Chapter II: The Blade Breaker's Consultation I

O.O.O.O

Jeralt had been many things in his long life before his career as a mercenary. The Blade Breaker in far too many eyes. The Captain of the Knights of Seiros for far too long a time. A husband for far too short of a time…

Suffice to say he has had a great deal of experience in his lifetime, has played a great many roles to a great many people. A leader to most, a friend to some, and a father to one.

"Then right as I'm about to leave my room, Tomas comes clamoring over to me about the mess some students made in his library!"

But he wasn't quite prepared to add glorified therapist onto that list so soon after his reluctant return to Garreg Mach.

"Hmm, I see." Jeralt said, as he gave a firm nod of his head in response to his exasperated visitor.

"Not only that, but the delinquents were from our respectable Officer's Academy!"

"Ohhh..." Jeralt murmured out in what sounded like interest. But if one were to pay attention then the slightly glazed over look in his eyes would have betrayed him.

"If that were not enough, those delinquents happened to be the House leaders of all things!"

"Ah, yes… I see that is unexpected…" Jeralt halfheartedly said, before pausing as his mind took a moment to register what he actually heard. He blinked as a small jolt of disbelief ran through him, and turned to directly face his guest. "You mind running that by me again?"

Said guest was an old acquaintance of his. Seteth was an Instructor at Garreg Mach and he was considered the one of the highest authorities in its hallowed halls. Second only to Lady Rhea herself. A man who valued order above anything else, with exception to certain persons named either Rhea or Flayn notwithstanding.

The green haired man was currently sitting in a chair situated in front of the Captain's desk, with Jeralt himself sitting in a well-worn office chair. The current Captain of the Knights of Seiros was indisposed at the moment, having a leave of absence after being worn down from the stresses of the role. Jeralt couldn't blame him, congratulating the lucky bastard while simultaneously cursing him for paving the way for him to temporarily (he hoped) fulfill the role.

With that responsibility thrusted upon him, he commandeered the old Captain's quarters for his personal use for the current arrangement. Prepared to use it for the inevitable dry meetings and mission planning to come.

He wasn't quite prepared for it to become a consultation office of all things.

"Well now, it is quite unheard of for you to need words repeated for you Jeralt." Seteth mused as he eyed the former Captain. "Could it be old age is catching up to you at long last? Or were you merely not paying enough attention?"

Ah crap. Jeralt thought. He's starting to catch on.

"Of course, not Seteth, just thought what you said was so absurd that I must have heard you wrong or something." Jeralt said out loud. Knowing that the stern-faced man was merely jesting with his half accurate accusations. "Who could ever let anything you say go left unheard?"

It isn't like he disliked Seteth at all, far from it, the man deserved his position and more in the mercenary's eyes. Especially with all the crap he's been through in his time walking this forsaken globe.

But the man took things a bit too seriously at times. Or really all the time. To the point where he'd wager that the pole stuck up his ass could be used to measure the square footage of Garreg Mach in record time.

Which is exactly why when Seteth waltzed over to his room insisting for him to basically be a volunteer therapist for him Jeralt resorted to his ace in the hole for these situations:

The Byleth Maneuver. The ultimate means of ignoring someone while paying just enough attention to make it seem like you were actually listening to them.

His son was a man of many talents, but by the Goddess was social interactions just not his forte. If he wasn't putting the fear of the Goddess (or more accurately, fear of him) into his allies on the battlefield, he was left unnerving them off of it with his seemingly emotionless demeanor.

But there was inevitably going to be situations where some poor soul was either brave, or stupid, enough to try to chitchat with him.

Thus, the Byleth Maneuver was born. A confident nod here, a vague but relevant mutter in reply there, and viola! You too could convincingly let the ramblings of another go in one ear, and out the other.

It was truly a godsend for mercenaries when dealing with the more colorful clients, and he would bet a fair sum that it was one of the reasons why his son (not that many were aware of that bit) was practically worshipped in some merc circles.

The real trick was to listen just enough while zoning out in case the other party got suspicious. Not to mention having to maintain eye-contact while making sure your eyes weren't too glossed over. He hadn't quite mastered that part of it yet, but he doubted anyone in the world could match his kid in that regard. For better or for worse he really was the most unreadable person he knew.

But for the moment, he disengaged from his well-rehearsed employment of the maneuver, and seriously began to engage in conversation with the earnest instructor.

"The House leaders throwing down in the library huh?" Jeralt said as he rubbed his chin, repeating the piece of info that his ears managed to catch. "Not every day you hear those sorts of noble brats getting into that kind of trouble."

"Indeed." Seteth nodded sagely. "While I am not at liberty to provide you the specifics to preserve the, shall we say, dignity of a certain individual in particular. Suffice to say the three were suitably ashamed of their actions over such a petty dispute."

Jeralt couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.

"Alright, two of the three were suitably ashamed." Seteth begrudgingly admitted to the Blade Breaker. The unspecified House Leader's name needing no mention despite the short time the latter was acquainted with the trio.

"So, what were the brats even fighting over to begin with?" Jeralt asked, curiosity piqued despite himself. It wasn't often that you had such important kids at the Academy at once, it was even rarer to hear them going at it considering their polite upbringings.

Seteth's face visibly crinkled up and darkened at the inquiry, and at once Jeralt knew he shouldn't have asked that question.

"Funny you should ask that my friend." Seteth said, with a calm tone that contrasted harshly against the bulging vein on his temple. "Oddly enough, it would appear as though the subject of their ill-advised dispute just so happens to be your son."

Ah crap. Jeralt thought for the second time that day.

If this keeps up he would be the one needing to find someone to play therapist with.

"That's uh, well, a surprise." Jeralt awkwardly coughed into his fist. "I didn't really think the kid would be that popular with the brats. He isn't the sociable sort to say the least."

