Morgan wasn't sure whether to feel excited or panicked. On the one hand, she was going to explore another area in Erebonia she hadn't visited before; but on the other, she was going there with one of the most explosive duos in Class VII. She had tried to abstain herself from thinking about them, but her mind would always find its way back to the problem eventually, and whenever Morgan was faced with a problem, it was almost second nature for her to attempt to find a solution.

"Crap," she mildly cursed. Already, her day wasn't starting off well. "What would Father do?"

Robin. The High Deliverer. The Grandmaster of Ylisse. A masterful tactician known throughout the lands who could devise plans that could manipulate the tides of battle into his favor in an instant.

Then, there was his daughter, Morgan. The Vermillion Deliverer that was currently on leave. An Ylissean stranded far, far away from home. An admittedly fledgling tactician known only by a select few who couldn't even devise a plan to get two people to see eye to eye for a moment.

Morgan usually wasn't one to look at her father with envy. In contrast to some of her old friends, she looked up to her father as a role model, someone she greatly aspired to be like someday. But occasionally, she would find herself in situations where even she couldn't help but yearn for a little bit of his wisdom. She remembered him saying that human relations were like another realm of war; there were alliances between those who shared similar ideals and conflicts between those who didn't. Though the stakes were lower, even the smallest of disputes could result in an accident on the battlefield; thus, resolving these smaller conflicts as early as possible was just as much of a priority as resolving the bigger ones. Improving interpersonal relations also naturally lead to easier and more efficient teamwork, opening the way for a number of different possibilities for team compositions. It could be said that any victory in the realm of human relations was a victory for the army as a whole.

Of course, some things were easier said than done.

Disgruntled, Morgan started packing her things. It was clear that she wasn't going to get anywhere with her upset mindset, and with a little over half an hour left before she was due to meet up with the rest of Group A, she figured she should spend those last minutes mentally preparing herself, which, of course, meant going to Kirsche's for something to drink.

As she walked down the stairs, she stopped momentarily at the second floor to take a look at the boys' dorms on the far side of the hallway. Sighing, she continued her way down and left the building.

Fortunately for Morgan, as soon as she walked through the entrance of Kirsche's Cafe, she already started to feel her mood improving by the second. Sitting by the counter next to her usual seat was a familiar middle-aged woman wearing a white cap and red glasses.

"Misty!"

The hostess of Abend Time looked over at the sound of her name. "Well, if it isn't Morgan! Long time no see!"

The two acquaintances enthusiastically shook hands. "It's really been a while. I almost never see you around here anymore!"

"Well, that's the trade for you." Misty tiredly exhaled a sigh. "My schedule gets packed at the beginning of every month, and they're mostly afternoon to evening gigs. Most of the time, I don't even have the energy to get up for a cup of joe unless it's delivered to me!"

"Ouch." Morgan empathized with the reporter; pulling an all-nighter is an unpleasant experience that no one should ever have to endure. "Sounds rather painful."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Misty waved her hand. "Fortunately, I still have enough leftover juice to do Abend Time every Sunday, but once that's done?" She gave an unenthusiastic thumbs down and blew a small raspberry.

"Pooped?"

"Yup. Pooped." She emphasized the consonants in each word for added effect. "But that's enough about boring ol' me! How was that trip to Celdic? That's where you said you went, right?"

Morgan ordered a single cup of coffee. "I'm surprised you remembered about that. Wait, you aren't planning on turning this into a story, are you?"

"Why, I would never!" Misty refuted. "Besides, reporters have to follow a protocol when it comes to interviewing minors, so most of us don't even bother unless we absolutely have to. Informed consent can be such a hassle sometimes…"

Morgan didn't know what "informed consent" meant, but since Misty didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, she decided there wasn't any harm in sharing a few stories. "Basically, it went like this…"

And so, Morgan began to recount the tale of her field study to Celdic, glossing over some of the less important field tasks in favor of talking about the issues in the Grand Market in great detail, from the heist on the merchants' goods to investigating the nature park to nearly getting arrested by the provincial army to the timely arrival of the Railway Military Police.

