Chapter 74: It's a meeting…not a date.
To say that Goetia had experience in dealing with these sort of informal meetings would be a complete and total lie. So he would never claim to have experience in dealing with them, he knew well enough the meetings of Solomon during the reign of the King, he had attended them through association with the King.
He knew what was expected of them and more to the point, Solomon was not one for informal gatherings at all. The man without emotions or cares would never even speak that he harboured any affections for his many spouses, not even for the Queen of Sheba. Perhaps there was some affection there in the form of trust, especially since Goetia trusted her absolutely, but never anything vocal.
As for his reasoning to accompany Dorothea on what she claimed would be an 'outing' it was simply a matter of his pride. He would not be accused of lacking behind any human in anything, even if he harboured no interest in such meetings he would not be said to be inferior to a mere human. Therefore he had accepted her invitation, purely on the basis that after he demonstrated his superiority he would then be rewarded with the answers he demanded.
It was a simple enough statement.
With that in mind…
"What is first on the agenda?" He spoke the words quickly and with purpose, moving in step with Dorothea as the pair walked down the streets, while he might have garnered a few odd looks, they were relegated to his appearance and status as the 'foreigner with funny hair' as he heard from the hushed whispers. Evidently his infamy had been spread on account of the guards searching for him.
Regardless, this was the interest of Dorothea, so it would be amusing to see whatever plans she had developed for this, simply so that he could find flaws within them and correct them to be much greater than they otherwise would have been.
What he hadn't expected, or perhaps should have accounted for, was the fact that the moment he spoke, Dorothea glanced at him from the corner of her eye and raised her eyebrow in clear puzzlement to his words. He was certain he had no misspoke, therefore any confusion was solely on her part.
"Agenda, huh?" Though the words that followed were quick to confirm that she wasn't as foolish as he had initially believed. Fortunately she had some inkling of what he was speaking of, though for whatever reason there was now a clear trace of mirth coating her words, her lips slowly pulled themselves into a smile at the corners. "That's a curious way of phrasing it." tilting her head further, she turned her neck to face him "And letting me take the reins? I'm surprised."
"Hmph. Do not be so conceited." A scoff came from his throat, he would have laughed at her ignorance as to why he asked. "I merely inquired so that I could compare them with my own plans and you could see the difference in your experience."
"Experience?" Both her brows rose up, then she closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly and in understanding. Though the more Goetia looked, the more he noticed that her movements were exaggerated, her lips were pursed, her nods were a touch too slow to be genuine. "Forgive me, I merely assumed that you have no experience on dates with women given our earlier talk. Perhaps that is my own fault."
"Naturally. I have spoken with women before."
"Snrk."
Goetia stopped walking, Dorothea's face blanked a split second later, whatever trace of mirth had been on her was no longer present and was instead replaced with an emotional mask that would not have looked out of place on Solomon. Credit to her, she maintained her apathetic expression even as his eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed in a mixture of suspicion and annoyance.
"...Do you find something amusing?"
"N-no." The illusion was broken when she spoke, her voice cracked at the start of her sentence as she tried and failed to hold back her laughter, her eyes were now awash with clear amusement directed towards him, something that Goetia found to be exceedingly insulting. He had done nothing to be considered amusing, nor was there anything that could be mocked about what he had said. It was the simple truth that he had spoken with many women before.
His annoyance made her quickly compose herself, raising her right hand and balling it into a fist, pressing the knuckles of her index finger against her lips and clearing her throat loudly, swallowing whatever laughter had been building up in her throat, all while her eyes danced away from his direction. "I mean no. Of course not."
"Hmph." Goetia curled his lip down, his head angling itself to the side ever so slightly as he fixed the girl with a scrutinous gaze that was awash with dismissal. He would humour her on this one occasion. "That has not answered my question, girl. What did you envisage would occur when you decided to make the proposition towards me?"
"Well, I figured we might take a lovely stroll around the town." Dorothea replied without missing a beat, twirling around on her heels and facing him, her lips pulled into a polite smile. "Perhaps find a nice little vendor and get some breakfast, visit some of the shops and get you a better outfit and maybe find someone who can style that hair of yours." She leaned her body forwards, clasping her hands together behind her back and tilting her head to the side, looking up at him and smiling with her eyes closed. "Sounds wonderful, no?"
"...Wonderful?" He parroted the word back to her with a raised eyebrow "Is that what constitutes for enjoyment?" it wasn't as though he didn't know humans found enjoyment from such menial tasks as these. He and his fellows had been creatures of empathy, he knew full well what sort of emotions that such activities elicited but that didn't mean he would understand the process behind such things. In what way did purchasing food with someone else somehow make it more enjoyable than simply buying substance and eating it within one's own abode.
"Well, it can depend on the person." Dorothea admitted with a shrug, unclasping her arms and bringing them around to her front, propping up her right elbow with her left arm and resting her index finger on her chin, straightening out her posture as she assumed the new pose. "Some people can find that sort of thing very amusing for them, or at least very stimulating. It gives you the chance to understand someone better." The smile was smaller this time. "Or perhaps you just want to talk about nothing."
"That sentence is grammatically false."
"...You're very literal, aren't you?"
"It is merely that you spend too much effort in riddling your speech patterns with metaphors and images." He countered quickly, dismissing her criticism. "If you spoke the words you intended to without the use of such poetic language, you would make conversations much more efficient."
"They wouldn't be half as fun though."
"A conversation is meant to have meaning."
"That can be a meaning." She shot back without missing a beat or sounding put off by his argument. "Sometimes you want to speak with someone because you enjoy speaking with them or what they talk about." Dorothea lowered her arm from her chin. "Have you not noticed how passionate Lysithea is when she speaks with you about your lessons? Or even Linhardt of all people?" she smirked at his furrowing brows. "It might not be the most stimulating of topics, in my opinion, but I can see that they enjoy speaking with you about this."
He blinked once. They enjoyed speaking with him about the topics? He had inferred there was passion but he did not equate that with enjoyment. He furrowed his brows at her, that did not reach a logical conclusion in his mind. He had been passionate about his own work, but he would not say he enjoyed it. He did it because he believed it needed doing, not for the simple reason that he thought it would be amusing.