He was being completely honest about that too. The sight of seeing those three kids huddle around his boy and argue about who should get him first was alien to him. With the poor kid looking completely bewildered at the attention; not that anyone but Jeralt would have correctly interpreted his blank look as such. It would have ended up with him on the floor laughing. If he wasn't so peeved at Alois dragging him kicking and screaming back to the monastery that is.

"It seems as though you don't know your son as well as you think you do then!" Seteth said sourly. "The young man has proven himself to be a positive fiend."

The comment sent off a flicker of irritation deep in Jeralt, that he just barely managed to suppress. His slight amusement fading away at the insult that hit far too close to home for his taste.

"And what exactly makes you say that?" Jeralt managed to say, voice low with subdued annoyance.

"What you say!" Seteth shouted out, clearly not noticing the edge of animosity that highlighted his companions voice. "I'll tell you what he did to make me say this!"

Seteth then looked Jeralt straight in the eyes, and said with the most grim expression he had ever seen on the man in the time he had known him.

"He gifted Flayn a fish." Seteth spat out.

"A fish." Jeralt deadpanned, his face naturally morphing into the best Byleth impression he had ever done in his life.

"Yes, Jeralt my friend." Seteth nodding. "Your son had the audacity to gift Flayn. With. A. Fish."

The room was filled with silence at that. With the two experienced men not uttering a sound after the punctuated words finished echoing in the enclosed space.

Jeralt took a moment to flip the page of the notebook he had left open upon his desk. Previously being marked only with scribbles to give the appearance that he was taking serious notes of his impromptu therapy session. But now on the fresh page he made a quick note of that comment to unpack for the inevitable future session.

Once he was finished jotting down his quick reminder, he raised his head up to Seteth.

"So, how does my son gifting Flayn a little gilled animal equate him to being a "fiend" in your eyes?" Jeralt questioned, his face still stone-faced as he made his query.

"It's a fish, Jeralt! A fish!" Seteth said as if the word "fish" alone was self-explanatory enough. "Grabbing a fishing rod, and hooking one of them to gift to her is practically fli-flir…!"

Seteth stopped, as if even saying the next word would make his mouth combust into flames from uttering them.

"Flir?" Jeralt pushed. Truly lost at where exactly his old acquaintance was going with this rant.

"FLIRTING!" Seteh shouted out, standing as he did with his fist clenched and raised towards the ceiling. The sudden exclamation making Jeralt jump a bit in his seat.

"That impertinent youngster you call a son has the audacity to dare flirt with my Flayn!"

Another soundless void filled the air followed that proclamation. With Seteth's heaving breaths being the only noise to break the stillness.

After his righteous rage simmered down somewhat, Seteth noticed a slight trembling in the mercenary's shoulders. The man placing his elbows down upon his desk, fingers interlocking and placed in front of his mouth, as a solemn look graced his rough features.

Ah, good! He is taking this offense to Flayn's dignity as harshly as I am!

Seteth thought to himself in glee as he nodded to himself. The picture of himself and his new ally bringing forth rightful admonishment upon the insolent young man forming in his mind…

"Snrk"

…Until the muffled but distinct sound of a snicker rang out into the room. Immediately shattering the glorious picture he had just formulated in his mind's eye.

"Did… did you just laugh!?" Seteh questioned in disbelief.

His mouth now uncovered after being called out, the clear sight of Jeralt's face crinkling in a far too amused manner filled Seteth's vision.

"Ha! Byleth…. Heh… Flirting… just the picture of it… heh!" Jeralt wheezed out in jubilation, each word interrupted by a burst of genuine laughter. Seteth could only stare slack-jawed as the man pounded his fist in the desk as he tried in vain to control his breathing.

"Jeralt I'm trying to be serious here!" Seteth yelled out, as he felt flustered at the unheard of sight playing out in front of him.

"Ah, ha-ha-ha!" Jeralt ignored him, tears welling in his eyes as the all too ridiculous image of his stoic son trying to woo a woman, bundle of flowers in hand. "And they say you don't have a sense of humor! Ha!"

"I insist that you compose yourself immediately! So, we can discuss this matter seriously!" Seteth tried once more to get former Captain to control himself.

His attempt failed, as the mercenary fought a losing battle against another scenario of Byleth, cup of tea in hand, as he whispered sweet nothings to some random lass in his mind. The absurdity of it sending another bout of fresh laughter surging out of his mouth.

"…Apologies, am I interrupting something?" A third voice suddenly made itself known.

The two occupants in the room turned their heads in the direction of the new voice. Only to see the well-mannered countenance of Hanneman standing in the door way. The sound of his entrance left unnoticed by the two.

"Not at all Professor." Jeralt said, coughing into his fist to let the last vestiges of laughter die away. "I was merely lending my ear to Seteth here, because he had some… concerns that he wished to share with me."

The reminder of said "concerns" almost made another flow of laughter seep from his lips, but he managed to suppress it. But not enough to hide the small smile made its way onto his face, the sight of which was not unnoticed by the other two. Leading to the former nobleman to show a look of curiosity, while the other glowered as he took his seat once more.

"Indeed. Sir Eisner has been an invaluable asset from the moment he has stepped foot here once more." Seteth said, his normal dignified air once more surrounding him. "Being an excellent listener is no doubt one of his many talents."

The smile on his face stiffened at that the somewhat undeserved praise giving him an odd sense of foreboding.

Please Goddess, tell me this is not going in the direction I think it's going.

"Is that so?" Hanneman said, hand on his chin as he was clearly considering something that Jeralt really didn't want him to consider. "Well if that is the case then-"

Jeralt sighed in resignation, grabbing a clipboard from his desk, and writing the word "Appointments" swiftly at the top of the sheet, then handing it to Hanneman.

"Just jot down a time convenient for you and I'll see if I can make some space on my calendar." Jeralt said begrudgingly. Cursing the Goddess once more for forsaking him in his time of petty need.

