Chapter 131: A deadly hunger

Linhardt had been spending an increasing amount of time away from his usual spots where he would nap.

Something Edelgard took notice of almost immediately, rather, she had been keenly aware of the changes from the moment they were happening. Anything that she had missed was quickly picked up on by Hubert, the speed at which he would unveil what he knew left her with the belief he had always known but waited for her to catch up.

That, of course, was not true.

But that is how it felt at times.

Yet it was no secret where Linhardt had been spending a majority of his time, but it would never hurt to inquire further.

It was why she had been waiting until their paths happened to cross one another, she made a show of looking surprised when she sighted him walking through the hallway, a convenient little question she had for Hanneman at just the right time spelled as such, he stopped only briefly and offered a short but still polite bow.

"You are off to meet with Professor Hanneman again?" Asking once close enough, she watched his reaction.

He nodded, rather open with what he was doing. "We have been combining some theories on the illness of Remire, though I'm personally not sure how much I should be speaking about it…It tends to be the sort of thing the Church would not like people discussing to avoid a panic."

Yes, she imagined that would be the case.

But she doubted it was the only reason.

Nevertheless, she nodded her head slowly and put on a faux expression of understanding. "Yes, I suppose that would be the case. Already there are more than a few rumours afoot which spell some rather worrying stories. No more so than the unfortunate happenings in Abyss some months back."

Linhardt made a face at that, a mixture of unease and exasperation. "Yes, I would rather avoid charging headlong into another tiresome affair, but this one has quite the possibility."

She raised a brow. "Oh? It must be rather interesting for you to throw yourself into it with more zeal than I have ever seen you do with your studies."

He scoffed at that. "I would hardly say those are worth the level of effort they demand of me. Besides, even if it were not the case, this is still something that is far more interesting. Especially with how it could further the knowledge of crests as well."

Linhardt stopped at that, brows furrowed and then looked first over his own shoulder and then past hers, clearly ensuring that there would be few around to overhear them. Her raised brows twitched and subtly leaned forwards in preparation, but he just looked down at her quizzically.

"Is this where Hubert shall leap from the shadows and threaten me into studying for our tests?"

That earned a more genuine chuckle from her at the dry wit. "No, though I would expect a visit from him if this continues. It's hardly a secret that now you've shown what you can do once you set your mind to something, he will hold some greater expectations for you to perform for the good of the class."

"Or the good of your reputation."

She sighed. "I would argue that is not quite the case."

Linhardt hummed. "Hubert very much would."

Finding that she could not disagree with that, she instead sighed and dropped her shoulders ever so slightly. Admitting a defeat on that point with how overzealous Hubert could be when it came to perceived insults against her. She did not begrudge him, but it did make things a touch more problematic.

"I shall concede there." She said. "But all the same, it is hardly strange that I would be curious as to what has managed to throw you into this almost excitable way. I recall the last time being when Goetia first started his lessons across the monastery."

"And I still approach those." He pointed out, though it was half-hearted. "And I do have a passion for learning…It just does not help that there is hardly ever anything worth learning out there for me. Such boring things I could learn at my leisure?"

Looking down at her, his arms folded over. "Would you not be bored of doing the same mundane tasks again and again?"

"That would depend on how vital the tasks in question would be." She was going to be Emperor one day and that was something that was inevitable for her. Even if she could rely on Hubert to carry the majority of the workload. "But I suppose I can see you have another point there. I doubt I would understand much if I were to ask for specifics either."

Linhardt rumbled somewhat ponderously, as though he was considering how best he should respond to her.

Yet that choice was removed from him when she spied someone else coming around the corner.

Someone who looked rather more interesting.

She straightened. "Goetia."

"Edelgard." He greeted with a nod of the head, casting his red eyes to Linhardt as he approached. "I see that you have arrived as well. I did not think you had an interest in the inner workings of an experiment."

He did not sound as though he was accusing her of anything, but that did not change the fact he subtly was.

"I was coming away from asking a question of Professor Hanneman and found Linhardt on my return." She explained, gesturing to the teen in front of her before raising a brow his way. "An experiment? I can see why this would certainly have Linhardt's interest now. He mentioned something to do with the illness at Remire? Are you aiding the Church with finding a cure?"

Goetia slowed to a stop and looked between herself and Linhardt.

"I am offering my expertise on the matter, but only to fill the gaps in the place of Hanneman's knowledge. Suffice to say that this particular matter has warranted a more personal intervention."

"That sounds…rather more serious than I was led to believe."

Goetia, however, looked far from concerned. "In certain circumstances it might well have been, though I have prevented them entirely."

She nodded her head and smiled. "I see. Then there is no threat of the illness spreading? That news is relieving…unless I am wrong?" asking as much at the face he made, somewhere between irritated and bored.

"It might appear elsewhere, but that is only on account of those responsible."

Edelgard was very proud of her ability to look genuinely puzzled by this recent development, with furrowed brows and a fleeting glance between both Goetia and Linhardt both. Appearing to all the world as though she was trying to find out what he had meant by that sentence, even though she had already confirmed it in her mind.

And was certain she would need to have a discussion with someone later.

"...Those responsible?"

Goetia stopped, then thinned his lips. "I doubt Rhea would wish for me to start spreading news openly…but it is possible to occur again, therefore it seems pointless to conceal such news from you. The illness is the result of an experiment, I would assume in an attempt to replicate the effects of Crests without understanding their foundations."

