43 7.4 Planning

"Just a question," I leaned forward, foregoing my previous attempts of deflection in favor of getting confirmation. "Was Aria present during my so-called 'fight'?"

"Yes!" the green-haired Nenner nodded with vindictive glee. "I heard her challenge you to beat that one guard to let you take Lise with you. You showed that bvtch, right?"

I absently nodded as I mulled over this not-so-insignificant revelation. I honestly thought that I was free of the bvtch ever since I stuck a sword through her chest. If my memories were still affected to this day, then there might be some remnants of the brainwashing left in me.

Knowing that, could I even trust myself at this point? What if I was just hallucinating all of this? It was certainly possible. I didn't know how water powers equated to mind control capabilities, but if memory manipulation was in its realm of possibility, then she might be able to make zombies, for all I care!

"Master?"

And on that note, what if she was actually still alive somehow? It would honestly explain why I still had some gaps in my memory. And if she- No... That was impossible. I put a gigantic hole right through her heart. There was no way she could survive that, right?

"Master?"

"Huh?" I instinctively replied, my mind still wholly not in the realm of the present. "Something wrong?"

"Well, would you train me?"

I raised an eyebrow as I noticed that she was still kneeling in front of me. "First of all, please stop kneeling in front of me," I pleaded, doing my best to make my eyes look anywhere else besides the woman in front of me. "Secondly, I have no right to take you on as an apprentice of any sort."

First up, it'd be awkward having someone that was older than me by possibly a decade as my secretary in all but name. Lise was an exception since she was essentially my little sister in all but blood. And even then it was because she had a tendency to stick with wherever I may be. I glanced back at the waiting woman who was looking painfully devastated at my decision.

Please don't look at me like that. "I-I'm not good enough to teach someone to mastery by myself," I weakly explained, trying my best to ignore the guilt building up in my chest. "A-and I-I'm..."

Shvt... What else was I supposed to say?

"N-no... Not impossible," she ground out in determination, making me take a small step back as she asserted her reasoning. "You need someone to teach the rest of us how to fight."

Ouch... That was a direct hit and a half. As much as I'd like to deny it, she was right... I did need someone to teach the basics to the others for me since it was impossible to do it alone. But...

"Lise can do it for me," I mentally cringed as I threw my little sister under the bus. "She has more experience, and she held her own against Aria herself."

I suppressed a smirk as I watched the lime-haired woman struggle to find a rebuttal. I'll give it to her that she was smart, but I didn't manage to skirt my way through college by passing all of my tests alone.

"I'm sorry," I honestly apologized. "But-"

"Lise's not qualified to teach us."

Huh?

Glancing back at the woman in front of me, I saw a fire burn in her eyes as she stared right through my soul. It was terrifying, to say the least, the resolve of someone whose mind was already made up.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Lise might be more skilled than all of us combined, but the rest of the Nenners might not know that."

Another hit! Why was this chick so smart?! Oh right, I didn't know anymore. I should've at least caught that possible snag in the works a while ago. No wonder-

"Not everyone knows of, or even believes in your feat of killing Blutmond," Emeraud continued, explaining what I already knew to be true. "If you ask them to be taught by the youngest Nenner in the Furnace on how to fight, they'll probably just laugh at you."

I sighed in resignation as I nodded in agreement to her arguments. Why bother trying to argue when she was absolutely right?

"Fine, you're my apprentice now or something," I halfheartedly said with far too much disdain for my tastes. "I won't promise that you'll get-"

"Thank you!"

"Stronger..." I trailed off as I watched a woman that was probably in her late twenties dance around like a high-school girl.

Surreal.

"I promise I'll be good, Master!" my now-apprentice nodded furiously to my face as she held onto her rifle with far too much zeal. "I'll help you in any way I can!"

Ookay... That was kinda creepy. Why was I getting roped into this kind of stuff anyway?

"T-Thank you, Emeraud," I shakily told the woman, both hands motioning her to back off from me. "Is there anything else then?"

Please let there be none... Please let there be none...

"That's all, Master."

Oh, thank god...

"But I do have a suggestion-"

"What is it?" I asked, one brow twitching in annoyance.

"I think we can make the rifles more useful as a weapon if we add a pointed blade at the end of it," the Nenner suggested, pointing towards the bottom of the muzzle. "It would act like a spear of some sort. Right, Master?"

One thought ran through my head as I heard the woman's suggestion. It may be because I was overthinking too much these days, what with the paranoia and the constant threat of being discovered any day now. But I've been missing far too much simple stuff like this for days now.

I scratched my head as I accepted the suggestion with ease. "Th-that's a great idea," I gritted through my teeth as I at least took solace in her ecstatic expression. "It would give us an option should the enemy get close."

I inwardly grumbled. This was inexcusable. The thought of a bayonet should've come to me sooner. Why didn't I think of that first?!

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