440: Courage

Courage

"Thank you for sharing things and your experiences with me, Altashia. I don't know how to repay you. You seem to have everything."0

Eren flashed a light smile to Altashia when the pair was done talking. He returned the gesture before adding more.

"My pleasure, Eren. You don't have to repay me with anything. Hehe! I only cleared some minor doubts you had because I wanted to help a fellow demon beast owner."

Eren smirked before activating his time-element spell along with his movement spell. Altashia saw him disappear from her sight only to appear two inches away from her.

Altashia's mana sense could keep up with Eren's movements, no sweat. So she didn't understand what he was doing as she stopped ghostly hands that had appeared beside either side of her face with hands of her own.

"I know one way I can repay you. I'll show you if you could allow me."

Altashia's cheeks turned red as Eren's voice was heard near her right ear after he seemingly morphed into existence. She was about to argue but Eren cut her short.

"I saw the way you looked at me when you thought I wasn't paying attention. Why look at the goods from afar and torture yourself when you can just have them? I certainly won't allow myself to go through that form of torture if I could help it."

Altashia thought that ale's intoxicating effects were cut short by the incident that had unfolded. But now that Eren had gotten so near to her, she felt that intoxication once again. She soon realized that this intoxication wasn't caused by the ale but by something much more primal that she hadn't experienced yet.

"Eren… What happened between us was just an accident. I…"

Eren chuckled before cutting her speech short.

"If that was an accident, I'm fine with those accidents happening over and over again. I'll not shy away from getting you drunk to try that same move again, you know."

Altashia had a blank face after Eren said what he said. Shen then burst into laughter.

"Hehehe! You are very shameless. How can one man have so many different shades to him?"

Eren closed the distance between him and Altashia some more by walking a step closer to her. Their bodies were almost touching each other.

"Why should I feel any shame in kissing a girl as talented and gorgeous as you? If I need to be shameless to have a chance with you, I'll strive to become the biggest shameless Edinburgh has ever seen."

Altashia couldn't stop laughing when she heard Eren's witty response. Her recluse heart was also softened by the compliment she received from him. It wasn't that she hadn't received compliments. But she could tell that Eren meant every word he said.

"Eren, do you want to be with me?"

Eren nodded his head without a second's delay when Alashia asked him the question on a serious note. She narrowed her eyes and looked into Eren's before proceeding.

"You will only be with me while we are together. And nobody else. Will you agree now?"

The butcher suppressed a sudden urge to cough as he maintained eye contact with Altashia. He had almost forgotten that not every female ranker would be like Nina, Renita or Jules who would just allow him to plough around.

"How about we get together first and then work on details?"

Eren flashed a forced smile. Altashia smirked at his reply before responding.

"Being with me isn't as simple as you thought it'd be, is it? Frankly, I don't see a problem in you accepting this. I have a better background. I'm a superior ranker than you as of now."

This time Eren's facial expressions turned somewhat serious. He put his hands down and responded after a short pause.

"Talent, background, and dedication to work hard aren't everything. Sometimes you need the courage to stand up with your broken pieces and show it to the world that there's still a fight left in you."

The interaction that was supposed to be romantic suddenly took a strange turn. Altashia knew that she was the reason behind it. She didn't like to sugarcoat her words. So she meant it when she said she was a superior ranker than Eren.

"You think you have that courage and I don't?"

Eren shook his head in denial before replying.

"You didn't get it. Courage comes only when you are scared. You were never scared of anyone. So of course you wouldn't have it."

Altashia chuckled when she heard Eren's response. She didn't want to hurt the guy. So she placed her right hand over his chest and replied.

"Eren, what you said makes sense on a philosophical level. But it doesn't change the ground reality. And please don't get offended. It wasn't my intention."

Eren placed his right hand over her and pressed on it before responding.

"Give me a month and three chances. Without any of our demon beasts getting involved. I'll challenge you to three duels. If I don't win even after the third try, I'll accept anything and everything you say.

But…

After I win, you will retract your statement that you are a superior ranker and come on a date with me without any of those conditions. Deal?"

Altashia puffed her cheeks as she heard Eren's proposals as if she had been offended.

"You can't beat me anytime soon. At least not within a month. I'm close to breaking through to my current rank while you are still.."

Eren just shrugged his shoulders in response before adding up.

"All the more reasons for you to accept the deal. Why worry when you can win the challenge easily?"

Altashis smiled mirthlessly as if she had given up on convincing Eren.

"Alright. One month. Three tries. Let's see how much you progress within this one month."

Eren understood what Altashia said and smiled. She had told him she would win all three tries after checking out his progress. If nothing else, Eren liked Altashia's subtle way of giving a burn to someone.

Eren dropped his shoulder and turned away as if he was being disappointed. Altashia saw that and felt a bit guilty about it. In feeling that she let her guard down. The next thing she knew, her lips were pressed upon something and her normal vision was blocked by someone very close to her.

Eren had planted a lip lock when Altashia least expected it. She didn't feel like responding to the guy's rude way of dealing with these delicate things. So she pinched his stomach with her hand while imbuing it with her mana. But even that didn't help. So she pushed him away with great force.

Eren was thrown outside the open window while making a whistling noise. He landed just beside Argo, who had just finished his first meal. The blood of his meal was all over the ground. Thankfully, Eren landed just outside the bloody and messy area.

"Kiyeeeh!"

"Yeah. I'm alright."

Eren consoled his demon beast and stood up from his position. He dusted his clothes and looked at Altashia, who was smiling. That fall of his had taken out all the grievances she had with him.

The butcher returned her gaze with equal playfulness before mumbling something very softly. He didn't use mana-imbued voice or voice communication when he did so.

But Altashia was able to lip-read and understand what Eren had said just fine. She smiled when she decoded his message as she saw him walking towards Argo while dusting his butt off.

'Altashia darling, this is called courage.'

He had said.

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