(Author's Note)
Wow, I was... not expecting the speed at which this came together...
Hey guys! I'm... Uh, Early! Relatively speaking.
I got the first half of this chapter written up almost immediately after the last chapter got uploaded, and then the rest of it was done yesterday.
I think I can say that I excel at writing these much better when I'm at an event I've been running over through my head for a shit long period of time.
Speaking of: the mock battle! It's here! I'd like to think everyone will be pleased with it, but it's the internet so there's gonna be a few critics. I will say, if you're expecting a long drawn out chapter for it, don't.
Thats not exactly Joker's style.
Also, Three Hopes comes out today... I think. Completely unintentional on my part, just kinda lined up nicely. Don't know if I'll get it just yet, but I do need to play it's demo...
Now, onto Reviews!
To SirEvangelFrost: I have a pairing in mind, and a rough plan for doing it, but whether or not it ends up happening is entirely up to how things progress in the story. I'd want something like that to feel natural, so if I feel things aren't really working, I probably won't do a pairing.
To AinzNamikazeD: I haven't actually read any of the original source material for fate, just a shit tone of fanfiction about it. (Need to get onto reading the VN, just haven't had time). And I don't know if "Golden" would be the word I'd use for the route name, feels like I'd be stepping on P4s toes.
To Krumpte: ;)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. They really do help my motivation with writing these chapters. If you have the time and feel like leaving a question or some constructive criticism, or hell, just saying your thoughts on the new chapter, please do!
Alright, enough from me, onto the story!
"What on…" Seteth trailed off, coming to a stop in front of what had been an unused storage building a mere week ago. "...Leblanc Nouveau?"
There it was, displayed proudly on the large sign set up on the wall above the now windowed front door. Simply a name written in elegantly styled english in front of a white backdrop.
Café Leblanc: Nouveau.
"Saint Seiros give me strength…" Seteth muttered to himself, his face scrunching up in mild annoyance with a hint of displeasure on the side.
He walked towards the front door, taking note of the sign placed over the window, and the subsequent text labeled 'closed', for but a second. The advisor simply ended up ignoring that as he firmly gripped the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open as he walked into the café proper.
Booths lined almost the entirety of the ground floor's left wall, the seats made from a decent quality leather dyed red. Tables made of a dark brown wood sat in the middle of the booths, either crafted from a dark oak or simply varnished to such a color was unclear to Seteth.
The right side of the room arguably had more going on. A large countertop ran parallel to the wall, stopping a few feet away from the door and curving inwards, leaving a pocket of space open between the counter and the wall.
Stools of similar make to the booth seats were set up along the outside of the counter, the red leather contrasting with the dark wood rather nicely, if Seteth was being truthful.
On the far left side of the counter near the stairway heading up and the door leading to Hanneman's 'experimental restroom', a few different coffee machines were set up. Immediately next to it sat a kettle, likely for tea, if the small bowl sitting next to it with a used teabag sitting in it was anything to go by.
Seteth glanced to the right wall, taking a moment to appreciate the expertly separated and organized coffee beans lined upon rows of shelves. There were quite a few there, some more expensive than others, though there were still jars left empty for other possible inclusions.
Seteth was dragged away from his internal thoughts, and the small kitchen that sat behind the counter as the sound of footsteps caught his attention.
He turned to the left, watching as the person most likely responsible for this change walked out of the restroom door, holding a large canvas in his arms.
"Profess…or…" Seteth trailed off in confusion. "Why did you have a canvas of that size in the restroom?"
The teen blinked, looking back up at Seteth with slightly bloodshot eyes. 'He's been crying?' The advisor thought to himself in surprise, catching the faint mist forming around the edges of his eyes.
"Oh, Seteth. Sorry, I wasn't expecting you. This… It was a gift from a friend and they said they left it there while the reno was happening and…" Ren began, his words getting a bit frantic before he slowed down and took a breath in. "It's a painting of me and my friends from back home. I saw it and them and I just… things hit me a bit for a moment."
Seteth merely watched as the foreign professor walked past him, moving over to the empty pocket of space near the entrance before hanging the painting up on the wall to the right of the door.
Seteth walked over, glancing over the painting. "It's very well done. There's a lot of detail." The green haired man said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I was surprised." Ren said, smiling. "I… Didn't exactly leave them willingly, so seeing their faces again, even like this… it helps."
"Willingly?" Seteth asked, latching onto the particular choice of words.
"We got separated a bit ago. It was… hectic." Ren chuckled mirthfully. "It was supposed to be celebratory, but then fate rolled the dice and suddenly Morgana and I were separated from the others."
"...I'd give anything to be able to see them for real again." Seteth had almost missed it, with how quietly the words had slipped out of the teen's mouth, but the utter feeling of loss within that sentence felt almost like someone mourning.
"Right, sorry about that." Ren said, wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand before quickly taking out his glasses from his pocket, slipping them onto his face. "Please take a seat. I'm not really open yet, but I must imagine you're in need of a coffee right now."
"Well… I can't dispute that right now." Seteth relented, taking a seat on one of the stools in front of the counter. He watched as Ren quickly moved to the other side, pulling on a dull red apron over his front.
"Anything specific or the house special?" The professor asked, turning the heat on one of the coffee machines.
"House special?" Seteth asked before nodding. "Very well, I'll give it a try."
"Perfect." Ren said with a smirk, pushing his glasses up, creating a reflective glare from the nearby lights on its lenses that Seteth only slightly believed to be a figment of his imagination.
The teen moved with practiced skill, reaching onto the shelf and taking off a jar labeled 'Leblanc' from the middle shelf of coffee beans. He quickly began to pour out enough beans into the nearby grinder in a quantity that Seteth was fairly certain made up at least two times more than the single cup he was expecting.
