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The Ashen Demon.
An unfeeling monster that leaves bodies in their wake. A mercenary that gets the job done, no matter what. Someone who deserved to die no matter what. That was what Shez thought about the famed mercenary, especially after the loss of her crew to the demon.
However, it seems that Shez’s image of the demon crumbled the moment she started working with Jeralt’s mercenaries to end the war.
“Commander, do we have time to go fishing?”
Byleth, seemingly unbothered by recent events, approached Shez with such an innocent question. True, most mercenaries tend to not make things personal, but Shez can’t deny
that things felt awkward.
“Uh… I guess?”
Shez scratched her head.
“We’re not scheduled to march until tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Shez blinked as she watched Byleth walk away without a care in the world. It was an ordinary exchange of words, but the mercenary couldn’t help but feel something was odd…
“You shouldn’t let the Ashen Demon get to you, my friend,” Arval’s voice echoed in Shez’s mind.
“It’s not like that,” Shez frowned. “I just realized that… I knew very little about the Ashen Demon.”
“I doubt that many would attempt to understand the person they were trying to kill,” Arval chuckled. “You’re not the type to learn someone’s weaknesses. You throw yourself at the wall until either it or you break. Most times it’s you who breaks.”
“Haha, very funny,” Shez rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I just… didn’t realize how normal she is. She’s very different from the Demon that wiped out my crew and nearly put me in the grave multiple times.”
Shez knew this sort of thing would happen the moment she agreed to work with Jeralt’s Mercenaries. It wasn’t the first time she got to know a former enemy but it was the first time she experienced someone like Byleth.
“Well, what do you plan to do about that, my partner?”
“I think I have an idea…”
When the time came for Shez to make an expedition, She asked Byleth to join her. The two mercenaries traveled on horseback for a few hours until they arrived in a forest area. Shez figured that it was the best chance to speak with her rival without getting distracted by the rest of the army. Everything was going well until…
“...Is this the right direction?”
“Are you serious?! I told you to study the map before departing!” Arval chastised Shez while she was staring in a random direction.
“Commander, is everything alright?” Byleth titled her head. “You’ve been reading that map for a while now.”
“It’s fine… Everything is fine,” Shez waved her head. “I’m just making sure we’re on the right path.”
“I don’t sense anyone nearby,” The Ashen Demon raised an eyebrow. “No witnesses… Is this where you try to kill me? It won’t end well.”
Shez shivered at the vague threat coming from her.
“I… I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
“It’s a joke,” Byleth said with a blank face. “Don’t worry. I know that you’re not that type of person.”
“Huh, am I that straightforward?”
“When we fought during the war, you always made your presence known. You often shouted to get my attention.”
“I should probably stop doing that,” Shez sighed. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to go this way… I think I read the map wrong and now we’re lost.”
“It’s alright. I can lead us back, Commander. My sense of direction never fails.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I’m no good with these maps, even after my time at Garreg Mach.”
“You went to the Officer’s Academy,” Byleth tilted her head. “Interesting. That explains why you’re so close with the army…”
“Eh, it’s not that impressive… I was just at the right place at the right time,” Shez shrugged. “I’m more impressed by your knowledge. I bet Jeralt taught you a bunch of stuff.”
“Jeralt didn’t teach me everything. But I’ve learned enough,” Byleth glanced around. “I think I remember this area. We should be able to get back to the others before nightfall.”
“Well, in that case… Do you want to take a break? I think we can afford to laze around for a bit.”
“I don’t mind,” Byleth shrugged.
Shez set up a blanket for the two to sit down on. She managed to bond with many of her friends in the army thanks to these expeditions so hopefully she could understand Byleth. At least figure out her feelings about the former rival turned ally. The only issue she had was that Byleth wasn’t very sociable. It made trying to start a conversation a bit of an uphill battle despite their initial talk.
Fortunately, Shez didn’t need to do anything as Byleth was the one to push the conversation.
“I’ve heard that you grew up without knowing your family,” Byleth commented.
“Hm? Yeah, I never knew my birth parents. I wasn’t related to the woman who raised me,” Shez shook her head. “She died pretty early in my life so I’ve been on my own since then.”
“I see,” Byleth furrowed her eyebrows. “I can’t imagine growing up without Jeralt…”
“I wouldn’t say it’s that big of a deal. Saying goodbye to friends and loved ones just comes naturally to me.”
