Chapter 18: No rest for the Weary.

Goetia had, once again, returned to the Market.

"Harold." He nodded to the armoured man as he moved past him, the Gatekeeper looked over his shoulder at being called to and smiled, giving a wave back in response.

"Morning, Goetia." He nodded back "Heard you came back with the Golden Deers yesterday."

"I did." He acknowledged, stopping near the man and facing him. There was something about Harold which Goetia found marginally nostalgic. He wasn't a noble, born into a grandiose life and burdened with high expectations. He was, quite literally, just an ordinary man whose time was spent welcoming visitors and maintaining watch over the gate.

That was it, that was all he did. Yet, Goetia would admit it curious how the man could find such a simple existence so rewarding, he was always seen with a smile on his face and an alarmingly positive attitude. More so than one would expect for a man who would stand in a single spot for hours in steel plate armour and whose name few people even bothered to ask.

"Heard you ran into Demonic Beasts." He sucked in air through his teeth and shook his head "I gotta admit, that takes some courage." he scratched his helmet "Not that I wouldn't fight Demonic Beasts myself if they came here mind you, but going out looking for them is a different story."

"To the average human, they would pose a significant threat." Goetia admitted, and they would. "However, the likely hood of Phantasmals approaching the monastery is slim."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." The man chuckled "Good thing too. I wouldn't really want to fight a…" he paused, tilting his head "Phantasmal...Huh...That actually sounds better than calling them Demonic Beasts." he blinked "...I don't even know why they are called Demonic Beasts either."

"Perhaps their appearance inspired early naming conventions and human imagination exaggerated their prowess to be on the same level as Demons."

"So, you're basically saying that people got scared of them and gave them an equally scary name?"

"...Yes."

"That makes sense, I guess." Harold shrugged his shoulders "Still, good to see you all got out of there in one piece. I heard that you got involved as well and cast some fancy spells."

"Indeed." The tanned man nodded "The situation warranted an intervention."

"Well, I'm grateful that you did." Harold smiled at him "That was a pretty good deed you performed. I'm sure that a lot of the others at the monastery feel the same way."

"Possibly."

"Anyway." Harold cleared this throat "You here for the market?" he asked "I heard there are a few new supplies...courtesy of Anna, mind you."

"Ah, yes." Goetia nodded "The shrewd Merchant." he turned away and walked off "I shall be sure to properly survey her wares in the event of a purchase."

"Well, good luck and have a nice day!" Harold called out to the man as he left, smiling to himself before assuming a rigid pose.

Goetia moved towards the far end of the market, towards the woman with reddish pink hair, dressed in the simple brown tunic, stood in front of a stall with various wares on it. He needed quills, ink and a parchment for a small creation, a rather simplistic device which would write down his findings, as well other materials.

"Hey there!" The woman instantly focused on him as he approached, a plastered smile on her face which, even to him, was obviously fake. Then again, she was a merchant, he would be surprised if she ever sported a genuine smile when dealing with customers. "I'm Anna! Travelling Merchant, may have heard of my sisters before."

"Goetia." He nodded back to her, then returned his attention to her wares, the red haired woman blinked, furrowing her brows and put on a marginally confused frown.

"Like the spell?"

His red eyes very slowly returned their full attention to her, bore into her own "...Spell?"

"Yeah, the dark magic spell." She replied, somewhat innocently, then placed a finger on her cheek and tilted her head further "Although I didn't think it was used here." she shrugged "Then again, I've only been in Fodlan about a year, so I might not know."

"...I see." He nodded back, narrowing his eyes at her "No. I'm not named after a dark magic spell."

"Huh, must be just a coincidence then." She shrugged her shoulders rather innocently "Oh well. You looking for something special?"

"Quills, parchment and ink." He listed off, then furrowed his brows "...You mentioned a spell which shared my name?"

"Oh, now thats a pretty...how shall we say...out there kind of item." Anna replied, a sly smile on her face as she crossed her arms "That'll cost you a little extra."

