Chapter 52: So much trouble over such a small cup.

"Right, you head back to the Church." Yuri pointed towards the man still standing by the door "Tell them what has transpired."

That earned him a surprised blink from the man "What? But if we tell them that Master Aelfric was taken-"

"They probably already know." Yuri gave a bitter smile "The Church is very good at keeping their eyes on everything, even down here. Besides, whether or not we can trust the Church is irrelevant. One of their clergy was just taken in a bandit attack. There is hardly the option of us just hiding this until we can resolve it and I would rather we inform the Church than have them storming down here with a battalion of Knights." snapping his fingers, he pointed at the man and then at the door "Go and tell them, now."

The man gave a single nod before he turned away and rushed back out of the door "Before you go." He stopped when Yuri called out to him "If anyone was injured, send them to us. We'll patch them up with healing magic."

"Yes, Yuri." The man grunted in response, resuming his journey out of the library.

Yuri gave a heavy sigh as he turned to the others "Dammit. There is no way this is coincidental." he rubbed his brows before looking at Goetia "I don't suppose there is anything you can do?"

Goetia stared at him in silence before giving a vague grunt, neither answering the question nor dismissing it. Opting instead to remain silent and watch the group cycle through their options. Dimitri released a sigh and shook his head, taking the silence for a negative. Sothis, however, was sending him a dubious look.

"Aside from finding the man." He instead said after a few moments "Should you not also be concerned with who took him and why?"

"I suppose we can answer that." Linhardt replied with a grim tone as he approached the group, the boy having disappeared off when they returned. Goetia turned to him with a raised eyebrow as the boy held up a paper "This was in the classroom."

Yuri frowned and stepped forwards, taking the parchment from the boys hand and reading it aloud "We have abducted Cardinal Aelfric. We can guarantee his safety, for now. If you want to help him, meet us tomorrow evening in the ruins of the old chapel. Bring the Chalice. Know that if you alert the Knights, the cardinal's life is forfeit." the boy let out a light growl as he lowered the letter to his side. "That's fairly cut and dry in their demands."

"So the people who took Aelfric want the Chalice?" Balthus growled, placing his hands on his hips and scowling heavily "And they want us to meet them?"

Constance paused, widening her eyes "The letter! It said that if we alert the Knight's they'll kill Aelfric!" she wildly pointed at the door "We just sent someone to alert the Church!"

"They won't kill him." Harold stated with a certainty to him, wetting his lips when the eyes of everyone fell on him. "T-they can't."

"Oh?" Hapi raised a lone eyebrow and gave him an annoyed look "And how have you come to this conclusion?"

"W-well…if they kill him they have nothing to bargain with." He pointed out, scratching the back of his neck before he blinked in surprise "W-wait…Cardinal? They said Cardinal?"

"That's what the letter says." Yuri shrugged "And?"

"No, no!" Claude widened his eyes and pointed at Harold with an understanding expression "No one knows the identities of the Cardinals except the Archbishop and probably Seteth! Maybe a few others within the Church!" he pointed at the letter "And they just casually let out a closely guarded secret?" he nodded at Harold "Good catch."

"Well…erm…" Harold coughed into his hands "It's just that some of the Knights had a little bit of a…erm…guessing game as to who the Cardinals were."

Claude blinked at the man before giving him a half smile "A betting ring…did anyone you know win?"

Harold slumped "I owe Fergus five silver." he realised with a sombre expression.

Claude merely chuckled in response and shook his head before looking around at the others "That's actually a good find. It means whoever took Aelfric is well informed about the secrets of the Church. Probably the same person who has been sending mercenaries here." he nodded towards Ashen Wolves "To find the Chalice."

"Still, kidnapping a Cardinal is a very risky manoeuvre." Edelgard remarked, cupping her chin and frowning "And to do so in order to collect a holy relic like the Chalice? This has all the markings of an inner struggle within the Church."

"You mean like the Western Church?" Ashe asked with a troubled expression "But…I thought the Knight's were away to deal with them?"

"The Western Church was almost as big as the central Church." Dimitri shook his head with a frown "And given they have already proven themselves to be open to dishonourable methods, this could be a final ditch effort to secure some measure of legitimacy."

Byleth tilted her head "How so?"

