Signs of Schism

Heat licked at her skin but ice gripped her heart.

"Mama! Wake up!" Irene cried frantically, trying desperately to rouse her mother, childish body struggling to move her slumped form.

She had had this dream before, so she knew the woman–her mother, was…would not stir, and yet she still cried anyways.

Debris crunched under a boot, and she looked up to see a lensed helmeted figure–

Irene woke with a start as pain lanced through her chest, strangling a shocked gasp in its crib.

'Again? Why have they started again?'

"Couldn't sleep?" a voice called softly from her left, and she turned to see Julia watching her, the moonlight shining in her pale blue eyes.

Still trying to catch her breath, Irene just nodded.

"Nightmares again?"

"Y-yes, it seems so."

"I thought they were getting better."

"They did, for a while," Irene clarified. "But they've come back more since I started Thors…" she paused. "For some reason, they are worse on field studies."

"Maybe it's the stress," Julia theorized. "Sorry about that, by the way. I've not been the most cooperative, have I?"

"No, you haven't," Irene sniffed. "Although…I don't really blame you too much. Having to put up a polite mask is…tiring."

"It's easy enough with some people, like Uncle Hammond," Julia countered, "but yeah, for a lot of others, it's not pleasant to have to smile and wave at people who you know full well will talk bad of you behind your back."

"Yeah…" Irene sighed, thinking back to her first few months at St. Astraia. She had known she would face ridicule going in…but knowing and experiencing were two different things.

"You know…I rather miss this," Julia hummed, a wistful smile on her face.

"This?"

"Being roommates."

"I…well, while becoming friends was perhaps the best part of my first year at St. Astraia, I can't say I miss that time," Irene sighed.

"Ah…right, I should have thought of that," Julia muttered contritely, looking back up at the ceiling. "The bastard room, or so they called it."

"Very uncouth of them," Irene huffed. Now that it was in the past, and she had grown thick enough skin to prevent those jabs from getting to her, it sounded a little funny, but it had been very hurtful in the moment.

"Yeah, only one of us is a bastard," Julia chuckled. "But we can't expect those girls to use their brains, can we?"

"Not for their intended purpose," Irene whispered, stifling a giggle.

Julia snickered quietly, and Irene remembered their shared glee when they had both scored well above their detractors that year.

"Still though…I do quite miss these conversations," Julia whispered. "There is something distinctly candid about talking like this."

"Err…Julia, you do remember that we're in the same dorm, right?" Irene asked teasingly. "If you want, we can visit each other's rooms."

"Now, now, Irene," Julia countered, a smirk evident even in the darkness. "We both know the meaning is quite a bit different in that context."

"Julia!" Irene hissed.

"Come now, Irene, don't make too much noise," her friend admonished playfully. "We don't want to interrupt our classmate's beauty sleep. She does need that, after all."

"That was an unnecessary jab, Julia," Irene sighed.

"...Probably. She just reminds me a bit of those girls back then," Julia grumbled. "Quick to judge and way too sure of their own superiority."

"I…don't think that's entirely fair," Irene disagreed, frowning in thought. "Maybe something happened to her…or people she knew. It seems rather…personal."

"You may be right," Julia conceded. "Though if you are, I don't think we'll be learning about it anytime soon."

"We shouldn't gossip too much," Irene chided gently, "especially since we have another day of our study left."

Julia sighed. "True, and if that were not enough, Father informed me that I was to meet with another false start of a suitor tomorrow evening, so I likely will not be returning to Trista at the same time as you all."

"Oh…was that it?" Irene asked worriedly. "No mention of who it was and what their family is like?"

"Only the briefest explanation," her friend replied. "Just another family he's trying to string along using me as a bargaining chip."

"Does your brother know? Or your step mother?"

Julia snorted. "Rufus might know. If he does, then this Rogar will at least be a respectable person, if Lady Albarea arranged it, then he'll be an insufferable ass."

"Is…her judgment that bad?"

"Pah! If only," Julia scoffed. "She knows exactly what she is doing, and…I can see why she does it."

"Because…you're not her daughter?"

"And if that wasn't enough, I resemble my mother quite a bit, just with my father's eyes," Julia sighed. "Lady Albarea can barely stand to be in the same room as me anymore."

"...Has it gotten worse the past year?" Irene asked softly. "You didn't make it sound this severe back at St. Astraia."

"I grew up, with all that entails."

"I…think I see why you were not enthused about staying at the main residence."

"You know me so well, Irene."

"...We should get to sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

The two of them lapsed into silence, the comfortable familiarity flittering away like a distant dream and Irene fell asleep shortly afterwards.

The next morning saw all three girls in the group waking up early, as while Irene did her best to be quiet, she still ended up making enough noise to stir Julia and Masha from their slumber.