Goetia shrugged "A passing curiosity at best. I will also require a magnifying glass."

"Alrighty then." Anna gave an uncaring shrug, although her eyes gleamed minor disappointment "But remember, I'm here if you ever want some of the more exquisite items." she paused as she stared into his eyes "Red eyes?" she muttered.

"Indeed."

"Huh." She blinked, then shrugged her shoulders "Probably nothing." and then moved into her stall, retrieving the desired items from his list "That'll be twenty gold."

Goetia handed the gold to her and levitated the items from her grasp, she blinked in surprise before immediately dismissing the bizarre display and taking the currency, counting through it before giving a nod and waving Goetia away "Make sure to come again!"

"Ah!" Goetia blinked and turned his attention to the cry, seeing Flayn hurry over to him with a smile "Goetia, I see you have just finished shopping." she looked at the floating goods "Anything interesting?"

"Research into the Phantasmal samples I procured." Flayn gave him a blank look "...Demonic Beasts." he corrected, they weren't demonic in the least, but her face lit up in realisation.

"Ah, so you have taken up a hobby of research?" She asked, following him as he left the market.

"Hardly, it is something I had already planned to do to occupy my spare time." Goetia corrected "I would not do so to derive enjoyment."

"A pity." Flayn sighed "Although, I confess, you do not strike me as someone similar to Professor Hanneman. He is most interested in the research of Crests."

"I research them as well." Goetia replied, causing Flayn to blink "Although it has been delayed as I study the phantasmals."

"I see." She nodded "Would you, perhaps, care to join me for a walk around the monastery at some point?"

Goetia stopped walking, turning his body to look down at her "A...walk?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, I do not believe you have had much of an opportunity to explore the Monastery." She explained, smiling up at him "What with your work in the Library and, from what I hear, tutoring some students."

The tanned man furrowed his brows slightly, it was true that he hadn't had much of an opportunity to actually explore his environment, although he suspected he would be barred from some areas of the Church.

"I realise you might not worship the Goddess, but you could also join for the morning Sermon."

"I doubt my presence would be welcome." Goetia answered "The Clerics tolerate me because of the nature of my employment."

Flayn frowned "That isn't true, they just need time to warm up to you is all."

"You are aware that it is only my admission that I know that your Goddess exists that has saved me from open accusations of Heresy, are you not?"

Flayn winced, she didn't think it was quite that bad. Although from what Seteth had told her, it had taken some time for the Clerics to get used to the Almyran boy and that was only because he believed in the Goddess.

"W-well...I'm sure it'll send a positive message if you are seen with them." She tried to argue back.

"Their opinions do not concern me." Goetia scoffed "Whatever beliefs they hold are ones I have encountered a hundred times over."

Flayn sighed "Well, it was a suggestion. The singing of hymns is also considered to be quite pleasant."

"I'm sure." Goetia non-committally replied "Regardless-"

"You." A gruff voice called out, interrupted what Goetia was going to say next, he and Flayn turned in the direction of the voice to see Jeralt pointing towards the pair, or more specifically, Goetia. "Stay right there." the man growled, then advanced.

"Oh my." Flayn mumbled "He looks rather upset."

"He does seem displeased." Goetia replied back to her, raising an eyebrow at the rather aggravated look on Jeralts face as the mercenary captain advanced on him.

"You're a real wise guy, you know that?" The man huffed as he stopped in front of Goetia, crossing his arms "'No romantic interest' you say?"

"To what do you refer?"

"I'm talking about you and my daughter." Flayn gasped, holding her hands in front of her mouth and darting her eyes over to Goetia.

"I have no romantic interest in her."

"Is that right? Then how come you've been privately tutoring her?" Goetia opened his mouth to explain that it was hardly private, considering he had two other pupils, when the man cut him off "And there have been the library visits before then. Not to mention she went to see you off a few days ago right before your mission." he narrowed his eyes "So...no romantic interest, huh?"