And for the next few minutes, Seteth merely watched as the foreigner performed the task with masterful accuracy and a practically transcendent level of proficiency. Finally, as his gaze lingered on the photo of Ren and the rather sizable group of friends crowded around him, a single white cup was placed down in front of him.
"Ah, thank you." Seteth said with a smile, before blinking as a second cup was placed on the counter to his left.
"That one's mine." Ren said as he turned around and walked out from behind the counter, taking a seat on the stool next to Seteth.
Seteth nodded in understanding, pausing to take a moment to smell the aroma wafting off the drink in his hands before finally taking a sip of the drink.
The man's eyes widened, pulling the mug away from his lips in surprise. "This is…"
"A modified version of Boss' recipe." The professor said before following suit as he took his own sip from his coffee. "You guys don't have the same bean types imported as we did back home, so I needed to find a similar combo. With a few minor details changed about, I think I did pretty good all things considered."
"I would agree, this… Might be the best cup of coffee I've ever had." Seteth said, slightly in shock. He seemed to realize this fact rather quickly as he took another sip from his cup, taking a moment to appreciate the finer flavors before placing it down on the counter.
Ren smiled, turning to face Seteth. "So, welcome to Café Leblanc: Nouveau. It's inspired by the old cafe I used to work and live at before coming here, with my own twists here and there."
"I will admit, this was not what I had in mind when I handed you the key to this place." Seteth said, before turning to look at Ren, fixing the teen with a stern expression. "I would like to ask why you believe you will be able to adequately perform your classroom duties while also running this place. We do not have the time for half measures."
"It's not like I'm leaving the Café with a fixed schedule. It's more a place that I open up when I can, and it's here if any of the students or faculty of the officers academy wish to have a place to relax in." Ren began, pausing to take another sip of coffee. "I figure a coffee shop with a comfortable atmosphere might be a more suitable space for studying in regards to some students. And besides."
Ren fully turned his attention back to Seteth raising an eyebrow in an expression that was a smidgen down from condescending, but still left the advisor feeling like he was about to be called out for something.
"Manuela is a Physician who I'm fairly certain is in charge of the infirmary at the officers academy. Hanneman is a Crest Scholar who is often busting himself with such research if my time spent with him so far is to be believed." Ren continued, tilting his head ever so slightly in a display of seemingly complete confusion. "So why is it that you believe me running a café in my spare time would be more detrimental to my student's learning than either of their other professions?"
Seteth merely remained silent for a moment, taking in the sudden flip that had occurred. "Well, I suppose that really does make me a hypocrite." He finally said, taking another sip from his cup. "Are you ready for today?"
"Yeah, we had the entire house go over our strategy for the mock battle yesterday." Ren said, glancing at his cup with a wry smile. "Not everyone was happy with being benched, but we all want to win this, so they were more than willing to help us plan."
"Who are you selecting for your team?" Seteth asked.
"Aside from Byleth, Edelgard and I, since we're required to be in this, Byleth and I have agreed on having Linhardt and Bernadetta join us." Ren said, taking a sip from his cup.
"I see. I will admit, I'm a little surprised you both chose those two as your allies." Seteth began, raising an eyebrow. "From what I've heard, Linhardt is more studious than active, and Bernadetta is more likely to hide in her very room than join you all in class."
Ren blinked. "Really? I haven't had too much trouble with getting her to class. Sure, she tends to try and keep to herself while in class, but that's not entirely a bad skill to have." Ren shrugged, smiling lightly. "She's not doing a great job at it, but she's got the spirit down. Won't take much to iron that out into something useful for a stealthy archer like she wants to be."
"I see. And Linhardt?" Seteth asked.
"He's proficient with healing spells and can deal out damage in his own right." Ren noted, taking a moment to finish off the coffee in his cup before placing it back on the counter. "We're up against a battle against two different enemies. I would rather know that we have a way of keeping in top shape instead of, say, another heavy hitter who may leave us as a group of glass cannons."
"...Well said." Seteth said, taking a moment to finish his cup of Coffee before he stood up from the stool. "I must be off. There are a few things that I need to oversee before the mock battle begins proper. For what it's worth, while the mock battle is still going to be the main judge of your ability, you've shown that you have the students' best interests in mind. For that, I believe I can say that I have high hopes."
Ren smiled, standing up. "Thanks, Seteth."
"Please. If there is any thanks needed to be given, wait for after the mock battle." Seteth said, holding a hand up. "I wish you luck out there."
"Thanks, but I get the feeling the other houses will need it more." Ren said with a smirk, getting a light chuckle from Seteth.
Seteth walked out of the café, the door chiming behind him as it closed. 'Plus, he does make really good coffee.'
"Rank 2 for the Tower." Ren said, watching as Seteth left the café. "No clear advantages yet, but I'll likely see some when we finish with the mock battle."
"Hey, are we all wrapped up here?" Morgana asked, walking out from behind the counter.
"Yeah." Ren nodded, letting out a breath. "Was almost worried he was stopping by to ask about the maps we got for the area. We never did confirm if we were allowed to use them."
"Not like it's the first time we've staked the deck in our favor by using something we weren't supposed to." Morgana said, hopping up onto the counter. "Take Sae's palace for example."
"To be fair, a lot, and I mean a LOT of cheating was happening from both sides." Ren said with a shrug.
"Doesn't change my point." Morgana said with a smirk. "We have this in the bag. Speaking of, let me in yours so we can get started."
"Yeah yeah, just let me clean these cups first." Ren said with a smile, shaking his head as he stood up. He paused, taking a glance once more at the painting hanging up roughly where the Sayuri had back in Tokyo and smiled.
"She really surprised us with that, huh." Morgana said, hopping up onto the counter as the two thieves looked at the painted expressions of their friends. "I'm a little surprised. I don't think the Velvet residents normally do this much."
