Chapter 10: Back to School
"Which is when I came up with the brilliant idea to have Goetia here-" Claude pat him on the back "-sit in on our lessons, let him live like we do, you know? Great idea, right?" he asked the assembled Golden Deer.
He got blank looks from most of them and a complete look of bewilderment from Lysithea.
"Claude!" She hissed at him, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the corner of the classroom. The two began to speak in hushed tones as the tanned man stared at them before turning to the rest of the assembled students.
"I am Goetia, the librarian assistant." He introduced himself "I have also noticed I recognise...none of you." he frowned "I shall assume there is a reason you avoid the library for the moment."
"Well…" The tall, well built boy, scratched the back of his head "I don't do so well with books and stuff, I just like training!" he grinned "Oh! And eating!"
"...Indeed." Goetia nodded his head, an orange haired girl slapped his arm and frowned at him.
"What kind of introduction is that, Raf?" She turned to Goetia and grinned "I'm Leonie Pinelli, Captain Jeralt's best apprentice!"
"I was unaware he had any others." Goetia raised an eyebrow "Would that also not imply you would outperform his own child?"
Leonie seemed to wince slightly before her face changed into a determined one "Well...I'll just prove to everyone just how good I am!"
"...I see." He replied, he looked along the gathered students, stopping on the blue haired girl who seemed to be avoiding looking at him "Hmm…" he hummed in thought, how strange...her crest seemed to have more in common with some manner of phantasmal beast than with the divinity of the Goddess "You are?"
"I'm Marianne Von Edmund." She spoke, her face still off to the side, her's was more social anxiety than the obvious fear that Bernadetta exhibited.
"I'm Ignatz Victor." A pale green haired boy with glasses spoke up, a welcoming smile on his face "Nice to meet you...and I'm sorry for not stopping by the Library as of late, I was trying my best in training…" he stumbled when the tall boy, Raf, pat him on the back.
"Yep!" Raf grinned "I got Ignatz to try training, wanted to get him big and strong for the mock battle!" he looked thoughtful "I mean...yeah, we lost but that just means we need more training! Also I'm Raphael Kirsten!"
"Y-yeah." Ignatz agreed, although he seemed somewhat uncomfortable being around the taller boy.
Goetia turned to the next in line, a lanky boy with purple hair and a rather arrogant air about him "What an uncivilised greeting you are all giving." the boy scoffed and shook his head, before turning to Goetia and putting on a prideful smile and posture "I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. Heir to the Gloucester House, a name you may want to remember."
Everything about this boy oozed pride, and Goetia suspected than it was drawn from his bloodline rather than any notable achievements of his own. That…
That irritated him. A rather new emotion, but one he quickly found he was experiencing rather frequently as of late. Pride born of station rather than deeds was something that he found irked him.
Perhaps it was his defeat at the hands of ordinary humans but he held far more respect for what would be considered commoners than those of Noble Birth. He inwardly scoffed, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash Kyrielight had ruined his expectations of humans. So completely irrational and yet...so completely human.
Their pride came from their beliefs, their desire to survive or in Mash's case, to protect the boy who simply treated her as a person…
Either way...He immediately disliked Lorenz.
"Wow!" A pink haired girl was in his face, hands running through his hair "How do you get your hair so luxurious? You know how much effort I have to go through to get my hair to look this good?" she gestured to the twin tails she had before pouting "And you just get it naturally! I'm jealous and a little annoyed! You just let it fall down like that? Get some braids." she then grinned "I normally don't like doing stuff like that, but for hair like this I'd be happy to make an exception and do it for you!"
Goetia was having Deja Vu.
"You are?" He asked, the pink haired girl seemed to realise what she was doing and retracted her hand, grinning the whole time.
"Of course." She pat herself down and assumed a more composed posture "I am Hilda Goneril."
"I see." Goetia nodded, then raised an eyebrow "Your family oversees Fodlan's locket, does it not?"
"Yep." Hilda grinned "My brother and father are quite proud of the work they put into keeping it fortified. I don't really like all that violence and stuff but I guess they like it so."
"Are you not concerned I am some Almyran?"
"Are you?" Hilda asked, genuinely curious "I heard you were a foreigner, but I've never really met an Almyran before, except Cyril but he's only a kid so he doesn't really know all that much about Almyra."
"...I'm not Almyran." Goetia denied, the girl looked slightly dejected "I'm from West of Fodlan."
"Oh!" She grinned "Do they all have hair like yours?"
"...No...I do not believe they do."
Hilda looked slightly relieved "That's good. I'd be way more jealous if there was a whole country of people who could have hair like that without doing anything to it."
"Hilda!" Lorenz interjected, looking rather irritated "You are supposed to be representing the Nobility of the Leicester alliance not acting like a child!"
Hilda stuck her tongue out and made a bizarre noise at Lorenz "You are way too stiff when it comes to that, you should loosen up." she grinned "Besides, he doesn't really care." she turned to Goetia "Do you?"
"I do not." Goetia replied "You are free to act as you wish in my presence."
"Are Claude and Lysithea still talking?" Raphael asked "Cos they've been doing that for a while now, I've never seen her look so red."
"Yeah." Leonie agreed "Last time I saw her look this emotive was when they brought out a new cake in the dining hall."
"She is partial to confectionery?" Goetia asked, Leonie looked at him oddly then released a cackle.
"I'll say!" She exclaimed, still laughing "You'll never see her run so fast in order to be first in line to get a cake."
"I see." Goetia looked over "She is aware that such a habit contradicts her efforts to be seen as more mature, is she not?"
"I don't think she cares all that much." Ignatz said with a small shrug "Besides, it makes her happy, so I don't really see all that much of an issue."
"I suppose." Goetia grunted "Still, I suspect she is irritated at my being here, she likely views it as Von Riegan attempting to intervene in her study periods with myself."
"Study periods?" Leonie parroted "You're teaching her?"
