The Blue Lions struggle in their latest assignment, where Ashe has to face his adopted father Lord Lonato.

Chapter Text

< Third-Person POV >

As enemy soldiers appeared from the fog, students and the Knights of Seiros were in quite the struggle. Not being able to see where they were coming from was a problem, as well as the fact that they weren’t fighting thugs, but rather civilians that chose to fight alongside Lord Lonato.

“Why, Lonato? Why did you drag so many others into this?” Ashe says as a member of the militia attacks the young archer who manages to dodge.

“Watch out!” Junko yells as she uses Nosferatu, staggering the foe before knocking him down with her lance.

The two of them move to another part of the area as Byleth continues directing where the students should go.

“We have to remain cautious, other hostiles could be lurking anywhere in this kind of weather. Bernadetta, watch my back, you’re my adjutant so take down enemy soldiers from afar.” he tells his scared pupil.

Bernie shivers as she responds to him, “B-but, I can barely see anything out here! There’s no point in having me battle alongside you, I would just slow you down… AH!”

She fires an arrow quickly into the chest of an incoming militia member, who promptly falls down as soon as it enters. She is in shock that she managed to take them out just like that, as Byleth gives her a quick smile and says, “Each battle, a chance to grow.”. He snaps her back to reality before they regroup with Catherine, who just used Thunderbrand to fend off two soldiers at once.

“We’re not getting anywhere with all this fog…” she tells Byleth.

“Maybe there could be a way to clear it up, but how?” he ponders as the fighting continued on for quite a bit.

Saki then spots a mysterious mage, with a black beak-like mask. She charges forward, steel axe in hand and strikes them down, dodging their magic attacks. She grins before she notices the fog starting to fade around the battlefield, revealing Lonato and his troops at the far end of it.

“Good job, now it’s my turn.” Catherine tells Saki before running ahead towards the rebelling lord’s forces. Tatsumi looks on, focused on the power of Thunderbrand as the Knight of Seiros cleans house. She dispatches a bunch of them easily as Lonato scowls, clearly due to his anger towards the Church. He then notices his adopted son Ashe among his enemies and chooses to converse with him.

“Stand down, Ashe. I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary!”

“Please surrender, Lonato! Whatever your reasons for doing this, we can still talk it out!”

“Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the goddess! We have virtue and the goddess herself on our side!”

“Even if all that’s true, dragging the townsfolk into it like this isn’t right!” Ashe’s face shows how distraught he is, and Lonato shares the same expression for having to fight the young boy whom he took in.

“Enough. If that is how you feel, prepare yourself! I’m putting an end to this!” Lonato finishes as the other students arrive.

Sakura, having heard this go down is puzzled as to how someone as nice as Rhea, who offered to let the girls stay and become students at the monastery can be seen as evil. Not helping the fact is how she is currently being forced to cut down townspeople who became soldiers to support this uprising. Are they really working with the good guys here?! Before she could stop thinking, she is then knocked down to ground along with her lance.

“Lord Lonato doesn’t deserve such sadness and anger… Now it’s your turn to suffer!” the militia member said before raising his blade in an attempt to stab her.

“Sakura!” Dimitri charges in and skewers the foe with his lance, yet he is clearly horrified for what he just did to what was once an innocent man.

“Thanks Your Highness…” she says to him as he picks her back up and makes sure she’s alright before heading back to the confrontation. She then notices how Dimitri looked in that moment, like for a second he wasn’t looking like himself….

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Lonato is stirring after dueling with Byleth, yet he has yet to let up. Remaining on top of his steed, he fights on despite his forces falling one by one, until single arrow hit his armor. He looks over to where it came from and sees Ashe, looking on with frustration, but before he could say another word Byleth takes advantage of the distraction. The once proud lord falls as he gives his last words: “That vile woman… Christophe… Forgive me…”.

Ashe looks like he is on the verge of breaking down in tears, “Lonato, I…”

Junko attempts to comfort him as the rest of the enemy troops fall and the battle is now over.

STAGE COMPLETE!

MVP: Ashe (I’m so sorry)

Ashe’s motivation is maxed out!

As everyone prepared to head home (though Ashe was still checking if his brother and sister were okay) Catherine found a document detailing a plan to assassinate Lady Rhea, surprising many of the students there. Who formulated such a plan? When will it be enacted? These answers will be found very soon…

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“Dimitri!”

“Oh, good evening Sakura.” the prince turns around after the idol calls out his name.

“I just wanted to thank you again for helping back there, I really appreciate it!” Sakura bows, thankful for the help.

“I cannot just ignore a fellow classmate and friend in danger, you would have perished had I not intervened. Well, uh, perished again in your case.”

“Yeah, ha ha… you’re really heroic, huh? Faerghus will be in good hands once you manage to take the throne!”

“Hopefully it will, I’m the only heir to the throne and I have to live up to those expectations. You have a job that has many expectations as well, don’t you? An “idol”, was it?

“Yeah! Franchouchou’s gonna work hard to get to the top and save Saga!... Whatever that last part means ha…”

“Ha ha ha, well then, I wish you luck with your business once you manage to return home. For now, let me treat you to some dinner. I could go for some Gautier Cheese Gratin right about now!”

“That sounds good, lead the way Your Highness!”

SAKURA AND DIMITRI HAVE ATTAINED SUPPORT LEVEL C

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“Mmmm! This cake is so yummy!” Lily says with a big smile.

“I’m glad you like it, I baked it myself.” Mercedes smiles back, “What do you think Annie? Annie?”

Annette is glaring intensely at Felix, upset about something that may have happened between the two of them.

“Hey Annie!” Lily raises her voice slightly to get her attention.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment, ha ha… ah!” she awkwardly sips her tea before she realizes it’s still hot. Her two friends giggle at the sight of a flustered Annette.

After the long assignment, everyone just wanted to have a break, especially Ashe. His classmates all decided to take up his class duties until he felt better. Not much else occurred until the next lecture, as the Garland Moon comes to an end and the month of the Blue Sea Moon has begun. The Blue Lions class came together once more to discuss the plan to assassinate the Archbishop, and concluded that the enemy may have an ulterior motive.

“We need to find out where our enemies plan on attacking in order to prevent a catastrophe during the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. Gather as much information as you can, so we can determine where to head to during our upcoming assignment. Good luck everyone!” Dimitri steps down from the stand and he and the students scour the monastery, looking for clues as to where they would strike. It took an entire day but they managed to settle on one single location that would be open during the event, the Holy Mausoleum. And thus they start the preparations for the next assignment.

END OF CHAPTER 14

“I am Ferdinand von Aegir” count x2 (no change)