3 houses and a destination
Chapter 1: Arrival
Have you ever thought about a certain fantastic place?
A place that is inhabited by non- human creatures, creatures that you would find in old legend stories and fantasy books.
Creatures that deviated from their original form, but that was not because they wanted to, but rather because of the impact of factors outside their ecology.
These… acidic existences, as they say, come from human thought and those that end up ascending to something superior, as a consequence of their long longevity.
The question one would normally ask upon seeing this would be: How can they exist in this place?
The answer to this question would come from the place itself.
This place is known as:
"The reverse side of the world"
In this place ancient and NON-human laws are preserved where the aforementioned creatures can live.
Apart from being called 'The Reverse Side of the World', it is also known as 'The Inner Sea of the Planet', here you would also find the soul of the world.
The place could be described as a paradise of legend, but also supernatural, however, it could not be reached by normal means; that world is always spoken of in many cultures around the planet as a land of immortality.
To describe this, it is understood that the world where humans live and physical laws apply is a fabric that extends thinly across the surface of the planet, and beneath it we find the 'reverse side of the world', where all supernatural beings have gone after finishing their era.
But now we don't focus on all of them at the moment, rather we don't specifically focus on a single specific creature that inhabits the place, but unlike others this one had arrived in times that are described as 'modern times', unlike the rest of the other species.
To be more specific, this creature was a dragon.
Those considered the pinnacle among the supernatural races were of a type that was almost impossible to completely catalogue.
They were considered giant masses and yet they could absorb more and be stronger.
However, the dragon we are looking at is one in particular.
The evil dragon.
Fafnir.
The beast that was killed by a hero, Siegfried, recounted in the poem, 'The Nibelungenlied'
But before being a dragon, he was once a dwarf, who was overcome by his great greed for a treasure he possessed. Due to the evil dragon phenomenon, it was activated in him, turning him into a dragon, because the dwarf's greed was overwhelming and resonated with Fafnir, because he is said to embody greed.
It is said that in order to kill him, Siegfried and another hero who is also mentioned as having killed him, called Sigurd, had to commit their entire being and skill to achieve it.
That's Fafnir's story in a nutshell.
However, this one could not be considered as 'Fafnir', it was far from having a natural relationship with the original.
He wasn't even a dwarf or at least a being with overwhelming greed.
NO
The origin of this Fafnir can be described as unprecedented and implausible.
After all, he was primarily a homunculus.
An existence created by alchemical methods to be a fully functional life form.
These beings are born with mature bodies and all the knowledge that is considered necessary at the time they are created, they never age, so the concept of 'age' has no meaning for them.
Generally these do not have a name or are expected to have a long life, since some of them have a special use given to them by their creator.
But this homunculus was particular and different.
He had come into the world like the rest of his 'brothers and sisters', being the ' battery' and slaves of a conflict of epic proportions, his life was not going to be long and prosperous, apart from the fact that he would be discarded when his main functions stopped working or being useful like the rest of his brothers.
However, he was different in every way, since when he was able to have consciousness and see the world, he felt something strange inside him.
This something made him see that this was wrong, thanks to that he achieved something that few of his homunculus brothers have and come to discover.
The will in one's own actions.
After obtaining and discovering that, the homunculus released his written destiny.
But, for better or worse, this action ended up involving him in one of the greatest battles/rituals that humanity has ever done, luckily for him he was not alone in this.
In his short life he came to know several people who would support him. Among the most important were:
A heroic paladin who, thanks to his help and support, learned about selflessness and heroism. The closest thing he had to a 'best friend'.
A mentor to different heroes who wanted to regain his immortality and have that connection with his father back. He supported him in choosing a way of life without regrets, and also gave him lessons about life and battles.
A knight who betrayed his country in search of acceptance from his father and king. Who had tried to kill him and then saved him, in the end he saw him as a rival and after having a fight.
A demigod who represented charity, who treated him like a living human, despite not having known him very well, he could feel that he owed him something and that he should support him, however, he only told him to pursue his goal and not to worry about a shadow of the past like he was a demigod.
A legendary hero who saved and extended his already short life, to follow the ideals of justice that he had in his life and for once do something of his own free will instead of following in the shadows of the orders of others, had also left him with feelings of guilt and gratitude, making living now become some way of honoring the hero, it was also thanks to him that he obtained his name and his own identity in a way to honor him.