"Ah, I see you're quite astute to guess my intentions so readily! I'll gladly take your offer then." Hanneman said as he all too graciously took the clipboard in hand. Signing his name and marking down the times as requested.

Jeralt took the clipboard back with a pinch of his fingers with revulsion. Though he couldn't help the slight raise of the eyebrow at the elaborate and clearly well practiced handwriting that now adorned it.

"So, you mind me asking for a heads up on what you'd like to talk about in our little pow-wow?" Jeralt asked the question casually, but the probe was more to get a feel for the well-dressed man that had made his acquaintance.

He didn't know Hanneman very well at all, other than the small tidbits that passed into his ear from the short introduction made upon his return. A former noble who gave up his title, and came to work in Garreg Mach soon after the former Captain made his departure.

A man whose entire life seemed to revolve around Crests. A skilled mage with a surprising degree of aptitude with a bow as well. The latter skill only making itself known when a student with a rare crest made an ill-thought out bet with the Professor in exchange for its examination.

He managed to gleam a lot about the man's position, history, and talents. But little about the man himself.

But more importantly, he needed to know why Rhea would want such a man among her devoted Church's ranks.

"Well, I'm glad you asked!" Hanneman's face shifted to a sterner expression. Jeralt's muscles tightened in preparation for what the Crest researcher was about to divulge.

"That Manuela has gone too far I tell you! As I was walking here I had the displeasure of witnessing her drop a sandwich onto the ground, pick it up, and take a bite out of it!"

The tension within Jeralt instantly disappeared at that. He shot a brief look at Seteth only to find the man pretending to be admiring the adornments on the quarter's walls.

Man, the Church must have really set the bar low for recruitment after I left…

Jeralt thought to himself, suddenly understanding how the miracle of Alois' rise through the ranks came to be.

"3 second rule my well-groomed…" Hanneman shook his head in disgust, hands idly smoothing out the creases on his jacket. "My many grievances with that avatar of ill-manners aside, I was primarily approaching you to learn more about your son."

Annnd the tension was back once more for the old mercenary. The constant whiplash in these conversations were seriously taking their toll on his sanity.

"My son you say?" Jeralt said with narrowed eyes. Pretending not to notice the fact that Seteth was clearly paying more attention now. "…So, you're saying that there was something that caught your interest?"

"Why indeed!" Hanneman said with glee, clearly not noticing the tenser air that eeked its way into the room. "Your son is a most perturbatory figure I must say. I ask the boy a question, and his answers leave me two more to take its place! An endless repository of mystery that one."

"Hold on a sec." Jeralt said, his hand plastered on his face in disbelief. "You're telling me Byleth actually bothered to hold a conversation with you?"

"Most assuredly, he was quite engaged in fact." Hanneman nodded. "Though his words were admittedly few, he proved to be rather astute. Though he was largely ignorant of the subject matter, my did he pick up on things quickly!"

"You're sure about that?" Jeralt asked with a voice overflowing with skepticism.

"Indeed I am." Hanneman replied with no falsehood in his words.

"And you're sure you weren't just dreaming this?" Jeralt asked again, unable to grasp the truth despite the professor's sincerity.

"I am most sure of that." Hanneman said, before giving the merc an odd look. "Is my capability to remain awake difficult to believe?"

"That's not exactly the thing I found hard to believe..." Jeralt mumbled, before raising his voice to ask another question. "And how long did this "conversation" last exactly?"

"Oh my, we engaged in such fruitful discourse that I had lost track of time." Hanneman answered, but tilted his head as he tried to remember the moment. "But it must have been hours at the least, for sunset had happened upon us before we knew it!"

Jeralt could only sit there stunned as he tried to envision the absolute horror of his son standing there and indulging the Crest obsessed man for hours at a time.

Though Seteth would never admit it, he too felt the briefest ping of empathy for the new professor, shivering at the sheer willpower one needed to have to survive that trial.

"Yes, he was such a great subject of study, the boy even consented to a blood sample for my research immediately upon my broaching of the subject." Hanneman stated proudly

"He did what?" The two voices overlapping voices of Jeralt and Seteth echoed out.

"He volunteered a blood sample, after I requested it for further research into his all too unique Crest." Hanneman replied, before directing a pointed look in Seteth's direction. "Unlike some people he clearly has a much deeper appreciation of the academic pursuit of knowledge."

Seteth merely glared back at the gentleman, while Jeralt mentally admonished his son for freely giving out a sample of his own blood to a man he had just met.

"Well now, in light of this revelation, it seems like I need to pay my son a visit to give some much-needed advisement on avoiding strangers." Jeralt said as he started to excuse himself from the room.

"Ah yes, a sad but necessary lesson that must be learnt." Said stranger that needed to be avoided replied sagely. "A most unfortunate need in today's world."

Jeralt stopped himself from making the obvious, but very tempting retort at that.

"Then, I guess I'll be seeing you two at a later date. Try not to make a mess of the room, it's still on loan." Jeralt said with as much politeness as he could muster, as he gave a curt goodbye to the other two Church staff. The door closing before the two could respond in kind.

The silence was culpable as the two men took a moment to register that they had just been ditched.

"A bit rough around the edges that one?" Hanneman said, though not particularly offended by the swift departure.

"That's one way to describe him." Seteth said diplomatically. "But enough of that, may I ask you something?"

"Oh my, how unexpected. For me to be on the receiving end of an inquest from you." Hanneman said his polite tone poorly hiding the sarcasm laced in his words. "Has the Goddess finally graced this land once more?"

"Yes, such miracles seem to be ever more common these last few days" Seteth grumbled, shaking his head before looking seriously at the professor. "Be that as it may, knowing your character I assume you have been looking into our new arrivals yes?"

Hanneman nodded in confirmation just as he had expected, but his eyes narrowed in consternation. The well-groomed man rested his chin upon his hand head tilted in an expression of puzzlement.

