After separating from the admittedly impressive swordswoman at the training hall Fie and the rest of Class VII took the direct route back to the field exercise camp. Nightfall was already setting in by the time their horses arrived at their destination. Not even Rean's threat about having to produce written reports about their day was enough to hinder her good mood at arrival. That's just how tired she was.

But before she could take a much needed nap there was still a little extracurricular work that needed to be done. She had plant bits and she had bee larva. It was time to fulfill her one good deed for the day... and her one much needed act of vengeance.

"Here ya go!" She cheerfully offered the goods to Freddy once she found him.

"Oh, awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Fie!" She would almost feel a little good about her deed if the guy didn't make her so nervous, "I'll get started on making my dish right away! I take it you'll want some?"

Here comes the important part. Fie hemmed and hawed for a second before adopting a dejected look, "Sorry, but I promised Sandy and Tita that I would help clean up the kitchen tonight. Oh!" She thought she was doing a pretty good job at selling her emotions here, "I just got an idea! Instructor Rean and my classmates must be really tired after traveling around all day. I'm sure something like this would be exactly what they need!"

"That's a great idea! I'll go find them immediately!"

"One last thing – Instructor Rean is really good at identifying ingredients in a meal even if he doesn't know the meal itself. Says it's a byproduct of his sword training. You should see it for yourself."

"So offer them the dish without telling them what it is first?" A nod was her reply, "I can do that! Oh this is gonna be so much fun!"

Yes, it was. It took all her effort to keep the grin off her face until she turned around. That jerk would definitely suspect something given he knew about her mission, but she had a feeling he would be too polite to refuse such a kind offer. If Juna and Altina ended up as innocent bystanders through all this that would be tragic, but such tragedies were an unfortunate side effect of the battlefield.

With a little extra pep in her step the silver-haired girl made it into the train. Despite only using her club-mates as an excuse to avoid the weird food she was fully intent on visiting them and maybe even helping out a bit. Mostly she was just hungry.

The cafeteria car was pretty packed when she arrived, but she spotted her two friends easily enough with Sandy behind the counter and Tita on the other side chatting with her alongside a green-haired girl, "Sup?"

"Fie!" Her friends greeted her warmly, "Thanks for your help today. I saved you a dish."

She nodded gratefully, "Thanks a bunch. I'm starved."

"You look tired." Tita remarked with a worried frown.

"Spent the entire day running around, getting into fights, and riding a horse. I'm exhausted."

The green-haired girl giggled, "Of course. Riding a horse can be very difficult for a beginner. Oh, but where are my manners?" The girl stood from her seat and gave a short curtsy, "My name is Musse Egret. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

"Mmm. Same." That was about all the time she was willing to spare from her food. Come to find out she had really been famished!

"I didn't know you could ride a horse, Musse?" Tita asked.

"But of course! My grandparents taught it to me when I was a small girl." Musse turned back to Fie and adopted a sly look, "Given that you are a beginner it stands to reason you were riding behind someone... Tell me, was it Instructor Rean?"

Fie narrowed her eyes. Just what was she getting at? "Uhh... yes?"

The girl squealed at a painfully loud decibel, "You're so lucky getting to take a romantic ride with a hunk like that! How did his muscles feel?! Are they as firm as I imagine!?"

"Uh...?"

Thankfully Tita was there to come to her rescue, "Down, Musse!"

"Aww, don't be like that. We aren't all fortunate enough to have a man in our lives already. I hear you muttering his name at night sometimes." So they were roommates? "What was it again? Ag-"

Whatever she was about to say would not be heard as the flustered engineer was quick to place a hand over her mouth. Fie shared a glance with Sandy. There was definitely some teasing material that they needed to get their hands on, "You said you had to do some fighting too?" The cook asked eventually, probably to change the subject as much as anything.

"Mm-hmm." Fie nodded tiredly, "Lots of monsters and a few archaisms. Nothing we couldn't handle, but still a pain."

"Archaisms?! Here?!" A wide-eyed Tita bit her lip fearfully, "Was it just the standard Vogels and Phalanx models, or were there other ones?"

