...

[05/ 20/ S. 1207]

-8:05-

Heimdallr Station


In the Derfflinger, New Class VII was seated in the briefing room with Rean and Fie. The class didn't know why Rean had such a dispirited look; they could only watch as their silver-haired instructor rubbed the man's back in an attempt to comfort the man. Weirdly enough, it worked on the swordsman as he took out an envelope from his coat. The kids raised a brow as they eyed the item.

"Instructor Rean? Is that the list of our requests for this field study?" Altina queried.

"It's not from our usual envelope, though." The Crossbellian pointed it out as she tilted her head while thinking. "Is that why you're sulking, Instructor?"

"Pretty lame to sulk because of a piece of paper, doncha think?" Ash's remark caused the black-haired man to groan, much to Ash's amusement. A deadly glare from Fie caused the delinquent to cease his snickering as he crossed his arms and averted his gaze.

The others sweatdropped. Fie really knows how to keep the guy in line with just a single glare, and that was saying something. Rean finally snapped out of his sulking state as he opened the envelope.

"To answer your question, Altina, no, this isn't the list of requests but something else entirely."

"Is it still related to our field study today, Instructor?" Rean nodded at her question. "I see. Please inform us about the contents of the envelope then."

"I must say that I am rather curious what information it holds as well..." Musse cupped her chin with a slightly worried look.

"Well..." The instructor glanced back at the contents of the paper. He still can't believe they were doing this format again after so long. "Special Operations will be fulfilling this field study's request in two groups."

...

...

...

"HUH?!"

The students' surprise was comically visible in their faces. Despite all of them being shocked by the news, Juna and Ash were the ones who made their surprise known by how loud they reacted, while the other three were just as shock, they definitely didn't react dramatically like their pinkette and blonde friends.

"Um... Instructor Rean? Can you explain further what that would mean for us?" The Vander asked as he regained his composure. "I have a vague idea what, but I don't want to assume without confirmation."

"Well, just like I said, you guys will be splitting into two groups. One will be led by Fie and the other by me."

"I take it that the groups are written in that envelope, Instructor?" The duchess questioned, already knowing the answer. He nodded as the girl smiled and gestured him to continue. "Please. Do tell us which group we are in~."

As those words left Musse's mouth, the bracer sent a deadly glare her way, which she completely ignored. The others sweatdropped at the two as they wondered if the girl hit a nerve or something else entirely. Rean coughed in his hand to gain their attention.

"For Group A: Juna, Altina, and Ash will be led by Fie. For Group B: Kurt and Musse, you guys are with me."

"Now I know why Fie glared at her..." Juna mumbled to herself before her head shot up to look at the silver-haired bracer. "So Fie's gonna be filling your role for our group, Instructor?"

"Yeah. She will be leading you guys while helping with the requests you will be dealing with today, basically what I do."

"Yup. It's gonna be fun." The bracer raised a hand and gave the pinkette a V sign, causing her to chuckle. After spending so much time with Fie during her time as an instructor, she wouldn't mind having her as their leader for today's field study.

"Right!"

Their happy moment didn't last long as Musse interjected her thoughts about the groupings.

"Ooh~. I get the Instructor all to myself!"

Fie glared once again before turning her orbs to Rean, who was waving his hands wildly in front of him. He knew this was going to be the result if Musse was in his group. Why the hell did Aurelia make that decision? Remembering her explanation, he cursed his own luck when he heard the groupings were decided by an orbal computer. And knowing his girlfriend, he prayed she wouldn't do anything reckless since she already knew how the mint-haired girl acted.

Altina nodded at the groupings. She would have preferred to be with Rean, but it was the perfect opportunity to ask his lover some stories about the man now that he won't be with them all the time. The swordsman did a good job in preventing the bracer from spilling anything embarrassing during the past weeks, but now, he won't be able to stop the girl from spilling the beans on him.

But the silver-haired bracer was the one who wanted to share her stories with the kids the most, and now she has the opportunity to do just that.

"I look forward to working with you again, Instructor Claussell." Black Rabbit gave a small bow to the other silver-haired girl among them.

The girl stopped glaring at her lover and turned to the bowing student, and smiled. "No need to be so formal but likewise."

"Heh. Am I gonna hear a lot of cheesy speeches from you too, little fairy?" With a snarky tone, the blonde delinquent gave a half-lidded smirk to the bracer.

His taunt didn't work, however. Returning the smirk with her own, Fie retorted. "Depends. Are you gonna get all mopey just like in the Great Twilight?"

Ash scoffed as he backed off, annoyed by her retort. The pink-haired Crossbellian covered her mouth as she tried to control her laughter. The way Fie could easily quip back at Ash always amused her for some reason; maybe it was because both were snarky at times and because it was funny how the blonde would concede immediately after her quip.

The more composed and rational student of the group raised his hand and asked something that was missing in today's briefing.

"Instructor Rean. Instructor Fie. Do you two not have the list of requests for this field study? Usually, you would give the list by now, or will you be giving it after we head out?"

"That totally slipped my mind! We're still gonna fulfill the requests, right, Instructor...?" Juna followed Kurt's question with her own. She forgot that there should be a list of requests for their field study, but her excitement about Fie being their leader for their group made her forget.

"Yeah, we will still operate like usual. You guys being split into two groups is the only thing different." Rean responded before answering the dual-wielder's question. "And you're right about us not having the list, Kurt. Since we're splitting into two groups, we have our own missions to accomplish. Group A will be heading to the Bracer Guild in Alto Street to get their list while Group B will be heading to Dreichels Plaza to meet up with someone for our list."

"I see. Thank you for clarifying, Instructor."

"Will we have the same amount of requests?" Altina asked as she looked over to Fie.

"Yup. Dunno what they are, though." She shrugged her shoulders as she answered honestly.

"All right, guys. You already know which group you are in. Let's get started with today's field study." Rean got up from his seat as the others did the same.

He gestured Kurt and Musse to follow him, with the latter happily doing just that. The instructor could definitely feel a glare from behind him as he speedwalk away before the duchess could cling to his arm or before the bracer's glare could drill holes in his head. Kurt sighed as he ran off to follow his instructor and classmate, bowing to the others before leaving the train.

"Schwarzer's gonna have a tough time dealing with that harpy now that you're not by his side," Ash said as he glanced at the silver-haired instructor, curious what her reaction would be.

"I wonder what explosives I should use..." She mumbled as she cupped her chin. "I wouldn't want to get fired, though..."

"F-Fie?!" Juan exclaimed after hearing her crazy words. "Don't do anything crazy!"

"I second that. Hiding a body is troublesome, Instructor." Altina chimed in with a deadpan tone.

"Allie! Don't go along with her plan!"

"I am joking." The former agent smiled innocently, looking at her pink-haired friend.

"You two are intense..." The only male of the group sweatdropped from their ridiculousness. It was one thing for Fie to say something like wanting to use explosives on a certain mint, but it was another thing for Altina to joke about something really dark like that. "Are we going out now? You two can continue talking about bombs and shit once we get to the guild."

"I guess you're right..." Fie sighed. "Come on, let's go."

Fie exited the train as her group followed her out. The four headed to Alto Street to pick up the list.


As Group B arrived at Dreichels Plaza, the instructor noticed a familiar face as he walked over to him. The governor of Heimdallr himself was present with RMP officers to escort him back to the palace. Rean couldn't help but let a smile plaster his face when he saw the older man.

