3,233Chapter 128: Cruel reminders of cruel times
To say that Solon was angered would be an understatement.
He was outright furious as to what had been done and the worst aspect about the entire sordid affair was that he could not rage at the one responsible for this fiasco. Thus he was left to stew in his own bitterness for what felt like a long time.
Longer still, he supposed, since he had felt this way.
But there was nothing to do but sit and glare down at his desk, struggling to keep himself from just gripping the table and hurling the wood across the room.
Truly, it was the very worst state of affairs.
His eye twitched as he smoothed over his expression at the sound of someone entering the room, then he realised he should not have bothered as Kronya skulked in, he fixed her with a rather blank look as she met his gaze for only a brief second before darting her eyes away and moving about to do her work.
He watched her for a few moments.
Then raised his voice.
"Come here."
She flinched as though he had actually done something, but it was rather premature. He had done nothing to her yet, despite the fact he very much wanted to just reach over and throttle her for so desperately failing to inform him that the nuisance that was his former employee had just glanced and ruined all their hard work.
Kronya looked his way before she strode towards him, losing that meek attitude of hers and taking in a breath.
The confidence was something she should not have worn openly, not if she had any idea what was good for her.
Now standing before his desk, he looked up at her without even so much as a single blink and just waited until she would start to feel the pressure. He remained silent and vigil as the seconds ticked past, then approaching a minute before she started to fidget on the spot, a mixture of annoyance and trepidation bleeding into her features.
Yes, she was starting to realise that he was most upset.
"...How long has he been aware?"
Kronya welt quiet, wetting her lips before she croaked back. "Who-?"
"If you play games with me, you will not find yourself enjoying the outcome." He replied back before she could even finish that thought. "You are here only because it was convinced you could prove yourself useful and, thus far, you have proven to be anything but."
Slowly, he rose from his seat and stalked around the desk.
Kronya did not turn to follow him, her eyes remained fixed straight ahead as he came up beside her and glared at the side of her face.
"You are here for one reason and one reason only." Solon hissed. "A simple reason to keep myself and others informed of whatever transpires in the monastery that could prove dangerous to our agenda…so tell me…"
He leaned closer.
"What is the point of a spy who can find no information to report until after it has already happened? You think that hindsight is required?"
Kronya slowly shook her head from side to side.
Good.
He did not want to hear her speak just yet.
"How long then, did he know?"
Kronya took in a slow breath before speaking. "...He overheard it somewhere and was moving before I had a chance to tell you."
Solon suspected as such, but could not help the click of his tongue that came next.
Because of course that was what happened, of all the times for that pest to turn his nose up at the problems of the world and he chose this very moment to suddenly get invested? It was all the more hectic that he had dragged one of the victims back and he was under no illusion that it was only a matter of time before they all uncovered just where the problem had arisen.
Twisting away, he stalked back to his desk and folded his hands behind his back.
He would need to report this back to the others and they would probably blame him for this utter catastrophe, rather than the one who was really responsible for it.
He scowled deeper and deeper, etching lines across his features.
None of this would have been a problem if he had gone with his original plan, they would have removed one of the foul beasts and sown chaos into the ranks of the monastery, their enemies would be dealt a crippling blow and his people could harvest what they needed from the creature and then find other uses for the body.
That fool Lemegeton was proving himself to be just a big a nuisance for them as that blasted Goetia.
It had been utterly foolish to believe the grand and hollow words from that-
"-that puffed up and ignorant halfwit."
Solon froze on the spot.
From behind him, there was a sharp intake of breath from Kronya.
He whirled around and felt himself go stiff, jerking backwards and shooting his eyes up to meet the face of the one currently casting a deep shadow over him. With red slitted eyes narrowed further and a clear level of distaste etched into his face.
Lemegeton raised a large hand, then slowly lowered it onto his shoulder, pressing the back of his knuckles into his collarbone. He did no further move beyond resting the hand there, the frown upon his face slowly vanishing and being replaced with a thin line of apathy.
Solon did not show the panic he felt at this moment.
"That is indeed what you are thinking, is it not? That I have squandered the prize I obtained from Saint Cethleann, yes?"
He eyed the hand resting on his shoulder warily for a few moments before taking a breath, straightening himself out as much as could be allowed and bringing his eyes up towards the face of the man.
"...You understand how this looks, yes?"
"I understand you lack patience."
Solon twitched ever so slightly at the jab, huffing through his nose and feeling a glare form upon his face. "You made a promise to provide soldiers who could slay the beasts and their spawn, yet those who would do that task are perishing in the droves. I would have no complaint, save for that this is not what I was told would happen."
Lemegeton tilted his head very slowly, eyes moving up and down in a lethargic manner.
"Do you mean to accuse me of treachery or of incompetence then, Solon?"
