Chapter 42: Did you know we have a basement?

Dimitri tiredly rubbed his eyes as Claude led the quartet through the Monastery, the sun had not even risen before the Golden Deer leader had virtually barged into their rooms and dragged them all out of their respective beds.

Suffice to say that all of them looked as bad as could be expected for having woken up at the crack of dawn. The notable exception to this being the one responsible for the early morning awakening and the Professor herself. Although Dimitri put that down to her life as a mercenary leaving little time for prolonged periods of sleep.

He wasn't a mercenary, so the bags under his and Edelgard's eyes were more noticeable.

"Claude…" The Princess of the Adrestian Empire warned as she closed in on him "This had better be important...at this moment-" she was cut off by a yawn, reaching her hand up to cover her mouth all while Claude stared at her patiently "-at this moment, I am considering waking Hubert and telling him to get you back for this."

Claude blinked at her, then quirked a faint smirk "And so publicly announce your intentions for an assassination? You're bolder than I expected."

"I tend to be less forgiving when disturbed so early in the morning." She squinted at him "Now...explain this, quickly."

"I would be happy to." Claude raised his hands placatingly "But for the time being, I think it would be best if I show you first. Considering you'd be more likely to believe me after you have already seen it."

"Seen what?" Dimitri tilted his head.

"That would ruin the surprise." Claude replied, looking at Dimitri as if he had said something amazingly stupid "So...you know...better to show rather than tell."

"Claude." Dimitri gave an exasperated shake of his head before he simply raised his hand and gestured for the Golden Deer to lead on "Very well...the sooner this is dealt with, the sooner we might all get some sleep."

"I...wouldn't be so sure about that." Claude conspiratorially smiled as he turned around and picked up his pace. The three followed after him as he ventured further across the monastery and to the area around the back of the main buildings, far out of sight of the majority of the monastery. "I overheard something last night and figured I'd have a look."

"And is it related to a secluded location?" Edelgard raised an eyebrow "I am dubious already."

"All this distrust, your highness." The boy playfully sighed "And here I go out of my way to include you all in what I have discovered."

"Von Riegan-"

"Yikes, even you Teach?" Claude sent her a betrayed look "You're starting to sound like Sparkles." he shook his head, then glanced in Dimitri's direction "Although...I suppose with how much time you two spend around each other…"

"Claude." Dimitri gave him a blank look, cutting off whatever he was going to say next "This is not the time for your jokes. We are all very tired and I would much rather you reveal to us what you have discovered quickly so that we may either deal with it, or return to our chambers."

Edelgard sent him a surprised look at the manner in which he had snapped before she huffed in amusement and crossed her arms, sending a smirk towards Claude "Well?"

"Alright." Claude shrugged, uncaring as to the language used as he turned around and continued on his way through the Monastery Grounds as they stepped into a shallow path and through the adjacent buildings. Dimitri and Edelgard both frowned while Byleth remained stone-faced at the path he was leading them down. The entire group followed after him until they emerged into a small clearing.

"Ta-da!" Claude announced, pointing down towards the far end of the area and towards the wall.

Dimitri, Edelgard and Byleth all emerged from the gap and into the small clearing, each of them stared at the reveal with no small amount of surprise.

"That is quite the hole." Dimitri admitted, stepping forwards and placing his hands on his hips before squinting at it "I do not believe this would be overlooked by the Church."

"Who knows." Claude shrugged "I am willing to bet there's a lot that goes on around here that even they aren't aware of." he casually remarked with a wave of his hand "But this goes beyond my curiosity – before any of you say anything – as I happened to stake this place out earlier last night."

Edelgard stared at him expectantly "And?"

"And...I saw someone come through here earlier." He continued on, smiling at the surprised expressions "Get this, they weren't dressed like any knight or cleric I've ever seen either."

"You mean to tell me that a vagabond came through here earlier?" Dimitri inquired with a serious expression "And you assemble only us?"

"With how tightly wound the Church is of late, I would rather not tip them off in case it turned out to be nothing at all." Claude easily countered "Besides, if it does turn out to be nothing, then all I've really done is just waste a little bit of everyone's time on an early morning adventure."

"I doubt this is something so simple." Edelgard interjected with a heavy frown as her eyes departed Claude's form and scanned the rather large hole in the wall; she moved closer to it until she stood directly in front of the entrance. "It appears to be a tunnel of sorts...to think this was within the Monastery."

"What are you thinking, Princess? Secret Passage?"

Edelgard sent him an unimpressed glance before directing her attention back to the tunnel "Joke all you wish, but this is quite the discovery. Especially if it is being used by those of ill-intentions." stepping back, she turned towards the trio behind her "With the incident of the Rite of Rebirth so fresh, it would be troubling to think that other's of dubious intentions were freely wandering the Monastery as well."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Dimitri nodded his head "If what Claude says is true, then such individuals have already been moving throughout the Monastery under cover of darkness, and if such an entrance like this exists-" he gestured to the tunnel "-then it is either recent, or very well concealed."

