"So just to clarify…" Morgan looked over the details she jotted down. "You want us to find a bear claw and some Imperial carrots, which can be found at the Grand Market and a farmhouse on the West Celdic Highway, respectively."

"Yes, that should be it." Father Zirbel, a middle-aged man wearing a purple habit, confirmed the information.

"We'll try to be back as soon as we can," Rean assured the clergyman. "On that note, we'll be off then, Father."

After bidding Father Zirbel goodbye for the time being, Group A left the chapel.

"Which of our two destinations should we make our way to first?" Laura asked once they were all outside.

"We could go to the orbal factory now," Alisa suggested. "It's on the way to the Grand Market, anyways. We can go over the details for the light replacement request, then stop by the Grand Market to pick up the bear claw."

"That's a good idea," Morgan followed up in response. "Both the second ingredient and the orbal lamp are in the West Celdic Highway, so we can do both at once! Two birds with one stone!"

With that, Group A walked a short distance over to the orbal factory to get filled in on the request. Samus, the employee who issued the request, explained that an orbment light for a road lamp near Lunaria Nature Park on the west highway stopped functioning and it was Group A's job to switch the broken light for a new one. There were two additional things Samus emphasized. First, removing the lamp required inputting a special numerical code, which Samus provided to them right then and there. Second, because the main function of the road lamp is to ward off monsters, there could be a chance that monsters could get the jump on the students while they were repairing the lamp; should that happen, they would just have to repel the monsters. With a new orbment light in tow, the students left the orbment factory and hung a left to arrive at the Grand Market.

"I know I said this before…" Rean said. "But I'm amazed at how many people are here."

"It really is bustling," Alisa agreed. "I guess there's a reason people come from all over to visit it!"

"There's even someone over there performing." Gaius pointed to a person playing a fiddle in a little rest area at the far side of the market with tables, chairs, and some shade. "I'm sure Elliot would have loved to see this."

"He's definitely the kind of guy who would spend hours here just to listen to a live performance," Morgan remarked.

"We should certainly take the opportunity to explore the Grand Market in full after we finish our tasks," Laura suggested. "This is Celdic's foremost attraction, after all; it would be a waste if we didn't partake in it as well."

"Then let's focus all our efforts to completing our tasks first," Gaius urged.

After a bit of walking around and examining some of the stalls, the students came across the apothecary that Father Zirbel said would give them the first ingredient they needed. The old man who ran the stall understood their request and handed them a bear claw, which wasn't an actual claw but rather a thorny medicinal herb that resembled one. They thanked the man and left the Grand Market for the time being to go to the highway. Before they could step out, however, they were stopped momentarily by a group of three soldiers from the Kreuzen provincial army, which meant that they were in the service of the Albareas, Jusis's family. The soldiers intimidated the students a little bit, but after explaining that they needed to go out onto the highway to pick up some ingredients and repair a broken road lamp, the soldiers eventually let them pass. The encounter reminded Group A to be cautious of their activities around them.

The West Celdic Highway was divided up into two sections. The first section closest to Celdic was relatively peaceful so the students were able to take in their environment. Upon entering the second portion, however, they began to encounter some monsters. Fortunately, these monsters were tame enough to mind their own business unless the students purposefully engaged them, but with how many more creatures there were in comparison to the previous section of the highway, the group agreed that they should repair the road lamp as soon as possible.

Eventually, they found the lamp by a windmill in front of Lunaria Nature Park, just as Samus said it would be located. Alisa volunteered to do the honors of repairing the lamp, which made sense considering she was the only member of the group who used a long-ranged weapon and as such was used to staying behind the others. While Alisa worked on the lamp, Rean, Morgan, Laura, and Gaius huddled around her to prevent any monsters from getting near her. Thanks to the combined strength of four physical fighters as well as the ARCUS combat links, any monsters that approached them were repelled with ease. Finally, Alisa closed the repair door shut and the road lamp began glowing, signifying that she succeeded in repairing it. The last of the straggling monsters began to retreat upon seeing the light.

"Looks like things have calmed down," noted Rean. He sheathed his sword and turned to Alisa. "Nice work, Alisa. You got that done in record time!"

"Yes. I was expecting the process to take much longer." Laura put her sword away.