"...Are you implying they are listening to me purely because they find it amusing to them?"
"Hm? When did I say that?" Dorothea flashed him a curious frown, then shook her head from side to side, placing her hands on her hips and putting her weight on her left side. "If you can't enjoy what you're passionate about then that's something I would consider rather sad. I was passionate when I was a singer and I enjoyed every moment of it."
"A singer?" He raised an eyebrow at her, causing Dorothea to blink at him and tilt her head.
"You didn't know?" There was silence, then she smiled "Huh. See? Talking is another way of learning about people, the more you come to understand someone, the closer you can get to them." a shrug of her shoulders "Simple enough, right? That's more or less my goal here."
"You want to learn of my history?" Goetia made a face at her "If you asked, I would-"
"Not so much your history as much as I want to learn about you." She turned around, clasping her hands behind her back once more. "You're a pretty interesting person to look at from a distance, especially with how you look and how you seem to act. At the same time, I'm a little curious to see what lies beneath all that." turning side on, she cocked her head "Hence why we're out here. You're going to ask me some questions that relate to me and I'm going to ask you some questions that relate to you."
A chuckle "That's a fair sort of trade, isn't it? I know for a fact you can find things funny so you aren't quite as emotionless as you let on most of the time." her left hand rose up, pointing at him while giving a conspiratorial smile "You were rather vocal when Alois ended up winning the fishing competition. That was quite the laugh you let out, wasn't it?"
"There was no other response I could give." He hadn't thought about it that much, not dwelling upon what occurred until just now. "His victory ran counter to everything that logic would dictate would be the natural result. He was clumsy, his boisterous personality would scare away the fish and he lacked the same manner of experience as Byleth." Everything had been stacked against the man. "His victory was…reminiscent of something I had seen in the past and the comparison was…I understood that I had made an error when I assumed all would proceed as I envisaged."
"So your response to getting surprised was to laugh." Dorothea hummed "That's certainly a little interesting, isn't it?" she beamed "See? We're bonding already!"
"...I hardly believe this qualifies as-"
"Come on." She skipped back towards him, moving to his left side and slinking her arm underneath his. Something that brought a frown to his face as he stared at their interlocked limbs and then back at the girl. "Hm? Don't you know all about the matters of court? A gentleman is supposed to escort a lady like this, isn't he?"
"...Hmmm."
She took his silence and the fact he made no move to pull away from her as an agreement to proceed. Which is exactly what she did, now resuming her walk with her arm slinked around Goetias. "I've been around the town a few times and there is this wonderful little restaurant that isn't all that well known but is still a treat to visit. I'm sure you'll find it acceptable."
"...Do they serve tomato soup?"
There was a brief silence as Dorothea failed to answer, then she closed her eyes and nodded her head, letting out an amused breath "Yes, Gotie. They serve tomato soup. I'm beginning to think that you're going to end up nearly as infamous as Flayn when it comes to your preference in food." she tilted her head "Why not try something different?"
"Why would I do that? Tomato soup is both a simple enough food for me to consume with my lack of a second arm and it contains enough nutrients for my body. It would make little sense to deviate from that."
"...Have you been eating nothing but Tomato soup?"
"No. Flayn once had me try one of the sea food specials with her." He recalled the conversation they had during that time. "Hmmm. She also spoke about wishing to learn cooking from Dedue after discovering that he was assisting in the kitchens."
"Really?" Dorothea raised her brows, sounding curious "Flayn did? Hmmm. I can't imagine Seteth letting her near the kitchen, especially on account of all the sharp knives. He's certainly something of a wyvern parent."
"I inferred it was more related to her complete incompetence in the art of cookery."
Dorothea blinked once at him, widening her eyes and leaning her head backwards as she stared at him with something close to incomprehension mixed with surprise. Goetia raised an eyebrow at her reaction, he had not said anything that could have elicited that manner of response from her. It would have been a simple manner of deducing Seteth's over protective nature to determine that Flayn would have been granted very little time to practise the craft of cookery.
The results that would follow an incompetent attempting to make use of kitchen supplies and equipment went without saying.
"Well, I hadn't expected you to be so blunt about it." The brunette muttered under her breath, her brows furrowed and her expression turned thoughtful. "You said she was going to try and assist Dedue…" another look of surprise "I wasn't aware that Dedue could cook in the first place."
"He hardly made his presence in the kitchen a secret." He replied with a grunt, his eyes narrowed at the girl ever so slightly as her sentence registered with him more than the initial response. Had she not been observant enough to notice the nearly two metre tall boy with dark skin walking around the kitchen? Compared with the usual rotor of kitchen staff, Dedue would have not blended in at all.
"Really? Hmmm. I never noticed." Rather than figure out that he was judging her observant skills, she instead hummed as she answered in a manner that was more mildly curious than truly intrigued, it was as though she'd noticed something she might have overlooked by accident, rather than fail to notice the only Duscurian cooking the food. "I suppose I never really got that curious in regards to the cooking around the Academy."
Was she inferring that he had been curious?
"I did not take notice of Dedue because of some passive interest in cooking. It was simply because it was impossible not to notice him in the beginning. That you have gone as long as you have without doing so is both surprising and alarming to me."
"Oh? Surprising and alarming?" Why would she latch onto those words "Does that mean you expected more from me and you're now worried that I might overlook something important?"
"...A peculiar way to interpret my words." Was all he offered in response, his expression distant and rather perturbed by her reaction. He had been expecting something different, maybe akin to denial about how she was observant and she just hadn't deemed the matter important. Outright ignoring the content of the sentence and instead focusing on the idea he might have expected more of her and was worried for her safety was an interpretation he had not accounted for.
"Does that surprise and alarm you how unpredictable I was?"
"Are you attempting to make light of the situation? I am commenting upon this for the state of your continued existence. If you overlook the smallest of details, they could very well spell your doom at a later point in-"
"You do care!" She cut him off before he could finish - something he was rather vexed about - and placed her left hand over her heart, "I'm touched."
"..."
"Alright, joking aside I really am surprised you tried something other than tomato soup before. Even when we all went out for lunch once before, you still ended up ordering Tomato soup…" A wry smile came upon her lips "Even after Flayn tried to forbid you from doing so."
