It was a new moon night. Deep within the coniferous forest, along a stream about two hundred paces off the Magdred Way. The air was cold, the wind still, and only darkness reigned there. Edelgard held her breath atop a large branch of an ancient oak. Her white hair was tied back in two bundles, and she was clad in a black jacket that allowed for easy movement. In her hand, an unmarked dagger. She had already discarded its sheath. She looked down. In a small clearing by the stream, a single man stood. A spy. A hyena who served as the hands and feet of corrupt nobles, devouring the Empire's wealth. The man warily scanned his surroundings, then set the lantern he carried down at his feet. He was waiting for a signal. (...Now.) Edelgard kicked off the branch without a sound. The wind of her fall set her white hair fluttering. She killed the impact of her landing with the soles of her boots and stood behind the man. The lantern's flame flickered, and a single shadow tore sharply through the light. The dagger pierced the man's throat. "...Gh." A voiceless sound. Blood bubbled up. The man crumbled to his knees without ever understanding what had happened. Edelgard pulled the dagger free and laid the man's body on the ground, catching it with her shoulder. The blood was absorbed by the earth. Her pale violet eyes held no emotion whatsoever. With the same care one might use to put away tea utensils, she dragged the corpse into the shallow stream. The sound of water. [cold] "It was necessary. That's all." She murmured the words in her heart and continued her work. She scraped away the blood-soaked earth with her dagger and washed it away with the stream's water. She extinguished the lantern and quickly rifled through the man's belongings. A single sheet of parchment with hastily scribbled instructions. She would have to pass this on to Hubert later. She erased all traces. The corpse was sunk beneath a rocky overhang. In two days, the beasts would take care of it, she calculated coolly. It was fortunate that the moon was not out. Clouds covered the sky, and even the starlight was unreliable. Having finished all the processing, Edelgard paused for a moment and looked down at her own hands. Her fingertips were trembling slightly. (I'm not scared. It's just cold.) Deciding to think of it that way, she began walking towards the Magdred Way. Her footsteps vanished, swallowed by the silence of the forest. Garreg Mach Monastery. A massive stone fortress built on a plateau nine hundred meters above sea level, halfway up the Oghma Mountains that rise in the center of the continent of Fódlan. It is the central headquarters of the Church of Seiros, and simultaneously houses an officers academy that cultivates the next generation of leaders from the three nations—the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance. Six hundred clergy reside there permanently, along with twelve hundred Knights of Seiros. Add to that the roughly two hundred students of the officers academy who live and sleep there, and it was, in essence, a small town. Edelgard's personal room was a corner room on the second floor of the girls' dormitory. Before dawn, she slipped in through the window unseen by anyone. She lit the fireplace and threw her blood-stained clothes into it, crumpled up. As she watched the black cloth shrink, licked by the red flames, she unconsciously stroked the silver ring on the ring finger of her left hand. —A memento of her deceased older siblings. She was the Imperial Princess of the Adrestian Empire. The Empire was the oldest nation governing the southwestern part of Fódlan, with a population of approximately three and a half million. Its capital, Enbarr, was located three hundred and twenty kilometers southwest of Garreg Mach. However, the current Empire had fallen to a place where corrupt nobles merely exploited the masses. At the root of this was the system of "Crests." Supernatural powers that dwell only in specific bloodlines—Crests. They amplify combat abilities and sometimes manifest special powers. This power, possessed by a mere three percent of Fódlan's population, was the absolute wall dividing nobles from commoners. Those with Crests rule, and those without submit. Marriages, titles—everything was decided for the inheritance of Crests. Children without Crests, even if of noble birth, were disinherited, and sometimes even abandoned. It was the Church of Seiros, with this very monastery as its headquarters, that sanctified this as the "blessing of the Goddess." Beneath Edelgard's clothes, on her chest, was an old scar. Ten years ago, an inhumane experiment conducted by the Empire's dark forces—the "Crest Experiments." In those experiments, which artificially implanted and strengthened Crests, ten of her siblings died. The sole survivor, Edelgard, was branded with the "Crest of Flames," a power she had not originally possessed. Since then, something within her had changed. (I won't use Heroes' Relics. I will create a world that doesn't rely on Crests.) It was a vow she told no one. Heroes' Relics—the legendary weapons used by ancient heroes. Only those who bear the corresponding Crest can draw out their true power. It is said that if one without a Crest uses them, their body will transform into a Demonic Beast. Only a dozen or so exist across the entire continent. These, too, were symbols that supported the Crest system from a military standpoint. By the time the fire in the fireplace died out, Edelgard had carefully wiped the dagger with a cloth and stowed it in a hidden box beneath the floorboards. Outside the window, the sky was beginning to lighten. She did not lie down on her bed, but instead faced her desk. Morning duties as house leader—confirming today's training plan and the weekly report. The hand moving her pen no longer trembled. The training grounds, morning. As the stone paving shone white under the morning sun, the students of the Black Eagles house