Eren's private chamber. White Raven guild headquarters. White Raven city.
"What was Layla talking about?"
Alephee asked Eren while he was being subjected to his hellish training at midnight. He was sleeping on the bed of thorns with his back getting carved by the elemental shards Alephee had created using the array setup.
Eren had paused his training session midway when he received the voice message from Layla a few moments ago. Alephee was curious about it.
"She…"
Eren had a red face while he was suffering through pain and misery. He shook his head and continued speaking. It was almost like he didn't feel pain anymore. Or he stopped processing the pain the usual way.
"She tells me Arthur's forces are getting desperate. They are trying to close in on her and Ivor from various fronts.
So far, they have managed to stay ahead of his forces. They plan to face all of the forces at once and eliminate them. They are a hindrance to the Lazarus project after all."
Eren said with a steady voice before releasing the breath he was holding. He then followed up on Alephee's instructions to operate on her mana circuits. More wounds were created when he failed to match up the mana flow with the shards' movements. However, the wounds this time were significantly less than what he had faced the first time. He was improving.
"And? That brat won't report to you her updates unless something major has happened or she wants something from you."
Alephee asked while standing outside the array looking at Eren with her hands folded under her bosom. Eren chuckled before answering.
"She is planning to set a trap for all of them soon. And needs my assistance in handling some of the heat Arthur's forces bring."
***
Eren said and rolled to his side. He wished the bed of suffering he was using for his training of mana circuits could be used from all directions. His pain would increase but at least he would save time.
Three weeks had passed since Eren came to White Raven city. He had handled various matters related to the guild and Minerva's Utopia these days, ensuring that everything ran smoothly inside his city.
During these three weeks, he would spend his nights training his mana circuits. He would spar with Alephee in the morning to digest his gains and see the effects of his training.
Fighting with Alephee was always an eye-opening experience for Eren. he would often learn something so obvious about the way he could improve his battle style. However, he knew it would only become obvious after Alephee showed it to him. Otherwise, he'd have to spend a long time coming to the same conclusions.
Eren would often spar with his teammates during these three weeks whenever they were available. Drin and Bianka had groups to lead. Tumko Darata's team will serve as another full-fledged party for the White Raven when he and his teammates officially join the guild.
Eren was also in touch with various others who were planning to come to White Raven city to meet him. Aunt Nina and Marla were one of them. Dianna Remus also had a grim piece of news to share with him regarding her family's stance. She was expecting to meet him during one of their army assignments that he would take on soon.
Marla confirmed Eren's hypothesis after he contacted her. She had told him LA was planning to keep the graduation ceremony on hold till the postponed event came to pass. She was asked to hold her position in LA until that happens. Thus, she couldn't join White Raven right away.
Just like Altashia, Eren should have graduated from LA because of breaking into the Adept rank. Nevertheless, the kingdom of Edinburgh decided to go all out in recruiting students into its armed forces. It had changed the rules of all five elite academies and made them halt the graduation of their Adept-ranked students.
Last time, the event in question was postponed because of the social turmoil created by the news of Ivor Osan being the Osan Woods Butcher as well as Isen Osan fleeing to the enemy kingdom. Due to the potential war with the enemy kingdom, the stakes for the event were expected to rise in all aspects.
The graduation ceremony would take place in Edinburgh's capital in a few weeks. Eren was bound to attend that. One of the highlights of the graduation event was that it would be a joint venture by all the top academies in the kingdom. Meaning it would pit students from all five academies together.
The event would be broadcast throughout the kingdom. The purpose was to improve the citizen's faith in the kingdom and its potential elites. It was also to demonstrate to the kingdom of Layos that Edinburgh was cultivating a powerful force. Because it knew the enemy kingdom would keep track of the kingdom-level event like this.
Eren could only smile mirthlessly after understanding the reason behind things that were happening around him and to him. Not that he didn't like the event getting bigger than his previous timeline. The more prestigious the event, the greater the rewards that come with it.
Eren had a smile o his face as he thought of graduating from LA once again in this timeline as an Adept. Last time, he was barely a Novice when he cleared the academy somehow. Although he had managed to get through academic life, he entered the world of rankers with scant experience and a ruined name.
In this timeline, Eren had a guild and an entire city to himself. Ranking-wise, he left assistant professors in LA behind. His name was spreading throughout the kingdom as the guild master of a rising city and guild.
Fame. Money. And power.
The butcher had everything in this timeline. Although his face wasn't that well-known, he wasn't disheartened. The comparison of his past and present lives made him feel a bit satisfied with his current progress. But there was a part of him that wanted more. Even more.
Even the whole of Anfang wouldn't be enough to quench his thirst for something more.
'Altashia cleared her graduation just at right time, huh! Never mind. I wanted to be part of the event anyway. There's something in that event I need.'
Eren thought to himself as he carried on with his training. He had a smile on his face when he sorted his thoughts.
Alephee was irked when he flashed a grin while being subjected to pain.
'And he wonders why people call him a masochist!'
