After wrapping things up with Jiana, Eren took Nina out and spent a few hours exploring some of the most interesting places in his city. The latter was excited to see the fruits of Eren's labor the most as well.
Nina didn't get to see the entire White Raven city. But when she heard about the vineyard from Eren, she decided to prioritize sightseeing in the valley instead.
After all, Nina could call the city her new home at this point. She could explore it anytime she wanted. So there was no need to see everything at once.
Nina felt that she was back in the city of Osan when she was inside the small suburban house. She also had an apothecary attached to the house, making her remember the previous profession she used to do in the city of Osan. Just being an off-field healer with no life-and-death responsibilities.
Laughter and more laughter could be heard inside the house. A lot of other noises were also added to the mix that would tell the listeners the occupants were busy with their work.
Eren and Nina were reminiscing about their past and reliving old memories. They had started potion-making in their old-looking newly-built house just like they used to in the past.
The apothecary is in the front-left, an array-operated potion storage bank at the back, and the potion lab in the middle. The couple was currently in the potion lab– making basic potions just for the sake of it.
Nina was a healer first and a potioneer second. So, her expertise in the field was relatively limited for a Master ranker. Yet, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Eren folding his sleeves and doing potion-making like some sort of gifted potion-maker.
"When… when did you get time to refine your potioneering to this degree?"
The healer asked in a voice coated in shock and disbelief. What she was seeing in front of her eyes was an artist creating artwork. She stopped her potion-making right away and started looking in Eren's direction. Her curiosity wouldn't allow her to close her eyes for a second.
Whenever Nina thought that she couldn't get surprised by Eren anymore, he would go ahead and prove her wrong. Due to the butcher's involvement in guild and city matters as well as his consistent advancement in the ranking, she assumed that his potioneering would have been lacking. But turns out she was wrong.
Nina saw Eren refining the raw ingredients and processing another set of them inside an alkali liquid at the same time. She saw him control his elemental flame and introduce minute changes in its nature to enhance the quality of the concoction by a notch.
She saw him do all that and then some more without using any array mechanism, controlling a lot of potion-making processes in a parallel way. That too without introducing any kind of error in any of them.
"Hahaha. I just focus on working on the basics that you taught me. The rest will work itself out. You have always been great at teaching, you know. You taught me well."
Eren complimented Nina once again and chuckled as he maintained fine control over his potioneering. One had to note that he was still holding back quite a bit. Nina would start to question her life choices if she were to see what the butcher was capable of. His ability to introduce various elemental attainments in the concoction process alone was mind-boggling if one knew about it. He didn't want to give her an inferiority complex by showing her that.
The benefits of Alephee's regime were becoming apparent at this point. Thanks to the extensive mana-circuits control training he had been through almost every night, the butcher became even more precise with his potioneering than ever before. His potion-making skills were improved even further as a result.
Nina pursed her lips and smiled. She looked down and shook her head in denial as if saying she had given up the hope of getting real answers about Eren's dramatic personal growth from him.
Eren was helpless as well. Putting in the effort, making the best use of available resources, and bits of luck were one thing. The butcher's gains in various fields couldn't be explained by any stretch of conventional reasoning.
Eren didn't want to tell Nina that he devoured people to achieve his all-inclusive growth. Not because he didn't like what he was doing or he didn't trust her. He would walk steadfastly on his path.
However, Eren had come to realize that not every truth needed to be said out in the open. Some truths are personal. Something that no one could wrap their heads around because they hadn't lived the truth bearer's life.
Eren was sure that Nina would never hate him even after knowing what he had to do to achieve the success he had achieved. The people he had to kill and devour– the rankers he had to scheme against– the deals he had to make with potentially dangerous players. And the bull's eye that was now painted on his back because of his success.
Nina would only find fault in herself that she was there to help Eren when he was struggling through so much on his own. She would blame herself for not being with him when he must have needed her the most.
Eren wasn't expecting Nina's help at any stage of his life. At least not in his current timeline. That's because he had come to realize that she was not meant to handle his truth.
The unspoken burden of success was for the butcher to bear alone.
Nina also came to realize that Eren liked to keep his struggles to himself. Not because he didn't trust her. But because there was nothing she could have done about it. She can no longer assist him in his life, despite her rank.
'Well... I can help him let off some steam. Hehe.'
Nina thought to herself before looking at Eren playfully.
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