Eren knew Sara was a fierce woman deep down. She had the mental aptitude to be a ranker.
It was just that due to her mortal status, she saw herself as among the most vulnerable bunch of people in a world where magic was normal. That's why she kept things to herself. Acting mighty without the necessary might was foolishness in her eyes.
In Eren's past timeline, Sara had to suffer from Reva's demonic runes acting on her body periodically. Her status as a blind person also made her feel inferior even among mortals.
This was the reason she became proficient in linguistic skills. Having a good vocabulary was a coping mechanism for her. Helpless people had their own ways of expressing their emotions and fierceness after all.
Eren and Alephee both could tell that Sara was restless after discovering the cause behind her blindness. It had taken her quite a lot of time and effort to make peace with her disability and the fact that she wouldn't be able to become a ranker. And in doing that, she finally found peace.
But learning that someone else was responsible for her situation took that peace away from her. Since her mind found the real culprit, it wanted her to do something about it.
'Well… It is clear to me now. I know why he adores her so much. Sara is as passionate about revenge as Eren. It motivates her in the same way as him.'
Alephee sighed at Sara's bitter expression. She chimed in to make Sara feel better.
"Sara, we can't promise you anything yet because of this ongoing war between Edinburgh and Layos. And we are also not sure if you'll feel better after this. Plus, I don't know if you can really handle it.
But…
In due time, we can arrange for you to kill Reva with your own hands. That way, you can enact your revenge."
Eren raised her eyebrows when Alephee made this claim. He wondered how they could locate and confront Reva Rain hiding deep within Layos.
Alephee knew how radical her statement was. So she took a deep breath before proceeding.
"To tell you the truth, I would want you to kill Reva with your own hands. That way, you might even profit from taking revenge because of the peculiarity of the demonic runes acting on both of your bodies.
You killing Reva Rain with your own hands after a thorough torture session will allow you to claim all of Reva Rain's achievements and ranking status for yourself too. You will be able to gain all her knowledge as a ranker.
From a mortal to an Expert ranker. It will be the quickest way for you to progress in a short time– a groundbreaking way even– the likes of which the land of Anfang hasn't seen in a very long time.
But that all depends on how far you are willing to go for revenge. You are not even a ranker yet. So I cannot even begin to…."
"I… I'll do it."
Sara cut Alephee off with her confirmation, catching him off guard. Processing some of Eren's memories didn't mean Alephee could understand Sara the same way Eren understood her.
Eren was not surprised by Sara's decision. He tapped his fingers on the table and chuckled before speaking up.
"Kekeke. Told you… She bites. It was just that she lacked the necessary teeth, so her bite was harmless."
Eren knew firsthand that anger and revenge were great motivators if one channeled them in the right way. In fact, it was Sara who taught him these things in the past timeline in the first place. So it was only natural that she would practice what she had preached to him.
Eren vaguely remembered various stories Sara used to tell him in the past timeline to motivate him. He let go of those stories after she left his life. But the morale of some stories got stuck in his head.
The pursuit of power doesn't need a reason.
It was Sara who instilled this thought in him. And it took Eren from his current timeline to nurture it and make it grow into something really big, turning it into an ambition.
Sara had the right mindset for becoming a ranker. But she also knew that having the right mindset was not everything. She also needed guidance and support.
Sara decided to use others' experiences as a reference point. Fidgeting with the Rank-0 visual aid in her hands, Sara looked nervously at Eren before asking him.
"Eren, you are an Expert ranker. I believe you have lots of experience. You must have taken lives before, right? How… how does it feel?"
This time, Eren was caught off guard by Sara's question. He looked at Alephee. It was as if he asked for help. The homunculus made matters worse by slapping the table and laughing.
"Hehe. Sara, I can understand why you want to ask this question to Eren. But I'll be honest. Eren might not be an ideal reference point.
This guy has withdrawal symptoms if he doesn't draw blood after a certain period. You'd need another ranker to guide you on your soon-to-be accelerated ranking journey."
Eren looked at Alephee with clear displeasure. He decided to take Sara under his wing and teach her personally. But Alephee's words stopped those plans.
Alephee knew what Eren was thinking. So she cleared his doubts for him.
'I am not against channeling revenge and anger in the right direction, Eren. They can be of great assistance to her. At least at the beginning.
But you can't guide her.
Sara shouldn't become like you. Only you can handle the pressure of being you. After all, we don't want to destroy her individuality.
For now, let's focus on giving Sara the basics she desperately craves.'
Alephee said before getting up from her seat. She walked outside the canopy and into the lush garden, prompting Sara and Eren to follow behind her.
AN: Throwback to chapter 178. ;)
