(A/N: I apologise for the super delayed & very short update. I've been quite busy and haven't been able to write much. Next chapter should be up soon-ish!)
Byleth had her plate full this moon and as the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth was fast approaching, she could feel the pressure mounting. Eve's arrival had only complicated things. The extra lessons she needed meant Byleth hadn't had any time to explore the monastery to try and figure out the enemy's true target.
Only now at the end of the third week of the Blue Sea Moon did Byleth finally have the chance to investigate possible leads. After having spoken to Dimitri and several of her other students, she found herself in the dining hall where the familiar stature of her father stood.
"What's the matter? You're running all over creation." Jeralt regarded his child, noting the troubled look on her face. "Ah... You don't believe Lady Rhea is the real target, do you? Even so, the knights have their orders. We can't abandon our duty to guard Lady Rhea. The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth is an important event for the Church of Seiros. They say it's the day when the goddess will return to walk among us. Not too likely, if you ask me. Uh... Best if you keep that to yourself."
Byleth nodded, knowing she need not exchange words for her father to know what she was thinking. It was odd that despite coming to Garreg Mach together and both working for the Church of Seiros, Byleth hardly ever saw her father nowadays. She had half the mind to wonder if there was some reason Rhea wanted to keep Byleth close while distancing her from Jeralt.
"There's something else on your mind." Jeralt said, crossing his arms.
"It's nothing." Byleth shook her head.
"It's that new student of yours, isn't it?" The captain raised his eyebrow, turning to glance around the dining hall as if half expecting to see Eve walk in right then. "I can't shake the feeling that I've seen her before."
"She did say her father would hire mercenaries." Byleth suggested. "We could have taken an escort job with her."
"No, that's not it." Her father sighed, shaking his head lightly. "I feel like I saw her once a long time ago, far too long ago. But she's too young; it couldn't have been her."
Byleth's brow furrowed as she added this to the ever-growing list of things about Eve that didn't exactly add up. But she had bigger things to worry about, and after speaking to Alois Byleth was sure she had discerned the enemy's true target.
"Professor." She found Dimitri in the Knight's Hall; Eve glued to his side as usual.
She briefly shared with him the notes she had gathered from various people around the monastery. There were countless valuables at Garreg Mach, but there was one place that stood out the most.
"So... there is something that the church values above all else. On the day of the rite, it will be open to the public. That will make gaining entry far easier than usual. You know the place of which I speak..." Dimitri trailed off, looking at the Byleth.
"The Holy Mausoleum." She gave a small, firm nod.
"Yes, that is the most likely possibility." Dimitri crossed his arms in thought. "We do not know their objective, but there is a good chance that our enemy is planning to target the Holy Mausoleum."
"The Holy Mausoleum…" Eve spoke slowly as if remembering something, the corners of her mouth just slightly forming into a frown.
"Is there something you know?" Byleth asked.
"No." Eve shook her head. "At least I don't think so. It's just…it just reminded me of a story I think I once heard. It's not important."
"That aside," Byleth began, "Dimitri, I'd like you to prepare the class to leave for an excursion this afternoon. There's bandits on the outskirts of town that I'd like the class to take out."
"Now, Professor?" There was shock in his voice.
"Eve is great in training, but she has no real battle experience. And it hasn't been since our last mission that the class has been in battle. If it comes to it, I want you all to be prepared for a fight in the Holy Mausoleum." Byleth glanced at Eve briefly, trying to gauge her reaction to the notion of battle. Anyone could train with a dummy but cutting through real flesh and blood was different, and Byleth didn't want Eve's first experience to be during an important mission.
"I'll gather everyone right away, then." Dimitri nodded his head in a shallow bow as the professor took her leave.
It was a short trip from the monastery to where the bandits were hiding out. On the way there, Byleth briefed her students on their strategy. Dimitri and Sylvain were to ride ahead and circle around to cut off any escape routes the bandits might try to take. Meanwhile, Felix, Dedue, and Ingrid would fight on the ground to open up a path for them. And bringing up the rear would be Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes dealing ranged attacks. Byleth herself would hang back to command her students and assist them where needed.
"Felix, I want you to take Eve with you." Byleth added at the end of her brief.
"I can't fight if I have to babysit." Felix argued, tossing a wary glance towards Eve.
"Professor, I'd feel so much better if Eve could accompany Sylvain and I." Dimitri piped up.
"Dimitri, Eve has no proper battle experience. I'm sending you and Sylvain forward because I know you can handle it." Byleth frowned at the prince. "Besides, she can't ride; there's no way she could go with you."
"Professor, Eve can come with me." Ingrid offered.
"I want her with Felix." She answered firmly before turning her attention back to the boy in question. "Felix, I know how often you spar with Eve. You're well aware of her skill and the fact that you wouldn't be babysitting. You know best out of the class how she fights, so I'm trusting you to help her navigate the battlefield."
"Just don't get in my way." Felix half muttered at Eve as they arrived outside the bandit camp.
"Felix doesn't like me very much, does he?" Eve glanced at Dimitri from the corner of her eye as the others prepared for battle.
"He's suspicious of you." Dimitri frowned before adding. "And so is Sylvain. But I don't think he dislikes you. Felix can be rough around the edges, but I think he actually respects you. Training is how he shows his true feelings, and with how often he trains with you I'd say he at least doesn't mind you."
"I suppose that'll suffice." Eve laughed bitterly. "I'll guess I'll see you on the other side."
"Be careful, please." Dimitri said softly. But it was less a warning for her physical safety and more a warning not to give too much away in this first battle. She would have to fight to survive, yes, but not so well as to bring any more questions about her origins to light. "This'll be over quickly."