Sieg.
This would be his new name, half of the name of the hero who saved him at the cost of his own life, that way he could never forget what he did for him.
There was also the family of humans who created him to be a battery, Sieg feels that he should hold some resentment against them for that, but he also feels that if they hadn't created him he would never have this life that he will never regret.
Last but not least.
There was the 'Saint' who guided him in life and 'saved' his heart, the woman who taught him the value and beauty that humanity represented, despite the fact that they had been overshadowed by the dark parts of them, but thanks to her he did not give up on humans. She was also the main motivation he used to fight and try to defeat the demigod. In the same way when he became angry with Amakusa Shirou, the other ruler of the previous war, where he intervened and cost him his 'life' at the time. He could never know what are the concrete and specific feelings he has for her, however, he will have enough time to find out. Although he did not know how long he had been in this place, he was sure of something and that something is that it is not little.
But, this was his decision, the grail must remain here.
Getting to this place is complicated, it would be impossible for any human, however, the possibilities change when you are something NOT human.
Otherwise, just breathing would kill the human, causing him to explode from the inside out.
Unfortunately, this did not increase the chances, which are incredibly close to zero.
However, they were not a complete zero.
It had been an essentially endless amount of attempts to get here from the throne of heroes, a place where she could rest in peace forever, but she wasn't going to do that. It had taken her a long, long time already, but she had finally made it.
"It was a long journey, to a very far away place"
"A place that seems to be a curse"
"To the sanctuary of every creature that has escaped from the world of man"
"Another heaven and earth that was covered by humanity"
"A distant promise that was made long ago. One that no one could forget, and all the while I kept that promise in my heart and kept walking."
Thoughts highlighting things as an achievement began to be heard.
She had finally found him, she had reunited with him.
A girl, in the prime of her youth, covered in nothing but a dress, stood barefoot and her long, shiny blonde hair flew wildly through the air.
Stopping before the imposing figure of the dragon Fafnir, completely ignoring the glowing orb it guarded, the girl could only smile.
"The noble dragon who took away humanity's immortality." Raising one of her arms, as if to feel him, she spoke. "Wake up now."
Jeanne'd Arc had kept her promise.
That voice.
The dragon who seemed to be in a deep sleep was awakened by that voice.
Opening his eyes, instead of reflecting any form of savagery or displays of anger, they only expressed genuine curiosity, but upon seeing the girl, glimpses of relief began to emerge and, more importantly, easier to say, happiness.
Finally, she had kept her promise.
"I will never abandon you. Now I promise to always be by your side."
At the same time he made another promise.
Seeing his raised hand, he felt the need to get closer and feel his touch, but not like this.
In a flash, the dragon's body vanished and only Sieg remained.
Slightly taller than her, slightly darkened brown hair, a white t-shirt under a black sweater and pants of the same color, and a pair of short boots.
But none of that changed the fact that her greatest characteristic was her red eyes, a dark and bright red like polished and perfect rubies.
"…" Jeanne didn't need to say a word after that, she could only cry her eyes out.
A few moments later they were both sitting in the landscape, holding hands, but still engaged in a conversation.
"Your journey must have been quite long to get here, Jeanne." That sounded more like a statement than a question, but Sieg's voice held a hint of pain and regret. Jeanne knew the reason.
However, she wasn't going to let him get sad. "That's right, but compared to you, nothing compares." She could see how those words were enough to calm him down, and now that he was in a better mood, she had to say something. "Oh, that's right! I also had something to tell you Sieg, something extremely important."
With a slight jump both she and Sieg stood up, but in this case Jeanne held both of Sieg's hands together under his questioning and expectant gaze.
"Haa…" With a deep breath and a smile full of love, she said it.
"I'm in love with you"
In love with you.
In love.
Love.
That was it. That was the emotion ruler-no Jeanne had, this was what Jeanne felt. Something she also feels for her.
Now he understands, from the first moment he saw her, he began to develop this feeling, one that he must now return as well.
