them with the investigation of the still unresolved case of food mysteriously going missing of course, not because he was there to regularly "borrow" foods from the kitchen, nope, not at all.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I'm not sure, besides, if I recalled correctly, you tend to eat more during your period that I wonder where all that food goes." Robin chuckled which once again earned him an irritated glare from the blue haired professor though this time she also slapped his chest with the back of her palm. Byleth narrowed her eyes in irritation further when she heard Sothis scoff in amusement before she huffs in annoyance.

"I promise your favorite meal will be ready for dinner." Robin promised after he managed to reign in his own laughter though he needed to stop himself from laughing again when Byleth gave him a skeptical stare.

"I'll also buy some pastries this evening from the nearby village." Robin added just to ensure that her mood would remain relatively pleasant for the rest of the day.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Byleth finally allowed herself to smile a little before she closed her eyes and once again tries to make herself comfortable by snuggling on his lap while she tried to enjoy her hair being gently caressed by the white-haired knight. She knew that she wasn't exactly the easiest woman to deal with whenever the time of her period came around, but she was really grateful that Robin was always patient enough to deal with her even back when they just met. She couldn't remember exactly when it was that Robin became her caretaker whenever her time of the month came but before she knew it, Robin seemed to always be the one who accompanied her and comforted her when she experienced her cycle with her father sometimes also popping in to check on her condition.

"You should be sure to show your gratitude then, perhaps cooking his favorite meal when your cycle ends." Sothis suggested which prompted Byleth to close her eyes. She didn't need to be told, that was how she usually thanked him anyway.

Byleth opened her eyes when she felt Robin's lips on her forehead which prompted her to glance up at him.

"For now, how about taking a nap? I have no other duties until nighttime, so I'll stay until I need to go out and buy pastries for you." Robin whispered with a small smile. Byleth simply hummed as she closed her eyes again though she decided to voice her gratitude just as she tried to get comfortable again.

"Thank you Robin."

"I'm glad you're feeling better now Professor."

Byleth couldn't agree more with what Dorothea just said. Her cycle for this month has finally ended and she was happy to know that she wouldn't need to deal with pains and weird sensations in her lower regions anymore…at least until next month when her period came again.

"Well, now that I know your habits when you're going through this process, I'll be more prepared next time." Sothis stated with a hint of teasing in her voice which prompted Byleth to roll her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad too, just because I finally now have more time to read my books." Robin commented with a grin, earning him an elbow to his side from Byleth though the action only succeeded in making Robin laugh in amusement as he blocked her elbow.

"Oh come now, you do know I lost some of my reading time comforting you." Robin said with a chuckle as he released her elbow though Byleth simply huffed and looked away from him.

"If anything you should be grateful that I give you the opportunity to take a break from your mind's rather extreme need to digest literature. And are you implying that your reading is more important than helping me through my time of the month?" Byleth asked as she glared in irritation at the white-haired man.

"So, your moodiness still remained." Robin concluded while raising both his hands in attempt to pacify the blue haired woman. Dorothea couldn't help but giggle after watching their interaction; it almost felt like watching a quarrel between lovers. Though, it did make her more curious about the nature of the relationship between these two young adults.

At the moment, the three of them were walking through the market area on Dorothea's request since she wished to buy a sword for herself to prepare for her class's upcoming mission. At first, it was just her and her professor but they met the white haired knight on the way here and he just happened to just finished his shift in guarding the market area thus Dorothea decided to invite him to tag along too, partly because she wanted to get to know to the man better, considering how close he was to her professor.

Then again, their interactions made her rather curious about the real nature of their relationship, were they just close friends? Or something more?

"Professor, Sir Robin, do you two mind if I asked you something that might be…a little personal?" Dorothea asked, deciding to satisfy her curiosity right here and now.

Byleth simply tilted her head in response to her question while Robin raised his eyebrow and gave her a questioning look.

"Are you two actually-?"

"Hey there, are you looking to buy or would you rather cry? I have got everything here, weapons? Armors? Accessories? And just so you know, there's no beating my prices!"

Before Dorothea could finish her question, she was interrupted by a red-haired woman who approached them, and from what she just said, it was clear that the woman was one of the merchants in the market area. Byleth, once again, only tilted her head in response to the merchant's offer while Dorothea looked a bit annoyed that she was interrupted before she could get the answer that she was looking for. However, while Byleth and Dorothea clearly didn't recognize the red-haired merchant given that they didn't come here often, Robin's eyes immediately widened a bit when he got a good look at her.

"Anna?"

The red-haired merchant, along with Byleth and Dorothea, immediately glanced at the white-haired man before she blinked her eyes as she inspected the man up and down.