"Indeed, I have. But I must admit I have not been making as much headway as I would have liked." Hanneman said with a huff of frustration. "The pair have proven to be quite a most enigmatic duo to say the least. "

He then stopped for a moment, as his countenance visibly brightened, lips curling into a smile as the gears in his head turned in happy curiosity.

"Especially the young Byleth, a good number of mercenaries I've interviewed so far didn't even recognize the name. Much less know that he was Jeralt's son surprisingly enough." He said cheerily despite himself. "Why you would think he was from another world entirely with how little details about him I can scrounge up!"

"That is not exactly pleasing news you know?" Seteth sighed, unwilling to admit his own investigations on the mysterious lad was just as fruitless so far. "The two are father and son are they not? Physical differences aside, the two have supposedly worked alongside each other in the mercenary trade for years. How can one be recognized but the other left in virtual anonymity?"

Hanneman simply shrugged in response, the lackadaisical gesture only piling more fuel upon Seteth's growing ire.

"My investigation is still in its infancy, so apologies if my current offerings are found wanting." Hanneman said mildly. "In all likelihood they were likely ignorant of the relation simply because Jeralt isn't the most forthcoming sort, and the young man is not all that sociable. It wouldn't be beyond question for most to assume the youth to be an apprentice of Jeralt's rather his offspring."

The answer wasn't what Seteth wanted to hear, but it sounded reasonable enough. Just from what little he learned so far it seemed like Jeralt was hellbent on obscuring the fact that the two were related for whatever reason. So, it made sense that most of the mercenaries who had accompanied the pair would not be privy to much insight.

"Although…" Hanneman tilted his head once more, pausing as he considered if he should share the next detail.

"Although?" Seteth asked, pushing him to go on. Not liking the sudden unwillingness to share from a man usually all too eager to talk a person's ears off.

"Well you see, while the name "Byleth Eisner" has yet to ring many bells, I have heard some rather ominous stories in regards to an individual who allegedly accompanies Jeralt…" Hanneman said with some reluctance. "While still unclear as of now, if said individual and our new professor are one and the same, the implications could be somewhat…worrying to say the least."

"Well spit it out professor." Seteth said, not liking the turn the conversation has taken. "What stories could possibly have been a cause of concern for a man like yourself?"

Hanneman gave a grim smile at that, and said in a voice just above a whisper.

"They say wherever the Blade Breaker treads, a Demon follows in his footsteps…"

O.O.O.O

The monastery was deathly quiet as Jeralt made his way to the dormitories. The well-worn ground giving way to his hefty steps gave him a feeling of nostalgia in spite of himself. Other than the distant steps of the patrolling guards, the silence of Garreg Mach was oddly soothing.

His son's room was only a walk from the building where the Captain's Quarters were situated. Given a room near the students, presumably to make himself more accessible to them. Or to open up some bonding opportunities for the new professor to be closer to his students due to their (supposed) close ages.

Jeralt scoffed internally at the mere thought of that. It was one of the reasons why he was half-convinced Rhea had gone mad. Disregarding the other ones that are best left unsaid…

Sure, a professor didn't necessarily need to be a social butterfly. Hell, maintaining a barrier between teacher and students was the norm after-all. But they still needed a good degree of social skills and knowledge of the world to properly be able to teach a bunch of noble brats who care far too much for both.

So, having his kid be the teacher for said brats when he was distinctly lacking in both areas was just confusing no matter how you looked at it. Though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as he knew that his upbringing of the boy was mostly to blame for that.

His reverie was interrupted as the sight of the dormitories came into view. The right-most room on the first floor had the distinct glimmer of candlelight seeping through the undercut of the door.

Ah good, he's still awake.

Jeralt thought to himself, not at all surprised that his child was still up at this time in the night.

He walked up to the door, not bothering to knock as he grasped the handle and made his way inside.

"Hey kid, I know I told you to play nice for now, but we really gotta talk about what's appropriate to give to stran- "Jeralt said as he opened the door but found himself unable to finish the sentence. Eyes widening at the sight he found inside.

There his son was blank faced as usual, the kid blinking in what he long recognized as a sign of curiosity. But what drew his attention was the other elements that occupied the rather plain room.

His son was seated in a chair facing the doorway, leg crossed over the other, and what seemed to be a rather ornate teacup in his hand. A rounded table rested in front of him, with a similarly ornate teapot laying upon it, as well as a few pieces of desert foods layered upon a plate.

The sight of the furnishings alone was out of place in the typically spartan living quarters of his son. With Jeralt having no idea where they actually came from considering he visited his kid just that morning, and he had no recollection of such an arrangement. But what really caught the mercenary's attention was the last oddity in the room, in more ways than one.

A tea cup raised to her lips, the white-haired girl that occupied the other chair turned her head his way. Pink eyes widened in shock at the sudden entrance of the man.

Uhhhhhh

Was about the most Jeralt's brain could come up with at the moment. The picture confronting him being too far beyond his comprehension to understand.

Byleth. Tea. Girl. Night. Bedroom. Snacks.

Tea. Girl. Snacks. Byleth. Bedroom. Night.

The words were flowing into his mind but no matter how he arranged them he just could not fit them together in a way that made sense with his version of reality. The puzzle pieces slotting together in his mind eventually managed to form what should have been an obvious conclusion. Despite the very idea being anathema to everything he thought was common sense until then.

Byleth was having tea and snacks with a girl in his bedroom at night.

Byleth.

The picture that he had envisioned as a jest in his conversation with Seteth came back to haunt him as absurd reality. Truly the Goddess had an awful sense of humor.

"Ca-Captain Eisner!" The girl exclaims as she seemed to get over her initial shock. Jeralt's eyes zipped to her as his mind refocused itself. "W-what are you doing here?"

That uniform… is she one of the brats he's teaching?

