(Author's Note)
Hey guys! It's me, and uh... Merry Christmas!
A quick note, going forward, the speed of which I post updates will most likely slow down. I had chapters 1-3 of this story done with chapter 4 currently about halfway done right now. There's a bit of fine tuning that I feel needs to be done, especially now that people have started to fully look at this.
This chapter... I wish I could've done a bit better. Unfortunately, there wasn't exactly a great way for me to introduce so many characters all at once like I did in this chapter easily, so a decent chunk of this chapter may feel very very close to the game, and if that bothers anyone, I'm sorry. It won't stay that way going forward, or at least it'll stay at a respectable level.
Onto Reviews!
To Dbfanandcritic: I don't know exactly how valentines day will go just yet. Current plans aren't setting up a harem event, but maybe I'll write a what-if chapter for it just as a joke.
To everyone else who gave their support of the previous chapter, thank you so much. It means a lot to me. And with that...
IT'S SHOWTIME!
"It's been years since I last set eyes on this place." Jeralt said, his eyes trailing over the nearby architecture as he stood in the center of the large room the three had found themselves directed towards, an Audience Chamber, Ren presumed. There was a look of nostalgia there, Ren noted idly as he briefly glanced over at the Mercenary before he let his eyes wander around the room himself. "To be forced to see her now…"
"You've been here before?" Byleth asked, turning to her right to look at her father.
"I've never spoken of this to you before, but… many years ago, I was a knight here." Jeralt said, glancing over at Byleth. Ren paused, looking away from the detailing as he looked back at the veteran. "I reported to the archbishop… Lady Rhea."
"Lady Rhea?" Ren spoke up, raising an eyebrow. While he wasn't too surprised by the news Jeralt was a trained knight, especially considering his skills with the sword had gotten him a name like 'blade-breaker'. What he could instead do however, was use this opportunity to get a bit more knowledge about the current surroundings.
Jeralt turned over to the right and looked at the Phantom Thief standing opposite Byleth beside him, his eyebrow raised slightly but he spoke up anyways, probably to explain to Byleth the current situation. Maybe not the best words to use, but Jeralt had been on edge since they were found by the Knights of Seiros, so Ren felt it was fitting here. "As you both know, the majority of folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros." Jeralt began. Ren made a mental note to learn more about this 'Seiros' to avoid some possible… Altercations. "The leader of that ridiculously large religious organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea."
Ren was about to open his mouth to follow up on that question, but he stopped as the sound of footsteps echoed through the room as two figures walked in front of him. He blinked owlishly at the two in front of him before schooling his features into a calm. 'Green hair… Granted they're different shades of the color but it's still surprising… At least with Byleth's it wasn't like I hadn't seen someone with natural blue hair before.' Ren thought as the Man standing next to who he assumed was this 'Lady Rhea' cleared his throat.
"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop." Seteth said, nodding at the mercenary before his eyes scanned over the two individuals standing on either side of the man. His eyes lingered on Ren for a moment longer than Byleth, something that almost put the Phantom Thief on edge if it wasn't for the quick change of focus from Seteth.
"Right. Hello." Jeralt said, nodding at the advisor stiffly.
"It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?" The woman in front of the three spoke up. Ren noticed the almost soothing tone she spoke with, and the patient expression on her face; while his instincts were screaming at him, as if the sound of the Reaper's chains were echoing along the walls of the room.
'You must act with caution, this woman before you is not someone to be trifled with.' A voice spoke in his mind, catching Ren off guard for a moment, but it seemed no one noticed.
'Arsene?' He asked in his head, a sudden weight filling his head as silence answered him.
"Forgive my silence all these years. Much has happened since we last spoke." Jeralt said, bowing quickly to the woman before him.
The edges of Rhea's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly, as she turned to face Byleth. "So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you." Rhea said, looking over at Byleth. She turned her gaze back to Jeralt for a moment. "That is your child, is it not?"
"Yes… Born many years after I left this place." Jeralt said, a slight waver in his voice that Ren would've missed if he wasn't paying complete attention to everything around him at that moment. "I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child… but I'm afraid we lost her to illness."
"I see. My condolences." Rhea said, her eyes trailing back over to Byleth. "As for you… I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?"
"My name is Byleth Eisner." Byleth said, bowing lightly to the archbishop in front of her.
"A fine name indeed." Rhea said, before she turned to face Ren. "Alois spoke highly of you as well. What might your name be?"
Ren's eyes slightly narrowed behind his glasses, less as a glare and more as a way to better focus on the woman's face before him. "Ren Amamiya. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said, bowing straight at the waist.
Rhea's eyes scanned the thief's form for a few seconds before she smiled and turned to look at the group as a whole as she spoke. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."
"Hmph…" Jeralt let out a sigh as he closed his eyes.
"Jeralt." Rhea began, focusing on the former Knight. "You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?"
"You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don't you?" Jeralt said, placing one of his hands on his hip. He shook his head lightly, as if resigning himself to his fate. "I won't say no, but…"
"Your apprehension stings." Rhea said, nodding lightly. "I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you."
Rhea turned away to look towards Byleth. "I must step away for now," She began, before turning to look at Ren. "But I expect they will desire a word with the two of you soon."
Ren's eyebrow rose lightly as he looked at the Archbishop in front of him. "Please listen carefully to what they have to say." She said. "Until tomorrow… Farewell."
Ren noticed Jeralt bow quickly to his left and quickly followed suit in line with Byleth. He watched the Archbishop walk out of the Audience Chamber and into a side room to the left of them, Seteth close behind as the three were left on their own.
Jeralt let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging. He looked less tense now, and Ren had to agree with that notion. "I can't believe it." Jeralt said, looking down at the floor. "Forced back into the Knights of Seiros."
Jeralt let out a sigh as he walked over to Byleth's left, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, both of you." He began, looking up at Ren over Byleth's shoulder. "Looks like I'll be stuck here for a while… and I'm afraid both of your services are requested as well."
"Services?" Ren asked, adjusting his glasses slightly.
"As a mercenary?" Asked Byleth with a wave of her arm.
Jeralt waved his daughter off. "Nothing like that. They want you two to teach, by the sound of it." He said. "You heard those brats earlier talking about the Officers Academy, right? Well, the academy just happens to be short a professor."
"But there's two of us…" Ren said, motioning to Byleth and himself with his right hand.
"You'll be sharing your workload apparently, a sort of joint professor is what they're apparently thinking of, since neither of you have taught before." Jeralt said with a shrug. "Apparently that damned Alois went and recommended you two to Lady Rhea. That said… you might've been left out of things if I didn't answer so many of Alois' questions about you, Ren."
"What's done is done, no use crying over it." Ren said with a light shrug, before his eyes snapped to the side as the footsteps of two individuals grabbed his attention. The thief turned to face the entering figures walking before the three.
"So. You must be the new professor. My, how stern and handsome you are!" Ren blinked at the woman that stood in front of him, noticing the abundance of skin on display. If it wasn't for him getting used to seeing some rather risque things during his time as a Thief, he would've probably made himself look like a fool.
"Er, no. I'm not who you're looking for. You two can handle things from here." Jeralt said, his stone face cracking ever so slightly as he turned around, but not before placing a hand on Byleth's shoulder. Ren saw his mouth move slightly, but he couldn't hear what was being said by the Mercenary.
