Ries was called from her task by Sister Marble. Marble was bringing a pink-haired girl younger than her who had a wooden sword on her hips. Her face had an ever-present smile as Marble started to talk.
"Ries, this is Juna. Juna, this is Ries. Now, Juna, Ries is the one who kindly volunteered to teach young Shizuku."
"It's nice to meet you, Sister Ries. I'm Juna Crawford," Juna introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you too, Juna. My name is Ries Argent."
"Now, Ries. If your task for this morning is finished, then you can go with Juna," Marble offered.
"Ah..." Ries looked back. "Give me five minutes."
Five minutes later, she and Juna left the church with umbrellas on. It had been raining since early morning, and so far, it didn't show any sign of stopping. The pitter-patter of their footsteps on the wet ground filled their ears. Unfortunately for Ries, the umbrella couldn't stop the splash of water from dirtying her dress.
Juna, who did not have the same problem because she didn't wear a long dress, winced. "Sorry, Miss Ries. We could postpone it for later."
"No. Don't tell anyone about it, but I'm volunteering to break away from my duty in the cathedral," Ries playfully winked. She could delay it, yes, considering the weather. But she wanted to meet Juna and get to know her. She was the girl that Estelle and Joshua held on a high note. There must be something about her.
"Is that so? Thank you!" Juna then puckered her lips before she asked. "What do you do in the Church, anyway?"
Ries raised her eyebrow. "Interested? I'm still new, so I handled administration. Maybe once I've been here longer, I will be given more responsibilities."
They entered the Residential District. Ries had scouted the city beforehand, so she already knew the way. But she let Juna lead a few steps ahead of her.
"No. I still want to become a Bracer. I'm just curious because Sister Marble is teaching while Sister Juju and Sister Hatina have to do miscellaneous tasks around the cathedral," Juna answered as she led Ries south to West Street.
"Now I'm the curious one. Why do you want to become a Bracer? I'm friends with some Bracers, so I'd like to hear your opinion and aspirations."
Juna stopped near Talys General Store just before the stairs went down. She turned back to Ries and looked at her. Ries felt as if Juna was unmasking her with her stare. What did she say? Did she unintentionally blow her own cover?
"Juna?"
"A-Ah, sorry. My mind's a little distracted, so I find your question surprising. Let's see... there is actually no special reason for me. I wanted to learn Martial Arts and begged Arios because he's cool. Since Arios is a Bracer, I might as well become one."
Ries was not someone who could detect lies or deceit, but even she could tell Juna was lying when she said her mind was distracted. Juna must be surprised by her words. Inwardly, she panicked a bit that she had broken her cover. But she presented a calm self to Juna.
"I see..."
Should she? Ries narrowed her eyes at Juna, who now continued walking down the stairs to Morges Bakery.
"Let's buy some bread. Have you tried Oscar's bread? They're to die for!"
Ah, she remembered eyeing the store but had yet to have the time to buy its product. Now, she had become curious about it.
"Sure."
The heavenly smell of freshly baked bread found its way to her nose when they arrived in front of the store. Ries' stomach couldn't help but growl, to her embarrassment. Juna just chuckled before she opened the door and went inside.
"Morning, Oscar! What's on the menu today!?"
"Morning, Juna. I have my specialty as usual. By the way, have you seen Lloyd? I have a support request, but he hasn't turned up yet."
As Juna talked with this Oscar, Ries looked around to see so much bread. If Kevin was here, he'd gleefully pointed out that Ries' eyes turned into stars.
"Excuse me," she interrupted Juna and Oscar's conversation. "Give me two full bags of everything."
Ries left Morges Bakery with a beaming smile on her face as she chewed on the tasty bread. It was soft but firm. The crust was very crunchy and tasted a little more cooked than the inside, just like how she loved it. And the fact that it was still warm made it taste ten times better in the drizzle.
"Wow... Miss Ries. You looked so happy."
"Of course. The bread is very delicious. Thank you for introducing me to the store, Juna."
"You're welcome."
The two then walked past Morges to the Central Square.
"Sooo, how did you know Estelle?"
Swallowing her mouthful, Ries answered, "I met Estelle through Kev-"
Ries froze.
"You... w-what? When did I say I know Estelle?"
Juna just grinned, "Ahaha... sorry. I just guessed when you said you know Bracers."
Kevin, what exactly did Estelle say about this girl!? Ries shouted inside her mind.
"Don't worry, Miss Ries. I won't say anything if you're here undercover."
