[3rd Person POV]

The rest of the month flew by within the blink of an eye and soon the day before the mock battle was upon them.

According to the rules set in stone by the Officers Academy, each professor and house leader must participate and choose four additional students to represent their house. 

By now, the Black Eagles and Blue Lions houses have already settled on their rosters, leaving the Golden Deer for last. In a normal circumstance, this would be fine and, in fact, could even be advantageous in trying to devise a plan to take down the other houses.

However, Byleth begged to differ.

Flashback, This Morning

"Sorry, everyone..." Raphael groaned in pain. His face was pale and he was lying down in the infirmary with Manuela looking over him while Y/N, Byleth, and the rest of the Golden Deer stood at the foot of his bed. "I never thought that I would get food poisoning from eating meat..."

"He should be fine in a few days with plenty of rest." Manuela told them and stood up, giving them a pitying look. "I'll be sure to let the Officers Academy know about his condition for you. I wish you luck tomorrow."

Flashback Over

Back in the present, Byleth sighed at the meat-loving blonde student's recklessness. If she weren't part of Claude's house, she would have suspected foul play, but there was no time for those thoughts right now.

"So, what will it be?" Sothis asked her, the girl's voice spooking Byleth. It didn't help that they were alone in the Golden Deer classroom with only a candle of light and the moonlight peering through the window behind them for company. "You were going for a 1-to-1 ratio of frontline and backrow, correct? Then, I suppose either that Lorenz fellow or Leonie girl would fit your ideal formation."

Byleth pondered Sothis's words and looked down at the piece of paper on her desk while the girl floated nearby.

——— Black Eagles ———

Manuela Edelgard

Hubert Ferdinand

Dorothea Bernadetta

——— Blue Lions ———

Hanneman Dimitri

Dedue Ashe

Mercedes Felix

——— Golden Deer ———

Byleth Claude

Hilda Marianne

Lysithea XXX

—————————————

"It was already difficult enough to convince Hilda to participate. Who knows what will happen if I tell her she and I will be the only frontline... We already have Claude on bow duty, so there's no reason to bring Ignatz... I guess that leaves us with Lorenz and Leonie, but..." Byleth trailed off, remembering her recent conversations with the two that left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Ridiculous! The female students believe the dinner invitations from me are a problem? The very idea repulses me! I am a perfect gentleman. The son of a noble line! I've a wit like a rapier! And it takes but a glance to see that I'm gorgeous! No, I cannot believe such a thing. Are you sure this isn't the result of some sort of scheme? It cannot be otherwise. Someone has clearly devised a conspiracy against me. Someone who envies my position, who seeks to soil my sterling reputation with foul rumors. How crude. Please, Professor. It is beneath you to fall victim to such petty and obscene tactics. I implore you to take greater care in the future. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a great deal of work to do. Farewell."

"It doesn't sound like you really appreciate your father. You didn't even know until you came here that he used to lead the Knights of Seiros, did you? If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be half the person you are now. You've probably never even thought about how lucky you are. Ugh! OK, this really bothers me! Listen up. I don't care if you're the teacher and I'm the student. I'm going to outshine you. I know you were some famous mercenary before you came here, but let me tell you something... I'm going to be better than you ever were! In fact, I'll surpass you in no time at all, so don't blink. You might miss it."

"..." Byleth sighed. She knew she should learn to forgive and forget, but that was a lot easier said than done.

"Are you a child? You wish to come out victorious in this mock battle, do you not? Cease this immature behavior at once!"

'A child is calling ME a child...' Byleth thought, momentarily forgetting one key detail.

Sothis heard her and shouted, "Excuse me?!" Her shouts caused Byleth ears to ring and she readied herself to scream some more at the former mercenary but the latter was luckily saved by someone else's voice interrupting them.

"Professor?" Byleth looked up to see Y/N peeking his head through the door, his white hair glowing in the moonlight. "Are you still here?" He asked, closing the door behind him as he approached her desk, surveying the floor with his walking stick.

'How did he...'

"I'm just surprised he managed to find you." Sothis muttered and floated over to Y/N, getting a closer look at the young man.

'Me too...' Byleth noticed the cup of hot tea in his hand and watched as he placed it on her desk.

"I made some tea for you."

"Oh... Thanks." She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip, and within a few seconds, felt her worries wash away.

"What are you doing up so late, Professor? Did you have trouble falling asleep?" Y/N asked.

"Nothing like that. I was just so caught up in thinking about who to replace Raphael with that I forgot to keep track of time." Byleth replied and took another sip of her tea. "I'm torn between Lorenz or Leonie, leaning towards the former."

"The boy with the odd haircut might be better suited." Sothis argued.

'Maybe Lorenz will be better. He seems keen on making sure the Golden Deer is successful. I feel like Leonie might try to show off with my dad watching.'

"I highly doubt she would do that."

'You never know with these students...'

"Oh, enough. You make it sounds as if everyone of your students are unpredictable—"

"Ignatz." Y/N cut through their internal conversation. "If I had to choose, I would pick him."

"Huh?" Byleth and Sothis looked up in surprise, and the latter asked, "How come?"

"Based on the little information I know about them, they're both eager to prove themselves. However, they've shown to be difficult at certain times. I highly doubt Lorenz would listen to Claude's orders and the same can be said for Leonie to you. Although Raphael may not be available any longer, the other houses will still be wary of us if we were to deploy two archers and we can keep a range advantage over them with Lysithea's magic as backup."

"...Huh. I take it back. Your students are full of surprises." Sothis muttered and tried to poke Y/N's face, but her finger phased through him each time.

