━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Emilia and her team were obviously never informed of the decisions made that day to decide their 'ultimate fate'. In the eyes of those in control, not only would it be utterly unnecessary and pointless, but it might even be considered counterproductive.
One of the primary reasons they'd been so reluctant to invest in the growth of the 'Crimson Witches' had been precisely their age. Younger people were often considered more rebellious and stubborn, especially when not trained properly.
Unfortunately, although they could be considered 'bad stock', the decision makers concerned knew that only their unlikely meteoric rise could give them a chance to contend against the momentum of their rivals.
"From today onwards, Miss Evans will teach you girls how to fight and defend yourself properly." Norman smiled. "She's one of the best at what she does, so it would be great if each of you could learn sof her skills."
Miss Evans was a brunette in her early thirties with her hair in a tight bun and faint laughing lines on her naturally gentle tanned face. With just one look, most people would think of her as a good person worthy of trust.
What few knew, however, was that she was less of a soldier and more of a spy.
Even Emilia wouldn't have known, if not for the fact that she'd recalled one of the fragmented scenes from the original timeline.
Needless to say, for her to remain relevant enough to stand next to the hero in the future despite being a government agent in an enemy's territory… Emilia knew she wasn't to be treated lightly.\\
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt'What an annoying type of person… if they just wanted to control and keep an eye on a few young girls, couldn't they have found someone easier to trick?' Emilia sighed.
Cynthia couldn't help but giggle. "You say that, but you'd be the first one scoffing in disdain if they really sent someone incompetent."
Emilia knew that her partner was right, so she could only huff in embarrassment. 'Well, whatever, I'll just take it as a challenge. There's not much she can do against us openly, anyway.'
"Hello, Miss Evans…" The crimson-haired girl greeted her politely, her eyes twinkling with curiosity, and the woman nodded kindly in return.
To the onlookers, it might seem like she had a good impression of the girl in front of her, but Emilia felt that the woman probably wouldn't hesitate to wipe her neck with a knife without remorse the very next moment if needed.
Seeing their 'heartwarming' interaction, Norman sighed. "It's a pity that I won't be able to stay and train little Emilia and her friends myself, but I'll be entrusting you with these precious children, alright?"
Miss Evans smiled. "I'll take good care of them, general. You can leave with confidence."
To be able to talk to a general of Norman's level like that, it was already obvious that 'Miss Evans' couldn't possibly be just a regular trainer. And it was unlikely for it to be an accident that she exposed such a fact so blatantly.
'What, is she trying to impress or scare us…?' Emilia resisted the urge to click her tongue in annoyance, then turned to the middle-aged general with a slightly disappointed look. "Uncle Norman is leaving…? But…"
Her words were interrupted by a rough palm on her head.
"There are sthings that I can't protect you from if I don't leave, little one." The middle-aged man sighed, his tone full of helplessness. "You'll be a good girl and wait for me… won't you?"
In just a few words, he not only made it clear that he had no choice, but also that he was doing it all for her.
If Emilia had been as naive as Norman believed, maybe she would have been moved to tears already.
Of course, she knew the importance of moderation, and Emilia would never fully commit to a side that she couldn't be certain of, so she only looked a little conflicted and depressed before nodding sadly. "O-Okay, uncle… I'll be good."
Her teammates weren't very pleased with the way she was acting, but Emilia didn't seem to be paying attention to their hints.
In the end, Danielle had no choice but to take the initiative to physically pull the crimson-haired girl away.
"It's okay, don't be sad. Don't you still have us?"
Although the one she was comforting was the crimson-haired girl in her arms, there was no doubt that Danielle's words were more of a declaration meant for Norman. Robin and Nico glared at the man in agreement with their team leader's words, while Sylvia openly scoffed.
Not one of them asked him to stay, which was no surprise to the middle-aged man. He knew that all of Emilia's teammates considered him a 'thorn', but that was fine.
The more they cared about her, the better.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSo long as Emilia was a good girl and did as she was told, the personal thoughts and opinions of the other four… simply didn't matter.
Norman pretended not to hear the quiet sniffle after the young girl in front of him lowered her head, though the satisfied smile on his face as he left made it clear that he was extremely pleased.
Looking at this 'sincere' expression of joy on their otherwise stoic general's face, a few people by his side couldn't help but be moved.
"General… is it really a good idea to leave them to Evans?"
"Should we arrange for someone to keep an eye on the situation?"
The general's smile faded away, and he frowned after glancing sharply at the tightly closed door not far from them. "Have you already forgotten what I told you in the last briefing?"
His words weren't loud, but the edge hidden in them still made the two men who acted so caring just moments ago shudder in fear.
Only then did they recall how they'd been told to be extremely mindful of their words and actions around the newly coined 'Team One' of the 'Arcadian Defense Force'. With their weird and unpredictable abilities, there was no way to be sure how far their senses really stretched.
Otherwise, the higher-ups wouldn't send someone like 'Miss Evans' to train snewbies.
The two of them immediately apologized, and even felt grateful for their general's reprimand.
Fortunately, they didn't seem to have caused any accidental damage to the mission this time. Otherwise, given the severity grade of their mission this time, the consequences wouldn't be something simple soldiers like them could handle.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━