Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren and Reen exchanged a few words, but in reality, their connection transcended language. The mere sight of each other spoke volumes.

Eren offered a fleeting smile to Reen and nodded courteously at Eliza before severing the communication link. The moment he did, his expression changed drastically. His face contorted with a seething mix of hatred and anger, his aura manifesting in elemental storms, a reflection of his bloodthirsty Individuality.

"Fuck that old hag," Eren muttered, his voice dripping with frustration and rage. While part of his anger was directed at Sage Eliza for what Reen had endured, a deeper resentment smoldered within him. He loathed being a tool in someone else's grand design.

Naturally, the composed facade he'd maintained during his talks with Eliza was a mask. It concealed his vulnerability from the sole scion of the House Samael. Eren clenched his fists, teeth grinding, and his eyes red, a tempest of emotions raging within him.

"This… this is the reason I need to grow strong. I need to hold an absolute might that can't be questioned. All tricks fail in front of an overwhelming might.

Never… never again will I allow another to fucking dictate my path. Never again will someone else taste the fruits of MY fucking labor," Eren vowed, his words barely audible, his Individuality surging outward.

Within his potion lab, the Mana Blessing formation shattered under the strain of his aura. Eren's Individuality extended beyond his private space, casting a shadow over the Kukenan plateau. It cloaked the region in an eerie twilight, even though it was midday.

"Eren! Get a hold of yourself!"

Alephee rushed into Eren's chamber as his Individuality threatened to smother the guild members present on the plateau. Their exposure to Grimdawn's unbridled Individuality left lower-ranked members on the verge of death.

As Alephee approached, Eren regained control. His feelings of frustration, momentarily unleashed, retreated. The suffocating atmosphere dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. The Kukenan plateau returned to its usual state, bathed in the brilliant sunlight.

"I... I apologize," Eren uttered, addressing Alephee with a sigh. He reached into his pants' pocket and located a certain item. Extracting a Sativa Stick from the packet, he lit it, drawing a deep drag. The soothing effects of the Sativa Stick gradually washed over him, calming his agitated mind and body.

Alephee observed Eren's condition and sighed. "No matter how you compose yourself around her, she knows she has leverage over you," she remarked with a sympathetic glance.

She had anticipated that Eren's conversation with Eliza would have some impact on him, which was why she had stayed outside his private chamber, avoiding a direct encounter with Eliza to minimize her presence in the latter's eyes.

"Haah!"

Eren responded to Alephee with a smirk, a hint of determination in his eyes.

"That's true, but let her believe what she wants. Alephee, beneath that façade, I see fear and desperation in that old hag's eyes too. Maybe even more than I do.

I bet she must be frustrated witnessing how much I've grown in just a decade," Eren commented, releasing a plume of smoke into the air. By now, he had regained his composure fully.

Alephee nodded in agreement, acknowledging Eren's insight. She added her perspective.

"Nevertheless, no matter how desperate she might be, she still holds numerous trump cards. We shouldn't force her hand prematurely.

Pushing too hard too soon won't benefit either side. Otherwise, it could lead to losses on both ends." She walked toward Eren, her footsteps resonating in the secluded space.

Eren sighed in agreement with Alephee's suggestion, his frustration temporarily set aside in favor of maintaining his composure. He understood that allowing his emotions to overwhelm him would jeopardize all of his carefully laid plans.

Aware that he could do little while Reen remained in Eliza's custody, Eren acknowledged that he must bide his time and let Eliza think she was winning. His true strategies and trump cards would only come into play once the opportune moment arrived.

"Eren, are you certain you don't want me to remove the restrictive runes that Eliza might activate during the Lazarus Project?" Alephee inquired with genuine concern coloring her voice.

Alephee had detected the subtle manipulations Eliza had employed to essentially incapacitate her whenever the runes inscribed on her homunculus body were triggered. These binding runes had materialized on Alephee seemingly out of nowhere several weeks ago.

Of course, these voodoo-magic-based runes had otherworldly nature from Labh Salem and they couldn't be seen or studied by any native of Anfang. As such, Eliza and Layla, the two witches, assumed that Alephee had powers to detect these binding runes on her.

Miss Timeless swiftly deduced that these binding runes were likely placed by Layla, using Eliza's formidable S-Rank magical prowess as their foundation. With her own homunculus vessel and exceptional skills in potion-making, Layla possessed the means to restrict Alephee's capabilities whenever she chose, given careful planning and preparation. These restraining runes had remained dormant on Alephee until now.

Alephee had promptly informed Eren that she had been subjected to a kind of witchcraft reminiscent of voodoo magic, originating from the world of Labh Salem.

As House Samael originally hailed from Labh Salem, it was only natural that the Witch of the Enderflames and the Little Witch would have access to such an enigmatic form of magic.

"No, leave those Voodoo runes in place," Eren responded calmly, shaking his head.

"I had expected the old hag and Layla to resort to this once they learned of your existence. They must be thinking that you are some subordinate from the past Sage that I befriended because of your homunculus vessel.

They might not worry about you. But they are trying to be cautious of the Sage behind you. It's unfortunate that Layla was able to detect your presence. But I guess what's done is done.

That being said, we still maintain an advantage. Those damn witches don't know of your true capabilities. I don't want to alarm them by removing your restrictions.

Let them believe they have the upper hand," Eren stated with a cold resolve.