Chapter 266: Glorious (IV)

I reached a good ending segment in I Am Baki, and now, going forward, I'm going to utilize the following release schedule:

I Am Baki:

Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

A Gamer Into Trails:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Saturday: Post day/rest day

This wraps up Renne's portion for now. Naoto's pov returns next time *^*

As always, Giliath demands your power stones!

*****

Musse just stared at Renne in disbelief, wondering if she had just heard what she had just heard correctly.

Emma also raised her eyebrows, not expecting to hear such an answer.

"Guess it's time to bring out the big gun then.", Emma answered, causing Renne to pause for a moment. Hearing that, Campanella grinned wildly.

"You did have such a weapon, didn't you, Ghost Tracer?", Campanella said, walking up to the plum-haired girl with a playful grin. Emma was thirteen this year, and was soon to turn fourteen. She was behind in age compared to Naoto, only by a year, if even. Compared to Fie, Renne and Musse here, she was the closest to Naoto's age. Even Ennea was oler than Naoto by a few years.

Hearing a foreign name to her, Musse blinked her eyes as she looked at Emma.

"Ghost Tracer?", Musse wondered. She did have that pillow talk during the previous night when they shared the room together since His Majesty invited them to stay after the banquet and dance finished, but Musse didn't recall hearing such a topic sprout up during that night. Emma felt Musse stare at her, and her eyes shifted to Musse.

"No one is ordinary on the Glorious Musse. Fie and I did introduce ourselves as a type of bodyguard to His Highness earlier, but since you're on deck here now, we can say who we really are. I'm a witch. My primary task is assisting His Highness's goal of resurrecting the Infernal Castle in the coming month or two. Protecting Naoto comes with that. I'm Emma Millstein, still a witch-in-training from the Hexen Clan. A pleasure.", Emma smiled, formally introducing herself to Musse.

"You also forgot that you're a Jaeger like me, Emma. But yeah, on top of what Emma said, I'm Fie. Consider us hired mercenaries, Jaegers, whatever you like to call it. I'm down for hunting some more monsters. Dad said he's going to be staying in Heimdallr for a while, so we're on our own for now.", Fie said, also introducing herself to Musse.

"It's a title I didn't like to accept either...", Emma said, revealing a light blush over her cheeks.

"A witch...?", Musse uttered, not believing what Emma had just said either. Pretty quickly, she started to feel her worldview shatter. "But you two seem so young. I really am not working with normal people here.", Musse continued to say.

"It makes sense though. Fie here is the daughter of the Jaeger King. One of most, if not the most prominent figure who holds high integrity from other mercenaries. In a way, Emma and Fie share a similar background with me. I am part of the Stahlritter, who hail from the knights of old that used to protect this land long ago.", Ennea said, introducing herself to Musse too. Musse just stared at the group of girls before her.

"You weren't kidding about forming such a party then. Putting aside the existence of magic, you got yourself a knight, a mercenary, a witch, and an odd girl with a giant mechanical doll. Just where would that place me in all of this?", Musse frowned, hearing these introductions.

"A tiny little frail girl who is having second thoughts in being here?", Campanella retorted, hearing Musse say that. Renne retorted back and sneered at him.

"Not now, Fool.", Renne retorted, hearing that. She then turned toward Musse again. "You'll fit in just fine, Musse. It will make strategizing how to take down enemies we don't know about easier. Along with explaining what type of place it is that we'll be going to, we can devise a few strategies. I can help with that. And since Emma, Fie and Ennea here said what they excel in, I can too. I excel in casting orbal arts, and striking an enemy's weak point when they're weakened or down.", Renne said, explaining what she could do as well.

Musse paused again, letting her eyes gaze on Renne. She took a moment to see how frail and small Renne's body was. Out of the girls present, she was by far the youngest. But out of them, it was possible to say she had the most combat experience in fighting monsters, but since that one year had passed when Emma was under the Steel Maiden's guidance, the other girls' lacking experience caught up with Renne. Ennea though, she likely had the most combat experience, considering she used to be an assassin that hailed from the same organization that Sharon came from.

