Chapter 64: The game is afoot.

Flayn had little difficulty in locating Lysithea, she had heard that all of the houses had taken to helping out amongst the town while the Monastery was still being cleared of debris. Or at least repaired enough that they could eventually go back to the academy and learn while the repairs were ongoing in the background.

The idea of all of the future officers deciding to pitch in and help out with otherwise mundane tasks to ease the burden of the commoners was one that Flayn found personally very appealing, she very much thought it was a wonderful direction they were moving in. Everyone pulling together to help each other was something she enjoyed witnessing.

If only it would occur outside of otherwise dire circumstances, the fact it always took the worst to bring people together was something else Flayn had seen before and she was torn between the enjoyment of seeing co-operation and the sadness of the violence that brought it about.

She refused to believe that the only thing that could bring people together was a tragedy.

Regardless, she approached the location where she saw Lysithea helping with one of the larger boys - Raphael - if she recalled his name correctly as he attempted to move something.

"A little further to the left." Lysithea called out, waving her arm in the direction she indicated and prompting Raphael to nod his head in affirmation and push the cart a little more. From the looks of things they were trying to change the wheels on it and having to lift it up in order to do that while the owners worked on it underneath.

Judging by the strain on Raphael's face, it was something he was struggling with quite a bit.

"Are you sure you should be doing that with just him?" Flayn asked as she got close enough to the white haired girl. Lysithea paused to look over her shoulder and nodded in greeting to the green haired girl "Good afternoon, by the way." she added on while reciprocating the nod.

"Good afternoon." Lysithea responded with as she turned back around, a pensive frown still on her face "Well, as good as it is likely going to get." she added on as a light mutter "As for your earlier point, it most likely would be sensible to have a team of people to lift this cart but this…" Lysithea bit her lip and bit back whatever she was going to say, instead opting for something that was likely less rude "...Stubborn fool loudly shouted about how he could get some training in and decided to try and lift the cart all by himself, even after repeated arguments for him to stop."

She paused for a moment before continuing on, gesturing further up the street of the town "Von Riegan was here for a while but he departed and said he was going to seek help before Raphael injured himself." she frowned but it was more thoughtful than malicious. "In truth, it was likely the smartest thing he has done all week."

"I see." Flayn sighed as she turned back towards the direction of the wooden cart, Raphael now starting to go red in the face "But I assume that Raphael did not wish to wait until help returned?"

"He is exceedingly overeager and swift to fling himself into troubling situations." Lysithea confirmed with a nod of the head "Were it not for his already impressive physique, I suspect he would have injured himself already. As it stands, I doubt he will be able to maintain this for very much longer."

"Is that why you are having someone place supports underneath it?" she asked, gesturing to the commoners in simple clothes sliding some wooden crates underneath the cart itself.

Lysithea nodded her head "Even he realised he was in over his head when he lifted the cart up but he refused to put it down. Therefore I had to think of an alternative solution so he didn't end up doing something as stupid as crippling himself while trying to help."

"Are you not worried about the strain it will place on the wooden crates?" Flayn asked with a worried expression "What if they were to break?"

"Those are the ones the merchants use for the heavy items like weapons and armour." Lysithea handily explained "They're reinforced to handle the additional weight so I suspect they can withstand the strength of an empty cart."

"But if it doesn't?"

Lysithea didn't reply immediately, instead her eyes shone with a hint of doubt for a split second before she dismissed it "I'm certain they can withstand the weight."

"...If you are confident, then I will defer to your opinion." Flayn responded so as not to pressure the issue further.

"I thought you were helping with the wounded?" Lysithea eventually turned to her and raised an eyebrow "You haven't actually left for several days, even to get food. We were seeing Professor Manuela going to bring rations back to you."

Flayn flushed ever so slightly "W-well, I didn't want to risk leaving until I was certain everyone was well enough."

"I wasn't accusing you of anything." Lysithea raised a hand to try and calm her down, her expression shifting to become more understanding "Considering everyone now knows the extent of your relationship with Seteth, I would actually be more surprised if you left him alone." She smiled, "Family is important, after all."

"Hmmm…Yes."

"But you're here now?" Lysithea continued on, tilting her head and a flash of realisation passing through her eyes "I take it this means that Seteth is more or less recovered now?"

This time, Flayn's expression soured ever so slightly "Not quite as recovered as I would like him to be…" she sighed "But father is rather headstrong as well." she jerked her head towards Raphael "Not unlike him and trying to convince him to rest with everything that is going on is a fool's errand, even for me."

"Hmmm." Lysithea hummed in response "He's not going to end up seriously injured, is he?"

"I doubt it but I wish he wouldn't try to add more responsibilities to himself." Flayn shook her head "Between the repairs and trying to maintain some level of calm across the continent following the um…Demonic Beast attack."

Neither one of them were going to change their story on the matter.

"I'm worried that he's just going to make himself feel worse." The green haired girl raised her hand and placed it on her forehead "Not to mention others that are within the Monastery who seem to insist on ignoring their own well being."

"Hmph." Lysithea grunted and turned back to face Raphael "More fool for them. Honestly, some people should take better care of themselves. They never know what might happen and risking their health over trivial matters is just the height of folly." she gave a light growl "It just irritates me to see someone act so recklessly…"

"I suppose he has just recovered though." Flayn replied "But it's the fact he's been missing for some hours now and no one has seen him."

Lysithea paused and furrowed her brows, turning to face Flayn "What?" she voiced out in puzzlement "Who is missing?"

This time it was Flayn's turn to look surprised "You didn't know? But the Gatekeeper said that he had the knights going around asking if anyone had seen him…" she trailed off before biting her lip and frowning slightly "Although perhaps they haven't gotten around to this section of the town yet, or you just missed them?"

