"...And that'll do it! Here you go, Morgan."

"Thanks again, George!" Morgan put her ARCUS into one of her pouches. "I'll be sure to get some more goodies for you this time."

"I'll be counting on you." George nodded. "You're up next, Crow."

"Cheers. I'll take the usual."

"Been a while since I've had to configure these…" George muttered as he held Crow's orbal pistols. "So this'll be Crow's first field study with Class VII, huh? That's actually kinda funny."

"How so…?"

"You know how we were part of the ARCUS trials last year, right? A lot of stuff we did back then actually served as a model for Class VII, so we had our own field studies of sorts."

"Really?!" Morgan gasped. "Even the field studies?"

"Yup!" Angelica replied from the table. "Instructor Sara was always putting us through one hellish situation or another, but that's how we all got to know each other, too."

"Well, it's more than just a coincidence that they put this guy into your class." George handed Crow his pistols back. "Be sure to make yourself useful, you hear?"

"Haha! For our sakes, at least," Angelica added. "We'd hate to see you make a fool of yourself and ruin our sterling reputation."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it…" Crow groaned. "Sheesh. All this pressure you're putting on me is gonna give me wrinkles or something."

"Well, your hair's already gray, so I'd say you're halfway there…"

"I told you, it's SILVER!"

Morgan and Crow continued their banter even as they exited the Engineering Building.

"It's like him and Towa all over again…"

"You think?" George rubbed his chin inquisitively. "If you ask me, Morgan's a lot better at holding her ground than Towa was back then."

"You don't understand, George! The more she dances around him, the harder he's gonna try to catch her! Do you have any idea how long I had to keep him away from my darling Towa?" Angelica stared at the door and loudly proclaimed, "Just you wait, Morgan. I'll be the one to rescue you!"

George sighed. "Look, I get how you feel, but I really don't think it's as bad as you think."

"Not as bad? Have you seen how sleazy that guy can get?"

"Just hear me out. You know how Crow's never been the kind of guy to let down his guard."

"Oh, I know all too well. It took me the better half of a year just to get him to open up."

"Yeah, well, no one expected a lot out of him back then. Now? He's got an entire group of underclassmen who depend on him...for the most part, anyways. Out of all of them, I've seen his interactions with Morgan the most, and I gotta say, she's probably doing the best job at keeping him grounded."

"Her and Rean, you mean."

"True, Rean does seem to have a great deal of respect for him. Makes sense, since the two of them were down there together when that suit of armor appeared. But Morgan's always been smart enough to keep herself from falling into the same pitfalls that Rean has. For the lack of a better term, she knows how to get under Crow's skin and vice versa. The two of them have been going back and forth ever since they first met, and I'd argue it's gotten him to open up more."

"So the slacker's forced to show his true colors if he wants to stay ahead, hm? Now that you say that, I CAN see it happening…" Angelica then pushed a fist into her open palm. "Still, that doesn't mean I have to agree with it; who knows what's going on through that thick skull of his besides flirting and gambling?"

"Well, all we can do is see how it goes; we'll be there to intervene if things get dicey." George went back to work, looking at the list of requests he had to fulfill today. "Still, I don't know if any of them have realized yet that Crow's prone to keeping others at arm's length…"

…

"You know, I gotta say…" Crow said as they walked. "I'm kinda disappointed."

"With what?" Morgan asked. "You're not excited about seeing Laura's hometown?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm all for going to Legram. Gelica said the view there's pretty sweet. But it's not high on my list of travel spots, especially since Group B gets to go to Jurai."

"What's so special about Jurai, again?"

"Hey, Jurai's a pretty important place!" Crow sounded more animated than he usually did. "They're a big source of income for investors, they've got a unique startup culture, the seafood's to die for, and most importantly-"

"It's home to an entertainment district with plenty of casinos and alcohol."

The pair turned in surprise to find none other than Instructor Sara walking towards them in the direction of the main campus building. "The original plan was to have Crow in Group B, but after thinking about it, it's probably for the best if he stayed as far away from gambling as much as possible. So, that's why the groups are as such. Need I remind you who's in danger of not being able to graduate?"

Crow's face paled. "...You're so cruel, you know that?"

"If you weren't such an expert slacker, we wouldn't be in this predicament." Sara rested a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "I'm counting on you and Rean to look out for our little Trickster here, got it?"

"Just leave it to us, Instructor!"

"Geez, what am I? Getting babysitted?"

Morgan showed Crow the most devilish smirk she could muster. "Mm-hmm! Better get used to it!"

The two of them bid farewell to Sara and made their way to Trista's main plaza. Once there, they found one of their classmates playing with a black cat with a blue ribbon tied to its tail.

"Morning, Fie!"

Fie looked up. "Morning."

"Where are the others?"

"Getting stuff ready before we leave. I'm ready, so I'm playing with Celine." Fie scratched the cat's chin. "Good girl."

