It was the following day after their arrival at the remains of Garrelia Fortress and their encounter with the Zephyr jaegers, and after an early, and awfully bland breakfast, the Class VII students and Toval were ready to depart to the lake town of Legram. The group, sans Toval and Elliot, was standing next to Valimar when Captain Claire surprised them when she said she would be leaving for Ymir and taking four of her men with her.
"As much as I wish to continue to assist the 4th Division, we can't stay here forever," she explained. "What exactly are you planning to do after reuniting with your class, Rean?"
The raven haired boy scratched his head awkwardly, slightly disarmed by the police officer's plan. "Honestly, I didn't think that far besides getting everyone back to Ymir then seeing where we go from there."
"That's what I thought. So you could say you will use your hometown as a temporary base of operations, correct?" Her response was a somewhat dumbfound nod from him. "From what you've told us, Ymir needs to be fortified against threats, especially with Baron Schwarzer out of commission. I don't mean to turn the place into a war campaign headquarters, but a safe place for you and your friends as you plan your next moves. You do plan on working with us to rescue the princess and your sister, right?"
Another nod.
"Good. And it bears reiterating, I have no intention of turning Ymir into a target of the Noble Alliance, Rean. Our main goal there will be to secure the place as well as installing an orbal communications relay, following which we will establish communications with other RMP squadrons at the Nortia Province and move on from there."
Rean hadn't had much of an opinion on Captain Claire besides her being some stuffy police officer (fancy name notwithstanding) and didn't have much of a good track record of interactions with the woman, but his opinion of her shot to the skies as she offered to assist protecting his family while he was out. "Thank you, captain, it would really help ease my mind if you were to do that," he said, hiding the relief he was feeling.
Claire responded with a gentle smile, a genuine one that did wonders to humanize her outside of her policewoman image, and Rean couldn't help but make a mental note of maybe apologizing for being a smarmy shit to her back in Roer. He also realized she was actually very pretty.
The captain saluted them and turned around to go gather her men and get ready to leave, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Fie poked Rean in the ribs. "Stop gawking."
"Shut up, Machias was too."
"I- I was not!" He totally was.
"And you were too!"
Fie shrugged in response to the accusation. "I'm not hitched so it's fine."
General Craig's hearty laugh interrupted their playful bickering as he approached them along with Elliot and Toval. "Good to see you kids in good spirits!"
"Too good, in fact," Celine grumbled, still feeling sleepy.
"So this is it, huh, son?" The general turned to his Elliot. "Part of me would rather you stay here where I can keep an eye on you but another part is filled with pride to see you taking on the role of a soldier as I always knew you would, taking on the mission to save Her Highness and assist your friends in this war. Sending you to Thors was the right decision all along."
Olaf Craig's face brimmed with misplaced pride and Elliot could only sigh in defeat. Despite all the reasons he had given his father for going with Rean and the others, finding their own place in the conflict, helping his friends, all the general could hear was that his son was allying himself with the Imperial Army to fight.
"Yeah, it really was the right decision, just not for the reason you think," he muttered that last bit to himself. They would have time to discuss it when the war was over.
"So, we good to use that spirit path now?" Toval asked.
Rean sucked in his teeth. "About that, there's a problem."
"This is far from ideal," said Machias as he lifted up his arm so his elbow wouldn't be pressed against Elliot's face anymore.
Meanwhile, the musician groaned as his back and knees were killing him from the awkward position of staying hunched over next to Valimar's pilot seat. Fie was in the same situation but with Toval next to her, as the Bracer and Machias stood in a tight fit behind Rean's chair.
Due to the fight against the soldats in the previous day and the accruing of damage Valimar didn't have enough energy to access the spirit path yet, which led to a grown man, four teenagers and a cat had to be shoved inside the Divine Knight's cockpit. At least their packs with supplies could be carried outside on Valimar's hand.
"I dunno, I think it's fine like this," said Rean, leisurely stretching his arms in front of him before putting his hands back on the controllers. "What do you think, Celine?"
Following suit, the familiar stretched her back back lazily. "It's adequate."
"I take back what I said yesterday, you suck," Fie glared at Rean as she shuffled trying to find some new and less uncomfortable position. "I'm driving next time."
"Impossible, only the Ashen Awakener may access the controls," Valimar's voice rung out from inside the cockpit.
"She's joking, Valimar," the Ashen Awakener rolled his eyes, doubly so when the Divine Knight replied with "I see."
"How much longer until Legram again?" Elliot asked.
Toval struggled but managed to raise his arm and look at his wristwatch. "One hour and a half."
A resounding groan came from the Divine Knight's passengers while Rean stared blankly at the screen showing the way ahead, his mind getting lost on what the reunion with Laura would be like.
One month had passed, did she still think about him? An utterly foolish thought to begin with, if the others clearly had been worried about him, why wouldn't Laura? So he discarded that ridiculous idea as soon as it formed itself. The real question was if she still cared about him as she did before that day, if she still felt about the dance and their kiss the same way he did.
Yes, they had fought together against Scarlet as they had always done and she took the charge in securing his escape, but after a whole month of getting her thoughts in place, what did she think about how he hid the Divine Knight business from her? Worse yet, what would she say once she found out about his selfishness? Part of him hoped Laura wasn't in Legram just to avoid that type of confrontation.
Lies and cowardice, two things Laura hates and I'm guilty of both.
[Awakener.]
"Huh what?" He replied curtly to suddenly having his thoughts interrupted within his own mind.