"I'm sorry but have we met before? How do you know my name?" the merchant asked as she tilted her head while placing her index finger on her cheek and giving the white-haired man a curious glance.

"Ah sorry, wrong Anna. You must be one of her sisters then." Robin replied with a small grin as he rubs the back of his head.

While Byleth and Dorothea only exchanged a confused glance, the merchant, Anna, clapped her hands once as she looked up at the knight with a small smile after he mentioned her sisters.

"You have met my sister?"

"Two of them actually but I'm closer to the Anna of Ylisse." Robin replied with a chuckle as he crossed his arms.

"Oh my, I last heard that Anna has opened up a store near the palace of Ylisse's capital, is that true?" Anna asked as she crossed her own arms while staring at the taller man with a curious stare.

"Yeah, she also started up a delivery service across Ylisse by hiring some of the retiring pegasus knights. Her store got a little popular with the people across Ylisse that even I needed to work there for weeks just to make sure her store wouldn't crash and burn." Robin stated with a sigh, remembering the weeks he spent working as Anna's assistant just to make sure her business wouldn't go bankrupt due to the sheer number of customers that was using her delivery service.

"Oh! A delivery service, why I didn't think of that? Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to do what she did considering my rather small stall is all I have to work with but that a good plan for the future." Anna mused, silently praising her sister for having such creative idea. She might try to apply it here once she actually managed to make it big to the point where hiring employees wouldn't decrease her profit.

"You never told me of this Anna before Robin." Byleth spoke up as she raised her eyebrow at Robin.

"Actually I did, remember the merchant I told you that always overcharging people, me included?" Robin glanced at her with a small amused smile.

"That's her?"

"Yup."

"Hold on, Robin? Are you Robin Daraen by any chance?" Anna suddenly asked as her eyes widened slightly in realization. Robin exchanged a look with Byleth but decided to answer Anna's question with a nod which prompted the red-haired merchant's eyes to widen even further.

"Oh…my…goodness! You're the Robin Daraen! I have heard a lot of you from my sister like how you are the he-"

Both Byleth and Dorothea couldn't help but blink their eyes in surprise when Robin suddenly moved forward and placed his hand over Anna's mouth, probably to stop her from continuing what she wanted to stay.

"Sorry, uh, we need to make a deal." Robin said as he gave the two women a sheepish grin before he dragged Anna away while still covering her mouth with his gloved hand despite her muffled protest.

"What was that?" Dorothea asked softly as she watched alongside her professor how the knight dragged the red-haired merchant to the corner of the plaza that they were standing on.

"I honestly have no idea." Byleth answered while shaking her head slightly, she truly didn't have a clue as to what would cause Robin to act like that. The only time she could recall where Robin looked panicked like that was when he accidentally left one of his books at the inn they had been staying at, forcing her father's group to stay put while Robin headed back to the village they had just left to retrieve his book thus delaying their schedule. But other than that, Byleth rarely ever saw Robin look worried, it always felt as though he knew how a scenario was going to play out and had total control on the situation.

She wondered if whatever Anna was about to say has anything to do with Robin's past, specifically about the wars he participated in considering her sister seemed to be a good friend of Robin's even if she would overcharge him. While she knew that Robin once participated in three different wars, she didn't exactly know all of the specific details on what happened during those conflicts. Perhaps Anna was privy to more information regarding those details that she didn't know?

"Why don't you simply ask him?" Sothis said, offering the simplest solution if she wanted to know why Robin suddenly clamped Anna's mouth to silence her.

'Perhaps…but only if he wants to share that knowledge, I don't want to push him if it is something that he isn't ready to talk about yet.' Byleth replied mentally, knowing that Robin's past was…complicated to say the least. She didn't even know much about the Brands from his homeland other than that Robin's Brand usually manifested on the back of his right palm.

"Why don't you want people to know about that?" Anna asked as she raised her eyebrow while crossing her arms.

"It'll only complicate things; also we both know that people of Fodlan don't…have the best opinion when it comes to foreigners, not that I can blame them what with the constant invasions from three different nations. It's better for me to keep low profile for now." Robin replied with a shrug, honestly just not wanting people to know much about him at the moment. He could share information about himself but not all of it as there were several aspects of his life that would be better of remaining as a secret.

"So, in short, you want me not to talk about what I know regarding your past?" Anna asked with a smile as she tilted her head while placing a finger on her cheek again.

"Well yes, that's basically what I'm asking." Robin said with a sigh though when he noticed Anna's smile, a familiar feeling of dread instantly came over him.

"H-Hold on a second! You aren't going to charge me just because I asked you to keep my real identity a secret, right?" Robin asked with a nervous smile. The Anna he knew really loved money, so did the second Anna that he met, so he honestly wouldn't be surprised if this Anna also has a similar mindset, but would she really charge him for asking her to keep a secret?

