Chapter 69: It wasn't that nice.
"I am simply pleased beyond words to finally be out of that dreadful sunlight." The words of Constance went in one side of Goetia's head and out of the other, while he could more or less tell that Harold was paying attention to her words, he himself didn't much care for her language one way or the other.
"Every time I step outside, I consistently end up embarrassing myself and turn from a proud noble to little more than a court jester!" She exclaimed, her arms crossed over her chest and a frustrated scowl upon her face "This is why I much prefer Abyss, even with all the…issues it possesses."
"You refer to the rampant disease, poor standard of living and infrequent supplies?" Goetia mindlessly listed off as they proceeded down the halls, his eyes not upon the women and scanning their environment listlessly.
Constance stopped walking and whirled around, pointing at Goetia "Though Abyss may indeed be a squalid place to live and aesthetically revolting, that does not mean that the heart and soul of this place must be overlooked!" she countered, her lips curling up into an almost smug grin "If looks were everything, then even I would find it difficult to separate myself from the litany of other nobles." she pointed at her head "It is why I refine my mind to stand well above my peers."
"Lysithea is still your better then." He spoke without really meaning to, the wind thoroughly taken from the girls sails, opting to level a somewhat annoyed glare at Goetia as she opened up her mouth once again to speak.
She did not get far, Harold stepping up and moving between the two of them with his hands raised "Goetia is just very proud of his student is all, Lady Nuvelle." he defended the man with an earnest tone "I'm sure you know about how proud some Professors can be of their star pupils is all."
Constance stared at the gatekeeper for a few moments before she looked past him towards Goetia, her lip curled upwards in a knowing fashion and then she leaned back, moving her hand to cover her mouth as she let out a somewhat boisterous laugh "Ohohohoho! To think that it was merely a case of bragging to me about your own student? Are you so threatened by my success that you need to defend her status against all rivals? Ohohohoho!"
That wasn't it at all, his eyes narrowed slightly the longer she went on. The fact she even thought she could match Lysithea at all was beginning to get slightly insulting to his own skill as well. She had him as a tutor, perhaps she had not been as well educated as she could have been in recent weeks - mainly due to the circumstances - but he had now doubt that she had been continually practising the spells he had taught her again and again in her own spare time.
The mere fact this disgraced tramp thought she could somehow prove herself to be a serious contender against his student of all things was-
Why was he getting angry over this in the first place?
It was a completely nonsensical point to even make, the girl was not Lysithea's equal and that was a basic fact. An emotional response to her delusional claims was a foolish thing to do. Hardly worth getting angry over in the least, or at the very least frustrated about. Let the girl have her petty delusions if that was what she felt was necessary to support her own fantasy.
He was magnanimous enough to allow this human fool a sliver of their false reality, it would inevitably come crashing down when they understood the difference in skill and power between herself and Lysithea. He didn't need to do anything at all.
Constance Laughter was drowned out as his eyes clouded over, his mind wandering elsewhere as he realised he was still thinking about Lysithea. Flayn's words nagged in the back of his mind, cropping up again and again with the question of why he did not want to reveal this side of him to Lysithea.
The answer was obvious and yet it didn't feel complete.
He was her teacher, he had to maintain a clear image of authority and superiority over her so that she understood he was her better. It was necessary for a student to understand that the teacher was better than them, that way there was always a target to learn from and motivate them to reach in the belief they would one day surpass the teacher.
Not that Lysithea would ever be his better and they probably both knew it, but it did not detract from her motivation in the least. Rather than that, she seemed more resigned to understanding that he was always going to be her superior even in magical matters, likely brought on by the fact she knew there wasn't enough time left for her to actually reach her true potential.
…
His chest tightened, his heart felt like it was going to stop beating and he felt his lip curl at the side.
Why did he have to think of that now?
His thoughts were muddied, clouded and unorganised. He needed to compose himself swiftly to maintain what little image he had left. Neither Harold nor the Nuvelle girl knew anything about his…lapse in emotional control, so there was no need to further embarrass himself and reveal a present weakness.
"Hm?" He grunted, blinking once and refocusing on Harold as the man waved in his face with a slightly concerned look upon his features, they brightened as he noticed Goetia respond to his movements.
"Ah, sorry about that." Harold apologised as he retracted the hand back to his side, "You looked like you were spacing out there and I just wanted to check to see if everything was fine."
"...I am physically well." Goetia responded with dully "I was merely concerned with my attention with distractions. I have dismissed them now, was there some matter that required my full attention?"
Harold blinked once, then turned to the side and resumed walking to follow after Constance, Goetia keeping pace with the knight with relative ease. "Nothing like that, I was just wondering how you were doing?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Yeah…" Harold awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck "When I heard about you being in the care of the Archbishop I got really worried, then they said that you weren't allowed visitors and…" he sighed, lowering the hand back to his side "I just got a little scared about you is all."
Goetia was staring at the Knight with slightly wide eyes "You were…concerned for my well being?"
"You say that like it's strange for someone to be worried about their friend." Harold remarked wryly, then waved his hand when it looked like Goetia was getting ready to respond to him "I don't know if you think of us as friends, but I do." he tapped on his breastplate, the action producing a faint metallic noise "So I worry about you just as any friend would. I was really happy to hear about your recovery and all that, however…I was also a little surprised to see you up and about, helping out with the repairs to the Monastery personally too."
Goetia didn't respond, maintaining an odd look upon the knight before he rolled his jaw and sharply turned his head to the side in order to avoid looking at him, instead focusing on the back of Constance as they continued their journey through the hallways of Abyss.
