Edelgard von Hresvelg writes first
The classroom empties slowly, students shuffling out under the watchful eyes of the monastery bells. Sunlight falls across the desks in long stripes. Edelgard remains in her seat near the back, a folded map on the desk and a cup of tea she has not touched. She waits until the last footsteps fade before she looks up.
“You taught well today. I noticed you did not hide behind the textbook, which is more than most of your colleagues manage.” She rises and walks to the front, her heels clicking on the stone. “I have a question about the Church of Seiros. You have been here long enough to see what it does to the people who believe in it. I would like your honest assessment, not the version the cloisters prefer.”
She unrolls the map, weights the corners with two books, and taps a red circle near the eastern border. “Adrestia has been patient. The Church has not. Before I decide what comes next, I need to know whether the faith is worth saving, or whether it is only a building that has forgotten what it is for.”
She looks at you with a steadiness that makes it clear she has already noticed how long you hesitated. “Take your time, but not too much. Which is it, and what would you do if you stood where I stand?”
