Chapter 71: Putting two and two together.
Rhea had not been through something like this in some time, perhaps it had been months. Not since a religious gathering or prayer to the Goddess - those were frequent - but to walk through the streets of a town such as this and engage with the masses at large. It was indeed something that she had not done in many months, no longer than that.
Walking about the Monastery wasn't quite to the same scale, the closest she could say would have been on the days before the Rite of Rebirth. During which time, pilgrims had been coming to the monastery with increasing frequency but even then, few would ever have the chance to see her outside of her official capacity.
Then again, perhaps it lost some of its effect with the armed battalion currently swarming around her. Then again, the masses didn't seem to mind all that much, they just stared at her with a sense of awe. Hardly surprising, despite living so close for years Rhea could say with complete faith that this was the first time she had actually visited this place.
Passed through it numerous times as part of a convoy to travel elsewhere, but never this place as a destination.
There was something oddly tranquil about it, part of her wishing that her presence had gone unnoticed so she could simply observe how ordinary life was going about. Recent events must have taken their toll on the humans who lived here and given that she had taken upon herself the duty of care, she could hardly allow them to suffer such a continued state of affairs.
Then again, with Seteth awake once more and moving about as though nothing had happened - his resilience was enviable - she could afford to delegate to him at times.
Coming to a halt, Rhea looked out across the view, the knights came to a halt beside her with Catherine quickly moving to stand behind the Archbishop and snapping her body to attention. Not a single person uttered a word as the green haired woman simply gazed out to the town before her, the hustle and bustle appearing to slow as crowds formed around her parade at a respectful distance.
The shouts of relief washed over her without truly registering, it was the same as whenever she went to places such as these. While she would never claim that they had no effect on her, they always asked for the exact same thing and she would reply with the same rehearsed answers every single time.
Still, that didn't mean that she would cease any time soon. It provided a great comfort for the people to believe that a higher power had taken notice of their plight and that all would be right with the world.
Gradually, the woman raised her right hand upwards and then moved it in a quieting motion. The crowd slowly silenced itself as they shifted to eagerly listen to the Archbishops words.
"Children of the Goddess." She called out, shifting her magical energy into her vocal cords and allowing her voice to echo out amongst the street with trivial ease. "I have taken notice of your plight these last few days-no." Rhea corrected herself "I am certain the Goddess herself had taken notice of your plight. Rest assured, I shall do all that is within my power to hasten the recovery of the Monastery and return all to as it once was."
Taking in a deep breath, she moved her right hand and pressed it against her chest just over her heart. "This I vow as Archbishop-no…This I vow as Rhea." She corrected once more, emotion seeping into her words as she spoke, taking a sweeping glance over the crowds "I am as you are, the attack of the Demonic Beasts has ravaged the home of the Goddess herself, upturned our very way of life and taken so many dear ones from our lives…" closing her eyes, she clenched her hand into a fist.
"However, I assure you. My resolve remains unbroken. With the threat over, we can look to the future and rebuild. To show our love to the Goddess by remaining unmoved in the face of such savagery and devote ourselves to supporting one another." She spread her arms wide "This is simply another obstacle that we must overcome, recent months have shown that there are many to be faced and yet we have all done so. As our families were forcibly turned against us, as we faced treachery from those we believed faithful and now as we are attacked by creatures of the most foul sort…"
Rhea moved her hands to clasp themselves in front of her "We must remember that the Goddess see's all. From the Heavens, she watches down upon us and judges us all. How we face the trials of life, how we remain firm to her ideals and commands, how we treat one another…These are the aspects that we shall all be judged by."
The words tasted like acid in her mouth.
"So I ask each of you, no, I plead with you…" She looked around once more "In the days ahead, as we move to rebuild our lives, that you aid one another in whatever way that you can. Understand that the struggle of your neighbour is your own. Through all that occurs, the Goddess watches and loves each and every one of her faithful and I shall personally pray for the safety of all in this town and all of Fodlan. You have suffered enough and I shall work within the bounds of man that you shall suffer no more harm."
She exhaled, lowering her voice "Blessed be the Goddess."
The crowd chanted it back to her, there was no applause. It was a sermon, not a rallying cry. The humans here understood that perfectly. The resolute faces on them as they watched her walk past were evidence enough that her words had radiated with them in some capacity.
By all accounts, she had soothed the worries in their heart by convincing them that the Goddess cared for them.
Rhea felt like a fraud for the first time in her life, the Goddess might very well care for them all but she wasn't watching from the heavens. She didn't personally take notice of every individual human as she might have done in the past, nor could she truly do anything about their suffering.
Rhea told them what they wanted to hear - what she wanted to believe - and like the ignorant masses they were, they just lapped it up like a starving man would tear into the first scrap of food he came across.
And what nonsense was she speaking about here?
Upholding the values of the Goddess?
What a horrible joke. Rhea knew for a fact she had spat upon every value the Goddess had decreed and all for what?
Nothing.
She had become a sinner for nothing.