She wasn’t expecting the conversation to focus on herself, but at least she was managing to learn more about the Ashen Demon.
“But what about your old crew? The ones that we wiped out.”
Shez winced at Byleth’s sudden gut punch. She knew that the Ashen Demon was always blunt, but she was always unprepared whenever she opened her mouth.
“You really know how to beat around the bush, huh?”
“I’m sorry if that’s a sore subject,” Byleth frowned. A rare sight.
“No, No, it’s fine…” Shez waved her hand. “I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t torn up about those guys. I’ve been with Berling’s group for a while… but we always knew that death would come sooner or later.”
“Is that so?”
“Mercenaries shouldn’t hold on to grudges and it’s not like I was going to let what happened get in the way of winning the war,” the purple-haired mercenary folded her hands behind her head. “Honestly, I was just using them as an excuse to surpass you. That defeat pushed me to want to catch up with you.”
“...You’re a strange girl.”
“Hello pot, meet kettle,” Shez chuckled. “Again, don’t worry about me. I’m not that thin-skinned to let past grudges get in the way.”
“You’re stronger than me… I don’t know if I’d ever forgive someone if they hurt Jeralt,” Byleth lowered her gaze.
“Hey, don’t make me out to be someone that heartless. I rather not let my current friend group die if I can help it.”
The friends she made at Garreg Mach were different compared to her old group. Despite most of them being high-ranking nobles, they treated her like a friend rather than a disposable mercenary. That’s why she’ll do whatever it takes to help them win this war.
“Jeralt had always told me that I should make friends with people my age… but I never saw any reason to.”
“You should try to talk to others,” Shez suggested. “Maybe it will help some of the army being scared of you.”
“They’re… scared of me?”
Shez couldn’t help but think about a sad cat when seeing Byleth’s expression at that moment.
“I was only joking! Please don’t worry about it too much.”
She should probably keep it to herself that Bernadetta hid from Byleth often.
The two mercenaries continued their idle conversation, learning a little about each other as the minutes passed. Shez still couldn’t get past the awkwardness and she noticed how Byleth was often looking to her side as if there was someone there. She thought about bringing it up but decided against it.
“I think we should get going, Commander. We’re losing daylight.”
“Right, Right… Also, you don’t need to call me commander. Shez is fine.”
“I don’t know if I should overstep my boundaries. You are my superior, after all.”
“It’s funny how that works, huh?” Shez scratched her head. “I’m still not used to it.”
Shez wasn’t sure if she got the full picture of the Ashen Demon, but at least the two could talk without much trouble.
“One more thing, Commander,” Byleth paused for a moment. “I mean… Shez.”
Shez was in the middle of packing things when Byleth caught her attention. She turned to see the mercenary holding an armored stuffed teddy bear.
“A gift for you.”
“Uh… thanks?” Shez slowly took the item. “Usually, I’m the one who gives a gift…”
“Is that so? Well, I couldn’t help but want to give you something as thanks… for giving me and Jeralt some work.”
“Hey, I’m not that important… but I’ll accept your gift,” Shez smiled as she put away the gift. “Uh… does this make us friends now?”
“I… I don’t know?”
Shez and Byleth stood there in awkward silence for a few moments. The purple-haired mercenary shrugged before walking towards their horses.
“Let’s worry about that for later. I think I prefer this rival thing we have going on. I still plan on surpassing you one day.”
“Good luck. I don’t plan on staying still while you catch up.”
“I can’t tell if you two made any progress or not,” Arval said to Shez while she continued packing their things.
“Eh, don’t worry about it. It’s not like we need to be friends to work together.”
“Well, if you say so… As long as you don’t do anything rash, I’ll always support you.”
“Yeah, Yeah… I know, Arval. You’re my partner in destiny, right?” Shez teased her partner.
Byleth raised an eyebrow, watching Commander Shez talk to herself. She wasn’t sure if the girl simply forgot she existed or she went crazy.
“See? I told you that child is no good! Look at her, she’s gone insane,” Sothis said in an exasperated tone.
“Be easy on her, Sothis… She’s probably feeling a bit nervous after talking with me. Still, it’s weird that someone would be that comfortable talking with themselves.”
Byleth decided it would be for the best that she pretended that she didn’t see this sad sight from her commander.