Huh. Her knowledge of those weird machines was surprising. Fie knew something had happened in Liberl a couple years back, but the details were vague. Clearly her friend was more involved in that incident then she had realized,"Uh..." What did Altina call them? "There were some Phalanx archaisms, yeah. Also some weird clown ones and Zephyr-something-or-others."

"Zephyranthes?!" A nod, "Wow. You and Class VII must be pretty strong!"

"Still..." Musse laid her head on her hand as she frowned thoughtfully, "My knowledge of archaisms is fairly limited, but you make it sound like those were some fairly advanced models. I can't help but think something nefarious is afoot."

"I'm just glad you're alright, Fie." It felt weird having people be genuinely concerned for her well-being. In Zephyr any injury that didn't kill you was simply a lesson learned, but here it was quite different.

...Although she had a suspicion that at the very least the Golden Rakshasa was of a similar mindset to jaegers. Someone was bound to get maimed by that woman at some point. Hopefully it would never be her.

"Fie!" All eyes turned as the door to the car opened and in stormed an angry Juna Crawford, You... Gah!"

The girl in question did her best to hide the smile that threatened to overtake her face, "Sup, Juna? How was dinner?" She asked ever so innocently.

"Grr..." Seeing her face turn almost as bright as her hair was pretty funny, "That's the real problem! It wasn't that bad! I was actually enjoying myself until Freddy said what was in it! Why'd you tell him to keep it a secret from us!?"

Because this was funny, "Because I wanted you guys to expand your horizons a little?"

"You little-!" The Crossbellian paused and took a deep breath, "You'd best be ready. We all agreed you need payback for this, but for now..." Juna turned away from the sitting girls and began walking towards the next car, "...I just want to relax and wash away this entire day."

It was only after the door closed behind her classmate that Fie felt all eyes now upon her, "You didn't...?"

"Yup." She answered Sandy's question succinctly. "We all know Freddy was gonna look for volunteers to try his dish. If I didn't sacrifice my classmates he probably would have come for us."

Both of her club mates paled at the thought, but Musse only giggled, "My... I didn't know you were so devious. How exhilarating!"

"Aren't you worried about the payback Juna threatened you with?" Tita asked with a hint of nervousness.

"Nah. Kinda curious to see what they come up with." As if to reinforce her statement the door opened once again, this time admitting Kurt into the car. The swordsman's eyes were devoid of their usual indifference or anger that he used when looking at her, but the annoyed twitch was clear as day. Fie actually thought that to be a vast improvement. She deserved the annoyance, after all. Eventually her classmate turned away before sitting down at a nearby table where he began to play chess with some other guy.

"Soooo..." Musse drawled with an inquisitive look, "Would you care to share what Class VII has been up to today?"

Fie shrugged. She didn't think her day was all that exciting, but considering that Class IX spent their entire day here at camp the others probably thought differently. While she would much rather be following Juna's example and taking a nice long shower right now the fact that Juna had beaten her to the punch meant the room would be occupied for a while.

And telling these girls about what she had done certainly beat writing the report Rean wanted.


"Wow! So you met a couple members of the original Class VII?! They saved my town during the war. They're all heroes!"

Huh. She had kinda suspected as much given Sandy's prior discussions with Rean, but good to know.

Fie opened her mouth to continue the story, but found herself unexpectedly cutoff by a loud voice from outside the train. One that didn't belong to any of the students, but one she vaguely recognized anyways. So caught off guard she didn't clearly hear the first words said.

...But there was no mistaking the ominous sound she heard next, "A Panzer Faust!" She was the first to spring to her feet, already bracing for the worst as the missile closed in on the train's position. The expected explosion rang shortly after, but it was quieter and less destructive than she had feared, meaning the aim hadn't been the train. The second shot all but confirmed the targets to her.

Rushing outside she didn't even notice the others following as she was too busy surveying the camp. As she expected, both soldats that had been stationed outside the train were now collapsed on the ground in a fiery wreck – it didn't matter how powerful a weapon was when it was caught unawares. Nothing else in the area looked out of place.

...All except for the two figures standing on the hill overlooking the camp. "...Bloody Shirley." She muttered in shock, recognizing the red-headed woman holding the anti-tank gun.