"It's nice to see you again, Governor Regnitz." He extended his hand for a handshake as the governor accepted it with a smile.

"Likewise, Rean! It's good to see you after so long!" The green-haired official shook the instructor's hand as he noticed the number of students with him. "This must be your group for your field study, correct?"

"It's good to see you again, Governor."

"It is wonderful to see that you are well, Governor Regnitz."

Kurt bowed his head as Musse did the same while lifting her skirt a bit. The Heimdallr governor brushed it off with a laugh as he shook their hands as well. Pulling out an envelope from his suit, he gave it to the instructor.

"Here, Rean. This is the list of requests that your group will deal with for today."

"Thank you, Governor."

The instructor opened the envelope and scanned through the contents. He nodded to himself as he saw the number of requests they had: two. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar name on the list.

"We have a request from Lady Aurier."

"From my mother?" The dual-blade swordsman's eyes widened as his fellow sword wielder confirmed with a nod. "What kind of request does she need us to do, Instructor?"

"It says that she's requesting a little sparring session with us."

"It looks like it's Lady Aurier's turn to train us." The mint-haired girl mused as she cupped her cheek.

"Haha, I'm sure you three will be just fine. You also have a renowned fighter with you." Carl said, glancing at the black-haired swordsman.

The humble boy nodded in agreement. "Yes. I know we can defeat my mother with Instructor Rean's help. This sparring session is my opportunity to show her how much I have grown for the past years."

Musse giggled as she shared their sentiments. "I may not be able to help all that much when it comes to close range combat, but I will do my utmost best to support you two from afar!"

"Thank you, Musse! I'm sure your arts and long range attacks will help us get an edge during the sparring session."

The governor and instructor shared a chuckle as they watched the two get fired up. It was certainly unusual for the duchess to get excited over a spare, but it was definitely not unwelcomed. The look in their eyes shows their determination and will to surpass the Stormwatcher, and Rean couldn't be more proud of them.

"They're good kids."

"I know, right?" The swordsman agreed with a smile.

"Instructor Rean."

Kurt's call made the man turn his head, his attention fully to him. "Yeah, Kurt?"

"Are there any other requests besides my mother's?"

"Just one more. We have to find a missing ring on Ost District."

"Well, that won't be an issue. I'm sure we can find the ring easily by listening to the client's description of the ring and where she lost it in the area." The duchess said casually, confident in their ability to find the ring. "And if it's a septium ring, the Instructor can always scan the area to detect its location."

"Amazing as always." Rean chuckled as he scratched his cheek. He definitely thought about doing that once they know what material the ring was made from.

"Hehe, thank you, Instructor~."

"Well, I should be going now. I still have some paperwork to do back at the palace." The governor explained before shaking the instructor's hand again. "Good luck with those requests, Group B. I'm sure you'll all fulfill them without any trouble."

"Leave it to us, Governor." Rean returned the gesture before asking the older man for a favor. "Um... can you please also tell Machias not to push himself too much? The last time he came to visit me, he fell asleep with his eyes open. Even the coffee didn't help keep him awake."

"Haha. I'll be sure to pass that on."

The governor of Heimdallr bid his farewell to Group B as he was escorted back to Valflame Palace.

"All right then, let's go find us a ring."


After taking a tram to Alto Street, Group A finally arrived at the guild.

Fie opened the door as her face dropped to a half-lidded frown when she saw a familiar face in front of her. A smug smirking Sara Valestein with her hands on her hips was present for the group. Her fellow bracer, the Zero Artisan himself, chuckled and gave a sympathetic look to the silver-haired girl for her to tilt her head. Knowing the former instructor, either she's just smirking for the heck of it or that she heard something juicy.

The three students with them looked at each other and shrugged, not knowing why the three were giving weird looks to each other.

"Why are you smirking like that?"

"Care to guess, Fie~?" Sara said, her tone full of mirth as her smirk widened.

"Ignore her, Fie. She just heard the spicy details about your vacation with Rean in Longlai." The blonde bracer explained as he got up from his seat, taking out an envelope from his overcoat. "I got the list of requests right here with me."

"Toval! Why the hell would you expose me like that?! I wanted to hear Fie's answer!"

"Seriously, Sara? Is this really the time to tease her when they have requests to fulfill? And don't you have to meet your client in Vainqueur Street right now?" Giving a half-lidded look to the busty bracer, Toval successfully made her back off... almost.

"Come on, Toval! It's been weeks since I've seen my little girl! The client can wait juuuust a bit longer."

He sighed, knowing it was useless to stop her. Instead, he looked over to the students and smiled at them. "Hey, guys! I hope you've been doing well; graduation is near for you guys too if I recall correctly."

"It's nice to see you too, Toval." Altina greeted as she bowed her head a bit. "And yes, we have been well."

"Yup, what Allie said! We have been having a fun time with Fie as our instructor too!" Juna said happily. "Yeah... only one more month before graduation. Honestly, I still feel like it was yesterday since I joined Thors... it's kinda sad to think that we'll all be separated after graduation."

"Getting all sentimental, pinkie? Ash smirked with a knowing look.

"Oh shuddup!"

The Crossbellian gave a glare to the smirking delinquent. The petite Black Rabbit sighed as she moved next to the sleepy bracer to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The other bracers in the building sweatdropped as they backed away as well.

Toval chuckled nervously as he gave the envelope to Fie. "Here's your list, Fie. I'm sure you guys won't have any problems with them."

Fie nodded as she opened the envelope and quickly scanned through the contents. Only two requests were listed: a request to catch specific fishes at the harbor for a chef in Vesta Street; and a monster extermination request at the underground passage in the Garnier District. The bracer felt a little nostalgic from reading the latter; it's been quite some time since she had a request to eliminate monsters there or having to go underground in general.

Even though it was the place where she and Laura's combat link broke, it was now a memory they could laugh at when they look back on it.

"No problem. We'll deal with this quickly."

"I knew you'd say that." Toval smiled as his eyes locked onto Ash, still smirking as Juna glared daggers at him. "Hey, Ash! Thought about becoming a bracer now?"

"And there he goes again, back to recruiting..." Sylphid should have expected that the arts expert would try to recruit someone again.

The blonde delinquent turned his head over to his fellow blonde and shrugged casually.

"Nah. I already have plans for what I wanna do after I graduate. And no, becoming a bracer is the last thing I'm concerned about."

Ash gave Toval a half-lidded smirk for the older man to sigh.

"Well, it was worth a shot. I can't say I'm not disappointed though, I really thought you'd come around this time."

"And you're still as persistent as ever." He knew he would get asked about becoming a bracer again; he grew tired of getting annoyed by the older blonde's multiple attempts to recruit him. "Don't you guys have other recruits lined up?"

"I wish..." Once again, Toval sighed as he hung his head, dispirited.

Only Sara and Fie knew the reason why he was so persistent in recruiting more people in becoming bracers. Most of the bracers in Heimdallr got transferred all over Erebonia, even Zemuria, due to their personal circumstances just after Fie became a temporary instructor at Thors; this caused the Heimdallr branch bracers to be overwhelmed with the amount of work that they had to limit how many people can request their assistance. And with Fie at the Branch Campus, their workload got even more difficult. Fortunately, bracers from Liberl and Crossbell would offer to help them with the requests they couldn't deal with, which they gladly accepted.

"Can't blame the guy. He had to deal with five requests yesterday all by himself." Sara informed the group on the arts expert's behalf. "I definitely wouldn't refuse any help we get around here."

