Like what I said before, this story, and I, isn't death... even if this chapter ended up uploaded late, even later than what I predicted. Well, I admitted that I just finished moving to a new place so hopefully I can update the next chapter faster... hopefully.
Anyway, please read, enjoy, and tell me what you think of the chapter in your review.
Beta Reader: DarkAngelDan98.
Byleth ducked under a large tree branch as she continued to walk forward, leading her students alongside Edelgard through a path that would take them toward their destination. This was it, the beginning of their first mission. It sounded like it would be rather straight forward, eliminate a group of bandits that have been terrorizing multiple villages around the area. Byleth herself had fought against groups of bandits so many times she had lost count of the exact number of how many of the scoundrels she'd vanquished alongside her father's group of mercenaries. Not to mention, a group of knights have already been pursuing these bandits as they had been instructed to not only track the criminals' movements but were also ordered to corner the bandits into a specific area so that the students could defeat them. Thus, she predicted that there would at least be some among the enemy who were quite likely to be injured or exhausted by now.
Byleth stopped walking for a second to glance at the people trailing behind from her shoulder. Most of her students looked, or at least attempted to, rather composed with Edelgard and Hubert predictably being the one that looked the calmest, though there were those who looked too eager or confident for their own good, like Caspar and Ferdinand, as well as those who looked like they didn't even want to be here at all, like Linhardt and Bernadetta. And then of course, behind the group was Robin, looking like he was thinking over something if his expression was any indication. Robin specifically put himself at the back just in case they were ambushed by any other enemies lying in wait that the church and knights did not have any intel on, then he could easily defend the students on the rear.
Despite her having plenty of confidence in her students' capabilities, part of her was still worried about how things would go for them when they went up against the bandits. Her worry mainly stemmed from the fact that for most of her students, this would be their first real battle against an opponent who wasn't a fellow student or another professor. Over the past couple of weeks Byleth had been training them to reach a level that she deemed to be satisfying and Robin has also helped the magic users by reviewing their performance and offering further advice so that they can improve, but Byleth knew very well that even the most trained individual can end up forgetting every lesson that has been drilled into them when faced against an opponent in a real battle. If that happened, then it would be up to her and Robin to protect and guide them.
"Is something the matter Professor?"
Byleth glanced at Edelgard who has stopped next to her while staring at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm just a little worried; after all, for most of your housemates, this would be their first real taste of combat outside of the Monastery or their home." Byleth decided to confide in her house leader about her worries as she started to walk forward again.
"I completely understand your concerns, even I can't help but worry about how my housemates will fair in this conflict. Especially in regard to their overall fighting performance as well as whether or not they will be able to remain calm once they took their first life." Edelgard agreed with a small nod as she walked alongside her professor.
Given that almost every student of the Black Eagle House came from some form of nobility, or even royalty in Petra's case, it was safe to assume that none of them had ever stepped foot on an actual battlefield let alone had to take the life of another person.
However, what Edelgard just said caused Byleth to once again stop in her tracks as her eyes widened a bit in realization. Ever since she first briefed about Black Eagles' mission from Seteth, Byleth has mostly focused on improving her students' fighting capability, be it their skill in up close physical combat or their prowess in magic related conflict. But because she had been so focused on training her students in combat to try and make sure they could handle themselves in a fight, she'd forgotten about one aspect that she should have thought of before they had left to complete their mission…namely preparing them mentally. More specifically, trying to ensure that they would be better prepared for the unpleasant experience of taking a life for the first time in their lives.
Even though some of her students looked eager or composed, Byleth knew that taking someone's life wasn't easy…especially the first time. Even though it happened a long time ago, Byleth still remembers what it was like for her…when she had to kill a person for the first time in her life.
At the time, she was still quite young so despite her showing quite a bit of promise for battle even then her father had been quite insistent that she refrain from taken a too direct role in any of their battle. For her own safety, she was supposed to simply support the other mercenaries, wielding a bow rather than a sword like now. In all fairness she did her job quite well back then, her aim was fairly decent so she had little trouble in shooting arrow her arrows at specific parts of the body of the enemies they encountered to give her fellow mercenaries an opening they could use to finish off their adversaries.