[I cannot read your thoughts, however I can sense your inner turmoil and it has distracted you from the fact your companions are attempting to talk to you.]
"Oh."
[The one designed as Toval has advised we go to a higher altitude to avoid enemy airships.]
"Right, okay… Thanks for the heads up."
[Acknowledged.
As if the intense fog that permeated the town of Legram wasn't enough, this was the third time Laura had to find this type of monster, the second that week alone. A cryptid Emma had called it, some sort of ancient beast from another plane of existence that had crossed over to theirs. And of course this one had to appear at the shore of Lake Ebel because Laura was just that lucky. The previous ones had appeared farther down the highway, away from the town and its inhabitants, while this one, an armored reptile with a club-like tail that spilled a noxious gas from its mouth, directly threatened the people she was sworn to protect.
Worst of all, during the previous instances they had had assistance from three of Viscount Arseid's students that were in town but two of them, Fritz and Ares, had gotten hurt in the previous fight and Dattz was relegated to assist the citizens in case an evacuation of the town was necessary along with Klaus and Miles, the Bracer guild receptionist. So now it was just the two of them, Laura and Emma, having to deal with what seemed to be their toughest adversary yet.
At least Emma was showing herself more powerful than she seemed. Of course, her classmate was extremely competent with her orbal staff but her magical spells were a boon on the battlefield and Laura was more than thankful for them. They could take it, she was sure of it, but it would be difficult and there was the chance of either, if not both of them, getting hurt.
The beast roared as blades of magical energy carved themselves into its armor and flesh and Laura used the opportunity to strike but the creature quickly turned around to swing its tail in a defensive maneuver. Laura stopped her advance to avoid the tail then, instead of back away, dove forward and just as she had predicted the monster swung its tail back and she dropped down and avoided its deadly strike, then quickly got up and delivered her own attack on the monster's haunches.
Her target roared in pain once again, thrashing his limbs and spilling its venomous toxin in the air in mad fury, forcing Laura to step away lest she be caught in the middle of it. In response, Emma created a whirlwind of orbal air that sucked up the poison gas up and away from the battlefield. Their strategy would be to bleed the monster out and they were confident in their abilities in doing so, it would simply take longer than she was comfortable with.
So preoccupied was Laura with their quarrel that she did not sense the arrival of new figures to the battlefield, but the combat-link that was formed with her was instantly recognizable and made her heart swell.
A rain of Arts fell upon the beast, followed by Rean and Fie dashing past Laura to catch the staggered monster and she immediately followed suit to attack in unison with them. It was like a spark had been ignited within the Arseid girl and she fought with renewed strength, all of the mounting frustration of the past days had immediately disappeared upon seeing her dear classmates and knowing that they were well and safe. But most important of all was to fight alongside Rean once again, bringing a feeling of elation that was only surpassed by the times they crossed swords against each other, and she knew he felt the same, she could see it in the way he moved and swung his sword and in the sparkle in his eyes when they exchanged looks before delivering the final blow.
With Class VII's impeccable group work, as well as Toval's expertise, the cryptid was brought down swiftly and soon its body, too damaged to continue to maintain itself in that plane of reality, dispersed into an explosion of light, a fitting occurrence as the students immediately celebrated their reunion. Emma rushed in to hug Fie and the boys, feeling immensely grateful for their well being, before picking up Celine and holding her tight against her chest.
"I was so worried, Celine," Emma said, her voice cracking and almost sobbing as she hugged and caressed her precious companion.
The familiar grumbled at first at the sudden outburst from the witch. Of course she was okay, couldn't Emma feel her through their connection? But then something tugged within her and she simply nuzzled her face against the human's cheek. "I'm glad to see you are safe as well," she murmured so the others couldn't hear.
The reunion proceeded as Rean dashed towards Laura. He wanted nothing more than to touch and feel and hold the girl in front of him, but his own reality caught up to him and his doubts stopped Rean dead in his tracks.
"Hey, Laura. I'm…. I'm glad you're okay," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck while avoiding her gaze.
Laura also stopped herself from rushing to him, having quickly realized Rean's hesitation. "It is good to see you well, Rean," she said calmly as she watched his face go through an array of emotions. Relief, happiness, shame.
Picking up on the silence between the two swordsmen, Toval suggested to the rest of the group that they should go back to town and give them some space, which they promptly agreed on.
When their companions were far away enough, Laura suggested the two of them take a walk along the shore of Lake Ebel. "We didn't have the opportunity back during our field exercises," she casually pointed it out.
Despite the intense fog, it felt calming to take a walk along its shore but Rean couldn't appreciate any of that as he rummaged in his mind for what to say and thought of the worst possible scenarios.
"Back then when you told me about your little white lie to get us two alone together, this is what truly weighed in your mind, wasn't it? The Divine Knight I mean," Laura finally broke the silence and took the initiative from Rean, at which point both stopped their stroll around the lake.
"I learned about it right after our last excursion to the old schoolhouse, before the trip to Roer and Ordis. How much did Emma tell you?" His voice was weak and apologetic as he tried and failed to meet Laura's gaze.
"She has told me everything."
"Everything?" He hoped he didn't sound too nervous at her words.
"Yes, about her mission, her clan, Celine, the Divine Knight and even Vita Clotilde. She also explained to me how she approached you that day in her room, revealing her true motives to enroll at Thors, and how, for the sake of caution, she decided you two should bide your time before attempting to summon the Divine Knight, which unfortunately led to our desperate situation the day of the attack."