"Think about it." Claude placed a hand on his hip "Right now the Western Church is being purged for heresy against the Archbishop and setting up Lord Lonato. However, if they were to unveil a Holy Relic which no one has seen in centuries then they have some small legitimacy to their claim that the Church is attacking them purely to steal it." he paused. "It might not be true, but it's a bold enough claim to turn a few heads."

Linhardt nodded at the explanation "That would indeed be a logical conclusion to make. As they are still members of the Church, they couldn't exactly send their own agents into Abyss without drawing more than a few eyes and especially those of the Central Church, so instead they opt to use mercenaries as a third party so they look like nothing more than normal treasure hunters."

"But that doesn't explain how they would know we had the Chalice." Constance remarked with a frown.

"You presume they did not simply interrogate Aelfric to learn that information." Goetia bluntly stated before frowning "However, you raise a good point. Unless there was someone within this place informing the architects of the current events." he raised an eyebrow and looked around pointedly "...I doubt they would need to try very hard."

"If we start throwing around accusations of who was a rat, we'll be here all day." Yuri raised his hands to cut off anyone else before they could start speaking "What's important right now is making sure that everyone in Abyss is safe. Then we can figure out our next move." he looked pointedly at Goetia "You didn't answer the Prince's question."

Goetia remained silent before replying "No. I did not and to answer it, tracking spells exist. Using one to determine his location would be simple enough provided I was given the correct materials."

"What sort of materials?"

"Anything that belonged to him and a map of Fodlan."

"I have a map in my room." Byleth stated before anyone else could say anything. She turned to Goetia "Would that work?"

"The map of Fodlan. Yes, that would work." He nodded his head before looking at Yuri "Are there items of his that we have available that would work?"

"I'm sure we can find something." Yuri nodded his head before he sighed "Which means we'd still need to be in the Church…" his hands went to his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose "They'll probably send someone down to collect us the moment they learn of what is going on. So we're still back where we started, although we'd probably be able to attack before they could try and kill him." the boy admitted with a shrug "...Nevermind, that could end ugly and there's no doubt the Church would get mad if we tried to do something like this without their knowledge."

Hapi looked at him in surprise "What? We're letting the Church dictate our actions on this? What about Elfie-"

"He is evidently a Cardinal." Goetia cut her off sharply "And therefore is someone who ranks high within the clergy of the Church. When I do locate him, your predicament does not change in that they still hold him as their prisoner. Should he be wounded or killed, the Church would be provided a reason for finally removing this place from existence."

Yuri gave an ugle frown "He's right. Aelfric is the one who has been keeping the Church off our backs. If anything happens to him then there's nothing to stop them getting rid of Abyss."

"Still…" Dimitri frowned "To sit back and do nothing…" he sighed "No, we should be using this time to prepare a rescue instead. Once the Church is informed, we should be able to receive some manner of advice." he winced "...After we are no doubt rebuked for finding the Chalice."

"Why don't we just give them the damn cup-" Hapi began, only for Goetia to cut her off.

"No." He frowned, "Even an incomplete Holy Grail is a dangerous tool in the hands of fools and I have little interest in watching a third of this continent being incinerated due to idiocy. For the time being, we wait. You have until tomorrow to decide and whether or not I will be present for that is another matter."

Claude stared at him "What do you-" he paused and widened his eyes before wincing "Ah…right…The Archbishop and your limitations within the Church."

"My being here is a technical loophole but it is one that Rhea will likely ignore." Goetia bluntly replied "And factoring in the kidnapping of a Cardinal and the Chalice of Beginnings, this entire fiasco is nothing shy of a catastrophe for what little goodwill I have left." he paused, then stepped back and turned to Byleth "Can you reverse time?"

"Not that far back." Sothis whispered back with a frown "It's ten minutes and we don't know when exactly Aelfric was taken or where."

"Troubling." Goetia muttered before shaking his head and turning back to the others "For the time being, we will merely have to sit here and wait until the Church sends word. Which will occur soon, I would presume."

"They're certainly not going to let this go without a word of warning." Yuri grumbled as he rubbed his head then looked at the house leaders with a wry smile "Well, if this all goes wrong and we get executed, it was nice meeting all of you."