"Ignatz... Yes, that could work. With him, Claude, and Lysithea, we could stay on the defensive and let Edelgard and Dimitri eliminate each other. Then, we could swoop in when they're weakened. Not the most honorable tactic but something tells me Claude would approve... Yeah. Yeah, we can win like that."

"Is winning that important to you, Professor?" Y/N asked while Sothis continued to barrage him with unsuccessful pokes to the face. "Perhaps, when you were a mercenary, did winning and surviving mean everything to you, but now that you're a professor, isn't it more important for your students to learn under your tutorage?"

Byleth was quiet as she took in his words. While she agreed with him, the tone of his voice and his almost robotic manner of speaking never failed to unnerve the former mercenary. Everything about him felt wrong and that unnatural irrationality about him fed into her curiosity. There was something about him that made her body tense up and trigger her deeply rooted primal self-preservation instincts.

Byleth couldn't help but ask herself: Who exactly is Y/N?

"He brings up a good point." Sothis chimed in, reminding Byleth of her presence and the professor quickly steadied her breathing.

Byleth remained silent and eventually came to a conclusion.

"I've made up my mind." She finished her tea and snuffed out the candle. "Thanks for the help, Y/N. You should get back to your room as soon as possible, though. It's almost time for curfew."

"Right, of course." He swiftly replied in that blank tone of his and Byleth forced an uneasy smile before leaving him to put away the cup by himself.

Timeskip, The Next Day

When Y/N woke up the next day, he was fully prepared to help his father around the library after a quick breakfast.

Although he didn't have to turn in homework by hand, the trade-off was that he had to stay after class on Saturdays for a private 1-on-1 examination to ensure he was on track to graduate, which meant he had little time to help his father.

At least, that was the plan.

Flashback, Earlier This Morning

"Hey, friend! Where are you going?" Claude ran up to him.

"The library."

"The library? But today's the mock battle."

"I'll be sure to cheer everyone on."

Claude's eyebrows knitted together in confusion until realization dawned on him and his usual smile returned.

"Oh, I get it now. Teach hasn't told you yet, right?"

"I...do not understand."

"You, my friend," Claude clapped his shoulders. "will be part of our vanguard!"

Flashback Over

After that, Claude dragged Y/N away and now here he was, standing on the battlefield with his professor and classmates. the battlefield consisted of a relatively empty plot of grasslands with ankle-high blades of grass and several thickets that could be used for cover. Up above, the faculty members, Knights of Seiros, and other students watched from a ledge.

"Hey, uh, Professor? Not that I don't trust your judgment, but are you sure about this?" Hilda didn't sounds like her usual self, and it didn't take a genius like Lysithea to know why.

"I agree. Even for one of Claude's schemes, this is a little..." Lysithea didn't finish her thoughts but it was clear how she also felt.

"You would know a thing or two about little, huh." Claude smirked upon seeing her face contort in anger.

"Alright, you two. That's enough. It's almost time to begin." Byleth separated the two and they left to double check their equipment.

"Professor..." The quiet Marianne's voice caught the teacher's attention. "What should I do?"

"Stay with Hilda and make sure to heal anyone who gets to hurt. And, Hilda, your only job is to protect Marianne from the archers."

"Oooh! So, I just have to stay back here? That sounds good to me!"

"Er, no. Actually, you—" Before Byleth could finish, Hilda was already skipping away with Marianne in tow, the nervous girl quietly following along.

"Professor." Y/N approached the Golden Tear instructor, unknowingly saving his classmate from being assigned extra homework as punishment. "What is my role? I presume our initial plan of staying back is still in effect?"

"Right. I told Lysithea to stay in the woods and use the trees as cover from archers. Just in case, I also told her to scatter sticks into the field to warn you of anyone trying to approach her."

Now, Byleth wasn't expecting a "Thank you." or "That's helpful." but the thought of Y/N frowning and tilting his head in confusion, although quite cute admittedly, didn't cross her mind either. Unfortunately for her, she could ask him why he was perplexed, her father soon approached them.

"Hey, kid. Are you and your house all set?"

"Yeah." Byleth nodded.

"Good. The mock battle will begin soon. Keep an ear out for the signal. Also, it should go without saying, even though I will be overseeing the battle, I won't be playing favorites."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Jeralt smiled at his daughter and watched her leave to gather the rest of her students. 

"Hm?" He noticed Y/N facing a lone tree, holding a wooden sword with both hands.

The blonde mercenary shrugged and was about to leave himself when he heard a loud thud, and his gaze was immediately drawn back to the young man. Leaves fell from the tree and danced circles around him until, with a single slash, he cut them in half.

'What impressive control...' Jeralt thought to himself, watching the pieces of greenery gently fall to the ground. 'If that were an actual sword and he did that to a person, then...'

The Captain of the Knights of Seiros was shaken out of his thoughts by a horn blowing in the distance to signal the start of the mock battle, and he hurriedly left. At the same time, the rest of the Golden Deer returned and called Y/N over to join them.

"So this is the stage for the mock battle..." Claude's eyes scanned the battlefield and with a nod, he turned to Byleth, "The command's all yours, Teach!"

"Right. Remember the plan. Secure the perimeter and stay in the trees. We will—"

"Someone's coming." Y/N cut her off and the rest of the Golden Deer members followed his "gaze" to see an orange-haired Black Eagles student rushing towards them with a practice lance and confidence practically oozing from his smile.

* * * * *

"I will fight on the front lines! I can stop the enemy's advance with grace!" Ferdinand yelled.

"Do you have Lady Edelgard's permission to—hmph. I suppose I've no choice but to provide cover." A broody man with black hair grumbled some sort of curse and followed his classmate.

"Thank you Hubert. We are off to a terrible start." Edelgard sighed.