Shirley Orlando. A member of the Red Constellation jaeger corps. Someone who Fie had had the misfortune of running into multiple times as that bloodthirsty corp were Zephyr's biggest rivals. "Sup, Dolphy!" She greeted her cousin Randy as the teacher approached. "And there's Sylphid, too!"

Tearing her gaze away from the deranged jaeger for a moment allowed Fie to assess the other woman standing alongside her. Fie had no idea who she was, but that was quickly rectified when the knight introduced herself as Duvalie the Swift. She seemed kinda flaky to the former jaeger, but there was no denying how powerful she must be if she was a member of the society.

That Shirley was a member of Ouroboros as well came as quite the surprise. Just what had happened to the Red Constellation after their leaders killed each other?

Given her well-deserved reputation as a bloodthirsty berserker Fie fully expected her counterpart to attack immediately after drawing her intimidating weapon, Testa-Rossa. Instead the knight raised her sword and over a dozen of the more dangerous archaisms they had fought appeared out of stealth. Those numbers were further enhanced by an approaching wave of Phalanx models marching down the road.

Chancing a glance around it didn't surprise her that the other students were scared out of their minds. Training and fighting the occasional monster was one thing, but this had rapidly become a full scale battlefield. Fortunately the teachers were quick to begin barking out orders – Randy ordered his class to form a defensive line while Towa told Sandy, Tita, and the rest of Class IX to fall back and provide support to the other class.

Looking to her own commander Fie was unsurprised to hear Rean order them to to serve as a mobile reserve to reinforce any potential breakthroughs. Given they lacked the numbers of the other classes that job made sense for them.

Though the battle was still early Fie had to admit she was impressed by the other students. All of them were fighting and they were doing so well. She wasn't sure if they would last against the onslaught of powerful archaisms, but for now they were holding their own... Although that might change as more of the stout Phalanx models started streaming in from the road, "Class VII to the center!" Rean barked, seeing the threat just as well, "Take them down quick!"

And so they did. The short rest proved to have been sufficient as it afforded them a second wind in combat, and with their prior experience fighting against the archaisms the battle was a swift and easy one, "Rean! The right flank!"

Towa's cry was enough to get their attention. Looking towards where the instructor had pointed out Fie and the others bore witness to a group of the powerful Zephyranthes had managed to corner a group of outmatched students... A group that included Sandy.

She barely heard Rean's order to intercept as her legs were already moving. The first of the deadly archaisms was an easy target as it was completely focused on harming her friend, something which the stealthy girl punished with a deadly thrust to its orbal generator. The other machines turned towards the new threat, but by that time the rest of Class VII had arrived and the tide was completely turned as the archaisms were now the ones surrounded.

"Yay! Thanks, Fie! Thanks everyone!" Her friend cheered once the last of the archaisms went down.

"Heh. No prob." Fie might have said more, but a cry of pain from the other side of the camp drew their eyes. Unsurprisingly that was the next place their teacher ordered them to. After sparing one final glance towards her friend the former jaeger joined her classmates as they crossed the clearing.

Or at least that was what she was planning on doing until her scanning eyes met a pair of malicious blues. The enforcer must have noticed as she gave a cheeky wink before leaping down from her perch with a gleeful laugh, Testa-Rossa primed for battle. It didn't take a genius to see that she was gunning for the undefended train.

Neither Rean – who was still leading her classmates into battle – nor Randy noticed her actions immediately, which meant that Shirley would have free reign to cause total destruction. The Enforcer's speed ensured that none of the students could possibly get in her way, and even if they did Fie had no doubt she would cut them down with ease.

The only one who could stop Shirley right now was her.

"F-Fie?!" Juna was the first to notice her decision to break away from the fighting.

"Dammit, get back here!" Rean roared, but to no avail. With her decision made the Zephyr member rushed to place herself in front of her Red Constellation rival. Given the way Shirley's grin widened at that move it was clear she had been expecting Fie to do just that.

"Hehehe. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist a challenge like this!"

"Bloody Shirley... Why are you here?!"

She didn't answer the question immediately, instead hopping on top of the train – a place where others wouldn't be able to easily interfere. Without hesitation Fie followed suit, "Aww! It's been three years and this is how you greet me? And here I was thinking I was being nice by deciding to pay you a visit after spotting you in the city!"

