As he talked with Roody and Ken, Eren realized that his anger at Ken was misplaced.
Maybe one of the reasons he hated Ken was because of the latter's ability to nurture goodness in his heart even after coming to terms with the cruelty of the world. Ken maintained his fairness-and-justice-seeking path despite knowing the potential repercussions.
No matter how he tried or pretended to, the butcher wasn't capable of nurturing goodness in his heart anymore. For better or worse, he had aligned himself with the cruel side of the world. So in the past, to make sense of his inability to nurture goodness, he branded Ken as his opposition.
Eren could say that he was still in his growing phase as well. Because it took him this long to realize how naive he had been in his academic days. This is despite being the only student there at the time with the mindset of an old man.
He also understood that getting old and having past experiences didn't turn a person into an all-knowing sage. It just made them better at taking certain life decisions in the future. And that was it.
But to see what was hidden beneath the surface-level view, one would require more than mere experience. They needed the insight gained from those experiences. Eren's interactions with Ken and Roody were giving him the insights he needed to see the things around him he wasn't noticing because of his own prejudice.
When the two finished speaking about themselves, they asked Eren what he had been up to. Both of them had heard about Eren's success while they were busy with their own lives. But they wanted to hear straight from the horse's mouth.
Eren told them what was public knowledge about him and his city. He told them about his guild briefly before moving on to mention his on-field assignment in the army at the Nightshade duchy.
Roody gulped down a few chugs from his pitcher and pondered a bit. He chuckled to himself before commenting.
"Ken… Eren… your batch is really something if you think about it. It produced Osan Woods' Butcher. Then Sienna Slughorn died in a royal conspiracy. Other rankers in your batch made names for themselves as well.
Lastly, you two. Ken made a name for himself in the army. So much so that even the kingdom of Layos is wary of him at this point. Eren proceeds to establish a fucking city on barren land and turns it into one of the rising places in the kingdom.
It was as if everyone in your batch was meant to shake the kingdom in their own ways."
'It's because that beldam messed up cause and effect with you as its center.'
Eren heard Alephee's voice in his head. Then he and Ken looked at each other. The former pursed his lips before speaking.
"I'm sorry for Sienna's death, Ken. I know you guys had separated long before she died. But I believe you knew her well enough to feel sorry for her."
Eren offered a made-up courtesy to Ken. The latter scratched his beard and gulped from his pitcher before responding in an emotionless tone.
"Stop saying things you don't mean, Eren.
As for Sienna... How should I put it without speaking ill of the dead?"
Ken looked at the star-studded sky and seemed lost in his thoughts before speaking up.
"Now that I look back… she was a problematic girl, to begin with.
I learned from trusted sources that she was planning to control me using some shady means. She had plans to use me and my family by proxy after the graduation event.
I'll be honest… I never wished for her death even after finding out the truth. But am I glad that she isn't my problem anymore? Absolutely, yes."
Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Ken's thoughts on Sienna. He had to admit that he had obviously underestimated the Fist Saint's growth.
After emptying the pitcher, Ken accessed the pitcher's rune to draw more liquor stored inside his pitcher. He drank from his refilled glass and narrowed his eyes at Eren before asking him another question.
"Sienna is one thing. But you… you snatched my fiance from me, didn't you? Lensa is with you, right?"
Eren looked Ken in the eyes before admitting the truth.
"Yes."
Ken didn't lose his gaze on Eren. He paused before asking him another question.
"It was you who got cozy with her and blamed it on me, didn't you?"
Eren nodded once again. Ken was gullible but he wouldn't stay gullible all the time. He had met Lensa a few times during the period they were engaged. And he could guess what kind of girl she was based on his interaction with her. It didn't take long for him to guess who the real culprit behind the incident was after Eren and Lensa were said to have gotten together.
The butcher saw a wind-element fist directed at his guts as he used Sedated Perception subconsciously. But instead of dodging, he let that punch hit him because he knew who had cast it.
Swoosh. Zoom. Punch.
The three rankers were sitting around the fire pit. Eren was shot straight into the water off Freya's deck as Ken's fist hit him. It took a while for Roody to catch up. He didn't know what the two Expert rankers were talking about. Or why one of them had chosen to unleash violence.
"What the…"
Roody was about to get up and search for Eren. But he felt another wind-element hand land on his shoulder to keep him in his place. He looked at Ken to see the guy shaking his head in dismissal.
"He is fine."
Blink.
Eren suddenly appeared at his previous seat. He was dry and looked fine. It was as if Ken's attack on Eren hadn't taken place at all.
Eren caressed his tummy with his hand and drank from his pitcher. He sighed and commented casually.
"Fair enough. I probably deserve that."
Eren could understand Ken a bit at this point. The guy wasn't angry that he had taken his fiance from him. That Lensa chose Eren over him. He was angry at Eren for using his identity to get close to Lensa.
"I won't ask why you did it. But I'd appreciate it if you treated Lensa well."
Eren looked at Ken intently before speaking up.
"I will."
The butcher finished his drink before speaking in a serious tone.
"I'll give you free advice as compensation, Ken. Take it or leave it, it's your call. But I'll say it just for the sake of it.
Watch your back at the graduation event. Not everyone is worthy of your kindness. And not everyone will return the favor done to them.
I acknowledge the hard work of people like you but I could never count on them to get things done. Because you guys can be psychologically damaged in so many ways.
I'll be honest. People like the current me will fuck with you and then leave you to die on your own if you don't change your heart."
The pitcher in Eren's hand disappeared and he got up. The butcher walked up to the deck's ledge and listened to the sounds of the ever-flowing Leith before speaking further.
"I can see that you are trying to change. That you are slowly trying to adjust to the world's reality. But I have to say that you are doing something horribly wrong. Before you can change your ways of managing the situation, you need to alter your nature as a ranker.
If your heart suffers from the decisions you make, then the favorable outcome that you get from those decisions will not solve anything. It will only push you further into darkness.
Emotional fools suffer more than rational dickheads.
I was probably more gullible than you in the past. As a result, I was more broken than you. So I understand this better than you.
I am not saying this to win the "who had it worse?" award. But that's the truth of the world I have come to realize.
Look what this world has turned me into. I should serve as living proof of what lies at the end of your road. That is if you survive long enough to become like me."
Ken seemed lost in his thoughts as he listened to Eren's words. In the end, he sighed and decided to not think about it for the time being. Then he looked up and beckoned Roody to follow him.
They too got up from their positions. They stood on either side of Eren and looked at the surroundings for a while.
The three kept talking to each other after that until dawnbreak. They also found out that a lot of ships were traveling close to them.
Edin, the capital city of Edinburgh, would soon receive them.