"Don't worry, Edie. You've still got me and Bernie here~" Dorothea tried to reassure her.

"M-Me?!" Bernadetta squeaked like a mouse, nearly dropping the bow in her hand.

* * * * *

"Ashe, can you move to the front lines and fire some arrows? I want to lure the enemy this way." Dimitri asked a gray-haired boy who happily nodded.

"Got it, Your Highness! Leave it to me!"

"Once you've finished preparing, make your move. Dedue, Mercedes. Keep our enemy occupied until then."

"I'm on it." Dedue replied with his deep voice.

"Oh my! We'll try our best!" Mercedes nodded.

"And Felix—"

"I don't take orders from you, boar." Felix interrupted and ran off on his own.

"Just...do your own thing then." Dimitri sighed.

* * * * *

"He... He can't actually be that dumb, right?" Lysithea wondered as she watched Ferdinand charge at them without hesitation. 'Wait...' She glanced at Y/N. 'How did he...'

"Lady Ordelia. Please, cover me."

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Just Lysithea! Hey, what are you—" 

Y/N didn't give her the chance to finish and rushed ahead, with his wooden sword sheathed on his left hip.

"Y/N! Come back!" Byleth shouted and it was clear to everyone that heard her that this was not a part of their plan.

"W-Wait!" Lysithea quickly gave chase.

"Lysithea, not you too." The professor said worriedly. 

"Welp. Guess we're doing this now." Claude notched a blunt-ended arrow and aimed at Hubert, letting his arrow fly. 

The Black Eagles student noticed the arrow heading his way and rolled forward to dodge it, and sent a purple ball of magic at the silver-tongued house leader. 

"Woah!" Claude ducked out of the way and readied another arrow when Byleth stopped him. "Uh, Teach?"

"Hang on..." She motioned for him to wait, watching Y/N and Lysithea closely as they drew closer to Ferdinand and Hubert.

"I'm sorry for this, but for the sake of the Black Eagles and my family's name, I must strike you down!" Ferdinand thrusted his sparring spear at Y/N and was caught off guard when the blindfolded male sidestepped his attack and ripped the lance out of his hands. "What the—?!"

"Apologies." Y/N tossed the lance aside and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He then struck Ferdinand twice in the chest before chopping his neck and sweeping him off his feet.

The noble landed with a groan. He tried to get up but then fell back down.

"Ferdinand von Aegir has been eliminated by Y/N L/N!" 

Jeralt's announcement somehow reached the battlefield.

"Ferdinand! Damn it..." Hubert growled and conjured a purple ball of magic, sending it towards Y/N. The magic attack reached halfway when another purple ball hit it, causing a small explosion of dust and smoke.

Hubert looked to his right to see Lysithea standing there.

"You..."

"I can't have you knocking out my teammate." The white-haired girl replied with a smug smile as the smoke cleared and Y/N was still standing there. "Hey! Don't just stand there! Move!" Lysithea and Hubert took the opportunity to fire another purple ball of magic at Y/N. "Watch out!"

Y/N slowly turned around and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and waited. And waited. And waited until the ball was only a few steps in front of him. He could feel the magic in the air and the hairs on his arms stood on end from the magical pressure.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N unsheathed his weapon with lightning quick speed and cut the ball of magic in twain, the two halves flying past him and exploding.

"How did you..." Hubert was left shocked and confused by what he just witnessed. In fact, he was so perplexed that he didn't realize Y/N was running at him until it was too late as Y/N delivered two blows to his chest with his sword and finished him off by jumping and spinning forward to strike the top of his head, knocking him down.

"Hubert von Vestra has been eliminated by Y/N L/N!"

"Did he just... spin strike Hubert?" Byleth was left at a loss for words, for a multitude of reasons.

"I, uh, guess so." Claude was also in a similar state, but he quickly bounced back and now started paying closer attention to Y/N as he regrouped with Lysithea. "That's one crazy blind dude."

"Are... Are Ferdinand and Hubert okay?" Marianne quietly mumbled.

"It sure looks like it." Hilda pointed to a pair of knights. The armored warriors two ran over and hauled the two students away from the battlefield.

"Thank the Goddess..." Marianne let out a sigh of relief.

"Change of plans — let's move out now. The Black Eagles are down two members and weakened. We'll take advantage of their momentary weakness as they try to recuperate." Byleth told the three.

"But what about our initial plan?"

"There's no telling what will happen now. The Black Eagles might strike a truce with the Blue Lions to take us out first. No matter how slim the chances are, we cannot allow that to happen."

"Byleth is right." The four flinched when they heard Y/N's voice and looked to see Lysithea and him approaching them, using his wooden sword as a replacement for his walking stick. "In the battlefield, there is no telling what will happen. If there's an opportunity to secure victory, then we must seize it."

"I agree. Dimitri has a thing for Edelgard, so it's not entirely impossible." Claude scanned the tree line for any signs of the other two houses.

"What? No, he doesn't!" Hilda gasped.

"Well, I mean, maybe? Dunno, but I was planning to say to him and try to catch him off guard."

"Alright, you two. Save the gossip for after the mock battle." Byleth scolded the pair like a tired parent.

"What about the Blue Lions?" Lysithea chimed in. "They might flank us if we try to engage the Black Eagles. We'll be sandwiched between them."

"That's true..." Byleth hummed in thought.

"I will go alone." Y/N said suddenly. "If they try to flank us, they will have to cut through the empty fields to make it on time. However, the most likely scenario is that they will split off into two groups to flank us while the other meets us and the Black Eagles head-on. If they do, I will try my best to stall their flank until you five finish off the Black Eagles. If they do not split off, I will also try to find you."

