"Hey, Jusis! Come here for a sec!" Millium called out.

Jusis tried his best to suppress a groan. "What is it now…"

"I wanna try this thing I saw in a movie once!" The blue-haired girl pranced up to the bow of the ship and stood at the very edge with her hands stretched outwards. "Okay! Now put your hands around my waist!"

"Oh, for the love of… Get down from there before you go overboard!" Jusis reached out and pulled Millium away by the collar before she could teeter over the edge of the ship.

Watching the two of them from the center of the ship, Emma leaned over to Machias and whispered, "Umm, were they like this last month, too?"

"Oh, you have no idea…" her fellow glasses-wearing classmate sighed. "Me and him were basically taking turns keeping an eye on her the whole time. Jurai's a pretty dense place, so it was easy for us to lose her."

"I…I see…" Emma could only dare to fathom what the two of them had to go through in Jurai. Looking at Jusis now, she wondered whether he appeared more like an older brother admonishing his younger sibling or a beleaguered father trying to keep his child in check.

Suddenly, the pair was interrupted by a figure that was hanging upside down from the sail mast. "Haha! Who would've guessed that babysitting was the solution to all your problems?"

"S-Stop that, Morgan!" Machias flusteredly reprimanded the hanging girl. "You're being an affront to public decency!"

"Hey, I'm wearing shorts! A lot of the other girls are doing it, too!"

The black-haired girl hoisted herself up so that she sat upright on the mast before letting herself fall backwards. Using the momentum she gained from falling, she flipped and landed perfectly in front of her classmates with her hands stretched horizontally.

"But, actually, now that I think about it…" Morgan continued as she dusted off her skirt. "The only one in our group right now who hasn't converted all the way is…"

Her eyes not-so-subtly landed on Emma's skirt, which caused the glasses-wearing girl to blush and call out, "M-Morgan! Be quiet!"

Machias had involuntarily followed Morgan's gaze until it landed on the same spot, oblivious as to what she was entailing. But as soon as he saw Emma's reaction, it didn't take long for him to get the message, causing his face to turn red in return.

"U-Umm…"

"N-N-No! I wasn't thinking of anything, I swear!

"Oya-oya?" Morgan started rubbing her chin, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "Were you perhaps thinking of something indecent, Machias Regnitz?"

"Nrrrgh…" With every word he tried to say, the more Machias became a blubbering mess. All the while, he was deliberately trying not to look at the flustered expression Emma was giving him. "G-Go help Gaius collect the docking fee! We'll, er, handle things here."

Morgan playfully saluted and responded, "Aye aye, captain!"

Satisfied with the havoc she had just created, Morgan took her leave and stepped off the ship. She found Gaius just past the dock, talking to the owner of the ship the class was currently inspecting.

"I already gave you the fee! Why are you asking for more, you vagrant?"

'Uh-oh. Sounds like trouble…' Morgan thought.

"With all due respect, sir…" Gaius spoke politely. "Your ship matches the description of a semi-large ship. The fee you gave me is for a medium ship."

"What is so difficult to understand about it?" the well-dressed man fumed. "A ship is a ship! I'll have you know that I'm only paying the same price that I've been doing for the past decade!" He then turned up his nose and sneered at Gaius, despite the fact that the foreigner was taller than he was. "Though I suppose someone as green as yourself wouldn't think to check the list of legacy patrons. Or would it perhaps be brown in your case?"

Gaius's expression remained calm in the face of the rude client. His emotional maturity never ceased to amaze Morgan, and it was a trait that everyone else in Class VII respected him for. However, even Gaius was known to have his limits, which was why she decided to step in at that moment before the situation could escalate.

"Excuse me, sir…" Morgan said, putting on her best professional face. "Is something the matter?"

"Hey, Morgan." Gaius nodded at her. "Well, you see…"

The owner of the ship grunted. "Hmph. So you're both in the same group. I've paid the docking fee for my ship. Now if you'll hand me the sticker, I must be on my way."

Morgan lowered her head gracefully. "Thank you very much for your patronage. However, I must regretfully inform you that regulations have changed since the last time you came ashore. These changes were put into effect fairly recently, so I don't blame you for not knowing in advance. I understand you are a busy man, but if you could please spare a moment of your time, we could walk you through the changes. Your cooperation would be a great help to us all."