"So that's why Toval's so persistent..." Juna remembered how many times the bracer had asked the poor delinquent about thinking about becoming a bracer; and how many times Ash brushed the question off.

"It sounds very similar to Instructor Rean's situation three years ago," The silver-haired student added after seeing the two blondes' interaction. "but even more ridiculous."

Toval perked up at the name of the black-haired instructor as he looked to Fie, eyes shining like a little kid in a toy store. "Fie! How's the situation with Rean?!"

At this, Sara also chimed in with a smug smirk. "Yeah. Tell us about the talk you two had~."

"Situation?" Altina tilted her head in confusion.

"Seriously, you two? You just had to ask me about that here." An annoyed half-lidded look was given to the two; the older bracers could feel the icy glare hidden between the younger one's half-opened eyes.

Fie sighed as she proceeded to tell her group about Rean's plans after their graduation. Telling them about how they talked about him becoming a bracer, about how she asked if he was really okay with resigning, and about how he wanted to be with her and travel all around Zemuria with her. She couldn't help but blush at the end of her explanation.

"O-Oh... I didn't know you two had that kind of talk."

"Yes... that was certainly unexpected."

"Heh. He won't have problems switching careers, though. Being a bracer is no different from what he's been doing around Leeves."

Juna, Altina, and Ash were surprised by the news of their instructor's plans after graduation. It certainly showed in their faces too. While the delinquent's expression wasn't as shocked as his two classmates' faces, he was still surprised by the news. The Crossbellian's lips soon curled upwards as she walked over to Fie and shook both of her hands. A certain warmth filling up inside her as she smiled at the silver-haired bracer.

"Congratulations, Fie! You and Instructor Rean can be together now after graduation! I'm so happy for you!" The pink-haired girl congratulated her senior as if she just got married. The smile on her face was so genuine and warm that the older girl couldn't help herself from smiling back.

"Yes. It's reassuring to know that Instructor Rean is in your care after we graduate, Instructor Fie." Altina smiled brightly, sharing Juna's feelings about the news. "Knowing that you can keep him from doing anything reckless takes a load off my mind."

"This is Schwarzer we're talking. His body will probably move on its own when he sees someone in trouble." Ash gave a cheeky grin before sighing into a smile. "But with you around and to remind him you need him, he'll probably think twice before doing something stupid."

"You guys..."

Fie was speechless.

She expected a reaction from them, but she didn't expect them to be so positive and warm. Juna and Altina's heartfelt words made her happy; even Ash's sneaky way of telling her to look after Rean for them made her heart warmer. It made Fie even more excited for her lover to become a bracer.

"Looks like you got what you wanted." The pink-haired bracer glanced over to her colleague, who was smiling all over.

"Yeah..." Toval smiled as he crossed his arms and nodded. "I never thought what Fie said to me last time she was in the guild would be true. I can't wait to talk to Rean the next time I see him!"

"Someone sure is excited~." Sara grinned. "Good thing I stuck around to hear that. Unfortunately, duty calls."

The older bracers' talk reminded Fie about why they were here in the first place as she snapped out of her euphoric state.

"Yeah, us too. We should start if we want to finish before noon."

Ash slammed his fist in his free palm as he pumped himself up. "About time we got started!"

"Agreed. I'll do my best to catch our specified fish and to support you all in the monster request."

"Yeah! Let's show Group B how Group A gets it done!"

Altina and Juna got themselves ready to tackle their requests. The adults chuckled at the energetic kids as Fie gazed at them with a smile. The former instructor rested her hand on her protégé's head as she ruffled her locks, earning her an annoyed stare. It didn't seem to affect the young woman as she grinned.

"I know you can lead those kids just as good as Rean. I'll be cheering for you."

The younger of the two was caught off guard by her words but nodded and smiled. "You can count on me."

She chuckled as she walked over the door, her hand reaching to the handle before a thought crossed her mind. She looked back at the silver-haired bracer with another smirk. "And tell me more about your talks with Rean when you're free. Toddles~" Before Fie could retort, Sara winked playfully and rushed out of the door.

The four knew that they shouldn't be surprised by the twenty-something woman's desire to know the juicy rumors about her students' love life. Heck, she was one of the reasons why Fie had the habit of teasing potential couples and real couples. Combined that with her already teasing nature, the silver-haired girl's teasing game was on another level.

"Ignore her, guys; you should focus on your field study for now," Toval advised. "Good luck out there!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Toval."

Group A gave their farewells to the blonde bracer as he walked over to the bulletin board to look for some work to do.


The black-haired instructor's group departed from their client's home as they completed their first request. Using Musse's deductions and the information they got from their client, they were able to find out that the ring fell into the underground waterway through the gaps on the ground. With permission from the RMP, the three went down to retrieve the ring.

It wasn't as simple as they thought, though. As Group B searched every area of the waterway, they couldn't find the ring. It was not until Rean searched the area for the properties of a concentrated mirage septium gem that they found it. And found it they did, he felt the ring's septium energy coming from the belly of a Dirty Rat.

Two options crossed their minds: slaying the beast and cutting its stomach open, or... wait for it to relieve itself.

It would be dirty, but they had no choice in the matter. They needed to get that ring as soon as possible; they did not want to think of the possibility that the monster's stomach could melt the ring; if that happened, their client would surely be upset.

Without wasting any movement, Musse engaged the target with her orbal rifle as Kurt killed the beast. Rean followed up by cutting the Dirty Rat in half before making a small cut to its stomach, minimizing his chances of slicing the ring in half by accident. The instructor shoved his hands inside the stomach as he took out the ring. He did wear his best poker face to hide the fact that he was feeling nauseous after what he did, though.

They cleaned the ring up before giving it to their client; they offered them some snacks before they left their home. The three were now walking to the Leica District to fulfill their last request. As they strolled to the Vander school, the baby blue-haired swordsman noticed the instructor's nauseous face and asked.

"Um... Instructor Rean?"

"Y-Yeah, Kurt?"

"Are you feeling all right? You were definitely out of it when we gave the ring back to the client."

"I agree with Kurt. You looked very... green, for the lack of a better word." Musse chimed in with a worried tone. "Are you perhaps not used to feeling monster's organs, Instructor?"

The older man sighed before taking a deep breath.

"Something like that. I'm used to seeing it up close, but actually doing stuff like inserting my hand inside a stomach of a monster is something I will never get used to..." Sighing again, he admitted something not even Old Class VII know about; the only other person who knew was his lover... and she only found out by pure coincidence when Rean joined her during one of her requests.

The sympathetic yet teasing face was burnt into his head. He could still hear her cooing about his weakness, how he gagged when he had to investigate a monster's organs. Not even his Eight Leaves training could fix that issue of his.

"Anyways, let's get going. I'm sure Lady Aurier is waiting for us already."

The two students watched their instructor walk further ahead, his state better than earlier.

"I... didn't expect that. It is surprising to know that Instructor Rean has a weak stomach when it comes to monster organs. I guess touching and inspecting them himself is out of his expertise."

The mint-haired girl giggled at the Vander's statement as she observed their instructor until he took a right turn to the Vander Training Hall. Her gaze moved to Kurt, who only raised a brow at her sudden interest towards him.

"Instructor Rean's weak stomach aside... Can we talk in private later?"

Kurt was caught off guard.

