Demon in Fodlan

by Mundatorem

Goetia, surviving his failure at the Temple of Time, finds himself in a new world. Despite the rather unusual nature of it, he finds himself disappointed that he see's much of the same human nature that he saw on Earth. Determined to discover what it was that made human life worth the struggle, he decides to use his second chance to find the meaning of his own life. (Azure Moon)

76. Chapter 75: An answer At long last

Chapter 75: An answer…at long last.

He stared at the liquid in the small tea cup in front of him, the fragrance that hit his nose was…it was certainly potent. However, he would not describe it as unpleasant. A touch of fruit, much like its namesake of apple. Yet it was not overpowering to his senses, then again he had not even taken a sip of it just yet so he could not be certain of that.

However, the fact of the matter remained that he could say - with absolute certainty - that he had never had something like this before in his life. It had never been something that had occurred to him, yet all the same, now that he was human or close to them, it would perhaps be not unusual for him to branch out?

Dorothea had made…some sense in her assertions, he had never seen a human eat the exact same food every single day in their life, often changing what they consumed for a variety of reasons. Either a result of altering their diet to cut down on their weight or simply because they wished for a change. For whatever frivolous reason had been present in their mind at the time.

It was something he had been avoiding for long enough, if only because he saw no reason to differ from tomato soup and water as his primary source of sustenance. Though he had consumed other items in the past, wild berries during his long walks and stew cooked up by the knights during their return trip to Garreg Mach.

"How long are you going to stare at it?"

Dorothea's voice broke his musings, his eyes flickered upwards and found her staring expectantly at him. She was clearly awaiting his actions first, likely examining his expression to see what his initial response would be to the taste of the tea. It was a basic conclusion he reached, when you placed a stimuli in front of an animal or a person, you would naturally wait around and record what the end results would be.

"...It is simply that I have not consumed something such as this before." He replied after a moment, watching the way in which she raised an eyebrow but did not look as surprised as he would have assumed. He was basing this off the reaction Lysithea had when he informed her he had never had cake before.

That had ended with her dragging him to actually have some cake, going so far as to watch him consume the slice.

It had been…pleasant enough.

Very sugary, yet he would not describe the reaction his body had as being negative. Rather, it elicited a response akin to addiction. He had craved another slice after he finished the one presented to him. It was the reason why he had avoided cake ever since, he did not enjoy being out of control of his own bodily functions. The idea that a mere food substance would exhibit control over him in that way was…alarming, to say the least.

Lysithea was clearly too far gone by that point, she had ensured that sugared constructs were a part of her diet and removing them would have brought about withdrawal symptoms upon her, it would cause her performance as a student to suffer as a result. Besides, it was not his role to control her dietary requirements, such things were the role of her parents or other guardians.

He was simply her teacher.

"I hope you like it then." Dorothea continued onwards, the cup held in one hand while the other traced an index finger around the rim. Her eyes danced between the cup of tea in front of her and the cup in his left hand. "It's one of my favourite blends, but getting tea from the empire can be a little challenging at times. Well, getting good tea, I should say." she gave a throaty chuckle, as if amused by some untold joke "There's no shortage of tea in the world but finding the one that meets all your tastes?"

She locked gazes with him, lip curling upwards "Now that is quite a rare thing."

"I'm…surprised that you have strict criteria for your food."

She paused, raising an eyebrow "Is that supposed to be some remark on my commoner background?" her voice sounded innocent enough, but Goetia could easily detect an undercurrent of accusation in her words, that wasn't to say she seemed offended just yet. He suspected that his next words would bring about that response.

"...In part." He didn't even believe it was necessary to hide it "Though I am more impressed at the care you show in maintaining your standards. I would imagine that many without the luxury of choosing their source of sustenance would resort to consuming hazardous foodstuff in the name of continued survival." she gave him a curious look, prompting him to go onwards. "The desire for survival is almost…too potent at times."

"Too potent?"

"Hmmm." How to find an example she would understand? "Are you familiar with a proverb in relation to being stranded on a desert island?"

A flash of understanding came upon her face "You refer to being trapped there without food or shelter, yes?" she raised her tea cup to her lips, almost daintily parting her lips and bringing the cup to her mouth. Taking a shallow sip from it then closing her eyes, a blissful noise leaving her throat. "But I'm sure you've got more to say on it than that?"

"Suppose there are two types of food in front of you? One is a fish that takes at least three days to prepare properly but you know what it is and how safe it is to consume." He tilted his head "The second are wild berries from the plant near you, they are in great abundance and you can consume them immediately without the wait."

A silence fell between them "Which do you imagine most humans would pick?"

"The berries." Dorothea remarked without even hesitating, though her lips maintained that knowing smile which at least inferred she had seen through his hypothetical without any trouble. Or perhaps there had never been a moment in which she had been lost in thought regarding it. "But this is where you tell me the berries are poisonous, right?"

"Quite. Hunger is an exceedingly strong motivator in making brash decisions, simply desiring to quell the problem as swiftly as possible. That you are from a background that would usually force you to satisfy yourself with whatever food came your way, but you still maintain a certain expectation of quality for what you consume is…pleasing to see."

The smile turned slightly softer, more mirthful. "That is the first time I've ever heard someone compliment a picky eater."