"I do not miss this part of being roommates," Julia grumbled as she stretched out the sluggishness of sleep.

"I apologize for waking you up," Irene offered with a contrite wince.

"Not really your fault you getting up this early makes me feel lazy," her friend snorted. "Might as well get an early start."

"Do you really get up at this time every day?" Masha wondered. "The sky is barely gray."

"Err…yes?" Irene replied, not sure what the issue was. "The mornings are a good time to train, as it is still cool."

"I guess that makes sense," the green haired girl grumbled, working through her own set of stretches, her gaze occasionally wandering over to Julia.

'Oh right, I guess Masha had never seen how flexible Julia is before.'

Though it had been a few years since they shared a room, Irene and Julia fell back neatly into some old habits as they prepared for the day, the former helping the latter with her hair, while the latter offered some make up suggestions in return.

Neither saw fit to do something overly complicated, as while they needed to be presentable, they were still likely to be performing some physical activities.

"Aren't we going to be fighting monsters again?" Masha asked, giving them a questioning look.

"That seems a likely possibility," Julia replied, securing her hair in a neat bun. "However, we still must make an effort to look at least somewhat presentable or else tongues will wag. In hindsight, it might have been simpler to go through this field exercise incognito, but my dear brother has cut off any chance of that at the legs."

"Would wearing something more practical be so bad?" their green haired classmate grumbled.

"Not really," Julia replied. "I'd prefer that, honestly, but I have to keep up a certain appearance."

"Really? Even though we're probably going to be heading out of the city for most of the day?" Masha inquired. For once, her tone was actually purely curious, lacking much of the usual edge it had when she spoke to them.

"Well…it's a bit like how businessmen and merchants tend to wear suits even when it isn't the most practical," Irene explained. "I'm sure your father wears something like that quite often, even though it isn't the most comfortable for doing paperwork. The point is to look professional."

"It is not that dissimilar from wearing a school uniform," Julia supplemented. "Just…a fair bit less standardized…and subject to change for no good reason."

"At least you have enough influence to start trends yourself," Irene huffed, bumping her friend affectionately with her hip. "Some of us are not so fortunate."

"It can be a heavy burden, being responsible for creating demand for certain tailors," Julia remarked drily. While she was mostly joking, apparently the people who made the clothes for her official appearances tended to get many more orders afterwards.

"That must be kind of annoying," Masha muttered, "having people stare at you all the time."

Julia paused, turning to give the green haired girl a curious look. "It can be, but it is what it is."

While it wasn't exactly friendly, it was a much less hostile interaction, so Irene decided to call it a small victory.

By the time they were prepared and exited the room, Emmet and Fion were already there, the former standing next to an uncomfortable looking Manager Richeliu, while the latter leaned against a wall nearby.

"Oh good, you're up," Emmet grunted in lieu of a greeting. "Now we can actually get our tasks for the day."

"Come now, Millstein, there's no need to menace Manager Richeliu," Julia chided.

"He insisted that he wanted to hand us our tasks when we were all present," the purple haired man replied with a shrug, "so here we are."

"Good morning, Lady Julia," the man in question greeted politely, though it was quite evident that something about Emmet and Fion unnerved him. "I had thought it prudent to hand you your tasks while everyone was present, but this gentleman would not see reason."

"I did see the reason, and I was unimpressed," Emmet drawled, "but I still waited nonetheless."

"You should have said that out loud instead of just standing grumpily next to him," Julia sighed, "or else it would be impolite for him to leave."

Emmet blinked. "Oh, I apologize, then. Too used to being ignored."

"I see…" the manager trailed off, before coughing into his fist. "In any case, I present to you the tasks as set by Lord Rufus Albarea." He held out a familiar looking Thors folder for them to take.

Emmet took the folder, extricating the task sheet and holding it out so the rest of the group could read it as well.

"Another monster extermination, and Chef Hammond asking for help with finding some ingredients?" Masha mumbled. "That doesn't seem that bad."

"Why does the cookery need our help to find ingredients?" Fion asked. "They've got to have a supplier already."

Julia sighed and shook her head. "They certainly do, but it looks like Hammond wants some really fresh ingredients. The fat he requires should be easy enough to find on certain types of monsters on the northern highway. The herb though…might be something a church sister or brother would be willing to part with."

"Why's that?" Fion asked. "Is it a special plant?"

"Not exactly, it does have medicinal properties, so you can find it at an apothecary, but if I am correct about what Hammond is looking for, then you will want the one sourced by the church," Julia explained.

"That makes it sound like a special plant," Fion noted, tilting his head curiously.

"It is…sentimental, I suppose," Julia finally conceded, shaking her head. "He does not have to go this much out of his way for me."

