.

White Clouds

Three Houses

Day 30 of the Great Tree Moon

"Ah! There he is!" Claude said eagerly, pointing to their new professor as Byleth made his way to the Training Grounds.

Today was the day of the mock battle, where the students of the Officers Academy would be tested on their current battle prowess and the professors would be evaluated on their leadership. Byleth had just returned from the faculty strategy meeting and joined the Training Grounds where the other students had gathered to meet him.

"The mock battle is about to start. Training gear only. Professors are limited to basic spells. Students have no restriction on magic. Suit up and meet me there." Byleth said, without a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Woah, hang on a moment, Teach!" Claude exclaimed. "Shouldn't we discuss tactics and basic strategy before the battle?"

Byleth glanced at the others, who were all looking at him expectantly.

"...Fine. I will wait outside. We will discuss it on the way." He said as he grabbed a training sword and headed out.

It wasn't unusual for Byleth to be so aloof, but in truth he wasn't particularly invested in this. There were no stakes involved and nobody was going to die. And while it was true that a small part of Byleth really did hate losing, he didn't expect the other houses to put up much of a fight if his own students were anything to judge by.

Claude and Leonie might have been passable mercenaries, but the rest had done little to impress him. Raphael was strong but slow, sloppy, and inexperienced. He had clearly never been in a real fight his life. Lorenz had some combat experience, but his style reeked of unnecessary bravado and horribly impractical movement.

Next was Lysithea who, like Raphael, clearly lacked real combat experience. Byleth could see that she was clever, quick thinking, rational, and strong willed...truly the epitome of untapped potential. But untapped potential was just that: potential. It meant nothing in the here and now. Then again, now that he was her teacher, Byleth supposed it was his job to help her reach that potential.

Byleth sighed. Although he was strong in his own right, he didn't have a strong grasp on all combat related subjects and knew little of magic especially. A bridge he would have to cross soon. Then there was Hilda, Ignatz, and Marianne to consider. It was clear none of these students even wanted to be enrolled here and Byleth wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with them. He could learn new skills easily enough, how was he to train unwilling soldiers?

Eventually the students geared up and retrieved their weapons—except for Lysithea and Marianne who came as is—and the group made their way towards the battlefield.

"I can't help but notice that we have yet to form any sort of strategy for this battle." Lorenz said, silently evaluating his professor. "Please tell me you have a plan going forward."

Byleth paused, considering this for a moment, before turning to face his students.

"The plan is simple. You will follow my every order without question. If you refuse, you will fall. If you fall, I will leave you."

Nobody said a word. This was hardly the pep talk the students had expected from their professor. This was the sort of thing Byleth often said to new mercenaries and it was something Jeralt had once said to him right before his first mission.

Leonie recalled hearing Jeralt say the exact same thing to a group of mercenaries before braving a bandit-filled forest near her village. But when Jeralt said it, Leonie knew, even then, that he hadn't been serious and was only establishing authority. With the professor, however, Leonie couldn't be sure. When Byleth said those words, he did it without any sense of strictness, or anger, or genuine concern. He simply said them.

Jeralt had once described Byleth as 'standoffish' to Leonie, but that was hardly an apt description. The professor was so cold, completely lacking his father's warmth. In fact, Leonie was starting to wonder if he really was Captain Jeralt's child.

"Lastly," Byleth added, "You will only take orders from me. Not Claude."

Removing Claude as an authority figure was something Byleth had considered early on and, in this respect, he felt he was lucky to be teaching the Golden Deer house. Edelgard was the next emperor of Adrestia, Dimitri was the next king of Faerghus. They had known their classmates for too long and held too much authority over them.

Claude's political position, by comparison, lacked the supreme authority the other two House Leaders had. In addition, he had yet to earn the respect and unwavering obedience of the Golden Deer. This made it easier for Byleth to establish full authority over the class and remove the obstacles that would arise from dual leadership.

"Ah, finally. Something we can agree to." Lorenz smirked.

"Wow. The professor certainly didn't waste time putting you in your place, Claude." Hilda giggled.

"Heh, then I guess it's all on you whether we win or not, eh Teach? No pressure." Claude said with a playful wink.

"Let's get out there and win!" Raphael shouted.

Byleth briefly examined the remaining students before continuing the march towards the battlefield. He could tell that Leonie was already comparing him to Jeralt. Meanwhile Ignatz seemed intimidated—no, downright fearful of him. Marianne appeared to be downcast, but seemed relatively unaffected by everything that was going on around her.

And that other girl—Lysithea—she had been staring at him intently the entire time, oddly fixated on her new professor. Even now she was sticking close to his side, almost jogging to keep pace, surveying him with her sharp and calculating eyes.

...What the hell is she doing? Byleth wondered, as they finally made it to the site of the mock battle.

The field they had arrived on was large in a sense, but rather small to host a battle—even a practice battle. Although he couldn't distinguish the shapes from each other, Byleth was still able to make out the students of the Black Eagles and Blue Lions as they prepared themselves. He was even able to notice the traps they were laying out, which ruined any sense of surprise the other houses might have had in store for them.

There were a few fair-sized forests doting the field and, although the plane was mostly flat, there were three small hills at the edge of the perimeter, each one holding a white marble podium, enchanted with some kind of magic. Professor Hanneman and Professor Manuela were already standing on their podiums. Byleth ignored his own and got into position. His students looked at him with confusion until Claude snapped his fingers.

"Ah right, Teach, you may not have used these in your mercenary days, but the podiums you see are enchanted. If you stand on them, you can use scrying magic to observe the battle field and telecommunication magic to communicate with us from a distance—assuming you're a novice and can't use these spells on your own, no offense. To use one, what you need to do is..."

Byleth, however, wasn't paying attention to Claude's explanation. He instead chose to continue his observation of the battlefield and the formation of the other houses. He had no desire to stay behind and give orders from the back. If he wanted troops to do something right, he had to be in the fight himself. A trait in leadership that Jeralt had passed onto him.

"Got all that, Teach?"

"...I will lead from the front lines." Byleth said, disregarding him.

Claude blinked, but didn't argue. The others seemed a bit perplexed at their teacher's decision, but whether it was from inexperience or intimidation chose to remain quiet.

"Captain Jeralt will be presiding over this mock battle, won't he?" Leonie asked after a while.

"Yes." Byleth responded. He didn't seem interested in this.

"Let's give it everything we have and show him what we're made of, OK?" Leonie said with an encouraging smile. "I'll start preparing the traps!"

"Wait, shouldn't we be discussing our formation?" Lysithea asked.