Goetia tilted his head "We engage in talks and she asked me to tutor her. I made no attempt at courtship."

Jeralt stared long and hard at him for a few moments before he blinked, seemingly realising something "Wait a minute here...what do you talk about?"

"She primarily speaks of her time as a mercenary or asks my opinion on the best study guides for the magical students of her class." He paused "She is also tutoring with two other pupils, possibly soon to be three if the Blue Lions student approaches me."

Jeralt sighed "By the Goddess...there's two of them." the man whispered to himself, Goetia had no idea what he was even referring to. He looked back up and seemed to become very tired in the span of a few seconds "Just...ask me first if you want to court my daughter...or warn me instead when she starts acting strangely."

"I...see." Goetia nodded slowly, Jeralt gave him a single nod and then spun around and walked off back the way he came.

"That was a rather…" Flayn searched for he right word "Interesting conversation."

"It was unexpected." Goetia shrugged, looking back to the young girl "I fail to see how referring to Byleth as interesting could be misconstrued as courtship."

"...Byleth?" Flayn titled her head, and then gave a small smile while her eyes glinted with humour "First name basis?"

"She refers to me as Goetia, therefore it is appropriate I refer to her in a similar manner."

"Of course." Flayn nodded "...Interesting you say?"

"She is."

Flayn's smile grew wider, she turned away from him and snickered quietly off to the side, much to the former beasts confusion, before she schooled her features and turned back to him "I've taken up enough of your time Goetia. Be sure to enjoy your study and remember that the offer of a brief tour around the monastery is open to you."

"Hmph." Goetia grunted and continued on his way back to his room as Flayn parted from his company, he had to build his mystic code and then begin work on his studies. He was fortunate it was a weekend, the library could do without his aid for the rest of the day, more than enough time to begin his research.

"Hardened growth on the heart is similar in structure to the completed stone." Goetia listed off, the mystic code writing down what he was saying as he examined the organ "Smaller size of the growth denotes that the phantasmal was either prepubescent or a result in the different species."

Picking up one of his non-enhanced scalpels, Goetia attempted to cut the small portion of flesh he had on a tray, only to see the instrument leave no mark on the skin "Canis Phantasmal skin is resistant to basic surgical equipment. Observed iron arrows penetrate the skin, however they were repelled by fur. Examination of the hair revealed high density and interlocking strands, conclusion is that it is a form of armour for the phantasmal."

"Commencing with test one." Goetia placed his hand on the stone "I will forcibly send magical energy into the stone, results will be documented." he pushed mana into the stone growth, the object instantly glowed and the heart began to beat, Goetia raised an eyebrow as he observed the damage to the arteries around the heart slowly begin to heal, he shut off the flow of mana. "Nature of Cains Phantasmal growth appears linked to regeneration. Assume the lack of a body affects rate of healing, flow of magical energy was concentrated on the direct connections."

"Will now attempt to-" A knock on his door interrupted him, Goetia raised an eyebrow and turned to the disturbance. Sighing, he looked back down at his mystic code speechwriter "キャンセル" and then turned back to the door "Enter." unlike the modern Magi, Goetia could very much find it difficult to care who entered his room.

He doubted anyone would want to, or even understand what he was doing. That didn't stop him from setting up a small bounded field to alert him if anyone approached with ill intentions, but it didn't go beyond that.

The door opened up as Seteth strolled in, he made to speak when he noticed the speechwriter in on the desk, the quill held in one of its small wooden arms while a parchment of paper was held in the grasp in the centre of the creation. He blinked, raising an eyebrow "Curious…"

"Did you require something, Seteth?"

"Hm?" He returned his attention to Goetia, then nodded "I wanted to ask you some questions regarding your mission with the Golden Deers."

"Such as?"

"Manuela provided me a report and I already have the accounts of the knights who were nearby, but I would like to ask for your own opinion."

"Very well." Goetia nodded "Ask."