Wait, that wasn't why we didn't do anything, it was I who… Is Emma covering for me?
Rean really felt like a gigantic piece of shit at that moment. Could he tell her the truth? The real truth about how back then it was the first time he felt truly happy in years and he rejected Emma's plan solely because he was unwilling to give up that feeling? That he threatened exposing her over it? That he ran away from everything because he didn't want to risk parting away from Laura? Of course not, he couldn't burden her with his feelings like that.
Getting his thoughts in order, Rean pushed past his guilt and rationalized that well, he wouldn't be lying, just omitting the truth for the time being.
"Emma and I were going to discuss what our next move would be after the festival and I was going to come clean to you about this stuff. I didn't want to hide it, especially from you, Laura, but…" He trailed off, unsure on how to proceed.
"But it wasn't your secret to tell, I understand. It was Emma's mission and she trusted you with keeping it between you two. These past weeks have given me time to process this information and my own feelings regarding it. I can't say I appreciate being kept in the dark but I can recognize you were put in outstanding circumstances beyond your control and even comprehension, much like your ogre power."
That was going better than Rean expected, he was actually surprised at how rational and understanding Laura was being, but then he realized that was exactly what he should've expected from her. Laura was smart and kind and she didn't let her emotions get the best of her, of course she could become frustrated in certain situations like any other person but if given enough time she would come around and understand it, just like Viscount Arseid had said back in the Courageous. Maybe she would understand everything else?
Don't push your luck, Rean.
"It's not every day you have an ancient weapon in the school's basement," he said with an awkward smile, attempting to bring some levity into the conversation, to which Laura responded with a sensible chuckle.
"No, I suppose not."
Silence hung in the air between the two of them once again but a slightly more comfortable one as Rean had unburdened himself, although Laura could feel he wasn't all there yet and neither was she as she had things to say as well. Stepping in close to Rean, she took his hand and gently squeezed it, the action feeling reassuring for both.
"I…" Her voice cracked and she breathed out then inhaled again, looking to get her bearings. "I have never felt more powerless and terrified than when I saw that sword about to strike you down."
Completely missing the point, Rean chastised himself internally for making Laura worry instead of seeing how much she cared for him. "Yeah, that was… I don't know what was even going through my mind at that moment, I just remember thinking about you and the others and how I wouldn't be there to fight alongside you anymore."
"Was there anything else?" Her body tensed and Laura held his hand tighter and Rean could sense a strange feeling anxiety coming to her. "Did any other thought cross your mind back then?"
The question puzzled him and took Rean out of his self pitying thoughts. It did finally make him look Laura straight in the eyes and he couldn't exactly place what her expression conveyed. Concern? Doubt? It was like she was looking for something but for the life of him he could not tell what.
Confused, Rean scratched his head, racking his brain trying to recall that specific moment. "I mean, I can tell you about when Valimar spoke into my head. It was like time had stopped, I could see everything in front of me frozen in place, and it spoke to me about accepting this power and well, what choice did I have, really? That was basically it."
Fascinating, but not what Laura wanted. She looked him over, searching for something, a tell, a sign, that would confirm or dispel nagging a thought that had been formed at that day. Rean wasn't avoiding saying anything else by changing the subject and he did seem to be making an effort to recall anything else from that experience.
Did I truly imagine it?
"Look, Laura, I don't have the words to explain how sorry I am for keeping this from you, I just didn't know what to do. Bad enough that I had one power but then Emma shows up with her talking cat and tells me I was chosen by an ancient knight and I… What do you do in a situation like that?"
Rean rambled on and Laura found it wasn't fair to him that he was the one having to apologize and explain himself. He was the one who took the brunt of those events back then, he was the one who almost died, who fought to protect them and then had to flee. He was the one who was put into a troublesome role against his will and he was the one hurt the most by Crow's betrayal. With such a burden on him, Rean needed her support now more than ever.
Shaking her head to dispel any remnants of negative thoughts, Laura did what she wanted to do the second she saw him again and planted a kiss that stopped his babbling. It was soft and sweet and she could sense the relief coming off him. "I've missed you, Rean."
Looking a bit too surprised about being kissed by his girlfriend, Rean's mouth hung open for a second as he looked at Laura, her lips quirking into a gentle smile. Then he cupped her face with his hands and pulled her close for an ardent kiss that he had been aching for and that she reciprocated with the same intensity.
"I missed you too," he said between breaths when their lips parted.
Laura giggled and gave a small peck on his lips before nuzzling her face against this neck. Having his arms around her right now felt even more comforting than during the festival, like the fact they had been talking for the last couple of minutes hadn't been enough to assure her that Rean was alive and well.
But as nice as it was to stay there in each other's arms, eventually the two had to return to the town and the rest of their group.
"I like your jacket," Laura commented offhandedly as they walked back to Legram. What she actually wanted to say was that there was a rougher air around Rean, a sharpness in his eyes that made him look even more handsome than before. Instead she talked about his clothes. This whole relationship thing was still too new for her.
"Oh thanks, my parents gave it to me," he replied, looking over his outfit then back to Laura. Her outfit was cute but the rolled up sleeves gave her the look of someone who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty and showed off her well defined arms. Cute and strong, that was Laura alright. "You look gorgeous too."
"Thank you," the earnest compliment somehow was what made her blush despite their intense kiss moments prior. "Wait, does that mean you've been to your home, Rean? Is that where you've been this past month?"