"You can't seriously think we'll leave you alone, do you?" Lysithea frowned and crossed her arms. If Y/N could see her now, he probably would be reminded of Alduin throwing one of her temper tantrums.

"Hey!"

Sorry.

"...Alright, I'm game." Claude shrugged.

"Claude!" Lysithea hissed shot him a nasty glare.

"Hey," He raised his hands in playful surrender. "this is the second time I saw our friend here pull something incredible off. You know what they say, "Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and thrice is a pattern..." or something like that. Anyways, I know we're only on Step 2, but something tells me I'd be a fool to not place my faith in him." Claude turned to Byleth. "Whaddaya say, Teach?"

"...." Their instructor glanced at Y/N. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I am confident in my skill." He replied, confidence brimming from every and all of his words.

"...Alright," Byleth looked to the rest of her students. "Let's hurry."

"Got it. Stay safe, friend!" Claude patted Y/N on the shoulder and walked past him.

"Thanks for shouldering the responsibility!" Hilda thanked him and followed suit.

"Um... Good luck..." Marianna mumbled and also left, silently praying for her words to reach his ears.

"...If you're going to be this confident, then you better live up to your own expectations." Lysithea huffed like an angry child and followed the rest of the class, leaving Y/N and Byleth alone.

"Are you sure you can do this?" She asked again.

"Do you have reservations of my skill? Then, allow the results of this battle speak on my behalf."

"His words are quite brazen but I can't sense any hostility in them." Sothis muttered to Byleth. "In any case, it would benefit everyone if you hurried up and joined up with your other students."

The goddess's vessel nodded and took one final glance at Y/N before chasing after her other students.

'Alduin... I must rely on you once more. Please become my eyes...'

"Hmph! You can't do anything without me, can you~?" The dragon girl said in a haughty and bratty manner. "No matter, leave the arrows and magicka spells to me!"

"It's just 'spells.'"

"Grr... Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Y/N's lips twitched as he thanked her and made his way northeast, to where recalled the Blue Lions were stationed.

The winds of Fódlan were peaceful today. They were no louder than a whisper and gently caressed and hugged him, the grass, and the leaves of nearby trees alike without prejudice. Their soft touch invoked feelings of home inside of him and the white-haired male couldn't help but relax in their loving embrace.

Y/N lied. Not about trying to hold back the rear flank, no, but about not knowing if there was an actual group of flankers. When he had told his classmates about the possibility of it, he could already see two red auras in the distance breaking away from the rest of the Blue Lions along with—

"10 o' clock!" Y/N heard Alduin's warning along with the sound of an arrow sailing through the air and raised his left hand to catch it. He tossed it to the ground and stomped on the shaft, breaking it in two.

—another red aura from the Black Eagles to their left.

"Oh, wow! You're incredible!" A cheerful voice belonging to a male student called out to him. "I-I'm sorry, by the way. I know it wasn't very knightly but I thought if I could just knock you out, then I—"

"No matter how you put it, Ashe, it won't sound good for you." A much harsher voice, also belonging to a male, cut him off. "Hurry up and get out of here. The boar wants you to ambush the Golden Deer from the side, remember?"

"But, Felix... What about you?" The concern in Ashe's voice was visible even to Y/N.

"Just worry about yourself and the others." Felix commanded. "As for you," He looked at Y/N. "I saw your swordsmanship earlier. You're no ordinary person, that's for sure. What is your name?"

"Y/N L/N."

"I see..." Felix didn't say anymore and drew his sword, the wooden weapon practically weightless in his hands. He was about to charge when Ashe reached out to stopped him.

"Wait a moment, Felix."

"What is it, whelp?" Felix ripped his arm away from Ashe.

"I was just thinking... They didn't actually leave him by himself, did they? Surely they expected a flank attempt?" The gray-haired boy wondered.

"Yes," Y/N's immediate response made them turn back to him. "There is only me."

"The Golden Deer must be awfully confident if they only left you to defend their rear." Felix remarked.

"No, you misunderstand. It is because I am defending their rear that they are allowed to be confident. I am here, and—" Y/N snatched another arrow out of the sky with his left hand and crushed it. He slowly turned his head in the direction it came from and heard the distant startled yelp of a young girl. "—there is no greater security than me."

"...Hey, uh, Felix. I got a bad feeling about this..." Ashe nervously gulped as he saw Y/N place a hand on the wooden sword on his left hip.

"If you're that scared, then just leave already. You're being a nuisance and distracting me." Felix growled and took up his sword fighting stance. "I saw what you did to the Black Eagles students earlier. You better not hold back on me."

"If that is your command, then I will oblige." Y/N tightened his grip on his weapon when he heard the sound of grass crunching drawing closer. He could feel the wind shifting as an object cut through the air and waited until the right time to swing his wooden sword, parrying Felix's attack.

"Shit..." Felix stumbled backward and looked at his right arm that was numb from the blow. "Can't feel my arm." He mumbled. To his surprise and mild annoyance, Y/N waited patiently for him while continuing to catch arrows out of the air and snapping them like twigs.

"Felix! Are you—"

"I told you to leave, didn't I?" Felix snapped at Ashe. "And, who the hell is firing those arrows? They're not doing anything."

"I-I'm sorry!" Bernadetta squeaked.

Meanwhile, with Byleth and the others, they found themselves in an awkward position. On their left, they had the Black Eagles consisting of Edelgard, Manuela, and Dorothea cornered while to their right stood the Blue Lions consisting of Dimitri, Hanneman, Dedue, and Mercedes.

"Okaaay... Didn't expect the Blue Lions to make it here so quickly." Claude admitted. "What do we do now, Teach?"

