"Where should we get together tomorrow?" Apricot asked, tilting her head, her ears twitching with a mix of curiosity and impatience.
"Under the ice guru tree," I said, pointing lazily at the towering, frost-coated tree in the back courtyard. Its branches glistened faintly, like frozen veins reaching up toward the dim sky.
"But isn't that where that fox sleeps at night?" Sirone said, her voice trembling. Fear flickered across her eyes, and she hugged her cloak tighter as though the mention alone could summon the beast.
"Yes," I answered simply, hiding the grin that tugged at the corners of my lips.
"Don't worry, your big sis will cut that fox up in a million pieces if it even thinks about touching you," Brenda declared with loud confidence. She puffed her chest out as if daring the invisible enemy, her hand tightening on the hilt of her blade. The bold claim made Sirone's cheeks flush red, embarrassment chasing away some of her worry.
'These two are going to be a handful.' Apricot and I exchanged a quick glance, our thoughts crossing unspoken.
"It will be fine. She won't do anything to you, Sirone," I said calmly, lowering my hand to brush at a stray lock of hair falling into my eyes.
"How sure are you about that?" Apricot asked, narrowing her eyes, clearly testing me.
"You'll have to wait for tomorrow to see," I replied, standing up with a small stretch, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a clearer answer.
"What are we supposed to do today for the rest of the day?" Brenda asked, turning her bright gaze on me, still half-smiling from her bravado.
"I don't know. Go on a date with your sister or something," I said, waving them off as though it were nothing important.
"Aah, that isn't a good idea, thank you," Brenda muttered, though her grip on Sirone's hand tightened instinctively. With a reluctant blush, she led her sister away.
"Those two might be annoying in the future," Apricot said with a sigh, her tail flicking once behind her.
"Probably, but it's kind of entertaining to see how dense Brenda is," I replied, letting out a small snicker.
Apricot's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're into those kinds of relationships."
"You mean like incest?" I asked, perplexed, raising a brow at her. Seeing her nod with a serious frown, I immediately formed an ice staff in my hand and smacked her lightly over the head. "Hell no. I might be into girls, but family relationships still have their boundaries!" My voice carried sharper than I intended.
"Owie," Apricot muttered, rubbing the sore spot, though a mischievous smile tugged at her lips. "That's why you only have girls in this squad. You want to make a harem. I gotta say, you're doing a bad job—you already lost two people to each other."
"It just worked out like that, and I don't want a harem. It's way too much work to satisfy more than one person," I said flatly, smacking her a couple more times with the staff for good measure.
"Master, you're so abusive," Apricot said with an exaggerated pout, rubbing her head.
"And whose fault is that, doggie?" I shot back, annoyed.
"Stop calling me doggie," Apricot snapped, ears twitching furiously.
"No," I said, smirking, before turning away. "Come, let's go meet Trinity."
"Why her?" Apricot asked, her expression skeptical but her steps still falling in line behind mine.
"She's going to teach us how to use wires properly—or more like, I'll be asking her to do that," I explained as we moved toward the forest paths.
"I understand for me, but why you?" Apricot pressed.
"It's for my mastery of weapons," I said eagerly, my voice carrying a note of determination.
"Ooh, so you want to use string weapons or make them?" Apricot asked.
"Both. I also want to learn how to make traps," I admitted, slightly surprised she figured it out so quickly.
"Not a bad idea," Apricot said, nodding, her tail curling thoughtfully.
"Yup, and the best part—it works with my fox nature."
"Fox nature?" she echoed, tilting her head.
"Don't worry about it," I said with a sly smile.
[30 minutes later]
"You want me to do what?" Trinity asked, looking genuinely confused as she sat behind her desk, half-buried under mountains of paperwork.
"I want you to teach Apricot how to use wires properly. You don't have to worry, I'll be there the entire time to keep her under control," I said, putting on my most innocent expression.
'Why are you using the roundabout way to ask her to teach you!?' Apricot thought, glaring at me silently.
"Yeah, I heard that," Trinity said, skeptical eyes flicking between the two of us. "But why should you be there as well?"