"...If not either, then what? We have been patient long enough-"
"Then you might be patient for longer." Lemegeton slowly lifted the hand from his shoulder and it was not until the limb was gone that Solon realised just how much weight was actually pressing down upon him, or how anxious he had been with the limb placed where it was.
Drawing back the hand and folded it behind his back, the taller figure took a step backwards and grunted.
"Everything proceeded as I assumed it would. You will have what you desire, provided you do nothing in haste, and you will see just what those experiments of mine are capable of…Those under the command of Lonato were little more than test subjects for this."
Solon still felt as though he had been cheated, the talk of patience was wearing thin.
As were all the promises of what they would be capable of, for all the bluster that this thing threw at them, he had yet to see it achieve a single one of their goals which they had agreed upon once.
It was nothing more than empty promise after empty promise and veiled threats against them for expecting a deal to be upheld.
He was long past the point of believing that a deal with this thing was a fools gambit and they would have been better suited on their own.
"Perhaps you would be more at ease if I were to elucidate you as to the inner workings of this plan so that you might be comforted with the notion that I have not put your work to waste."
Solon would only huff in response to that, mostly on account of the tone of voice that was bordering mocking. As though he was somehow the one being done the favour in this situation. His glare soured further as he stepped backwards, just out of the immediate reach of Lemegeton and spoke slowly and sharply.
"That would be preferred. An explanation is warranted-"
"The explanation is a courtesy so that you do nothing to jeopardise our position."
Gritting his teeth, he felt his temper flare at both the interruption and the jab.
But he did not speak again, mostly so that his next words could not be twisted to lay the groundwork for another insult levelled against him. Instead he just grumbled and nodded his head towards the man, patiently awaiting the explanation that he was sure would make clear everything that was going on and how there was no problem.
"With the bounded field established, Goetia has linked every single human currently afflicted. At present, all they require is a surge in magical energy to wake them…combined with a subtle alteration in the mind to increase aggression and amplify hunger, they would wake as one and act in the most savage way they would require."
Solon was silent following the words.
He despised how much they made sense, but he also hated one other thing there.
"You made us dependent on outside interference that could not be counted upon?"
Lemegeton looked down at him as though he had said something stupid, it was such an insulting expression that Solon wanted nothing more than to wipe it clean off his face. Instead he could do nothing, as he knew full well that anything he tried to do would be swiftly rebuffed.
"...Had I constructed a bounded field of my own, he most certainly would have noticed and would have paid greater focus to you and your assistant. In creating the bounded field, he has done the work for us without any need for greater suspicion beyond what already exists."
"And the beast slave he brought back with him?" Solon questioned with a slight hiss, because that was the greater problem.
With enough time, even these savages would be able to piece together what happened and it would certainly bring more questions forwards as to how this happened.
The beasts were paranoid, they would start to look closer.
And until Thales scheme bore fruit…
"Did he?" Lemegeton hummed and tilted his head, but not truly hearing him at all. He could tell as much from the lack of urgency on their face. "Hmph, no matter. He would have done much the same after the plan was launched…Regardless, rest assured that by the end of the week, the plan will be enacted and your worries shall be put to rest."
The taller man retreated a single step, eyes flashing and bearing down upon him with a rather challenging glare.
Almost a dare for him to speak up again.
"Have you any other pressing concerns, Solon? Or have all your concerns been met with satisfied answers?"
…It answered enough of what he wanted to know.
At the very least there was the assurance that his work and their prize had not been totally wasted with this ordeal, but it was far more complicated than what he had initially wanted to do. He was still struck as puzzled as to why they could not use his original plan, but that was all in the past now.
Nothing he said bore weight anymore, loathe as he was to admit it.
Lemegeton took his silence as an answer, turning on his heel and spinning around rather suddenly and facing Kronya.
"Keep me informed of his progress with the human." Lemegeton ordered, then paused for only a moment before inclining his head. "See if there is a correlation between the human being studied and a sudden vested interest in one of Myson's old projects, her name would be Lysithea."
Kronya rapidly nodded her head up and down and, thankfully, did not open her mouth to complain.
Which was good, the very last thing his temper needed right now was more of her impetuous whining.
"You shall have your signal shortly. Be mindful."
And like that, he vanished as though he had never been here in the first place.
It was not even a second later in which a knight stepped through into the room and immediately caught sight of the pair of them. Smiling and raising his hand towards them, stepping closer and speaking as he did so.
"Excuse me? Would you be willing to help me, Tomas?"
Adopting the friendly old manner that made him rather sick to his stomach, he hobbled towards the younger man and nodded his head.
"Of course, how might I assist you?"
He did not care to remember the name or the face of this thing.