Celine purred and stretched at Fie's touch. "Meeeow…"

No one in Trista knew exactly when the cat showed up in town. As far as the students and townsfolk were concerned, it was a homeless stray that wandered into town after the school year started and made Trista its new stomping grounds. It made frequent appearances around town and even made its way onto the campus a few times, where it ran into several scuffles with the janitor. Somewhere down the line, it found its way to one Emma Millstein of Class VII and took enough of a liking to her that it constantly followed her to the dormitory. Emma, being something of an expert in taking care of cat-like creatures, offered it some milk and cheese routinely, and as expected, the cat kept coming back for more. Eventually, Emma decided to take things a step further and became the cat's unofficial caretaker, giving it the name Celine in the process.

At least, that was the story that Emma told everyone so that she could keep Celine around. It was against the rules for students to keep pets in the dormitory, but since Celine was a homeless cat and technically no one's pet, those same rules didn't apply to her. And so, that was how Class VII came to have their own team pet without it actually being a pet. Celine continued to come and go as she pleased, but once she realized that no one was stopping her from entering the dormitory anymore, she made it her new home. Whenever she did show up, Sharon, in typical Sharon fashion, was ready to greet her with a smile and a saucer of warm milk.

Morgan knelt down and reached out her hand. "Here, kitty…"

Celine slowly crept towards where Morgan's hand was. However, right as she was within petting range, the cat suddenly screeched and ran away from the three students.

"No way…"

Crow tried (and failed) to hold back a snicker. "Looks like someone's not a cat person."

"Hey, there were plenty of strays in Heimdallr, you know!" Morgan informed him. "I'm a GREAT cat person!"

"Celine begs to differ."

"Not you too, Fie!"

Both of the silver-haired students shared a laugh. The three of them then went inside the train station to meet up with their other classmates. After buying their tickets, the groups bid farewell to each other at the platform before boarding on their respective rides.

"So now that we're all on the train…" Rean said. "Want to give us the rundown on Legram, Laura?"

"I don't see why not. We have plenty of time to talk. I assume that none of you have ever visited Legram?"

All of her group mates shook their heads.

"Well then…" Laura cleared throat. "As you all already know, Legram is a small town in the southeast of the Empire, situated on the shore of Lake Ebel. My father, Viscount Arseid, governs the town, which itself is part of the Kreuzen Province."

"If I'm not mistaken, isn't that the province that Jusis's father oversees?"

"That's right, Gaius. Although, compared to most other regions, Legram is fairly self-reliant. I cannot deny that my father can be a little too...free-spirited at times, but he is far from the only offender to the norm. Duke Albarea's governance has its own issues, especially where taxation is concerned."

"Like the stuff in Celdic a few months back, right?" Crow spoke up. "I heard through the grapevine that you guys were neck-deep in those when you first started out."

"Someone's been well-informed," Morgan remarked. "But you're right; Rean, Laura, Gaius, and I were in Celdic during that time."

"And those things ended up affecting our trip to Bareahard, too," Rean added.

"It all sounds fairly complicated…" said Emma. "Although, the Imperial government does seem to be attempting to unify all regions under a single tax system."

"I do understand the reformists' point of view…" Laura conceded. "But each region of the Empire has its own traditions and customs; attempting to normalize all of those under a single system would be insensitive at the least."

Gaius nodded. "I can understand that feeling. Our traditions and customs are important parts of our culture back in Nord; if someone were to ask us to do away with them and conform with the majority, I doubt we would be willing to comply easily."

"It's not an issue with a nice, clear-cut solution, that's for sure…"

The students let Morgan's comment sink in for a moment. They all looked at each other nervously, unsure how to proceed from such a heavy topic right from the get-go. And it wasn't like there was someone who was brave or foolish enough to just spontaneously break the ice…

"Hey, you guys are WAY too young to be thinking about taxes! This isn't what I signed up for! Come on! Isn't there anything more exciting to talk about?"

Ah. That's right. There WAS one such person now.

Before Morgan could open her mouth to retort, she was stunned at the sight of the other students going along with Crow's idea. Were they actually agreeing with him?!

"Well, I suppose a couple students batting around ideas about taxation isn't going to really solve anything…" Rean said. "Crow's right. Let's think about something else. It's not like that's all Legram has to offer."

"Ha! You see? Rean gets me!" Crow nonchalantly threw his arm around his underclassman's shoulder. "You guys oughtta follow his example."

Though he was directing his words to the rest of the group, his gaze was directed at Morgan. It seemed that her attempt to speak up did not go unnoticed by the laid-back upperclassman, a fact that made Morgan snort.