Out of all of the reasons he could think of why he got Musse's attention— wanting to speak with him in private was definitely the last thing on his list of possible reasons. Sure, she would ask if she can have a word with him, but there would always be company whenever she asked. It was the first time she deliberately waited for the two of them to be alone for her to ask him for something.

"I don't mind. What do you want to talk about?"

"You'll have to wait until later for you to find out, unfortunately," Musse said with a close-eyed smile. "Though, I can say it's about what happens after graduation."

The boy was even more confused than earlier now. "After graduation? What do you mean by that?"

"You'll find out soon enough~." The girl returned to her usual tone as she skipped away to the training hall.

"Something that has to do after graduations... I shouldn't worry about that right now. We still have our sparring session with Mother, I have to focus on that first."

Putting what Musse said in the back of his mind, Kurt soon caught up to the girl as they strolled to the training hall.

Mint and baby blue entered the door, the black-haired swordsman already making preparations with the older Vander. Their eyes wandered only to find that there were no students in the building. Rean noticed the two arrived as he turned to them.

"You guys sure took your sweet time."

"My apologies, Instructor. I was the one who kept us from arriving a lot sooner. I just wanted to have a quick word with Kurt earlier." Musse apologized with a bow, with Kurt doing the same.

"I'm not gonna pry about what you guys talked about, but I take it you two aren't done yet?"

"Y-Yes..." The dual-wielder nodded sheepishly as he scratched his cheek.

"No need to be jealous, Instructor Rean. I would never look for another man behind your back~."

Both swordsmen sweatdropped while Kurt's mom chucked at the duchess's jest... if it can even be called that.

"Let's get started then. I wouldn't want to waste Kurt and Musse's time for talking because of our little spare." Aurier made her way to the other side of the training hall before taking out her naginata. "They might discuss something important like marriage after all."

Kurt's face flared up in a single second; the usually calm and composed swordsman was blushing so hard that it looked funny with his light blue hair. "M-MOTHER!?"

Despite what would normally be an awkward situation for anyone else, Musse brushed it off with a giggle as she walked forward. It was definitely an embarrassing topic to blurt out to anyone's child and their friends, especially out of the blue, a certain Crossbellian would have been a flustered mess if that happened to her. But for the mint, it was a warm thought to think about.

The instructor sympathized with his fellow swordsman as he patted his back, who was trying to get his composure back. He couldn't fault him for being flustered; if his parents said the same thing back when he and Fie were students, he would have been a mess too.

"Just put it on the back of your mind, for now, Kurt. She's just teasing... I think..."

"U-understood..." He sighed as his blush died down. His eyes wandered to the mint-haired girl, thinking about what she said early. 'After graduation... that could still mean...'

The boy shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He can't let his mind get distracted about possibilities that might not even be true. Revealing his two blades, he took his position in front of the girl. Rean chuckled as he walked over beside him.

"You two good to go?" Rean already knew their answer as his gaze remained at the older Vander.

"Of course! I'll show my mother how much I have grown during my time at the Branch Campus!"

"And I will do my best to help you achieve that!" Musse exclaimed her sentiment.

The baby blue-haired woman smiled at their determination as she took on her combat stance. A light blue aura enveloping her form, her energy was enough to make the atmosphere tense up. The instructor wasn't surprised, though; he already knew how powerful the woman was by her presence alone. If he can compare it to something similar, it would have to be like the aura of the Golden Rakshasa, albeit instead of being overwhelming, it was sort of like the quiet strength type.

Aurier spun her naginata around as she pointed her weapon at the group.

"I'm glad to see how much my little boy has grown during his time away from his home. Now, show me how much you have improved since you left!"

"Gladly!"

The two Vanders darted towards each other; the sound of steel clashing against each other filled the building. It was finally time for Kurt to show his mother what he has learned from Rean and from being in the Branch Campus. He steeled his resolve with each swing of his blade, the wind and thunder accompanying him through it all.


"All right! I got a big one!"

Ash exclaimed from the top of his lungs as he reeled in a Blue Marlin from the water. With five of the specific fishes that their client requested in their hands, they finally finished their first request of the day. It helped that there were four of them to do the fishing, with Altina volunteering to catch two fishes instead of one; it took them an hour to reel in all the fish they needed; mostly because they keep catching fishes they didn't need for the request.

"Nice. Let's get these back to the client."

The silver-haired bracer gestured the delinquent to put his catch in the basket full of their other fishes, which he did.

"It seems we have finally finished catching all of our client's requested fishes."

"Good. We can finally let our rods take a break..."

Altina and Juna walked over to the group with their rod in hand. The pinkette quickly returned her rod to her person as she sighed in relief. The bracer and former agent chuckled as they did the same. Out of the four of them, she was the one who had the most catches of the same fish over and over again. It was so frequent Ash was getting annoyed by her complaining. Luckily, it was at her seventh groaning that the blonde caught the fish they needed.

"Better thank me for that, pinkie. If I didn't catch that Blue Marlin, you would have kept on groaning till my ears bleed."

"Hey!" Juna took that personally as her cheeks fumed in anger and annoyance. Though, the others couldn't deny that she would indeed groan for twenty minutes straight if she kept getting the same fish. It wasn't her fault that her luck was terrible.

Before Ash could get a knuckle sandwich, Fie stepped in and diffused the situation... in her own way.

"Okay, you two. You two can fight each other after we're done with our requests." She cut between the delinquent and pinkette with both of her hands in their front, signaling them to quit it. "I'll even officiate the duel between you two."

"Fine! I'm gonna wipe that stupid smirk off your face later... Johan." Juna called the blonde by his birth name with a smug smirk as the teen's brow twitched.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try, wild filly!"

"You're on!"

As the two were about to bump heads, Altina grabbed Juna's arm and dragged her away from Ash with Claiomh Solais carrying the basket of their catches. Fie grabbed the hotheaded blonde by the collar of his uniform and dragged him back to their client, completely ignoring his protests. The two light-haired girls, with their complaining companions in tow, headed towards Vesta Street to see their client again, not even noticing the gazes from the other fishermen in the harbor.


Upon arrival at a restaurant in Vesta Street, the two quarreling teenagers finally regained their cool. They still gave each other slight glares from time to time, though. The two silver-haired girls sighed before giving their clients the fishes they have caught. He thanked the girls while asking if the delinquent and Crossbellian are okay with Fie and Altina ignoring them for now.

The man gave his thanks once more before giving the group their reward. They left the establishment after thanking their client, who was already preparing to cut the fishes.

"The chef must have been looking forward to cooking the fishes he requested from us for a while now." Altina looked back at the restaurant for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the street. "I'm glad we could help him."

"Me too. He was really excited when we brought in the fishes we caught!" Juna added as she walked beside her silver-haired friend. She looked at their instructor and asked. "We only have one more request, right, Fie?"

"Yeah. It's a monster extermination request. It's in the underground passage, so all of us are already familiar with the layout of the place.

"It's because of all of the Hercules business we had a year ago that we know the damn place so well." Ash mused as he walked ahead of the group. "We're gonna take some entrance at a hotel in the Garnier District, right?"

The bracer nodded as she stopped in front of a tram stop. "Yup. That's the entrance Group A used to exterminate the monster there. It's been well maintained since the bracers have been active again in Erebonia, so the monsters aren't causing that much of a problem anymore. I'm not surprised the manager asked us to exterminate some of them again."

"So, what's our target?"