"Hmm." Byleth examined his students again. With himself included, there were nine of them total. That wasn't even enough to form a company, let alone a battalion. Byleth wasn't used to working with such small numbers.

"We will use the standard squad formation as a base." Byleth said, which meant that melee troops would be at the front, ranged troops in the center, and mages in the back. "But you, Lawrence, will be guarding her."

Byleth pointed to Marianne.

"That is Lorenz, Professor." Lorenz said, his lip curling. "Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. And it is a noble's duty to inspire those around them, to lead the charge into battle. I won't have my skills belittled by—"

"Keeping the white mage safe is the single most important task I can assign." Byleth said. "But if you think you're unqualified, I will ask someone else to take your place."

"I—n-no, let's not make any rash decisions, shall we?" Lorenz stammered. "I was only offering my opinion regarding—"

"You." Byleth turned to the girl next to him and paused. Lythisiya? "Lysithea."

"Yes?" Lysithea responded, her eyes widening. Her professor certainly had a presence to him.

"Stay next to me in front."

"In...front?" Lysithea asked, raising an eyebrow. Several other students seemed confused by this decision as well. Byleth examined her. Despite her ability, she was small, appeared frail, and gave off a sense of vulnerability. If he were an enemy soldier, she would certainly be the ideal target.

"Out of all of us, you appear to be the weakest and most vulnerable." Byleth said.

"...So you wish to protect me, is that right?" Lysithea asked, scowling and folding her arms, wondering if the new professor was underestimating her based on her age...despite being so young himself.

"Precisely." Claude interjected. "It's common strategy to pick off the weakest first while also targeting the commander. 'Cut off the head and the body will die'. By placing the two of you together, we can easily predict where our enemy will focus their efforts, while drawing attention away from Marianne, our white mage."

"I'm expecting the others to underestimate you, and I'm expecting you to take full advantage of their error." Byleth added. "You will utilize the element of surprise while also acting as bait. This requires someone who is quick thinking. I'm assuming you can handle it."

"Oh! I—yes, of course, Professor." Lysithea said, relieved to see that her assumptions had been mistaken and eager to meet her professor's expectations.

"Then it's settled." Byleth said, sitting cross legged in front of the scryer, leaning his head on his fist. He watched as the other houses prepared themselves for battle and waited for the signal for the battle to start. Apparently, they would be hearing Jeralt's voice at any moment.

"Ahem. Students and professors of the Officers Academy." Jeralt's voice echoed within the minds of everyone present on the field. He was likely using a scryer of his own to communicate, and his words seemed scripted. "The mock battle is about to begin. The rules are simple: You aren't permitted to kill each other. If you fall off your feet, you're finished. I will inform you when you're out. Only training weapons and basic spells will be used. The last house standing will be declared the winner. This assignment will not be graded. The purpose of this mock battle is to serve as a benchmark for your current abilities. Please represent the academy well and good luck. Let the mock battle begin!"

With that, all the Golden Deer students turned their attention towards their professor, awaiting his command. Byleth, however, gave no response. He had only risen to his feet to avoid being disqualified but made no other move nor issued any commands.

"Uh, Teach? You doze off or something? It's time to get started." Claude said. Byleth ignored him.

"Come on, surely you're not that disinterested." Leonie frowned.

"Shh! I think he's planning something." Ignatz said.

Byleth, however, had no concrete plan. This wasn't an ordinary battle, nor were they ordinary battle conditions. Furthermore, he was dealing with students, not seasoned warriors. Before they started, he wanted to observe how the other houses would react.

"In a three-way battle like this...there is no incentive to take the initiative." Byleth muttered to himself. "They seem to have that figured out at least."

At the moment, nobody had launched an attack. It was only logical to lie in wait and let your opponents pick each other off. Byleth eyes surveyed the positioning of the other houses.

"Due to the position of the forests and the hills...I'd say the Blue Lions are at a disadvantage." Byleth noted.

"Huh? A disadvantage? What are you talking about, Professor?" Raphael asked. "They all look pretty tough to me."

"Yeah, I don't see it either." Leonie said in confusion. "I mean look at all that forest cover they have between us and the Black Eagles."

Byleth didn't say a word in response, but after a moment's pause Lysithea spoke up.

"Ah! It's the positioning of the hills, isn't it?" Lysithea asked, placing a hand to her chin.

Byleth nodded.

"I see...and the Blue Lions have noticed as well. That's why they've taken such a defensive approach." Claude added.

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" Lorenz asked in indignation

"The positioning of our scryers and starting positions are uneven." Byleth said. "There isn't an equal distance between our starting points. We are much closer to the Blue Lions than we are the Black Eagles."

"Because of that, the Blue Lions are susceptible to a pincer attack." Claude said. "It's practically an invitation to join forces with the Black Eagles and wipe out a vulnerable common enemy, right Teach?"

"Unfortunately, the Black Eagles don't seem to be of the same mind." Lysithea said, her brow furrowing.

The Black Eagles had positioned four of their members outside a nearby forest while the other four hid inside. They showed no sign of engaging—at the moment.

"I think you spoke too soon. Look!" Leonie said, pointing.

A red headed figure—Ferdinand—broke apart from the Black Eagle's formation and started sprinting, but rather than sprint towards the Blue Lions, he was making his way towards the Golden Deer.

"Um, hey, is it just me or is he headed towards us ?!" Hilda exclaimed.

"Don't engage. He's trying to lure us." Byleth said, but he soon realized he was wrong.

The next moment, Byleth spotted Edelgard as she briefly retreated from her hiding spot in the forest and yelled something at Ferdinand. Soon after, Hubert was following him. They had just given away their position and sent not one, but two people to face the entire Golden Deer house alone. This had to be a bluff. ...But no, Ferdinand was still making his way towards them, Hubert hot on his trail.

Are they really that...stupid? Byleth wondered.

"Looks like they're still coming!" Raphael said.

"...Move into formation." Byleth said. "Archers, fire simultaneously at the red-haired one when he reaches that tree's distance." Byleth pointed. "And you—Lysithea—I want you to focus on the sinister man behind him. Use your spells to counter his."

Byleth wasn't used to addressing his troops by name, but he was already starting to forget the names of his students and he needed to get into the habit of saying them.

"Ha! Victory is assured." Ferdinand cried, lunging towards Byleth.

Byleth didn't even bother drawing his sword as a volley of arrows pelted Ferdinand. They were only training arrows, so they wouldn't pierce the skin, but they were enough to hurt significantly.

"Ack!" Ferdinand cried out.

"Drat!" Hubert hissed, sending a Miasma blast at Raphael as he charged to take Ferdinand down.

