Chapter 3: Reputation of the Demon

3rd Person POV

After their business in the Viscounty of Fenja and a few days of downtime, Jeralt's Mercenaries made their way to the Eastern Kingdom for their next job. Each mercenary had bundled up in warm clothes as their convoy moved through the area towards their destination.

Snow crunched under Byleth's foot as he walked alongside the cart. Jeralt's Mercenaries was a decently sized group with 75 members. Because of that, they had access to a few mounts and transport options for when they travelled. Their convoy included a few carts which could hold up to six people each, and a few mounted units like Jeralt and his horse that he had named Vander. But even with a large amount of transport, some people still had to walk along the path. Byleth had volunteered to walk along the path today. It was mostly because he wanted to experience walking around in the snow.

The snow itself wasn't too deep on their forested path. Certainly not deep enough to encumber their movement and make their journey take longer but it still made him happy to have the chance to do it. Missions to the Kingdom were typically rare as most of their work was done in the Empire and the Alliance and even then working in the Kingdom was typically done in summer precisely to avoid situations like this where they were trudging through the snow. No one wanted to get caught in a Faerghus snowstorm. But with the growing instability in the Kingdom, mercenary jobs were ripe for the picking.

The job they had however wasn't one that they picked but one they were specifically sought out for. House Belinus was a small house with an equally small territory that bordered Dominic Territory. They didn't have any knights to spare so the Viscount, a woman named Yvette Belinus, sent a messenger to request the aid of Jeralt's Mercenaries. She was offering a sizeable payment for their help to drive off thieves and protect the festival, honouring Saint Indech, which would be happening in the capital (and only) city of her territory.

They'd arrive at the city soon and they'd be able to set up and begin their mission soon, assuming nothing happened. And of course, something happened. As Byleth walked he heard a sharp thwip followed by the sound of an arrow wooshing through the air. He was surprised that he even heard it but the strength of his observational skills wasn't important now. The arrow flew from behind the treeline and, Thunk! hit one of the mercenaries off his horse. A few more arrows were flying out from the trees after the first, hitting the carts, the horses and of course the mercenaries. One would have hit Byleth himself if it hadn't stopped in mid-air.

A purple glow surrounded everything but the young mercenary as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Damn, that was close," He muttered to himself. His voice had a strange echo in this moment between heartbeats.

"It seems someone doesn't want you reaching your destination," Sothis said. "Or perhaps they are bandits seeking to take whatever gold you are carrying."

"I'm gonna assume bandits," Byleth said. "Okay, first real fight since my consciousness woke up. Let's go, I guess."

Time began to rewind as the arrows returned to their senders. Byleth himself moved backwards as well. Everything moved backwards no more than a minute before the purple aura around the world faded.

~00000~

Byleth POV

I glanced into the forest when time resumed. I was looking for any sign of the first arrow that would signal the attack. Luckily I spotted a small glint of light and a little flash of metal. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. But now I saw it.

Before the arrow could fly, my hand was at my sword and I was running. And as it flew I yelled out.

"Ambush!" I said just as I managed to deflect the arrow with my sword. It seemed like that made all the difference. Everyone was immediately alerted and drew their weapons.

A volley of more arrows flew out of the treeline but they all missed their marks. I grinned to myself, despite the situation. We were good and this silly little ambush wouldn't work when we were aware of what was to come. I didn't have much time to celebrate however as a war cry sounded through the forest and a bunch of burly men holding axes and swords started rushing towards us from the tree line.

I gripped my sword tightly as I let them approach. It surprised me how calm I was despite the men charging towards me with intent to kill. I raised my sword and rested it on my shoulder. It was a comfortable stance for me even if it wasn't traditional. It felt like time was slowing around me. It wasn't my divine pulse, instead it was my awareness of the battlefield. Each thundering footstep gave me focus and within a moment I felt nothing but driven to protect the members of our mercenary group.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I focused on the sounds and the smells. I felt the vibrations in the ground. I felt… I didn't feel my heartbeat. In those moments I couldn't feel my own heartbeat. But I still felt the rhythmic pulsing of something in my chest. I felt an energy pulsing through my entire body. The Crest of Flames and Creststone of Sothis.