"...What do you know about me? And how did you get the information? Did Estelle tell you?" Ries put down the half-eaten bread inside the bag. This was not the time to satisfy her stomach.
"Ehehe... I just guessed. Miss Marble told me the new Sister is from Arteria. So you're definitely more than just a new Sister. Then you mentioned you know Bracers. There are lots of people who are Bracers all around Zemuria, but I have a strong feeling it's Estelle and Joshua. It seems like my guess is correct," Juna explained. So it really was just a wild guess that she got right. With a sharp mind like that, she'd be better serving the police.
"...And?" Ries prompted. She wanted to see what else the girl unearthed from her.
"You sure you want me to guess again?" Juna raised her eyebrow.
"Yes." Kevin did say that if she needed help, she could go to the SSS or Juna Crawford. She wanted to test her capabilities.
"Okay, then. Judging from what you almost blurted out, am I correct to assume you also know Kevin Graham?"
It was only the first guess, and the younger girl managed to stun Ries once more.
"Then you probably met Estelle in the Phantasma incident."
Estelle, what other secrets did you tell this girl?!
"Oh, don't be too panicked. Estelle did say what happened in the Phantasma is personal to Father Kevin, so she didn't tell me any details. And it's right after I begged her to know more about the Phantasma incident!"
Ries unconsciously let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you, Estelle," she whispered.
"Oh, but last night Lloyd did mention that Father Kevin is from Gralsritter. So you being involved with him means you're also from the same order. That's probably why you're undercover, right? What are you looking for in Crossbell?"
Ries almost lost her grip on the bags full of Morges' bread.
"Th-That's enough," she sighed. No wonder Estelle and Joshua found Juna helpful. She probably did Estelle's part of thinking when they were in Crossbell. Well, sharing the burden with Joshua, anyway. Not that it was bad. She also relied on Kevin for the thinking part.
"...Miss Ries..." Juna's eyes turned serious. "What does the Septian Church want with KeA?"
...
This girl was scary!
Kevin, Estelle... what had you unleashed on her?
"I can assure you, Juna, that we are not looking for KeA's custody. Rather, we will observe her and intervene only if necessary. We didn't know of her before a report came to our leader, so I was dispatched to confirm them. You can take my word for that."
"...Fine, I trust you." Any trace of seriousness was gone the next second. "So, let's continue our way."
"Right..." Ries sighed. It was not even a week, and Juna had already blown her cover. It seemed like she woke up a sleeping tiger when she asked for more.
The two then walked until they arrived in front of the guild. Juna then slammed the door open.
"Morning, Michel!"
"Good Morning to you, too, Juna. And who's that behind you?" The receptionist greeted Juna and saw Ries. It prompted her to introduce herself.
"Good Morning. My name is Ries Argent, a Sister of the Septian Church."
"She's the one who volunteered to teach Shizuku," Juna explained to Michel.
"Ah," Michel hesitated. "About that..."
Was there something wrong? Ries raised her eyebrow but kept silent.
"Arios had Shizuku back to St. Ursula. Rumor had it, a new Doctor came in, and Arios wanted to see if the new Doctor could help Shizuku."
Ries saw myriads of emotions cross Juna's face before she settled on one.
"Arios did WHAT!?" Juna shouted in disbelief. "I can't believe him! Why is this the first time I heard of it?! Shizuku is still there yesterday! Why doesn't he tell me anything about this?! I'm also invested in Shizuku's well-being, damn it!"
Once Juna finished her rant, she panted in exhaustion.
Ries turned to the receptionist, Michel.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Ries Argent. A new Sister assigned to the Crossbell Cathedral."
"Oh, nice to meet you too," Michel winked. Though, Ries could tell that it was just a playful one instead of anything more serious. "I'm Michel, the receptionist of Crossbell Branch's Bracer Guild. Sorry that you had to see that."
"No, no. It's okay," Ries said, then turned to Juna. "So... since apparently Shizuku is back in the hospital, shall we postpone the meeting with her?"
"No," Juna shook her head. "If you don't really mind, then I'd like you to meet Shizuku now. To St. Ursula, we go! ...but after something, I need to talk with Michel first. Does that sound good?"
Ries could deny her, but honestly, she was a little terrified of her. This girl dissected her mission in just one meeting. She'd better stay on her good side.
"I can do that."
After a nod, Juna then talked to Michel. Fortunately, Ries could still hear her.
"Michel, I have a request from Lloyd. Can you contact the guild branch in Erebonia? There's something that Lloyd and I wanted to know."