"Hmph. As if she could forbid me from doing anything. I act as I please."
"Snrk."
"...What part of that sentence was amusing?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"...Tch."
"...I see." Sylvain placed his hands on his hips, expression blank as he glanced first around the room and then eventually towards his feet. Soon, he drummed his fingers along his clothes, rocking back and forth on his heels and exhaling. "...I'm…I'd like to say I'm shocked but-"
"Mr Gautier." Seteth gently cut him off, raising the flat of his left hand towards the boy and offering him a sympathetic expression. "You should not feel the need to comment upon your brother's situation. We felt it necessary to inform you - along with the Prince - given your relationship with the matter."
"As you would imagine, the retrieval of the Lance of Ruin comes as the highest priority." Rhea continued on, her voice gentle and her lips pulled into a saddened frown "Therefore, I shall offer you the same opportunity we did with young Ashe. If you do not feel as though you are capable of doing what is required…You would be free to remain behind."
"The others would understand completely." Dimitri whispered to him, reaching out and placing a hand on Sylvain's shoulder. "There will be no judgments passed upon you if you cannot face your brother."
"...Hmph?" Sylvain looked up, tilting his head to the side and then making a small noise "It's not that it's just…" he exhaled "I didn't think he was quite capable of pulling something like this off. It's not that surprising all things considered but…" he shrugged his shoulders, looking away from the Prince and back towards the room "I can't exactly leave my class to deal with my family business without me. Besides…I should at least be there to punish him for what he's done." he cracked a half smile that didn't possess an ounce of emotion behind it. "Responsibility and all that."
"Sylvain." The red haired teen glanced at Rodrigue, the man staring at him with an expression bereft of emotion for a good few seconds, then he gave a single nod towards him. "If that is your wish, then I shall offer nothing but praise for your resolve in this matter…As well as my deepest sympathies."
The Duke exhaled, crossing his arms over his shoulder "That aside, we tracked the movements of Miklan and his group of bandits. They've been harassing some of the smaller villages and travelling caravans for some time now." a grimace worked its way onto his face "Sad as I am to say, until recently his actions were…low on the agenda of the Kingdom. He knows the territory as well as any noble and was able to target the most poorly defended lands and isolated routes."
Sylvain snorted darkly "Sounds about right for him. Miklan never did like picking a fair fight with anyone."
Rodrigue didn't so much respond to the comment as he winced ever so slightly. "Yes, suffice to say that when news did reach the nearest patrol or lord, he was gone long before they could arrive and he could cover his tracks well enough that pursuit would have required a great deal more resources…and a gang of thieves is something that was not seen as requiring an entire army to stomp out."
Dimitri made a face, his hands clenched into fists "...They were overlooked because it would have been seen as too great an effort?"
"I understand that anger, your highness…and I am afraid so." Rodrigue nodded his head "Especially in the last month, most of our attention was fixated on repairing the damage to the Gaspard territory in the wake of Lonato's rebellion." uncrossing his arms, he gestured to the Prince "You must understand that Lonato mustered nearly his entire populus into that rebellion and it has since left the area at one sixth it's previous strength. Compared with composing some manner of order there, the increased attacks from bandits were overlooked."
"And because of our inaction, they got bolder."
"...I am afraid it seems that way. Miklan knew the territory of Gautier perfectly, as was expected, and avoided all manner of patrols right up until he was upon the centre of the territory. It was not so much a theft as much as he laid siege to the mansion and broke his way in. Fortunately Lord Gautier was away and the forces present were quickly mobilised to send the bandits scattering…but-"
"But Miklan already knew where the Lance of Ruin was." Sylvain surmised with a sigh of resignation, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his left hand. "Because he was raised there…in the same way that I know where it was."
"Precisely."
"There is a silver lining." Gilbert cleared his throat, speaking up for the first time and bringing the attention of the room to himself. "Because of the scale and the importance of the attack, the forces in Gautier territory were quick to mobilise while sending a missive directly to Lord Gautier in the capital. The bandits were chased through Fraldarius territory but were not reported to have entered Galatea territory."
Byleth tilted her head "They're still in Fraldarius then."
"That was the reasoning we utilised as well. It was nearly two days before a report came in about smoke being seen in the direction of Conand Tower. Though it lasted less than an hour, it was still enough to be written into a report."
"Especially considering no one has been near those old fortifications in decades." Dimitri picked up on, his eyes widening in understanding as he turned to Rodrigue "You believe that they have taken refuge in that old fortress?"
"I'm afraid so. Even if Conand tower is far from being at its peak, the old fortifications still make it an easily defensible position, even with the bandits that Miklan has under his command." A frown came upon Rodrigue's face, the man placed his hands on his hips "Based on reports of his dealings in the past as well as the size of the force that assaulted Gautier territory, we estimate he has around a hundred men under his command."
"That is a rather…large force for bandits." Jeralt spoke up for the first time, a strange note of begrudging respect in his voice. "Especially for common thieves working under one man, you'd normally get perhaps thirty at the most before they descended into chaos. A man who can command at least a hundred brigands and has taken up occupying an old fortress designed to repel sieges?"
"It is a challenge, I will not deny." Gilbert affirmed the point of the mercenary "And Miklan and his troops have apparently proven more capable than were initially anticipated." as he said that, he glanced in the direction of Rodrigue, a frown upon his face as if asking for permission to continue onwards. He received it with a nod of the head. "From what little the Duke has shared with me thus far, the forces under Miklans command have been steadily growing, to say nothing of what laying siege to a fortress would require."
Byleth tilted her head slightly "Kingdom built it." she announced, her left eyebrow rose ever so slightly as she glanced at Rodrigue. "Didn't you?"
The man smirked, "Every bit as sharp as I was told." the smirk faded into a slight curl of the lip "But you are quite right. Fortunately, the old plans for the construction of the tower were still within the archives of the Kingdom. As soon as the notion that they might have taken refuge in the tower was presented, I went about learning all I could about the fortress. A prolonged siege will certainly gain the attention of the others and…well…hearing of a ragtag group of bandits stealing away one of the Heroes Relics…"
Rhea hummed, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. Byleth briefly noted the tension that flooded her fingers as she tightened her grip, her jaw clenched for a brief moment before her eyes opened. "With the recent attack by Demonic Beasts upon the Church, it is important that the people of Fodlan understand that now - more than ever - we are capable of protecting them. I have little doubt that should they learn of the theft of the Lance of Ruin at the hands of the disgraced son of Gautier, it will only incite turmoil in the minds of the commoners."
