“Erni, will you miss me in the academy?”
Nina looked at Eren and asked with concern. Her heart and mind were restless thinking about the loneliness that would soon accompany her for five years.
If Eren had not made this progress with her, Nina would have been fine. She would have still cared for him and missed him, but it wouldn’t have been detrimental to her psyche like the way it is during this timeline.
Nina had realized in this one month’s duration.
Eren had gotten so close to her as a man that she had become emotionally dependent on him. She chided herself for turning into an emotional fool. But Eren’s next words calmed her erratic nerves:
“Nina, of course, I’ll miss you. And I’m sure you’ll miss me too. But I have a home in you. I’ll always come back.
Five years are nothing even for a rankless person. They are worth even less to ranked entities.
This long departure from you would be my first but we both know that it won’t be the last. And no separation will be forever between us.
You have an important role to play in my future by being my guiding star. You need to concentrate on progressing further instead of immersing yourself in these desolate feelings.
I know you are strong. Not just as a ranker but also as a human being with a determined stance. I want you to put that strength into good use.
Look for opportunities to rank up. I’m sure it’ll be hard for your level. But use your time, resources, and mind to come up with a solution. You don’t have to worry about my safety anymore.
But not having to worry about my safety doesn’t mean freedom to take unnecessary risks.
Use your brawns and brains in the right way to always ensure your survival, no matter what you need to do. Lie to me or anyone if your survival is at stake. Be selfish enough to prioritize your interests.
Only by doing this will you be able to progress further in ranks. Otherwise, you will regret not spending your efforts in the right direction in the future, especially when I overtake you.”
Eren said all that like it was the most obvious thing for him to overtake Nina who was so much ahead of him in rank and experience. Nina realized that Eren had a hand to play in the future. He was basing his predictions on a solid background instead of indulging in euphemism.
She also understood that Eren was telling her to seriously think about finding opportunities to rank up now that she had been given five years to do so without any care.
The Nina of previous timeline had stayed in the city of Osan when Eren was away. But this timeline’s Nina had decided that she would explore the world and resume being an adventurer for these five years.
What the duo didn’t know was that Nina’s decision to explore would alter her fate and make her survive the tragedy that had befallen her in the past timeline, resulting in her death.
But that would be a story for another time. Coming back to the present. Nina wasn’t surprised anymore by Eren’s wise words like he had lived a lifetime. She had already accepted that Eren was special. He was way too clever to be simply called a clever kid.
“Erni I was going to tell you the same thing for your stay in the academy. But it looks like I don’t have to. You even lectured your aunt on this! How cheeky do you want to get in front of me?”
Nina went for her usual move and pulled Eren’s cheeks. To which the latter just let her while saying:
“Huh? Aunt who? I don’t see any aunt here, do you? I can only see a lovely lady sitting beside me. We are having our outdoor date under the starry sky, surrounded by the green pastures and cold breeze, with only the campfire and each other’s body warmth to keep us all cosy.”
Eren got closer to Nina and nudged her gently by the shoulder with his. Nina felt Eren body warmth and understood what he meant.
The cold in the air did not affect Nina. But the cold loneliness that was about to hit her soon did. This warmth was all she needed to make that loneliness a little bearable for her.
Then she saw Eren take a sealed bottle out of his ID stone and uncork it before pouring her a glass of wine:
“Erni isn’t that the same Madeira wine we had at Soirée Gracieuse? Did you buy another one out of your pocket? Are you trying to take advantage of me again?”
Nina understood Eren’s classy act. Get her drunk to get in her pants.
She called him out brazenly for his ‘gentlemanly’ act. She was anticipating his embarrassment or some sort of an apology. She would have still gotten drunk after that after pulling his legs a little.
But the guy had sold all his shame in the city market before coming here. Eren didn’t even flinch when he heard Nina’s tease:
“Haah! I’m only giving you the excuse to act liberated in front of me. Otherwise, you’d be as afraid to make a move as an experienced teenage girl.
Now tell me, do you wish to take this excuse off my hands or do you prefer spending this night without it?”
Eren held the wine glass in front of her and stirred it while saying this. He came out in the open to tease her and reverse-tease her in this way. Nina’s cheeks were instantly puffed red.
What Eren had said about the wine and her was true. Last time, she blamed everything on the wine. And this time too, the glass stood out as a good excuse for her to let Eren have his way with her.
But after hearing what Eren had to say, she wanted to reject the glass.
Eren had not used any aphrodisiac this time on Nina. he didn’t need it. He didn’t even need a wine.
Eren had the confidence to go all the way with her tonight. He just wanted to lighten the burden it would place on Nina a little. Hence the wine. Therefore, he cleared up her hesitancy to take the glass:
“It’s okay, Nina. I was only kidding. Let’s equally blame it on the wine. It’s not like the wine will call out our BS. Here, gulp it down this way!”
Saying that Eren took a small sip of the wine. Nina was horrified by his stunt and wanted to stop him. First, he was underage. Second, the wine was made from C Rank ingredients. It was a C Rank debuff potion. Eren would die if he consumed it.