A while later, Leonard woke up. He saw himself inside a wooden cart with straw cushions: it was a kind of makeshift bedroom for that tired warrior. Next to him lay Marianne, who was sleeping peacefully. "She must be exhausted. For a woman as sensitive as her, all the emotions she has experienced these couple of days must overwhelm her", Leonard thought as he saw the beautiful face of his partner.
"You have been courageous, Marianne," Leonard murmured, admiring Marianne. "Now I understand why I'm still in love with you."
Leonard and Marianne managed to become friends after that encounter in the paddock. They used to play together, or at least the boy followed his friend while watching and talking to the birds or other animals. He also pretended to pray next to her, imagining a Goddess asking him to continue seeing Marianne every day and asking her if only it weren't a sin to open animals to investigate.
Sometimes Leonard would take Marianne into the woods to explore. Together they watched the deer, the fish in the stream, and some birds that she could not find in her home. On one occasion, Marianne fell and hurt her knee. Leonard tried to bandage her with a piece of his shirt unsuccessfully. Upon returning home, Master Edmund realized what had happened and punished Leonard. He was locked up in his room for almost a week.
By the time he was able to come out again, Marianne was no longer to be seen in the courtyard. This is how several days passed when the boy tried to sneak into that large house without much success. He tried to climb up to find Marianne's room, but he only saw some maids changing their clothes. Now that he was a voyeur, hopefully, they would let him through the courtyard. He spent the whole day counting coins, filling books with household expenses, and being watched over by the maids he had observed by accident.
One night, Leonard took advantage of an oversight on the part of the servants' house workers and went looking for Marianne. To his surprise, the girl had escaped and was standing by the tree where he used to find her under the light of a kindly full moon.
"How lucky to find you here, Marianne," Leonard whispered, smiling.
"It's true... Leonard," she answered calmly.
"I think the Goddess you pray to heard me," he said, placing his arms behind her neck as usual. "Now I understand why you pray to her."
"I prayed for you to be okay," she answered, avoiding seeing Leonard. "I have been a nuisance to you and caused you a lot of trouble."
Don't say that," he replied, raising his voice a little. "It's been great meeting you. You're calm; some would even say you're weird and boring, but I liked being with you this time."
Marianne was stunned, looking at Leonard. After that, she gave a slight laugh.
"You're crazy, Leonard, she said, holding back from laughing. "I don't think you care that I told you about my secret."
"Not at all, and if someone says you're a bad thing, I'll punch them; you'll see," Leonard said, showing his skinny arm. "Let's not have secrets from each other from now on, okay?"
"Haha, I don't think you can defend yourself much more than me," she replied, smiling. "It's okay; we won't have secrets... Between us."
"Seeing you laugh is magical, did you know?" Leonard said, touching the pit of his stomach. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel a tickle here. I believe that, as I believe, my vitality increases since, for me, the energy of people and animals is in the stomach."
"The truth is that it should be in the heart... What you're feeling must be something else," Marianne said, self-conscious since she knew what her friend wanted to tell her about.
"Regardless of that, the important thing is that I feel good with you. Hopefully, we can spend more days together," Leonard answered with a smile that embarrassed her deeply.
"Yes... I hope the same, Leonard."
"Well, I think we should go home," he said, passing his index finger around her neck. "Even if they catch me talking to you, they'll kill me."
"Okay, Leonard... Sleep well."
Whether it was due to fate, that negativity of Marianne's, or for any other reason, Leonard's life would not be the same from the day after that conversation under the moonlight. A tall and portly man had arrived at the Margrave's mansion, already nearing 40 years of age. He appeared before the gentleman: Constantine Weber, a clergyman from the Church of the East and father of Leonard.
After a cordial conversation, both toured the manor house and went to the servants' house. That's when Margrave led that cleric with his son. Leonard seemed surprised when his master introduced them, especially since it would have been hard for him to think that such a man was his father.
"Long time no see, Leonard," his father said, kneeling to be at eye level with him. "You may even remember me since I had to entrust you to one of your deceased mother's brothers to care for you due to my obligations in the Church."
"I don't know who you are, but a monster killed my birth parents," Leonard replied furiously.
"I know that happened, son. From then on, I had no trace of you until I found out about the coincidence of the names of some servants from the Edmund house. It's lucky to have found you," Constantine explained, stroking his son's head.
"I don't care who you are; I'm not going with you!" Leonard exclaimed, running off.