"W-well, it was a pretty simple procedure…" Alisa blushingly insisted. "Besides, Samus said that it was easy enough to be done by anyone, and he wasn't kidding."

"I've only ever seen one other person fix an orbal light that quickly, so I'm quite certain that procedures aren't all to it," Gaius commented. "You should feel accomplished."

"We all should feel accomplished," Morgan corrected. "We've basically just completed our first field study task! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling pumped!"

"I guess when you put it that way, how can I not feel a little bit proud of myself?" Alisa put the broken orbment light in her skirt pocket. "Well, that's a wrap at least. Let's head back to Celdic."

"We should also try to find the farmhouse where we can get the ingredients for Father Zirbel," Rean reminded everyone.

Fortunately for the students, said farmhouse happened to be situated near the newly-repaired orbal lamp (it also helped that it was the only farmhouse they had encountered thus far). They talked to Paul, the farmer living in the house, who gave them the Imperial carrots Father Zirbel asked for. With the second ingredient secured, Group A trekked all the way back to Celdic, where they split temporarily into two groups to deliver both reports at once. Alisa and Laura left to report to Samus at the orbal factory while Rean, Morgan, and Gaius entered the chapel to give the ingredients to Father Zirbel. The clergyman was delighted to see that the students returned safe and sound and rewarded them with some healing balms and salves in exchange for the ingredients. After bidding the father farewell, the three students exited the chapel and met up with their other two classmates, having just finished the request on their end. Together, they returned to Weathercock Inn briefly to drop off the loot they gained from completing their tasks (and, in Morgan's case, empty her pouches of the sepith she had collected from defeating monsters) before heading to the other side of town to fulfill the monster extermination request.

The East Celdic Highway was home to several more monsters compared to West Celdic Highway, so Group A had to tread their ground more carefully. Upon finding the farmhouse owned by Syro, the person who issued the request, the students were given a description of the monster as well as its general location. With the information in mind, they continued travelling along the highway until they found a blue dinosaur with a purple dorsal fin along its back.

"That appears to be the monster we're looking for," Gaius said once they spotted it.

"It does match the description the man gave us," Laura confirmed.

"It looks pretty tough," Alisa noted. "What should we do?"

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Rean rested his hand on the hilt of his tachi. "We have to kill it. It's causing problems for the farmers."

"Double check your equipment, guys," Morgan told her classmates. "We need to be prepared for whatever this thing might throw at us. We'll go once I give the signal, just like how we rehearsed it."

After one final equipment check, Group A got into formation, with Rean, Laura, and Gaius in the front and Morgan and Alisa in the back. Morgan started preparing an orbal art as the other students formed two pairs of ARCUS links amongst each other, with one link between Rean and Laura and another between Gaius and Alisa. Several moments later, Morgan completed her art. "Aqua Bleed!" As an orb of water launched towards the blue dinosaur, Alisa fired an arrow from her orbal bow while the remaining three front-line attackers rushed forward to engage the enemy.

"Behold, my most powerful strike!" The space around Laura's sword began to glow as a saintly light enveloped the blade. "Radiant Blade Dance!" As she announced her attack, Laura charged towards the dinosaur and before it could react, she delivered two slashes followed by a full-round swing. The succession of attacks was as quick as it was powerful, and the monster collapsed soon after.

Morgan walked over carefully to confirm that the monster was indeed dead. "Guess that's a wrap." She smirked. "For a scary dinosaur, it really wasn't all that scary. If anything…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Laura.

Laura returned the stare. "If anything…?"

'If anything, you're the scary one' was what Morgan was tempted to say, but in the end she abstained her comment. "Nothing."

Rean sheathed his sword. "As expected of the Arseid school; it's even more impressive in person than I'd imagined."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I still have a long way to go before I'm fully proficient in this technique." Laura modestly brushed off the words of praise as she restrapped her sword to the side of her waist.

"If that's what you consider 'a long way to go', then I'm not sure I can picture what mastery looks like," Gaius commented.

"Not to mention, it would have been tougher if not for the power of our combat links." Alisa put away her orbal bow and looked down with a relenting expression. "I hate to admit it, but ARCUS does seem to have a lot of potential."

Gaius turned to her, confused. "You 'hate to admit it'? How come?"

Alisa waved her hand furiously. "N-never mind that!"