The man went quiet for a moment, then glanced around and over his shoulder for some few seconds, he turned back to them and almost looked on edge about something. It was enough bemusing behaviour for him to raise a crooked brow, the distraction from the previous conversation was at least worth something-
"I was wondering if there were any books on the type of religions there were before the Prophet Seiros."
Solon blinked very slowly and straightened.
"Before?" He pretended to think about the question, then slowly tilted his head. "I…there could be some passing notes in journals, but nothing that would be specific. Such things are no more than baseless nonsense, after all. Tribal warnings from before the Prophet and the saints."
For whatever reason, he could have sworn he saw the knight flinch for a brief second but it was such a swift thing.
"Y-yeah…" The man replied slowly, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting once more. "Just curious about checking something, was all…I don't suppose you've heard about all those texts in Abyss, right?"
That festering slum under the Church?
He was aware there was one of their old failures down there skulking around, but he cared nothing for knowing.
It hadn't been all that important…until it apparently was important enough for Thales to suffer a beating for not mentioning.
The reminder of that vile place struck a nerve within him but he did not let it show.
"I have heard some rather outlandish things, yes." He replied slowly, pretending to look concerned at the young man. "You should be careful about speaking of such things, some might adopt the wrong impression…Besides, many lack the validation needed for recognised works. You would be better off searching these tomes than wasting time with such heresy."
He could not care less.
The man sighed. "I guess you might be right, but I did just want to check all the same…even if it's just the same name showing up more than once…"
Solon hummed then nodded towards Kronya, smiling all the while. "I am sure my assistant could lend a hand, could you not, Sister Wiebke?"
Kronya stiffened, now wearing a strained smiled while her eyes promised pain.
He almost snorted mockingly at her expression, instead he smiled as though he were a kindly old man.
"Of course." She turned and gestured. "Right this way."
"Thank you." The man nodded his head before he paused. "Oh, Wiebke? Goetia said that you were the one to go to for this anyway-"
"H-he did?"
Solon tuned out the remainder of the conversation as the pair walked off.
If he never heard about Goetia ever again, it would be too soon.
What was worse was the fact that he was actually better at this job than Kronya was.
Tch.
He could not be free of this job fast enough.
They looked over the body in silence, his eyes darted left to the man working away on his own equipment.
It was a brief instant before Hanneman stepped back from his equipment and cupped his chin, a thoughtful look on his face before humming and raising his eyes.
"Your hypothesis was correct, there is the very clear presence of a foreign element within the blood of his man…there could indeed be some relation to the blood of a crest, but I cannot be sure. It is so incredibly thin, even more so than a minor crest, which prevents me from finding a complete sample."
Goetia knew as such.
It had been modified beyond that, he would be surprised if there was much of the original that remained. He stepped closer and examined the machine, staring at the crooked slits on the face of the orb, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.
Hanneman stepped closer, raising a hand and pointing.
"There is something that is far more intriguing to me with this blood."
Goetia hummed as a way of spurring the man onwards, curious as to what else he had noticed.
"The patient shows no sign of rejection."
Quickly, he narrowed his eyes in thought and turned his gaze to the man. Indeed, it had been something he had overlooked. Or perhaps he had assigned it a lesser importance based on the potential on if they were awake, but that was something he had never truly considered.
The victim showed no sign of rejecting the influence of the blood in his system.
"It stands to reason the blood was modified prior to the injection into the patient," Hanneman continued onwards, folding his arms behind his back. "Though whether this is a trait of the original sample or if this has been an addition to remove complications…"
He trailed off, but the implication hung clearly in the air.
Goetia rolled his jaw and glanced downwards.
"The sample would have to arrive from something for them to make a modification, it demonstrates effects similar in scope to the influence of a crest, despite lacking the same level of presence within the blood."
"Indeed." Hanneman cut in, bleeding interest and almost excitement into his tone. "But we can see the distinction in potency. The influence on the body from what was clearly a thin sample…it means that the original must have had a tremendous effect on the physical form…but the effects that are already taking place on these people…"
Trailing off, the man cupped his chin and hummed.
Though Goetia could already grasp the nature of his growing confusion.
It was certainly not one that he shared, but there were still questions.
Clearly, the original sample had come from a phantasmal, one of those in the Monastery or some other who was dead or missing. He recalled there being two other Saints who had all but vanished from the public eye after the end of the war.
He never made an effort to see if they were still alive.
In truth, it had never even occurred to him to ask any of the phantasmals in the monastery as to whether their brethren still lived.
Something to do.
"We need to see if we can someone link this with a crest, it registers as such but there is so little that remains."
His eyes turned to Hanneman, the man marched across his office and already started pulling through his papers and files, setting them aside as he spoke to himself.
"We have a single piece of the puzzle available to us…unless you have a way of speeding up the process?"