She did not need to pretend to be shocked, reeling backwards with widened eyes. "Replicate their effects? You mean to create forgeries? Such a thing is possible?"

Goetia raised an unimpressed brow. "Very little is impossible, the difficulty is finding the path to make it probable. This is one such path, it seems, and clumsily showcased."

He straightened. "But such things are for later, myself and Linhardt need words with Hanneman."

"I-of course." She quickly turned and stepped to the side and offered their path. "Please, do not let me keep you further."

Linhardt was the first to move but Goetia…he lingered with eyes upon her for some few precious seconds. There was a sharpness within those red orbs, as though he was seeing through her and looking at something in particular. He did not say much else, but instead inclined his head in a nod of parting and then walked away without a single word.

She watched him also, keeping her eyes on him until the moment he vanished into the office of Hanneman.

With that, she turned on her heels and walked away with every intention of having a certain conversation and, fortunately, she had the means of making it happen now.

She locked the door behind her and turned about, moving to her chest of drawers and sliding open to the top one, shifting through for a moment until she found the small box and slid it outwards, placing it atop the bedside table and flipping it open, a small ring with a ornamental jewel in the centre greeted her.

The instructions had been clear enough, but this was still the first time she had to use it.

Plucking it out, she closed her eyes and prepared herself, then slipped the ring upon her finger.

A faint tingling sensation swam across her skin and jerked her eyes open, though when they were peeled open, she found that she was no longer within her room. Rather this was a place far removed from anything she had been expecting to see. She looked around quickly, drawing her lips thin.

Something else sprang out to her in this darkened room.

No, this blackened realm.

A place without stars and only a deep consuming void, in the centre of which - upon that which she stood - was only bleached marble and a throne which seemed to spring up. It was an island in the darkness.

A throne which stood tall, the spine of which reached upwards and then curved in a crescent shape.

"I wondered when you would take the ring."

She whirled around and thinned her lips further, finding the shadow peeling away from the inky black. Surprised that she had not noticed them at first. Given the ease at which they had camouflage themselves with that darkness. Even then, all she could see of the shadow was nothing more than wisps of smoke and blots of crimson which looked to be eyes.

Questions sprang to the forefront of her mind, but she could not find the time to give voice to all of them.

But she did not get the chance to utter a single word before the shadow spoke.

"This is a representation of the mental pathway formed between us. A contract made into the ring you wear. It shall let us communicate until you remove it."

The shadow stopped for a moment, then continued.

"You need not fear the risk of discovery, our conversation is nothing more than thought waves. Suffice to say that what might take minutes out here shall only serve as a handful of seconds out there."

Convenient, she supposed, and it alleviated one of the worries she had when the topic had first been brought up to her.

She exhaled and looked at the shadow with furrowed brows. "...I have spoken with Goetia about Remire."

"News of that has reached you then." Lemegeton sounded far from their usual level of interest. Rather, they sounded apathetic. "A convenient test for me, but it was at the behest of Solon. He and the other Agarthan's were becoming irate at my lack of contributions to their goals. The matter of Remire is to uphold the terms of my agreement with them. Nothing more."

"That does not interest me." She instead said, lowering her hands to her side. "What I wish to know is whether what Goetia said was true. He claimed it was an effort to replicate the effects of crests."

Lemegeton was silent for a moment.

"He is not incorrect." Was the answer she received, but that felt as though it was not the whole truth. "But I can understand why he would reach that conclusion. Indeed, the alterations I have made would yield results similar to those of crests, but it is a method that has destructive side effects."

"The illness."

"Starvation." They said as if it explained anything, at her frown they continued. "Why is it that you ask?"

"I was not made aware of what was specifically transpiring in Remire." She argued back, but kept her voice and tone low. She did not wish to come across as petulant. "If we are to work together, it would be for the best that I am informed of such developments, less they become another incident such as the Miklan theft or the Lonato rebellion."

The red orbs focused on her, the shadow loomed closer.

Edelgard took a half step backwards as more of the red blots appeared, dozens more and they stretched higher and higher into the depths of the void and each of them gazed down upon her. It was only now that she realised the distance that had been between them.

…The eyes, each of them, were as large as she was tall.

And it was difficult not to feel anxious before them now.

"You came to the conclusion that a different method was used with Miklan."

She remained focused on the size and number of eyes before catching herself, finding her voice and nodding her head. "Goetia became determined to find the demonic beast which made off with the body of Miklan and he still continues his search, or so I am told. With this he has not shown the same level of zealous supervision."

"...Quite right." Lemegeton agreed. "But his goals are just as vital, if not in scale than in personal importance…Though that is, once again, not your concern. What do you wish to ask of me in regards to Remire?"

She straightened. "...How far will matters escalate?"

For some moments there was only silence.

Then Lemegeton spoke, "Your comparison with Lonato was apt…But Goetia shall doubtless respond quickly once matters come to a head. He will sweep aside the villagers of Remire…What Solon does after that point is not my concern."

Apathy coloured their words once again and she was convinced by this point that they did not care for Solon in the least.

"Is this nothing more than a waste of time?"

"A waste? That would depend on the point of view. What is considered wasteful by one is more useful to another."

She cycled her mind for a reason, then caught something and looked towards the eyes and narrowed her eyes. "...Goetia."