"Same plan as before."

"Riiight... So, like, do you mean the first plan or the first-first plan?"

"The...first plan."

"Alright, you got it." Claude fired an arrow at Edelgard that she deflected and all hell broke loose. Quickly, he found himself face to face with the empress. "Look at that, a real-life princess! I'll have to be careful not to scar that little face of yours."

"Careful, Claude. I'll win no matter what, but you're only making things harder for yourself." Edelgard said and swung her wooden axe, the strong attack missing him by a hair's width as he jumped out of the way.

"Losing hasn't even crossed your mind, has it? Ooh, this'll be a bit of a shock, then." Claude smirked and notched another blunt-tipped arrow, and fired.

Edelgard heard the string of his bow tear through the air and majestically kicked it out of the air while lifting her axe out of the ground. "To shock was your intention to begin with, was it not?" She smirked before her smile disappeared after she looked around.

"What's wrong, princess? You're looking a little pale over there."

"Where is he?"

"Where is who? Lorenz? Last I saw him, he was kicking up quite the fuss that the professor didn't choose him." Claude playfully smiled.

"Don't play dumb with me, Claude. You know who I'm talking about."

"Oh, you meant Y/N? He's busy right now, but he'll probably be here sooner than we think. By the way, I've been meaning to ask," He leaned forward with a wink. "What's the deal with you and him? I noticed you staring at him whenever he's in the same room. Lemme guess... Exes?"

"Gods no." Edelgard looked like she wanted to throw up.

"Oh, then perhaps siblings?"

Now, let it be known that Claude, being the craft trickster he is, had grown accustomed to the death glares from the future empress of the Adrestian Empire, but the look she gave him at that moment made the previous ones look like warm beaming smiles.

"Even if that were true, it would not be any of your bus—"

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius has been eliminated by Y/N L/N."

"Ashe Ubert has been eliminated by Y/N L/N."

"Well, what do you know? Looks like the Black Eagles and Blue Lions are down to 4 members each. If you'd like, we can have a truce and focus on Dimitri together?" Claude smirked and was ready to continue his grilling until he heard Jeralt's next announcement—

"Y/N L/N has been eliminated by Bernadetta von Varley."

—and the smile on his face fell. "...Uh. What?"

"Hm. Unfortunately for the Golden Deer, it looks like it's hunting season." Edelgard charged at Claude and raised her wooden axe in the air, ready to bring it down when she was struck from the side from Byleth.

"Claude, focus."

"Oh, right. Got it, Teach." The eccentric house leader slapped himself once and returned his attention to the battlefield. 

As Claude reached behind him to pull out another blunt-ended arrow from his quiver, he took a quick glance around to see Hilda and Marianne in a stalemate with Dimitri and Mercedes. Despite knowing how gifted the Prince of Faerghus was at combat, he wasn't too surprised to see the lazy pink-haired girl holding her own against him since she always seemed to have a hidden reservoir of strength for when it was needed.

...Okay, maybe he was a little surprised that she was actually putting in the effort.

Meanwhile Lysithea's magic kept Dedue on his toes as the man from Duscur patiently waited for an opportunity to strike.

Elsewhere, he could see the two other professors busy with their own personal battle.

"My goodness, Hanneman. You are awfully energetic today." Manuela giggled and leapt out of the way of a fireball.

"Don't think I forgot about you putting your tabs on my name!" Hanneman huffed, his moustache angrily moving with his mouth.

"Oh, you old coot! I promised to pay you back, didn't I?" Manuela shouted and prepared a spell of her own.

...Yeah, Claude didn't want to be the one to interrupt them. All that was left to account for was Bernadetta, who by some miracle beat Y/N but would take some time to return, and... 

"Need some assistance, Edie?" Dorothea asked and sauntered over to the future empress's side.

"Gladly." The white-haired girl grunted, massaging her side. She could still feel her ribs throbbing in pain from how hard Byleth hit her.

"Oh, boy. This is just cruel. Now, I have to injure another pretty face?"

"Aww, it's okay. Just sit still for me and it'll be over soon." Dorothea grinned sweetly.

"Sorry, but I've been told by some people that I have no manners." Claude smirked at Edelgard who simply rolled her eyes and charged at him, only to be met with Byleth's sword that she blocked as the two stared into each other's eyes, trying to overwhelm the other's strength.

"There can be no victory unless I defeat you. So be it!" The Adrestian to-be empress pushed Byleth who caught herself and rushed back in. 

The two combatants were locked in a beautiful dance of swords, axes, and dodging. Their attacks kicked up a tiny gust of wind whenever they swung their weapons and their hair fluttered in the wind every time they narrowly avoid the other's attack.

While Byleth and Edelgard engaged each other, Claude was busy dodging Dorothea's magic attacks. He nimbly weaved around the nearby trees, using them as cover, and fired several arrows in her direction in between him swapping cover.

Although, they too looked to be in a stalemate, there was one advantage the archer had over the magic user.

"Three... Two... One." Claude counted down and after the next attack passed by, he ran out from his cover and aimed an arrow at Dorothea who raised her hand to launch another magic attack, only to feel a tidal wave of exhaustion wash over her body as Claude let loose his arrow and hit her shoulder.

"Oof... Sorry, Edie, but it looks like I'm done for the day." The songstress limped away to safety.

"Dorothea has been eliminated by Claude von Riegan."

"Phew! For a moment, I thought I miscounted there." Claude laughed quietly. His attention soon went over to Byleth and Edelgard who were both exhausted and he watched as his professor knock the axe out of Edelgard's hand and press the tip of her wooden sword to her throat.

"You did well, Edelgard." Byleth complimented.