"...So that's what happened," said Misty once Morgan was finished. "One of our journalists DID write an article about the RMP showing up in Celdic, but I didn't think that you were in the middle of all that."

"They deliberately kept us out of it for legal reasons," Morgan explained as she received her morning drink. "Besides, I doubt anyone would believe that a group of military students caught a bunch of bandits red-handed."

"I dunno…" Misty smirked and put a finger to her chin. "I can think a few people who'd kill to get a chance to meet students like you."

A bead of sweat dropped from Morgan's forehead. "I sure hope you didn't mean that literally…"

The bespectacled reporter snickered into her tea for her response. "So, where you heading off to this month? I'm guessing why you have your luggage again."

"Sharp as ever, I see," Morgan commended her. "My group's going to Bareahard."

"Ooh, Bareahard!" Misty grinned with recognition. "I've been there a few times myself! Most of the emphasis is placed on the furs and gemstones, but the scenery isn't something to sneeze at, either. Well, unless you're allergic to pollen, of course. The different sorts of plantlife dotted all around the highways are great to look at while the jade-colored bricks for the buildings gives the city a sort of...homely feel despite it being mostly fancy otherwise. There's a reason why it's called 'the Verdant City'." Misty then stopped herself. "Whoops, didn't mean to go off on a tangent there."

"It's fine." Morgan smiled into her coffee. "I'm getting more excited just thinking about it. It feels like I'm in a private session for a radio show."

Misty grinned and cleared her throat. "Thank you, kind and loyal viewers, for tuning in to this impromptu session of Abend Time!" she said in her best anchorwoman voice. "I hope you all have a wonderful time at Bareahard!" The two of them laughed at that.

"You've been to a lot of places, haven't you?" Morgan remarked, still giggling.

"Well, like I said, that's the trade for you." Misty pushed her glasses by the corner in an *ahem!* manner. "By the way, if you have the time, I'd recommend stopping by this restaurant called Sorciere. It's located in the city's central plaza, right next to the cathedral. Their deluxe herb chowder is amazing."

"Deluxe herb chowder?" That piqued Morgan's interest. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Well, that's assuming you can pay a pretty penny," the reporter readily admitted. "Unfortunately, the downside is that everything in Bareahard is so expensive, especially with the recent hike in taxes. Don't mean to talk down on any of my upper-class listeners, but the rumors aren't kidding when they say that Bareahard is a city for nobles, and by that, I mean nobles are the only ones who can afford anything there on a regular basis."

Morgan hummed. "I'm guessing that tax hike you mentioned is thanks to the duke?"

Misty's expression softened as she calmly sipped her tea, a far cry to how she was acting when she was describing Bareahard's splendors. "Honestly, I wouldn't call myself an expert in what goes on in the Kreuzen province, but Duke Albarea's been acting pretty in over his head lately. I'm guessing the incident in Celdic was probably the tipping point." She set her teacup down. "Do you know about Aurochs Fort? That's the provincial army base near the city. Apparently, there was some pretty sizeable construction over there a little while back. The place is heavily fortified now, and from the sounds of things, most of the revenue from the taxes were used to pay for that." Misty then leaned in closer. "I even heard one rumor that the duke started acquiring state-of-the-art tanks for the provincial army," she whispered.

"Seriously?!" Morgan tried to contain her exclamation. "What's gotten him so scared that he needs all that firepower?"

Misty could only shake her head in response. "No one knows for sure, not even some of my clients. My personal hunch? He wants to protect as much of his plans as possible, seeing as, you know, the guys that exposed him in Celdic were part of the Reformist Faction." She straightened herself with a dour expression on her face. "And everyone in Erebonia knows that the Noble and Reformist Factions get along as well as oil and water."

As Morgan let that information sink in, her mind wandered to a question that had just formed in her mind: 'Does Jusis know anything about this?' The young Albarea talked so much about "upholding noble pride" and "bringing honor to his family's name" that it never crossed Morgan's mind to consider where he stood regarding his father's shady practices. Was he for or against the duke's actions? Did he even have a say in them? It was difficult to tell given Jusis's stoic nature and tendency to keep others at arm's length.

