Chapter 87: Ride unto the wind.
"It'll be a good three days ride to get to Conand Tower." Gilbert commented as he finished strapping the saddle onto his horse, the taller man maintained the stoic disposition as he finished his preparations. Byleth stood not far from him, keeping her own face blank as she listened. "Perhaps less if you wish to avoid taking the main roads, but that runs the risk of encountering Demonic Beasts along the way."
He paused, then turned to her with a visible frown on his lips. "Though I understand that you are the one who has been placed in command of this operation as a whole. Therefore I will leave the final judgement to you."
That was rather a surprise for her, though she did not show much of it, she instead maintained her blank stare towards the man. Normally with knights like this, she would have assumed he would tell her what was going to happen and then it would happen. Maybe her perception of knights had been slightly altered by the personality of Catherine who seemed more headstrong in her own opinions and less willing to hear out others.
She turned her head to the students and hummed to herself. While she had heard the Golden Deer had fended off some Demonic Beasts, that had been a trap whereas randomly encountering them would prove to be a greater problem. At the same time, it would help them to get some experience in wilderness camping and foraging for supplies. At least the ones who had much less experience with that manner of thing…no, she could do that at her leisure when they returned. No sense in doing something like that now.
"We'll take the main roads." At least that way the only real problem would be something like bandits but she doubted any of them would be stupid enough to attack an armoured convoy. Even at a glance, a fool would have been able to tell they were not a merchant wagon. "Might run into difficult terrain, not everyone is mounted and a random ambush would cause problems for us."
Gilbert did not give a verbal reply, merely a flicker of something in her eyes. She caught onto it immediately, he had been testing her there to see what sort of response she would end up giving him. Those snap questions she sometimes got from her father as well when he was trying to see if her lessons were sticking. It was rather refreshing for someone to get confirmation like that without just telling her to her face they doubted her skills.
"Aha!" Both she and the ginger turned to the call, finding the Duke Fraldarius approaching them with a cordial expression on his face, flanked by a pair of knights that he quickly waved away as he grew closer to them. "I was hoping to catch the pair of you before you departed, given that I will not be here when you return."
Byleth thinned her lips. "Returning to Kingdom territory?"
He confirmed it with a nod. "Indeed. While I would certainly love nothing more than to accompany you on this voyage, not least of all for the sake of the Kingdom's reputation, it would not do for me to be missing for an extended period of time and sending the 'Shield of Faerghus' to put down a group of bandits led by a disgraced child of the Gautier family would be somewhat…difficult to justify."
"Ah. Politics." It came to her a moment later she had said it out loud when she watched the face of the Duke shift into surprise. Though her apology, or at least the thought of one, died on her lips as the man chuckled as though she had said something rather amusing.
Shaking his head from side to side, the Duke placed his hands on his hips and offered her a shrug of the shoulders. "Alas, you are quite correct. The one battlefield that I have never had much success in, try as I might. I shall never quite understand how Lambert was able to manage the two of them as well as he did."
Gilbert made a noise at her side as he spoke up. "The King was a man of many talents."
It felt like she had stepped into a private conversation, though the shift in atmosphere only lasted for a second more before the Duke spoke up again, clearing his throat and turning to her with a more curious expression. "Talk of the woes of politics aside, I am slightly regretful that we did not have much of a chance to speak further. The Prince had mentioned you in his letters with only the highest praises thus far…" he trailed off, a complicated expression crossing his face. "And I understand that while the Prince will not speak only of it for his sake, I feel as though I already know how Felix has been behaving…"
Felix?
Ah, yes. His son.
He was probably wishing to know of the progress of him, given the temperament of the boy, she wasn't entirely sure what the household situation was like and she wasn't comfortable with throwing her own opinion into it before she had all the facts. That being said, she could at least provide him with her own honest assessment of the abilities of his son in her capacity as a professor, that was an aspect of her job if she recalled correctly.
"He has a great talent for combat." She began immediately, she could tell that the moment she started speaking, she gained the undivided attention of the duke. "One of the most skilled fighters in the class, he is bold enough to speak his honest opinions aloud. Though there are issues when it comes to a difference of thoughts with other students but I believe he has been keeping his more…" pausing for a moment, she found herself at a loss for the correct word.
'Controversial.' Sothis suggestion whispered through the back of her mind.
"Controversial opinions to himself to avoid causing great divides." She completed with a nod of the head, pausing for another second to take in the expression of the man before adding on. "Though I believe that both Sylvain and Ingrid are familiar enough with his attitude that they can stem the worst of his impulses. He is not a problematic student, just difficult."