"And yet he chooses to," Irene remarked with a knowing smile.

"Whatever the case, it appears we will not have to cover as much ground today," Emmet noted. "Though I am admittedly a bit curious why the Provincial Army was not called to deal with the monster if it was obstructing a highway."

"Perhaps my brother had them leave it for us to deal with," Julia suggested.

"That seems…rather irresponsible," Emmet observed drily. "Which tracks, I suppose."

Julia sent him an unimpressed look, but their purple haired classmate did not seem to notice.

"Well, then we should hurry and get rid of the monster so it doesn't bother anyone," Irene prompted, before they got too off track.

"Yeah, we should get started," Masha chimed in. "That should give us enough time to get our combat link sorted out."

"Oh? So you want to try again?" Julia asked, giving her a searching look. "What brought this on, I wonder?"

"I…was not content with my performance yesterday, that's all," Masha replied, a bit too quickly to be believable.

"Ah, I see!" Julia chuffed, her lips pulling upwards into a smug grin. "How magnanimous of you."

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Masha snapped. "I just don't want to get vomited on again!"

"A worthy cause," Fion nodded.

"I certainly cannot begrudge you that desire," Julia acknowledged with a sympathetic look. "Very well then, shall we–"

She paused as the doors to the hotel opened and a familiar looking butler stepped inside.

"Arnauld?"

"Good morning, Lady Julia," the butler bowed deeply in greeting. "I am here to collect you for–"

"Now?" Julia exclaimed, her brow furrowing in displeasure. "Father informed me it would be in the evening last night."

"I am in no position to question the Duke's decision," Arnauld demurred, "though I do regret thrusting this change upon you so suddenly, my lady."

Julia sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "And here I thought he would be considerate enough not to interfere excessively with my education."

"I do apologize, Lady Julia," Arnauld offered. "We had planned on timing things so you would have time for your schoolwork, but some schedules shifted, so your father decided to call for you earlier."

"It is what it is," Julia grumbled, turning apologetically towards her classmates. "It appears I will not be able to assist you today after all."

"It's fine," Masha replied in a surprisingly understanding tone. "You have other responsibilities, and it's not really your fault."

"That…is unusually gracious of you," Julia observed, giving her a considering look.

"We can figure out the link another time," Masha shrugged. "Not that we're friends, or anything."

"Hmm…I will hold you to it then, Regnitz." Julia then nodded to the rest of the group. "Forgive me, but I have other sudden arrangements."

"Good luck!" Irene offered, drawing a small, grateful smile from Julia, before the blonde turned and strode out of the hotel along with her butler.

"That timing is…pretty suspicious," Masha muttered, frowning in thought.

"Didn't realize you were looking forward to getting hitched with her," Emmet snorted, ignoring the green haired girl's outraged sounds. "Looks like her dad is either pulling a power play over her or he just doesn't care."

"That's not–what in Aidios' name are you implying here?!" Masha sputtered.

"I think, with Julia's absence," Irene interrupted, giving the bickering two a warning look, "that means since the two of you would not link yesterday, it will be your turn to link together."

Emmet and Masha turned and glared at her.

"That's not how it works!"

"I never agreed to anything."

"That is how it works, and you will agree," Irene insisted politely.

Emmet and Masha stared at her, glancing at each other in confusion, before turning and looking at Fion for help.

"Hey, there's only so much of me to go around," the silver haired boy shrugged.

"Fine," Emmet bit out, looking away. "If only to avoid getting shot in the back."

Masha grit her teeth, but nodded.

With that decided, the group decided to visit the shops in Christie's Galleria to restock up on some curatives, as well as to see if they could find the healing herb requested by Chef Hammond.

As Julia feared, they were not able to find anyone with it in stock, as it was apparently out of season. On another note, they ran into another butler, one who looked vaguely familiar to Irene.

"Mr….Carrigan?" Irene asked, hoping she was not making a fool of herself.

"Huh? Oh! Hello, young lady," the butler exclaimed, shaking himself out of his musing. "I am indeed Carrigan, though I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

"I am Irene Schwarzer".

"Ah, you are one of Lady Annabelle's school acquaintances," the butler realized. "I am sorry that this may seem abrupt, but have you seen Lady Annabelle?"

Irene's expression darkened. "I did, in fact. I met her in Celdic, and told her in no uncertain terms to go home. When I see her next I am going to be very cross with her."

"Oh! So you are the friend Lady Annabelle mentioned," Carrigan cried. "You have my deepest gratitude, and that of House van Brakell! None of us had any idea where she was until she sent us a letter last month!"

"Did this letter explain why she chose not to return home?" Irene asked, unimpressed with her former schoolmate's decision making.