"Who is missing?"

Flayn shook her head and turned to face Lysithea "...Goetia. He's awake and wandering around the town in nothing more than his underwear and a blanket."

Lysithea stared at Flayn uncomprehendingly for a few moments before her eyes bulged and her jaw went slack "W-W-W-What!?" she screamed out loud in shock as loud as she could, virtually recoiling away from the green haired girl.

A thud not far from them was soon followed by a cry of pain as both turned to see Raphael had dropped the cart, the wheel landing on his foot and rolling over it as it tried to balance on the boxes underneath and wasn't quite able to get enough height to save the blonde boy's foot.

Before either one of them could move to help, a blur rushed past them and charged straight for the cart.

The familiar form of Dimitri slid to a halt just behind the wooden cart and gripped the underside of it. With a faint grunt of exertion, the boy easily lifted the cart back into the air and off Rapahel's foot. Turning his head and staring down at him "I'm so sorry I was late. You are not too badly injured, are you?"

"I think it only caught my toe." Raphael winced as he hobbled back, then stared at Dimitri with no small amount of wonder "But you…the cart…isn't that heavy?"

Dimitri managed a shrug as best he could "I suppose?" he then turned to the owners of the cart next to Raphael "I believe you needed to change a wheel?" he asked with a polite tone of voice "I can hold the cart while you do so."

"I can hel-"

"While I would ordinarily be more than willing to accept your offer of assistance." Dimitri cut him off while giving him a concerned look "You did have a cart land on your foot, however grazing it might be, you should still have it seen to. Else it might become a greater problem down the line." he gave Raphael a reassuring smile "Worry not, I can maintain my hold on this for long enough."

"...Alright." Raphael responded with, still staring at Dimitri as he hopped off before he paused and caught sight of Flayn "I don't suppose you know where the-"

"Have a seat over there." Flayn gestured to one of the spare crates and prepared herself "I will examine your foot for any damage." Raphael nodded his head and hobbled towards the nearby crate before slumping himself down atop it, raising his foot up while hissing. "It would seem that even outside of the wounded tent, my services are required."

"I think that's just bad timing on your part." A smooth voice called out, Claude approached the trio and stepped past Lysithea, briefly pausing as he caught sight of her dumbfounded expression and raising an eyebrow "What's the matter with her?" he asked Flayn.

"Wha-I demand you elaborate!" Lysithea exclaimed, marching towards Flayn with a shocked expression "Explain what you said?"

Flayn looked over her shoulder towards Lysithea and gave her a puzzled expression "I don't see what I need to explain further?" she replied in an innocent tone of voice before returning her attention to Raphael as the man removed his left boot and slipped the woollen sock off his foot.

The blonde haired boy blanched as he already noticed a bruise growing on the left side of it.

"Hmmm." Flayn hummed as she grabbed the foot and inspected it closer "It's bruised rather swiftly." she reached out, gently tapping her index finger on the centre. The end result was Raphael hissing through his teeth.

"Yikes." Claude looked over the top of Flayn and stared down at the foot with a grimace "Sorry I took so long, Raph. I was having trouble finding Dimitri. I figured it was quicker to bring him over than a bunch of knights."

"Right, right…" Raphael nodded his head, turning towards the direction of the prince still holding the cart up without any noticeable strain "How is…?"

"Hm? Ah, right." Claude nodded his head "Yeah, the royal family of Faerghus is pretty famous for being really strong." he explained "And I heard a couple rumours about Dimitri accidentally breaking training lances around the Academy a couple of times and figured that the stories about the Royal family were true so…" he gestured towards the prince "I went and got him."

"You are not incorrect, Claude." Flayn supported as she continued to examine the foot "Can you move your toes?"

There was a brief pause before Raphael exhaled "Not really."

"There might be some slight damage to the bone then, however if it was broken I suspect you would be in considerably more pain." She looked back towards the blonde "I'll give you a quick healing spell and then-"

"Excuse me!" Lysithea called out loudly from behind, causing the three to jump in shock and turn to face her "Can someone please answer me now?"

"Sure!" Claude merrily exclaimed, clapping his hands together and facing Lysithea fully. He then felt silent for several seconds, all while maintaining a tranquil smile on his face "So what am I supposed to be answering? Or did you want a good afternoon? I didn't think not getting one from me would affect you that-"

"Be silent, Von Riegan you simpleton!" Lysithea snapped at him, rather than looking offended at the remark the boy looked on the verge of laughter.

"Whatever you say Sprinkles." He leaned down towards Flayn and dropped his voice into a 'whisper' that everyone could still hear "It's like Sparkles is still with us."

"He is." Flayn spoke back to him in an exasperated tone of voice "And apparently he is still wandering around the town virtually naked."

Claude blinked several times "...Well alright then. I feel like I've missed….at least seven pages in a book that everyone except me was reading." he looked between Flayn and Lysithea several times before turning to Raphael "Did you know about this?"

Raphael shook his head "I didn't even know that Goetia was missing. I thought he was still in the Monastery recovering, that's what everyone has been saying for a couple of days."

"It's where he is supposed to be." Flayn stressed with a slight hint of irritation "However, he apparently decided that the best course of action - moments after waking up - was to begin teleporting around the town without the common sense to find some clothes or even give his body a rest. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if his reckless disregard for his own health has landed him in even more trouble!"

She leaned back and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest "It is as though he is trying to compete with father over who can turn my green hair grey!"

"That must be one heck of a competition." Claude remarked with a distant tone of voice before he carried on "So…who is winning?"

Flayn slowly turned her head to stare up at Claude, levelling him with an utterly deadpan expression.