The well-dressed man was briefly taken aback by Morgan's cordiality. Eventually, he let out a relenting huff. "At least one of you knows how to address a noble. Very well. Let's get this over with."

"You have our gratitude, good sir." Morgan bowed her head again. "Gaius, could you go and fetch the head inspector? He'll know what to do."

"Of course. I'll be right back."

While Gaius left to get a hold of the head ship inspector, Morgan quickly gave the noble a rundown of the list of changes made to calculating a ship's docking fee. Beforehand, the noble's ship would have been barely within the limits of a medium-class ship in terms of volume. But under the new regulations, ships were to be assessed based on their manufacturer and model, which necessitated the addition of two entirely new classifications of ships in the form of semi-medium and semi-large sizes. Gaius eventually returned with the head inspector in tow, who verified that the noble's ship was indeed a semi-large ship and assured the students that he would be able to handle negotiations from there. With the matter in the officer's hands, Morgan and Gaius quietly took their leave.

"Looks like things are gonna be smooth sailing from here on out," Morgan remarked with a snicker.

"It seems so." Gaius let out a small chuckle of his own. "Thanks for the assist, Morgan."

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Still, no matter how many times I see it, I'm surprised at how seamlessly you can transition from professional to casual in a moment's notice. It made my handling of the situation feel lacking in comparison."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," she consoled him. "Regulations exist to be enforced, especially with the ILF at large. Questioning the client back there was the right move. It's better if he gets that drilled into his mind now than later."

"I can't deny that. You sure know your stuff." Gaius then stopped in his tracks. "Say, Morgan? Can I ask you a question?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Do you know of the Bardias family?"

"Bardias…" Morgan briefly mulled over the name before nodding her head. "Yeah. Like Brigadier General Bardias, right? The Black Whirlwind of the Sutherland Provincial army?"

Gaius nodded back. "He and the rest of his family are descended from the original Nord warriors that assisted Emperor Dreichels during the War of the Lions. I haven't met him, but from what I heard from my father, both he and General Le Guin attended Thors. Their ages are similar, so it's likely the two of them were in the same year."

"Wow. What a small world we live in, huh?"

"Yeah. Meeting the general today reminded me once again of how connected the world we live in really is. Even as someone born on the outside."

"Mmm. I know that feeling." Morgan's smile grew smaller. "But at least…"

"At least…?"

'At least you were born a part of this world.' Morgan shook those thoughts from her head. "Mm-mm. It's nothing!"

But the tall Nordian frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stir up any memories of your homeland."

"Gah! How'd you know?!"

That caused Gaius to chuckle a little bit. "It looks like your composure still needs practice. Although, that honesty is arguably one of your more endearing traits."

"Flattering, Gaius."

"Do you ever miss your own home?"

"Can't say." Morgan pointed to her forehead. "I've got amnesia, remember?"

"But you still have some memories of your childhood," Gaius said. "And you've said before that they're gradually coming back. Is there anything we can do to expedite the process?"

"Hmm…" Morgan tapped her finger to her chin. "Hey, how about we try this? Hold your hand by the wrist and then put it in front of your face."

"Like…this?" Gaius did as she asked, clutching his right wrist with his left hand while holding both hands a few rege in front of his face.

"Yeah! Hold that position! Now squat low to the ground, start twitching your right hand, and say, 'My sword hand twitches!'"

"Um, exactly what purpose does this serve?"

"Just try it! What's the worst that can happen?"

"A-Alright…" Gaius took a deep breath and looked at his hand. "My sword hand…twitches?"

"No, no! You have to mean it! Imagine that your hand is pulsating with eldritch energy, just yearning to be released! Its sole desire…is to bask in the glory of battle!"

"Urgh!" Gaius grunted. "My sword hand twitches!"

Morgan twisted her mouth. "Hmm… Yeah, not getting anything. Weird. You sound a lot like someone I used to know, but it just doesn't feel the same."

"That was…strangely exhilarating," the Nordian said. "But I don't think it's something I want to be doing in public."

Morgan looked around at the odd looks they were getting from some of the sailors and passersby and immediately felt guilty. It was bad enough that Gaius was facing prejudice earlier from a noble; having him act in such a way was only adding fuel to the fire. She made a mental note to make it up to him in the future.