"Oh that's right, our third spot is being filled in by two people this time." The woman said as Jeralt walked out of the Audience Chamber. "So it's you two, then? So young…"
Ren felt a slight chill run up his spine as the woman's eyes landed on him. "Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you well know." The gray haired man next to the woman cut in, finally speaking up. "I am Hanneman, a Crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy."
'A… Crest Scholar?' Ren thought to himself in confusion. 'Another topic to look over later…'
"I wonder if either of you bear a Crest of your own. When next you have a moment to spare, I insist you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further."
'Well, if there was someone who'd be able to teach me about that…' Ren thought after a moment, before he turned to look at the woman next to Hanneman.
"I'm Manuela. I'm a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available." She said, her eyes flicking over to Ren at that. Ren kept his face neutral. "It's nice to meet you."
"You're a physician?" Byleth asked, looking at the woman in front of her.
"I look too pretty for that line of work, do I?" Manuela responded, a notion Ren didn't exactly agree with considering who his Doctor was. "But yes, when I'm not teaching, I can be found in the infirmary. If you're ever lonely, please do come and pay me a visit. I would love to-"
"Spare our colleagues the needless chatter, Manuela." Hanneman said with a shake of his head, before he turned back to face Byleth and Ren. "Now then, it seems the two of you will be taking charge of one of the academy's three houses. I expect you haven't yet been briefed on the nature of each, have you?"
"That's correct." Ren nodded, placing his hands idly in his pockets.
"Do you really not know? Fine, I'll do you a favor and explain." Manuela began before clearing her throat. "The Officers Academy is comprised of three houses of students, each of which is closely affiliated with its region of origin."
"The Black Eagle House is for students from the Adrestian Empire. Their house leader this year is Edelgard, the Imperial princess, who is in line to be the next emperor." Manuela stated.
'Edelgard… that was the same girl from the battle earlier…' Ren thought to himself.
"The Blue Lion House is for students from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Their house leader this year is Prince Dimitri. He is to be the next king of Faerghus." Hanneman said.
'Dimitri too then… I think I can see where this pattern is going…'
"Lastly, there is the Golden Deer House, which is for students of the Leicester Alliance. Their house leader is Claude, grandson to Duke Riegan, the leader of the Alliance." Manuela finished.
'All three of them, huh? Well, at least we have a first impression so far." Ren nodded to himself, marking the information in his head for the time being.
"To think that the next emperor, king, and sovereign duke are all here. It certainly is a promising year for the academy." Hanneman said, placing a hand on his chin.
"I'll say. I just hope none of those little treasures cause any trouble." Manuela noted, turning to look at her colleague.
"Hm, quite. For now, I suggest taking a stroll around the academy to get your bearings. And when either of you've a moment, please stop by my research laboratory." Hanneman said, looking back up at Ren and Byleth.
"The old man has a point. Oh, and keep in mind that I've only notified the house leaders that the two of you are our new professors." Manuela said with a smirk on her face. "It's more fun that way. I suggest you try spending time with the students. Some odd ducks in that bunch, but they're good kids."
Manuela motioned lightly with her hand. "I'm sure Lady Rhea will have more information for you tomorrow, but that should get you going. Good Luck. You'll need it"
"Have you no intention of changing your mind, Rhea?" Seteth began, facing the Archbishop's back. "Appointing these strangers- Children, no less! As professors of this esteemed academy is-"
"Seteth." Rhea began, turning around to face the man. "I have made my decision."
The woman shook her head lightly, allowing a light smile to fall on her face as she glanced patiently at her advisor. "I know worrying comes naturally to you, but there is truly no need. That 'Stranger' is Jeralt's flesh and blood, after all."
"I can't say that's all too comforting." Seteth said, his brow furrowing as he crossed his arms. "How trustworthy is this Jeralt character? Is he not the man who went missing 21 years ago after the great fire?"
Seteth's eyes narrowed as he looked over at the door next to him. "And what of that other stranger? This… Ren Amamiya? He clearly is not native, there's a distinct accent, even if it is small. Do we really think it best we trust him as well, especially with what you've suggested?" He asked, returning his gaze to Rhea. "I would like to remind you that Flayn is now here with us. I beg of you… Please consider whether this is an unnecessary risk."
"Jeralt and his kin have my trust, please let that be enough." Rhea said. "As for Professor Amamiya, if Jeralt holds him in as high regard as Alois seems to think, then that should be good enough for the both of us."
"Lady Rhea…"
"If you wish to insist that much, then I suppose we could utilize the upcoming mock battle. If we used it as a test for him, would that put you at ease?" Rhea continued, motioning a hand out in front of her as Seteth looked down with a sigh.
"Very well, I will go along with this." Seteth said after a moment, raising his head as he rested his arms at his sides.
"More importantly, I have received a report from Shamir. I am increasingly concerned about a matter regarding our suspicious individual." Rhea said. "We cannot ignore those who harbor ill will towards the church, especially if they're frequenting Garreg Mach."
"Yes, that matter is of great importance as well. I shall continue my investigation." Seteth said. "Rhea… For now, I will have faith that you are placing your trust with the utmost care. I pray… that nothing occurs to shake that trust."
"That is all I ask of you, Seteth." Rhea said, nodding briefly at Seteth as he moved out of the room, granting her sight of the backs of Byleth and Ren as the two began to make their way out of the main audience hall. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she watched the foreigner's back. "...Ren Amamiya… Who… No, what are you? And why do you emanate such strange energy, I wonder?"
Rhea nodded to herself before turning around. "I suppose I'll find out in time. For now, I suppose it's best to do as the saying goes. Keep your friends close…"
Ren hummed to himself lightly as he read through one of many books piled in front of him. While English was most certainly not his best subject, he could read it. After all, he had been top of his class before his supposed suicide, and though he didn't see the recent results of his last exams, he hoped that was still the case. Back home, he wasn't anything close to Ann in regards to understanding English, which he felt was an unfair competition to begin with, but since he arrived he understood it as if it was as natural as Japanese.
Slightly concerning, but he could wave it off as a boon from Igor for the time being, or some weird after effect of his jump here through Mementos.
"Lady Seiros…" Ren mumbled idly to himself as he read through the book in front of him, it was the first in a series detailing the history of Fódlan, and by extension, the Church of Seiros. The Thief's eyes flicked to the side, looking over at the 3 books sitting a bit off to the side. The book of Seiros, volumes 1, 2 and 5. They were a decent help getting a grasp on a few things, but it wasn't really what the Phantom Thief was looking for.
The teen paused, placing the book in his hands on the table as he placed a hand on his chin. 'It says here that she formed the Church of Seiros 41 years before the Founding of the Adrestian Empire…' Ren thought, before shaking his head slightly. 'Or at least she appeared 41 years ago and during that 41 year gap she formed the Church…'
His fingers flipped through another page, and then another as Ren quickly read through the book. He placed it off to the side as he leaned back slightly. "Well, after reading through all that I think I have a… decent enough grasp of things for the time being…" Ren muttered to himself in his native tongue as he picked up another book from the nearby stack next to him. The cover of the book had a strange design printed onto the front, with the words 'Crestology: A starter' set underneath the pattern.
Ren slowly opened the pages of the book, taking a moment to start working through the book and to let the information start to imprint into his brain. At first it was a small list of the known Crests, before getting further into the meat of the subject, talking about matters like Major and Minor Crests.