'No, this looks more like a family matter,' she decided, shaking her head. 'I probably shouldn't press into it.'

She sipped the rest of her coffee and checked the time. "Well, it's been nice talking, Misty, but I think it's time for me to head out now. Wouldn't want to barely miss the train like last time."

The bespectacled reporter snickered to herself, as if she too remembered the abrupt end to last month's conversation. "Of course. It's been a pleasure talking to you, as always."

Morgan left the amount for the coffee along with a small tip on the counter. "Hope to see you around more often."

"Hehe. No guarantees." Misty gave a smile that was equal parts charming, playful, and mysterious.

Morgan ran into the rest of her group as she was walking to the train station. From the looks of things, Jusis and Machias were acting no less hostile to each other than they were at the end of Wednesday's action-packed practical exam. Meanwhile, an exasperated Rean stood in between them, heavily caught in the crossfire. Fie, looking as unenthused as ever, walked up to Morgan and stood behind her, almost as if she wanted to cling to the only other female in the group for protection. As adorable as that sounded, Morgan could only be unsettled at the conflict that was unfolding in front of her.

With that awkward greeting out of the way, the students entered the train station. They were greeted by the rest of Class VII, who had already purchased their tickets and were waiting for their train to arrive. At the sight of Machias and Jusis continuing to avoid each other, the groups exchanged brief words of encouragement among each other until it was time for Group B to board their train. After their classmates departed, Group A purchased their tickets and waited until their train arrived.

And so, that was what lead to Group A's current situation: inside a train en route to Bareahard with Machias and Jusis sitting across from each other in the booth as Rean and Morgan looked on worriedly.

Fie, meanwhile, looked about ready to take a nap for the rest of the train ride. Typical Fie things, as it were.

"Right…" Morgan tried her best to dispel the uneasy silence. "Anyone want to talk about Bareahard? I heard it's a nice place."

"If your idea of 'nice' is 'outlandish' and 'oozing nobility', then I suppose you're correct," Machias said bluntly.

"Bold words from someone who has likely never set so much as a foot inside it," Jusis fired back.

"Well, thanks to advancements in photography, I don't need to!" Machias countered. "I'll stay within the comforts of my lowly commoner home, thank you very much! Besides, most of the facts about Bareahard are common knowledge already! You don't need photographs to get a feel for what that place's deal is."

Jusis scoffed. "Hmph. Common knowledge developed from your anti-noble beliefs, I presume?"

"Are you suggesting that I allow my views to cloud my ability to see things objectively?!" accused Machias.

"Oh, not at all." Jusis's tone sounded sarcastic. "You were intelligent enough to score second on the entrance exam, after all. Since then, you've also spent your every waking moment with your nose glued to a textbook, studying as if your life depended on it."

"Got a problem with that?"

"Simply the fact that despite your efforts, you have yet to outplace Millstein in every academic way." Jusis then leaned forward with a bitter expression on his face. "No matter how hard you try, you're always treated as second best, lacking in virtually every other regard…"

"Why, you…!" Machias couldn't take it any longer and began standing up.

"You know…" Everyone immediately looked to Rean. "Seeing you two like this, it's easy to see why you scored so miserably in last month's field study."

"Wh-What was that?" Machias fumed.

"Last month, Group B got an 'E' on their field study," the swordsman began. "If that had been a paper exam, it would've been a fail, and a low one at that. Do you two really want that to happen again?"

Jusis furrowed his eyebrows and squinted his eyes. "I hope you're not naively suggesting we just put all our differences aside and become best friends."

"Actually, the whole point of Class VII was to gather a bunch of people BECAUSE they were different," Morgan pointed out. "No offense, but having different opinions sort of has to come with the territory."

"And no doubt with different opinions come different beliefs that some of us aren't willing to compromise on," Rean added. "But regardless, that doesn't change the fact that for the next few days, we're all part of the same group. We're all...partners, so to speak."

"Partners?" Jusis grunted. "Hmph. I was wondering what you were getting at."