"I'd say the former, considering one of the Knight's I overheard said it hadn't been this big when he last came through here on patrol." Claude informed them, crossing his hands "I'd say that someone has been tunnelling inside the Monastery." he gestured to the ground in front of the entrance "And they have been cleaning up after themselves as well, no sign of any debris."

Byleth followed his hand and noticed that particular fact as well, the Professor hummed in response and nodded her head. "Not amateurs, and they worked quickly if the guards had yet to notice the extent of the breach." she strode forwards until she stood directly in front of the tunnel "It has troubling implications."

"I'll say." Claude clapped his hands together "So...who is up for a little journey?"

The two heirs send him equal looks of surprise.

"Claude?" Dimitri stared at him, "Are you actually volunteering to participate in something dangerous?"

"Perhaps the late night air has affected him." Edelgard suggested "He could be quite ill."

Claude sighed "With the Knight's away dealing with the Western Church, the Monastery has very little manpower to spare. Besides, isn't it the role of nobles such as ourselves to protect the people? The way I see it, venturing into this bizarre and new location in search of a runaway individual in the dead of night would qualify."

"That is indeed true." Dimitri admitted, then frowned "However, we have no weapons on ourselves and our numbers are small."

"Then we just go back and grab some gear." Claude shrugged "And we have Teach on our side, I'd say that trumps the numbers disadvantage, in case we do get into a fight."

Dimitri opened his mouth, then closed it again and nodded his head "I suppose that is true enough." he admitted, then turned to Byleth "However, the choice remains yours Professor. I will admit that I am in favour of at the very least warning the Knight's of this location before we enter it, but if we wait too long then whoever uses this tunnel might escape."

Byleth remained silent for a few moments, then turned back to the group "Going to the armoury. Grab what you can."

"Knew it." Claude nodded his head "And if we need help...we could always ask Sparkles."

"No." Byleth denied instantly.

"...Huh?"

The Professor's expression tightened ever so slightly "Still in trouble. Going missing would be problematic for his assigned guards…Best to have him avoid trouble."

Claude remained silent, then slowly nodded his head "I suppose that much is right. Although Seteth said it wasn't that bad and he would eventually get things back to normal."

"I confess, I am currently unaware as to why Goetia has been placed under such conditions." Edelgard idly commented as she looked towards the Golden Deer "Are you aware of why?"

"Hm? Oh, he broke into the Monastery jail to prove that the attackers of the Goddess Tower were mind-controlled with drugs." Claude casually revealed "Although he didn't tell anyone about what he was doing so…" he shrugged "Kind of had everyone spooked."

Dimitri blinked "That seems...rather brash of him." then frowned "Although I admit, I have not spent much time speaking with him. However, he did not give the impression to be spontaneous."

"He helped people and that earns him a punishment?" Edelgard raised an eyebrow "That seems...counterproductive."

"I believe it was the manner in which he helped, Edelgard." Dimitri remarked "While I am glad he acted, I believe it would have been better if he had informed the Church of his intentions rather than to infiltrate their dungeon on his own authority. It is somewhat reckless behaviour, although perhaps he felt motivated with the threat of execution lingering over their heads." he muttered to himself, then shook his head. "Still, we should be on our way-"

"So late at night?" The Quartet froze as shadows passed through the alley and into the clearing, Claude winced as Hilda stepped into the light with her hands on her hips and an intrigued expression aimed at the House Leader "I thought I saw you moving around late at night, so I decided to be the diligent student and follow you."

She smirked and leaned back, "I even found help."

Ashe stepped into the open behind her, soon followed by a tired looking Linhardt.

"I lost track of time and fell asleep in a bush." The green haired boy admitted unashamedly "These two were going to someone and I decided it might be worth seeing what had them interested."

"And you, Ashe?"

"You weren't that quiet in waking Dimitri up." Ashe replied while looking at Claude, then turned to the House Leader "I suppose I was feeling a little restless and decided to see what had caused you to meet up with the Professor and the other House Leaders."

"Hey Ashe." Claude nodded to the boy, then squinted at him through the dark "I see your new teeth have finally come through."

Ashe froze, then slowly nodded his head while pursing his lips "Y-yeah...a little strange to have another set of teeth but…" he shrugged and gave a shaky laugh "Better than having no teeth, right?"

"...Yeah." Claude distantly answered "Heard Sparkles grew them for you."

Ashe nodded his head "...I have yet to thank him for his healing." the boy quietly replied "I really should do that."

"There is no need to force yourself, Ashe." Dimitri assured him with a sombre tone "That aside, it is fortunate for us that you are all proactive."

"...I'm going to-" Linhardt attempted to step backwards before Edelgard locked eyes with him.

"Stay right there, Linhardt." She ordered, her lip pulling into a slight smile "It would appear your ability to fall asleep in the strangest of places and worst of times had indeed worked to our collective benefit. You will be assisting us."