"You stepped in when you 'detected' the approach of the fourth Demonic Beast?"

"I did." He admitted "It crossed my boundary field and alerted me to its presence, at which point the weight of its conceptual presence was greater than the wolves and thus posed a threat the students and knights were ill-equipped to handle."

"Conceptual weight?"

"The moonlight world has measurements in regards to phantasmals and other creatures which are based upon mysteries." Goetia elaborated "Or what you would regard as being magical in nature rather than scientific. I refer to the phantasmal having greater conceptual weight because it had a greater mystery to it." he paused "I have also discovered the cause for that."

"Oh?" Seteth raised an eyebrow "Perhaps I can ask once we are finished. Very well, so you fought the Demonic Beast and killed it."

"I did."

"Professor Manuela states that something about it troubled you."

"Are Demonic Beasts usually resistant to Magecraft?" Seteth blinked at him.

"Some species I know of have a greater defe-"

"My apologies, I worded that incorrectly." Goetia cut him off "I meant, do they completely negate the spells."

Seteth widened his eyes "Negate? You mean they did no damage?"

Goetia nodded "The C rank spells I utilized were…" he paused, then pinched the bridge of his nose "The classification system you use is similar to mine and yet different enough that it is vexing. Regardless, a C rank spell for me would be equivalent to a B rank spell for you." he continued on "Regardless, the Phantasmal had magical resistance which prevented the attack from doing damage. Forcing me to use a more powerful B ranked spell."

"I...I see." Seteth furrowed his brows, now looking more concerned "I had not thought that the Demonic Beasts posed such a threat. I will write a missive to be more aware of their potential danger, thank you for informing me." he turned to leave, the paused before looking back at the desk and the mystic code "Forgive me for prying, but I was curious as to what that was."

"Speechwriter." Goetia explained "It writes down what I say."

Seteth blinked at him "You...created a device that writes down what you say?"

"Yes." He nodded "With the lack of a right arm, the device is useful to me."

"I suppose this must be another example of your potent foreign magic?" Seteth asked wryly, a knowing look on his face.

"It is a simple Mystic Code." Goetia shrugged "One to cover one of my physical limitations."

"I see." Seteth nodded "In any case, I wish you a good day, Goetia." the man bowed his head slightly and excused himself from the room. Goetia watched the door snap closed before he turned back to his Mystic code.

He opened his mouth to speak before another knock sounded on his door, the musical nature of the tapping instantly alerted him as to who it was, a flat expression came onto his face "What do you want, Von Riegan?"

"Wow!" An amused voice called out from behind the door "How did you know it was me Sparkles?"

"I find myself at a loss as to whether that is a serious question." Goetia answered back, then moved over to the door and opened it up "You wished for something?"

"Well, Teach and the Blue lions are gearing up to leave for their bandit clearing mission." Claude replied, crossing his arms with a strange gleam in his eyes "Figured I'd return the favour of wishing Dimitri good luck, thought you might like to come along and do the same with Teach."

"I have business with certain members of the Blue Lions anyway." Goetia replied "It would be prudent to deal with both simultaneously." he walked out, shutting the door behind him and allowing Claude to lead the way.

"Oh?" The Golden Deer house leader blinked "And which coloured feline has earned your attention?"

"Dimitri came to me and informed me that young Mercedes had expressed an interest in studying magecraft. My presence will either motivate her into asking, or confirm she has little interest."

"All you're missing are some black Eagle students at this rate Sparkles." Claude chuckled "Are you sure you aren't interested in becoming a Professor?"

"My role is still that of assistant Librarian." Goetia reminded him "Although I have noticed that I have been increasingly invested in the tutoring of interested parties." he frowned "It has gone against my desire for simple observation."

"No one goes to parties to watch the guests dance." Claude shrugged his shoulders "Way I see it, with you being you, there wasn't much of a chance of not getting involved somehow."

"...Perhaps." Goetia muttered.