Sothis - her Mother - actively trusted the words of a man who hated her as much as he clearly hated himself, more than her own daughter. She did so because Rhea hadn't imagined how badly she had ruined the situation, all those long years, all those centuries of planning and preparations had finally borne fruit.
And the fruit had been rotten from the start.
"...Such a low sinner…" She muttered out under her breath with a sour voice.
"Lady Rhea?" Catherine's voice had her head twitch, the woman clearly having noticed her whisper. "Did you say something?"
"Apologise, Catherine." Rhea backtracked, putting on a gentle voice as she continued to face straight ahead "I was merely thinking to myself is all." she was silent for a moment, then exhaled "In truth…I feel as though I have been the biggest sinner in recent days."
"Wha-?" Catherine sounded as though she had swallowed her own tongue, the face she was making would undoubtedly have been one that would have stayed with the Archbishop for the rest of the day, or perhaps the month, and it was very nearly enough incentive for her to turn around and sneak a glance. "You?! I-is that-"
Catherine coughed several times, taking a single step closer "Lady Rhea, is this some sort of joke?" the woman inquired with a slightly pleading voice, as though she was hoping Rhea was going to tell her that it had been. She would get no such mercy.
"I understand you view me in a positive light, Catherine…but I cannot help but think as such." Rhea exhaled, casting a glance over the town as she moved past, letting her eyes wander as though they had a mind of their own. "Recent events…What had occurred within Abyss and after…" she shook her head "As Seteth recovered from defending the Monastery and Flayn slaved away day after day to heal all those injured, working herself to her limits."
Rhea glanced down at her hands, staring at her fingers "I locked myself in my room and remained there. Not even venturing from the Monastery until today. Five days I remained there, giving no indication of what was occurring, not allowing visitors when I should have been here." she glanced up.
Catherine was silent, the woman not speaking up as she mulled over the words of the Archbishop.
"I had not even considered venturing down to spread hope amongst the masses until I was…reminded of my position by a surprising source." She opted to conceal Goetia's name from Catherine, as loyal as the woman was she would often be somewhat overzealous in her defence of Rhea's name. If she believed Goetia had been insulting her then she had little doubt the Dame would pay the one armed Demon a visit.
"Do you not think that despicable of me?" Rhea inquired, still not looking around to the knightess "That the Archbishop has to be reminded of her duty to spread the love of the Goddess by another." she exhaled "This is not the first time I have made a blunder either…During the Rite of Rebirth, how easily I could believe that people would point their blades to the Goddess upon such a sacred day. I had not even considered any other outcomes-"
"Lady Rhea…" Catherine firmly interrupted "Might I speak candidly for a moment?"
Rhea debated it for a few seconds, then nodded her head once.
"What you speak of…you have no reason to feel shame, nor should you consider yourself a sinner by any stretch of the imagination." The woman's voice dropped into a low growl "If anyone ever dared call you such a thing, I would remind them of your actions of charity. You are the voice of the Goddess upon Fodlan and as such-" Catherine cut herself off, shaking her head.
"No. I know for a fact that you are one who does what they believe to be right - what is right - at every turn." The woman declared "If you consider yourself a sinner, then I am as well for declaring myself your knight. I would continue to do so with the belief that every action of yours is perfect."
Rhea turned her head, glancing over her shoulder at the Dame. The tanned woman clenched her right hand into a fist and slapped it against her breastplate with a thud. "The actions during the Rite of Rebirth were of my own accord. If anyone holds blame for not considering the possibilities, it is I. For the recent events in Abyss…I was not here when you needed me most."
Catherine's voice dripped with shame as she spoke, a complicated expression coming upon the woman's face. "I had lost myself to punishing those who rejected your ideals and turned to heresy that I forgot that my duty was to protect you. You should never have been put in a position where you had to personally fight to protect the Monastery…The blame lies with me."
The woman closed her eyes, bowing her head slightly "But I must tell you this, Lady Rhea, that I believe - with absolute certainty - that you are indeed perfect. Perhaps you did not come sooner, but that you came at all is proof of your care towards these people and they are rightly proud to have heard your words."
She looked back up "And you did not hide away in your room, you worked to bring back someone back from the brink of death, a foreigner no less, because it was the right thing to do. Even one who has been…somewhat difficult, in the past. You have shown clemency to those of Abyss even though many are fiends in the eyes of Fodlan. I cannot overstate your compassion."
Catherine fixed Rhea with a determined look "I shall say this with conviction. The notion you are a sinner in any capacity goes beyond being laughable and into the bounds of heresy."
Rhea stared at Catherine in a stunned silence for a few moments before she spoke again in a quiet voice. "Even with all these events, with all that has happened, you still believe that every one of my actions was the best?"
"It is something I know for a sure fact, Lady Rhea." Catherine declared with a look of absolute confidence on her face. "There is not a single person who could have made the better choice than you. That is what I believe with all my heart."