Removing one of his hands from her grasp and bringing it to Jeanne's cheek, he replied, "I feel like I fell in love with you too. I didn't understand it properly, but now I realize, it was love that I felt and will feel for you." His words held so much honesty that it was impossible for anyone to tell that they were a lie.
Now that Jeanne heard that she had a funny reaction , because she blushed so much that her face turned red and she started to go crazy from nervousness.
This would never have happened to her, not without the influence of the human who lent her her body to 'live' in the modern era and be present during the Grail War, it is also the fault of that writer who loves tragedies and had to face and discover what it was like to be a young woman in love.
Once they finished that meeting, they both dedicated themselves to walking through the paradise they had, the views of the place were incredible, from time to time they took some time to sit under a tree surrounded by the many flowers there, they never stopped holding hands.
However, this wasn't going to stop some conversation, one that contained some apologies.
"Sieg, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for leaving you alone and making you sacrifice yourself, you shouldn't have been left alone in this place." Jeanne's words contained a great deal of regret, however, Sieg gave her a light handshake to give her some comfort.
"It's okay, that was something I chose and I felt the need to do it for you, I don't even mind making the sacrifice." That managed to calm her down a bit. "Besides, I was able to leave my mark on the world, even if I had a short life."
"Indeed, or you did, the first dragon of the modern era and the one who stole immortality from humanity." Jeanne stroked his face lovingly, but frowned at him. "However, you went so far to do so and condemned yourself to loneliness, even if you are a ghostly beast right now loneliness is something that no creature can fight against." She only continued to stroke him lovingly.
"It's okay Jeanne, you're here now, I'm not alone anymore." His words brought a smile to Jeanne's face, after which they both now remained in a comfortable silence.
"…"
"Jeanne, what do you think would have happened if we had both lived longer?" Sieg decided to break the silence and start a new topic of conversation.
At that question Jeanne thought for a moment until she gave him a concrete answer. "We would have had a good life, I suppose. You have Siegfried's heart, that would make you live an indefinite amount of time. I might exist in the world for quite a long time like Amakusa Shirou did." She could feel Sieg's breathing deepen at the name. "But leaving that aside, maybe we both would have returned to Trifas with the others, but she feels that city life would have been too much for us, the best thing would be to go to that farm where we met for the first time. Afterwards, with time we would…*gulp*…get married and at some point in the future we would have children." His last words made her nervous and blush a lot, but deep down in her voice there were hints of hope.
"I see, a family. I wish we could both have that." Sieg's murmurs were laden with sadness.
Because to be honest, it would be impossible to have a wedding and children in this world.
"If we could both leave this world and live either where we came from, or in any other, I would gladly give up my condition to do so." Was Jeanne's declaration to Sieg.
"I would do it too, Jeanne." The words were full of support, but she put on a sad smile. "Unfortunately, that sounds like a dream that would be impossible to achieve at the moment." Although she didn't want to sound depressing, she had to admit that something like that is not possible.
This dream would be impossible to fulfill for the moment, unless a miracle happened.
A miracle that deep down they both wished for with all their might.
New desire detected.
Identifying the participant present.
…
Detected, master of the rider class servant, acknowledged.
Studying desire, verifying the ability to realize it.
…
Capacity confirmed.
Request:
Failed use of the second magic fragment.
Multidimensional refraction phenomenon.
Requirements recognized and confirmed.
Activation and fulfillment of the current desire.
Sieg and Jeanne had no idea what was happening, they were enjoying their moment together and talking about that dream, when suddenly the wish-granting artifact, the Great Grail, began to shine, blinding their vision a little due to the intensity of the brightness.
But before anyone could ask to say anything, something happened that no one could predict or understand.
Between them and the grail a kind of hole began to appear, no, it looked like some kind of whirlpool vortex, however, they both knew what it was. A portal.
Was the grail doing that? What was it seeking by breaking the world barrier with this? And where was that portal heading?
However, before they could think of any other questions.
BRUUUUMM
BOOM
A kind of ray came out of the grail and a huge rumble was heard and felt throughout the place, but that was not what mattered, what was important in this case was the fact that that ray hit the center of the portal that was still opening, it began to collapse.
But it wasn't just the portal, but the entire landscape and part of the world where the couple was, began to collapse and start heading towards the center of the portal. Like a huge whirlpool in the sea, swallowing everything that enters the vortex.