"At least you're doing some good, right?" The young house leader clapped him on the shoulder, drawing a blank look from the tanned man "You're teaching students skills that they can use to do better…also some of your stories are pretty interesting."

"Are they now?" Goetia raised an eyebrow "I am more surprised that with the typical Foldan approach to foreigners, they demonstrated much care in the goings on of different countries."

"Well, some might not." Claude admitted, a hint of dullness entered his eyes briefly "I know a few like that. But not everyone, and I'm not exactly your typical Fodlanese citizen." he smirked "I try my hardest to be different."

"I question whether it would be better for you to achieve your goal of being different, or to fail." Goetia replied, Claude sent him a look which virtually told him to continue his point "I have examined Fodlan's history. In the past nine hundred years, your society has demonstrated little change to the point of stagnation. Even with the formation of three separate kingdoms, your social structure is very much set on continuing its current system."

"You're saying being different is bad."

"I am stating that one would need to enact radical change very suddenly to force any kind of shift." Goetia explained "Your society is stable because it has changed very little in the last nine hundred years, it also means that the underlying problems have changed very little in nine hundred years." he stopped walking and turned to face Claude "Humans fear change, it is natural, and there is no change that could be made to benefit everyone. Your efforts to separate yourself from the previous rulers of Fodlan only serve to place a target on your back from traditionalists."

"Fair enough." Claude admitted "But you'd have to ask yourself, is striving for a wish no one but yourself believes in the right thing to do? Or is it better to work for a goal that everyone but you believes in?" he turned back to Goetia only to freeze.

The tanned man was frozen, red eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, eyes filled with an emotion that Claude couldn't place, completely unaware of just how close his words had struck the former beast.

"It is better to strive for a wish that one other than yourself wants." Goetia spoke after a few moments, his voice was quiet with a hint of something in it, either sadness or regret, Claude couldn't figure which "As long as one other recognises the value of your wish...That should be enough." he looked Claude in the eyes "If you have a wish, an end goal in sight that you strive for...find another who values it. Even if it is only one person...that is enough, otherwise...you strove for nothing."

Claude's face took on a more serious expression "Find a wish that at least one other person can recognise, huh...Pretty tall order." he smiled "But...I think I can manage that one."

"Then your effort to differentiate yourself from the other leaders of Fodlan will have value." Goetia answered "Whether or not you achieve anything as a result...it will have value to someone."

The pair walked in silence, there were no more words that needed to be said between them. Claude, despite usually being very talkative and disliking silences, found that he couldn't complain about this particular case. It felt natural after their conversation, whether that was for his own benefit or Goetia's, he didn't know. It didn't really matter either.

"Claude?" Dimitri blinked as the pair approached the Blue lions, the class preparing for their departure, a smile soon came to his face "Here to wish me luck?"

"You know it." Claude grinned "I like to think I'm one to repay my debts. You wished my luck on my mission, only fitting I wish you luck on yours."

"I see." Dimitri chuckled "Thank you for the blessing of fortune and while I don't think it is as dangerous as yours, I fear we may need all the luck we can get. Bandits and beasts are equally dangerous."

"Don't I know it." Claude grinned "Still, heard they might be the bandits who attacked us last month. Make sure you give them an extra punch for me, yeah?"

"Rather violent, aren't you Claude?"

"Well...the only other person who knows about me trying to flee for my life is you and her highness, the Blade Breaker and teach and I'm in no rush to cause a diplomatic incident or get on the wrong end of a renowned mercenaries blade." He shrugged "So the bandits will have to do, have to preserve some dignity for my role as heir to the Leicester alliance."

Dimitri chuckled and rolled his eyes "I'll be sure to inform the bandits that they are being dealt with to safeguard your dignity Claude."

"I appreciate it." Claude snickered, then looked over Dimitri's shoulder, causing his smile to widen as he caught sight of something "Oh, that should be another riveting conversation."