I snapped my eyes open and brought my sword down in a downward swing. The attacker in front of me could only stare wide-eyed as my sword passed through his chest. Before I had time to process what I was doing another bandit was on me swinging a sword but his form was terrible and I was able to sidestep and with a swing of my blade, his body dropped as well.

It continued like this for a while. I dealt with our attackers quickly and efficiently until there were none left. With every slice, I could hear words faintly.

"Is that the Ashen Demon?"

"Poor fools unleashed the Demon."

"Ashen Demon"

"Demon."

"Emotionless Bastard."

Only after the battle ended did it occur to me what I had actually done. I had killed exactly eight of the attackers. My brain went on autopilot and I killed them without a second thought. What concerned me was just how unconcerned I felt about it. This felt normal, like just another day. I felt a sadness inside me from all of the death, but I also felt like this was another inevitability of combat. I fought to protect myself and my father's mercenary company. This was a case of self-defence.

The normalcy with which I processed my thoughts scared me and made me want to throw up but my body almost seemed unresponsive, as if I was back to being a passenger in my own body.

Sothis appeared in front of me as the scene faded from the forest to her throne room. It didn't have its usual green tint, instead, there was a subtle purple glow to the room so time was probably paused as I spoke with the resident goddess.

"You seem distressed," She said with more concern than I was used to hearing from her.

"Yeah. I never thought I'd ever kill people," I said. "I mean, I know I've technically done it before but I…"

"Don't worry. I know what you mean," Sothis said. "As a child of a mercenary captain and as a reincarnated soul, you are at odds with the two experiences of your life."

"It feels weird, but it also feels normal," I said with a sigh. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"That's good," Sothis said. "Taking a life shouldn't be something that becomes easy."

I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I looked around. It wasn't completely accurate to say that we were talking in Sothis's throne room. The room was technically layered over the forest almost like a transparent layer had been added to an image. I could make out the trees and see the bodies around me.

Sothis in the meanwhile studied me silently.

"If you wish we can reverse the hands of time to before the battle and erase their deaths," Sothis offered.

"No," I surprised myself when I didn't take the easy way out. "I don't want to get used to this feeling but I need to know it and understand it."

I turned my attention back to Sothis with what I was hoping was a determined look on my face.

"My goal in this world is to save Egelgard, Claude, Dimitri and the rest of the people at Garreg Mach from war," I said. "And even if I can prevent the war outright, there'll probably be a point where we end up fighting the Argarthans. I need to be able to fight to protect them. If I erase this battle, then I'll be tempted to erase future ones, or maybe I'll run away before the important battles start."

Sothis smiled.

"It seems you are resolved to do what you must," She said with an approving nod. "It won't be easy, but I believe you can create the peace you seek."

"Thanks, Sothis," I muttered before turning my eyes back to the bodies.

I turned my eyes back to the bodies that were becoming sharper and sharper as the throne room began to fade. Before it completely faded I allowed my consciousness to hold onto the space as I decided to try something.

I placed my hands together and bowed my head slightly.

"Dear Goddess," I said feeling awkward and embarrassed, but I continued regardless. "Please receive these souls and guide them to new life."

"You're asking me to receive these souls?" Sothis asked.

"I know it's silly but I figured that it was worth a shot," I said with a shrug. "I don't even know if you can receive them like everyone thinks you can… But I don't know… I guess I was thinking that I died and was reincarnated. If that was possible for me, maybe you could do the same for them. It feels better than saying nothing."

It was Sothis's turn to be silent. I was wondering if she even knew how to receive a soul. I was wondering if I wasn't just wasting my breath.

"I…" Sothis hesitated. "I shall receive my souls. Let us pray that their next lives will be peaceful."

~00000~

3rd Person POV

The mission was largely a success. The presence of the mercenaries ensured that barely any thieves were foolish enough to disrupt the festival. There was a total of one skirmish but it was dealt with quickly. The job was almost laughably easy and the festival went off without a hitch.