"That will most certainly not occur." Dimitri rebuked him with a stern expression "Given that we were also present during the retrieval of the Chalice and everything that occurred after, we would naturally be punished alongside you if there is a punishment. I will most vehemently argue on your behalf."

"Hm?" Claude blinked "Ah, yeah. It wouldn't make me look good if my partners in crime took all the heat, right?"

"Indeed." Edelgard nodded "This is a case of shared blame. We are all responsible."

Linhardt remained silent before he spoke up "I should feel it appropriate to remind you that you ordered me to come along with you." Edelgard closed her eyes and released a long sigh "If that will - in any way - save me from the headsman's axe."

"I feel like everyone here is being much too negative." Harold remarked with a worried look on his face as he gazed at the grim faces "We have the Chalice and we're probably going to get help from the Church as well. Besides, they aren't going to execute anyone. Sure, they might be upset about a few things but we aren't going to end up dead!"

"...This guy is right." Claude nodded towards the gatekeeper "The Church might be strict on punishment but we can hardly be called blaspheming heretics." he chortled before he stared at Goetia "...Well, maybe not all of us."

"Von Riegan!" Lysithea hissed at the boy with wide eyes.

"No, he is correct." Goetia admitted easily "While I accept the existence of the Goddess-"

"Because I'm literally right here." Sothis remarked with a dry look aimed at him.

"-I do not conform to the religious beliefs that the Seiros Church preaches." He continued on, not even showing the slightest hint of acknowledging the girl "I have my own beliefs."

Claude blinked "You do?"

"Yes."

"...Gonna share?"

"No."

"Fair enough."

"Fine, fine." Yuri waved his hands "We can talk about dying and the afterlife another time." he looked at Goetia "...Can I ask that you help with the healing?"

Goetia remained silent for a few moments, catching Sothis giving him an expectant look out of the corner of his eye, before he gave a single nod of the head. "Given that I am present and left with little else to occupy my time with, I will heal the injured."

Sothis gave a triumphant smirk that almost made him wish he had said no.

"This situation has exceeded my most grim predictions." Goetia began as he watched Lysithea and Linhardt heal the few wounded that were present, sword cuts and arrow strikes were the most common form of injury from those who had attempted to stop Aelfric from being taken and were rather unsuccessful.

"Life is full of many unlikeable surprises, Teacher." Lysithea replied with a wince as she only just managed to cast the spell, lowering her hands as the circle disappeared. Goetia watched her with a slight curiosity.

"You struggle with healing magic?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Lysithea flinched "A little bit. I-it's just something that I struggle with at times but I'm working on it."

"You have an affinity for dark magic, I mentioned such before." Goetia pointed out "Considering that the art of decaying the body is the opposite for healing it, it is perfectly understandable that you would be unable to cast healing spells without great difficulty."

Lysithea paused, slowly turning her head to Goetia "So…you're saying that I'm better at destroying bodies than healing them?" her tone was without any emotion to it, the girl staring up at the man with an utterly blank expression although there was a hint of resignation in her eyes.

Goetia remained silent before giving a slow nod "I would need a consecration ritual to determine such a hypothesis. But that is my assumption."

Lysithea's lips pulled themselves into a thin line "...Fitting." she replied in a quiet tone of voice as she looked back down at the wounds before staring at Linhardt out of the corner of her eyes "You should probably take over…I'm not much good here." she stood up without even waiting for anyone to speak further, turning away and rapidly departing the room and back into the hallway.

Goetia and Linhardt watched her depart, the latter with a puzzled look on his face and the former with furrowed brows.

"She seemed upset about something." Linhardt remarked with a frown before looking at Goetia "Was she that set on learning healing magic?"

"...That is most likely not the reason." Goetia replied after a moment's silence before turning back to Linhardt and the wounded man "...His ribs have been broken in several places. Focus on healing the chest cavity instead of the stab wound." Linhardt blinked at the sudden order before he nodded his head and moved his hands towards the large bruise on the torso and started casting.

"This has been a rather tiring adventure." Linhardt commented as he finished healing the man, then stood up and moved towards the next wounded person "And not without its fair share of surprises."

