Some filler before the month's big battle.
Chapter 22 – Tower in a Storm (Verdant Rain Moon)
Conand Tower stood eerily in the distance as the students of the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer all approached from the south. The sky had turned an unpleasant gray, and a few flashes of lightning were spotted far away. It was already drizzling a bit over the students' heads, but the worst was still a little while off.
"This weather is unfortunate," said Edelgard. "Those villagers were right when they said a storm was brewing. But they were more afraid of an attack than they were of the storm. We'll need to end this quickly."
"So, that's the tower where the thieves are hiding," said Dorothea. "Honestly, it's kinda creepy-looking."
Stepping forward, Gilbert said, "This area was the site of a massive battle several hundred years ago. That's when invasions from the north were at their peak. Back then, this tower was built for both surveillance and defense. It will be difficult to seize it."
"You're very well informed, Gilbert," said Dimitri.
"And yet those thieves have made it their home," added Dorothea. "Pretty impressive for a simple gang, don't you think? And for their leader to steal a Hero's Relic too? This Miklan must be rather skilled."
"What makes you say that?" asked Byleth.
"Well, I've seen my fair share of thieves from my time in Enbarr, but none of them would have been skilled enough to pull this off. If Miklan could do all this, why is he wasting his life on being a thief?"
"You mean why did my father kick him out, is that it?" asked a familiar redhead as he ventured out of the crowd.
The group turned to look at Sylvain, knowing they had touched upon a sensitive subject.
"Sylvain!" Dorothea said, slightly startled by him.
"If you want the simple answer, it's because I have a Crest and he doesn't," said Sylvain. "Miklan was born first, but that didn't make a difference. It's the way it's always been." Seeing the group's concern, he then said, "Hey, don't bother losing your heads over those lowlifes. It's wasted effort."
"But he's your brother," said Byleth. "Does that mean nothing to you?"
"He is no longer a member of House Gautier… or my brother. He's nothing more than a common thief."
"Are you sure about that?" asked Dimitri.
Edelgard then added, "It would be understandable to find this situation… well, regrettable, to say the least."
"Regrets? Heh, surely you jest, Princess," Sylvain said playfully. "You all know we're far past the point of regret." Then, looking down at his feet, he then murmured far more seriously, "And it always falls on the younger brother to clean up the mistakes of their elders, doesn't it?"
"But it is regretful. Miklan was thrown out of your family for something he had no control of. There's no reason that Crests should have the power to dictate someone's destiny. He was just another victim of cruel fate. Forsaken by the goddess, who now demands his execution."
"In some way, I agree, Edelgard," said Dimitri. "But, on the other hand… Did you see the local villages? They were in rough shape, no doubt because of the thief attacks." Solemnly, he added, "They're not going to make it through the winter in that condition. If the thieves had taken up pillaging in order to survive, that would be deplorable… but understandable. But this… This is something else entirely. It looks as though they destroyed those villages purely for pleasure. No matter what their reasons may be, that sort of behavior cannot be allowed. Ever."
"I agree," said Edelgard. "Still, would he have been driven to such vile acts if he had not been cast out?"
"You don't know Miklan like I do," said Sylvain. Dorothea noticed he was clenching his hands tightly. "He's always been a bad influence on others. He's egotistical, selfish… he always went out of his way to make my life miserable as a child. He even once tried to drown me by throwing me down an old well."
Everyone seemed taken aback by this. Edelgard, in particular, looked as though she was about to eat her own words.
"When you see him in that tower, don't hold back for my sake. He's going to pay for everything he's done."
"Sylvain…" Dimitri murmured.
A crash of thunder brought back the group's awareness of the weather. The rain was starting to worsen.
"Well I, for one, think this conversation is getting just as bad as the weather," said Dorothea. "Maybe we can continue it after we get out of the rain? Or instead get along with our mission?"
"Agreed," said Byleth. "We can debate this further after we retrieve the Lance of Ruin. For now, let's get to the tower."
Byleth signaled for the group to continue its march toward Conand Tower. As they walked, Dorothea looked around at the others. Annette was still staring at Gilbert, hoping for some kind of acknowledgement from her father, while Sylvain had gone off to chat with Felix and Ingrid. Dimitri had walked over beside Marianne while Edelgard spoke with Hubert. Meanwhile, Byleth and Gilbert were joined by Catherine to discuss their plan of attack.