Goetia debated it within his head for a moment.
Was it possible? Certainly so.
But the blood had been thinned tremendously, he would make estimates that barely even five-percent of the original nature of it remained and that was before it had clearly been modified further. He did not believe phantasmal blood was universal, but Jeralt showed evidence of such a transplant.
Almost akin to this, but the difference was clear enough.
He widened his eyes ever so slightly, moving a hand to cup his chin.
Jeralt showed something similar, but he did not suffer the same effects.
How and why?
Unless…
He twisted his head and looked down.
"...I could not show specifics, too much of the blood has been affected and modified. I could ascertain the species it originated from, but that would offer little benefit. Especially if they were not ready and available for us to examine."
If Hanneman at all noticed his slip and mention of a different species, he gave no reaction to it.
Instead, the man hummed and nodded as though he had expected the answer.
"Then we shall compare it with existing crests within the monastery. We have a rather diverse sample and pursue those which have the closest match. After that, we can see how it has bonded with the blood and then…"
Hanneman turned about and faced him.
But Goetia answered him instead.
"It stands to reason this can be undone."
"Exactly." A sharp nod of the head, Hanneman turned and approached the foot of the bed where the man lay, peering down at him with his back to Goetia.
But he could read the emotions easily.
…There was a mixture, but the greatest present was relief and excitement.
"This tragedy…it might yield something that could save many lives. Including those afflicted."
Goetia did not ask for an elaboration.
He was instead thinking of the difference between Jeralt and this man.
He had theories, but he would need them proven.
"Demonic Beasts absorb magical energy from their surroundings." Speaking up after a beat of silence, his words drew the eyes of Hanneman. The man raising a brow and nodding his head up and down.
"I am aware of the phenomena." There was a beat of silence, then a slight narrowing of the eyes and a furrowing of brows. "Do you suppose…Yes. That is how the Demonic Beasts avoid this problem, they would simply feed off the natural magical energy present in the land around them. They do not 'starve' in the same way these people clearly are."
Hanneman was learning swiftly.
Good.
He would not approve of anything less than this level of competence. There was a reason he preferred this man over Manuela.
And it was hardly because one was more prone to drinking.
"We can assume the complete nature of the blood would have offered a similar trait. Else the original owner of the pure sample would never be capable of existing for any extended period of time…unless they resorted to regular consumption of living beings to avoid such a fate."
Hanneman hummed. "Possible, but if the sample were to originated from a Demonic Beast or something related then their problem would be solved through hunting."
Goetia supposed that was also an acceptable answer, but it was not a problem that Jeralt suffered from.
Nor was the man prowling the halls and draining humans of their blood.
"I will examine my own theories further."
Hanneman nodded in understanding. "Very well. Be sure to keep me updated."
He would do so.
If only so there was someone else who was at least at the bare minimum who could examine this while he was away and having to deal with his many other responsibilities.
With that done, he turned and walked back out into the hallway.
Rather unsurprisingly, he found both Byleth and Sothis ready to crowd him in the hallway.
"You are still here?"
He was certain he had been speaking with Hanneman for nearly half an hour.
An internal measurement of the passage of time revealed it was thirty-two minutes and seventeen-seconds precisely.
Byleth nodded her head. "You made it sound important."
"Everything I discuss is important in some capacity."
Sothis raised a brow behind her. "And when you talk about the wooden toys?"
He sent her a stray glance and refused to dignify that with a complicated answer.
"Everything."
He maintained, Sothis just smirked as though she had heard something amusing and sent him a rather smug expression.
Ignoring her and turning his attention to Byleth, he exhaled.
"And it is not a present concern, if that is what concerns you." He jerked his head slightly over his shoulder to the closed door behind him. "I am working in tandem with Hanneman to secure a solution. I will be along to inform Seteth to alleviate any worries he has. Rest assured that should the situation change, you will be among the first made aware."
Byleth watched him for a moment longer.
He anticipated a question being asked, but it seemed as though she had whatever answer she wanted and instead just nodded her head up and down slowly.
"In the meantime-"
"What about you?"
She decided to speak the second he got his words out.
He frowned and raised a brow. "What of me?"
"You're doing a lot now, aren't you?"
Oh, this again.
"I believe it was made clear last time you presented me with this question-"
"And that was then." Byleth reminded him rather slowly. "And this is now. You are doing a lot more than you were. This is also important."
Goetia nodded his head. "I am aware of that. I will provide you with the same answer that I did the last time. I am well aware of my limits and what I am capable of, even in my current state of awareness. Rest assured that I will ensure all of my current projects are approached with the same level of competency as before."
Byleth remained silent, her eyes boring into his own even as the emotions started to radiate from her with greater intensity.