"Hm?" Dmitri blinked, then followed Claudes gaze before he sighed in exasperation "Truly Claude? Must you gossip like that?"

"They make it too easy."

"I...I find I cannot fault you, no matter how much I wish to."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"This is painful!" Sothis was pulling at her hair "You two! Arrrgh!" she let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose "I cannot begin to understand how either of you could be so bad at conversing." she shook her head, glaring down at Goetia and Byleth in a mixture of disappointment and incredulity "Perhaps spending more time together would do you both some good, if only to improve this rather pathetic attempt at conversing."

The pair stared at her with equally blank expressions, Sothis likely would have found it amusing if it wasn't so annoying at that very moment.

"Bandits are human opponents, be sure to watch the reaction of the children." Goetia turned back to her "Likely have little experience in dealing with death. Suspect Dedue would be exception, given history, observe Prince Dimitri closely, watch for signs of mental distress."

"Okay." Byleth nodded "...Distress?"

"Only survivor of massacre of Royal family while in Duscur. Sight of death could trigger traumatic memories, or he is desensitised to it." Goetia admitted "More to avoid death of students."

Byleth nodded, Sothis raised an eyebrow at Goetia "That is...oddly helpful advice."

"Would be unfortunate for her teaching career if her students were to die on their first mission." Goetia explained, Sothis frowned but said nothing on the subject.

"You needn't worry too greatly, I am certain that this will work out." The Goddess felt as though she was alluding to something there, although Goetia suspected it was probably some shared secret between the two of them.

"Umm...Mr Goetia?" A soft voice called out behind him, he turned to see the round face and fluffy hair of Mercedes "Could I ask you something? I'm sorry if I interrupted your talk."

"I was finished anyway." Goetia waved away her concerns "You wished to discuss something?"

"Ah, yes." She nodded and smiled "Dimitri said that you were open to the possibility of teaching me healing spells, I was wondering if that offer was still open."

"The group convenes in the library tomorrow after the allocated breakfast time has ended. You are free to join there, although your training would be different from the others."

"That is fine." She nodded, smiling "As long as I'm not causing you any trouble."

"It is no issue." Goetia dismissed her worry, then turned back to Byleth "I shall take my leave of you." the blue haired woman nodded back to him as he turned and walked away back the way he came.

After a few moments, she frowned and looked to Sothis, speaking inside her head "You didn't tell him about the time power."

"No, I did not." Sothis replied, a mischievous smile on her face "He is not affected by it...so I imagine he would be most surprised if you end up using it."

At several points in the day, Goetia was witnessed by multiple members of the faculty to seemingly teleport from one spot to another, although quite why he appeared to be the one most annoyed about this was a mystery.

AN: Minor note of amusement at the end there, but no biggy.

Anyway, small talk with Claude about wishes and I'm sure you all know why Goetia got some flash backs at the wording of Claude sentence.

Omake: Back Home Again IV

"Tch!" Mordred clicked her tongue as a lance of red energy slammed into her blade, sending her skating along the ground.

"This ain't too Golden if you ask me!" Kintoki groaned as he got back up "Whatever these things are, they're a real pain in the ass!"

"Quite so." Hans frowned "Although they are more than a nuisance to fight."

"Indeed, indeed!" Shakespeare grinned "They distract from the grand performance! The mysterious Caster who seems to have some contention with our fearsome foe! It is a most intriguing development and we are not witness to it!"

Ritsuka wouldn't quite word it like that, although he and Mash shared a pensive look before their eyes travelled away from the Demon Pillar Gods and towards Solomon and Caster.

And promptly gasped in surprise.

It was the largest fireworks show he had ever seen, mirror matched spells danced across the cave as they slammed into eachother, Solomon and Caster both glaring at their opponent as they threw their total magical energy at eachother.

In terms of skill, they were equal.

Neither Solomon nor Caster could be said to have the greater talent over the other one. There was only a single problem.