"You have to be joking!" Machias predictably exclaimed. "I refuse to accept the idea that-"

"Look, I'm not saying we have to be friends!" Rean interrupted. "But since we're in the same group and we're working towards the same objective, we may as well cooperate. Let me put it this way…"

Rean held up both his hands. "This here is Group A." He raised his right hand. "And this is Group B." He raised his left hand. "Now, both of our groups have one main objective, and that's to pass this field study, or in other words, to not get a failing grade. Now, in Group B, we have Laura, Gaius, Alisa, Elliot, and Emma." For each member he listed, he put a finger down until his left hand was balled into a fist. "The first three are in the same group as last time, and Elliot has lots of experience working with them in the old schoolhouse. I don't have too much experience with Emma, but she's responsible, so she'll have no trouble fitting in with them. In other words, they're a strong team.

"On the other side…" He looked to his right hand. "We have Morgan, Fie, Machias, Jusis, and me." Just like with his left hand, he lowered all his fingers until his right hand became a fist. "However, unlike with Group B, we're not all that coordinated because we have two people who refuse to see eye-to-eye." Paying no attention to the angry glares that Jusis and Machias were giving him, he raised his index and middle fingers.

"So, say we're stuck like this. Now it's the end of the weekend, and Instructor Sara is going to grade us on our field studies. Now tell me: of the two groups that you see here…" He held both his hands, one balled into a rock and the other with two fingers sticking out like scissors. "Which do you think is going to get the better grade, thereby 'beating' the other team?"

One didn't need an ARCUS link to understand where Rean was going with this. A unit where a few people refused to coordinate with each other wouldn't stand a chance against a unit whose members were all able to work together.

In other words, rock beats scissors in this situation.

"I wouldn't have taken you to be the competitive type," remarked Jusis.

"Well, of course I am!" Rean unclenched his hands. "I care about winning and losing just as much as the next guy, and get just as frustrated when other people hold me back! Believe me, it was beyond frustrating when we lost against the instructor the other day."

The reminder of the curb-stomp battle that was handed to them by their homeroom teacher soured Machias and Jusis's expressions.

"There's no denying that she's strong," Rean continued. "I don't know what kind of experience or training she's been through to become that way, but it's simply a fact. If we'd been able to work together a little better and form proper combat links with one another…" He leaned back into his seat. "We may have at least evened the odds a little."

His comments hung in the air for a few moments.

"You would've."

Everyone turned in surprise to the one person they believed had tuned out of the conversation entirely.

"Sara's only strong because she knows how to fight," said Fie. "If you'd been able to work together, you could've withstood her onslaught a little longer. You might not have won, but…" She opened her yellow-colored eyes. "You wouldn't really have lost, either."

"Exactly." Rean nodded his head. "We may not be able to put aside our differences yet, but if we're at least willing to work together…"

He raised his right hand and held up two fingers like before. Eventually, he lowered both fingers to create a fist and, while raising his left fist, collided both his hands. "We'll at least be able to stand a chance against Group B. And maybe, just maybe, if we were trust each other and work together completely…" Slowly, his right hand opened up to cover his left fist. "We'll be able to surpass them."

"I gotta say, that was some nice going, Rean," Morgan whispered to the swordsman.

Rean looked slightly confused. "Were you talking about my last move, or…?"

After Rean's little pep talk, Jusis and Machias formally agreed to a truce in their ongoing feud so they could both concentrate on doing well on this field study. Following some further discussion on the various highlights Bareahard had to offer, the members of Group A started playing Blade to pass the time. Morgan was currently playing with Rean while Fie was playing with Machias as Jusis looked on.

"Your pep talk to them earlier." Morgan put down a 4. Since both her and Rean's collection of face-up cards had reached the same value, they each had to discard their piles and pick a new card from the deck. "It already feels like we're making substantial improvements here. The competition thing was a nice idea."

Rean smiled. He drew a 2 from the deck whereas Morgan drew a 3, meaning he had to put a card down. "I got that idea from you."

Now it was Morgan's turn to act confused. "Huh?"