"One should not allow circumstances to hamper their expectations for perfection. In the moment they slip, you find yourself quickly making repeated concessions until you lose sight of your original value." He allowed a silence to fill the space between them, returning his sight to the cup in front of him. "Or that is my belief in the matter, though I have been told I have both unusually high expectations and exceedingly low expectations. Quite the contradiction to others, but it makes sense for myself."

"What sort of expectations do you have that are so low?"

"The capacity to be impressed by people." He replied without a moment of hesitation "I am aware of the flaws of humans, without a doubt more intimately than anyone who lives in this continent. I know them, each and every single one. Therefore, my expectations for how people act are exceedingly low." The words of Harold came back to him "Though I was told that in keeping my expectations so low, I would always be pleasantly surprised when they were surpassed."

"That's a rather nice way of interpreting what would otherwise have been a flat out insult." She was clearly fighting back a laugh "Though I suppose I can relate, in part at least…"

"Ho?"

"With nobles." She elaborated, gesturing to herself with her free hand "There's always an expectation around them. I've met more than my fair share of them and - I won't lie - more often than not, when you meet one you've met them all. More concerned with their reputations or their legacy than they are with the actual people they're supposed to care about." In spite of her words, Goetia couldn't notice anything about her that seemed incensed.

It was more that she was resigned to the situation.

"Don't get me wrong, they aren't all like that." A quick addition was made, earning a raised eyebrow from him. "Some at the Monastery are certainly much, much better than those I know. Edie does care about people, or at least, I hope she does." she stressed, though the words were made with clear amusement. She wasn't being serious when she said them, which struck him as curious. "She at least made friends with the commoner girl, so that has to account for something."

"Petra has also shown a peculiar attachment to Ashe, I believe."

"I didn't know you were one for gossip!" A snicker from the girl "But you're right. Petra is rather close with him, but I'm not sure either of them realise how it looks from the outside. Not quite sure when it happened but…I'm glad it did. Ashe seems like a sweet boy, very earnest as well."

"...I've noticed his habit to view things through a more…optimistic lens, bordering on delusion." That mad rant he had given him after he attempted to goad the boy into striking him still lingered in the back of his mind. He had not been presenting himself as a monster for the boy to hate to spare his feelings, he had been telling him the truth of the matter and fully expected him to strike him. The end result had left him both confused and annoyed.

"Hmmm. That aside, for every Petra and Edie…you get someone who isn't like that." She flattened her lips "I'm not usually one for speaking poorly about someone behind their back, so I won't. Though if he asked me, I would be honest with my words."

"Good. You should not blunt your statements with emotions. The truth is far more appealing than a lie."

"That's an open ended statement right there." The brunette chortled, glancing at the tea "Speaking of which…are you going to try it?"

"Hmm? Ah…yes…" He looked down at his cup…then brought it towards his lips. Pausing just shy of letting the ceramic touch his lips, the fragrance hung in the air just above his nostrils for a brief moment, almost as though it was greeting his senses. Even at this close distance, the scent remained idle. Nothing more than a passing greeting to his senses. Then he opened his mouth and let a small sample of the liquid fall into his mouth.

It was warm, likely a result of having cooled down since it was placed in front of him, the taste was also rather striking. It was sweet, not sickeningly so however. It tasted how it smelt, letting it flow around his mouth for a few seconds before he swallowed, lowering the cup back down onto the small plate. He could not accurately describe the experience, it was a sweet taste that balanced well with his senses.

A fruity taste to it on account of its namesake, at the same time it lacked the same demand that the cake had done despite containing sugar. He was not physically repelled by it, which therefore meant he had found it acceptable.

"...It is…acceptable." And he voiced as such, looking back up and seeing the gentle look on the brunette's face just opposite him. "Was that the response you were hoping for?" He asked regardless, she seemed pleased with herself but she was not ecstatic either. Goetia might well have said she was arrogantly confident in herself, as though she was already certain of the reaction he would have had.

"I'd say so. Though it's more about whether you enjoy it." She countered with a smile "But back to the topic of nobles. It's…I suppose that there comes a point where you simply tune out what you expect them to do, it becomes as commonplace as the sun turning in the sky. Perhaps when the moment comes and a noble surprises you, it is a rather memorable experience, but beyond that…you just let it pass you by."

…How envious.

He wasn't capable of that, in spite of how low his expectations were, he would always remain disappointed in what humans would do. Left with nothing left but to pity them for their foolishness, their weakness, and their mere existence. Dorothea had the benefit of being limited in her scope and her existence.

As 'benefitted' as he could claim she could be.

Ignorance was bliss.

He lacked that same apathetic nature to humans, though he grew tired of their existence, he could not ignore them like she could. Perhaps it was simply a part of his nature. Though, he could see the angle by which she had drawn the comparison between the two of them. The scale was on an entirely different level, but the foundation remained similar enough.

He suspected that only the likes of Flayn had come close to truly grasping the measure of his existence thus far, and that was only because she understood the nature of humanity at this point.

"...I suppose you are correct to a point. Though I cannot ignore it, be it disappointing nor pleasing." There was a silence, then he stared down at the tea once more. "On a different note, what is the fascination with sugary products?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fruit tea, cakes, different baked goods." He elaborated for her "It is not simply you, it is many people I have noticed thus far, there is a strange affection for these manner of sugary products that I cannot grasp."

Dorothea just shrugged at him, not looking all that concerned about his inquiry "Some people just like sweet things. I could very easily say the same about your strange affection towards tomato soup and water." she gave him a rather challenging smirk as she leaned back into her chair, then her eyes glanced down towards the pancakes in front of them before returning to him. "Though I suppose not everyone enjoys that sort of thing. Hence why coffee exists."