"Well, the situation is strange, so I can only imagine that's why we're getting a pass." Ren said, shaking his head as he picked up the empty cups. "Lavenza really knocked it out of the park though. I swear, it feels like something Yusuke made… it has Fox's talent written all over it."
"Alright, enough reminiscing. You're burning daylight!" Morgana said.
"Yeah, yeah." Ren chuckled, quickly moving to the sink to begin cleaning.
(The Day Before)
"Y-you w-want me to w-what!?" Bernadetta exclaimed, staring at Ren and Byleth with wide eyes.
"Bernadetta, we've explained why you were chosen already." Byleth said, her voice and expression not betraying a hint of her emotions. "The same as with Linhardt."
"B-but-!" Bernadetta began, rising to a stand abruptly before she was cut off as Ren held his hands out.
"Hey, you'll be fine." Ren cut in, a smile on his face as he attempted to calm her down. "If all goes well, no one is going to be near you, let alone see you before they're out."
"We selected you for this because we believe you are capable of this." Byleth said, nodding at the purple haired Hermit. "And I know this faith is not misplaced."
Bernadetta opened her mouth to say something again, but she closed it as Dorothea placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Listen to the Professor and Sensei, Bernie. You have this in the bag."
Bernadetta's vision quickly snapped between Dorothea and her Teachers before she shook her head and opened her eyes. She still looked terrified, but there was now a barely noticeable edge of determination in her eyes. "A-Alright, I'll… try not to let everyone down."
"You won't, I know so." Dorothea smirked, pulling the shorter girl into a side hug. "So, what are the rest of us doing?"
"I will admit, while I am disappointed that I was not chosen for this, I too am curious about what's in store for us." Ferdinand said, placing a hand on his hip.
"We were only ever going to be able to bring five people into the actual mock battle, but we're not there right now, and I think I speak for both of us when I say that I have no intention of letting that fact go to waste." Ren said, smiling widely.
Byleth nodded, walking closer to the table the entire class was gathered around. She pulled out a large roll of parchment, before rolling it out overtop, covering the table with a map of the Mock Battle grounds.
"Is this…?" Edelgard asked, looking up at Ren and Byleth.
"I asked my father if he had access to a map of the area, and he delivered." Byleth said, placing weights on all sides of the map so it didn't go rolling back up. "We'll be using this to mark our strategy."
"Is this even… allowed?" Caspar asked, an uneasy look on his face.
"I didn't get denied, so I believe we're okay to use it." Byleth said. "Besides, all I did was ask for a map of the area that the mock battle just so happened to be taking place in. What rules have I broken by doing so?"
"Even if this is a bit dubious, we're also going up against two professors who have done this exact mock battle before, so they might know the area well enough already." Ren said, crossing his arms. "All this is doing for us is evening the playing field."
"I for one think this is an excellent idea." Hubert said, a smirk forming on his face. "You never want to go into a fight without information."
"You won't always get the luxury of information either, but right now, we do." Ren said, smiling wildly at his students. "I do fully mean this when I say this, but they'll never see it coming."
(Present)
"It's finally time for the mock battle." Edelgard began, taking a breath in as she looked at Ren and Byleth. "This is my chance to fully measure your work as instructors, and see if what you've taught us will prove useful. Do you believe you can rise to the challenge?"
"Leave it to me. We won't lose today." Byleth said resolutely.
"What, doubt us already?" Ren asked, smirking confidently.
"So confident. This will be interesting." Edelgard said, a smile worming its way on her face. "Each of us have undergone strict training, and the days leading to this were valuable experiences that I know have prepared us for anything that comes our way."
"That means there's no need to hold back. Please, show them what you're made of." Edelgard said, glancing at the two professors before her.
"Of course." Ren said, the smirk on his face turning almost sinister. "After all, a battle's no fun if you can't style on your opponent."
"I feel like I should be concerned about your choice of words…" Edelgard said with a slight unease to her words.
"Ren." The teen in question blinked, turning to look at the deadpan expression Byleth was fixing him. "Don't do something stupid."
"Were you not there when we planned today out?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. "We have this in the bag. I'll reiterate what I said yesterday, they'll never see it coming."
"Hey there, did we miss our invite to the strategy meeting?" Ren shook his head, turning to the right as Claude and Dimitri walked over to them. "Oh, no worries, we'll just join in now."
"Afraid you're a bit late for that, Claude." Ren said with a shake of his head.
"Now now, Sensei, I for one am all for letting them in on the meeting." Edelgard began, waving the teen off with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Simply tell me your weaknesses and you're welcome to stay. But is there enough time to cover them all?"
"Ah, so you can't win unless you know my weakness?" Claude returned fire, an easy smile on his face as he rested his left hand on his hip. "Poor princess, you really should believe in yourself more."
Edelgard scoffed. "I spare no effort when pursuing victory. As a master of schemes, I should think you'd understand."
"Schemes? Me? What are you talking about? I plan on fighting fair and square as always." Claude said, looking vaguely hurt by the comment, before immediately ruining that image by winking at Byleth and Ren.
"Hearing the words 'Fair and Square' from Claude can only be a bad omen." Dimitri said, placing a hand on his chin.
"Well, unfortunately I don't know if I can say the same for us." Ren said with a shrug.
"And somehow that feels like an even worse omen." Dimitri continued, raising an eyebrow.
Claude smirked. "Man, I'm still disappointed you weren't our house leaders. Imagine it-"
"I would rather not. Fódlan already has enough to deal with when there's one of you." Dimitri said. "I fear for what'd occur with the two of you working together."
"That would truly be the darkest future for us all." Edelgard nodded in agreement, getting an eye roll from Claude.
"Alright, spoil my fun, why don't you." Claude said, shaking his head.
"There's no need for that." Dimitri said, a smile on his face. "I will fight with honor. That said, I will also be fighting to win."