Viscount Bellinus was so happy with the stellar protection that she had offered the mercenaries greater pay and invited them to stay around longer. The main festival may have ended but many of the vendors were still selling their wares and the jovial celebratory mood still permeated around the city. It only made sense that the mercenaries enjoyed themselves. There was also the possibility that thieves might still show up even though the main festival had ended so it was beneficial for Jeralt's Mercenaries to stick around as well. A few of the mercenaries were gladly taking the time to relax a bit and enjoy some of the Kingdom's cuisine. Byleth on the other hand was allowing himself the time to explore and learn more information.

To his pleasant surprise, this city had far more information on the Church of Seiros and the history between the Central and Western Church. There were at most four different local churches and chapels in the city and thus a treasure trove of knowledge for Byleth to gleam. For example, many people revered Saint Indech over Saint Seiros. Of course, all the saints were revered in Fodlan but the people of this particular viscounty and a few in the kingdom liked Indech and Cihol a little more than Seiros.

Byleth also allowed himself to learn about the history of this family and territory. He learned that House Belinus was an offshoot of House Dominic that formed sometime before Loog the King of Lions created the Kindom. Despite being an offshoot of one of the largest houses in this region of the Kingdom, house Bellinus didn't end up inheriting large land. They did have good relationships with the surrounding territories and were mostly known for helping facilitate trade between Dominic and Rowe.

It was interesting history that he was learning but not exactly the enticing information that he was searching for. He'd probably have to visit one of the massive cities like Enbar, Fhirdiad or Derdriu but getting there probably wouldn't be easy.

Byleth sighed to himself as he closed one of the books he was reading. The library here was a lot larger and neater than the one in Fenja. Admittedly this library was in the home of Viscount Belinus, so it made sense that it was well maintained. The library was open to the public especially as it was in a castle that didn't have walls like a larger and more important noble would have. Although it was open to the public, it didn't mean much. Most of the attendees of the library were scholars and merchants. They were wealthy intelligent people who would be interested in visiting a library like this, not any of the commoners who lived in the city.

Just like in Fenja, Byleth had attracted some odd looks when he had entered, because no one ever expected the young mercenary to be a secret bookworm. But no one bothered or spoke to him as he read, they just stared for a bit before returning to their own devices.

"That was quite the sigh," Byleth heard a voice behind him. "You're the child of Captain Jeralt correct, the Ashen Demon?"

Byleth was surprised by the sudden voice and quickly stood and bowed before the viscount, Yvette Belinus.

"Yes, ma'am," Byleth responded. "I'm Byleth Eisner."

Yvette Belinus was a young noble, probably a few years older than Byleth. Her hair was a light blue and the same as her eyes. She was dressed elegantly, just like your typical noble but she also carried a tome at her hip which made it clear the viscount was a trained mage. Technically it was more accurate to say that she was acting viscount. Her father, the real viscount, was ill and so she served as the lord in his absence.

"Byleth it's a pleasure to meet you," Yvette said. "I didn't expect to find you reading here."

"I have an interest in learning more about the places I visit," Byleth responded with a shrug. "My dad taught me how to read so I figured I might as well put the skills the good use."

"I'm impressed," Yvette said. "I never expected that any of the mercenaries would have any interest in reading. The rest are spending their time drinking, eating or patrolling."

"Everyone has their different pastimes," Byleth said. "Dad likes fishing, I like reading, others like drinking."

"I respect your decision to read," Yvette said. "Even amongst the nobility I rarely see readers gravitating to such complex books on history and politics. It's admirable really. Do you have political aspirations?"

She leaned on the table as she glanced at his books. Not a very noble thing to do. Nobles were supposed to be prim and proper but this one was relaxed and inviting.

"Political aspirations? No. I just want to keep myself informed," Byleth said before he blinked as realisation seemed to hit.

Was she… was she, a noblewoman of the Kingdom, flirting with him, a commoner mercenary? No… that couldn't be right. Why would a noble flirt with a commoner?

She hummed in response before taking a seat next to Byleth.

"I was curious what kind of person you would be with a name like the Ashen Demon," She said. "Many people have heard tales about Jeralt's Mercenaries, an elite group of mercenaries that work mostly in Alliance territories, and their incredibly skilled swordsman, the Ashen Demon.

"I heard that you killed without mercy and spoke with a blank stare. A man without emotion. Truly terrifying," Yvette continued. "I see that those rumours were false. I heard you prayed for the men you slew in battle and ensured that they were buried. That behaviour is truly noble.