Goetia grunted in response, still staring at the door that Lysithea had walked out of before he pursed his lips and shook his head. He could guess that there was most certainly some bitterness in regards to her situation, the manner in which she reacted when she found out she was better at causing decay than healing all but confirmed in his mind that she - at the very least - suspected the extent of her condition.

It made him all the more curious as to why she was trying so hard. His face almost faltered when he felt that ugly feeling well up within him again, that sickening void he had felt whenever he looked at humanity. The emotion that had driven him for three thousand years. More than pity there was something else, some other emotion he had yet to name when he stared at Lysithea and knew what awaited her.

And this emotion he couldn't name and yet it felt all the more pressing on his nerves.

"Hey Sparkles." He was jolted from his musings when he noticed Claude standing in front of him, the boy giving him a concerned look "You there? I walk in and you're not even paying attention to me." he looked past him and waved "Hey Linhardt, how is the healing coming?"

"Most of the seriously injured are well enough." Linhardt replied without looking up "They'll need some rest to recover their strength but other than that, no fatalities so far. You can tell Yuri that much is good news."

"That will certainly make them feel better." Claude nodded in response then turned back to Goetia "Those guys were in a real fuss about the injured." shaking his head, he threw a thumb over his shoulder "But I just saw Lysithea go past, didn't even respond when I called her Sprinkles. Something wrong?"

"She cannot cast healing magic." Goetia replied in a distant voice "She does not have the affinity for it. I presume she believed her presence here to be useless after that was revealed."

Claude gave an understanding nod "Yeah…that probably wrangled her pride a bit." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head "...So, looks like the Church did get involved after all." he winced "I don't think my loophole excuse is going to do much."

"Most likely not." Goetia bluntly replied "However, I made the choice to come here with the full knowledge that it would break the terms of my stay within the Monastery."

Claude pursed his lips "...I never did ask, why did you agree to come down?"

"...Boredom." Goetia admitted with a grunt "My tasks above ground were wholly unfulfilling but I had little else to occupy my time with. The lessons which I would normally have taught were forbidden for the time and my interaction with the students was also limited. Therefore I was left with little to do until you approached me."

"Well…The Golden Deers are always trying to be exciting!" Claude cheered before his shoulders dropped "Probably shouldn't joke about that here, these guys really do care about Aelfric. I think they'd prefer we get him back as soon as possible." he looked left and right "There was talk of just handing them the Chalice."

"Utter stupidity." Goetia rebuked swiftly "As I have explained before."

"Yeah…you just want to break it don't you?" Claude tilted his head, placing his hands on his hips "Doesn't it seem tempting though? The power to bring anyone you wanted back from the dead?" he nodded towards the man "I know of a few people who'd definitely want something like that."

"The most basic rule of magecraft is the process of equivalent exchange." Goetia replied "There must always be the process of a trade. Hence why Magecraft is not a true miracle, it is merely the process by which advancement is achieved without the use of mundane methods. A True Magic is a Miracle because it removes this concept. In theory, there is no equivalent exchange. You gain magic and that is that."

"In theory?"

"The Heavens Feel Ritual requires enormous amounts of magical energy to attempt." He explained, looking up at the boy's eyes "Such vast amounts that no ordinary human could even imagine generating it. The Chalice is merely a container for magical energy."

"...Right?"

"The purest form of magical energy that can be harvested, originates from the soul." Goetia explained "Whether this comes from human or magical beast does not truly matter. But the basic question remains the same. How many would you kill to raise someone from the dead?" he stared at the boy in silence for a few moments. "There might be other methods of building up enough magical energy, however the fastest process involves sacrifices."

Claude stared at him with wide eyes "...Suddenly, I'm seeing the problem with the Chalice." he winced before shaking his head "Just typical though, right? If something seems too good to be true, it normally is."

"I am more concerned with the other methods." Linhardt asked from behind Goetia "How long would that take?"

"Seventy to eighty years." Goetia replied "Provided on the strength of the Leyline the Grail was linked to. Then there are the other calculations involved in ensuring that the Chalice receives the magical energy. Further spells include making use of the Chalice once the magical energy has been accumulated." he stood up "Which makes the Grail rather useless to you all, considering the individual who created it has been dead for nearly a thousand years and even then, didn't seem to understand the necessary calculations as the spell failed to resurrect whoever they wished to bring back."