Musse was finally starting to realize how little she was compared to the rest of those on the Glorious, and Ouroboros in general. Ouroboros knew how the world was working, and was likely striving to do something with it at the Grandmaster's behest. They even let someone as small as Renne in. She seemed no older than eight or nine years old. She would still be considered in primary school even, yet she jumped grades and started to attend the same class she was in. Jumping grades wasn't an easy feat at the leading school of the country for girls.

Was it really alright for her to get acquainted with such...odd people? She was the daughter of a duke, she knew how things worked to a certain degree. It really was as Renne said, and her worldview was beginning to change, just by being here for a few moments. Musse doubted she could return to a normal life she was sharing with Princess Alfin and the others.

"Oho, you really are acting like a little lost kitten. Noble you may be, but here, everything we do is for the Grandmaster. Perhaps in due time, you'll earn the rank of an Enforcer, and get acquainted with the Grandmaster herself.", Bleublanc said, revealing a smile as he observed Musse's lost appearance for a good moment, staying silent as he did.

"Well, it's a bit late to go back now, isn't it? I may be weak unlike you girls are, but I'll try not to hold you girls down.", Musse said, pumping her arm a bit to show that she was ready.

"Oh, there are ways to make it so you can forget about being up here, Musse. But it's good to have you regardless.", Emma said, letting a smile bloom on her face.

"Putting memory altercation aside, Emma, you did forget one thing though. Ennea mentioned that she and Naoto became lovers. You love Naoto too.", Fie said, changing to her usual deadpan look as she nonchalantly placed her hands behind her head in a relaxed position. Fie even began to whistle.

It took a moment to realize what Fie had just said, but Emma blushed.

"F-Fie!", Emma retorted Fie as her cheeks turned red.

"Fie may be blunt, but it is true, is it not?", Renne asked with curious eyes. Emma could only nod her head.

"Yes. In one way or another. It is unfortunate, but I will have to part ways with Naoto for now. I'm sure you will feel lonely too if you join us, right Ennea?", Emma asked. Ennea nodded her head.

"It will be. We will be parting ways from Naoto, but he is currently in a similar position to us, and is currently training. I can leave the prince in your care, right Bleublanc?", Ennea asked the phantom thief with a serious look in her eyes, almost as if she was glaring daggers at him. He knew well of Ennea's strength, and nodded his head.

"But of course, miss knight. You strive for strength in the pursuit of love, and that in itself is a form of beauty. I would not turn away from such a thing. You can rest assured Liberl's Prince's safety is safe in my hands.", Bleublanc said, reassuring the girls before.

"Oh it will be. Otherwise, you don't know what deep shit you would be getting yourself into.", Renne said, squinting her eyes at him. She wasn't with the group when they descended downward beneath the Infernal Palace, but she was smart enough to place two and two together. Emma just stayed silent, she knew well what Renne meant by that. After all, she knew the truth of Naoto's identity. Not many did.

"It sounds like you got your party formed, at least. If comms go down due to unexpected interference, you all will be on your own. I do hope for a good report of that primal ground's structure later. Oh, and don't disturb No. II's work just in case your group crosses paths.", Campanella said, proceeding to do a snap of his fingers. His figure began to distort into an illusory figure, causing surprise to reach Musse's eyes. A green magical-like circle appeared underneath his feet, and before long he vanished from sight.

"You don't need to say that twice.", Renne said, shrugging her shoulders. But she knew what she had to do now, and she won't be alone. Similar to taking on one of the four towers, she was going to form a party with these girls before her, in an attempt to take on the primal ground that houses one of the Sept-Terrions, the Sept-Terrion of Mirage. Who knew what dangers were lurking there.

Seeing Campanella leave, Bleublanc took his leave shortly after, and went on to his next destination, Heimdallr. It was just the girls now. Musse took a good while before she accepted the present situation, but from the Glorious, it didn't take long for a group to ascend the skies once again, thanks to the help of the giant mechanical doll, Pater-Mater...