"No you don't!" Lysithea cried, sending her own Miasma blast in response.

The spells collided in midair, exploding upon contact as Raphael slammed Ferdinand with his fists, knocking him to the ground.

"I am the son of House Aegir! How did I fail?" Ferdinand cried as he heard himself being dismissed by Jeralt. "I must need to train harder..."

"Pitiful," Hubert chided harshly. "Your brash disobedience has cost Lady Edelgard dearly. To think I placed myself in harm's way to assist a hindrance such as yourself."

With the briefest glance across the approaching Golden Deer students, it was obvious that Hubert was outnumbered. He turned on his heel, attempting to flee, but Byleth had already made his way behind him. Without enough time to react, Hubert was backhanded forcefully by Byleth's leather shield and knocked to the ground.

"Urk!"

With that harsh throw to the ground, Hubert too was dismissed. He gave a low growl in response, standing up and carefully brushing the dust and grass off of his clothing as he exchanged a quiet look with Byleth. It was hard to tell whether it was irritation or respect and Hubert turned away to leave before Byleth could figure out which it was.

"Nice job, everyone!" Leonie said with a smirk.

"And a point well made, Professor." Lysithea said, smiling sweetly at him.

Byleth blinked in confusion. What was she talking about?

"You know, I thought you were just trying to scare us with that earlier comment, but it all makes sense now." Ignatz added with a nervous laugh.

"Indeed." Lorenz concurred. "You were quite right to establish early on that a commander's orders are to be followed without question. Attempting to amend the disorderly conduct of his comrade only brought their group further into disarray. As nobles, we must strive for discipline."

Byleth nodded. In truth, he hadn't intended to teach them this way, but it was a lesson learned regardless. Or at least now his students seemed to understand the necessity of obedience and structure on the battlefield. Byleth turned back to the Black Eagles and wondered why they started off so badly. Was it sheer incompetence from their students? Or had dual leadership between Edelgard and Manuela been the problem?

"Doesn't look like they have any intention of moving." Claude said, staring at the other two houses. Since Ferdinand and Hubert's blunder, neither of the two seemed interested in making the same mistake and thinning their numbers.

"...We will have to take the initiative." Byleth said after a few moments.

"We're going to fight them directly? Isn't that a bit reckless?" Leonie frowned.

"Fighting one of the houses would tire us out, wouldn't it?" Ignatz added in agreement.

"Letting the other houses do all the fighting for you...it's what I'd do." Hilda said.

"Better that we err on the side of caution, Professor." Lorenz said. "It is never wise to underestimate your adversary."

Byleth didn't immediately respond. He seemed to be staring blankly at the field before him. It was hard to tell if he was thinking, daydreaming, or just spacing out.

"Profe—" Lysithea started but gasped when Byleth, without a moment's notice, had grabbed her arm, pulled her aside, and deflected an incoming arrow with his shield. One of the Blue Lion's archers—Ashe—had shot at Lysithea from the forest.

How had he seen that? Lysithea thought to herself. She had been surveying the entire field closely in case of an ambush while her professor hadn't even been looking in the direction of the forest.

"Don't." Byleth warned as his students prepared to attack.

This time they were being baited; Byleth was sure of it. Ashe wasn't showing the same recklessness that Ferdinand had. His movements were cautious, he kept to the forest, and he was more focused on staying out of harm's way than fighting them.

"He isn't trying to fight. He wants us to follow him."

"What's the plan, Teach?" Claude asked.

"We're heading west of the Black Eagles, let's go." Byleth responded, beckoning the others to follow.

"And what then?" Leonie asked.

"We use the forest as cover. I'm sure the Black Eagles will have laid out some traps. If you are Jeralt's apprentice, then you will be familiar with recognizing them."

"Hmph." Leonie scoffed as she moved close to the front of the formation.

'If' she was Jeralt's apprentice? Just who did he think he was? Leonie had grown up in a hunting village and been setting traps when the professor was still being potty trained.

"A-And what about him?" Ignatz asked nervously, referring to Ashe.

"He won't follow us this far." Byleth said shortly. "Hurry, you're starting to lag behind." He added to Hilda and Marianne, who were in the back.

"Oh! S-Sorry." Marianne stuttered weakly, picking up the pace.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hilda moaned, rushing back into position.

Sure enough as soon as the Golden Deer entered the western forest, Ashe stopped his pursuit and retreated back to the other Blue Lions.

"We will see more traps as we get closer.." Byleth said, pushing his way forward. "Our strategy is to launch a sneak attack on their commander."

"We're going straight for Professor Manuela?!" Hilda exclaimed in surprise.

"Makes sense." Claude nodded. "It's only reasonable that we focus on the enemy commander and white mages. Professor Manuela is both."

"Pitfall." Leonie pointed out, directing the others to avoid the trap.

"The Black Eagles have fortified themselves within another nearby forest." Byleth said. "Manuela must be scrying for them. Once we attack, she will call for aid and lure the others to us"

"Oh, I see. That makes sense." Leonie said. "The others will be slowed down by their own defenses and traps. By the time they make it, we will have already dealt with Professor Manuela and they will be left exposed. Nice plan, Professor! I knew Jeralt taught you well. ...Pitfall, Raphael." She added, guided him away from it.

"I'm noticing a higher frequency in these traps. We must be getting close." Lorenz noted.

"Pitfall." Leonie said again, but was blocked by Byleth's arm. "Hey, what's that for?!" she scowled.

"Tree snare." Byleth said. Leonie had nearly triggered it while sidestepping the pitfall trap.

"Oh...I...didn't see that one." Leonie said, eyes widened.

"They made the pitfalls obvious on purpose." Byleth said, sticking his sword into one of the covered holes. His blade didn't go deep. "And some of them are shallow. They weren't made to trap us. Just lure us into a false sense of security. There's more ahead, but better hidden." He pointed. "You see them, don't you?"

"Yeah, there's three—no four of them." Leonie nodded. "Oh—and another tree snare trap."

"Two tree snares." Byleth corrected her. "It's the same trick. One is a more obvious decoy."

"Wow, when did they have the time to set all this up?" Hilda asked.

"They must have scouted the area hours ago and made preparations...while we were bonding with our new professor." Lorenz said scathingly.

"I suppose now is as good a time as any to point out that if we fall for any of these traps, we're as good as eliminated." Claude said.

"Hold on, stop!" Leonie cried out, causing the group to halt again. She paused for a moment, examining the area before them. "OK that's...two pitfalls—three pitfalls. They're pretty well hidden, so follow me."