"That was our reasoning as well." Rodrigue nodded his head grimly "The official story is that we are assembling a small force to finally put an end to the raiders who have been plaguing the northern lands for too long. Information regarding the fact their leader wields a Heroes Relic is something we would prefer to keep from the ears of the general populace."
"To that end, Professor…" Seteth turned towards Byleth, his hands clasped behind his back "It would be best if you impressed upon your students the importance of secrecy in this task, especially in relation to the Lance of Ruin."
Byleth stared in silence for a moment, then nodded her head once to confirm her consent of the demand. Something Seteth looked much less tense about the moment he received it.
"Thank you." He cleared his throat "With that said, it has been decided that you shall be leading the force to deal with the raiders. The Kingdom have unofficially asked us for assistance on this matter, and it is because we deal with a Heroes Relic that your presence was required. Though if you feel you are not recovered enough to-"
"I'm fine." She cut him off, pausing for a moment before she made a show of rolling her arms to demonstrate their range of movement. "All healed up."
"...Well, if you are so confident." Was the dry response she received from the green haired man "Then there is little else for you to discuss on this matter. You are due to leave for Conand tower by the weeks end, spend the next few days preparing your class for their roll ahead of time, but do not inform them of the Lance until you are already enroute to the location. A contingent of knights will be sent to accompany you, led by Sir Gilbert here." he gestured to the flame haired man.
"Why not Catherine?"
"Catherine was considered for this role as well." Seteth admitted without much in the way of fanfare, Byleth found herself internally surprised at the blase revelation, though not as much as his words. He had said 'considered' which meant that she would not be accompanying them. "However, in the interest of maintaining student abilities, it was decided that this would serve as your monthly mission. We are already drafting up additional tasks for the Black Eagle and Golden Deers, though that is something for the other Professors."
Clearing his throat, he continued on "A small contingent of knights was travelling with each class, therefore it was decided that Catherine would remain behind in the interest of security around the Monastery. A wielder of a Heroes Relic should account for the lack of available knights in the unlikely event that something should arise."
"Well, if that doesn't work, I'm sure that we can always ask the librarian." Sylvain joked under his breath, whispering just loud enough that Dimitri could hear him. The blonde closed his eyes and fought back an amused smile.
"I believe the Church can defend itself competently enough without relying on the assistance of an exhibitionist." Rhea started speaking, only to pause when Seteth loudly cleared his throat and sent her a look that just screamed about her remembering the place she was in. She paused and glanced around the room, noticing the baffled expressions on the faces of everyone present, except for the blank face of Byleth. "I apologise for my outburst, that was beneath me."
"Hmmm." A hum from Jeralt was the only response to her words.
It was little secret Goetia had spent a day walking around with nothing more than small cloth and a blanket.
"Pfft." Byleth remained dead silent, not giving away any reaction as Sothis loudly started to cackle behind her head. "Exhibitionist! Pffftahahaha!"
"That aside, I trust this answers your question Professor." Rhea cleared her throat, resuming her composed manner of speaking as though she hadn't said something outrageous - and perhaps a little insulting - not even ten seconds ago. "You and your students have already demonstrated yourselves to be invaluable thus far, and it was deemed reasonable to keep the spread of such information as narrow as possible."
"Makes sense." Byleth nodded, then with all the tact of a Demonic Beast in a furniture shop, she added on. "Makes it less embarrassing."
"...Quite." Rodrigue coughed under his breath, shifting his eyes to avoid making contact with Byleth's own. Dimitri's response was more akin to an awkward groan, the boy turning his head to the side and bringing up his right hand to cover his face.
"If there are no further questions?" Seteth looked around the room for a moment, then nodded his head "Professor, for the time being it would be best to allow Sir Gilbert to sit in on your combat lessons, just so he is aware of the abilities of your students. He has experience as an instructor for the students during the brief times he has been stationed at the academy. Therefore you are free to request his services as an assistant."
For whatever reason, Byleth saw the man in question tense, his eyes briefly widened and his lip drew itself taught, then he returned to his regular mask as though nothing had occurred at all. She found it rather strange and a touch interesting, as though something put him on edge about being near her class. It wasn't the children, was it? That would have been a little odd considering his profession.
"Is that alright?" She directed the question towards Gilbert, the man blinked in surprise when he was addressed. Did he not expect her to have noticed his brief flash of panic? Maybe it was another one of those things that people who didn't examine every detail pick up on. She'd come to learn that not everyone paid as much attention to their surroundings as herself and her father.
Gilbert did well to recover, then nodded his head towards her. "I can manage well enough. It would also serve to develop some strategies and examine siege tactics, especially considering our lack of knowledge regarding the defences that will be yielded against us during the assault."
"No scouting?"
Another glance to Rodrigue for permission, then a nod of the head "By the time of our departure, both Galatea and Fraldarius dispatched small scouting parties to Conand tower. Count Fraldarius informed them to send all their missives towards the Church via carrier pigeon. Their reports are expected within the next few days. Hence the end of the week being labelled as the deadline at the earliest."
"Hmm. No more questions."
"In that case…" Seteth started to speak up, then slowly glanced in the direction of Jeralt still giving Rhea a stern glare that the woman was doing her best to avoid. Byleth could empathise with the troubled frown that soon came upon the face of the man, when her father set his mind to something it was difficult to shake him from it.
Chances were that he wasn't going to let this meeting end just yet and if Rhea did know her father as well as she claimed, then the Archbishop would know it as well.
"...I trust that any concerns that are being brought forth cannot be held until a later date?"
Jeralt was silent for a moment. "No."
And that was that, it seemed.
Seteth visibly fought back a sigh, only for Rhea to raise her hand ever so slightly. "I believe it would be best if we put certain concerns to rest, Seteth. Especially considering the task will likely take up the majority of the Professor's attention…there is little harm in alleviating her long held concerns."