Lemegeton did not speak, which meant they did not deny either.

With a sigh, she moved her hand to the ring and stopped just shy of pulling it off, glancing up one final time to the eyes which served as red stars in the sky, watching each of them for a few moments before deciding on a final question.

"...Why tell me?"

"We both have our own goals we would see come to fruition, do we not? Ones that would be obstructed by the Agarthans and their vendetta…Ah, and if you would be so kind as to pass along my gratitude to your attendant. His information was most useful in locating my target."

"...I shall inform him of its use."

Though quite what Lemegeton wanted with a mercenary of little renown was far from her to understand, unless there was something she was missing.

She had looked through the information first but found nothing of note save for the fact their company had once fought the Professors and been wiped out during a job. That was the extent of matters of interest.

Since then it had been nothing but small tasks in different locations across the different lands.

A deft tug pulled the ring free, she jolted as she found herself back in her own room once more, eyeing the jewellery in her hand for a moment, then returning it to the box and slipping the lid shut.

Remire would be the site of something of interest once again.

Edelgard was left with some theories of why Lemegeton was allowing such an obvious play, but she would not ask them openly. Keeping them to herself and Hubert for the time being would be better.

It would depend on how the situation played out in the future that would shape what their next course of action would be.

Still…

More than one method of replicating the power of crests and this one seemed far more self-destructive than the other method.

It brought a frown to her lips.

Of course they would have pursued such a thing.

Arms folded behind his back, he stalked forwards and threw the outskirts of the town.

Though despite his size, he moved as though there was nothing there.

The same however could not be said for the one who walked behind him, making more than enough noise for the both of them. Heavy crunches and crashes as their frame pushed through branches and bushes, crushing them underfoot and leaving imprints in the soil with each step they took.

"For what purpose am I to be brought here?"

Once more asking the question, Lemegeton considered how often one could explain the same thing again and again without the answer truly settling in.

Yet such things displayed that there was, perhaps, some humanity remaining within them.

Stopping, he turned and flicked his hand, the destruction left in the wake of Maurice started to revert over, in mere moments it had been as though neither of them had come this way at all. He paused and let the moment of silence settle before bringing his hand back down to his side and turning to face the front, glancing the way of the village.

He could sense them and spy them moving around in formation, no more than a handful of guards to keep the perimeter.

Not to contain those within, but to warn any passersby and other visitors.

The healers would be located within the village centre and if he moved closer, he would have likely been able to see all of them. But such was not his purpose in coming here and it would be better if his presence went unnoticed. With that in mind, he continued on his path and traced along the lines of magical energy that webbed around the village.

Of course, why would his King bother to disguise them?

He had no reason to assume that any would have been able to divulge their nature or make any use of them in the first place and in any other situation, it would have been the right decision to make.

Yet this would backfire.

It would seem as though his King had not quite lost the arrogance that they had earned through their sheer might, but whether it was deserved or not, this would certainly play a crucial role in what was to come.

Maurice growled in a threatening tone as their question continued to go unanswered.

Lemegeton turned and glanced over his shoulder at them, watching them for a moment before he exhaled. "Supposing I were to inform you yet again of my purpose here, would you understand it any more than the previous time you asked?"

Maurice narrowed his slitted eyes and peeled back his lips to reveal the fangs in his maw, shoulders hunched and arms tense, the taller beast snarled at him indignantly before leaning back and turning sharply away.

"Your purpose here is clear." Growling, Maurice pointed a clawed finger at his chest. "Mine is not."

Ah, so there was some glimmer of further thought there.

He should cease underestimating how much had been consumed through years of isolation from intelligent company and transformation into madness. Or he could start making assumptions as to how much had been repaired through the ingestion of the nanomachines. Either way, it was something that he could think about at a later time.

"You are here to observe." Lemegeton explained. "I am here to perform. What else would you wish to know?"

Maurice grunted disdainfully. "Then I am to be a mere guard dog?"

Yes, he could understand how they would be dubiously offended.

"As though I need a guard." Lemegeton turned his back on them and started walking once more. "No. Observe, I told you. It would suit my purposes if you were to have a greater understanding of what I am doing in action if you are to be of any use in the future. I believe that such things can only be done when witnessed first hand."

"You want to teach me…your magic?"

Lemegeton grimaced at that. "No. I do not and I doubt you could accomplish it. The time constraints are too vast for you to be anything worthy of the term competent. No, you are here to examine it and see how it is put together."

He looked over his shoulder one final time and met the eyes of Maurice. "Only when you understand how something is built can you truly know how to perfectly tear it apart."

Maurice went silent for a moment, then longer seconds still.

"...I could use this against you."

Theoretically, he could, Lemegeton admitted.

Realistically?

His pointed stare was the only response he deigned to give to that question as they both knew what the answer to that little query was. Maurice lowered his head and turned his eyes away rather sharply. Smartly looking as though he was going to abandon that foolish notion and instead put his mind to work on what he could actually accomplish.

With that done, Lemegeton turned back and resumed walking, no longer expecting to answer any more foolish questions until they arrived at their goal.

His eyes flickered around as he breached the outskirts of the woodland and into the clearing where the village was situated. None of the guards would take notice of them on account of his work, nor would they notice Maurice, and that gave them the freedom to act as they needed to until it was time to depart.

Arms folded behind his back, he followed the trail and then stopped.

