Trails of Wrought Iron (Class VII Genderswap)

by WrandmWaffles

The Empire of Erebonia is a venerable and storied nation with a long history filled with triumph and despair, iron and blood. It has withstood the test of time, but all is not well. In this turbulent time, a new generation must find its place in the world. For Irene Schwarzer, that will prove more difficult than she expects.

10. Chapter 10

Lifeblood of Nobility

Irene awoke early the next morning full of trepidation, partly regretting the relief she had felt the previous month about the conflict being in the other group. She had hoped it would smooth over, but it had only seemed to get worse, and now it was her problem too.

She collected her luggage for the trip, remembering to add in her make up and hair care kit, and padded quietly downstairs, moving carefully since it seemed like several of her classmates were still in their rooms, though they were probably awake in this instance.

Downstairs, she found Lawrence and Gaia chatting over some tea, while Fion napped on the couch next to them.

"Good morning, Lady Irene," her tall classmate greeted brightly, keeping his voice down out of courtesy. "Gaia brewed some tea, and it is quite refreshing. Would you like some?"

"Oh, that's kind of you," Irene replied, giving the Nord girl a grateful smile. "If you don't mind?"

"Of course not," Gaia replied, pouring another cup. "I know a few of our class are not used to waking up early, so I made some tea that might help." Now that Irene looked, there were enough cups for their whole class.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Gaia," Irene complimented, taking a seat next to her and sipping at the tea–oh my, it was very good.

"Pretty good, right?" Lawrence chuckled.

"It is!" Irene gasped, turning to give the Nord an appreciative look, "where did you learn to make this?"

"You are both such flatterers," Gaia chuffed, though she looked pleased enough. "I learned from my mother. This is what we usually drink back home."

"Well, please give her my compliments when you see her again," Irene offered, taking another sip of the delicious tea.

"I'll be sure to do that," the Nord girl laughed.

The three of them chatted companionably for a few more minutes, before Irene got up and ran through some light calisthenics. Lawrence went outside to train a bit, while Gaia went into the kitchen to check on the other pot of tea.

Emmet came downstairs not too long after, giving Irene a single nod of greeting, before walking out the door, politely declining Gaia's offer of tea.

A few minutes later, Julia came down the stairs, her hair done up neatly in an elegant chignon, and sporting an unusual amount of cosmetics for her. Frankly, she was pretty enough that she didn't need much (something a part of Irene envied just a little bit), but it seemed that she was prepared to play the part of Lady Albarea on this trip.

The blonde did not look to be in a good mood, but she still gave Irene and Gaia a light smile, accepting the offer of tea gracefully and also complimenting the Nord girl in a perfectly lady-like fashion.

Irene frowned. "Julia…we still have a few hour long train ride, you don't have to be fully proper quite yet."

"That is true enough, Irene," her friend sighed, "but I am going to need to keep my composure when dealing with Regnitz as well as whatever nonsense my public appearance throughout Bareahard might stir up, so I cannot be too relaxed even now."

"Don't worry," Irene murmured, taking her friend's hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "At the very least I'll be there to support you."

"Much appreciated," Julia huffed. "And while Emmet is a bit abrasive, I believe he can be trusted in a fight. Fion as well."

"What about me?" the napping boy asked, suddenly sitting up.

Julia blinked. "How do you manage to go from sleeping to alert all of a sudden?"
Fion shrugged. "Practice. Is it time to go?"

"Not quite yet," Irene replied, "though I have a few things I need to pick up from George and the Engineering Club."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Julia asked rhetorically, standing smoothly and giving Gaia a grateful nod. "Thank you for the tea."

"It was no trouble," the Nord replied, "I'm happy to see it so well received."

The two nobles left the dorm, heading up to the academy campus and the Engineering Building, installing some of the quartz they had requested in preparation for the field study. After that, they stopped by the student union, where they purchased some supplies they hopefully would not need. Irene also checked in with Towa as well, though the Student Council President assured her that she would be fine, especially with Lotte there to help.

Finally, they returned to the station, where they found most of their group waiting for the train. Masha and Ellia were discussing something in hushed tones near the ticket gate, while Fion was now napping in one of the chairs in the waiting area.

Gaia and Lawrence were also there, standing in front of a map of Erebonian's eastern rail network.

Their green haired classmate glanced at them when they arrived, before very deliberately turning away. Ellia waved awkwardly at the two of them, before continuing whatever conversation she was having with Masha.

Julia ignored them, striding over to the counter to collect the tickets the school had purchased for them, then handing Irene her ticket before making her way over to Gaia and Lawrence.

"Good morning, Lawrence," she called. "Regaling our foreign classmate with stories of home, are we?"

"Good morning, Lady Julia," the tall man returned, turning around to face her. "And of a sort, Gaia was asking me in regard to what I know of Saint Arkh."

"Indeed," the Nord woman concurred. "It is one thing to read about a place, it is another to hear of it from a person who has been there personally, and so far, Lawrence is the only one of our class that I have spoken with who has been there."

"It has been a few years since I was last there," Lawrence admitted, "though I imagine the cathedral would likely not have changed, and haven't you visited Saint Arkh recently, Lady Julia?"

"I have," the blonde replied, her face placid and polite, but Irene saw her friend's hands tense behind her back. "Though it was for a…less than pleasant meeting with some less than pleasant people, so I believe any commentary I might add would be colored by that fact."

"You are wise to consider that," Gaia mused, "though I would welcome any commentary, and then I will compare my own observations to what I have heard."

"Reasonable enough," Julia acknowledged, before describing her own experiences in the oldest city in the Empire.

As they talked, Elisha and Emmet made their way into the station with their luggage, and soon, their group split up, heading towards the designated platforms for their trains.

Well, the Saint Arkh group went as one, while in the other group, Masha and Emmet made their own way, while Irene followed a half step after Julia and Fion trailed a bit behind them.

However, the train had just come from Heimdallr, so was quite full of people, which meant that despite the hostility between their group members, they all ended up sitting in the same row.

Irene tried not to fidget as she sat between Julia and Masha and across from Emmet, the three in question doing their level best not to acknowledge each other's existence. For once, Fion wasn't napping, and actually looked a little sympathetic to her.

"Soo…" the silver haired boy drawled. "Bareahard. Never been. Anyone up for giving me a sitrep."
"Y-yes! I think that would be wise," Irene replied, smiling thankfully at him, before turning to her blonde friend. "Julia, as Bareahard is your home, would you mind giving us a description of what it is like?"

"I would not mind at all," Julia answered with false cheer, causing Masha to mutter something angrily, "though it seems that a certain someone would like to add some color commentary about a topic they know very little about."

"Excuse me?!" Masha snorted. "I scored higher than you on the entrance exam!"

Julia scoffed. "Oh, of course, but we all know that there was no section for social etiquette–and I don't mean the complex and most certainly proper mannerism amongst the high born. No, if part of the test involved talking with normal people, you would clearly have failed that section."

'Oh dear…'

"Talk with normal people?!" the green haired girl barked, loud enough for Irene to wince. "What would some fine, delicate noble lady know about talking with normal people? Most people do not have to demand people grovel at every opportunity when you deign to grace them with your presence!"

"I scored higher than both of you," Emmet grunted. "So shut up."

That did interrupt the two girls from their argument, but also drew their combined ire to their purple haired classmate, who, to his credit, did not back down. Unfortunately, now both Julia and Masha looked like they were about to explode.

"I see how you all did so poorly last month," Irene sniffed, leveling her best disappointed glare at the rest of the group and somehow managing not to shrink back at the four sets of eyes suddenly turning to her.

"Your perception is truly something extraordinary," Emmet snarked, but Irene was undeterred.

"Last month, your group scored a D," she pressed, "which would be a failing score if it were a written exam."

"That score was ridiculous," Emmet spat, "we completed all the objectives."

"But not as a group," Irene rebutted, "and it seems you all did not learn anything at all, let alone the purpose of these field studies."

"Oh? Do go on," Julia prompted, looking at her curiously.

"It isn't just to help out with some local bracer-like jobs, or to get to know some places in the Empire," Irene continued, her voice taking on a more enthusiastic tone as she went. "It is also so we can see how the issues throughout society are affecting people down to the town and even individual level."

Julia and Masha seemed unconvinced, while Fion just looked confused and Emmet did not seem to care. That wouldn't do.

"Why do you think this class was formed at all?" Irene inquired. "It is not just for testing our new orbments, it is also a test if people from different backgrounds and places throughout the empire can see past those differences and work together!"

"Well it clearly isn't working," Masha interjected.

"Did you even try?!" Irene snapped, glaring at the green haired girl next to her, who couldn't help but lean away slightly at the sudden vehemence.

"No…I can't say I did," Julia admitted. "Millstein actually did."

"For all of five minutes," Emmet hedged. "You were lucky Group A last month wasn't nearly as argumentative."