The conversation switched to talking about the famous Arseid School style that Laura's father was a master of, as Legram acted as the main headquarters for the school. Since swordplay was their specialty, Laura and Rean mostly led the conversation, answering questions about the different specifics of the Arseid school and what set it apart from other martial styles in the Empire. Eventually, the topic shifted to Laura's father, the Radiant Blademaster himself. Humorously, Laura made no efforts to disprove any stories the students might have heard about her father's prowess; in fact, she admitted to viewing her father's strength as inhuman from time to time. Unfortunately, since he was the master of a martial style that was practiced all over Erebonia, Viscount Arseid was rarely ever at home for extended periods of time. As such, Laura warned her classmates that though they were visiting Legram, it was unlikely that they would meet the reigning lord himself.

The train then came to a stop at Bareahard, and the group hurriedly gathered their belongings to catch the Ebel Branch Line that would take them to Legram. Fortunately, that train arrived right as they disembarked from the previous train, so they didn't have to wait long. Once they were seated comfortably and moving closer to their destination, the students engaged in a few games of Blade, and anyone who wasn't named Morgan witnessed just how good Crow was at the game. In fact, the only times he seemed to lose was when he was dealt a bad hand that lacked any Bolt or Mirror cards. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts to capitalize on that, Morgan was still unable to take a game off him, much to her continued annoyance.

"Look at that fog…"

Emma pointed out the window. They were about half an hour away from Legram when the fog settled over the dense forest outside the train.

"It came on so suddenly…" Gaius agreed.

"Well, Legram is well known for its fog, among other things," Morgan remarked. "But I'm surprised that it can be this thick even during the summer, Laura."

"This is not at all uncommon for this time of year. The fog does help keep the temperature cooler during the summer, though."

"Haha! In that case, bring on the fog!"

"It won't affect your vision, will it, Crow?"

"No sweat, Rean! When you're as skilled as me, you can shoot a target with your eyes closed!"

Rean looked on with cautious skepticism, as did the rest of Group A. This was going to be a long field study.

"Wow…"

Morgan breathed in the fog as she stepped out of the train station, which was situated from a high enough position that overlooked Legram and the lake it was situated on. Off in the distance, Morgan could make out the cloudy silhouette of a castle in the distance.

"So this is the town of mist and ancient legends…"

"I'm pleased you seem to have taken a liking to it." Laura had a small hint of pride in her voice as she said that. "Unfortunately, the mist does hinder the visibility. On a clear day, the surface of the lake gleams like a polished mirror."

"Fog or no, it's breathtaking all the same."

"It really is…" Gaius agreed. "I'll need to sketch this scene down when I have the chance later."

"Welcome home, my lady."

Morgan nearly jumped out of her boots. 'Wh-Where did he come from?!'

Standing just a short distance away from them was an elderly man dressed in a butler's uniform with a small blue cape draped over his shoulders. From the looks of things, everyone else in Group A had the same reaction upon noticing him. Even seasoned warriors like Rean and Gaius looked just as surprised as the rest, implying that they weren't able to sense him at all.

"I have returned, Klaus," said Laura. "I see that your proficiency in the art of concealment has not diminished in my time away from home."

The butler chuckled. "Haha. On the contrary. My age has begun to get the better of me, I'm afraid. Watching you grow is the only joy left to an old man like me."

"Surely you jest…" Laura looked around the front of the station and frowned. "Can I assume that Father not coming to meet us means he's currently away from Legram?"

"I'm afraid so. He also mentioned that he was unsure when he might return."

The butler frowned as he said that, and Laura responded with one of her own. "I did expect that might be the case. But nonetheless, allow me to introduce you. Everyone, this is Klaus, the Arseid family steward. He fills in for my father in his absence and serves as the acting master of the Arseid school of swordsmanship."

"The acting master…?"

That sent another wave of surprise through the students. Klaus looked like he could be someone's grandfather; how could he be an acting master?

"First Sharon and now this guy…" Crow muttered. "Does every butler and maid have crazy skills or something like that?"

"A servant can be whatever their master wants them to be, and it's their responsibility to carry out those expectations to the best of their ability. Even if it means picking up some crazy skills." Morgan gave a knowing nod at Klaus. "Isn't that right?"

Klaus gave a look of approval. "You are precisely on the mark, young lady. I see that we share a common point of view."

"Right, you were a maid, too…" Rean remembered.

From there, Klaus and Laura gave the rest of Group A a tour of Legram. Compared to some of their other field study locations, Legram was fairly small in terms of size, but that didn't mean that it was starved of content. Laura pointed out several key landmarks, such as an animist monument in the middle of the town plaza and a statue of the Lance Maiden and some of the Eisenritter. As they walked around the town, a number of residents came out to greet the daughter of their reigning lord. Judging from overwhelmingly positive reception, it seemed that the people of Legram were on good terms with those of the viscount's family, a far cry from the relationship between Duke Albarea and his subjects.

The group continued making their way up the winding road towards the viscount's mansion. As Laura explained, the mansion was built on top of a hill with the intent of functioning as a stronghold should the need arise. On the way up, they came across the Legram chapel and the Arseid School's main training hall, the latter building being easily recognizable by the sounds of shouting and the ringing of steel on steel. Laura recounted some of her early memories of learning how to use a sword, though a great deal of them consisted of her being on the receiving end of a beatdown from her father and Klaus.