"Alright, alright." Claude waved his hands in front of himself to placate her before he lowered them back down to his side "Aside from that, you're saying that Sparkles is currently missing and no one knows where he is?"

Flayn nodded his head "It would seem so. He was last spotted near the blacksmith procuring some manner of contraption before he teleported away again and no one has spotted him." she turned her eyes skywards and frowned "That was some hours ago and I will be quite worried if he has not returned by dark."

Claude raised an eyebrow and looked to Lysithea "Are we talking about a person or a dog right now?"

Lysithea kicked him in the shin.

"Teacher is missing?" She turned back to Flayn, completely ignoring Claude's wince of pain as he backed away from her in case she tried to hit him again "But that…that means he's awake and he didn't…" she trailed off, looking down at the ground. Closing her eyes, she shook her head and raised her head before opening them again "No. That does not matter right now. You say Teacher is missing?"

"And I intend to look for him." Flayn explained as she turned back to Raphael and clasped her hands in front of herself, a pale green circle with symbols manifested before her hands before wisps of green light rushed out of the circle and swirled around the larger boys foot, visibly mending the damage that had been done.

Flayn nodded once and lowered her arms, rising back to her feet and facing Lysithea once again "As you are his student, I reasoned that you would likely be one of the best people I could ask in regards to where he might be. The other being Professor Eisner but she is…" she frowned "To my knowledge, she still rests in the Monastery as well unless that too has changed in recent hours."

"We can worry about one missing teacher at a time." Claude offered from the side, rubbing his shin and straightening himself back out "If the knights are already looking around the town, I can see if I can't wrangle a few of the other Deers to help out. We'll keep the search limited to the town and…" he frowned "...He might also have gone to Abyss as well, I'll try and get a message to Yuri and ask him to keep an eye out."

"Thank you, Claude." Flayn gave him a sincere smile as she nodded her head "With any luck, we shall soon find Goetia safe and sound." she paused for a moment before continuing on "After which, I shall give him quite the stern talking to!"

Claude snorted lightly "Maybe it's better for his health if we just let him be?"

This time, both Flayn and Lysithea gave him narrowed eyes.

"Hey, Claude?" Raphael spoke from behind him "Maybe you should stop saying things. Those two look sort of mad right now."

"...Probably." Claude admitted with a shrug as he took a single step backwards, then shifted his body before taking yet another step and finding himself positioned directly behind Raphael, clearly using the larger boy as a shield.

Both Flayn and Lysithea ignored him as they turned to one another.

"I do not suppose you have a first location you would suggest?" She asked, Lysithea paused for a moment to consider before she replied.

"Perhaps his room?" She offered "He once spoke of how it was where he conducted his research. A place that mages would consider their sanctuary."

Flayn blinked before nodding her head slowly "You believe he might have gone there to avoid being disturbed?" she paused for a moment "Would he not have been found somewhat swiftly, though? The Monastery is still rather occupied with knights and others who are aiding in the rebuilding and clearing of debris."

Lysithea scoffed dismissively "I have every confidence that Teacher could avoid them with ease." the face turned serious "There are other-"

"If I might interject."

"What?" Lysithea tiredly turned to Claude with a face of pure exasperation "Unless you have something of value to offer, Von Riegan, the least you can do is alert the other Golden Deers-"

"I was going to do that anyway." Claude replied to her in a calm tone of voice before he pointed to Flayn "But I think you missed something important in the conversation earlier." he responded with. The green haired girl blinked at being pointed to, all while Lysithea looked more confused.

Claude looked between the two of them before he exhaled "Seriously? Am I the only one around here who picked up on something interesting?" he shook his head, turning to Flayn "Now, you said he went to the blacksmith, right?"

Flayn nodded her head, not quite understanding.

"Now, whatever Sparkles was getting from the blacksmith was obviously important." Claude continued on, this time turning to Lysithea "Now, it might not be much, but I would suggest going to the blacksmith and asking him what precisely Sparkles thought was so important that he would ignore his health if it meant being able to pick it up on time."

Flayn and Lysithea looked at one another for a few moments before the former's face lit up with an epiphany "Claude speaks truly! Goetia would not do something unless it was interesting to him! Which means that our first clue lies at the blacksmith!"

Lysithea nodded her head, then pointed towards Claude "Go and see to finding out about Abyss and gathering the other Golden Deer." she then pointed at herself "Flayn and I shall see to follow up the trail left by Teacher."

Without waiting for a reply, both she and Flayn turned away from him and took off further into the town and in the direction of the blacksmith.

Claude remained stationary for a moment before he titled his head and raised an eyebrow, burning back to look at Raphael "...Aren't I supposed to be the House Leader?"

Raphael shrugged his shoulders "I just think Lysithea is really motivated right now, which is nice because normally she isn't."

"I think that's because you invited her to training, Raph." Claude pointed out with a half chuckle "I doubt she's very motivated to get involved with that sort of thing so its no real surprise you haven't seen her when she's really invested."

Raphael merely gave a confused look "How can you not be motivated by wanting to train your muscles?"

Claude raised both his eyebrows, placing his hands upon his hips "...I think there's a simple answer to that question. I'd recommend you look at yourself and your interests, then look at Lysithea and her interests and you tell me what you can figure out…alright, big guy?"

The larger boy frowned ever so slightly before nodding his head "I guess? I mean, if you think it will help. It's actually been confusing me for a little while now." he remarked, scratching his chin before he looked down at his foot "...Do you think I can put my sock and shoe back on?"

"...I'd say so." Claude nodded his head, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder "Especially since your nurse just took off down the road."

"Oh, right." Raphael nodded his head before he moved towards the sock and boot "That makes sense. I suppose my foot not hurting anymore is also a pretty good thing as well."

"I'd say so."