At that moment, Dorothea jumped slightly when Claude slinked up behind her and said, "Couldn't help but overhear your chat with the others, Dorothea."
"Claude…" Dorothea said in a sour tone. She was starting to get annoyed by how often he startled her. "If you were so eager to listen in, why didn't you join in on it?"
"Didn't feel like getting in between the Princess and His Highness. Besides, sibling rivalry isn't something I'm big on."
"Oh? What exactly are you big on, then?"
At that moment, Hilda slid up next to Claude and said, "Claude's been going on and on about the Lance of Ruin. About how Miklan supposedly used it to shake off the men from House Gautier who were chasing him."
"Wait, but he doesn't have a Crest," said Dorothea. "Can he really use it?"
"We'll find out soon enough," said Claude. "But if you think about it, if Miklan could use the Lance of Ruin without a Crest, why do the people place such importance on them? And then you look at the Sword of the Creator, which only Teach can use, Crest or no. Strange, isn't it?"
"When you put it like that, yeah, it kinda is," said Hilda. "Of course, my brother's never needed House Goneril's relic. He's just that strong."
"We're well aware of Lord Holst's prowess in battle, Hilda."
Dorothea decided to slip away from Claude at this moment, not all too interested in hearing about Hilda's sibling. Taking a moment for herself in the marching column, she pondered Claude's words. Could the Hero's Relics really be used by those with no Crest? The thought of it piqued her curiosity. If it were true that the Hero's Relics didn't require a Crest to be used, why did the Church seem to insist that they were needed? Was there something people weren't being told about them? Was the Church trying to hide something?
Dorothea gazed at Byleth and Catherine as she thought this over, looking at the legendary weapons strapped to their sides.
…
Dorothea let out a sigh of relief as the class entered the bottom level of Conand Tower, taking a moment to wring out her hair. The rain had begun pouring down by then and the students were now soaking wet.
As the students went about preparing themselves for battle, Dorothea walked over toward Byleth, who was standing guard at one of the archways that led up the tower.
"Professor, can I ask you for a favor?" Dorothea asked.
"What is it?"
"You see, Claude told me that Miklan was able to use the Lance of Ruin despite that he doesn't have a Crest. Doesn't that seem weird? I thought those without Crests couldn't use them."
Byleth could only nod to this. She didn't have much knowledge on the subject yet, despite now being in possession of the Sword of the Creator. It was difficult to find any reading material on the matter in the monastery library.
"So, I was wondering… Do you think you could let me hold the Sword of the Creator? Just for a second?"
Byleth was about to say something when Sothis' voice chimed in her head, her tone one of uncharacteristic urgency.
"Do not let her touch it!" Sothis snapped.
"Huh? Why?" Byleth asked, both as a question to Dorothea and to Sothis.
"I was just curious, that's all," said the singer, her hand outstretched to grasp at the pommel of the blade.
At the same time, the invisible green-haired girl said, "I am not certain myself, but I have this feeling… A feeling something terrible would happen if you let her hold that sword. You must refuse her in this."
Before Byleth could do anything, however, a gauntlet-clad hand abruptly grabbed Dorothea by the wrist, eliciting a gasp from her lips.
Dorothea and Byleth turned to see Catherine as the swordmaster said crossly, "What do you think you're doing?"
"W-Wha? Catherine, I was just–"
"Those without Crests are forbidden from so much as touching one of the Heroes' Relics. You should know that."
"No need to be so prickly about it. I wasn't going to use it, I just wanted to look at it."
"You can do that with your eyes, not your hands." Then, turning to look at the other students, Catherine said, "That goes for the rest of you! No one except Sylvain takes back the Lance of Ruin. Is that clear?"
"Oh come on, Catherine. What's the worst that could happen?"
To her surprise, Catherine's grip on her wrist tightened for a moment, making Dorothea wince in pain.
"I'm telling you this for your own good. Don't get any funny ideas, understand?"
"Nnh, alright, alright! I won't touch it."
With that, Catherine released her grip, leaving Dorothea to nurse her wrist as she walked off to converse with Gilbert, and leaving Byleth to ponder why the Crusader was so protective of the Heroes' Relics.
Is it weird having Edelgard and Dimitri interact so much? Am I not including Claude enough in all this?
And yes, I kinda made Catherine a jerk in this, but we all know why.