"...As you wish." Seteth replied in a curt tone of voice, turning to Rodrigue and Gilbert "If you gentlemen will excuse us, there have been accommodations set up for yourself in the Monastery." he turned next towards the students "As for you two, I trust you will not discuss what has been disclosed here until a suitable time?"
"Course not." Sylvain shook his head "I'm not exactly in a rush to go out and boast about my family problems to everyone right now." a sardonic smirk made its way onto his face "Heroes Relic theft aside."
"Hmm." A hum from the assistant was the only response for that, now moving across the room towards the doors, pulling them open the moment he reached them and sticking his head through the gap. Likely in the direction of the nearest guard "You. Escort Sir Gilbert and Duke Rodrigue to their quarters."
"I'm not so out of touch to need a guide, Seteth." The Duke remarked with a chuckle, directing his attention towards the Prince "Besides, there are a few individuals I would prefer to catch up with, especially considering the length of time we have not spoken with one another…And I shall endeavour to visit Felix."
Gilbert made a noise "I shall examine the state of the training hall, I heard the Monastery suffered damage in an attack. I believe that my efforts would be better served in ensuring there is an adequate space to practise."
"As you wish." Seteth didn't even make an effort to contest the point, merely nodding his head and acquiescing to the request with an affirmation. He returned his attention to the guards outside "In that case, find Flayn and bring her here. If you would-"
"And Goetia!" Jeralt called out across the room, not taking his eyes off Rhea and watching as she blinked in surprise at the demand.
"Goetia? Why Goetia?"
"Cause there are some things I want to ask him as well…"
"...Very well. In that case, send someone to find Goetia. He will…likely be somewhere within either the town or the Monastery."
"It's a lovely little treat for when you need to tighten your purse strings." Dorothea explained to him as they sat down, Goetia glanced around the small establishment with a raised eyebrow. There was little doubt that this has been a converted two story home, the ground floor now serving as the restaurant itself. The main dining area was spacious enough, at least as much as one would expect. Several other circular tables were dotted at various locations around the room, all with two or three chairs around them leaving little doubt that the business was not one that expected a large customer base.
As expected though, it was fairly out of the way of the main square of the town, more towards the outer sections and near enough the entrance to the actual town, not quite a hot spot but close enough that any visitors who were hungry enough would probably have come to it. Behind him and Dorothea there was a cut out in the wall placed next to the door, a window fashioned into the wall providing them with a view of the street if they were so inclined.
On the opposite end of the room was a single door that led off to where the kitchen would be, if the smell was any indication. It was a small business in every sense of the word but it was the location that Dorothea had immediately led him towards, for whatever reason that might have been.
The brunette smiled across the table at him, "I actually recommended this place to Eddie as well…but I don't think it would really be within her area of interest." a sigh escaped her, shaking her head from side to side in lamentation. "She's never really shown an interest in going out and about to mingle with people. Then again, I suppose she's got quite a burden on her shoulders."
A snort.
"And I'm certain Hubie would hunt down anyone who so much as looked at Eddie funny."
"Hmmm." He released a hum at her words, they logically made a great deal of sense. The human sense of quality was not easily changed, such a place like this would - no doubt - be of little interest for one who had experienced the finer things in life, such as the heiress to the Adrestian Empire.
Then again, she could also just have much more important things to spend her time doing rather than milling around a cafe.
That being said…
"I'm curious as to why you would invite the heiress of the Adrestian Empire to this place." He commented, raising an eyebrow and maintaining his scrutinous gaze on their surroundings. It wasn't as though this location was poorly decorated or disgusted him in any capacity, it was just rather plain. The smell of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air and was accompanied by the slightly bitter aroma of coffee.
He wasn't sure what to think of it - having not been to a place like this before - but he was certain that such a location would have appeared to be little more than a shack to the future heiress. If her intention had been to secure herself some manner of political favour by ingratiating herself to the future Empress…then this was a rather limited effort.
Though Dorothea merely raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity, at least at first, then leaned forwards and rested her elbows on the table, bridging her hands together and using them to support her chin. "Oh? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Merely that Edelgard would more than likely be more comfortable in locations of greater history. No doubt it would also put ease upon the staff, as they would be more experienced in serving high society rather than those who serve in this place." He remained silent for a moment. "I have little care either way."
"At least your lack of standards comes in handy once in a while." Dorothea muttered under her breath, then allowed her lip to twitch upwards. "Though what Edie said was that she didn't want to trouble people with having Hubert accompany her where he would - no doubt - loom menacingly over the shoulders of the staff to ensure that they prepared everything correctly and to the standard that reflects her station…or along those lines."
"He is her retainer. That is his job."
"He could at least do it in secret."
"A time and a place, besides…it is hardly as though there are many locations to spy on the cooking staff in a kitchen. Unless you have a mastery of scrying but that would be redundant as any who could perform such a feat would clearly be able to identify whether their food was poisoned or not." He paused, considering another point he could have added on to the end. "Unless it is cursed. In which case, it would be more challenging to discover it…provided the curser has some degree of competence about them."
"...That's very morbid."
"You asked."
"Fair enough."
"Excuse me?" The pair turned to the voice at the left of them, a girl with tied up blonde hair faced them, hazel coloured eyes and a sprinkling of freckles upon her face. A pale green tunic rested underneath a white apron with a few stains on it, long black trousers ended in earth brown shoes."I'm ready to take your-Dorothea?" the girl blinked in surprise, taking a half step back and widening her eyes. "I didn't recognise you! You look wonderful in that outfit."
"Thank you Gerda!" The brunette beamed at the praise, then sent him an almost accusatory look "I am glad that someone decided to tell me how wonderful I looked today."
"You already know how attractive you are, you do not require my affirmation on such things." Goetia replied to her without missing a beat, she would not put so much effort into her appearance if she did not know the effect it had on the male population of the academy. Objectively, she had all the necessary features and physique to enter the upper echelons of attraction around the academy.
Dorothea made a sputtering noise, halfway between a laugh and a gasp of shock. The blonde girl - Gerda - jolted and turned to him as if realising he was here. She similarly sported a look of shock on her face, quickly shifting into a baffled expression. "Some people just like to hear it spoken aloud, Mr!"