"So we have a cup that holds a large amount of magical energy that might be able to raise the dead but no one knows how it works?"

"Yes."

"...So it is worthless?"

"Hmmm." Goetia nodded once "Utterly."

"Outstanding." Linhardt sighed into his hands, shaking his head "Killing each other over something that no one can actually use…Talk about such a waste."

Goetia stared at him out of the corner of his eye "...It is not something you ever get used to."

"I'd rather I didn't." Linhardt shivered "Getting desensitised to violence would say a great deal about me personally. I just have no interest in it."

Goetia looked back to Claude "Has there been any sign of movement from the Church?"

"Scouts haven't seen anything yet." Claude replied, placing his hands on his hips "Although I'm betting they'll definitely arrive soon. Most of them went off to the Western Church but considering a Cardinal got kidnapped, they'll probably send whoever they have left down here. As for what happens after that? No idea."

"We will likely be taken above ground to explain the situation." Was the reply the boy received, the man looking utterly unbothered by it.

"Figures." Claude sniffed, then looked around with a frown "Where's your guard?"

"With the Ashen Wolves." Goetia replied, Claude blinked at him in response.

"Really? What the heck is he doing?"

"It's just that the situation isn't as bad as you're all thinking." Harold assured the group, raising his hands to them "Really…T-the Church wouldn't leave Aelfric alone like that."

"Oh wow, where have I heard that before?" Hapi growled at him with annoyance as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed at Harold with enough fire behind them that the man was most certainly intimidated by her "The Church does nothing but leave people high and dry when the going gets tough."

"That isn't-"

"Why do you think so many people live in Abyss?" Hapi scoffed, "This is just a dumping ground for all the Church's problems they don't want to deal with." she made sweeping motions with her hands "Just slide it all out of sight and forget about it. Well I won't. I don't care what they say, I'm not letting them leave Elfie alone."

"I'm telling you, they won't." Harold tried to assure her with as much confidence as he could muster "If Aelfric is a Cardinal, that's all the more reason to go and save him! He and the Archbishop have apparently known each other for years. She'd never abandon him."

"Like they said they'd never abandon me?" Hapi gave him an ugly scowl before she kicked off the wall and marched towards him, Harold widened his eyes behind his helmet and stepped back as the red haired girl closed the distance between the two of them in a few seconds "Like how the Church said they'd take care of me but then the moment that I prove a little troublesome they decide I'm not worth it and leave me here?"

Harold's mouth gaped open and shut like a fish.

"So forgive me if I don't trust the word of a Church knight." Harold flinched "Who is telling me they won't abandon Elfie when his life is being compared with some dusty old cup. I don't care if the Goddess herself used to drink from it. I am not letting Elfie die for it."

"Hapi." Yuri spoke a single word, giving the girl a stern expression as he nodded at Harold "He isn't the one responsible for this he doesn't look ready to leave Aelfric alone either."

"I'm sure he doesn't want to." Hapi turned around and snapped at Yuri "But the moment the Church orders him to do something, he'll do it without a second thought because that's what they're all like." she pointed squarely at his face "He'll be just like all the others, mark my words." she stomped past Harold, shouldering him aside and leaving him standing with a surprised expression on his face.

Balthus sighed, rubbing his forehead and giving Harold a strained look "Don't think too badly of Hapi. She's just got some…bad experiences with the Church."

"A-alright." Harold replied in a shaky tone and a single nod of the head, looking over his shoulder before turning back around to face the others "...I am going to help though."

"I appreciate it." Yuri grunted and waved his hand "And quite frankly, we'll probably need all the help we can get."

Harold pursed his lips, looking around the room before he eventually spoke up "So…what's Aelfric like?"

That got him blinks from those present.

"Excuse me?" Constance looked up from where she had been sulking, giving Harold a baffled look "For what purpose would you ask such a question?"

"W-well you it just seemed right?" Harold replied with a shrug "Everyone in the Monastery only knew Aelfric as a friend of the Archbishop but spent most of his time out of Garreg Mach." he waved a wry chuckle and gestured around himself "I realise that probably means he was here. It's just…you normally hear a lot more of the Church higher ups than you actually see of them. Captain Alois is different because he spends some time in the Taverns the same as the rest of us. Dame Catherine is…" he trailed off and paled slightly "...She's scary sometimes."

