Did you know that it has nearly been half a year since the last chapter with Laura in it? Me neither! Rean and the others might not be there quite yet, but let's see what she has been up to in the past month.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Laura couldn't help but let out a groan from her seat behind her fathers desk as she glanced upon the handful of documents waiting for her. With all the chaos that marked the beginning of their troubles she could not possibly imagine that the last month would end up being so... mundane. And yet that was exactly what had happened.

Even though Klaus had the complete trust of both her and her father to run their territory, both she and the butler were in agreement that it would be for the best if an Arseid were in control of matters, at least until the chaos and uncertainty of the war eased up a bit. And as there had still been no word from her father (something which still concerned her despite knowing just how skilled he was), that meant that such a responsibility naturally fell onto her shoulders.

A task which was proving far more daunting than she had expected. Although she had received some training in running the Arseid Viscounty, it wasn't enough by far. Especially with the war making everything so difficult for everyone. Even though no battles had occurred around Legram, the small town's position so far away from the center of Erebonia meant it was suffering a lot from the near total shutdown of the railroad networks. Each day new issues arose which she struggled to find answers for.

One of which was the eternal fog that was now blanketing the town. Although living on Lake Ebel meant fog wasn't an uncommon occurrence, the fact that it had yet to cease since it began shortly after their arrival was alarming. And although it was hard to tell, she had her suspicions that the mist had only been growing thicker and thicker.

Fortunately she had allies who were invaluable. Beyond Klaus who worked diligently as her right-hand man when he wasn't running the Arseid school, she also found herself relying upon both Jusis and Emma. The former was far more knowledgeable in matters of statecraft, while the latter constantly proved her top score on the exams was no fluke. With their assistance she was able to keep everything operating as smoothly as possible. Legram wasn't in trouble... for now.

When she wasn't assisting her, Emma would often busy herself around the mansion and town as much as possible. Laura wasn't sure if that was merely out of an earnest desire to assist others or a need to keep her mind from focusing on other matters. It certainly wasn't as if the swordmaiden was in any position to judge...

Outside of that, Emma would often leave town on her own for long stretches of time. When questioned she remained vague, only stating that the mana in the region was behaving strangely and that she was trying to investigate it as much as possible. It wasn't something Laura understood well, but unusual behavior wasn't particularly alien in Legram. One just needed to look to the great castle across the lake for proof of that. And with those mysterious magical skills Emma seemed to possess she was more than capable of taking care of herself against the local wildlife, despite the increasing danger reported by travelers thanks to the mist and monsters.

While their class president was as enigmatic as ever, she wasn't the one that Laura was truly concerned about. That fear lay with Jusis. The son of house Albarea had wasted little time after their arrival in working to establish communications with people he trusted in Bareahard.

It wasn't as if his efforts had been bad. Far from it, in fact. His fledgling information network had been crucial in assisting in her decision making. Finding the best ways to operate while avoiding the Duke's eye, avoiding any mishaps with the Kreuzen Provincial Army, and ensuring that at least some trade continued between the regional capital and lakeside town. It was thanks to Jusis that all of these things happened.

The problem was that it was clearly taking a toll on the young noble. Although he didn't often share the contents of the missives he received from home, it didn't take a genius to tell that he didn't enjoy the news provided. Day by day his mood was darkening and his obsession with Bareahard and his father grew.

It wasn't as if she couldn't understand his pain. To know that ones own family could be responsible for such cruelty and violence... Aidios had blessed her with a righteous father.

Both she and Emma had tried to confront him about it, but all their efforts had proven fruitless thus far. Once again her own weakness was making itself known. It was especially frustrating as she was sure that had Rean been there he would have known exactly what to say to pull their friend from his funk.

Rean...

The young woman let out another sigh as she put the document back down. With her mind wandering like this there was little chance of her being productive in her work. Even if she knew just how unproductive it is to worry about things outside of ones control, knowing it and being able to avoid doing it were two different matters entirely. Grabbing her greatsword the Arseid left her manor and began heading towards the training hall. The familiar calmness of swinging her blade around was always a good solution for a troubled mind.

And why wouldn't it be troubled? An entire month had passed and there had yet to be even a single rumor to let her know that her missing boyfriend was still alive. The presence of his giant gray knight should have made finding him a simple affair, and yet...

At least she still had Emma's constant assurances that he was probably alright, as her connection with Celine remained unchanged. But not even the young witch could remain fully optimistic as the inexorable march of time continued without any news.

