Edinburgh's special forces preferred hiring rankers with special elemental affinities.
Krista, Rupen, and Lambert were hired into the Blood Punisher force for the same reason. They were then groomed by the kingdom's elite rankers and given top-tier resources to develop their skills.
Such rankers were the team's asset. They held the potential to make difficult tasks reach their conclusion with sufficient ease.
Drin's shadow element was well suited for shady jobs that would usually be handled by the special forces. Even Kev was interested in bringing Drin under the kingdom's thumb for the same reason.
Meera wasn't interested in the job at first. It was Kev who told her she should take Rehaal's offer to free Drin from his current responsibilities. Upon thinking about it, it made sense to her as well.
Rehaal was humbled by Meera's words right away. He learned that Meera had accepted the mission for her own interests first and foremost. The fact that the mission assigned by him aligned with her interests was only a mere coincidence.
He was again made to understand that his royal status didn't assure him that he would be able to order the members of the special forces around. He could only spend all of his resources on them and hope for the best.
Meera chuckled after Rehaal fell silent. With her response, she tried to reassure him further.
"Hehe. Does it matter for what reason Eren gets killed? You are granted your wish. And that should be something you can look forward to.
Now keep quiet and let me focus. The job's about to start."
Meera said and narrowed her eyes. She had received the signal from the joint forces that Shaen was making her move.
Eren Elijah Idril appeared on the site.
***
A colt-driven caravan was making its way through the forest surrounding the city of New Beginnings. There were two Ace-ranked handlers in charge of the caravan, which traversed a known route.
Eren was lying flat on his back on a plush bed. Through the use of spatial magic, it would transform into a seating arrangement. In Edinburgh, this was one of the most convenient ways to travel between cities.
The caravan had all the necessary amenities. It had been enhanced with spatial magic to make the interior much larger than the caravan's dimensions. Its anti-gravity array at the bottom made sure that the interior didn't experience jerks or bumps no matter how fast the caravan was being pulled.
The interior of the caravan resembled a luxurious suite. It was only when one looked through the curtained windows that one realized that they were traveling.
"Haaah! This thing is so comfortable."
Eren said to himself as he stretched his limbs on the bed. He rolled around and sank his face into the plush pillow before speaking further.
"I could get used to these expensive comforts. Traveling like this is so much better for my aching back. It's just that it costs a lot. I wonder if I could loot someone on my way to recover my money."
Eren spoke as if it was the past-old-man-him. He heard an eagle growl when he finished speaking. Argo was in his eagle form inside the caravan. He was made to sit on a wooden platform and given chunks of ranked beast's meat to munch on. TherHar Jahar's chopped hand was another object the beast was trying to devour.
"Yes, I could have used you. But your appetite grows every time I try to use you as a mode of transportation. You are not fuel-efficient, you fat bird."
Eren made fun of Argo a bit. He was just kidding and liked riding the demon beast. But he wouldn't be able to partake in his nightly training with Alephee while on the beast's back. The caravan provided him with the space needed for him to do so.
"Argo… no fat… Argo is strong. Argo will get bitches when he grows up."
Argo flapped his wings and said it aloud in his bird-like voice. He then morphed his head into a mini lion and roared a bit to highlight his determination. The demon beast then started devouring Har Jahar's hands with even greater zeal than before.
'Your influence is corrupting him.'
Eren heard Alephee's voice in his head. She was inside the pendant abode, trying to add more spells to her grimoire using her homunculus blood as ink.
Eren pursed his lips. He didn't think that wanting to have many "companions" was a negative influence anyway.
'Maybe I should teach this fat bird how to sugar-coat things from now on. Beauties instead of a derogatory word. Small changes to make his goals seem noble to outsiders.'
Eren knew that Argo's foul mouth wasn't something he could get rid of anymore. But he could at least try to make him seem sophisticated in certain settings.
Eren was about to say something to Argo when he suddenly felt that his caravan had stopped moving. He received a knock on his door from the driver's seat the next moment.
"Come in."
Eren said while sitting upright on his bed. He was only wearing his pants and nothing covered his torso. The butcher saw that one of the Ace rankers who was in charge of the caravan he had hired entered his room.
"My Lord, there's an Adept-ranked lady outside who is requesting to see you. Um… she is asking for a lift to the city of Ainari where we are going. What should I tell her?"
The teen bowed his head in front of Eren and asked him. The butcher raised his eyebrows before using his mana sense to check up on the new visitor who had come to ask for help from him.
Eren recognized the young woman right away when he sensed her mana signature. This was a mana signature he couldn't forget.
'Heh! The vultures have finally come.'
Eren smiled cheerfully before responding casually.
"Haha. I am all for helping travelers in need. I'll ensure that she reaches the destination she needs to reach personally.
Let her in."
AN: The City of Ainari was first introduced in chapter 506. It is a relatively close city to Edinburgh's army base where Eren has been appointed.