Ren smiled lightly as he read through the book. 'If Futaba was here she probably would've compared these to…' Ren's eyes turned down, his expression souring slightly as he placed a hand on his forehead. "...Right…" He muttered. 'I'm on my own now…'
"Oh, excuse me, are you almost finished with that?" A voice asked suddenly. grabbing Ren's attention. The teen sat up a bit straighter, looking up at a green haired teen with a tired expression on his face. His uniform was similar to that of the three students from earlier, only missing a cape of his own. Though Ren suspected that was because the guy in front of him wasn't a house leader like the other three were.
"Oh, this?" Ren asked, lifting the book of Crests in his off hand a bit more for emphasis.
"Ah yes." The green haired teen said, nodding. "I apologize for bothering you on this, but I'm trying to do a bit of research right now and that book has some information written in it that I'm having trouble remembering at the moment."
Ren nodded, closing the book and handing it over to the Teen without much of a fuss. To be honest, he was basically done with the book already, and if he really wanted to know more about Crests, well he did have a colleague now that could teach him if he asked. There was something else there that caught Ren's attention however. "Research you say?"
"Hm? Ah, that's right. I'm doing some research into Crests in my spare time. The field fascinates me extremely." The teen said, nodding as he opened the book up and skimmed the pages. "Ah, here we are… yes that would make sense given what else I have done…"
The student looked up from the book and nodded towards Ren. "Ah… Forgive my manners. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Linhardt von Hevring, I'm a student here at the Officer's Academy. Are you a new student, I haven't seen you around here before."
Ren paused, debating internally whether or not he should tell the student in front of him he might end up being his professor for the foreseeable future, but he decided against it as he smiled and extended a hand. "Not exactly, but I am new here. I'm Ren Amamiya."
Linhardt gave a brief nod, accepting the hand and giving it a firm handshake before he pulled his arm back and stifled a yawn. "It's a pleasure." The student said, nodding. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some research to get back to."
"Alright. Maybe I'll see you around." Ren said, pushing false glasses up slightly.
"Perhaps." Linhardt said, waving over his shoulder as he walked out of the Library.
'...So he's researching Crests is he? Hm, that might be something to look into later…' Ren thought to himself before he stood up and began to grab the books littered around him. "Might as well return these. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Byleth to speak with Lady Rhea soon…"
There was the sound of something clattering against the ground as he rose to a stand. Ren blinked and looked down at the floor, noticing his smartphone lying on the ground. Ren bit back a curse as he dropped the books back on the table and grabbed the phone, looking around to see if anyone saw him with it.
"...I need to be more careful…" He said quietly to himself as he looked down at the Device's front screen. He glanced around the rather empty library once more before unlocking his phone, taking in the sight of his home screen. It was a selfie he had taken with Ryuji, Ann and Makoto before they went on their trip to Hawaii. "...I should get going."
Ren let out another sigh as he pocketed the phone, missing the sudden appearance of a red and black icon depicting an eye that glowed eerily on the home screen as he picked up the books and moved away to return them.
Ren looked to the right as Byleth walked up next to him. "You ready?" He asked, crossing his arms as the two stood outside the doors leading into the audience chamber.
"I am." Byleth nodded, looking towards the doors. "We should know exactly what it is we're getting into, and I'd rather not have any surprises dropped on me."
Ren nodded. "Well, either way, we're wild cards in this scenario, though I am used to being as such…" Ren said, before muttering the latter half to himself.
"Hm?" Byleth blinked as she turned to face the teen.
"It's nothing. We shouldn't keep the Archbishop waiting." Ren said, before pausing as a small furry entity rubbed against his leg. "Huh?"
The teen looked down, eyeing the orange cat that was rubbing it's side against Ren's leg. "Hey there…" Ren said, taking a knee as he began to pet the cat. "What exactly are you doing here?"
"They're all over the monastery." Byleth said, as Ren looked up from his crouched position to face the Swordswoman.
"Really?" Ren asked, blinking as he looked back down at the cat. "I should be more careful then, I must be slacking if I didn't take notice of these guys roaming the halls." The cat at Ren's feet quickly began to scurry off down the hall, two pairs of eyes following it's movements.
"They are actually outside most of the time. It's the first time I'm seeing one in the monastery proper." Byleth noted, crossing her arms and putting a hand to her chin.
"Then that changes things." Ren muttered to himself as he stood up. Since they arrived Yesterday, he had been rooming in a spare guest room set up for faculty of the monastery. Byleth had most likely roomed with her father overnight. He dusted his pants off, turning to look at the swordswoman next to him as he spoke up. "Shall we?"
Byleth nodded, opening the doors to the audience chamber. While the room wasn't empty, there were only a handful of people inside, Seteth and Alois were currently discussing something closer to the entrance to the chamber, while Rhea stood at the end of the room in front of the stained glass, the morning light shining through behind her illuminating her form in a gold light as her eyes almost instantly locking onto the two.
"Byleth, Ren." Rhea said as the two walked over to her. "It is a pleasure to see you in good spirits this morning."
Ren gave a brief nod, bowing at the waist before standing back up straight as he looked at the Archbishop. Rhea's smile grew slightly as she looked at the thief before turning to face Byleth. "I assume the two of you are already aware that you will be teaching here at the Officers Academy. Correct?"
Byleth nodded. "Father told us yesterday, and the other professors filled us in slightly afterwards." She responded.
"I see. To start, please speak with the three house leaders. You should also take a look around the academy and acquaint yourself with your new home." Rhea said, her eyes turned to Ren. "That is your first task here at the monastery. Please let me know if you accept it. Once you have finished, come and speak with me."
"Understood." Byleth nodded.
"Excellent." Rhea continued. "With that in mind, I'd recommend speaking with every student you can. This might be your only chance to see what they're really like before you become a professor…"
"Right, authoritative bias…" Ren said, mostly to himself as he placed a hand on his chin.
"Correct." Rhea nodded as she glanced at the two before her. "When you've had time to speak with the house leaders and students, come back to me. We can discuss where to go from there, as well as how the two of you should operate your shared duties as professors. You are dismissed."
Byleth and Ren bowed, the Thief at the waist and the Swordswoman with her arm over her chest, before they turned around and began to make their way to the door.
"Hm? Ha! If it isn't our new professors!" Alois' voice boomed lightly as he turned away from Seteth to face Ren. "I imagine you two were a bit surprised that I recommended you as a professor here."
"That's about right." Ren said, playing with one of the locks on his hair, twisting it around his finger.
"Frankly, we had someone else in mind for the role, but they ran off during our dustup with the bandits." Alois said, before shrugging with a slight chuckle. "Can't entrust students to someone who's abandoned them once before, huh?"
"You two saved the lives of the students you came across." Seteth spoke up. "That, at least, was admirable."
Byleth nodded. "It was the least we could do." She said, her expression neutral.
"Now, you should make the rounds. Go around the monastery and see that you greet everyone." Seteth said, his eyes lingering on Ren for a moment before he turned back to face Alois. "Now then, I believe we had something important to discuss, Alois?"
"Ah, right. Well…"
Ren felt a hand on his shoulder, as he turned to look at Byleth who was motioning at the door with her head. "Right. Shall we go meet the students?"
"Ah, it's you." Edelgard said as Byleth and Ren walked into the Reception Hall. The Black Eagle House Leader turned to face the two soon to be professors. There was a small smile on her face, though it was more forlorn than happy. "I've been told the two of you have accepted a teaching position here… A pity. Even the strength of either one of you would have been a great boon to the Empire."
Ren smiled, placing his hands in his pant pockets. "Unfortunately, that's how the cards were dealt. Though I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that we're going to make the most of the situation." Ren said, turning to look at Byleth, who gave a firm nod, her normal expression of stone lighter now that she was out of the audience hall.