"Is it a habit to state the obvious?"
Dorothea was now covering her face with her hands, laughing into her palms and muffling the sound.
Gerda was now gaping at him "If you knew how pretty she was then why didn't you say anything!" she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest "Maybe it is stating the obvious but women like to get praised once in a while, you know?"
Goetia squinted at her "It would be no different than me praising someone for breathing. Dorothea is already aware of her appearance, though the change in outfit does not strike as necessary. She would be presentable regardless of her clothing."
Both he and Gerda turned to the wheezing sound, Dorothea was now leaning back in her chair with her head tilted and facing the ceiling, the girl sounded as though she was struggling to breath with how much air she was currently expelling from her lungs in whatever display this was.
"Where is all of this coming from now?" Gerda now sounded as baffled as Goetia currently felt, he came here for a simple reason to ask something and now he was being berated for not stating the obvious like a child. As he expected, humans were a baffling and contradictory race. "Were you just waiting for her to set you up like this?"
"...Who is this friend of yours?" Goetia turned to Dorothea with a deadpan, raising an eyebrow as she was clearly fighting for breath.
Fighting back her laughter, Dorothea gradually managed to compose herself just enough that she could wheeze out a few words of a sentence, though the end result sounded more like a whisper given the fact she was still laughing, now raising her hands off the table and holding them up as if trying to keep Goetia at a literal arms length from her.
He was hardly amused by the situation.
"Haaaaa…" Bringing her hand up to her eyes, she wiped away some tears that had been building up "I just…I wasn't expecting you to just come out and say that…" she exhaled, blinking repeatedly, inhaling and then exhaling. "Alright…I'm fine now. Yes, fine." she smiled "And this is Gerda. We talk whenever I come down here to eat, which is normally a couple of times a week…Barring extenuating circumstances."
"I'll say." Gerda placed her hands on her hips, the teenager levelling a disapproving frown towards Dorothea "We might not be great friends but the least you could have done would be to stop by and let me know you were still alive. We heard the sounds of fighting from all the way down here…" her expression softened "Then we see knights piling down into the town with panicked screams of Demonic Beasts and…" her voice trailed off, cracking slightly.
Goetia didn't even look at her, instead fixing his attention on the flower in the ceramic vase in front of them. Reaching towards it and flicking at the petals idly, just doing anything he could to distract himself from the topic at hand. Whether either of them would notice his obvious distaste in the conversation was hardly important to him, it was just so long as he tuned them out.
"Sorry." Dorothea replied back to the blonde girl, her own face now awash with guilt "It was a bit of a rush in trying to get everyone out and making sure we all knew where we were going that it all sort of…got away from me."
"...I suppose I should be grateful you're here now." The blonde allowed, removing her hands from her hips and smiling down at the brunette while obviously fighting back tears if the sniffle in her voice was any indication. "Just…try to avoid getting hurt, alright? You're the only person who comes down from the officers academy that I'm not actively afraid of offending."
"They're not that bad."
"They don't need to be, I'm still going to be terrified of them." The girl shivered to punctuate her sentence, then shook her head and brought out a small notebook. "Well, I think I've interrupted your date long enough." she voiced back in a tone that was dripping in amusement. Was this some sort of joke that he wasn't aware of?
Human rituals confused him to no end.
She blanched when she was met with silence, evidently she was finally aware of her own foolishness and was now going to depart from them without much in the way of a rebuttal. Which suited Goetia just fine, he wasn't even sure who this woman was and in the minute or so he had known her, she had outright demanded he state the obvious as though he was a simpleton and then giving him these disapproving looks when he did not.
Then again, he should have expected behaviour as irrational as this from an associate of Dorothea.
"...This is actually a date, isn't it?"
"Yes." Dorothea giggled "But you don't mind the interruption, do you Gotie?" his eyes flickered towards the brunette, replying to her question with a telling silence accompanied by a complete lack of emotion on his face. He would prefer this not drag on for too long, but when did his preferences ever matter to humans?
"Indulge yourself." It was a half hearted reply at best, he could determine that even if he had brought up an issue, she would have just ignored him anyway or passed it off as an attempt at humour to spare the waitress what little dignity she still had left.
"Oh? Don't mind if I do then!"
Hm?
She turned towards Gerda and then gestured to the menu in front of her "Could I get…two of the breakfast pancake specials, and…" she trailed off, then sent a curious look towards the girl "Were you able to find some?"
Gerda was silent for a moment, then her lip twitched upwards.
That was apparently the correct answer as Dorothea smiled back at her "And two of the Sweet apple blends. Thank you."
"Right away." Turning around, the girl vanished back the way she had come and moved through the doors to where Goetia presumed the kitchen was.
Turning back to Dorothea, Goetia found himself raising an eyebrow at her "Two? I shall assume that you ordered for me."
"You would have gotten tomato soup and water."
"...Yes."
"There we have it then." She declared as if he had said something stupid, once again he found himself a little annoyed at her dismissal of his preferred food stuff but arguing over something as pointless as that was not going to be worth it in any capacity. "We have some time until she comes back, want to talk about anything?"
"How did you discover this location?"
A blink from the girl, then a pleased expression came onto her face "I found it when I was exploring the town. There was a nice smell coming through the door and I just followed it. Saw the sign hanging above the window and then just stepped inside, figured out it was a small business immediately afterwards and…well…I figured it wouldn't hurt to visit them every so often." a beat "Also they made some really nice food."
"Your experience as a commoner influenced your decision?"
"...A little." She admitted after a moment of silence, then smiled to herself "Probably a fair bit more than I might be willing to accept but I did let it influence me. Especially since I've been there before and all. Probably why I like Gerda…she's trying, her and her family. Her parents are the bakers."
"Hmmm." A hum came from his lips, not a reply in any meaningful sense but an acknowledgement of her words.
"She found it in baking, I found it in music."
"A singer, I believe you said."
"Quite so." She chuckled "I was a songstress at the Mittlefrank Opera company."
The name seemed familiar to him-
"...Manuela." His voice being as flat at the table they sat at, something Dorothea evidently found a little intriguing as she tilted her head to the side slightly. "You were an associate of Manuela in a professional capacity before she became…a professor?"