"So it was you..." Despite that Fie was pretty certain Shirley wasn't the one responsible for the destroyed archaisms. Not when she was commanding them now, "So, what? Is all of this just cause you wanted to see me?"

"Naw." The crimson girl responded flippantly, "We're here simply to send a message. But now that that's done why not have a little fun? It's been three years, Sylphid! I wanna see if you've grown any since uncle and your old man offed each other!"

It seemed that Shirley had reached the end of her willingness to talk as with a gleeful laugh she revved her fierce chainsword before bearing down upon Fie like a wild animal. Fie responded by firing a bunch of hastily aimed shots at the jaeger – but those few that Shirley couldn't avoid she simply deflected with her blade.

She wasn't so arrogant as to think she stood a chance in a direct contest of strength – Bloody Shirley was infamous for being one of the most deadly female jaegers on the continent, after all. Instead she opted to try and throw off her rival's balance by launching an unexpected counter-charge.

Unfortunately for her if Shirley was surprised by the move she didn't let it affect her movements in any way. Fie was forced to abort her charge when Shirley swung her weapon in a half circle, using her superior range to ward her off. That she did it without slowing a rege forced Fie to backpedal away hastily lest she get overtaken. It was only thanks to her superior speed that she was able to avoid the bloody maelstrom bearing down upon her.

Wanting to regain the initiative the silver-haired warrior opted for power over speed, taking the time to charge both of her gunblades before firing them in unison. They didn't connect, but Shirley took the shots seriously enough to pause long enough to avoid, giving Fie the opening she needed with her speed.

Getting inside Testa-Rossa's range was a huge win in her books. As long as she remained in close she had a chance. There was no way Shirley could block the flurry of blows from her gunblades-

Indeed Shirley must have realized the same thing as she surprised Fie by taking one hand off her weapon to throw a punch. That the Class VII student blocked it was of only small consolation as the enforcer immediately followed it up with a kick that landed square on her chest with such force as to send her flying. That she was able to land on her feet was only thanks to years of training, but not even that could keep her from coughing violently as she struggled to recover her oxygen.

That Shirley didn't even bother to pursue in that moment told a bleak story for Fie.

This time she reached into her pocket and grasped hold of one of her more recent purchases. Knowing that her opponent was proficient in the same tools Fie opted to rely upon sleight of hand as she pulled the pin in secret. One second followed by a second quickly elapsed. Only after that point did she elect to reveal the grenade before tossing it at her foe. There was no way Shirley could avoid it in that limited a time-

With a gleeful laugh the enforcer swatted the device out of the air with her blade, causing it to explode harmlessly a dozen rege away, "Oh? A Neinvalli special? Heard they opened a store in Erebonia. Maybe I should check 'em out when I get the chance. Still... really Sylphid? Is that the best you've got?"

The student couldn't help but growl angrily. Her opponent was trying to get a rise out of her and dammit it was working! So far nothing she had tried had even fazed the newest enforcer. To be completely dismissed by someone her own age...

"Sylphid Dance!" All of her anger. All of her frustration. All of her fear. Everything was put into the move Boss taught her as she assaulted this horrid specter from her past. Every slash from her blades was drawn from her time in Zephyr. Every bullet fired at her opponent was an experience she had gained after running away. It was everything she had thrown together into a singular moment!

And to her horror, it wasn't enough. It wasn't as if her attack had been completely futile – Bloody Shirley definitely lived up to her moniker after enduring the attack with many small cuts and scratches oozing blood, but none of her injuries seemed to bother her at all. The red-headed girl barely looked winded, "Hahaha! Now that's more like it! But if that's all you've got then this fight is over!"

When Shirley let out her War Cry Fie knew she was in trouble. With renewed speed the Red Constellation officer charged straight at her. Knowing that trying to take her on in this state was a terrible idea Sylphid prepared to dodge. Whichever direction Shirley attacked from she had to be ready-

What she didn't expect was for her opponent to stop short, point Testa-Rossa at her, and unleash a wave of fire.

Given the width of the flames there was no way for her to dodge out of the way. Instead she opted to do the only thing her mind could think of in that moment – She jumped.