At that he sighed and used his free hand to pitch the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, this is one of those instances where you have to explain the same things over and over again to different groups of people, isn't it?" He nodded and she chuckled. "Do not worry, I'll have Klaus prepare us something to eat and the conversation will flow easily and I'm sure the others can pitch in too. Have you been traveling for long? You must be faminished."
"Yeah, we had breakfast at what remained of Garrelia Fortress a couple of hours ago," he said grimly.
Laura mirrored his expression. "Ugh, we must get some real food on you as soon as possible."
Walking hand in hand with Rean across the edge of Lake Ebel back to town and being able to laugh and joke with him made Laura forget about the civil war for a moment, but more than that, it made her tell herself she did not hear Rean welcoming his death that day when the war started. It had been a ridiculous, revolting intrusive thought, fruit of an overworked mind, that he assuredly would feel was insulting if she ever brought it up. Besides, the combat-links didn't even work that way, they couldn't communicate telepathically with their ARCUS, bringing it up would not only insult Rean but also sound like she had lost her mind.
Rean was troubled for sure but not that way, not the person who fought so valiantly beside her and who looked at her so vibrantly. Having rationalized it enough, Laura buried that thought away in a dark corner of her mind so it would never see the light of day again.
The Class VII students were led to the Arseid manor's dining room while Toval decided to catch up with Miles at the Bracer Guild, and just like Laura had said, it was much easier to talk about past events while having something to eat and the early lunch was delightful. That the Celdic trio and Laura and Emma as well had their sides to tell too also helped. Of course, that didn't completely take away from the seriousness of the topic, especially when Rean recalled the attack to his hometown.
His conversation with Fie the previous night at least helped him get his feelings in order and he didn't beat around the bush in regards to his actions. So he laid everything bare to Laura, Emma, Machias and Elliot just like he did to Fie. Well, not everything, not the boiling hatred he felt and his unnoticed transformation and the quasi-torture of the surviving jaeger before his sister stopped him.
"Regrettably, all we can do is pray for your father's health," was all Laura could say at hearing the news of Rean's father state as she reached out for his hand, hoping to give him a modicum of comfort.
"Dad's strong, he'll pull through," Rean could not disguise the worry in his voice. "What about your father, Laura? Do you have any news from him and the Courageous?"
She shook her head. "Unfortunately we haven't had word from him or Prince Olivert since they helped us escape Trista. I trust they are well, however, as surely the news of the royal airship being taken down would've reached even the most remote corners of the empire."
Fie stretched herself, cat-like as she was, and laid her head on the diner table feeling sleepy after a good meal, which earned reprimands from both Machias and Emma for such a behavior. "Are we going to Bareahard next to pick up Jusis right now or…?"
Before anyone else could say anything, Emma cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself. "Ah well, about that. As I explained to Laura before, the higher elements of space, time and mirage are present in the area around Legram, the presence of the fog around the town is a consequence of that as well as the appearance of cryptids, and while that is concerning it also means the concentration of mana in this location is higher than usual and makes it a perfect opportunity to recharge Valimar's reserves."
"So just like Lunaria Park?" Rean asked.
"Correct, add in the presence of a spirit vein running right below Legram and this is the perfect spot to get Valimar back to his best," said Celine.
"If that's the case that means we can finally use the spirit path, right?" Rean continued his inquiry, to which Celine nodded.
"That is very fortunate considering our growing numbers. I for one don't wish to travel around Erebonia crammed with you all like a canned sardine," said Machias.
Elliot straightened his back in response, still feeling sore from the long trip. "Yeah, it hasn't been great."
"I bet either of you'd change your minds if you were pressed against Emma for a couple of hours," Fie teased with the most sly of smiles, making her three targets into flustered messes, nevermind the fact she herself wouldn't mind some Emma-cushioning during a long trip.
"S-speaking of which, where did you leave Valimar?" Emma shot the question, hoping to divert the conversation away from such topics.
"We didn't know what we could find here, we wanted to avoid starting a battle in the middle of town in case the provincial army had occupied Legram somehow. So we landed on the outskirts and left it hidden in the woods," Rean explained. "You wanna go check it out?"
Emma tilted her head, slightly confused. It? , she hung on that thought for a moment and Celine looked at her with an expression that said "See what I've been having to deal with?"
"Yes, we should check on Valimar," the witch replied when she realized she was taking too long to answer.
Having decided that they had seen too much of the Ashen Knight for the time being, Fie, Machias and Elliot excused themselves, saying they would rather get supplies for the journey (or just explore the town in Fie's case). With that, it left only Rean, Emma, Celine and, obviously, Laura, to go check on the Divine Knight.
"Actually, I have some matters to discuss with Klaus," the Arseid swordswoman reluctantly said as she got up from her chair. "With father away, I am the one responsible for Legram. I am curious to see this Divine Knight up close, however, so just tell me the directions and I will soon meet with you two," she added later upon seeing Rean's confused face.
It was a fair enough reason and none of them questioned it and Rean tried to not look disappointed as they got separated, lest he came across as too clingy.
The area where they left Valimar was relatively close to where they had found the archaism a few months back, off to the side of the Ebel Highway where the trees provided sufficient cover alongside the dense fog that covered Legram and its surrounding area also helping in that regard.
Rean was onboard the Divine Knight's cockpit as Emma did whatever it was that she did, a gentle light surrounding her as she intoned ancient words directed at him and Valimar. Not that Rean didn't find it fascinating, he just couldn't make heads or tails of the whole process, how saying a couple of words made it all possible.