He could feel the rather clear concern and worry, but it started to simmer away until it was nothing more than a background emotion.
Sothis, meanwhile, was wearing her emotions on her face. It was evident enough how she felt from the slight frown before she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Leave him be, we both know he will just argue about this until the sun sets. We can merely wait until it becomes too much for him and then force our assistance upon him."
The fact she would even have the audacity to make such a claim when he was stood right in front of her was astounding to him.
He cast her a frown and marginally narrowed eyes before he grunted and turned his head back to Byleth, ultimately deciding that he would not be baited by whatever foolish statement Sothis decided to fling his way.
If he were, then they would engage in conversation every single time they met.
"If there is nothing else, then we can return to our previous activities before this brief diversion."
Byleth stopped and raised a brow. "...What were you doing?"
"I was carving the statue of Seiros."
"Oh." She nodded. "How was it going?"
"I am making acceptable progress."
"...That's nice." Another silence. "Can I see it?"
"...I have no reason to deny you."
Marianne kept herself quiet as she stared across the table to Hilda.
It was a rather strange thing that she had suddenly been invited to, in truth it was something she had hardly wished to go to at all out of fear of making a fool of herself, but Hilda had insisted and that was as far as it went.
She could not really say no to Hilda.
Her eyes pointedly remained on the twin tailed girl and far away from the other person who had joined them, as far as she was concerned it was better for everything that the two of them did not speak to one another. Marianne was not ignorant and she could see the way her actions just brought out the worst in people.
Understandable.
She would be annoyed as well if she had to put up with all her mistakes.
So Lysithea occasionally sending her a stray glance was perfectly acceptable, that she was clearly just waiting for her to do or say anything that would ruin this little outing.
So she kept herself quiet.
Only when directly spoken to would she dare to utter a single thing and nothing beyond that.
"You need to stop tensing yourself so much." Hilda chided from across the table, Marianne winced for a brief second before she realised that it wasn't actually her being talked to. She allowed herself to relax for a moment, the apology which had been sitting on her tongue melted away.
Lysithea shuffled in her seat before speaking.
"How can I just relax when you suddenly sprung this upon me and whisked me away to your room with the demand for me to sit still and allow you to paint my face without even waiting for so much as a second word from me?"
Hilda leaned backwards and blinked. "Did you not say you were interested in makeup?"
"W-well, yes." Lysithea admitted slowly. "But that didn't mean I was suggesting right this moment-"
Marianne internally winced at the trap which Lysithea had unfortunately sprung upon herself. It was one that had fallen into time and time again with Hilda and would likely be answered with-
"Well, no time like the present!" Hilda all but sang as she leaned forwards once again and took hold of Lysithea's face rather gently, the girl stiffened at the contact and then darted her eyes to Marianne from the far corner of them.
Whether it was an accusation or a demand for help, Marianne did not know.
And she could not answer, so instead she ducked her head and looked down to avoid it all.
She could still feel the stare on the side of her head.
"...Alright, fine. Why is she here though?"
Despite the lack of any real hostility in the words, Marianne flinched because she herself did not know the answer to it.
"Hmmm? Oh, I was going to do her next."
Marianne blinked slowly, then turned her head up rather suddenly and stared at Hilda as the words registered.
"W-what?"
Lysithea just shot her a bemused look as though she was surprised that Marianne was surprised.
Hilda, meanwhile, just raised her brows and looked between the two of them for a couple of seconds before tilting her head. "Eh? What? I wasn't going to bring Marianne here just to play as an audience member. That wouldn't be all that interesting, would it?"
Then she smiled.
"Also I thought it would make you less nervous about the whole thing if you saw someone else having it done to them for the first time as well."
Then Hilda turned sharp eyes upon her, Marianne resisted the urge to retreat into her chair, all while feeling her throat turn dry.
"And I have been wanting to do something about you for a long time now, just think of it like a girl bonding session and-"
Several knocks rang loudly in the room.
Marianne jumped slightly and turned her head to the door, Hilda soon followed with a confused frown.
"Come in?"
The door creaked open as a person stepped inside.
Her sense of unease skyrocketed as Goetia stood in the doorway and looked in on all of them, his eyes sweeping past both herself and Hilda before they landed upon Lysithea.
Marianne was grateful for the lack of attention-
"Field mouse care."
She blinked for a moment as she registered the question, then started speaking before she could help herself.
"A cage with about the length of a forearm, bedding can be wood chippings or naturally found leaf litter, depending on surroundings. Food consists of berries, grain and seeds. Have a small hideaway for them, like an old piece of dried up log. Change bedding regularly to avoid smell and disease. They only live one or two years at the most."
Her mouth clamped shut and she winced as the other two were now looking towards her.