As she entered the training school she passed by Casper and greeted her friend, which the distracted boy only half-heartedly returned. While Jusis's behavior was her greatest concern, she couldn't help but be worried about her other friends from Thors. Her fellow swim club member's fears for his family had been increasing by the day and the absolute lack of information reaching Legram was only souring his mood further.

While she could understand his desire to make sure they were alright, she was greatly concerned that he would do something rash and head out to western Erebonia on his own, despite it still supposedly being an active battlefield. At least for now things were alright as the boy had volunteered to assist at the training school to keep his mind and body occupied. Perhaps it wasn't the healthiest ways to cope, but there were worse ways to act.

Such as what Vivi was doing. Although she didn't know the girl that well, she had heard plenty of stories from Fie and Rean to know that the girl spending her days praying at church was not the prankster that both were secretly quite fond of. But without information about Linde there was little they could do for her. At least Father Hamilton's unique brand of humor had been able to keep Vivi from completely falling into depression and she often found herself helping out at the church.

But while she was concerned about most of her friends and the situation they were in, she also felt a lot of pride, especially as she entered the training hall and witnessed the students in action. Only Gaveli and Fritz were currently there as they trained under the watchful eye of Klaus. The Arseid students had especially stepped up during this crisis and she was sure that both Datt and Ares were currently on patrol outside the city, doing whatever they could to keep monsters away from the roads. With the rails down that task was even more important than usual. And it was a task that the group had accepted without complaint, despite the fact that the local monsters had been growing more and more aggressive and dangerous since the war began.

Klaus spared her a simple nod upon her arrival before refocusing his attention on the students. Of course she didn't mind the easy dismissal as his current job was more important than her foul mood. Often she would assist in the training of the students, even subbing in for Klaus when he was needed elsewhere, but today she was here for herself.

Finding an open area the blue-haired swordswoman took her stance. To warm herself up she began by going through each of her techniques. It was something of a ritual to her as it was something her father had instructed her to do since the moment she started learning the way of the blade. At first she began with slow and deliberate actions, but after a couple repetitions she began to speed up, using the mock moves as if she were in a real battle.

Lately, her mind had been making up for her lack of real opponents by conjuring an enemy for her to fight. The one she crafted for herself this time was one of the most frequent ones: A nimble foe who made up for their lack of size by utilizing inhuman agility, a cunning mind willing to exploit any opening, and the ability to alternate between melee and ranged combat almost instantly.

Not wanting to allow her speedy opponent to dictate the tempo of battle Laura opened the battle by unleashing a lunging slash upon her shadow foe. She wasn't at all surprised when the move was evaded, but her follow-up swing was enough to deter the enemy from exploiting any openings. She was relentless and despite the superior speed of her opponent was able to keep it close even as they tried to put distance between them.

Her pursuit was put on hold as she heard a familiar clang from an object hitting the ground. Knowing exactly what it was she managed to reign in her natural instinct of looking down at it, instead closing her eyes and looking away. Thus she was able to avoid the worst of the grenade's effects, although there wasn't anything she could do about the loud bang that was now ringing in her ears.

Even with the disorienting effects of the flashbang hindering her ability to think her body moved on its own volition as she used her blade to block the immediate counterattack she sensed was coming. Her opportunistic opponent was undeterred, however, and continued to rain down blow after blow, trying to overwhelm her guard with a flurry of strikes, but Laura held firm.

Seeing the failure of the attacks, the shadow decided to retreat to a safe distance to bombard her with bullets, but the Arseid practitioner, having anticipated such a move, was already swinging her blade at the ground, creating a shockwave that followed her opponent's flight. Even if the impact did little damage, it was enough to knock her foe off their feet.

Before it could recover Laura was upon it, blade poised to finish the battle. Even if it wasn't a formal duel the shadowy opponent seemed to acknowledge it's defeat as it made no further move, instead simply fading out of her mind.

Laura sighed as her current reality returned to her. The spar, although it had been a solid workout, had been a very unfulfilling experience for her.

Obviously the opponent she had created for herself was Fie, but the Fie she fought was not the real Fie. Instead it was merely Fie acting as Laura thought she would act. It was a predictable imitation of the least predictable person she knew.

And that wasn't the only one she struggled with, either. Her mind's creation of Rean was much the same way. As a fellow practitioner of the sword she had some understanding of how his Eight Leaves style worked, but as the Arseid style of greatsword combat focused entirely on a single form his ability to shift through the different stances when needed was entirely alien to her.