"Yes, and the same is true for us, right Professor?" Edelgard asked Byleth.
"Of course. We'll respond in kind, Ren notwithstanding." Byleth replied, nodding at Dimitri.
"Ouch. Not inaccurate though." Ren said, shaking his head.
"I don't intend to lose." Byleth finished, narrowing her eyes.
"If that is how you feel, then I will not hold back." Dimitri said, eyes hardening.
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Ren said, smirking.
"Ah, how precious. It looks like you and the students have become fast friends." Manuela said, walking up next to Byleth with Hanneman by her side.
"While I am pleased that you are taking the initiative to acquaint yourself with the students, I'm afraid it's about time for the faculty strategy meeting." Hanneman said.
"Ah how time flies! In that case, I'll see you later." Claude said with a shrug.
"Edelgard. Professors. Please be careful out there." Dimitri said, locking eyes with Byleth.
"We will." Byleth said.
"I'm sure you already understand, but the house who defeats the other two is the winner. And with the new rule put in place regarding the two of you…" Jeralt trailed off, looking over at Byleth and Ren as they walked out of the Faculty Strategy Meeting. "Incidentally, I'll be overseeing this mock battle, although I've been asked to stay by the Archbishop's side during it."
"You have?" Ren asked.
"I believe it's for my input on the matter. The mock battle is serving a secondary purpose as a test of your capabilities." Jeralt said. "But you already knew that. She likely wants my perspective on you two as you fight. I am the most qualified for it, seeing as Byleth is my daughter, and I was your leader, for however short a time it was."
"Is there anything we have to look put for?" Byleth asked, looking over at Jeralt.
"No, not likely. You should both be more than prepared for this fight." Jeralt said, nodding in approval. "I gave this 'plan' of yours a look through last night. It's good. Very good. Maybe a little too good."
Jeralt smiled mirthfully. "I hope you saved some of that mental power used to make these plans for later, because I'll be disappointed if it ends up wasted on a simple mock battle."
"There's well more where that came from." Ren said, smirking confidently. "Besides, there's no kill like overkill."
"In that case, give them a warm welcome to how we do things." Jeralt said, a smirk forming on his face. "Good luck."
"You too." Byleth said, getting a nod from Jeralt as the mercenary turned and left the two professors alone.
"Alright, let's meet up with the others and get ready." Ren said, turning around before pausing. "Morgana?"
Byleth followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow at the Cat holding a strange device in its mouth.
"Is that?" Ren began, crouching down to take the object from the feline.
"Yep." Morgana said, dropping the equipment into Ren's hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Grapple Hook MKII. Now fully functional in reality."
"You magnificent little-!" Ren smiled, petting Morgana with gusto. "How'd you even do this?"
"I had some spare time yesterday while you were planning things out and figured it'd only help you during the mock battle." Morgana replied, turning around. "I'm gonna go find Dorothea, I kinda ditched her when I came to give you that."
"Ren?" Byleth asked, looking at Ren.
"Slight improvement to our plans." Ren said, rolling his sleeve up as he attached the grapple hook to his left forearm. "Things just got a LOT easier."
"Jeralt, I'm glad you could join us." Rhea said, looking over at the blade breaker as he walked up next to her.
"Are we starting soon?" He asked, looking over at Seteth, who had taken a position next to the Archbishop.
"In a few minutes. The houses are just finalizing their preparations." The advisor noted, looking over at the mercenary.
"I see." Jeralt said, glancing out at the field. "...They're going to win."
"Is that personal bias, or your professional experience speaking?" Rhea asked, glancing at Jeralt.
"It's a fact." Jeralt replied. "I've trained Byleth all her life, and Ren has been able to go toe to toe with her much longer than any of the men under my employ. They're smart, they're experienced, and this plan they cooked up? The other two houses are going to fall. Hard. I doubt they'll even have a member knocked out of the fight."
"Is that so?" Rhea nodded, turning to look out at the field before her from her spot on the nearby hill overlooking the area.
"I should say, Ren Amamiya asked me to allow his use of personally created tools for this mock battle." Seteth said, getting the attention of the other two. "He is a very skilled crafter, and his 'Daredevil' is a very fine creation. All of these have been cleared for use here."
"Daredevil?" Jeralt asked.
"It's a compact hand crossbow capable of storing multiple arrows." Seteth said. "I'm not surprised he isn't being vocal about it."
"Interesting. Didn't know he was a crafter." Jeralt mused. "We didn't really have much space for him to do any of that though, so it likely just didn't come up."
"Lady Rhea, the houses are ready." A guard said, walking up to the three.
"Very well, I think it's time for the mock battle." Rhea said, looking down at the field. "Let's see just what our new Professors have in store for us."
"So, there's a slight change of plan that we need to go over." Ren said as he walked up to Edelgard, Bernadetta and Linhardt with Byleth in tow. "There's a slight change to how this year's win conditions."
"Is it detrimental to our plan?" Linhardt asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. It is simply something we should keep in mind." Byleth corrected, looking over at Edelgard. "We were going off the assumption that to win we'd need to wipe out all of the opposition, but during the staff meeting, we've been told otherwise."
"If the professor in charge of the house is taken out, then that house is out all together." Ren said, crossing his arms. "And while that might be considered a boon for us, it's not so simple."
"It never is…" Edelgard sighed, before crossing her arms. "So, what are they doing to even the playing field?"
"The other houses each have a specific target." Ren began, pinching the bridge of his nose in place of pushing his false glasses up, seeing as he had left them behind before coming to the battle. "We're not sure who has who, but instead of taking both of us out, each house only needs to take down one of us, but who the target is depends on the house."
"How will we know if our house is eliminated if we don't know who to avoid?" Edelgard asked.