However. despite her sharp aim she never loosed her arrows with the intent to kill her enemies, only to injure or disarm them…at least until one day a bandit managed to go slip past one of their mercenaries and immediately rushed straight toward her. It was then that her instinct took over her body and before Byleth could even fully comprehend what happened, she already fired her arrow…needless to say that her arrow managed to pierce the man's head before the man's spear even managed to reach her.
However, it was what happened afterward that she probably would always remember. As she watched him drop dead right in front of her, eyes and mouth wide open with blood flowing down from his forehead, and with the knowledge that she was responsible even if she did it to protect herself…it didn't take long before she overwhelmed by foreign feelings and seeing as how she wasn't as familiar with her own emotions as now, Byleth could barely understand what exactly she was feeling at the time…only that it made her feel sick and her hands just wouldn't seem to stop trembling. It took a whole day and gentle words from her father for her to finally manage to calm herself down, yet the lingering presence of the overwhelming feelings she felt in that moment remained long after that.
The second time she killed someone, the feelings returned but admittedly, she only required a shorter time to deal with those unfamiliar emotions unlike before. And then, each time she had to take a life, it became easier and easier for her to reign in those feelings…until they never returned once it got to the point where she began to actively participate in battle and had been killing people for a while. It was at that point that people started to call her by her moniker…
The Ashen Demon.
"In hindsight, preparing these little ones only for combat may indeed come with some consequences. However, at this point I think the only thing you can do is to comfort them to the best of your abilities once the deed is done." Sothis commented, pointing the only thing she could do for her students after they have taken their first life.
Byleth let out a silent sigh as she mentally agreed with what Sothis said. At this point, it was better if she focused on ensuring the safety of her students as well as the success of their mission for the time being and worry about the consequences of not mentally preparing them later. Perhaps it was harsh to think about it in this way but she hoped they had at least come here with the expectation that they would eventually need to take a life considering the kind of academy they enrolled in. Taking into account that they would most definitely face true conflict during their time at Garreg Mach hopefully they have, to some extent, already come to terms with that certainty without being prompted to.
Eventually, the ten of them finally arrived at their destination, the place where the members of Knights of Seiros had cornered the bandits. The Red Canyon, Zanado. While Byleth has heard of the place before from Robin who happened to find a bit of information about it in the geology book he read, she personally has never laid eyes on the place before simply because their job as mercenaries had never brought them through this particular area. It seemed what Robin's geology book mentioned was right; the location seemed to mainly be comprised of ruins. She was sure there was history behind these ruins, but she wasn't here to find out anything regarding their history.
Upon entering the desolate area, Byleth immediately noticed two knights standing near a large half-destroyed archway. Before she or Edelgard could say anything to the knights, one of them seemed to spot the approaching entourage as the knight who noticed them immediately gave them a salute.
"Greeting Professor, we have been waiting for you and your class to arrive." the knight greeted, prompting the other knight to quickly greet her with a salute of his own.
Byleth simply nodded at them before she surveyed her surroundings, though when she was about to ask a question regarding the other knights, Edelgard beat her to it.
"I presume the other knights are also here?" Edelgard asked as she crossed her arms.
"Yes Milady. All the knights are positioned strategically in specific spots to ensure that none of the bandits can escape from Zanado." the second knight answered with a nod.
"And the bandits' location?" Edelgard inquired further while raising one of her eyebrows.
"They have camped in the western part of Zanado, hiding inside what used to be a tower." the first knight replied while pointing at the direction of the tower that he meant.
"Then that tower will be our battlefield. Should we proceed to observe their new 'hideout' Professor?" Edelgard suggested as she looked up at the older woman. Normally, Byleth would have immediately nodded but she decided to turn her attention toward the white-haired knight at the back and give him a questioning look.
Under normal circumstance, Robin would have asked some critical questions to these knights in order to get more information that could affect any potential strategy he'd made but earlier Robin had made it clear that he wanted her to be the strategist for this mission not only to help her strategic skills grow but also because they didn't know if Robin would be able to accompany her class on their next mission thus she couldn't rely on him to come up with the strategy.