"Bitter drinks, yes." He knew well enough about that sort of thing, though he realised they had ventured far and away from his initial reason for bringing her out. It was rather alarming the ease at which Dorothea had taken command of the conversation and steered him towards whatever they had been speaking of for the last half an hour or so.

"Are conversations normally this easily led down the path of irrelevancy?" He asked the girl opposite him after a moment to consider his stance. Dorothea's eyes flashed with brief surprise at the question, then her expression cooled down and she tilted her head to the side ever so slightly.

"Depends on the person speaking? I don't give much thought to how the topics can change unless I want to find something out." Reaching towards her cup, she lifted it back to her lips and took another sip, lowering the cup back down once she was finished. "That being said, I normally let the topics change to learn a little bit about a person. Naturally, the best way to do that is seeing where their interests lie and then gleaning something from that."

"Hmmm…I see." So she had allowed the conversation to shift to learn more about him? An apt response to take command of his brief lapse in judgement. Rather irritating as well, he would have thought to have more control over the topics but he had taken the bait and been lulled into whatever it was that Dorothea had intended to discuss. It would appear he had underestimated her ability at speechcraft. "Though I would prefer we discuss what I had initially intended to bring you out to ask."

"Don't forget your pancake." Her comment was almost offhanded, as though she had just recalled the food that was in front of the pair, already moving her hand towards the small metal fork and taking it into her fingers. Though her eyes were not upon him, he could at least tell she was paying a modicum of attention towards him.

It was slightly vexing, he would prefer her complete attention but he needed an answer that would come from a position of comfort. Forcing an answer from her would likely alter her own opinion in the hopes of giving him the response he wanted, for the time being - and for the sake of his future plans - he could endure this mild concession with limited annoyance.

"You know of Abyss."

"The small town underneath the Church?" Dorothea glanced up to him in surprise, then nodded her head up and down as she used the fork like a knife to break off a corner of her food, soon skewering it on the end of the cutlery. "I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't heard about it by this point." her lips curled down as she brought the small slice to her lips, parting them and placing the food in her mouth, closing her jaw and pulling a clean fork out from between her lips.

"Yes. With Aelfric dead, the location is now without governance." Another nod from Dorothea as she chewed. "I intend to take the role for myself."

"..." She gulped, staring at him with an unblinking gaze "Really?" her voice contained a note of surprise but also, perhaps, intrigue? Something that was a touch curious for him to consider at any rate. Though that wasn't to say he didn't understand it. "That certainly seems…very ambitious."

"Ambitious? I intend to turn it from the filthy ghetto I walked in and into a location that could be called civilised." He grunted back to her, ambitious? There wasn't anything ambitious in his mind about the task. It was simply a matter of performing a task that needed to be done, to imply otherwise would mean that he removed anything other than an eyesore from the world in the only way he knew how. "It is simply a matter of time."

"Mmhmm." A wordless hum from the girl, her eyebrows crinkled slightly "Alright, but why tell me about it? I assume you haven't already spoken with the Archbishop…unless you're considering me to be your secretary or something?"

"...No." He blinked "That was not why I sought you out…it was a matter of opinion that your background could offer me."

"My background? Oh…I see. You needed the perspective of a commoner?"

"I was…recently alerted to the possibility that if I were to simply assume control of Abyss by directive of the Archbishop, the people of the ghetto would be left aggrieved by this sudden turn of events and, therefore, would be far less receptacle to any changes I would make, regardless of their positive outcome." This was the crux of the matter that he needed answered. "As a citizen of the Empire, you live under the rule of an absolute monarchy - ideally, according to your system - you would be similarly subject to such changes without consultation."

Dorothea didn't reply to him for a moment, then she silently nodded her head in affirmation.

"...Would you be concerned over a change of leadership in such a fashion without our own opinion being considered? My actions to revitalise Abyss into a hub of commerce and culture are fruitless if the denizens reject my goals at every turn. Therefore, I want to know what you believe would be the best course of action…supposing you had a say in whatever leader was going to be Emperor next?"

"I…" She bit her lower lip, glancing from side to side and dropping her voice into a slight whisper "I don't know if I should really be talking about something like that. The Emperor is the Emperor, through right granted by the bloodline of the Goddess."

"...You do not genuinely believe something such as that, do you? True enough, the Emperor would hold a crest but that is not what we are debating, nor what I am asking. You have attended classes with Edelgard and interacted with her, I trust you are satisfied with her as Emperor?"

"Yes." There wasn't an ounce of hesitation there.

"Suppose you had not been granted this chance, would this sense of satisfaction remain?"

"I…probably wouldn't even consider it."

"...I see. Though…the preference for knowing whom the leader is as an individual remains?"

"I count myself lucky to consider Edie a friend." Dorothea responded evenly, pursing her lips "Though even without that, I wouldn't have thought one way or the other about her being Emperor. You just…don't consider it being a possibility." she snorted "Maybe they do in the Alliance but I've seen how Lorenz acts around some of the commoners, as though he is some higher being compared to them and…well…from a point of status, he is certainly better. The truth of it is, most don't care so long as you take care of them and keep them safe. Getting to know that Edie doesn't view me as some dumb peasant is quite a nice touch…but it's a rarity."

