Eren poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a sip before replying:
"It's not that LA doesn't offer any student assignments there. It's that nobody wants to go there. That duchy is not the focus of Edinburgh and has been low-key neglected by rankers and merchants alike.
I can understand the reason behind it. It's not easy to get there. Plus, the rankers living near the borders need to be on their toes for monster invasions because of the region's peculiarity."
Eren finished his glass of juice in a big gulp. Then he traced the rim of the empty glass with his index finger before continuing further.
"Which LA student would like to go there, put extra effort when they had just advanced into Ace rank, only to face more risks and relatively fewer rewards? Nobody, as far as I can tell. That's why there's hardly anyone from LA going there for assignments.
I chose that place because I have my plans there. Hehe! I'll tell you about it after some time when I start working on it."
Nina had a query after hearing Eren's explanation. She didn't know much about the northern duchy. So she had to ask.
"Erni, will we be able to meet each other occasionally if I decide to join Healers Nirvana?"
Eren shook his head after hearing Nina's question. He replied after taking a light sigh:
"Sadly no, aunt Nina. I'll be near the city of Arangar while you would be active near the city of Curar. Two different places in the same duchy. So it'd be hard to physically meet.
But it'd still be better than you staying here. Because if you stay in the Lionheart duchy, we'd only be able to meet after my assignment gets over.
So what do you think? I have a second suggestion in my mind if you think it'd be too uncomfortable for you to live in the Nightshade duchy."
Eren asked while fixing his eyes on Nina. He didn't want her to get involved in his plans. But he couldn't really think of someone else who could help him if and when he needed it. Eren wanted to have Nina as a last resort to any of his problems, should they get too much out of control from his hands.
That being said, Healers Nirvana was really a good place for a healer like her. So Eren knew that he wasn't doing anything wrong with her. In addition, it might be a bit better that she stays away from the Escalon guild. He knew how shady the guild was better than anyone. He was once under its shadow after all.
Nina heard Eren's questions and pondered a bit. Of course, she wanted to be with Eren. but she also needed to think about her ranking journey. Especially now since she had just broken through the Master rank. It was only when she found sense in Eren's suggestion did she finally accept it:
"Alright. Let's stay in the same duchy. I'm sure we can find some time for ourselves if we coordinate with each other. I don't want to live in the city of Osan.
Nobody knows about my rank breakthrough here yet. And I want to keep it that way before living. Otherwise, they'd approach me to temporarily take charge of the city now that Isen Osan is gone."
Nina said after looking outside the window from her position. Eren chuckled before responding:
"Heh! You like a simple life, don't you? I won't blame you.
But there's this one question. What do you know about the city's increased army presence?
And how did you get inside the city without revealing your rank? They didn't tell you to go through the inspection array?"
Eren asked while scratching his chin in contemplation. The latter chuckled before answering:
"Hehehe. Don't underestimate a Master ranker just because she is someone you know, Erni. I have my ways. I only know what the general populous in the city of Osan knows so far.
That Isen Osan suddenly disappeared with his whole family. His grandson that had gone to LA with you is also missing. But I'll tell you what I think. As far as I know Isen, he is not someone who would make abrupt decisions. Nor is he a person who could be made to disappear without leaving a trace behind.
That means Isen had left on his own knowing full well the city is going to face some turmoil because of it. I'm not worried about his disappearance. I'm worried about the reason that made him disappear."
Eren nodded before asking another question:
"Aunt Nina, what can you tell me about Isen's family in general. Isaac and Ivor for example. You have interacted with Isen so many times by now. You must be aware of something ordinary people or rankers might not know."
Nina raised her eyebrows after listening to Eren's question. She got up from her seat and walked towards the window and started responding after she was standing near it.
"I guess it's natural for you to have curiosity since Ivor was with you in the academy. I indeed know a bit about Isen's family and Isen himself. Contrary to popular belief, Isen is not only politically motivated but also exceptionally ambitious as a ranker.
He only cares about family because it suits his political image. And he only cares about the political image because it gives him the right to obtain the ranking resources generally not obtainable for ordinary citizens of the kingdom.
So it was natural that he'd ignore what was happening inside his family. Isaac Osan, for example, had always been a troubled kid. I had heard from the Healer's association that he'd often torture animals when he was mere 5 years old."
Nina looked at Eren from her position and sighed before continuing:
"Raising children is difficult. Especially if you are a ranker and want to focus on your journey. But neglecting them to this extent also shouldn't be taken lightly.
I tell this from my personal experience as well as from those healers who used to interact with Isen's family because of their relationship with the city administration. Isen and his son messed up raising those two boys."
Eren nodded in understanding after hearing Nina's explanation. He got up and went near her. He stood beside her and asked again:
"I hear Ivor was an exceptional ranker even from a young age. What can you tell me more about him?"
Nina didn't understand why Eren was trying to pry into Isen's family matters. She wasn't all-knowing about the topic either. Just the bits and pieces she had come to gather because of her contacts in the city administration, her status as a prominent healer in the city of Osan, and her links with the Healers association active in the city.
Eren on the other hand wanted to know more about the pawn he was raising. He wanted to see if he could use the guy's background to influence him in a certain way. After all, he was trying to use a guy whose brother he had killed. If Ivor wasn't so talented, Eren would have preferred straight up killing him.