"So our next request takes us here…" Machias took a good long whiff. "Yup. This smells like an upper-class building, alright."

"It's so much bigger than the department store on Vainqueur Street, and it's way more classy!" Millium cheerily remarked.

"I've heard about this place before," Emma commented. "Riviera Court, one of the oldest shopping centers in Western Zemuria."

"You're correct, Millstein," Jusis confirmed. "Due to its close proximity to port, Riviera Court carries a long and storied history of offering exotic goods that only the nobility can afford. Incidentally, my father also happens to be a regular here."

"Oooh! So you must be like a VIP!" Millium's eyes started twinkling. "Do you think they'll give us free sweets and stuff?"

Jusis scoffed and retorted, "You'd have better luck trying to curry favor with Duke Cayenne."

The rest of the group followed Jusis's lead and entered the department store. Immediately, they were blown away by the opulence on display. A collection of shops with goods from all across the Empire and beyond surrounded a seating area with an ornate fountain in the middle. Hanging from the ceiling were banners featuring various crests of the nobles who owned the establishment.

"Oh…my…"

"Whoooaaa! It's way bigger than I imagined!"

"If this doesn't scream 'splendor of nobility', then I don't know what does."

The department store was packed with customers, all of whom were well-dressed and too enamored with their surroundings to notice the group of students who had just walked in. As such, they were able to locate their client at the local tailors' store without any issue. Their client was an upper-class woman looking to buy a new suit for her son, who was in the middle of his growth spurt. As such, she needed some people who could help try out different sizes and styles. That naturally meant half of the group was exempt from taking part, so while the guys left to help the client, the girls decided to take a look around the store.

"Hey, Emma! Look at this!" Morgan pointed to a purple ball gown that was on display behind a glass case. "This color would go well with your hair!"

"Do you really think so? I've never worn such a fancy dress."

"I think you'd look sexy! Hey, we should dress you up in one of these and then have you stand next to the guys!"

"M-Millium!" Emma blushed upon hearing Millium's choice of words.

"You really should be more confident in your appearance," Morgan remarked. "Once you get on stage, you won't be able to hide from the audience. You gotta flaunt those assets like you're proud of them!"

"E-Easier said than done, Morgan! Whenever I remember how President Towa looked in that video…" Emma shuddered. "Hopefully, when it's time to choose our own positions, I'll be able to pick a spot that isn't in the foreground."

Morgan looked away from her bespectacled classmate.

"Um, Morgan? We WILL be able to choose our own positions, right?"

"Err…" Thankfully, she was saved from having to explain when two of their three male classmates stepped out of the dressing room. "Oh hey! Machias! Gaius! Perfect timing."

"Wow! Looking fancy!" Millium said, giving both of them two thumbs up.

"Oh my…" Emma just barely managed to stifle a gasp. She didn't utter another word after that, but Morgan guessed that she approved of what she saw.

The two boys were wearing two variations of the same suit, consisting of a formal black jacket and trousers, a white undershirt, and a red tie. The difference between them was that Machias was also wearing an additional waistcoat under his jacket, and his necktie was a crossover tie as opposed to Gaius' straight tie.

"Erebonian clothes are a lot tighter than I had anticipated," said Gaius.

"It's always like that the first time," Machias told him. "You get used to it."

"Nobles are expected to have straight posture at all times," their noble client responded. "The tightness of the suit helps to enforce that. It makes your appearance cleaner and sharper." She looked at the two teens with a discerning eye. "Alright, gentlemen. As we discussed."

"Yes, ma'am."

Gaius and Machias each took off their respective jackets and exchanged it between them for the other to wear.

"How come they need to do that?" Millium asked.

"I'm guessing it's because of her son's growth spurt," Morgan replied. "She's deciding if it would be better to buy a bigger one now so he can grow into it later."

"Hmm… I see…" the upper-class woman mumbled. "Yes, the larger jacket does look rather loose in comparison. My son is about as tall as the boy with green hair. Even just a few rege can make a difference."

"So are you gonna pick the one that Machias had on originally?"

"That remains to be seen. I will most certainly be taking one around that size, but there is still one last suit I need to assess."