"Thank you, Professor. You're exactly as strong as I'd imagined and more. I only wish I could have came out on top in our first bout." Edelgard sighed and surrendered.

"Edelgard von Hresvelg has been eliminated by Professor Byleth. Oh, and it seems Professor Manuela and Professor Hanneman have also eliminated each other."

"Nice one, Teach! Looks like we only got four more left! Plus, we got the numbers advantage."

"Yeah," Byleth turned in time to see Dimitri push Hilda away and take a moment to assess the situation. The prince's gaze wandered over to Lysithea keeping Dedue at bay. "Claude, cover me."

Claude nodded and drew an arrow as Byleth sprinted ahead, attracting Dimitri's attention and they clashed weapons.

"Beautiful work, Professor. You're a tough opponent, but I refuse to yield. Do not fool yourself into believing I will hold back!" Dimitri shouted and pushed Byleth back with ease, surprising her and she glanced warily at Hilda who had previously held him back.

"What?" The pink-haired girl asked.

"...Nothing."

"Hilda... Stay still...please." Marianne muttered as she was in the middle of healing her classmate.

Meanwhile, back at the spectator's box, Edelgard returned with Dorothea by her side, neither of them too proud of their performance as the other members of their house approached them.

"Lady Edelgard, are you alright? Shall I fetch a healer?" Hubert approached her.

"No, I'm fine. I'm more worried about Bernadetta. She's alone against the other two houses." Edelgard confessed.

"Bernadetta is a little strange, but I'm sure she'll pull through!" Caspar energetically tried to cheer them up.

"Realistically speaking, she only needs to last until either the Blue Lions or Golden Deer falls. At least, we can secure 2nd place." Linhardt pointed out, stifling a yawn.

"I am in agreement! Bernadetta is timid like deer but she has guts." Petra nodded.

"I feel I must apologize to everyone. I didn't anticipate that I would lose so...swiftly." Ferdinand sheepishly apologized.

"Yes, indeed. Your recklessness cost us the victory." Hubert glared daggers at him.

"Aww, c'mon Hubert. No one thought that Y/N guy would be crazy strong!" Caspar tried to defuse the situation.

"Regardless," Hubert directed his harsh stare to Caspar, "He still charged ahead without permission. In a real battle, he would be dead."

While her retainer continued to lecture the group, Edelgard started to tune him out and, out of the corner of her eye, snuck glances at Y/N who was in the middle of a check-up from a healer and had a white bandage on his nose. After they left, he was soon swarmed by his classmates.

"You were incredible out there, Y/N!" Ignatz said in awe.

"Yeah, I was so amazed that I forgot I had food poisoning!" Raphael managed a few chuckles before grabbing his stomach with a pained groan.

"...Please don't exert yourself." Ignatz pleaded.

"I've seen Felix fight a few times and I never thought I'd see someone beat him up that badly. Not even Dimitri can manage that." Leonie gestured towards the brooding man staring at them (specifically Y/N) with patches of white covering his face. Behind him, Ashe was waving at them with a cheerful smile, only one white medicinal patch on his left cheek. "I take it back. I guess you have a right to stay here. I'd love to spar with you some time."

"I suppose you fought admirably." Lorenz huffed. "Although, your last moments in the mock battle were pitiful."

"Y/N was able to take out four of them. He's done more than enough."

"Agreed. Our bud is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for."

Ignatz and Raphael defended him while Leonie left, probably to join Jeralt in spectating the remainder of the mock battle.

"..." Edelgard silently stared at Y/N and only returned to her senses when she heard the familiar voice of Jeralt.

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

Timeskip, Later That Night

Later that night, Garreg Mach Monastery's mess hall was vibrant with life and full of chatter from all three houses. Following the mock battle, the kitchen staff had went and prepared an entire feast for the students to enjoy while waiters and waitresses dashed between tables to take orders.

"And, then I came in and landed the final hit on Dimitri, ending the battle." Claude took a deep bow.

"Funny. I seem to remember differently. If my memory serves me correctly, I recall eliminating you and then lost to the Professor." Dimitri raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Claude wagged his finger. "History is written by the victors. Which, unfortunately, means that her highness will be the third writer among us."

"H-How dare you...?! Hmph. Don't get so carried away, today was only a mock battle. In six months time, when the real battle takes place, the Black Eagles shall come out victorious."

"Mhm. Yeah, yeah. Well, you two better prepare yourself for the next five to six months of me gloating." Claude winked to which Edelgard and Dimitri shuddered in response, realization quickly catching up on them as they heeded his advice and mentally prepared themselves for the coming months.

While Claude was busy chatting with the other house leaders, Y/N walked past them and took a seat farther down the table.

"Mmm~! Shooo guuuuud!" To his right, Lysithea squealed and enjoyed the vanilla-chocolate-strawberry parfait in front of her. She continued to dig into the frozen treat and make more satisfied noises until she finally registered his presence and coughed. "H-How long were you there?!"

"Only a few seconds." Y/N answered calmly as ever and redirected his attention to his own parfait.

"You...like sweets as well?"

"Not in particular, but when the....occasion calls for it, then yes."

"I...see." Lysithea slowly returned her attention to her dessert, unsure of how she could continue the conversation from there.

"I heard from Byleth that you were a major help in the mock battle. Well done."

"R-Really? You think so?" The young girl smiled at his words and the professor's praise. "You know, you were pretty good today too. I think we make a pretty good team. Obviously, we'll need more experience first."

"Then, I shall continue to rely on you like I did today, Lady Ord—" Y/N felt a strong glare and immediately corrected himself, "Lysithea."

"Yeah." Lysithea nodded and returned to her parfait, feeling pumped-up from their conversation.