"I see…" Rhea's lip twitched upwards "I find myself somewhat envious of your confidence in my actions, Dame Catherine. It is…gratifying to hear such words and I…" she closed her eyes and nodded once "To hear them spoken without hesitation is something that I was not prepared for but I cannot deny that they have moved me."
"You do not need to exaggerate for my sake, Lady Rhea." Catherine awkwardly added at the end "I simply spoke how I viewed things. I apologise if I was out of turn-"
"No…perhaps it was I who was out of turn for revealing such a shameful side of myself to you." Rhea confessed with a shake of the head. "For that, you have my apologies instead. I should not have burdened you with my own troubles-"
"It has been a troubling time, Lady Rhea." Catherine countered "I do not think less of you for being affected. With the Monastery itself being attacked and Seteth being heavily wounded, I am not surprised that you were personally affected." she thinned her lips "Do not think less of yourself for your actions these last few days."
Rhea chuckled lightly "When faced with words of such conviction such as yours, I cannot help but feel as though I am compelled to live up to them." her laughter died down "My thanks, Dame Catherine, for listening to my worries."
Rhea turned back around, advancing once more with her shoulders held slightly higher than earlier. It was nowhere near having the approval of her mother, not even close. Yet all the same, to hear that even with her inaction and blunders these last few days that there were still those who held absolute faith in her choices was something she was pleased to hear.
She knew for a fact that she would be having words with Seteth at some point and yet she could not deny…
No. She had to try, it was something that she could not ignore.
This journey had been greater for her than she had anticipated, though perhaps it was hearing the confidence in Catherine's voice. She knew the woman was loyal to her wholeheartedly but perhaps it was hearing the words spoken aloud rather than having the intentions projected towards her that made the difference. For the Dame's thoughts to be declared without hesitation or falsehood.
Rhea was the Archbishop of all Fodlan; she had not taken this role upon herself for anything less than to spread the message of Sothis to the world. She would not hesitate in that now, but that did not mean she would remain unaffected.
She couldn't keep the flicker of concern out of her heart as she moved towards the main path that led back towards the Monastery.
When all was said and done, how would Mother think of her when the tale had been told in its completion? She already knew what Seteth would say - he had made his displeasure very much known to her - but Flayn was another matter.
Jeralt was…
Complicated.
Perhaps what she needed to hear was at least someone tell her they still believed in her actions before she was confronted with the consequences of them. It would allow her to live with the simple bliss for a few moments at least. Just for something like that, it would be worth it.
"Lady Rhea!"
She stopped walking, furrowing her brows and turning her head over her shoulder and glancing down the street. She wasn't the only one who did so, virtually the entire convoy - including Catherine - had done the exact same thing as the words reached their ears.
That was an understatement, the words had laid siege to their ears and battered their way inside.
The reason there was little alarm was because the voice was familiar enough to every knight that there was no reason to be alarmed. After all, Alois had a naturally loud voice even when he did not intend to grab the attention of everyone in the room.
The man was sprinting up the street towards them, waving his hand from side to side above his head to attract their attention "Lady Rhea! I have news that you must hear!" he cried out again as he drew closer.
"Is it just for Lady Rhea or do you want the entire bloody town to eavesdrop as well?" Catherine shouted back at him, stepping away from the Archbishop and crossing her arms over her chest.
A couple of the knights chuckled at her words before they silenced themselves when Rhea herself glanced at them. "Catherine." The Archbishop spoke in a knowing tone of voice "You are aware of Alois temperament, he does not mean it…"
"I know, Lady Rhea." Catherine backtracked immediately, sounding somewhat exhausted "Forgive my outburst." She looked to the approaching knight, then returned her attention to the Archbishop "It is merely that if he has news to discuss with you that is of importance, I feel as though it would be more sensible that he not shout it out at the top of his lungs in the middle of town."
Rhea hummed at her words but didn't immediately respond, she'd grown used to Alois nature and was merely resigned to it at this point. She'd understand it enough that he would approach her quietly if the news he was carrying was truly important. Or it was urgent enough that he could not wait.
Her lips slowly curled downwards as she considered the possibility of the latter option, it was certainly a strong one. Especially given the speed at which Alois was currently closing in on her with his arm still waving above his head. The expression upon her face gradually shifted itself into one that was less open and more reserved, awaiting whatever news Alois was coming to bring her.
When the man finally did arrive, he slowed himself down with heavy clanking, breathing in and out for a few moments in front of her before he snapped to attention. His right hand flew to his brow in a salute. "Lady Rhea, I have just arrived from news from the gatehouse that is imperative that you hear at once."
Rhea felt her brows crease slightly. This was really not her best week.
"I shall assume then, Alois, that your rather public approach-" She emphasised the word enough that Alois at the very least flinched at it, his eyes darting around to take notice of the fact that more than a few curious heads were now facing their direction. "-is because it is not news that can wait until my return to the Monastery?"
Alois looked as though he was debating it for a few moments, then shook his head from side to side. "I am afraid not, Lady Rhea." The urgency in his voice was enough to give her pause, her hands tightened their hold on one another somewhat imperceptibly.