"That may be true," Irene acknowledged, "but now Lawrence, Elisha and Ellia all can work together pretty well, and Gaia is not likely to make things worse, which means they will likely do about as well as last month, if not better!"

Emmet and Masha frowned at the thought. It seemed she had judged their competitive nature correctly.

"I think all of us would much prefer scoring well on this field study, am I right?" Irene asked, to a unanimous round of nods, though Fion seemed to be just going along with the rest of them than actually invested. "So please, can we at least agree to make an effort to work together? I do not mean we need to all be friends after this, just that we avoid the incessant arguing."

She turned her gaze to Masha specifically. "Doubly so for you." The green haired girl frowned, but Irene continued before she could respond. "You were concerned about what the political enemies of your father might try. This may be a warranted concern, so do not give them an excuse!"

Masha paled, looking like she wanted to retort, but the thought seemed to have knocked her out of her outrage.

"Fine," she spat, "I'll be willing to call a truce, for now, assuming the good, noble lady is willing to swallow her pride."

"I can swallow many things," Julia snarked with a roll of her eyes, "and besides, it's no fun if you aren't reacting."

"Why, you–!"

"Ahem!"

Masha stopped herself as Irene gave her a chiding look while elbowing Julia in the sensitive part of her ribs at the same time.

"You must have a lot of experience herding cats," Emmet observed, looking at Irene curiously.

"Herding cats?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Never mind."

"Sitrep time?" Fion asked, seeing the rest of the group fall silent. "What can we expect?"

"Well," Julia began, rubbing her side slightly. "Bareahard is the capital of the Kreuzen province, and thus is generally considered the most important city in this part of the country."

"It is only about a third the size of Heimdallr, population wise," Masha chimed in, somewhat smugly.

"Yes, it has a population around three hundred thousand, more or less," Julia specified. "Though it is not as densely populated as Heimdallr, so is closer to half the size physically, a lot of that is due to the number of noble residences, which are typically larger than commoner homes, even among lower ranking nobles."

"So…lot of bigwigs?" Fion asked.

"Lots of bigwigs indeed," Julia chuckled. "Another reason the population density is lower than Heimdallr is that many nobles throughout Kreuzen own housing in Bareahard, but do not live there year round, instead staying in those residences when they have business in the provincial capital. This is typically more common amongst nobles whose territories are more distant from Barehard, but is also true of nobles who tend to have more lengthy or frequent business with the Duke, such as those who have gemstone or sepith mines in their territories."

"Oh yes! Barehard is well known for having some of the finest jewelcraft in the Empire!" Irene exclaimed, remembering some of Julia's own finely wrought pieces.

"Indeed," her friend nodded. "It is also well known for the mink fur collected from the abundance of said animals in the surrounding rivers and hills."

"There is a whole street dedicated to specialty craftsmen, isn't there?" Emmet prompted.

"Correct, the aptly named Artisan's Street in the south of the city."

"Only the obscenely wealthy go there," Masha grunted.

"Or those too free with loans," Fion pointed out.

"Even some nobles find those wares pricey," Irene murmured.

"Speaking of which, the city is full of nobles, as we've already established," Julia segued, "and even the commoners there tend to be very class conscious, so for your own sake, be careful what you say."

"I understood you the first time," Masha grumbled.

"Let me reiterate," the blonde noble insisted, "you should be cautious of your usual outburst even to other commoners in Bareahard. You might well find that they dislike the Reformists as much as the nobles here."

"What?" Mashe blurted out, flabbergasted. "How does that make any sense?!"

"Their job depends on the nobles, obviously," Emmet snorted. "And they mostly have more money to work with than the average menial laborer in Heimdallr, which is what they would likely be if the class system was overthrown as you desire."

"There is also the fact that many noble families have been served by the same commoner family for generations," Irene added, giving a less cynical explanation. "In fact, some butlers or maids are viewed as similar to members of the family, so they naturally would not be that happy with those who dislike the family they serve."

"What, like dogs and their owners?!" Masha growled, though for once it seemed to come from genuine confusion.

Julia frowned, but Irene could see her sides vibrating in suppressed laughter.

"Or like your father and the Chancellor," Emmet pointed out.

"That is nothing like what she described!"

"Yes, it's only based on political aims, with no further loyalty than that," the purple haired man accused.

"You don't know anything about my father!" Masha cried, taking offense.

"Emmet, please stop antagonizing her," Irene requested politely.

"Just giving her some practice," he waved off with a shrug.

Masha squared herself up indignantly, before letting out a slow breath. "This is going to be a long field study," she muttered under her breath. Irene couldn't help but agree.

---

The rest of the train ride was less contentious, if not friendly. Fion went back to napping, Masha took a book out of her bag and began studying and Emmet stared out the window as if deep in thought. Irene and Julia touched up their makeup and checked their hair, chatting softly in the meantime, discussing the various people of note in Bareahard, and what the best way of interacting with them was.

Given the amount of individuals Julia considered notable, which included not just nobles, but also some important servants, skilled craftsmen, and clergy members, this discussion took the better part of the train ride, and Irene could not help but feel awed and mildly envious of her friend's social abilities.

"It seems like you might well know everyone in Barehard, hehe," Irene giggled.

"Not at all," Julia scoffed. "Three hundred thousand is too many people for any one person to keep track of. You're the one who knows everyone in your hometown."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Irene demurred, "and Ymir doesn't even have a thousand people if you include tourists!"

"Looks like we're getting close," Emmet observed suddenly, still looking out the window.

"Oh! I can see the steeple to the Cathedral!" Irene exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight.

"Oh joy," Masha grumbled, putting her book back into her bag as the train conductor announced their imminent arrival in Bareahard.

The chime woke Fion up, and he glanced out the window as well. "Not that crowded looking for a big city."

"Yes, Aidios forbid another building obstruct the view of some important person," Julia chuckled. "Still, as odd as some of the city planning decisions might be, it does create a less oppressive atmosphere than the tightly packed parts of Heimdallr."

"We'll see about that," Masha muttered, though from the look on her face, she saw Julia's point, albeit begrudgingly.

The train pulled into the station, and the group disembarked onto the platform–

"Lady Julia! Welcome back to Bareahard!"

They stopped short as a chorus of enthusiastic shouts suddenly exploded around them, various station attendants bowing in greeting.

Irene glanced at her friend, who looked taken aback for a moment, before she smiled and waved.

"Hello everyone!" Julia called, stepping forward and addressing the assembled greeting party. "Thank you all for the warm welcome! But please, I am here as part of my schooling, so do not inconvenience yourselves any further."

If anything, that made them more enthusiastic, and Irene had to stifle a laugh. 'It seems like people here have a lot of respect for the Albareas, though I wonder how much of this is for her in particular.'

"But Lady Albarea, we cannot just neglect to welcome you back, that would be improper!" The station master objected.

"At the very least, please let us handle your luggage, and your companions' as well, of course!"

"Do they really have to make such a big deal out of this?" Masha muttered.

"How did they know she would be here?" Fion wondered.

As Julia attempted, and mostly failed to talk the station attendants down, Irene noticed someone approaching.

"This all won't be necessary," the blond man headed their way called, his voice calm and regal, and now that Irene looked closer, he shared a distinct resemblance to Julia.

"B-brother?!" Julia blurted out, surprise evident on her face. "I thought you would be busy."

"Lord Rufus!" cried the station attendants, quickly getting out of his way and bowing deeply.

"And miss greeting my sweet younger sister?" Rufus Albarea scoffed. "Perish the thought."

He and his butler (Arnauld, if Irene remembered correctly) came to a stop in front of their group, looking them over with a discerning eye.

'So this was the famous Rufus Albarea. He certainly seems to live up to the descriptions.'

"It is good to see you, brother," Julia greeted, more properly this time.

"Come now!" Rufus laughed, stepping forwards and pulling his sister into a hug. "No need to stand on formality."

"B-brother! We're in public!" Julia squawked indignantly, turning red in embarrassment, something Irene had rarely seen before.

"Are you that ashamed to be associated with me?" Rufus inquired with exaggerated false hurt. "My poor heart!"

"Brother!"

Irene giggled at the scene, and she noticed several of the station attendants doing their best to hide their smiles.

"Excuse me, Lord Rufus," she interjected. "But we are obstructing the path for other travelers."

"The train can be delayed if you desire, Lord Rufus," the station master offered quickly.

"There is no need for that," Lord Rufus waved him off, letting go of his mortified sister. "I do apologize for any inconvenience we might have caused."

"No trouble at all," the station master declared with a deep bow. "We will always have time for House Albarea. Are you in need of assistance?"

"That will not be necessary," Lord Rufus replied. "I and Arnauld will be taking these students to their destination."

"Our destination?" Julia asked. "Are you the one who will be organizing our field study tasks?"