Including the couple who were enjoying the peace earlier.
Which was trying to do everything possible to avoid being sucked into the collapsing portal.
Sieg was even about to turn into a dragon, that is until a voice stopped him.
"Please refrain from interrupting the wishing process again, master rider."
No one knew who the voice came from, they looked to find its origin, but when they did and saw who it belonged to, they were surprised, because he was also in the center of the portal.
She was a woman, she had an angelic face, similar to that of a doll, her skin was fair, while her hair was long and white, finally there were her eyes, her irises were similar to rubies, the same tone as Sieg's eyes.
The latter knew who she was and couldn't believe she was there.
Although she didn't know her name, the core/terminal of the Holy Grail recognized her. Unfortunately, she didn't have the chance to ask questions or give any kind of greeting, but Jeanne did.
"What does this mean, grail? Are you supposed to be fulfilling Amakusa Shirou's wish?" She was the ruler, she knew who this woman was, but she couldn't understand the actions she was taking.
Fortunately she had no problem answering and dealing with those questions. "Affirmative, what Amakusa wished for was the activation of the third magic, and while I said that this was irreversible, the grail has stalled and the process was left incomplete due to the dragon's actions." She looked at Sieg for a few seconds. "Also due to his sudden action it stopped being valid thanks to the place where it is and since Amakusa was defeated at that time the dragon could have made the wish if the grail was reconnected, however he never did, but now that they both had that dream and wished for the grail to happen I take it as a request for the strong desire, so the wish will be granted, however he is also under contract with a rider class servant, so when the latter is present his own wish will also be granted as a servant of the winning master." While explaining this his voice was sharp and cold, but this did not stop Sieg from claiming.
"But why is Jeanne also involved in this, she herself declared that being a ruler she does not have a wish and that is why she could be the mediator in the war?"
"Because she is involved in your wish, and since she has no problem accepting and it matches yours, both of you will be able to fulfill it as if you were two different masters. Now allow the process and activation to be fulfilled this time ." The words to Sieg were certainly colder, it seems that the will of the grail is capable of holding certain grudges when it is turned against.
Once he finished speaking he closed his eyes and began to disappear in specks of light, until he vanished without a trace.
The next second Sieg began to feel weak, and not only him but Jeanne as well. They felt that somehow their strength was waning and this began to make them tired.
They could only think of one thing, they were going to fall into that portal and end up who knew where. They didn't need words to know it, they just had to look at each other and they would immediately understand.
So with a final handshake they let themselves be carried through the portal. At the same time, several particles of golden light were released from their bodies, but that did not matter to them.
Because the grail was right, unfortunately they both wanted this, they desired it .
This one is certainly different.
It's not usually them who go to another world. Especially another universe. With its own timelines.
They are usually the ones who follow the dream imposed by their father, only to later feel regret and try to kill themselves, or they are also the ones who decide to carry the weight of the world themselves when no one else wants or can.
It was rare to see the homunculus turned into a kind dragon do so, even more so when accompanied by the maiden.
"Well, what can you do?" These were the words, full of emotion and jovial curiosity, of a certain person.
Specifically, he was a fairly old man, but well preserved despite his age, although he still appears to be between 50 and 70 years old.
This man was someone extroverted, proactive and self-confident. A thoughtful, wise man who imagines a bright future. A man of freedom who does what he likes.
"But hey, he's going to do it, at least something different became interesting."
With a small smile forming on his face he stood there enjoying the scenery.
"Hmm…maybe you should see how full it is for Astolfo and tell him about it."
Fodlan
Sauin Town, Glocester County, great tree moon.
Imperial year 1179.
Walking along the outskirts of the town to stand guard (an excuse to avoid getting involved in his father's drunken party with his fellow mercenaries) was a young man, with a stoic look and expression, wearing light black armor with some details and a large black cape.
It wasn't civilian attire, it was that of a warrior, specifically a mercenary, he has worn it since his father Jeralt Eisner introduced him to this lifestyle (not that he's complaining) and its current wearer is called Byleth Eisner.
As time went by in the group and in the many battles they were involved in, he earned a nickname, 'ash demon', a feared title for enemies and friends alike. At least his group praises him for how 'great' he is and they come to see him as a living legend despite his young age.