Jeralt wonders as he recognizes the distinct uniform of the Officer's Academy on the unexpected guest's person.

"No need for the formalities. I'm not a captain anymore girl." Jeralt managed to say, mustering what little composure he had. "Jeralt is just fine. But never mind that, shouldn't I be the one asking that question?"

The girl looked confused at the question at the moment, before looking down at the cup laced between her slim fingers. She takes a glance over at Byleth who is calmly sipping at his tea, and back at her own, before her neck audibly snapped back up at Jeralt. Eyes widening even further in realization like a doe staring at an incoming fireball.

"T-this isn't what it looks like I assure you!" The girl shouts out, making the former captain wince a bit at the volume. "Nothing scandalous is happening at all!"

Jeralt turned his attention to his nonplussed son, who was still the peak of calm as his guest continued to freak out next to him. Stammering all sorts of mutterings about how there should be no misunderstandings and the like.

"So, is the kid telling the truth? Is this not what it looks like?" Jeralt said, ignoring the sudden and intense death glare he felt homing in on him after the word "kid" left his mouth.

Someone is touchy about their age.

Byleth merely shrugged in response.

"That kind of depends on what this looks like to begin with?" He said dryly as he reached for a small brownie.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong kid but it looks like you invited a girl into your bedroom for some teatime late at night." Jeralt replied as concisely as he could. Knowing it was best just to cut to the point when dealing with the boy.

There was a moment of silence as he took his time to chew on the brownie. Wiping off his mouth with a napkin, before giving a single blink of his eyes.

"Then it's exactly what it looks like." He said with another shrug of his shoulders. Before taking another sip of tea to wash down the brownie. "Do you want some tea Jeralt?"

Jeralt could have sworn he had heard the distinct sound of a palm slamming upon a face in exasperation echo in the room at that moment. Though he had no idea where the sound could have come from.

"Professor!" The girl said as she gaped at the man. "That isn't what you were supposed to say!"

"What?" The man asked as his eye narrowed ever so slightly in confusion. "Tea is supposed to be shared right?"

"That's not what I meant!" The girl said, palm pressed on her temple as she tried to find the right words. "Context! The man needs context!"

Jeralt merely sighed as he watched the girl try in vain to have the stonewall that was his son understand what she was trying to say. And he couldn't help but feel a slight bit of admiration for the girl for attempting the impossible.

"That's enough." Jeralt cut in before the girl could get too wound up about it. "No need to get fussy about it, girl. I can already tell nothing "scandalous" is going on here."

"You can?" The girl replied a bit skeptically. Her body language clearly showing the telltale signs of disbelief.

"Trust me, while I admit I wasn't expecting this kind of sight this late at night, I know my own kid." Jeralt said with a curl of his lips. "You don't need to worry about explaining the details."

Yes, while the ridiculous sight of his son actually having tea with a girl in his room did shock him. He knew his kid well enough that the event was rather innocuous in nature. That was just how his child was.

"I'm still not really sure what's going on, but I can tell it's none of my business." Jeralt said tersely. "Just don't linger for too long lest someone else barges in and gets the wrong idea. Understood?"

The two occupants nodded in response, the girl's more earnest shakes in her head belying her dread at the very thought.

"Good." He pointed a look at his son. "We'll talk more tomorrow morning, so try not to stay up too long alright?"

With that he left the room knowing there was no point in waiting for a response. His hand grasping the knob and closing the door gently on his way out.

"Honestly, this really has been one surprise after another…" Jeralt muttered to himself, as he started making his way to his own living quarters. The moonlight shining down to lighten his way.

As much of a shock as it had been to his son inviting someone to tea in his room. And a girl no less! He was actually a bit happy to see the sight.

His son had little in the way of friends, or even anyone to call an acquaintance besides himself over the years. So, while it was a sudden development, to see his son actually interacting with another human being did warm his heart. The worries he had about the boy's ability to handle his new position alleviated ever so slightly.

"Still, I wonder what about that girl caught his attention…" Jeralt mumbled out loud.

He was under no illusions that the interaction was anything but innocent. While the dreaded tea party from his imagination has come to pass, the idea of Byleth suddenly becoming a flirt was still beyond impossible.

Slightly more sociable or not, you would sooner see the King of Liberation come back from the dead than see his son take a romantic interest in someone!

"Although…" Jeralt whispered to himself, weighing his options in his mind.

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to give him the ring a bit early…

Just in case.

O.O.O.O

"Whew" A breath of relief spilled out of the white-haired girl's lips, as she pressed her hand against her chest. Willing her rapidly beating heart to slow itself after the fright it just endured.

Lysithea von Ordelia was not one to give way to base panic so easily. Or at least that's what she told herself. But the unexpected entrance of the former captain of the Knights of Seiros practically gave her a heart attack.

Especially considering since said former captain happened to be the father of the man she happened to be socializing with at the moment.

Over tea.

In his bedroom.

After-dark.

So, given those circumstances she felt it was forgivable for someone of her standing to indulge in some good old-fashioned panic.

Once her heart got to a tolerable pace she took a moment to glance, or rather glare, at the other occupant of the room.

Her new professor and the source of her most recent, and absolutely justified, panic attack, Byleth Eisner. The dark-haired youth sat opposite from her, his face ever so infuriatingly calm despite the recent scare she endured. The son of the Blade Breaker, a mercenary by trade prior to his appointment as a teacher despite his supposedly young age.

She had no idea what to think about him honestly. His relevance in her life changed from "Somewhat intriguing man who saved our House leaders from bandits" to "Hey I'm your professor now, I'll be teaching you everything you need to know for the next year or so. Okay thanks!" in a blink of an eye.

Okay, that last bit wasn't quite in character she had to admit, but the point is made that it was a rather startling development.

It had only been a few days since he was formally introduced as their professor, and frankly she had not learned much more about him than what little he mentioned in his greetings. Where he came from, his family, or even something as basic as how old he was seemed oddly obscure.