"We're gonna look for a Giant Drome once we get down there. It looks like it's been causing small tremors in the Garnier District for quite some time, but since the bracers here have been too busy to deal with it, they haven't taken it out yet."

"Heh. It sounds like we got the guild's leftovers." The blonde delinquent placed his arms in the back of his head as he smiled with half-opened eyes.

"I know I should probably be annoyed by that, but it's true. The others are too busy with their own requests, and since they're short on bracers, they gave this extermination job to us."

Altina and Juna nodded while Ash closed his eyes, likely processing that information. The bulletin board was still full of requests, except that most of them were being handled by the few bracers stationed in Heimdallr, still making them incredibly busy as new requests would pop up. It didn't take a genius for the students to understand that their presence is a relief for Sara and Toval.

"The tram has arrived," Altina announced as her orbs spotted the vehicle approaching the stop.

"To the Garnier District."

Fie motioned them to enter the tram as it came to a stop before entering herself. Now they only have to wait until they arrive at their destination before they finish their tasks for the day. The girls sat on their seats while Ash preferred to stand instead. They used this opportunity to catch some z's since fishing took a lot of their energy... and in Juna's case: patience.


...


Thirty minutes passed before they finally arrived at the Garnier District. Ash nudged the sleeping girls gently as they woke up one by one. They yawned and stretched, getting up from their seats and thanking the driver.

"Hey, sleepyheads. Let's get going; we're already here."

"Really? That was pretty fast..." Juna tried to stifle a yawn but failed. She thought she could nap a bit more after her exhausting fishing nightmare earlier.

"Not really. The tram was going at a pretty normal pace, and there was a bit of traffic too."

"I have recovered only fifty-five percent of my energy, but it will not affect my support for you all during the monster extermination."

Altina got out of the vehicle first before the others followed suit.

"Well, we have been fishing for a while earlier. Sometimes, the fish just won't take the bait, and we have to wait until it does..." The pink-haired girl groaned before she felt a pat on her shoulder. "Huh?"

"Don't worry; you weren't the only one complaining about having to wait while fishing."

"You too, Fie?"

The girl nodded before giving her own experience about the test of patience known as fishing.

"Back when I first started as a bracer, I decided to give fishing a try since Rean was always doing it back when he was a student." She chuckled. "I think I told you guys this before, right?"

"Yup. It was back when we were in Eryn when we saw you fishing outside." Juna confirmed for her. "Ash wasn't there, though. He was still with Musse during that time."

Said blonde said nothing but his ears were listening to the conversation.

"Yeah. Back then, I hated having to wait for the fish to take a bite. It was so tedious, and it only made me sleepy..."

"How did you managed to overcome your sleepiness, Instructor?" Altina asked with a curious gaze. For her, she didn't mind the wait at all. Even if it did take more than fifteen minutes for something to bite her line.

"Well... I remember asking Rean subtly through letters back when he was still working for the government..." Fie started as the others listened intently. "I asked if hypothetically I would fish, what's the best way to avoid getting impatient or sleepy while fishing?"

"What did Instructor Rean say?"

"Believe it or not, he told me to hum while fishing."

"Wait, that actually works?" Ash finally chimed in as he gave a face of disbelief.

She nodded once again as she crossed her arms and smiled. "I was pretty skeptical at first, but when I actually tried it, it made me pretty relaxed and less sleepy. I enjoyed humming while I waited for a bite. Soon I felt something tug my line, and that was how I got into fishing."

"So it was Schwarzer that got you into fishing."

"Hehe. I feel like most of us got into fishing because of the Instructor." Juna giggled.

None of them could deny that Rean had some influence on them when it came to sharing his hobbies, and they can't deny that they spent their time doing them in their free time. And they can agree that Kurt and Musse feel the same way. Yes, they know Musse genuinely enjoys fishing... even if she does go back to her usual antics when the instructor fishes with them.

"I don't know about the others from my class. But it was definitely thanks to Rean that I was able to enjoy the whole waiting game for the fishes." Fie chuckled as a small smile crept its way to her visage.

The two girls smiled at Fie before they walked towards the hotel, but there was something that caught the young blonde's attention when he was listening to the bracer.

"That's good and all," The others stopped their tracks as Ash received their questioning eyes. He turned to Fie, ready to ask her about something that he already had a clue how she would react. "but why the hell did you have to ask him subtly and lie about hypothetically fishing?"

Smirking wide, the delinquent thought he would receive an annoyed comeback from the bracer. But it didn't go that way. Instead, the silver-haired instructor blushed slightly as she averted her gaze at the blonde.

'Eh...?'

The blonde-haired teenager's statement caused the two other girls' curiosity and interest to return as their eyes shifted to the blushing bracer. Their eyes brimmed with anticipation for her answer. The older girl twirled a finger on her scarf as she remained silent for a good minute or two. Knowing that the delinquent might just use her silence against her, she gave her reason.

"It's because I wanted to surprise him that I was fishing now..." Fie mumbled, her chartreuse orbs not wanting to look at Ash's red ones.

Like being punched in the gut, Ash backed away, completely surprised by her answer. He expected a retort or protest, but he never expected she would outright tell the reason! Juna squealed as she jumped for joy like one of the scenes from a rom-com novel.

"That's so adorable!"

"H-huh?!"

"Fie! How did Instructor Rean react?! Oh wait, he didn't know what to say because of his denseness, right?" Juna asked with a sigh escaping from her.

"I would not be surprised if that was the case. Instructor Rean's denseness goes beyond what could be considered normal for a person." Altina's not-so-kind words to Rean were accompanied by an innocent smile. "Only Detective Bannings is said to be the only one who can rival our instructor's denseness."

"I can't deny that there are a lot of girls that are attracted to Lloyd..." Another sigh from the pinkette was heard as she hung her head, defeated. Her role model was the same dense block as her instructor was an absolute fact.

Sweatdropping from their thoughts, Fie felt a little bad for her lover and the detective. She did agree with their statements, though. A small frown stitched itself on her lips as she cast down her gaze.

"I... never actually got the chance to tell him."

Ash joined in when he heard that. "What does that mean?"

The bracer took a deep breath before elucidating.

"During our reunion at Sutherland, the situation wasn't exactly ideal for me to bring something like that up. And during Class VII's reunion, it completely slipped my mind since he was enjoying himself with the guys..." The group gave their ears to the silver-haired instructor as they listened. "You guys already know what was going on when you saw me fishing, so you can guess why it was hard to bring it up."

"Oh..." It was the only word Juna could utter as she understood what Fie was trying to say. "The Great Twilight..."

Fie nodded slightly. A lot happened during the Great Twilight. While she had many good memories with Rean and others during that time, she also had many painful and sad memories too. Her cool and brave front could only get her so far whenever she recalls the memories. The students' faces were brought down, and she realized that. Shaking her head, she lightly slapped her cheeks.

"That's enough of that, guys. We still have one more request before we can relax, so let's give it our all."

The three looked at each other and nodded. The pinkette perked herself up by doing the same action Fie did as her face brightened up. Altina and Ash just chuckled, their frowns disappearing from their faces.

"All right! Let's get going!"

"Let us go to the hotel and ask for permission to use their entrance."

"I'm ready to whoop some monster ass!" The delinquent let a smirk crossed his face. He felt relieved that the atmosphere returned to normal when Fie changed the subject. He understood that it must have been hard for her to remember those memories, even if she did come to terms with the events that took place.