"You are certain he would be here?" Sothis whispered to Byleth in a strangely troubled tone of voice. Byleth remained silent for a moment before she replied back through her head.

"Probably." Byleth responded with, her own voice tinged with the barest hint of concern. From Sothis point of view, however, Byleth might as well have been openly weeping in regards to how much emotion she was showcasing. "Father likes to drink frequently…when he's had good days and when he's had bad."

She advanced towards the obvious tavern and rested her hand on the door "This is probably one of his bad."

"...I see." Sothis replied after a moment of silence "I can withdraw to the back of your mind, if you wish me to. Bearing witness to what will likely be a rather emotional reunion will be…" she trailed off, searching for the right words before she spoke again "...Uncomfortable. For both myself and for you."

Byleth remained silent for a moment before she replied "...Thank you, Sothis."

"There is no need to thank me for this." Sothis mumbled back, her presence becoming more distant as she retreated further back into the recesses of Byleth's mind "It just seemed more like common sense to me."

The Professor remained silent, closing her eyes for a moment before she opened them again and pushed the wooden door open. Stepping into the tavern and gazing around the room for a few moments. Then paused as she caught a glimpse of a familiar set of armour in the far corner, seated in one of the booths out of the way of everyone else.

Thinning her lips, she stepped further inside and slowly walked towards it.

Jeralt's head was hung low, staring down at the flagon in his grasp while several other empty ones lay on the table, some standing upright while others were on their side. As Byleth got closer, her nose wrinkled slightly as the smell of beer assaulted her senses.

Her lip formed into a faint grimace for a few moments before it reverted back.

Not as bad as it could have been had she left it longer, but certainly not a great position. There was a good chance he would be more emotional but he wasn't going to be utterly wasted and incapable of walking out of her.

As she stopped at the foot of his table, just next to him, Jeralt murmured under his breath and dragged his flagon closer to his body while tightening his grip on it.

"I'm not-" He hiccuped "-not done with thisss one yet." he slurred out, head shaking from side to side ever so slightly. "C-come back in a mo…mo…moments…"

Byleth stared down at him in silence before her eyes drifted to the flagon. With a blur of movement, she speared her hand forwards and grasped the top of it. Swiftly pulling the drinking apparatus from Jeralts hands and into the air.

Jeralt stared at his empty hand in confusion for a moment before his eyes hardened and he whirled on the visitor "What the fuc-" he cut himself off, staring up at Byleth's blank face. His eyes lingered on her own for a few moments before he took notice of the green hair and his expression soured.

"Oh…" He growled out, lowering his head and staring at the table "It's you…what are you here for?"

Byleth slowly lowered the flagon back onto the table, then moved around to sit herself down opposite the man. Jeralt shifted once again to avoid looking directly at her.

"You shouldn't be drinking."

"Huh?" Jeralt grunted "Why the fuck would you care?" he mumbled "You…damn body snatcher…Think stealing away my daughters face means you can tell me what to do? Well you're wrong!" he snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

Silence descended around the tavern as the head of the keeper and the barmaid turned towards the pair.

Byleth raised a hand in their direction and waved them down, indicating that there was nothing that they really needed to be concerned about. Her eyes turned back to Jeralt as she stared at him in silence.

"...What did you even come here for?" Jeralt asked in a voice barely above a whisper "Still can't find a way to give my daughter back?" he asked again before he scoffed "Fuckin' figures…Promises from Rhea always mean nothing horse shit…"

Byleth tilted her head ever so slightly "...You need to stop drinking because I always have to pay for it." she reminded him, Jeralt froze for a brief moment.

"...What did you say?"

"There was that time in Beckton." Byleth recounted, still giving Jeralt her almost trademark blank expression and equally toneless voice despite the troubling nature of what she was speaking of "You spent nearly six hours in the tavern Me and Hagan had to carry you out…then you threw up on his boots."

Jeralt slowly raised his head up, gradually turning it to face Byleth with an expression that bordered on hopeful.

"That cost nearly sixty gold coins." Byleth pointed out "Then there was the incident in Bamburgh. You punched out the innkeeper's son."

"He was being a wiseass." Jeralt retorted swiftly, his lip curving upwards and chuckling lightly "Saying how we weren't worth the price that was paid."

"You still punched him." Byleth bluntly retorted "...That was two hundred gold."

"Heh." Jeralt snorted "Most expensive punch I ever threw…still worth it though." His laughter died down as he looked Byleth up and down, gazing into her almost lifeless eyes for a few moments before he released a breathless wheeze "...I'd recognise that vacant look anywhere…" he sniffled, raising his forearm up and wiping down his face.

Byleth's eyes lingered on the trail of snot that came away, clinging to his sleeve, before they darted back to his face. "How much am I having to pay for this time?"

Jeralt choked back a laugh "G-geeze kid…give an old man a break, eh?" his lip wobbled slightly before he coughed into his fist and steeled his expression as best he could "And I'm paying for it this time."

"...Really."

"Yes."

"...I see."

"Don't get wise with me now." Jeralt jabbed a finger at her which shook for several seconds before he lowered his arm back onto the table "S-so…" his voice stuttered at the start which seemed to annoy him if the slight grimace was any indication "You're um…you're back?" he nodded to the hair "Well…you've got your mothers hair now though so…" he sniffled once again "There's that."

Byleth slowly raised her left hand towards her head and grabbed a locke of her bangs before pulling it down in front of her eyes. "...I do. Don't I?" she muttered under her breath, recalling the woman she had seen in Abyss within the glass coffin. Though her hair colour was slightly darker than Byleth's own, it was still green to some extent much like Rhea, Seteth's and Flayn's.

There was probably a reason for that, Rhea seemed to have some history with Sitri-

…Her mother.