"Anyway, I actually have something to report!" Harold exclaimed, smiling widely and pointing to himself "I got promoted."
"Congratulations." Goetia responded on instinct, then closed his eyes as he heard a sharp gasp from the knight at his side.
"Thank you!" The man gushed "I mean…I think it was only because most of the higher ups got killed during the battle and they needed people to immediately fill in the ranks…" Harold mumbled, scratching his cheek "Then there was the problem that none of my subordinates can seem to remember my name so they just call me Sergeant, but I'm used to that sort of thing by now so it's fine."
"Are you content with that?" Goetia asked, the words slipping out from his mouth easily as he latched onto the change in topic as a fish would latch onto a hook. "It could very easily be considered a form of disrespect to be treated as such."
"Really?" Harold asked, then hummed for a few moments "I guess, but they aren't doing it on purpose. It's always been a little bit of a problem for some people…I'm not all that memorable so them not remembering me isn't something I'm bothered by all that much."
"How simple."
"Isn't it?" Harold smiled "Way I see it, treat people how you want to be treated. I'd want a big smile and a friendly greeting wherever I go so that's what I do. I even make sure to remember the names of everyone who introduces themselves to me." he shrugged "I run into a couple of issues every now and again, but for the most part it works out pretty well." he paused before he snickered "Though there were one or two people who got spooked by a guard they thought they'd never met suddenly knowing their name."
"Hmmmm."
"Anyway." Harold coughed into his hand "Thanks for agreeing to come down here, by the way." the knight nodded to him with genuine gratitude, it made the sickening feeling in Goetia only grow larger by the second. "Things around Abyss have been a little hectic this last week and I know it really means a lot to everyone that you're coming down here to comfort them."
Goetia was silent for a moment, still staring at the back of Constance as he considered something. The 'Ashen Wolves' had been present for his conversation with Sitri and Rhea, which likely meant they had overheard some things that might appear somewhat odd when missing the proper context.
Adding onto this was the fact that they had lost the man they considered to be their true leader and had him replaced with someone who had been one of his own subordinates at one point in time. More than a subordinate. Someone who had been an important aspect of his own existence.
"And they require questions answered?"
"That's what they said." Harold dutifully replied to Goetia's question as the pair continued their walk "Although they didn't actually say what it was that was so important, they just said they needed to talk with you as soon as they were sure you were up." he paused for a moment "At least that is what Lady Nuvelle told me."
"You were in contact with her?"
For whatever reason, the blood seemed to rush to Harold's face and lightly colour his cheeks with a faint red. The knight coughed into his hand, his eyes flickering over to Goetia for a few moments and then back to Constance. "W-well, the people of Abyss said if they had to have someone from the Church hanging around they would rather it be someone they met before so I got suggested for the role of liaison…"
"Liaison to Abyss." Goetia flatly remarked "Do you not have no experience with diplomacy?"
"None at all." Harold shamelessly admitted with a nod of the head "I was a little surprised but the Ashen Wolves said that it was better to have my face around because at least they already knew me and it was better than having to get used to more than one Church…um, I don't think I should repeat the rest of that comment." he suddenly realised, turning more ashamed.
"I don't think that Lady Hapi would live up to her namesake if she found out I was talking about her behind her make." Raising his hands, he waved them slightly "Besides, I'm sure she's just had some bad experiences is all…I just need to show her that not everyone she meets is going to be a bad guy!"
"Prejudice is well built and hard to remove." Goetia bluntly responded as they continued their walk, opening his eyes once again and straightening his lips into a line. "It would be simpler to convince her that you are the exception as opposed to the rule."
"That…" Harold trailed off, raising his hand to make a point before he frowned lightly "I don't think it's good to think like that, that way you're always going to be judging people before you meet them." shrugging, the man turned away and faced ahead once more. "If you did that, then all anyone would think when they looked at somewhere like Abyss was that it was a sort of dirty place full of nasty looking people."
Goetia could very easily say that was exactly what Abyss was, a sleazy camp hidden underground full of criminals, societal rejects and heathens. Then again, they all fell into the category of just being 'humans' in his own eyes. The people of Abyss were nothing special and one could likely find the exact same type of people above ground as well.
"Hmph." Goetia grunted in response "That is merely how it works. You can hold onto this optimistic viewpoint of yours all you wish, but that does not change my own stance on the matter."
"You really judge everyone before you meet them?"
"I judge all humanity equally." Goetia replied back casually, an unpleasant frown working its way onto his face "My expectations are already low, so I never find myself truly disappointed. Vexed by continued stupidity, but never disappointed. Like how you are never truly surprised by a child doing a completely foolish act, it is wholly expected of them to do so."
The knight blinked several times before he tilted his head "That is a very strange way of looking at things. I guess the good news is that if you're never disappointed, that means whenever you're pleasantly surprised, it's always a really big deal!"
"That is…" He found that the words he wanted to say didn't emerge in the least, instead he just felt a wave of exhaustion overtake him for the second time that day. This turnabout of his statement mirrored that of the child earlier, although it was mildly less annoying as he hadn't been expecting a reaction from Harold. That being said, his words being turned on him so easily was something he wasn't enjoying in the least.
"Not technically incorrect." Goetia responded with, rolling his jaw and looking for some counter to that. "However, such things are rare to occur, so much so that they might never be said to occur at all. That is simply the case of-"
"Lysithea."
That was all Harold needed to say, Goetia's jaw snapped shut and his eyes quickly narrowed into pinpricks, whirling on the knight. Harold himself stepped back and raised his hands in surrender, although judging by the amused smile on his face, he didn't quite realise how close he actually was to danger, or knew he was in danger and didn't appreciate the value of his own life. Goetia didn't know which was worse.