Robin simply responded to her inquisitive expression by tilting his head with a barely concealed amused smile that told Byleth that Robin undoubtedly understood exactly what she was asking but decided to try and play dumb by giving her a questioning look of his own. Thankfully, he dropped the attitude when she narrowed her eyes at him, prompting him to immediately walk forward to stand next to her.
"Tell me any details you have on the bandits, their numbers, the weapon that each of them uses, any sign of them having a mage or healer, and most importantly any details you can give me about the spot that they're trapped in at the moment." Robin asked, his earlier amusement was noticeably nowhere to be found in his expression and tone. Byleth made a mental note to remember the details that Robin just asked for future use while silently scolding herself for not asking the same thing, what Robin just inquired about could give them a greater advantage and more flexibility in creating a strategy.
"Do not be discouraged, he was a tactician before meeting you remember? Of course, he would be better at this compared to you at this moment in time but that doesn't mean you can't improve yourself." Sothis advised in an attempt to encourage her. Sothis was right…that and she always relied on Robin, or her father if Robin wasn't present, for strategy during their days as mercenaries since Robin was their strategist. It wasn't like Byleth had never had to make a strategy on her own because she has but moments like that were rather rare when they had a tactical genius in their group.
"There are only around 20 of them left; there are 9 axe users, 6 sword users, and 4 bow users. While they don't have mage, we found out they do have one healer that can also cast offensive spells. As for the place they're camped in now, it was pretty bare but there are some standing walls that the bandits can take advantage of to set an ambush." one of the knights reported to Robin. The white-haired knight simply nodded and Byleth didn't need to read his mind to know that he was already working to implement the information onto his strategy.
He may have said that he would follow her lead today but Byleth knew Robin well enough, and Robin couldn't enter a battlefield without first having some sort of plan in mind.
"Also, according to Greg, who has surveyed the area before, that particular spot has two openings that would lead to the center room where we suspect the leader of the bandit is hiding. One could be accessed directly after entering the first room while the other path is located on west side of the first room." the other knight added, giving additional information regarding the interior layout of the structure their targets were holed up in.
Robin gave them an appreciative nod before he started to make his way toward where the bandits were supposed to be with Byleth and the students following him immediately.
"Finished making your strategy?" Byleth asked while tilting her head slightly.
"Certainly, though we both agreed that you'd take the reins today." Robin reminded her without taking his gaze away from the path in front of them.
"Do you happen to excel in formulating strategies Sir Robin?" Ferdinand asked after hearing the exchange between his professor and the knight.
"Technically, though most of my knowledge regarding strategies came from the books I've read over the years." Robin replied as he glanced at the carrot-haired noble from his shoulder. Technically, that wasn't a lie since he did spend a good chunk of his free time reading various books regarding strategies utilized by tacticians throughout history so that knowledge may act as a guide to making strategy for amateur.
"What about you Professor? Are you as good as Sir Robin in coming up with battle plans?" Dorothea asked teasingly, complete with a teasing smile on her lips.
"There is no contest, Robin is better than me by leagues and miles in that regard." Byleth answered with a shrug. There honestly was no use in comparing the two when it came to who better in making strategy, even her father believed Robin to be better than him when it came to devising a plan of action.
"For the daughter of the famous Blade Breaker to say such a thing, you must be a very talented man indeed Sir Daraen." Edelgard pointed out as she glanced at the white-haired knight.
When Byleth silently glanced at the white-haired princess, she couldn't help but be reminded of the journey that she, Robin, Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard herself took to get from Remire Village to Garreg Mach Monastery. At the time, the way Edelgard sometimes stared at them always gave Byleth the impression that the princess was silently assessing her and Robin, and now the way she stared at Robin also gave her that kind of impression.
Robin simply gave her a shrug without saying anything in response. Byleth might have read too much into it but perhaps Robin refused to verbally answer Edelgard because he got the same impression she did based on the way the future Empress looked at him.