"Hmm? Well, most of the branches are closed because of government pressure, but some are still open. Let's see... Legram's one of them. Let me call them. What do you need them for?"
"It's... for his investigation. He told me not to say anything right now, even to you, Michel. But I suppose I need to," Juna sighed.
"Ah... if it's for that, then you can keep silent. You'll tell me if the situation calls for it, right?"
It was amazing to see that Juna had the full trust of the guild's employees. Juna wanted to become a Bracer and did everything she could to make it a reality.
Michel then called the Legram branch and had some pleasantries before handing the orbal telephone to Juna.
"Hello. My name is Juna Crawford. I'm an aspiring Junior Bracer! Right now, I'm 15, and I've been training under the Crossbell's bracers; I hope I can join the organization in the future!" Juna introduced herself before she let the other end respond.
"Right. Thank you, Miles. The reason for this call has something to do with a police investigation in Crossbell. I was asked to do it because I'm quite close to them. You see, we want to gather some info on the political climate in Erebonia, but we're not sure if the news that reached Crossbell is censored or not. So, can you please give me a summary of the political situation there?" Juna stopped and let the other side absorb the information. Juna wanted to know the situation in Erebonia? If she last read the report coming from the Partitioner who was assigned there... There was a huge tension between two political factions: The Nobles and the Reformists.
"Right. ...Right. Oh, I see... I'll tell Lloyd about that later. ...Huh? Are you sure?"
Juna's chirpy voice dropped when she heard something from the other line. Ries narrowed her eyes. What did Juna hear?
"...How bad was the divide?"
So Juna heard about the rift between the two sides. Ries then saw Juna wince. "Right. Right. Thank you! ...can you be ready to answer another call in a few minutes? I might have to tell you something important alongside Crossbell's branch, but I need to call someone else first."
Juna then handed the telephone to Michel.
"Michel," she addressed the receptionist with a heavy trepidation. "You know Lloyd's Enigma number? Please call him here immediately. It's serious."
Even Michel looked worried by Juna's seriousness.
Ries frowned. What did Juna hear? What made her turn serious?
"Wazy..."
The SSS had just left the Downtown District. Wazy walked ahead of them without any umbrellas. It seemed that after his fight with Wald, Wazy still felt unsatisfied by the situation.
They went to the Downtown District because Wazy said that Ashleigh, the owner of Neinvalli Exchange, might know something about the situation in Erebonia. As it turned out, Ashleigh confirmed that a lot of weapons were smuggled inside Erebonia, raising the SSS's concern. She did not confirm if it was her goods or not, nor did she tell more about the buyers, but a lot of weapons moving were not good news.
After that, they were confronted by Wald, the leader of the Saber Viper, who sought Wazy, and the two ended up fighting, with Wazy easily walked the park with him. Wald was unsatisfied, but Wazy left him alone, which was their situation right now.
"Wazy, are you okay?" Noel delicately asked the former Testament leader.
"Sorry, you guys had to see that," Wazy turned and smiled at the SSS. "I think I got a little carried away back there. That's not usually my style."
He confessed under the rain.
"Sure, but..." Lloyd sighed before he shook his head. "No, never mind. It happens to the best of us."
"I don't understand why things have to be the way they are between you two. With that said, I respect the way you handled yourself back there," Elie gave her two cents. Wazy did his best to avoid angering Wald, even though he made it look like he was running away from the rivalry. But apparently, that was the wrong way to defuse him because all it did was make Wald even madder about Wazy than before.
"Yeah, me too," Noel smiled at her fellow new member. "I think Wald will understand one day."
She then offered the umbrella Wazy discarded in his fight.
"Haha... I hope you're right," Wazy shook his head before taking the umbrella. "Sorry for taking our time. Let's get back to the support requests."
At that exact moment, Lloyd's Enigma rang.
"Who is it?"
He ignored Elie's question and picked it up. "Special Support Section. Lloyd Bannings speaking."
"Lloyd. Come to the guild," Juna said with a serious voice that made him frown. "The situation is dire."
"Okay, wait for us in a few minutes."
Closing his phone, Lloyd turned towards the SSS. "Juna called us to the guild. She said it's a dire situation."
And the mood was brought down again after everyone tried lifting Wazy's spirit up.
"Well, what do you all waiting for. Let's go."
The four of them then quickly walked towards the guild. Once they opened the door, the first thing Lloyd saw was Sister Ries, who was standing on the side.