Finally, the group arrived at the main estate, which, to the group's surprise, was to be their lodgings for the duration of their time in Legram. The students were shown to their guest rooms, which were joined by a single terrace overlooking Lake Ebel. The castle that they had seen earlier was also much closer, to the point where some of its distinctive structures were now visible amidst the fog.

"Lohengrin Castle," Laura said. "During the War of the Lions, it served as the Lance Maiden's stronghold."

Morgan leaned on the edge of the railing and gazed at the castle. She had seen her fair share of fancy noble houses and palaces; heck, she even worked in one. But none of them were structured like the castles she was familiar with. In fact, this was probably the first castle she had ever seen in person since her arrival in Erebonia. A soft breeze blew through her hair as she continued to stare at Lohengrin Castle. A relic from a time long ago.

For the first time in a while, she felt nostalgic for Ylisstol.

"Yeah, okay. I'll bite. Gelica wasn't kidding about the view."

Morgan looked to her right. Crow had stepped up to the edge next to her. "So? How high is Legram on your list of travel spots now?" she asked him.

"I'll admit. It's jumped a few spots. Still doesn't beat Jurai, though."

She snorted. "Again about Jurai…"

"I saw you staring at the castle earlier. You ever been in one?"

"Uh-huh. It's been a while since I've seen one in person, though. They were more commonplace where I came from."

"Man, your home sounds pretty old school."

"Well, I guess everything WOULD sound backwards compared to Jurai."

"Ha! Can't argue with you there."

Morgan moved some of her hair out of her face. "So you're from there."

A small beat of silence passed. There was no question; just a single statement.

"...That obvious, huh?"

"It was a small hunch after we talked this morning. I can tell when someone's speaking from firsthand experience."

"Heh. You're pretty clever, aren'tcha?"

"How come you didn't tell us?"

"Didn't think anyone would ask." The silver-haired student put his hands behind his head. "Besides, it's kinda hard to feel anything for a place I haven't been to in eight years."

Eight years. That was longer than the amount of time Morgan had spent in Erebonia. But instead of being surprised by that reveal, Morgan thought about how Crow had acted that morning when he was talking about Jurai. He had acted more animated than usual. Not the sort of attitude that someone who claimed not to have any strong feelings would exhibit.

"Hey! Come on, you two! We're just about ready to leave."

Morgan turned back to the group. "Right! Sorry, Rean!"

"Geez, Rean. What a way to kill the mood!"

Morgan made a gagging motion before asking, "Where are we picking up our field study tasks again?"

"Klaus said that we should go to the Bracer Guild. Our field study assignments are being handled by a professional over there."

"The Bracer Guild?" Morgan remembered a small comment that Laura made back in Heimdallr. "Ah. That's right. Legram's one of the few places in the empire that still has bracers."

"Makes sense," Crow agreed. "Those field study tasks are basically glorified guild requests."

"Actually, before we depart…" Laura spoke up. "If it's possible, can I request that we make a small detour before we leave?"

"A small detour?" Gaius wondered. "Where would that be?"

"Fifty mira says it's her room."

Everyone gathered gave Crow their biggest looks of disapproval, causing the gunslinger to take a cautionary step back.

"To visit my mother," Laura eventually answered. "I was going to introduce her to all of you, but perhaps it might be best if I were to have Klaus escort Crow from the premises…"

"I-I'll be on my best behavior! Promise!"

Laura begrudgingly turned to Klaus. "We will make our way to the Bracer Guild after we finish visiting Mother. You are free to return to the training hall if you so desire, Klaus."

"As you wish, my lady. Please take care, everyone."

With one last cautionary glance at Crow, the Arseid family steward bowed and made his exit through the room that the boys would be inhabiting. The students agreed to meet up in the hallway after they were done settling in and double-checking their equipment.

Laura was the first one to emerge out into the hallway. At the insistence of Morgan and Emma, she would be spending the next couple of nights in her own room. A part of her felt guilty for taking advantage of their field study lodgings, but it wasn't explicitly stated that students all had to sleep in the same place. In fact, Emma recounted that Gaius had also taken the opportunity to sleep with his family when their group went to Nord a few months back. While she was grateful for her friends' willingness to accommodate, Laura couldn't deny feeling a twinge of loneliness at the thought of sleeping by herself again.

Rean was the next to come out of his room. "Hey. Were you waiting long?"

Just like that, the twinge of loneliness disappeared. "Not at all," Laura responded with a smile. "I just arrived not too long ago."

"That's good. So how does it feel? Being back home, I mean."

"I will admit, I felt a little emotional conversing with all of the townsfolk again. But I need to remind myself that we are here for the field study first. As a member of Class VII, I can't afford to become complacent."