"Indeed I am, sweet sister," Rufus confirmed. "But come, Lady Schwarzer is correct, let's not inconvenience the good station workers anymore."

With that, he turned and began to leave, and the group followed after him. Julia made sure to wave a farewell to the station attendants, who bowed back enthusiastically.

"Is a few kind words enough to make them forget all the predations of the noble class?" Masha muttered under her breath.

"Probably," Emmet snorted. "You'd know better, given how close your family is to the Chancellor."

"There is no comparison!" she hissed back.

"Tell that to Jurai," Emmet retorted. "Oh right, money's more important than loyalty."

"Ahem!" Irene coughed, cutting Masha off before she could explode.

Neither looked happy, but at least they did stop.

Lord Rufus led them outside the station, where his orbal car was waiting for them. Butler Arnauld helped them load their luggage into the trunk, after which they piled into the spacious passenger compartment.

"So, brother," Julia began once they were all situated. "How come you did not inform me that you would be handling our tasks?"

"Well, firstly, I am officially doing so on behalf of our father," Lord Rufus began, "and secondly, I could hardly spoil the surprise. It's been nearly three months, after all."

"I suppose I should not have expected Baron Caroline to bother with something of the sort," Julia sniffed. "And as appropriate as it would be, Father would certainly not let Mayor Schneider represent the city."

"It's as you say, sister," Lord Rufus replied, "and it thus fell naturally to me. After all, I am a member of Thors' board of directors."

'I wonder how he has time for that,' Irene marveled in her head.

"So that's why you were so pleased by my decision to attend Thors," Julia accused. "I should have known you would want to keep an eye on me."

"But of course! We are family after all, and you are a particularly delicate flower who I cannot let fall into the wrong hands." He narrowed his eyes at Emmet and Fion. "Especially not into the hands of impetuous young boys."

Neither young man visibly reacted, Emmet returning the gaze evenly while Fion acted as if the words didn't register.

"Brother!" Julia hissed, face turning red with embarrassment. "There's no need to worry about that. I have Irene and Lawrence in my class for Aidios' sake!"

"Indeed, I helped make sure of that," Lord Rufus revealed. "And, dear sister, I'm afraid our father still refuses to approach Viscount Arseid about that matter."

"B-brother!" Julia stammered, looking more flustered than Irene had ever seen her. "You know full well betrothing us was always your idea!"

Something in Irene twinged at the thought, but she wasn't sure what or why.

"Do you two not get along well?" Lord Rufus inquired evenly. "I know young Lawrence quite well, and he is as faithful and loyal as his father. It would also be politically wise, as the Arseids are one of our most important and influential vassals, so mending the rift caused by our father would be in the best interests of the Kreuzen province."

Julia frowned, likely because her brother was correct.

"If I may interject, Lord Rufus?" Irene spoke up, continuing when he nodded at her. "At the end of the day, much of that decision rests with Julia. Lawrence said the same when the topic was brought up."

"Yet another reason for the match!" Lord Rufus chuckled. "But clearly I've embarrassed you, little sister, so I'll refrain from commenting further, thanks to your friend's intervention."

He turned to Irene, his gaze searching for something, though exactly what she wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he seemed to have found it, and he smiled wider.

"Please forgive me for not properly greeting you earlier, Lady Schwarzer," he apologized. "My joy at seeing my sister again got the better of me."

"I-it was no issue, Lord Rufus!" Irene replied quickly. "I understand the feeling quite well." She had been tempted to visit Elise herself, but her little sister needed space to grow, so it wouldn't do to hover too close.

"I'm sure you do," Lord Rufus returned. "I am glad my sister has had a good friend to watch over her, she certainly needs it."

Julia sighed in exasperation, pointedly looking out the window. Irene smiled and nodded. "Julia has been a good friend to me, so of course I will assist her in return."

"I should not have expected less from someone raised by Baron Teo Schwarzer," Lord Rufus chuckled. "Your father taught me quite a lot in the times we have met."

"Oh! My father has mentioned you a few times," Irene exclaimed. "If I recall, you two met at a falconry event, correct?"

"So he has spoken of me? I'm flattered," Rufus mused.

"I am flattered that you speak well of my father," Irene demurred, looking down.

"Your conduct speaks well of your upbringing," Lord Rufus declared, "no matter what less discerning people may say about your father."

Irene flushed, embarrassment flooding through her in a wave. 'Ah! So that's why Julia got embarrassed so easily.'

"Are we on a family visit or a school assignment?" Masha grumbled quietly, but loud enough for Lord Rufus to hear.

"Ah, forgive me," Lord Rufus apologized. "I was swept away by family matters. It is good to meet Carl's daughter at long last."

"You k-know my father?" Masha sputtered in shock.

"Of course!" Lord Rufus replied. "I encounter the good governor on occasion while I am conducting business in the capital. Our political stances may be different, but he has offered me helpful advice many times."

He smiled, and Irene noted with some interest that Masha seemed to be increasingly flustered. "How curious," he mused, "that the daughters of two of my mentors would be in the same class as my sweet sister."

"I-it…a-aren't you on Thors' Board of D-directors?" Masha asked, trying to sound accusing but not quite succeeding. "Wouldn't you have had a hand in the class placements?"

"Less than you may think," Lord Rufus replied. "Oh, I have influence over the admittance standards and curriculum, but the division of students into classes has followed a simple breakdown for centuries that have little reason to be changed." He gestured to the group. "Of course, your class is a new one, but also has an equally straightforward criterion: that being ARCUS compatibility."

"Is that really it?" Emmet asked, "it seems a bit…convenient, given the number of people from influential families in our class."

"It is a bit curious, isn't it?" Rufus conceded. "I was somewhat surprised to see the results myself. Though your class includes a Nord from a notable, but mostly normal family, which goes against the theory that it was purely political selection, not to mention yourself."

"Point." Emmet noted. "I am, after all, from a family not worth mentioning and a place of little consequence."

"Will you stop being so obtuse about your background?!" Masha grunted, glaring at the purple haired youth.

"No," he replied flatly.

Lord Rufus chuckled. "It is quite a colorful group you've found yourself a part of, dear Julia." He turned to Masha. "I know my sister can be willful, but please, do try and get along with her, if you can."

"I…uh…w-will make an e-effort to do so!" Masha declared, her face red as a tomato.

"Very good." Then the elder Albararea turned to the two males in the group, his face suddenly serious. "Now, about you two young men with suspiciously vague backgrounds. Do be aware that any slight done towards my sister will be considered a slight against House Albarea and the Kreuzen province as a whole."

"Noted," Emmet replied, returning the look defiantly. 'Is he…considering that a challenge?!'

"Wilco," Fion grunted, shifting a bit nervously in his seat.

"Rufus, that is quite enough of this!" Julia groused.

"Ah, so that is what I need to do for you to call me by my name!" Lord Rufus laughed.

"Brother!"

"Haha, I suppose that is enough for one day," the elder Albarea chuckled. "And as much as I would like to continue this conversation, I believe we are almost at your lodgings for this weekend."

"Surely you do not mean…?"

"Why, naturally, you will all be staying at the Albarea family manor!" Lord Rufus declared.

'Huh?!'

"B-but!" Julia stammered, looking unsure.

"I jest, I jest," her brother waved placatingly. "Though you are welcome to visit if you have the time."

"So there are arrangements for us to stay at a hotel?" Julia asked, giving her brother a dirty look. "I presumed Father would not deign to host students at our place."

"Indeed," Lord Rufus confirmed. "He told me to do with you as I wished, and thus I have arranged for lodgings at the Hotel Esmerelda, which we are just about arriving at."

Irene's eyes widened. From what Julia and Theresia mentioned, that was an incredibly expensive hotel. The amount of wealth her friend's family could afford to throw around was truly astonishing.

Emmet and Fion didn't seem to understand the significance, but Masha looked at the hotel with a complicated expression on her face.

Once they had unloaded their luggage and porters from the hotel helped carry them inside, Lord Rufus handed them their task assignments for the day and departed, heading to Heimdallr on business.

"Lord Rufus certainly lives up to what people say of him," Irene remarked as the orbal car drove off.

"He's smooth," Fion muttered.

"I suppose he's not that bad for a noble," Masha scoffed, but her distracted expression made the lie obvious.

"Oh for crying out loud don't fawn over my brother Regnitz," Julia groaned. "I've had to deal with enough of that as is, let alone you too."

"I was not fawning over him!" Masha objected. "Sure, he's pretty good looking, but there's no way I'd be charmed by a noble!"

"But you think he's pretty," Fion pointed.

"That's just an objective fact!"

"I can see why some call him the ace of the Noble Alliance," Irene remarked.

"And he's quite good at playing the big brother role to a certain someone," Masha snickered. "Oh, brother!"

"As if you have room to talk," Julia sniffed. "You were making a good impression of some of the noble ladies my brother has to deal with all too often."