"She said she needed to pay her respects to the goddess," the butler replied, "but I have visited the cathedral in Heimdallr, Saint Arkh, Ordis, even Roer, and now here, but none of the clergy there remembered seeing her."

"Pay her respects to the goddess, huh?" Emmet snorted.

"Did…she decide to go to Arteria?" Fion wondered.

Carrigan's eyes widened. "That…! Hmmm….I must go. You have my eternal gratitude." The elderly man abruptly hurried off.

"Uh…you're welcome?" Fion gave a thumbs up at his back.

"That girl!" Irene huffed, shaking her head. How in the world could someone interpret what she said as visiting the Holy City?!

"You…must have really put the fear of Aidios into that girl," Emmet remarked, giving Irene a reassessing glance.

"I just told her to go home!"

"And she's preparing to meet her maker," Fion chuckled.

"I'm not that intimidating!"

"I don't know, you can be pretty scary," Masha piled on.

"I am not!"

"Acting cute now isn't going to change the fact you scared a girl into going on a pilgrimage," Emmet drawled.

"W-what?!" Irene sputtered, before shaking her head furiously. "Let's just go kill some monsters already."

In hindsight, that might not have helped her case.

Despite Irene's suggestion, the group ended up heading to the cathedral first to see if they had the herb in question, and as it so happened, the kindly sister in charge of the infirmary had some in stock.

Since Sorciere was not far from the cathedral, they stopped by and handed it off to Hammond for safekeeping rather than risk it being damaged while they were fighting monsters. The chef had looked disappointed that Julia wasn't with them, but just shook his head understandingly when they explained that her father had called her away.

That all but confirmed to Irene that he wanted to make a special version of Julia's favorite dish, something that would not make it to the intended recipient because of Duke Albarea's inconsiderate behavior.

With the herb secured, the group made their way onto the northern highway, searching for a few monsters that were known for having tasty fat. Emmet and Masha managed to form a combat link, and after a few attempts, even managed to keep it stable, which greatly improved their ability to deal with the monsters, to the point that they managed to avoid anyone getting poisoned.

It took some time, but collecting the required amount of fat proved straightforward enough, and the group soon found themselves observing the monster they were supposed to kill while still feeling relatively fresh themselves.

"A giant mantrap. On a paved road. How suspicious." Emmet glared at the monster, as if he could combust it with his eyes alone.

"Blocking a bridge too," Fion added. "Almost looks planned."

"But who would benefit from something like this?" Irene asked. "It will stop people from getting across the bridge, but it won't stop someone really determined."

"Is the Provincial Army still busy with the intruder from yesterday?" Masha wondered. "Because letting this thing hang out there makes them look a bit incompetent."

"Unless they placed it here for us to kill–actually no, that still makes them look dumb," Fion mused.

"Whatever the case, it's best we get rid of the monster before it can hurt anyone," Irene concluded. This was the second field study where monsters were acting weird, but they really had nothing to go on, so first things first.

"Mantraps are weak to fire, but aren't going to be too affected by wind or water, and are neutral against earth," Emmet listed off, "so it'll mostly be up to me to hit it with arts."

Irene nodded for a second, her offensive art was a wind art, then again, the other member of their group who used arts significantly was Julia, and she wasn't here at the moment.

"Wait, I thought your ARCUS was set up with a wind master quartz?" Masha asked. "Did you add fire quartz to it?"

"Don't worry about it," Emmet dismissed. "I can throw some heat around."

"It's probably going to spit gunk at us, probably don't want to stay near it either," Fion suggested.

"I guess it makes sense for you and Irene to link then, so you can cover each other dashing in and out."

"That seems like it could work," Irene agreed. "And you and Masha can attack from a distance."

"And with a big, slow target like that, you should be able to avoid hitting us," Fion added helpfully, drawing an annoyed glare from Masha. "What?"

The basic plan decided, the group closed in the large mantrap, their arrival heralded by a blast of fire from Emmet and a solid slug shot from Masha, stunning the monster briefly, just enough for Fion and Irene to dash in, the former dropping a grenade in one gaping plant mouth while the latter cut through at one of its necks, almost taking the side head off completely.

But the monster had several heads, and the one they had failed to hit spat something foul in their general direction, fortunately not hitting any of them as another one of the heads got in its way.

Already off balance from the sudden assault, and assailed constantly by a group synchronized using the ARCUS links, the monster never had a chance to recover, and in short order, it collapsed into an unmoving pile of plant(?) matter, failing to score more than superficial injuries on any of them. Masha, fortunately, remained ungunked.

"Well, that was easy," Fion muttered.

"Maybe," Emmet cautioned, fire blooming from the end of his staff as he made extra sure the monster was dead. "Ok, it's dead."