Even with the blindfold covering his eyes, Y/N could tell she was smiling ear-to-ear. He followed her example and also returned to the sweet waiting patiently for him, and took a bite as he felt the flavors transfer elsewhere.

"Mmm~! Shoo guuuud!!" Alduin gleefully said. 

Unknowingly to both her and Y/N, Sothis also happened to say the same thing at the same time as Byleth dug into a sizzling steak while sitting next to them. Even the normally stone-faced professor's expression softened upon hearing the green-haired girl's enjoyment.

'Enjoying yourself?'

"Of course. Mortals never fail to create the most delicious foods. Now, is there any alcohol?"

'Father wouldn't approve. I'm still 20...'

"Really? I suppose I can wait since you're turning 21 later this year." Sothis shrugged and focused on savoring the explosions of flavor as Byleth continued to devour her steak. "Mmm~ I can eat this everyday for every meal!"

"That makes one of us..." The Golden Deer professor muttered. She was starting to feel tired of the, admittedly, delicious dish and had good reason to since this was the 4th one she had to eat to fulfill Sothis's desires.

"Professor? Who are you talking to?"

The sound of Y/N's voice made her jump slightly in her seat and she looked to her right to see him seated right next to her as a waitresses took his empty parfait glass away.

"Y/N? I didn't see you there. Is your nose feeling any better?" She quickly changed subjects.

"I almost forgotten about it." Y/N gently massaged the bridge of his nose. "It's recovering finely. Ms. Manuela told me the damage wasn't too severe and it should be fine in a few days."

"That's good to hear. But...she didn't do anything else, did she?"

"Do what exactly?" Y/N tilted his head in confusion, and Byleth found it oddly charming.

"Never mind. I've been meaning to ask, how exactly did you lose to Bernadetta and does it involve your nose?" Byleth asked Y/N who silently sat there, pondering her question.

Flashback, During The Mock Battle

The powerful swing from Felix went wide as Y/N ducked underneath his attack once more and landed another blow to his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. The blindfolded man turned and smacked the arrow flying towards him out of the air, and spun back around to block Felix's attack.

"You're even better than I thought." Felix narrowed his eyes, a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips that parted occasionally to let him breathe heavily. Scratches and bruises littered his pale face but he was unbothered by such trivial matters, as he would put it.

"I feel the same. You certainly are a cut above the rest..." Y/N replied, his expression relaxed and face unharmed. "However, I do not have time for this. I fear we must end this now."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Felix pushed him away and started to swing multiple times from every direction. Just like all his previous attempts, his attacks were either blocked, parried, or outright dodge.

Then, something changed and Felix felt like the air drop in temperature.

Y/N blocked his last attack and twisted his wrist and knocked the sword out of Felix's hands. The unexpected disarm move surprised the Blue Lions student as he could watch as his wooden sword clattered on the ground. Faster than the latter could react, Y/N battered his body with precise sword strikes and slammed the butt of his sword into his head, sending him crumpling to the floor.

Kicking Felix's sword off the ground, Y/N grabbed it out of the air and spun on his heels, and tossed it like a javelin towards Ashe who had just peeked out from his cover to fire another arrow and was knocked unconscious by the wooden weapon nailing him in the face.

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius has been eliminated by Y/N L/N. Ashe Ubert has been eliminated by Y/N L/N."

Y/N heard Jeralt's voice echoing across the grassy fields but didn't have the time to stop and listen to him. He scanned the battlefield until he saw an isolated red aura not too far and rightfully concluded it was that Bernadetta girl who was also firing arrows at him.

"Right there." He ran towards her at full speed.

"Wait!" Alduin shouted, "You're about to run right into—"

Crack!

Y/N felt pain spread across his face and blood spurt out of his nose as he fell backward after colliding with a hard surface.

"...a tree."

"Y/N L/N has been eliminated by Bernadetta von Varley."

"H-Huh?" A purple-haired girl peeked out from behind the tree. "I-I lived?!" She looked down and her face paled when she saw Y/N on the floor, blood trickling down his face. "EEEeEeeeeek!!!"

Flashback Over

"I...I can offer no excuse." Y/N looked away, and Byleth swore she could see a hint of red on his face that he quickly covered up with his hand.

'Wait... Is he...?'

"Yo, Teach! There you are! Oh, and you're here too, friend." Byleth snuck a glance and was a little disappointed to see that Y/N's expression was back to its normal self. "We've been looking everywhere for you two."

"We?" Byleth blurted out and returned her gaze to Claude, and magically the other students, including the ones from the Black Eagles and Blue Lions Houses, appeared from thin air.

"Greetings, Professor. Your performance in the Mock Battle was impressive. I was sure we could pull off the win, but I still have a lot to learn." Dimitri said with resolve burning in his eyes as the prince was extremely determined to improve.

"I agree as well. It's a shame. The Adrestian Empire could have used your services." Edelgard sighed in disappointment.

"Where are your professors?" Byleth asked them, scanning the mess hall until she saw an annoyed Hanneman having to watch over a rowdy, drunk Manuela. "...Oh."

"Yeah, no surprise to see her like that." Claude chuckled.

"Speaking of surprises," Dimitri turned to Y/N, "Your performance today came as a great shock to many of us, myself included. I never saw anyone move as confidently as you, Y/N."

"Thank you for your praise, your highness." Y/N replied. He then heard and "saw" multiple people approach him.

"I am Dedue—sword and shield of His Highness. Although I was not able to watch you on the battlefield, considering how many students you eliminated, I can only assume you will be a formidable opponent." Dedue introduced himself.

"Yeah, no kidding. He was going crazy out there." Sylvain sighed. "...And, now all the ladies are talking about him..." 

