His shaking stopped after a while and eventually Moira the old nurse opened the door and shuffled into the room. She glared at him.

'You're awake. You were brought here after you were knocked unconscious by one of your own students. You hit your head on the ground, so Professor Manuela gave you more healing magic. How are you feeling?'

'Not well.'

'In pain?'

'The tingling pain and dizziness came on worse in the training ground, and then again when I woke up a short while ago.'

Moira sighed and shook her head. 'I don't know the details of what transpired earlier, but what I will say is that your actions were careless. You ignored my instructions and as a result, you disrupted my healing magic and from the sounds of it, aggravated your issues in the process. As I said, Professor Maneula gave you more healing magic so you will need to be patient and let it settle in.'

The nurse had attributed his symptoms to poor sleep and diet, yet as he thought about it now, it didn't seem like the full picture. As a mercenary, he'd went days without food, surviving in the wild whilst fending off giant wolves, birds and crawlers. He'd been involved in bloody battles and skirmishes in bone-chilling frost and in exhausting heat and had suffered injuries far worse than those sustained in the previous few days, all the while dehydrated and starving. In all of these instances, he'd never felt as bad as he did now. Then he realised something else, something that made his chest tighten.

'I t-think I was healed in Remire. Thinking back now, I strongly believe I was.'

Moira shook her head. 'You wouldn't have needed to have come to me this morning if that were the case.'

'I'm certain I did get healed now I'- (he found himself struggling to piece his sentences together. His mind raced, making it difficult for him to claw at the right thought.) 'I-I wasn't thinking straight when I spoke to you this morning.'

And he meant it. He'd been so desperate to get healed, to get rid of his pain that he'd just nodded through what Moira had said to get help. He'd been stupid.

Moira shook her head. 'You've been given healing magic, now you must rest and make sure to have plenty of food and water. The magic will alleviate your physical pain, including the "tingling sensations" and that in turn will help you get over your other symptoms. By tomorrow you will feel a lot better, I'm sure.'

On one hand, what she said made sense and he wanted to believe her, yet if she was wrong then the healing magic from Remire had been ineffective on him.

And if healing magic couldn't help him, then what could?

'Hey Linhardt,' Dorothea said. 'Mind if I walk with you back to our dorms?'

'Feel free.'

They walked together through the monastery. Above them, the blue sky started to turn pink.

Linhardt yawned again. 'Are you as tired as I am after today's events?'

Dorothea nodded. 'I could hardly eat dinner this evening. Did Seteth speak to you? He asked me about the professor.'

'Yes, he was wondering whether we liked him as a teacher and whether we noticed him bullying Caspar at any point.'

'What did you say?'

'I said I liked him as a professor because he lets me sleep in class, and with regards to Caspar I told him no, but that I was too busy napping to really notice.'

Byleth felt hot as he lay in the bed, and yet he didn't try to shift his blankets. His throat was dry and yet, for the moment, he didn't dare reach for the glass of water on his bedside table.

He wasn't ready to risk bringing on the pain again.

The door eventually opened again and Seteth marched into the room and glared at him.

'Byleth, I have just spoken to the nurse. How are you feeling?'

'Not well.'

The man frowned. 'I hear you have been suffering from a series of mysterious issues of late. You were healed by the nurse this morning, is that correct?'

'Yes.'

'And you reported to the nurse you felt better. In fact, you felt so well that you even agreed to spar with Caspar in the training ground. It is indeed a shame that your (he raised his fingers in quotation marks) "pain", suddenly came back when you were fighting him, worse than before. (His eyes narrowed.) Can you see where I am going with this?'

'It's true.'

'So the healing made you feel better this morning, but upon sparring with Caspar the pain suddenly reappeared, worse than before?'

'Sudden movements are what bring it on, I think, I thought the healing had cleared it, but it hadn't.'

'If that is the case you should feel fine now? It has been a few hours since you exerted yourself and you were once again healed. There is little excuse for you to still be in bed.'

'N-No, I woke up startled and it made the pain come back worse.'

'So you awoke with a jump and that completely negated the effects of Professor Manuela's healing magic?'

'I think so.'

'Why?'

'I don't know.'

'How long does the pain last?'

Byleth tried to think and a ball of white pain started to burn just above his eyebrows. 'Ten… maybe fifteen minutes.'

'How long have you been awake?'

'I'm not sure, an hour perhaps.'

'So, you should feel fine to stand now.'

'I don't want to move.'

'Why not?'

'Because it might bring on the pain again.'

Seteth sighed and shook his head. He walked to the window, his hands clasped behind his back, and gazed out.

'Let me start from the beginning, as I feel we have not been properly acquainted yet. It is my responsibility to aid the archbishop, Lady Rhea, in all her duties. Spiritual instruction, ceremony oversight, donation management—all of the church's many administrative tasks. I oversee not only the priesthood, but also the Knights of Seiros and the Officers Academy.'

