Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"Here we are now, with you left wondering. Was it worth it? Let me clear that doubt for you if you still haven't found the answer by yourself– It's not."

Rodrick had closed his eyes by the time Eren finished his talking. For a while, nobody uttered a word. Eren wasn't in a hurry. He gave his royal acquaintance enough time to come around.

Rodrick opened his eyes after a while and sighed before commenting.

"Hehe. When I had finished my aptitude test, the very first option generated by the aptitude array was becoming a tank. But I thought staying so passive wouldn't be in my best interest. So I rejected that.

The second option that it had given me was that of a Samurai. But I wasn't willing to inflict pain on myself to enhance my spell output. So I rejected that too.

The path of a berserker, which was the third choice the aptitude test array had given me, then became an easier choice for me. The array probably gave me those two options because I had been trying to do everything for who knows how long.

My desperation to see me as a better ranker than all of those royal mother…"

Rodrick had lost all his breaks by this point. Eren knew he wouldn't stop by himself. So he had to intervene.

"Rodrick! Bud. If you want to get into trouble, do it when you are alone. Not when you are with us."

Rodrick snapped out of his trip when Eren called his name abruptly like that. The butcher had used a mana-imbued voice projecting it straight into his ear canal to enhance the sound's intensity while keeping the volume normal for Altashia.

Rodrick shook his head when he was brought into reality by Eren's ear-piercing voice. He nodded at the butcher and took a drag from his smoke again before continuing further.

"I… I'm sorry. Where was I?

Yes!

My choice for being a berserker. You are right, Eren.

Physically, I may have a talent for being a berserker. Despite this, I find it difficult to enter the berserk state even when I drink the berserker potion. I wasn't like this, mind you. However, my circumstances have made me too paranoid.

I guess some rankers are born that way. Not everyone can walk on the path they choose for themselves with absolute confidence.

That's why I envy Miss Altashia. She is indeed a warrior. The way she acts, the way she moves, the way she thinks that it isn't her job to start advising someone. And the way she shows kindness only after the fight is over. These seemingly insignificant things count. They make up a whole picture.

Compared to her, I'm completely lost. What am I?

Tell me Eren, what am I? What should I do?"

Rodrick asked and finished his smoke as well. He had to admit that these thoughts were getting better processed under the Stellar Sativa's influence like the butcher had told him they would. Otherwise, he would have shut these thoughts the moment they sprang into his head.

That's right. Rodrick was having doubts about his path even before Eren had raised them for him today. But every time he had them, he would suppress or ignore them because of the implications they had.

Changing the path now would mean wasting his progress in the Ace rank. Like Altashia, he too was close to breaking into the Adept rank. Just a step or two more, and he'd be an Adept.

Changing Rodrick's path now would result in his ranking status regressing. That meant starting from the initial stage of the Ace rank from scratch. Plus, his existing mana circuits would be fried. He'd spend a few months recovering. If everything about changing classes worked smoothly for him, this was the best-case scenario.

Rodrick sighed and addressed the biggest concern he had for Eren.

"Eren, my problems wouldn't end with me left with wasted time and resources should I choose to follow through with the change of class. I'm in a shark tank, you see. If I show weakness at this point, I might get eaten raw. Hehehe!"

Rodrick said and smiled mirthlessly. Eren didn't ask for any explanation from the guy. He just shrugged his shoulders and responded.

"Just change the damn tank for a while. Don't swim in it unless you know you are qualified enough to enter it."

Rodrick chuckled at first when he heard Eren's statement. Then he opened his mouth to speak while raising his hand. But his hand and his speech froze in their tracks as he pondered over Eren's reply. He lowered his head and started mumbling to himself while looking at the ground aimlessly.

"Change the damn tank for a while…

Change the tank…

Change the tank!

Can I do it?"

Rodrick pressed his forehead with both his hands trying to think about something. It took a while for him to come to a decision. His eyes sparkled with determination when he raised his head and looked at Eren again.

"Eren, according to you, which class should I take? Tank or Samurai?"

Eren saw the change in Rodrick's behaviour all of a sudden. He didn't know what had happened to him. But he thought of wrapping this up as soon as he could. So he decided to shoot straight.

"Neither."

Eren observed Rodrick's reaction when he said that. The guy stopped getting shocked at the butcher's answers anymore. By now the royal was completely committed to taking Eren's advice to heart.

The butcher wanted this effect from the get-go when he offered Rodrick the smoke. In so doing, the royal was able to let loose all the doubts he had been suppressing in his mind since only he knew when.

Despite seeing that Rodrick knew about it subconsciously, the butcher explained. This was a way for him to highlight the realization that had already dawned on Rodrick.

"The tank would have worked for you seeing that you prefer to keep a distance from your opponents. Plus, the water element is a suitable choice for a tank.

But tanks don't engage with their opponents the way you do. Plus, they are defence specialists. Something I don't see you becoming anymore.

I'll not pretend to know about the path of the Samurai. But I guess you rejected that path yourself for some reason. No point circling back to it."

Rodrick nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't wait for Eren to finish showing him the path he didn't see for himself.

"Then… What do you want me to do?"

Eren smiled before responding.

"Something the aptitude test didn't tell you. Stop caring about the path being mainstream or not. Forget about the perks or drawbacks it offers. Fuck the aptitude test. Fuck everything else.

Become an animated spell specialist, Rodrick.

Become a Summoner."