"You were not aware?" Goetia asked, slightly puzzled "I made no effort to hide my tutoring of the girl."
"Huh…" Leonie eyes were wide with surprise "She never told us…"
"What are you teaching her?" Hilda asked with a slightly confused face.
"Magic." Goetia replied "She asked for my tutoring in the magic studies which are not native to Fodlan, I accepted."
"What is he doing here?" Lysithea hissed at Claude "I thought I told you I was going to put more work into my training, you didn't need to bring him here!"
"Hey, hey!" Claude held up his hands, a sly grin on his face "What's the issue? Did you want to keep your tutor hidden away or something?"
"Nothing like that you oaf!" She countered immediately her scowl growing "Teacher is obviously very busy with assisting Tomas and teaching me, what he doesn't need is you dragging him into your schemes!"
"Schemes?" Claude put on a look of faux hurt "You wound me Lysithea, you think I would do something as low as scheme?"
He got a deadpan look in return. He chuckled and waved her off "I wouldn't call it a scheme of sorts. The guy doesn't have any hobbies, so I'm going out of my way to help him."
"And what does that have to do with him being here?" Lysithea exclaimed in a hushed whisper "The Academy is not a hobby!"
"I know that." Claude agreed, still smiling "But I get the feeling he never got that school camaraderie when he was younger, so we're gonna help him experience youth...and probably find him a hobby later."
"You interrupted his precious time for this!?"
"You need not be too concerned about my timetable, Lysithea." Goetia called out from across the room, the two students blinked in surprise before looking across at him "I have already made arrangements with Tomas to spend the day with the Golden Deer house."
"You could hear us from over there?" Claude raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What made you assume I couldn't?"
Neither of them had an answer for that. Evidently, Goetia was far more alert than they suspected and their private conversation wasn't as private as either of them wished it to be.
"But, Teacher." Lysithea began "Would you not be uncomfortable around my classmates?"
"I suspect I will manage." Goetia replied "However, your concern is acknowledged. Given our interactions, it is reasonable to assume your peers would disturb me. I have dealt with far more...distressing situations than a classroom however."
Claude sent Lysithea a smirk, the albino haired girl just scowled at him before marching over to where Goetia was.
"Very well, I will...adhere to your judgement Teacher." She relented, Goetia nodded in affirmative to her before looking over the classroom.
"Where is your professor?"
"Professor Manuela?" Lorenz raised an eyebrow "She is usually here by now...perhaps she has encountered-"
"I'm here, I'm here." The class turned to the interruption to see a rather haggard looking Manuela stroll in "Apologies students I was...distracted by late night business."
No one made a comment about the underlying smell of alcohol which seemed to permeate from the woman. While evidently not hungover, she had at the very least been drinking in excess the night before.
From Goetia's perspective, it was hardly the most promising of starts to a learning environment. Something Lysithea mirrored if her wince and glance in his direction was any indication.
"Now then…" Manuela walked past the group, completely ignoring the one armed man in the room, as she strut to the front of the classroom before spinning around "If you could all take your seats, I shall begin a register."
Before Lysithea could drag Goetia next to her, Claude stepped towards him "Come on, we'll see how long it takes her to notice you're here." with that, the pair walked over to Claude's table.
Consisting of himself and Leonie.
"Lets see." Manuela looked down the register "Claude Von Riegan?"
"Hey, Mrs."
"Hilda Valentine Goneril?"
"Here!"
"Ignatz Victor?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Leonie Pinelli?
"Present."
"Lorenz Gloucester?"
"I am accounted for, Professor."
"Lysithea Von Ordelia?"
"Present, Miss."
"Marianne Von Edmund?"
"...Yes…"
"Raphael Kirsten?"
"Yes, Miss! I'm here!"
"...I've noticed. Hm? Good Morning, Goetia."
"To you as well."
"...Goetia?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you in my classroom?"
"I was invited by Von Riegan. He believes it would serve me to be more accustomed to the students in the academy."
"...I see." Manuela nodded and sighed "Claude...please refrain from inviting the staff to sit in on lessons in the future."
"Sure, Miss." Claude nodded, although he still kept a smile on his face.
"Mr Goetia?" Manuela turned to the tanned man "I assume you have been given leave by Tomas?"
"I have." Goetia nodded.
"In that case, feel free to sit in for the rest of the day, or until you are called away." She sighed "With that out of that way, we'll move onto our schedule for today. In light of our recent mock battle, and in preparation for this Months assigned mission, we'll be looking into training in our weapon combat for those who pursue such things, for Lysithea, you'll be continuing training in offensive magic and Marianne will be continuing her light magic studies into healing."
"What is our mission for this Month anyway, Professor?" A Ignatz raised his hand and asked.
"The village of Riverside just Kingdom Territory has issued a notice of help to the Church of Seiros. It seems as though wild Demonic Beasts have been encroaching on the town for the last few days. They've requested assistance to see them off."
"Y-you're sending us against demonic beasts?" The boy paled as Manuela nodded.
"Yes, I believe the Black Eagles are dealing with a supply escort and the Blue Lions are chasing down bandits. So that should provide you some comfort that this mission is no more or less dangerous than theirs."
It did nothing to sate the boys nerves, or any of the others. Except Leonie, who looked oddly determined.
Goetia himself was more curious, he'd heard passing stories of the 'Demonic Beasts' yet he had never seen or encountered one. Their descriptions changed from a large wolf, a giant vulture and a huge reptile. Goetia assumed this was more of a vague classification. He also doubted they were actual demons.
But he would need to encounter one.
This provided an opportunity. He raised his lone arm, Manuela turned to him with a curious expression "Yes, Mr Goetia?"
"Would I be able to accompany you on this voyage?"
Claude's head snapped to him in surprise, as did Lysithea's and everyone else's in the room.
"You...want to accompany us on a Demonic Beast hunt?" Manuela asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes."
"May I ask why?"