"Gotcha!" Sadly for her that was also the most predictable move and one that Shirley must have already guessed. Leaping over her own flames the Sanguine Ogre closed the distance between the two of them, blade poised for a devastating swing. One that Fie knew she couldn't dodge from her disadvantageous position. Instead all she could do was form a guard with her gunblades and hope for the best.

What she instead received was the full brunt of Shirley's attack, instantly overwhelming her feeble defense. The force of the strike sent the silver-haired girl flying off the train with such momentum that the ground beneath her was a blur. So great was her flight that it could have carried her twenty arge.

Instead it was cut short as she slammed into a large tree. There was a loud pop that Fie had a sinking suspicion was not the tree. That was her last coherent thought before the pain kicked in.

"Aww. Was that it? Gotta admit, that was pretty disappointing." Shirley's landing was far cleaner in comparison, not that Fie could see it for herself as she struggled to get off the ground. Sadly her body was refusing to obey her commands, "Wasn't expecting you to have gotten so weak. Oh well. It is what it is, I guess."

With a disappointed sigh Shirley raised her blade over her head. With what little control she had over her body Fie managed to glare hatefully at the victor – she at least wanted to see her death with her own two eyes, "Bye, Sylphid!"

One second Testa-Rossa was descending down to end her life, but the next it wasn't. Instead it was stopped by an even larger weapon, "I think not!"

Both jaegers stared at the newcomer in shock. It was the blue-haired swordmaster, Laura! Shirley was quick to recover, leaping away to avoid the follow-up attack, "I won't allow you to harm her!"

"You're from the original Class VII, right? How fun!" Once again Randy's cousin grinned maniacally as she beheld her new opponent. The two were about to reengage-

"Resound! Remedy Fantasia!" Instead Fie and everyone else found themselves listening to music. But unlike any music she had ever heard it seemed to fill her body with energy. Even her injuries stopped hurting. From her position on the ground she couldn't see who the musician was, but it was obvious to her who it was.

Old Class VII certainly lived up to their reputations. Definitely more than she did, at least.

It seemed the new arrivals (mostly the big healing song) had given the students a second wind and the knight lady seemed to realize the tides had turned against Ouroboros, "If you've gotten your 'little taste,' then let's get out of here already!"

"Haha, sorry bout that." Shirley yelled as she put her away her giant weapon. "This was pretty fun, but I hope you do better next time, Sylphid. Gotta admit, that was a bit of a letdown."

Fie couldn't bring herself to reply even as her foe leapt away, presumably to retreat alongside the rest of Ouroboros' forces. Why would she when her words were painfully true?

Weakly she struggled to her feet, something which caught the attention of Laura beside her, "Allow me to assist you." Thankfully the older girl was smart enough to circle around and take hold of Fie's uninjured arm. She would have protested being forced to hold onto the other girl like a helpless invalid, but right now she just didn't have the energy or will to contest it, "Let's get you inside the train so you can receive proper medical attention."

Mutely she nodded, falling into step with the older girl. It was all she could do to stare at the ground as the two made their trek, cause she could feel the many pairs of concerned eyes gazing upon her.

Or more specifically, they were gazing upon her defeat.


Rean sighed tiredly as he waited outside the room alongside Laura. Right now he wanted nothing more than to return to his room for a blissful rest, but that was definitely impossible. It had been an exhausting hour trying to direct cleanup and recovery efforts after the attack, but he knew that he wouldn't be getting any rest anytime soon.

Not after what happened to one of his students.

The door opened to reveal one of his oldest friends. "How is she?" He quietly asked Elliot.

"Not too bad, actually. Dislocated shoulder was the worst of it, but nothing I couldn't take care of." The way the rising musical star was holding his orbal staff made it blatantly clear that plentiful healing arts were used, "With a little rest she should be good to go."

"Thanks, Elliot. And you too, Laura. You arrived just in the nick of time..." In the heat of the moment he had made the decision to rescue Wayne and Jessica from the clowns instead of chasing after Fie. It was a decision that almost came back to haunt him when he witnessed the enforcer overpower his student. Even with Spirit Unification he wasn't sure if he would have made it there in time. Thankfully that wasn't something he ended up needing to test.

"Think nothing of it. I am just glad we arrived in time."