However, this did not affect Byleth as much, who only shows indifference to praise. In fact, few things make them show emotions, that includes flattery.
It could be said that he has few signs of emotion and personality, only his father Jeralt the 'blade breaker' knows when he is showing some or knows how he feels when he shows no expression.
"…?"
While walking he had not realized that he had now arrived at a different place in the town, although it was still nearby, this place seemed to have a good distance from the place, as if they wanted to hide it from people.
However, there was no need to be so impressed, the place looked more like a training ground, but this one seemed to be improvised, it had a few dummies for practicing with melee weapons and targets hanging all over the place for target practice, finally he saw what he assumed was some kind of improvised obstacle course.
This town was mostly peaceful, there weren't many warriors or someone with a lot of combat experience (that's why they hired them when they first arrived here), it wouldn't be strange if some wanted to train to protect their home.
However, Byleth was sure who the place belonged to if the symbol of his father's company and his nickname placed on a tree surrounded by what he believes to be a flag said anything.
Her father's 'apprentice' and 'rival' was the owner of this place.
He never quite understood why his father decided to take that girl under his wing and teach her. If he remembers correctly, her name was Leonie, and it had been 4 years since he saw her.
Anyway, it would be best to leave the place before meeting her, she would surely challenge him to some combat or hunting competition.
Walking away, Byleth decided to end this 'patrol' and return to the village, it was already midnight and he needed to have energy for tomorrow.
"Flush…!"
Or so he would have liked, but suddenly a great gust of wind was felt all over the place, dragging the earth and anything light. Byleth had to hold his cloak to prevent it from flying away and cover his face to avoid any possible damage.
"…!"
Fortunately that didn't last long, however what follows is what he misses the most, because once his life clears up he can see in the distance something he never saw before.
A large flash of light illuminated an area on the other side of the forest, it is quite far from the village, as well as the training camp.
Although Byleth knows that the best thing would be to look for his father and the band of mercenaries, he almost immediately discarded that idea, most likely they are all drunk at this moment and cannot take any action due to the drink in their bodies.
Besides that, Byleth knew that it wasn't the best thing to go alone, unfortunately he didn't have a better idea, he might even see injured people or it was likely that bandits and poachers would find something of interest, that didn't sound good in his mind.
Right where Byleth is heading, a unique event occurs. Something never seen before in this world.
In the forest meadow right in the middle of it, is where everything happened. Starting with some strange marks appearing on the ground, no one in this world could fully understand their meaning.
These began to shine and form a strange circle, once this ended it began to shine in a golden color.
The first image that certain ruby-colored eyes obtained was a dark forest, it was surely nighttime.
Where was it? What was this place?
"Hmm…"
"Jeanne!"
The couple whose wish had been granted was waking up after such an experience, Sieg helped Jeanne to get up as they were both on their knees trying to find balance to orient themselves, at no time would they have these problems, but apparently just as the Grail said, they would sacrifice their strength and powers to have a new life.
Once standing. "Jeanne, does this forest look familiar to you?" Was Sieg's question to the woman, if they were transported to a new world, at least the Grail should give them information about it, it is a general rule when a servant is sent from the throne of heroes to the human world, that way they can adapt to the current world and be ready for battle.
"No, it doesn't seem familiar to me from any country or terrain." At that, both of them widened their eyes in shock at what Jeanne said. If she, who was a Ruler-class Servant who was summoned and informed by the Grail itself, had no knowledge about this world, it meant that the Grail had actually sent them to a different world that they didn't know about, they would have to look for information themselves about the history of this world. "Sieg, what should we do?"
They were practically blind, they had no information about the world in which the Grail left them and did not give the information, in addition to that the Grail must have taken away most of their strength, they no longer felt as strong as before. Luckily they still feel that they are not completely weakened. It is likely that they are stronger than the average human.
"I… don't know"
Crack
Suddenly they heard a branch snap behind them, they turned their bodies to face the possible danger.
He was pleasantly surprised to feel that they suddenly had weapons, their own weapons, Sieg had the sword that Astolfo gave him, but he was more surprised to see how Jeanne had her armor again from when they first met, however she only had her banner as a weapon, which seemed to be somewhat burned, but her sword La Pucelle was not at her waist.