Yuri let out a quietly amused chuckle "Who would have guessed that Thunderbrand Catherine was actually a scary woman?" shaking his head, he looked around. "There's plenty of tales regarding her loyalty too…She's very devoted."

"I know." Harold nodded "Sometimes she would get some of the other knights to practice spars to make sure we were in shape." he shivered "...It's…intimidating."

"Really?" Balthus crossed his arms and leaned back "You ever get called up?"

"Once." Harold admitted with a wince as he felt a phantom pain strike his ribs "...She…erm…won."

"I'm sure we can all contain our surprise at that result." Yuri gave him a flat look, although the corners of his lips twitched "How badly?"

"...She broke the training spear."

"Ouch." Balthus cringed, giving a half smile "What did you do to earn that?"

"...I managed to land a hit on her arm."

"Oh?" Yuri raised an eyebrow "That's certainly impressive. So you're good?"

"Ermm…actually what she said after that was 'I guess I can stop going easy on you then'." He chuckled lightly, Balthus snickered and shook his head at the man while Yuri rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Sounds about right based on the rumours regarding her." He paused, working his lips into a thin line "What is Aelfric like…very calm." he replied after a few moments "Determined too, once he puts his mind to something there's precious little you can do to dissuade him from it. All of Abyss is proof of that." he paused, an odd twinkle entering his eyes "...I'm sure if he got mad enough he might have a secret side to him as well."

"Never seen Aelfric get mad before." Balthus shrugged "Definitely seen him get disappointed though. But he's really a quiet guy, always takes the time to listen to people and get along with them."

"Aelfric is an individual of great honour and good hearted nature." Constance praised the man with a smile on her face "No matter their origin, he treats everyone equally and with due respect. He knows that what the people of Abyss truly need is compassion and understanding and he makes sure that there are no prejudices here." her features softened "Abyss is the sanctuary where all those who have lost their previous lives come too in the hopes of living without judgement. Even those who do not worship the Goddess are treated with just as much respect as those who do."

Harold blinked in surprise "Really?"

"Yeah…Aelfric is certainly an outgoer in the Church." Yuri added on, crossing his arms "...So what is your charge like?"

"Huh?"

"Goetia." Yuri elaborated, gesturing to the papers on the desk behind him "The reports from the Church aren't all that clear aside from the after action ones. That and it feels like a fair trade, no? Besides…someone who was able to convince a Church Knight to come down here is certainly someone interesting."

Harold blinked profusely before he furrowed his brows in thought "Goetia…he's…very serious. Stern too. Always likes to be kept informed. He's…very neutral most of the time too. He judges people on their actions rather than anything else which is fair." He leaned back, crossing his arms "He doesn't get involved all that much either…not like this. I suppose he's a bit difficult to explain." he paused once again "Oh, he's smart too and actually spends most of his time reading or doing something magical."

"Former noble?"

"There were actually a couple rumours going around the Church that he is a former noble." Harold admitted before he shrugged "I figured that it was better to leave them be. If he wants to explain his past he will."

"Well…He certainly sounds like a character."

The boy looked towards the door when he heard the sounds of rapid footsteps approaching, raising an eyebrow he watched as one of the guards came skating around the corner and into the room, almost tripping over as he did so.

"Y-Y-Y-Yuri…" The man panted loudly as he hunched himself over, Yuri raised a lone eyebrow at him before he looked around to the others in a blank manner before returning his attention to the man.

"I'm going to assume that the Church is coming here then?"

The man rapidly nodded his head before he exhaled "The Knights are coming…" he breathed in deeply before his face revealed slightly ashen features "A-and one of the scouts said they saw a man with green hair leading them."

Harold choked "O-oh…" his eyes went wide as he turned to the Ashen Wolves "T-that will be Seteth."

Yuri's brows rose up his forehead "Seteth? Isn't he the most recent addition? I thought he was just the secretary to the Archbishop?"

"He's technically the Headmaster of the Academy and the Advisor to the Archbishop." Harold replied with a shaky tone before his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull and he turned around "I've gotta tell everyone!" the knight darted out of the room, shooting past the panting scout - but not before he gently lowered the man to the ground and told him to take it easy - before carrying on.