"I have never encountered one before, I was simply curious as to their appearance." He answered like it was obvious.
"You've never seen one before...so you want to go see one?"
"Yes."
"Are you...capable of defending yourself?"
"I am sufficient, the young Von Riegan can attest to this."
Manuela turned to him with a questioning gaze, Claude smiled and nodded his head "Its true professor, handled the bandits quite handily, saved my life and all."
"Hmmm…" Manuela hummed "You would need to clear it with Seteth and Tomas, should they agree...I suppose I would have no complaints about allowing you to accompany us."
"I shall go about gaining their permission." Goetia nodded, lowering his hand.
"As I was saying." Manuela cleared her throat "We'll be training for the next week in preparation for the mission." she gestured to the door "If you will accompany me."
"You are with the Golden Deer."
"I am."
Byleth and Goetia stared at eachother while the other students practised on the training ground, evidently the Golden Deer and Blue lions had similar ideas when it came to what times would be training.
Both Byleth and Manuela had agreed it would be a good opportunity for the students to train with eachother.
In theory.
The reality was that Dimitri and Felix had been dominating their respective fields.
Although Goetia would admit he was surprised to see how equally matched Dedue and Raphael were in combat, both forgoing weapons and throwing punches at eachother.
Marianne and Mercedes at the side of the training area, healing the bruises of the injured students.
"They are not as ineffective as I had feared." Goetia commented "One or two would qualify as soldiers, the rest are…"
"They need work." Byleth finished "Why are you here?"
"Von Riegan brought me along." Goetia commented "He felt it necessary for me to be more...included in the events of the Monastery."
"I'll say." Sothis commented as she floated around his head "You've been cooped up with those books for nearly two weeks. If it weren't for the fact that we visited, you'd never talk to anyone."
"I believe it was only Byleth who visited, you seemed content to avoid conversation with me entirely."
"I was asleep." Sothis huffed "Besides, I did not consider you trustworthy."
"You still do not."
"No, but hiding from you would be pointless now." She sighed "You are already aware of my presence."
"True." Goetia nodded, then looked back at the students, he raised an eyebrow at the red haired boy sparing with Hilda.
Evidently he said something strange, as the blonde haired girl who had come in with the Blue lions abandoned her own duel with Ignatz to strike him in the back with her training spear.
"Effective." Byleth and Goetia commented at the same time.
"I think the words you are looking for are 'cheap shot'." Sothis smirked "Hardly a sporting move."
"It worked, what does it matter." Goetia shrugged, then looked over to Marianne and Mercedes healing the minor injuries of Claude. Dimitri having challenged him to a spar...and soundly defeating the boy.
"What mission are the Golden Deers completing?" Byleth asked, Goetia spared her a sideways glance before he turned back to the group.
"Demonic Beasts have been sighted at a small village. They are being dispatched to either kill them or chase them away."
"They are sending children to fight monsters?" Sothis interjected, looking very disturbed "I was hesitant when I heard that the Blue lions would be facing bandits, but to send children against such creatures."
"Whether or not the beasts are superior to the children is irrelevant. I shall be accompanying them." Goetia stated, much to the surprise of Sothis and Byleth.
"You are?" The green haired Goddess blinked in surprise "Whatever for?"
"I have not seen a 'Demonic Beast' and was curious."
"Not for the safety of the children then." Sothis narrowed her eyes, Goetia turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"I am confident that Professor Manuela can ensure the safety of the students and I am confident in Lysithea's abilities." He turned back to the training "Regardless, I doubt the Church would risk the safety of the students if it were of any significant danger."
"Have you read up on Demonic Beasts?" Byleth asked, Goetia shook his head.
"I have heard stories of them in passing, however I have yet to have the opportunity to educate myself on their nature. One can only learn so much from books before a more direct approach is required."
"Teacher!"
"Hm?" Goetia turned to see Lysithea waving at him, he looked back to Byleth and Sothis "Excuse me." then walked over to his pupil, the girl holding up a piece of paper as he approached "You called for me?"
"Yes!" Lysithea said, grinning the whole time "I did it!"
"Did what?" Lysithea thrust the paper towards him, he looked down and recognised the Ansuz rune. Having been inscribed at a near perfect replication.
"I see." Goetia nodded "You have done so from memory?"
"Yes." She beamed, the tanned man handed the paper back to her.
"Activate the Rune. Command it to be a rapid burn but not explosive."
"Right." She closed her eyes as she held the paper, Goetia watched as she scrunched her face up in concentration for a few moments "Ansuz!"
Then slapped her arm upwards, the paper being launched into the air as it exploded.
Rather violently.
The entire training hall ground to halt. Lysithea grimaced and looked down as the eyes of over thirty students and two teachers fell on her. Goetia remained blank faced as he looked down from the cloud of ash in the sky, leftover from the explosion, to the albino girl.
"Perhaps...we shall continue to work on your activation…" Lysithea said nothing, still burning with embarrassment. Goetia looked her over "You are uninjured?"
She nodded her head "In that case, we are fortunate you attempted this now, rather than in private. In the mean time...perhaps you should continue with more...traditional...craft."
"Yes, Teacher." She turned away, Goetia watched as she walked to the far end of the training ground and began to cast a Miasma spell. Quite well.
"That was...explosive." Manuela commented as she walked up next to him.
"It was unexpected." Goetia commented "The fact she had even managed to cast the Rune is an achievement in itself."
"Oh? I suppose then she has cause to be happy then." Manuela smiled, Goetia sent her a strange look.
"Her hand almost exploded." He stated "In the grand scheme of things...this was a success…" he frowned "However her progress is rapid...Hmm…" he hummed in thought and shook his head "I will look into this further."
"Oh?" Manuela raise an eyebrow "Are you upset she is learning quickly? Afraid you'll run out of things to teach her?" she teased, Goetia turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"It will take years for her to become adequate in runecraft." He replied "While her progress is more expedient than I was expecting, she will not attain mastery, even at her current pace, for many years to come."