"Would it have been destroyed during the fight against Amakusa?"
"We already heard you and felt your presence, come calmly and tell us who you are, we are not looking for a fight, but you will have one if you attack us!"
Putting aside his internal questions about the current situation and Jeanne's words, he stood on guard waiting for what was coming towards them.
Seeing how the vegetation moved and the sound of leaves and branches became louder and louder, they became tense in case this ended in combat.
Until everything stopped and a figure emerged from the bushes, dressed in black armor and a sword at his waist.
Sieg's ruby eyes met Byleth's blue ones.
Who were they?
That was the main question on Byleth's mind, in the end he had made the decision to go alone to the place where that light was produced, however he did not expect that halfway there someone would shout at him to come closer to talk, from the voice it must have been some teenage girl if he had to guess from how high-pitched and soft it sounded.
Did she detect him being so far away from where he was, or was he not as stealthy as I thought or was she a good tracker?
Well, they already told him they didn't want a fight, but he would still have to keep his guard up, these places are useful for an ambush.
…
Once she left the foliage she could see better who they were, the girl as she had thought, was a young teenager with a combination of blue and silver dress and armor, that gave her the appearance of a soldier, if so, what army did she belong to? Leaving that aside she saw that she was carrying a banner, she could not distinguish which army the flag belonged to because it seems to have been mostly destroyed. Although it was not a lethal weapon by itself, the tip it had at one of its ends was ideal for having it as a spear.
She was the one who seemed to have more experience and be an expert in combat, as he wasn't so sure how strong and possibly dangerous she was, also as he said, they would only attack if he attacked them, but he still had to keep his distance and avoid letting his guard down.
On the other hand, the young man next to her was something else, he gave her a strange feeling in her instincts, on one hand they told her to worry about him, but also to be on high alert just in case.
From his clothing I would take him as some kind of butler/servant that he has seen when his father takes the company to do jobs for noble people, but I discard that almost immediately, a servant would never carry a sword of that quality, usually they are barely given a good knife, not a sword that should possibly be worth a fortune to some count and from the way he holds it he has some experience in fights.
And now he realizes that he should have gone for his father, he is better at this, for now the best thing would be to start a conversation and see who these two young women are, then he would see how to end this.
Jeralt Reus Eisner.
The blade breaker.
He has had a life of ups and downs.
Former soldier of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, where he had been hired as an escort to the current archbishop, Rhea. Her name still causes him discomfort and unease.
He was then hired by her as a way to compensate her and impressed by having received a lethal attack by her, where he was taken to the Knights of Seiros and in the short time he had been there he managed to become a captain, thanks to the rapid promotion he earned, along with the title of 'blade breaker'.
He even met the woman who became his wife and gave him his precious son, Byleth, unfortunately she passed away after giving birth, which was being supervised by Rhea herself and Byleth had been born with that condition, which brought him to his current situation, but he does not regret his past decisions.
He had a company of mercenaries, who had been working for almost 20 years doing jobs across the continent, gaining fame and reputation across the kingdoms, mostly thanks to his fame.
'Perks of being a living legend'
That's what his subordinates sometimes said, but he doesn't take it literally, he's had near-death experiences before, so he knows very well that he's neither invincible nor immortal.
Furthermore, he could not take all the credit, his subordinates also achieved feats and began to make their own names to be told in stories on their own, thus attracting more reputation to his company proving to be full of formidable and capable warriors, among them was also his son Byleth.
That since he taught him and introduced him to this life, where he has polished himself as one of the best fighters he has ever seen, in all his fights and even when they are just sparring he has never lost, the only 'defect' he would have was his lack of emotions, but Jeralt has no problems with that, he knows his son well and knows when he expresses emotions and what they are, as in this case.
Where they both meet on the outskirts of town at noon, after they had all recovered from their hangovers after drinking too much last night and now they had to prepare to continue traveling.
With his son 'escorting' the couple behind him, who he says got lost after being 'kicked out' of their homes, Jeralt just raised an eyebrow at that. From the way they were dressed and the weapon the boy was carrying, he had thought he was a traitor to some army, but he immediately dismissed that because of the way he looked, no one would even bother recruiting him.