"Maybe you should burn it a little more," Masha snarked, looking pleased with herself that she had not had a friendly fire incident. "We've got enough globby fat that you can incinerate the whole corpse if you want to."

"Tempting," Emmet grunted, knocking off the last charred head with his staff, "but unnecessary."

"It is approaching lunchtime," Irene observed, glancing up briefly at the position of the sun. "So if we drop off the ingredients for Hammond, we should be able to stop there for lunch."

"Can we afford it if Julia isn't here?" Fion asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "It's a lot easier having the local boss' daughter around."

"I believe some of it is covered by the school," Irene explained. "It was a known factor in the planning of this field study that Bareahard tends to be on the expensive side in general, including food."

"They are really putting quite a lot of resources into us," Emmet grumbled, looking thoughtful. "What exactly do they want?"

"I dunno, isn't it normal to feed your students?" Fion wondered. "Being hungry tends to make it hard to study…well, unless you have to study to eat, but that doesn't work great either."

"I don't believe so. While Instructor Altheim is a good enough cook, she does not make food for us," Emmet pointed out. "If anything, she makes us cook for her, which is to be expected."

Irene and Masha shared a worried glance. Just what kind of life did the two boys live? 'Though…Emmet is definitely right to be curious about the purpose of our class. Even if what I concluded is correct, it is a significant investment with a questionable return.'

"I don't think Thors Military Academy would be doing anything nefarious," Masha declared confidently. "I think Schwarzer was probably right about it being an attempt to bridge the class divide, though it…does seem less than well thought out."

"Might be a bit late too," Fion grunted, "if people are already gearing up for war."

"Let's…not speculate about things we have no control over," Irene sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her silver haired classmate had a point, but it wouldn't do them any good to think about it right now.

"Yeah, let's just finish this task, and then we can be out of here as fast as possible," Masha suggested. "I think I've spent enough time this week around nobles."

Their tasks completed well before the deadline, the group made their way back to Bareahard.

However, things took a sudden turn when the gate guards stopped them.

"Halt!" one of them barked, a different man than the one who they had seen on their way out. 'Had there been a shift change?'

"Is there a problem, sir?" Irene inquired politely as the group stopped in their tracks. "We have dealt with the monster blocking the highway."

"You did?" the other soldier at the gate asked, giving her a skeptical look.

"Beside the point for now," the first soldier, looking at Masha in particular. "You are Masha Regnitz, correct?"

"Err…yes?" Masha replied hesitantly, looking like she was a moment from running.

"In that case, please come with us to the guardhouse," the soldier ordered. "We believe you have information about the events at Aurochs Fortress yesterday evening, and would appreciate your cooperation."

"What?! I don't know anything about that!" Masha burst out. "We were there for a few minutes to report on killing a monster for you and to use the visitor area's washroom!"

"So you confirm that you were there," the soldier went on, "thus why we need to ask you some questions."

"Were the rest of you there as well?" the second soldier asked.

"We were," Irene confirmed. 'If they are questioning all of us, then Masha won't be as singled out.'

She felt Emmet and Fion shift, and for a moment she was afraid that they might resort to violence.

"They only told us to bring Regnitz in," the second soldier muttered, "but if they were all there, shouldn't we question all of them?"

"Lady Julia was also present," Emmet pointed out.

"If she was, it could not have been her," the first soldier dismissed, glaring at his compatriot. "And we aren't going to arrest people for no reason, so we will collect the person we were ordered to."

"But shouldn't we bring all of them since they were all there?" the second soldier asked.

"No," the first soldier snapped. "The others were accounted for their entire visit, but Regnitz was unaccounted for during part of her time at the fortress."

"Unaccounted for–I was in the washroom!" Masha shrieked. "I was cleaning out vomit from a monster we killed because you all couldn't be bothered to!"

"You're only making this worse for yourself," the first soldier warned.

"Yes, Masha, I don't think yelling at them will help," Irene added, with a slim hope that the green haired girl would not draw the attention of more soldiers.

"You told me I shouldn't give them a reason!" Masha cried. "Well guess what! They didn't need a damn reason!"

"What is going on here?!" another voice barked, and Irene felt her stomach sink as more soldiers rushed over, including an officer.

"The suspect is refusing to come willingly," the first soldier reported.

"And her compatriots are willing to answer questions," the second soldier added.

"They are not important," the officer dismissed. "Regnitz, you will comply or you will be charged with resisting arrest."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Masha insisted, her eyes wide with fear, her body stiff and trembling.

"That remains to be seen," the officer retorted. "Take her to the guardhouse." Two of the soldiers moved to grab Masha and she all but collapsed, forcing them to drag her down the street.