"I'm nothing like them!" Masha cried indignantly, recoiling at the thought.

"Indeed, you're not half as pret–" Julia cut herself off as Irene stepped on her foot. "Pretentious."

"That's saying something," Fion muttered.

"I don't like him," Emmet grunted suddenly, drawing everyone's attention.

"What?" Julia blurted, looking at him in incomprehension.

"He is quite good at manipulating people," He observed. "And something about him sets my teeth on edge."

"Huh, I think you might be the first person to react to my brother like that," Julia muttered, not sure how to react.

"You're just jealous," Masha sneered.

"Of what?" Emmet scoffed. "And here I thought you disliked charming nobles, though I suppose I shouldn't have expected good judgment from you."

"Why you–!"

"Enough!" Julia barked, turning on her heel and stalking into the hotel. "Let's get on with it."

A complicated, and slightly amusing expression crossed Masha's face as she realized she had just defended one the of the nobles she had expressed such strong dislike for previously, but Irene was more interested in Emmet's suspicious expression.

What made him so certain that Lord Rufus was being dishonest? Julia lived with him for a long time, was it possible for someone to have kept up a lie for so long? Or was it because of how Julia's brother had treated Emmet and Fion differently than the others? To Irene, it did not seem so strange that a doting older brother would be leery of young men around his younger sister, but perhaps Emmet did not see it that way.

The rest of the group followed Julia into the hotel, and after they exchanged pleasantries with the staff, including waving off their attempts at providing individual rooms for each of them instead of the two that had been requested, they were shown their rooms, which were spacious and luxurious, to the point that Irene felt about as out of place as Masha did.

After getting their luggage situated, the group reconvened just outside their rooms to look over their tasks for the day.

"Let's see here…" Masha murmured as they looked the papers over. "A monster extermination, a request from a jeweler, and collecting bath salts? What does that even mean?"

"There is a trending thought among various people of a particular type that bathing in mineral rich water is good for your health," Julia explained. "I believe it had some derivation from hot springs."

"Hot springs are quite good for your health," Irene added, "though I don't know if this is the kind of salt that would be useful for something similar. House Voltaire is a noble family, right? So why can't they simply purchase some?"

"I do not know," Julia replied. "Perhaps they want a particular kind of salt that cannot be found in the market?"

"And why can't the Provincial Army deal with this monster?" Masha wondered. "It says to report to Aurochs Fortress, so did the request come from them?"

"It appears so," Julia agreed, frowning slightly. "And you are right, it is somewhat strange for them to outsource dealing with a monster on such an important route for them."

"Would…there be any reason for the Provincial Army to step back from their duties?" Irene asked, remembering the events of her field study in Celdic. "Perhaps related to the raised taxes?"

"If you mean something like what happened in Celdic, I find that unlikely," Julia replied. "The Aurochs Canyon path does not have that much civilian traffic, and it would be eminently foolish for them to try a similar scheme there."

"Maybe monster's just slippery," Fion suggested. "Or could be in a place hard to get to with vehicles."

"I might have a way of finding out more," Julia hummed, "though we should save that task for last, or at least find out more about the others first."

"Yes, that seems wise," Irene agreed. "Those tasks should be less dangerous, based on their description."

"I see the sense in that, but just how, exactly, do you plan to learn more about the monster?" Masha wondered, giving Julia a skeptical look.

"I was thinking of asking the soldiers at the guardhouse," the blonde noble explained. "They usually have quite a lot to say when I visit."

"I'm sure they do," Emmet snorted. "To Artisan's Street then."

"Actually…would you mind if we stopped by the Sorciere Restaurant?" Julia requested. "I am on good terms with the owner, and it would be rude not to say hello while being in the vicinity."

"Does that mean we get free food?" Fion asked.

"...Possibly," Julia replied.

"Then sounds good to me," the silver haired youth decided with a shrug.

"Is it a high end restaurant?" Emmet asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't imagine one like that would let us in with no questions asked aside from you."

Julia waved her hand in a so-so gesture. "Sorciere certainly does have a significant noble clientele, myself included, but old Hammond insists on having his restaurant being open to polite commoners as well."

"The task descriptions also mentioned that Lord Voltaire will be near the Sorciere Restaurant," Irene pointed out, "so we will have to head in that direction in any case."

"I've already seen and been in several hoighty-toighty places today," Masha grumbled. "What's one more?"

They found the noble responsible for the salt task in the outside dining area of the restaurant, and after a mildly amusing scene where the noble and his friend began condescending to the group, before tripping over themselves to apologize to Julia, who simply smiled and bade them a good day, pointedly ignoring their slight to show that it was not forgiven.

Of course, what Julia considered a slight was their condescension towards the group as a whole, not specifically to herself, but she let Lord Voltaire reach the wrong conclusion and left them in an anxious state.

This made determining what the task was slightly difficult, as they kept trying to apologize between every other word, but eventually they were able to get across that they were looking for some salt that could be harvested in parts of Aurochs Canyon.

After they had enough information, Julia turned and left without another word, something that was incredibly rude, but the two nobles had no grounds to complain.

Irene bowed apologetically to Lord Voltaire, but the rest of the group followed Julia and left, and since they never addressed the commoners in the group, they also didn't have any real grounds to be upset.

Next, the group followed Julia into the restaurant proper. As soon as the waiter saw her, his eyes widened and he smiled. "Lady Julia!" He exclaimed, dropping into a deep, proper bow, "it is wonderful to see you again! Would you like a table for you and your…classmates?"

"Hello Bryce," Julia greeted, giving him a friendly nod. "And while I appreciate it, we have assignments to complete, but I could not simply not stop by, could I?"

"I see," Bryce hummed, smiling politely, yet genuinely. "I am flattered you have taken time out of your busy schedule to visit us."

"Don't read into it too much, Bryce," Julia laughed. "My brother arranged for me and my classmates to stay in the Hotel Esmeralda, so it was no trouble stopping by."

"I'm sure Hammond and Calmin will be happy to see you, Lady Julia," the waiter remarked. "And if you and your classmates would like to stop here for lunch, we would be more than happy to accommodate you."

"Food smells good," Fion noted, glancing around the restaurant curiously.

"Hah! I'll relay your compliments to the chef," Bryce declared before glancing over at an occupied table. "However, it appears I am needed elsewhere. If you'll excuse me?"

Julia nodded. "Oh of course! Don't let me get in your way."

As the waiter went over to a customer, Julia headed towards the kitchen area, where a younger chef waved to her a bit too casually than was proper, while the older chef, probably Hammond, bowed politely.

"Why is she so chummy with these people?" Masha muttered under her breath.

"And here I thought you wanted nobles to treat commoners with due respect," Emmet snorted.

"Of course I do!" the green haired girl snapped. "But why are they all so happy to see her? She didn't ever do anything to help them–"

"Probably paid them," Fion pointed out.

"That's not the point! Why does she act like she's close to them?"

"Have you considered that it could be as simple as that?" Irene pointed out softly, watching as Julia talked with her uncle. It was a bit sad to see the distance they were forced to put between them, but Hammond certainly looked happy to see her again.

"That can't be it," Masha hissed. "What's she getting out of acting like this?"

"Food?" Fion suggested.

"It generally pays to be considerate of the people making your food," Emmet added, standing impatiently by the door. "If you piss them off, they have ways of making things unpleasant for you."

"While true, that isn't why Julia is friendly with the people running this restaurant," Irene countered. "She did mention that it was one of her favorite places to eat."

At this point, Julia noticed that they hadn't followed her, and waved them over. "Come on now, don't be shy. Hammond won't bite, and Calmin is mostly harmless."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" the younger chef sputtered, drawing a laugh from Julia and a chuckle from her uncle.

"This is Hammond, the owner of this little shop," Julia introduced, waving theatrically at her uncle. "He's one of the best chefs in town."

"You flatter me, Lady Julia," Hammond chuffed, "though I do appreciate the vote of confidence." He looked over the group curiously, before his eyes settled on Irene.

"Are you, perhaps, the Lady Schwarzer I have heard Lady Julia speak of?" he asked.

"I am indeed," Irene replied, smiling politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you Hammond."

Julia introduced the rest of them, and Hammond offered to prepare them a meal, which sounded quite tempting as it was getting close to noon, and the food in Sorciere looked quite appetizing.

"We should sort out the details of the other tasks first," Emmet suggested. "It would be easier to plan out our options when we have all the details."

"They will likely take us out of the city," Irene pointed out, "so we should eat before we actually head out to work on any of them, but I see the benefit in collecting the information first."

"That seems reasonable enough," Julia agreed.

Masha nodded her assent, a sour expression on her face as she was forced to agree with a noble, and while Fion was clearly hungry, he didn't seem to mind waiting a bit.

Their trip to the jeweler's shop took longer than was probably strictly necessary, as various people greeted Julia on the street, and she at least exchanged greetings with all of them. Most of those they met were nobles of one kind or another, and Irene was a bit surprised that there were so many.