A love affair that was not supposed to happen.
Je.
If I had a coin for every time I heard and saw that kind of scenario throughout my long life, I would already have a castle.
In a land like Fodlan, which always has political dramas which lead them to delicate situations, it was obvious that something like arranged marriages would have to happen, unfortunately most of these would be loveless and some of the parties would not agree, some even ended up eloping to avoid something like that, even for those reasons it was discovered that they were already in a secret relationship with someone else. Those situations never ended, luckily for his integrity and health he never had to deal with and witness it. More or less.
After all, Sitri was Rhea's protégé at the time, while he had yet to reach a notable rank, suffice it to say that it was easy to get engaged with her, especially when they always remained hidden to avoid any scene.
But back to now, Byleth has just asked him to take in this couple, Jeanne'd Arc and Sieg, he had never heard those names before, and he also feels that Sieg sounds like he is missing parts and is incomplete, or some noble named him after him because he was 'his' servant or he actually thought about it and couldn't think of anything else and on top of that his own son asked him to take them into the company.
Now, Jeralt is not a heartless man who leaves young people stranded and waits for them to die after failing to help them, but he is not irresponsible either and allows inexperienced people to enter the fight, he had to train his son for this life, even some of his subordinates who could not fight were prohibited from getting close to any conflict.
But seeing Byleth's face, she knew immediately that he was determined to get her to accept them, it doesn't help that his post-hangover mood makes him feel tired and want to end this, letting out a sigh he made a decision. "Look, young people, as much as I would like to tell you that you should stay in this town, I can't, it's clear that you've never left your home for a long time and this wouldn't be the best, but apparently at least you know how to combat, that would help you survive for a certain time, but you don't know how to do anything other than the basics. Look, because my son asked me to, I will take you in for a certain time, but you will have to support the company and from time to time you will have to fight and learn to survive with us, I am not going to sugarcoat things for you, at some point you will have to kill others even if it makes you uncomfortable." That was the last thing Jeralt told them before retreating to the town to help pack up their things, with the rest of his mercenaries.
As Byleth walked away, he turned around to look at them, though he had a small smile on his face. "That should be fine, we can continue talking later." After saying that, he also walked away following his father, leaving the visiting couple in their own company.
"Jeanne, do you think this was a good idea?" was all Sieg had to ask in this case.
Letting out a sigh, she just limited herself to looking at the ground. "Sieg, we are in an unknown world, the grail did not give us information about this era and place, we have no idea how the place works, this is hardly the only method we had to act. Besides, that man, Jeralt, from what Byleth told us was a former knight, and although he is a mercenary who usually works for money, he has never shown a real interest in working, therefore, he still retains the honor of a knight, deciding to welcome us only at the request and judgment of his son, this could be a good opportunity to learn about the world." She raised her head to look Sieg in the eyes in her last words, ending the explanation.
While Sieg wanted to replicate Jeanne's explanation further, it made a lot of sense, this could practically be the best opportunity at this moment, they didn't even know they were near a town, plus the conversation they had with Byleth was the only thing that gave them some information without making them look suspicious.
"From the way the village is built I can tell we should be somewhere around the 1000s, I'm not of which one, but we must be careful, things in these times were different and humanity wasn't as advanced as when we were in our world." Jeanne continued her assessment of the situation as she headed towards the village with Sieg, until she stopped him by taking his hands in hers and standing in front of him. "Sieg listen, what I told you about the humans in our world, try to maintain it, but this time with all your will, in these times humanity was different both mentally and morally, events and actions can occur here, which can provoke the darkest part of humans, but please, try to keep that disappointment towards humans under control and understand that we can no longer judge them in this place." Jeanne's words were soft and warm, but there was also a hint of concern in them, clearly she wanted him to be patient and tolerant with the humans here.
With a soft smile and reciprocating the squeeze. "Don't worry Jeanne, while I understand what you're trying to say, that doesn't mean you have to worry about me, even though I'm far from humans, and I don't fully understand them, that doesn't mean I haven't learned enough from them to hate them or love them." He could see how the worry disappeared from Jeanne's eyes and a light smile formed. "Besides, Astolfo had told me that sometimes we must see the good side of every situation like this, although we couldn't explore the other side of the world, we still have this place to explore, despite the circumstances."