"That is…" Closing his eyes, the man let out a long sigh of relief "That is much better than I could have ever hoped. It does my heart good to see that Felix still has those who care about him." his eyes opened with an amused twinkle in them. "Though he has always had something of a soft spot for Sylvain, even if he won't ever admit it…There is another thing I dread to ask, because I know that the Prince will not tell me, even if I were to ask him. He does have a large heart but…" the troubled expression lasted until he spoke, switching to resignation. "Does Felix still openly refer to the Prince as a boar?"
Keeping her expression blank was one of the easiest things she could have done, as for the topic of the question. She wasn't going to lie to him and say that he was exactly complimentary towards Dimitri, but she was in no rush to cause strife between a father and his child. Given that the Duke was clearly loyal to Dimitri and the Prince would one day be a King, even she could see the ramifications of the Duke's son insulting the Prince at every single turn.
"...I have held a conversation with Felix about being respectful of his classmates." In this case, a non-answer might have been the best thing to do. Neither admit he had said it nor tell a lie and deny that it ever emerged. Yet she doubted that it would work, it was more for the sake of appearances. Given the visible cringe that soon flooded through the expression of the Duke, he knew precisely what she meant. His reaction was rather subdued after that, rolling his lower lip inwards and nodding his head up and down.
"...I see." Bringing his head back up, his expression turned sympathetic. "I can see that you also care about him, given the answer you have." had he also seen through that attempt as well? For someone who claimed to dislike politics, he seemed very good at picking apart her words much like a noble would do. It was something she had been told to watch out for around them, apparently everything had a double meaning or along those lines. It was something she was quickly finding out through experience. "I thank you for putting up with his attitude, he's…no, I won't drag you into the problems. Just, if you would do me a favour and continue to teach him, I would be grateful, even if I feel as though I have failed in some part as a father."
Byleth pulled her lips into a tiny frown but remained silent, she didn't know much about his parenting so she couldn't say either one way or the other whether he failed as a father. Felix never spoke of him but Dimitri had greeted him rather warmly when they reunited, so she could only imagine that something was going on there.
"Rodrigue!" Another voice called out, this one she recognised immediately as Dimitri, she turned to see the blonde approaching them with a smile on his face as he stared at the blue haired older man. "Are you here to wish us well then?"
The Duke smiled back at the prince "Of course. Though you should know that you always have my well wishes in your actions by now, Prince Dimitri. Saying it out loud would be a touch redundant." he remarked with a shake of his yes, placing his hands on his hips and bowing his head as the prince approached.
Byleth noted the flash of discomfort through the eyes of the blonde at the respectful move, his lips twitched and his eyes darted to her for a moment. "Professor, I'm sorry if I interrupted a conversation between yourself and Rodrigue, I merely spotted him from a distance and…well…I'm afraid my vision became rather narrowed."
"Spacial awareness." That was all she needed to say and the comment earned a snort from the direction of Rodrigue as he brought his head back up, gesturing in her direction while still maintaining eye contact with Dimitri.
"She is quite correct, my Prince." A faint dusting of red coated the cheeks of Dimitri at the light ribbing he received from the duke. "Especially given how close you are to the battle, given the praise I have heard of the Professor, I would like to believe you are at least paying attention to her lessons." he leaned forwards, folding his arms over his chest and teasing the prince.
Dimitri, to his credit, looked more embarrassed and less insulted by the familiar display as he turned his eyes to the side and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "C-come now, Rodrigue. We are in Hillfar, there is very little chance that anything might happen here…surely lowering my guard is acceptable."
That comment earned him a raised eyebrow from the Duke and a slightly credulous look. "Perhaps I would be more convinced if there had not been an attack by Demonic Beasts on the Monastery itself." Dimitri winced at the mention of it, though didn't get a chance to comment before the man smiled and shook his head. "But I am making light hearted comments. You are quite right to let your guard down around here and it has been some time since we met in person."
There was something familiar in the banter between the two of them, reminding her a touch of her conversations with her own father. Now she was more than a little curious as to the relationship between the two of them but not overly so, she knew about the death of the Royal Family so it might have been the case that the Duke was something of a mentor. That would make sense to her.
"In any event." Clearing his throat, the duke continued on as he gestured towards her. "I was exchanging some words with the Professor you spoke so highly about and extending my thanks on behalf of the Kingdom for her actions here today." lowering his hand, he turned back to Dimitri. "On a different subject, how have Ingrid and Sylvain been?"