"We aren't avoiding anyone." Byelth interjected. "But we do know that they'll likely focus on one target instead of everyone if they can. Why fight me when they can just gang up on Ren instead?"
"Not that we'd give them the chance to do so." Ren said with a smirk, lowering his arms as he glanced at his students. "We've all looked over the plan. I think we all know that there isn't a thing that really needs changing."
"If all goes to plan, there won't be a single person left to oppose us once this mock battle concludes." Byleth said, narrowing her eyes. "I promise you, we will win."
"Bernadetta." Ren began, turning to look at the archer.
"Y-yes!?" She squeaked, her grip on her bow tightening.
"You know your job, right?" He asked, getting a nod from the girl. "Good, keep to it. You're running interference. Your job is to not be seen and to keep them off balance."
"R-right!" Bernadetta nodded. "I-i'll… do my best!"
"Linhardt, you're with Edelgard. If someone needs healing, that's where you come in." Ren continued, pointing at the healer. "If I'm blunt, and if this plan works, you're insurance for if things go to shit. Otherwise you're just here for the ride."
"I'm prepared." Linhardt responded, stifling a yawn.
"Edelgard. Ren and I likely won't be able to take everyone by surprise, and your job will be to run cleanup on those stragglers and those who will move more aggressively." Byleth picked up where Ren left off, crossing her arms.
"I won't let you down, Professor." Edelgard nodded resolutely.
"Ren and I both know our roles as both bait, alongside the fact we are our main means of dealing with our opposition." Byleth continued, glancing over at the teen next to her. "Keep all of this in mind. No plan survives contact with the enemy, but I believe that this plan will survive with few injuries if we know what we're doing."
"This plan is insane." Bernadetta mumbled to herself.
"Thank you." Ren said with a smile.
"Your tactics confuse and frighten me, Sensei." Linhardt said with a shake of his head.
"Let the Mock Battle Begin!" Alois cried, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Move!" Ren shouted, running towards the nearby forest with his house in tow. He leapt up into the trees, climbing onto the branches as the rest of his students hid behind the trees.
Byleth was the exception, as she moved ahead of the group through the forest, not attempting to conceal her presence at all.
Ren silently leapt from treetop to treetop, keeping pace with the mercenary as his students followed the plan they came up with.
As the group approached the edge of the forest, Byleth held a hand up as she stopped, an action quickly mimicked by the rest of the group.
Ren closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing as he picked out words from the background noise.
"None of your shallow tactics are required, Claude." That was Lorenz, if Ren was remembering right. "Ignatz and I will dismantle the opposition."
"Me!? But I'm not ready!" Ren agreed with that statement, especially so with the lack of confidence coming from that sentence.
"Are you making light of our new Professors?" Claude's voice was quieter, but still audible enough for the trained ears of Ren. "If you drop your guard, you're going to get hurt…"
"I believe that will happen regardless." Byleth announced, revealing her position to them.
"Teach! Fancy seeing you here! Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen Sensei around anywhere, have you?" Claude asked, voice raised so it was loud enough to reach.
"He's either bluffing or telling us the truth." Ren muttered in Japanese, narrowing his eyes. "No matter."
"I might." She responded. "But he's not here, is he?"
"I don't believe that matters. Ignatz, with me!" Lorenze said, charging as Byleth.
"H-huh!?" Ignatz blinked, unprepared for the command.
"If you insist." Byleth said, opening her left hand and letting the object held within drop to the ground. As the two approached, smoke bellowed out of the pellet, obscuring their view of the mercenary as they ran into the forest.
"Showtime." Ren whispered, activating his third eye, watching as Ignatz and Lorenze lit up blue. "Easy."
Ren slipped the dulled metal practice dagger out of his sleeve. Not live steel, but more in line with usual practice weapons given out when these things happened. He threw his arm out towards Ignatz, letting the grapple hook fly out and grab the teen's ankle with it before quickly tripping the student.
Ignatz slammed face first into the earth, before being quickly pulled into the air fast enough that he was unable to make a sound. A hand clasped over his mouth, muffling him as a dull dagger pressed against his jugular. "You're out, but I'm not letting you down yet. You announcing your elimination would be detrimental right now." Ren whispered into the teen's ear.
"Ignatz?" Lorenze asked, turning around at the sound of the body hitting the floor, before letting out a sharp hiss of pain as the dull edge of Byleth's practice sword pressed against his neck.
"You're out. Don't say a word." Byleth said, a cold glare shining off the reflection of her sword, allowing the ashen demon to lock gazes with Lorenze through the metal reflection.
"Hey, guys! You alright!?" Claude's voice rang out through the smoke. "Lorenze! Ignatz! That's not a good sign."
"You'd be correct!" Ren said, taking his hand off Ignatz's mouth as he picked the teen up and dropped to the forest floor, ignoring the quick shout that came from the teen as he placed him down. He glanced over at Byleth, pausing as he stared at her through his third eye.
'...Is… She haunted?' He thought in confusion, looking at the floating girl with green hair that was positioned behind Byleth. If the regalia that she seemed to wear wasn't confusing enough, the tarot card for Aeon hovering over her head was.
'...Later.'
He deactivated his third eye as the smoke faded, not showing any outward signs he had seen the strange sight. "Byleth."
The mercenary released Lorenze from her hold, letting the student walk over to his classmate as they walked out of the forest. "They're out, by the way!"
"Well, that shows Lorenze right at least." Claude muttered to himself. "I hope you're not dumb enough to believe I'd willingly walk into a trap, do you?"
Ren glanced over at Byleth with a smirk, before looking back at Claude. "Haven't you!?"
The house leader blinked, before quickly maneuvering to the side as an arrow flew past where he had been standing, the practice arrow slamming into Hilda's head instead.