"I wonder if you'll be tasked with leading the Black Eagles…" Edelgard said, looking down in thought before looking back up at Byleth and Ren. "Have you had the chance to meet the rest of the house yet?"
"Not yet. We were heading over to the Officer's Academy now to do just that." Byleth said.
"I see. If you'd like, I could give you some information about the other students in my class." Edelgard said, placing one of her hands on her waist.
Ren paused as he weighed his options. "...How about you and I split up?" Ren said, looking at Byleth.
"Hm, why?" Byleth blinked, turning to look at her fellow professor.
"Well, uh, one of us could stay behind and hear what Edelgard has to say, while the other can go and meet the students." Ren said, slouching slightly as he motioned with his hand.
"It would cover more ground." Byleth nodded, crossing her arms and placing a hand on her chin. "Right, I'll stick around with Edelgard and ask about information on her house while you meet with the other students."
"Sounds good to me." Ren nodded, turning to Edelgard as he bowed at the waist. "Your majesty."
Edelgard's eyes widened as her mouth opened slightly. "Y-you… don't have to do that…" Edelgard said, as Ren stood up to his normal height. "You're a professor here, so it would be improper. I'm here to learn from you, so bowing will not be necessary."
"Alright then." Ren nodded, turning to look at Byleth.
"Once I've gotten a feel for the Black Eagles I'll go find Claude and Dimitri and ask them the same thing." Byleth said, nodding at Ren. "Once that's done, let's reconvene and discuss what we've learned."
"Got it." Ren nodded, turning around as he walked away from the two females behind him and the conversation that they were starting.
'A Thief turned Professor, your selection of occupation is most surprising.' A familiar voice boomed in Ren's head as he entered the hallway leading outside.
"Arse-!" Ren stopped himself before his outburst drew attention as he leaned up against the nearby wall. 'Arsene?'
'It is natural for you to be surprised. Unlike in the previous world, myself and the others that dwell within the sea of souls within you were never vocal outside of the Metaverse. But this world's rules are much different.' Arsene spoke. 'I will admit however, that this will not be a common occurrence.'
'Why's that?' Ren thought, moving away from the wall as he walked towards the courtyard.
'I am currently utilizing your very willpower to bridge the gap, however it is draining for long periods of time.' Arsene noted, as the sunlight began to reflect off Ren's glasses, causing him to raise one of his hands to block the rays from hitting his eyes. 'This world is different from your own, magic is everywhere, and your strength of will has more power here than it ever did back in your own world.'
'For real?' Ren asked, his eyes narrowing slightly after the words passed through his head.
'Be warned, there are most certainly those who would seek to use your power for their own gain. And there are those who would seek to destroy you out of fear.' Arsene said, as his once booming voice began to lower in volume. 'Now outcast once more, find those who you can trust, and let those confidants bring you freedom and new power like never before!'
There was a long silence as Ren stood out at the front of the courtyard just outside of the officers academy classrooms. The teen let out a sigh, shaking his head as he looked ahead with a determined look on his face.
"Well, that's a particularly serious face." A voice said behind the Phantom Thief. Ren's eyes snapped open wide, quickly spinning around to face Claude, who was standing a couple feet away from him with his normal smile. "I hear you scored a teaching gig here, yeah? Talk about a great first impression."
"Claude… Don't do that." Ren said, letting his body relax.
"What? Scaring the living daylights out of you, Prof?" Claude asked, patting Ren on the shoulder with a smirk. "A skilled mercenary scared of being snuck up on?"
"Wouldn't be the first time that's happened, so no." Ren said with a shrug. "You're not half bad at that though."
Claude shrugged lightly. "I take it you don't know which class you'll be teaching yet, do you?" He asked, placing a hand on his hip. "I bet you'd like ours. We're not as… difficult as the other two."
"Difficult?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the yellow clad house leader.
"That's not really my place to say, Prof." Claude said, shaking his head. "That said, if you want to know anything about MY house, I'd be more than willing to exposit for a bit."
Ren shook his head. "I'm here to meet the students personally. Byleth will probably ask you about them though… That said, you could tell me more about yourself."
"Piqued your interest, have I?" Claude asked, leaning back with a smile. "Well, as luck would have it, I'm pretty curious about you as well. But what's life without a bit of mystery? Let's just spend the next year or so learning about each other, little by little."
Ren chuckled. "So you're going that approach, huh?"
"If it works it works." Claude said with a shrug. "Right, I'll leave you to your devices." Claude gave a brief nod as he walked past Ren towards the end of the courtyard. "I look forward to speaking with you again, Prof!"
"Same!" Ren said back, before turning to face a set of double doors with two red banners portraying a golden two headed eagle and what Ren noticed to be the Crest of Seiros just above the two heads. 'So this must be the Black Eagle House…'
"Ah!" Ren blinked as a black and white form ran out of the doors before him like a blur, before a girl with purple hair chased the creature out before slowing to a stop a few feet away from Ren. "Oh… It ran away…"
"Bernadetta, you know that we're not allowed cats in the Classroom." Said a male voice as an orange haired teen stepped up behind the girl.
"It wasn't doing anything! Besides, it ran off because of you, Ferdinand!" The girl named Bernadetta said, glaring at the noble in front of her. "If you didn't try to pet it…"
"Um, excuse me?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow as he grabbed the attention of the two before him.
"Ah! What!?" Bernadetta spun around to face the glasses wearing teen, a surprised look on her face as she took a step backward behind Ferdinand. "I don't talk to strangers!"
"Bernadetta, this is no stranger!" Ferdinand said, looking over at Bernadetta before turning back to look at Ren. "Our house leader owes this person a great debt. Is that not right?"
"I wouldn't go that far…" Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked off to the side. "All we did was help deal with the bandits."
"And if you hadn't, our house leader might very well not be standing where she is today." Ferdinand said, before bowing quickly. "I am Ferdinand von Aegir, legitimate son of the Aegir family, the Empire's foremost house."
"Ren Amamiya." Ren said, bowing at the waist. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Are you going to join our class?" Ferdinand asked, placing a hand on his hip.
"Not sure yet." Ren answered, nodding at the noble before him before his gaze flicked over to Bernadetta for a moment as the girl looked around the courtyard.
"Well, I look forward to getting better acquainted with you in that possibility." Ferdinand said, grabbing Ren's attention back.
"Same." Ren said with a nod. "Though I have to ask… what was that about a cat?"
"U-um… well…" Bernadetta began, folding her hands together as she shrunk into herself a bit.
"Bernadetta here found a cat sitting on her desk." Ferdinand said. "I came over to her when I saw it and it ran off."
"After you attempted to pet it!" Bernadetta said, glaring lightly at the teen next to her.
"It looked surprisingly soft, I could not help myself." Ferdinand defended himself.
'It's sort of like looking at Futaba and Yusuke bicker… Well, not really, but… it feels nostalgic either way…'' Ren smiled lightly. "It was nice to meet you two." He said, giving a brief wave as he stepped into the classroom. Ren's eyes scanned over the room as he stepped inside, eyes catching on the blackboard at the back of the room. Calculations of some kind were written in English on the board as two individuals stood before it.
"So, you're him then?"
Ren suddenly halted as his body swiftly tensed, warning alarms blaring in his head as if he had just been spotted by a shadow as the voice rang in his head, familiar yet off. He twisted at the waist, spinning his body around as he locked eyes with the man that a moment ago had been standing behind him.