Taking a step to the left, he jerked his head and gave only a single command.

"Find it."

Maurice silently did as he was bid with a sour glare, stalking past him with heavy steps until their roles were reversed. Turning his head to the sky, the beast took in a deep sniff of the air, sucking in as much as he could before turning his head rather sharply, eyes narrowed and following up with another sniff, shorter and sharper than before.

Wordlessly, he raised his hand and pointed.

Lemegeton hummed in approval.

It was the vague direction the bounded field had been set up, but it certainly told him that Maurice could find the origin points of such things.

Not that he did not already know where it was located.

Turning, he started walking in that direction and glanced to the left as he spotted one of the knights break away from his post and start the transition. Moving in the same direction as the rest of them. Either a coincidence or something else, not that it mattered, and Lemegeton gave it no further thought.

Walking past the knight who had not even an iota of knowing what was happening around him, Lemegeton continued until he came upon the origin of the bounded field along with his brief ally. Stopping right before it and gazing down, inclining his head ever so slightly before dropping onto one knee and reaching out, placing his hand just above and closing his eyes.

An examination at first before he determined the best possible method of making alterations to it.

His King would notice quickly, if not instantly, the second he made the changes which meant that he would need to retreat the second he was finished. Not wasting time with anything, partly why he had brought along Maurice.

A suitable distraction that would not perish.

And it would allow him the chance to properly measure what his King was capable of in his current state.

Lemegeton called back over his shoulder.

"The moment I have finished with this work, I expect we shall be met with the arrival of a very important figure."

Maurice grunted in mild understanding, but not quite grasping the full extent of his words.

"He will have tanned skin and golden hair." Continuing on, he reached further through the spell until he discerned where the flow of magical energy was shifting and how it could be changed to alter the quantity and quality of it. Exactly where he was expecting it would have been. "I shall retreat and you will engage him."

"...Why not yourself?"

Lemegeton did not have time to answer every pointless question.

"Do you see the complexity of this spell?" Saying instead of answering, he waited for the movement of the beast and heard the shifting of his weight, the shadow loomed over him and he could hear the breathing, feel the hot air beating against the back of his cloak. "His spellwork shall follow a similar foundation to this. It shall be slower than mine, but measured in milliseconds at best."

He waited for a response and got a single grunt.

"That shall be your frame of time, observe this and wait for this specific magical energy signature before you enact your cancellation tactics. It shall be the only way you remain alive long enough to withdraw."

Maurice was not long in replying. "Have you brought me here to die?"

Lemegeton gave him a short look. "I would have killed you myself if that was my intention. No, I have every hope that you shall survive. I do not believe you shall win, but it is not necessary for my goals that you do claim a victory. Merely that you are not defeated…"

Stopping, he briefly turned his head fully and looked over his shoulder right towards the hulking mass of scale and flesh.

The eyes were narrowed rather dangerously, but no more than the bluff expected of them by now.

At this point, he would not be surprised if they continued this sulking habit of theirs for as long as their partnership existed. Evidently he needed to apply simple reasons for every command he gave.

Truly, he hoped this would not become a trend.

"And would it not serve your interests to become more acquainted with the use of your abilities?"

Maurice was pointedly silent at that, arms twitching and jaw clenching loud enough that it was almost akin to broken branches.

Then, at last, with a final click of the tongue which sounded like a warhammer striking flesh, Maurice turned his head away and glanced off into the distance. No longer speaking but making his answer very clear. Lemegeton turned back and moved his hand through the flow of magical energy once more.

Metaphorically grasping the pieces that he needed and preparing to give them a single twist.

Results of his work would not appear instantly, they would take seconds to occur.

But those seconds would be more than enough time for his King to repair the bounded field before the damage could have been done.

"It is vital you attack in the instant that he appears. Nothing else matters save for distracting him. Is that understood?"

"...Yes." A sullen answer was better than none.

"Return to our point of entry when you are able. I shall retrieve you."

And with that, he wrested control of the bounded field in a single fluid motion under his own direction. In less than a second he increased the flow of magical energy by a factor of three hundred percent. Allowing his own personal reserves to flood through the veins of the bounded field and into the bodies of each and every human affected by this particular field.

He pulled his hand back and rose to his feet, Maurice had clearly felt the change from the sudden and rather sharp intake of breath which graced his ears, but Lemegeton paid little heed to that. Instead he closed his eyes and felt his link with his workshop activate, the spell engulfed him in the next moment and carried him back to where he had originated.

Time would tell if Maurice was truly capable of holding his own against his King.

If they could, then all the better to have a useful brute.

If not?

Well.

Hardly as though Maurice's inclusion in his ranks was anything more than a chance meeting.

Linhardt was speaking, but Goetia heard none of it.

Rather he felt something else and swiftly blocked out whatever anyone else in the room was saying to him at the time.

His eyes narrowed and his brain flooded with information that he could not grasp for a single brief moment. But it was a moment that ended almost as swiftly as it had emerged and left him with a single impossible answer. An answer that he could not ignore nor could he understand.

Someone had stolen his bounded field and repurposed it.

Someone had used his work for their own aims.

His lone hand clenched as a burst of indignation flooded through him at the mere notion of someone believing they could take what he had created and even consider using it for their own purposes. It was as insulting as it was arrogant. Yet it was swiftly followed by the realisation that not only had they done that…they had also succeeded.

