During the five years of war, you knew nothing about the students and other members of the monastery. You had only heard rumors of a mercenary with short, orange hair, but nothing more than that. It was easy to put two and two together and figure out who she was, but you preferred not to jump to conclusions.

Months have passed since everyone finally gathered at the monastery and formed a resistance to face the empire. Although they couldn't do so immediately, everything required preparation, and given the monastery's current state, they also had to invest time in its repairs.

You had a break from your tasks. It was beginning to get dark, and you took advantage of the moment to go for a walk around the monastery, going from the market to the stables, and even further north, there were some tombs. Their identities were unknown; one of the names was "Sitri."

*This is the tomb that Jeralt, in life, visited constantly since he and Byleth arrived at the monastery. Right next to it was Jeralt's own tomb when he died. Leonie was there, too. Squatting before the tomb of Jeralt, Byleth's late father, she seemed to be speaking directly to the grave.

"You should have seen him, Captain. Everything he's done these past few months has been impressive…!" She was recounting what Byleth had accomplished since his return. "But I'm no slouch myself, Captain. Some already know me as the Bladebreaker II. Just like you, I clearly learned from the best."

She lowered her voice. "You'd be more than proud to see what your son is achieving, and to see your apprentice becoming the best. I wish you were here…" Finally, she stood up and turned around. A few feet up the stairs, you were standing there, watching her curiously.

"Hey! Don't you know what privacy is?" She ran upstairs toward you to confront you. "Were you spying? Ha! How indiscreet, don't you think?" She didn't seem angry, not entirely

"But hey, it's not right to spy on people at such a delicate moment." With a touch of bravado, she nudged your shoulder, not too hard, but enough to cause annoyance. Her brow furrowed.

"I just needed someone to talk to, okay? The captain's gone, and with everything that's going on... I can't hold back, you know. His son is doing something big with Claude, and I... I'm already gaining the same recognition as him."

"All I need now is the same recognition in bars." She laughed. "Jeralt was carrying a flask with a strong smell of alcohol. Byleth told me he could hardly drink because if Jeralt was drunk, he had to lead the mercenaries."

"I suppose that experience helped him know how to lead us, don't you think? Knowing that, that's the impression I get. But seriously, what were you doing here?" She pointed an accusing finger at you "Or did you intend to spy on what I was doing!" She said, laughing

((ESP->))