Jeanne could only be surprised by Sieg's words, she was about to tell him how much he had changed, but at the same time he was still the same, but she had to wait.
"Hey kids, could you help us for a moment? My subordinates are still hungover and Byleth can't carry everything himself!" Jeralt's words stopped any conversation between the couple, seeing how Byleth was in fact loading different boxes onto the carriages with Jeralt's symbol on the sides, showing that they were his property.
At that the couple gave each other one last look, before smiling and going to help the person who brought them to this situation, but they would not complain about it.
Fodlan Centre
Garreg Mach, great tree moon.
Imperial year, 1179
In a place known as the center of Fodlan among the mountains, a large structure stood uniquely and majestically, resembling a castle, however this is not.
This place was in fact a monastery, the Garreg Mach Monastery.
The place served as the headquarters for two separate entities: the church of Seiros and the officers' academy, it was a neutral place not governed by any of the 3 nations that rule Fódlan, it even has its own army of elite knights.
However, despite all the places, what was most striking on this occasion was in a specific location in the highest tower of the monastery, the star terrace, where the most important woman in the entire continent at the time was enjoying the complete view of the monastery.
The archbishop and supreme leader of the Seiros church, Rhea.
A beautiful woman with features that would be described as divine and extremely attractive and bright green hair, dressed in the ceremonial attire of an archbishop.
Currently she was thinking about several things, things that could happen in the next year if what certain letters she had in her hands said was true.
If this was the case, the officers' academy would be a political powder keg in every sense of the word, as the current rulers of the 3 main nations had reported that their heirs would be sent to the academy so that under their care and guidance they could be prepared, so that they would be ready to assume future political positions in their respective kingdoms.
For anyone, this would be a direct route to stress and a great deal of fatigue from the future decisions they have to make.
But this was actually a distraction, a much needed distraction from what was really driving her to think and causing her stress right now. That strange source of… she wasn't sure what it was, she could say magic of some form, but she couldn't say she already knew it either.
Also, it didn't feel like his 'mother's' power in any way, in fact he talked about this with his brother and Setet h recently, he's still very unsure about having Flayn here now that the place would be a political hotbed.
Luckily for her, she had nothing to do with those 'usurpers'.
CRACK
Blinking at the sound of breaking stone, Rhea guided her gaze to the stone balcony, and took in its condition.
Now there were lines that seemed to be deep in the stone, she was running her nails there the whole time, but what she left were not nail marks.
They were too deep and bigger than her own fingers and seemed to be made by a creature marking its territory in the wild, and now there was a large chunk of stone missing from the balcony, one that she could feel crumbling to dust under the pressure of her hand.
"Sigh"
He'll have to order Cyril to fix it in the morning, he's been thinking about it long enough.
With one last look at the horizon, Rhea headed to her own quarters. It would be best to rest for tomorrow and see if she could somehow send Shamir or Catherine to find out if anything had happened that had to do with that strange event.
END
I'm going to be honest with you (don't take it personally)
The first Fate I saw was Apocrypha, and I loved it and it made me suggest the Fate saga, I first saw the anime and I was hooked.
Then I decided on the main 'saga' and started with Zero, it made me sentimental for several moments.
I finally got to the 'routes', with Shirou.
I WAS BORED AND I DID NOT EVEN MAKE IT PAST THE SECOND CHAPTER.
That's right, it didn't give me anything, it's not that I hate it, (except for the Shirotards ), it's just that his character didn't catch my attention and I DID HEARD THAT HE IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTERS WRITTEN, but I didn't feel that way, and it made him take off from the franchise.
Then I watched the Order anime and the movie, along with Extra Last Encore and I got hooked again.
Afterwards I downloaded an emulator again where I played the Fire Emblem franchise and rekindled my love for games of its style.
But the last thing that convinced me of this was the Apocrypha manga (better than the anime, as in most cases), and now we are here.
Unfortunately, the only thing I remember about three houses are the first chapters and choosing a house. In fact, the Switch house belonged to a friend and I only had it for 2 days, so even if I watch gameplays and story summaries, I don't know if I'll do this.
The best thing I could think of would be to put her up for adoption, but there are certain conditions that I will put in the next chapter.