"Is girls all you think about?!" Ingrid scolded him. "But... Yes, I have to agree. I never seen anyone pummel Felix like that. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I'm standing right here." Felix growled with annoyance before turning to Y/N. "You're even better than I imagined. Come find me at the training grounds when you have the time."

"Oh, wow. Felix never asks anyone to spar with him, except for Dimitri, and that's only when he's in a good mood!" Ashe said in awe.

"That's because no one here is worth the time or effort."

"Please don't mind Felix's rudeness." A gentle voice said to Y/N, belonging to Mercedes. "He's a nice guy once you get to know him!"

"Really? He's still bit of a jerk to me." Annette blurted out.

"Annie!" Her best friend scolded her and they apologized to Felix who rolled his eyes and waved them away.

Before Y/N could say anything, he heard another set of footsteps approach him from the right.

"Your combat skills are certainly cut from a different cloth, but," Edelgard regarded him coldly. "Something tells me that you were holding back today." 

"My lady has told me much about you..." Hubert said ominously, his evil stare usually tore through the confidence of many, but Y/N sat there without the slightest change.

'These two... They're—'

Just when Y/N was about to respond to the two Black Eagles students, a brash, almost arrogant, man interrupted them.

"I must concede that you got the better of me in today's mock battle, but I, Ferdinand von Aegir, vow to work twice—no, ten times harder to overcome both you and Edelgard!" Ferdinand swore.

"I never thought someone like you could bust some moves like that. Guess it just goes to say that the world's a big place, huh?" Caspar laughed.

"I slept in and missed the mock battle, but from I've heard, your movement and your appearance contradict each other. It's almost like you could see under that blindfold of yours." Linhardt put for the idea that was immediately shut down by Dorothea.

"Linny, you must have also heard that he slammed face first in a tree. There was quite a lot of blood from what I heard." She told him to which he shuddered, and Linhardt hastily apologized to Y/N in his brief moment of repulsion. "Anyways, not to be a broken record too, but you did fantastic out there. I just wished I could peek under your blindfold and see the handsome face of the one who gave Eddie a lot of headaches~" Dorothea said in a flirtatious tone.

"I am... I was watching you at the mock battle. Your movement contains much fascination. You are looking gentle like a turtle and powerful like a tiger." Petra...praised(?) Y/N. He was unsure of how to respond to her but simply nodded and thanked her before turning to the last person who hadn't spoke yet.

[Bernadetta's POV]

Oh god, oh god, he's looking right at me! I didn't think he would do that!!

What do I do, what do I do?!

He's not angry with me, is he? 

I mean, he doesn't look angry, but I also thought he didn't look too threatening before the battle and we saw how that turned out!!! 

Oh god, oh god, please don't talk to me. Please, please, please, please!!!!

[3rd Person POV]

"...?" Y/N tilted his head at her, and the slight movement made the girl shriek in terror.

"I'M SORRY FOR BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS YOU! PLEASE FORGET I EXIST!!!" Bernadetta tried to escape and probably would have succeeded if Petra hadn't reached out to catch her by the sleeve of her outfit.

"Bernadetta, you must display much courage and cannot retreat to your room."

"NO, NO, LET ME GO!!!"

While Bernadetta continued to squirm, Y/N found himself barraged by many questions from his fellow academy students.

"Have you been having trouble learning?"

"I believe I am making reasonable progress in my academics. Professor Byleth is a capable instructor."

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I was self-taught."

"Do you need any help getting around Garreg Mach? I know it's a huge place, so I wouldn't mind helping you."

"Thank you, I will consider your offer."

"Your father's the librarian, right? You're so lucky, he's super nice!"

"Yes, Tomas is my father. He is a very patient man. I could not ask for a better parent."

Then, the questions took a sudden turn.

"So, hypothetically speaking, if I asked you to do a favor for me like lifting furniture up a flight of stairs, would you object?"

"Seriously, Hilda?" asked Claude who was quickly shushed by the pink-haired girl.

"...I have no reason to object."

"Are you single?"

"Dorothea..." Edelgard gave her classmate a disappointed look.

"I...am in no relationship with anyone at the moment."

"What are your thoughts on eating weed?"

"Your Highness..." Dedue began.

"Pardon me?" Y/N frowned.

"I'm just saying, there's nutritional value in—"

"You aren't afraid of ghosts, are you? Cuz last I heard, there's been some rumors of them roaming the Monastery at night, ready to snatch up anyone out past curfew."

"W-What?! That's not true!" Lysithea shouted. "...Right?"

In the background, Byleth watched on with a small smile as Y/N interacted with the other students.

"Shouldn't you put a stop to this? The poor child is being overwhelmed."

'That poor child is only a year younger than me....'

"Yes, and you are also a child." Sothis cheekily responded to which Byleth chose to ignore.

'...Besides, their questions are light-hearted and unserious. This might help him open up to others. I don't see a reason to intervene. Let's... let him experience the moment.'

"If you say so..." Sothis shrugged as they continued to watch Y/N try his best to answer the wide range of questions thrown his way.

[Chapter End]

—*—*—*—*—*—

[Character Sheet]

Name: Y/N L/N

Gender: Male

Birthday:

—March 31st [Gregorian Calendar]

—Imperial Year 1160, 31st of the Lone Moon [Fódlan Calendar]

Age: 19

Height: 178 cm (about 5'10'')

Crests: [Unknown] and [Unknown]

Description: "The librarian Tomas's son. Not much is known about him other than the fact he was adopted by Tomas sometime during his 7-year long retirement from service. He wears a blindfold where ever he goes and seems to have trouble expressing himself when speaking with others."