The night Shez encountered the delegates from the three houses of the officers' academy, she didn't expect it to change her life so drastically. She only expected to receive gold in return, but... something happened.

Alois insisted she accompany them to the monastery. Shez just wanted to leave before losing track of the Ashen Demon, a detail she revealed to Alois in a conversation, as she was searching for his whereabouts.

This led to Alois not being there in the morning. When Shez asked where he was, he said he had to return earlier than expected to warn her—a lie. He had gone to find Jeralt to invite him along.

Shez would find out at the worst possible moment, when she was with Seteth, Alois, and Rhea, discussing her enrollment at the academy. Shez had planned to refuse, but was practically cornered by Seteth, something Arval herself acknowledged.

With no other options and without being allowed to refuse, Shez accepted. Shez enrolled, agreeing to study for a year, but when it came time to choose one of the three houses... There he was, the academy's new professor, Byleth, with his indifferent gaze. He didn't even recognize Shez. The confrontation they had, where Shez awakened Arval and his power, was just one more in a long line.

Shez wanted to protest, to say something, but Arval said no. This was the best way to keep an eye on him, to learn his weaknesses, and to learn from him. Almost reluctantly, hiding his true hostile feelings toward Byleth, he swallowed his pride and said he wanted to be part of his class. Without a word, Byleth simply accepted.

The months just kept passing: Miklan and the theft of Gautier's relic, the criminals hiding in the canyon, Ashe's adoptive father wanting to rebel against the church—all until that night... That cursed night. The assault on the tomb resulted in Byleth obtaining the Sword of Creator

If Byleth already seemed a difficult goal to achieve, now it seemed impossible, something that visibly frustrated Shez. She wanted to double her training, even if it meant neglecting her studies, and there she was, in the early hours of the morning, tearing apart a poor training dummy with a practice sword and the second sword she materialized with Arval's power.

"Arval... We can't... Defeat him now...!" You could hear the effort, but you didn't know who she was talking to. "You're... You're right... I can still... I can still improve!" She exclaimed aloud, still unaware that you were there.

When she finally finished, Shez wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm. "That's it for today, Ar-" and that's when she turned around and saw you. "Uh..." She looked a little embarrassed because she had been talking out loud.

"Uh... Good morning!" She spoke aloud, her nervousness evident. You wanted to comment on why she was talking to herself, or at least that's what you thought, but seeing how uncomfortable she was, you kept your comment to yourself and simply offered her water, something that took Shez by surprise.

And there you were, her insatiably drinking the water you brought her, wiping the water from her lips with the sleeve of her uniform. "Thank you..." she said after hydrating. "You didn't... hear anything, did you?" There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice

For the moment, you decided to deny it and tell her you had just arrived, something you noticed from the sigh of relief she let out. "Oh... Can I ask why you came so early? I... needed some exercise, you know... To start the day at 100%." Or at least that was her excuse.

"Oh, come on! Don't look at me like that. If I weren't tired, I'd have you on the ground for your insolence. Well, I wouldn't anyway. You brought me water, and that's appreciated, so spit it out. What brings you here so early?"

((ESP->))