She decided that this would be an opportune time to take a step away from the conversation, privately excusing herself and turning back towards Gilbert who seemed to have done much the same thing as her but at a faster rate, given that he had somehow managed to move his horse several feet away from them without her even noticing. As she approached him, she watched as his head darted towards the students for a few moments, then moved around once more as though he was searching for something.
"Professor." Byleth wasn't surprised he knew she was there. "Forgive me if I am being blunt but I was under the impression you have eight students…yet I only count seven."
A blink.
Her head turned on the crowd once more, then she frowned.
"Did anyone see where Annette was this morning?" She called out to the crowd around her, then frowned when she didn't get an immediate answer from anyone. Thinning her lips and only deepening the frown on her face. She knew for a fact that the young girl had come with them yet she seemed to have disappeared since their arrival, for whatever reason. Though it might have been possible that she stepped away for a minute for some inexplicable reason.
"Professor!" Turning on the voice, she watched as Mercedes waved to her "Annette said she needed to use the chambers before she left."
Could she not have gone earlier? Still, it was better to go now than to ask them to take a pitstop barely an hour into their journey, she supposed.
Sniffling had been his first instinct that there was some issue with someone still within the lodgings, a quick scan of the individual revealed it to be Annette which was something of a curiosity to him but not one that he was exceedingly invested in. Which was why he would have been perfectly content with striding past her room before he paused a few steps in.
His expression thinned itself as the sniffles only continued, closing his eyes and taking in a short breath. The Blue Lions were due to leave for a mission soon, he had been aware of that much regarding their class, and the fact that Annette was still here and not with them did bring some small issue to mind. Namely that her absence was no doubt going to cause problems with the group as a whole.
…His lips flattened and he took several steps backwards, standing side on to the door and with his attention still fixed on the hallway, he brought up his left arm and curled his fingers into a fist. A moment later, he bashed it against the door, a gasp of surprise from inside alerted him to the fact she had been caught off guard by his actions, not that he truly cared for it.
"S-sorry, sorry." Her muffled voice came from behind the door as the sound of thudding and footsteps drew closer. A second later the door was pulled inwards and the ginger girl stepped forwards. "Sorry Pro-..." she cut herself off the second she realised he was not her professor, though she was a sorry sight to behold, puffy red eyes and water stains running down her cheeks, her uniform crumbled in places.
A brief glance to the interior of her room showed that it was in a state of disrepair, the blankets on her bedding had been bundled up and he could see faint markings on her pillow where her face had been buried into it.
Silence stretched between the two of them, his eyes lingered on the interior of the room, then gradually lowered themselves towards her. Annette was still staring up at him, caught much like a deer in the sights of a hunter likely unsure of what she was supposed to do. Then again, he hadn't been expecting to call out to her either. It was a certainty that one of her classmates or Byleth would have come for her eventually, so there was little need for his personal intervention.
…The sound of her crying had just irritated him.
"Goetia, sorry for the…" She sniffled loudly, stumbling over her words as she brought up her sleeve and started to wipe over her eyes in an effort to fix herself. He watched her fruitless efforts in silence as she only succeeded in making matters worse for herself, now spreading the water stains onto her sleeves and leaving behind a trail of mucus where the cloth touched the underside of her nose. "I apologise for…sorry, I wasn't being too loud, was I?"
"...Loud enough." He simply answered, she flinched guilty as though she had committed some manner of wrong. That wasn't far from the truth but at the same time, it wasn't as though it was liable to be her fault. Something must have transpired to bring about this state of affairs. Though he was not particularly interested in the origin of it, not truly. "I am under the impression the Blue Lions are to be attending their monthly mission…is that not where you are supposed to be at this present time?"
She froze, nodding her head up and down and sniffling again. Keeping his expression blank in the presence of this face was becoming increasingly difficult, his outright disgust for the emotions she was currently feeling was rising to a boiling point, perhaps a mixture of recent events contributing as well. Before he even realised it, he had channelled magical energy through his body and into the world around him, the spell lasted less than a second but the effects were instant.
"H-huh?" Annette made a small noise of surprise, blinking twice and then reaching up to dab at her now dry cheeks, then passed down her uniform which was devoid of creases and her sleeves which were now snot free. "Wha-...but how did…you…huh?"
