"Because, first, I don't want to. And second, I can avoid being on the run. You can't.
Simple as that."
Ivor's face turned red in anger when he heard Eren's answer. But Eren raised his hand in a stopping sign before explaining what he wanted to say:
"Let me rephrase that. You and I both have a few choices to ourselves here, Ivor. My choice is to be honest or to be smart. Tell me, what would I choose? I'd rather complete the task given to me by Sage Eliza in silence than worry about being hunted. I'm not sure my survival rate is above 5% if I proceed with this option.
Would you like to know what your choice is? Be a cultist and stay in the shadows for the time being.
Or... die.
Sometimes in life... our intentions don't matter. Our pasts don't matter. What matters is the number of choices we have at the time. Now choose, what will it be?"
Ivor narrowed his eyes and said in a cold tone:
"You killed my brother."
Eren nodded and accepted the charges straightaway:
"I did. But that jackass came at me first. And from the way you spoke with him, I'm sure there's no brotherly love lost between you two."
"That doesn't mean…"
Ivor tried to rebuke Eren's statement but the latter interrupted him once again:
"Ivor, you don't need to pretend anymore. I can see that your ambition to become a high-ranked entity is much stronger than any of your emotions. I may be your brother's killer. But I don't kill without a reason. Or unless someone comes in my way. Otherwise, I wouldn't be talking to you.
I don't know what torture Isen or Isaac must have done to you. But I can identify a damaged man trying to hide behind his grand-scale ambitions when I see one.
Look me in the eye and tell me you cared about your brother or his death."
Eren looked at Ivor in the eyes when he said that. The two maintained eye contact for a while before the latter asked another query he had:
"Why are you telling me this? It's not like we were close in LA. I'm pretty sure I must have pissed you too along with most of the hypocrites there. So why the soft spot all of a sudden?"
Eren just shrugged his shoulders and got up. He started walking towards the throne and said to Ivor without looking back:
"My reason to keep you alive is simple, Ivor. I may have some use for you.
That day, when we first met, you had told me about your aspirations. That was a pretty rambling speech, yes. But it was also something I found to be spoken with passion from your heart.
Now I wonder.
Do you have the guts to survive the odds and rise above everyone? Or do you want to call it quits because the road you had planned for you has now been blocked?
What will it be, Ivor?"
Ivor looked at Eren's departing figure and then closed his eyes. He spoke up when he raised his head and opened his eyes full of determination:
"I am ready to walk on the path of cultists."
Eren nodded his head when he heard Ivor's resolve and spoke to Eliza:
"Sage Eliza, you can keep Ivor here till the heat on him dies down. It won't be anytime soon. But you'd at least have some entertainment, right?"
Eren bowed at Eliza after he said it. The latter chuckled and looked at Ivor before speaking up:
"Fufufu! Eren, are you sure? The boy is naturally more talented than you. I feel multiple binding contract marks placed on your soul– telling me you are at your limit in taking slaves. So you won't be able to sign a slave contract with him anytime soon. Do you still want to risk it?"
Eren smiled mildly and looked at Eliza and said without batting an eye:
"Well… we all like to have strong pawns at our disposal, don't we?"
Eliza understood the hidden undertone behind Eren's statements and chuckled. She had to admit that she had found someone with the same mindset as her after all these years in Eren. She only dared to deal with him this way because he was still an Ace ranker. His powers were too weak to affect her.
Ivor heard the duo refer to him as if he were some sort of common good. He wanted to hate Eren and Eliza. But he had to admit that whatever they said was true.
'I need power. More power. I'll think about whatever I have to do only after I gain enough power.'
Ivor thought to himself before taking a long breath. He hoped he wouldn't have to return to the first floor of the tower again. But his hopes were bound to be crushed for Eliza's entertainment.
********************
"Is that it? Shall I leave now?"
Eren asked after getting up. He was talking with Reen for hours on end. She had moist eyes. But she had stopped crying when Eren pacified her with his glib tongue. Finally, when everything was said and done, he decided to move on.
"Don't you want the reward first for clearing the first floor of the tower?"
Eliza said and looked at the seven-headed serpent statue.
Eren followed her gaze and observed the statue in detail for the first time. It measured three times his height. The statue was laterally enlarged towards its top. But it had a smaller size at its bottom because all seven-headed serpents shared a single torso.
"What is it? Don't tell me I need to take this home with me?"
Eliza shook her head as if she was expecting Eren to hide his disturbed mental state with witty remarks. She spoke up after looking at him keenly:
"This is the true reward for clearing the first floor of the tower, Eren. You will receive a mark as you keep on clearing the floors.
… The mark of the Seven Sins."
