"Agatha!"
Fiona cried out in alarm, her eyes nearly popping out of her sockets. She almost dropped the knife she was holding. Because of her nearly-lost grip, she juggled the knife like a clown before she managed to grasp it with both hands.
"Hm? Hello. Have we met each other?"
Agatha was equally surprised by the way Fiona reacted. Eren and Alephee weren't exactly forthcoming with her about their new guest that had appeared suddenly. So she didn't know Fiona's background.
"You… you are looking a bit different than the spectral image we had of you."
Fiona processed her shock after taking a long breath. She kept the knife down to avoid any more fumbles and straightened herself in her seat. She rubbed her eyes with both her hands before caressing her face with open palms. She then adjusted her hair before generating a spectral image of Agatha's younger self over the palm of her right hand.
"Oh, this was when… well. It was when I was very young. Hehe. You can't expect me to stay like a teen forever, can you?"
Agatha still didn't understand why Fiona was looking for her. She also didn't know why this erratic female ranker was carrying an old spectral image of her. Agatha didn't sense any ill intent from Fiona, so she answered her casually.
"You still don't know who your parents were, do you?"
Fiona looked at Agatha intently and came to a realization. She had rescued half-bloods like Fiona, who didn't know anything about being half-bloods. She could sense such a type after meeting them so many times.
Eren looked at Alephee and smiled mirthlessly. He had avoided telling Agatha about her lineage because he thought that it would distract her from focusing on the guild's matters. After all, she had an entire city's affairs to look after. Eren couldn't afford to have Agatha's attention divided at such crucial times.
Eren had concluded that providing information about Agatha's background would make her start walking on the path of vengeance once again. Thus, he had not told her anything he had learned from Alephee.
But most of all, Eren did that to ensure his city's start wouldn't be hampered. Now that the guild was running smoothly and the city was working almost autonomously, the butcher thought that now was the time for Agatha to get over her mental burden. Thus, he let Fiona fill in the gaps for her.
Fiona started explaining why she was looking for Agatha. She explained to her that her family was targeted because of her lineage as half-bloods.
Agatha stopped eating when she started hearing Fiona's explanations. The more Fiona talked, the more Agatha was reminded of how her family was killed. Eren could tell that she had been brought back to her past because of Fiona's words.
"I… I don't get it. Why are they targeting us? What's a half-blood?"
Agatha's voice was shaky. Her eyes had turned watery because of her violent memories. Eren was curious about actual half-bloods' take on their identity too. So he and Alephee kept quiet and let Fiona do the talking.
"A half-blood is someone with beastly genes integrated into their genome. The establishments in Anfang have been targeting half-bloods for a very long time. Most of the half-bloods die even without knowing about their lineage.
I don't want to state things explicitly because we are not inside the Last-Blood Bastion. I will just say that half-bloods are Anfang's dark past. And the establishments in power are doing everything they can to keep it dark and hidden from the masses.
I won't ask Adept Eren considering his views and his position. But I will ask you, Agatha. Come with me to the Last-Blood Bastion. That's a safe place for all of us half-bloods out there. Living here out in the open is not safe for us. At least not until we bring about a revolution.
All half-bloods live in Last-Blood Bastion. We have special resources for our needs. You will never have to worry…"
"Hang on a minute!"
Eren stopped drinking from his wine glass and placed it on the table. He looked at Fiona and narrowed his eyes before speaking up.
"Agatha is not going anywhere, Fiona. Maybe you don't know her position in the city. But her existence is essential to its functioning.
She is extremely safe in the city of White Raven. And I'll see to it that she continues to prosper herself and this city along with it."
Fiona looked at Agatha's face when Eren finished stating his opinion. She couldn't see that Agatha was dissatisfied with anything Eren said. So she clenched her fists before commenting.
"Adept Eren, is this not selfish? Why should Agatha jeopardize her safety because of your goals? Why should she stay here when she can come with me and receive the right guidance and resources that are tailored to her?
You can place her responsibilities on anyone of your subordinates."
Fiona didn't want to come across as a rude guest at the dining table. But she refused to compromise on her mission to secure Agatha and bring her into their fold.
Eren smirked in contempt when he heard Agatha's question. He drank from his wine cup and enjoyed the soothing taste of Merlot in his mouth. He only spoke after feeling rejuvenated by its effects on his body and stimulating his mana circuits.
"Have I ever denied that I'm not selfish? However, let's not pretend that you're not taking her wherever you want to take her just to care for her.
Where were you when her family was killed? Or when she had to join the cultists for survival? Or when she was almost turned into a slave by the city of Silvermoon? Or when she was ready to sacrifice herself on the path of vengeance?
Everybody's selfish, Fiona. You are naive, delusional, or arrogant if you think that you or your people are different from me just because you run a pro-half-blood organization."