Even in spite of Dorothea saying such things, Goetia could easily tell where her preferences lied. She thought of Edelgard as a close associate of hers and whether she realised or not, she would likely be more comfortable with Edelgard in the position of Emperor than an unknown individual. She simply accepted the matter was out of her hands and far above what her station would allow.

"But you're dealing with Abyss…and they aren't the Empire."

"Hmm?"

"We talked about them - I met some of them when they came to the surface - and these are people who are tired of having their lives decided for them by people they've never met. They're outcasts…they listened to Aelfric because they knew who he was, he walked amongst them, spoke with them, ate with them…" She sighed, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of her nose "Not that I'm expecting the same of Edie but that's not a slight against her. Abyss is a single town but…getting to know the person who is going to be doing so much in regards to your life before they do something like that…isn't a bad idea."

A frown came upon his lips. "Then the issue is not whether I obtain the position or not…it is whether they can put the trust of their lives in me to ensure the best for them. My word alone is not enough?"

"...No offence, but they'd have heard promises to make their lives better a hundred times over from different nobles or people before they ended up in Abyss. Really, if you are serious about this…then I'd consider a more hands on approach. Mingle with the people a little bit, convince them you're going to make their lives better." She was silent for a moment, then shrugged "Or don't…but I suppose I'd rather know who was controlling my life than not."

"...I see…Not an idle observer who governs from afar but an individual who deals with the problems directly, who works alongside the people…"

"I don't think you need to be on your hand and knees in the mud with them…just be honest about your intentions and help them understand." She was silent once again "So…being a Prince prepares you for these sorts of things?"

"A mere prince?" Goetia scoffed "I was a King. I governed an entire country."

Dorothea blanched. "...Oh." a silence descended over the pair of them, Goetia used the brief lull in conversation to finally turn his attention onto the pancake in front of him. Mirroring the actions of Dorothea and breaking off a small section with his fork and bringing it to his mouth.

…

Humans ate items such as this regularly? For one who had never experienced a great deal of taste before and would have preferred to maintain his regular diet, he hadn't expected something such as this to affect him that greatly. It had been done with so few ingredients as well, a mere pancake rolled into itself with berries on the interior? That was all this took?

Human ingenuity couldn't be underestimated, he supposed.

"...King, huh…" There was a brief mutter from the girl opposite him, then a slightly nervous smile came upon her lips "...Never met a King before…"

"When Edelgard, Dimitri and Von Riegan ascend to their positions of power, you will have met several rulers in rapid succession. All of whom from completely different nations." He tilted his head, raising a lone eyebrow at the girl "An achievement for one whose profession used to be that of songstress and has risen from commoner status."

A wry smile came upon the girl's face. "Yes…I suppose that would be quite true."

"Regardless…this talk has been illuminating for me. I shall confer with my other sources before coming to a decision on how best to assume control of Abyss. Though your opinion has been noted as one of importance and shall be treated accordingly."

"...So what you mean is 'thank you for the advice, I'll be sure to take it under consideration'?"

"...Yes."

"Wonderful, glad I could help." Dorothea beamed at him, poking at her food some more "And this has been a rather interesting start to our date."

Start? What did she mean 'start'?

"Start? Our business has concluded. I brought you here under the simple premise of obtaining a certain piece of information. We have no further reason to propagate this meeting beyond this time frame. I have business that can be attended to elsewhere and you - no doubt - will be dealing with your studies and academic work."

"A girl invites you out here and you ditch her the first chance you get?" Her voice was tinged with mock hurt, a slow shake of the head as though she was disappointed in him soon followed. Her eyes closed and her lips pulled down into a saddened frown, all of the emotion from her might well have been false but it was still rather annoying for him to see all the same. "We haven't even gotten to all the important aspects of a date…the shopping, the casual banter, the moonlight walk…the passionate kiss at the end-"

"You are joking."

"Naturally. You don't strike me as someone who would perform something as simple as that. I'd imagine your attempts at courtship to be far more formal than mine, but we'll chalk that down to a difference in background."

"Your apparent apprehension over my reveal of royalty did not last long, it seems."

"I figured that if you were really bothered by how I treated you, then you would most certainly have made a comment about it." Dorothea countered smoothly, pointing the fork in her hands towards him to emphasise the point "Other Nobles I am aware of would certainly never hesitate to alert someone that they have been slighted and probably begin demanding apologies…or reparations for these perceived insults. One of the two…sometimes both."

"I believe myself to be far and above the opinions of the common rabble, their claim to superiority means nothing to me."

"See, to anyone else that might sound arrogant." She tilted her head, humming quietly for some strange reason. "You have something in common with Edie…you both make these absurd sounding statements that would have been ludicrous had anyone else said them, yet there is this natural air of confidence around you that just makes it sound as though it is common sense." there was a moment where she was seemingly lost in her own thoughts, then shrugged "Perhaps it is just the aura of a ruler? I suppose if you are to lead people, it makes sense you would need to be confident."

"Naturally. Though such a thing should go without saying, few would follow a man who second guessed every single decision he ever made. Council can be taken before the moment - if the ruler believes they might be mistaken - but to change after the moment or words have been spoken? Such a thing would invite weakness."

"Ah, so a 'think before you act' type situation? Interesting."

"I would hardly call the notion interesting." He frowned, it would imply that real thought went into the comment. As though it was worthy of pursuing further discussion on the matter, it only made sense that one should have absolute confidence in their thoughts and actions from the moment they were laid bare to the world. Thinking before one acted should have just as easily been second nature to humans as it was to him.