It was for a brief moment, but Rean and Morgan locked eyes with one another.

"Anyways," Alisa continued, "We should go tell the people at the farm that we took care of the monster they reported."

As the students left, Morgan caught Laura staring in her and Rean's direction. Rean confronted his fellow sword wielder. "Is something wrong, Laura?"

"No…" Laura closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's go."

After informing Syro that the monster had been defeated and obtaining some fresh produce as a reward, Group A made their way back to Celdic.

"So, what do you guys want to do once we get back?" Rean asked everyone.

"I want to eat," Morgan bluntly replied. As if on cue, her stomach made a gurgling noise.

"Agreed." Alisa looked like she was about ready to keel over. "We even technically skipped lunch. How are the rest of you still walking?"

"Personally, I'm no stranger to physical labor," Gaius replied. "I've done my fair share of running around fulfilling errands back in my homeland."

"This is nothing but the results of years of training." Morgan could detect a hint of pride in Laura's voice as she spoke. "With enough diligence, your stamina will naturally increase."

"I'm pretty much the same," the other sword wielder said. "Though by this point, I'm pretty tired out myself." He then caught Laura giving him the same stare that she showed back when they defeated the monster. "What's up, Laura?"

"Nothing." She gave him the same answer as before. "I do believe a well-earned break is in order; we spent the majority of our morning and afternoon working, after all. Perhaps we can take this time to browse the Grand Market?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Rean held up the produce they had received. "We'll drop these off at the inn, and then we'll go check out the Grand Market. Does that sound good to everyone?"

The other students voiced their agreement and together Group A picked up the pace. Once they arrived back at Weathercock Inn, they were treated to the sight of Sara passed out at the bar counter.

"Why am I surprised and yet not surprised at the same time?" Alisa couldn't help but give herself a facepalm.

Margot, who was handing another customer a drink, noticed the group of students who just entered the building. "Oh, you're back! Are you kids all finished with your tasks?"

"Technically, we still have to write our reports, but other than that we're pretty much done, so we're going to check out the Grand Market." Rean peered over at their instructor's sleeping face. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Don't you worry about her," the inn owner assured him. "Leave handling the drunken adults to us. Go out there and enjoy yourselves, but be sure not to eat too much or else you won't have a stomach for dinner tonight!"

"Speaking of dinner, are we eating here tonight or do we have to find some ourselves?" Morgan couldn't help but ask.

"You're all going to be staying the evening, so naturally you're going to be eating here, too!" Margot replied. "In fact, tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast have already been paid for by the academy, so just make sure you all show up!"

"That's rather convenient," Gaius remarked. "It seems we have one less thing to worry about."

After thanking Margot for her hospitality and entrusting their sleeping instructor's safety in her hands, Group A excused themselves to go to their rooms and drop off their reward and their weapons before leaving to go to the Grand Market for the second time that day. Rean immediately went to look at one of the ceramics stalls with Gaius following suit, leaving the three females by themselves.

"I guess the three of us are sticking together." Alisa looked at the collection of stalls gathered in the market. "So which one do you think we should go to first? The lace at that stall has a really pretty design."

"I think I know which one I'm going to." Morgan was staring ahead, eyeing one of the booths on the far right.

"Oh? Which one has caught your eye?" Laura asked.

Rather than point out which one she wanted to visit, Morgan beckoned the two of them to follow her as she made a beeline to her desired destination. Upon arriving, the lady at the vendor smiled at the teens. "Welcome! We've got fresh ham, smoked meat, and sausages here, ready for you to try and then buy!"

Morgan's mouth started watering as she scanned the array of meats on display. "Oooh, yes…"

"Should've expected that you'd go for the meats…" Alisa quipped.

"Hey! Protein's good for you!" Morgan fired back.

"Oh, a party of three?" the vendor inquired. "That's perfect! If you're looking for a full course to take home, then we've got it right here! We'll even throw in a pack of beer, but only if you buy it now!"

"That sounds like something our instructor would love," Laura commented.

"No kidding." Alisa thought of their instructor, passed out at the bar counter. "I can see her spending all her money here. Let's keep quiet about it."

"We've also got some exotic venison here, too. Deer, rabbit, even bear-"

"BEAR?!" Morgan was suddenly shouting. "DID YOU JUST SAY BEAR?!"