"Same with you, Hilda." Claude smirked at the pink haired girl as he crossed his arms "Seeing as you are so concerned with my well-being – which really gets me right in my heart by the way – I think it best you accompany us for a little longer."

"...Eh?" Hilda's expression froze as she looked around "Wait...what?"

Byleth walked towards the three of them, then turned to the side and pointed towards the tunnel entrance "We're investigating." then pointed towards the three of them "You're coming."

"Oh goody." Linhardt dryly replied "Just the sort of exciting adventure I had hoped to avoid."

"You need not be so sour, Linhardt." Edelgard remarked as she crossed her arms "Besides, I do believe that your contributions to our lessons have been slipping as of late, this offers a unique situation in which I might review your progress."

"In the art of traipsing through tunnels?" Linhardt raised an eyebrow at her incredulously.

"In the art of pursuing suspicious individuals." Edelgard corrected "And you will be aiding us." She punctuated the sentence with a firm tone of voice. The green haired boy stared at her for a few moments before he released a sigh and shook his head in exasperation.

"Very well...I suppose I have no option in which I might escape."

Byleth nodded her head in affirmation as the decision was made "Let's gear up."

Goetia's eyes snapped open, his body jarred as it shot upright from his pillow and halted at a ninety degree angle. The tanned man frowned as he sensed one of his boundary fields trigger on the outskirts of his territory.

He had set up others during his tenure here, especially for those who harboured ill-feelings about the Church. Not that it was anything out of the ordinary for the occasional traveller to be at odds with the establishment, but they did not typically move around at this time of night.

His lips pursed as he briefly considered whether it would be worth investigating.

He grunted, if the Church failed in even the most basic security measures then that was hardly his concern. The man slowly lowered his body back onto the bed and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep once again.

If it were truly important, then he would likely be informed of it come the morning. Otherwise it was likely best that he avoid any further efforts to 'help' the Church – considering how successful the latest attempt had been, his own feelings notwithstanding – just in case Rhea used it as an excuse to put more pressure on him. He had greater concerns than some petty thief patrolling the grounds of the Monastery in the dead of night.

Dismissing the thoughts from his mind, Goetia quietly drifted off back into his slumber.

"You have the strangest activities, do you not?" Sothis remarked as she manifested herself, covering her mouth as she yawned before giving Byleth a thoroughly unimpressed look "I leave you so that I might take my well-deserved nap and awaken to find you diving through a cold, damp and muddy cave." her head tilted "Accompanied by the important children, no less."

'Claude saw a suspicious individual.' Byleth replied in her head as she continued on at the head of the group. Her eyes squinted as they adjusted to the dark before she raised the newly acquired torch from the barracks above her head to illuminate the tunnel. 'They went through here.'

"And you decided to gallantly follow after them without any idea where 'here' even is?" Sothis sighed "Very well, let us see what manner of bizarre adventure you have dragged us into this time."

"You see anything up there, Teach?" Claude whispered from behind her, Byleth looked over her shoulder before shaking her head. The boy grunted in response and gave a sharp nod "This tunnel seems to go on for a while, doesn't it? Must have taken a while to dig."

"I have heard rumours of many secret passages that run beneath Garreg Mach." Edelgard's voice carried over from the back of the line "Perhaps this is one such passage."

"A secret passage?" Linhardt hummed to himself "I suppose it is more than likely with a building as ancient as this Monastery. Especially given its design of being akin to a fortress, this could very well be an escape tunnel the first residents built here."

"You suggest that Saint Seiros built an escape tunnel into Garreg Mach?"

"Why not?" Linhardt frowned "I would. The Monastery has only one entrance and no other obvious exits so it would at least allow for the unarmed to escape in the event of a sudden attack."

"Linhardt does raise a good point." Claude replied with a nod "Any leader with good sense would try to ensure that in the event of an unwinnable battle, they could at least make an escape."

"And considering it was never used – as Garreg Mach has never fallen under siege – then it was forgotten about." Dimitri surmised "In which case, this tunnel was either discovered by accident or someone got their hands on very old plans to the Monastery."

"With all the talk of the Western Church, it is very likely it could have been one of their members." Edelgard continued on "This becomes more troubling by the moment, it seems."

"Then it is all the more vital we catch up to whoever Claude saw, the thought of ne'er-do-wells roaming the Monastery leaves me ill-at-ease."

"Pfft." Claude bit his lip to halt his laughter while Hilda's head snapped towards Dimitri with an expression of pure surprise. "W-what?"

Dimitri frowned "Is there some issue?"

"Ne'er-do-wells?" Claude repeated in a borderline mocking tone "Why would you even-pfft!" he looked down and covered his mouth with his hand. Dimitri flushed slightly at the muffled laughter.

"Claude, this is serious!"

"E-exactly." Claude nodded his head "...This could lead us into a real kerfuffle!" he snorted out, Hilda soon joining him in a giggling fit.