Solomon had power. Whatever he was saying about being a Grand Class servant was true, he may have matched Caster in skill, but in raw strength he was the superior.

Ritsuka grit his teeth as he watched Caster be forced back step by step.

"Hahahaha!" Solomon cackled "In the end, despite all your skills, you are still limited by your container! A termite with skill is still a termite, no matter how much they try!" Solomon thrust his hands forwards, sending off a beam of purple energy towards Caster.

The one armed servant chanted at incredible speeds, throwing up a barrier in front of him just as the beam hit, he grunted as the magical spell cracked under the continuous blast from Solomons attack before it shattered completely.

Caster was enveloped in golden light before he teleported to the side just as the beam vaporized the spot where he had been standing, Caster clenched his left hand, several bands of light formed around Solomon, the grand class servant frowned, then flicked his hand to the side, sending out a wave of blue energy which shattered them.

"Weak, far too weak." He scoffed "You should accept your death, as a mere servant, you are only struggling to-"

"By the Power of my Command Seal!" Ritsuka shouted out, holding his right hand up as the seals burned bright red "Caster! I gift you the power to fight Solomon!"

Caster felt the influx of mana enter his body, turning his eyes away from Fujimaru and back to Solomon.

"Hmph, so what? Do not become conceited, if you believe that a mere command seal can match me, then your are as foolish as you look."

"Hardly." Caster scoffed "I cannot match you as I am, even with this power. However, I can delay you."

"The best outcome you hope for is a distraction?" Solomon scoffed "What a pathetic end, and one very fitting of you." he grinned, his sharpened teeth being exposed as he let loose another barrage of attacks, Caster matched him with his own set, he would never match his past self, even with a command seal, so he would have to play smart.

"Take that, bastard!" Mordred roared, slicing Clarent through one of the Demon Pillars eyes.

David began to twirl his slinger, turning his head to briefly stare at Solomon, he sighed "Honestly...this is exactly the kind of thing you would do." he sped it up, twirling it until it became green and then threw the stone, launched it as the same Demon Pillar Mordred had fought.

"Doctor!" Mash cried out, blocking several beams aimed at Ritsuka "We need to-"

An explosion at the far end of the chasm had Caster sprawling through the air, Solomon laughed as he landed down next to the fallen servant "As expected from scum...although you required my full attention to deal with. A minor achievement for you." he scoffed, then frowned. He wanted to kill this servant, he desperately wanted to end their life...yet he didn't want to do it now.

No...it felt wrong. To kill this servant under the guise of Solomon and in this place...no. He would not do it now, he felt as though he had something to prove, some inner conflict to resolve.

He turned his head away from the fallen Caster and towards the Chaldeans "This was but a mere pit stop." he called out to them, snapping his fingers and causing the demon pillars to retreat "I came here out of curiosity, and for now I leave with a greater understanding. Should you collect the remaining grails, I will await you all in the Temple." he glanced down at Caster "You...You most of all."

"Ha!" Mordred scoffed "He proved to be tougher than you thought so you're running away scared are you!"

Solomon didn't even glance in her general direction, merely shot a beam of red energy which immediately obliterated the top half of Kintoki. Mash released a gasp of shock as the servants remains dissipated into golden motes "You misunderstand doll. I am leaving because out of the Casters combat against me, I have decided that to kill him here would be a waste." space ripped open behind him "I shall await you, Chaldeans."

"He hasn't said a word since we got back." Ritsuka groaned as Romani saw to his injuries "He wouldn't even talk about it, he just walked off to his room."

"Probably because Solomon said he wanted to kill him personally." Romani grunted, placing a plaster on Ritsuka's cheek "That would probably have me scared too."

"Scared…" Rituska muttered "Romani...I think Caster might be Solomon."

Romani choked "Wh-what!? How the heck did you come to that conclusion?"

"No Solomon of this world." He elaborated "I mean...Solomon of Fodlan. He and Solomon shared the same face...and voice."