"That I did! Fresh bear jerky! Well, about as fresh as jerky gets, anyways. It's a bit on the pricey side and somewhat of an acquired taste, but the look on your face is telling me you're willing to eat it regardless!" Morgan was furiously nodding her head like a rabid dog. "A stick costs 500!"

"Wha-five hundred mira for a stick of meat?" Alisa almost couldn't believe it. "Morgan, that's a bit-"

"Sold!" Morgan thrust double the amount at the vendor. "I'll take two please!"

The lady laughed as she took the mira. "You're a feisty carnivore, aren't you? I like that!" After setting aside the money, she grabbed two pieces of bear jerky. "Here you go! Enjoy!"

"I will!" Morgan grabbed both sticks of jerky and immediately bit into one.

"I-is it good?" Alisa was genuinely curious.

Her black-haired friend looked like she just took a bite out of something holy. "Mmm, yes! Oh, how I've missed this!" She then held out the other, unbitten stick of jerky. "Here! Why don't you two give it a try?"

Laura blinked. "You want the two of us to eat this?"

"Of course! You only live once, so you might as well put the stuff of bears in you!"

Alisa took the stick of jerky from Morgan's hands. She said, "Well, there's nothing wrong with trying something new…" and nibbled a little piece of the meat. Immediately, her eyes started bugging out. "Agh! Blech! Ptooey!" She then handed the jerky over to Laura, who proceeded take a small bite out of it as well. After a second, the swordswoman who normally appeared infallible reeled back in disgust.

"Goodness!" Laura started coughing. "This is...incomprehensibly gamey!"

"The aftertaste is like my grandpa's old boots!" Alisa exclaimed. "Wait, scratch that. Even his boots smelled better!"

Morgan meanwhile was doubling over with laughter. "Your faces...you should see the looks on your faces!"

"Just what sort of training did you go through to endure such a taste?" Laura asked, almost sounding impressed.

"This IS my training!" Morgan grinned devilishly as she took the bear jerky from Laura's hands. "A piece of bear meat a day keeps the other prey at bay! Doesn't the taste of predator make you feel strong?"

"It makes me feel like I need to strongly reconsider my life choices." Alisa turned to the vendor, who looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. "Excuse me, do you sell any drinks?"

"Of course." The woman faced the back of her stall to a big vat of iced water and poured two cups. "Wash yourselves down with this. Don't worry about the fee this time; it happens to everyone on their first taste of bear."

Both Alisa and Laura took the cups and gulped down the contents. "Whew, much better. Thank you."

"That was certainly...a unique experience," Laura commented. "Unfortunately, I don't think bear is for me."

After their rather hectic start, the girls continued their tour through the rest of the Grand Market. They would visit a market stall, browse some of the wares, occasionally buy something, and then move on to the next. As expected of a place called the Grand Market, there was a variety of goods brought from nearly every corner of the empire and even from across country borders. Local produce, jewelry from Bareahard, products from the factories in Liberl, and spices from the far east were all to be found in this one central hub. There was even a stall selling plush dolls of a mascot named Mishy, a gray and white cat originating from Crossbell, that Laura immediately took a shine to. After some light teasing from her female classmates, Laura gave in to her urges and bought one.

After a while, they found Rean and Gaius chatting at a table in the rest area and joined them in some light discussion about their day so far while listening to a live performer play his fiddle. Morgan even offered to share her stick of bear jerky with the boys and tore off a piece for each of them to try, which, to Alisa and Laura's surprise, they both stomached without too much trouble. Eventually, their brief respite came to an end after they heard two loud voices shouting by the front of the market. Group A collectively went to see what the commotion was about, where they were met with a small crowd gathering around two people who were arguing with each other.

Rean picked a random man from the crowd and asked him a question. "Umm, may I ask what the problem is? Perhaps we can help in some way."

The man turned to face the group of students and spoke in a heavy accent. "Dunnae what's goin' on oot here either. From the looks of it, both of 'em are arguin' over which one gets that there front stall. The young'un's local while the one in the suit's from the capital."

"So both merchants are claiming the same spot…" Gaius mulled over the information.

"How odd," Laura remarked. "Permits for the market are issued by the province's ruling lord."