"I am certain that you will see them soon, Lady Laura."

"Huh?" She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she failed to notice what was going on around her. Hurriedly she sought to rectify that mistake, determining that the speaker had been Klaus. The two of them were alone and she could only assume that the day's training had ended while she had been so focused on her thoughts.

"Your friends and father. I assume they to be the cause of your current consternation?"

She couldn't help but smile wryly. It was no surprise that Klaus would be able to see right through her. The Butler had been one of her closest companions since she was but a small child. "You are right. I have complete faith in all of them and know just how important my work here is, but..."

"None of that is enough to assuage your worries, is it?" The wizened man finished for her. "The hardest battle for a warrior is the battle that they are unable to fight in."

There was no denying his words, especially as she was living through it herself. She knew just how dangerous the areas her friends had gone to, while she was safely at home enjoying a relatively normal life. It was extremely vexing. "What should I do?"

"Draw your blade." The butler ordered, surprising her. "Although you may not be able to assist them now, I am certain that that chance will soon arrive. And if you intend on assisting them in carving a path through the uncertainty and chaos gripping this land you will need to be at your best. So again – Draw your blade."

"Understood!" She did as instructed.

"These bones may be old, but in lieu of your father they will have to suffice."

She couldn't help but give a rather unladylike snort at that. "I doubt your age will prove an issue." Klaus was easily the second most powerful individual living in Legram, only behind her father. Even going all out she knew she was still not at his level, but that wouldn't stop her from trying regardless.

"Very well." He nodded, seemingly pleased with her resolve. "Think of me as nothing but a barrier to overcome on your path to mastery. Let us begin."

Even though her body was barely responding and the only thing she could feel was pain she couldn't help but be in a good mood as she slowly made her way back to the manor that evening. She could easily imagine Machias or Alisa shaking their heads at her current state and calling her strange, but she had long since accepted that part of her.

She enjoyed fighting. That was all there was to it.

Perhaps that made her unusual, but even so that no longer bothered her. She had met others who understood and shared in her drive, so no longer did she feel that there was something wrong with her not being 'normal'.

That wasn't to say that she didn't want to improve in other areas, of course. At the very least she still wanted to become more understanding of traditional ladylike interests. Cooking, especially, was something that she sorely wanted to improve at. Although her current responsibilities didn't allow her much free time to pursue that objective, the swordmistress did what she could.

She was certain that with a little more experience she could become a great cook. Or at the very least superior to Fie. Getting Rean to enjoy her food over that of her best friend would be one of her greatest victories.

Since there were still a few minutes before dinner, Laura excused herself so that she could wash up and change out of her sweaty clothes. Once finished she returned to the dining hall to find Emma and Jusis already waiting for her as the food was being served. Although their other friends from Thors had been invited it didn't appear that they had chosen to join them that evening.

While they were eating the three discussed their daily activities. It was Emma who went first as she detailed the investigations she had done. "...Although I don't yet fully understand why, I am now certain that the higher elements are now active all across the region."

"Are you certain?!" Rationally she knew that questioning Emma was pointless as the bespectacled president was far more knowledgeable in these matters, but the news was so surprising that she asked it out of reflex."

"I'm sure of it." She confirmed without hesitation. "I spotted fiends that you wouldn't normally find in this world roaming about in the wilderness. It would also explain why the other monsters are behaving so aggressively. "

Laura hummed in thought. While that certainly was bad news, she wasn't sure what could be done about it. "What would you recommend?"

"For now? There's not much we can do. We just need to be careful in case something happens in the town. Although we can't expect much in the way of advance warning, there's the possibility that the local ecosystem might start to change if it gets worse."

"Hm. Alright." She made a mental note to inform the patrolling students to be more mindful when they exit town lest they find themselves caught in a dangerous predicament. Perhaps she should also check with Bem - who spent most of his days fishing by the docks – if he noticed anything unusual with the fishing.

"This irregularity..." Jusis spoke for the first time since sitting down. "...Do you believe that it has reached as far as Bareahard?"

Emma closed her eyes in thought. "Honestly? My current hypothesis is that this shifting mana is somehow connected to the ongoing war. If that's the case... I wouldn't be surprised if the entire country is affected right now, although perhaps not to the same extent as it is here thanks to all the ancient ruins in the area."