And with a swiftness that was…alarming.

All of these thoughts took place in a span of time less than a second.

Goetia allowed himself a single moment of calming before deciding his next course of action.

One that was simple.

With neither a word to any in the room - time was of the essence - he turned away and traced the link all the way to Remire village and then called upon his magical energy. It thrummed around him and released a single powerful pulse before it coated him completely and sent him soaring.

It was a trip measured in nanoseconds.

He dropped down almost upon his bounded field itself and prepared to confront the fool who was responsible for this sudden outrage. Once they were dealt with - he was holding nothing back in dealing with them - he would repair his work and interrogate them into revealing how they were capable of this.

The alteration to his bounded field would take at least six seconds to fully take effect on the humans in the village.

Six seconds, that was all the time he had to act.

It might as well have been six hours for him.

The teleportation ended, he dropped down upon the bounded field and turned-

All of his plans, whatever they might have been, ended rather abruptly when a fist that was as large as his head slammed into his torso at nearly fifty miles an hour - he clocked the speed - and he felt himself fold over the limb. His eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath as he flooded his body with defensive and healing spells to counter the damage.

It rebounded backwards, the force of the punch reflected into the owner-

Something crackled in the air.

It was…it was an invasion of his abilities.

He did not understand what it was, did not have the time to understand what happened before it just happened.

The reflection spell failed to materialise and instead he was lifted off his feet and sent flying backwards through the air. He called forth his teleportation and vanished from the sight of his attacker, appearing once more behind them and dropping down, flooding power through his remaining limb and raising it upwards.

Barely catching a glimpse of the hulking mass of muscle right in front of him - the sort that looked as beastly as it was humanoid - he called down a dozen spells of different types to fall upon this thing. It was an assault which would have ended them there and then.

Something burned, he felt it this time, but could make no more sense of it than the last time.

It was…

Magical energy flooded through his spells as they attempted to materialise, far too much.

His spells overloaded and just…broke.

Goetia allowed himself a single instant to comprehend the sheer folly of what he was being shown was happening.

It was not possible for him to be outmatched in terms of magical energy generation, that was simply not something that could ever happen to him. It would imply that whatever he was facing simply had greater reserves than he and could utilise those reserves to their maximum potential.

And he was-

He realised in the next moment what the problem was.

…He was weaker than before.

His lone arm was raised just in time to catch the next blow, it struck him and he felt his skin tear from the claws digging into his flesh. It was a pain that was white hot and had him clench his teeth, shutting down his nerves to stabilise his mind and cutting out the flow to trim down distractions.

He jumped backwards, a single burst movement of magical energy that fuelled an ascension dozens of metres into the air.

The mass of scale launched itself right after him, clearing the distance in the exact same time it had taken him to climb in the first place and reeling back their arms for another attack. Goetia traced the movement, watched the clawed arms accelerate towards him, and then shifted in the air.

Gravity shifted around them and they were suddenly falling upwards.

The distraction was enough for him to change the momentum of the battle, he dropped and kicked, driving his feet into the chin of the creature and using the same power to drive them further upwards, the air ballooned and popped around them as the direction of gravity returned to normal.

He was launched downwards as the creature was sent upwards.

Flipping around, he hovered in the air and tracked them for a brief moment-

The flow of mana in the air abruptly shifted, as though a whirlpool had formed right before him.

But he knew what this was and what was about to happen.

That was why he remained stone-faced when the magical energy popped and released a sudden storm of power which blasted right past him, a physical shockwave which was akin to a thunderclap and heralded the creature throwing itself towards him at the speed of sound.

He quickened his chanting in his mind.

Increasing his physical endurance as a backup plan.

Tracking the approaching creature, he waited until there was hardly a distance between the two of them before he activated a short range spacial displacement. A kaleidoscope of diamond opened up right in front of him and shattered like glass.

It was overloaded once more.

True, he had anticipated it happening.

But that did not mean it was no less shocking that it would happen again.

There was no time to grasp that shock when the weight of the creature was upon him and they were both sent hurtling towards ground level, he swung his elbow down into their collarbone and felt something crack under his strike, scale fractured and just as quickly sowed itself back together.

Goetia felt his shoulders meet resistance, a grunt escape him from the shock of the impact. Their combined momentum trailed away and he used it.

Bucking his knees up, he drove them hard and fast into his attacker. Slamming his palm down and curling his fingers against scale.

He pulled and pushed, heaving the weight over him and throwing it.

The force sent him into a roll, uncontrolled and uncoordinated. He drove his arm down and slowed himself, pushing off the earth and clattering back to his feet.

Not even upright when he drew in his magical energy and cut it loose. A stream of red hot light burned forth, cutting through the distance and striking his enemy instantly.

Scale was burnt black and then shattered like clay, a terrible screech echoed through the air as the beast shouted in pain and staggered backwards. Goetia allowed it not even a second to have a chance of recuperation, stomping down and twisting his ankle, the ground under the monster turned to liquid and it dropped down into it.

Balance offset, he hardened the earth once more and willed it to rise.

Spikes shot upwards and pierced through everything, tracking the vital organs as they were torn to shreds in the body from the rather gruesome assault.

Gravity inverted once more, at nearly ten times the standard.