"Sorry, sorry…" Harold hastily apologised, although he didn't look like he meant it in the least "But she's an exception, right? I think everyone in the Monastery knows how much time she spends around you. Also her calling you Teacher…" the knight made a vague gesture with his hands "You get along well enough, right?"
Goetia did not even seek to dignify that with a response, turning away from Harold and stomping on ahead until he was walking in step with Constance. The woman jolted in surprise from finding the man standing so close to her with a somewhat fierce expression on his face.
"You didn't say I was wrong!" Harold called out jogging towards them.
"I find your newfound confidence irritable." Goetia called back, still not turning to face the knight, Constance now looking between the two of them with no small amount of confusion. "And I am not discussing this subject further."
"You just don't want to admit she surprised you-"
"Harold."
"Okay." Harold quickly closed his mouth, nodding several times and awkwardly looking away from Goetia.
Abyss looked identical to how Goetia remembered it being up his last visit, and judging by the expressions on the people camped out at the side of halls and in some of the rooms, they clearly remembered him as well.
He wasn't surprised, he was a memorable figure.
There was one thing he noted though, some of the bedding he had last seen had a marked improvement in quality. Almost looking as though it was new, he hummed lightly at the sudden improvement, turning to see Constance not far up ahead and moving to catch up with her.
"You have been engaged with trading above ground?" He asked, Constance nodded her head in affirmation.
"With the Monastery in disrepair, there has been an influx in merchants looking to take advantage of the poor situation and sell their wares." She explained, her lip twitching upwards "It has served to benefit us as well, given that we now can trade more openly. The misfortune of the Church is once again, our own fortune."
"Hmmm." Goetia gave another hum "And Harold?"
"Harold has been perfectly adequate as a liaison between ourself and the Church." Constance informed him with a wave of the hand "Though there are some who are still holding onto their suspicion of the Church, his actions to help during the…events last week." she commented with a distant tone of voice, purposefully looking at him from the corner of her eye.
She likely wasn't going to openly mention it, but he could see a trace of anger in her vision. Whether that was directed at him or Sitri, he didn't quite know. He would be perfectly fine with it either way. Sitri was directly responsible for the deaths and actions of Aelfric and he was in part responsible because Sitri had been an aspect of him at one point in time.
"Harold has cemented himself as an individual proven to be somewhat reliable." Constance continued further on, looking away from Goetia and straight ahead as they approached the classroom, or storage area converted into a classroom. "Although it is more within the bounds of him being regarded as a 'good apple from a rotten bushel' or along those lines. Though Hapi at least seems to tolerate him, so that has gone far."
"Hmmmm." Goetia found himself pausing as he noted something "...And yourself?"
"Me?" Constance turned to him in surprise. "Well…He has demonstrated to be an upstanding individual and someone who will hold no prejudice upon meeting another." she placed her hands on her hips, then gave a smug smile "And he recognises my status as a Noble and speaks the title of lady with genuine respect as opposed to the mocking scorn of the less than polite crowds."
"...I see." He wasn't going to mention how she seemed to be the only one aside from him who could actually remember the man's face and name. It was likely something without any meaning from the very beginning. "Are the rest of your compatriots in there?"
"Of course." Constance nodded her head once "Though Yuri will want to speak with Harold first-" she turned around, then closed her eyes before shaking her head. "Harold. Do not bother the children, we have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Sorry, Lady Nuvelle!" Goetia looked over his shoulder, seeing the knight hand back the wooden stick to the young boy and jogging up to meet with the pair of them. The man gave a sheepish smile "You looked like you were talking about something important and Timothy had been asking me to give him some lessons on sword fencing…"
"You are teaching children how to swing swords?" Goetia raised an eyebrow, a look not quite shared by Constance.
"Well…He said he wanted to be big and strong like Balthus." Harold explained "I can't actually do all that good in fist fights so I just offered to teach him some basic sword moves instead." he beamed "He was happy with that so I just found a stick and went through the basics."
"You can entertain the children later." Constance scolded him, her brows furrowed slightly "And would the Church not have issue with you teaching youngsters of Abyss?"
"Well…there's nothing to stop him from learning by himself." Harold pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders, pointing back towards the direction of the dark haired child wielding the broomhandle like a greatsword "And at least I can teach him not to accidentally hurt someone."
"No." Goetia supported "Just purposefully hurt someone."
"Do not mock him." Constance defended, he hadn't even been aiming for mocking. He was making a statement of fact. "Besides, I am more concerned with how it might appear as though he is trying to indoctrinate some of the younger children into joining the Church." she turned back to the Knight "You forget your place here, some are already dubious of you and they will not so easily accept your explanation. Though I very much doubt you are truly capable of that level of falsehood."
"Oh…" Harold wilted slightly before sighing "I guess that makes sense."
"Good." Constance gave a 'hmph' sound at being vindicated "Then we might proceed onwards. Yuri wished to know how the acquisition of much needed supplies for Abyss was proceeding."
Harold made an 'o' face as he nodded his head "I can do that. I've actually got some good news for that part as well." he hurried past her, pointing ahead to the classroom "They're in there, right?"
"Well, yes but-"
"Okay."
Constance blinked several times as she watched the knight wander off without a care in the world, humming to himself. Then she turned to Goetia as if expecting him to have some sort of explanation for all of it, her only response was a grunt and as he resumed walking as well.
