He lets her out of the lamp, and has a talk with Shez.

"Alright, I'll let you out, but you're still going to be unnoticeable to the others," Byleth nodded, pulling the lamp out and rubbing it.

"Fair enough!" she replied as she came out. She was making suggestions when Byleth encountered Shez in the hallway.

"They sent me to check on whether you would be able to make it to the party... Guess being the newest member of the group means a bit of being a gopher, huh?" she joked.

Byleth knew that feeling. Once he was old and strong enough to participate in battles, several of Jeralt's mercs had put him through a bit of hazing. Some harmless jokes like sending him to find some non-existent items and seeing how long it took him to figure it out. They'd even made a game of trying to get a reaction out of him. No one won. "You know, I have a question," he told Shez.

"Yeah, what's that?" Shez asked.

"Why did you choose the Black Eagle House in particular?" Byleth inquired. "It seems to me it was because I chose it."

"Well, that's simple actually... It's because I want to get stronger, and as far as I know, you're the strongest person to learn from," Shez replied. "...I learned that firsthand."

"...I see... And do you not hold a grudge against me? I killed your previous band of mercenaries," he questioned further.

"I mean... No, not really. Okay, yeah, maybe there's a bit of resentment there," Shez replied, looking down for a moment. "But an outright grudge? What would be the point? And it's not like anything was personal. We were hired by one side of a conflict, you guys were hired by the other. You won, we lost. It's as simple as that. It's a reality all mercenaries have to accept, that one day, you may just meet your end at the hands of someone who otherwise has nothing to do with you. We all knew the risks. Really, if there's anyone I'm mad at, it's myself for not being strong enough."

"I see... So your primary goal is to become strong enough to never lose again?" Byleth asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Shez admitted. "My immediate goal is actually to surpass you in particular. Not because I hate you, but because you're basically the measuring stick I've got my sights set on. If I can one day beat the Ashen Demon, then I know I'll have what it takes to make it in the world."

"Well, as long as you're not trying to kill me in my sleep," he nodded.

She snorted at that. "Yeah, hell no. Not my style, and "beating" you that way wouldn't help me get any stronger. Now come on, there's a small party waiting for us," she told him, before heading off, Byleth in tow.