"Woah, a trap within a trap? Now that's impressive!" Raphael said as Leonie carefully led them through the danger zone.

"There's only one person in the Black Eagle House who would be capable of traps this clever..." Lysithea frowned.

"Ah, you're thinking of Petra, right?" Claude asked.

"Yes." Lysithea nodded. "She's the princess of Brigid, I believe. An island nation off the western coast of Fodlan. They are a hunter-gatherer society that often relies on techniques such as these during times of war."

"You researched our opponents." Byleth noted. Lysithea nodded, but Claude shook his head.

"Nothing so nefarious as that. I just wanted to get to know everyone." Claude said with his easy smile.

Byleth somehow doubted his intentions were that innocent, but regardless he was impressed with their initiative. It was clear that he had underestimated some of these students. Not just in his house, but in the others as well. Byleth was starting to regret not taking this seriously.

"Ah! We made it!" Ignatz said, spotting the clearing.

"Best remain cautious. They are sure to have more traps lying in wait here as well." Lorenz warned.

Byleth took a glance outside the forest. He could spot Manuela at her scryer, attempting to locate them within the forest cover. Only one student had been left to guard her, Caspar. There were indeed several more traps. So, the Black Eagles weren't completely hopeless, but even so they had left themselves in a bad situation.

"I can see a pitfall..." Byleth said.

"And three tripwires." Leonie added, pointing.

"Let's do thi—" Raphael shouted, but was quickly interrupted.

"Shh! Be quiet, Raphael!" Lysithea hissed. "You'll blow our cover."

"Pay close attention." Byleth said, taking a deep breath. "Lysithea, you will launch the first attack against—" he didn't know Caspar's name. "—him." He pointed. "Once she attacks, the archers will target Manuela and Lysithea and I will move in to take her down. Hilda, you focus on...the blue haired one. Raphael and Lorenz will keep an eye on the forest and guard Marianne."

The students all nodded.

"And once we attack..." Claude started

"Hanneman will spot us with his scryer." Byleth said. "He will likely tell the Blue Lions to fall in and get the jump on us while we're still distracted or fatigued from our fight with the Black Eagles. The sooner we end our fight with the Black Eagles, the more time Marianne will have to help you recuperate before the Blue Lions appear."

"Ah, and we can still make use of the traps the Black Eagles left!" Lysithea said.

"Correct." Byleth said. "Get in position everyone. You lead in with the first attack, Lysithea."

Lysithea nodded, waiting a moment for the archers to take aim and for Raphael and Hilda to examine the terrain one more time and get into running position. "Leave it to me." She said, before sending a Miasma blast at Caspar.

"Argh!" Caspar cried out, as he stumbled but managed to stop himself from falling over. Before Manuela could even react, a volley of arrows soared in her direction, bombarding her just as they had with Ferdinand.

"Oof! It's an ambush! Let's take them out!" Manuela cried, shooting a Nosferatu spell at Byleth, who ducked and charged at her alongside Lysithea while Hilda went after Caspar.

Lysithea sent another Miasma spell at Manuela mid-run, but Manuela gracefully jumped out of the way. Byleth pulled out his training sword, closing in on Manuela, but to his surprise she pulled out a training sword of her own. He had expected black magic. The two locked blades.

"Oh dear, it seems I've been caught all on my own. What are you going to do to me, Professor?" Manuela asked with a playfully seductive tone.

With a fluid movement Manuela slipped out of their deadlock and attempted to stab into Byleth's shoulder, but he was ready for it and blocked her attack, following up with a kick to the stomach. Manuela flew backwards from the surprising force of Byleth's strength. Most would have been knocked down from this, but Manuela, much like a feline, landed perfectly on her feet.

"I see you like to play rough." Manuela grunted before leaping back in.

The two really did have opposite fighting styles. Manuela's swordsmanship relied on grace, finesse, and fluidity—it was almost like a dance. Meanwhile Byleth relied on basic but precise blocks, intense power attacks, and his sword strokes were interwoven with brawling, kicking, and even spitting. It was a very dirty fighting style, almost brutish were it not so adaptive and clever. Lysithea had not fired a single spell since the two engaged—she couldn't risk hitting her professor.

"Don't worry about me, I'll dodge it!" Byleth said, sounding strangely monotone, even when yelling in the heat of combat.

Although Byleth had a rather modest view of his own combat abilities, if there was one thing he did take pride in, it was his keen awareness of his surroundings. It was nearly impossible to catch him off guard. Lysithea nodded and took aim before firing another Miasma spell.

Manuela broke the engagement with Byleth and leapt back to dodge the spell. She was just about to dive back in before her eyes suddenly went wide. "Caspar you—!"

"Argh! Come on!" Caspar yelled in rage. During his fight with Hilda, he had somehow managed to fall victim to one of the Black Eagle's own tripwire traps. "What?! I'm out?! How—" He exclaimed as he heard Jeralt dismiss him

"Things are not going to plan. I suppose I have you to thank for that, Professor." Edelgard sighed as she, Linhardt, Dorothea, Petra, and Bernadetta finally made it out of the forest. "Nevertheless, we can still turn this around. Everyone, let's focus our efforts on the Professor!"

"Claude, take care of Edelgard." Byleth called out, as he dodged incoming arrows from Bernadetta and Petra. "Raphael, Hilda, focus on the archers. Leonie and Ignatz focus on the mages."

"Can't we just forfeit?" Linhardt yawned. "I'm so exhausted right now."

"That simply won't do, Linhardt." Edelgard insisted, with an urgent but calm wave of her hand, brushing him aside as she passed him. "Come, the pride of the Black Eagles rests on this battle."

Even in the heat of the faux battle, both Claude and Edelgard maintained their usual poise. Edelgard remained calm and elegant while Claude gave her one of his usual striking smiles. Just as before, Byleth could sense something that Claude was masking something with that smile of his, but this time he couldn't help but notice that Edelgard was doing the same.

"Look at that, a real-life princess!" Claude said playfully as he prepared his bow. "I'll have to be careful not to scar that pretty face of yours."

"Careful, Claude." Edelgard warned. "I'll win no matter what, but you're only making things harder for yourself."

"Losing hasn't even crossed your mind, has it? Ooh, this'll be a bit of shock, then." Claude retorted.

"To shock was your intention to begin with, was it not?" Edelgard said.

"Ooorraaah!" Raphael yelled as he charged towards Bernadetta, who shrieked in fear and retreated.

"You will not be stopping me!" Petra said as Hilda—tentatively—stood her ground to block her from intervening in battle between their professors.