'Akechi!?' Ren's eyes widened as he took a step back, his eyes deceiving him for but a moment as the face of his rival flashed overtop of the man before him. 'No, wait…'
Ren quickly paused and took another look at the man, tilting his head upwards ever so slightly as he took in his features. The brown hair that had once been placed over the man's head was instead a pitch black, with long bangs hanging over his right eye. The expression was similar to Akechi's whenever the Detective dropped his guard and let his true persona seep out, but it was off in a few ways. The slightly sunken look to the eyes, the cheekbones protruding out ever so slightly so that they were just noticeable…
"Quick reaction time…" The man said, looking at Ren with cold and calculating eyes. "Most Intriguing… You are a hard man to follow, considering I have worked harder at keeping out of your sight than I have with anyone else's."
"That would explain the feeling of being watched yesterday…" Ren said, nodding slightly with narrowed eyes.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hubert. A humble servant of Lady Edelgard." The man said, bowing lightly.
'The vocal resemblance is uncanny…' Ren thought to himself, before he bowed as well. "Ren Amamiya."
"I heard you came to the aid of Her Highness. You have my most sincere thanks." Hubert said once the two had risen back up to a straight stand. "Please forgive my earlier conduct, I must stay vigilant in protecting Her Highness so I decided it best to stake you out."
Ren asked, leaning forward slightly with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were her servant?"
"I am whatever she needs me to be. If that requires me to be a dagger in the back of those who would seek to harm her…" Hubert trailed off, his eyes narrowing slightly as the sides of his lips raised a touch. Ren recognized what the feeling was at that moment. Murderous Intent. It wasn't a lot, the amount leaking out was more a sign of warning to the Servant's threats than any actual plans, but there was enough for Ren to take notice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ren said, not budging. Sure there was enough there to take notice of, but the Thief had experienced much, MUCH more pressure forced onto him before, what was there wasn't enough to trip him up.
Considering he had brushed off Yaldabouth's when he had ordered Caroline and Justine to execute him, it would take a lot to put him on the wrong foot.
"Quite." Hubert said, before he turned his head to the right. "And it appears we have a new addition to our conversation."
Ren turned his head to look to the left, locking eyes with the girl in front of him. There was a moment of silence as the two stared the other down, before the girl finally spoke up. "Your eyes are hunters."
Ren blinked in confusion as he adjusted the glasses on his face. "I…"
"This is Petra." Hubert said. "She has come all the way from Brigid to study in the Empire."
Ren nodded, turning to the girl. 'The uniform is altered…' He idly thought as his eyes passed over the uniform, noting the lack of a few layers that seemed to be present on some of the other uniforms. 'I guess they're not overtly strict about that here.' His eyes landed on the braided purple hair done up into a side tail hanging over her left shoulder, before his attention was grabbed by Hubert once more.
"Back on her archipelago, she is actually a princess. In Fódlan terms, she would be called heir to the throne." Hubert said.
"Hello. I am called Petra. I am pleased to be meeting with…" Petra paused, a slightly frustrated look on her face before her expression returned to normal. "No, I am pleased to have met you."
"Ren Amamiya. It's a pleasure to meet you Petra." He said with a bow. "By the way, what do you mean by 'my eyes are hunters'?"
"Is that not the correct phrasing?" Petra asked before she shook her head. "My apologies. Your eyes are… those of hunters?"
Ren blinked behind the faux glasses as he looked at Petra, more out of surprise than confusion this time. "That's not an… inaccurate assessment." He said, nodding slightly.
"I believe that is a compliment coming from her. Brigid is known for its hunters." Hubert said, placing a hand on his chin. "So to be compared to one of their own… You really are intriguing."
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you two." Ren said, nodding at the two. "And thanks for the compliment."
"You are welcome." Petra said, nodding as the Thief turned and walked towards the two teens standing by the blackboard.
"Come on Linhardt, just hear me out." Ren paused as he looked over at the two teens in front of them. He recognized Linhardt due to the green hair, but the teen next to his recent acquaintance was new. Much like Petra, the Blue haired teen appeared to be wearing an altered uniform, or at least one with less layers.
"Caspar, if this is the same thing you asked me last week, I am certain my answer will be the same." Linhardt said, shaking his head.
"Just give it a try, you never know- Hm? Who's this?" Caspar paused, turning to look at Ren.
"Sorry to interrupt…" Ren said, rubbing hand on the back of his neck.
"Oh it's you…" Linhardt said, blinking as he looked at the thief with tired eyes. "I didn't expect to see you again so quickly… Ren was it?"
"Yeah, Ren Amamiya." Ren nodded, looking over at Caspar. "And you're… Caspar, right?"
"Yep, that's me. Pleased to meet ya!" Caspar said, resting a hand on his hip. "So you two met already?"
"In the Library. He was doing some research it seemed." Linhardt said with a yawn.
"I was curious about a few things. In my line of work Crests didn't really come up." Ren said, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Your line of work?" Caspar asked, placing a hand on his hip.
"I'm a mercenary, or was… It's a long story." Ren said, shrugging lightly.
"You're a mercenary… Does that make you one of the two Edelgard was talking about earlier?" Caspar asked, his eyes widening a bit.
Ren blinked, shrugging his shoulders. "Considering that's what everyone else seems to think as of late? Probably. We did help her out of that situation earlier…"
"So you did save her! That's incredible!" Caspar said, gaping in awe at the teen in front of him. "Oh man, are you gonna be a student here? Maybe we'll be in the same class."
"Maybe. I guess at the end of the day it all revolves around how things land." Ren said, tilting his head slightly with a smile.
"Well now, you don't have a familiar face. What brings you here?"
Ren blinked, turning to his left to see another student walking towards him. "Oh, Dorothea!" Caspar said, turning to face her. "Good timing! We were just introducing ourselves to Ren here."
"Ren, hm?" Dorothea asked, resting her arms under her chest, something Ren noted instantly from all the times Panther had done the same during Shadow Negotiations. After seeing his teammate and friend act sexy all the time, it took a fair bit for him to lose his composure in the face of something like this. Hell, his teacher was moonlighting as a maid, so he had a lot of practice. "As Caspar mentioned a moment ago, my name is Dorothea. Before I joined the academy, I was a member of an opera company in the Empire. You should hear me sing sometime."
'Opera company? So she was a songstress like Manuela then.' Ren noted internally. 'I'll have to ask about that later.'
"I'm Ren Amamiya, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ren said, nodding at the songstress.
"So, what brings you to the officers academy?" Dorothea asked.
"Mercenary work, in all honesty, though at this point I believe I'm retiring from that line of work." Ren noted, placing his hands in his pockets. "It was nice meeting you three, but I gotta get moving."
"Sure!" Caspar said, pumping his left fist in the air. "We totally have to spare some time!"
"We'll see how things turn out!" Ren said, waving over his shoulder as he stepped out of the Black Eagle Classroom.
"Oh, it's you." Ren turned to the right, finding Edelgard standing before him.
"Your Highness." Ren said, before shaking his head. "Sorry, right; Edelgard. I take it Byleth has…?"
"Left to talk with the other house leaders, yes." Edelgard nodded, resting a hand on her hip. "So, I take it you've met the other students of my house?"
Ren nodded, turning back to look at the oak wood doors of the classroom. "Yeah. They sort of remind me of my friends from back home."
"Is that so?" Edelgard asked. Ren turned back to face Edelgard, his expression neutral. "Well, is there anything you'd like to know more about the students?"
