"Sylphie, I want to sanction a hit on Reva inside the kingdom of Layos..."
Eren whispered in Sylphie's ears. It was as if he was whispering sweet nothing in her ears. Nobody would believe that he was discussing assassination missions with the elf in his arms while squishing her perky ass.
"Keep in mind that some channels are unavailable to us. Rather, we should avoid using them at all costs. Otherwise, they would create more complications for us.
First of all, we can't use any official guild inside Layos to do this job. Use the money you have been given to hire independent cultists, rogue rankers, and mercenaries. Ask your contacts in Layos to help you with this task. Arm these rankers with our weapons and potions to increase their threat level.
I'm sure the kingdom of Layos would protect the Paladin of Pain for her traitorous value. Or just to mock Edinburgh. But every kingdom has a bunch of desperate people. They wouldn't say no to any task as long as the pay was worth it."
Eren inhaled Sylphie's scent as he kissed her neck. The elf wrapped her arms around the butcher's waist as well, letting him touch the most intimate parts of her body freely.
"If Reva's negative emotions can help Sara grow, I want to add to her misery even more. I want the Paladin of Pain hunted like a rabid dog on the streets.
Hehe. She'll be in a great state of mind when that happens."
Eren knew he couldn't use the half-bloods to get rid of Reva Rain anymore since she was listed as Demonmir's ally. He couldn't use his contacts inside Edinburgh since the Paladin of Pain was currently on Layos. Plus, any unofficial action in Edinburgh would be frowned upon by the kingdom's authorities. They had to answer the Anfang Alliance regarding anything related to war crimes after all.
Eren wasn't stupid enough to enter Layos and risk his safety to torture Reva either. He was against the idea of visiting the battlefield early on. The butcher left Edinburgh's army for this very reason. He didn't want to be controlled on the battlefield.
Eren Elijah Idril was one of Edinburgh's youngest talented figures. As such, Layos would be highly alert to rankers like him. Even if his bloodline-powered shapeshifting magic was superior to that of the elves, he refused to play with the fire by entering the enemy kingdom.
Eren had decided to join the war eventually. But it would be on his own terms when he knew he could control certain things.
But all this didn't mean that Eren was totally helpless. He was rich. And the rich were seldom helpless even in war. Money was a great enabler in most situations.
The butcher could hire external help to do his bidding. He had planned to use dark guilds and rankers in the shadows to make Reva more miserable than she already was.
Of course, he would have preferred an organized band of cultists. But they were controlled by the half-bloods from the shadows. As such, he was left with organizing his own "suicide squad".
Eren also knew that Reva would be safe from assassinations sanctioned by him. Her Ability, Reverse Rain was her greatest protective layer. No assassin could catch her off guard with Reverse Rain's comprehensive effects. Plus, she had a tenacity to survive because of her healer class. After all, she had survived when they fought.
However, Eren didn't care that he was paying the misfits so that they could fail in their tasks. That's because he knew that even failed assassination attempts would harm Reva's psyche.
The Paladin of Pain would force herself to stay alert all the time. And in doing so, she would lose her sanity and embrace paranoia.
No matter how envious he was of Sara's current growth rate, Eren was ready to do everything to help her get the most out of her current situation. And no matter how horny he felt, he didn't forget to assign tasks to Sylphie while indulging in his desires.
It could be said that the new inheritor of Elder Ichor embraced the Seven Sins to his heart's content. But he didn't allow them to dictate his goals or negatively influence his actions for the most part.
After groping Sylphie out in the open with no eyewitness, Eren decided to have a passionate session with the elf in his arms. To get his horniness out of the system before isolation in the practice hall for a week.
"Hmm. You have stiff shoulders, Sylphie dear. Let's relieve you of your stress before you go out on your mission."
Eren whispered in Sylphie's ears before lifting her in a princess-carry style. Lightning struck next, resulting in Eren and Sylphie disappearing from the scene.
The employer in Eren valued employee satisfaction, after all.
***
More than a week had passed since the battle at Edinnica Arena, and now the commencement ceremony day had arrived. Surprisingly, there were no signs of destruction to be seen. It was as if the whole thing was nothing more than a vivid dream.
As the audience and participants gathered at Edinnica Arena, a palpable silence fell over the area. The audience booth was filled with rankers associated with participants, including Nina, Levine, and others.
The participants stood at attention, uniformly dressed in white shirts, blazers, and pants. This was intentional, as it emphasized their unity and identity as part of Edinburgh's singular force.
All eyes were fixed on a large platform levitating in front of the participants. On the platform stood Hansen Lehan, Osha Daman, Marcus Moretti, and Ursula Moretti, along with a certain Sage who had made time to attend despite their busy schedule.
Garos Renar, the King's Hand, stood among the participants, his piercing gaze surveying the crowd. He waited for the ceremony to begin.
Suddenly, a distant bell rang out, signaling the start of the ceremony. All eyes turned to Garos as he finally broke the silence and spoke.