"Think before you start speaking." He reminded her with a frown. "Stumbling over your words in such a way is an embarrassment to your own education." even as he said that, she still gaped at him as though she was mimicking the expression of a fish. He curled his lip down into a frown and turned his attention from her. "You would do well to hurry along to the rest of your peers. I doubt they will wait long before they search for you and it will ultimately delay their mission. The value of time on it is not something I can comment upon, though I would advise it quickly."
He started to walk away from her before she could even think to say anything, he was not going to be dragged into a long conversation about something with her that he would rather avoid. There was much he needed to do and he was rather exhausted when it came to the emotional weight of humans, at least for the span of one week. He had little doubt it would rear its ugly head once more but for the time being, he would much prefer to focus on something he could control.
"How was your morning, Spellbook?"
"Acceptable. I was able to avoid pointless conversations. What of yours?"
"I was able to make quite a nice amount of sales." Anna responded with that same proud smirk on her lips that he found…he supposed the word for it would be nostalgic, given that all he could see when he saw it was the face of the Queen of Sheba. Perhaps that was why he found little annoyance with conversing with her, and she did not make an effort to pry into his personal affairs, she maintained a professional distance like that. "Nothing opens wallets like a tragedy, especially given that I've got a few deals to help with the transport of building materials, not to mention food and the restoration of damaged clothing. Goddess knows that the knights who lived in the Monastery suffered something fierce in the Demonic Beast attack."
"The damage was substantial." He commented blandly, if she noticed his lack of interest then she didn't care. Another thing he appreciated from her, unless there was a profit to be made she would not pry. "Though on the topic of Demonic Beasts, there is something I would ask you in regards to the markets related to them."
His eyes darted to her as she paused, then leaned against the wagon behind her and pursed her lips. A thoughtful look moving through her eyes as she did so. "That would depend on the Demonic Beast. There's a different market depending on which one you end up killing. The big wolves are regarded as a rarity for their pelts and claws." a brief pause and a look of distaste. "I've heard that some people like to eat them but that seems a bit weird and much too inconsistent for me to properly look into."
Goetia felt his own lips pull themselves into a similar frown as he registered the information within his mind. He could not think of a reason as to why a person would eat the meat of a carnivore, especially something like a wolf. Not least of all because of the parasites that would likely infest them, but also because of the diseases and the texture and treatment of the meat itself. Carnivore meat was certain to be tougher to digest on account of the regular exercise. The pelts, claws and teeth made much more sense.
"A wise move on the part of the latter." He commented as he turned his attention back to the small item in front of himself, the tools floating around in front of him as he continued to carve out the small design. There was little reason to base his efforts solely on the creation of mystic codes, sometimes a less complicated method worked just as simply and there was a certain romanticism in regards to them.
Anna had also been looking over his efforts for the past hour since he arrived and started. He heard her hum as she nodded her head up and down. "It certainly looks good for someone who is working 'no hands' style, but isn't that in a little bit of bad taste?"
"How so?" He looked away from the wooden carving of the phantasmal he had been carving, information pulled from the memories of the creatures from his home planet, he was certain they would be regarded as an oddity and it was hardly as though he was losing out on much in their creation from cheap wood which he himself had purchased at low prices. Besides, in spite of saying that, Anna did not look that concerned.
"Well, they are recovering from a Demonic Beast attack at the Church, a lot of people lost friends…" Trailing off, she stepped away from the cart and then leaned down and squinted her eyes at the design, tilting her head to one side and giving a short hum. "Though that being said, it does look very exotic, doesn't it? What did you call them again?"
"A hydra." He replied as he continued to mentally work over it, finalising the details of the wood carving, the multi headed serpent in the midst of looking to snarl at someone. It was simple, it was cheap and most of all, there was going to be a market for it. He was acutely aware of the value young children placed on such monsters in the past and he had treated the wood to avoid it splintering. He was also aware of the damage that human youths were capable of. "Though they are above the likes of Demonic Beasts, in the classification of Phantasmals. Famed for their potent venom."
Another hum from the red head. "Venom, huh? I can see it with all of the snake fangs…it does look rather interesting so I suppose it might get sold to a curious child or something." he knew she was playing it down, he had seen the look in her eye when he had explained what he was making. They both knew there was a market in the trading of wooden toys for children, it all came down to the length of time it took to make them. Given that it had taken him less than an hour to construct this, they both knew the implications.
Moments of her intrigue passed them by before she leaned back, giving a somewhat uncaring shrug but ultimately failing to disguise the gleam in her eyes. She was good at feigning interest, he could give her credit for that, yet she was not the equal of the Queen of Sheba. She was someone who could genuinely force him to use his inbuilt abilities to actually determine what she was thinking.