The pair of them followed the knight as he walked into the room, Yuri stood at the far end near the board engaged in a discussion with Hapi about something which they soon became privy too as they entered, not that the pair were making an effort to remain silent though.
"Inviting him here of all places?" Hapi crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at Yuri "Did you hit your head and forget everything that's happened so far?"
"I remember him almost being killed on the spot, yeah." Yuri nodded his head in response "I also remember telling you what Aelfric originally had planned in addition to that." he added on, exhaling and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose "Look I'm not going to pretend this situation is good in the least, we overheard some stuff that we would likely never meant to be hearing and the fact that knights haven't come down here to silence us is something I consider to be a miracle."
"You seem pretty calm about the knight we actively keep allowing to return to Abyss." Hapi remarked dryly, prompting Yuri to lower his hand and give her a dull look.
"Are you seriously telling me that you're actually intimidated by him?"
"No, obviously not him but it's the principle of the matter." Hapi pressured further "They can't be trusted to keep to themselves, especially after all we heard and all that's happened." she pointed up "They're saying that Demonic Beasts came up from the ground and attacked the Monastery itself, what lies directly beneath the Monastery and has been known to summon Demonic Beasts?"
"Hapi-"
"Me, Yuri-bird." Hapi finished before he could even get a word out "I do. That's all but asking some Church stooges to come all the way down here looking for a little payback. I'm an easy mark for them."
"And we'll handle it if it gets to that." Yuri raised his hand to cut her off gently "I'm not about to sell you all out-"
"You mean again?"
"...That was fair." Yuri lowered his hand "That was fair, I was going to do that…"
"For your mother…" Hapi grumbled quietly, rubbing her temples "That wasn't what I meant-"
"No, I was going to sell you out on the hope we would be rescued." Yuri admitted "But it doesn't change the fact that's what I was going to do." he then gave her a winning smile "Then again, I never claimed to be a nice enough guy. Besides…I like to think we're even now."
"What?" Hapi squinted at him, then watched as Yuri lazily turned his head in the direction of those who had just arrived.
"Because our little talk just got eavesdropped as well. Right?"
"Hmph." Goetia grunted in response. "It is your own fault for not being more spatially aware." he looked to Constance at his side, the woman looked rather surprised as well "Not that I assume this meeting was pre-planned, given her surprise."
Yuri blinked once, then shrugged his shoulders "Well, you can't really blame someone for trying to take advantage of it. Besides, it wasn't like we meant to overhear anything either." he waved a hand at the man "You just started blabbing about it without a care in the world…well you and the Archbishop."
His eyes flickered over to Harold and his head tilted "Still though, I wasn't expecting you to work this fast. I thought he would still be on bed rest for a while."
"Ah, Goetia woke up a little over a day ago." Harold dutifully explained with a nod of the head "He was actually helping out in the Monastery when I found him. Moving bricks and rubble around…really inspiring stuff." he then turned to the man in question "I forgot to say but a few of the knights started a rumour that you're a bastard child of the Faerghus royal family."
Goetia looked at Harold oddly "...Are they simpletons?"
Harold shrugged, then looked back at the Abyssian leader "Anyway, I talked to the merchants above ground on your behalf. They have agreed to the number of bedding supplies and for a regular supply of food…" he winced slightly "Provided you can afford to keep up payments."
Yuri nodded his head approvingly, looking undaunted by the news "I consider the fact they're even willing to trade with us in the first place as a win." he shrugged "Then again, we've only just been promoted from 'scary church story' to being an actual place in regards to wider Fodlan, so there's that…" moving his hand up, he frowned lightly "...Any news on what the Church plans to do with us?"
Harold froze on the spot "I…don't know…"
Chuckling, Yuri waved his hand "Don't worry, I wasn't actually expecting an answer from you in the first place. Lets face it, you're not that high up on the ladder of importance, are you?"
"Hehehe…not really."
"Well, it doesn't matter." Yuri groaned as he rolled his shoulders "We're all still pretty thankful you're going this far. Then again, you can understand that we're fully expecting the Church to back out of this agreement when it no longer suits them." he smiled widely "But hey, at least we'll get some proper food around here and we'll take what we can get." he looked around "We're all very grateful, aren't we?" then pointed at Hapi "See? Even she's grateful."
Hapi's scowl looked fiercer than normal, Harold leaning back when she turned her head upon him. She maintained the fierce look for a few moments before she seemed to look like she wanted to sigh, stopping herself at the last moment and instead releasing a low groan "...Yes, fine. As long as you're not feeding us poison, I won't complain about it. Besides, I feel better with Abyss paying for it rather than relying on Church handouts."
"All this talk of the Church aside." Constance coughed into her hand, bringing the attention of the room towards herself "Might I suggest we bring this conversation towards the direction it was initially aimed towards in the beginning?" she pointedly sent a glance towards Goetia and then back at Yuri.
Yuri sighed, nodding his head "Fair enough." he then looked at Harold and then to Goetia "...You okay with him being here?"
Goetia glanced at the man for a moment. He truthfully didn't care that Harold was present in the least for this discussion, considering it would likely bring up his own status as a being with inhuman origins. However, it was the fact Rhea's origins were also discussed and she had gone through painful lengths to keep them covered up.
In all likelihood, it was a secret she might kill for and it was only the presence of Byleth that kept her from doing just that. Well, he was just hypothesising at this point in time. What Rhea would or would not do did not matter to him in the least.
That being said…
"...It would be prudent to keep the flow of information contained." Goetia remarked as he turned away from Harold "I assume there is more that he can be doing?"