"Right. The one that Jusis is trying out. What's taking him so long, anyway?"

"A couple of staff are helping him put it on," Machias grumbled. "Of course HE gets special treatment. Gaius and I had to help each other put our suits on."

A few minutes later, the last remaining model stepped out of the dressing room, and almost immediately, some nearby customers took notice of the extravagant attire Jusis was wearing. A pure white and gold suit with golden shoulder patches, a long red tie, and small chains adorning the front. Paired with Jusis's light-colored hair, his attire exemplified all of the qualities befitting someone of the upper class. He was almost like a prince out of a fairy tale, the shining pinnacle of a noble. Jusis himself looked rather miffed at the small crowd that was gathering in front of him. The other customers failed to notice his disgruntlement; they were too busy ooh-ing and aah-ing at the sight of THE Jusis Albarea gracing the building with his presence.

Machias, meanwhile, looked like he was trying his best to stifle a smirk. "It looks like something that came straight out of your wardrobe."

"Yes, yes. Go ahead and laugh, Regnitz…" Jusis grunted. "This level of amusement will only occur once in your lifetime."

"It does fit you very well, Jusis," Gaius said. "I don't think either myself or Machias could pull off that look as well as you can."

As the three boys continued to discuss their outfits with the client, Emma finally snapped to attention, having caught herself staring at them for far longer than she had anticipated. She never considered herself boy-hungry by any means (otherwise Celine and her grandmother wouldn't let her hear the end of it), but even she couldn't deny that they all looked extremely dashing in these formal outfits.

"Which one do you like the best?" Morgan leaned over and whispered.

"Morgan!" Emma hissed back. "Th-That's rather…personal, don't you think?"

"I was talking about the outfits."

"O-Oh. Right. Of course! The outfits."

Emma hastily straightened her glasses, which had shifted out of place in her brief state of fluster. Morgan, meanwhile, looked like she was deep in thought. A good thing, Emma considered. Otherwise, Morgan would have most certainly jumped at the chance to tease her reaction.

"So what about you, Morgan? Which ones do you think we should go with?"

"Well, we did come up with our own ideas with what the guys would wear, but compared to the girls, our creative streak was lacking."

"Y-You were thinking about what we would wear, too?!"

"We were debating over whether the guys should get custom outfits or if they should be uniform. But after looking at this, I've got a few new ideas," Morgan continued. "Yeah, once we're on stage, there won't be time for subtlety!"

It took a little while for Emma to connect the dots. "Ohhh. You were talking about our concert?"

"Uh, was I losing you? Whoops! Sorry about that. In that case, why don't I ask you a different question…"

Morgan's mouth began to creep upwards into a devious smirk. "Which outfit do you want to see Machias wearing the most?"

Emma's face turned so red, one could have sworn that they saw steam rising from her head.

After the boys changed out of their formal attire and left the client to make her purchase, the students left the city in the direction of the Auros Coastal Road for their monster extermination request. Their target for the day was a giant lobster-like creature who was giving the provincial army trouble with its armor-crushing pincers. Millium, with her silver puppet's ability to create barriers, proved to be an invaluable asset during the battle. While she and Airgetlam drew the monster's attention from the front, the others were free to attack it from the side. With five months of experience under their belt, the students were able to defeat the monster with nary a scratch to themselves, and they even spent a little time relaxing on the beach before returning to Ordis.

"Say, since we have nothing else planned for today…" Emma spoke on their way back. "Why don't we take this time to explore the rest of the city?"

"That's a good idea!" Morgan almost jumped at the opportunity. "There's a lot of places in Ordis that we haven't been to yet. And we might not be able to see the whole city after going to Juno Fortress tomorrow."

"Urgh, don't remind me…" Machias bemoaned. "I don't know what that general has planned for us, but it can't be good."

"We'll need to stay vigilant," Jusis reminded everyone. "General Le Guin may have expressed her approval of our field study, but others in the provincial army may not be so forgiving. Given that a number of them have pledged loyalty to the duke, they can't be trusted to take our side."

"Right. Like Marquis Ballad said. Don't interfere with their patrols…"

"...Stay out of any place that we're not supposed to be in…"

"And make sure that Millium stays on a leash as much as possible."

"Yup, yup… Now wait a minute!" Millium protested. "How come I'm the one who keeps getting singled out?"