"So I see…" Rhea quietly replied with a voice devoid of emotion. "Very well. What news do you have for me?"
"I was alerted by the guards on watch of an approaching column who are currently marching along the main road." Alois quickly explained, Catherine jolted as the words registered with her. Eyes widening and hands quickly clenching into fists. "At which point I moved to investigate the guards myself and quickly spotted the incoming group as well. From what I could see at the distance, it appears to be a faction of knights accompanied by a carriage. At least one hundred strong, perhaps more."
Rhea's mind raced as she considered the possibilities. "Banners?"
"Kingdom." Alois responded with quickly "At least, we believe them to be Kingdom." he paused for a moment "They're blue."
Catherine frowned, crossing her arms over her chest "So what you are telling me is that we have an armed escort coming to the Monastery unannounced? How did they get so close in the first place?"
Alois looked to her "Most of our efforts are currently put upon rebuilding the Monastery and keeping watch on the town." he explained with a slight pause to his words "Therefore advanced scouting was cut back due to a manpower shortage. We only have around five hundred knights at present. The others were sent back to their original posts once you and Captain Jeralt returned." he sighed "Though it was unfortunate, we simply couldn't afford to draw away too much strength from our outer camps."
Rhea quietly drummed her right fingers atop the back of her left hand. Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked through the information she had been brought once more. A column of around a hundred knights escorting a carriage. Someone of importance then, they were arriving unannounced which meant their vacancy from the Kingdom was not to be noted.
A hundred knights was a decent sized escort for a high ranking official in the Kingdom, it clearly meant that someone was coming to them who did not want their appearance here to be well known. Meaning it was not an official visit.
"Put the Knights on alert but tell them it is merely a precaution until we are certain." Rhea ordered immediately, the other two near her snapped to attention. "Alois, take a detachment of twenty and greet their vanguard at the gate. Once you have confirmed their reasoning, then send a message back to me and we shall act further. Until such a time, it would be best that we not alarm the masses. Put on the appearance of a regular drill."
Alois nodded his head "As you command, Archbishop." he turned about face, walking back the way he had come and heading towards the direction of the impromptu barracks that had been temporarily set up just outside the town.
Catherine turned to Rhea and thinned her lips "...A Kingdom official?"
"I suspect as such." Rhea explained "Yet in these troubling times, approaching the Monastery without due invitation has heralded unfortunate consequences. Though letting past experience dictate my current actions would lead to suspicion and paranoia." she glanced at Catherine "Though I will confess a deep sense of foreboding has taken root within my heart upon this news."
"We should return to the Monastery at once." Catherine suggested "We can leave matters down here to Alois. I believe your presence has rallied the spirits of the citizens enough."
"As you say, Catherine." Rhea turned, resuming her walk back on the path. Catherine whistled and waved her arm to their entourage. The knights marched behind Rhea as the group moved through the town, heading back for the path to lead them up the main road towards the Monastery.
Pale blue eyes narrowed as they beheld the horizon, the owner of the orbs raised their hand in a halting motion as they watched a group start to form around the entrance to the town. The small wooden gate already had a detachment of perhaps twenty or so men forming in a gathering with a lead figure at the front of them.
With pale white armour, the leader marked themselves out at even this distance.
The cluttering behind him came to a halt, the formation slowed their pace until it ceased entirely. The mounts stomped their feet and snorted as their riders pulled on their reins. The lead knight twisted the direction of the horse, clicking his heels and directing it back along the convoy.
Stern features worked into a near permanent grimace honed in on the carriage, his eyes never once taking leave of it as he got nearer and nearer. Pulling on his reins once more, he jerked his horse to a stop and leaned towards the window hatch next to the wooden carriage. His left arm leaned towards it, hands curling into a fist as he wracked his knuckles against it in a somewhat heavy knock.
As he pulled his hand back, he stared at it and watched as it was pulled open on the inside. A mop of navy coloured hair appeared in the face of the knight, a relaxed expression on the face of the owner of the mop of hair, traces of matching coloured facial hair around his lips leading down to his chin.
"How close are we?"
"Closer now, Milord." The knight responded back in a gravelled tone of voice "I have caught sight of a checkpoint of Seiros Knight at the entrance to the town. Most likely in response to our sudden appearance."
The face of the man turned sour "Unsurprising." a tired sigh escaped his lips as a white gloved hand reached up and nursed his brows. "Given what occurred with the late Lord Lonato recently, I doubt the sudden appearance of Kingdom Knight's sparks any warm feelings towards us."
"They have little reason to be hostile." The knight responded "As I understand it, the Prince aided in bringing Lord Lonato to justice." there was a pause before he nodded his head up and down "However, our appearance was indeed without prior warning."
"Hardly as though we could announce it to the entire Kingdom." The man replied, leaning back and moving his hand to the hatch on the side of the carriage once more. "Resume the pace and be prepared to answer calls. They will find out either way when they ask who is in the carriage." the man quirked a faint smile before it vanished somewhat. "Besides…There are a few individuals I need to see for myself." he glanced to the knight "What of you, Gusta-"
"Gilbert." The ginger man responded in a curt tone of voice to indicate just how little he wanted to continue this line of dialogue. "Milord."
