"So as a gesture of conveying thanks, I'm offering you a deal."
Eren spoke in a calm, authoritative voice. Reva was about to open her mouth to say something. But she stopped midway because she felt like she had lost her voice. Her unspoken words were not heard for some reason.
The butcher's voice turned cold. He almost whispered his words into Reva's ears directly.
"Tell your Escalon guild to back off. It will not assure you of your personal safety. But it will at least allow your guild to survive. It might also reduce your suffering.
Either way… I'll come for you. And when that day arrives, you will realize that pain is inevitable for everyone, even for someone who is called the Paladin of Pain."
Eren said before releasing his aura for a fraction of a second. And everything in Reva's vision turned red. She felt like she was suddenly thrown deep into a pool of blood and carnage. The illusion was so strong that Reva could almost taste the metallic flavor of blood.
A chill ran down Reva's spine when she felt his presence affect her. Her instincts screamed at her to leave Edin this instant. Even her mana defense layer was compromised because of the state she was in mentally.
Then the butcher's presence disappeared and she felt no warning signs coming from him all of a sudden. As if what she had experienced was just an illusion. As if he was as harmless as the word harmless could mean. And that feeling scared her even more.
"Hehehe. Have a great day, Miss Paladin of Death. Hope we meet soon under different circumstances. I'm really looking forward to it."
Eren said before walking past Reva Rain, leaving her stunned at her position. She could hear his chuckles from behind her that almost sounded like a demonic laugh. Or it was even more sinister than even the demons were capable of.
Lightning struck and Eren vanished, bringing some relief to Reva's agitated state. With a stressed expression on her face, she turned back and looked around. She felt like she couldn't count on her mana sense for some reason.
Reva clenched her fists and felt angry at herself for getting intimidated by a mere toddler who hadn't even completed his graduation. She had to admit that Eren was a better ranker than her because of the speed of his progress. Despite their talent and hard work, one's safety couldn't be guaranteed in the land of Anfang after all.
Reva stomped her feet and made a declaration to herself.
'Hmph! Tell Escalon guild to back off? Why would I do that? Why would I engage in a personal conflict with him just because he killed Shali? I…. No... I have to personally get involved to teach this man a lesson. Yes!'
Reva didn't like that Eren was trying to manipulate her into acting his way. She decided to retaliate in her own way. And in doing so, she was still subjected to how the butcher wanted her to act anyway.
'I have many ways to deal with this pompous young duck. I'll just have to make my moves smartly.
Let this stupid graduation event get over. He'll soon discover why I am called the Paladin of Pain.'
Reva Rain thought to herself before disappearing from her position as well. Even if Eren seemed way too strong for his ranking status to her, he was still her junior and had just broken into the Expert rank. She believed that she could still deal with him given the right settings.
***
Eren knew that he was short on time. But he couldn't help looking at the grandeur of the city once he stepped through the giant doors. He quickly hired a flying vehicle and a vibrant cityscape view unfolded in front of him.
The vehicle Eren hired was different from that of Duja Katak. Eren's vehicle had three large glass spheres serving as passenger spaces. Each sphere was spacious enough to accommodate at least three rankers comfortably.
The spheres were connected using golden metal plates and rods etched with elemental runes. The top edge of the vehicle also had red drapes reaching for the ground for added visual appeal. The vehicle had two rotor blades and a tail rotor, which could be controlled using one's mana sense through the array placed in the driver seat.
The vehicle provided Eren with an unobstructed view of the city as he drove around the city. He already knew where to go using the vehicle's spectral display. It was just that he was taking his sweet time getting there.
Runic structures and towers. Aptly placed elemental pools. And the Water of Leith connected all these factors in threads like one big web. It was as if the whole city was one giant array.
Such arrangements created a unique atmosphere in the city, increasing the quality and density of mana across all its grades for various uses. Living in Edin was akin to being affected by a certain buff effect that increased one's chances to progress forward in their ranking journeys just by living inside its borders.
Of course, this buff had limitations. But that didn't stop the rich and influential from gaining a foothold in Edin.
'Damn. My city could learn a thing or two from this place. The city of White Raven is at least 200 years behind Edin in achieving the same level of depth.'
Eren sighed in his head as he looked around the city's structures and the crowd below.
He didn't feel any shame in downvoting his city when it was pitted against Edin in his head. He also felt that it wasn't his fault that his city hadn't achieved the same level of greatness as Edin. After all, the city of White Raven was no more than an infant when it was compared to Edinburgh's capital city.
'Hmm? What are those two doing here?'
Eren managed to identify two rankers among the crowd when he was flying over a floating island in the sky. He knew them from his academy days and decided to meet them.
Marla and Almera were seen bargaining at the rankers' market. Wtt
AN: Thanks Venom30 for your consistent gift streak. ;) Also, thanks StupidOne01, GojoVir, Kerry_Roberts, j_chand, Fateweaver, Waakaranai, RowRow, and Carlos for your gifts. Cheers!