"...Huh." Manuela shrugged "I guess you'll have a student for a while then…" she then looked around "I don't suppose I could convince you to train, could I?"
"For what purpose?"
"Well...If you are to come along on our little mission. I would like to make sure you can at least cast a few spells to protect yourself and the students."
"I see." Goetia nodded "You wish to understand my capabilities and ensure I meet a basic level of satisfaction."
"...I just want to see if you can make a big fire ball." She sighed "Please don't start talking to me in dictionary, Hanneman does than enough as it is."
"I will attempt to lower my vocabulary capacity to better suit our future conversations." Goetia replied in a monotone voice, Manuela narrowed her eyes at him in an accusatory manner.
"Are you making fun of me?"
"I am merely taking your wish under advisement." He replied as he looked on at the practising students "Any offence you perceive is merely your own imagination." a complete lie that they both saw through, he didn't want to lower himself to using simpler words because the woman was less intelligent, her apparent partiality to alcohol had already soured his opinion of her.
"Cast your fancy magic then, Mr Bookworm." Manuela muttered under her breath, Goetia withheld a sigh and looked on at the nearest training dummy, currently being struck by blonde haired girl.
"Girl with the blonde hair." Goetia called out, the room briefly silenced itself at his shout and the girl turned around and blinked in surprise at being called out, her eyes fell on Goetia and she pointed at herself to confirm. He nodded once.
"My name is Ingrid." She called back.
"Young Ingrid. Please stand at least five metres away from the practice target within the next twenty seconds."
"...Alright." She frowned but stepped away from the dummy, when she was far enough away Goetia raised his left arm towards the dummy.
He opened up his palm then swiftly turned his wrist and snapped his hand into a fist, within several seconds the target was engulfed in a bright light before it burst into flames.
The students stared at the display with mild interest before most just shrugged their shoulders and went back to training, save Ingrid who stared at the burning target with mild annoyance at being forced to find another one to practice on.
Satisfied, Goetia turned back to Manuela "Does that satiated your curiosity?"
"...Fine." Manuela sighed "At least you won't be defenceless." she looked over the burning dummy and then back to Goetia with a slightly amused expression "You are aware you will have to pay the Church for the damages, right?"
"Hardly a concern." Goetia brushed her off and turned back around, with a wave of his hands, the fire extinguished itself and the practice target seemed to repair itself to pristine condition. He turned back to Manuela to see her now staring at the target with a slightly more shocked expression.
"...Well then…" She mumbled under her breath before looking Goetia up and down "Don't suppose you could teach me to do that? It would make tidying my room easier."
"Are you capable of spending the next several years working under my tutelage?"
"...On second thought I prefer my organised mess."
The unsurprised look she received from Goetia in response confirmed in her mind that he was expecting her to say that, which did slightly irritate her.
Omake: Potions...They're...versatile.
"You have little faith in this, Assistant Seteth." Goetia spoke as he continued to work on his alchemic potions "They will work perfectly well."
"Please do not refer to me as your assistant." Seteth grumbled "You barged into my office in the early hours of the morning, told me you needed aid in a project and then dragged me down to your quarters where I now find…" he gestured around the room with disapproval at the cups and bowls full of multicoloured liquids "What I can only assume to be some form of alchemy."
"You are correct in basic terms." Goetia replied "And you are best suited and most available to this task. I doubt the Archbishop would be as amenable in being a research assistant and you would likely disapprove of Flayn being used in such a manner."
"I would." Seteth replied immediately then narrowed his eyes "Is there a reason you have only chosen to list myself, Rhea and Flayn."
"You are more durable in case of accidental combustion." Goetia replied immediately, which caused Seteth's eyes to widen in alarm.
"What do you mean 'Accidental combustion'!?"
"I believe it was self explanatory." Goetia looked at him in confusion "I am working which possibly volatile components." he turned back to his work "Although the chances of that occurring are slim."
Seteth scowled before he looked over the potions and allowed his curiosity to win him over "What are you even creating anyway?"
"I am working on a more potent version of a vulunerary" Goetia replied "If my efforts prove successful, this will heal wounds with greater efficiency." Seteth blinked in surprise as he looked over the small bottle.
"Truly?" Seteth now looked far more intrigued "But it is much smaller than a standard vulunerary."
"Improving upon the basic potion was simple." Goetia scoffed "It will be more impressive when it can heal broken bones correctly in an instant."
"I will admit I am...Impressed." Seteth nodded his head as he looked over the finished works, then another bottle caught his eye "What was this one?"
"Hmm?" Goetia looked over to what Seteth was holding and cringed slightly "That was...was a product of my inebriation."
"You made this when you were drunk?" Seteth looked back at Goetia "Why?"
"I was in a state of...morbid fascination and decided to take reference from a mage I had heard of in the past."
"Oh?" Seteth raised an eyebrow "What does it do? I can't read the label."
"It is in Hebrew." Goetia replied "It means opposite. I created in after one of the Wizards more...famous...potions." he scowled "An act of drunken stupidity and nothing more."
"What was the Wizards name?"
"Merlin." Goetia sighed.
"Why is it empty?"
"What?" Goetia turned around and sure enough, the bottle was empty. The tanned man frowned and walked forwards, then looked at a similar bottle, that was still full, on the shelf where Seteth had picked it up "I see...That would explain why Professor Manuela's hangover remedy is still full. It appears when I told her to retrieve it she mixed up the bottles."
Seteth frowned "It's not harmful is it?"
"Not physically." Goetia replied, then frowned "Although...She will likely be in a state of panic when she awakens."
"...Why?"
"The potion was designed to swap the genitalia for the recipient." Goetia elaborated "Hence the translation of 'opposite.'"
Seteth and Goetia fell into a silence as they digested the news before the green haired man spoke up again "How quickly can you create a cure?"
"I'll work on it immediately."