Yuri gave an approving hum "Keeping cards close to your chest, alright, alright. On that second note, yes there is." he turned to the knight "If you don't mind, Balthus was looking for areas we might be able to expand and build some better living accommodations with all the goods we might be ending up with in the future. Can I ask you to go with him so he doesn't get lost for two days?" he paused for a moment. "Again?"
Harold gave Goetia an odd glance that seemed almost measuring, then nodded once "...Alright. I can do that." his smile swiftly returned "Where abouts is he?"
"Just ask one of the people in the halls if they've seen Balthus and they'll point you in the right direction." He paused for a moment to consider something. "Actually, let them know that I sent you as well so that they don't think you're a bounty hunter or debt collector from the Church come knocking."
Harold paused for a moment, then raised a single finger "Would they actually think that?"
"Probably." Yuri nodded his head, giving the knight a sardonic smile "You don't get to live in Abyss because you're great friends with authority."
"Ah, right." Chuckling nervously, the knight bowed his head ever so slightly before he turned and ventured out of the room. Leaving the four alone to themselves, Goetia turning back around to face Yuri and raising a curious brow.
"You seem to place a great deal of trust in him to handle the acquisition of supplies." He commented, Yuri was thoughtful for a few seconds before he shrugged.
"Like I said, not as though we have much choice in who we can actually have helping us. Aelfric was our only ally in the Church and…" He trailed off, falling silent and giving Goetia a knowing expression "Well…we know how that ended up."
The other two in the room looked somewhat sullen at the mention of the Cardinal, their expressions turning grim.
Hapi in particular looked more than a little unwilling to broker upon the subject further - if at all - if her morose expression was any indication.
"I assume Sitri is the reason for my being here?" Goetia returned his attention to Yuri, giving the man a bland expression at the nod he received "And what does it relate to specifically?"
"...More or less the conversation you guys had which I am almost certain none of us were meant to hear." Yuri bluntly stated, losing his amused tone of voice and regarding the man in front of him with blatant wariness "And now I'm wondering where that leaves us or even Abyss in general. People don't normally like getting their secrets hung out in the open in front of, basically, strangers and the Archbishop didn't like us during the best of times."
Goetia grunted "I doubt Rhea has even considered you at all, her mind has been elsewhere…" he frowned slightly "That being said, she will likely recall what transpired at which point she…Hmmm. Killing you would be too blatant and would put her at odds with those she has a vested interest in."
None of those in the room looked comforted by the news in the least.
"And now that Abyss is more or less known about the Church it would be far more onerous a task to explain why an entire mass of knights went underground and even the explanation of 'disposing of criminals' would embarrass the Church on a national scale give the sheer quantity that has been hiding beneath the Monastery itself." He went on "Provided you do not actively flaunt the knowledge you are aware of…I suspect she will have no reason to pursue you."
He paused for a moment as he considered something "Alternatively, I could wipe your minds of the entire conversation that took place and implant false memories that you were unconscious during the conversation itself." he casually remarked as though it wasn't as impressive, or profoundly disturbing, as he was making it seem.
"You're not messing with my head!" Hapi all but hissed at him, his attention falling onto her as she stabbed a finger across the room towards him "I've had more than enough people messing with me in the past and I'm not gonna let you mess with me either." she maintained the angered glare, even as Goetia stared at her in a dull fashion.
Goetia broke contact first, his eyes flicking away and towards the ground with his head turning slightly "...The alternative is that I inform Rhea I did so and then you might discuss this amongst yourselves to your heart's content provided it is not brought up in her presence."
Yuri frowned slightly "...That's a generous thing for you to do." he hummed "And are you asking for something in return?"
"...I am merely clearing up my own mess." Goetia replied in a quiet voice "That is all I am doing…" he sighed, pointing towards himself "I don't care about my own part in the conversation…Though I will be displeased if that is similarly made gossip amongst the Clerics. They despise me enough as it is and if they learned I was some manner of heretic Demon that would affect me and all those I have been involved with, bringing their status into disrepute."
The violet haired boy huffed in response, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an amused eyebrow "Worried about the people around you?"
"Rampant paranoia about body snatchers is hardly the sort of debacle this continent needs." Goetia scoffed, "It affects not just my time but anyone I might wish to have dealings with in the future."
Hapi grunted "Hardly like anyone would believe us anyway. Most think Aelfric died in the initial surge of Demonic Beasts rather than…" she narrowed her eyes at him "And whose body are you stealing anyway?" she gave him a disgusted look "Whose family are you currently-"
"I made this body myself." Goetia scowled back at her, the first hints of annoyance flashing through his features. "I focused what remained of my magical energy and constructed this form." he pointed his left hand to his right stump, unveiling the patterned burn marks along his forearm as he did so "You think I would purposefully choose a body with as many physical flaws as this?"
Constance tilted her head curiously "If you made it…then why did they believe you to be someone else?" she cupped her chin, tilting her head slightly. That was a slight hole in Goetia's story.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye briefly "...Because I made it in the image of the one body I was intimately familiar with." he answered, although sounded more distasteful of it than anything else. "If there is nothing else you would have answered, then I will depart back to the surface. I do not care to spend another second here…"
Turning slightly, he paused and gave one final glance at the room "...Sitri was here for months parading around as Aelfric and never once thought to better his own living conditions?" he remarked, more to himself.
It was just insulting.
Even if they had despised Solomon and the state of humanity, they still ensured that the Kingdom they helped govern was still run with the greatest efficiency possible. Then again, Sitri claimed to despise humanity towards the end so perhaps it was their own fault that Abyss had seen no improvements.