"I suppose it's interesting enough." Scratching the underside of her chin, she released an uncaring hum as she glanced from the small wooden model and then to himself with a raised eyebrow. "Though…I suppose it would depend on whether or not you really intended to sell something like this on the regular. Considering that we've already come to an agreement with the storage of foods."
He levelled her with a raised eyebrow, either she thought he was an idiot or she was reaffirming to herself that he actually knew what he was talking about. He would have resented the subtle accusation were it not for the fact that he himself was more at odds with the fact he was utilising this knowledge in the first place. Either way, it was foolish for a merchant to specialise in only one form of export, the moment another group undercut them their business would be finished. Anna had the correct idea with her general wares.
"Consider this an additional clause, simpler than the previous one." He gestured to the sculpted model with his own dispassionate look. "One that I would be more than willing to share with you at the current rate of production…for fifty percent of the profits."
Her eyes narrowed for a brief second, then he watched as a sharp smile slowly spread across her face. He knew that smile, she wasn't so much insulted by the request as much as she had been challenged by it. Turning to face him, she placed her hand on her hip and leaned on her side, pursing her lips as she did so. "Half? That seems an awful lot…especially for the product itself. Forty seems far more reasonable to me, especially given that you'd be using my brand in order to sell it."
Bringing up her hand, she made a show of picking dirt out from underneath her fingernails. "And it's not like you could threaten me with selling it elsewhere, especially given our little arrangement and the quality that is associated with my name."
Amusing.
"Your brand name is important, that much I will grant you, yet it is through my own methods and abilities that the products are created." She thinned her lips as he continued onwards. "Not to mention the improvements to otherwise 'low quality' materials that are being elevated and raised in value. In addition to the production rate and the option for customisation?" He raised a lone eyebrow. "You are already guaranteed a profit on the sales of the goods, especially if you were to distribute them to other hubs of commerce…if one were to include the possibility of personal orders in addition to the general theme?"
"At the end of the day, you are making use of my resources." She pointed out with a thin smile. "It is through my guiding hand that your products find their way into the hands of happy customers. Even if you went to someone else, they wouldn't have nearly the same reach as I and…let us be honest here…how likely do you think they would be to trust and accept any deal you presented them with."
Was she using the natural xenophobia of Fodlan to her advantage to gain a better transaction with him? Because he would need to admire her ingenuity and lack of moral boundaries for that.
"I will not deny you that point…and yet there are others who would argue on my behalf." He watched the flicker of doubt move through her eyes as he continued on, bringing up his hand and gesturing over his shoulder towards the direction of the Monastery. "I am certain that I could find someone within the student body who would be more than willing to accommodate my request given enough time, perhaps the Victor child? As I understand it, his family are rather wealth merchants within the Lecister Alliance, I'm certain that with enough time, I would be able to present him with the idea with confidence in it's success."
"...Forty-five."
"Done."
She blinked at him, then frowned, but only for a few seconds before her lips curled up into a faint smile. "You never had any intention of going to him, did you?"
"I have shared all but a single conversation with him in the past." He bluntly commented, watching as she rolled her eyes, doubtlessly she was berating herself for falling for such an obvious bluff. At the same time, it was hardly as though she could take the chance that he would take the matter elsewhere. For the time being, it suited his purpose for her to have exclusive access to his knowledge and his wares. For the time being. "Though the option is now up in the air for you to think on."
"Uh-huh." Rolling her eyes at him once again, she leaned onto the table and then muttered quietly under her breath. "Course he gets to have good ideas and be smart enough to use his business acumen on me as well. Winning combination if ever there was one."
"Given you were perfectly willing to use my race against me moments ago, I believe calling this turnabout 'fair play' is well within my rights." She made another noise of displeasure that he virtually ignored, with a wave of his hand he slid the finished Hydra toy over to her and turned his attention to the other lumps of wood that he had purchased for the nearby sawmill.
Anna snorted at him somewhat blandly before aiming a flat look at him. "As though I was going to let you try and slip away…still though, now I'm a little curious what other ideas you might be holding out on just in case you ever encounter a rainy day." once again, the twinkle fluttered into her eye as she was making a show of looking him up and down, he had already demonstrated he was aware of far more than he let on.
That being said, he was not about to throw the technological progression of Fodlan into the dirt purely so he could make a few gold coins in the process. He regarded Anna with a blank look for a moment before he hummed and turned away from her. "That is for me to ponder and for you to remain ignorant of. Suffice to say that I am in a rush to reveal every single one of the ideas that I may or may not hold."