The girl let out a grunt of pain, knocking her off balance and onto the ground as Claude quickly turned around, arrow drawn and pointed at the purple haired source of the surprise attack.
"Huh, an opening." Linhardt muttered to himself, positioned just in range of the leader of the golden deer so he could do his part of the plan. "Nosferatu."
The energy pooled out and shot forwards, slamming into Claude's back as the teen was sent falling forward onto his front, next to the delirious form of Hilda, his shot flying wildly off target.
"Told you I wasn't gonna play fair." Ren said as he walked out with Byleth.
"Clearly…" Claude muttered. "This is embarrassing."
"There is still Manuela left." Byleth noted.
"No, there isn't." The professor in question said, walking over to them with Edelgard close behind, a satisfied look on the princess' face. "I think that was the fastest my house has been eliminated before.
"...I'm sorry for your loss?" Ren said with a shrug.
"Don't be. Just don't let Hanneman win after a show like that." The physician said with a shake of her head. "If it helps, we had Professor Amamiya as our target."
"Not like it was much of a surprise when someone shouted it aloud." Hilda grunted as she pushed herself off the floor.
"Refuge in audacity?" Claude replied with a shrug as he sat up.
"To be fair, it did work in the moment." Ren said with a shrug.
"It's one thing to see the plans, it's another to witness it in person." Jeralt noted with a smile. "That took… 3 minutes?"
"We've hired a monster… Two monsters." Seteth stated, a wide eyed look on his face. "...I believe I'm owed some money after this is over."
"Seteth, don't tell me you've bet money on the time honored tradition that is the officers academy's mock battle?" Rhea asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Please, it would be unbecoming for someone of my station to partake in such things." Seteth replied with a shake of his head.
Jeralt rolled his eyes. "I bet."
"Of course you did, Professor Eisner's your daughter." Seteth huffed.
Rhea did not roll her eyes at the antics of both men beside her. She absolutely did not and anyone who stated otherwise was wrong to assume so.
Besides, their bets were nothing compared to the one she placed via proxy on the black eagle house winning by fully eliminating the competition.
She may not have any need for winning the prize money, but the feeling of victory is always a welcome one.
"...I don't like this." Dimitri said, glancing out at the field. Due to their position on the field, they were unable to see the other side of the fight as well as the prince would have liked.
When the mock battle began, the Blue Lions were able to see the Black Eagle house clearly from their current position, but that was a boon that lasted all of a minute as they had charged into the fray against the Golden Deer, where they lost visual as they entered the forest.
Dimitri had sent Ashe ahead to scout the area, with the possibility of luring their opponents towards them where they had the home field advantage as the secondary objective.
Ashe returned 2 minutes later saying that the Golden Deer base was empty.
Dimitri glanced back at Professor Hanneman. His house's teacher had told him that he would be taking a backseat from this mock battle. He'd step in to help when necessary, but otherwise the battle was his to command.
Five minutes had passed in uncomfortable silence as Dimitri tried to see where the Black Eagle house would attack them from. He considered sending Ashe back out, to scout the enemy, but there was a layer of nerves that seemed hellbent on upsetting his stomach at the thought.
"Dimitri!" Ashe called out, bringing the prince out of his thoughts and into reality.
The blonde looked ahead, raising his eyebrows at the sight of Edelgard walking towards them, axe in tow, on her own. "She can't be serious." Dimitri said, loud enough for his classmates to hear.
"What is our next move?" Dedue asked.
"...Keep an eye out for the others. Professor Eisner is our target that we must defeat if we wish to win this quickly." Dimitri said, gripping the polearm that was his weapon. "I will respond in kind."
Dimitri strode to meet Edelgard half way, pausing a fair distance away from her as the two locked eyes. "Edelgard. I'm shocked that you have come to fight alone."
"I hope you don't plan on letting that distract you too long. Distractions like that could prove fatal." Edelgard responded calmly. "Claude is an excellent example of that."
"So he's been eliminated? Then would I be correct in assuming it is just our house's left in this fight?" Dimitri questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Not for long." Edelgard answered, getting into a stance.
"I see we agree on that!" Dimitri responded in kind, spinning his spear around as he bent low at the knees, getting into his own stance before shooting forwards at Edelgard.
He thrust forwards, his spear stabbing through the air where Edelgard once stood as the Imperial princess leaned to the side to avoid the strike.
"Now!" Edelgard exclaimed, swinging her axe up to knock Dimitri off balance.
The blonde spearman grit his teeth, using the momentum meant to put him off balance as a means of making distance, leading him into a backflip that turned into a handspring midway through. He pushed off the ground and went airborne, landing back on the ground away from Edelgard with light impact that was absorbed through the bend of his knees.
Dimitri took in a breath before his eyes shot wide in surprise as the rest of the Black Eagle house charged into the fray through the opening he had left open. "Damn!"
"Where are you looking!?" Dimitri grit his teeth, spinning his spear around to deflect the sudden swing of Edelgard's axe. He narrowed his eyes and returned the attack with one of his own.
If she wanted to practice the dance of death, he'd be happy to help.
He was, after all, very familiar with it.
"Byleth!" Ren shouted, ducking to the side to avoid the overhead strike courtesy of Dedue.
Byleth narrowed her eyes, filling the empty space left behind by Ren as she swung upwards, slamming the flat of her blade into the underside of Dedue's chin.
Dedue's head snapped upwards from the impact, but Byleth didn't hit him nearly hard enough to snap a vertebrae.
He'd live.
Byleth twisted her grip on her sword and pressed the dull edge onto Dedue's neck in a fluid motion. "Out."
Ren charged past them, Linhardt right behind him as he charged at Mercedes, his dulled dagger held tight in his right hand. "Sensei!" Ren snapped to the right, catching sight of the arrow flying towards him. There wasn't enough time to come to the realization that he couldn't avoid the arrow, there was only enough to realize it was about to hit him.