Yuri, Balthus and Constance blinked at the sight before they looked around "...I guess the situation is that important."

Seteth wouldn't exactly know where to begin if he was asked to describe the current situation. He had been aware that Aelfric had only recently arrived at Garreg Mach and he had held a single conversation with the man regarding his accommodation while in the Church. Beyond that, they hadn't spoken once.

Despite the fact that Aelfric was a Cardinal, the man spent precious little time within Garreg Mach. Further onto that, he had later been informed that the camp which resided beneath the Monastery was in fact overseen by him. 'Abyss' as it was commonly known was something that he had been assured wasn't pressing to his duties.

Which was something he accepted.

Right up until the fact a man came barrelling into his office to announce that Aelfric had been kidnapped and a small consortium of individuals from the Church were also there. Combined with reports that Goetia and one of his guards was missing had turned his morning from hectic to downright stressful.

He would have dispatched Alois were it not for the fact that Goetia was also missing and Seteth was hardly a fool and he knew Goetia wasn't much of one either. More than anything, he was curious as to why the man would pursue a course of action which would lead to him possibly earning the ire of the Rhea.

As he passed through the gate into Abyss, he paused when he saw the old blankets and dirtied individuals stare at him with nothing shy of abstract terror, especially the detachment of knights who had escorted him here. He looked over his shoulder to the man who had initially alerted him to the situation "Where is the leader here?"

"This way." The man strode past him, leading them down the corridors "Yuri will be with the others."

Seteth grunted in response, following after the man and passing through the dirtied hallways, giving a cursory glance towards the dilapidated surroundings with a grimace. This was hardly where he would have expected a Cardinal to make their refuge but he wasn't going to judge the man provided he wasn't doing anything heretical. At least, he wouldn't normally, however considering he had since been kidnapped by rogues he felt that this was a time to reevaluate the situation of Abyss.

"We're here." The man announced, Seteth nodded to him and then stepped into the room before he promptly froze. Finding himself staring at the individuals in front of him with a sense of resignation to him.

"...I was already suspecting that you were the ones who would be present." Seteth remarked in a grim tone as he stared at Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude, the trio stared at Seteth with the final one paling considerably when they caught sight of Seteth standing in the doorway. "And yet this can only mean that the church staff member was professor Eisner."

Claude winced "...Yes."

"...Gather them around." Seteth sighed, pointing his hand down towards the ground "And bring them here. I would very much like an explanation for this." he paused "Goetia is here as well, isn't he?" from the wince on Claude's face, he was "Make sure he is present as well."

Seteth stared at the group in front of him with a blank expression, his eyes sweeping over the line of students, staff members and Ashen Wolves with a narrowed gaze as his lips worked themselves into a thin line. The man eventually stared to walk down the line, crossing his hands in front of his chest. Letting loose a deep sigh, Seteth raised his right hand and rubbed his forehead in exasperation as he shook his head.

"I have very few words for this situation." He spoke in a slow tone as he stopped walking, halting in front of Byleth and turning towards her, staring down at her with stern expression "I am aware that you are granted a degree of autonomy to teach the students how you wish, but in circumstances such as these you are also reminded to inform the rest of the faculty of situations such as these."

He pointed down the line at the Black Eagles and Golden Deers "Especially when it concerns the safety of students not of your class." stopping he released another sigh "While I most certainly appreciate the fact you were helping another member of the Church, the fact that Aelfric is now missing is reason enough to justify an earlier explanation on this turn of events."

Seteth moved further down the line and stopped in front of Goetia, closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose "...Why exactly are you here?" he asked, lowering his arm and staring at Goetia with an expression which could only be described as bemused frustration "It was my understanding you were not to be allowed outside of the Monastery grounds."

"I am beneath the monastery." Goetia replied with a blank expression "Abyss is also the jurisdiction of Aelfric who evidently holds the rank of Cardinal, which makes this location an affiliate of the Church and therefore still within the confines of the Monastery. As for why I am here, my aid was requisitioned by Von Riegan."

Seteth gave him a single blink before he slowly turned towards Claude, the boy looking sheepishly at the man out of the corner of his eyes. "I shall assume that this logic was used by you to justify Goetia being brought here?"