"You don't need to act so serious, you know. Gaius and the three from Heimdallr were pretty relaxed when they showed us around their homes. If you want to visit some friends while you're here, we understand."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Rean. I plan on making my rounds near the end of the day, once we've finished with our tasks."

"Sounds good." Rean then pursed his lips. "So, this might come out of nowhere, but when I think about it, I'm not sure I've ever heard you say anything about your mom. It's almost always about your dad… Uh, no offense."

"None taken. In truth, that's because there isn't a whole lot for me to discuss. She passed away not long after she gave birth to me."

"Oh…" Rean looked down. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," Laura reassured him. "That is simply how life can be sometimes."

The rest of their group started to trickle in from the guest rooms before they could talk further. After the last one arrived, Laura led her classmates to the first floor and entered one of the doors on the right side, which led to a small library area. There were three things that caught the students' attention: the bookshelves that were only a few levels high so that a person could grab something even while they were sitting down, the empty executive desk that looked like it hadn't been used in a long while, and the full-body portrait of a woman sitting down hanging on the far wall. The woman was smiling and had a face paired with amber-colored eyes that matched Laura's own facial features. Her hair was long and dark, tied back into a ponytail by a silver-colored hair ring. There were also a few trees painted in the background, and the woman was wearing a small golden wreath that resembled the leaves and branches from those trees.

"I have returned, Mother," Laura announced, bowing in respect to the portrait. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I wanted to introduce you to some of my classmates. They have made my time at Thors most fruitful."

Each of the other students took the time to introduce themselves to the portrait of Laura's mother. It was odd, talking to an inanimate object, and not helping matters was the portrait towered over the rest of them, giving Laura's mother a commanding presence over the room despite her serene expression.

There was one thing that everyone seemed to agree on, though.

"Your mother looks very beautiful."

Laura smiled. "Thank you, Emma. She would have been approaching her fortieth birthday were she still alive now."

"If I may be so bold to ask…" said Gaius. "Do you know what your mother was like?"

"I only know so much from the stories my father and Klaus have told me. You will need to ask either one of them for more details. But supposedly, she was very forthcoming about her opinions. Whenever she had something that caught her attention, she had a tendency to confront it head on."

"Sounds kinda like you," Crow said jokingly.

"Yes. My father has said many times that I inherited her stubbornness. Although…" Laura frowned for a moment. "I do wish I inherited more than just that and her appearance. From my understanding, she knew how to be empathetic as well, whereas I have only recently learned to be less narrow-minded."

"But you're getting better," Rean reminded her. "You managed to make up with both Fie and the girl you're coaching in the Swimming Club. You've grown since you came to Thors, just like all of us, and we're only going to keep growing from here on out."

Laura gave Rean a warm smile. "I suppose you're right. There is no use in dwelling on the past when you could be looking towards the future. That was a mentality Father carried ever since Mother passed away."

"What was her name?"

Laura's gaze turned to one of the trees in the background. Her face relaxed.

"Her name was...Daphne."

"There's the guild emblem. Makes sense why we didn't notice it earlier, what with all the mist."

"Strange…" Gaius muttered to himself. "The branches in the capital were closed due to political pressure, but this one still seems to be active."

"The Legram branch continues to operate, as it always has," Laura answered. "That's why I was rather surprised to find out that the capital's branches were no longer active."

"Yeah, bracers aren't exactly known to follow the authorities; they're all about protecting civilians." Crow showed a small scowl. "That's probably why Mister Iron and Blood was ready to shoo them out as soon as possible."

"It's not just him, though…" Rean added. "Jusis told me that there used to be bracers in Bareahard, but the reason that branch closed was because of his father, not the Imperial government."

"So it looks like everyone has it out for bracers in Erebonia…"

"That certainly explains the instructor's frosty temperament towards government officials…"

All this talk about bracers made Morgan remember some of Olivert's stories from when he first came back from Liberl. During his travels, he became heavily invested with the guild and even fought alongside several bracers during the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon. Did any of them ever meet Instructor Sara? Considering how interconnected the guild's network seemed to be, it was highly possible that they at least heard about her. Just what would it take for bracers to re-enter the Erebonian limelight?

Pondering over that question made Morgan remember another memory that took place before the Bracer Guild was ousted out of the capital. During an infamous string of jaeger attacks that would colloquially be referred to as the "Assault on the Imperial Guilds," she and Princess Alfin were cornered by a group of jaegers and were only saved thanks to the timely appearance of a bracer.

'What happened to that bracer after that?' Morgan wondered. She searched through her memories, trying to remember what his name was…

The door to the guildhouse abruptly opened, followed by a young man's voice saying, "Man, you guys sure know how to poke a guy where it hurts, don't you?"

The man who emerged from the building looked to be in his late 20's, had short blonde hair, and was wearing a green shirt underneath a long white coat. Attached to his waist was a set of pouches not unlike Morgan's own.

'Wait… Blond hair? White coat?'