Ren shook his head. "Appreciated, but I'm fine. Instead, why not tell me about yourself?" He said, placing his hands back in his pockets.
"Me?" Edelgard blinked, before smiling. "Funny, your friend, Byleth, asked the same thing."
"You're as important as the rest of the students when it comes to getting to know you." Ren said with a shrug. "Better to hear it from you than someone else who may or may not be biased."
"Aren't I already biased though?" Edelgard noted.
"You being biased about yourself and someone else with opinions of you are two separate things." Ren said. "And I'd like to know those I might be working with in the future."
"Very well. On the topic of third party opinions, some would think I'm a bit distant. Arrogant, even." Edelgard began. "I suppose they might hold some merit, but there's little to be done about it. One day, I must rise to become Adrestia's next emperor."
"That's… a lot to put on someone your age." Ren said. 'Though, I suppose I'm being hypocritical since we had the pressure of the world on us to beat that false god…'
"I've been groomed for this, I wouldn't be a good leader if the weight of the crown would break my back." Edelgard said, a clear fire in her eyes. "It was nice speaking with you, but I have to meet with Hubert."
Ren nodded, stepping to the side. "Have a good day." He said, turning to look to the side to see Byleth talking with Claude. 'If she's busy there…'
He turned to the left and walked towards the blonde spearman in blue from the day before. "Oh!" Dimitri's eyes snapped towards Ren's, a smile quickly forming on the blonde's face as he turned to face the Thief. "Ren Amamiya, I believe that's what you said your name was."
"Got it in one." Ren said, nodding as she walked up to the prince.
"As you know, I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus." Dimitri continued. "Of course, at the academy I'm simply a student. And I've heard word that you are to become a professor here."
"That's correct." Ren nodded. "We're getting a feeling of the houses right now. I was just about to head to the Blue Lions now."
"Is that so? If you'd like, I could introduce you to them." Dimitri began, only for Ren to raise a hand up slightly.
"I appreciate the offer, but like with what I told Edelgard, I'd prefer my first impressions be face to face." Ren said with a shrug.
"I understand." Dimitri said, seemingly unfazed by Ren turning his offer down. "That said, hearing you are to be a professor here is delightful news all the same. I still have much to learn, as do most of the blue lions, and I feel we could benefit greatly from your guidance."
Ren smiled, nodding as Dimitri motioned towards the classroom. "Well, I won't hold you any longer. Go introduce yourself to the Blue Lions."
"Before that however, you can at least tell me a bit about yourself." Ren said. "We talked a bit on our way here, but we never really went into too much detail about you."
"Me? Oh. Um… Please forgive me. It's a bit difficult to open up on the spot, don't you think?" Dimitri said, rubbing his arm. "I'm afraid my story hasn't been a pleasant one… I hope that doesn't color your view of me, but I understand if it can't be helped."
"No, it's fine. I understand. I should go introduce myself to your classmates then." Ren said, lifting his hand up to give a brief wave before he turned around and stepped into the Blue Lions classroom. It was almost identical to the layout of the Black Eagle's house, only with blue where once was red and different material displayed on the blackboard.
"Hi there! Are you that mercenary that saved his highness?" The Thief's attention was grabbed instead by a student with red hair, who had moved towards him while his attention was focused elsewhere.
"One of them, yeah…" Ren nodded, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Well then, it's an honor to meet you." The student continued, resting a hand on his hip. "I'm Sylvain Jose Gautier. Feel free to say hi whenever you like."
"Nice meeting you." Ren said, smiling lightly.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to introduce myself to that pretty lady out there…" Sylvain said, stepping past Ren. Ren turned around, noting that Sylvain was walking towards a passing Byleth, who was most likely heading towards Dimitri if his timing was right.
'Well, he's certainly in for a surprise.' Ren thought to himself before he turned around and looked around the room before him. 'Now then… Who do I talk to first?'
"Excuse me, are you the one everyone's been talking about?" Ren turned to the left, turning to face male with silver hair. Ren nodded, looking just left of the teen to see a rather imposing man with dark skin standing behind the student. "I'm Ashe, great to meet you." Ashe continued, before turning to motion to the other student with his hand. "This here is Dedue. He serves Prince Dimitri."
"I have heard that you rescued his Highness." Deduce said, bowing. "Words cannot express my gratitude."
"It's fine." Ren said, holding a hand up. "I'm Ren Amamiya, it's nice to meet you two."
"Well then, Ren Amamiya. Should you ever require my strength, please know that I will hasten to repay this debt." Deduce continued.
"It's really not a problem…" Ren said, holding his hands up slightly with a slight smile on his face. "They needed help, what else was I going to do?"
"You have a good head on your shoulders." Deduce said. "But my words still hold true."
"Maybe we'll see each other around the monastery later." Ashe said. "It was nice meeting you, Ren."
Ren smiled at the two, before quickly waving with his off hand as he turned around. His eyes caught sight of a teen with dark blue hair that was staring at him intently. "...Does he normally do that?" He asked, turning to look at Ashe.
"Hm?" Ashe turned around, looking in the direction Ren was facing. "Oh, that's Felix. I'm surprised he's here right now and not training."
Ren hummed to himself before turning around as he began to walk towards Felix. The student's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, before a girl with blonde hair stepped to the side of the glaring teen and spoke up. "Oh, you must be who Prince Dimitri was speaking of earlier." The woman began. "I heard what you did from him. As a citizen of Faerghus, I thank you."
"It's nothing, really." Ren said, sighing lightly. 'I'm gonna be saying that a lot I feel.'
"He also said you're quite skilled. And he doesn't just say things like that." Felix said, grabbing Ren's attention. "I look forward to sparring with you, and beating you." Ren noted the tone of voice, it was firm and solid, like he was stating a fact.
'His ego's either overblown, or he's just that strong he thinks it to be true…' Ren thought to himself. 'Or both…'
"Felix, must you always speak of fighting right away?" Asked the other student with a sigh, before she turned to face Ren. "Oh! And, uh… you may call me Ingrid. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Ren Amamiya." Ren said, bowing at the waist. He spared a glance at Felix. "...I think I might take you up on that sometime…"
Felix's eyes widened ever so slightly, as he tilted his head back a bit. "It was nice meeting you two." Ren said, turning around from them as he looked at the last pair of students in the classroom. He walked towards them, hands held lazily in his pockets as a girl with orange hair turned to look at him.
"Oh, hello!" She said. The student she was facing, a woman with platinum blonde hair, also turned around to look at Ren. Ren noted how the shade of it reminded him of Ann, but pushed that thought down as the woman in question spoke up.
"And who's this? You don't look familiar at all. Do you work here at the monastery?" The woman with blonde hair asked, smiling at Ren.
"Oh, Mercie! Do you think this is one of the two mercenaries people have been talking about?" Asked the smaller of the two as she looked at Ren with wide eyes.
'Do I seriously look that out of place here that being a merc is more likely than anything else?' Ren thought to himself, placing a hand on his chin in thought.
"Now that I think about it, that does sound like something Dimitri may have said…" The blonde responded. "I suppose you'll be enrolling at the Officers Academy too, then? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mercedes, and this is my best friend-"
"I'm Annette! It's nice to meet you." Annette said, cutting Mercedes off as Ren focused back on the two.
"Ren Amamiya." He said, bowing at the waist. "It was nice meeting you two, but I gotta go."
"Alright, maybe we'll see you around the monastery sometime?" Annette said, smiling.