"My analysis is completed. Aside from the damage from your battles, Rean, Valimar is fine and Legram is an excellent place for gathering mana," said the witch as she pointed at the hole in the Divine Knights shoulder. "If you pay close attention you can even see the wound slowly mend itself."
Valimar's head turned towards the wound and Rean squinted at the screen in front of him, feeling a slightly tingling sensation on his own correspondent limb. "Yeah, I can more than see that. Say, Emma, the controls have been feeling kind of stiff ever since I fought that magic knight. Is this about the low synchronicity levels Valimar was talking about or is that just part of what got broken with it?"
"No, that's not it. While some of Valimar's internal systems are damaged that shouldn't affect your synchronicity with…" Emma left Rean hanging at her words as she trailed off. The witch rubbed her chin and looked with concern at Celine, who seemed to shrug and shake her head. "Rean, what do you think Valimar is?"
The swordsman frowned at the almost philosophical question coming out of nowhere. A weapon, a burden, a tool? "What do you mean? Besides it being a legendary, magical robot thing? I gave some thought but honestly things have been so crazy I haven't had the time to really stop and think about what this thing is."
Rean shrugged and so did Valimar, although the pilot didn't notice it.
"I… Hmm, I see…" Emma looked pensive, fidgeting with her orbal staff trying to find the correct words to say. I'll try to guide him towards the right conclusion naturally first. If I can't, I suppose we'll just have to try a more direct approach.
Oookay? First Laura and now Emma with the weird non-sequiturs. I guess everyone is shook up in some weird way. He looked back at Celine hoping for a clue of what that was about but the feline was not so subtly gesturing her head towards Emma and it reminded him of what he had to do.
Oh yeah, right, the fact that I suck.
With a simple mental nod, Rean was transformed into energy and transported outside of Valimar, landing close to his classmate. Emma was about to ask what he wasdoing when he started talking.
"I'm really sorry, Emma. I already apologized to you and Celine but it bears repeating, especially to both of you at the same time. I'm sorry for the things I said and for threatening to expose you and just being a terrible person to you all this time. None of this is yours or Celine's fault, you were just following the mission given to you. I hope you can forgive me," Rean didn't straight up bow his head, but he did look down apologetically. "And despite all that you still covered for me when you told Laura about my actions. I… I really don't deserve that."
Emma was slightly taken aback, feeling the weight of the sincerity in his voice, something quite different from the Rean she knew. She too didn't feel like she deserved that level of respect.
"I'm sorry, Rean, but I can't accept your apology," she said, causing Rean to grimace as he thought she was mad at him. "I can't accept it because I am to blame for it all. I went about it all wrong, I pressured you and didn't stop to think about what it meant to you. I was supposed to guide you through the whole process, instead I pushed you away from it. And also, because both me and Celine did something far more despicable to you."
Celine's eyes went wide as she shot a panicked look towards the witch. "E-Emma what are you doing?"
Rean was about to say Emma couldn't possibly blame herself and that she owed him nothing when the familiar's reaction caught his attention. "What do you mean?"
"While I can 't control her actions, as a witch I am responsible for my familiar's behavior."
"Q-quit it, Emma. You don't have to say it right now, at least wait until I'm a few selge away," memories of having her throat squeezed by a red-eyed demon flashed through Celine's mind.
"That day when your sister was attacked at the old schoolhouse, it was because Celine used a couple of spells to guide her there hoping to lure you to complete the next trial sooner. Elise was used as bait and put into an extremely dangerous situation that almost cost her life," Emma bowed her head, willing to accept whatever Rean was willing to do. To yell and berate her and even beat her if he so wished. She knew how much he cared for his sister, if the way he fought to protect her during their time at school hadn't been proof enough, the tone of his voice when he spoke of her kidnapping had settled the matter. "I am not deserving of your friendship, nevermind your apologies," she finished with sadness in her voice.
All the while Emma was confessing, Celine was hiding behind her legs, something Emma could not possibly accept and thus she grabbed her and put the feline in front of her, sitting her down and pushing her head down. "Celine, apologize. And mean it," she commanded.
"I-I am really sorry for what I did," the cat started, hoping her voice didn't crack. "It was selfish and irresponsible of me to put your sister in danger regardless of what I believed to be a priority for us." Please don't kill me.
A hundred thoughts passed through Rean's head at that moment. He was extremely pissed off for one thing but that quickly subsided as he got a hold on of his worst compulsions. He hadn't been the greatest person either and he could tell Emma felt incredibly bad about the whole thing, and even Celine seemed legitimately sorry. A little bit sorry at least.
Rean couldn't blow up on Emma, not on a classmate who had helped him so much at school and continued to assist him, and thus he called forth all of the calming techniques he knew from his training, calming breaths that cleared his mind of negative thoughts and settled his heart. A tense minute passed and then he squatted down to get on eye level with Celine.
"Next time you see Elise you are going to apologize to her," he said with a terse voice.
The familiar eagerly nodded.
"And once we're back at Ymir… You are going to play with Badeux, no complaints."
Although more reluctant this time, Celine nodded once again.
It was really amusing how Celine was petrified but Rean managed to hide it. Satisfied with that, he lifted himself up and turned to his classmate. "As for you, Emma…" he sighed then extended his hand, flashing a sincere smile on his face. "Don't sweat it, it wasn't your fault and Elise didn't actually get hurt. And don't think you're going to get away from my friendship any time soon."