"I do not think you're reading too much into it. If there is one thing about your partner that I'm certain about it's that he is quite an observant person so he might indeed have come to the same conclusion as you." Sothis spoke up, telling her what she thought of the situation. At least, one person agreed with her…even if that person was nothing more than a voice in her mind. Though, that left one question…
Why exactly was Edelgard trying to assess them?
Surely at this point they would have made it quite clear that neither one of them is a slouch when it comes to combat, and she'd like to think that both she and Robin also proved that they were not lacking in the intelligence department either.
Before anymore conversation could follow, Robin immediately hid behind a group of nearby bushes and Byleth didn't even need to question him before immediately following his lead by hiding in another group of bushes and a tree opposite from Robin's location. The students instinctually followed them, splitting into two groups with Bernadetta almost letting out a squeak if not because of Ferdinand's quick thinking in covering her mouth with his gloved hand and pulling her down alongside him.
Byleth carefully peeked from behind the bush she'd hidden in and caught onto what had prompted Robin to suddenly hide like that. The ruin in front of them seemed to be the place where the bandits have chosen to hole up, the fact that there were two bandits currently guarding the outside entrance made that all the more apparent.
"They're not even trying to be subtle about where they're hiding." Edelgard commented after she looked at situation herself.
"Subtlety is already out of the window at this point. They knew that they were trapped and that their chances of escaping this were pretty slim. All they can do now is to simply defend themselves, they were probably hoping that could just kill all their pursuers and get away. I assume most of them are pretty desperate by this point." Robin spoke up while giving the bandits a look of sympathy.
"Like rats caught in a trap." Hubert said with a rather unsettling grin. Everyone could tell that some dark thoughts must have crossed the dark mage's mind when he showed that grin. It's not as though the Imperial princess' retainer ever made any attempt to conceal the fact that he had a rather unsettling disposition.
"What is being our plan Professor?" Petra asked as the foreign girl turned her attention to the blue haired professor.
Byleth, who had been observing the ruins ever since she laid eyes on it to carefully note anything she could use to their advantage, shifted her attention back to her students to find that all of them, including Robin, were already staring at her, no doubt that they were expecting her to explain how they would go about routing the enemy.
"Petra, Bernadetta, be prepared to take out those two bandits with your arrows." Byleth commanded as she returned her attention to the two lookouts that stood on the stairs, their eyes darting around the area nervously. Petra simply nodded her head calmly in response to the professor's order while Bernadetta pointed at herself before shaking her head in panic.
Using spells from this distance wouldn't be too effective plus they were noisy and tended to draw attention. In this situation arrows were more ideal as they were aiming to deal with them silently from a distance.
"Are you trying to lure the bandits out?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow, prompting Byleth to shake her head.
"I doubt seeing their comrades fall will draw them from their hiding spot. Like you said, they knew we're here, so we have lost the element of surprise. From what I could observe from our position, there were barely any bandits behind the entrance which could mean they were simply hiding and since they knew we're coming after them-"
"Their best bet would be to set up an ambush." Robin finished with a proud smile. Byleth couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride in knowing Robin approved her analysis of the situation.
"And considering the amount of hiding spots that these ruins provide such as the still intact walls or the large rocks, the bandits could easily conceal themselves even if their group consisted of a large number." Edelgard added with a nod.
Byleth nodded at Edelgard before she pointed at the stairs where the two bandits were standing on.
"The stairs are also quite narrow, I have no doubt that if we fight them head on then those two will try to lure us into the entrance where the others lying in wait will then ambush us from all directions where we wouldn't be able to fight back properly due to the lack of space. So, it's better to remove those two from the stairs first." Byleth explained further.
"Then what we should do next Professor?" Ferdinand inquired, prompting Byleth to look back at her students.
"Robin and I will go in first; the two of us will destroy each object that the bandits could possibly use as cover. Then, on my signal, you all will go in and assume a formation that I have in mind." Byleth answered, plan already forming in her mind, before she glances at Robin to see his reaction.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Robin nodded with a small grin, already knowing that she was waiting for his approval.