Despite that, she had to admit he was a surprisingly adept teacher just from the few days they had spent under his tutelage. His words were few, but he had a strange knack at delving into the dissecting the material and conveying the crucial information. Cutting away the fluff that made digging through the textbooks such a bore, and getting to the parts relevant to them.

She was unsure at first of his suitability for his supposed role, but that was pretty quickly softened, if not completely alleviated. Well, that change only happened when he answered a few choice leading questions from her in a concise and to the point manner.

It was a bit petty of her, but she felt like she had an obligation to test his mettle if he were to be her teacher, and he passed. For now.

"…Is something the matter?"

The sudden question breaks her out of her reverie, and she realized that she was silently maintaining her glare for the past minute or so.

"Nothing." She said with a small cough to cover up her embarrassment. "I was, uh, just wondering why you refer to your father by his given name?"

It was a question mostly asked just to fill in the silence, but she was genuinely curious about it as well. Her eyes narrowing when the immediate response to her query was a non-committal shrug.

"That's just how it has always been." Byleth said, his face ever unchanging in its expression. "Jeralt is Jeralt."

"You do realize that isn't exactly normal right?" Lysithea asked, though she already knew the answer. Everything about this man screamed of abnormality to begin with. "Forgive me for saying this, but many of us assumed the two of you were on poor terms given how you seem to distance yourselves from one another."

A blink of the eyes in response. While she hasn't interacted with him for too long, she had picked up on that being a sign of confusion from him. Or at least a sign he was actually contemplating what you were saying, given it was one of the few visual cues he bothered to provide.

"How so?" He asks after a moment of thought.

"While I can tell now that you are fairly close, the way you refer to each other gives the opposite impression. Even those who are on unpleasant terms with their parent will still call them father." She said with earnest curiosity. "I mean, even when you first introduced yourself, you only gave your name as "Byleth" and made no mention of your family name."

"Ah, I see." Her professor nodded in understanding.

A clink on the table was all that followed as he set his teacup down. Lysithea waiting for a moment in the silence, until realizing that further elaboration wasn't going to be happening.

"Would you mind elaborating on that?" Lysithea asked with a slightly confrontational tone. Her eyes narrowing at the lack of engagement.

"I would indeed mind." He said curtly.

"Oh, Is that so?" She asked, unable to help feeling miffed at the sudden roadblock. "Could it be that I've stumbled upon a topic my Professor doesn't want to talk about?"

The two eyed each other for a moment, the challenge clearly made and now accepted.

"Hmm, I wonder about that." Byleth says slowly after the brief pause. "It might just be as lucrative a topic as the rumored specter moaning through the dormitory halls at night..."

"Ack!" Lysithea recoiled from the sharp reminder of the embarrassment she had suffered prior to the current get together.

This whole rendezvous in the Professor's room came about after Lysithea went out at night to retrieve a notebook she had forgotten in the cafeteria. Stumbling upon the teacher wandering out in the night, with her asking him to accompany her for completely practical reasons. Not out of some supposed fear of ghosts or anything like that, nope, nothing of the sort.

After retrieving the notebook, she had bid her farewells to the man and that would have been that.

…Had it not been for her shrieking after mistaking the silhouette of a shrubbery for a being from beyond the grave. Alerting the patrolling guards and leading her to rush back to her professor in order to shelter her from the much greater embarrassment of having to explain herself to the monastery's security.

In her defense, it was a particularly intimidating shrubbery. Truly the one who trimmed its greens was a horrible bundle of malicious intent.

Ugh, that was a low blow.

She thought to herself, as she glared back at her verbal opponent in response to the unexpected parry. The thrust towards her (non-existent!) weakness was as good of a sign not to pry as any.

"Alright. The point is made, no need for us to delve into topics that need no delving." She said, a bead of cold sweat trailing down her face.

She resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't get an answer from him on that element of his history. But made a mental note to have another go at it at a later date if she got the opportunity. It was her persistence that got her to where she was now after-all.

His expression was still as blank as ever but she could have sworn she could just feel an aura of smugness radiating off of him.

I don't know why, but I get the feeling that I need to prevent the Professor and Claude from interacting with each other with all my power.

"Then we have an accord." Byleth says, with a nod of his head, but his head then tilts as if he just recalled something. His head snapping back to its original position in what could be interpreted as an "aha!" gesture. "With that said, there was another subject I wished to broach to you."

"Oh?" Lysithea said, internally grateful that the conversation had steered in a different direction. "And what might that be?"

"Magic." He said, the single word causing the white-haired girl to go stiff. "You seem quite adept at it."

"And here I thought you were different than the rest…" She murmured to herself, as she tried to suppress the cold chill of disappointment arising within her.

"Pardon?" He says with a blink not quite hearing the whisper that eeked out of her lips.

"It's nothing." She said loud enough to be heard, her demeanor shifting to be much more guarded. "What of it?"

The change in her countenance was seemingly left without notice by the man, as he simply nodded his head in response.

"It is evident you are an expert in the craft. I have seen the impressive amount of time and effort you devote to the study of magic and its usages."

"Pointless adulation will get you nowhere." She said with a huff, but she still felt a twinge of joy at the praise in spite of herself. Happy that her hard work was noticed in so short of a time.

"So, I must ask. Will you teach me?" He asked

"You want me to what now?" Her previous obstinate attitude now completely broken, upon hearing the unexpected request.

"Will you teach me? Magic that is." He repeats himself.

"Yes, I understood as much." She said with her palm on her temple as she tried in vain to comprehend the man before her. "But what I mean to inquire as to why you would need me to tutor you in that subject?"

"Is it not obvious?" He said as if it were just common sense. If it were anyone else, she would have sworn the look he gave her was one that signaled out "Are you an idiot?" But given the person it was more than likely a sincere question.