Wrenching the beast from the ground and sending them careening towards the sky with the sum total collection of the earth spikes lining their body, he reached out and took hold of the moisture in the air and then gathered it together, hardening it until there was a slab of ice a dozen metres across resting just above the point of inverted gravity.

It was less than a second before the beast slammed into the wall at nearly seven hundred miles an hour, punching clean through and shattering the ice in an instant. He took hold of the fragments before they could fall to the ground and shifted them to water once more, twisting them around.

He condensed them until they were the size of marbles.

Then flicked his finger and shot them right after the beast.

Each one punched small holes right through the body.

Goetia narrowed his eyes at the lack of progress, then took the brief moment to examine the creature in full.

It held…a passing resemblance to the demonic beast he had vaporised with the Golden Deer.

But the form was wrong, appearing more humanoid than its kin and though the mass was the same, the density was tighter. All the weight compacted into a small frame and somehow being able to not just hold its shape without breaking but also able to move around with speeds greater than his own traditional ones.

It occurred to him what must have happened and what this thing was.

The missing Evlogia.

No matter, if he slew it now…

He reached out and stole the air away, forming a pressurised sphere and then twisting it, hiking up the weight all around it and shattering everything that was keeping the beast contained.

Then he collapsed the sphere.

It imploded in a rather bloody display of-

He felt the twitch and the pull of magical energy once more, the mess of blood and parts took shape once more and as though nothing had happened, he was greeted by the sight of another mana burst and the demonic beast flying towards him. He called upon another dozen spells to block their path.

They overloaded before he could even formulate them.

That…

Goetia knew he was slower than his prime but surely it was not so-

A fist slammed into his face and ended his train of thinking, he was sent flying off his feet and spinning through the air. Not even granted the chance to right himself before another impact registered against his back and he felt something shift out of place in his body.

Was that his spine severing in two?

He frowned and connected it back once more, undoing the damage and whirling around, delivering a sharp backhand to the face of the monster.

It twitched barely an inch and the back of its throat glowed a bright orange.

Goetia attempted a teleport-

It overloaded once more and collapsed.

He snarled, feeling a sense of genuine annoyance, at both himself for having weakness and for this creature at having the capacity to expose it. He twisted with a pivot and drove his foot into their chin, diverting their head upwards to the sky and being treated to the sight of the plume of flames climbing much higher than he anticipated.

Another kick to their throat launched them in the opposite direction and sent him towards the ground, striking the earth and cratering it under his feet as his opponent landed down. He took that chance to change position.

Those six seconds had ended seven seconds ago.

Teleporting before the beast could cancel his spell, he dropped down beside Manuela and was turning her way before she could even get a single word out. His eyes sped past her and to the many blankets and bodies which were convulsing and starting to rise up, he could see their state and the almost delirious manner they were acting.

But it would soon give way to an intense violent hunger.

His hand flew up and he clenched it, they dropped back down as he willed them into a coma.

Then he twisted and broke space apart, opening up passage towards the Monastery and raising his hand.

A deep and thunderous boom echoed somewhere behind him and grew closer by the moment, speeds so fast that none save for him could appreciate the distance that was being closed moment by moment.

Levitating Manuela and her entourage, he shoved them through the portal and collapsed it the second the last of them was through.

He turned.

An uppercut slammed into his chin and he felt the bones in his lower jaw disintegrate, teeth shooting upwards into - and through - his skull. Falling backwards into a stagger his eyes snapped downwards and narrowed. The damage repaired itself in the next moment and he slammed his knuckles into the eye of the monster, driving his fist through and then unleashing nothing more than a burst of magical energy.

Overloading an overload was not possible and, as predicted, it added more strength to the attack.

Half the head was blown apart and the shockwave sent him reeling away, striking the ground hard and bouncing several times before throwing his fist down and catching himself against the dirt. His eyes snapped upwards and-

Goetia blinked as his opponent was not the beast, but instead the humans whom he had just put to sleep.

Why were they still awake?

He had felt his spell connect and yet they were still awake?

How did that even-

Bodies were sent flying in all direction in front of him, eyes wide he stepped back and ducked low as the weight of a punch sailed directly over to the top of his head, spinning around and unleashing a crackle of lightning in response, the jolt launched the beast away from him, he turned in the same motion and let loose a shockwave into the path of the humans before they could get closer to him.

Those who had still been moving were quickly bowled over and knocked to the ground, though he knew with the surge of magical energy they had just feasted on, they would be able to endure and recover from their injuries in short order.

He made it all of a half turn as a clawed foot the length of his torso smashed into his ribs, even with his enhancements his organs jostled in his body and he was sent skating away, stumbling to catch his balance and avoid being knocked down. He stomped his foot and healed the damage, countering with a burst of light.

The beast roared as its eyes steamed over, burning a bright white and staggering backwards, clawing at their face.

Goetia charged forwards and kicked off the ground, a dozen spells overtook his body and he crashed into the beast like a battering ram. Knocking them both down to the ground and rolling over the top of them, he turned and swept his arm upwards, a pillar of earth directly under the beast sent it spiralling into the air.

Another vacuum implosion awaited it and this time he ignited the air with superheated plasma.

Yet even through that, a charred mess dropped back down to the earth.

Which was substantially more than he had been expecting.