Afterward, Byleth started to explain the formation that she has in mind to her students; what each of their roles would be, where they should position themselves, and what they should do if her plan fell apart. After making sure that each of them understood their role, Byleth nodded to Petra and Bernadetta to tell them that it was time for them to do their part. While Petra simply prepared her bow and arrow, Bernadetta immediately shook her head in panic while trying very hard to not let any noise escaped her lips.
"That's impossible, there's no way you could give a task this important to someone like me. I'll just screw it up somehow and then we'll all be in trouble! Can't you ask someone else?" Bernadetta whispered and though her voice was hushed so not to draw the attention of their enemies her distress was clear to hear in her tone, making it clear that she didn't believe she was capable of such a task.
If possible Byleth would have done the task herself but she knew that everyone needed to take their first step on their own, Bernadetta included. If she kept doing everything for her students, especially on their first mission, even she, a former mercenary, knew that it could hinder their progress to improve later down the road. Whether she liked it or not, Bernadetta needed to do this.
Instead of offering any words of comfort, Byleth simply gently grabbed the purple haired girl's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Bernadetta looked up at her, Byleth stared down at her with a soft look and tried to express through her gaze that it would all work out, and that despite her insecurities this was something she was more than capable of.
"Trust me Bernadetta, you can do it." Byleth said softly, trying to encourage her student to do her assigned task and reminding her of what she told her not long ago. If the girl couldn't trust herself then at least trust her professor.
A conflicted look appeared on the girl's face as she looked away, no doubt still feeling unsure about the whole situation. Eventually, Bernadetta looked up at the blue haired professor before giving her a small nod. Byleth nodded back to her and kept her hand on the girl's back even as Bernadetta, rather shakily, nocked an arrow on her bow. After Petra decided on which target she would shoot, Byleth took a deep breath as the two archers waited for her signal.
"Fire." Byleth ordered once she felt the timing was right and the two archers almost simultaneously fired their arrow. While Petra's arrow managed to hit the bandit in the head, Bernadetta's arrow pierced the second bandit in his neck though the two arrows still manage to kill the bandits.
Robin and Byleth immediately run toward the entrance as soon as the two bandits hit the ground while they mentally chanted the spells that they would use as soon as they were in the correct position. Upon entering the ruins, Byleth immediately cast a spherical barrier around them while Robin fired lightning bolts from the tips of his fingers to destroy all objects that could be used by the bandits to hide.
Predictably, some bandits were blasted back by Robin's lightning spells while several others had managed to jump off of their hiding spots to dodge the lightning bolts. Robin and Byleth immediately exchanged a quick nod before Byleth raised her hand and fired a spell that took the form of a sphere of light while Robin started to target the bandits with his lightning spells to weaken them before Byleth's students came.
"That's our signal, let's move!" Edelgard commanded once she saw the sphere of light that must have been fired by her professor. As per Professor Byleth's plan, Edelgard wasted no time in leading her housemates in charging towards the entrance of the ruined tower where they would get into a formation that would also serve to block the entrance.
As soon as the students of the Black Eagles entered the remains of the tower, while ignoring the two corpses on the stairs, they were greeted by the sight of their professor maintaining the barrier that some bandits were trying to destroy while the white-haired knight unleashed fireballs to keep the bandits from completely surrounding the two of them.
"Everyone get into formation!" Edelgard commanded as she dashed toward the bandit that was about to slam his axe onto the barrier that Byleth had cast to deflect the blow and then kicked the attacker away. Ferdinand then took his spot next to her, thrusting his spear forward to discourage the axe user from assaulting again temporarily.
"Linhardt cast your barrier." Byleth ordered which almost, almost, prompted the green haired boy to let out a sigh but he did as commanded regardless. As soon as Linhardt created a barrier of his own, Byleth then pulled out her sword and joined some of her students in fighting the bandits at close range.
The formation that Byleth had come up with was a simple one; she, Edelgard, Ferdinand, and Caspar would form a half-circle in front of the barrier that Linhardt created to engage the bandits up close while Robin, Hubert, Dorothea, Petra, and Bernadetta would support them with their spells and arrows. If anything went beyond her prediction and required them to make a hasty retreat then they'd have the escape route right behind them and Robin would a play vital role in their escape. But Byleth believed that such an occurrence wouldn't happen. Still one of the many things she'd learned since crossing paths with the tactician was that one could never be too careful.