"...As you say." The man responded after a moment of silence, raising his free hand in a sign of peace. "Pay my words no heed then." The man closed the hatch once more, the wood clicking shut with a gentle thudding noise.
Gilbert stared at it for a moment in silence before he commanded his horse around, calling out as the mount trotted forwards. "Company, advance!" His stern voice echoed out, as one the knights resumed their march. The twin horses at the front of the carriage let out a snort as they started to pull their weight along.
If Gilbert was to be honest with himself, he would have expected the security around the Monastery to be far greater than what he was currently seeing. The news that the Church itself had been attacked by Demonic Beasts of all things had been quite the shock, especially just after the news that a Kingdom Lord had outright rebelled against both its own nation as well as the Church and wiped out an outpost of knights.
All in all, the recent months had been one string of surprises after another for the Monastery and the Kingdom itself. To say nothing of how the rest of Fodlan currently viewed them. In light of all that, the decision to keep this latest debacle known to only a select few did seem like the most prudent course of action.
It might have been better to let the Kingdom themselves deal with it, especially considering the current strain the Church was under, but they had to inform them of such a thing. Given that it is related to a Holy Relic and one way or another, the Church would have found out about it. At which point, concealing the situation would have turned out to be one of the more problematic outcomes.
Regardless, Gilbert was feeling a sense of apprehension when it came to approaching the Monastery for an entirely different reason. One that was far more personal in nature, though he'd kept his distance he was still well aware of just who was actually within the Monastery at this present course of time.
Not that he was going to do anything about that, he'd long since lost the right to even worry about her safety. Whether or not she understood that was an entirely different matter. Well, his duties didn't require him to actually speak with her in any official capacity so there was little reason for him to even approach her at all. It would work out better that way if they didn't meet with one another.
Alois watched as the lead knight closed in, the man raised an eyebrow as he immediately recognised the man. It was hard not to with the rather conspicuous features of the tall man sat atop the horse, his burnt orange hair braided into a thin ponytail at the back, dark grey plate armour around his shoulders and upper chest with a sash around his shoulders and leaning down his front.
The stern visage of the imposing man locked onto Alois with a sudden intensity that was almost the same as Captain Jeralt when the man got serious.
Alois moved forwards, raising up his hand in a halting motion and watching as the caravan slowed to a crawl before eventually halting themselves. Lowering his hand, Alois walked forwards towards the man and put on his best smile. "Sir Gilbert?"
"Sir Alois." Gilbert nodded back somewhat curtly, the man was always a stickler for rules and regulations that would have made those who didn't know him think of him as rude. Truth of it was that in the few times they interacted in the past, Alois just saw him as a man who did his job properly and wasn't really good at social interactions.
In some ways, the opposite of Jeralt.
Alois inclined his head past the knight towards the column behind him "We weren't expecting visitors." he stated with his voice thick with curiosity "Especially visitors of your prestige."
"Hardly prestigious." Gilbert remarked with his unchanging voice, the knight's stern features didn't so much as shift. "I am fulfilling my duty as a Knight for the Kingdom. In this instance, I am escorting someone of importance to the Monastery."
"I would assume so." Alois admitted with a nod of the head "However, I cannot allow you to pass without proper identification."
"I know as much." Gilbert nodded in assent, not showing the least bit of surprise nor irritation with the request. Rather, he sounded as though he had been expecting it. Alois knew for a fact that he most likely was. Gilbert was a man who had gone through similar procedures of his own, he knew how these sorts of things worked.
The ginger knight shifted on his horse, gesturing over his shoulder towards the direction of the caravan some metres behind him. "He is expecting you."
…That didn't sound ominous at all.
Alois kept that comment to himself, it might have come as a surprise to some people but he at least knew when to keep his mouth shut when it came to these sorts of things. Besides, this was hardly a time to be telling jokes. Turning around, he nodded once to the knights behind him before he faced the direction of the Kingdom parade once more and took a single step towards them.
His feet carried him onwards with no small degree of urgency, the faster he understood the situation and who was in the carriage then the quicker this could be over. Goddess knew that there had been quite enough excitement around this Monastery to last a lifetime.
As he drew closer to the carriage, certain details were springing out to him. It was a well decorated one but certainly not to the extent that would warrant the likes of Gilbert. The Royal carriages of Fargheus were some of the largest and more well detailed in the continent.
By comparison, the sleek design of the oak crafted vehicle with faint silver trimmings around the wheels and doors was almost laughable.
As he came upon the door, Alois reached out and took hold of the metal support next to the door and pulled himself up, grunting as he stepped up onto the small staircase jutting out from the carriage itself to aid the passengers from disembarking. The knight reached out and tapped politely against the hatch twice before he pulled his arm back.
The hatch slid open.