Chapter 11: Side Project
"Enter." Seteth's voice called out from the other side of the door, Goetia advanced into the room. The green haired man looked up from his paperwork and raised an inquisitive eyebrow when he saw who it was who had arrived "Goetia? I assume you have a reason to seek me out?"
"You assume correctly." Goetia nodded his head and shut the door "I am here on a matter regarding the upcoming monthly assignment of the Golden Deer house."
"Ah yes." Seteth nodded as he set down the parchment he was reading "The request from Riverside. Displacement of Demonic Beasts if I recall correctly, to what end does this interest you?"
"I have come seeking permission to accompany the Golden Deer house on their expedition." Goetia bluntly stated, Seteth's other eyebrow rose to meet its counterpart further atop his forehead.
"Oh? For what reason?"
"Curiosity." The tanned man replied "If it is elaboration you seek I shall oblige, creatures of more mystical origins were present in my homeland. I was simply curious as to potential similarities and differences between the two. The mission that was assigned to the Golden Deer's merely presented an opportunity for me to take advantage of."
"You request permission to accompany them out of a scientific curiosity then." Seteth summarised and nodded his head "I do not need to remind you of your obligations to the Church's library. This would not be a short trip, it is expected to take at least three days."
"Tomas has agreed to allow my departure, provided I received your permission prior." Goetia replied "I have also agreed to forfeit my allocated pay for the days I am not present."
"Hmmm." Seteth put on a thoughtful expression as he mulled over the words "I assume you realise this mission is to test the capabilities of the students."
"My interference would be kept to a minimal." He replied "I have already spoken with Professor Manuela and have agreed to only act if she believes it necessary."
Seteth narrowed his eyes "I suppose your reason to go is purely out of scientific study and not out of an overprotective concern for a recently acquired pupil."
"You need not be vague, I have made no effort to hide my tutoring of Lysithea." Goetia replied, his expression remaining fixed "I also have faith in her natural talent to survive the ordeal. Although on the possibility that she attempts to utilise the spells I have been teaching her, I would prefer to be present to ensure that the results were not overtly dangerous to herself or the others present. Such an outcome would be unfortunate."
He would lose a potential subject of study and the girl have become a common variable in his routine. It would be...Problematic if her attempt at casting runes incorrectly resulted in the painful and explosive death of herself and her classmates.
"...Very well." Seteth nodded after a few moments "I will allow you to accompany the Golden Deer on their mission." he narrowed his eyes at Goetia "But I will be reading the report that Manuela will provide me at the end of the mission. If it comes to light that you have abused the trust I and the Archbishop have placed in you I will be most displeased."
"Naturally." Goetia nodded his head "I will take my leave of you."
"Good day to you, Goetia." Seteth bid him farewell as the tanned man left the room, Goetia walked out of the rather open room and towards the staircase.
Lysithea had seemed distracted, she had arrived like she had every other day during a free period after her class ended and taken out a book to study on, however it was clear to Goetia that she was only paying a modicum of attention to the literature.
Ordinarily he would have ignored her, he was busy comparing research into Crests and the ability to mix them. Although he quickly found his patience being tested with the consistent dogma of Crests being 'gifts from the Goddess' and the like. He was aware of Crests being a result of some Divine intervention, however very little in-depth research had been conducted on Crests in regards to transference or mixing.
Apparently such fields were considered to be heretical and were severely punished by the Church. Tomas had a number of works in his private collection which were enlightening on the subject. The false librarian had either believed his claim that he was merely curious or didn't care. Frankly, neither did Goetia.
It was Vexing that religious stigma had hampered progress, it was plain to him that Crests could be used for a wider array of purposes than simply upholding a caste system. Humanity disappointing him was nothing new.
He had toyed with the idea that the Archbishop and Seteth were actively preventing such fields of research in order to maintain the Churches control over the populace and the continued existence of a social hierarchy. It made the most sense, the fewer people that had Crests, the easier it was to believe that the 'Goddess herself' chose who received them.
More likely it had been a result of the Phantasmals ancestors or siblings mixing their blood with the human populace. The existence of twenty two Crests had been confirmed, meaning it had only been a small population of Phantasmals who had mixed their blood with humanity.
Perhaps experimentation on blood samples would yield-
"Teacher?" Lysithea's voice snapped him out of his musings and he realised he had been thinking while staring at her "Is something wrong?"
"No." He replied, closing the book that was in his hand and placing it back on the shelf "That is in regards to myself, Seteth has sanctioned my joining of your class on the mission to Riverside."
"Oh." Lysithea blinked and then nodded her head, cringing slightly "I...I see."
"Does this displease you?"
"No!" Her eyes widened and she waved her hands "No, it doesn't upset me! It's just that…" she bit her lip and looked down "Are you...are you accompanying us because of me?"
"No." The immediate reply made her gape at him "While the task does provide me with the opportunity to see magic of Fodlan utilised in a combat scenario, my reason in joining you is purely zoological...The study of animals." he clarified at her slightly confused expression "As I stated previously, this is an opportunity for me to observe the demonic beasts of your country."
"Did you not have them in your own?" Lysithea titled her head, looking slightly inquisitive.
"Phantasmals and their ilk were common for thousands of years and came in many shapes and forms." Goetia waved her off "Beings of magical origin are rarer than they once were however."
"Why?"
"Hunting." He replied as he took a seat opposite her "For either ingredients, trophies, stories or as a form of pest control."
"That sounds...quite barbaric." Lysithea frowned "But is they are anything like out Demonic Beasts…"
"Many were intelligent towards human standards." Lysithea's eyes widened at the claim "Goblins had their own individual tribes as did the Giants. Cultures that extended back to the creation of the first tribes of men."
"They hunted them to extinction?" Lysithea's face became more shocked "But...why?"