"And now I see you in a Library bettering your education," Yvette said. "You are something special."

She was definitely flirting with him. This was new. This was so very new that he didn't know what to do. No one had ever flirted with Byleth. Until recently he didn't spend much time interacting with people so he was completely unprepared for this. What's more, in his past life as a sickly guy living on Earth, flirting wasn't something he received. Not a lot of good opportunities to get romantic while in a hospital after all.

"Uh… thank you," Byleth said.

"I witnessed you fight when the thieves attacked," Yvette continued. "You are certainly one of the most skilled combatants I have ever seen. You might even be as good as the Knights who serve the king. And you bear a crest. I've never seen the one you used before…"

So that was the issue. In his research, Byleth realised that house Belinus didn't have any crest-bearing family members. The crest of Dominic had been lost from the family ages ago. And with Sothis's power, he was able to confirm that Yvette didn't bear a crest. She was an unmarried noble young woman looking to adorn her family line with a crest. She probably didn't know that he bore the Crest of Flames but she had probably guessed that it was a rare one since it was one that she didn't recognise.

Byleth imagined that a commoner with a crest was incredibly useful to a noble without a crest. And with the belief that Sothis gifted the crests to the nobility, it would stand to reason that someone would assume that he had a noble origin or lineage. But yikes, Byleth wasn't ready for this kind of talk. He had more important things to do than help a noble strengthen her family with a crest. Although a political alliance might help him get results easier it would also soft-lock him here and prevent him from helping and influencing the lives of Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri to prevent war.

And so he had to find a way out of the conversation. It was easier said than done but luckily, despite how forward Yvette was being, she was only really dropping hints. It took some time but Byleth was able to excuse himself from the conversation and make a hasty retreat from the library.

Once he was far enough away, he was able to catch his breath and reflect on the craziness that had occurred. This isn't what he was expecting.

~00000~

"Can you not," Byleth grumbled quietly as he found himself a place to rest near one of the markets.

"I'm sorry. But it is funny. You were quite scared of her flirting with you," Sothis said in his mind.

"I wasn't scared okay. I was just surprised," Byleth muttered.

"Of course you weren't. It was a jest." Sothis added. "But perhaps it might be prudent to leave this city before that young woman professes her love to you."

"Yeah, because I'll just find an opportunity to leave so easily," Byleth deadpanned.

As it turns out he would find an opportunity to leave easily. There was a bulletin board nearby to where he stopped and someone just happened to put a new posting on the board. Bulletin boards were good places to get mercenary jobs and they could be found in most towns, villages and cities. The new job which had just been posted was a simple protection and escort mission from Domonic territory to Fhirdiad.

That was convenient.

~00000~

"You want to take on a job by yourself?" Jeralt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think you guys need me here," Byleth responded. "Besides, I'm an adult now. I need to at least try being able to handle things by myself."

"I don't know kid. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jeralt asked before he shook his head and smiled. "No, you won't be ready if I keep holding you back. If you think you can do this then I won't stop you."

"Thanks, Dad," Byleth said with a smile.

Jeralt wasn't sure what had changed about his son. He had never been this expressive before. His sudden desire to learn about his mother and to spend time in libraries was also new. Jeralt wondered why but he couldn't deny that it made him happy to see Byleth acting more and more like someone his age should. Maybe encouraging this would be a good idea.

"If you're going to go, you can't just rely on that old sword," Jeralt said before he removed the sword that he kept at his side.

He hadn't used this particular sword in ages, as he had switched to using a lance instead of a sword years ago but he figured that Byleth would be able to make good use of it.

"If you get into any trouble with any nobles, show them the emblem on this sword. They'll assume you're one of the Knights of Serios and leave you be," Jeralt explained. "I was given this sword when I was made into the captain of the Knights of Serios but I think it'll be better in your hands than in mine."

Byleth glanced at the sword in surprise before he gave the old knight a big grin.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll take care of it," he said.

And so, now outfitted with his dad's sword and his mom's tome, Byleth set out on his first solo mercenary job.

CyberActors15: And another chapter bites the dust.