Irene wanted to do something, but her feet wouldn't move, locked in place by the shock of the sudden turn. What could she do, anyways? Her family had no authority here, and Julia wasn't with them–oh…

Emmet stood stock still, but his eyes darted back and forth, sweeping across the street, ready to spring into action.

Fion nudged him with his shoulder and shook his head. "Too many witnesses," he muttered lowly.

"Right, that would reflect poorly on our grade," Emmet grumbled darkly.

In another circumstance, Irene would probably have been more put off by such callous logic, but right now, Masha's fears coming true took up all of her attention. "W-wha…what do we do?"

"I guess drop off the globby fat?" Fion suggested. "Doesn't sound like they're planning on offing her, at least anytime soon, and it'll be better to finish the job first."

"F-fion!" Irene squeaked, aghast at his implication, and struggling to understand his logic, before looking at Emmet's unsurprised expression. "H-how…how are you two so calm about this?" she whispered. "Is having people you know being arrested suddenly a common occurrence?"

"Not–"

"Yep."

Emmet and Irene stared at Fion for a second. The silver haired boy looked back at them curiously, as if that was a normal thing.

"Ah…that aside," Emmet said slowly, giving Fion a searching look, "panicking will do us no good."

"That…is true," Irene sighed, "and something tells me that there will be no convincing them that Masha didn't do anything. Otherwise, they would have taken us in for questioning as well."

"Yep, definitely a hostage thing," Fion replied.

"And since Julia was conveniently called away…" Irene murmured thoughtfully.

"Must have been the Duke," Emmet concluded. "And to Fion's suggestion, the ingredients will weigh us down, as they aren't flammable enough to be useful, so we might as well hand them in." He shrugged. "And this is probably something we shouldn't work through on an empty stomach. Though this depends on how much time we have."

"Definitely enough time for that," Fion mused. "They'll need to make demands, then give time for a response. Not sure how long though."

"Hmm…there are few material things a man like the Duke would want that he could leverage with this stunt," Emmet murmured thoughtfully. "The only sort of thing I could see is demanding some political concessions, but that seems rather…"

"Sounds dumb," Fion grunted. "He'd have to keep her hostage forever for that to work. Not like they can't just say stuff, then go back on it once she gets handed back. Nothing worth less than a politician's word."

"I would say that of a pathological liar, but I repeat myself," Emmet snorted. "Still, we should have at least this afternoon, after which, our reason for being here becomes less easily explained."

"We're not going to just leave without her, right?" Irene asked worriedly.

"Of course not," Emmet scoffed. "If you are correct about how these studies are graded, they would certainly dock points for that."

While Irene wasn't sure if their instructors would be that unreasonable, she decided it was probably good enough that the thought prevented Emmet from just abandoning their classmate.

First, they delivered the ingredients to Hammond, who took them gratefully, though he looked confused by their second missing classmate.

"Where did Miss Regnitz go?" he asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Soldiers grabbed her," Fion said under his breath, leaning on the counter. "Said she was suspected of espionage. Seems bunk."

"Surely not!" Hammond gasped.

"Yeah, probably politics."

The chef's eyes hardened. "I see. I had hoped to cheer Lady Julia up with more of her favorite meal, but it seems the Duke has other plans." He stepped over and opened the gate in the counter and waved them in, directing them into the kitchen. "I'll whip up some lunch for all of you, and we will make sure to tell the soldiers who come looking that there was nothing suspicious about your classmate."

As they stepped inside, Emmet paused, waiting for Hammond to close the door, before giving the older man an interrogative stare. "Julia is more than simply a regular customer to you, isn't she?"

Hammond almost flinched, but caught himself. "Hmph, noticed that, did you?" He narrowed his eyes at the defiant student. "Quite a dangerous young man you are. Just what are your intentions towards my niece?"

"Niece?" Fion wondered.

"I see," Emmet said slowly, the gears turning in his head. "That explains many things."

"I will not speak ill of our illustrious Duke," Hammond said acidly, "but his treatment of his daughter is not something I am impressed by. I had hoped cooking some of what Henna used to make for her would help her, but he had to ruin that too." He shook his head. "At least it will help you lot though."

"Could you show me the recipe?" Emmet asked softly, his face…wistful(?)

"I…notice you did not answer my earlier question, young man," Hammond pointed out suspiciously.

"I have no intentions toward her," Emmet denied. "I am just familiar with that kind of nostalgia."

"I see…" the chef murmured. "Then how about you help me cook?"

"Fair enough."

"Oh! May I help as well?" Irene asked. Some instruction from a professional chef would be invaluable.

"Can I help too?" Fion asked, not wanting to be left out.

"Well, you three are certainly enthusiastic!" Hammond chuckled. "Let's see how you stack up to Calmin."