"Why would they not?" Goetia raised an eyebrow "Humans already treat their own race with prejudice over the purity of blood, the pigmentation of their skin, or even which patch of dirt they were born upon. If you treat your own race so poorly is it any wonder why you would treat a completely different species worse." he did pause before continuing "Not that the phantasmals were much better, there were several clans of Fae that devoted themselves to killing humans, purely for enjoyment."
"Thats...thats disgusting…" Lysithea cringed, Goetia hummed and nodded along.
"They have long since retreated to another plane." He clarified, he couldn't say that it was because mysteries were weakening as she would no doubt call him out on the fact that humans could still wield magic "It exists outside of the boundaries of this world."
She narrowed her eyes at him "Are you making fun of me?"
"Not at all. Magic is far more diverse than making fires or shooting beams from swords." He went on "The more in-depth one looks into their study of the mystic world, the more one can understand the complexity of it and its vast potential."
"Am you going to teach me about it?" She eventually asked, then deflated when Goetia shook his head at her.
"Rune Craft will take years for you to master, even at your, albeit impressive, rate of learning. Attempting to learn branches of magecraft you have never even heard of before or studied would be unfeasible." He looked her in the eye "Which is why I would suggest you devote your efforts, after learning Runecraft, to bettering the advances of the magic system you currently have. Understand the spells from their root, and make improvements. That is ultimately what the development of magecraft relies upon, invention of new spells and improvement of old."
Lysithea bit her lip and looked away "How...how long would that take?" there was a hidden meaning in her message which Goetia picked up on, but couldn't quite discern.
"Decades." He clarified, and didn't miss the way her features seemed to become dejected for a few seconds before returning to their usual blank self "However, I sense that answer is not pleasing to you."
"No…" Lysithea muttered under her breath "I-it's just that...there's so much to learn and there probably isn't enough time."
Goetia stared at her silently for a few moments before he replied "No. Imparting all my knowledge on anyone would be quite impossible. Unless they lived for centuries."
Lysithea released a mirthless snort "I suppose everyone else would be as lucky as me with time constraints."
"Indeed." Goetia nodded his head, Lysithea remained silent for a few minutes before her brows furrowed slightly.
"All magic where your from can't be based on Runes, can it?"
"No." Goetia admitted "Most Magi have more personal craft, they work on it and make improvements and then pass it down through their crest."
"Crests?" She raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes "It's always Crests…"
"Not in the type you envisage." He replied "Magic Crests are more akin to journals. A mage will record their progress in the Crest, and then pass it onto their heir, who will have access to the knowledge and continue on with the work."
"Pass it on?" Lysithea blinked in surprise "They aren't born with them?"
"Hardly." Goetia shook his head "It would be impractical for a toddler to be in possession of centuries of knowledge in regards to spells. Most family Crests are generations old and contain a great amount of information in regards to the families unique spells and history."
"Huh." The white haired girl made a noise of surprise "So how does a person decide who to pass their Crest onto?"
"Typically the first born." Goetia remarked "Although if the first born is weaker than the younger sibling, then it will go to them."
"So its the more talented of the two?" Lysithea frowned "That doesn't sound much different from selecting an heir based on being born with a crest."
"It is more to avoid losing the Crest itself." Goetia waved off that argument "A magic Crest is linked to their Magic Circuits which is linked to the soul, thus it is grafted onto the body. The procedure is painful and if the heir isn't strong enough, fatal."
Lysithea frowned but said nothing, it made sense for the child who was best suited to carry the crest be the one to be named heir, but at the same time it seemed far too cold blooded to make a child go through that pain due to generational pressure.
"I guess nothing really changes with children being passed over because of birth rather than skill." Lysithea muttered, Goetia raised a single eyebrow.
"Biologically it makes sense, there are several species of birds who will actively kill the weakest offspring to allow the strongest to live. You only find it disturbing because you have the intelligence to recognise that a person could have value beyond birth, the bird does not." He shrugged "Still, I will admit that the human fascination with genetic strength is consistent as it is disappointing."
"Disappointing?" Lysithea crossed her arms and looked at Goetia inquisitively "Do you not approve of the Crest system, Teacher?"
Goetia looked down at her with a blank expression "To speak ill of the caste system I am currently employed in, especially as a foreigner, would be unwise. I understand the logic behind its inception, however it is wasteful in its practice. Solomon's skill at statecraft and his Kingship were not based upon his ability to fling fireballs. No matter how impressive the peasant masses may have found it."
"Solomon?" Lysithea blinked in confusion "Was he a King where you were from?"
"He was." Goetia nodded, and cringed at his slip. It seemed as though being with the girl had made him slightly loose lipped "He was the King of my homeland. Von Riegan could tell you more. I...dislike speaking of him."
"Alright." Lysithea nodded her head, she hadn't seen him make and expression like that before, although she decided it would have been rude of her to try and pry the information out of him, and leave it to Claude to completely ignore personal privacy and ask anyway. She'd probably need to reprimand the oaf herself later.
After she got the information on Solomon, of course.
She looked over at the shelf that Goetia had returned the book to and recognised the section "Researching Crests?" she inquired, a slightly curious expression on her face.
Goetia nodded his head "Divine blood within mortals is not a common trait, thus I decided to investigate its effects on humans." he explained "However most works suffer from religious bias and a lack of factual exploration." he frowned "Although I suspect that the Church would likely quell more exploratory research on the subject."
"Really?" She titled her head and then looked around suspiciously before she leaned in closer to him "Why?" she whispered to him, fully aware that he was coming dangerously close to insulting the Church, but was still slightly curious.
Goetia decided to humour her, she was open to new ideas. Not a bad trait he supposed "Crests are only as powerful and well regarded because they are mysterious in nature. However, if their effects could be fully understood and replicated, they would lose their power in society." he leaned back "I was already familiar within several spells which could enhance strength, similar to the Blaiddyd Crest. Although such were active rather than passive and came with risks of their own." he acquiesced "However, the lack of information into Crests means I will be forced to conduct first hand research."
"Is that a bad thing?" Lysithea wondered, she didn't personally dislike studying.