"Claude." Dimitri warned the boy "Is my choice of language truly that amusing to you?" he turned to his left "What of you, Ashe? Is it really that funny?"

Ashe remained pointedly silent for a few moments before he slowly replied "I wouldn't want to overstep, your highness."

"Call me Dimitri, please." The blonde insisted "But is my choice of language really that strange?"

"I-it...um...is…" The boy struggled for a few moments before he found the right words "Some – not myself though – might find it...outdated."

"Truly?" Dimitri and Edelgard replied at the same time with equal looks of surprise, the latter frowned in thought and then turned to Linhardt.

"Any answer I give you is going to be too sleep-deprived to be well thought out, before you consider asking." Linhardt tiredly replied while still looking ahead "If the Prince of Faerghus wishes to speak like that, he is well within his rights. Debate upon how many actually speak in such a manner aside."

"Don't feel too bad Dimitri." Claude reassured him "Hilda and I aren't really your normal type of noble and Ashe is a commoner. We're not used to that sort of language."

"I'll say." Hilda chuckled, then flashed Claude an amused smile "Could you imagine Holst talking like that?"

Claude looked ready to laugh once again before Byleth suddenly paused and held her hand up. The six students stopped and shifted their expressions to be more composed as they stared at the back of the Professor. Byleth scanned the area ahead of her for a few moments before she looked over her shoulder at the students. "Can you feel that?" she whispered to them.

The students remained silent for a few moments before they noticed something, a gentle chill in the air as a light breeze moved over them.

"The air? Perhaps we are approaching the outside?" Dimitri frowned, Linhardt remained silent before shaking his head.

"No. The air is too stale for that...it seems we might be approaching a more cavernous environment, however." The boy cupped his chin "Or an area with proper ventilation."

Claude stared at the boy with naked surprise on his face. "How do you know all that?"

Linhardt stared at him with a raised eyebrow "Just because I dislike doing strenuous activity very much does not detract from my ability to read about explorations into cave networks and ancient ruins." he frowned "Although as you can imagine, such accounts are rather sparse and often quite boring to read about."

"Then you believe us to be approaching an inner sanctum of sorts?" Dimitri inquired, the green haired boy gave a single nod in response. "I see. Perhaps it was fortunate that you were around to aid us."

"It wasn't fortunate for me." Linhardt yawned, rubbing his eyes and continuing on with a noticeably lack of enthusiasm in his step "I doubt we shall find much of anything in here."

Edelgard sighed before looking over her shoulder to the others "You will have to excuse Linhardt, the thought of any type of physical activity – or anything that requires effort on his part – brings about a certain level of lethargy to him. It is a rather prominent shortcoming."

"Not entirely true." The boy replied back with a raised finger "I did quite enjoy the single class I was able to get from the foreign assistant librarian. Even after he cursed me to remain awake."

"Hahaha!" Claude barked out a laugh "Sounds like Sparkles to be able to hold even your interest."

"No, I was being literal." Linhardt replied "He cursed me to remain awake for several hours."

"...You're serious?"

"Quite so." The boy nodded his head and gestured to Byleth "The Professor can attest to the claim, considering she was present in the room at the time."

"Did it hurt?"

"No. It was rather bizarre to be so alert." The boy admitted "Although given what the next topic was, I would have more than likely remained awake anyway. He is quite detail oriented when it comes to magical studies, especially so given the topic was rather surprising."

"Really?" Claude raised an eyebrow "What was it about?"

"Hypnosis." Linhardt explained "Or rather self-hypnosis to improve concentration when it comes to casting spells. Very informative." he sighed "A shame that was all there was to it but I suppose it cannot be helped."

"Hypnosis, huh?" Claude muttered under his breath, then frowned in thought for a few moments "Like...convincing people to do stuff?"

"Well, I suppose." Linhardt shrugged "But I did not inquire about that much."

"...Guess Hilda is an expert hypnotist then." He joked, earning a playful elbow jab from the pink haired girl.

Byleth looked over her shoulder at the students, the quiet playful murmurs died down at the deadpan expression on her face as her eyes scanned over each and every one of the students in front of her before she slowly turned away from them.

"Rather more spirited than I would expect for crawling around old tunnels." Sothis muttered with a tired expression before she looked around "Surely this cannot go on forever?" she asked, gesturing to their surroundings. If Byleth was being honest, she was beginning to suspect they were approaching something important – if what Linhardt had said was correct – which likely meant the end of their initial exploration.

The woman paused as she came to a halt directly in front of the latest exit. This one was far more artificial than the others they had moved through, the stone had been carved into a doorway with flickers of light up ahead revealing an old hallway. Her hand moved down to her sword before it slowly unclasped it from the scabbard – not fully drawn yet – then silently stalked towards the corner.

The other students behind her remained silent as well as they continued to move after her, each taking after the Professor and readying their weapons in the event of an ambush.