Anna stared at him in amusement for a few seconds before she finally giggled at the man's worried expression.

"Well, considering what you did for the world I suppose I'm willing to give you a special service for this one, free of charge. You should be grateful for my generosity." Anna said in amusement while giving the white-haired man a playful wink. Of course, she wasn't truly going to charge him, she might love money but even she wouldn't expect to be given a fee for something like this especially when there was no exchange of goods occurring.

"Now, let's get back to those ladies before I lose any potential customers." Anna declared before she quickly began walking back toward where Byleth and Dorothea were standing, not noticing that Robin was letting out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry for the wait! Now then, have you decided on what to buy?" Anna greeted the two women while gesturing to the small stall that displayed various goods that belonged to her.

"No, we haven't even seen your goods yet, but I am actually looking for a sword." Dorothea admitted while Byleth simply focused her attention to Robin. The man gave her a reassuring smile and a nod when he noticed her concerned gaze to wordlessly reassure that he was fine.

"Professor, can you help me pick a good sword? You certainly know your way around a blade so I'd greatly appreciate your insight here." Dorothea asked as she turned her attention toward the older woman. After giving Robin one last concerned glance, to which he replied with another smile, Byleth gave her a student a nod before she, Dorothea, and Anna walked toward the red-haired merchant's stall to see if she has any good swords on offer that Dorothea could use.

Robin let out a silent sigh as he simply watched the three women from his spot. Byleth was always a bit of worrywart when it came to him…not that he was any better though. He was probably the bigger worrywart between the two of them but that was because she tended to be a lot more reckless compared to him. He wondered if she would develop the same tendency for her students later once they had become much closer.

There wasn't a single doubt in his mind that she would continue to deepen her relationship with the young men and women of her class and create a strong bond with them; he would even help her if necessary.

Though, back to the topic that had been occupying his mind since his talk with Anna. Counting Anna, there were now 4 people here, in this continent, that knew of his past as tactician. Though unlike Jeralt, Seteth, or even Byleth, Anna clearly seemed to know more about his past than what he was comfortable with. The fact that she said what he did for the 'world' seemed to imply that her sister has told her everything, including what he did to save the future. He wondered if the other Anna across the world also already knew of his story.

Robin lifted his left hand to stare at back of his gloved hand. More often than not, he would find himself wondering if he should tell Byleth about his real heritage, but he always felt it wasn't important, they were dead, his heritage shouldn't matter any longer…yet he was well aware that the dark power he inherited was still within him, dormant…until the events of last month.

"It's you."

"Hm?" Robin turned around when he heard a familiar voice to find one of his colleagues from the order approaching him with her usual indifferent look. Shamir, said to be the best archer in the Knights of Seiros as well as the best information gatherer that they have. Although she was also from a foreign land, in her case Dadga, similar to him but Shamir was quite distant and indifferent to a lot of people, himself included. That was why, despite the two of them being fellow foreigners, they rarely interacted with each other. Plus it seemed that he always has a hard time finding her.

She reminded him quite a bit of a certain quiet swordsman that has problems interacting with woman.

"I was actually looking for the new professor but-"

"If you're looking for Byleth, she is over there." Robin interrupted her as he pointed toward the professor who still busy inspecting the swords that Anna was selling.

"It's fine, you've been tasked to escort the professor and her students personally, haven't you?" Shamir replied while shaking her head a little before her eyes sharpened a little, letting Robin that whatever she about to tell him was a serious matter.

"We have located the bandits, head to the Knight's Hall with the professor, Alois or Jeralt will give you the rest of the details." Shamir informed him which prompted him to narrow his eyes a little. So, it looked lile their mission would start soon, good thing they managed to uncover the bandits' location just after Byleth finished her period this month.

"Understood." Robin replied with a nod.

"Good luck." Shamir said with her usual indifferent tone before she walked away toward an unknown destination. At least, she wished him luck.

Robin let out a sigh as he shifted his attention toward the three women with Dorothea seemingly trying to sweet talk Anna to make her lower her prices for the sword that Byleth must have recommended for her.

Yeah, good luck with that.

He knew that it was just a simple mission of eliminating bandits, but Robin knew that practically anything could happen even during a relatively simple mission like this. He had a feeling that he might be up pretty late tonight in order to create a strategy, a backup strategy for that, then a contingency plan for the backup strategy, and so on. But first, he'd better gather all the available information from the other knights.

With that in mind, Robin started to approach the three women and intended to just pay for the sword for Dorothea to settle their debate. He just hoped nothing would go wrong during their first mission considering Byleth has told him that for some of her students, this was their first taste at real combat.

He prayed to Naga that nothing would go awry.