"More tedious than a negative." Goetia shook his head before looking back to the library "I believe I have shirked from my duties long enough." he stood up "I will return to my task and leave you to yours."
"Oh." Lysithea nodded her head "Alright...Would I be able to ask more questions about your magic in our next session?" she quizzed.
"You might." Goetia nodded "However, I will ask you provide specific questions to ensure I can concisely answer them. Else the subject could last hours."
"Alright." The white haired girl nodded with a serious expression, although her eyes clearly revealed her excitement at the prospect "I'll think of some."
"Hmm." The tanned man hummed in reply before he returned to filling away the library books.
"You're visit is most unexpected." Goetia called out, the white haired girl behind him froze slightly in surprise "What brings you here beyond the knowledge of this library, Lady Edelgard?"
"You knew who it was?" Edelgard asked in surprise, as well she should have been, considering his back was facing her.
Goetia turned around and regarded her for a few moments "I have my ways." he idly replied "As does your retainer, I assume he has been passing along his reports of my person to you?"
"Hubert?" Edelgard blinked "Why would he be reporting to me about you?"
"He has been following me for over a week." Goetia raised an eyebrow in mild puzzlement "I would assume that the length of his investigation into me was at your behest."
Edelgard released a sigh of exasperation "I must apologise for Huberts...fervour. He takes his role as my retainer quite seriously. I hope he has caused no offence."
"You will make for a poor Empress if you apologise for your agents fulfilling their tasks." Was the quick reply she received, which almost had her gape in shock although she was did well to mask it "If nothing else, you should at least ask for him to make reports on persons of interest. It will make dealing with them far easier."
"Dealing with them?"
"Blackmail or assassination works best." He replied just as swiftly, in a rather cold voice "Depending on their usefulness. Although it would work best if you were unaware of such dealings, it makes it far easier to cover up and provides you with blissful ignorance if such events were revealed."
"You seem rather cavalier with the topic of blackmail and assassination." Edelgard replied with a frown and narrowed eyes "Especially for a humble traveller."
"I have observed many dealings in courts." He gave her a sideways glance "They are consistent in their inner workings, regardless of who sits upon the throne." he turned and gave her his full attention "However, you have not come here for my observations on the workings of a royal court."
"No…" She said after a moment "Although now that you have begun, I do find myself curious." she admitted "However, I am more interested in yourself as a person."
"Myself?" He tilted his head, then nodded along with her words "I see. A foreigner is a rare thing, and often unwelcome." he raised his lone hand "You need not deny it, I have seen the way many of the clerics look upon me. My appointment by the Archbishop is likely the only thing that prevents them from openly insulting me."
"I see." Edelgard frowned "You have my sympathy."
"Hm." Goetia have a short grunt in affirmation before gesturing her to continue.
"You said you were a traveller?" At his nod she went on "What were you before that?"
"Before?" Goetia looked past her "An observer. It was my official role in Jerusalem. I was to observe the people...Those closely affiliated with Solomon referred to me as his Shadow."
"You held a position in court?"
"No, I held no sway over the masses. I was, quite literally, an observer. That was the role Solomon bestowed upon me from the moment of I was aware." He continued to file away books, without looking at them, his full attention on Edelgard "After I left the city, I continued in my function of observation, I looked upon many different civilisations and Kingdoms in my journeys."
"Given your...indifference towards them-"
"They were remarkably similar to eachother, yes." He cut her off "To a boring degree. At this rate, I am beginning to wonder if it is human nature to assign itself a Caste system."
"Rather a pessimistic view, is it not?"
"Perhaps, although I would think of it as a conclusion which draws upon empirical evidence." He countered "Regardless, I would assume that you were expecting something more specific in regards to my history?"
"Not quite." Edelgard replied, a slightly more relaxed look "I would consider it quite the breach of privacy to demand answers from you in our second meeting. I was, however, more curious how the Church appears from your outside perspective."
"Given the Churches view of those who do not believe in the Goddess, I would hesitate to make statements which could be misconstrued." Her lip twitched slightly at his statement, although he continued before she could reply to him "However, I doubt you were asking me this as a means of outing my Heresy for a Church inquisition. If you must know, the social structure the Church has created is one I have seen many times. It is neither as tame as some in the past, nor as overtly zealous as other devoted to their Gods."
"Then...your opinion is that the Church is nothing special?" Her eyebrows raised slightly and her face shifted into one of puzzlement mixed with, something Goetia couldn't quite place.
"A rather blunt simplification, but not entirely incorrect." He replied "Another metaphor I would draw upon would be that of a Raven and a Sparrow. Despite being different to eachother, they are ultimately both birds and carry out the exact same basic function. The Church of Seiros is, ultimately, a Church dedicated to their Goddess. They do no more and no less than I would expect them to."
Edelgard put on a thoughtful expression on her face "There are probably many in the Church who would disagree with that, likely claiming that the Church of Seiros would be a lion while other Churches are house cats."
"Despite being felines, the Lion is undoubtedly superior to the house cat." He surmised "An apt and wholly unoriginal thought. All who worship Gods are normally under the belief that theirs is superior to others. The Church of Seiros are not the first to believe this and they will not be the last."
"Do you believe in the Goddess existence?" Edelgard asked "I will not judge you for your answer."
"I have no doubt she exists." He replied, much to the Edelgards surprise, although he had the benefit of actually speaking with her and her vessel. Or rather, the failed Vessel at this point it seemed that Byleth was more akin to a conduit to communicate with than a Vessel for Divine possession "However, I find the more important question would be 'If the Goddess exists, who is to say the other Gods do not?"
"This has been...an interesting conversation." Edelgard replied after a few moments "I will also see to it that Hubert refrains from bothering you."
"It is hardly a concern for me, I was somewhat surprised at his skill in subterfuge for a retainer of his age." Goetia waved her off.