As he made his way towards the exit, Goetia paused and glanced through the hallway.
His eyes sweeping over the many vagrants currently lying on the side or ragged people walking between rooms.
The smell of this festering place, the lack of care and the emaciation of the people.
It was disgusting.
He hadn't considered it until just now.
Abyss was everything he hated when he saw Humanity. Cruelty, disparity, suffering…
It was as if this place had been constructed with the very simple intention of mocking everything he had ever worked to correct. Staring at the faecal covered walls, the meagre rations of stale bread and the poorly constructed and maintained shelters that comprised this underground ghetto.
He inhaled and exhaled the longer he stared, tuning out all noise and allowing the world to fall into a dull silence. How had he overlooked this before?
No, it wasn't that he had overlooked it. It was that he hadn't cared in the least.
With the Chalice of Beginnings in play, he'd all but ignored what Abyss truly was in pursuit of the end goal in mind. Ignoring the suffering of humanity because it didn't affect him in the least. It wasn't even as though he was powerless to do anything about it, it was simply the case that he had just…
Just glanced over and dismissed it entirely.
It hadn't been relevant to him at all beyond what it could do for him.
It was just like…
He felt sick, his stomach churned and the back of his throat burned.
The longer he stared the more revolting the image became, both inside and outside.
Was this what it meant to become an observer like Solomon? Was this what he had been trying to do with his time?
He was still standing by the exit to the halls, looking left and right for a few moments before he closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath, looking over his shoulder and seeing that Yuri was giving him an odd expression.
"...You have an issue with supplies, do you not?" Goetia asked after a few moments, Yuri nodded and made to reply before Goetia cut him off. "Hmph." with a flick of his left hand, space before it ripped itself open to reveal the market square of the town at the base of the Monastery. Anyone who had been walking by at that moment stopped and stared at the window into the underground, Goetia walked through it without paying heed to the expressions and closed the rift behind him.
"...Well, that was odd." Yuri commented after a moment, then raised his eyebrow questioningly and looked around "Any guesses?"
"I do not quite know." Constance hummed, reaching up and cupping her chin is a ponderous way "However, it is gratifying to know that we shall likely avoid any repercussions for our unfortunate incident of overhearing secrets."
"I'm surprised you didn't want to try and exploit them, Yuri-bird." Hapi bluntly remarked, looking at the boy once more and earning a sputtering cough from him.
"Seriously?" He waved a hand in the direction Goetia was in "Try and blackmail him of all people? Or the Archbishop? I'm risky, I'm not suicidal."
Goetia wasn't sure what was spurring him onwards, maybe it was personal pride that Sitri had not made an effort despite having sympathised with Aelfric to try and better the living conditions of Abyss or perhaps it was his disgust for seeing humanity exist in that state.
Despite it all, it was eerily similar to what he had seen time and time again throughout history. The suffering of mankind which he had been forced to look at again and again without being able to turn his eyes from them.
Whatever it was that was sending him off with this sudden burst of emotion, he was grasping onto it tightly. Those feelings of revulsion as he actually saw Abyss - seemingly for the first time - refused to part from his body. They just would not leave him alone and the images kept playing back on repeat in his mind. He didn't care about it in the least, not truly.
Those were not the only people to suffer in that state, nor were they going to be the last to ever suffer. At least with those he hadn't seen them, he knew they existed because it was inevitable that they would. However, he hadn't seen them like he had done so with the people of Abyss. He hadn't seen them and most certainly hadn't dismissed their existence the moment he laid eyes upon them.
It was what he despised Solomon for, seeing the suffering of mankind and just turning a blind eye.
The mere thought he had been doing that exact same thing, that he had been trying to default to that way of life, filled him with such disgust it was unbearable. His stomach rebelled against him, his throat hadn't stopped burning since he arrived and he didn't know if it was going to stop any time soon.
His heart felt odd, almost hollow and his anger was directed inwards.
Having no one to blame but himself for this oversight.
Maybe humanity wouldn't stop suffering, maybe the people of Fodlan were suffering at the exact same time as the people of Abyss itself. That didn't mean he had to look at them, that didn't mean he had to ignore them. Those agonised faces, those sickening expressions and that stink of pity.
His approach had not changed in the least, he was working to remove that which he believed was the suffering of humanity in this one moment. It did not detract away from the grand architect of death, but at the very least having these humans enjoy some modicum of peace from the time being was an appealing prospect.
If he had Clairvoyance, he knew he would have been able to see their faces of pain from the past, present and future. Nothing he did would have changed those fearful expressions in the least. He didn't have Clairvoyance right now, however.
Which meant that - even if for a little while - he wouldn't have to bear looking at those faces.
For the time being, that would be the goal he would devote himself towards.
Making sure Abyss was, at the very least, something he didn't want to vomit at from merely laying eyes upon.
His lip curled down, was this how humans expressed disgust? This strong physical reaction to that which they disliked? It was…extreme to say the least. Yet it felt wholly appropriate to him, without a doubt he would have vomited at the sight of human history had he been in this state when residing upon the Temple.
A goal to work towards for the time being, something to put his time into.
It would not last, but it would be enough, he supposed.
First thing was securing the supplies he required, that would be the greatest obstacle. Everything else would come after. With the Demon Gods at his disposal, he could have delegated tasks to them as well, overseeing different problems that could be solved at the same time.
He didn't have that advantage so he would have to complete each problem one at a time, a slow method but the longer the project went on, the better. It would occupy his time and leave him with a sense of direction for the first time since he had come here.