were lined up. Young people from the Adrestian Empire. All were children of nobles, and all possessed Crests—they were people in a position where they had to. [gentle] "Today, we will conduct three-on-three mock battles. I will decide the pairs, so prepare yourselves." Edelgard's voice was calm. So much so that one would never think she was a woman who had killed a man the night before. She wore a white blouse, a black jacket, and a skirt that was easy to move in. Her snow-white long hair was tied back in two bundles, with purple ribbons swaying. Her large, pale violet eyes could look cold or hot depending on the light. [excited] "As expected of our house leader! Your precise instructions are a great help!" A large young man with flaming, orange-tinged long hair tied in a high ponytail shouted, his amber eyes shining. Ferdinand—the heir of House Aegir. He was broad-shouldered and over one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. His perpetually well-maintained hair sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. He was full of a sense of justice and pathologically hated lies. When he looked down at you from his towering height, you felt as if his too-honest eyes could see right through any falsehood. [serious] "Ferdinand, your pair will be Linhardt and Caspar. Leave the vanguard to Caspar, and you focus on support from the rear." [excited] "Understood! I shall wield my lance to my heart's content!" The other classmates nodded with smiles. Not a single one of them knew of her actions the previous night. Edelgard returned a perfect smile. The moment training ended, a low voice reached her ear from behind. [whispers] "Regarding last night's matter, was it successful?" She turned to find a man standing there, his long, straight black hair hanging down on either side of his face. His sharp, golden eyes gleamed as if surveilling their surroundings. He was one hundred and eighty-eight centimeters tall. Slender, but his stance held the tension of an eagle targeting its prey. Hubert—the heir of House Vestra and Edelgard's retainer. He had followed her like a shadow since childhood, swearing a loyalty that bordered on fanaticism. Edelgard nodded silently. That alone was enough. [whispers] "Was there an instruction document?" She took the parchment from her pocket and casually handed it over. Hubert's long fingers swiftly concealed it within his sleeve. [serious] "Later, in the library. I have a new list." [gentle] "Yes, understood." That was the extent of their conversation. To their classmates, it looked like nothing more than idle chatter. But between the two of them, a cold air they showed no one else was shared in an instant. The library, early afternoon. The largest academic archive in Garreg Mach, boasting a collection of twelve thousand books, was usually bustling with students. However, the reading room in the back was different. Managed by Tomas, the elderly scholar and librarian, this place was only accessible to those with permission. Hubert was already there. [serious] "Here is the next target." On the parchment he presented, names were listed in bold handwriting. The crimes of corrupt nobles, their bases of operation, smuggling routes. And finally, a single line added as supplementary information, written in small script. —In the coming days, a new instructor, Byleth Eisner, is scheduled to arrive as the homeroom teacher for the Black Eagles house. Former mercenary. Suspicious gaps in his personal history. [cold] "This man, a former mercenary with suspicious gaps in his history. If he is dangerous, I will deal with him first." [serious] "For now, we should observe. We cannot afford to draw unnecessary attention." Her voice was cool. However, wariness of the unknown entity named Byleth lit a small fire in the corner of her mind. A former mercenary—he might possess the sharpness unique to those who have lived on the battlefield. It would be troublesome if he learned of their current activities. [whispers] "As you will. However." For a moment, his golden eyes harbored intense hostility. It was clear he was not pleased with Byleth's appointment. That night, Edelgard could not sleep. Even lying in her bed, the faces of the nobles she had to erase next floated up when she closed her eyes. The name Byleth flickered persistently in the corner of her mind. She rose, slipped out of the dormitory, and headed for the cathedral. No one was there. The massive cathedral, boasting a capacity of eight hundred, was now filled only with silence. Moonlight filtering through the stained glass dyed the floor blue, and within that light, the white statue of the Goddess Sothis emerged. Edelgard knelt before the statue. (Goddess Sothis. Are you watching us?) She asked the question in her heart. There was no answer. [whispers] "Even if my hands... become stained with more blood." The words she spoke aloud were more a vow than a prayer. [cold] "Please, allow me to continue down this path." Bathed in moonlight, her white hair shone silver. Her figure looked less like a praying saint and more like an incarnation of vengeance cloaked in cold flame. The silver ring on the ring finger of her left hand reflected the moonlight with a dull gleam. When she exited the cathedral, the night wind stroked her cheek. The peaks of the Oghma Mountains cast their shadows in the darkness. This mountain range, rising in the center of Fódlan, was a massive wall separating her homeland from other countries. From this monastery on its mid-slope, she was trying to change everything. The classroom, the next morning. The stone-built classroom of the Black Eagles house was already filled with her classmates. The majestic scenery of the Oghma Mountains could be seen from the window. The voices of the young people echoed in the space of about forty tatami mats. [excited] "Hey, I hear a new teacher is coming starting today!" Ferdinand raised his voice at the classroom entrance. His ponyta