It turned out that all three of them had some knowledge of cooking, but the chef outstripped them all. Not that surprising, but it was still an enlightening experience, one which helped take their minds off of the situation for the time being.

Still, not even the very tasty result of their efforts could remove the pall the day's events had cast over the group.

"Do you think they will move her to the fortress?" Emmet piped up during their meal, glancing up from the small table they were sitting at.

"Maybe," Fion replied. "Probably not for a bit. They'll want to secure her, but might not be the best idea to put the person you accuse of sneaking into into the place you accused her of sneaking into."

"It would not be an appropriate place to house a person before trial," Irene added, "but I am not sure that law matters that much to the Duke."

"So best to bust her out from the guardhouse," Fion concluded.

"Would be easier than the fortress," Emmet considered, "but how would we get in and out undetected? As sketchy as some of their orders were, some of the soldiers aren't exactly idiots."

"...There is something Julia mentioned…" Irene replied after a moment. "She said she and Theresia sometimes snuck into the waterways below the city to fight monsters for training."

"And those can allow us an alternate approach to the guardhouse?" Emmet prompted. "It might be troublesome to navigate an area we've never been in under a city we aren't particularly familiar with."

"Sounds like it'd be easy to get lost," Fion agreed. "And it's not like we can just get a map, not without being real suspicious."

"I am fairly certain Julia mentioned that she could access the area from around the river," Irene added, "she also mentioned that the guardhouse does have a way of accessing the waterways so the soldiers could perform sweeps of them on occasion."

"So we might run into patrols there too," Fion grunted. "Not great."

"About that…" Hammond interjected, not pausing from cooking another customer's meal. "I've heard people complaining that the army hasn't been clearing out the waterways often enough recently. If I remember correctly, someone lost their dog to a monster that popped out of a sewer."

"Why are they being so negligent?!" Irene exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Celdic was one thing, but this is Bareahard!"

"They never did patrol the waterways that much," Hammond replied. "It was usually the bracers who dealt with most of the monster requests, and now that they are mostly defunct, with the closest office still open being in Legram, the problem has been left unattended for a while."

"That still doesn't explain why they haven't stepped in to fill that role!" Irene huffed angrily, crossing her arms in disapproval. "They raised taxes to expand the Provincial Army but don't use that to fulfill their duties, and I've met a few soldiers who wouldn't have a problem with doing those jobs, so it has to be poor leadership."

"Probably have other priorities," Emmet shrugged. "They seem to be a lot less provincial and more the duke's lapdogs…then again, the Imperial Army seems less Imperial and the more the chancellor's hammer these days, and the RMP and Intelligence Division aren't filling in the void left by the bracers any better, from what I hear, so it seems like people are getting neglected everywhere."

"Sounds bad, but how does that help us?" Fion wondered, startling his classmates out of their rant.

"It means we likely aren't going to have to dodge patrols," Emmet noted. "But we still have no way of determining how to navigate the waterways."

"I must ask, you young ones do understand that what you are suggesting is quite illegal, right?" Hammond pointed out. "And while being friends with Julia can smooth over many things, there's a limit to her influence."

"When the people in charge are wrong, disobedience is the only appropriate response," Emmet declared, his eyes hard.

"What are friends for, if not for busting you out of the slammer?" Fion shrugged.

"A…" Irene began, faltering a bit. If they got caught, then things would be even worse. Still… "The loyalty owed to a noble goes two ways," she continued after a moment. "If a lord–no, if a ruler has no loyalty to their vassals, then they can hardly expect said vassals to serve them well."

"Kids these days," Hammond sighed, shaking his head, though not angrily. "It seems you guys at least understand the risks, and I could hardly call myself a man if I do nothing about such an injustice if I have the ability."

He loaded what he was cooking onto a plate, before moving the order to where Calmin could pass it off to the waiter. On the way back to the group, he reached into a disguised cabinet, pulling out a thin box.

"This might be of some help," he declared, placing the box on the table and removing the lid. Inside were a set of papers covered in neat marks. Marks that…

"A map of the waterways?" Fion asked curiously. "Hand drawn too."

"Indeed," Hammond replied. "Julia and her friend took notes when they went on their adventures down there. But of course, their parents wouldn't be too pleased with them gallivanting about like that, so I kept these here at first, before they no longer needed them."

"I see…" Emmet mused, "so there is an access door down by the river. Should be pretty out of sight, but we'll have to be a bit careful."

"The door's gotta be locked, right?" Fion pointed out. "Do you have the key?"

"There is a key in the box," Hammond replied, "but it has been a long time since the two ladies went down there, so it is possible that the doors or locks have been changed."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Emmet declared. "Are we ready to go, then?"

Irene and Fion nodded, their resolve steadying as a clear path of action revealed itself.