The temptation to lunge over the table and throttle him was still very much there though.

"Humor me." Lysithea said as she suppressed the urge to assault her professor. Doing so might have a negative impact on her grades after-all.

"Well as I said, you have proven yourself to be a protégé in the subject. Diligent, resourceful, and clearly driven to succeed." He said nonchalantly. Not noticing the girl idly twirling the strands of her hair to pretend that she wasn't flattered by him laying on another layer of praise. "However, I myself have little experience in the field of magic. Except in my encounters fighting mages. Thus, I find myself solely wanting in the capability to teach others."

"Ah, so what you implying is that you want me to teach you magic so that you may be better suited to instructing the others on it?" She said as understanding dawned on her, receiving a shallow nod in response.

She took a moment to consider the idea, quickly stumbling upon a discrepancy in the logic.

"Well, be that as it may. I am still merely a student here; would it not be better to seek a fellow teacher for guidance?" She questioned with her arms crossed in front of her. One eyebrow raised as she tried to poked her first hole into the request. "Would Professor Hanneman not be a perfect choice for this instead?"

Byleth turned his head to the side in response to the question. The gesture seeming to be one that was meant to hide some level of embarrassment, though his face was not flushed in the least bit to indicate such.

"…I discovered some of strands of my hair that I don't recall giving him in his room." He said with as neutral of a voice as ever. But it still somehow managed to convey a vestige of his unease about the unfortunate discovery.

"No need to say any more. I completely understand." Lysithea responded with a wince of sympathy. Knowing all too well what odd behaviors the researcher would exhibit when a new subject of study entered his sights.

Her spine still tingled a bit when she felt anyone focusing their stares on her. The newfound sixth sense being result of Hanneman and his creepy observations of her when he thought she wasn't looking…

"Still, I must ask again. Why me?" She questioned once more, still suspicious that his true intentions were focused on that element of her. "There are quite a few other candidates in our class skilled in magic. Annette had graduated top of her class from the Royal School of Sorcery, and I hear that vampire Hubert is rather talented in the craft himself."

"I wasn't aware that he was a vampire." Byleth said with narrowed eyes. "He neglected to mention that in his application to the school. I'll be sure to talk to him later about that omission."

Lysithea honestly could not tell if he was jesting or not. But decided it would probably be best not to correct whatever impression he got from her joke. She got the feeling Hubert probably deserved what was coming to him anyways.

"Undocumented hemovores aside." Byleth continued on without missing a beat. "The others have their skills. But you are the only one that I need."

Any normal individual probably would have interpreted that last statement as flirtatious, or at least complementary enough to make one blush. The line was nigh guaranteed to be on the Sylvain's unofficial list of heart stealing (your mileage may vary) pick-up lines.

Lysithea was not a normal individual. The idea of it being flirty had not even crossed her thoughts at all. No, that statement in her mind could only be one thing, and one thing only.

Her fist clenched, nails biting into her palm to the point of almost drawing blood. Her head bowed to the point where her hair obscured her pink eyes from view, as the sound of her teeth grinding from barely contained indignation resounded in the small space.

"I knew it! I never should have thought that were any different from any of the rest of them!" She shouts out, her gaze blazing as she jolts upright, the chair she was seated in screeching across the floor as it is pushed back from the force.

"I beg your pardon?" Byleth said, face stoic as ever but internally rather concerned about the amount of noise his student was making with her shouting.

"Don't play coy with me!" She says harshly, an accusatory finger pointed toward him. "The only reason you need me is because of my two Crests!"

Byleth blinked once more at that.

"Oh." The young professor then thumbed his cheek as he shot a curious look at her. "…Is having two Crests special?"

Lysithea's righteous anger instantly shriveled up and died at that question. Her eye started twitching at a rapid pace, as she tried to understand how he had the gall to even ask her that.

"A-are you seriously asking me that question?" She sputters out, her bafflement solid enough to grasp.

"Well, yes." Byleth said with a nod of confirmation. "I know now that Crests are apparently important, so naturally more than one should be special no?"

"It isn't just special, having two Crests is outright impossible!" She cries out in exasperation.

"If it is impossible, then why did you say you have two then?" Her teacher asked with a tilt of his head in befuddlement.

"Why did I say I have two? You were the one who-" Lysithea paused mid-sentence as she began to realize just how badly she just shoved her own foot into her mouth.

Ah crap. I was the one who said that…

She internally cursed her poor habit of jumping to conclusions, realizing that her professor truly had not known about her two Crests until she herself had told him about their existence. With his comments on his own ignorance on the subject only furthering her own embarrassment.

So Lysithea did what any other dignified individual from a Noble Household would do in her position.

"Well, I must commend you for your silver tongue my teacher. To so cleverly pry my secrets out in the open as if it were of my own volition to speak of them. Truly you are a master of the spoken word."

That being to blatantly ignore her own failings and make it look like it was all the other party's doing. Guaranteed to work 9 times out of 10. Unless your name was Lorenz, which would then drop it down to a paltry 3.

"Utilizing your relative lack of knowledge of Crests not only to push me into a position to accept your terms, but also gain further insight into the mystery of Crests themselves… You are certainly a force to be reckoned with Professor." She said with an air of confidence and was not at all at risk of collapsing from sheer embarrassment.

Byleth was about to mention how that was an awful lot of words being put into his mouth. But decided against it when he noticed her quiet shaking, and decided to spare his student from any further self-induced humiliation.

"So, I take that to mean you agree to teaching me magic?" Byleth prods her, as he too stands up from his seat to engage with her at eye-level. Well a tilted downward variation of eye-level given the height difference.

"I suppose I have to at this point…" She grumbles with her arms crossed.

Then a sudden flash of inspiration causes an idea to cross her mind. A slightly smug smirk begins to spread across her face.

"BUT!" Lysithea says with a finger wave back and forth in the air. "I'll only do it if I get something in return."