It was to his quick relief that another arrow perfectly intercepted the first, knocking it off target enough for him to close the difference between him and Mercedes.
"Sorry." He said simply, throwing his left arm out so the grapple hook would fly. The grapple wrapped around Mercedes' outstretched arm, clearly about to cast some kind of Magic at the thief. Ren tugged, breaking her focus as the spell fizzled as she was dragged suddenly towards his charge. He flipped his dagger so he held it in a reverse grip and pressed the dull edge against her neck, stopping any possible impact by grabbing her shoulder before he did any actual damage.
Ren removed his dagger and immediately turned around to focus on the fight. Byleth had charged over towards Ashe, putting the teen off guard as he frantically backpedaled away from the swordswoman. He glanced over at Hanneman, only slightly surprised at the fact the professor hadn't intervened yet.
He glanced back over to Edelgard, taking a moment to pause as Dimitri pushed her back once more and turned away from that fight, instead choosing to charge further into the fight they had pulled him out of.
"Shit." Ren cursed, breaking into a sprint as he moved to intercept Dimitri. He reached into his coat with his left hand as he readjusted his grip on his dagger.
The thief swung out toward Dimitri, cutting the prince's advance off. "You really are good." Dimitri admitted, though didn't take time to dwell on it as he immediately went on the offensive.
Ren ducked and weaved the strikes, lashing out where he could with the dagger but never scoring any real hits. After the back and forth that had no real victor concluded 10 seconds later, Dimitri swung high, knocking the dagger out of Ren's right hand and into the air.
"And this-!?" Ren exclaimed, a shocked look on his face as his foot moved backward. Dimitri raised his spear up to deliver what he probably believed to be the finishing blow, but was swiftly interrupted by the sudden change in Ren's expression as a grin split his features. "Is Checkmate!"
Metal flashed in the air, as Ren's left arm flicked out in front of him, the words engraved on the side of the weapon in Ren's hand glistened in the sunlight.
Daredevil
The trigger was quickly pulled, and a practice arrow slammed directly into the middle of Dimitri's skull, knocking him off balance as he crashed into the ground behind him.
"Out." Ren said, slipping the hand crossbow away and out of sight.
"Out!" Byleth shouted from the side, grabbing his attention as Ashe fell onto his back.
"And then there was one." Ren said, before looking down at Dimitri. "You alright?"
"What… was that?" Dimitri groaned, placing a hand on his forehead.
"A practice arrow fired at close range. You'll probably want to have that checked out once we're done." Ren said, holding a hand out to help Dimitri up. "You're not bad. That disarm was excellent. I'm unfortunately used to being disarmed though, so I had a backup ready."
"I can see that." Dimitri nodded. "I'll go get the others. Well fought."
Ren nodded, earning a smile from Dimitri as he walked over to Ashe. Edelgard walked over to him, axe held at her side firmly. "What manner of weapon was that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A hand crossbow, in the simplest terms." Ren said with a shrug. "Come on, we're not done yet."
The two walked over to where the rest of the participating members of the Black Eagle house had gathered. "Everyone still in?"
"We are." Byleth said with a nod.
"Good, let's see if we can end this quickly then." Ren said, walking up next to Byleth as they moved over towards Hanneman.
"I must say, that was most certainly a fine display of your skills." Hanneman began, standing opposite Ren and Byleth. "I do believe you two will do fine here at the officers academy."
"Thank you." Ren said with a smile.
"I believe it would be wise to surrender, Hanneman." Byleth said, still holding her sword.
"Perhaps." Hanneman simply nodded, before he extended his hand out before him, magic already forming on his fingertips. "Sagg-"
Unfortunately for Hanneman, Ren was unparalleled at the quick draw.
"Eiha!" Ren shouted, his arm flying forward as he snapped, the energy quickly pooling and firing out at Hanneman, interrupting his casting and slamming the energy of the curse spell into him.
"Gah!" Hanneman stumbled back, falling onto his back and grimaced. "I believe that eliminates me from the fight."
Ren lowered his arm. "Sorry about that."
"It was worth the attempt." The Crest Scholar responded, getting off the ground.
"...D-did… did we just win? With all of us?" Bernadetta asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, I do believe we did." Linhardt responded, looking far more awake than normal.
Everyone stood in silence at that, the lingering sense of awe and disbelief palpable in the air. Ren chuckled, before his laughter devolved into full laughter.
"I don't recall how long it's been since something like this occurred." Edelgard said, letting out an awed breath as she looked over at the two teachers before her. "...You certainly don't dissapoint."
"It's what we do best." Ren said, wiping a tear away with a shrug. "Come on, let's meet up with the rest of the Black Eagles."
They barely took two steps back towards the hill where the audience was positioned before the fanfare had begun.
"Way to show them, Joker!" Morgana cheered as Ren walked alongside Byleth. "I knew we had this in the bag."
"Yeah… maybe a bit too well though…" Ren muttered with a chuckle.
"There was supposed to be a feast later tonight, but we won the mock battle so fast it's barely lunch time…" Edelgard said as the Black Eagle house returned to their classroom, professors in tow.
"It was a flawless victory. We didn't lose a single one of us during the battle." Ferdinand said, crossing his arms. "...I don't think it's really hit yet the magnitude of events that were achieved today."
"It's like that sometimes." Byleth said, getting some looks from the students. "And that can be good, helps you keep in the moment, but not always."
"I must say, you both far exceeded my expectations with this." Hubert noted, glancing over at Ren. "The utter dismantling of the Golden Deer was… an interesting sight to behold."
"Hey, I wasn't the only one who helped make this possible." Ren said with a shrug. "Petra helped us iron out our plan with the forest during the initial fight against the Golden Deer. Ferdinand made good points that helped us segment Dimitri away from the rest of his house."