Byleth peered around the corner of the doorway, staring down the corridor with squinted eyes as she adjusted to the low lighting. Her head flicked back and forth in each end before she retreated back and turned to the students. "Hallway up ahead." she explained, then gestured to her eyes and ears "Stay alert. Watch for ambushes."

She got nods of affirmation before she looked around the group, then pointed at Linhardt, Ashe and Claude "You three are in the middle." then towards Edelgard and Hilda "Take up the rear." then at herself and Dimitri "We'll take the lead."

"...Is this because he's your student?" Claude asked in a low whisper with an amused smile on his face.

"Yes." Byleth admitted immediately "I have seen him fight." then turned away without offering an additional explanation before she stepped out into the hallway, she crouched down low before once again checking her front and back then beckoned the others to join her.

Dimitri stepped out of the hole in the wall with his spear extended outwards, the blonde man kept his expression steeled as he crouched down low next to Byleth. Linhardt, Ashe and Claude followed after them and came to a halt behind the duo, swiftly followed by Hilda and Edegard, the two axe-wielders hefting their large weapons accordingly.

Byleth remained low to the ground before she slowly stood up, flicking her hand and gesturing to the others to follow suit. The woman remained silent before she raised her other finger to her mouth and lightly wet it with her tongue before holding it up in the open. The woman narrowed her eyes before she felt the slight breeze coming from ahead of them, wiping her hand on her shirt, she advanced forwards without making a sound.

The students silently followed after her as they began to look over their surroundings.

Claude let out a small hum of intrigue as he examined the wall, leaning over and running his hand over the brickwork "Didn't think there was something like this under the Monastery." he muttered quietly "Guess Linhardt's guess of a secret escape route might have some backing after all."

"It is comforting to know that others aside from myself are capable of intelligent decisions in that case." The boy in question replied to him, staring straight ahead as the group quietly advanced through the tunnels.

Byleth paused, slowly turning her head to stare at the nearest wall and climbing her eyes higher up until they rested upon the burning torch – that being the only source of illumination in the hallway – and staring at it with narrowed eyes. Then craned her head towards the direction they were heading and noticed the presence of other torches lining the wall at consistently spaced intervals. She crouched down and gently lay the torch she was carrying on the ground.

"Professor?" Dimitri whispered to her "Is something wrong?"

"Torches." She gestured around them, then looked at the boy out of the corner of her eye "They're lit."

Dimitri stared at her with slight confusion before his eyes widened in understanding and he gave a nod of the head "Someone lit them."

"Guess this place isn't so abandoned then." Claude muttered under his breath.

"No." Byleth remarked, then continued on.

The group continued to walk down the passageway for some time, noticing the hallway lead on for a considerable distance before it eventually opened out into a wider room, this one having twists and turns within it along with junctions leading to other hallways. Byleth frowned and rested her hand on her sword, this room was as suitably lit as the corridor and yet it held a more discomforting sense around it.

The perfect spot for an ambush. Multiple points of entry and plenty of locations for someone to hide. Then her eyes landed on something in the nearest corner, near one of the junctions. Leaning forwards slightly, she squinted her eyes at the peculiar shape before she realised what it was. Tarp. It was a tarp that had been scrunched up and clearly left behind.

She also noticed that this room was far less dusty than the others, indicating it had been better taken care of then before.

Her eyes scanned left and right on either side of the room before she slowly clinked a portion of her sword free of its scabbard, then turned to look halfway over her shoulder while keeping her left eye fixed upon the room "Someone has been here recently."

"Then these are no ordinary ruins." Edelgard surmised with a frown, then stepped forwards slightly and peered across the room before her eyes fell upon the tarp on the floor as well "Signs of human habitation?"

"People living under Garreg Mach?" Hilda's expression scrunched up as she looked around "And in this sort of state? That's horrible." she frowned before her eyes lit up "Oh! This reminds me of some of my brother's old stories."

Claude blinked and turned to her "Holst came to the officers academy as well?"

"Oh, yeah." Hilda nodded her head "There were loads of rumours swirling about when he attended. Something about passages, houses and tons of shady people living in some secret underground town."

"Town might be a generous word for it." Linhardt spoke in a strained voice "But continue."

"It had a really intimidating name too…" Hilda continued on, cupping her chin and frowning in thought. "Ah...what was it again? I think it was…" she snapped her fingers several times to try and speed up her thought process while Byleth stared at her with a perfectly blank expression.

There went any element of surprise.

"Abyss!" Hilda exclaimed with a smile "That was what it was called!"

"What a tacky name." Sothis huffed, crossing her arms "Surely they could have called it something better than that?"

"That's two points for the pinked haired gal!" A voice rang out across the darkness, full of bravado, Byleth instantly spun around and pulled her sword halfway out as the other students tensed themselves. "Welcome to Abyss, strangers!"

"Identify yourself!" Dimitri barked out immediately in an authoritative tone, the Blue Lion stamped the butt of the spear into the brickwork to emphasise his point, then widened his eyes as the man emerged "Wait...that uniform?" he muttered out in surprise.