When he had reached the center of the home yard, his father caught up with him. Without further ado, he struck him on the neck with the edge of his hand, leaving him instantly paralyzed but not unconscious. Just then, Marianne leaned out of the window after hearing a noise from the courtyard. That's when she saw Leonard being carried off the shoulder of that big, burly man.
Horrified, she ran out of the house, only to see this guy take Leonard away without opposition. She ran to his father and said:
"Dad! Why is he taking Leonard?"
"That's his father," Margrave commented, dismissing the fact. "He belongs to the church of the East, so I cannot oppose her claiming her son. You better not worry anymore and let that boy go."
Leonard barely listened to this scene, thinking it would be the last time they saw Marianne. While remembering those events, Leonard saw how Marianne began to open her eyes.
"Looks like we're on our way to Derdriu," Marianne said, yawning.
"I see."
"Were you spying on me again?" she said, embarrassed.
"A little," Leonard replied, rubbing his head. "The truth is that I remembered that time we met at night."
"I remember that too," Marianne replied, a slight blush on her cheeks. "That was one of the happiest moments I lived in that house."
"It was for me too. It was a pity that I left the next day."
"I think I cried all afternoon on my bed..." she said, looking at Leonard with that gloomy air she used to have.
"I couldn't cry; I wasn't allowed to," he replied, looking down. "The truth is that I still hid crying while covering my mouth the first few days. I tried to talk to the horses and dogs at the monastery I went to, but it wasn't the same as what you did."
"I understand... Some animals asked me about you, but I didn't know how to answer them."
"Surely there wasn't much to tell," he said sadly.
"How do you get along with your father?" asked Marianne, glancing surreptitiously at her companion.
"I cannot say that he is a father; The truth is that our relationship has been more of teacher and disciple than anything else. After a few years of severe training that seemed more like torture than anything else, he left me this thing I wear on my arm."
"If you trained so much, why are you so weak?"
"It's because I haven't had a chance to rest. Summoning so many weapons in such a short time is exhausting. He should rest two for a day of battle, but I have not had that possibility."
"I understand... I hope we can rest in Derdriu; we should arrive around midafternoon."
"That's nice," —Leonard said, sighing. "What matters most to me is to continue in your company, Marianne."
"You're a bit... daring, you know?" Marianne replied, embarrassed.
"No, Marianne... I spent five years praying to the Goddess for this moment. I want to enjoy the opportunity she's given me," Leonard answered thoughtfully as he stared at the girl.
"I...I did, too," she replied, looking at him sheepishly. "Stopping seeing you confirmed the hardships that awaited anyone near me."
"You mean that because of your Crest, right?"
"Yes...exactly," Marianne replied, embarrassed. "I have asked the Goddess to take me with her for this and other things."
"I won't let that happen; forget it," he replied, taking Marianne's hand. "I no longer care because I've met the Goddess in these five years. Despite this, if Sothis existed and watched over us, she would never give you such an unfortunate fate forever. I trust that you can be happy."
"When you say this to me..." —Marianne tried to say but kept quiet.
For a moment, he remembered Byleth, his professor. Listening to Leonard like that reminded her of how he calmed her down, and she could reconcile the anguish she felt back then at the Academy. Although it had to be said, Byleth was much quieter than Leonard. She felt some sadness knowing that her teacher had disappeared. Despite this, she did not let those memories deconcentrate her, mainly when Leonard spoke to her.
"When I tell you this what..." said his companion, rubbing his chin—. "It seems that you remembered something... Or someone."
"Maybe yes. How you talk to me now reminds me of someone I knew at the Academy."
"I see; I hope it's not a competition for me."
"The truth is that I am very sorry... What?" Marianne tried to say, understanding what Leonard meant.
"Looks like I caught you by surprise," the boy commented sarcastically. "Let's rest a little more. The truth is that fighting against that wretch left me exhausted."
"It made me sleepy again, too," she replied, rubbing one eye. "Good night, even though it's almost dawn."
They both rested for about an hour until the coachman yelled at them from his post:
"We're getting close to Derdriu, lovebirds!"
"Oh, don't yell at me, sir," Leonard replied, covering his ears.
"We will stop to eat a little. Please take advantage of eating well since you have been given one of those beatings."
Marianne recognized that they had reached Méibh. They were already near Derdriu, where Claude was waiting for them, who had gone ahead to arrange some matters regarding his future succession; his grandfather had fallen ill after all the stress of the threat of war.
They both got out of the wagon to see that they were in front of a kind of inn on the outskirts of that city. Marianne caught sight of Leonard, absorbed. She realized that he was looking towards the sea.