"Is there some kind of noble event or something?" Masha grumbled.

"There usually is some kind of activity," Julia replied, waving to return a child's enthusiastic greeting. "Though it seems that there are rumors my brother will be present at a gala this weekend, which, as you might expect, results in heightened interest among a certain section of nobles."

"But…didn't Lord Rufus just leave?" Irene pointed out.

"He did," her friend confirmed. "So it seems the rumors are false. And yet, there are quite a few more visiting nobles than I expected, usually most of the visits are around the turn of the year, though now is the time when many noblewomen feel the need to chase the latest fashions."

Speaking of which, Irene noticed a noblewoman examining a clothing store. Hadn't she also been at the Celdic Grand Market?

Irene didn't have time to think further on that, as they reached the jewelry shop shortly afterwards.

Inside, they met with Turner the jeweler and his son Bruc, who had put in the request on behalf of a young man named Bengt. Bengt was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and had come to Bareahard to purchase a ring, but had found all of them to be outside his price range.

Bruc, being sympathetic to his plight, suggested a semi-precious (and thus cheaper) stone formed by hardened tree sap called a Dryad's Tear, since it could be found near the city, and the rather ostentatiously nobleman who happened to be in the shop declared that he had seen something that could be the desired stone along the northern highway.

After that, Julia led them into the noble district and to the Bareahard guardhouse, where she received an enthusiastic welcome from the soldiers present.

Unfortunately, they did not have much information about the monster they were asked to exterminate, aside from the fact that it's usual haunt was well off the canyon road and that it had managed to elude a few patrols sent after it. As it had never attacked anything important, their commander had decided dealing with it was lower priority.

Quite a few soldiers expressed concern about Julia being assigned this task, even if she was a student at a military academy, and some even offered to come along, but Julia waved them off, pointing out that the monster may have learned to avoid soldiers in particular. Nonetheless, the commander insisted that a few of his men at least point them in the correct direction, as well as waiting on standby in case it proved too much for them to handle.

As it so happened, there were a few soldiers who were off duty, and a few volunteered to serve as back up when needed.

With more details about their assigned tasks collected, the group headed back to the Sorciere Restaurant for lunch, where they found quite a lot of food waiting for them.

"I did not know all of your preferences," Hammond explained as he and Calmin placed several platters of food on the group's table, "so we prepared a variety." A variety that included salad, steamed vegetables and potatoes, as well as a mix of meats and fluffy looking bread.

"Of course, I made your favorite, Lady Julia," the chef announced, placing a large bowl of steaming chowder in front of the blonde.

"Thank you, Hammond," Julia said, looking down at her meal wistfully. "You know me so well."

"Ha! I would hope so," Hammond chortled, smiling under his mustache. "You are one of our most consistent regulars, after all."

Julia smiled, looking like she wanted to dig into her food, but she held herself back as her uncle finished serving them, placing a savory smelling plate in front of Irene–was that venison?!

"Ohoh, it seems Lady Julia did not exaggerate about your fondness for game," Hammond remarked, and Irene realized belatedly that she was practically drooling at the food in front of her.

"T-thank you, Chef Hammond!" Irene squeaked, flushing in embarrassment at her lapse in manners. "It smells delicious!"

"I'm glad to hear it, Lady Schwarzer," Hammond bowed thankfully. "I hope you all enjoy your food."

"Err…how much does it cost?" Fion asked sheepishly.

"I'll cover it," Julia cut in with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Lady Julia, there's no need–"

"I'll cover it," she insisted, cutting her uncle off. "Really, Hammond, it's not as if I want for money. Even when Father curtails my allowances for one reason or another, he overestimates the amount of money I'd realistically go through."

"Sweet," Fion cheered, before shoveling a pork cutlet into his mouth.

"Thank you, Julia," Irene murmured, before taking a bite out of her food–

It was good!

Not quite as good as Mother's, but that was probably a difference of familiarity more than pure skill. No wonder Julia had such a knack for cooking.

They all dug into their meals enthusiastically, and even Masha was forced to admit that it was good. Good enough that they all finished it faster than they expected.

As they took a moment to collect themselves, Irene noticed Emmet and Fion looking at her with bemused expressions, while Masha gave Julia a strange look.

"Err…is something wrong?" Irene asked hesitantly.

"No," Emmet replied. "I was just a bit surprised that you liked game meat so much."

"Also ate a lot," Fion remarked. "Pretty impressive."

"Ymir is a remote place," Irene explained sheepishly, "so game meat is pretty common."

"In hindsight, that should not have been surprising," Emmet acknowledged. "Though we should get started on our tasks. North Highway first? Based on the map it shouldn't be as far of a trip as to the fort."

"That's correct," Julia replied. "I believe I know a good starting point to look for the dryad's tears, and while it isn't a short walk, per se, it is not as far as the fortress."

"Does everyone have enough supplies?" Irene asked. "There was a store near the train station, if I remember correctly."

"I have enough," Emmet replied.

"Ditto," Fion concurred.

Masha seemed lost in thought, but didn't protest when the group decided they would head straight out onto the highway.

So, after a short trip back to their hotel to collect their weapons, that was what they did, with a brief pause as Julia entertained a couple of children that greeted her enthusiastically. They looked disappointed that she could not stop and read with them, but also understood that she was busy.

"Is it safe for kids to be out by themselves like this?" Masha muttered a while after they left the children to their reading.

"There's a couple soldiers keeping an eye on them," Fion observed. "And if they stay well behaved and out of the way most people won't pay them any attention."

"I won't say Bareahard is completely safe for children, but there is little danger for them on the street like that," Julia replied. "Any danger to them is more…out of sight."

"Like that?" Fion asked, pointing to a group of monsters near the road ahead of them.

"Let's go with that," Julia snorted, readying her weapon.

The monsters around the highway were not as numerous as the ones around Celdic, and were generally less aggressive, but that did not mean they were not dangerous, and it turned out to be a good thing Emmet brought antitoxins, because some of them were poisonous. It also did not help that a good number of the monsters were disguised as plants, and they needed to find hardened tree sap.

To make matters worse, Julia, Emmet and Masha refused to link together, making coordinating more difficult, and there were several occasions where trouble could have been avoided if they had been linked. Still, at least they were able to focus enough during combat instead of insulting one another.

Eventually, they managed to find a dryad's tear on an old looking tree a ways off the highway, the midday sun glinting off the stone drawing their eye to it.

"So that baron guy was right," Fion remarked, prying the stone out with a knife and holding it up to let the sunlight shine through it. "Looks pretty enough, I guess."

"This is pretty far off the highway," Irene observed. "What reason would Baron Bleublanc have for coming out here?"

"I am not familiar with the man," Julia hummed. "I don't think he's a Kreuzen noble. Even if he didn't have much power, someone with his eccentricities would have had some stories told about him."

"Do nobles from the rest of the country come here just to shop?" Masha asked disdainfully.

"Are we even sure that guy was a real noble?" Emmet cut in. "I know most nobles can be a bit over the top, but that guy seemed like he was playing a theater part, or something of the sort."

"Whatever he is, he was right," Fion muttered with a shrug. "So thanks to him, I guess."

"True enough," Julia acknowledged. "If there is nothing more to do, let's return to the jeweler."

"I'm sure Mister Bengt will be excited to see the stone!" Irene cheered, smiling at the thought. 'It is quite nice of Mister Bruc to help out the poor man instead of just turning him away.'

And yet, when they returned to Turner's shop with the stone in hand, neither Bengt nor Bruc looked very enthusiastic, which seemed to have something to do with the other noble now present in the shop.

"Count Gorti, what a pleasant surprise!" Julia chirped, clapping her hands together in feigned delight.

"Lady Julia?! Well, I'll be!" the nobleman in an expensive looking suit exclaimed, bowing stiffly. "It is a pleasure to see you as always, my dear!" His accompanying butler and maid followed suit, but kept silent. "Are you interested in acquiring new jewelry? This shop has some satisfactory work indeed."

Irene fought to keep a frown off her face. From what she had heard, Count Gorti was a man possessing more self-confidence than good sense. By a wide margin. What was he up to here?

"While Misters Turner and Bruc certainly do good work, I am here on a school assignment," Julia explained with feigned cheer, "so I will unfortunately not have time for such matters."

"That is a shame," the count sighed. "I believe a few of these pieces would look quite fetching on you."

"I am sure they would add color to any proper lady," Julia demurred, "but that will have to wait until another time."

The count blinked, looking affronted. "Lady Julia, do you mean to tell me that retrieving the gem was assigned to you? What nerve!"

"It was assigned to my classmates and I, Count Gorti," she countered quickly, a dangerous smile on her face, "and the assignments were handed out by my brother personally."