The name was difficult to fully attribute to her mother when the individual who claimed to be the original had gone on a rather brutal rampage across the Monastery.

"...It's bright." Byleth remarked simply, letting go of her hair and brushing it back where it had come from before refocusing on her father. "Will make sneaking a bit more difficult."

Jeralt paused for a moment to consider her words before he nodded his head "Probably." he then squinted at her "...I think your eyes glow a little too." he grunted, frowning and leaning back into his chair "Maybe you can trick someone into thinking you're a wolf." he chuckled "Their eyes glow in moonlight too."

"...Hmmm." Byleth considered it "I could practise howling."

"Heh…sure you could, kid." Jeralt grunted back with a half smile before it gradually faded away "...So…"

"...Rhea said she would give me answers about…" She pointed towards her head and then towards her heart.

"Really now." Jeralt responded in a dubious tone of voice, his previous at ease expression gradually vanishing in favour of a more incredulous one "Did she say that she would give you the truth?"

Byleth nodded.

"Huh…well…" He shrugged his shoulders and looked off to the side "I guess there's a first for everything." he sighed "Then again, this week has been one surprise after another. What's one more?"

Byleth remained silent for a moment before she leaned forwards, resting her arms on the table. "Are you well?"

Jeralt remained silent for a moment before he huffed "I'm fine, kid."

He was rewarded with a blank stare, although there was a flash of something through her eyes which virtually screamed incredulity before it vanished.

"...Alright." Jeralt closed his eyes and waved a hand at her "I'm fine now. Happy?"

A continued blank stare "...Mmmhmm." Byleth nodded once, as content as she was likely going to be in regards to getting information on her fathers wellbeing. They had never been close like that. It wasn't like they didn't speak but emotional connections weren't the strong suit of either of them.

"So…" Jeralt drummed his fingers on the table before nodding to Byleth "...You've got…um…" he coughed once "A voice in your head?" he squinted at her, shifting in his seat and leaning forwards slightly "What…er…what's that…like?"

"...She talks a lot." Byleth dryly replied, her lip shifted ever so slightly into a miniscule frown "She also says I have problems talking with the children."

Jeralt stared back at her in silence before he slowly directed his gaze down to the table "...Well. I haven't seen you teaching any lessons so I don't know about that. Honestly, you being a Professor to a bunch of brats came as a pretty big surprise to me as well. They're still kicking so I guess you taught them pretty well, right?"

Byleth nodded back "Combat class is easier."

That earned an amused huff from Jeralt, followed by a knowing look "I figured that would be the case, although I don't see many of those noble kids taking after your style of fighting." he remarked with a nod of the head "They're more for that sort of 'honour' in a fight than anything else."

"...They're learning."

"Really? Well…as long as you don't hate the job." He paused for a moment before furrowing his brows "You don't, right?"

"...No. I don't." Byleth replied "It's strange. Sometimes it's difficult…but it isn't bad."

Jeralt's features imperceptibly softened at her words "That so?" he cleared his throat loudly "So…the voice? I spoke with her-"

"I know."

"...You know? She tell you?"

"I was there."

"...You were?" Jeralt blinked several times before he let out a low groan and reached up to palm his face "Why can't I go back to just killing things for a living?" he asked quietly before the hand fell off his forehead and thudded against the table, his eyes half-lidded "I'm gonna need another drink-"

"No."

"...Huh?"

"No drink." The frown grew ever so slightly "You have responsibilities. Also you'll be drunk."

"So? I've been drunk before." Jeralt argued back "What's the big deal this time?"

"We didn't stay for long after you were drunk." Byleth responded without a moment of hesitation, striking Jeralt's heart with pinpoint accuracy "You work here."

"...Tch." Jeralt clicked his tongue, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into his seat before looking away in a huff. "Figured having you in a school for so long would make you responsible." he paused for a moment and slowly shifted his attention back to her "So…the voice still there?"

"She's gone to sleep." Byleth replied easily "She didn't want to eavesdrop."

"Great…a polite head thing." Jeralt cheered with an utterly dry tone of voice that even a desert would be envious of "How long has she been there?"

"Remire."

"R-Remi-!?" Jeralt coughed loudly, staring at Byleth with wide eyes "What in the heck kid?! You're just telling me this now?! That was months ago!"

Byleth nodded her head.

"Wha-" Jeralt paused, raising his hands to cover his face once again "Not like you can just slip 'I have a voice in my head' into conversations without sounding crazy, can you?" he groaned loudly "Especially not if you say 'the Goddess is talking to me' because that sounds like insane blasphemy."

"...I don't know about that last part." Byleth offered with a shrug of the shoulders before she continued on "But Goetia knew-"

"That's just fuck-" Jeralt growled again, then lowered his hands onto the table "Rhea knows, you know and he knows? Does everyone except me know something then?" he squinted at her "And how did he know? Did you tell him?"

"He can see her." Byleth replied casually, tilting her head ever so slightly "It was not as though I could conceal her existence. But I didn't know she was a Goddess until recently."

Jeralt sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah…Sothis ain't exactly the name they bring up very often when talking about the Goddess." another sigh "Not that I think you have got the Goddess in your head but you've definitely got something in there…"

Byleth was just about to open her mouth to provide validity to her claims before Sothis' voice echoed through her head.

"I would not recommend telling him of my authority over time."

"Why not?" A beat "And you said you wouldn't interrupt."

"I had every intention of not doing so." Sothis placated before continuing on "However, that was before I became a direct topic of conversation, as for my first point it is because it would prove my existence without a shadow of a doubt to a man who clearly has problems with the Monastery we reside within." Sothis pointed out "And him believing me to be strange figment brought about by Rhea is preferable - at least for the moment - to him knowing that the Goddess of all Fodlan is currently residing within your head."