At the moment, there were only 12 bandits around them, and considering they just killed 2 bandits that would mean there were only 6 bandits left in the other room. Byleth narrowed her eyes as she deflected the sword swing that threatened to cleave her head before she smashed her elbow into the bandit's face which caused him to stumble backward. However, before Byleth could finish the job, she was forced to leap back and into Linhardt's barrier to avoid being pierced by incoming arrows.
Petra tried to shoot the archer back with her own arrow right away but the bandit with an axe and shield that stood near the archer immediately blocked her arrow to protect the archer. Byleth clicked her tongue in annoyance before she glanced at her other students to see if they were fine.
Edelgard was fighting a bandit who used an axe while Ferdinand's opponent made use of a sword with Ferdinand utilized the superior range his lance provided to keep the sword user at bay. Dorothea and Hubert, on the other hand, were using lighting and dark spells respectively to keep the other bandits from surrounding Edelgard and Ferdinand.
"Is that the best you can do?!"
Predictably, Caspar was the most enthusiastic about the battle as one could see from his fight with another bandit who used an axe. And unlike her other students who fought their adversary with caution, Casper didn't show even a semblance of restraint. The other archer was kept at bay by Robin who kept launching fireballs at both the archer and his shield-bearing comrade.
It didn't take long before Byleth decided what they needed to do.
"Robin, eliminate one of the archers, I'll deal with the other one." Byleth commanded as she glanced at the white-haired knight.
"Understood." Robin responded before he ran towards the archer and the one guarding him to close the distance and get a more effective range to fire his spells.
"Petra, cover me." Byleth commanded before she followed Robin's example in running toward the second archer after Petra let loose another arrow to force the bandit she just faced to dodge to the side, allowing her to run straight toward the two bandits on the far side of the room.
Byleth leapt to the side to avoid the arrow that came toward her before she resumed her advance toward her target. An arrow, probably fired by Petra, flew by her and forced the bandit who wielded the shield to move in front of the archer to protect him, though this also prevented the archer from firing another shot which gave Byleth ample time to move toward them undisturbed.
As soon as she was within the range, the bandit moved forward and swung his axe horizontally but Byleth didn't have any intention to fight this bandit yet. Using her momentum and speed, Byleth slid down through the gap between the bandit's legs to get through him and immediately got up to run her blade straight through the archer's chest, killing him in one blow.
Byleth then quickly pulled out her sword and turned around in time to block the incoming axe that would have cleaved her skull. Due to her improper footing, Byleth was unable to fully stand up and was forced to her knee as she tried to push away the bandit who happened to be much bigger than her. However, before Byleth could think of plan to defeat this bandit, the man gasped in pain before he suddenly fell to the side…with an arrow sticking out the back of his neck, telling Byleth that either Petra or Bernadetta had aided her.
On the other side of the room, Robin continued to bombard his foes with a barrage of fireballs to force the bandit who was acting as the archer's protector to maintain their guard thus continuing to prevent the archer from firing back at him. Once he was within the distance he wanted, Robin then fired off an Elthunder that took the form of a large orb of lighting which raced toward the bandit who kept his shield raised. When the bandits saw the incoming projectile, they immediately jumped out of the way, the archer jumped to the left while the shield user jumped to the right…but that was exactly what Robin wanted them to do.
Before the archer could regain his bearing, a yellow magic circle appeared on the ceiling above him before a he was stuck with a bolt of lightning, knocking him out. When the second bandit was about to get up, Robin conjured an Arcwind to create a small typhoon that lifted the two bandits off their feet, spun them around and left cuts all across their body, and then threw the two bandits away from the remains of the tower, the two of them should have been caught by the knights as soon as they landed outside.
Petra narrowed her eyes in annoyance as the bandit she tried to kill with her arrow, the very same one that her professor had fought earlier, managed to once again to deflect her shot with his sword. Petra was about to tell Bernadetta, who tried her best to support their comrades even if she had barely fired any arrows, that she would try to defeat the pesky bandit with her sword but before she could even say anything, the bandit groaned loudly before he fell the ground to reveal Professor Byleth behind him, no doubt that she was the one who'd just brought down the bandit.