"Best stay out of sight as long as you can," Hammond suggested. "Take the service door out into the alley, and you should probably avoid going back to your hotel, there's sure to be soldiers poking around there."

The door to the kitchen opened and Calmin's voice came through the doorway. "Hey boss! Some soldiers just came in and want to ask some questions!"

Hammond frowned, before nodding to the students. "That's your cue then." He turned, standing between them and the service door to block line of sight. "I'm coming, Calmin. What are they asking about?"

The chef exited the kitchen, closing the door behind him, after which the three students slunk out the side door, taking the maps and the old key with them.

Irene considered herself quite light on her feet, but she didn't have that much experience sneaking about, but her classmates certainly seemed to.

Fion and Emmet moved almost silently through the alley until they walked back out onto the street, and while Irene felt her nerves winding her body into tense knots, the other two strolled down the road towards the river as if they were on a leisurely walk.

It made sense, as it would be very difficult to avoid being seen entirely when it was midday, but that didn't make it any less nerve wracking.

Fortunately, no one stopped them, not even the few soldiers on patrol through the city, and after a few tense minutes, they ducked down to the river pathway and out of sight of most of the city.

Following the map, they made their way to an access door, Fion discretely keeping an eye on their surroundings, while Irene slowed her breath, both to calm herself and to better reach out with her senses, finding no one else in the vicinity.

Emmet glanced between the lock on the door and the old key, before shaking his head. "Not the right key."

"So what do we do?" Irene asked, keeping her voice low.

"Breach?" Fion suggested, though he didn't seem to like the idea.

"Too loud," Emmet dismissed, crouching down so he was eye level with the lock. "Let me try something."

He placed his hand over it, whispering something under his breath. "Resera."

Irene felt something strange wash over her senses, and she shared a perplexed glance with Fion, their confusion only growing as they heard a click of a lock turning.

Emmet stood up, rapping his knuckles lightly on the door, before whispering something else. "Mellon."

The door swung open silently on its own as the purple haired man stepped out of the way, and his classmates could only stare at him in bewilderment.

"What…was that?" Fion asked cautiously.

"Just a little magic trick," Emmet shrugged, as if he had not just inexplicably unlocked a door by talking to it.

"I…" Irene stopped herself. She was curious about just what exactly Emmet had done, but that could wait. "Never mind, we need to move."

Her classmates nodded, though Fion gave Emmet a look that suggested his curiosity was far from sated.

The three of them entered the waterways, and Irene had to suppress a gag at the smell. It was probably not as bad as it could have been, but the rank air still was not particularly pleasant.

The door swung shut quietly behind them and Emmet locked it to cover their tracks, while Fion slunk ahead a short ways, glancing along the pathways. "Looks like we got plenty of dromes," he announced. "Kinda expected, but they'll be a pain to deal with without arts."

"I would wager they would be rather resistant to water and fire, if not outright immune," Emmet added. "Which will not be a major problem, as I have lightning."

Irene closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses. This place was old, but still in good shape, and yet, there were monsters all over the place. "It seems we will have to fight our way through a lot of them," she sighed.

"Didn't expect it would be easy," Emmet snorted, checking the map. "Looks like we'll have to open that gate somehow, there should be a mechanism somewhere."

"Dunno why they even have those," Fion grunted. "But I think I see it." He pointed at what looked like a set of chains on a crank wheel in the distance.

"Then we know where to go," Irene said, drawing her weapons and moving forward.

While the monsters were numerous, they proved unable to hinder them much, especially since Emmet was throwing wind arts out left and right, blasting apart the slow dromes before they could act, leaving the less resistant enemies for Fion and Irene to cut apart.

"Might wanna cool it with those," Fion suggested. "Otherwise you'll run out of charge too fast."

"I'll be fine," Emmet waved off, "and time is of the essence."

Irene wasn't sure if he was being sincere, but he wasn't showing any signs of strain, so they pressed on, opening the gate using the mechanism, and following the map in what they hoped was the direction of the gatehouse.

Being underground, it was rather hard for Irene to keep her directions straight, but Emmet seemed to have no problem, even though he was looking at the map half the time.

As they came to a fork in the path, they paused–

"Someone's coming!" Fion hissed.

The three of them tensed, readying their weapons as someone slid down a ladder–

"Oh, fancy seeing you here," Julia greeted drily as she turned to face them, running one hand down her dress to smooth it out–

"Wait, what are you wearing?!" Irene exclaimed.

AN. Well, it turns out editing 7k words takes a lot less time than editing 14k words. I should have known this, but apparently it didn't register. Anyways, things have gone fairly similar to the original game, except Toval is going to have a bit of a rough day when Sara realizes he lost track of the students. Also...I think this chapter has the first sign of Emmet's dere side...so there's that.