"So for Celdic, that would be…" Before Alisa could finish her thought, a collective gasp came from the crowd. Both merchants were now in close proximity and wringing each other's collars.

"This isn't good!" Rean looked like he was ready to take action.

"We must stop them!" Agreeing with her fellow sword user, Laura hastily pushed the paper bag containing her new plush Mishy into Alisa's arms. "Hold this!"

Alisa could only yelp and wrap her arms around the bag to keep it from falling as Laura and Rean rushed in to separate both merchants by grabbing their arms from behind.

"Wh-who are you?!" the local merchant exclaimed as Laura restrained him.

"Unhand me at once!" The merchant in the suit tried to resist Rean's hold on him.

"I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but violence isn't going to solve anything!" Rean did his best to talk while maintaining his grip on the adult.

"You both need to calm yourselves," Laura ordered them. "You've both been worked into a rage."

The suited merchant noticed the three other teens wearing the same uniform as the people who were restraining them. "What are you, high schoolers?"

"This has nothing to do with you meddling kids!" The local merchant refused to let up. "We're having a mature discussion here, and I'll thank you not to interfere!"

"Since when has grabbing a person by the neck been considered mature?" Morgan wondered aloud, all the while munching away at her stick of bear jerky.

"If you truly intend to have a mature discussion, perhaps you should try acting more like adults," Alisa sternly told the merchants.

"What in Aidios' name is happening here?" an older man's voice sighed from behind the crowd. All the people assembled turned to the Grand Market's entrance to see an elderly man wearing a suit and a hat walking towards them.

"Oh, now look what you've done!" the merchant from the capital said.

"M-Manager Otto…" the local merchant immediately stopped resisting and tensed up.

The man named Otto stood in front of the two merchants and told Rean and Laura to let go of them. After they complied, Otto offered to direct the merchants to his house where they could discuss matters in private, which both men agreed to do.

As the two merchants walked out of the market for the time being, he turned to Rean, Laura, and the other students. "I really appreciate you all stepping in to help defuse the situation," he told them. "Though, I suppose I should expect no less from the infamous Class VII I've heard so much about."

At the mention of their class's name, each student reacted with surprise. "How do you know about us?" Morgan asked without thinking. Then she remembered the local merchant's earlier remark. "Wait, you're the manager; of course you'd know if some military students were staying in your town."

The elderly man smiled earnestly. "That's correct. My name is Otto, and as the young lady said, I'm the manager of Celdic's Grand Market. Truth be told, I have some things to discuss with you all, so if you'd be so kind as to come along, I'll treat you to some tea."

Having no reason to decline an offer from the highest authority in Celdic, Group A followed the manager out of the market and to his house. Once inside, Otto took the two merchants upstairs while the students were treated to some tea by the manager's wife. After a while, all three adult men came downstairs, with the merchant from the capital having a happier expression on his face than the local merchant. Regardless, both merchants said their thanks to the manager and left the building.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, ladies and gentlemen of Class VII." Otto took a seat at the couch where the students were. He had taken off his hat, revealing a head full of gray hair.

"I take it the issues have been resolved?" Rean asked to make sure.

"For the moment, at least." The elderly man sighed as he explained the situation. "Both of their permits are genuine, but their merchandise and temperaments don't lend themselves to sharing a space. Eventually, they agreed to a compromise where they would each make use of the front stall on alternate weeks. The other stall we reserved is near the back of the market, however, so whoever's relegated there will likely see far lower sales numbers."

"It's rather unfortunate that it came to this, but at least it's better than nothing," Gaius commented.

"I must admit, I do find this whole matter rather perplexing," Laura said. "To my knowledge, the issuing of market permits is the sole responsibility of each province's ruling lord. For a mistake such as this to have been made in the first place raises some rather unpleasant questions."

"That's true." Rean nodded his head. "It's a lord's duty to control the flow of goods. If he can't handle it, the local economy could really suffer."

"Quite right." Otto seemed impressed that the students who spoke possessed such critical economic knowledge. "Ordinarily, that responsibility would fall upon the duke's household, but lately, the situation surrounding the duke's household has been getting a bit...complicated."

"Complicated?" Morgan asked. "How exactly?"

The market manager closed his eyes solemnly. "A few months ago, he increased the sales tax for our market rather significantly, and with a larger percentage of their profits being taken from them, the merchants have begun to get rather desperate. Fights like the one you saw earlier are becoming more and more commonplace."