"...He would get stressed."

"Most likely." Sothis agreed "However, it is your choice. This is your body, I am nothing more than a passenger. You may speak of me if you wish but the consequences shall be yours to face."

"...She just sits in my head and tells me things." Byleth replied with a light shrug of the shoulders "She's probably older than me." Neither of those were a lie.

"...You said Rhea was going to tell you the truth, right?" Jeralt asked as he lowered his hands "I'm coming with you when that happens."

"Okay."

He paused for a moment. "Also I'm gonna find that Goetia guy and debate whether or not I should punch him in the face."

"...Why?"

Jeralt remained silent for a moment before he continued on "If you're ever a parent, you'll understand why you'd get pissed at some random stranger keeping secrets from you about their kid which have such…troubling implications." he paused for a moment before he made a noise of understanding "It might explain why Rhea didn't seem to like him all that much though…" he pondered as he scratched his chin.

Byleth blinked "You noticed that as well?"

"Rhea is…" Jeralt made a strained expression for a moment "She's…she means well. Don't get me wrong about that but she…" he rubbed his forehead "Rhea likes her secrets and she likes to make sure everything is running smoothly…" he raised his hands "Don't mistake anything she does for actively malicious but sometimes it just doesn't work out how she wants it to go…I spent enough years near her to understand how she thinks…more or less."

"...Do you not trust her?"

"Rhea?" Jeralt blinked then grimaced slightly "...That's a difficult question to answer kid and my experience with her has been a lot different from yours." he frowned again "Though right now? I'd say not…not as much as I once did."

Byleth hummed in response, her eyes flicking to the side as she internally compartmentalised this new information.

"He speaks as though he has known Rhea for a considerable length of time…and if we have heard correctly, he was captain of the knights before he suddenly departed without warning. That does not exactly bode well for Rhea's character but despite that it is only more recent events which seem to have shaken his trust in her." Sothis commented from within Byleth. "I wonder what brought about his original departure? Though I suspect we might learn that soon enough…for now, I would recommend waiting until your progenitor is more…sober."

"I normally do." Byleth responded back, outwardly staring at her father with her usual blank expression "He will be fine though. He always is."

"Though you might intend for those words to be a comfort, I do not believe they truly are."

The blacksmith sighed loudly as he looked between the two younger children "I don't know what you're expecting me to tell you." he grumbled as he set down the bag of metal near his forge and walked back towards the front of the shop "He came in here not long ago, yeah, but that was to pick something up."

Flayn thinned her lips before she pressured further "What did he have you construct?"

"No idea." The man replied with a shrug of the shoulders and slightly puzzled expression "Some weird bronze tube with wooden poles attached to it which served as legs." he offered as way of an explanation "Didn't say much else." he paused for a moment before he chuckled "Wish more of my customers were so straight forwards."

Flayn frowned before looking at Lysithea "A tube with legs? I confess that I have never heard of such a thing before…"

Lysithea shook her head "I know nothing of such a thing either. Teacher is from a distant land so perhaps it is a creation of his own people?" she offered before turning back to the blacksmith "You said he appeared some hours ago?"

The smith nodded "Offered the second half of his payment as well. Just came up to me, took what I asked for and paid for it." he leaned forwards, resting his hands on the countertop "You want someone else to ask, go find Anna. She's been looking for him and askin' about if anyone has seen him as well."

That got double takes from the two of them "Anna?" Flayn blinked several times "I am not sure I am familiar with-"

"A large scale merchant family." Lysithea hastily explained to the green haired girl "They have influence all across Fodlan, most rumours are that it is a family run business with the siblings being identical to one another."

"Oh!" Flayn blinked "Twins?"

"Eeeeeh…" The smith made a noise and gave her a strained smile "Try…um…what do you call a dozen children who look the same?" his eyes darted between the two of them with clear confusion "Because I haven't got a damn clue."

"I…um…I do not know that…" Flayn tilted her head and made a face that showed her clear inability to process the sentence "What exactly do…how is that even…"

"It is best not to question it." Lysithea waved her hand before staring at the smith "Why would a merchant be seeking him out?"

"She wouldn't say." The man shrugged "All she was doing was asking around to see if anyone had seen him and if they had, if they could point him in her direction. Apparently she even promised to consider a small discount if they did." he snorted "Then again, I use the word consider loosely."

Lysithea and Flayn looked to one another "So he made deals with merchants like Anna as well?" the former hummed quietly, tapping her chin "Why would Teacher do that and why would Anna be willing to find him once again…"

"Perhaps he made a deal with her?" Flayn offered, prompting an incredulous look from Lysithea "It is certainly possible. If Goetia is from a far off land, then perhaps he knows how to make certain exotic goods that would be of interest to a merchant, especially one with far reaching influence."

"...That is a logical assumption to make." Lysithea slowly nodded her head, a look of understanding dawning upon her "And if she is desperate to find him again that she would admit to consider a discount…"

"Is that truly the most important piece of information?"

"The Anna family is infamous for locking their prices." Lysithea replied "I do not believe I have ever heard of them offering discounts for their wares before. Which means that Teacher must have offered her something exemplary." A brief smile came to her face, "Which is to be expected of Teacher."

"Then we should seek out this Anna and ask why she is currently looking for him." Flayn asserted with a nod of the head before she turned on her heel and walked away from the stall "Come! The game is afoot, Lysithea!"

"This is hardly a game!" Lysithea called after her as she swiftly made to follow "This is very concerning."

"I know that, but I am starting to see why Claude enjoys mysteries so much." She admitted with a light giggle "There is something appealing about slowly uncovering the bigger picture."

Lysithea made a face at the back of the young girl "At least temper yourself, the last thing this Monastery requires is another Von Reigan running around it."