A very recognisable face popped up, a disarming smile aimed towards the knight which stopped Alois dead in his tracks before he could form any sort of response.
"Sir Alois!" The man spoke in a light tone of voice, seemingly elated to see the knight "I'm relieved to see you in good health."
The brunette man opened and closed his mouth several times as he struggled to formulate a sort of sentence that could describe what he was seeing in front of him. The man continued to smile at him expectantly, already having determined that this was the sort of reaction he was liable to receive.
"D-Duke Fraldarius?" Alois exclaimed, leaning back in shock before he hastily bowed his head respectfully as he recalled who exactly he was speaking to.
"Your surprise is excused, Sir Alois." The Duke waved away his concerns with a small gesture, chuckling lightly to himself "It is hardly as though I advocated my presence or sent a prior message to alert you of an upcoming visit." he grimaced "Ordinarily I would have but I have business with the Archbishop that requires the utmost secrecy…especially given the recent events that have transpired."
"O-of course." Alois nodded his head up and down, at the very least he could verify the identity of the man in front of him. It was hardly as though they weren't unrecognisable, in fact he was most likely the most recognizable man in the King of Fargheus. "I shall send word of your presence to Lady Rhea at once." turning his head, he looked further up the column "I will have the gate opened up for you at once, I assume your men have been travelling for some time?"
"We moved as quickly as the weather would allow." Rodrigue responded with an affirmation "In truth, we were somewhat blessed with clear skies and modest heat."
Alois nodded his head up and down before he grimaced "You will have to excuse the current state of the Monastery…It is hardly as though we can offer your fitting accommodation-"
Rodrigue raised a gloved hand "Worry not, Sir Alois. My stay shall not be long. Perhaps a week at most and I am more than accustomed to somewhat rough conditions. King Lambert enjoyed extended hunts in the countryside…" the man gave a nostalgic sigh before shaking his head from side to side. "Regardless of that, I won't keep you longer than you need. I'm also certain that my men are tired from the journey."
"Of course! My apologies!" The man hastily nodded his head once more, then moved to step back down before he paused "...Forgive me if I am prying." Rodrigue paused in his motion to close the hatch, raising a curious eyebrow at the knight and gesturing for him to continue on with his point. "But I take it you are not here for a visit to your son?"
Rodrigue offered him a guilty smile "Though I shall be visiting Felix - if he allows me - I am afraid that it is not all I am here for. Suffice to say that I must speak with the Archbishop, though I have little doubt you will remain ignorant of it for long." he paused "I am sorry to burden you with this."
The knight waved his hand from side to side somewhat exaggeratedly "Worry not, Duke. The Knight's of Seiros are always prepared to meet any obstacle head on, regardless of what it is or when it is." he slammed a fist over his heart. "We'll be ready for whatever you throw at us…Trust me, it can't be worse than what we've already dealt with so far." he mumbled quietly, then turned on his heel and moved away from the carriage and back the way he had come towards the gate.
Rodrigue nodded his head once, then closed the hatch.
Seteth tapped his finger on his knee as he thought to himself, his tappings forming a consistent beat to match his thoughts as he considered what he had learned in the last few hours. It had started off easily enough, now that he considered it, even with the unfortunate incident of Flayn going missing in the morning.
His concern as her father aside, it had been quickly resolved by her just appearing in front of him courtesy of Goetia.
That was the crux of the matter.
Goetia.
The odd foreigner who had arrived some months ago and would range from being someone who would do so little that even their odd appearance made them difficult to notice. Seteth would never refer to someone as fading into the background, but that didn't change the fact that there were some around the Monastery that would do so. Those who would perform diligent tasks that needed doing such as-
"Cyril." Seteth called out to the boy, the young man flinched at the tone the older man used. Turning to face him with a somewhat sheepish expression. "It was my understanding that you should still be resting following your injuries." His voice didn't shift as his eyes fell upon the young man.
Cyril was silent for a moment before he responded "I'm all healed up now, Seteth." he pointed towards his head "Even Professor Manuela said so, I can move around just fine and even if I wasn't, I can't leave the Monastery looking like this." he waved his hands around to the small scatterings of stone still present.
Most of the larger pasts had been cleaned away during the day, the fact it was already approaching evening was proof enough that they had all lost track of time. They'd done more than adequate work when it came to clearing debris and the like. All that remained was transitioning the personal effects of the students to a safer location and then they could start drawing up the guildsman to help with the restoration.
They could probably also serve to make some additions while they were at it.
"It is also my job to make sure the Monastery is in pristine condition." Cyril continued onwards, oblivious to Seteth's wandering thoughts. "I can't let something like this pass so I'm going to do my part to help." he then pressed his right hand upon his left arm's upper muscle "It also serves for a good exercise. I've been doing it all day as well!"
Seteth raised an eyebrow slowly "Have you?" he muttered out, he hadn't noticed the boy but there were other sections of the Monastery that had been damaged without him overseeing. He'd been sticking to the area's around the students, if only because of Flayn's insistence.
