"That…. Um…. You are right. You are a half-blood first and foremost no matter what kind of bloodline you have."
Fiona said proudly. Eren flashed a smile when he heard her words.
"Excellent. Now if you could just…"
"I… I'll tell you everything once we establish the fact that you are not working for the kingdom against your fellow half-bloods."
Eren started massaging his forehead with his right hand when he heard another demand from Fiona. Talking with her was becoming a headache for him.
"It looks like you are paranoid about everything. And driven by the cause of rebellion against the current system in Anfang. I won't blame you if you have those views. In addition, I applaud your willingness to show camaraderie with other half-bloods.
But let's get one thing straight. I don't work for anyone. Moreover, I am not settling permanently in any camp. That doesn't mean I'm against all the half-bloods. But it also doesn't mean that I am with you forever.
You can look at me as a man who had his camp– his ideas– his own beliefs. I can be of some help to you guys if you can be of some help to me as well. How does that sound for establishing the fact that we are not enemies?"
Eren said and waited for Fiona to answer. She glanced at him and Alephee before looking down at her feet to ponder something. She wanted to argue with Eren concerning his alienated opinions of other half-bloods. But she also understood that the half-bloods that had stayed outside the Half-blood Bastian would have different views than those who were born inside it.
Eren read the conflict Fiona was having in her head and pressed on.
"Look, I understand the doubts you have in your head. But if I wanted to harm you solely for being a half-blood, I would have done that as soon as Alephee confirmed your identity as one.
I am not allied with the forces of Anfang that are anti-half-blood if that's what you are asking. I don't think I'll ever ally myself with them in the future either.
It was you who had stumbled upon me and not the other way around. So there's no pre-arranged trap from my side. And I gain nothing from deceiving you.
These are the facts that I'm sure you can already see with your own eyes. Now the only question is, what will you do about them? Will you gain a potential ally for your cause or will you die a meaningless death? Something I'm sure you'd abhor."
Eren's voice was calm. His soul sense was also subconsciously mixed into his voice, which mixed his emotions with it. Fiona finally decided to come clean with Eren after processing every aspect of her capture and things she had read about Eren before. She had made detailed inquiries before visiting the city of White Raven.
"First… um… let me take a bath and… cough… change my clothes. I can't talk and explain anything to you in my current situation."
Fiona could have refreshed herself by channeling her mana throughout her body. But she knew that Alephee wouldn't unseal her mana core until a formal agreement between the two sides has been reached. Thus, she asked for a traditional way to get fresh.
Eren glanced at Fiona's crotch when she put her demand forward, causing her to stare at him angrily. He looked up and pursed his lips before looking at Alephee.
"We'll be back."
Alephee said before activating a spatial array. She and Fiona disappeared from their position, leaving Eren to his devices.
***
Fiona had gotten fresh and changed into casual wear. She was then led by Alephee into a minimal yet sophisticated dining room.
"Come. Take a seat."
Eren gestured to Alephee to take a seat in front of him at the dining table. Alephee appeared next to him before taking a seat beside him. There was also someone else who was sitting in front of Eren. Her back was turned so that she couldn't see the person's face.
Fiona wanted to say no to any food that was offered to her by Eren. She felt that he could spike her food. Eren chuckled after reading her thoughts.
"I won't lie, Fiona. I am not above spiking someone's food or drink. But I only do something like that when I know that my opponents are stronger than me.
You are not stronger than me. And you are not my opponent yet. So you have nothing to fear. At least not when it comes to having food with us."
Eren said and narrowed his eyes. His tone changed when he spoke further.
"I can always harm you directly after you have finished dining with us."
Fiona Fenris looked at Eren before nodding at him. In some way, his threat at this point made her more inclined to accept the situation.
Fiona didn't look at the person sitting in front of Eren because she kept on looking him in the eyes. She sat beside the white-gray-haired girl and placed her hands on the table.
Eren operated the array that was carved on the dining table and started serving the dinner. There was a variety of cuisines that were on display. Some of them started looking sumptuous to Fiona as she welcomed them one after the other on her platter.
Fiona waited for Eren to start having dinner. A final test. Butcher sighed as he took his first bite of the food, assuring the half-blood that it was safe to consume.
"What do you want to ask?"
Fiona asked while taking a bite out of her lamb meat. Eren was eating venison from a ranked mana beast. He cut a cube out of his nicely carved venison slab and dipped it in the sweet and sour sauce. The butcher handled his cutlery like he was used to cutting chunks of meat for various reasons.
"First, it seems like you were tracking someone and came here. Who were you looking for?"
Eren asked while enjoying the melting venison in his mouth. Fiona took a sip from her wine glass before replying.
"Someone named Agatha Adolphus. I was tracking her that led me towards the city of White Raven."
The noises of spoons and chewing stopped when Fiona told them who she was looking for. A pin-drop silence could be heard in the surroundings all of a sudden. Eren pointed at the person sitting beside Fiona before commenting.
"You mean… her?"