Romani frowned "Its...possible. It might explain why Solomon doesn't like him, perhaps Caster is some weakness that Solomon dislikes and perhaps Caster doesn't like Solomon because of the incineration of humanity."

"Maybe." Ritsuka muttered "He did match him blow for blow."

There was a knock on the door, Romani and Ritsuka blinked and looked over to it as it opened, Caster stepped through.

"I was curious as to your injuries." Caster spoke up "Although you appear to have healed up well."

"Yeah." Ritsuka nodded "Hey...Caster?"

"Hm?"

"Are you...Are you Solomon from Fodlan?"

"...No." He shook his head "Despite our physical similarities, I can assure you. I am not Solomon."

"Oh...sorry, its just that-"

"Your question was understandable." Caster cut him off, then looked over to Romani "I...would like to speak with the Doctor alone."

"Oh…" Ritsuka blinked, standing up "Alright." he walked past, smiling at the Caster "I'm glad that you're okay, Caster. Without you, we might be in some serious trouble."

The Caster have a curt nod as Ritsuka left.

"You…" Caster sighed "You...remind me of my progenitor." he confessed "It is why I have avoided you."

"Oh…" Romani blinked, then scratched the back of his neck "I-I see...never been told I reminded someone of their father before. I take it you weren't on good terms."

"...No. We had...disagreements."

"Ah...sorry if I make you uncomfortable."

"No…" Caster shook his head, taking a seat opposite Romani "It is not your fault...I...I wasn't what he wished me to be." he admitted "It took me...a long time to understand what he wanted, we did not part on the best of terms as you would say."

"Do you regret not making up with him?"

"I…" Caster sighed "Regret, you say...I regret I could never understand him...well...I regret I could not understand him until after his dead."

"Oh...Yeah, understanding parents is hard." Romani chuckled "They always seem to have do something you can't agree with and they never explain it, but you find you accept it none the less."

"Perhaps." Caster shrugged "Although...looking at you. I think I finally understand what he wanted…" he gave Romani a small smile "Take a break, Doctor. Enjoy the rest of your day, I shall take over for you."

Romani blinked at him several times, then squawked "Wh-whoa! Wait a second here! What does that even-!? No way! Not now! Not when we have finally learned who's behind all this, we need to-"

"Romani." Caster placed a hand on his shoulder "For this day...I want you to live as a person."

"But-"

"I will hypnotise you."

"Eeek!" Romani paled, then let out a bitter chuckle "You're almost as bad as David." Casters eyebrow twitched at that. "Fine...fine...I've been bullied out of my role by a tanned version of myself." he chuckled "Fine...enjoy the paperwork."

Caster grunted "Enjoy humanity."

"Doctor, I have-eh? Caster-san?" Mash blinked as she entered the command room, only to see the Caster servant in Romani's chair, he twirled around to face her "What are you doing here? Where is the Doctor?"

"I told him to take the day off." Caster replied "I have taken on his duties while he finds relaxation."

"Eh?" Mash blinked "But isn't that a lot of paper work?"

"The rest of the week."

"You're doing it now!?"

"Yes." Caster nodded his head "I suspect Romani will find this to be a boon."

"Are you sure though?" Mash asked "Is it not too much?"

"I am perfectly capable of dealing with paperwork." Caster grunted "I worked in a Library."

"Caster-san...you were a librarian?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" Mash blinked, then looked down at the paperwork with a frown "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Aren't you going to try and take a break? You are still injured from the fight."

"My wellbeing matters little when compared to Chaldea as a whole." Caster replied as he worked through the papers "And I do not see this jeopardizing my recovery."

Mash frowned at him before she walked towards him and sat down on the chair next to him, picking up a pen and taking half of the papers.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you." Mash replied with a smile "This will get done quicker with help anyway."

"There is no need to-"

"Caster-san." Mash interrupted him "We'd better start, there are lots to work through."

Caster stared at her for a few moments before a nearly imperceptible smile formed on his lips "I suppose so."