'It's just like Misty said.' Morgan recalled the small bit of information the news reporter gave her. 'Taxes are going up, which endangers the value of market goods, and too many little things can add up to become a big problem.' She raised her hand to speak. "If I may ask, how long has this been going on?"

"Roughly two months now," Otto answered. "I've tried to raise some objections to the increase during that time. I'd even gone to Bareahard numerous times to petition the duke personally! But…" He shook his head dejectedly. "They always just drive me away at the gate without listening to a word I have to say."

'Yeeeup. That's definitely more than enough time to get people upset.' While she was mulling over the rest of the information, a realization occurred to her. "Wait, if this is a problem with the duke, then how come the provincial army isn't doing anything?"

All eyes laid on her as she said this. "I mean, the guardhouse is literally right next to the market. You'd think that they'd at least hear the commotion and try to see what's going on."

"That's a good point," Laura concurred. "Unlike the Imperial Army, a provincial army's main priority is maintaining the status quo throughout their territory, so mediating arguments which threaten that status quo should absolutely fall within the scope of their duties."

"If that's the case, the mix-up with the permits may be more than just an accident," Rean speculated.

The market manager nodded his head. "I'm not one to jump to conclusions, but everything you have said is correct. It seems that unless we accept this tax increase, they intend to turn a blind eye to the market. The commanding officer at the guardhouse has even made comments suggesting as such."

"That's not right at all!" Alisa didn't hesitate in voicing her opinion.

"Perhaps it isn't," Otto relented. "But in the end, there is little we can do about this situation."

Silence reigned over the room after that last sentence. All of the individuals seated collectively took a sip of their tea without saying a word.

Eventually, Otto remembered the reason he called Group A over in the first place and informed them that he was the one responsible for choosing their assignments, having been instructed to do so by Principal Vandyck. After the market manager thanked them for their assistance and insisted that they focus on their field study, Group A excused themselves and left the manager's house. Now they were standing in the central plaza in front of the train station.

Gaius was the first to speak. "It would appear that leadership in the empire is far more...complicated than I imagined."

"To say that that is an understatement would be putting it lightly," Morgan quipped.

"Provincial lords have the duty and the right to decide upon and collect taxes in the regions they control," Alisa said. "And as long as that remains the case, there's not really much the general populace can do to stand against them."

"I'm reluctant to comment on how others choose to rule their own territories," Laura admitted, "but harassing one's people like this seems clearly inappropriate. I've heard many rumors about the current head of House Albarea…"

"In other words, Jusis's dad." Morgan thought of their blond-haired classmate. "I wonder if he knows anything about this…"

"I take it we can't ask him for help?" Gaius asked.

"I doubt there's anything he could do," Rean answered, shaking his head. "Among the nobility, decisions made by the head of the house are absolute, and since the Albareas represent one of the Four Great Houses, that old tradition is absolutely guaranteed to be alive and well."

"The only person with more power than the heads of the Four Great Houses is the emperor, but he's probably busy dealing with more important matters right now," Morgan added. "No matter which way you look at it, there's not much we can do here."

"I see you're all busy mulling things over. Excellent, excellent!" A voice coming from the direction of the inn caught the students' attention. Walking towards them was their instructor, wide awake and appearing right as rain.

"What brings you here?" Alisa asked.

"I figured it was about time for me to get going," Sara replied. "Group B's not getting anything done, as expected, so I'm off to help sort them out."

"You're going to see them now?" Morgan questioned.

"The town of Parm is a considerable distance from here," Laura noted.

"Now, now, you let me worry about that. You four are perfectly capable of looking after yourselves anyway, right?" Their instructor shifted her body away from them towards the station. "Put your heads together and think, and I'm certain you'll see what you need to do."

Having just witnessed their instructor give a piece of advice in a way that wasn't played for laughs for once, the students were taken aback for a moment. With one last smile, Instructor Sara started walking away from them. "Aidios be with you, and all that! I'll be looking forward to your reports!"

Group A took that as their cue to return to the inn and get started on their reports.

Morgan leaned back in her chair and exhaled. "Now THAT was delicious."

"Agreed." Gaius relaxed as he sipped some tea. "The vegetables were very fresh."