"Long time no see, Laura," the man said. "Looks like you're doing well."

"Likewise. I'm pleased to see you again, Toval."

"Toval…?" Morgan studied the man's face. Then, she widened her eyes and shouted, "Ah! It's you!"

"Huh? Do we know each other? Wait…" Now it was Toval's turn to look at Morgan's face. "A scar? And that hair… Now where have I…"

"You've...met each other before, Morgan?" Laura asked surprisedly.

"Back when I was still Her Highness's attendant. I didn't think it was worth mentioning at the time, but…" Morgan looked down. "There was an incident during the Assault on the Imperial Guilds. The princess and I were in the thick of things, and I'm positive that Toval was the person who rescued us."

"Oh! That maid girl!" Toval snapped his fingers. "Now I remember. It's been, what, two years? I didn't even recognize you!"

"Thank you so much for helping us back then."

"I was just doing my job. But man, I didn't think that you'd end up becoming one of Sara's students. Small world, isn't it?"

"Wait, you knew Sara back when she was a bracer?" asked Rean.

"Pretty much," Toval affirmed. "But putting all that aside, my full name's Toval Randonneur, and as you all know by now, I'm a bracer with the guild here in the Empire. Come on in, ladies and gents of Class VII."

The bracer led Group A into the guildhouse. The interior resembled the guild branches in Heimdallr, except everything seemed...livelier? There were actual requests posted on the billboards, some boxes were placed on top of each other behind an open crate, stacks of documents were put along one side of the reception desk, and the Bracer Guild emblem was hanging from on one of the front pillars where it belonged. Frankly, some parts were a bit of a mess, but it was the welcome kind that came from a long day's work. This, the students realized, was how a Bracer Guild should look like.

After the group got settled into their new surroundings, Toval gave them their list of tasks for the day.

"Obligatory monster request, replacing the lights all over the highway, and…" Rean held up a particular request with an intrigued look in his eyes. "A training bout at the Arseid school training hall?"

"Ah! It seems that my idea went through after all."

"Your 'idea,' Laura?"

"It was something that came to mind after our field study locations were revealed. Last month, we took part in an exhibition match against the Vander school students in Heimdallr. I thought that since we were visiting the headquarters of the Arseid School this month, we should try to do something similar."

"Sounds like it'll be fun."

"Indeed. And I can assure you, we of the Arseid School do not aim to disappoint."

"I thought you were supposed to be on our side, Laura."

As Rean and Laura shared a smile between them, Crow made a square with his fingers. "Heh, it's almost like they're in their own little world."

"I suppose the question now is whether we should take care of this now or later…" Gaius spoke.

"I'm worried that it might affect how we fare against the monster if we do it first…" Emma looked like she was having a bad flashback to the exhibition match against the Vander School last month. "I still remember how tired I felt after last time…"

"In that case, we can leave that for later!" Morgan decided. "Hey, don't look at me like that, you two! Both the monster and light requests say that we need to go to the Ebel Highway; it'd save us a lot of time if we were able to do both at once."

"Fix the lights on the highway and look out for the monster on the way. Two birds with one stone!" Crow gave a thumbs up. "I'm down for that!"

Emma and Gaius likewise agreed with this plan, leaving Rean and Laura outnumbered.

"Well, you heard them. Can you lead the way, Laura?"

"I would be glad to. Let us go to Watteau's Store. It's right this way…"

…

"Whew! And that's another one down!" Morgan locked the maintenance door for the road lamp and put the broken light into one of her pouches. "Just a few left to go."

"This really takes you back to our field study in Celdic, doesn't it?"

"That's right. We had to replace the lights for a road lamp as one of our first field study tasks."

"Alisa was the one who helped us replace the lights. Looking back in hindsight, her being a Reinford explains her expertise in orbal technology."

"Hey, it's nice that you've got all these stories, but…" Crow raised his hand. "You guys remember that I'm here, right? I feel kinda left out."

"Ahaha…" Emma laughed nervously. "If it makes you feel any better, I was in the other group during the first field study, so I know what you mean."

"Oh, Class Prez!" Crow stretched out his arms for a hug. "Finally! Someone who gets me!"

Emma instinctively took a step back.

"Hey, stop flirting, Trickster!" Morgan called out. "You're doing the next one!"

"Fine, fine…" Crow rubbed the back of his head. "Just tryin' to break the ice here."

"Still, this fog's pretty thick," Rean remarked. "I'm surprised we haven't been ambushed by monsters already."

"Well, we've done a decent job at staying huddled near the lights," Morgan pointed out. "A lot of them have just enough juice to protect the area around them."

The students continued walking along the Ebel Highway, taking care not to stray from the path in the fog. After some more time passed, they came across the last light in the area. However, there was a problem.

"Isn't that…"

"The monster we were sent to defeat," Gaius affirmed, finishing Rean's question. "The outline matches the description we were given by Toval, but the fog makes it a bit hard to tell."

