Eren took Altashia's hand and led her to the dance floor. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "I'll make many people jealous tonight because of you," he said.
Altashia blushed and smiled back at him. "Thank you, Eren. You look quite dashing yourself," she replied.
Music played, and Eren and Altashia danced together. They moved gracefully across the floor, synchronized with the music.
As they danced, Eren and Altashia talked about their time in the army and their plans for the future. They reminisced about the army missions they had taken together and the challenges they faced along the way.
"Feels like everything is moving too fast, Eren," Altashia said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "And it seems that the higher we progress in our ranking journeys the less time we have for ourselves."
Eren nodded in agreement. "You can say it's part of the trade, my dear," Eren said in a consoling voice. "And who knows what the future holds? Maybe this is the best thing that has happened to us. Maybe we'll appreciate our arduous work someday. After all, distance makes the heart grow fonder."
Altashia smiled. "I hope so," she said. "You've been such a positive influence on me. I hope the White Raven Guild and Firebrand can work together in the future."
***
Firebrand was a very popular and well-established guild active in all Edinburgh duchies except the Lionheart duchy. Altair was Firebrand's, Guild Master. Eren was not surprised that Altashia would join Altair's guild. This was something she decided before he came into the picture.
Eren didn't force Altashia to join the White Raven Guild either. Doing so might have irked Altair. And there were no benefits to be had by keeping Altashia tied down to his guild. He knew Altashia's ranking path would prosper in Altair's shadow. Plus, he also expected Altashia to open doors for him to establish a co-op between the two guilds.
War was not something a guild could participate in on its own no matter what kind of contract it had or how big it was. The butcher knew that friendly connections between guilds would play a huge role in the upcoming years. One needed assurance that someone had their back in case things turned south at the border. Reinforcements from friendly guilds would limit casualties.
Signing co-op agreements with big guilds like Firebrand was exactly the kind of thing Eren wanted after securing hefty contracts from Edinburgh. The Crimson Ghost's guild nurtured top-class fire-element rankers. The guild was a force to be reckoned with in terms of potential damage to its enemies.
Firebrand had a weakness if it could be called one. It did not have prominent healers within its squads because of its focus on all-out offense. Not that Firebrand did not want to hire capable healers. But any skilled healer worth their salt wouldn't choose Firebrand as their first choice for employment.
Eren had something Firebrand was missing. He had taken a lot of healers under his umbrella after taking over Healers' Nirvana. He could offer Firebrand healer-specific support in exchange for their offense-specific assistance on the field.
Eren grinned after listening to Altashia's words. "Kekeke. Likewise, Tashi. I hope you can help me sign a co-op agreement with Firebrand. Let this war be a source of growth for us and our guilds."
Altashia laughed. "Sounds like a plan, Eren," she said, as they danced together.
***
Eren and Dianna started off dancing to an upbeat song, their movements spelled gracefulness and elegance. They had both been busy since leaving their army days behind. Even their meetings in the White Raven City were always brief because Eren always had something or the other to tend to.
This was the first time in a long while they had a chance to relax and enjoy themselves like this. The couple made the best use of their time together and enjoyed each other's company to its fullest.
"So, Eren, have you thought about what I said?" Dianna asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
Eren furrowed his brows and looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"
Dianna leaned in closer and spoke softly. "About meeting with Birmond Remus. I think it could benefit both you and House Remus if you could bury the hatchet."
It seemed that House Remus wanted to rethink its situation with Eren now that the war had officially begun. It knew it couldn't keep engaging in internal strife with Eren's city if it wanted to participate in the war.
Birmond knew Dianna was close to Eren. So he requested her to be the negotiator between the two sides. Dianna also knew that if House Remus kept fighting with Eren to protect its honor, it had no bright future for itself.
As a member of her clan, Dianna didn't want such a bleak future for her clan members. She warned Richard Remus for the same reason. But the old man didn't listen to her and aggravated the conflict between the two organizations.
Thankfully, Birmond Remus was not as dense as Richard. He was sane enough to recognize that the current war had the potential to change every equation.
Birmond especially took Kind Emil's words into account during Eren's title bestowment. With the king's direct protection safeguarding Eren and his properties, he knew it would be foolish to engage in conflict with Eren or his guild. So he decided to initiate a truce between his clan and the city of White Raven.
Dianna wanted to prevent her clan's total destruction. So she agreed to help Birmond by bringing Eren to the discussion table.
Eren was in a dilemma about what steps he should take regarding House Remus. On the one hand, he wanted them to keep sending their summoners to attack him. This was so that he could keep devouring them and strengthening his class. On the other hand, he knew clashing with House Remus during the war was not a wise move.
Eren shook his head. "I don't know, Dianna. The Remus family has never been a friend to me or my guild. Why should I patch things up now?"
AN: Firebrand was first mentioned in chapter 1172. Birmond Remus was mentioned in chapter 835.