"Ries!"
Elie immediately went to her old friend. Lloyd ignored her in favor of assessing the situation. Michel was on the phone, while Scott and Wenzel had an unusually serious face as the three stood behind the receptionist counter. Juna, the one who called them, was drawing something on the paper. She looked up when she heard the door was opened and nodded once her eyes met Lloyd's.
"Alright. Everyone here. It's an emergency. First of all, SSS, say hello to Miles, the receptionist of the Legram branch of Bracer Guild," Juna started with a clap.
After various greetings, Juna continued.
"Now, for context. Yesterday, Lloyd was asked to investigate a certain figure from the Empire. Can you tell us?"
"Right," Lloyd nodded and began telling them about his encounter with Lechter Arundel. Wenzel, who was from the Empire, had winced when Lloyd mentioned the name. He skipped the chase and went straight to the encounter and questioning in Barca Casino. After that, he told everyone who they met next: Red Constellation.
"Red Constellation... What are they doing in Crossbell?" Scott hummed.
"It will be explained later," Lloyd replied and continued. He then told everyone about his next encounter: an eyepatched ferocious man whom he suspected also from the Red Constellation.
At this point, everyone from the guild gasped.
"That's Bloody Shirley and Ogre Rosso!" Michel, who had read enough reports from all over Zemuria, recognized the two figures Lloyd mentioned.
"Damn... with Scarecrow to boot," Wenzel sighed.
"So this is why you said the situation is dire..." Ries turned to Juna, who shook her head.
"Let Lloyd continue."
Lloyd continued his retelling of the brainstorming session with Juna. He told everyone his suspicion that the Red Constellation was hired by Erebonia for the West Zemuria Trade Conference. Still, neither Lloyd nor Juna could conclude whether it was for intimidation or protection. So, he asked Juna to gather information.
At this point, everyone's face was grim. Even Miles from the other side was silent.
"Okay, so next is my turn. Michel contacted Miles, who gave me the information I needed to connect the dots. Thank you, Miles," Juna took over.
"Miles said you're welcome, and he wanted to know about the dire situation you're talking about," Michel said after hearing some words from the telephone.
"Miles said that the political climate in the Empire is heating up. There are two major factions vying for power and influence: The Noble Alliance and the Reformist Faction. The Noble Alliance wanted nobility to preserve their power, while the Reformists advocated meritocracy without putting importance on one blood. Even a commoner can climb up the ranks." Juna paused to let everyone absorb the information. "Miles told me that last month, a group of terrorists called the Imperial Liberation Front aimed to kidnap the Imperial Princess but failed due to some intervention from a group of military students."
Hmm... Lloyd's mind began to whirl. Reformist vs Noble... terrorrist... Juna saying it was dire...
Lloyd gasped. "The Red Constellation was hired for protection."
Juna clicked her finger, pointing it at Lloyd. "Exactly. The Empire hired the Red Constellation for protection because of the political turbulence inside their own country. So what made them hire such an infamous Jaeger group? The answer is simple."
Juna closed her eyes and sighed.
"The West Zemuria Trade Conference will be interrupted by a terrorist attack."
A/N: And here we see JunaSI in her natural habitat of suprising people with her Trope-reading. Seriously. I didn't intend for Ries to become that startled, but holy shit Juna that was an amazing way to let Ries' guard down before dropping the bomb. It was honestly unintentional for me. I was just having fun writing the section, then 'hey, there's Morges around the corner, let's go there!' that would certainly make Ries happy. ...until I realized that Juna peeling of Ries' character trope after that means she's actually unintentionally becomes manipulative. Like, this new character was trying to pry about her. Mentioned about bracers, and she came from the holy city. That definitely screamed main character material. So she just distracted her with Oscar's bread (which, mind you, always worked) before turning the tables on Ries. After that, of course Juna tried to apologize because it wasn't her intention to blow Ries' cover in Crossbell. She needed Ries to teach Shizuku, after all!
And then came the second part! A phone call with the Erebonian branch of the guild! Where else if not the one and only Legram branch with Miles to boot. Guy got a cameo in the prequel arc lmao. Of course Juna then would hear about the kidnapping attempt. And that lead us to the last line of this chapter: The West Zemuria Trade Conference will be interrupted by a terrorist attack. This is what I've been building up with the SSS knowing about Red Constellation earlier than canon and having Juna who involved the guild with the investigation. Now I need to cook more... oh well. Enjoy the barely hidden implications in this chapter!