The three quickly strode off to the hotel before the bracer could catch up to them. She sighed but let a chuckle take its place. Her optics looking up to the beautiful sky, her lips curling upwards.

'I know you're probably laughing at me right now. But please continue to watch over me... Dad.'

Smiling to herself, she soon followed her group to Hotel - Der Himmel.

The members of Group A already gotten approval when the bracer finally arrived at the hotel. Juna waved her hand, telling her that they can enter the entrance now. Fie nodded as she walked to her students before they opened the door to the underground entrance.

Walking downstairs, they made their way to Heimdallr's underground passage before their nose were assaulted by a putrid smell. They immediately covered their sniffers to avoid further Gehenna in their smelling senses.

"Aidios, the fuck is that smell!?" The delinquent's eyes and nose felt like they were on fire as he covered his face with his sleeve.

"Claiomh Solais!"

The former agent raised her arm, her black combat shell appearing out of nowhere. The machine crossed its arms together as a barrier formed around the group. Sighing a breath of relief, they took one long breath of air to recompose themselves. The silver-haired bracer looked around for the source of the stench.

"It's somewhere deep inside this corridor. It must be that drome we're looking for."

"I believe so. I am detecting our target's readings further in and the horrible odor it is emitting." Altina shared her analysis with the group.

"Can we just start looking for the monster now...?" The others turned to Juna, her face tried so hard not to gag. "I smelled a lot of weird things in my life, both good and bad, but I think this is one of the worse scents I've smelled..."

"I can't blame you on that. Even the one me and my group faced didn't smell this bad." Fie chuckled as she rubbed the girl's back. "But just like what Juna said, we need to start looking for the drome so we can eliminate it, along with the odor."

With the help of Claiomh Solais, the four treaded deeper into the passage to look for their target, not needing to worry about the stench.


...


"This one's bigger than the one I fought with Group A three years ago..." The bracer drew her gunswords as she eyed the giant blob monster in front of them.

The Giant Drome was noticeably bigger than what Fie had fought back in their Heimdallr field study. It was releasing a foul odor that not even the old one produced. Juna and Ash took out their respective weapons as Altina deactivated the barrier around them. As soon as the barrier was lifted, the blonde and pink-haired teens failed to hide their disgust.

"Let's just get this over with! I don't know if I can take any more of this smell!" Juna whined as her eyes teared up from the unbearable scent. It was like vomit and shit all mixed together.

"I share your feelings, Juna. We have to eliminate the target quickly and efficiently, or else we might get ill by the odor of the monster." Altina advised, backing away from the group as she prepared to cast her support arts. Her combat shell protecting her from the scent. "Instructor Claussell. What are your orders?"

Fie cracked a grin as she did her best Rean impression she could muster.

"Group A. Our objective is to exterminate the target and prevent it from causing any more shockwaves underneath the hotel." As the silver-haired instructor gave her orders, the delinquent couldn't help but have a grin of his own. "Prepare for combat!"

"Understood!"

Ash and Juan formed a combat link as Fie and Altina did the same. The Hamel survivor took charge with his varia axe, swinging it at the squishy slimelike monster. The bracer pelleted their target with lead as she kept her distance. The drome roared as it began shaking the room they were in with its shockwave. They jumped up, with Allie getting on her combat shell to avoid the attack.

The blonde's crimson optics widened as he saw his blow to the blob disappear.

"Dammit! My attacks are doing nothing to this thing!"

"Yeah. My bullets just pass through its body. This one's much stronger than the one Group A fought before." The bracer fired once again, but it didn't even affect the monster. "Allie, could you run a scan on it and find its weakness?"

"I have done just that."

"What did you find?" Fie asked, not removing her sights on the target.

"The Giant Drome is weak to fire arts. Its exterior also cannot withstand attacks with a high heat temperature." Black Rabbit hopped off her combat shell as she pointed at their target. "Brionac! Activate!" Claiomh Solais fired a crimson beam of energy at the drome, burning through its slimy body as it roared in pain.

"Well, now that we know that's what it's weak to..."

Ash smirked as he rushed forward; the tip of his axe changed into a scythe with crimson energy glowing on its blade. Striking the blob with a three-sixty slash, the monster screamed as a deep horizontal cut appeared on its body. The drome shot out a dangerous sludge from its body in retaliation.

The group evaded the poison and performed their counterattack.

"Crescent Mirror!" With an arm raised above her head, Altina gave the three a defensive boon. Aura from the moon raising their defenses. She didn't stop there. Her form was surrounded with blue runes as she prepared to cast another art.

"I'll give you an opening, Allie," Fie said as she crossed her arms and bent her legs down. "I'm sure you can handle dealing the finishing blow."

The younger girl was surprised but responded with a nod as she continued charging her art. The bracer smiled at her before turning her attention to their target. With each attack Ash and Juna delivered, the drome either fired its poisonous sludge or caused earth tremors with its body. Fie closed her eyes as she planned their best course of action. She snapped her eyes open as a plan formed on her mind.

"Juna! Ash! Rush it when I make my move!"

The two jumped to dodge another of the monster's muck when they heard Fie. They looked at each other and complied with a nod. Ash readied his scythe for a Reaper's Whirlwind as Juna built up energy around her body. The moment the Giant Drome seemed to attack, the bracer buried her foot to the ground before dashing at a breakneck speed.

Blood finally spilled.

The monster's blood that is.

A large crossed-shaped slash that cut deep within its outer surface appeared as it gushed out its red liquid. The drome released a tremor along with its foul odor as it bellowed in agony. Fie could tell that it was dangerous as she held her breath, but not before giving the trio the okay.

"You three, now!"

"Allie and Ash! Let's go!"

Before the blob could make its move, the trio was about to finish it. The sleepy bracer felt that she should back away, like really back away as the three were about to perform their all-out attack.

"Valkyrie Charge!"

Radiant white energy covered Juna's body as she lunged at their target. She sped up like a bullet, smashing through the monster's slimy body. A gaping hole was created at the center of the drome, but before it could have regenerated, it looked up to see its grim reaper. Ash drew his weapon back; the glinting steel screamed the demise of the slime. He grinned as he spun himself around, slicing and dicing it apart. It wailed in pain as it mindlessly threw its sludge around.

The blonde deflected the green goop with the poll of his axe as he bellowed to his silver-haired friend.

"Finish it, little bunny!"

"Understood!" Behind the former agent, a gray tower appeared beneath the ground; the size was just large enough before it could hit the ceiling of the room. "Fire! Gallion Fort!"

At her command, the walls of the pillar opened up to reveal cannons. Mirage energy gathered in their barrels before releasing it into condensed beams of energy. Any form of retaliation would be in vain, and even a monster like the Giant Drome knew that. Its survival instincts kicked in as it attempted to attack, only for its body to disintegrate from the lasers.

The monster shook the ground once again. It only lasted a few seconds as its body became nothing but a pile of burnt goop. The toxic odor soon faded, the four finally being able to breathe freely.

"We have exterminated our target. We should report back to the manager as soon as possible." Altina deactivated the barrier around her as she sighed in relief.

"Yeah. Good work, you three. Your teamwork is as impressive as always." Fie commended the trio with a smile on her countenance.

"Give yourself some credit too, Fie! We couldn't have done it without the opening you gave us!" Juna stated, a smile matching her words. It quickly faded as her expression changed into one of discomfort as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "But I think I need some medicine now... I think I'm gonna—?!"

