"I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Edelgard asked as Byleth walked up the steps to join her.

"Everything important was said," Byleth replied. "What do you need me for?"

"My uncle wants to speak with you."

"That's Lord Arundel, right?"

"Yes. It shouldn't take very long."

Thales ultimately didn't come to witness the battle, to say anything to Edelgard, nor did he even come to talk to his own people and assess any losses from the siege. He went to the front lines just to meet the person who wielded the Sword of the Creator. She didn't expect to hear anything about what happened in the Holy Tomb.

The man himself, appearing as her uncle, was brought outside the classrooms. It was the least frequented area of the monastery—there was a pathway leading underground to a place called Abyss, but the people living there agreed not to interfere so long as they could stay. No other passages were found, so the place lost its interest, only visited know by the former students.

Edelgard gave Arundel a brief nod of greeting; he responded with a cold smile.

"I only wish to say a few things to the mercenary. Surely, the emperor's presence is needed elsewhere? Overseeing the search of any secret passages, perhaps? Or are you afraid of the dark?"

Edelgard frowned, although remained neutral in her response. "I have some free time. I would rather stay here and listen in, if neither of you mind?"

Byleth shook her head and Arundel murmured of having no protests. Her response was to lead them inside the Black Eagles classroom, the place itself just as it had been left before the siege. Byleth and Edelgard stood closest to the door.

Arundel walked to the back of the room, casually leafing through whatever books were left out and kept them open, disrupting the illusion of normalcy. He stopped in front of Manuela's desk, then turned to look at Byleth.

"So, you're the one that woman gave the Sword of the Creator," Arundel mused. "May I take a look at it?"

Edelgard warily watched as Byleth unsheathed the sword, taking a few steps forward so Arundel could see it. Why she was worried, she couldn't exactly say—he wouldn't do anything with her there, not without toying with her already-short patience. She told herself Byleth—and the Sword of the Creator—was just an important asset.

Arundel took the Relic from Byleth once she was close enough; she seemed to start a protest, but simply stepped back instead. He just looked over it, commenting on a few things.

"Normally Relics have Crest Stones," Arundel mused. He glanced at Byleth with a kind of curiosity that Edelgard hated. "For anyone to wield a Relic without a Crest Stone is unheard of. Tell me, is there…anything strange about you?"

There it was, then. At least he got straight to the point, instead of wasting their time.

After a moment, Byleth shook her head. "No."

Edelgard noticed it must have been a lie, and Arundel only frowned. He gave the sword back to Byleth, and walked past her without another word. He paused when he came to Edelgard.

"She has to have a Crest Stone," he said quietly. "Figure out how."

"Even if I asked her, there's a chance she wouldn't know," Edelgard replied, similarly with a lowered voice.

"So you would prefer it if I just killed her? That can be arranged."

"No." She looked away so she didn't have to see his cold smile. She tried to explain it rationally. "I'm not sure if Jeralt's Mercenaries would stay if Byleth isn't here—and Byleth herself is one of the strongest soldiers the Imperial army has at the moment. We can't lose her."

"My mages can make up for whatever apparent 'loss' there is."

"You do realized that most—if not all—of the mages you've sent have been consistently killed?"

"What you've seen so far were the…lackluster bunch."

She sighed. "Even your own people are just…pawns to you."

She looked back at him just to see that his cold smile still remained. "We've all agreed to this long ago—whatever it takes to rid this world of those wretched beasts. A few lives are a small price to pay; you'd best understand that now."

They both knew they couldn't continue exchanging barbs with a witness, however much Edelgard wished she could make that smile fall. Arundel simply walked away after a moment.

She decided to put any books or papers away, and Byleth remained there for a moment.

"You two don't get along?" Byleth guessed.

"That would be an understatement," Edelgard admitted. Again, what she said outpaced what she thought—or knew—she should say. "He hates me enough to try to kill me."

She didn't realize she said it until she happened to glance at Byleth and saw the mercenary's confused look.

"Do you recall the mage in the Holy Tomb?" Edelgard asked. Byleth nodded in firm confirmation, and Edelgard continued. She barely hesitated, a small sense of relief at telling someone concerning her somewhat. "That was one of his. That man…isn't Volkhard von Arundel—he hasn't been for a few years, as far as I'm aware. He leads the people who've caused trouble in Fódlan for decades, if not centuries."

"That would explain the muttering," Byleth noted. She paused for a moment, then asked, "I assume that's why you wanted to be here?"

"I'm not sure what lengths he will go to in order to determine why you can use the Sword of the Creator," Edelgard explained. "Just be careful when around his kind."

Byleth nodded. After a moment, she offered some goodbyes and left. Edelgard went to check on things with the soldiers looking through the monastery for any secrets. Reportedly, Arundel left immediately afterwards.