"Because I'm her master, and as her master, I must keep her under control," I explained with the utmost seriousness, chin tilted high.
"That isn't needed. Remember, I'm a higher level than her—and by a lot," Trinity said, her tone mildly irritated.
"But she can catch you off guard," I said flatly.
"The more you talk, the more it sounds like you don't trust me at all," Apricot muttered, annoyed from behind me.
"Doggie, shhh," I said, dismissing her.
Trinity smirked, finally catching on. "Ah, I see. You also want to learn how to use wires, right? Why didn't you say that from the beginning? It makes everything so much easier. But in exchange, you'll show me how to preserve a corpse for puppeteering." Her smile widened, sharp.
"Of course," I said with a nod.
She stood abruptly, shouting, "Brad, get in here!?"
"Trinity, this is a warning for the future," I groaned, covering my ears. "Please don't shout like that—or at least warn me. My ears are really sensitive."
"Noted," she said smoothly. "Now, Brad, you're taking up my duties until I'm done, okay?"
"But Commanding Major, what are you going to do?" Brad asked, frowning.
"I was asked to do something for the house. So you have no say in this. Do the work, understood," Trinity said, walking out without another glance.
Left behind, Brad stared at the pile of paperwork, looking as though the world had ended.
"Good luck, Brad," I said cheerfully as I followed after her. Apricot clasped her hands together in mock prayer before trailing behind me.
"So, am I only going to teach you two?" Trinity asked once we were outside.
"Yes. Before we go, can I get more restrainers?" I asked, causing her to glance back, puzzled.
"Why?"
"I'm going to use them tomorrow for my squad. Do you have ones that can block only people's levels?"
"I do. But since when do you even have a squad? Didn't you just arrive here like two days ago?" she asked, baffled.
"Since this morning. And can I have ten of those restrainers?" I asked, smiling innocently.
"You work fast," Trinity said, shaking her head.
"Meh, if you think so. About your request, though—I'll have to find the materials first before I can show you," I admitted.
"That's fine. Just remember you owe me one," she said, winking.
"Of course," I said with a wry smile.
[4 hours later]
"Thank you, Trinity. I'll be sending Apricot every day to you for a couple of hours," I said, waving as she stepped back toward the offices.
"Huh? You're not joining the next training session?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes. Stacy is my master, so there are rules about me training with other people," I said, rubbing the back of my head.
"Stacy is your master? That must be hard," Trinity said, a flicker of pity on her face.
"Nah, I like training with her," I said brightly.
"You monster," Trinity muttered, staring at me like I was insane.
"Thanks for the compliment," I replied, tilting my head.
"That wasn't a compliment. Whatever. But what do you mean by rules?"
"I'm only allowed to be trained by another person in my free time, and their sessions can't be more than an hour. Before you say it—yes, today was four hours, but I'm taking a week off her training to get used to the capital. After this week, I'll be using my free time on my own squad."
"I see. Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow, Apricot," Trinity said, leaving us at the training grounds.
"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Apricot asked, standing next to me.
"I need to find Kayda and ask her how to learn proper mana control," I said, walking toward the gates.
"Should I join you?"
"You don't have to. You can go back to your room or do anything you want," I said, shrugging.
"I think I'll go try to get some shut-eye. Ah, damn, I forgot to ask your father where our squad's barracks are," Apricot said, facepalming.
"I'll just call Mom and ask. Oh, and don't call him my father. Just call him Commander Draig," I said, pulling out my scroll.
After sorting Apricot out and showing her the barracks, I spent the next three hours wandering the mansion grounds in search of Kayda. My path crisscrossed the same spots—gardens, the main gate, shaded courtyards. I must have looked ridiculous, circling like a lost fox. I even tried sniffing her out, but… I'd forgotten her scent.
One upside, though—I learned the entire mansion layout, right down to the hidden paths in the forest. The only place I hadn't checked was the black ops barracks. Surely she wouldn't be there teaching Amari.
As I walked back toward the garden once more, wings sliced the air above me. A shadow blotted the light, descending fast.
I looked up.
A humanoid bird plummeted toward me, its wings spread wide, talons glinting.
"What the fuck!?" I yelped, stumbling back.