"Yeah, nothing beats food made from local ingredients," Rean concurred.

"I quite enjoyed the rye bread, myself," Laura commented.

Group A was sitting at a five-person table on the first floor of the inn, having just finished their dinner. The sun had officially set and it was now nighttime in Celdic. The crowd that had once filled the first floor of the inn during the afternoon was now gone, though there were still a few people drinking at the bar counter. The food provided to them courtesy of Margot was on the lighter side, but the use of fresh ingredients with plenty of nutrients in them made the meal filling nonetheless. With the first day of their field study nearing its end and having finished writing their reports before supper, all five of the students finally had a chance to thoroughly relax.

"I guess this whole field study thing isn't so bad, when you take the menu into account," Alisa joked. "I wonder what the others in Group B are doing right now…"

The thought of the remaining half of their class sent some unease through the students. "Somehow, I doubt they're sitting around a table and talking like we are," Rean answered.

'If they were, then that's when I'd have to lose my suspension of disbelief,' Morgan thought.

"It truly makes me wonder why Instructor Sara would deliberately make the groupings like so," Gaius said, branching off of Rean's last comment. "Furthermore, I can't seem to figure what our class's collective purpose is."

"I'm certain that there's more reason to it than just testing the ARCUS," Laura speculated. "If that were all, today's field study tasks would serve little purpose."

"It seems as though she's trying to make us experience.,.I don't know...things," Alisa added. "Like, all kinds of things, big and small. What I can't wrap my head around, though, is why."

"To unite people from lots of different backgrounds so they can push back the impending darkness."

Four pairs of eyes turned surprisedly to Morgan after her unusual but rather automatic answer. Realizing what she just said, the black-haired girl hastily sipped her drink. "At least, that's what I think when looking from a hypothetical, idealistic standpoint. Don't think too much on it."

Rean seemed to lose himself in his own thoughts for a moment. "You do have a point, though. What DO we have to offer one another, when our reasons for enrolling at Thors in the first place are undoubtedly very different?" he finally asked.

The center of focus shifted from Morgan to Rean. "Our...reasons?" Gaius repeated.

"I hadn't considered that…" Alisa said.

"My reason for enrolling was quite simple." Laura showed no hesitation in going first. "I aim to come ever closer to my goal. Or rather, to the person whom I regard as such."

"And who might that be?" Gaius asked.

Given who she was related to, Morgan discerned that Laura's goal probably had something to do with her father. Meanwhile, the swordswoman replied with a small chuckle. "This is neither the time nor the place to discuss such matters; best to save that topic for another day. What about you, Gaius?"

"Me? Well, it may come as no surprise, but I've always wanted to learn about the world outside of Nord," he answered. "So, when I was presented with the opportunity to attend Thors through a recommendation, I wholeheartedly accepted it. It is my hope that through my time here at the academy, I can attain a better understanding of the world not just to further my own knowledge, but also so I can understand how to better protect my homeland."

"That's...actually pretty noble," Morgan commended him. Rean, Laura, and Alisa were all impressed as well.

Gaius smiled. "I'm honored that you think that, but really I just want to protect my home. It's situated right in between Erebonia and Calvard, two opposing countries that have been at each other's throats as of late. I have every right to at least be concerned about the situation."

"That's true." Alisa sighed. "Honestly, I'm a little jealous that you and Laura have well-defined goals already. I don't have anything like that."

"You don't?" Morgan looked at Alisa curiously. "Why did you enroll, then? Just cause?"

"Well…" The blond female paused for a moment to think. "There's no single reason, but...I think I just wanted to assert my independence." Alisa looked like she wanted to stop there, but the expectant (and rather confused) expressions on her classmates' faces seemed to incline her to explain further. "I mean, my situation back at home isn't exactly ideal, and this seemed like a good way to get out and...do more, I guess."

"I see…" Rean commented, nodding his head in understanding. Morgan silently shared his feelings; knowing that Alisa was a Reinford definitely helped to fill in the gaps in her explanation, however vague she made it.

Finally, the number of people yet to talk was reduced to two. After a moment of quietness between the students, Morgan decided to take the initiative. "My reason for coming to Thors is pretty silly, to be honest," she started. "But...I kind of wanted the experience."

"The experience?" Laura repeated.