Yet, all too often, he would see otherwise.

…And recent events had found him acting on mere whims more often than he had done in the past. A troubling notion.

Though before he could speak on the topic further, or before Dorothea could offer anything else on the matter - he was now slightly intrigued by the comparison between himself and Edelgard, though their conversations had been brief thus far - there was a rattle from their right. Both his and Dorothea's head turned to the door as a knight swung the door open, instantly locking onto him.

The man briefly paused as he caught sight of Dorothea, tensing for a moment before shaking his head slightly and focusing on Goetia once more. "Assistant Librarian Goetia? The Archbishop has requested your presence at the Monastery at once."

Rhea wanted him? For what pointless argument did she have the need of starting with him now?

"I suppose you've been given an early escape." Dorothea sighed to herself, though she did not sound too troubled by this recent development, perhaps a little downcast if Goetia was to put it into words. The same manner of disappointment one would feel if they were only briefly delayed for some reason but would inevitably recover from. "We never even went clothes shopping…"

"My clothes are fine." He responded on instinct, glancing at the knight and raising an eyebrow "For what purpose was my presence requested?"

The knight was clearly surprised he had asked, looking as though he wanted to say something but held himself back. "...The Archbishop merely called for your presence. I have been instructed to escort you to her." There was now a subtle edge in the voice of the knight "It would be best if you heeded her instructions."

"I'm sure." He responded in a flippant manner as he glanced down at the plate once more, taking hold of the cup and bringing it to his lips. Downing the remainder of the tea in a single gulp before gently lowering it back to the plate as though nothing had happened. His left hand came up and reached into his robe, soon coming back out with a handful of coins that he balanced on the table with perfect alignment.

Dorothea blinked "You're paying?"

"You had no reason to entertain this request of mine, in spite of your sudden control of this scenario, it was still at my behest. I will not trouble you for matters that were brought about through my own actions to begin with. Such a notion would be foolish."

"That's so gentlemanly of you."

"Hmmm." He hummed at her, turning to the knight and advancing on the man "Fine, let us depart."

---

When he finally arrived at the Monastery, he was escorted directly towards the private meeting chambers of the Archbishop. It had been some time since he last visited this location, though perhaps that was merely his own perspective of time. It had been two days at most since his last visit to this place.

It was hardly a location he was in a rush to encroach upon once again, especially because Rhea had seen fit to intrude upon tasks that he had personally developed an interest in. Whether this had been intentional on her part or not, the fact remained that he had a variety of agendas that would have brought about a more productive day than speaking with Rhea about some other absurdity that he had very little interest in.

It was hardly as though he could ignore her, at least for as long as he remained in the Monastery. If his plan of assuming command of Abyss had any hope of being realised, he would have to maintain a vaguely professional relationship with her, or at the very least one of neutrality. It would serve the people of Abyss to prove themselves a boon to the Church so that his eventual departure would not provide a window for the Church to assume control of the location and ruin all his hard work.

That being said, he did not have to entertain the idea of finding her presence tolerable, merely mask his annoyance with her as best she could. It was hardly as though Rhea was aware of his actions before she called for him, however she should have had enough sense about her to realise that he was always invested in something worth his time.

If she wished to waste his time, he could do much the same.

So he had walked, rather than breaching the distance between the town and the Monastery and stepping through the hole in a split second. It could well have been considered petty of him, but this was a natural response to being slighted. A king did not so easily allow an offence to his person to slide, therefore he would respond accordingly. If Rhea felt this meeting important, then she should have sent him a missive earlier than this morning.

No matter, he suspected he would find out about this soon enough.

Both himself and the guard came to a halt at the doors leading to the chamber, the knight paused and turned to face him. The two of them were equal enough in height that the effort of the man to loom over him and appear intimidating instead had the opposite effect. The man whose name he had not even committed to memory - nor whether or not he had even asked to begin with - looked every bit the fool that he was currently acting.

"Remember to compose yourself with the proper respect." The knight warned him, eyes narrowed behind the ridge of his helmet and lips drawn taut. "You are to be in the audience of the Archbishop, the voice of the Goddess-"

Goetia walked past him, not even bothering to listen to the rest of whatever drivel the man was to spout. He would prefer this matter be put to rest swiftly and efficiently. He was not going to entertain a warning from a man who had no real power to carry it out. Ignoring the shocked and indignant sputtering, he clasped his hand around the door handle and swung it open.

"Rhea." He greeted cordially, a polite bow of the head in a show of respect to the woman. Soon finding her on the opposite end of the room and regarding him with her usual bland expression. It was clear by the creasing of her brows that she noticed he had not even used her title in the sentence, nor had he opted to use the more formal attachment of 'Lady' to the front of her name. "You sent for me?"

Rhea clasped her hands together in front of herself "While I suspect this conversation might prove to be of some…mild interest to you." there was a touch of dissatisfaction around her words, then she glanced over his shoulder "You may leave us." presumably the knight who he had ignored saw fit to take issue with his response. Perhaps if he had not acted like a buffoon, he would not have treated him as such.

With the distraction gone, the woman continued on "As I was saying, though the conversation might prove to be of some meagre interest to you…It was not one I had wished for you to partake in." she didn't even attempt to hide the slight distaste in her words as she regarded him coldly, then he watched her expression shift into something more troubled, almost reserved. "Though it was…requested by another interested party."