"Ugh. Guarding the Professor? What a pain." Hilda sighed. "Don't take too long over there, OK?"

Byleth ignored this as he continued his engagement with Manuela. She leapt back from his advances yet again.

"She's stalling for time." Byleth said, turning to Lysithea. "She's hoping the Blue Lions will help the Black Eagles fight a larger threat when they arrive. Attack as you would normally. Don't worry, you won't hit me."

Lysithea nodded. "Let's make this quick!" she said, sending a Miasma spell at Manuela, who dodged with a flourish.

Byleth followed up with several more sword swings, stepping out of the way, just as Lysithea launched another spell. Manuela stepped back just in time but wasn't able to prepare herself for Byleth's following power attack, which knocked her sword clean out of her hands. He followed up with another strike, but Manuela ducked beneath him and attempted to retreat, but took a Miasma spell to the face instead, finally falling on her back.

"Oomph... Well done, Professor... I nearly wound up a patient in my own infirmary..." Manuela sighed, before getting back to her feet and starting her stride to exit the field. "Good luck with the rest of the Black Eagle house, though. You're certainly going to need it..."

"Let's go help the others, quickly." Byleth said, heading back towards the edge of the forest.

During this time, Raphael had scared Bernadetta into fetal position—it wasn't a real defeat, but it technically meant she was out—and just as the two rejoined their comrades, Ignatz and Leonie had cornered Dorothea, who—like Manuela—was coming at them with a combination of sword and spell.

"I hope you're watching, Jeralt!" Leonie cried out as she made several quick jabs with her training spear, knocking Dorothea off balance, before sweeping the spear beneath her feet to trip her.

Dorothea fell with the briefest of shrieks, but more out of surprise than pain or fear. Upon hearing Jeralt inform her she was disqualified, Dorothea slowly pushed herself up to her feet, chuckling softly and dusting the dust off of her uniform.

"My, my... Well done. It seems your new professor is a very capable leader," Dorotheea said playfully from behind a hand as she began to wander off the battlefield.

"It's unfortunate you weren't assigned to our class, Professor." Edelgard sighed. "No matter, it can't be helped. Even if I cannot beat you, I won't go down without a fight!"

With amazing speed and agility, Edelgard dodged Claude's next arrow shot and ruthlessly shoved past him. Claude would have fallen there had Raphael been close by to catch him.

"I got you, Claude!" Raphael said, keeping him steady. Meanwhile Edelgard was heading straight for Marianne.

"Stand aside!" Lorenz said, lunging at Edelgard with his spear.

"Don't waste my time." Edelgard retorted, dodging his attack and swinging down with her training axe. Lorenz blocked it in time, but even with only one hand, Edelgard was quickly overpowering him, forcing him to kneel on one knee and bringing him dangerously close to disqualification.

"I-Impressive!" Lorenz gasped, struggling against Edelgard's sheer power before shouting to Marianne. "You must flee!"

Marianne's eyes widened as she quickly retreated. Edelgard turned to face her instead and with great accuracy, chucked her training axe at Marianne.

"Ah! G-Goddess, protect—" Marianne closed her eyes, braced for impact, but it never came.

Byleth leapt in front of her and blocked the attack with his shield. Although quite strong himself, Byleth had to admit that there was a lot of power in Edelgard's throw. Training axe or not...that could have seriously hurt Marianne.

"P-Professor...?" Marianne said in almost a whisper.

"Stand back." Byleth said as Edelgard drew another weapon—a training sword she had brought in addition to the axe.

Just as Edelgard was about to finish off Lorenz, she leapt back as Claude shot an arrow between the two of them, giving Lorenz time to stand on his feet and fall back to Marianne. Edelgard turned to face Byleth, accepting his challenge.

Without another word, the two charged at each other, their blades clashing. Although his face didn't show it, Byleth was actually quite astonished. Edelgard was on a completely different level from the other students, her speed and power matched his own...no, perhaps it even surpassed his.

And yet despite this power and the ferocity of the fight, Byleth couldn't help but feel as though Edelgard was holding back. The only definitive advantage Byleth had in this battle was his experience, but even so Edelgard seemed to share his gift of unnatural spatial awareness. Not only could she keep up with Byleth's sword, but was also capable of dodging the arrows and spells of his students, even those shot from behind her.

"I will prevail!" Edelgard cried, blocking Byleth's power strike.

Amazing . The only other person who had ever managed to block one of Byleth's power strikes was Jeralt himself. Jeralt's style of swordplay relied on power attacks backed on power attacks backed with so much brute force that they were almost impossible to stop. Byleth had inherited the basics of swordplay from Jeralt and relied on similar power attacks. It was hard to believe a mere student would be capable of stopping them.

But...what was this feeling? This strange sensation that came over Byleth when his blade locked with Edelgard's? It was some kind of...heat. It was intense. Hot. Like a flame. But Edelgard could feel it too, couldn't she? Yes, he could tell by staring into her eyes that she felt this heat as well. It seemed to surprise her—so much that she didn't react in time when Claude's arrow hit her in the face.

"Agh!" Edelgard cried as Byleth wasted no time in smashing through her defenses and knocking her to the ground. "Forced to retreat... Well, things will only get tougher from here on out."

Byleth stared at Edelgard intently for a moment. He had been very lucky that she had gotten distracted at that moment, but he didn't have time to focus on that. There were still others. Byleth turned to the forest where only Linhardt remained. Linhardt simply placed his hands in the air in surrender.

"Alright, you win. I give up. No need to start attacking." Linhardt yawned.

"To think the Black Eagles would be defeated so shamefully." Edelgard sighed. "I will remember this."

"The Black Eagle House has been defeated." Jeralt's voice echoed in their heads. "The Golden Deer and Blue Lions remain in the mock battle, nine to eight."

"I'm sorry, did he say 'eight'?" Leonie asked.

"Maybe someone got sick?" Hilda suggested.

Byleth's eyes narrowed on Claude, who was very quick to hold both hands up in a defensive manner.

"Hey, it wasn't me, Teach! I swear!" Claude exclaimed.

"Perhaps...it was one of the traps?" Marianne muttered quietly.

"That would be the most logical conclusion." Lorenz agreed. "But who—?"

"Annette." Lysithea sighed. She had always been a clumsy girl.

"Either way, if one of them fell into one of Petra's traps..." Claude started.

"That means they're moving through the forest, trying to surround us." Byleth finished.

"But if they can coordinate an attack like that, it means Professor Hanneman must still be at the scryer giving orders, making it nine versus seven." Lysithea added.

"We don't have much time, we need to recuperate." Leonie said.