"You know perfectly well the reasons why!" Jusis responded, his voice sounding louder than usual.

"I told you guys before! I've snuck in here before lots of times! I'll be perfectly fine on my own."

"Absolutely not!" the rest of the group exclaimed collectively.

Millium pouted. "Hmph! Fine! Then in that case, one of you is coming with me! Cause there ain't no way I'm staying at the inn with Instructor Sara until you come back!"

"That…sounds like a fair compromise." Machias couldn't disagree with that. Spending one-on-one time with their instructor was something he would only wish on his worst enemy, and Millium was most certainly not one. "Alright. Who wants to go with her?"

No one immediately raised their hand to volunteer themselves, not even Machias.

"Come on, guys! You're all just a bunch of meanies!"

A bead of sweat collectively dropped from the rest of the group. Things weren't going anywhere at this rate, and Millium's patience was wearing thin.

"Looks like we'll have to settle things the old-fashioned way…" Morgan emulated the action of rolling up her sleeves. "Okay! On three! Rock, paper…"

…

"Hey! Look at the fishing boat way out there! LAND HOOO!"

'Of course I ended up getting the short end of the stick.' Morgan somberly looked at her right hand, the same one she used to play (and lose) the game of rock-paper-scissors. 'No! I gotta lighten up! Past is in the past!'

She ran forward to catch up with Millium at the pier. The blue-haired girl was leaning over a metal partition, not really caring that she was just a step away from plunging into the sea. It was at times like this that Morgan was once again reminded that Millium truly was just a young child at heart. Endless bounds of energy, can act spoiled at times, and sometimes very honest to a fault. But at the same time, you could never truly hate her. It also made her wonder what her parents thought of her when she was a child.

Morgan closed her eyes and let out a long, deep sigh.

"Why the long face, Morgan?" Millium inquired.

"It's nothing big. I was just thinking about my parents again. One of my earliest memories of them was when they took me to the sea. Mother loved taking me to visit the wonders of nature. Flower patches were her number one favorite, but the sea was a pretty close second."

"It sounds like you all were pretty close."

"Yeah. We were." Morgan smiled softly. "Which is why it's a shame my memory's the way it is. It's like the sea, in a way. Some days it's as clear as day. But on others, it's foggy. That makes the things I do remember all the more important to me."

She looked down at the younger girl. "What about you? Do you still get along with your parents?"

"Hmm…"

Millium put a finger to her temple and hummed for a long time. Morgan found herself being perplexed at the implications. While it was no secret that Millium treated the other Ironbloods like family, with Claire and Lechter as the older siblings and Chancellor Osborne being her "Gramps", the White Rabbit had never uttered a word about her parents at all. Morgan and the other Sevens did find it puzzling how someone like Millium ended up in the service of the chancellor.

"Can't really say," Millium finally said. "It's hard to give an answer when you don't even have parents."

Despite Millium's claims, that was one heck of an answer that Morgan wasn't expecting. She didn't have parents? Did she mean she was orphaned? Or did she mean…?

But before Morgan could open her mouth to inquire further, Millium blurted out, "Whoops! Sorry. Top secret info! Whew, Claire wouldn't have let me hear the end of it."

"Now you've made me even more curious," said Morgan.

Millium snickered. "Heehee! Well, a lady's gotta keep her secrets close, amirite?"

A bead of sweat dropped from Morgan's forehead. Given her age and exuberant amounts of energy, Millium was far from being the image of a perfect lady.

"ANYWAY! Is there someplace you wanna look at?"

Morgan blinked. "Eh?"

"I'm asking if there's anywhere you wanna visit!" The blue-haired girl put her hands behind her head. "It was pretty obvious you were bummed out when the scary general lady told us we'd be at the fortress tomorrow. I mean, I totally get it. There's only so many places we can go to while we're here!"

Morgan was surprised by the younger girl's deductions. Was she really that obvious to read? Even more surprising was that Millium was being mindful of Morgan's feelings and letting her take the lead. This girl was truly unpredictable.

Well, if she was offering…

"There is one place…"

"You wanted to come here? Of all the places?"

"Hey, I've got my reasons! Don't judge me."