Pausing for a moment, he cast his eye back to the cart behind the pair of them and looked it up and down. He knew enough about his own work to recognise that the wagon contained some of his mystic codes for long distance transportation, that she was loading them up meant she was preparing for a haul to be delivered. Yet it was already approaching mid day and she had made no further progress since he arrived. Curious, but he assumed she was waiting for a guard of sorts.
"Hmm?" Anna made a noise, glancing towards the street, the action drew his eye and he promptly flattened his features as he watched a small crowd start to gather at the end of the market square, all of them drawn to the sight of the Knights of Seiros marching through, followed by the Blue Lion House with Byleth riding up on the front.
He did the only thing he could think of.
He turned his attention back onto the next piece of wood and brought it towards himself, bringing up the next block of wood and raising the tools up once more. Since Anna had agreed to meet with his demands, there was little reason to put the matter aside. Those in Abyss could handle themselves in his absence, it would make for decent practice as well, and he had ensured to assign them tasks to be carried out. Namely much the same as he had previously instructed but until it reached a point of mastery, or a point where they could actually sell their skills.
The clatter of hoofbeats got louder and louder as the knights approached, of course they would, it was the main road so there was only one real way in and out of the town. Which naturally meant that Byleth was going to be moving past him. Efforts to avoid thinking of her were short lived and met with failure, yet all he was aware of was that Sothis had said she was going to speak with her. It would be a fruitless effort. If Byleth had little interest in understanding things from his perspective, he doubted she would understand them from Sothis either.
"That's adorable." Even as Sothis commented from directly in front of him, he did not pause as he stared at the block in silence, allowing the hammer and chisel to carve away into the wood, yet he did spare the Goddess the faintest of glances for a moment as she directed her attention to the Hydra, a clear look of amusement in her eyes. "I wasn't aware that making toys was among your repertoire of skills. I think it's rather cute."
His lips flattened.
"All of those scowls and yet here you are, spending your time making wooden…I was going to say horses but that is rather fearsome, isn't it?" She commented with a touch of disturbed nature in her tone of voice as she lowered herself down to be eye height with the hydra and squinted at it, cupping her chin. "I sincerely hope you make something more appealing for the younger audience in the future…perhaps a cute little pony, or a kitten?" he saw that smirk she was sending his way. "I can just imagine you…looming over some tiny little cat and handing it to a child."
His eyes landed on her as she stared back at him, some other emotion besides amusement as she closed her eyes and exhaled. "I have not yet gotten around to speaking with Byleth on the matter, though I'm not entirely sure she would be willing to hear me on the subject at the moment." she glanced to the side with a frown. "I am party to her thoughts…she is rather stubborn. Though I am certain the chance will arise in the future."
There was a faint sensation of someone else looking at him, he glanced towards the source and briefly locked eyes with Byleth. She stared at him for barely a second before she looked away from him, though her expression had remained blank, there was a chill in her eyes for those brief seconds that he genuinely felt. The sensation that coursed through his body left him ill at ease, not for any discernible reason. He just didn't like it.
Bringing his attention away from them rather sharply, he kept his expression vacant as he could manage to avoid giving her the impression that he had been affected by her words. Whether or not he had been was a moot point, he merely did not wish to give the impression that anything she had said to him had done so. Still, he had time to mull over the words Flayn had imparted upon him during their short conversation with one another.
They had not helped him all that much, the longer he thought about them, the more he understood that they made little to no sense. A mere difference in experience, Flayn had been aware that even in spite of her superior existence, she was still a finite being. He had never been finite, there was nothing that would have ever brought about his end. He was perfect and now he wasn't.
Now he wasn't.
"-ey!" He twitched at the sudden call directly into his left ear, he did not react beyond the physical reflex, turning his eyes onto the person who had opted to break his concentration in such a manner. Anna was giving him a slightly unimpressed stare, straightening herself out and folding her arms over her chest in a clear display of annoyance with him. "Did you actually listen to anything I had been saying for the last minute?"
"No."
"...I'm not sure whether to be bothered by the fact you're honest about it or that you didn't try to tell a lie and save face." Her expression was rather perplexed but he didn't put much stock in her manner of speaking. There was some measure of doubt as to how valuable her words would have actually been but he imagined that there might have been something within them that would affect him. Perhaps, the importance of it varied. With a faint sight, she shook her head from side to side as she placed her hands on her hips. "As I was saying, I'm packing up everything for the next couple of days. I'm taking a trip up to Enbarr to restock on some supplies."
