The day of the Rite of Rebirth was upon them, and all three houses, along with their professors, had gathered at the Cathedral to discuss the information that Byleth, Claude, and Mimir had obtained through their investigations. The students, armed and ready, lounged in the front rows of the pews as Claude reported their findings.

"Alright, thanks to the help of Teach and Professor Mimir, we were able to narrow down the places that our foe intends to strike during the Rite of Rebirth." To help make his explanation easier, he unfolded a small map of the monastery where its public locations were shown. "Here is where we are now," Claude said, tapping his finger on the map before sliding it to the other side, "And right here is where the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum will be."

Dimitri gazed down to where the archer was pointing. "The Holy Mausoleum? What makes you so sure that will be their target?"

Claude looked over at Mimir in Kratos' hand. "Professor, would you do the honors?"

The head made a noise as if to shrug. "Well, it's quite simple, lad. Normally, the mausoleum has restricted access throughout most of the year. However, on most Church holidays, it becomes open to the public so that worshippers may come and pay their respect to Saint Seiros; whose coffin we've recently discovered is sealed with powerful magic."

Edelgard pinched her chin thoughtfully. "That does seem like sound reasoning. But if that is indeed the case, what use could they possibly have with Seiros' remains?"

Claude shrugged. "Why else would they go through such trouble just to keep a coffin sealed?"

The eagle's house leader rolls her eyes. "Does the term 'grave robber' happen to ring any bells, Claude?"

Her Professor intervenes. "On one hand," Manuela began, "I do find it a bit strange that magic was used to seal the coffin. However, this is the grave of Saint Seiros we're talking about. Combine that with the fact that she was also likely entombed with some valuable possessions, it would be reasonable to have it sealed the way it is."

"Exactly," Mimir concurred, "Given the role that Seiros had played in Fodlan's history, and is still evidently revered to this day, there is no doubt in my mind that her final resting place contains something of importance that our enemy intends to steal for themselves."

Byleth, the ever silent professor and former mercenary standing amongst the group, spoke up. "But what if it isn't the Holy Mausoleum? How can we be certain we aren't being misled?"

"Aye, that is a fair point. While the mausoleum seems like a prime target, we cannot rule out the possibility that the culprit behind the letter may be after something else entirely. Therefore, I think it best that we don't put all our eggs in one basket."

Kratos said, "What do you suggest we do?"

The head pondered for a moment. "I would suggest that we station one of the classes near the entrance to the mausoleum and keep an eye out, while the other two remain close by. Not too close to end up covering the same ground, but also close enough to send a runner for help should one of the groups run into trouble."

Claude immediately raised his hand. "The Golden Deer will take the job of watching the entrance. I know of a good hiding spot where we can keep an eye on things without being seen. I also happen to know one of the church knights who usually stands guard there around this time."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion mixed with amusement in his voice. "And how, pray tell, do you know these things, Claude? One might think you were the one planning the heist."

"Oh, come on, Your Highness." The archer waved aside the remark. "I scouted out the entrance yesterday and did my due diligence. Is that really such a bad thing?"

Almost every pair of eyes in the group went to Claude's professor beside him, as though they were waiting for her to give her own opinion on the matter, but instead offered an indifferent shrug.

From nearby, a familiar called out to them. "You all seem a mite too relaxed for my liking." Seteth said as he walked up to the group, with his sister Flayn close beside him. He crosses his arms with a look of slight disapproval. "The Goddess' Rite of Rebirth is about to begin. While we are in the Goddess Tower, we are relying on all of you to secure any location where the defense is lacking."

Mimir responded with a slightly sarcastic tone, "Oh, don't you worry, Master Seteth. We'll be sure that no stone is left unturned, and that no shadow goes unnoticed."

A giggle escaped Flayn's lips at the head's remark. "May I let you in on something, Professor? My brother can be a bit... callous."

"Aye," Mimir agreed under his breath. "I would never have guessed."

She then looked up at the tall white brigand holding the head with a hint of mischief in her eye. "Also, Sir Kratos, Seteth told me that he was concerned about you." She lets out another giggle. "So much so that he suggested you'd be better off patrolling a coffin instead!"

Though the young girl had delivered this in such a way that made it difficult to tell if she was telling the truth, a hint of stress crossed over Seteth's face as he quickly said to her. "Th-That was said in jest, Flayn." He tries his best to remain looking composed. "And in confidence. Please just remain by my side and try not to cause any more trouble."

Witnessing this caused a tug at the corner of Mimir's lip. Had he been able to cover his own mouth, the Norse god would've likely been cackling right now.

The priest then forced a cough as he returned his attention to the four adults. "Just remember that as professors, you would all do well to remember that it is your duty to guide your students down the path of righteousness. I have confidence that none of you will disappoint our expectations."

After both siblings had left and were out of earshot, Manuela couldn't help but exhale rather forcefully. "I'm not sure what I did to get a pep talk from Seteth; he of all people should know that this isn't my first year teaching at the monastery."

"Doh, I'm sure he wasn't directing that toward you in particular, milady." Mimir reassured her in a rather flattering tone. "I'm sure that Master Seteth is just a bit stressed out from everything that's been happening as of late."

"Oh, don't you worry that handsome little head of yours, Professor." The older woman told him before offering him a smile. "I've known Seteth for- how long was it- five years? Yes, that seems about right. Besides, I wouldn't put it past him to be so overly cautious in situations like this. It's in his nature to be thorough, even if I happen to dislike it at times.

"On the latter part, Lady Manuela, we are in agreement."

Edelgard clears her throat to gather everyone's attention. "In any case, we should all get going. There's much to prepare for, and we need to be in position before the Rite begins."