"It was during the practical exam," Rean explained as he put down a 4 of his own. "Right before your group's turn, you tried to goad them into cooperating by pointing out their slim chances of winning. It was only for a brief moment, and it didn't go anywhere due time constraints, but both of them were united in their desires to not fail the exam. I'm betting that was your '1% chance of success', wasn't it?"

"So you DID see my simulations," Morgan figured. "I was wondering why you were all standing conspicuously over there." She put down a 6.

"To tell the truth, I couldn't make sense of everything," Rean admitted, "but one look was enough to tell me that you knew what you were doing." He put down a 5. "Your grades in military science are consistently the highest in the class, too. Have you ever had military training?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," said Morgan, putting down another 6. "I've got some basic combat experience under my belt, but at the end of the day, it's mostly just numbers and common sense. I'm still behind you and Laura when it comes to brute force."

Rean put down his own 6. "If you think Instructor Neithardt's lectures are common sense, then that's still pretty incredible."

"I get that mostly from my father's side." Morgan took a moment to look at the remaining cards in her hand. "He used be an army tactician, so I started learning about military science ever since I was a kid. Course, times have changed and technology has advanced, but the fundamentals are still the same."

"Your father was a tactician?" asked Rean. "Actually, now that I think about it, I've never heard you mention anything about your family. I mean, your business is ultimately your own, but…"

"It's fine." Morgan shook her head. "You didn't ask, so I didn't say. My father was the kind of person who believed that there's almost never a 0% or 100% chance of doing something right; there's always going to be some complications here and there. Sure, it sounds a bit cynical, but on the flip side…" She threw down a 7, one of her last numbered cards. "It means that even if the odds aren't in your favor, there's always a chance, no matter how small, to tip the scales."

Rean handed down a 7.

A glint flashed in Morgan's eyes. "Like...here!" She threw down a Bolt card. "I summon my handy-dandy Levin Sword!"

"Oh, we're doing this again?" Rean rose to the challenge by throwing down his own Bolt card, rendering Morgan's own 7 useless.

In response, Morgan put down a Mirror. "I'll be taking your cards now."

"You can keep them." Rean put down his last card: a 1. This card had the special effect of bringing back the last Bolt-ed card on the user's side of the field; thus, a 7 was brought back to the field. "Down to your cast card, Morgan. What'll it be?"

Morgan couldn't believe her eyes. She alternated glances between her last card and the card Rean played and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rean asked.

"Oh, well, you know what they say: great minds think alike!" Grinning, she threw down her last card, which was also a 1. The 7 that had first been struck by a Bolt card returned to the field, and since the pile was now in Morgan's possession, it meant that she had emerged victorious. "That's checkmate!"

Rean could only look at the results in shock as his mouth hung open.

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. "Whoo! Down to the wire! It feels good to win at this game again!"

"What are you talking about?" Rean's mouth was still agape. "Between us, you have the 6-2 winning streak!"

"You kept count?" Morgan raised an eyebrow as she packed up the cards. "You really are as competitive as you said you were, huh?"

"I wasn't lying when I said I could be competitive, but I also know that I can't let it get the best of me." Rean started cleaning up his side of the playing field. "By the way, what's a Levin Sword?"

"It's a name for a sword that shoots out lightning," Morgan responded. "'Lightning Sword' doesn't have quite the same ring to it, so we used a more archaic word instead."

"'We'?" Rean perked up at that.

"Never you mind that. Just some old habits from where I come from."

"But didn't you say you were from Heimdallr?"

"I did," Morgan affirmed. "And my vocabulary became a lot more colorful because of it."

Rean shook his head like he didn't understand, or at least looked like he wanted to know more but chose not to. "Hey, Morgan? Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"That would depend on the question," she replied.

"I noticed that when you talked about your father, you kept using past tense," Rean pointed out. "Did something happen to him?"

Morgan stopped. "...I don't know."

"What?"

"That's the thing, really…" She shook her head. "I wish I could give you a better answer, but I really don't know. I haven't seen him in three years, and the last time I did…" She handed Rean his cards while wearing a solemn expression on her face. "He was fighting a battle even he had no chance of winning."