Cyril nodded his head up and down, smiling proudly "I have! One of the Knight's said my work in helping clean up the mess hall was invaluable."
That explained it then, from what he had inferred that particular building had taken some of the worst of the damage and was quickly becoming the focus of repair. If only so that people could actually start getting some food without marching all the way down to the town just so they could trek all the way back up to the summit.
The man debated it for a few moments, then nodded his head once "Very well. As you were." he paused for a moment as Cyril made to dart off "However, before you continue onwards. I would advise you to take notice of your own limits, leave the larger sections of debris to the knights…Though, I suspect that there are very few of those left." he admitted to himself.
"Don't worry, Seteth." Cyril nodded up and down "I can't risk getting hurt again, the last time it happened I was out for an entire day." he groaned as if that had been the biggest problem with him taking a lump of rock to the head and not the possibility that he could have died. "There was so much I could have helped with but couldn't."
"I would remind you to count your blessings, young Cyril." Seteth thinned his lips as he looked at the boy with a stern face. "Few were as fortunate as you were to survive the attack on the Monastery. The loss of time spent cleaning the floors is not as great as the loss of what your life could have been."
The boy fell into a silence, a complicated expression flickering over his face before he closed his eyes and nodded his head once. Turning on his heel, he continued on with what he was doing before Seteth had stopped him. Letting the boy continue on with the work he was doing, sweeping away the pebbles with the broom in his hands.
Perhaps it might have been a bit hypocritical of him to chide Cyril for overworking when he spent most of his free time doing tasks for the Church. To his knowledge, this was the first break he had actually taken all day. He wouldn't admit it to Flayn, however. There was a very real chance she would get rather cross with him if he unveiled the fact he'd been working without pause for the last ten or so hours.
Speaking of Flayn, his mind drifted back to Goetia.
The odd foreigner whose impact was quickly growing as great as the latest Professor but in an entirely different way. On a professional level, Goetia was a model worker. He performed his duties without complaint and would point the students in the right direction for whatever research they needed. Considering his role was simply to assist Tomas, Goetia went above and beyond what was required of him.
He was smart, clearly. More so than what he would have expected. The feeling of speaking to Goetia was akin to speaking with Hanneman at times, a man who knew much more than he would ever discuss unless the opportunity arose.
On a personal level, however?
Seteth hadn't spoken with Goetia all that frequently thus he was left to piece together what Goetia was like from the second hand accounts of those who had spoken with him or the conversations he had personally witnessed.
Goetia very much reminded him of Rhea.
Whether or not either of them were aware of that wasn't something he knew but that was how he felt when seeing them. Both strong personalities that would sway the opinion of the room to whatever it was they personally believed and they spoke with the confidence to back it up.
Where Rhea would speak with an almost motherly tone towards people, her natural charisma presented in the form of a gentle parent. Goetia would offer instead, the blunt comments and sheer confidence to make you believe completely in whatever he was saying. It went far beyond arrogance into the realms of facts turned into words.
Their approaches were so radically different from one another and yet their personalities were so similar.
It was the problem that both of them were likely most comfortable in a position of authority.
No, it was where they both excelled.
The proof was the fact Goetia quickly moved to cement himself a 'teaching role' within the Academy for the students, or a volunteer class that they could partake in. He hadn't seen any of the lessons but he must have been rather skilled because he'd gotten reports from the other Professors that those who participated in his class were showing a marked improvement in their magical studies.
Dorothea, oddly enough, was a rather big surprise. Though the lessons had not been active for some weeks at this point due to the conditions. While Goetia could begin them once more at any moment, it was hardly as though they had the facilities up and running to begin lessons for any student at the moment.
Regardless, he was an individual who was best suited for a commanding role.
It was unsurprising given all the information Seteth had available to him, the fact he had been a Prince of a foreign Kingdom was hardly a surprise when all things were considered. His mannerisms were refined and his posture was always much the same as any noble he had encountered. It also served to explain his intelligence and confidence in his words, he had been raised to rule or perhaps played close attention to how King Solomon ruled and that was reflected in his own person.
What he wasn't expecting, however, was the reveal that Goetia wasn't human.
Something that apparently both Flayn and Rhea already knew.
Rhea had revealed her suspicions of him some time ago, when they had first met she had said there was something off about Goetia that compelled her to keep a closer eye on him. Seteth hadn't thought much of it, Goetia was a foreigner and he assumed it was simply that visitors to Fodlan were exceedingly rare and often not all that welcome.
Something must have occurred between Goetia and Rhea during the period he was recovering. That was the only explanation.
Flayn on the other hand…That was an entirely different conundrum.
He wasn't sure at what point Flayn had learned of this, perhaps recently or perhaps not. What did concern him was the fact she hadn't even considered telling him. He could understand the idea of keeping his privacy but at the same time, the information that Goetia was not human and instead something else was information that Seteth needed to know.