The owner of the voice stepped out from behind the leftmost entrance, a large man wearing a dirtied white coat reaching down to his ankles, matching coloured trousers with long shin high black leather boots. On each of his hands were thick black leather gloves ending in what looked like weighted pads around the fingers. The man came to a stop next to the torch, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall while sporting a wide and confident smile. His ruffled obsidian hair and piercing hazel coloured eyes were the first features to notice about him.

Then there was the fact he was wearing a coat and a black chain across his chest and nothing else, completely exposing his chest to the world and clearly caring little for the rather low temperature.

"Welcome, curious students of the officers academy!" He exclaimed, sweeping his arm in the direction of the group "What brings such fine, upstanding surface dwellers to our humble abode?" His voice contained a hint of light hearted mocking to it.

"Who, us?" Claude stepped forwards, keeping his own tone light and casual "We were just tracking someone who was creeping around the Monastery."

Edelgard rolled her eyes at Claude instantly announcing their intentions before she stepped forwards "Our business here does not concern you – if you are an inhabitant of this place – do you intend to let us pass?"

"Ahahahaha!" Another voice echoed out across the room, turning the eyes of the room to the other side, this time a womanly voice was the source as the individual strutted out into the open with a smug expression "Such indulgence simply cannot be permitted!"

This one had drill shaped locks of blonde hair across with purple highlights while the rest of it was combed down, a blue hairband stretching across the top of her head. The woman's violet eyes scanned the group while continuing to have a confident smile, her outfit consisting of a dark grey top which split off just under her chest into a white colour scheme. Underneath were deep grey leggings and purple heels on her feet.

The woman stared at them before nodding to herself "Your words may fool the fool. But I am not so easily deceived." she announced before pressing a hand onto her chest "I, Constance von Nuvelle, shall divine your true intentions." her hand shot out and pointed to them while her face turned slightly strained "You are here...but order of the Church!" she declared with an expression of complete assuredness, before it shifted into a heavy frown "Which cruelly plots to eliminate the inhabitants of Abyss!"

"…"

Claude reached up and scratched the back of his neck before giving the assembled students a once over, then looked back to her with an expression of complete seriousness "Yes. You have it exactly correct. Me and my intrepid band of like-minded evil-doers are here to eliminate people we didn't know existed until two minutes ago."

Dimitri slapped him over the back of the head, the boy stumbled slightly and rubbed the area before shooting the Blue Lion a playful frown "Come on...you had to give me that one, it was too easy."

"It is also poor timing." Dimitri told him "Take this seriously."

"Fine, fine."

Edelgard meanwhile was frowning at the sentence "Did she say...Nuvelle?"

"I don't care what the reason for this brawl is." The larger man scoffed before standing away from the wall and cracking his knuckles while grinning "A fight is on the menu, and I'm ready to feast!" he looked around "Let's get right to it, yeah?"

"I'm...not sure how to respond to that." Dimitri stared at the man with slight confusion "Are you truly that desperate for a fight?"

"It's so boring down here!" The man exclaimed "You think I'm gonna let this chance for entertainment slip past me?"

Dimitri frowned, then leaned in to speak with Byleth "From the look of them, I'd wager they're experienced combatants. I'm not certain fighting them would be a wise endeavour."

"I'd rather avoid fighting altogether." Linhardt whispered from behind her.

Byleth was inclined to agree. "We should go."

"And leave so soon?" Byleth froze as the voice echoed from behind them, the woman turned around to see another two individuals stalk out of the corridor from the direction they had come, the first man having light purple hair with a sharp smile, his uniform being almost identical to that of the other students except for the darker colouration and the white shoulder cape on his left side. The youth put on an expression of faux hurt "But doing that would make me so sad, and you wouldn't want to go and do a thing like that, right?"

He strode forwards, his hand resting comfortably on the sword at his side "Everyone here is starved for amusement." he shrugged "They've been waiting for a good fight."

"Wow, look at that." Claude placed his hands on his hips "A flawless example of a surprise attack. Seems these aren't your classic run of the mill thugs."

"Claude, this isn't the time to be impressed by our enemy." Dimitri stressed with a somewhat anxious expression "We must find a way through at once."

"Wait...Claude?" The large man blinked, then turned towards the tanned youth with an expression of surprise "As in Claude Von Riegan, the brand new heir of the House?"

"Who, me?" Claude gestured to himself then shook his head "Nah, wrong guy. It's a very common name in Fodlan." a smirk made its way onto his face "It's just too dashing a name for new moms to pass up." he raised his finger "I hear it's even a popular choice for fake names, just a good, solid, all purpose moniker. You know?"

"Right." The man nodded, then gave him a knowing look "Except there's only one Claude enrolled at the Academy this year." he crossed his arms and leaned back slightly "Guess that must be you."

"...How do you even know that!?"