Goetia slowly turned his head in the direction of the others he had sensed, finding Byleth standing at the side of the room with her arms crossed was expected, it was hardly as though she could camouflage her divine essence leaking from her body. He was aware she was in the room before he had even stepped foot through the door, in the same token he was certain she had been aware of his presence a touch later than himself.

If Sothis had any sense, she would begin teaching Byleth to master her newly improved senses.

Speaking of, he caught a glimpse of the Goddess in question floating not far behind Byleth. Her expression devoid of emotion with her arms crossed in front of her chest, fixing him with an unblinking stare that he would have matched if he was inclined enough.

The real curiosities in the room came from either end, standing next to Byleth was the physically imposing form of Jeralt Eisner. Quite why Byleth's father was here was something of a mystery to him, especially since Rhea had opted to describe this as a conversation that might have interested him. It was a bold claim and one not easily backed up, now he could feel a glimmer of…passing intrigue in this turn of events.

His previous conversation with the man had related to the seduction of his daughter, he believed.

An odd topic to be sure.

On the other side of the room stood the unflinching form of Seteth, the man wasn't paying attention to him, instead it was focused purely on Rhea with an almost impatient note about it. Seteth showing annoyance with his superior? Now this was growing into a rather bewildering experience.

And then there was Flayn, adorned in her usual black outfit with the baggy sleeves. The green haired Phantasmal offered him a polite smile and a wave of the hand. "Good morning, Goetia. I hope you have had a pleasant day thus far?" The girl greeted him with the same manner of formality that he had grown accustomed to from her.

He could humour her.

"Thus far it has been eventful." He replied after a moment of thought, waving his arm slightly "Though there have been certain peculiarities that have emerged." This would actually provide a good enough time to ask, Flayn would have lived with these humans a good deal of time and he had not seen her change her outfit once in the time she had been at the Monastery. "Is it a usual custom to possess more than one change of clothes?"

Flayn blinked at him, clearly surprised by the sudden question. If she had been surprised, then Seteth was dumbfounded, especially with the manner his head whirled onto him so quickly it almost blurred, both eyebrows raised and his lips slightly parted in a show of obvious confusion.

"...It is." She responded after a moment, then looked down at her own attire "Ah, did you believe I was only in possession of this single outfit?" her tone was wry, her expression slightly amused before shifting into gentle understanding. "Though I confess, this one is indeed something I am more comfortable with. Hence my reasoning for wearing it often, though the truth is that I have two of these outfits for when one is being washed."

"...Is that so?" The fact remained, however, that she did possess different attire "Though you do have other changes of clothes that do not match your current attires appearance?"

"Indeed. However, my chances to wear them have been…limited, I am saddened to say. I am curious why you ask?" She tilted her head, then her eyes brightened slightly and she clapped her hands together "Goetia, do you intend to go shopping for a new outfit?" He found her excitement about the topic rather surprising, especially because it is not one he had considered.

"...Not currently."

"Ahem."

The noise of someone clearing their throat turned his head to the direction of the speaker, Jeralt stood with his fist placed in front of his mouth, a sharp glare in his eyes that was practically screaming of impatience. He responded with his own dull look aimed towards the man. He supposed that there was probably something worth discussing and Jeralt wanted to return to whatever he was doing before this distraction.

He could empathise with that desire, if only slightly.

"Interesting as this is…" Jeralt spoke in a dry tone, lowering the fist from the front of his face and turning his head in the direction of Rhea. Goetia raised an eyebrow at the look he gave her that - while not outright hostile - was closer to frustration. "I'm here for some answers as to what you did to my kid…"

Both Goetia's brows rose up his forehead.

So that's what this was about? Curious, though he had long since deduced that Rhea had done something to Byleth. Jeralts own admission only confirmed whatever suspicions he might have once had, at this point it was little more than a fact. Though his presence in this discussion was a peculiar thing, there was little insight he could offer into Byleth's origins that Rhea was not going to do so as well.

"The Professor?" Flayn spoke out in a voice of apprehensive confusion, Goetia shot her a glance from the corner of his eye and noticed the slightly tense expression on the girl's face as she looked to her fellow Phantasmals, noticing their own strained features made her discomfort only grow. "What is Sir Eisner speaking of, Father?"

Jeralt opened his mouth, then paused and looked at Flayn with raised brows "Father?" he parroted back, then looked at Seteth. Goetia would have rolled his eyes at the surprise on the man's face, he must have been the only one in the Monastery who wasn't aware of the relationship between Seteth and Flayn. "Huh…wondered when you'd come right out and say it." he muttered onwards, dashing Goetia's initial belief in his stupidity.

With a shake of the head, Jeralt crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Flayn with a stern frown of his own. "As for what I'm talking about…I'm talking about Rhea messing with my kid at birth."

Rhea remained tellingly silent during the course of the accusations, attempting her best to stand tall in the wake of the glare being levelled at her. Though the attempt faltered when Flayn shot her a look of surprise, mixed in with a touch of shock, and resulted in the Archbishop turning his head so that she could no longer see Flayn's expression. The move was as good as an admission on her part.

"...Rhea?"

"It is…" Rhea wet her lips, her green eyes moved back to Flayn and then closed "It is a complicated situation."

"Make it uncomplicated." Jeralt growled, then pointed to Byleth "Explain to me why my kid was running around with someone claiming to be the Goddess possessing her body like a puppet."