A stream of flames surged towards him, he turned side on and raised a shield-

Which promptly collapsed and popped as it overloaded once more, instead he funnelled spells through himself as the heat washed over his body. Flames licked at his skin and peeled it away, the scent of burning flesh met him as the physical weight of the fires was forcing him backwards step by step.

Jaw clenched, he at least shielded his eyes from the majority of the blast and began the process of healing.

He released a mana burst of his own, the flames were smashed aside and he hurled a jet of pure magical energy right towards the beast, striking it dead centre in the torso and shaving a chunk out of it, sending it into a stumble and then charging forwards, delivering a kick into the wounded side even as his own skin was in the process of knitting itself shut and his flesh was regrowing.

This was more than he had been pushed in some time and he was starting to feel the pressure of this engagement.

Following his kick with an uppercut into their chin, their head snapped back for only a brief moment before it fell back down with twice the speed. Driving an armoured forehead into his chest and launching him backwards.

In the next moment, he had moved from the wide open field and was instead sent crashing through a thatch rooftop and spinning over the sky, carrying with him tangled masses of roof with him and splinters of the supports. He caught himself in the air and whirled around to stare down at the beast.

With Sitri, he had the advantage of a magical core of how to cover the cost of such an engagement.

…He had no such advantages here.

He could retreat.

…Except if he were to do that, then he would leave the experimented humans of this village to run amok through the countryside, to say nothing of the creature filled with the Evlogia of an Olympian. He was neither cruel nor foolish enough to allow either possibility to occur.

Which meant he would need to deal with both while also enduring the weakness of having his magical spells susceptible to the attacks this creature could inflict upon them.

Problematic indeed.

His eyes narrowed and he cut out the hold on his levitation, dropping down to the earth with a thud and barely bent knees.

He rolled his lone shoulder until he heard a pop, his bones crackled under the skin as they were snapped back into place.

Shutting down his pain receptors had been the correct course of action.

With a jerk of his arm, he swung his fist upwards.

Tremors ran through the earth under his feet, there was a shuddering and suddenly a crashing sound. The creature stopped briefly and glanced all around before charging right towards him, he could feel the attempt at an overload being launched towards him, so he countered with an experiment.

Setting up a dozen other spells at the same time as decoys and attacks both.

And they worked splendidly.

Making all of a single step before the ground under its feet turned to ice and it slipped forwards, right into a rising pillar which crashed into his chin, then shifted into hot magma and fell upon it, smothering the body entirely under a screech of pain. He cooled it instantly, dropped it under the earth and then crushed it.

In the same moment, the ground in the direct perimeter of the village churned and bubbled.

Then erupted upwards, trees were sent flying dozens of metres into the air before they came crashing down, and he kept on pulling, even as the soil before him exploded upwards and an armoured fist burst out from underneath.

A wall emerged all around the village, climbing higher and higher before it curved over.

Darkness encroached on the village in its entirety, falling over his head until there remained only a single speck of light beaming down from a point above them no larger than an apple.

Until that as well was sealed shut.

Trapped in total darkness, his eyes adjusted in mere seconds until it was no different than the daytime for him.

His mind partitioned.

A link established with Flauros and he prepared a message to be delivered.

The creature came bolting towards him with a snarl and threw its entire weight into a downwards punch.

He jumped back and avoided the blow, watching as the knuckles struck the ground before him and how it folded inwards under the weight of the strike.

Omake: Taking after mother.

Goetia gave no outward reaction to the stares.

There was no reason to pay attention to any of them.

None at all.

But it was becoming apparent they were focusing less on what he was saying and more on his physical appearance and it was long since starting to get annoying. He frowned and turned on them, eyes narrowed he watched as someone - it looked like Dorothea - snorted and ducked their head down and covered their mouth with their hand.

"Is there something any of you wish to say?"

He stepped through the room, eyes narrowed and focusing on the expressions of those he passed.

Daring them to even think to give a single utterance.

None were brave enough for it, so he gave a single nod of satisfaction to himself and turned back around.

"...This is related to the lesson, it is body modification-"

"Pspspspsps-"

He turned around and glared, looking right to the source.

Dorothea outed herself by breaking into laughter, though it soon became muffled as she covered her face with her hands. A devolved wheeze came next, he took in a slow and patient breath and waited for her to finish.

Which, of course, was when the rest of the class started to laugh as well with few exceptions.

He did not need to put up with this nonsense.

With a huff, he straightened himself out and marched forth.

The ears atop his head went flat as he glared and moved past all of them, blocking out the laughter as he went.

"They were utterly disrespectful."

They were twitching.

"Completely incapable of putting their focus where it was supposed to go."

Flicking back and forth with every sound around them, tracking them.

"And to make matters worse, they completely ignored my instructions."

They also looked really soft.

She could feel Sothis in the back of her head, the urging of the Goddess was getting stronger and stronger. It was perhaps something that they could both agree on and wish to do. So there was no reason to argue, her eyes flicked down to Goetia's face as he seemingly talked to his soup.

It wasn't like he would mind.

Probably.

He'd forgive her.

"Even if he doesn't." Sothis said. "It will definitely be worth it."

Would it?

…Yes, yet it would.

Byleth moved her hand, very slowly, away from her own cutlery and nodded her head up and down as if she was still paying attention to what Goetia was complaining about. It was all about making sure not to startle the prey when it came to hunting. The sort of thing that would definitely-

There was someone approaching from behind Goetia, Byleth's eyes widened as she saw Catherine march forth with clear intentions, hands raised and a wide smirk on her lips.