That brought his full attention to her, for the simple reason was that this was the first he was hearing of this and the fact that suddenly the wagon being loaded up made a great deal more sense with this information. Though it was mainly the former which took priority in his mind, first staring at her and then turning his attention onto the wagon itself for a few seconds, then back to her. "...And I am being informed of this today?"
"I'm being informed today that you can also make toys for children?"
"Those are not even comparable to…" He closed his eyes and fought back a breath of irritation at the almost victoriously smug look the merchant woman was wearing. It wasn't that he was all that irritated, this was little more than a distraction he would indulge in for wages. Especially given that he had not attended the jog he was actually hired for in some time now. He doubted that he was still actually employed given his long absence. "...Prior warning would have been appreciated."
Anna stared at him for a few seconds, then a frown split her features. "I actually thought you would have known. You seemed informed about all the other stuff that happened at the academy so I figured you would have known about it before I did." she gestured past him. "I was just asking for a small escort, I wasn't expecting them to assign one of their classes to accompany me."
One of the classes?
They were assigning one of the classes to act as a bodyguard for a caravan? Well, it would serve to work for a short mission and it was hardly as though the roads were particularly safe. Highwaymen and demonic beasts aside. Though he suspected there would only be one class that would be best suited for the role, given their familiarity with the region and with the city itself. "The Black Eagles?"
That brought a shrug from Anna. "They didn't actually say which class they were assigning to escort me, just that they were going to send one to do so."
"...In any event, I shall accompany you."
"Wait, really?" She blinked, then raised an eyebrow at him somewhat dubiously. He wasn't entirely sure what her problem would have been with his suggestion. Besides, some time away from the Monastery would grant him a change of scenery and he had never been to any of the capital regions. This was an opportunity for him that he would rather not miss if he could have helped it. That and it would grant him the chance to repay someone for their advice which did prove useful in the end, even if it likely hadn't been in the way they were expecting. "I mean…I don't personally have a problem with it but aren't you employed as a librarian or something? Actually, are you still employed? Because I could take you on as an apprentice if you're really all that worried about-"
"I have little interest in a change of occupation to full-time merchant at the moment." He stopped that in its tracks, though the minor annoyance in the eyes of Anna lasted for barely a moment before it faded away. She likely justified it in her head before she realised that she wouldn't have to give him a wage. That was the train of thought he attributed to her and it was almost amusing that he could see the revelation hit her in real time that it would be better for her profit margins that he not be employed by her. "It is merely that I would much prefer that, if there is a danger, I take care of the problem personally."
The woman frowned at him. "You know, I can take care of myself in a fight and you're not exactly doing those kids any favours if you trust your own capabilities more than theirs…" she paused for a brief moment, rolling her jaw before shrugging her shoulders. "Then again, there were a lot of rumours coming from some of the knights about you being rather strong…something about moving boulders with one hand?"
She pointedly looked at his single arm. "...Though I'm not sure how else you'd have moved them."
There were many methods he could have employed but he had neither the inclination nor the time to explain each and every single one of them. He left her to her own little thoughts regarding the matters and turned his attention away from her and towards the street, aiming his vision towards the direction where he presumed the Black Eagles would eventually emerge from.
"Is there some issue with my presence that I am not aware of?"
Anna made a small noise of denial as she spoke. "Not exactly, I'm more concerned with whether or not you're even allowed to do that." a grunt. "I'd rather not have my business get on the bad side with all of the knights of Seiros, given that they are sort of important in Fodlan."
He was aware of their impor-ah, sarcasm.
The lowest form of wit.
"I would not have thought you one to turn down the opportunity for additional defence of your wares at no additional cost-"
"How soon can you be ready to leave?"
Incredible. She had not even allowed him to finish his sentence before she jumped at the chance to allow him to accompany her. He would have been more irritated at her lack of decorum being shown to him were it not for the fact she played right into his hands. Or, more accurately, they were playing into one another's hands but he cared very little for the fiscal benefits he might have been able to gain from this venture. Material gains did not weigh that heavily upon his mind.
"I can leave a note with Seteth and inform him of my departure." He would also need to actually engage in a discussion with the phantasmal at some point in the future regarding his actual employment within the monastery as well. His position within Abyss was nothing more than a word of mouth title, he required something with more legitimacy to actually wield any form of power in the fate of the city itself. Though that could wait for the future, for now it was little more than ensuring he did not cause another ruckus with his departures.