Goetia, meanwhile, hummed almost approvingly before he ducked backwards and then stopped, looking down to her one final time.
She could barely see his eyes as she ducked her head low.
"...There is something else I would wish to speak of when the moment arises and you find yourself with spare time. Until then, I shall leave you all to your…"
He seemed to struggle for a moment.
"...Group activity."
Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Marianne watched the closed door for a moment, almost expecting him to just march back in and start quizzing her for more questions all over again. Yet when nothing happened, she allowed herself a short moment to relax.
Only for that calm to vanish as she became pointedly aware of the two stares out of the corner of her eye, shifting in her seat and glancing to the pair of them looking between them and meeting their gazes for only seconds at a time. Her head bowed lower and she stared at the floor.
"...Is he getting another pet?" Hilda was the first to break the silence, somewhere between amused and slightly puzzled.
Marianne just shrugged her shoulders slightly, not really knowing the answer to the question.
It was less about Hilda and more about Lysithea.
Who was just staring at her with such intensity that it was as if she was trying to just see right through her. Marianne was unsure as to what she had done to deserve this level of scrutiny but she was sorry for whatever it was and if she was not terrified that her apology would be met with harsh words, she probably would have apologised by now.
Instead she just kept her head low and focused on something else, namely glancing at her hands and picking at her fingers.
That was a bit more calming than this.
"How long has been been doing this?"
It took her a few moments to actually hear Lysithea's question, when she did she froze on the spot and risked looking up. Though her expression was rather detached - almost looking apathetic - Marianne could see the demand in her eyes and heard the undertone she spoke with. It was less of a question and more of a demand for what was clearly something that confused everyone.
Marianne was no less confused, really.
And she had been there when Professor Goetia came up with the idea in the first place.
"He…he asks me about animal care." She replied slowly. "It's been…a few days."
She paused then looked down again.
"It wasn't long after he started teaching the class."
Lysithea was silent for a second, then grunted. "...Then he must have a reason for doing something like that. Perhaps he is just preparing a lesson so that we could all have familiars like him."
…Was that what he was doing? Marianne didn't quite know.
So she just nodded her head and hoped that would be the end of the conversation between herself and Lysithea.
Not that Lysithea was the problem, it was her that was making this awkward and stilted.
Oh.
Wait.
He wanted to talk with her again about something in the future, didn't he?
She slowly started to frown to herself as she realised that they would be meeting by themselves again.
What had she done without realising it?
How had she managed to mess things up this time?
…Maybe her instructions weren't as good as she thought, was that the case?
Marianne hadn't anticipated this.
When Goetia told her he wanted to speak, this was really the last thing she had been expecting and it was far from any of her wildest expectations or worries.
Her eyes watched his hand alone as he brought the tea pot up and then started to pour-
Her nose twitched ever so slightly as she stared down at the tea cup in front of her and watched him pour the liquid. The scent rang clearly in her mind as she realised what flavour it was. Her brows slowly pinched together.
Lavender blend.
How did-?
"I consulted Hilda prior to this engagement and requested your preferred flavour of tea, if there was one."
She blinked and glanced upwards to meet his face, not that he was looking at her. Instead he was pouring out his own cup before setting it down to the side.
"Though it might be considered a breach of privacy, I would rather you be spared the potential embarrassment of being given a flavour you were disgusted with and being forced to drink it out of social anxiety."
That was…rather thoughtful.
"Thank you." She replied quietly, nodding her head up and down and reaching forwards, taking the plate and teacup before sliding it closer to herself and stopping, dropping her hands back onto her lap as she waited for him to say anything further.
Goetia paused for a moment and then dropped his hand down upon the table, fingers tapping away to themselves.
At first she thought it might have been some sort of nervous tick, then she lambasted herself for being silly enough to think something like that.
When the small bird - Flauros - came hopping down his arm and onto the tapping finger, it was an answer enough for her what he was doing. Especially as the bird hopped upon the table and then flipped around to watch him. Goetia turned his hand over, revealing a palm full of seeds which had previously not been there.
Flauros was quick to start pecking away at them.
It was actually rather adorable.
"I inquired as to the repair of the pond recently."
She blinked and looked away from the bird and towards him.
Goetia was looking down at his own tea as he reached across to the small platter of biscuits and plucked one from the selection, dropping it down beside his cup.
"Progress seems to have advanced considerably since I last inquired as to the state of it. There is some mild hope that come the end of the month, it will be as it was before the incident."
Marianne perked up a little bit at the news, it had been one of her more calming pastimes. Not that she would ever rank much on par with spending some time with Dorte, but sitting by the pond and just watching the fish was rather simple. She could just forget about everything and watch them.
She had missed being able to do that.
It would be nice for the pond to come back.