"I see…my mistake then," the count admitted. "Still, I do apologize for inconveniencing you."

"I am not sure what you mean."

"Ah, you were not present while our agreement was made," Count Gorti realized. "You see, Lady Julia, I have heard that the dryad's tears have significant medicinal benefits when consumed, so when I discovered this young man had already requested for someone to acquire the stone, I offered to purchase it from him."

"I see…" Julia hummed, glancing over to the uncomfortable looking jeweler and young man, but both nodded at her in confirmation. "Well, we have acquired a dryad's tear, would you like to examine it first, Mister Bengt?"

"No, it's fine," the young man sighed dejectedly. "Count Gorti has already paid me for the trouble."

"Ok then," Fion grunted, taking the dryad's tear out of his pouch and offering it to the count, who just sneered at him while his maid stepped forward and took the stone, before turning and handing it to the count right afterwards.

Count Gorti took the stone, examined it for a bit, before tossing it in his mouth and swallowing?!

"Ah–!" Irene gasped. That couldn't be right!

"What?!" Masha barked, her outrage finally slipping her control.

"It was within his right to do so, now that he purchased the stone," Julia shot back sharply, trying to get the green haired girl to stop talking.

"Perhaps," Irene interjected, "but while I am no expert on eastern medicine, I am fairly certain the dryad's tear is not supposed to be consumed like that. I believe it was boiled in tea or something along those lines."

The count stiffened, a spark of indignation in his eyes as he wheeled on his servants. "Why did not you not tell me of this?!"

"Respectfully, sir, we also were unaware," the butler pointed out. "The rumor that dryad's tears can reduce the effects of aging came from Lady Anseline, and you insisted we come here right away."

"Hrmm…" the count grumbled, looking incredibly embarrassed. "No matter! Look into the proper procedure for the future!" With that, he swept angrily out of the shop, his servants trailing after him, the maid giving them a nervous goodbye on the way.

"What the hell was that?!" Masha burst out.

"Stupidity," Emmet snorted, "he's going to be sick."

"He asked for it," Fion grunted with a shrug.

"Can they really just…just waltz in and take what they want?" the green haired girl sputtered, looking at the jewelers and the morose looking young man searchingly.

"He did pay for it," Bengt sighed, looking down. "So I can't really complain, and Bruc was willing to give me a discount so I could use that money to buy something–"

"Now, now, we can't have this ruin your plans!" Julia declared, stepping forward and slinging an arm around Bengt's shoulder, causing everyone in the store to freeze up and stare at her in incomprehension.

"W-what?!" the poor man stammered, a terrified look in his eyes.

"You're about to take a big step, Mister Bengt," Julia continued, not noticing (or ignoring) the man's discomfort, "and you came all the way out here to get the perfect ring, but it turned out the perfect ring has an appropriately perfect price. Then you and Mister Bruc found a compromise, but then that arrogant ass Gorti came in and wrecked all your plans, did I miss anything?"

"Um…no? I think that's everything?" Bengt stammered, looking more and more confused with every passing second.

"Good. Now I want you to look through everything Misters Turner and Bruc have and find the gem your fiance to be will like the most, then if that fool of a count did not give you enough mira to purchase it, I will make up the difference."

"W-what?!"

"Did I not make myself clear enough?" Julia asked in a singsong voice.

"There's no need for that, Lady Julia!" Turner cried. "If you wish, we could–"

"Mister Turner," Julia interrupted in her Lady Albarea voice, "your generosity has been noted, but it would hardly be fair to penalize you for a situation in which you committed no wrong."

"I see…that's very magnanimous of you, Lady Albarea," the jeweler bowed thankfully.

"Now, Mister Bengt," Julia continued. "Tell me about your lady friend, and we'll see what fits her best."

Still thrown off guard by Julia's sudden change in behavior, the young man almost automatically answered her questions, and Julia mulled over the selection before suggesting a shiny silver ring with a splendid emerald.

Mister Bengt looked at it thoughtfully, before smiling. "You're right, Lady Albarea, I think she'll like this a lot. Though…uh…is there a reason you are doing this–I mean no offense of course! And is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"I'm doing this because someone has to clean up the messes assholes leave behind," Julia snorted. "And you don't need to worry about it, we're supposed to use our resources and status to better the realm, after all. Just send me an invite to your wedding, or whatnot."

The ring wasn't the most expensive piece in the shop, but it did outstrip the amount Count Gorti had paid, not that Julia batted an eye.

"Geez, she's really rich, huh?" Fion observed.

"Evidently," Emmet mumbled. "Though she's more frugal than I'd expected."

Masha, on the other hand, had a really conflicted expression on her face, and Irene had to stifle a giggle at the sight.

In the end, Mister Bengt left with a satisfactory ring, and Turner managed a sale he hadn't expected to, and things turned out better than it had looked.

"My word! That was quite a turn!" the bombastic baron in purple crowed. "You certainly have a sense of drama, Lady Albarea!"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Baron Bleublanc," Julia replied politely. "Were you waiting here this whole time?"

"Perhaps I was, perhaps I wasn't," he waffled. "Either way, I do have to thank you for such a beautiful sight, but I must take my leave." He bowed theatrically, before heading out.

"Well that was weird," Fion grunted.

"We'll be taking our leave, Mister Turner," Julia called, nodding to the jeweler. "It was a pleasure working with you."

"Thank you for your patronage, Lady Albarea."

As they exited the shop, Masha paused. "Alright, what the hell was that?"

"I thought we already addressed this, Regnitz," Julia answered, giving the greenete a bemused look.

"No, why'd you do that? Does the money really mean so little to you?"

"Sure, it's a bit of mira," Julia shrugged. "But like I said, dear old dad gives me a rather exorbitant budget for pretty things, and since he doesn't care enough about it to check what exactly I do with it, I can use it to help other people out."

"But…why?" Masha repeated, still not understanding, though for once, she seemed to have seen past her preconceptions about nobles.

"Because I could," Julia replied simply. "Surely, you of all people would understand the ill feeling when you see some injustice you could not stop or rectify? I simply have enough money to help make some of these smaller ones go away."

"Credit where it is due, Albarea," Emmet said thoughtfully, "I have seen you put your money where your mouth is, unlike a certain someone." He gave Masha a side eyed glare, but surprisingly, the green haired girl didn't explode, instead frowning in thought.

"Why, that almost sounded like a compliment!" Julia gasped theatrically, widening her eyes more than she needed to.

"Don't read too much into it," their purple haired classmate snorted, adjusting his glasses.

Irene smiled. It seemed like their group was starting to get along, somewhat.

"So…are we just going to stand here flirting?" Fion asked idly.

"You serious?" Emmet grunted, giving him an unimpressed look.

"Gah! Can we go already?!" Masha barked, shaking her head furiously.

"I…did not expect you to be so eager to meet members of the Provincial Army," Irene pointed out, which…probably didn't come across like she had intended, but it did make Masha pause in her tracks.

True to their earlier promises, there were a few soldiers waiting for them at the gate to the Aurochs Canyon road. Two of them were armed with the typical rifles, but their apparent leader was an athletic woman armed with a greatsword.

"Good afternoon, Lady Albarea," the chestnut haired officer greeted politely.

"Good afternoon indeed," Julia returned, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "You are the daughter of Baron Edelbeck, correct?"

"Indeed so," the officer confirmed with a smile. "Lieutenant Astrid Edelbeck at your service, and these two are Corporal Erik Becker and Private Herman Holtzman."

"It's an honor to serve, Lady Albarea!" the two men called in unison, giving her rigid salutes.

"No need for that," Julia sighed. "I may be an Albarea, but I am not your commander. Not to mention how I have inconvenienced you on your day off."

"It is no great inconvenience at all, Lady Albarea," Edelbeck replied. "We volunteered because none of us had any important engagements this weekend."

"We'll make sure nothing dares do you any harm, milady!" Holtzman declared.

"Though as per the spirit of your task, we will let you handle the majority of the fighting unless it appears you are in danger," the lieutenant clarified.

"Well, in that case, we would be happy to have your assistance," Julia declared. "While I have been down this road a few times, you surely know it better than I, so would you happen to know where we could find rock salt deposits?"

"Rock salts? Someone made you collect rock salts?" Becker exclaimed indignantly.

"That does not seem like a task Lord Rufus would assign," Edelbeck hummed.

"It was Voltaire," Julia grumbled flatly, causing the three soldiers to scowl.

Regardless if they liked it or not, they did guide the group to where they could find the salt down a side path leading off from the main road.

The monsters they encountered were more dangerous than the ones on the north highway, but many of them chose not to attack the group, probably deterred by the soldiers' presence. When some did, their escort held true to their word and let the students do most of the fighting, only stepping in when they felt they needed assistance, which was probably more frequently than strictly necessary, but Irene could not really blame them.

As much she could tell it was starting to get on Julia's nerves, from the soldiers' perspective, that paled in comparison to what would befall them if they let her get hurt.