Rean made a small "oh" shape with his mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stir up any bad memories."

"I'm sure you weren't," she said curtly. "That's all I'm able to say on the matter for now. But who knows? Maybe once we get to know each other better, I can tell you the full story."

As Morgan forced a smile, she found that the chugging of the train started to sound very similar to the roar of flames.

After another hour or so, Group A's train finally pulled into the Bareahard station. Gathering all their belongings, the students exited the train and walked onto the platform, where they were immediately greeted by a group of four station employees.

"Lord Jusis!" one of the employees addressed with a bow. "Welcome back to Bareahard! It's a pleasure to see you again!"

"He's a real VIP," Fie commented.

"Of course all the station employees would abandon their duties to come and welcome him…" Machias grumbled to himself.

"I've returned here as a student of Thors Military Academy to conduct a field study." Strangely, Jusis's tone suggested that he didn't seem all too happy with being personally welcomed himself. "I believe you were informed that this manner of excessive welcome is neither necessary nor desired, were you not?"

The employee who greeted him before started stammering. "W-Well, yes, but…"

"You're a child of the Albarea household!" the employee next to him finished. "If anything, we should be apologizing for not giving you an even greater welcome!"

"Allow us the honor of carrying your luggage, along with those of your classmates!" another employee insisted.

Jusis looked ready to give up when a deep male voice behind the employees said, "That won't be necessary."

Walking down the stairs from the second floor were two adult males, the first a well-dressed butler and the second a blonde male wearing jade-colored clothes with an adorned cape swishing behind him. More importantly, with the exception of his hair being longer and tied into a ponytail over his left shoulder, the latter male's face looked exactly like that of an older Jusis. The station employees respectfully bowed to the older male and moved out of the way at once.

Jusis couldn't believe his eyes. "R-Rufus?!"

The male named Rufus outstretched his arms in a welcoming fashion. "My beloved brother, it's a pleasure to see you again. To think, it's been three months! Where did the time go? I wasn't expecting to reunite with you so soon, but I'm delighted to have the opportunity."

"...As am I. You seem well." Jusis stretched out his hand, to which Rufus shook it firmly.

"I take it these are your fellow members of Class VII?" Rufus directed his attention towards the students standing behind Jusis.

"Yes, that's correct," Morgan confirmed. "I take it you already know about us?"

"Of course!" Rufus smiled earnestly. "I've read all about you in my brother's letters. Although, from the looks of it, it appears my brother has never once mentioned me. That's perfectly understandable, though; he is, after all, quite easily embarrassed." Rufus added that last part with a teasing grin.

Jusis, in a rare moment of nervousness, began stammering. "Th-That's not…!"

Fie looked amused for once. "He's being toyed with."

"I didn't even think he could make that face," Morgan smirked.

Machias could hardly believe his own eyes. "What happened to the arrogant young upstart we've come to know and...mostly tolerate?"

Rean could only chuckle at his classmates' reactions.

"I do suppose now is a better time than any to properly introduce myself." With that, Rufus bowed respectfully to Group A. "As you now already know, my name is Rufus Albarea. Jusis is my younger brother. As much as I would like to savor this long-awaited reunion, however, this is no longer the time for idle chatter. I came to escort you to your lodgings for the weekend, so if you'll be kind enough to gather your belongings, please follow me." He outstretched his arms again. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Verdant City of Bareahard. I hope you enjoy your stay, ladies and gentlemen of Class VII."

As if meeting the eldest son of the Albarea household wasn't enough, Group A was escorted to their lodgings by riding in the Albarea family car. This wasn't your typical model that could be found roaming the streets of Heimdallr, though; the space inside was large enough for all of the individuals present to fit, the seats were covered in fine black leather, and there was even a carpet covering the floor and a small circular table. According to Rufus, the model of the luxury car was called a "limousine"; due to its expensive price, having just one in your possession was a symbol of how wealthy you were.

"Now, to get business underway…" Rufus began as the car started. "I have something I would like to give to you."