Ren nodded, waving over his shoulder as he walked out of the classroom, passing by Sylvain who looked to be deep in thought. Ren paused, turning around to look at the redhead before he swiveled and caught the arm that was extended out towards where his shoulder would've been. "Well, it seems sneaking up on you isn't as easy as I thought it was." Claude spoke up as Ren turned to face the brunette. "Though I would prefer it if my arm was free."
Ren smiled, letting go of Claude's arm as the house leader leaned back slightly. "So, I take it you're done meeting the Blue Lions?" Claude asked.
Ren looked over his shoulder back at the house before turning back to face Claude. "What gave it away?" Ren asked sarcastically.
Claude chuckled. "Oh I think you'll fit right in with me."
"Ah. You must be that renowned mercenary who rescued Claude." A student with purple hair and a red flower displayed on his uniform spoke up, walking towards the duo. "Honestly, you should not have troubled yourself over the likes of him."
"Oh, thanks." Claude deadpanned.
"Well, it's a bit late to take it back now." Ren said with a shrug.
"So, this is what it's like to have an arrow in your back." Claude said in a fake mourning, before turning to look at Ren. "I think it's about time I talked with your friend again, at least she doesn't stab me in the back like this. I'll see you around."
Ren nodded, before he turned back to look at the purple haired teen in front of him. "Well, it's nice meeting you. I'm Ren Amamiya."
"My name is Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. You will want to remember it." Lorenz said, giving a brief nod as he turned around and entered the golden deer house.
"...He seemed nice." Ren muttered to himself, before walking past Lorenz into the classroom. He took a breath as he looked around, surveying the area.
"Hi, are you someone's guest?" A voice asked to his right.
"Hm?" Ren blinked, turning to look over at a large blonde man, his buttoned shirt looking moments away from snapping open.
"You were looking lost. If it's the dining hall you're looking for, it's that way." The man said, pointing out of the door.
"No, Raphael." An orange haired girl spoke up, walking over to the two of them. "That's one of the mercenaries that helped Claude earlier. Under Captain Jeralt's command, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Ren said. "I'm Ren Amamiya."
"Leonie Pinelli. I'm Captain Jeralt's first and greatest apprentice! I'm sure he's told you about me?" Leonie asked, placing a hand on her hip.
"Well, I've only been in the company for a few days so I can't say I've heard anything yet." Ren said, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Raphael Kirsten." Raphael said with a smile, before pausing for a moment. "Who are you again?"
Ren chuckled lightly for a moment. "Ren. Good to meet you two." He said, waving as he turned around and walked away from the two of them and walked towards another pair on the other side of the room.
"Hi there." Ren said, waving lightly as the two turned to face him.
"Ah, hello." The teen with what Ren assumed was green-ish blonde hair. "Can we help you with something?"
"Hey, aren't you one of the two skilled mercenaries that saved Claude?" The girl with white hair asked.
"Mhm." Ren nodded.
"Oh, you are? It's such an honor to meet you!" The male said. "Ignatz Victor. My parents are Alliance merchants."
"And I am Lysithea von Ordelia. Please do not forget it." Lysithea said.
"Ren Amamiya." The thief supplied. "Was just introducing myself, getting a feel for the monastery at the moment."
"Oh, you look roughly our age. Are you planning to join the officers academy?" Ignatz said.
"Something like that, just thinking things over though." Ren said, before giving a wave. "I'll see you guys around."
Ren walked over to the last two students near the teacher's desk at the back of the room, noting the pink and blue hair on both females. 'With every passing day I question this world more and more… It's like being in an anime… Though considering my life in Tokyo, that wouldn't be that far off…'
As Ren approached the two, the pinkett's eyes locked onto him, pausing her conversation with her friend as she looked over at the thief. "Hey, are you one of those mercenaries that everyone's been talking about?"
"Is that the first thought that comes to people when they see me?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because it's not an incorrect one, and I'm not sure how to feel about the accuracy of it. Anyways, I'm Ren Amamiya."
"I'm Hilda Valentine Goneril." Hilda said, before motioning over to the bluenette next to her. "And her name is…"
"M-Marianne von Edmund…" Marianne got out. Ren noted the slight bags under her eyes, before his attention was dragged back to Hilda as she spoke up.
"Are you joining the Knights of Seiros or something?" Hilda asked, laying her hands together over her front.
"Or something." Ren said, nodding.
"Well, I look forward to seeing more of you!" Hilda said.
"Sounds good." Ren said, turning around as he made his way out of the classroom. As he walked out he ran across Byleth and Claude. "I take it things are going well?"
"Just finishing." Byleth said, turning away from Claude to look at Ren. "And you?"
"I think I've gotten a good enough introduction." Ren said with a shrug. A few words, a good look at their posture, how they held themselves and a few other minor tells were enough to get enough of a read on most of them. At least enough for a basic idea, anything more would be easier to pick up overtime.
"I take it my house is up to your liking, Prof?" Claude asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To be fair, all of the houses have been so far." Ren said with a shrug.
"Not gonna give me any leeway, huh?" Claude said.
"I feel like that would be considered cheating, Claude." Dimitri spoke up, walking over to the three of them.
"Though that would be in character for him." Edelgard continued, joining the conversation.
"Oh great, now the gang's all here." Claude said, smiling slightly.
"As much as I feel we all would wish for them to be our Professors for the year, it is just as possible they will not have a say in the matter when the time comes." Dimitri said.
"We won't know for sure until then however." Edelgard said, placing a hand on her hip.
It was at this point Byleth turned to Ren. "We should get going, Rhea should be expecting us back soon."
"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Ren said, before looking over at the house leaders. "Thanks for your help, we'll see you all around."
As Ren turned around to walk into the interior of the monastery, his eyes locked onto a small black and white blur that ran into the building proper. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have thought much of it… But the flash of yellow he caught had sent his mind reeling as he suddenly broke into a sprint after it.
He slowed to a stop inside the main hall, looking around rapidly in an attempt to catch another glimpse of the blur from earlier, before he felt a hand land onto his shoulder. "Hey," Byleth began, turning the thief around to face her. "What was that about?"
"...Sorry, I…" Ren began as he took a breath. "Thought I… saw someone I knew…"
Byleth's features remained stiff as she turned and started walking towards the nearby stairway leading up to the audience chamber. Ren followed quickly behind as the two began to ascend. "...What do you think?" He asked, looking over at Byleth.
"About the houses?" Byleth asked, glancing over at him.
"Yeah." He nodded, pushing his false glasses up a bit. "I got a feel for the students individually, but you heard mostly from the house leaders. What are you feeling about them?"
"...They all could use our help. Everyone seems to have some issues, some worse than others, but overall..." Byleth paused for a moment as she reached the second floor, waiting as Ren walked up next to her. "The Golden Deer is mostly laid back, if what Claude says is true. The Blue lions meanwhile seem to be more focused, at least, Dimitri seems to believe so. It does make sense, since they all come from Faerghus and are most likely going to serve as holy knights later in life. As for the Black Eagles, they're a bit more even out compared to the others."
"This isn't really an easy choice…" Ren said, shaking his head. "...I agree though, there's at least one student from each house I think could use some of our help. Some of them because they remind me of some… old friends, others because I feel a bit of kinship if I'm being honest."
Ren let out a sigh as he pushed away from the wall. "In the case we do get to choose instead of having a house assigned to us, what do you think?"
"...Claude feels like he has his house under control." Byleth said, placing a hand to her chin. "And Dimitri's class seems like it knows what it's going for… But Edelgard's is a bit all over the place from what she said earlier."