Edelgard's face became slightly amused "I will be sure to pass along the message that his stalking impressed you. I hope we have the opportunity to-"
"Excuse me." The pair turned to see a cleric enter the library, the man immediately fixed his gaze on the one armed tanned man "Are you Assistant Goetia?"
"I am." The aforementioned man replied "Is there an issue?"
"The Archbishop requests your presence." The cleric replied, his face still blank "I was sent to escort you."
"I see." He turned to Edelgard and bowed his head slightly "If you will excuse me, it seems I am required."
"Of course." Edelgard bowed her head slightly in reply "I hope we have the opportunity to speak again in the future."
Goetia's eyes darted over to the cleric in a meaningful way "We shall see…"
"I suppose we shall."
AN: The meeting between the Rhea and Goetia...How exciting.
Also another brief conversation with Goetia and Edelgard. Also, in case any were wondering about the timeframe we are in right now.
We'll say that the Golden Deer mission is in one week.
Now then…
Answering the Questions!
Terumi Gremory: Yes...Yes I do play FGO, also I will work on future interactions with the other Golden Deer as the story progresses, as well as the other Houses.
Hyperalax2000: Goetia strength wise, physically he isn't much stronger than a human. I was debating giving him E rank strength but decided against it. The 10 rings are still in Solomon's Reality Marble. I was basically running with that the destruction of the Temple of Time has left him with only a sliver of his original power because that was basically what made him so powerful to begin with. He's Goetia, the individual rather than the collection of Demons. He isn't weak though, he still has the knowledge of Solomon and 3000 years of observing human magecraft. Skill wise, he doesn't have clairvoyance, from my understanding he only had it because he nested himself in Solomon's corpse (Although I might be wrong) but skills like Territory creation and Item construction are still available to him. He's also mortal.
IHev9Sun: That would be telling...I'm not adverse to the idea of other Fate Characters although I would need to find a way to implement them in a way that isn't hamfisted.
Zelenin-02: I was either going to make a Fire Emblem Heroes fic with my Fate characters, or more likely a Fire Emblem Warriors fic with the Fate characters.
Now then…
Onto the Omake!
Omake: See you yesterday!
Ritsuka released a breath of exhaustion as he and Mash continued their sprint through the Temple of Time.
"Roman!" Ritsuka barked "Are you still picking up Archer, Caster and Saber's signals?"
"I am! Why, where are they!?" The medic replied, confusion in his tone.
"I don't know! They won't reply to me, the second they caught sight of the Throne they sprinted towards it." He looked around "Me, Mash and Berserker are trying to get to them before they rush Solomon by themselves!"
"What about a command seal?"
"I can't risk using it, I've only got one left."
"They signals are still pretty weak, but they're definitely there! Hurry!"
"Come on Mash!" Ritsuka bellowed, the pink haired servant shouted an affirmative and continued on in their sprint towards them.
"I must say...This was unexpected." The Tanned servant in white hair stared down at the trio with barely concealed amusement, as well as disgust "I had expected the Master of Chaldea to come blundering his way in here, instead I'm approached by his Servants." he raised an eyebrow and smirked, looking behind them "He's not dead is he?"
"Why?"
"Why?" He parroted, giving the white haired Caster in purple robes a strange look "That should be my question." his face changed into one of anger "Why couldn't you just restrain yourselves for a few minutes. We were almost ready to complete the First Virtual Nobel Phantas-"
"Get out of that skin suit." The Archer spoke up with a rather lazy tone, although his eyes showed a more serious glint in them "We all know you aren't really Solomon."
"Hmph." 'Solomon' let out a huff "Well...I'm close enough to the real thing without his weakness or incompetency. Although I suppose I should spare some praise for Chaldea for figuring it out. Not that it will do you much good."
"I didn't need to." Caster replied in a surprisingly calm voice "I always knew."
"Did you really?" 'Solomon' raised an amused eyebrow "That's certainly unexpected, and you kept this from Chaldea for so long? Quite the disloyal servant that the boy has-"
"Goetia." The Saber spoke for the first time, the green haired woman with violet eyes wielding the bone like sword stepped forwards "Your true name."
Goetia's arms fell to their side, his eyes narrowed at the Saber "...Hm. Perhaps I did underestimate Chaldea's deductive skills. Although the other two servants seem to be just as informed." his eyes swept over them "I have no knowledge of your legends. I shall only assume it is something related to the Kaleidoscope which brought you here. An unexpected but ultimately irrelevant event. We cannot be stopped now."
"Its a wish no one wants." Caster stepped forwards "Your committing everything to something that no one desires."
Goetia bristled at the comment "It is desired and if no one else will see the task completed, then we will. I will ensure that humanity no longer burdens my sight with its pitiful existence."
"Huh…" Archer let out a small sigh and shook his head "I guess he was right...I really can't perceive how an immortal would view life."
Goetia's head snapped to him "Exactly. Your limited, mortal, existence struggled against the inevitable. Everything you ever achieved will have amounted to nothing. I will no longer allow it."
"I can't allow you to continue." Caster eventually spoke, speaking in a strange language which briefly had Goetia's eyes widen in surprise and recognition as golden ring emerged behind her "And for the sake of everyone and for my Teacher, I will stop you."
"...Who taught you that spell?" Goetia growled out, eyes glowing "Teacher!? Are you one of that fools apprentices? Some parallel version of Solomon taught you did he!?"
"No." Caster narrowed her eyes "You'll have to find out yourself."
Goetia looked at the other two "Then I shall assume you are equally familiar with her Teacher?"
"Well...I wouldn't say familiar. Guy could be a real piece of work sometimes, let me tell you." The Archer chuckled "He had a few choice things to say about you as well." Saber remained silent, but did nod along with him.
"...Very well." Goetia replied in a calm tone, hiding his rage. The temple began to shake as black clouds surrounded the Servant "Then before I shall grant you the privilege of seeing my true form. The only mercy you can pray for now…is a swift death."