He reached for a brown envelope that was resting on the circular table and presented it to his brother. Imprinted on it was the familiar Thors Military Academy logo. "I selected your field study tasks on behalf of Father. I trust you know what to do with them."

"We do." Jusis nodded his head. "Thank you."

"I must say, it really is a fascinating coincidence." The older Albarea looked to Rean, who seated himself next to Jusis. "I never imagined my younger brother would become classmates with the son of Lord Schwarzer."

That piqued Rean's attention. "You know my father?"

Rufus nodded. "Certainly. Baron Teo Schwarzer is an old acquaintance of mine." He looked up and smiled nostalgically. "Many years ago, I accompanied him to a falconry competition held in the suburbs of Heimdallr. He taught me much about the practice and its etiquette." He looked back to Rean. "Is he doing well these days?"

Rean chuckled. "Yes, he's quite well. And still just as fond of hunting as ever."

"Splendid, splendid!" Rufus gave his own laugh before turning to the student sitting at the far end of the car seats. "And you must be the son of Governor Regnitz, no? The resemblance is quite striking."

Machias stiffened up at the mention of his father, but nevertheless he nodded his head. "That's correct. I'm surprised you knew."

"I encounter him quite often when taking care of official matters in the capital," Rufus explained. "Though our positions may be different, he has given me excellent advice in the past. I feel it must be fate that you, too, would end up in my younger brother's class, so please, do try and get along with him."

Rufus gave a slight bow to accompany his last statement. From the looks of it, he was not all aware of the tension that was currently brewing between his brother and the governor's son. Thus, he was a bit confused to see that all of the students had uneasy expressions on their faces.

"I will...consider the possibility with an open mind," Machias finally said after a long pause.

"Wonderful." Finally, Rufus turned to Morgan and Fie, who immediately composed themselves when they felt his gaze wander onto them. "And I would be remiss if I were not to acknowledge our two beautiful young ladies. No doubt your presence brings a touch of elegance to my younger brother's academic life."

"Elegance, you say?" Morgan briefly mulled over the statement. "I'm honored that you would say so."

"It's nothing like that, though," Fie refuted.

"Can we PLEASE stop discussing me?" Jusis interrupted, sounding exasperated. "And when you say lodgings, you can't possibly be referring to…"

"Haha. Need you even ask?" Rufus smiled knowingly. "Naturally, you'll all be staying at the Albarea family mansion...is what I would say. Father's instructions were that I should do with you as I wish; so, considering the circumstances of your visit, I've had a hotel room prepared. You will be able to concentrate more easily on your field study that way, no?"

Jusis looked like a huge load was just taken off his shoulders. "Thank you. I truly appreciate it."

Once again, Jusis's behavior confused the other members of Group A. From the way he dismissed the greeting by the station employees to the relief he showed at their living arrangements, it almost seemed like he was ashamed of all of the attention he was getting. Perhaps being a bit uncomfortable was understandable, but this was certainly a departure from the Jusis they interacted with at school, who wore his noble lineage on his sleeve like a symbol of pride.

Eventually, their conversation came to an end as the car pulled over to the hotel Group A would be staying at. With the exception of Jusis, the size and class of the hotel was far beyond the scale of what the students were normally used to.

Rufus stepped out of the car with Group A to say his goodbyes. "Under normal circumstances, I would have invited you to a banquet this evening," he said, "but unfortunately, I have business I must attend to in Heimdallr after we've finished here. I did place a paid reservation at Sorciere right across from your hotel, so do look forward to that."

Morgan grinned with recognition at the restaurant's name. Looks like she wouldn't have to worry about paying a pretty penny after all.

"Will you be going to the capital by airship?" Jusis asked his brother.

"Indeed," Rufus answered. "I'm representing our father. Currently, he is attending to other affairs, but he did say that the earliest he'd be back by is this evening."

Jusis visibly grimaced at that. Again, such behavior appeared uncharacteristic of him from the perspective of his classmates.

"By the way, there's one last detail I'd like to talk about regarding your hotel room," the older Albarea added. "I was made aware of the number of students arriving in Bareahard, but I wasn't told of the gender ratio. So, to make things safe, I reserved a conjoined suite with five individual rooms."