"Do as much as you can to help everyone." Byleth said to Marianne. "Not me." He added as she moved towards him. "I don't tire easily."

"I-I'm sorry..." Marianne muttered as she shuffled away, moving between students and using her white magic to help them recover their stamina.

Byleth stared at the surrounding forest and frowned. It wouldn't be long for the Blue Lions to arrive. Surely, their goal was to attack them while they were still tired and before Marianne could assist them in regaining their strength.

"Once they attack, it's best that you and Lawr—Lorenz move over there." Byleth pointed towards the scryer where Manuela used to be. "Mind the tripwire traps. Hopefully they will help protect you from any incoming threats." Byleth thought for a moment again and turned to Lysithea, remembering that she had studied the other teams. "Do you know how many archers and mages the Blue Lions have, Lysithea?"

Lysithea paused for a moment before answering. "That boy we saw earlier, Ashe...he's the only dedicated archer that I know of. However, Felix, the heir to House Fraldarius is also proficient with a bow as well as the sword."

"You should keep an eye out for him, Teach." Claude warned.

"Felix..." Byleth frowned. He didn't know who that was.

"You'll know him when you see him." Claude laughed. "He'll be the scowling one with a sword who rushes straight for you. He loves fighting powerful opponents."

"You mean he's uncooperative." Byleth said. "And he will fight me no matter his orders."

"Bullseye." Claude responded.

Byleth nodded. "And the mages?"

"Assuming Annette was the one who fell for the trap, that would only leave Mercedes." Lysithea said.

"We once attended the Royal School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad." Lorenz noted. "Her strengths lay in white magic. It is best to assume she will be healing the others."

Byleth placed his chin in his hand and considered the situation. One archer. Maybe two if Felix cooperated. No black magic users. The Golden Deer were a bit more familiar with the trap placement that the Black Eagles had left behind. That didn't leave the Blue Lions with many options for an ambush. The Blue Lions likely planned to surround them and attack with overwhelming force before Byleth could properly coordinate his students.

The logical approach would be to ask Claude and Lysithea for information on his opponents, but the Blue Lions could attack at any moment. Byleth cursed himself for not being more vigilant and at least getting an overview of the other student's abilities. Still, what would he do in the Blue Lion's situation?

The logical first step would be to familiarize himself with the traps in the forest. The Blue Lions were probably doing that right now, which is why the Golden Deer had yet to be attacked. The next step would be placing their archer—Ashe—in any area with many of these traps. Ashe would familiarize himself with the area and try to lure the Golden Deer to his location, using the environment to ambush them before they got close enough. And then what about the others?

"Stay close." Byleth said, beckoning his students towards him.

"Are they here, Professor?" Leonie asked, drawing her bow.

"It's likely." Byleth nodded.

If he were Dimitri, he would have attacked Marianne, the white mage, or someone vulnerable like Lysithea or Ignatz. This would draw Byleth out. Better yet, he would attack both and split Byleth's focus. He couldn't do that now; his students were together now and guarded.

"Backs together. Keep an eye out for the others." Byleth ordered, forming a circle with his students.

The only real threat now would be a mage, whose black magic could cause wide scale destruction. But if Annette was truly out of the picture, this wouldn't be a problem. With their vulnerabilities covered, Byleth had to consider who his students would focus on. The white mage, Mercedes, was an obvious choice, but she would likely be well protected—perhaps in the forest with Ashe. That's what Byleth would do.

Byleth also had to consider Dimitri. He wasn't familiar with the Blue Lion's students, but if he were to compare Dimitri to the students he had seen so far at the academy, it was fair to assume that Dimitri was the strongest among the Blue Lions. He could probably hold his own against Byleth. Or at least hold him off for some time in a one on one engagement.

If Dimitri were to hold him off in a duel, Byleth had to consider his ability to direct his students during combat. In truth, he wasn't sure. He wasn't used to drawn out fights like this. Usually, his opponents would fall to him in a matter of seconds. Most of these students weren't skilled or experienced, but some of them had unnatural power. A result of these 'Crests'.

The alternative was to overwhelm Dimitri in a group attack, but this was also a bad idea. Doing so would leave students like Marianne vulnerable to the other Blue Lions. That meant the only realistic option would be to pick off the Blue Lions until they could eventually take down Dimitri quickly through numbers.

The Golden Deer outnumbered them nine versus seven—remove the white mages from combat and it was eight versus six. This Felix person was supposedly going to focus on Byleth. Lorenz would need to continue protecting Marianne. So, who would fight Dimitri?

...Claude seemed the best choice, but if Byleth were a betting man, he would pick Dimitri to win in a fight between those two. Byleth would have to count on Claude to keep Dimitri busy. Meanwhile, he would have Ignatz focus on distracting Ashe, since Leonie was more versatile in ranged and melee combat and would be better served in a more adaptive role.

That left Hilda, Raphael, and Leonie to handle Dimitri's remaining three teammates. Lysithea would stay near him and act as support. If they could overwhelm Felix together, they would be able to assist the other students and the fight would snowball from there..

"...When the Blue Lions close in, pick a single opponent and fight." Byleth said. "Ignatz, keep Ashe from interfering. Claude, hold off Dimitri until their numbers wane. I'll handle Felix. As for the remaining students in their house..." Byleth paused.

"Ah, right, you're not too familiar with the others yet, are you, Teach?" Claude asked.

Byleth didn't respond.

"Well, if you don't have any objections, I'm thinking Raphael should face Sylvain, Leonie can face Ingrid, and Hilda will handle Dimitri's retainer, Dedue." Claude continued.

Byleth, of course, had no objections. He didn't know who these students were or how well his students would match up. Hilda, however, quickly spoke out against this.

"Wait, you want me to fight DEDUE?! Isn't he that...really tall man from Duscur? I can't beat him !" Hilda whined.

Byleth didn't know the man by name, but based on that description, he knew who they were referring to. If he had to go off appearances alone, Hilda certainly didn't seem like a good matchup against this Dedue. Byleth would have chosen Raphael. But for now, he chose to trust in Claude's judgement.

"Don't worry, you don't have to beat him, just hold him off." Claude assured her. "After all, we're going with a defensive strategy, right Teach? Our goal is simply to maintain our numbers advantage."

"I see, and if the rest of you are facing opponents of equal skill, I can step in and turn the tables by picking them off one by one." Lysithea added.

Byleth nodded, pleased to see that his students understood the situation as well as the next logical decision. This was a good sign.

"Mmm, seems a bit complicated." Raphael grumbled.