That said, their trepidation only got worse when they managed to corner the monster extermination target against the canyon.

"We aren't seriously going to stand back and not help Lady Julia fight this thing, are we?" Holtzman wondered, leveling his rifle at the Fate Spinner as it snapped its large claws at them menacingly.

"We can handle it ourselves," Emmet grunted. "Shouldn't be that hard to send it over the cliff, unless you need some kind of proof."

"It survived a fall like that before," Becker grunted. "Which is part of why it hasn't been properly dealt with yet. That's also why I think you should at least allow us to assist."

"As much as I appreciate the help, I will not have you complete an assignment on our behalf," Julia declared. "I understand your concerns, but our instructors would likely not be so understanding."

"I see," Lieutenant Edelbeck hummed. "Then we shall not intervene unless one of you is at serious risk."

"Sir?"

"Is there a problem, Holtzman?"

"Not at all sir. It's just…it doesn't feel right not to protect the finest jewel Bareahard has ever produced."

"Gems are not so fragile," Edelbeck pointed out, "and most have to endure the jeweler's hammer before they can truly shine."

Julia groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, which the soldiers seemed to ignore. "I appreciate your understanding, but I believe our quarry is getting impatient."

"Wait, Albarea," Masha called. "We should try to link our ARCUS units."

"Now, Regnitz?!" Julia snapped. "We hardly have the time for that."

"It's worth a try," Irene pushed gently. "We really can't afford an accident this close to the cliff."

Julia frowned, but nodded. "Very well then, if only to make sure you don't shoot any of us in the back."

Masha sucked in an angry breath, but held her tongue, and the two bickering girls forced themselves into a combat link. For once, it held.

Irene linked with Emmet, as Fion was the best at avoiding attacks by himself, and the group closed in on the monster, which had been gradually making more and more aggressive displays.

Coordinated through their link, Masha's first slug shot slammed into the Fate Spinner's head, dropping its guard for Julia to lunge in and lance her rapier into one of its eyes, darting away before its reflexive snap of its pincer could catch her.

Irene dashed forward, leaning to one side as a bolt of lightning shrieked over her shoulder, crashing into the monster's other pincer and leaving it open to her attack, allowing her to cut into its legs and knock it off balance.

Fion and Julia capitalized on the weakness, the blonde slashing a rune blade through its armor while the agile youth covered her disengage with a flash grenade.

They cycled through this plan of attack several times successfully, working in tandem to keep the monster off balance, and the fight seemed to be going well–

Another Spark Arrow from Emmet struck the Fate Spinner, and it shrieked in pain, vomiting blood and toxic bile. Most of the group was fast enough to avoid it, but Masha was too slow, getting a face full of gunk and reflexively firing her shotgun blindly, almost hitting Julia in the process.

"What are you playing at Regnitz?!" Julia barked, and Irene noticed their combat link fraying.

A burst of aggression flooded over her own link with Emmet, and she instinctively rushed forwards, ducking under the monster's pincer and cutting through its injured knee, giving Emmet the opening he needed to jam his staff into a weakened point of its carapace.

Fire bloomed from the end of his staff, and the monster jerked and screamed as it was burned from the inside, but it lacked the strength to resist.

Eventually, its shrieks subsided and it ceased moving.

"What was that, Albarea?!" Masha hissed, furiously wiping the vomit off of herself. "Why did you break the link?!"

"I did no such thing!" Julia denied. "You were the one who broke the link!"

"I did not!"

"I would watch your tone, if I were you," Lieutenant Edelbeck barked warningly, walking over to check on the monster. "Especially when it is evident that you are the weak link in the group."

Masha's face twisted in rage, but she chose not to express it aloud as the taller woman casually drove her greatsword through the monster's head.

"Eh, it worked well enough," Emmet grunted, examining the scorched carcass. "Though why there are so many students at a military academy that don't have any combat training is a little strange."

"Thors Military Academy has always prided itself on offering an elite education, even when it was primarily a military school, or so I have heard," Edelbeck explained almost wistfully, "so it is not shocking that people would want to send their children there even if they are not martially inclined."

"Clearly things have changed for the worse, if they are no longer instilling proper discipline," Holtzman grumbled.

"Still, the monster is dead," Becker pointed out, "so at least they know how to fight."

"We should present the head to Aurochs Fortress as soon as possible," Lieutenant Edelbeck declared, "then we should be able to return to Bareahard by sunset."

"Slight problem with that," Emmet objected. "Since you stabbed it to make sure it was dead, it's going to look like you killed it. None of us use a greatsword, and nobody is going to believe Irene could cause a wound like that even if she definitely could."

The officer paused, before nodding. "You have a point, perhaps that was hasty of me."

"Cut off its tongue," Fion suggested, glancing into the carcass' maw. "Or well, what's left of it."

"Or take one of its pincers," Irene suggested. "They are mostly intact."

"That should work," Emmet agreed, pulling a knife off his belt and sawing off one of the pincers surprisingly easily for a blade that small.

Masha and Julia shared an uneasy glance, before quickly looking away from each other.

"Is there a shower or something I could use at the fortress?" Masha asked, running a hand through her soiled hair in disgust.

"There is a rest area where you can wash up," Edelbeck replied. "Of course, we cannot allow you entry further than that."

"Right, of course."

Now that the monster was slain, the group made their way down the road to Aurochs fortress.

When they arrived, it was immediately evident that the fortress had seen significant amounts of modernization, with reinforced walls along with modern gun emplacements. The train rolling into the station loaded with modern tanks also demonstrated that the fortress was not the only thing that was being updated.

"Oh cool! They're finally here!" Becker exclaimed.

"Yes, but don't announce it to the world," Edelbeck sighed, giving her subordinate a reproachful glare.

"Right, of course, sir."

Masha stared at the scene with an outraged expression, but held her tongue, realizing that it was probably not a good idea to talk about certain things while the soldiers were with them.

While most of the group delivered their trophy and reported the defeat of the monster, Holtzman directed Masha to the rest area where she could clean herself off.

The soldiers who received the report were a bit impressed that a group of students managed to take down the monster, doubly so when they learned that their escort had not actually helped at all.

With that task completed, the group rested for a bit at the visitor area as they waited for Masha to finish washing up.

"So, is there going to be a war soon?" Fion wondered idly, drawing sharp looks from the rest of the group. "What?"

"Hopefully not," Irene murmured.

"The likelihood seems high," Emmet mused. "Crossbell continues to be a ticking time bomb, and well," he gestured around him. "It looks like people are getting ready for things to go loud in other ways too."

"We should probably not be discussing this here, of all places," Julia cautioned, glancing over to their escort.

"I can hardly blame you for stating the obvious," Lieutenant Edelbeck sighed. "But Lady Julia is correct, it is rather bad form to discuss such matters publically."

"Are we done?" Masha interjected as she walked up to the group, her hair a mess, but at least relatively clean. "I really would prefer to get a proper shower as soon as possible."

"Of course, who are we to deny the mighty Regnitz of a hot shower?" Julia snarked, rising from her seat.

"Oh come on!" Masha groused. "I got monster vomit all over my clothes and in my hair!"

"Should have dodged," Fion shrugged.

"Very helpful you ass!"

"At least no one got hurt," Irene cut in. "And we will probably be able to get some good food later too."

That stopped the bickering short, and the group began to make its way back to the city, still accompanied by the trio of soldiers. However, before they lost sight of the fortress, alarms blared through the canyon and they whirled around to see sudden furious activity around the fortress as a vaguely T-shaped white object…floated up and away from the fortress and then past some cliff out of sight.

"What in the world was that?" Masha murmured. "No way that's a bird, and it was way too small to be an airship."

'Was that a person riding it?!'

"What should we do sir?" Holtzman asked the lieutenant.

"Looks like there was an intruder in the base. They could have just been observing the renovations…but the timing is suspicious," Edelbeck observed cooly, her grip tightening on her weapon. "That doesn't change our objective, and we will have to be doubly careful if someone is sneaking around using advanced equipment."

Her gaze swept the surroundings carefully, before landing back onto the group of students. "Keep close to us, and don't let your guard down."

The greatsword armed lieutenant took point and led them at a brisk pace, while her two subordinates fell in behind them, their weapons at the ready.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any more monsters on the road, likely scared off by the threatening aura emanating from the soldiers, but their journey did not go entirely without incident.

"We got incoming!" Fion barked, and they turned to see a line of armored cars racing up the highway behind them.

"Off the road!" Edelbeck ordered, waving at them to make way for the military vehicles.

Spotting them, the armored cars slowed and slid to a halt next to them, the hatch on top of one opened and a familiar Provincial Army officer poked his head out. "Ho there! Did you see–Astrid?"