Most certainly, it was not information that could just be sprung upon him without a moment of hesitation as though it was a casual comment. The fact Goetia himself had already assumed that Seteth was aware of his being made the situation all the more troublesome. It wasn't as though Seteth had a position to complain from on that front.
He wasn't human either.
It simply brought up a good few questions about what Goetia was.
The only inhuman beings that Seteth knew of were dragons, Demonic Beasts, Mother and…
His brows creased slightly, his eyes narrowing.
And the creature that had attacked the Monastery and put him into a crippled state.
Seteth sharply rose up from his seated position on the steps, his head whirling around as he considered the implications. If they were of the same race, then did that not contradict Goetia's claim that he was the last of his people?
A cloaked figure with glowing cross shaped eyes flashed through his mind.
And was he aware of any others…
His lips curled into a tight frown, his legs carried him up the steps towards the direction of the dorms. Some of the students should be finishing uploading their possessions into the carts to be transported elsewhere. He suspected that Professor Eisner would be present, or she should be.
He had some more questions for Goetia at this point.
AN: Seteth putting two and two together, all the while Rodrigue is coming to the Monastery with news of a certain theft.
All in all, the Church has been having a stressful week.
Omake: Spell Casting. The Most Important part is…
"Which brings us to the most important aspect of spell casting…" Goetia finished, turning around and staring at the class behind him. "The words of the spell themselves."
He got bemused looks in response.
"What?"
"Nothing, Teacher." Lysithea responded slowly, then she paused and shook her head from side to side. "No, wait, is it not already a given fact that the words being spoken in a spell are already the most important aspect of them?"
A series of nods went around the room.
Goetia frowned "To think my own student would fail to comprehend the importance of words?" he gave a concerned hum all while Lysithea blanched at his tone of voice and the sentence itself. "Perhaps I have been lacking in my teaching methodology?" he seemed to consider it for a moment before he dismissed it "No. Clearly my language was much too complex for you to understand. I shall have to lower the capacity of my lexicon for your benefit."
Leonie blinked "...Huh?"
"He means he uses too many big words." Linhardt helpfully explained all while yawning "So he's going to dumb it down for us." giving a slow blink, his lips shifted themselves into a more curious line "Then? What do you mean when you refer to the words of a spell?"
"Simply put, the words must invoke some manner of meaning from you." He explained "They must carry clear and concise meanings as well as hold personal importance to you as well. The more advanced the vocabulary is, the better the effect of the spell."
A hand was raised.
"Yes, Dorothea?" Goetia glanced at the brunette, the girl lowered her hand, cocking her head to the side and placing her index finger on her chin.
"So, you want us to use big words for our spells?"
Goetia nodded once before he paused "Not simply that, merely demonstrating you have the ability to read a thesaurus will not add any benefit to the spells. On the contrary, it will make you appear quite the fool." he raised his hand, single finger pointed upwards "Observe."
Turning his body to the side, he extended his finger towards the direction of a standing book "Gust of Wind, utilise your kinetic force and participate in the act of letting gravity take hold of this reading material and bring it down onto the wooden table it resides upon." as if on cue, a small gust of wind flew from his finger and knocked the book down with a thud.
Nodding once, he turned back to the class "Do you see? I could very easily have said the same thing in fewer words. Conversely, it also has the effect if I use too simple a series of words." he snapped his finger, the book rising up once more. "Air. Tip it over."
The book fell again.
Linhardt nodded his head up and down for a few moments "Wait…but isn't it better to use fewer words when casting? It means you can launch a spell without much wait."
Goetia stared at him in silence "...There are some aspects of magecraft that require focus. The words hold meaning to you, therefore you are more focused on the spell during the time of casting." another snap of his fingers, the book rose once more. "For instance."
He raised his hand once more "O' Wind, surge forth and decimate my foe!" his words came out loud and confident, a sense of power behind them which the previous castings lacked.
The book was knocked down with another gentle thud, something of an anti-climax considering the sheer power that Goetia had put into his sentence.
The stares he was getting were now more confused before Dorothea snapped her fingers in understanding. Rising up from her seat and pointing at him "Wait! You just want us to be really dramatic when we cast, don't you?"
"Excuse me-"
"Wait, really?" Linhardt looked surprised before understanding flickered over his features "Now that Dorothea mentions is…"
"You are misunderstanding something-"
"Are you really wanting us to cast as though we're characters from a novel?" Lysithea looked slightly incredulous over the idea before she paused and shrugged her shoulders. "Well…I suppose it Teacher says being dramatic is important, then perhaps I can use more flowery language."
"That is not what I said-"
"So what do we do for ice?" Leonie asked, looking around the room for support.
"O'Chill, drown this world in ice, take hold of their very souls and freeze them." The dry tone of Byleth turned several heads in her direction, as well as the now slightly annoyed expression of Goetia tinged with a faint hint of betrayal.
"Do not encourage the-"
"That's perfect!" Dorothea grinned "It's like when you're in the theatre, they say the presentation is half the performance!" she nodded her head up and down "This must be it, right?"
Goetia closed his eyes and groaned quietly.