The man continued to speak and the white ball of pain in Byleth's forehead intensified.

'The archbishop entrusts a great deal to my discretion, and I am honoured by her confidence. Even when she must make decisions herself, she often seeks my counsel in advance, but yet….'

He turned and glared at Byleth again. 'Your appointment to a teaching position at the Officers Academy was a complete surprise to me. When Alois recommended that you become a professor here, Lady Rhea agreed to it immediately, which is unlike her.'

He walked to the door. A part of Byleth begged him to open the door and leave, but instead, the man turned, clearly intending to pace back and forth.

'You are the child of Jeralt Eisner, former captain of the Knights of Seiros and someone who is renowned throughout Fódlan. It would make sense for you to join the Knights of Seiros and yet you have been appointed as a professor instead. I presume Lady Rhea sees you not only as a capable warrior, but also as an excellent leader who has a deep understanding of the art of warfare. Would you agree with this presumption?'

Byleth had never been asked such a question before. He blinked. 'S-Sure.'

Seteth rolled his eyes. 'You should be answering such questions with confidence, and it gives me further reason to doubt you. How old are you?'

The pain above Byleth's eyebrows intensified. 'I don't know.'

Seteth stopped abruptly and looked at him for a long moment. 'You are still in your youth anyway. Normally someone of your age would be deemed too young to have the experience, skill and maturity necessary to be a professor here, and that is what has caused me concern. The only evidence I have of your capabilities comes through the words of Lady Rhea and Jeralt. The problem is, I myself only have evidence to suggest you should not be here. I spoke to your students today and some of them believe you are out of your depth in the classroom, that you lacked the leadership and communication skills to be their professor.'

He hadn't named anyone yet, but Byleth knew exactly who he was referring to.

But I don't care. Not now.

'Still, they cleared you of any particular wrongdoing or any form of mistreatment or bullying of them, and in your defence, this is a brand-new role for you, and it can take some time to settle in. What happened in the training ground today, however, worries me for a few reasons.'

He lowered himself onto the opposing bed.

'Let me be clear, Caspar's actions were wrong, and he shall be punished accordingly, but the whole thing does not look good on your part. As professor, you will be expected to lead our students on potentially dangerous assignments, but what they saw today will have placed doubt in their minds over you, especially in your combat abilities. You are a swordsman, correct?'

'Mostly.'

'Yet you were bested by Caspar, rather easily according to some witnesses, which is alarming. Though our students are talented, our professors are expected to be accomplished themselves fighters themselves, and if you are unable to handle one of your own students then it is further evidence for me that you should not be here. However'-

He sighed and rubbed his face. 'You claim that you were affected by a mysterious illness whilst you fought the boy. You say that this condition, which no one has heard of before, that has only just appeared since you started here as a professor, which healing magic is ineffective on, and that only became bad the moment you started fighting, is the reason why you lost to Caspar. Moira had suggested that some symptoms were stress-induced from your battle in Remire, but what you are saying just sounds too good to be true.'

Byleth shook his head. 'It is re'-

A loud, squeaky sneeze erupted nearby. They both fell silent. Seteth strode to the door and swung it open. He twisted his head both ways. After a few moments, he shook his head and returned to the bed. 'Some students must have been attempting to eavesdrop. But back to the matter at hand, it looks like you are lying or exaggerating your issues to justify your inadequate fighting skills, perhaps in an attempt to keep your position as a professor.'

He leaned forward and his green eyes bore into Byleth.

'I will ask you once, are you telling me the truth?'

Byleth's answer was immediate. 'My pain is real.'

Outside, rain began to patter the window, and for what felt like a long time, that was all he could hear, because Seteth said nothing. The man glared at him, as if searching his soul. Byleth wanted to look away but forced himself not to. The man eventually sighed.

'I hope you are lying, because if you are speaking the truth, then you are dealing with an issue we do not know much about. (He rose to his feet.) I will not lie, your position here as a professor is in doubt. Illness or not, you tarnished your reputation in front of the students, and I would imagine it will take a lot to fix that. Although Lady Rhea insisted you be a professor, it will ultimately be down to the students to decide whether or not you get a second chance, but…'-

He spoke with a slight hesitation, as if wary someone was going to hear what he said.

'If you really suffering from the issue you claim to have, then your focus must be on resting and getting better. I shall take temporary charge of the Black Eagle house for the time being and we will allow the dust to settle for a few days before we decide what happens next. The nurses will attend to you should you need anything and I will also be back to visit as well when I can.'

He went to the door and then looked back a final time. He gave Byleth a look that asked him whether he was seriously telling the truth. When Byleth didn't respond, he sighed again.

'I wish you a speedy recovery.'