(A/N: This chapter probably isn't the most interesting, but bear with me here. There's going to be some mundane/boring things mixed in with the interesting/action-y things just because of how I want to tell the story. A majority of this first part is quick-moving regardless.)
Edelgard noticed the extra level of diligence of the knights as they walked back to the monastery. The few days of traveling held more reminders to keep up and occasional commands for a small group to look around the area. She also found that less students tried to speak with her now that Hubert walked beside her, which was pleasant change compared to the initial response when she was announced as the house leader. She had to get used to the attention.
The first formal day of instruction in the Officers Academy began a couple of days after the students returned from the expedition. They had been told a few times at the start of the month—and a few more times during the meals since they came back—where they needed to be and when. Considering the amount of students when the professor came in, Edelgard assumed most of the Black Eagles were there.
Their professor entered the classroom, closing the door behind her, and went to the front of the room.
"It's good that I've seen most of you before," she noted. "Before we start, I want to repeat introductions and give an announcement. I'm Professor Manuela; I was at the expedition with Professor Hanneman, so you likely saw us. Every school day, you'll meet with me here for some general instruction before going on to your other classes."
She gave some pause for a portion of the room to murmur their greetings. Manuela continued after she nodded.
"Now an announcement," Manuela declared. "The half of you that went on the expedition might have noticed, but due to the circumstances during said trip, one of the professors decided to…resign, to put it lightly. Taking their place is Jeritza, the weapons instructor. All this means for you kids is that he might not have as much time to provide extracurricular assistance."
Edelgard was pleased with the answer; Jeritza knew, to some extent, her goals here. It was fortunate he chose to teach a different class—things were a bit easier to manage if they were spread out. Whether or not Jeritza had been aware of that, she's found him to be more cooperative than Thales.
"Just one more thing before we start!" Manuela said. She scanned the room, then gestured in Edelgard's direction. "Can our house leader come up to the front?"
Edelgard stood and walked up to where Manuela stood, noticing the quiet murmurs.
"You should've been told on the first or second day," their professor continued, "But your house leader is essentially what you should strive to be. They'll be making sure the other students in their house are keeping up; they also act as a go-between for the professor and the other students in some cases. This year, the Black Eagles have Edelgard von Hresvelg leading them."
Manuela glancing over at her prompted Edelgard to say her part.
"I'll do what I can in the position," she said. "I've been told I can be hard to approach, but please don't hesitate to talk with me if you have any questions."
The whole thing was similar to another meeting before the expedition; there had been an academy-wide meet-and-greet of sorts when a majority of the students arrived. Just like that first meeting, only half of the students looked like they were paying attention—a good portion of the rest were still talking amongst themselves.
She tried not to frown at the whispers just so she still maintained some friendliness. After a moment, Manuela gave a silent request for Edelgard to sit back down. Murmuring her own acknowledgement, she went back to her spot among the desks.
Manuela talked over the students who weren't quiet as she began some instruction, which itself lasted about two hours. When that ended, the Black Eagles were told where they were expected to be and when they were expected to be there, and the students themselves went to different places according to their preferences.
Overall, the day's work wasn't hard. Edelgard noticed a few students who seemed to be less confident than the rest or struggled more in certain areas; for now, she'd let them be.
They returned to their main classroom after some time alternating, as instructed by some of the professors. Manuela was there before they arrived, offering some kind of greeting as they sat down again. A majority of them reclaimed their spots from earlier, albeit with some argument between a few of them if they were switched.
"Every day, you'll come back here to receive some final instruction and any announcements I might have missed in the morning," their professor explained. "You might've noticed this while you were out and about, but this year Hanneman is teaching the Golden Deer and Jeritza's teaching the Blue Lions. Outside of school hours, you should be able to find any given professor in their usual spot if you need any help."
Most of them gave small nods or murmurs, and Manuela went on to review what she taught in the morning.
"As a final announcement before you go," she said after an hour or so, "There's going to be a mock battle between all three houses on the last week of the month. It's just a basic assessment on what you do and don't know, so us professors know what to focus on. Like all of the missions, as it gets closer I'll keep the house leader informed if there are any changes."
When no one protested, she waved them off. "You're free for the rest of the day; dinner should be ready within the next few hours, provided everyone's there to help that should be. Come back here tomorrow, and the process will repeat for the rest of the year. Have a good evening, all of you."