Goetia imagined that would be a rather disconcerting thing to witness, though his presence here was still odd. It was as though he was now being forced to stand in an audience for a performance that had been occurring in the background of his life, with no idea as to the current plot or the state of the characters. A colourful metaphor, but one he felt was wholly appropriate.

What was the human saying that would be apt?

Third wheel?

A strange saying, considering vehicles with three wheels did exist…

"And you." Jeralt now whirled on him, levelling a finger in his direction "You know about it for how long?"

Oh? Was this why he was here?

He did a mental calculation of how long he had been aware of Byleth's divine nature. "From the moment you arrived in Remire."

Whatever Jeralt had been expecting him to say, that was not it. The man blinked once, opening his mouth and furrowing his brows. There was a silence that descended upon the room.

"Though if you are curious as to when my conversations with the Goddess began, it would have been shortly before the Golden Deer went on their mission to subjugate the Demonic Beasts." He paused for a moment, running the calculation once more and discerning the exact date. "Two months, fifteen days, six hours, twelve minutes." Another silence, then he looked to Rhea and saw that she was almost as shocked as Jeralt, though she quickly composed herself as best she could.

It was a pitiable attempt at best, he could still see the obvious emotion in her eyes and the mask cracked several times. She looked as though she would have preferred to be shouting at him, or crying. Having seen her emotional breakdown in his room, he was certain it might well be a possibility for her…though it was hardly like he was in a position to mock others for something he had done on several occasions at this point.

At the very least, Rhea hadn't experienced an emotional overload in front of an individual whose opinion mattered to her.

That had been his blunder.

"I…I'm sorry, I feel as though parts of this conversation have become lost to me…" Flayn's voice was distant, slightly weary and clearly lost. Red eyes fell upon her, the girl now looking around the room with no small amount of confusion "What is…what are we all speaking of? Who has Goetia known for months?"

"It…" Rhea took in a breath "...Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning." she whispered to herself, then nodded her head several times as if to reassure herself that it was the very best thing she could do. "Yes, yes…the beginning."

Even though she says that, hesitation rolls off her in droves. It's like she was avoiding the entire conversation from the very beginning, he can see the clear lack of enthusiasm in her posture as her eyes sweep across the room, lingering a touch longer on the likes of Seteth and Flayn before resuming their travel. A silence fell across the room, carrying on for long enough that Goetia found it to be slightly cumbersome.

If Rhea intended to begin this conversation now, then it would have been better if she had done away with her second guessing. "Have you not even had the strength to resolve yourself to this conversation?"

It took him a moment to realise he had spoken the words out loud, though that did not change their validity in his mind. Judging by her stare aimed towards him, he could see that she understood what he was telling her. It was something she was now determined to do and was now dancing on the edge. "The moment you made this choice, you should have been willing to see it through. You will either explain yourself or you won't. Hesitation in this matter will serve none and shall only break your resolve further." He made a dismissive noise, looking away from her "You have forced your own hand at this point, it is expected that you see it through to the end."

Rhea did not respond immediately, though she eventually allowed a touch of a smile to come upon her lips. One of resignation "It should have been expected that you would not dull your words…once more, I find myself vexed that I cannot find flaw in your speaking." she let out a long breath "Yes…perhaps I should resolve myself to this conversation and cease looking away from it."

"Of course you cannot find flaw in my words, they are correct."

"...Sometimes, Goetia, silence is the correct response."

"Hmph. I have remained silent for longer than you could possibly understand…I'm tired of remaining silent in the face of that which I find…troublesome." He heard Flayn make a small noise of understanding, even with her mind still awash with confusion it would seem that she had not so readily forgotten their conversation.

The expression Rhea gave him was slightly unusual, looking as though she wished to question him further though swiftly thought better of it. Instead she closed her eyes and turned towards the others and re-opened them. Staring at the group for a few moments before she allowed her words to flow more confidently "If that is indeed the case, then I shall start at the very beginning. Though I suspect you already have some inclination, Jeralt, given our past…I shall inform the others. My name was not always Rhea."

Goetia raised an eyebrow, he suspected she might have been older but this allusion to familiarity with Jeralt was telling.

"I'll say…" Jeralt made a noise as he crossed his arms "You were going by the name Pleiades when we first met." he exhaled "That was, what…three hundred years ago?"

…That was unexpected.

Evidently the same for Byleth as well, given that she whirled her head in her fathers direction and actually showed a trace of emotion upon her face, her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted in shock. Sothis was gaping openly at the man. Not alone in their surprise, Goetia noted it was now being matched with Seteth and Flayn, though the former soon narrowed his eyes as something akin to realisation flashed through his eyes. His lips were pulled into thin lines before he spoke up "...You gave him some of your blood, did you not?"

It was Jeralt who responded rather than Rhea, the man rubbed his chin as he spoke "Yeah, she did...I didn't realise what the problem was until it was around a decade later and I noticed I wasn't really aging all that badly." he smirked at the thought, though it quickly vanished. "...It lost it's lustre after the first hundred years."

"...I am deeply sorry you have experienced that." Flayn spoke up, clearly surprising him with how sombre her voice sounded. Goetia could well enough understand why she would show him pity. To remain alive while all others perished was not something he would so greatly welcome, Rhea's 'gift' was meaningless if only Jeralt had benefitted from it. It would not even pass as a half measure, more like a curse. For social creatures such as humans, remaining on the world long after all you knew had perished would no doubt bring some ugly emotions to the surface, he doubted that Jeralt was truly immortal, but he was certainly going to be long lived.