"Hubert made some excellent suggestions in regards to the smoke bombs." Byleth added, glancing over at the teen.
"Professor Amamiya has shown he has access to such tools in our previous exercises, I figured it'd be another option to use today." Hubert replied simply. "The rope that came from your arm was a newer addition."
"It WAS crafted last night…" Ren shrugged.
"Caspar and Dorothea made points here and there as well…" Ren trialed off. "Though less than others, and Dorothea was mainly more in ways to style on our opponents."
"Well, you clearly didn't need my help for that." Dorothea said with a smirk.
"It was a team effort, even if some of you weren't doing the heavy lifting." Ren finished.
"You should take pride in that." Byleth added, crossing her arms.
"It's a bit hard to really feel the impact of all this. Especially since the festivities get delayed." Caspar said with a chuckle.
"Well… I may have a solution to that…" Ren said, pushing his false glasses back onto his face.
"Leblanc?"
"Yep."
"Sensei… isn't this your dorm?" Edelgard asked, looking up at the sign hanging over the building.
Café Leblanc: Nouveau
"Yep." Ren replied, popping the P. "If you'll follow after me."
Ren smirked, pushing the door open as he stepped inside and moved to the countertop, leaning against it as his students and fellow teacher walked into his café. "Welcome to Leblanc Nouveau."
"A café?" Hubert asked, an eyebrow raised. "I was unaware you had the time for such a profession, what with teaching us."
"Hours are flexible and only open when I'm actually able to work here. Otherwise it's closed for business." Ren replied simply, moving to stand behind the serving counter. "Please, feel free to stop inside if you ever see the sign flipped to open."
"But enough about me and this place." Ren said, reaching to the side as he pulled on a string, releasing the hold on various celebratory banners around the room, decorating it in even more red.
Congratulations Black Eagles!
"Okay, now I'm feeling it." Caspar said, smiling wildly.
"I have coffee, assorted teas and some snacks I made in advance." Ren said, reaching down to grab a platter of assorted baked goods out before he placed it on the counter. "I'll come around to get your order, but first: Congratulations, Black Eagles. You won."
Hubert took a sip of his coffee, a strange mix of a scowl and a pleased expression formed on his face that quickly morphed into a wry grimace.
"Coffee not to your liking?" Ren asked, walking over to his student.
"No, actually. I do believe it's the best cup I've had." Hubert noted, looking up at Ren. "It's a conflicting feeling."
"You don't trust me." Ren replied, crossing his arms.
"Of course I don't." Hubert nodded. "You're good. Too good. Especially when we put today into perspective. But you're a ghost, and that's an unknown I'm not pleased to put up with."
"…Look." Ren paused, leaning forward slightly. "For the next year, I'm going to be in charge of your house. I don't expect to instantly get all friendly with you immediately, but I also know that I won't be able to teach you efficiently if you keep thinking I'm suddenly going to turn around and stab someone."
"You do have a tendency to hide a knife on your person." Hubert chuckled dryly.
"And you don't?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Point." Hubert conceded.
"So, I'd like to propose a deal." Ren said, crossing his arms. "You don't know me. I don't know you. Information for information."
"That is a tall order, Professor." Hubert said.
"Sensei. And I never said you had to give much. Trust goes both ways though, and I would like to trust you Hubert." Ren said, leaning forward further. "Do you feel the same?"
Hubert paused, taking another sip of his drink before nodding to himself. "Very well, I don't see anything but benefits from this exchange." Hubert said with a nod. "It'll be an interesting form of an interrogation anyways…"
"Then we have a deal." Ren said, holding his hand out to the teen.
"That we do." Hubert nodded, clasping his hand with Ren's. "Sensei."
Time froze, and the tradition repeated once more with Lavenza's voice.
I am Thou, Thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of The Hanged Man Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
{RANK UP!}
Chains snapped and broke away, leaving behind the blue arcana card depicting the hanged man before it faded from view, time quickly resuming.
"If I am so bold to ask, what's the significance of that painting on the wall?" Hubert asked, letting go of Ren's hand as he glanced at the item in question.
"It's… A memento of back home I guess." Ren said, shrugging. "We took that during one of our own celebrations."
"The location bears a striking resemblance to this café." Hubert noted.
"Why do you think it's called Nouveau?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd assume it's because it's based on another." Edelgard said, walking over to the two.
"Lady Edelgard." Hubert said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Is the refreshments to your liking?" Ren asked, crossing his arms.
"I was never one for coffee, but the house blend is astonishing." Edelgard nodded, taking a seat next to Hubert. "...Thank you for today."
"Hm?" Ren blinked, raising an eyebrow.
"I had faith, but it is good to know it wasn't misplaced in you two." Edelgard continued, looking back at Byleth as the Mercenary tried to keep the other students occupied. "It's surprising to see everyone in such high spirits and not be a complete storm of chaos."
"Well, nothing wrong with that every now and then." Ren replied with a shrug. "Besides, if you break it, you buy it. This IS a café."
"Quite." Hubert said.
"Perhaps it's time you joined us for the festivities, Sensei." Edelgard said, smiling as she turned back to the rest of the house. "To our victory, and our professors!"
Ren smiled, watching on as the class cheered. He glanced over at Byleth and blinked, catching sight of the light smile forming on her lips.
Time seemed to slow down as Ren's brain tried to understand the sight of Byleth smiling, before a familiar voice made him realize time had indeed slowed to a halt.
I am Thou, Thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Fool Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
{RANK UP!}
Ren stopped as time resumed, a slightly surprised look on his face as he turned to look at the students in front of him.
His students.
"I think we'll be just fine here everyone…" Ren whispered with a smile, catching sight of Morgana in the group of cheering students, being pampered to his heart's content. "Oh yeah, definitely fine."