Not that he foresaw any complications with this measure, for all intents and purposes, this was going to be little more than a routine trip to the Imperial capital and back. Perhaps there would be some time spent roaming the markets for the benefit of the students or visiting their progenitors, yet he doubted there was going to be anything of real note.
"..."
"..."
"...You continue to exceed my expectations in ways that I have never once imagined possible." His voice remained toneless, despite the emotions that were swirling beneath him as he levelled a perfectly blank expression towards the individual standing opposite him. Their expression did not so much as flinch at his tone of voice. "Truly, I have only ever encountered one other individual in my life who has demonstrated a capacity to be as infuriating to my nerves as you."
"In that case, I can rest well knowing that I have cemented a place within your mind." Rhea or Seiros, whichever name she considered her true one, smiled back at him genially as the small crowd stood not too far from them.
It was a far cry from the last state he had seen her in but he didn't put much care into how she appeared to be at this present moment in time. Instead he dragged his attention to the stoic expression on the face of the green haired man who stood next to her with his arms folded over his chest. At the very least, Seteth looked just as irritated with this turn of events as he currently felt.
The unasked question of 'why?' passed between the two of them as they locked eyes.
Seteth's face didn't so much as twitch as he spoke, nor did he even pass a glance in the direction of his kindred. "The Archbishop has decided that to better demonstrate the influence and stability of the Church, she will be journeying to the cathedral in Enbarr to speak with the clergy there and pass along her well wishes to the Emperor as she does so."
His expression turned thin, the true annoyance bubbled behind his eyes for barely a second before it was smothered. Yet it was still long enough for Goetia to take notice of it; there was also the twitch from Rhea as Seteth addressed her in an exceedingly formal capacity. Not even using her name as he did so.
"Given the abrupt nature of this decision, I was unable to assemble a sufficient escort for her." Something flickered through Seteth's eyes as he delivered the next piece of news, there was something almost razor sharp about the tone of voice he used to speak with. "Fortunately, your missive of journeying to Enbarr solved that problem, as I am familiar with your capabilities…and given that in recent days you have shown that you are no longer satisfied with the occupation the Monastery has granted you, I believe that this new task would be more worthy of your talents."
Goetia remained utterly stone faced in the wake of the news, slowly turning his eyes to Rhea who met them without even an ounce of shame and offered the same thin smile to him that she had been wearing since she first arrived.
His eyes fell back upon Seteth as the man took two steps forwards, then dropped his voice into a low whisper. "I doubt either of us are truly pleased with these recent revelations, but I understand you have developed an interest in Abyss recently and it is missing an overseer…given your experience in the subject of governance and the lack of other candidates, ensuring the safety of the Archbishop would go a long way in smothering dissenting voices against your appointment."
Closing his eyes, he steadied his emotions as the words resonated within his mind. He could see the logic of this argument and it could not be denied that there was good reason within them. More to the point, Seteth showed a decent level of understanding as to what he was aiming for but at the same time, it should have been apparent what his goals were from the beginning. Opening his eyes once more, he jerked his head behind Seteth towards the individual standing not far from them. "And her?"
Seteth exhaled. "Catherine would have taken far too much attention away from your own contributions and Alois is still needed here for his work. I assigned Jeralt to the Golden Deer and given your last encounter with him…" he trailed off somewhat meaningfully before he continued on. "Shamir is capable enough and it would be best for the Archbishop to have a guard of some variety that has decent standing within the Church. Occupation as a mercenary aside."
"...Fine."
Nodding his head, Seteth stepped backwards and turned around, staring at the Archbishop for barely half a second before he addressed the Black Eagles who had all been lined up. "I understand that this was not the assignment that you had been preparing for and the weight of it has increased exponentially. However, I have faith that each and every one of you will do your utmost to ensure the safety of the Archbishop and the Merchant caravan you were assigned to guard initially. I do not need to tell you how important this is."
He nodded to Hanneman. "May the Goddess watch over all of you." without another word, he started to walk away from them and back the way he had come, flanked by two knights.
Watching him depart in silence, Goetia slowly turned his eyes onto Rhea and stared at her in complete silence.
Well, whatever the reason for her sudden desire to travel across the country, he could at least say that it worked to his benefit rather well this time around. So he didn't have much in the way of a complaint about it. So long as she didn't come near him or try to speak with him, then there would be nothing for him to concern himself with.
AN: Byleth on her way to fight for her life.
Goetia going on a camping simulator in the woods with the Black Eagles and his wife-