Upon hearing his words, Emma let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and raised her head to look up to Rean. Once again she had misjudged him and it made her want to apologize to him all over again, the same way she wanted to apologize to the rest of her class for deceiving them all this time, as she had done with Laura when they arrived at Legram. It was a small step but she had to start to make amends somewhere and Emma shook his hand, both smiling warmly at each other.
Celine was the most relieved of the three.
With amends made, Rean then turned to Valimar. "How long until you're back to full power?"
The Divine Knight's eyes lit up. "19 hours, 13 minutes and 7 seconds. This area is rich in mana."
"This is good news, I hope," said Laura, coming up from behind them. Finally being able to see the Divine Knight in a context that wasn't a life and death situation, she could not hide her awe as she cast an analytical gaze at Valimar. "Incredible," Laura simply muttered when she touched the Knight's armor plating, expecting it to be cold but feeling a comforting warmth from it instead.
"It's good news, unless you were hoping to go to Bareahard right now to get Jusis. I guess this means we got the rest of the day free," said Rean sound almost excited. "Do you want to go spar?"
"Yes, I'd love to, I have missed our sessions this past month," Laura replied excitedly before pursing her lips, her mood immediately taking a downturn. "Especially because we might not have an opportunity later since I won't be able to accompany you."
Well, that was a bucket of cold water.
"With the continuing appearance of cryptids over Legram it would be irresponsible of me to abandon its people," Laura had explained. "There is nothing I would rather do right now than stay by your side and assist you in gathering our friends and rescue your sister and the princess, but in the absence of my father the duty of protecting this town falls unto me."
Rean felt beyond disappointed, just when they had reunited it seemed they would get separated once again. And he couldn't even find fault with her reasoning, since Ymir had been in a similar situation just recently. So, with their time together short, Rean and Laura decided to make the best of it in the only way they knew: by sword fighting.
"They're incredible!"
"So this is the Eight Leaves practitioner who pushed back Master Arseid…"
"Lady Laura is skillful as always but the way she's moving right now is like nothing I've seen her do before."
The impromptu sparring session between the two Class VII swordsmen at the Arseid training hall drew the attention from the Arseid disciples Dattz, Fritz and Ares, with the latter two lamenting not being able to have a chance to challenge Rean due to their injuries, and although Rean had said he would spar with Dattz later, more and more the Arseid student felt like he would be like intruding on something intimate.
"They are still at it?" Said Machias as he arrived at the scene along with the rest of the group. "I know staying in shape is crucial but they've been going at it for two hours now."
"I mean, Machias, you realize who you are talking about, right?" Said Elliot.
"Well, they've taken a couple of breaks since they've started," said Emma.
"It's not like there's anything else to do while we wait. Better than studying like a damn nerd," Fie threw out a barb against the class' vice-president.
"Hey!"
The conversation piqued Rean's attention and he could not possibly miss the opportunity to mess with his friend. He stepped back to avoid a swiping attack from Laura and looked at Machias. "Seriously, you were studying while you guys were holed up in Celdic, where did you even get books to study? Wait, is that what you brought with your supplies?"
"I asked Rosine to bring me reading material and brought a couple of books with me, what is wrong with that?" Machias retorted. "Whenever we weren't out and about, Fie was always taking naps or doing maintenance on her guns and Elliot was working on his project, what was I supposed to do?"
The former jaeger shrugged. "I dunno, we're in the middle of a war, I think studying for Heinrich's class should be the last of your priorities."
"Emma, Laura, you are diligent students, please back me up."
"Well, I guess if you guys couldn't leave your hideout there are worse ways of passing the time. And it's very positive thinking of you, Machias. It means you expect things to return to normal soons," said Emma.
"I for one commend your dedication, Machias," said Laura as she deflected an attack from Rean.
"Thank you."
From then on Emma asked about Elliot's project and he went on about trying to create sound based Arts used to non-lethally blah blah blah, Fie had heard him talk about it non-stop for the past month and it completely diverted the attention from the more important subject of making fun of Machias. Well, that was no fun, Fie thought to herself, as she directed her gaze to her new target.
"I gotta say, it's good to see you two still getting along like this, Laura. I thought for sure I had stolen Rean away from you when he felt my boobs back in Celdic."
"Wha-" Laura was in the middle of a pivoting motion to catch Rean, who had side stepped her previous attack, when Fie's words reached her. The swordswoman lost her balance, stumbled and almost fell were it not for using her sword as support. Recovering herself, Laura looked up to Rean then Fie sporting her trademarked deadpan expression then back to Rean.
Similarly to his sparring partner, Rean lost all sense of composure and set sights on the devilish instigator. It took a while for him to even remember the incident, they had to immediately fight a monster right after Fie collided with him so the whole thing passed him by as unremarkable, but then that gave him the perfect idea for a simple but effective counter-attack.
"What boobs?" He said flatly.
At that Fie looked like she was shot in the chest. A chest that was sufficiently sized for a growing girl like her, thank you very much. The tables had turned on her completely and it all came crashing down when Laura out of all people laughed before covering her mouth.
"You all suck!" The former jaeger yelled and pulled her gunblades out of her belt. "Alright, let's see if it's still funny when I'm wiping the floor with you two!"
"I am afraid the floor wiping will have to wait, Lady Claussell," Klaus entered the training hall alongside Toval. "We just received a call from General Aurelia Le Guin of the Lamare Provincial Army. She will arrive here with Brigadier General Wallace Bardias within…" The butler checked his wristwatch. "Two minutes."