"I was, yes. Manuela discovered my talent for singing." The girl remarked, then leaned forwards on the table "I'm very talented, and if you'd ever like me to sing, I'm always open to returning to my roots…just a touch though. I'm not quite a songstress anymore."
"I never paid much interest in music. My experience with such things were the hymns of my homeland." It was an odd thing to consider or even discuss, but the comparison was made regardless. He did not pay interest in the 'songs' of humanity all that much. He had heard them before and he knew of a human who would have become a Demon God in exchange for an improvement to his musical talent. "I knew of other types but…I never saw the appeal it held."
"That's a shame." The girl let out a sigh "I think you're missing out. Music can really be a way of reaching people…" then she tilted her head, drawing her index finger in circles on the table. "Have you ever been to an opera before?"
"...No."
"Hmmm. If you spend all your time listening to hymns, then you would probably have a skewed view on what singing is about." A hum of dissatisfaction accompanied that statement, her expression shifted into one of lamentation. "Still, I think you could do with at least listening to a proper song at least once. Just so that you could say you attended one."
"...Hmmm. Such curious things affect you all." The mutter came free before he could help it, directing his attention towards the door to the kitchen "A devotion to the culinary arts, a devotion to theatre…I've never considered them in any meaningful way and yet…Hmmm. Even Solomon composed songs."
"Really?" Dorothea blinked in surprise "Your father was a singer?"
"...You know about him being my creator?"
"Creator?" She grimaced "Not a great relationship there, I take it?"
"...No."
"I can understand that much…suddenly your aversion to singing makes sense to me."
"The contents of the song were baffling as well. Simply titled the 'Song of Songs' and spent several pages celebrating sexual congress."
"...W-what?"
"Hmmm. An…odd choice from him and not something I ever felt the need to comment upon until now, though this topic of music has enlightened me once more. Perhaps the most troubling aspect is that I was personally affiliated with the women he described in the poem. Whereas before it only elicited annoyance and disinterest…now I feel…horror. A sickly feeling in my gut, as though insects crawl over my skin, my hairs stand on end and I find my muscles tense the longer I think of it."
"...That's called being embarrassed." Dorothea coughed out "W-which is a very appropriate response to that!"
"...Is it? Embarrassment." A pause. "Yes, that is likely the correct answer. I no longer wish to think of this topic."
"I-I don't blame you…"
Interlude: Inheritance of Birthright.
It was such a stupid thing to be worried about, but he couldn't help but contain his disappointment as he stared at the spear, almost mockingly staring at him from across the room. It looked every bit as strong as it had ever done, a weapon that was rather hideous when it was compared to other weapons of the same type.
A spear, a crooked spear that looked utterly unwieldy. Spikes branches of sharpened bone like material shot out from underneath the head of the lance, they should have been brittle to the point where they snapped but they had never done so once. It was so utterly bizarre to him that he had trouble believing that this was a weapon that had been wielded during the War of Heroes.
Yet it had been done so, and by his ancestor in the greatest war the continent had ever seen. A legacy that he should have had every right to wield as well. Except he hadn't. He had been deemed…unworthy of doing so, because his blood hadn't been pure enough in the eyes of his father.
Instead it would have gone to some pompous fop who understood nothing of their legacy or heritage.
But that returned him to his original point, he thought as much as he leaned forwards and clasped his hands together. The old bed frame creaked underneath his weight, his eyes flickered over the spear up and down, his lip curled in distaste as he stared at the weapon. It had been a disappointment.
He had heard tales of the weapons, stories about what such spears could accomplish. Weapons that could send armies running in terror, that could split the mountains themselves and rend the earth with every swing.
This hadn't been that. The weapon had achieved nothing exemplary, nothing beyond what a normal spear could have accomplished without the extra weight attached to it. He had been expecting to take hold of a weapon that could carve out his own little kingdom with it, proving to everyone that he should have been named the heir to the Gautier house.
In truth, the name meant nothing to him anymore. He just wanted his father to curse his own foolishness. He wanted to prove that he had been the rightful heir to the family legacy and that his mongrel sibling was nothing. He was always nothing, his one claim to the family line had always been little more than a trace of blood. Nothing more, he showed none of the skill, none of the strength and none of the desire.
Yet here he was, staring at a spear that he had stolen. He had claimed it through the right of strength and proven that he could outsmart everyone. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and he had been proven correct. He'd made sure to pay careful attention to news around the Kingdom, ever since the rebellion from Lonato. He knew there would have come a point where it would amount to something in the end.
And it had been given to him.
His father had left their home with their guards and travelled to the capital for whatever reason. Leaving the old family home ripe for plundering, his men might have come away with treasures and trinkets, stealing from the kitchens or whatever else they could get their hands on. But he had come away with the real prize.
Except it wouldn't do anything.
It just sat there.
Almost as though it was sneering at his lack of a crest.
Miklan snarled at it, sharply turning his head away. It didn't matter, so long as he was seen to wield the lance then all would be well in the end. However, he couldn't contain his anger at the spear not doing anything, as though it was mocking him.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled and then exhaled.
He turned back to the spear.
He froze, his eyes widening and his body remaining locked in position.
He was no longer alone in the room, he hadn't even heard the new figure enter. The door was still closed and there was a lack of any sort of display to indicate the arrival of a teleport spell, which meant that the man had either already been in the room - impossible, he would have noticed - or he had just appeared.
"Who the-!?" A growl, mixed with fury and surprise tore it's way from his throat as he rose up from his seated position, already taking stock of the figure cloaked in a full concealing dark robe. Not even his face could be seen, though a pair of glowing red eyes with cross shaped pupils stared back at him.
"Peace." The voice came next "I had not intended to alarm you, but I very well could not enter without causing some distress with your men."
Miklan paused, his eyes narrowed "Peace? Who are you supposed to be?!" he demanded, inching to the side as he watched the figure, he always kept a dagger close to his bed. The distance between them was not so great that the cloaked man wouldn't be able to close the distance before he armed himself, so he would have to get close.
"An individual of curiosity." The cloaked man replied with a touch of amusement in his voice, the head turned away from him and towards the Lance of Ruin. "I had heard of the spears theft and was intrigued. I had avoided studying the Heroes relics-" he paused, then turned his hood back around and glanced down at his upper chest.