"I said I enjoyed mysteries, I did not say I was becoming unhealthily obsessed with them."

The red head looked between the two people in front of her, eyes narrowed ever so slightly and arms crossed. "So…you have information about a certain someone you think I might be interested in meeting, do you?" she inclined her head back "And how am I to believe you?"

"He is my Teacher." Lysithea responded back with an air of confidence "And you aren't the only ones looking for him-"

"Ah, so you don't actually know where he is then." Anna cottoned on instantly, nodding her head slowly and giving the pair a faint sigh "That's unfortunate but oh well." she then stepped forwards and smiled at them with her usual practised grin "So, what are you interested in purchasing today?"

Flayn raised her hand "Did Goetia do something to make you interested in him?"

"Confidential information." Anna responded back swiftly "Between me and him. Can't let everyone know what we talked about."

Lysithea thinned her lips "In that case…did Teacher deal with you in any other way?"

Anna looked between the two curiously for a moment before curling her fingers and examining her finger nails. "He might have…It was a little over a week ago so perhaps I might be misremembering…"

"Really?" Flayn blinked and tilted her head "Are you suffering from headaches? Goetia does not seem to be the sort of person that you would forget quickly. He has a rather distinctive appearance-"

"She meant…nevermind." Lysithea sighed and crossed her arms "You want something for this information, don't you?" she looked her up and down "Money?"

"Money?" Anna pursed her lips "Nope." she smiled again "Not money…see, you can find him and then bring him here." she paused for a moment before turning and gesturing to her wares "However, I might be more inclined to tell you if you made a purchase as well. It's not like I can go around telling everyone what my customers are purchasing, there is such a thing as professional courtesy."

She paused for a moment before stepping back and sorting through the draws and shelves behind her before pulling something out "Might I recommend these latest in glasses lenses?" she looked between the pair and continued on "They are quite popular nowadays…even with the most unusual characters." she winked at the pair.

Lysithea stared at her for a few moments before her eyes widened ever so slightly "...I see." she wet her lips before stepping back "No…thank you, I believe I have just remembered something else."

"Well, that's disappointing. But be sure to tell your friends to come and visit us." Anna responded back with a casual smile "Really. Tell them. I'll be a little annoyed if you don't."

"Huh?" Flayn looked to Lysithea and blinked "But we have not-"

"Yes, we have." Lysithea whispered to her as she dragged her away "Teacher came here and purchased glasses lenses before he made a deal with Anna in regards to something." she informed the girl.

Flayn gave a puzzled look "But…Goetia does not wear glasses?"

"I know." Lysithea nodded her head, cupping her chin "Yet he bought them all the same…which means he needed them for something and combined with the tube with legs we have…" her expression went blank and her arms dropped to her side "...A tube with glass." she paused for a moment "And some legs."

"...I cannot make sense of this."

"Me neither…" Lysithea growled ever so slightly "This has been a near complete waste of time and I might have just gotten into a debt with a merchant…" she sighed, reaching up and rubbing her forehead "This is just…" she turned around and looked up, watching as the sun was already starting to set and the sky was gradually starting to darken. "It will be night soon and we have made no progress!"

Flayn looked to Lysithea with some concern "While that might be true, there is no reason to get frustrated about this. It will make it difficult to think on the topic further." she lowered her hands to her side "Our next suggestion was to check his room, was it not?"

Lysithea exhaled before she slowly nodded her head "It was…"

"Then we should make haste while there is still some light left." Flayn exclaimed with clear determination "I am not one to end the search so soon and I am certain you are not either."

"No…I am not."

"Excellent. Then we should continue forwards."

"It's going to be dark soon."

"I know."

"And yet you remain here." Solomon tilted his head at Goetia, leaning back in the simple wooden chair he rested upon "Why is that?"

"Use your eyes and answer that question for yourself." Goetia responded back easily, staring out across the horizon and watching the sky turn to a faint orange hue as the sun fell lower and lower through the ground.

"Hmmm." Solomon merely hummed in response, giving no further comment as he shifted his attention towards the sunset as well. "You were distracted as you set up the bounded field. Even as a simple one, there are some glaring holes in it that could be exploited by someone truly determined."

"Be silent." Goetia snapped back, glaring at the man from the corner of his eye "You offer nothing but hollow comments, although that is to be expected from you is it not."

Solomon fell silent once again, maintaining that infuriating look of calmness upon his face. How Goetia loathed that expression, it never changed no matter what the King witnessed.

The triumphs of his Kingdom? A thin smile.

Wars? A thin smile.

Famine? A thin smile.

Sufferings of the future? A thin smile.

Never once showing a hint of emotion, nor even a single moment that he held any investment in the humans he claimed to rule over. What was the point of a King who cared nothing for his subjects, neither their successes nor their failings. Their health nor their death. Solomon could have been replaced by a statue and it would have fulfilled the exact same role.

No…a statue wouldn't have infuriated Goetia as much.

A statue had not the ability to act, Solomon did and with all his power he did nothing.

That stupid thin smile.

Goetia curled his lip at the man and looked away in disgust.

"Does my face trouble you that much?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Then why did you take it?"

"Because I am you." Goetia sneered back "No matter what you say, I became you the moment I was summoned and you knew that. You know how Daemon summonings work…the other Demon Gods might have been granted names and titles but I was afforded no such luxury." he scoffed "I named myself after the spell you used to create me…us."

He turned away in a huff "...Why do you even remain here?"

"That should be my question." Solomon countered as he stared out towards the sun before he slowly turned his eyes towards the sky "Why are you here? We both know your intention. I simply wish to know why?"