"Fight this 'Sylvain' and make sure you aren't defeated." Byleth clarified shortly.

"Ahh, now that makes sense!" Raphael smiled.

"Very well, and I shall continue to defend Marianne with my very life." Lorenz proclaimed. "I swear on my honor as a noble that nothing shall breach my defenses!"

"Right. Unless we ever have to face Edelgard again." Leonie retorted.

Before Lorenz could respond, however, an arrow suddenly shot out of the forest and towards the back of Byleth's head. Byleth had expected this. As he heard the whizzing arrow approaching, he raised his shield behind his head, blocking it without even looking.

"It's time." Byleth said.

Ignatz immediately took position and shot in the direction where the enemy's arrow came from. Byleth scanned the forest perimeter quickly, the Blue Lions had indeed surrounded them. The Golden Deer were thankfully more familiar with their classmates than he was and quickly spread out to attack their designated target.

Byleth still didn't know which one was Felix, but Dimitri was headed right his way. Before Dimitri could reach Byleth, however, he ducked back just in time to avoid one of Claude's arrows.

"Psst, Your Princeliness." Claude whispered. "You've got a thing for Edelgard, right? Come on, fess up. You'll feel better."

Dimitri scowled. "Claude, please. This is no time for idle banter. Your defenses are wide open."

"That didn't get to him, huh? What a shame. I'll find a better way to ruffle him up next time." Claude chuckled before sending another arrow Dimitri's way.

Dimitri closed in and lunged at Claude with his spear, but Claude managed to strafe away in time, only to be flanked by Dedue, who swung his axe downwards, however he, in turn, was blocked by Hilda.

"Hey! Claude, you need to be careful. You should know better than to rely on me to protect you!" Hilda pouted.

"Heh, sorry." Claude smiled, swapping out his bow with a sword, keeping Dimitri at a distance.

Byleth raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. He had to admit, he was impressed that Hilda could hold her own against someone like Dedue. She was certainly stronger than she looked. The next moment, however, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"That's him, Professor." Lysithea said pointing.

Byleth turned to see a man not unlike himself staring back at him. Roughly the same height, blue tinged purple hair tied back into a knot, amber eyes, and scowl on his face. Felix.

Felix said nothing and simply drew his sword. Byleth did the same. The two charged at one another, blades clashing. Byleth noticed that Felix's sword style wasn't too dissimilar to his own, focusing primarily on the basics of swordplay with simple but precise blocks and strikes, though instead of trying to overwhelm him with power attacks, Felix was trying to overwhelm him with speed.

Although Felix was certainly a cut above the rest of the students, Byleth could see that, between himself and Felix, he was the stronger of the two. Felix seemed to realize this as well, for when their blades locked again Byleth saw his free hand reach into a pouch. Recognizing what Felix was doing and knowing that he had just dropped his guard, Byleth used his own free hand to punch Felix right in the face.

"Gah!" Felix cried out.

Felix stumbled backwards from the impact of Byleth's punch, but managed to withdraw his hand from the pouch and attempted to toss some gathered dirt into Byleth's face. Byleth managed to block the attempt with his overcoat just in time and, while Felix was still reeling from Byleth's attack, Lysithea sent a Miasma spell his way, knocking him clean off his feet.

"Damn you!" Felix spat.

He recognized that taking advantage of his opening like that was strategically sound, but Felix still felt that this white haired brat had cheated him out of a duel with a worthy opponent.

"You fought well." Byleth said.

"Hmph. I'll see you again at the training grounds." Felix responded, leaving the field.

"Go assist Ignatz. I'll provide aid to Raphael and Leonie." Byleth said to Lysithea, who nodded.

As Lysithea headed towards Ignatz's direction, Byleth glanced towards Claude and Hilda, who were getting overwhelmed but still in the fight, before turning towards Raphael and Leonie who had ended up in a two versus two confrontation between Sylvain and Ingrid.

Byleth could see that his students were stronger individually, but Sylvain and Ingrid seemed more coordinated. It had been smart of the Blue Lions to team up, but they wouldn't be a match for the three of them. Byleth made his way towards them and engaged in the fight.

"Woah! Heh, you're pretty tough, Professor!" Sylvain said, blocking Byleth's attack with his spear, while hiding his obvious strain behind a smirk. "When this is all done, maybe you can introduce me to—"

"Sylvain watch out!" Ingrid cried in exasperation as she attempted to intervene but was blocked by Leonie.

"OOORRRAAARRGGHHH!" Raphael cried, slamming his fists at Sylvain while he was distracted by Byleth.

The force of Raphael's oversized fists sent Sylvain flying into the air, sliding to the ground as he hit a tree.

"Hah! Guess I don't know my own strength!" Raphael laughed.

"Nnnggg...got cocky, I guess..." Sylvain grunted.

"Urgh, Sylvain..." Ingrid sighed.

"Guess we'll have to meet up some other time, Professor," Sylvain said with a wink before heading off.

Byleth and the others turned to Ingrid, who frowned.

"I see there's no point in sticking this out. I'll have to fall back," she sighed, sprinting towards the forest where Ashe and Mercedes were.

"Leonie," Byleth called.

"Got it!" Leonie shouted.

Knowing a simple training arrow wouldn't be enough to knock Ingrid down, Leonie chucked her training lance, squarely hitting Ingrid in the back.

"Argh!" Ingrid cried out, landing on her face.

"Ingrid—!" Dimitri called out.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, I can't go on..." Ingrid grunted, using her spear to prop herself back up as Jeralt dismissed her.

"Dedue, the situation is worse than I had expected. We must reunite with the others quickly if we are to have any chance of victory." Dimitri ordered.

"Understood, Your Highness. I will cover you," Dedue said.

Byleth glanced towards Dimitri, pleased to see that Claude had not only managed to keep Dimitri busy but had also lured him away from the forest where Ashe and Mercedes were hiding. From this distance, it was doubtful that Mercedes' white magic could reach Dimitri or Dedue—not unless she knew Physic, a spell that was surely too advanced for a beginning student.

"Leonie, assist Ignatz and Lysithea. Raphael, with me," Byleth ordered, rushing towards the others.

"Look out, Teach!" Claude called, as Dimitri charged straight for Byleth.

"Stand down!" Dimitri shouted, slamming his lance at Byleth.

Byleth blocked this with his sword, but the attack had been far more powerful than expected, sending Byleth skidding back. He stabbed his sword into the dirt to keep himself grounded, but just as Byleth looked up, Dedue had followed up Dimitri's attack, lashing at him with his axe.