The two of them were currently in the city's academic district, where they stood in front of St. Coraline's Academy. It was an all-girls' school much like St. Astraia's in the capital, but true to Ordis' status as a city of nobles, St. Coraline's was exclusively reserved for upper-class citizens.

"You know, the only way to get into this school is if you have a letter of introduction from at least a baron," said Millium. "But you're friends with the Imperial family, so I guess they've got you covered if you wanted to transfer."

"Oh, I don't plan on transferring. But now that you mention it, a lot of places in Ordis work that way, don't they? Like that big hotel we passed by in the business district. You can't even book a reservation there without an invitation."

"The duke's been making it pretty difficult for commoners to get their foot in the door. Kleist & Co. really wants to open a shopping mall here, but that'd take away from Riviera Court's popularity, so they've been at a stalemate for a long while. Shame. I'd really like to see something less stuffy around here for once."

"Please kindly refrain from casually spilling confidential information like that," Morgan reminded her. "As if it wasn't clearer who's running the show here…"

"The Noble Alliance has got this place locked down," Millium agreed. "At least with Bareahard, it was easy to get into; getting out was the hard part."

Morgan remembered the first time she had encountered Millium. While they didn't realize it was her at the time, she and her classmates saw her and Airgetlam fleeing Aurochs Fort high in the sky. "What WERE you doing at Aurochs Fort anyway? Did you end up getting caught?"

"Oh, you saw me that time?" Millium laughed, not looking surprised in the least. "Haha! Not to worry! No one could catch me and Lammy! I just leaned in a little too closely while I was doing some recon. Turns out there was a lot of fake intel mixed in there to throw us off the trail."

"You're spilling again…"

"Excuse me. You two over there."

Both girls froze in their tracks as a provincial army officer began moving towards their position.

"Uh oh! Looks like they heard us!" Millium whispered. "Should we run?"

"That'd just make things even worse!" Morgan hissed back.

The officer tipped his hat at the two of them. "I hope I wasn't interrupting you two, but are you here for the exchange program? The opening ceremony isn't set to begin until tomorrow morning."

Morgan and Millium looked at each other and shared a quick sigh of relief. Looks like things weren't completely unsalvageable.

"Morgan, what's this exchange program?" Millium asked.

"Just follow my lead." Morgan cleared her throat and smiled again at the officer. "We were just looking around, sir! Ordis is such a big place, after all. We didn't know if we'd ever get another chance to do it before the festivities tomorrow."

The officer laughed. "I can't blame you there. It is a beautiful city. The finest in the empire, I dare say! But there's no need to worry. There'll be plenty of time to explore during your community service engagements tomorrow."

"Hm?" Morgan tilted her head inquisitively. "Community service, sir?"

"Why, yes! It's part of the program tomorrow afternoon! You'll be divided into groups based on your schools and set out at different intervals while the rest remain here."

"And is that why the entire district will be locked down tomorrow?"

"I'm sure you already know that the people behind the recent terrorist incidents are still at large. We have some very important people in attendance; therefore, we cannot afford to have everyone venture into the city all at once. But fear not! You have our word that the events that transpired at the Summer Festival and Garrelia Fortress won't happen here!" The officer then chuckled to himself. "Heh. That will show the Imperial government the power of the provincial army."

Morgan and Millium looked at each other, silently confirming to one another what they had just heard. It was as if they had just located a crucial piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

"Don't be surprised if nothing happens at all," Prince Olivert had said.

"That's reassuring to hear, sir," Morgan spoke quickly. "Thank you for taking the time to explain it to us. Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be returning to our lodgings now. Bye!"

Both girls quickly left the scene before the guard could offer to escort them.

"Hey, Morgan. About that exchange program…"

"I heard about it from Her Highness," Morgan replied. "I'm pretty sure you've guessed it already, but she'll be in the group representing St. Astraia's."

"Can't get much more important than that…" Millium murmured, not looking the least bit surprised. "And also, they seem REALLY sure that they'll be able to take care of things."

Morgan quickly looked all around her to make sure they weren't being tailed by any officers before asking, "So, based on your knowledge, do you actually think the provincial army stands a chance against the ILF?"