"Sepp?" Lieutenant Edelbeck blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

"Got called back from Celdic for some training–never mind that," Lieutenant Maier replied, before shaking his head. "Did you see the intruder? Someone riding some white floating device?"

"We did, it headed southwest at significant speed," Lieutenant Edelbeck reported. "It will likely outpace you."

"Damn!" Maier cursed, before pausing, "Apologies, Lady Albarea, but we must be going."

"By all means," Julia returned with a nod. "Lieutenant Edelbeck will ensure we reach the city safely."

"By your leave then. Also good to see you well, Lady Schwarzer. Let's go!" Maier barked, and the armored cars took off once again.

"Are you…acquainted with Lieutenant Maier, Lieutenant Edelbeck?" Irene asked as the armored cars drove away.

"We both studied at the Arseid school for some time," Edelbeck replied, raising an eyebrow at her, "I am more surprised you recognize him."

"He and his men offered us some assistance during our field study in Celdic," Irene explained as they continued down the highway.

"Hmm…sounds very much like him," the greatsword wielding woman hummed.

"I heard that he did his job a little too well," Becker muttered. "Made Schwarmydorf a bit self conscious."

"That is not something we should speak of now," Edelbeck warned.

"Also, I didn't know you were that close to him, sir," Holtzman remarked. "Sepp, huh?"

"Enough!" the lieutenant snapped. "That isn't important, keep your heads on a swivel."

Julia smirked, apparently finding the interaction amusing, but after Irene gave her a meaningful look, decided not to mention it.

The rest of their journey back to the city was uneventful. They delivered the salt to a very nervous looking Lord Voltaire, before returning to the hotel, where their escort departed.

While most of them had managed to avoid getting as dirty as Masha, the hot shower was nice, and the available cosmetic products were a bit uncomfortably high end.

After cleaning up, they sat down and began working on their reports.

"Are we going to have dinner at Sorciere as well?" Irene asked as they finished up their paperwork.

"That's what is in the itinerary, I believe," Julia replied, working her hair back into a complex braid. "And well, it is right over there."

"I have to admit the food was good," Masha conceded.

There was a knock on the door. "Pardon me, Lady Julia?" a nervous sounding concierge called. 'There is someone here who would like to speak with you."

Julia stiffened, before squaring her shoulders, standing up, and walking over to open the door. "Is this someone who I think it is?"

"Err…yes, Lady Julia," the concierge (Enrique, was it?) replied, looking contrite.

"Then I best not keep him waiting."

Masha stared curiously as the blonde marched out of the room, before turning to Irene questioningly. Irene shook her head, but that failed to dissuade the green haired girl, who padded after Julia.

'Oh dear, this could be a problem,' Irene sighed in her head, before also following.

She found Masha pausing at the door to the hotel, which was partially open, through which the bespectacled girl watched as Julia exchanged words with a man sitting in the back of an orbal limousine.

Irene frowned. Julia had suggested her relationship with her father was less than ideal, but for him to not even bother getting out of a car to talk with her…that was worse than she had thought.

His piece said, Duke Helmut Albarea rolled up his window and his car drove away, leaving Julia on the steps outside.

"Didn't anyone teach you that eavesdropping was rude, Regnitz?" Julia called without looking back, her voice low and defeated.

"Was that…?" Masha asked hesitantly.

"Indeed, that was Duke Helmut Albarea," Julia confirmed, "and by some strange whim of fate, my father." She turned to look at them, before scoffing. "By Aidios, you look ridiculous."

"If you hadn't been so vague, I would have made sure to stay away," Masha shot back. "Why didn't you say it was him? There's no way I want to be near him."

Julia sighed, turning away and staring after the car. "I suppose I can't blame you there."

"Umm…" Irene interrupted. "Shall we head to dinner?"

"Might as well," her friend replied. "It looks like the two boys got hungry and are already over there."

Sure enough, Fion and Emmet were already seated at one of the outside tables, the former sipping at a glass of orange juice, while the latter nursed a mug of beer.

"I see you got started without us," Julia snarked as they approached the table.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting," Irene offered, smiling apologetically.

"It wasn't that long," Fion waved off.

Emmet shrugged. "The owner seems to be quite accommodating for anyone in your orbit," he mused, "you two seem quite close."

"This is one of my favorite restaurants," Julia pointed out, taking a seat across from her purple haired classmate.

"And yet, I find myself unable to believe that your father or brother would frequent such a place," Emmet remarked, not accusingly, but simply curious.

"Why of course!" Julia tittered. "A girl's got to have some place where their family isn't snooping on them."

Emmet looked almost convinced, but something in his eyes suggested that he had figured something out, though Hammond and Bryce arriving with food meant he did not voice whatever he noticed aloud.

The group thanked the chef for the food, but Irene couldn't help but notice that Emmet's gaze flickered between Julia and her uncle, a glint of understanding in his eyes. It seemed he realized that they were related. 'Quite a dangerously perceptive young man.'

As much friction as there was this morning, Irene couldn't help but smile as it seemed that a significant amount of the animosity had cooled down, likely helped by their success at completing the day's tasks.

Still, a glance at Masha suggested that things were not completely smoothed over, though it was at least ameliorated by good food for the moment.

"So…" the green haired girl began, and Irene suddenly felt like she may have spoken too soon. "Tell me, Albarea, why exactly does the Provincial Army need all those Achtzehn tanks? It's been quite a long time since Aurochs Fortress was relevant in defending against Calvard."

"Quite simple, really, Regnitz," Julia replied, sipping at her tea. "The Imperial Army has them, and given that it largely is under the Chancellor's control these days, the Provincial Army wants them."

"And the higher taxes throughout the provinces?" Masha continued. "I saw some of that in Sutherland, and now here too. There is no way that is not connected to the build up in the Provincial Armies."

"Of course," Julia shrugged. "Both sides are in an arms race, a rather natural result of neither side being willing to compromise."

"What is there to compromise?" Masha grumbled. "It's the nobles that are whining over losing the unearned privileges they've enjoyed for so long!"

"Sure, there's plenty of that," Julia conceded, "but there is much of the country that is strongly opposed to the more centralized sort of governance pushed by the Reformists. It leaves many people outside of Heimdallr feeling rather unrepresented."

"As if this backwards feudal system gives the common people a say!"

"It used to," Julia countered. "Often not any real say, but certainly the illusion of one. It is much easier to feel heard when there is a specific, recognizable person who at least nominally has a lot of say over things, and is theoretically available for petitioning. The Reformists' plan…does not really have that."

"But the nobles don't do anything like that anymore," Masha hissed. "They just sit and enjoy the privileges of their station!"

"Like the Arnors do?" Emmet interrupted, drawing shocked stares from the rest of the group, with even Fion looking at him in surprise.

"What?" Their purple haired classmate grunted unapologetically. "The Emperor has basically handed over all his authority to the chancellor. The Empress, naturally, follows suit, and their children are too young to have any real power or influence. Only the bastard son seems to have any sort of backbone, even if his efforts don't seem to be amounting to much."

Masha gawked, and even Julia's composure cracked. Irene could not blame them. Even the most ardent Reformist still avoided criticizing the Imperial Family, and the Noble Alliance always paid their respects, even if the actions of the Emperor went against their interests. For someone to so bluntly criticize them was…shocking.

"T-that's a completely different story!" Masha sputtered.

"How so?" Emmet pressed. "When was the last time the Emperor did anything that wasn't in lock step with the chancellor? He seems to me a man who has given up, leaving the chancellor the keys to the kingdom."

"The Emperor must walk a fine line and be careful with his words," Julia interjected. "Otherwise, one side or the other would use him as a focal point to justify whatever action they take."

"And was that how Dreichels became the Lionhearted?" Emmet retorted, turning to look Julia in the eye. "He did not tip toe around when the nation was in turmoil, quite the opposite." His lips curled up into a sardonic smile. "Perhaps the Blood is running a bit thin, if the bastard is the one with any merit worth speaking of."

Julia's eyes widened, before she narrowed them. "You are playing with fire there, Millstein."

"We are in a pan filled with oil and gunpowder, trying to sit very still so it doesn't cook off," he snorted. "It might be better to jump into the fire."

"I…think this whole line of conversation is rather inappropriate!" Irene snapped, glaring at their purple haired classmate.

"He's got a point though," Fion objected. "If the big boss doesn't keep his lieutenants in line, that's on him."

"Let's…not talk about things that are beyond our power," Julia sighed. "I would rather not ruin this nice meal."

Unfortunately, while the food was very good, their conversation made the rest of the night quite a bit more somber.

---

AN. I feel like this chapter ends quite abruptly, but I couldn't really see a better place to cut it. Also funny note, I wasn't sure if Emmet should figure out Julia's parentage, so I had him roll for it. Not only did he narrowly beat Julia's Deception (by 1), he got a 101 on his Empathy roll. His Empathy stat is a 3. Also Emmet can you stop raising every red flag you can find?!