There was someone he could consult with, then there was the matter of Abyss being still something occupied by the Church, if only in name. Aelfric had held the position of overseer with his personal wealth, something he suspected Rhea and the Church would likely have absorbed.
Hardly like the assets were going to do him much good at this point.
His lip curled down, he would have to engage with Rhea in regards to Abyss…
Not as much problematic as it was unfortunate, he was sure they both disliked the other.
He reached out with his senses, pinging around before he got a response almost immediately and much closer than he had been expecting. Blinking, he turned and looked around to see a small gathering that was growing larger and larger by the moment. A consortium of knights headed by Rhea and her pet Zealot Catherine.
Unexpected, he hadn't thought she would have left the Monastery yet.
Then again, he hadn't bothered to keep track of her in the first place. No matter, it was convenient to him that she was so close at hand, it meant he would be able to deal with this solution soon enough.
He took a single step forwards, then something grabbed his shoulder.
"Not so fast there, Mr!" Turning to look at the feminine voice, he found himself facing the reddish hair of a certain merchant that he had encountered once before.
"Anna." He raised an eyebrow, then recalled what Flayn and Lysithea had told him prior "Ah, yes." he nodded once "I intended to meet with you."
Anna raised an eyebrow at him but didn't release his shoulder "Uh huh…So that's why you were walking in the exact opposite direction of my shop?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"I had not been searching for you at this present moment, but this works out in my favour regardless." He turned to face her "You wished to discuss the mystic codes I constructed for you. They performed to your liking."
Anna huffed out at the statements rather than questions, he was confident enough in what he was selling that he already knew she would like it. Despite that, her lip curled upwards as she retracted the hand from his shoulder and placed it on her hip. "Yes, I did. At the very least I know you aren't a snake-oil peddler."
"I have never exported serpentine petroleum." He responded with furrowed brows "Nor do I see any reason why I would."
"Serpe-nevermind." Anna shook her head at him, dismissing the odd words and throwing a thumb over her shoulder. "Just come back with me, we can hash out a couple of the little details regarding your product." she raised a single finger at him, a sharp smile on her face. "But don't get too cocky now, just because your product is convenient doesn't mean I can't manage without it."
For the briefest of moments, Goetia's lip twitched upwards without even him realising it as he stared at her. "I am aware not to overplay my hand." His eyes gleamed slightly "I should extend the warning to you as well, you surely do not assume that such trinkets are all I am capable of crafting."
His Item Construction might have only been at Rank C, but that was still more than enough to create all manner of items that would be profoundly useful.
"Alright then." Anna didn't lose the smile as she crossed her arms over her chest "We'll see just how far this confidence of yours goes."
"Assurance in my abilities."
"Hmmm. Come on, Spellbook." She jerked her head "Let's go."
Spellbook?
Well…It wasn't exactly wrong, but he hadn't truly been expecting it in the least.
AN: Goetia on his way to become mayor of a Ghetto.
Also becomes a merchant of sorts.
Really, he's a nice, nice man…
It also gives the people of Abyss greater relevance in the story, as well as giving Goetia a sort of class, doesn't it?
Not that he knows that yet.
In the meantime.
I shall give you a treat.
[The Author Smiles] Rejoice, readers! The wish in your hearts will at last come true!
Omake: Strange bedfellows.
Consciousness did not return easily to Goetia, rather it approached him in the same way that a car would approach a brick wall, at eighty miles an hour.
It was sudden, it was jarring and above all else…
It was exceedingly painful.
His brain felt like it was being hammered around in his skull, as if the slightest noise would be akin to the hammering strikes of Heracles himself. That was just listening to his own laboured breathing as well.
Goetia didn't recall much from his night of drinking, he recalled that he had been invited to the tavern with Harold. That was about it, then after a few drinks he had started speaking about something?
Either way, as his eyes opened up he found himself staring at the ceiling somewhat oddly. He had no recollection of how his night truly ended either, at least not immediately. It would take some time for that information to filter back into his mind and unfortunately he was not in his optimal condition.
He wasn't even in any true condition.
With a frown, he realised he was somewhat cold, his blurred vision trailed downwards at the blanket that covered him, or at least half of him. His collarbone was exposed as well as his upper pectoral muscles, his abs and everything below were concealed however. He also didn't remember his bed being this comfortable, not like Rhea would ever afford him luxury.
He was fine with that, he didn't want charity from her anyway.
As sense returned to his person, he felt bizarrely colder than he usually would do, which led him to one - inescapable - conclusion.
He was naked, not in itself unusual but at the same time…
There was no recollection of getting naked.
There was one other piece of information that was exceedingly vital to him that was perhaps a fair bit more pressing than being spontaneously nude.
That being the cream coloured arm currently draped across his chest from the right side towards the left, accompanied by the rather soft sensation pressing upon his missing limb.
He was in bed with someone, and he was naked.
This was also too comfortable to be his bed.
So, what were the possibilities?
He could look to his right and answer that question, yet there was a strange sense of foreboding.
A subtle groan to his right quickly took away that notion, it was most certainly feminine. The hand on his chest moved around and pulled at his side, dragging him closer. His lip curled down ever so slightly.
His neck rotated at almost grindingly slow speed as he turned to see who he was in bed with.
Even before he caught sight of them, he was still running through the information as it funnelled into his head. Someone had arrived when he and Harold had been drinking, they had then joined them and gotten similarly inebriated.
His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the bright green hair and almost peaceful face upon Rhea as she soundly slept by his side. That did not detract from the rising horror that Goetia himself was currently feeling.
