Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

1702 Giving Free Rein

'Well… with great fuck-ups come great damage control.'

The butcher had a random thought as he chatted with his wife.

It was not the first time that things hadn't gone the way he had planned initially. So it was easy for him to accept the fact that Kirin would not be able to join him in Labh Salem.

It had almost become second nature for him to improvise them as we progressed forward. Plus, he didn't think that the inadvertent change in his plan was necessarily bad for him.

The more he listened to Kirin and what she had been doing for the last few years the more sure he was of what he wanted her to do from this point on. The butcher decided to make use of the fact that Kirin had landed in Echidna. He had his own plans for Echidna, which he couldn't execute because of the fact that he was in Labh Salem.

However, he came to realize that he didn't need to be physically present to work on his to-do list in a world ruled by monsters. Kirin already knew what he wanted to do in Echidna and had started preparing in that direction, taking initiative.

Kirin could help him achieve his goals in Echidna. As such, Eren told her to prioritize her current project of turning the Oni dungeon into an access point. He was sure that she would have a much easier time doing something like that since he had already taken care of the divine isolation barrier.

There was one more benefit to be had if Kirin managed to turn the dungeon into an access point for her and her allies' use. Eren's non-monster allies would also be able to use the dungeon as a way to get into Echidna.

Eren had left behind a mechanism for the capable members of his guild to follow in his footsteps and leave Anfang behind through the Dimensional Gate. However, the Gate was connected to the Immortal Plane of demonic affiliation, making it a more risky way to leave Anfang.

The fact that Eren was stuck inside the Immortal Plane for years on end before finally making it to Labh Salem was the best proof of how unpredictable the Immortal Planes were. However, the Oni dungeon would turn out to be a more stable and safer option for those who didn't want to take such risks. This was provided Kirin was able to claim the other end of the dungeon in Echidna to herself.

Eren just hoped that Kirin would steer clear from the god who had erected a dungeon in Anfang to spread his faith there. At least until they successfully manage to claim his dungeon for their own use.

He was sure that she would get in conflict with him once their deeds were exposed in the future. As such, she needed as many helpers from his monster army as she could get before the god in question came to know about what they had done.

Eren had already offended the god's priest by killing Har Jahar. He had then cut off his connection with that god's Archpriest in Echidna, forcing him to send Bisha to Anfang to see what Eren was up to.

Eren had managed to successfully intercept Bisha, forcing her to be his ally for the time being. However, he was sure that sooner or later the god in question would grow wary of him. After all, all he needed to do was connect some dots and his identity as the true inheritor of Aleph's divine throne would get known to him.

Eren was sure that Goddess Echidna was his ally. At the very least, she would not oppose his rise to godhood if he decided to tread further on his path as a demi-god. The only reason she had decided to act neutral was because she was trying to test him and his caliber as the inheritor of Aleph's divine throne.

The more he proved himself as the true inheritor of the Elder Ichor, becoming the true Elder Seed, the more favorable his impression would be in Goddess Echidna's eyes. Not that he was trying to get in her good books in the first place. Nevertheless, it was always a good choice to find an ally in such a powerful goddess for Eren.

Eren remembered his brief interaction with Goddess Echidna when she took over Reen's consciousness and mortal shell and appeared in front of him. He also remembered the fact that she was welcoming of his claim to Aleph's divine throne when his consciousness was inadvertently sent into the celestial hall.

These things were enough to make Eren believe that Goddess Echidna was on his side, if only on a superficial level at this point. However, he was not sure about the monster gods who were in her pantheon. They could take a completely different approach than Goddess Echidna depending upon their self-

interests.

Eren didn't want Kirin to face the consequences of his actions in Anfang just because the latter was connected to him. As such, he warned her about the possible consequences that might arise in Echidna if his association with her were to be known. Staying low and doing things in the shadows for the most part was her ideal choice.

Therefore, Eren told Kirin to act prudently and bide her time. He asked her to prioritize safety over efficiency while she executed her tasks in Echidna. After all, Kirin wasn't like him who could make use of the multi-profession choices through Menaka's Blessing.

Eren and Kirin talked with each other for quite some time so much so that the former lost track of time. He found out that Kirin was a lot more talkative if she was on a spectral communication line than she was in real-time, conversing face to face. He smiled to himself and considered it as one of her odd traits as well.

Or maybe she just decided to hit pause on her stoic demeanor for the time being after being able to talk to Eren after so many years had gone by in utter silence. Either way, Eren conversed with Kirin as much as she wanted, answering any question she had for him before their talk turned casual once again.

For the most part, Eren only cautioned Kirin to be careful and shared his thoughts on what he wanted to achieve in Echidna. Apart from that, she was free to execute the tasks however she wanted.

Kirin had been given the free reigns to act according to her best interests first and foremost. She could even abandon the project and go into hiding if she attracted too much heat in Echidna.

Eren knew how Kirin operated. After all, she had done things like these before. It was because of her that the Grim Pillar Town got famous. In a way, it was because of her that he was called Grimdawn in Anfang.

She was bound to go above and beyond his expectations if he didn't limit her actions. And that's what he did while hoping she did not cause too much turmoil in Echidna in future. Of course, he knew that predicting future was not exactly one of his strong suits.