Byleth nodded to both Petra and Bernadetta before she glanced at her other students to see how they were holding up.
Ferdinand ducked to avoid a vertical slash from the axe-wielding bandit that he faced and to allow Dorothea to fire a lightning bolt right into the bandit's face, making him stumble back and scream in pain as well as giving Ferdinand the chance he needed to thrust his spear through the bandit's chest. Next to Ferdinand, Edelgard just managed to kick her opponent in his gut to make him stumble backward which prompted Edelgard and Hubert behind her to fire a fireball and a dark orb simultaneously. Both spells managed to hit the bandit and knocked him onto his back, but before Edelgard could end the bandit, another bandit moved to cover his fallen comrade and swung his axe vertically to force Edelgard to leap back into the barrier that Linhardt was maintaining.
Byleth was about to aid her students but her ears picked up on a swishing sound from behind her which caused her to leap forward in time to avoid the axe that would have opened up her skull. After turning around, Byleth proceeded to engage the attacking bandit in combat, a sentiment that the bandit gladly returned.
However, a warning from Petra immediately alerted her to a new problem.
"Reinforcement! Two bandits come from the north!"
"I'll handle them!" Caspar exclaimed after he killed the bandit he was fighting with the help of Petra who shot an arrow to the man's shoulder to distract him and allowed Caspar to finish him off by cleaving his chest.
"Caspar, wait!" Byleth called but she didn't have much time to avert her attention away from her opponent since as soon as she tried to glance at Caspar, the bandit immediately tried to attack her again, forcing Byleth to block the incoming axe with her sword.
"Caspar! Do not break the formation!" Edelgard tried to issue a command but she was forced to quickly duck when the bandit she was facing tried to cut her in half with his axe. And unfortunately, but to the surprise of no one, Caspar hadn't listen to any of them.
Caspar grinned as he held his axe tighter once the bandits were within his range before he let out a battle cry and swung his axe downward after raising it, prompting the two bandits to leap away to dodge his attack. Caspar then quickly leapt back himself when one of the bandits attacked him with his axe before trying to deliver a counterattack by stepping forward and swinging his axe upward. Unfortunately, not only did his intended target manage to dodge his attack by leaping backward but the other bandit also proceeded to tackle him, sending Caspar to the ground with a grunt.
"No hard feelings kid!" the bandit exclaimed as he raised his axe, ready to finish off the blue haired boy. Fortunately for Caspar, before the bandit could bring down his axe, a fireball hit him with enough force to send him crashing against the other bandit behind him.
"Caspar get back to your position." Robin ordered the boy as soon as he put himself in front of the short lad who tried to get back on his feet.
"But-"
"Now!"
Any protests that were about to escape Caspar's mouth instantly died the moment Robin glanced at him from his shoulder with a glare that the boy wouldn't have though he was capable of, considering how nice the man usually was. Reluctantly, Caspar ran back toward his friends who were still busy dealing with the remaining bandits, however, halfway there, Caspar couldn't help but glance back at Robin…only for the boy to stare at the knight in awe when he witnessed the knight summoning what looked like to be a literal lightning bolt from his right hand and wielded it like a sword.
"Whoa."
Byleth, who'd just finished taking down the bandit who attacked her earlier and reduced their numbers down to only 6 bandits left including the reinforcement, began running toward Caspar with the intention of scolding him when she noticed that instead of getting back to their formation as instructed, he merely stood on the spot and watched Robin's fight. However, that intention swiftly changed when she noticed a bandit with a sword also made his way toward the distracted boy.
"Caspar!" Byleth shouted in warning as she ran as fast as she could, hoping that she could reach her student in time. However, she realized, just like that time with Edelgard, even if she reached him she wouldn't have enough time to protect both Caspar and herself from the oncoming blade.
Thus, she acted on instinct to firmly shove the boy away the moment she reached him… just a moment before the sword finally reached her chest…
"PROFESSOR!"
You all already know what will happen next. Until next chapter, see ya!