It was apparent that the pinkette didn't escape the effects of the odor of the monster as she covered her mouth before any rainbows would come out. She swallowed hard as she leaned on a wall, trying her best to contain her breakfast. But she wasn't the only one feeling nauseous.

"Quit it with that talk... or I'll shut you up."

The silver-haired girls looked to Ash, who was lying on the floor. A look of irritation and discomfort was stitched on his face, obvious that he was feeling... pukey.

"Oh, you shut up... you don't even look so good yourself..."

The two not sickly members of the group sweatdropped at their bickering. They wondered how they could still fight when they're literally green from smelling the scent of the drome. Black Rabbit used her combat shell and carried the two in its arms. The nauseous teens did not have the energy to say a word anymore, but they were thankful since they doubt they could walk without feeling their grub coming back up.

"You know, despite you two always butting heads, you guys were in sync with each other more than Altina earlier." As they were about to object, Fie stopped them and continued. "Don't deny that you two make a powerful team together. Wouldn't you say so yourself, Altina?"

"I agree. Juna and Ash's teamwork might seem messy and uncoordinated at first, but they flow very well together."

"See?"

Letting them know of that fact definitely shocked the two; their eyes were the most obvious signs of surprise. But they didn't say anything in protest; they just smiled. The delinquent's wild yet coordinated attacks combined with the energetic gal's honest and determined way of fighting somehow complemented each other in a weird way. They weren't another Fie-Laura combo duo, but they were their own kind of duo.

"By the way... I sense some hidden chemistry between you two, and I'm not just talking about your teamwork~." Fie smirked smugly as her brows went up and down. "Is Juna's mystery boy actually the hothead Ash~?"

"O-Of course not! / Hell no!"

The two once queasy teens barked in denial. One blushed from the idea while the other was annoyed the bracer would even ask that. Granted, he had an idea who Juna was crushing on, but he wouldn't share that info so easily to a tease like Fie. Well, maybe if he had something to gain besides the pinkette's flustered face.

"Oops. I guess I was wrong~"

Both teens groaned at the instructor's teasing. Altina just chuckled as Claiomh Solais carried the two back to the hotel. After seeing the three walk back up, Fie stretched her arms before returning herself.

Group A returned to the surface and informed about the success of the monster's extermination to the manager. He thanked them for their assistance before giving them their reward. The bracer asked if the hotel had some stomach medicine, which thankfully they did. Altina accompanied her two classmates to take their medicine as Fie waited for them in the lounge.

Opening her ARCUS, she checked the time.

'12:06... We're done with our requests for the day. I should message Rean if he wants to meet up for lunch with my group.'


"Shatter!"

Leaping up in the air, Kurt unleashed thunder and lightning at her mother. The woman redirected the attack with the tip of her naginata as she released a stream of lightning of her own at the teen. Before her attack could connect, a flaming shockwave consumed the levin, saving the dual-wielder from the attack.

Aurier evaded a slash from the Divine Blade by leaping back. The older Vander suddenly felt her feet frozen in place, literally. She lowered her head to see ice, holding her feet on the ground. Her orbs went to her opponents; a giggling mint cast an art without her even noticing. A chuckle escaped her as she spun her sword spear above her head, wind gathering around her.

"Your teamwork has really improved. You three didn't need to communicate with each other using words since this duel started. Only those who truly trust each other can produce such synergy." The baby blue-haired woman said, still spinning her naginata around as a tornado was slowly manifesting.

"It's only possible because of how much Instructor Rean has put his trust in us," Kurt crossed his dual swords together as light consumed his blade. "and I won't disappoint him or you by not giving everything I have in this fight!"

"Kurt..." A smile made its way on the instructor's face as he felt the determination from his words. 'Show your mother your growth as a swordsman and as a person.'

His mother smiled. She couldn't be more proud of her son; he has grown so much since he left. Any mother seeing their child all grown up and matured, it was easy to imagine the immense joy that filled her heart as she broke free from the ice on her feet.

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt. Your brother may have already said this to you, but it seems like going to the Branch Campus was the right choice for you after all." The howling winds gathered on the tip of her blade as she took her stance.

"Yes, it really was. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for the people I've met during my stay."

She smiled warmly at her son before her expression changed into her battle face. "Show me the strength you have found not as my son; but as a practitioner of the Vander school!"

His light fuchsia orbs shined with a glint of his resolve. The blades of Roland Vander glowed a bright purple light, resonating with Kurt's feelings. "Musse. Instructor. Can you leave this to me?"

"Do you not need support?" Musse asked with a hint of concern in her tone. The young Vander gave the duchess a reassuring smile, her lips curled upwards at the sight. "I guess not."

"Understood. I want to see how far you have come too. As my student and as a fellow swordsman."

"Instructor Rean... thank you."

The instructor and duchess stepped back as they watched the two from a distance. The two Vanders' aura skyrocketed, both prepared to unleash their attack. They lunged into each other in a blink of an eye. Aurier whirled her naginata, generating razor-sharp wind as the tip of her blade extended. Kurt crossed his swords together, clearing his mind as the room turned into a space filled with millions of stars. Both released a surge of energy with their respective element. A righteous light for the younger Vander; and an unrelenting storm for the older one. Both were consumed by each other's attacks, but neither of them stopped as they finally clashed.

"Gemini Judgment!"

"Storm Weaver!"

As their two weapons came into contact, the pressure of their energy caused shockwaves to form around them. The wind pressure burst as thousands of invisible wind blades dispersed, forcing Rean and Musse to cover their faces and backed away even more from the two. Both Vanders proved they weren't giving up easily as the two had a power struggle mid-air. Aurier slowly gaining the upper hand as she pushed her son's blades. It was looking like her victory was certain, but one teen didn't give a damn.

A purple and blue aura wrapped the younger Vander as lightning crackled around him. Gritting his teeth, the boy forced his body to push his current limit. Aurier felt the resistance of his swords as he slowly fought back, pushing the naginata little by little.

'Using your Blade Dance at the very end even with this situation... you have grown into a fine swordsman, Kurt.'

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kurt felt his mother's resistance weakening; taking his chance, he pushed her sword spear back with everything he had.

In a final struggle, Kurt pushed his body to the very limit as he sent her naginata flying to the other side of the training hall. Both his instructor and classmate watched in surprise and shock as the raging winds settled. The victor was decided as Aurier fell on her knees.

"I... won...?" It was the last thing the dual wielder got out as he felt his body getting heavy; the feeling of slowly descending to the ground was the only thing his mind could register.

"Kurt!"

Before Rean or Musse could catch him, there was already someone who caught him in their arms.

The boy opened his eyes slowly, the face of his mother greeted him.

"M-Mother...?"

"You've really caught me off guard during your last attack, Kurt. The moment you used Blade Dance on yourself, I knew I lost that struggle." She started as she closed her eyes and held the boy close to her arms, causing his cheeks to burn from embarrassment. "I'm so proud of you."

"Mother... thank you. I couldn't have gotten this far without Instructor Rean and Class VII." His embarrassed blush died down as his mother chuckled. Hearing those words from the Stormwatcher, no, from his mother meant the world to him.

Aurier put her child down, but only if he was able to stand by himself. Fortunately for Kurt, he wasn't too tired that he could still stand with his own two feet without stumbling from exhaustion. The two members of his group walked over to them, the instructor clapped his hands.

"Good work, Kurt. You did great."

