"Rather, I was more worried about YOU breaking business ties with us because…"
Eren chuckled when Sirius trailed off. He shook his head and addressed the elephant in the room immediately.
"Because you welcomed Demonmir into your fold?"
Sirius nodded before shrugging his shoulders to show his helplessness in the matter. He knew Eren had been at odds with Demonmir for some time. His organization had taken Eren's enemy under its wings and still wanted to do business with him.
Anyone that knew how at odds Eren and Demonmir was would have assumed that Eren would break his business ties with the Last Blood Bastion as soon as Demonmir's entry into the Last Blood Bastion was confirmed.
This was a slippery slope. Because anyone in Eren's position would interpret staying in business with the Last Blood Bastion as empowering his enemy in some form. And to some extent, that was true.
The butcher scratched under his right ear before tugging at the earlobe as he spoke. He was here to put all those assumptions to rest.
"Rest assured, Grandmaster Sirius. I won't let my personal problems get in the way of my business. These are some of the basic business fundamentals."
Eren's words eased Sirius' tense expression immediately. However, Eren's next words put him in a metaphorical hot seat again.
"That being said, I would like to know why I wasn't informed of Demonmir's entrance into the Last Blood Bastion."
Sirius was about to answer Eren's query immediately. However, he held his words in his mouth when he saw Eren raising his index finger, wanting to expound on what he was saying.
"I get it. I'm sure taking Demonmir was House Lowin's spontaneous decision. And that House Lowin might not have informed you beforehand.
But…"
Eren narrowed his eyes to Sirius as he spoke seriously.
"But the least you could have done was to make sure I was aware of these things as soon as I got outside of Sansara World. I think I deserve such exclusive treatment because of the help I provide to the Last Blood Bastion."
Sirius was about to say something to Eren again. But he received another slight head shake from Alephee, telling him that Eren was yet to finish.
"And… I would appreciate it if you could tell me about Demonmir's current status. What he does– where he goes– where he is currently. That kind of stuff you know. Let's just say we would all benefit from information sharing.
They say that a business that only earns money is a poor business. And I agree with that statement. I think we both have earned ourselves a friendly connection– I and House Fenris. I see a reliable ally in you.
So I hope any information about Demonmir can be bought. Tell me your price."
Sirius cursed Eren in his head for putting psychological pressure on him. He was glad he wasn't directly meeting Eren. Otherwise, answering his queries would have been harder.
Eren didn't use threatening words. He didn't talk big. There was no tone of vengeance and dissatisfaction in his voice. On the contrary, his words were friendly and comforting. They demanded business-related obligations rather than favors.
Eren was cold, callous, and uncaring when it came to manufacturing certain questionable goods that had the potential to cause unrest within society. He was friendly and approachable toward his potential clients and tried to be as flexible as he could be when accommodating their needs.
One could say that the butcher was a naturally gifted businessman. And dealing with a hard-core businessman was harder than dealing with a muscle-headed fool.
Sirius stopped pacing around in Eren's living space and stood still. He pondered a bit before speaking up.
"Eren, you already know that the Last Blood Bastion has various faction leaders. And that members of one clan normally don't interfere in matters related to the other clan.
So believe me when I say that my House wasn't informed about Demonmir beforehand. Still, we could tell that House Lowin was planning something big. That's because it wanted to step foot in the capital city at the time of the graduation event's completion organized by the kingdom."
It seemed that House Lowin didn't get along well with the rest of the Last Blood Bastion factions. Eren noted this assumption as he let Sirius speak further.
"We tried to contact you regarding a potential conflict. Fiona was also about to enter the capital city of Edin to establish contact with you in some way. But we could have never guessed that House Lowin wanted to steal Sansara World with its move.
A move like that had to be approved by the higher authorities within the Last Blood Bastion. So the elders of my clan decided not to establish contact with you."
Eren understood the reason and asked immediately to confirm.
"Because of my connections with Edinburgh?"
Sirius nodded at Eren before continuing.
"That's right. It would have been much easier for us to keep you in the loop if you weren't so closely working with the Kingdom of Edinburgh.
Then again, we also understand your reasons for doing such a thing. We wouldn't be in business had you remained an unknown ranker or become a cultist or a rogue ranker.
So all we could do was act neutral to both sides.
To be honest, House Lowin is known for taking stray players. Sage Edgar is one such example. He was a rising star in Edinburgh before taking House Lowin's offer and becoming a half-blood.
House Lowin sees Edgar's second coming in Demonmir. It wants to repeat its success using the same formula.
That being said, House Fenris indeed made sure your cooperation stayed a secret from anyone except the top brass. And Sage Edgar confirmed that House Lowin wouldn't harm you during their mission to steal Sansara World.
House Lowin was also supposed to contact you after its successful theft of Sansara World. But everything the Last Blood Bastion had planned came undone when some freak blew the Sansara World up.
We don't know who that bastard is. But They managed to fuck everyone in the ass with his move."