Jusis opened his mouth to speak, but his brother raised his hand. "But incidentally, the hotel recently notified me that several cheaper rooms became open for the weekend due to a cancelled business meeting. So, if you feel that the arrangements are a bit too fancy for your tastes, you are free to change things as you wish. And you needn't worry about any cancellation fees; such things are trivial if it means my younger brother's happiness."

"You don't need to treat everything like it's a big deal," Jusis dismissed him, but it was clear from his tone that he was thankful for his brother's efforts.

With that, Rufus bade the group farewell and went back into the car.

"So that was Rufus Albarea," Morgan remarked as the automobile drove out of their sight. "You know, I think I've seen him a few times in the capital."

"They say he's the ace of the Noble Faction," Machias noted. "Meeting him in person, it's easy to see where that reputation originated."

"Yeah," Rean agreed. "He made a point of showing consideration for my dad, too, even though he's a low-ranking noble."

"And he effortlessly thrust Jusis into the role of cute little brother," Fie unceremoniously added.

"I would've preferred you NOT to have seen that," the younger Albarea grumbled. "Though I must admit, I wasn't expecting him to leave Bareahard just as we arrived." He glanced morosely to the side. "How unfortunate…"

All of his classmates looked at him oddly. "You know, you've been acting kinda funny ever since we got to Bareahard," Morgan pointed out. "Is something wrong? Aren't you glad to be back home?"

"...Nothing that concerns you," Jusis curtly replied. "We should check in at the hotel to make our living arrangements final and begin our work shortly. I assume we have no qualms about staying in the cheaper rooms?"

"Y-Yeah, that works for me." "Same." "It's fine." "We're students. We should be treated as such."

"Perfect. Then I'll go in first." He turned to enter the hotel on a dime.

"Aaand, there's the Jusis we've all come to know," Morgan remarked. She silently made a mental note to not ask Jusis any further questions regarding his family for the time being.

At Jusis's behest, the students were shown to their new rooms, one room for the boys and another for the girls. After they got themselves situated, the students started to look over this weekend's field study tasks.

"So we've got a monster extermination request, a retrieval for a gemstone, and an optional quest about bath salts," Morgan recited.

"Requests from the provincial army, an artisan, and a noble," Rean noticed. "They seem to have struck a balance here."

"The monster one sounds irritating," Fie voiced her opinion.

"What do they mean by 'report to Aurochs Fort' on this one?" Machias asked, holding up the monster request.

That was yet another name Morgan recognized. "That's the provincial army base near the city, right?"

"Correct." Jusis nodded his head, looking impressed by her knowledge. "Aurochs Fort sits on the opposite side of Aurochs Canyon. The path through the canyon is long and treacherous, however, so I'd advise we save this request for last."

Everyone else unanimously agreed with the proposal. Eventually, the group decided a set course of action for their tasks. First, they would go find the noble who issued the request for the bath salts for more information on where to find them. Next, they would head to an area in Bareahard called Artisans' Street where they would meet the artisan looking for a specific jewel. Finally, the group would head down Aurochs Canyon to find the monster, slay it, and report it to Aurochs Fort.

"Right, I'm sure Group B is working hard on their own tasks as we speak, and we can't let them beat us," Rean said, reminding everyone of their conversation on the train. "Let's give this our all!"

With that, the students broke off and left to complete their tasks.

Author's note: Hello, hello! Congrats on making it through that doozy of a chapter. The second field study is officially underway, and Machias and Jusis have agreed to a truce for now. Let's see how long that lasts. If you enjoyed this chapter, great! If you didn't...eh, I tried. The good news, however, is that I'm beginning to experiment with adding new dialogue to the preexisting game, and I must say I'm starting to garner some enjoyment from that. Of course, the changes will only stand out if you played the original game yourself, which doesn't appear to be the majority of the viewerbase. But hey, all's well that ends well, right?
Not much else to say here, so...peace out until next time! ｖ(⌒ｏ⌒)ｖ