"Has it truly been so long?" Rhea whispered for a moment "It did not seem like such a stretch of time for myself but perhaps that is my own experience in…human years. Suffice to say that my first name was Seiros."

…This was baffling now.

"...You founded this Church in worship of Sothis?" Goetia turned to her with furrowed brows, now feeling a touch of investment in this conversation. He hadn't actually considered the idea that Rhea was Seiros as a possibility, mainly because he imagined that someone might have noticed the Archbishop remaining physically unchanged over the centuries. It had been around twelve hundred years since the founding of the Adrestian Empire and the new imperial calendar.

Though Seiros was said to have emerged around forty six years prior to that moment and was said to have killed Nemesis in the ninety first year of the Imperial Calendar. That would have made her well over a hundred and fifty years at that point. Perhaps it would have been easier to deduce if he had paid greater attention to the timeline of events.

Once more, the overlooking of minor details had robbed him of forming a conclusion.

"I did." Rhea - Seiros - nodded her head at his blunt question "Though such things are already known to the likes of Flayn and Seteth…as I'm sure you would have surmised by now."

"I figure Seteth is probably old like you are." Jeralt cut right to the chase, then pointed at Byleth "But I really don't care about that right now…I just want to know what you did to her."

That brought another pause to Rhea "...The Goddess died." she replied after a moment, Jeralt blinked more openly and frowned, though she spoke before he had a chance to question what she meant. "When that happened I was…lost. Desperate. Troubled…with her body destroyed all I could save of her was her Crest Stone…her Heart."

"The Divine Core." Goetia saw fit to correct her, thinning his lips.

"...Yes. I…initially wanted to return the Goddess to life through other methods…The Chalice of Beginnings was one such plan." She revealed quietly, then looked to Seteth before her eyes fell upon Flayn. Goetia noticed the completely absent expression the younger girl was making, devoid of emotion as she stared at Rhea. "I…sought to return the Goddess to life. To undo the harm that had been done to the world…"

"...Rhea…that was forbidden by the Goddess herself." Flayn's reply was slow and measured "We cannot…to breach the barrier between life and death so thoughtlessly is to invite all manner of chaos onto the world. If we make an exception for one…then we must make an exception for all who would come to us to restore their loved ones."

He could understand the logic behind Flayn's words.

"I know but it…" Rhea looked down. "To say it was one thing…to uphold such a promise was something very different…When the Rite of Rising failed, I looked to other methods." she raised her head back up "And those methods were…I sought to achieve what only the Goddess herself had been capable of before. I created life."

"...Homunculus." Goetia spoke after a moment of silence "You created artificial life forms? To act as Vessels for the Goddess?" it was not an unusual practice, a perfect Homunculus could serve as a suitable host for a Heroic Spirit or even a Divine Spirit. If need be, their existence was perfect in that regard and so long as the world maintained magical energy, they would have theoretically been able to last indefinitely. Though creating a perfect Homunculus had never been done before, they all perished through alternative reasons.

Rhea looked at him in surprise, then gave a solemn nod of the head.

"...You did what?" Seteth's voice came out as a harsh whisper "You used the knowledge of the Goddess to create life just so they could serve your blasphemy?" The man took a half step forwards, leaning on his foot and staring at Rhea with clear horror in his eyes. "Rhea…this is unprecedented. Not to mention…it is morally repugnant. Only the Goddess was capable of such a thing and-"

"I know…" Rhea closed her eyes once more "...I failed time and time again. Twelve times I made the attempt and twelve times it failed. The first did not so much as draw breath after I created them, the others lived…for a short time, but each of them was…frail. In mind or in body and they perished one after another."

"...What does this have to do with Sitri?" Jeralt asked, but Goetia could hear the troubled tone in his voice. He was already deducing what had occurred but all the same, it was something that he would have needed to hear-

"The first was Bael."

Goetia felt his body lock up.

"The second was Agares, then Vassago, Samigina, Marbas, Valefor, Amon, Barbatos, Paimon, Buer, Guison…" Rhea trailed off, Goetia was still reeling from name after name that she could not possibly have known. The similarities were horrifying for him to consider yet the truth was staring him dead in the face. This woman had named each and every single one of her failed creations after…

She glanced at Jeralt "...Sitri was the twelfth."

And Byleth was the thirteenth.

The first thirteen Pillars of his race.

Jeralt was tellingly silent, something that Goetia matched but for entirely different reasons. His mind was struggling to comprehend the full extent of what Rhea had just told him, the shared names could no longer be ignored. It went beyond coincidence, it was now a clear design in his mind.

"...My time with Sitri was…" Rhea made a noise akin to a strangled sound as she seemingly searched for the right words. "She was - in a sense - another failure but by that point in time I was…becoming disillusioned with the plan. Each attempt had failed in bringing about the return of the Goddess…none could activate her heart and so she remained dead to the world…"

"And…Byleth?"

"...That would be…what happened next…"

---

AN: Yahoo.

There at last, eh?

Next Chapter is going to be a flashback styled thing.

Well, a little bit of it is.

Can't get this conversation wrapped up in a single chapter without making it absurdly long so I won't do that. But we got a bit of it in there, at least enough that Goetia realises there is some weird shit afoot.

No omake today.