Byleth was one of the only mercenaries remaining after she told them all where Jeralt was. They had another job lined up, so for them it was a matter of whether or not they got paid—Garreg Mach was in the opposite direction of where they should go, and even if they accepted the church's payment it wouldn't be worth it in the end.
She observed the group on the way there. About half of them were knights, and the other half were students; not a large force, all told. She didn't think they would have managed a victory if Jeralt's Mercenaries weren't there to double their numbers.
Among the students was a single professor, introducing himself as Hanneman, and three kids with fancier uniforms; those three were Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude, the first two she had seen during the Harpstring Moon. They all gave proper and full introductions at the first chance—Sothis came to the conclusion the mercenaries were hired to kill them because of their status and positions.
It only took a few days for them to arrive at Garreg Mach Monastery. Byleth had never come close to a place like this—she barely heard of the church, much less visited the place where the archbishop lived. As soon as they arrived, the person leading the knights—Catherine—gestured towards Byleth and Edelgard.
"Since you two retrieved the Relic for us," she said, "Why don't you come with me to give the report? Lady Rhea will love to talk with you both."
Neither protested—it didn't feel wise to, since Byleth was stuck here at this point—and they followed Catherine while the rest of the group dispersed. They went down two halls, up stairs, and paused so Catherine could be sure she had the sword—it had since been wrapped up in cloth, with no scabbard to protect it—and knock on the door.
"Lady Rhea, I'm here for the report."
"You may enter." Sothis made a quiet noise after hearing the voice, but didn't elaborate. Sometimes that was more distracting than if she just said it outright.
Catherine opened the door, stopping about halfway and bowing. Byleth mimicked the motion after Edelgard did as well, and when they all stood Catherine gave her report to both people there.
"We followed a lead into the Empire," Catherine explained. She held out the covered sword. "Among some mages and thieves in an abandoned town, we found the Relic. It doesn't look like anything was done to it."
"Excellent. Thank you, Catherine." Although the man standing next to the archbishop moved to retrieve it, she gestured for him to stay and took the sword instead. She unwrapped the hilt of it, smiling slightly. She looked up towards Edelgard after a moment. "Were you the person who recovered this?"
"I was. This mercenary, Hubert, and I fought the mage who was holding on to it."
The archbishop's attention turned towards Byleth. "What is your name, child?"
"…Byleth Eisner."
She seemed to recognize it; if her and Jeralt had some kind of history, however, Byleth wasn't surprised that she did.
"She's the kid of Jeralt," Catherine explained innocently, despite what Byleth wanted. "The former captain of the Knights of Seiros and the Blade Breaker. Byleth herself is that Ashen Demon everyone hears about now and then."
The archbishop paused for a moment, then smiled at Byleth. "Your father and I once knew each other, long ago. I'm pleased to meet his child, after so many years of silence."
She didn't offer much response back, but the archbishop carried on regardless.
"I once again thank all three of you—Catherine, Edelgard, and Byleth—for retrieving this Hero's Relic. It would have been disastrous should this sword fall into the wrong hands. Mere words cannot express my gratitude. Please inform the knights, students, and any other mercenaries of my thanks as well. I would like to speak with Byleth for a little bit longer; Edelgard, when we're done, please show her around the monastery."
Catherine and Edelgard murmured some kind of understanding and left, while Byleth stayed there. The archbishop smiled at her like she had been, having some kind of familiarity that Byleth didn't find exactly pleasant. The only other person there now was the man who had already been in the room.
"How is Jeralt?"
That was simple enough. "He's fine."
"That's reassuring to hear. I'm curious, child—how old are you?"
That one was a little stranger. Still, considering even she didn't exactly know, Byleth gave an answer. "I couldn't give you an exact number. I stopped keeping track."
The archbishop didn't seem to expect theresponse, but she still carried on. "Your mother? Is she well?"
"She's dead; has been for as long as I can remember." Even if Byleth did know more than that, she wouldn't share it. The topic wasn't one that she often heard of.
The archbishop seemed satisfied with that response, while the man to her left only frowned. She continued on a different topic.
"In thanks for your assistance, I will discuss compensation with Seteth. Please return in another few days, and I will inform you of what we decided on. Until then, please enjoy your stay at the monastery."
Byleth nodded hesitantly, then left to meet with Edelgard outside.
—
Seteth waited until Byleth left and closed the door behind her, then looked at Rhea. She continued to unravel the Sword of the Creator's fabric covering, a certain look of care in her eyes. The goddess's bones made up that sword, after all.
Once everyone outside the door had left, he voiced his concerns.
"Was it necessary to ask such things from a stranger?"
Rhea turned towards the window, examining the Relic in the sunlight. "Twenty years ago, a…dear friendof mine died giving birth to Jeralt's child. Sitri wanted that little girl to live, and I accepted her wishes; however, the baby still died shortly after in a fire."
"You've mentioned Sitri and Jeralt before. They were gone by the time Flayn and I arrived."
"Yes… When Sitri passed away, everyone who knew her—Jeralt among them—was devastated. I don't believe he would have moved on so quickly, losing both wife and child only to gain another daughter around the same age."
"You see that as reasoning enough to question the mercenary as soon as she's arrived?"
"I do," Rhea replied. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and brought the sword closer. Its blade caught on certain parts of her outfit, and her tone of voice changed. She no longer spoke of Sitri nor Byleth when she continued. "When that baby died… I lost the only thing I had left of her. Her heart was never found, although her bones here remain."
She looked up again, glancing at him, firm but saddened. "What if that mercenary is that child, and has her heart? There is a chance, however small, that I can see her once again."
Seteth frowned. "What did you do to keep that baby alive, Rhea?"
She didn't answer, returning her full attention to the Relic. She slowly wrapped its fabric cover back over it.
"We should not allow this sword nor her heart to fall into the hands of monsters and thieves," Rhea said firmly. She paused for a moment, then continued with more kindness. "I will look into the manner personally—for now, Seteth, I want you to make sure Byleth is comfortable here. Regardless, she is still the daughter of an old friend, and one deserving of gratitude."
"…I will prepare proper accommodations for the visiting mercenaries, then."
"You have my thanks, Seteth."
He nodded a kind of acknowledgement, and left to take care of what she requested.