"That sounds very wonderful." She replied, glancing down at her own cup. Her smile dimmed after a moment. "...It is a shame about the fish that lived there, I'm not sure if they would have moved away to find somewhere else to lay their eggs."
"Such concerns are trivial." Goetia brushed aside her worries remarkably easily. "The fish could be easily motivated to return with choice directions implanted within them. The belief that there was never an issue or a slight alteration in directional awareness to lead them back to the monastery."
Marianne blinked, then slowly raised her head to stare at him.
Was he talking about just…controlling the fish to go where he told them to go?
That seemed a little inconsiderate to the fish.
He stopped moving, then looked up towards her. "...You disapprove?"
His voice was flat.
She tensed and looked away. "I-it just…sorry."
"...You are concerned that I am removing the autonomy of the fish."
She did not trust herself to speak, so she nodded her head.
"I see." Goetia hummed and then brought his tea cup to his lips, taking a short sip before he lowered it back down. "Then we shall simply await the call of nature to direct the fish back to the pond."
…Just like that?
Marianne felt her brows furrow ever so slightly. "...Why not?"
Goetia tilted his head. "It was my understanding that the purpose of the pond was to try and alleviate worries and concerns in the monastery. Whether by mere observation or by participating in whatever fishing competition occurs. If the perception is coloured by the fact I am forcing fish to populate it, then it will lose its appeal."
He shrugged.
"In which case, I can afford patience." He slowly looked away. "Besides, it was not an activity I participated in, it was for the benefit of those who found the act calming."
Like her.
The words were unspoken, but it just felt like they were there.
"...Do you fear me?"
Marianne blinked, then looked across the table with widening eyes.
Goetia stared back at her without a shred of emotion on his face.
"T-that isn't-" She winced. "I mean I don't…I…I'm not afraid of you, I'm not trying to make you think I'm afraid of you…sorry, I just…"
Marianne clenched her jaw and lowered her head.
"...I struggle, sometimes."
"...I am aware."
He was?
She winced.
It must have been far more obvious than she believed herself to be.
Her mouth opened-
"Do not apologise, I am more…" Goetia was the one to go silent this time, his brows furrowed before his eyes closed and he shook his head from side to side. "I am more alarmed at the length of time it has taken for someone else to notice. Though…perhaps that is not uncommon. Not all are as observant as I am."
Marianne kept herself quiet, not sure how she was supposed to respond to this.
"...Tell me of yourself."
She blinked and looked across the table towards him.
Goetia leaned forwards in his chair and took his biscuit in his hand, dipping it into his tea once and then taking a bite from it.
"I am sure that your hobbies do not solely consist of being strung along behind Hilda, though it would not surprise me if she occupies a great deal of your free time. I am of the impression that she can be somewhat convincing for when she wishes for company."
He was certainly right about that, not that Marianne really complained.
She was just a bit confused as to why Hilda spent so much time around her.
"Well…" Marianne thought about the question and rolled her lips. "I…I like to take care of the animals around the monastery."
"The cats." Goetia inferred. "I had noted they were remarkably well fed…Using your own budget to procure food for them, I assume?"
She nodded her head.
"Mmmmh. You have a favourite?"
A favourite? "I…I couldn't really choose a favourite."
"You care for them all equally then." He hummed. "In which case, which of them have you interacted with the most?"
Oh, that was much easier to answer.
"There's this large Glouscter tabby, her name is Carly. She's probably the greediest one, I think she gets food from someone else in the Monastery aside from me but it's…really hard to say no to her face."
The big doe eyes and the rather pitiful meow for a cat as large as them was rather difficult to resist.
A perfect combination.
Especially with how soft their fur was and the way they would purr when stroked and petted, Marianne was weak to such things.
Goetia tilted his head. "Mmmmh. I shall endeavour to remain vigilant should it ever cross my line of sight. Certainly expected behaviour…Flauros is much the same when the moment strikes them. Begging for more food than they should truly require. It was a trait I was…not expecting from them."
Both of them turned to the small bird, still pecking away on the table where he had dropped a small pile of seeds.
Utterly oblivious to the fact they were both looking at them.
"...How did you find them?"
"Flauros." Goetia thinned his lips. "I happened upon them during my trip to Enbarr some time ago. They had been blown from their nest, likely during a strong wind. I knew they would perish without assistance and it seemed…wasteful to allow such a thing to transpire when I could gain some use from them. That was all there was to it."
Marianne…was not entirely sure that was the case.
At least it did not seem that way to her.
Especially as she watched the way he indulged the bird and spoke of their greedy antics almost fondly.
But she would not say something like that out loud.
Yet, seeing him like that, he looked a bit less intimidating.
It was hard to say someone was scary as they talked about cats and fed small birds, she supposed.