Those names made shivers run down the spines of the swordsmen in the vicinity.
Had anyone seen Valimar heading towards Legram? If so, why would they send people from Lamare's provincial army and not from Kreuzen? And why would they announce their arrival if they wanted to capture Rean and Valimar?
There was no time to ponder those questions and many others however as it was a mad scramble to figure out what to do. Laura and Klaus quickly went back to the manor to get ready to receive the "guests" and from there they would call the Bracer Guild and warn Toval as well while the rest of Class VII hid themselves.
"Are those two that big of a deal?" Asked Elliot as they hurried.
"Besides the fact they are both accomplished officers, Aurelia Le Guin mastered both the Arseid and Vander styles of the greatsword and Wallace Bardias is just as accomplished with wielding a spear. They are both monsters in their own right," Rean explained. "The only way I can see us throwing down with them is if I call Valimar."
"So bad idea being spotted, gotcha," said Machias.
The following plan was crude but the best they could do in such a short notice: while Laura did her duty of entertaining the guests, the rest of her friends would hide in the Arseid residence in some room or another, away from the eyes of the incoming threats, and with their combat-link connections they would always be on par of Laura's location and state of mind, ready to move out of the way in case they moved or to step in if needed. The members of Class VII were persons of interest for the Noble Alliance and avoiding a confrontation against two of their generals would be best.
"Your tea is delightful as always, my dear Klaus."
The Arseid butler bowed to the provincial general's compliment. "You humble me, Lady LeGuin."
After receiving them at the entrance hall, Laura and Klaus guided the generals to a side room more appropriate to receive guests with a closer relationship to the Arseid family, and the daughter of Count Le Guin figured among such people as the most accomplished of Victor's disciples. Klaus diligently stood behind Laura while she and the guests sat on the sofas facing each other. In the next room, Fie and Rean stood with their ears glued to a closed door, their bodies seemingly frozen as they did their utmost to not make their presence known, one could not even notice if the two were breathing or not, while the rest stood farther away, weapons at the ready.
"I will say, if this is what you were served during your time here, Aurelia, maybe I should've taken your advice and gotten some lessons with the Radiant Blademaster as well," said the brigadier general.
"We were indeed served high quality tea and the finest food that only the Arseid manor's staff can provide, and the beatings of a lifetime by Master Arseid himself," Aurelia smiled wistfully, her face the pinnacle of mature grace. "And as much as I'd like to wax nostalgic, I am sure little Laura here doesn't wish me to bore her with it. Although you are not so little anymore, you've grown into a fine woman, Laura."
Doing her best to mask her uneasiness, Laura took a sip from her own cup of tea, although she couldn't begin to savor its flavor. Neatly placing the cup on its saucer, she directed her gaze towards General Le Guin. "You flatter me, Your Ladyship. I may have grown physically but compared to father and you I still feel as much as a child in regards to the way of the sword."
"You do have a lot of growing to do in regards to your swordsmanship, that is true, but a child wouldn't be able to accomplish what you did. Rescuing Her Highness in Heimdallr, stopping the Imperial Liberation Front from shooting the railway guns, you and your classmates have gathered quite the trophies during your first year at Thors."
Laura's heart started beating faster. The general's gaze pierced right through her and the placid tone of her voice was like a booming war drum challenging her. "We did our duty as students of Thors," she responded plainly. Her hands sitting neatly on her lap, Laura did her best to not fidget with them. The Arseid swordswoman wasn't afraid per se but she was nervous. Aurelia Le Guin was one of the warriors she most admired, the only person she held in higher regard in matters of skill was her father and even unarmed the woman could swat her like a fly if she so desired.
"Of course," Aurelia once again sipped her tea. "Regardless of the current alliances within the many factions in our country, it would be foolish to expect you to turn your backs to those situations back then."
The conversation proceeded with questions about Viscount Arseid's whereabouts and other such topics and while it seemed benign there was an underlying threatening tone to it. "We were just passing through and decided to pay a visit," Le Guin had said but Rean doubted it. Anytime Thors and Class VII or Viscount Arseid and the Courageous were mentioned it seemed like a jab thrown at Laura, as if they knew Rean and the others were there. That Valimar was never brought up just made it all more suspicious.
Rean listened to their conversation attentively. If push came to shove, he'd lead those two outside and call Valimar. Under other circumstances he would love a chance to cross swords with the Golden Rakshasa and the Black Whirlwind, but if they thought they could throw their weight around and provoke his friends just because they were stronger, if they thought they could diminish and humiliate Laura in her own home…
The sight of Fie gesturing with her finger on her lips caught his attention. "Quiet" she silently mouthed and he realized he was gritting his teeth.
"It has been a pleasure, Laura, but we must get going. Right, Wallace?" Said Aurelia and she and her companion made to stand and Laura did her utmost to hide her relief.
"Yeah, we still need to have a chat with the Kreuzen Army. Apparently they engaged in battle with some kind of Ashen Knight yesterday near the remains of Garrelia Fortress," the brigadier general said, a subtle smirk on his face. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Lady Laura?"
Laura swallowed and summoned all of her self control to not stutter. To her luck, when she was about to speak the door burst open, turning everyone's attention to one of Victor's students.
"Lady Laura!"
"Dattz, what is the meaning of this? We have guests!" Laura's voice came out harsher than she wanted but she couldn't help it, the situation was getting to her. She would have to apologize to him later.