"I see..." He muttered so quietly that they could barely hear him.

"Jusis?"

The blonde noble was silent for a moment. "It... is nothing. Just thinking about a message I received from home today."

Laura shared a glance with Emma, seeing her confusion just as plainly as she herself felt. "Is it something important?"

Once again Jusis hesitated. But after a mental deliberation he perked up, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "It is. I now know what I need to do. And I promise to tell you both tomorrow."

The way Jusis smiled genuinely for the first time in at least a week should have been reassuring, but for some reason Laura couldn't help but feel that there was something very dishonest about that smile and she wondered what the contents of that message were.

The next morning she was once again hard at work in her father's study. How her father managed to run the territory, work with the Imperial Army, raise a daughter by himself, and manage to run the Arseid school she would never understand, although she strongly suspected that Klaus was an invaluable asset in pulling it off. Still, she was her father's daughter and would do whatever was needed to keep things running in his absence. With grim determination she once again dove back into her work, ready to give it everything she had.

"Laura! We have a problem!" Or at least she would have had Emma not suddenly barged into the office unannounced with a panicked look on her face.

"What happened?" Mentally she braced herself. Anything that could cause her dear friend to look so worried had to be extremely bad news.

And it was. "Jusis is gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean!?"

"I was planning on leaving the town again, but as I passed the station someone asked me why Jusis got on the morning train to Bareahard. I thought they were mistaken, so I went back to check on his room. The only thing there was this." In her hand was a note.

"Damn..." She muttered harshly. She had suspected something was unusual with him, but once again failed to act in time. And given how few trains were currently in service the odds of them being able to catch up were slim at best. "Can I see it?" After getting the letter from Emma she began to read it with great trepidation.

My apologies,

The two of you deserve to hear this in person, but I also realize that had I done so you would have tried to stop me. So instead I am informing you via letter. As you have doubtlessly surmised, I have decided to return to Bareahard.

This action might be rash, but I can no longer accept what my father is doing. Even if the odds of my ability to affect meaningful change are slim, I must try anyways. If nothing else I believe my presence will at least be helpful to the citizens of the city.

Although nearly all of the messages I have received from home have detailed the unforgivable actions of my father, the one I received yesterday was of a more personal nature and as such I cannot sit idly by anymore. Just days ago my father ordered jaegers to attack Ymir in an effort to capture Princess Alfin who had been hiding out there.

I do not know the full details of what transpired there, as the jaegers sent supposedly had no recollection of what happened, but I do know that Princess Alfin – along with another girl that I surmise can only be Elise Schwarzer – are now in the custody of the Noble Alliance. There are also rumors that Baron Schwarzer was badly injured during the altercation.

Needless to say, the mere notion that my father has inflicted harm upon the family of one of my closest friends is more than I can bear to handle. So even if there is little I can do to actually stop him, I am obligated to at least try. I owe Rean that much.

I understand that the two of you will no doubt disapprove of my decision, and may even be thinking about pursuing me to Bareahard despite the innate dangers that presents. I know that words, especially those conveyed through a letter, will not be enough to dissuade you. Instead I leave you with one other piece of news I received:

A few days ago the Kreuzen Provincial Army launched a major offensive on Garrelia Fortress from two directions in an attempt at eliminating the 4th Armored Division for good. The attack was an abject failure. According to the commander of the assault, the flanking maneuver failed when they stumbled across a group of civilians before being attacked by a mysterious Ashen Knight so powerful that it single-handily held them off until reinforcements arrived and drove them off.

I am sure the implications of this are as apparent to you as they are to me. Rean is on the move, and after suffering the misfortune of encountering Regnitz will assuredly be seeking out the rest of us. I have little doubt that in time he will arrive at Legram, and the two of you need to be there when he arrives.

It would be for the best if you simply forget about me for now. Rest assured that no harm will befall me at Bareahard. Not even my father is that foolish. With any luck I will be able to meet with my brother and work to find a solution to this crisis that grips Erebonia.

Respectfully,

Jusis Albarea

Laura stared at the letter in disbelief despite having read through it twice. "That stupid jerk!" Normally she would not say such things, especially when talking about a friend, but she couldn't help herself. Jusis's actions, while understandable, were incredibly selfish and short-sighted and left her feeling incredibly vexed.

"What should we do?"