Now she felt bad for assuming he might have been intimidating and scary.
"I have been putting thought into lessons in the future detailing the binding of other animals as familiars and their uses."
Goetia continued onwards.
"The specifics will be discussed at a later date, though my initial plan was to see how the students could interact with animals as a whole and whether they could care for them in any true capacity. A familiar in the hands of someone who cannot ensure their basic needs is rather pointless."
He went silent.
"...The caring of the cats around the monastery seemed as though it would be a suitable test. Either them or the dogs."
Having the others feed the cats and dogs around the monastery?
She would be lying if she said she was not a little worried some of them might forget, but she knew it was good because at least they were not dependent on the food from the students.
So there wasn't much of a danger there.
"It sounds nice."
"I would have argued it was risk free, baring an allergic reaction to felines, but if there has been no such reaction thus far then one can assume that there will not be a reaction in the distant future."
Well, yes.
There was always that.
She sipped at her tea and set it back down.
"Hmmm, it was to be a simple task. It can be discussed at another date. For now, we might speak of your work in a less intense environment."
Marianne stiffened.
"Are there any subjects you are currently aware you are struggling with that you would prefer to have additional guidance given to you?"
Her lips thinned.
She wanted to say everything, but that did not feel like the truth.
"...History…sometimes I forget things. Mix up dates."
The reply was not long coming.
"A common problem and one easily remedied. I shall provide a means of making cliff notes for your work and then examine them if you desire to ensure they are as you would need. Until such a time as you are comfortable that you have a grasp of writing down enough information to avoid further problems."
That would be nice.
But she still felt the concern well up inside her.
It was not that she hadn't tried to make notes before or that she had not been asked by anyone else for it.
She recalled Hilda asking her on one occasion.
There was a reason it was just the once.
"Feel free to approach me with queries and I shall answer them, whether inside of lessons or outside of them."
He was silent.
"...And when Manuela has returned to your class as well."
Marianne blinked and looked up at him. "Pardon?"
Goetia looked back at her. "I am still a lecturer at the academy, simply because my course is for magical theory, it does not prevent me from providing more academic advice for students should they approach me."
She was not sure if she would actually approach him.
But he asked, so he probably expected something from her by now.
So…it would be rude if she did not approach him.
"Hmmm. Perhaps an exchange of information would be prudent?"
Marianne blinked rather slowly at that.
"I will answer a question that you pose to me." He decided. "Take your time and consider one. It is a fair exchange."
Ask him a question?
Well…
"...Do you have a favourite animal?"
Goetia's response was to blink slowly at her.
Then his brows furrowed and he tilted his head.
"...That is not a question I have been asked before, though perhaps it should have been expected."
He frowned and raised his tea cup, sipping from it while wearing a thoughtful face.
"...If there is one animal which I believe holds preference, it would be a camel."
A…a what?
She blinked and tilted her head.
She had no idea what that was.
"Oh, I suppose you would not have encountered those in Fodlan." He seemed to realise with a faint mutter, lowering his teacup down and then twitching his finger.
Marianne was treated to the sight of light shifting and distorting in front of her before a shape started to form.
For a moment it looked like a horse, only to change and adopt a bizarre shape.
It had a rather large body?
No, it seemed to have some sort of large lump on its back, the neck was longer than a horses as well, seemingly dropping down at the start and then curving back upwards until it rose to about the same height as the summit of the large hump on the back.
As for the face…
It was…vaguely horse-like, but the lips were much longer and seemed to hang down, the forehead was flatter - almost like a dog - and the ears were rounded and more closely moved to the side of the head, rather than at the top like a horse.
Marianne hadn't quite seen anything like it.
Especially with the sand yellow fur.
Her head started to tilt.
"They are, on average, of near equal stature to most horses."
The image was gone in the next second, Marianne found herself blinking at the empty space where the portrait of the animal had been, bringing her eyes back up and looking across to Goetia as he stared down at the same spot.
"...I knew someone with a fascination with them. She spoke of great lengths how she always wished to have a farm purely for camels."
He huffed quietly, taking another sip of his tea.
"I barely paid attention to her words then, she had many ideas…Hmmm. Regardless, if there was one animal I would consider to occupy a greater preference of mine, it would be a camel for that reason alone."
Goetia stopped then glanced towards Flauros.
"...Though I have been convinced of the benefits of small avians, as of late."
…There was no hiding the clear longing he felt when he spoke.
It was rather sad.
"...It looks very strange." Marianne said slowly, then stared to smile. "But I think it almost looks a little cute. I'd like to meet one, one day."
Goetia was silent.
Then nodded slowly.
"Perhaps one day."
They enjoyed a brief silence as they sipped their teas.
Marianne would be honest and say…it was not as bad as she was expecting it to have been.