"HA!" The man snapped his fingers and pointed at the boy "You just gave yourself away pal! Looks like my luck if finally taking a turn for the good." he chuckled "Your choices are as follows: either get ready for the beating of a lifetime…" he raised a single finger "Or you let us lock you up like the good little boys and girls you undoubtedly are." he raised a second finger to join it.

"And it seems we're fighting." The red haired tanned girl next to the purple haired man mumbled out "A shame, I dislike having to put in much effort but if B and Yuri-bird are gonna fight, I suppose I'll have to as well." she offered without much in the way of enthusiasm.

"I would like it put on record that I wholeheartedly believe we should have woken up Sparkles when we had the chance." Claude immediately commented as more individuals emerged from behind the four colourful personas, all of which were armed with varying qualities of weapons from wooden sticks to old rusted swords and axes. None of them with much in the way of armour.

"Hindsight is a welcome companion in the most desire of circumstances Claude." Dimitri frowned as he twirled his spear "But it appears we will have to make do with what we have available to us."

"It seems we will have to fight this rather odd band of fellows." Sothis commented to Byleth before she frowned "Perhaps it would be best to avoid killing them. They seem to be at odds with the Church but their attire is eerily similar to that of the children. Perhaps they might hold some answers."

Byleth internally agreed. There was most certainly something strange, especially with how convinced they were that the Church would send down teams to exterminate them. Looking at those behind the obvious leaders, she doubted the Church would have had much in the way of problems in successfully quelling whatever this was.

However, it would have to wait.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to concentrate before her eyes opened again and she pulled her sword from its sheath. Coiling her body back like a spring and tensing herself for a fight.

"Alright!" The larger man punched his armoured hands together before assuming a typical boxer's stance "Time for the King of Grappling to show his stuff!"

"B…" The red haired girl shook her head at him "That isn't the most intimidating name to announce."

"I wouldn't say it matters that much right now." The purple haired man pointed out as he similarly pulled his sword out "Considering we'll soon capture this lot, it doesn't really matter what they call us, so long as we find out their intentions."

"Um…" Ashe raised his hand "We were just following a suspicious individual who we saw around the Monastery late at night."

"Well." The man shrugged "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

AN: I admit, not a lot of Goetia in this Chapter but I feel that it would be very much how the situation would play out at this point. He's tired, its basically one in the morning and he doesn't want to get dragged into another mess.

Also Byleth and Sothis don't want to drag him into another mess.

Don't worry, he'll get involved though.

Omake: Talent Show II

"Which is why I'd like to welcome everyone to the Garreg Mach first annual talent show!" Claude spread his arms wide as he shouted out across the hall with a wide smile "Please enjoy the show!"

Turning away, the boy strode off stage and behind the curtain, Dimitri stared at him as he approached with a slightly puzzled expression. "Can it truly be an annual talent show if is is our first one?"

"Don't know but it sounds more impressive, right?" Claude shrugged "Either way, that's what we're calling it." he clapped his hands and smiled "So, who's up first?"

Dimitri stared down at the parchment in his hands and looked through it "...Alois and his stand up routine." he announced, then looked back up at his counterpart.

"...By the Goddess." Claude gasped out in horror, turning around to see the Knight Captain wander onto the stage with a beaming smile on his face before he came to a halt.

"Thank you all for such a wonderful turnout!" Alois beamed as he stared at them "I am so glad to be he-" he paused when Goetia suddenly walked onto the stage with a small pole with an oval shape at the top. He placed it in front of the Knight before turning away and walking off without explaining further.

Alois stared at him and then looked at the pole in front of him "What am I-" he cut himself off and winced as his voice boomed across the hall, the man blinked in surprise and then turned to look back at Goetia with a shocked expression "My goodness! That is quite the invention."

He chuckled to himself before he leaned forwards "I was saddened to hear of the passing of boiled water." he spoke, then nodded sadly "...They will be mist."

"…"

"…"

"...Hahahahahaha!" Claude looked to his left as Dimitri positively cackled, his hand covering his mouth to muffle the laughter erupting from his throat. The tanned boy stared at him with a blank expression as the laughter died down before returning his attention to Alois.

"With so many people here, it reminds me of the action in the Circus." Alois continued on into the microphone, his lip already twitching "That was rather in-tents as well."

Dimitri wheezed, his hand now moving up to cover his eyes as he shook his head. The entire room – aside from him – remained dead silent.

"Sometimes I'm reminded of a scarecrow who was promoted." Alois remarked "He was outstanding in his field."

Dimitri doubled over, laughing loudly enough that he was now attracting odd looks from everyone else in the room, Claude pursed his lips as the boy used his shoulder as a brace in order to stop himself from falling over. The Golden Deer reached up and pat Dimitri on the back as he continued to laugh heavily, his eyes starting to water at his point.

"Up next we have…" Claude looked down at his list and blinked "...Seteth. Who will be playing the spoons." he frowned, looking off to the side of the stage and staring at the group with a bewildered expression before he marched off.