"What's more important is that it's standing right by the last lamp. Looks like we'll need to take it down in order to reach it."

"Right. Except…" Emma pointed to Morgan's belt. "Morgan, will you be able to fight with all those broken lamps at your waist? Wouldn't it be easier if we went back to town, dropped them off, and then came back?"

"We would be wasting precious time," Laura reminded the class president. "And there's no guarantee that the monster will be in the same location when we come back."

"I can just fight from the back!" Morgan reassured the group. "No worries!"

"Or we could divide our forces?" Rean proposed. "One group takes on the monster and lures it away from the lamp. The other will sneak past them and fix the light."

"Hey! Now that's a plan I can get behind!" Crow enthusiastically put a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "All right! Just leave it to me and Morgs!"

"H-Huh?!" Morgan shoved her upperclassman's hand away. "Who said I was going to go with you?"

"Didn't you say that I was gonna do the next one?"

"That's…" Morgan's face paled. She HAD said that. "Right. I did…"

After Morgan got over the shock of falling into her own pitfall, she and Crow moved to their positions. They chose a boulder off to the side of the road as their hiding spot.

Rean unsheathed his tachi. "Okay. They're in position. Let's do this guys!"

The rest of the students drew their weapons, ready to enter combat. To get the monster's attention, Rean launched an arc-shaped shockwave while slashing his tachi. The attack hit its mark, and the monster turned towards the students and roared.

"That's right, gator!" Rean goaded the reptilian monster. "Come over here!"

Emma adjusted her glasses. "Um, Rean? I'm pretty sure the mouth looks more like a crocodile's."

"But look at that tail!" Gaius remarked. "It's as if a shark grew legs and suddenly came onto the land!"

"We can worry about what sort of amalgamation of animals this creature is later!" Laura shouted. "Here it comes!"

The monster snapped its jaws and started chasing after the students with its four waddling legs. After it was out of their field of vision, Morgan and Crow hurried over to the lamp.

"Just stick this guy here, and…" Crow inserted the key into the lock on the maintenance compartment, twisted it, and opened the door. "Bingo! We're in business!"

Morgan had already reached into one of her pouches and was holding out a brand new light for the road lamp. Currently, she was keeping a watchful eye on the battle going on behind. "You could stand to be a little more serious about this, Trickster."

"You need to lighten up, Morgs! Put a little faith in your teammates, would you?"

"Don't call me Morgs," she retorted, "and I trust them. But a good tactician needs to be prepared for anything. At least one backup plan for every backup plan."

"Come on, what's the worst that can happen?"

Morgan's mind briefly flashed back to all of their previous field studies. There was the time they nearly got arrested in Celdic, Rean's injury from a monster in Bareahard, the whole situation with the bugs at Bryonia Island, the terrorist attack in Heimdallr…

"A lot of things, actually."

"Well, if it happens, it happens, right? Not much you can do when you're over here with me. And besides…" Crow took the new light bulb from Morgan's hands and exchanged it for the old broken bulb he was holding. "If you keep holding their hands, they're not gonna be ready for when they gotta go off on their own."

Morgan pursed her lips as she put the broken lamp into one of her pouches. She knew how that felt. The feeling of being lost with nowhere to turn to. When she awoke in Erebonia with no memories, her hand was held by Alfin and the Imperial family, and they got her situated into her new home. However, such a life was also a sheltered one, and when the time came to venture out into the larger city of Heimdallr, she found that she was still woefully unprepared for the urban life.

"You may be right…" she conceded. "But people naturally come to rely on each other for help. No man is an island. That's why we're traveling in a team."

That's right. It wasn't like she was alone forever. She made use of the connections she had with the Vanders, and she slowly but surely inserted herself into the community of the Kunst District and beyond with her quick thinking and effort. All of that made her new life in Erebonia noticeably less lonely.

Morgan momentarily took her eyes off her classmates to look at Crow. "You should know. You've done this before with Angelica, George, and Towa, right?"

Crow didn't immediately respond to her question. Eventually, she heard him mutter, "Rely on each other, huh?"

Before she could ask him to speak up, her upperclassman closed the maintenance door and gave it one last nudge to make sure that it was fully locked. "Well, whatever. Lamp's fixed! Think fast!"

He tossed Morgan the maintenance key, which she only barely managed to catch thanks to the fog. Crow then stood up, gave his jacket a little swish, and pulled out his ARCUS and one of his orbal guns. "Okay! All set! Now how's about we make our debut with a bang? Hit me with the arts support!"

Morgan was a bit confused. "Um, what do you mean arts support?"

"Sara never taught you guys? Huh. Guess not."

"Taught us...what? Explain yourself, Trickster!"

"Psh! Don't sweat the small stuff! Here, I'll show you how we used to do it! First, you hold out your ARCUS towards me…"

"Like...this?"

"Yeah! Imagine like you're about to cast an art. Once I get my thing going, direct all that attention towards me and watch our link do the rest!"