"Hehe. It was quite a show you've put on; you were really amazing for being able to disarm Lady Aurier, even though your method of choice was a bit reckless." Despite Musse's smile, she stated the truth matter-a-factly. "It would seem Instructor Rean has rubbed off on you more than the rest of our class."

The dual-wielder sighed as he averted his gaze from the duchess. "I know what I did was reckless, and I know the risk by pushing my body with Blade—" Before he could finish what he was saying, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"I wasn't reprimanding you. I was just a bit worried is all." The mint assured him, squeezing his shoulder gently. The composed teen's cheeks were colored with a pink hue. "We can't exactly have you passing out now after all. We still haven't had our lunch or our talk."

"Oh..."

The boy should have expected that. He almost thought she was worried for a whole other reason.

"Oh...?" Musse raised a brow in confusion.

"I-It's nothing." Kurt cleared his throat as he regained his cool. 'Of course, that was what she was concerned about. Haha, it must have just been me imagining things.'

"Speaking of lunch, Fie asked if you two wanted to meet up with Group A for lunch. You two in?" Rean asked.

"Of course, Instructor."

"I have no objections."

Kurt and Musse both gave their answers. The instructor nodded as he sent the message to his lover. It wasn't even a minute before the man received a reply already.

"All right. We're heading to Vainqueur Street for lunch."

"Instructor Rean, you can go on ahead first," Musse stated as she got Rean's attention. "I would like to talk with Kurt in private before we leave."

The black-haired swordsman looked to his protégé and to his mother, who both nodded at him. Getting confirmation from the two, he didn't need to ask any questions.

"Gotcha. Just head to Plaza Bifrost when you two are done." His students gave a nod for their answer. "Okay then, I'll let you two have your talk. I'll see you two later. Could you please take care of them for me while they are here, Lady Aurier? I think Kurt should get some rest before he leaves."

"Of course, Instructor Rean. I'll make sure he gets some rest before he heads out." The Stormwatcher chuckled.

"Thank you."

The instructor gave a short bow before leaving the training hall to meet up with Group A. The older Vander informed the two students of a vacant room they could use if they needed more privacy, which Musse happily accepted the offer as she grabbed Kurt by the arm and dragged him to the room. The teen didn't even get the chance to ask any questions as the mint locked the door.

"Well, we're alone now. What did you want to talk about that we needed to be alone?"

Musse placed her hands on her back as she leaned on the locked door, rocking her body from side to side.

"Musse? Is something wrong?"

"I have told you before that it's about what happens after we all graduate from the Branch Campus, right?"

"Yes. You told me that what you want to talk about is something related to the paths we have chosen after we graduate." Musse hummed in confirmation at the swordsman. "So, what's this all about?"

"As you know, I will resume my duties as duchess back in Ordis. Altina will likely return to the Intelligence Division to work with her sister. Juna will return to Crossbell to start her duties as an official member of the S.S.S. Ash said he will be going on a journey, traveling across Zemuria. And you, Kurt, will be honing your swordsmanship by wandering the continent just like Ash, correct?"

"Yeah... but what does that have to do with our talk?"

The girl slowly walked closer to the teen, the distance grew shorter as she held the Vander's hand.

Again, a blush crossed his face at the sudden gesture. His heartbeat sped up, but it returned to normal when he saw Musse's face. A serious expression was on her visage, no trace of jokes or teasing. A face she would only make during certain occasions.

"I have a request for you."

"A request?" Kurt didn't know what she was getting at.

The girl opened her mouth slightly but closed it again. It was one of her rare occurrences of hesitation. Now that she was here, she wasn't quite sure if she wants to ask him for something so life-changing. But she wasn't one to be consumed by the feeling. Musse took a deep breath as she steeled herself.

"I don't know how long it will take for you to return to Erebonia once you leave, but..."

The teen got curious but didn't interrupt her. Even he doesn't know how long he will be away. Kurt waited for Musse to continue, waiting patiently for her request. Soon enough, she was able to finish what she was saying.

"I would like you to work for me once you return. I would like you to be my personal bodyguard."


Dreichels Plaza


In the middle of the crowd, a rather tall man with long black hair stood still. The weather wasn't particularly cold, but the mysterious figure wore a thick leather overcoat with a hood over his head. Anyone would have thought of the man as suspicious just from the clothing alone. "Don't judge a book by its cover" should apply to the man. But he gave off an eerie presence.

The citizens did not pay attention to the still man, or more like; they didn't really care why he was standing still. It wasn't like he was troubling anyone. The mysterious man took a device from his coat pocket; his voice was deep and rough as he whispered to himself.

"It's time for a little chaos to ensue..."

As he pushed the button, he buried the device in his pocket as he walked away from the plaza. A child passing by saw a sinister grin on the hooded man's face, sending shivers down his spine. The child ran off to who knows where as the man left the area.

Nothing happened.

But trouble will arrive soon.


Vainqueur Street


"You're here."

Rean arrived in front of Plaza Bifrost as he saw Fie; standing in front of the entrance with her hands on her back.

"What are you doing outside, Fie?" He asked with a brow raised.

"I wanted to see you first, so I waited outside." She answered before looking behind him. "Are Kurt and Musse not with you?"

"Musse wanted to talk with Kurt in private. They said they'll join us after they're done talking."

Immediately after hearing that, Fie's lips curled into a catlike smirk as she strolled over to her lover.

"Oooooh. I wonder what kind of talk they're having~." Fie smirked as she looked at her lover with a glint in her eyes. "Do you think the two are having a heart-to-heart talk~?"

The black-haired instructor sweatdropped. Though, he wasn't surprised she would ask that kind of question. "I don't know, but it looks like it's something serious."

"Now you have me even more curious~."

Rean chuckled at his girl's playful nature. No doubt she would tease the two once they have come back. But knowing Musse, she would brush it off with ease.

"How did your requests go, Fie? Any trouble?"

"Nope. Well, Ash and Juna are a bit sick because of our last request." Fie confessed before telling her lover about what happened.

She told him about their fight with the Giant Drome and how it could release an odor that was both foul and poisonous. The bracer also talked about the amazing teamwork between the blonde and pinkette, which Rean was very surprised by the news. Of course, she can't forget how the two got nauseous from inhaling the scent of the drome.

The instructor could only chuckle as he scratched his cheek. Without Fie sharing it, he had a feeling she teased the two about more than just their teamwork. And it was likely that the two tried to deny it even if it meant they were going to go all pukey.

After chuckling about Juna and Ash's protest, Rean soon shared what his group did today. From finding a lost ring and to the spare with Aurier. Fie was in awe when the instructor told her about how he and his group were able to take on the woman without too much of a struggle. It was only because of the three's amazing teamwork that they were able to keep up with Aurier without exhausting themselves. Though, he had a feeling she was holding back quite a bit.

"You should have seen Kurt give it his all. The duel at the end between mother and son was definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

"I wish I could have seen it for myself." Fie chuckled as she listened to her lover.

"I could say the same about Juna and Ash's teamwork... it's rare for me to see those two fight together with just the two of them."

"Well, I'm sure you can see those two in action again."

Chuckling to himself, he heard a ring coming from the bracer's person. Fie took out her ARCUS and picked up whoever the caller was. Even without the speaker on, Rean heard his former instructor's voice in the call, her voice clearly in a panic. As he was about to ask what was wrong, he was caught off guard by what came out of Fie.

"What?! Archaisms are rampaging in the plaza?!"


A/N: Just some minor edits. Thank you Apex85 for pointing it out!