"So, Black Eagle?" Ren asked, placing his hands in his pocket.
"If that's alright with you." Byleth said, nodding as she let her arms rest at her sides.
"Yeah, that works for me." Ren said with a nod, before smirking slightly as he looked down at the red vest he was wearing. "Besides, I do have a bit of an… affinity for the color red."
"Then let's not keep them waiting any longer." Byleth said as she moved over to the twin doors to the audience hall and opened them, flooding the hallway with sunlight as the two walked into the room.
Ren eyed four figures at the back of the room, Manuela and Hanneman, the other two professors, Seteth, the advisor to the archbishop, and said archbishop herself, Lady Rhea. As Byleth and Ren walked over to the group, Manuela turned to face them and smiled.
"Ah, so nice for you two to join us." The Physician said.
Ren stopped beside Hanneman with Byleth to his right and gave a quick bow at the waist as Rhea spoke up. "How are you two enjoying your time at the academy thus far? I hope you have found our halls brimming with the vitality of well-intentioned souls."
Byleth nodded, an action that caused the pleasant smile on Rhea's face to widen just a tad. Seteth spoke up, crossing his arms as he looked over at Ren and Byleth. "Hm. I suppose it is time for you to take charge of one of our three houses of students." He began. "I must note that I am personally against entrusting someone as lacking in trackable history as yourselves with such a task, but it is as the archbishop desires."
'Heh. Just like with Sojiro on my first day at Leblanc… though… slightly less angry… I think.' Ren thought idly to himself, before speaking up. "I understand completely, and I thank you for giving us this chance, Seteth-san."
Most of the people standing nearby for the meeting gave a confused look at the teen. Seteth's raised eyebrow being the most striking as the thief coughed lightly into his fist as he looked off to the side. "Sorry, force of habit from back home. Honorifics were commonplace for this kind of thing. My apologies."
"It's fine. In the future, however, Seteth is acceptable. We are colleagues." Seteth said, lowering his arms.
"The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer… All so different. I hope you've made it a point to get to know each of them." Manuela said, looking over at the two.
"Since you two are new here, we have decided to allow you first pick. Manuela and I will take charge of the remaining two houses." Hanneman said.
Ren looked over at Byleth and shrugged. "Glad we discussed this in advance then." He said, to which Byleth nodded.
"I assume then you've already come to a collective decision between the two of you?" Rhea asked.
"Yes. We wish to take charge of the Black Eagle house." Byleth stated.
"Your hearts have made their choice, then. All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity." Rhea said, lightly nodding her head in their direction.
"They are all promising youths who bear the weight of Fódlan's future upon their shoulders. I hope you appreciate what an honor it is to lead them." Seteth said after a moment. "Now there is also the matter of how your joint teaching will proceed, but that may be discussed later before classes truly begin."
"Brother?" Ren blinked, as a voice spoke up from his right. He turned his head to the side to see a girl with mint green hair approach the group. She looked young, around the age of most students attending the academy, kind of young. Her head turned to face the rest of us before her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! I am so sincerely sorry! I did not mean to interrupt."
"I am in the middle of something, Flayn. Is it urgent?" Asked Seteth, looking over at Flayn.
"No, no, it's nothing. More importantly…" Flyan said, turning her head to look at Ren and Byleth. "Who is this?"
"These two are our newest professors at the academy." Seteth said. "They'll be working together to take charge of the Black Eagle House this year."
"Oh my! A new addition to the Officers Academy!" Flyan said, smiling at us. "I am so very pleased to meet you both. I am Seteth's little sister, Flyan. I am so happy to make your acquaintance."
"Ren Amamiya." The thief said, bowing quickly.
"Byleth Eisner." Byleth responded in kind, though with less bowing as she nodded politely to the advisor's sister.
"Let us focus on the topic at hand." Seteth continued, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "There is something you should be aware of. In a few days' time, there will be a mock battle between the three houses, intended to gauge the current progress of the students."
"We will be using this battle as an opportunity to ascertain your own abilities as well. Please do not disappoint the archbishop." Seteth finished. "Now, Manuela, Hanneman, that will be all for you two. As for our newest professors, I wish to quickly have a word on how you'll be handling your shared workload before you meet with your respective house tomorrow."
"In that case, I'll take my leave for now. I trust you will get our new professors up to speed." Rhea said, before nodding at Byleth and Ren as she walked off into the side room.
"I believe we'll depart now as well." Hanneman said, looking over at Seteth as the advisor nodded towards them. At that, Hanneman and Manuela walked out of the room, leaving Seteth, Byleth, Ren and Flayn in the audience hall. Flayn stepped to the side as Seteth cleared his throat.
"Right, onto business." He began, looking over the two of them. "We do have a specified curriculum that our professors must follow. I'll make sure to have the required material to you before the end of the day so you can plan out how you'll go over the material once the mock battle has finished. Said material, I feel, would be best split between you in subjects. That can be sorted out by yourselves, but I feel I should also bring up the spots for combat practice, and personalized lessons."
"Personalized?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Simply put, we know that not everything can be nicely placed in the curriculum, so we also allow our professors a bit of breathing room in between those classes to cover a topic of interest they feel would benefit the students." Seteth continued, before he shook his head. "This came about once it became apparent that not every student is interested in partaking in the weekly seminars that you can also hold if you so wish."
"And these 'free periods', they can be covering whatever we feel is necessary?" Asked Byleth.
"Yes, that is correct." Seteth nodded, crossing his arms. "As for combat training, there are benefits to having multiple people ready to coach their students, so it would be best to have both of your perspectives ready for those lessons."
Seteth gave one last look over the two new professors. "That said, until the start of the Mock battle, the usual curriculum is being put on hold. You may use this time for the earlier aforementioned 'free periods', or for combat practice. I would recommend the latter to start personally, it would do you both well to know what your students' strengths and weaknesses are in advance."
"We understand. Thank you for going over this." Ren said, bowing at the waist. "We won't let you down, I promise."
"I should hope not." Seteth said, lowering his arms. "In any case, you're both dismissed. When I deliver the material, you'll have room keys assigned to the both of you as well. While we unfortunately do not have rooms prepared for you like we do with Hanneman and Manuela, we do have the space to accommodate you near the student dorms, I hope that will prove satisfactory. Tomorrow you have a class to meet, until then, you're free to your own devices. Now, Flayn, what was it you wanted to ask me?"
As Seteth turned to his sister, Byleth and Ren turned and began walking towards the doorway out of the audience chamber. "Gonna have a lot of studying to do soon…" Ren idly noted as they reached the double doors.
"Why's that?" Byleth asked.
"Can't teach without knowing what you're trying to impart." He said, opening one of the two doors. 'And it will give me an excuse to learn more about… well, everything, without arousing too much suspicion.'
"I see you two are done for the day now." Byleth's head perked up as Jeralt walked out of one of the rooms to the side. "I take it things turned out well?"
"About as well as it could be." Ren said with a shrug.
"For what it's worth, congratulations on becoming professors." Jeralt said, before he walked over to them, he seemed less tense, though not by much as Ren was quick to notice. "Since it's getting close to the evening, why don't the three of us get some food, in commemoration."
"If you're okay with it." Ren said with a shrug, Byleth nodding beside him.
"Come on then. I think that old restaurant I used to go to outside the monastery is still there." Jeralt said, walking alongside Ren and Byleth. "Hope so at least, their specialty steaks were to die for."