"Can you...try not to make it sound weird?"

"I'm bein' totally serious here! Trust me, you'll get it in no time!"

Morgan groaned on the inside. Nevertheless, she and Crow formed a combat link, and when Crow started preparing an art with his ARCUS, she held out her own ARCUS in his direction.

"Imagine like I'm casting an art…"

As she did this, Morgan saw in the corner of her vision that the faint line that symbolized her and Crow's combat link was starting to become fuller. It appeared as if her orbment's energy was being channeled to Crow's position.

"Ooh, yeah! I'm feelin' it!" Crow remarked. "Now get a load of my special patented Link Shot!"

Crow pulled the trigger and fired a supercharged version of his art at the monster's back, staggering it instantly.

"Whoa…"

"You liked that? Heh. Course you did." Crow coolly held the end of his pistol to his mouth and blew on it. "Combat links can do more than just giving your partner a signal. If you're using the right setup, you can even increase the power of your attacks! Sure, it's not as flashy as those combination attacks you guys're practicing, but it gets the job done! Not to mention, anyone with an ARCUS can do it if they try."

While Crow was explaining this, Rean's team was able to capitalize on the opening that he provided. Rean and Laura slashed at the monster from both sides. Then, Emma summoned a slew of ethereal blades that punctured the monster in different areas, almost making it look like a pin cushion.

"O winds, grant me your strength!" Gaius leapt into the air and let out a mighty howl, encasing himself in an aura bearing a visual resemblance to a hawk's silhouette! "Calamity Hawk!"

The lancer descended upon his prey and drove his weapon straight into the monster's back. A sizable gust of wind started blowing around him as he made impact, and the monster was instantly defeated.

"That was awesome, Gaius!"

"Wasn't that the move you did last month against the dragon skeleton?"

While Morgan, Rean, Laura, and Emma crowded around Gaius and showered him with compliments, Crow was left all by himself, his moment of glory gone.

"Man, he really stole my thunder, didn't he?" he grumbled to himself.

He couldn't stay mad, though; even he had to concede that Gaius's most powerful attack looked, as Morgan put it, awesome.

"We wouldn't have been able to win if it weren't for Morgan and Crow's timely assist," said Gaius. "That attack gave us the opening we needed."

"Speaking of which, didn't that art look a bit more powerful than usual?"

"Glad you noticed, Rean! Turns out the trickster had a couple more aces up his sleeve!" Morgan turned and locked eyes with him. "Go on! Tell them!"

Maybe it was because she was always prone to belittling or poking fun at him these days, but Crow was briefly taken aback by the look in her eyes. They possessed an air of unwavering earnestness that couldn't help but pull you in once you entered their orbit, and yet there was also a hint of innocence in them, too.

Actually, now that he was the center of attention, he could see that all of his underclassmen shared the same degree of innocence. Maybe it was just a kid thing to have, and as far as Crow knew, he couldn't force it even if he tried.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day you'd ask me for advice!" he joked. "Alright, kids! Get ready to have your minds blown!"

He could practically hear his other group members groan on the inside. No combat links required.

'You know what? Maybe I'll give this "trust" thing a shot…'

Author's note: And so we begin the Legram field study, a.k.a. my attempt at answering the question of what Crow would do to cope with gambling withdrawal. Yeah, despite the ingrained tradition that all members of Class VII have to visit their hometowns for the field studies, I never understood why the teachers would take a look at the field study locations and think that sending the problem kid who's close to flunking to a place with a casino is a good idea. With that out of the way, the name of the game for this month's field study is character interactions. I saw that some of you approved of Morgan possibly starting to piece together Crow's background, so I decided to add some more interactions between the two for you guys.

Naturally, the storyline will largely follow the main game, but doesn't mean there aren't any opportunities for some original content, and this is where I decided to try my hand at addressing one of the biggest unsung characters of the Kiseki series: Laura's mom. Among the list of missing family members, Laura's mom is one of the most glaring in recent memory for the fact that we're never even given a name for her, let alone a backstory. This is despite the fact that Laura is a main playable character and Viscount Arseid is an important figure in the Empire. The only thing we are told about her is that she died when Laura was a child...in a small conversation between Rean and the viscount that is likely to be overlooked by most players. Obviously, that's not gonna fly here, so I gave her a name with the intent of explaining why at a later date, though some insightful readers might be able to catch why I chose the name "Daphne" in respect to the names of her husband and daughter. Also, I should point out that there is an NPC already existing in Legram who also goes by the name of Daphne. For the sake of this fic, assume that this Daphne and that one are two separate characters.

The last thing I want to highlight is the technique that Morgan did with Crow, which is a reference to a certain link ability in the game that lets a character give their partner's next orbal art some extra oomph. It took me until now to realize that I never really used link abilities, so there's that thing checked off at least.

Thank you once again for being patient with these slow releases. Hope to see you again next time!