A part of Laura wanted to set off and drag their errant friend back, no matter the consequences. She was always fond of the most direct approach, after all. But the contents of his message were enough to pause her inner rage. The attack on Ymir, and most importantly... "Do you think he's right? Could that be Rean fighting the Noble Alliance?"

"...I suspect it is." Emma answered at last. "The machine he described can only be Valimar, and Rean was the only one chosen to be an Awakener..." She trailed off as she tilted her head thoughtfully, before eyes widened in realization. "That's it! Rean might be the Awakener for Valimar, but we were all present at the trial! If the stories Grandmother told me are true, it's possible that Valimar sees the rest of us as sub-contractors. If so than that means he would be able to track our locations, even across all of Erebonia. That would explain why he was at Garrelia Fortress."

There was still so much she didn't understand about the situation, but the implications were clear. "...He was looking for Fie and the others."

"Yes! So Jusis is probably right. Rean must know that we're here and with Valimar having access to the spirit paths he should be able to move about relatively freely." Another term that she would have to ask about later.

On one hand it bothered Laura a great deal that Jusis had revealed that news in a way to keep them from dragging him back to Legram. He clearly knew what he had been doing when he withheld that information from them yesterday and such deception did not sit well with her.

But that annoyance was easily offset by the news that Rean and the others were probably alright. Perhaps their long wait was soon to reach an end? Either way she would need to redouble her training efforts so she could be of use to her friends when the time came.

Seeing that Emma was still waiting for her to respond, Laura made her decision. "As much as I disagree with his course of action, he is correct in that there's nothing we can do about it. For now, that is." If he really thought he could elude Class VII for long he was sadly mistaken. "Right now we should continue as we have been, but we must be prepared in case the others do show up."

Although a part of her was worried about leaving Legram behind, she knew that the situation, while not ideal, was mostly stable. Right now the best thing that she could do for her hometown was to do whatever she could to end the war as soon as possible. Until her father returned she knew that Klaus could handle the rest.

"Right." Her friend agreed. "In that case, I'll focus my search on trying to find the source of the irregularities in this area." Emma seemed to notice the look of confusion on her face and answered the question before she could ask it. "As I mentioned last night, the problem is likely present in all of Erebonia, but the effect is heightened here thanks to all the ancient ruins. There's a very high likelihood that one of them is at least partly responsible for the mana irregularities. If we can somehow calm that down it should at least alleviate the situation somewhat. Enough so that the region won't get any worse, at least."

It was all still so confusing to Laura, but she understood the gist of it. What Emma was doing was to protect the people of Legram and thus she had her full blessing. "If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know."

The staff-user nodded her head. "I'm sure I will, especially if my hunch as to where the source is ends up being correct."

Laura didn't need to have knowledge of the occult to draw the same conclusion Emma did. Although there were many ancient ruins in the area, one in particular towered above everything else, dominating the landscape. And it was only a few months prior when Class VII had to head there to deal with fiends and other ancient evils. "Lohengrin Castle..."

"Yes. That does seems to be the most likely conclusion. But hopefully it doesn't come to that." With their conversation at a close the young witch made her exit.

With Emma gone Laura returned to her work, but she couldn't quite keep a smile off her face. Despite the temporary loss of Jusis and possible threat to Legram, the thought of possibly having her long awaited reunion with her friends left her positively giddy with excitement. Rean and Fie especially.

She didn't realize just how dear they had become to her until they were no longer there, but there was no doubt in her mind that they had become the source of her strength. The desire to grow alongside them. The need to protect them. She vowed then and there that as soon as they were reunited she would hold them in her arms and never let them go again.

But while that day might not be far off, it wasn't there yet. Until the day she could be reunited with those dear to her she would simply continue on her current path as the protector of Legram. With renewed enthusiasm she threw herself back into her work.

But one stray thought infiltrated her mind. Rean met up with Fie first. That part didn't bother her since Fie was clearly in greater danger. No, the thing that bothered her was the thought of Fie having a chance to be alone with him. That girl knew an opportunity when it presented itself. The thought that she was falling behind was a disconcerting one and she would need to step up her game when the time came...

I had a stray thought yesterday while watching the trailer to the upcoming Cold Steel anime: What happens in that anime is actually gonna be super relevant to this story. We are progressing quite steadily through CS2 (especially since I suspect Act 2 will move a lot faster), so it won't be much longer until we reach the missing year. And that has been something I have been very excited for, especially with changes that I have planned...

So I am both super excited and quite nervous for the anime! Hopefully you are too!