"Do you still plan to stop me?"
Eren chuckled after he heard Agatha's response that sounded like a challenge. He shook his head before speaking up:
"I still want to avoid listening to your sob story if I can. There are a lot of people in the world who would have an even more heart-wrenching past than yours. What makes you special?"
Agatha wanted to respond with a lot of words. But no words came out of her mouth when it came to talking. Eren continued speaking before she could get over her silence.
"That being said, I can help you step into Ace rank."
Agatha shook her head in denial as if she was expecting this solution to be preached by Eren.
"Even with the anthrope-specific ranking techniques, the chances for anthropes to progress further in their ranking journey are extremely low. So obtaining such a technique at such a high cost might result in a huge loss if I end up staying stagnant in the Novice rank.
I know how you value your money. You would sell me immediately on the black market to recover your losses."
Eren raised his right hand that was holding the smoke and pointed at Agatha to say something. But he stayed speechless for a while. Then he coughed before speaking up.
"*Cough. That's not what I was suggesting, Agatha. I'm saying we could try a different approach. Something that would make you capable of practising normal ranking techniques of your element."
Eren finished his statement and took a drag. Agatha narrowed her eyes before asking the first question that came to her mind.
"You are not bullshitting me the way you bullshit with other merchants and your clientele, are you?"
Eren was again made speechless by Agatha. She seemed to be on-point with her verbal punches.
"No bullshittery. But it's just that I'd need some time, which I'm always running short of these days. It might take a few months. But you'd see the results if you choose to be patient.
In the meantime, I suggest that you use potions to reach the solid stage. Then use your current ranking technique to stabilize it. Keep your revenge plans on hold till then.
Remember, revenge would only make sense in your head. So you should plan everything before setting things on fire."
After speaking, Eren threw the butt of the smoke into the ashtray. Then used his mana sense to operate the small array placed at the bottom of it. The ashtray caught fire on its own and cindered everything in it into nothingness– making it clean and as good as new.
Agatha was finally convinced and she decided to put her plans on hold for a while. She wasn't suicidal. She only tried to make haste because she thought she had next to no chance of upping her rank.
"Al... alright. I'll postpone my task. I'll focus on expediting the manufacture of these upcoming products. And also prepare for moving to the Nightshade duchy. I'm sure you must have planned a few things from your end. So I'll need your input from time to time."
Eren nodded at his assistant before deciding to read up on a rune-sealed scroll he had gotten from his underground contact. It was information related to various cultist organizations and the regions in which they were presumed to be active. He had started collecting information about the Nightshade duchy through legal and illegal means.
Eren raised his head from reading the scroll and looked up at Agatha, who was standing awkwardly beside him. He narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Is there anything you want to ask?"
Agatha played with her hair as if she was a bit nervous before asking something random.
"Um… I don't know. Well… Oh, yes! I… I always wanted to ask you something. Why do you act so thrifty even though you are getting richer even as we speak?"
'Small talk?'
Eren pressed his lips when Agatha asked him a question. He had realized that she wanted to ask him about something else. The question she threw at him was just a ruse. But he decided to answer the question honestly anyway.
"Well… I wasn't always like this. But you tend to value your financial stability extremely when you almost get kicked out of the city for not having enough money to pay the monthly city tax. Then forced to take some extreme measures only to end up almost getting eaten by some beast in the most horrific way possible.
Things like that are... let's say bound to leave a scar on your conscience. You'd do anything in your power to prevent it from happening again.
But that's not the question you wanted to ask, was it? Tell me what you think. I'm listening."
Eren asked while continuing to read from the scroll. Agatha played with her now-long hair some more before asking in an even lower voice than before.
"Um… that kiss… what… what was that?"
Eren replied without thinking while reading the scroll.
"Hm? What kiss?"
Agatha didn't speak and let Eren think it through. The latter remembered after a while that he had kissed Agatha on a whim when they were in the city of Lionhearts. He smirked and stored the scroll in his storage before saying.
"Gee… I don't know. Let me confirm by doing it again."
Eren disappeared from his seat and appeared right in front of Agatha– startling her. She was about to take a few steps back. But she found out that her waist was locked in the same position because Eren had grabbed it with both his hands on either side.
Agatha nervously looked upwards only to find out that Eren was staring down at her with mischief in his eyes. She had a range of emotions at that time. But before she could process them for what they were, her lips were sealed by Eren's.
Eren caressed her waist while inserting his tongue into Agatha's mouth. She wrapped her hands around his neck and resigned herself to his sudden attack.
Eren broke the lip-lock himself after a while. He caressed Agatha's hair and patted her before speaking up:
"Sadly, we don't have time to go any further than this, Agatha. I got to meet up with Jack now that he is here along with a few of his contacts.
But at least we'll have something to look forward to when we reach Nightshade Duchy. See you soon."
Eren said and separated from Agatha. The latter seemed too stunned to speak. But she followed his gradual disappearance with a glint of expectation in her eyes.