Rhea groaned once more, yawning as her eyes fluttered open. She looked nearly as bad as he did - her hair a frazzled mess - and her lips curled down in a tired expression. Adjusting herself, she looked up ever so slightly and frowned as she found herself staring at tanned skin, her right hand running along a toned body.
For a brief moment, she was genuinely worried she had taken advantage of Catherine in a moment of weakness.
Her eyes darted upwards, finding herself staring at the dumbstruck - and slightly horrified - expression of Goetia, she pushed her concern down and closed her eyes again, allowing a smile upon her face.
It wasn't Catherine, it was Goetia.
…
…
…
Her eyes opened up again.
"...Goetia?"
Goetia didn't respond, then shifted himself and stared up at the ceiling "...This is a nightmare." he announced, whether it was to her or himself, she wasn't entirely sure. But it made perfect sense.
"Of course." She tiredly responded, making sure to retract her hand and similarly turn in her bed, staring up and pulling the covers tight against her body to cover herself up. "I shall awaken soon and find my bed empty."
"Those are my words. This is clearly my nightmare, you are no more than a figment brought on by my drunken stupor."
Rhea frowned "No…I believe this is my nightmare, when I wake up you will see."
"You are wrong."
"No, you are."
"We shall see."
"We shall."
"Hmph."
"Hmph."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I am not waking up."
"...It would appear I am not either."
Rhea shuffled in her bed "...Are you wearing clothes?"
"...No." Goetia responded after a tense silence "Are you?"
Rhea dumbly pulled back the covers and stared at herself, then lowered them again and resumed looking at the ceiling "I am not."
"I see."
"...As do I."
Goetia was silent for a few moments longer before he shuffled in the bed "...Well. I shall be going."
"Yes, yes." Rhea nodded almost casually "I think that is wise."
As Goetia threw his legs over the bed, noticing their clothes haphazardly scattered along the floor, he quickly noticed that the mattress was much too close to the ground to be normal. Inclining his head, he soon discerned the problem. "...Rhea."
"Yes, Goetia?"
"...The bed frame is broken."
"...Ah, I shall have to get a new one."
"That would be wise."
"...There also appears to be an indentation along my wrist." Goetia dumbly continued onwards "And the headrest looks as though it has been pulled off."
"Is that so? Well, the bed frame needs replacing anyway."
"...This happened, didn't it?"
"...Yes."
"...Oh, dear Solomon!" Goetia howled "Oh, God!"
"Mother, why!?" Rhea soon joined him "Why!?"
""Why her/him!?""
Claude noticed something off about Goetia when he was in the library, the man looked somewhat distant. As though he wasn't actually all present in the moment, like he was sleep walking.
He was a little bit worried about him.
"And we are here, why?" Lysithea asked him with a hint of annoyance, Flayn nodded at her side several times.
"Well." Claude turned to the table "I'm just a little worried is all." he shrugged "Might be nothing though, never wonder when-"
Lysithea and Flayn widened their eyes, Claude looked over his shoulder as he saw the door to the library open.
The Archbishop walked in, she sported a similar look to Goetia as she entered and soon locked onto the man in question. Her expression froze for a split second before her lips pursed as she moved towards him.
Except it was the sort of movement that a cat gave when it was trying to pounce on a mouse, it was methodical and stealthy as if to account for any sudden movements.
It was then that Goetia noticed her, in the midst of raising a book and his sleeve rolling down.
The pair stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
Rhea opened her mouth to speak.
"Ah, Archbishop Rhea." Seteth entered the room "I am glad I caught you so early." he walked towards her "I was worried about your adventure from last night, but I am glad to see you look rested and recovered."
Rhea had a sort of strangled look on her face as she nodded up and down.
"There is one matter that has come to my attention, however." Seteth looked more confused at this point "Odd as it was, it would seem there was a noise complaint last night-"
Rhea looked like she wanted to disappear entirely.
The young trio of Claude, Lysithea and Flayn looked to Goetia, noticing him sporting a similar expression.
"-accompanied by a sound of shattering wood." Seteth frowned "They said it came from the direction of your quarters?"
"...Y-yes." Rhea nodded her head, her voice cracking "There was…a…um…I was clumsy." she replied "I fell over. My bed frame needs to be replaced."
Claude didn't buy that, if the dubious expressions on his compatriots face were any indication it didn't look like they did either.
Seteth, however, did as an understanding expression came upon him. "I see. Don't worry, I shall see to it swiftly." he frowned "On another matter…A knight came to me recently and said you borrowed a set of iron manacles from him-"
Goetia's head snapped to his outstretched wrist and his complexion paled.
The movement went unnoticed by Rhea and Seteth, but not by Claude and his friends who also looked at Goetia's wrist.
Even from the distance across the room, they could make out the faint marking along his wrist that seemed to go right around his hand.
Almost as though…
Flayn widened her eyes, muffling herself by slapping a hand over her mouth.
Lysithea burned bright red and looked sharply at her book.
Claude maintained a suitable poker face as he nodded sagely.
"-so the knights were wondering when those could be returned."
Rhea was staring at Seteth with wide eyes, almost looking like a deer in the sights of a bow. "...Soon." her voice cracked.
Seteth gave a pleasant nod "That was all, Archbishop." turning around, he pleasantly hummed to himself as he swiftly vacated the room.
Rhea slowly looked back to Goetia, then towards his wrist and back at his face.
"...Good morning."
"Y-yes." Goetia stumbled slightly, coughing as he sharply lowered the arm to hide away the bruise.
Claude burst out laughing, the scandalised expressions on Rhea and Goetia's faces were worth more than he could ever consider.