And the dagger that Miklan had just buried into him right up to the hilt.
"...Amusing." The man snorted, then proceeded to ignore the stab wound entirely. "As I was saying, I was curious as to the effects of a Heroes Relic in the hands of one who lacked a crest…Though I can see the effects have already been affecting you already."
Miklan blinked several times, then wrenched the dagger free - noticing the lack of blood on the blade - and took a half step backwards, his legs colliding with the frame of the bed and stopping his retreat. He flipped the dagger around, pointing it at the robed man. "...Who the hell…how did…?"
"Ah, yes. I'm far beyond the likes of…crude implements such as that." The man replied almost offhandedly, something which threw Miklan for a loop. Considering no one walked off getting stabbed in the chest without reacting to it, and that cloak didn't hide much of anything. He would have known if he stabbed armour, he had certainly pierced flesh and came away with nothing. "Though I'm hardly offended by your attempt at murder."
"The fuck…? Who-?"
"A curious individual, like I said. Though…I'm sure you've heard of the Rebellion by Lord Lonato at this point, yes?"
Of course he had, there wasn't a soul in the Kingdom who hadn't.
Miklan narrowed his eyes "...You had something to do with that?" it was the only reason he could think of as to why the figure would suddenly bring this up. He needed to keep them talking while he figured out how to deal with this situation, and they evidently didn't come for his head otherwise they would have probably killed him already. If their silent appearance was any indication.
Walking off a stabbing also gave him that impression.
"I did, yes. I supplied Lonato with the means to obtain his victory…Though I'm sure you can determine it didn't work out that way. Hmmm?" A touch of mirth in his voice indicated just how little he thought about Lonato's death. Not that Miklan was concerned about the man, he'd never met him. It had also been Lonato's rebellion that had brought him this chance in the first place.
"In truth, I am somewhat saddened by his passing. He had a great deal of potential about him, but his desire to throw everything away for the sake of revenge…I suppose I was just curious to see how far that path would have led him." Another pause from the cloaked man "Not as far as I would have imagined but these are lessons we must all take to heart."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ah, just musings I suppose." A chuckle from the cloak, once more directing their attention to the Lance "But this is a rather grand trophy you have acquired yourself, is it not? A band of raiders stealing a treasure such as this from the heart of a Kingdom territory would have been laughable. However, you chose your moment well…only it had not been as fruitful as you hoped."
"Get on with whatever you're here to say!"
"A sensitive subject, it seems. Though you are correct in the importance of ensuring the proper flow of a conversation. I am here to offer you something that you have always been denied, Miklan Gautier."
"What?"
"At the moment, the power of the spear lies beyond your reach because you lack the power of a Crest." A hand came out from underneath the robe, a muscular forearm followed it, the cloaked man gesturing to himself. "An issue that I might be able to cure you of."
Miklan made a face, was this man just insane or something? "A crest?" He gave a crooked laugh "You're going to give me a crest, is that it?"
"I am going to give you something much greater than a Crest." He announced "The Crests are diluted, mere forgeries of something. Their power all stems from something much more powerful. Something which originates from their original source, they all come from the Goddess…what I offer you is her power."
The hand that had come from the cloak suddenly opened up, a small vial being seen in the centre of the hand. It looked fairly innocuous, save for the strange silvery liquid that sloshed around inside of it. By all accounts it looked like molten steel but he couldn't see anything about it that would give the indication.
And even at a glance, he could tell there was something special about it.
"The power of the Goddess?" He was still beyond dubious "What is that?"
"Her blood."
…Her what?
"The fuck?" He looked at the liquid once more, then back at the man "Are you insane?"
"...No."
Yeah, because a crazy person would never make claims of sanity. This guy was delusional beyond even Miklan's wildest dreams.
"Though I am certain you are aware that the Kingdom will be hunting you down. I have little doubt that the smoke accident several days prior will no doubt have raised alarms across the territory. Especially considering the prize you have absconded with."
Miklan couldn't keep his displeasure off his face, that had been a stupid act from someone who couldn't wait until nightfall before he started to try cooking something. They'd gotten the fire out as soon as he found out but he was worried it would have already been too late. The problem was, he didn't know where else he could have gone. Conand tower was the last place he could think of.
"And when they arrive, they will no doubt crush you under foot…unless you had a way of evening the odds?" The vial was now being held up, in between the fingers of the taller man "Can you imagine it? The Church will keep the flow of information narrow, I am already aware of a convoy that headed to Garreg Mach with the Duke Fraldarius at its helm."
That gave Miklan pause, the Shield of Faerghus was not someone who could be taken lightly under any circumstances. He would have called the man a fool and a liar, except for the fact that it made perfect sense for the Duke to be involved the moment mention of the Lance came up. Especially the Church…he couldn't fight the Knight's of Seiros, even after rumours of them battling Demonic Beasts at the Church.
"...Why?"
"Why? I want to see what a Heroes Relic can do in the hands of someone capable. How often would the chance to see the legendary weapons of the ancient Heroes be utilised to send armies scattering present itself?" A chuckle came from the man, sounding rather intrigued by the notion. "Besides…would you not wish to experience the power of a Crest at least once in your life? I gain nothing through simply killing you. I could just as easily wait until the Kingdom armies come."
"...Tch."
"And if I were to tell you that your half brother would be coming here…" Miklan froze at the words. Sylvain? "Would you not wish to enact your revenge upon him for stealing away your birthright?"
"...How do you know he's coming here?"
"Simple deductions."
Even if Sylvain wasn't coming here…
Miklan glanced at the vial, then at the man "...Who are you?"
"Me? I am a mere…ally. Shall I assume you accept?"
What did he have to lose at this point?
"...Yes."
He got the distinct impression the man smiled under the hood. "Wonderful."
AN: Yes.
Next chapter is the one in which you shall finally have the meeting. Where Byleth's origins are explained in full and Goetia will have to – begrudgingly – acknowledge that Rhea was actually able to create a Demi-Servant of superior quality to Mash that does not suffer from physical defects.
As you can imagine, it will be through really gritted teeth.