Eren's voice carried a sense of urgency.
He hoped that this warning would prompt Garos to change his priorities and forget about Argo.
The revelation of his plans on the battlefield didn't matter to Eren at this point. Saving Argo was paramount, and he was willing to pay any price for it. The Lazarus Project was nearly complete anyway.
Whether Garos found out now or later made little difference.
'Who the fuck is this Witch of the Enderflames?'
Rodrick inquired with a blend of annoyance and curiosity. Despite his status as the crown prince, Rodrick had never delved deeply into Anfang's history, and the title was unfamiliar to him. While he was aware of Eliza Samael, her designation as the Witch of the Enderflames was not widely known.
Eren's lips curled into a sly smile upon realizing that Rodrick was not well-versed in Eliza's history. This ignorance played into his hands, buying him additional time.
'Just relay the message to Sage Garos. He will understand,' Eren replied, sidestepping Rodrick's question.
'Fuck! What the fuck is wrong with you, man. It seems you're hell bent to continue this betrayal, regardless of what I say or do.'
Rodrick's voice took on an icy tone. Eren, however, remained composed in his response.
'Rodrick, my friend, I don't blame you for reacting this way to my actions. I can understand your situation and your perspective. Kekeke. Um.. soon, you'll learn more about me, and you might be inclined to deploy the Blood Punisher Force against me.
Anfang Alliance is likely closely monitoring the battlefield after all. Things are bound to go beyond your control soon anyway. So, you're free to pursue whatever course you believe is best for you and your position as the crown prince of Edinburgh.'
Eren said while advancing ahead in his path, cutting down whoever dared to come in front of him.
The battle with the enemy Rankers was getting intense for Eren and his allies. They were simply too many to count after all. Thankfully, House Fenris had shown up in Eren's support.
Fiona and Sirius had come personally on the battlefield, supporting Eren's approach. They had also brought some allied half-blood clans with them. They neutralized the threat of House Lowin's Rankers right away and allowed Eren to continue on his bloody journey.
It took a while for Eren and Rodrick to continue their conversation.
'I… I'm sorry. I was in the middle of something, you see.
So where were we? Yes… you are free to do whatever you want, Rodrick.
But let me tell you something before you make up your mind. I still consider you as my friend. No matter the kind of actions you take. I, for one, never let my friend's dubious deeds come in the way of my friendship with him.
I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. A royal's life is not easy. Your hands are probably more stained in blood than mine, if we really start comparing, Mr Crown Prince. And that says a lot about you than it does about me.
And let's not forget about the fact that you used me to get to your position. To survive the fucking royal bloodbath.
Yes, I am doing what I think is right. My moral compass had always been skewed to point out in any direction I wanted it to point out. And I don't think that it should come as a surprise to you. It takes one to know one, after all.
So I guess what I'm saying is this. Before you sever our ties, ensure you won't require my assistance again. There are turbulent times waiting for all of you, my friend. You only have about a few minutes to decide.
Choose well. I wish you good luck. Bye, Rodrick. Catch you on the flipside.'
Eren concluded before abruptly severing the communication link with Rodrick. He hoped that Rodrick would heed his advice and order some of the powerful Edinburgh Rankers to withdraw from the battlefield, reducing the number of adversaries he had to contend with. Every moment and every Ranker's battle held significance at this critical juncture for Eren and his allies.
He also hoped that Rodrick would somehow manage to get Garos off of Argo's tail. He had left Argo with enough means to get to him using the right tools. Argo just needed to get a breather and safe space before he could use those means.
"Eren! Eren! Wait… Aaaargh Fuck!"
Rodrick attempted to reestablish communication with Eren, but his efforts were in vain.
He realized that Eren had no intention of continuing the conversation. Rodrick was torn about how to handle the situation. However, he understood that Eren wasn't playing games at such a critical juncture.
'What… what the fuck am I supposed to do now? What about father? Should I tell him? No… that won't do anyone any good. Then…'
Rodrick started pacing around in his private chamber, the stress lines on his forehead and stress in his eyes visible. He genuinely wanted to comprehend Eren's motives for his actions on the battlefield.
'It's all my fault. I gave this headache to my current self. I… I shouldn't have used that bastard to become the crown prince. Fuck!
No wonder he was cool with it at that time. He… he is worse than those crafty demons who dangle their Faustian Contracts in front of desperate scumbags and make them fall in their traps,' Rodrick started cursing Eren as well as himself.
'No matter how much I do for him, it's never enough. It's like an endless cycle of paying the interest on the loan amount while the principle stays the same.
I can bet my father's left nut that he is using me. But what the fuck can I do but let him use me? Aaaargh!'
In the end, Rodrick decided to relinquish his reservations and act upon Eren's counsel.
Rodrick promptly contacted some of his subordinates and instructed them to reach out to the Expert Rankers and above from Edinburgh, relaying a message: on the crown prince's orders, they should retreat to Edinburgh's army base.
Almost immediately, the effects of Rodrick's message became apparent as several Rankers from Edinburgh's forces left their positions and began heading back to the army base.
AN: Rodrick's deal with Eren was covered in Chapter 778: Everything In Life Comes At a Price. ;)