Claude gave a nervous chuckle in response.

Seteth's eyes moved away from the boy and towards Harold "And I am more baffled as to why you allowed him to come here." his tone was sharp enough that the man flinched "The orders of the watchers were to keep Goetia under supervision and prevent him from going places where he was not supposed to be. What exactly transpired that ended in him being brought here without anyone in the Church being made aware?"

Harold opened his mouth to reply before he closed it again "I…um…have…I reported it to Aelfric."

Seteth closed his eyes and exhaled "...I see." he stepped back "We are all returning to the surface." he pointed at the Ashen Wolves "Including you all. Now we are dealing with the disappearance of a Cardinal." he nodded to Goetia "The Archbishop is especially incensed by your disappearance early in the morning." a frown came upon his face "Is there anything else I should be made aware of?"

Byleth stepped towards him "We have retrieved an old relic. The Chalice of Beginnings."

Seteth blinked at her "...The what?" his expression was confused as he looked around "The Chalice of what?"

"The Chalice of Beginnings?" Claude replied with a raised eyebrow "Ancient artefact built by Saint Seiros?" Seteth did a double take at the name "Supposedly with the power to raise the dead?"

"Raise the dead? Built by Seiros? What are you…talking…about…?" The man trailed off, his eyes widening slightly before they looked away from them "...You have this Chalice on you?" He sent a sharp look to the Ashen Wolves "Where?"

They pointed at Goetia.

Seteth turned to him expectantly, Goetia stretched his hand forwards, the limb disappearing into a crack in space before pulling itself back and showcasing the Chalice. Seteth stared at the display with a raised eyebrow before he looked at Goetia. "I will overlook that display and why exactly this relic is now within your possession." he went on before stepping back and pointing towards the exit "We are returning to the surface and getting the full story of what exactly occurred here."

Rhea was already waiting for them when they returned, the woman's green eyes instantly fell upon Goetia and clouded over. Her expression turned icy as she continued to stare at him, even ignoring the presence of Seteth as he strode towards her with the Chalice in hand.

"The news I received upon waking was rather disturbing." Rhea began in a strained tone of voice "I had heard that both you and the guards assigned to protect you were missing, at least until the second guard was discovered resting in her chambers."

Goetia said nothing, Harold bit his bottom lip as hard as he could when Rhea's eyes fell upon him. "And now we discover what became of the first guard. Evidently aware of what was transpiring. Then an hour later, I am told that Aelfric - who frequents Abyss, whose residents I see standing behind you - has been taken hostage by an as yet unnamed group of individuals."

Her lips quirked into a scowl "So I would feel myself justified in demanding some measure of explanation. Specifically why you ignored the previous terms of your isolation and left the grounds of the Monastery-" her eyes fell on Harold "-and why you allowed this to happen."

"It would seem there is more at work here than we are previously aware of Rhea." Seteth began, stepping to the front of the group and staring at the woman with an indiscernible expression, then raised up the Chalice in his hands "Which is centred around this."

Rhea's eyes fell upon the Chalice with surprise before they rose to meet Seteth's the man staring at her with a blank expression. "...Why is this here?"

"That would be my question as well." Seteth gave a grim nod, then turned around and gestured towards the group assembled before her "And they are here to answer it as well as why the situation has escalated thus far."

Rhea's eyes fell back onto the group, locating Byleth and her lips thinning out "I see…Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning before I administer my judgement on the situation." her eyes drifted back to Goetia "...Although it would take a considerable explanation to change my mind in certain areas. Considering how clear I made myself when we last spoke. I was under the impression you had repented for your previous actions involving entering locations without express permission."

"Cardinal Aelfric is the one who holds jurisdiction over Abyss." Goetia replied in a lazy tone as he matched Rhea's icy look with a dull one "He allowed my presence within Abyss and even requested my aid in dealing with the situation."

"...What 'situation' would this be?"

"I can answer that." Yuri opted to step forwards "Because it is mainly our fault that these guys got involved in this mess."

"Yeah…" Claude stepped forwards, rubbing the back of his head "And It's sort of my bad that Sparkles got involved as well."

"Then by all means." Rhea began, waving forwards "Start from the beginning."

AN: Fun times all around.

No Omake this time, just couldn't think of one.