"...Because it can be useful information." Goetia responded with "Spellcraft related to the stars is more effective if one properly understands the constellations. With the sky still being thought of as 'The Heavens' within this texture it will grant me a greater degree of control over them."

"I see." Solomon nodded his head slowly "And what would you do with this knowledge of the stars?"

"..."

"Do you even know?" Solomon asked, turning to face Goetia once again "...Why did you truly come out to this place? Was it because you wanted to learn of the stars or was it something else-"

"What does this information do to benefit you?" Goetia hissed "What does it serve for you to try and understand me now? What do you seek to understand? What is…what is the point of you being here? Now?"

"Are you afraid of the questions they would ask you, or are you afraid they might thank you for saving their lives?" Solomon continued onwards, virtually ignoring Goetia's questions "After all you have done, you could say you are invested now so what is it you fear…"

Goetia's eyes flashed red, Solomon vanished.

He scowled at the spot where Solomon had been before he looked back towards the sunset.

"Forever the coward, Solomon."

"Teacher?"

Goetia froze, his head slowly turning until he was looking over his shoulder.

Flayn and Lysithea were staring at him with clear surprise, both of them still on the path and looking just as shocked to see him as he clearly was to see them.

AN: Solomon did say you made some mistakes, Goetia…

How embarrassing.

Anyway…

Omake: Seteth and the not good, very bad, day.

Some days were more stressful than others for Seteth, this was one such day that was truly testing the upper limits of his capacity for being able to remain calm and composed.

"...Mash, you have to explain it better than that!"

"But you're a Servant as well, Da Vinci? Isn't that how it's explained?"

Da Vinci made a strangled noise while Seteth closed his eyes and seemed to deflate, his body looking as though it had thoroughly lost its will to carry on.

The green haired man slowly rose to his feet, his arms by his side as he turned towards the door of the room and made his way towards it at a rather slow pace. "If you will excuse me I need to…" he paused for a moment, considering whether or not he could be brutally honest.

No. He didn't need to.

There wasn't reason enough to be rude to these people. He knew that some cultures were just radically different to his own. At least, he assumed as much.

"...I'm just going for a walk." He replied to the pair before disappearing out of the door, the last thing he heard was the sound of Da Vinci's hand slapping her face with a resounding thud.

Closing the door to one of the spare rooms behind him, he closed his eyes once again and exhaled before shaking his head and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Nobbu!" One of the small creatures cried out as it ran past him, sprinting up the length of the walkway and towards the pond. Seteth dumbly stared at it for a few moments before turning in the direction he had seen it running from.

Sure enough, half a dozen people came pouring out of the green house and looking around for a few moments before they caught sight of the creature.

"There it is!" A man in a white shirt underneath a black leather cape with an inner red lining pointed at it, levelling a sabre towards the creature before his face split into a ferocious scowl "Shinsengumi, charge!" he all but roared at the top of his lungs before he raced after it.

He was soon followed by Dimitri armed with a spear and his own face split into a fierce scowl "Kill every last one of them!" his own disturbing thoughts flowed out with a disturbingly natural ease as he took off after the older man.

Then came the young girl with long black hair and an officer outfit that just looked like a larger version of the small creatures, she was flanked by Claude who looked mildly offput by the actions of the first two before looking to the younger girl "Is this normal?"

"From Hijikata? Yeah. From the blonde guy? Never seen him before." She shrugged, "So I can't tell you."

A platinum blonde in a thin blue coat came to a stop besides them "We should hurry after them before they cause any sort of damage-"

"Hey, Seteth." Claude took notice of the green haired man blankly staring at them and waved "Umm…don't worry! We got the situation completely under control!"

A sound like thunder roared in the distance, jolting Seteth and causing everyone to turn in the direction of the sound.

"...Oh dear." The platinum blonde remarked with a slight wince "Hijikata-san…" she muttered before vanishing in a blur of movement and chasing off in the direction of the sound.

"Well, that's gonna be nothing but trouble." The dark haired girl remarked before throwing back her head and giving a boisterous laugh "Wahahaha! It can't be helped!"

Claude turned to Seteth and gave him a half shrug "Trust me, it really can't." the boy spoke before following after the visitors.

The continued sound of thunder followed by screams was not something that calmed Seteth down in the least. Rather, he just found himself feeling more and more stressed.

"...Where's Flayn?" He asked himself as he looked around for a few moments before he walked on "Has anyone seen Flayn?"

He could always rely on Flayn to calm his mind.

Flayn was in her room, as he expected her to be.

She just unfortunately wasn't as alone as he hoped she would have been. Her choice of company was also rather dubious.

Red eyes stared down at him.

Seteth stared back with a blank expression, then turned towards Flayn.

"...I give up." Seteth shrugged, turning around and walking back towards the door and throwing it open. "You're all on your own. I give up."

"Father, please." Flayn called out to him "I am just doing my best to help him-"

Seteth raised his hands to stop her and continued to walk outside and then reached for the door once again. "I give up." He repeated "I'm going for a nap and if anyone needs me, anyone at all…tell them I'm gone. Tell them I feld or that I pulled a Jeralt or better yet, tell them I'm dead." he added on "Just tell them to leave me alone-"

"You appear stressed, Phantasmal." The pink meat pillar rumbled as it stared at him, its tone containing what he could have almost mistaken to be concern. "Perhaps you should calm yourself with some herbal tea, humans believe the chemical mixture to have a calming effect on their minds."

Seteth raised a single finger "I'm not going to drink tea. I'm going to leave and seek out isolation once again. Goodbye." he shut the door behind him, then turned to stare at the Monastery once again.

A beam of pure light punched straight through the church itself in the distance, located directly where the library would have been.

Seteth rubbed his face with both hands.

"...I should ask for a raise." He quietly muttered "No…I should demand a raise."