Not having enough time to withdraw his sword, Byleth ducked under Dedue's swing and slammed his fist into Dedue's stomach. Byleth was stronger than he looked and was able to briefly stun Dedue, but Dedue recovered quickly and swung his axe again. Byleth was just barely able to dodge this and slide between Dedue's legs, leaving his sword behind.

"Go on, Your Highness!" Dedue called.

Byleth looked and saw that Dimitri had broken past their defense and was headed towards the forest. But upon hearing Dedue, he stopped and turned around.

"Dedue..." Dimitri paused.

"I will be your shield." Dedue insisted.

Dimitri glanced back to the forest momentary before shaking his head and—perhaps against his better judgement—rushed back to aid in the fight.

"Your Highness!" Dedue protested.

"Teach!" Claude yelled, tossing his own training sword to Byleth, who nodded and caught it while Claude equipped his bow once more.

Byleth turned to face Dimitri. He would need to handle Blue Lions house leader himself. Despite their appearances, Dimitri was much stronger than Raphael and Raphael didn't have the prowess to compensate for this difference in strength. Leaving Dedue to the others, Byleth engaged with Dimitri.

"I must say, I'm rather impressed with your leadership." Dimitri said with a sincere smile. "Despite the disadvantageous position you found yourself in, your house is now clearly favored to win...and I have much to learn."

Byleth, however, didn't return the smile and Dimitri frowned.

"Ahh, yes, I suppose I should be taking this more seriously. Forgive me." Dimitri said more seriously as he privately began to wonder...was this new professor truly even human?

Byleth focused all his efforts on prolonging the fight. He didn't have the strength to confront Dimitri in a head-on assault, but he was definitely the more skilled warrior between the two.

Even so, Byleth wasn't sure how he would fare against Dimitri in a real one on one fight. Until now, the only person he knew who could resist the sheer power of his attacks had been Jeralt and unfortunately Jeralt was usually too drunk to train him, which meant he wasn't accustomed to situations like this.

Still...he was starting to notice a weakness in Dimitri's fighting style. He was clumsy and impatient. Very impatient. Much like himself, Dimitri was likely accustomed to quickly winning fights against opponents who couldn't withstand his strength. Byleth had Marianne's white magic to help him, while Mercedes was too far away to assist Dimitri, and his students were overwhelming the few remaining Blue Lions.

So long as Byleth could keep stalling the match, victory was assured. And sure enough, it wasn't long before...

"Ngh!"

While Dedue had been struggling against Raphael and Hilda, Ignatz and Leonie joined Claude in pelting him with arrows, having already dealt with Ashe and Mercedes. Before Dedue could even regain a bearing on his surroundings, Raphael punched him in the gut and Lysithea knocked him off his feet with a Miasma spell.

"Apologies, Your Highness," Dedue grunted, hands pushing himself up to his feet before one wrapped around his stomach. "I can go no further..."

"Dedue..." Dimitri murmured. as the Golden Deer made their way towards his fight with Byleth.

Dimitri took in his surroundings as the Golden Deer made their way to join their professor. He was completely outnumbered and his distraction had allowed the enemy to pick off the Blue Lions.

"Nine to one, hmm? I'm afraid he has us beat." Hanneman's voice echoed in Dimitri's head.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Dimitri admitted reluctantly. "Professor Hanneman agrees that it is time to surrender. Well played, Professor."

Dimitri smiled, offering his hand in earnest. Byleth nodded silently, his expression still blank, and shook it, noticing that Dimitri had an unusually tight grip. The next moment he heard Jeralt once again.

"All right, that's that! The winner of this mock battle is...the Golden Deer House!"

Byleth could hear a strong sense of pride in Jeralt's voice, but truthfully Byleth wasn't too impressed with himself at the moment. He had been uncharacteristically arrogant and hadn't prepared for the battle as well as he should have. These students were stronger than Byleth had expected and he was to teach them, he had to grow stronger as well. And with that in mind, Byleth marched back to the monastery without another word, intending to train harder and further hone his skills.

"We...won...?" Marianne whispered.

"W-We won!" Ignatz cried.

"Yeah! All right!" Raphael shouted.

"Great work, everyone!" Claude said. "Even if it is a mock battle, the taste of victory is sugary sweet."

"Haha, great job Profess...or?" Lysithea glanced around, unable to spot him. "Hey, where is he?"

"Ah! I can see him. Just over there." Lorenz pointed.

"He's leaving already?" Leonie asked.

"Talk about antisocial." Hilda laughed.

"Well we can't just let him leave without congratulating him. Come on, everyone!" Claude beckoned.

"I knew the professor would pull through for us." Leonie smiled. Whether he was Captain Jeralt's kid or not, the professor had certainly inherited her mentor's tactical genius.

"Weren't you getting on his case earlier about Jeralt?" Hilda asked accusingly.

"If I recall, you didn't exactly give him the vote of confidence yourself." Claude remarked.

"To think, he was able to lead the charge against two houses." Ignatz said enthusiastically, who was just happy to play a part in their victory.

"And nobody fell..." Marianne muttered. She wasn't sure how much good she did, but the professor had protected all of them from harm...even her.

"Indeed. He has far surpassed our expectations and led the way to a perfect victory." Lorenz chuckled.

"Well I was always confident in his abilities." Lysithea said with a small trace of smugness in her voice.

It was true, Lysithea had vouched for her professor from the beginning, despite not knowing who this 'Captain Jeralt' was. Anyone who could become a professor at their age had to be special after all. Still...even found herself impressed at just how competent the professor had been.

Lysithea reflected over the events that transpired. Their professor came to their classroom and had been immediately underestimated by the rest of the class because of his age—much like herself, actually. He had handled it with grace and maturity, never once displaying annoyance of frustration. That was something Lysithea felt she could learn from. Instead, he had quickly established authority over the group and led them to victory through the mock battle.

The professor had not only shown them his leadership capabilities, but his combat prowess as well, by leading from the front lines. He taught through example—Hubert and Ferdinand being the example of what happened when authority wasn't respected. And now here they were, her classmates singing his praises. The professor had quickly earned their respect in no time at all...despite his age.

He was brilliant, strong, mature, hardworking, and had complete control over his emotions...yes this was something Lysithea wanted to emulate very much. He wasn't just incredible, he was the perfect teacher for her.

"Ha, I told you guys that you'd be amazed." Claude said with a wink.

Claude had seen Byleth's power before, back in Remire Village, but even he was amazed by the most recent display. He felt similarly to Lysithea, although he was less interested in him as a teacher and more interested in his allegiance.

Perhaps their new professor was the one Claude had been looking for...to see his dreams come to fruition.