"So, does this mean we're going through with Claude's plan?" Dimitri asked, and once again, everyone's eyes were on Byleth to give them the final verdict.

x-x-x

"So, Claude," Lysithea asked her house leader as the class marched together down the dimly lit corridors of Garreg Mach, "Any particular reason you've been getting all cozy with the knights and the other professors recently?"

The older boy shrugged. "Do I need a reason to be friendly with everyone here at the monastery?"

Lorenz jumped in, "Actually, I must concur with Ordelia's inquiry. Maintaining good relations with the staff of Garreg Mach is one thing, but you seem to have taken a particular interest with certain individuals."

Claude glanced back at his classmates with a playful smile. "Well, you know me, Lorenz. I like to keep my options open and learn from everyone I can. Besides, you never know when a little extra information might come in handy."

"I don't recall spending an exorbitant amount of time sneaking around with Professor Mimir as of late as a way of 'learning from everyone you can.'" The son of Gloucester probed. "What are you two scheming?"

"Oh, relax, Lorenz." Hilda spoke up behind him as she rested her arms lazily over the she carried across her shoulders. "It's not like Claude is planning to take over the monastery or anything. He's just being… well, Claude."

Lorenz didn't seem satisfied with this answer. "That he is, but I still think it's prudent to understand the full extent of our house leader's activities."

This time, it was Leonie's turn to throw her hat into the conversation. "Honestly, I wouldn't be too bothered by this if not for the fact that Professor Mimir often comes across as an older version of Claude."

The purple-haired noble snorted. "What, in that he has a penchant for rabble mischief? Or that they seem to know much more than they let on?"

"Kind of a bit of both." The commoner shrugged. "However, Claude hasn't let us down yet, and as long as our own professor doesn't lead us astray, then I've got nothing to complain about."

"Yeah!" Raphael cheered from the back. "Claude always has our backs, and Professor Kratos too! I mean, have you seen him? There's no way anything's going to go wrong with him on our side. We've got nothing to worry about!" He then added thoughtfully, "Actually, now that I mention it, I keep forgetting to ask him about his training routine. In fact, I never really see him doing any kind of training outside of teaching us how to use weapons. You think he just goes into the woods and lifts a bunch of logs or boulders?"

From the front, their professor speaks up. "No more talking. We're about to come up on the mausoleum."

Everyone was silent as they rounded the corner leading to another long hallway. Some ways down, a soldier fully clad in church armor stood guard in front of a stone archway. Though their face was hidden beneath the helm, Byleth noticed a slight change in Claude's expression as he subtly leaned over and whispered into his professor's ear, "Something's wrong- but just keep going until we're out of sight again."

Byleth made no move or sound to acknowledge him and continued to march forward with the class without another word. As they began to pass by the church soldier, Claude offered him a smile and a wave before asking cheerfully, "Good morning! Wonderful time for counting clouds, isn't it?"

The guard offered him a single nod in response, followed by a stiff, "Yup," and the Golden Deer continued their way down the hall. Claude was the first to disappear around the corner, and as soon as he did, he quickly placed his back against the wall and motioned for everyone else to quickly follow suit.

"What the heck is going on, Claude?" Hilda asked in a hushed voice as she hurriedly joined him at his side.

The house leader gave her a rather serious look. "That isn't the same guard that Mimir and I spoke to yesterday."

"How do you know that for certain?" asked Lorenz.

"Because the guard from yesterday was female."

Ignatz spoke up, "Well, maybe she just got relieved?"

Claude shook his head. "No. The way that the watch works in the Church is similar to how they operate in the Alliance military. Guards are assigned specific shifts, and they're typically posted for several days in a row to maintain consistency. If a guard is relieved, it's usually because they've completed their rotation, and a new set of guards takes over. But that transition happens in shifts, not in the middle of an assignment. Hers had only just started.

"And there's another thing. When I asked the guard about counting clouds, it was a code phrase. The real guards use it to confirm their identity discreetly. The correct response is something like, 'Only if they're numbered.' But this guy just gave me a simple 'yup.' That's a red flag. Whoever that is, they're not one of the church's regular soldiers."

A pregnant pause of silence filled the air as the rest of the students looked at their house leader with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

Eventually, Lorenz broke the silence. "...And just how exactly did you manage to know the Church's code phrase?"

"Like I said, I have a habit of being quite friendly with the right people." Claude winked. "That, and I managed to have help from the smartest man alive."

"OK, so then, what do we do?" said Hilda. "Should we go ahead and send someone to call for help?"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on." Lysithea interrupted. "Here's the thing, Claude- you don't have any proof that the enemy is already here. That guard could be there for all sorts of reasons."

Claude nodded in concession to this. "I know. But all I ask is that you guys trust me on this. The enemy is in the Holy Mausoleum right now as we speak, and the more we delay, the more we'll lose the opportunity to see who's really behind this." He then turned to Byleth, who'd been listening in on the conversation with her typical blank expression, looking at her in anticipation. "Teach?"

Byleth thought for a moment, her gaze shifting from Claude to the rest of the group before finally making a decision. "Leonie, go and inform the other classes that the enemy has been discovered and that we request immediate assistance."

Leonie looked none too happy about this. "Wha- why me?!"

"Because," Her professor said patiently. "You are our fastest runner. Time is of the essence, and we need to act quickly. The others need to know what's happening."

Leonie glanced at her classmates as though expecting one of them would volunteer to take her stead. Unfortunately for her, though, nobody was willing to contradict their professor's orders, and eventually the spearwoman conceded with an aggravated sigh. "Fine. I'll be back as soon as I can," She said before taking off with her spear in hand.

"Thank you, Teach." The Golden Deer's house leader told her, making sure to sound grateful for her decision.

In return, she gave him a simple nod before turning her attention to the rest of the class and drew her sword. "Everyone, get ready for a fight."