"Yeah. How should I put this…" Morgan thought on how to best phrase her answer. "Being able to get a formal education was something I never got the chance to do when I was younger, so when the opportunity presented itself to me, I went all in on it. Course, I did have some people who insisted that I at least try going to school, but that's not important."

"You didn't go to school before?" Alisa raised an eyebrow. "Not even Sunday School?"

Morgan laughed nervously. "I guess I never really considered that. I was homeschooled a long while back, but after that I mostly taught myself."

Rean blinked. "Wait, so how were you able to study for the entrance exam?"

"I was able to find some local help, but in the end…" She shrugged her shoulders. "I just didn't know when to quit." That aroused a small chuckle from her other classmates. "Well, that's my story. All that leaves is…" Her voice trailed off as she directed her gaze expectantly to Rean. Alisa, Gaius, and Laura also did the same. "You're the one who brought this up; it's only fair you answer the question, too!"

"Me? Hmm…" Rean closed his eyes to think. After several seconds, he gave his answer. "I wanted to find myself, I guess."

"Find yourself…?" Alisa repeated those words, confused. Morgan and Gaius also seemed perplexed by the vague explanation.

Rean started fidgeting nervously. "Sorry, that makes it sound like a much bigger deal than it actually is. That's the best way I can think of to put it, though."

"You don't have to apologize," Gaius assured him. "There's nothing wrong with going on a journey of self-discovery."

Alisa smirked. "I had no idea you were such a romanticist."

"Agreed!" Morgan looked up and down at Rean, as if she were scanning him. "You definitely don't come across as that kind of guy, but hey! To each their own, right?"

Rean sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…"

Laura, meanwhile, remained silent for the remainder of the discussion, continuing to stare impassively at the swordsman.

"So, you want me to wake you up at six tomorrow, right?" Margot double-checked to make sure.

"Yes, please," Rean responded. "We only have until tomorrow evening, so we need to get an early start." The other students agreed as well.

"Not a problem at all!" Margot replied with gusto. "Have a good night." With that, she left the students to clean their table.

Morgan stretched her arms above her body. "Well, guess it's time to call it a day. Don't know about all of you, but I'm ready to pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow!"

"Just try not to oversleep this time, you hear?" Alisa squinted her eyes as she looked at Morgan.

"Hey, I don't wake up that late!" Morgan fired back. "I usually always wake up around six! How early do you guys wake up?"

"At least around five," replied Rean.

"The same," said Laura.

"I woke up at five-thirty this morning," answered Alisa.

"Five at the latest," stated Gaius. "Though I'm usually up by around four to four-thirty."

Morgan was at a loss for words. "...Well, crud. You know what? Just forget everything I said earlier. Wake me up tomorrow if you have to." As she stormed up the stairs in a fit of disappointment, the other four students couldn't resist laughing. Gaius and Alisa eventually followed Morgan up to the second floor. Rean moved to follow them as well, but he was stopped by Laura's voice calling to him.

Rean turned to face Laura and asked, for the upteenth time that day, "What is it?"

"I was unsure whether to ask or not, but I've decided that this question bears answering," she staunchly replied. "...Why have you chosen to hold back?"

Author's note: This is where I had to take some creative liberties regarding how to best progress the plot without things getting too oversaturated with character dialogue copy-pasted from the base game. As such, I ended up cutting a lot of things out, from the fight scene to even this dialogue between Rean and Laura! For future reference, if something gets cut out, you can assume that it goes relatively the same as it did in the original game. I also couldn't figure out how to implement the hidden quest this time around, so the most I could do was give the merchant involved a cameo.
Apologies if this chapter feels a bit rushed; I'll admit this probably isn't my best work, but I'll try to make it up next time. ｍ（｡≧ _ ≦｡）ｍ

Have one last segment to end this chapter off.

With some final words expressing her disappointment, Laura left the inn to go practice outside. As she left, Rean had a loathing expression on his face, but it was clear that the loathing was directed not to the girl who dismissed him, but rather to himself. Walking over to a nearby wooden beam, he rested his arm on it before pressing against it with his forehead, letting out a discomforting groan as he did so.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, the three students who had left to retire to the inn room had stayed outside to watch the event unfold in front of them. Without saying another word, they went into the living space and closed the door behind them.