Seteth soon emerged with a stool in one hand and a pair of metal spoons in the other. The green haired man remained silent as he placed the stool down before sitting on it, legs spread slightly before he raised the spoons in his left hand and began to drum them on his knee and palm.

The rhythm increased until the man was drumming out at a rapid – and somewhat catchy – pace.

Claude stared at the man from the sidelines with a surprised expression before he turned to Hilda standing next to him "Did you know he could do that?" he whispered to her, the pink haired girl shook her head in response while looking equally surprised.

The boy peered around the corner to see the assembled guests with content expressions on their faces as Seteth continued to play the spoons. Rather amusing was the completely expressionless face he held as he played, seemingly staring at nothing in the distance.

By the end of the his performance, Seteth stood up and bowed slightly to the sound of applause before picking up his stool and walking towards Claude as the boy returned to the stage "Amazing song from Seteth ladies and gentlemen!" he exclaimed, Seteth came to a halt before leaning down to whisper into his ear.

"If Flayn gets up on that stage and dances, the next instrument I play will be a xylophone crafted from your skeleton." Claude remained stone-faced at the disturbing threat as the man bowed once again before quietly slipping off the stage. Remaining standing for a few moments, he turned around to face the direction Seteth had disappeared off to before he looked to the crowd.

"Seteth, ladies and gentlemen." He coughed into his hand "Up next we have Felix and…" he stared at the talent before he snickered "Juggling."

The boy in question scowled at Claude as he marched onto the stage holding several juggling sticks before he stood in the centre of the stage, the Golden Deer house leader quietly left as the Blue Lion continued to glare at him before he grunted and turned back to face the audience before leaning into the microphone.

"Don't applaud this." He warned before he stepped backwards, tossing the sticks into the air one at a time before falling into a steady routine of continually juggling the sticks with surprising ease.

"I'd say this is going really well." Claude whispered to Dimitri as he approached them "Who is next?"

"Goetia." Dimitri replied "His talent is...oh." the boy stared at the parchment with obvious surprise "Oh my."

"What? What is it?"

The piano wheeled to a halt as Goetia stopped pushing it, the golden haired man stared at it for a few moments before turning around and picking up his microphone, then placing it just next to the seat of the piano and lowering it to be at sitting height. The man moved himself around the stool and deposited himself downwards.

The man exhaled before he flicked his hand, a rectangular case floated over from the side of the stage before coming to a halt directly next to him, Goetia flipped the lid open and proceeded to reveal an arm carved from wood. The man then clipped the limb onto his missing section before flexing it for a few moments.

Red eyes turned towards the audience – who were now staring at the prosthetic with clear surprise – before he frowned and turned back to the piano. Pressing a few notes and flexing his wooden fingers, then clearing his throat.

Goetia raised both his hands before he soon began to play. The music began to pick up before he opened his mouth and started to sing, his voice coming out in a gentle tone which almost immediately caught everyone off-guard at how well he could sing to begin with.

"When I'm alone, I hear it… telling me I should just give up if it hurts…

A charming, frightening, sweet voice that is deeper than a black hole."

"Mimicking the way you usually speak, I try to say that nothing is wrong,

I don't mind if it's a lie – as long as it works as an excuse to keep on standing!"

"I wonder why people fear and bemoan the inevitable end of life that comes to all things;

It's because we know they'll someday be lost, that our ordinary days are most beautiful!

There's only one future within my sight and I won't bother seeking eternity;

Each second… each moment… is so precious – I'm alive in the world you inhabit!"

"As if keeping me in check, I see the same dream over and over:

A dream so beautiful it verges on irony… so please wake me up, 'cause I don't want to end up running away."

"I want to be by your side until we say our goodbyes; I don't mind if that day comes tomorrow.

Oh, you who gave me these colours – I want to burn the world you inhabit into these two eyes.

All the hues of red… blue… indigo… water… rainbow… sky…"

"I'll never manage to be a goddess,

Nor will I offer my prayers to anyone.

I don't care what anyone else says;

I know what's really important!"

"I won't wish for anything beyond this; the future I desire is right here.

Oh, you who gave me loneliness… you gave value to mere solitude!

There's only one future within my sight and I won't bother seeking eternity;

Each second… each moment… is so precious – I'm alive in the world you inhabit!"

Goetia ceased playing, soon standing up and ripping the false arm from his body. The limb remained in his grasp for a few moments before it burst into flames, the ashes scattering away into the wind. The man leaned down and gripped the piano before turning around and dragging it back across the stage.

The entire room stared at him in silence as he departed without another word.

Claude walked back onto the stage, slowly clapping his hands together while still staring at Goetia with an expression of pure bewilderment.

"G-Goetia everyone...big round of applause." The crowd abided, the boy looked down at his paper "I pity the act that follows him…" his expression blanked "Up next is Byleth…"

"Yeah!" Someone – who sounded suspiciously like the Archbishop – cheered from the crowd.

"...Who will be crushing a watermelon between her thighs." Claude sighed out the rest.

"YEAH!" The voice cried out again, much louder this time.