The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 25: Skill with a Sword

There was one thing Lane failed to take into consideration. Damien Lennox was his Team Leader. No matter how much he wanted to keep his distance from the man, if Damien wanted to get him alone, to interrogate him or whatnot, he had plenty of ways to do so.

Just as he did after they returned to the Association.

"Murray."

Hearing the serious, somewhat cold voice calling out to him, Lane flinched. He was about to head back home, he had already started walking toward the exit from the underground parking garage, but he couldn’t quite ignore his superior like that. He paused, gulping nervously, and turned around, putting on the most neutral expression he could muster. "Yes, Team Leader?"

"Follow me. Tomorrow is your first training with the team, and there are a few things we need to discuss."

"...Is it really necessary, Sir? I am quite tired after the mining, and I would like to..." Lane started, but seeing the look on Damien’s face, he let out a quiet sigh and gave up. "Yes, Sir."

At least Damien was calling him ’Murray’ in front of everyone else. That was a good sign. Of course, Lane was not naive enough to think that it meant that Damien was uncertain about his identity now, but it seemed that he didn’t intend to even try to expose Lane for the time being. Likely because he knew that people would think he had gone crazy rather than out of consideration for what Lane wanted, but that was enough. It gave Lane some time to think and prepare.

They went to Damien’s office. As they walked, Lane could feel Damien’s gaze on himself, so he made sure to look around well, acting as if it was his first time in that part of the building - even though in fact he knew the layout of the whole Headquarters so well that he would be able to navigate it easily even blind. Damien never said anything, until they reached the office and the door closed behind their backs.

"Sit down," he finally spoke, pointing the sofa to Lane, while taking a seat on the opposite one. "You already know the general formations our team usually uses during the fight, so we can just skip that. I will just briefly explain all the changes, as most of the teammates have been swapped. You probably already noticed, but we currently have six Espers specializing in offense, five in defense, and two scouts. With defense, aside from Tina Fisher, there’s also..."

"Um, Team Leader?" Lane raised his hand reluctantly, acting timid and uncertain. "I don’t mean to interrupt, but... I have only seen the training once, so I am not too familiar with those formations you mentioned..."

Damien looked at Lane calmly for a moment, before continuing, as if Lane hadn’t said anything at all, "There’s also Ana Scott, Tyler Lee, Abel Wood, and Ruth Campbell. Ana Scott’s ability is..."

Lane held back a sigh. As expected, Damien was still fully convinced that he was ’Evan Greene’, and now that they were alone, he didn’t even bother to pretend otherwise. For the time being, though, he decided not to argue. If Damien were to start interrogating him, he wasn’t certain he wouldn’t slip up, so it was best for him to remain silent. He only scrunched his face in a confused expression, as if he was struggling to follow Damien’s explanations, to keep up with the act.

"One final thing," Damien added after finishing introducing all of the new teammates’ abilities to Lane. "Have you bought yourself a new sword yet? Your parents have taken the one you had before, I’m not sure if you have tried contacting them yet... Either way, I don’t think it would be suitable for you at the moment. Your strength and stamina appear to be lacking compared to who you were before your..." He paused, struggling to get the words out. "Anyway, you should opt for a lighter sword for the time being, until you build up your strength again."

"A sword?" Lane tilted his head. "Team Leader, do you think a sword would be suitable for me?"

"Of course. Although you should avoid fighting whenever possible, you need to keep a weapon on you in case you cannot run away and have to defend yourself. You already have considerable skill with a sword, so choosing a different weapon would be unwise. It would only set you back."

’Note to self - don’t use a sword as Noah,’ Lane inwardly thought, out loud though, he said,

"But, Team Leader... I don’t know how to use a sword at all."

Once again, Damien only gave Lane a long, serious look, without commenting on his words at all. "If you don’t want to buy a sword you might want to exchange for a heavier one once you’re strong enough, you can rent one from the Association. While the grades of most of our weapons aren’t high, they should still suffice for a Guide."

Lane almost absentmindedly nodded in agreement. As an Esper, he understood what Damien meant all too well - if a grade of the weapon was not high enough, then it could easily break when an Esper attempted to use it alongside a powerful ability. Lane himself destroyed his fair share of weapons - even pretty good ones - when testing some of the abilities he plundered. Of course, destroying a weapon didn’t really bother him, but if an accident like that were to happen during a difficult fight... Things could get dangerous, so Espers were naturally wary of that.

Luckily, Lane held back himself in time, and furrowed his brows instead. "Wouldn’t a Guide need a high-grade weapon even more? Considering that we don’t have any ability we could rely on if things go wrong."

"You’re not wrong. Which is why I am only suggesting it as a temporary solution. It would still be best if you invested in a quality weapon. I... can even help you purchase it, if you don’t have enough money. However, I have no intention to actually let you fight. If we go on a dungeon raid, or in case of a dungeon break..."

Damien paused again, his frown deepening. He didn’t finish the sentence, switching the topic a bit instead. "Anyway, I will send you the equipment rental form and the link to the Association’s online arsenal, so take a look when you have time. It typically takes around a week for a long-term rental request to be processed, so the sooner you take care of it, the better. As for tomorrow, there are dummy weapons available for training purposes if you’d like."

"Umm... Thank you for your consideration, Team Leader, but I really don’t know how to use a sword. So, there’s no need for any dummy weapons... I think it’s best for me to just train my body for now."

Seeing Lane’s insistence, Damien let out a quiet sigh. "Greene, if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. However, you should think about it carefully. It is in your best interest to stick with the weapon you’re already skilled at using."

"Why is Team Leader again... Ah... Nevermind," Lane shook his head, looking defeated. "Perhaps it is just insufficient guiding... So his mind is..." he muttered under his nose, as if talking to himself. Naturally, this was all still part of the act. Damien was meant to hear every word. Even if it wouldn’t convince him right away, maybe it could at least plant a seed of doubt...

Lane endured Damien’s scrutinizing gaze for a while, before finally deciding it was enough for the time being. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, giving Damien a hesitant glance. "Team Leader, if I may... If that’s all you wanted to discuss, then would it be alright for me to go home now? I’m really tired after all the mining, and I want to get some rest... Especially since it’s my first training tomorrow, so I want to be in a good condition..."

"Alright. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Team Leader!" Lane didn’t have to be told twice. He jumped up from the sofa, and in the blink of an eye, was already at the door. "See you tomorrow!"

He practically ran out, not even waiting for an answer. He didn’t want to risk Damien changing his mind and extending the uncomfortable conversation. As he stormed out of the Headquarters, he finally felt like he could breathe right.

Of course, he was only safe for now. He would continue seeing Damien on a daily basis for the foreseeable future, so the man would have plenty of opportunities to question him again. But what was in the future was for the future Lane to worry about. What mattered most was that he was safe and free right now.