"I haven't seen you or the sea in such a long time. I believe that the Goddess exists."
Shortly before these events, The Death Knight returned to Enbarr, the capital of the Adrestian Empire. The feeling of defeat was hard to bear. Although he had fought with the Sword of Creation user before, it seemed to him that that mediocre fellow could not win against him. Even so, he managed to damage him and put him in check.
Once at the Palace, he had one of those horrendous and boring meetings. In the room where he was led were Volkhard von Arundel, uncle of Empress Edelgard von Hresvelg and one of the notable nobles in the Empire. He was leaning on his desk, reviewing a region map, slowly drinking a glass of wine. He saw the Dark Knight enter. His appearance was deplorable, even if he had already recovered from the injuries from his last battle.
"It's good to see you here," was the brief greeting from the Lord.
"I don't have the time or desire for this stupidity," he replied, annoyed. "Get to the point, please."
"That guy outclassed you, right? We could not have found a better opportunity to discover one of the region's most guarded treasures."
"I just want to kill that asshole," replied the gentleman angrily. "You guys keep whatever he has in his possession."
While they were talking, someone entered the room. It was that young woman with white hair and purple eyes. He was followed by his right hand, a young man of almost the same age but looking older.
"Uncle, I think it's time for you to tell me why you requested Jeritza 's services," Edelgard began, serious.
"It's straightforward," he replied, taking a sip of wine. "We're after someone who has stolen an important relic from the Church of the East. Although that article should be returned, you will understand that being able to count on it will help us to continue destabilizing the Church."
Arundel smiled at his niece for a few moments.
"Anyway, let this server and Jeritza take care of everything. The situation is neither as severe nor complex to resolve as it might appear."
"I understand," she answered, with that straight and formal attitude she used to have. "But it is unclear why an excellent warrior like Jeritza returns damaged in this way by a single person."
The Lord was silent for a moment. As small and young as she looked, the girl in front of him had an iron will that was hard to counter.
"I will inform you of any change in our itinerary in the next few hours."
"Perfect. So, I withdraw."
A couple of hours later, Edelgard and his adviser, Huber von Vestra, were in one of the great halls of the Imperial Castle. There was one of those stupid celebrations that they tried so hard to abolish, but eliminating them would take them years and a lot of hostility with a nobility accustomed to these vomiting gatherings. They moved a little away from that room to a smaller space.
"How did it go, Hubert?" Edelgard asked, looking around.
"Not very well, Your Excellency."
"Tell me, Edelgard, please," she answered, somewhat annoyed by her collaborator's excessive formality.
"Well," he replied, breaking the bow he inadvertently fell into. "Jeritza was able to give me some information. It almost killed me with rage, but we achieved a certain level of calm."
Hubert sighed as he continued his explanation.
"Strictly speaking, he narrates that the subject he was chasing could summon exact copies of several of the relics of the heroes from some contraption. He could summon more than one at a time and change them at will. Lord Arundel sent him to chase the boy near Garreg Mach without further details."
"This is more serious than how my uncle made it look," the Empress replied, folding her arms. "This object cannot be left freely available to other people. We should be the ones who have access to that magic."
"That is precisely what I was going to suggest, Lady Edelgard," Hubert replied seriously. "I think that to avoid raising more suspicions, we should leave first thing in the morning. According to my intelligence network, the subject in question was accompanied by Marianne von Edmund, a student at the Academy."
"Of course, I remember her. She was Claude's partner."
"Right now, they're heading to Derdriu... The other small detail is that Claude von Riegan is escorting them."
"Um... I see. Prepare the group of troops that you consider prudent, hopefully not many," she declared. "Hopefully, we'll be able to leave after this celebratory mess ends. Please take advantage of meeting one of our colleagues. Ferdinand and Petra would be the most accessible and capable for this mission."
Hubert withdrew immediately. He was somewhat concerned by the impulsiveness the Empress displayed in leaving soon. He knew that taking that relic first was just as important as when they wanted to capture the Crests stones first. He didn't have much time to go through all the preparations, so he moved without looking around.
For the same reason, he failed to see that one of the people invited to that celebration had heard them. The girl, with dark brown hair and green eyes like two emeralds, looked nervous. She knew he shouldn't have listened, but it was unavoidable since he knew the Empress and her adviser from the Officer Academy. "Marianne and Claude are accompanying the guy with that powerful contraption? I hope the war doesn't start to escalate because of this... I think I'll keep finding out about it," thought Dorothea hiding from Hubert and the other Imperial guards.