"My apologies, my lady, but it's another monster. It has appeared at the center of the town!"
Dattz's voice was loud enough that even those not leaning close to the door were able to hear what he had to say but Rean quickly signaled for them to stay put. He turned his attention back to the next room and only when he heard the sound of footsteps hurriedly leaving, he let out a breath of relief.
"Shouldn't we go help?" Emma whispered, still slightly nervous.
Rean shook his head. "That would make all of Laura's efforts to cover for us until now pointless. Besides, I don't think they'll need us."
It was another one of those armored cryptids Laura and the others had fought earlier that day. In the short time it had appeared, the monster had already caused major damage to the lake town, destroying walls of buildings with its club-like tail, knocking down the animistic monument at the center of town and causing general havoc as the townsfolk scrambled away in fright.
Holding her sword firmly, Laura prepared herself to challenge the monster while Klaus coordinated getting people to safety. She couldn't count on the help of her friends of the Bracer Guild at the moment, it would raise too many questions, and she couldn't afford to appear weak, not right now of all times with such powerful figures watching her every move. Firstly, she would steer the creature out of town and then-
"Allow me to repay your hospitality, Laura," said Aurelia, gesturing with her hand for the blue-haired girl to hand her her weapon. "It would take too long for me to go back to our ship just to get my sword and this beast cannot be allowed to taint this town with its presence a second longer. So, with your permission, may I use your blade to vanquish it?"
In contrast to their conversation moments prior, the general's voice was amicable and gentle. It was still a powerful voice that demanded respect, but this time it was an extended hand of friendship and not the poking strikes of an armed one.
"I would be most honored, Lady Le Guin," Laura handed her sword to the older woman, who took it with the due respect of being given another swordsman's weapon and with a single swing test was able to gauge the blade's weight, and with that small ritual out of the way, the Golden Rakshasa was set loose across the stone streets of Legram.
Sensing the threat coming from behind it, the monster swung its tail at Aurelia, who, instead of dodging to avoid the attack, expertly deflected it by using the flat of the blade to protect herself and direct the attack away. The bony appendage slid across smooth steel over her head and Aurelia continued on her trajectory, leaping on top of the monster's back. The creature craned its long neck back to spit its poisonous gas at its assailant but that proved to be a fatal mistake, as the general was already at its face and with a single strike sliced its head in half.
The same type of creature that had proved itself a challenge to Laura and Emma alone, the same kind that required the combined efforts of her and her friends as well as a Bracer, had been slayed in one move. Aurelia Le Guin had moved swiftly and gracefully, accomplishing the task she had set out to do as if such actions were nothing but a warming up exercise. It was a superb spectacle and a valuable teaching moment. It was terrifying.
As the monster evaporated in a show of light, Aurelia swung Laura's sword once again to clean it of the beast's blood but even that disappeared. She started to make her way back to Laura and Wallace to return the blade when she noticed the building of the Bracer Guild by her side and decided to stop to offer a silent prayer.
"I must commend the blacksmiths of Legram, this is a fine blade," Aurelia said as she handed back the sword to its rightful owner. "Although this sword seems to have barely seen any use. Don't tell me you've been slacking off?" She was obviously joking but the general was curious however.
Laura could not explain what came to her to say what she did. Any reasonable explanation about her previous sword being too damaged would suffice, another believable lie like the many she had already told the general to not raise suspicion on her person and make an enemy of the powerful woman in front of her, but instead… "I shattered my previous sword on the head of the Azure Knight back to protect a person dear to me when my classmates and I escaped Trista," her voice firm and confident, Laura looked her opponent straight in the eyes.
The words that left Laura's mouth that moment were the first ones the Noble Alliance officers heard her say that day that bore the confidence expected of the daughter of the Radiant Blademaster. They weren't the boring formalities Laura had displayed with barely contained trepidation, but a statement of her bravery and honor as a warrior deserving of their respect.
Aurelia also had to admit she felt jealous, as she wished to test her blade against the Noble Alliance's trump card as well. Oh well, that time will come eventually, she thought to herself.
"I've heard creatures such as these are becoming more and more common in Erebonia as of recently," the general said, effectively putting an end to the matter. "By what that student of your father said I take it this isn't the first time Legram has been plagued by them?"
"Yes, this is the fourth creature that has threatened our town but we have been able to repel them thus far," Laura continued with her resolute streak, what she had said still not catching up to her.
"Bad enough with this war going on, it turns out we might end up having to divert men just to deal with super monsters now," the brigadier general shook his head.
Aurelia looked around, watching the townsfolk reluctantly returning to assess the damage the creature had done, some casting ugly looks at her and her companion. "We've occupied your time for long enough, Laura. Wallace, let us leave and allow her and Klaus to attend to their people," with a gentle smile, Aurelia extended her hand towards the Arseid girl. "I bid you farewell, Laura, hopefully our next encounter will be on better terms. Please, send my regards to Master Arseid when you see him."
With the guests properly seen out and their airship flying away, Laura and Klaus proceeded to talk to the populace and calm them down and from then on Toval and the rest of her classmates showed up to help with assessing the damage caused by the monster and help with whatever was needed.
The sun was starting to set when they made their way back to the Arseid manor. Laura calmly took the steps up, steadily as she had been the entire day, but the first thing she did as she crossed the door's threshold was to drop her sword on the floor and collapse on Rean's arms. Physically and mentally exhausted, what remaining strength she had was used to clutch to him.
"You were amazing," his soothing voice told her as he caressed her hair.