Elliot let out a yawn, but that didn't seem to deter him any, "I think I am gonna go do one final round to see if anyone still needs medical attention..."

"Allow me to accompany you." Laura stood alongside him, "I am sure you still have things to do, Rean." The pointed look she shot towards the door reinforced her words, "We shall see you tomorrow."

Silently he watched them leave before letting out another sigh. After all the travels and battles he had faced during the day he was dead tired and the next few minutes would almost certainly prove to be the hardest of them all. Still, this was what he signed up for when he became a teacher.

With no little reluctance he rose to his feet before knocking politely on the door, "Fie? It's me. Can I come in?" No answer came, but given how sharp the girl's senses were he knew she had heard him. That was good enough for him to enter the room.

Physically his student looked fine. A few visible cuts and scratches that were already well on their way to healing thanks to Elliot's work, but nothing that would hinder her in any way.

But her physical injuries weren't his greatest concern. Given how clenched her fists were as she stared out the window into the gloomy darkness he knew that mentally she wasn't there at the moment, "Fie? Are you alright?"

His words finally garnered a reaction as the girl glanced his way. "...I disobeyed your orders, ran off on my own, and got my ass kicked. What do you think?."

She most certainly did get beaten badly. He hadn't much chance to witness the fight, but the end results were painfully obvious. "So why did you do it?"

She shrugged like it was the most obvious thing, "Shirley was gonna get to the train. No one else was in position to stop her."

Rean suspected there was a lot more to it then that. Clearly the two had some kind of shared history due to their backgrounds. It was a shame because he felt that Fie had been doing a remarkably good job at adjusting to her new life recently, but this threatened to undo all that progress. He was already planning on asking Randolph about his cousin, so that was something else to question. For now, however... "Not good enough! She's an enforcer! You should have known she outclassed you! What if you had died?!"

"Better me than the train, I guess."

Internally Rean grimaced. While he would readily admit his understanding of jaegers was limited, even he could tell that such a mercenary response was due to her background. Such blatant disregard for her own well-being was antithesis to everything he believed in.

...A traitorous part of his brain wondered if this was what his classmates felt after some of his previous actions.

"That's not true at all." He said at last, "While I agree that losing the Derfflinger would be bad, at the end of the day it's simply a machine that can be replaced. The same can't be said about you."

The younger girl glared up at him, "Foolish! That way of thinking is naive and stupid!"

Despite the situation he couldn't help but grin, "I guess that makes me naive and stupid, but my feelings will never change. You are one of my precious students and that makes you worth all the trains in the world to me."

She continued to glare silently at him, but there was less heat in her eyes. It was as if she was searching for something. Eventually she looked away with a huff, "...You're insane."

"I'm sure Zephyr taught you something completely different, but you're a member of Class VII now. Trust in the others. Even when you lack the strength to prevail on our own there are few challenges that can't be overcome with the aid of trusted friends. This isn't the first time I've been saved by the timely arrival of unexpected allies." Hopefully he would get the chance to spend more time with Laura and Elliot once things calm down a bit. Their actions had probably saved many lives tonight and had to make it up to them.

Fie remained silent, prompting him to continue.,"Originally I had intended to admonish you further for your actions, but it's clear that you are beating yourself up about it more than I ever could. So instead I want you to try and get some rest while reflecting upon my words. It's already late and I don't know what tomorrow will bring."

Actually, he had a fairly good idea what tomorrow would bring. With Ouroboros confirmed to be active in the region the Imperial Government would soon follow. And with them would come orders for the Ashen Chevalier and Valimar to take the fight to them. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, but for the people of Sutherland it was a mission he would accept without hesitation.

"Good night, Fie." With a final nod he exited the room, leaving the silent girl to her thoughts.

It really was a shame that tomorrow promised to be so hectic. It had been a long time since he felt this exhausted. Were it any other night he would consider taking advantage of the fact he was now of age to find a stiff drink. Maybe Instructor Sara had the right idea after all.

Instead he merely let out a groan before setting off again. Best to do one final round to make sure everyone was alright. After that he could finally retire to his room. Hopefully Randolph was still awake as that was one more conversation he needed to have.

For the first time he found himself regretting his decision to accept Prince Olivert's offer. Being a teacher was exhausting!