"Ah-"

Goetia barely looked towards her by the time Catherine dived in.

It wasn't like she thrust her hands at the base of his tall animal ears - and they were tall, standing about half the length of a forearm from the top of his head - but not quite like a bunny, more like some sort of fox. But she was swift in how she tackled them, pressing her knuckles down and quickly rubbing them back and forth.

The reaction was immediate and Byleth was granted a front row seat.

Goetia's face went utterly still, she registered the shock as if he couldn't believe what was happening.

Then the way he went stiff.

"Meeep!"

The room went silent.

Catherine went completely still and stared with wide eyes, hands frozen on the ears.

Goetia, meanwhile, looked confused for a split second, as if he didn't realise where the high pitched sound had come from.

Then he clearly did, judging by the way he hurled himself to his feet and leaped away from the table, landing down with the grace of a cat and glaring towards Catherine, his own hand half raised towards his ears and breathing rather heavily, though it was more like the pants of an angered dog than anything else.

Not that Catherine was paying attention.

She was busy staring at her hands in complete surprise, then slowly raised her eyes towards the top of Goetia's head once more.

Goetia, without making a sound, turned on his heel and all but fled.

Byleth watched as the ears flopped down and pressed flat against his head, feeling her moment slip away from her.

Then she turned and looked at Catherine with a rising sense of frustration.

"...They were so soft." Catherine whispered, still in shock. "It was like touching a pillow."

"...Glad you enjoyed it." Byleth said stiffly. "...Lets spar."

She was going to punch that woman in the head so many times.

"My mother probably never had to deal with this."

"Yes." Rhea replied, eyeing the twitching ears. "...Most unfortunate."

Did she want to touch them as well?

Yes.

Yes she did.

"I should remove them-"

"No!"

Goetia stopped and stared at her dubiously, she internally scolded herself for being much too hasty in her answer. It might have made her look a little more desperate than she was letting herself on to be.

Instead she quickly schooled her expression and smiled genially at him.

"I apologise for the outburst, but you do not strike me as the sort to give into peer pressure." She pointed out.

Goetia grunted but said nothing, which was good.

Also his ear twitched ever so slightly in her direction, the two of them swivelling and facing her directly.

Patience, she told herself.

"...It is not peer pressure." Goetia said. "It is removing a distraction. That brute Catherine approached me from behind and touched them."

"How unfair."

He looked at her sharply.

"How unfair that she did that to you." Rhea finished smoothly. "You should not have to worry about the idle temptations of adults. They are far from children, after all. It should be expected for them to do better."

"...Yes." Goetia agreed, taking her answer. "It is foolish."

Rhea straightened out in her chair. "It seems to me that they are a recent addition. You are unbothered by the presence - or lack thereof - of your arm, yes?"

Goetia grunted and nodded.

"Perhaps you need time for the matter to settle." She suggested. "And to become more acquainted with it. The reactions you give will inspire more to follow suit. All you need do is simply not react."

"...Not react." Goetia muttered, cupping his chin. "And suppose they would merely become disappointed at my lack of response?"

"Yes." Rhea nodded her head up and down. "Once it has become apparent you do not care, then the others will follow until none truly notice they are present at all. They shall merely overlook them as if they were as commonplace as hands at the end of arms."

"...True."

"Which means you will need to become used to others touching them when they get overly curious." She added on, then quickly raised her hand to placate him. "In the event of more like Catherine, who are overly curious."

"...True. Exposure therapy for myself."

"Yes."

Rhea eyed the golden ears once more, then looked back down at his face. "...I could offer you some help, if you would like?"

"...That…" Goetia drew in a small breath, then nodded slowly. "...That is not inaccurate. I suppose if I am used to the idea of them being touched, it would no longer affect me. Very well. Do as you wish."

YES!

Outwardly, she smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you for showing me this trust."

Without appearing too desperate or hasty, she slowly raised her hands - both of them - and reached up to the top of his head.

The second her fingers touched his ears, her own picked up a sharp intake of breath.

It made her stop, eyes swinging down onto his face and staring at him.

He looked back at her with a rather strained expression, like he was fighting back a noise.

Rhea stared into his eyes.

"...Did you just moan?"

"...No."

He definitely did.

Rhea took in a calming breath.

…It didn't work.

Seteth twisted the handle and opened the door, he normally would have knocked but it was a matter of importance-

He stopped as he entered.

Goetia faced him, but with his eyes closed.

…Wearing an expression of bliss on his face.

But that wasn't really had him stop.

No.

It was the fact Goetia, while sat on a chair, had Rhea standing behind him with a childish expression of glee on her face - as well as some predatory glint in her eyes - with her hands running up and down the length of some tall animal ears sprouting from the top of Goetia's head.

Rhea, however, saw him first and quickly stopped whatever she was doing, it looked like she was massaging him.

Then Goetia's face twitched and the expression vanished.

"Why did you sto-" Goetia said as he opened his eyes, but abruptly went silent as he found his eyes locking with Seteth's.

None said anything.

None could say anything.

So he didn't.

Instead Seteth just silently stepped back and closed the door behind him, then turned around and walked off.

He decided that he just wouldn't deal with this today.

Or ever?

"Deal with what?" His brain asked him.

Nothing, he said.

"Exactly." His brain responded.