"I think you'd have better luck trying to convince Crow to give up gambling," the blue-haired girl retorted. "The RMP and the Imperial Army easily outmatch the provincial army any day. If the ILF could give both of them a hard time, then the provincial army shouldn't even be on our radar. Not unless…"

"...Unless the nobles and the ILF were working together on this," Morgan finished. "Prince Olivert mentioned that the Intelligence Division has been running into a lot of trouble on that front."

"Oh, he told you about that? Well, I guess it's not hard to see it that way."

"So it's true?"

Millium shrugged her shoulders. "There's not a whole lot we can do without solid evidence. Claire's been keeping tabs on the provincial army over in Nortia, though; she's about eighty-five percent sure there's a connection."

"Where Rean and the others are right now…" Morgan realized. "What about you, Millium? What do you think about all this?"

"Me? Ahaha…" Millium laughed apologetically. "I can't exactly say a whole lot without spoiling my own mission…"

"Your own mission?"

"But it's not hard to read the room, you know?" Millium hurriedly changed the subject. "The Imperial Liberation Front's laying low during a gathering of noble girls. And if the princess is coming, then once everything's all over, they can brag about how they succeeded in defending her where the RMP couldn't."

"That would give them the momentum they need to improve their credibility in the public eye," Morgan agreed. "And once the Noble Faction gains back some of their influence, it also gives the ILF more breathing room to operate over in the west."

"And to think: the only reason we found this out was because the guard thought we were from a girls' school!" Millium laughed. "Haha! All's well that ends well, right?"

Morgan chuckled softly. "Mhm. I guess so."

"Man, being friends with the princess sounds so cool! I wish I had friends I could do secret stuff with. She could give Claire a run for her money!"

That struck her as a bit odd. Morgan had heard Alfin be compared to a lot of things, but the Icy Maiden was not usually one of them. "How so?"

"Like, everything's going according to plan! We're all busy in the morning, but once the afternoon rolls around, that's a different story! All we have to do is put up with whatever the scary general lady's planned for us and then make sure we get back while they're doing community service! Speaking of, did the princess tell you what time her group starts?"

"Umm…"

Morgan thought back to the conversation she had with Princess Alfin before the field study. The most she had been told was to look out for a group of junior high students wandering the city. Nevertheless, their schedule seemed to match up well with Class VII's own plans, and at the rate at which things were going, the chances of the two parties crossing paths was remarkably was falling into place like a line of perfectly stacked dominoes. This would deserve much applause, except…

'This sort of thing isn't her style.'

An uneasy feeling seemed to tug in the back of Morgan's head. She knew better than anyone that if the princess wanted to tease someone with information of things to come, she would have done it in a more coy and overt manner. The approach here had a far subtler touch. To the untrained eye, it could have been chalked up as one coincidence leading to another, but upon further inspection, everything had already been calculated from the very beginning. Class VII's departure to Juno Naval Fortress would coincide with the closing of the academic district, and once they returned to Ordis, it would be just in time for the community service part of the exchange program. Only someone who saw the world like a chessboard, carefully planning their next move so they could make a game-winning play, could have this much foresight, if they even existed at all.

"So what's the plan? Are we just gonna play along and act like nothing's happened?"

Morgan's reverie was interrupted by Millium's question. She had almost forgotten what they were doing at the current moment. "I think that might be for the best," she decided. "If our suspicions are correct and the ILF really is choosing to lay low in Ordis, then there's no incentive for us to go looking for trouble. As weird as it is for me to say, we'll just have to hope that the provincial army can do their job."

"Least that's one less thing for us to worry about." Despite her words, Millium still looked a bit downtrodden. "But I gotta admit, I was hoping for something more exciting to happen this weekend. Especially after last month's field study!"

"Well, not every field study can have something like Garrelia Fortress…" said Morgan, a bead of sweat dripping from her forehead. But deep down, she was hoping that things could stay peaceful like this a little longer. To think: a field study where Class VII didn't have to investigate political matters or uncover some hidden agendas! Wouldn't that be something?

Author's note: The scene with Gaius is a reference to the fact that he's voiced by Kaiji Tang, the English voice of Owain.

Apologies for the sudden hiatus. Life happened and I had no choice but to shelf this for a long while, and once I did find time to come back to it, I had such a difficult time adopting the script I had initially envisioned that I ended up scrapping it and doing it all over again. This is the most I am able to do right now.