Byleth gives a firm nod of approval at that, it was only natural for a mercenary like him to understand that sort of mentality. Quid pro quo and all that was the name of the game his entire life.

"You know my deepest and darkest secret. So, it is only fair that you share one of yours with me." She says with a smile that starts to veer into the sadistic. "Equivalent exchange, my dear teacher."

"…That does make sense." Byleth begins slowly, but his face ever so slightly contorts to make an expression that might have been sheepishness. "But unfortunately, I don't really have any secrets to give."

To say the drop of a pin could have been heard in the room at that moment, wouldn't have been able to give justice to the depth of silence that engulfed it. With Lysithea simply incapable of being able to dignify that ridiculous statement with a response.

"Bull. Shit."

Okay, so she was able to come up with a not-so dignified, but certainly appropriate, response after-all.

"I'm sorry?" Byleth said, not at all expecting the curse that came out of the young Ordelia's mouth.

"Professor. No offense is intended here." Lysithea began with as much patience as she could muster. "But as short of a time as it may be that I've known you, but you are single-handedly the most mysterious and secretive person I have known in my entire life."

Byleth raised a finger about to protest that assertion.

"And mind you, I have Claude, as my House leader. Who could be comfortably described as an enigma wrapped up in a riddle, wrapped in a puzzle box, and entwined into one very punch-able package."

Byleth lowered the finger to concede the point.

"I am sorry to betray your expectations, but I don't really know what I can tell you that can be called a secr-" Byleth paused for a moment, as an idea crossed his mind.

His eyes closed, and he tapped his temple in a clear gesture of contemplation. While Lysithea tapped a foot as she waited for him to finish.

After a minute or two his eyes finally opened, and he nodded as if making an affirmation to some unseen someone.

"Well, have you decided which of your secrets you deign to bless me with?" Lysithea asked. Her exterior brimming with a confidence that verged on arrogance. But internally she worried if she wasn't pushing her luck with this venture that she admittedly only started to save some face.

"It isn't something that I think is a secret per say." Byleth says as he begins to walk towards her. "But I think it can be considered to be a secret of a sort."

Lysithea raised a confused eyebrow as he stops to stand right before her, with but a mere two feet between the two.

"Press your ear against my chest." Byleth says with as dry of a voice as ever.

"Excuse me?" Lysithea says, not really sure if she heard him correctly. Too confused at the mixture of words to scrounge up any more indignation. "…Is this some roundabout form of harassment?"

"Not at all." He says with a shake of the head. "But for this "secret" it is a case where showing is better than telling."

Lysithea was torn between the insanity that was to acquiesce to the request, or decking the man her grades be damned.

While the latter option was very tempting, she instead took a step forward, sighing heavily whilst she did so. Stopping before him, and lifting herself on the tips of her toes so that her head could reach the height of his chest.

There must be something seriously wrong with me to even consider this madness…

She thinks to herself, feeling the heat begin to rise in her cheeks and the tips of her ears as she closes her eyes. Her head drifting ever so slowly closer to the torso, before resting itself gently against the surprisingly firm chest.

She stood there, steaming from embarrassment at the situation she stumbled her way into, wondering if she shouldn't reconsider the decking option she had forsaken but a moment before.

A good minute or two passed, with the gentle rise and fall of her professor's chest being the only sensation she felt. Her frustration growing with each passing second as she seriously began to wonder if he was only having her do this to further humiliate her.

I don't get it! What am I even doing this for! I can't even hear anyth-

Her snapped open as she realized what she was meant to be listening for, or rather the absence of that which she should have been hearing.

That's right, for the past few minutes, ear strenuously pressed against the man's chest for any noise she had heard nothing.

Nothing at all.

O.O.O.O

Author's Note

So, I got a bit carried away. This chapter was originally quite a lot shorter than this, with the title of the chapter betraying its original contents. But after reading some feedback from the reviews I decided to change things up a tiny bit.

So first off, I'd like to thank Kancolle Haruna Chan for pointing out the whole Eisner thing. I did intentionally have them refer to him as Byleth in the first chapter for certain reasons. But in hindsight I suppose the discrepancy would have been confusing. Because of that I ended up taking an idea I originally drafted out to be for chapter 4, to be part of this chapter. Since it ended up being a natural progression of events when I accounted for the changes I made to this chapter's original flow.

And speaking of changes, the first of many tea-times occurred slightly earlier than planned! Now I know some of you might point out how Byleth doesn't actually get to engage in tea time with students until Chapter 4. When you're supposed to give Lorenz the tea set you are asked to gift from Ferdinand. But I figured the premise of having the Three Houses all being taught by Byleth would cause some minor ripples like that.

So, don't worry, there will eventually be a chapter explaining how and why Byleth ended up with that tea setup in his room. This story isn't necessarily constricted by time, so some chapters will be jumping back and forth in the timeline, but overall it will generally be flowing in a linear(ish) manner.

While I'm at it, another interesting change from my original plans was the person whom Byleth was going to have his first real interaction with. There were a few choices I had come up with for who I wanted this premier person to be, the most obvious one would have been Edelgard. And I initially settled on it being her prior to writing this chapter. But the more I thought about future chapters, and the sort of repertoire I wanted Byleth to have with his students. The more natural of a decision it was for Lysithea to have that honor for reasons that should become clearer as time goes on. So for now she has become the first of many Confidants; to put it into Persona terms.

And while I'm on the subject of Persona, I was also briefly distracted by the idea of Byleth using Sothis as his Persona after talking to a friend about the similarities between the two games. Seriously, just imagine Byleth shouting out "I'll show you my true self!" and having Sothis appear behind him to smite some poor lads. I think that would make for an amazing crossover fic, but I don't think I could do the idea justice. So anyone is free to steal it.

So yeah, apologies for the somewhat longish wait, and I hope to see y'all for the next chapter whenever that may come out.