Trying to plan clean up (Eren POV)

“So how’s he doing?” Eren asked, his hands a blur as he made calculations, his mind moving faster than any human could. Verdi planned the entire festival on his own, but he never completed the contracts on cleaning everything up. Verdi had initially planned on leaving a few bodies to do so while he was partying, but Eren didn’t want to bore him with the worst part of planning a party.

“He is off enjoying his Cowtober fest. When he finishes that, he’ll be shooting a porno with Belsach helping out.” Harvin said, pouring two glasses of tea and handing them to Pelrin and Eren. It was almost nostalgic as the pair worked outside in the safe house garden, idly doing logistical work while snacking on whatever Harvin made. Eren reached to his pocket before cursing, his usual tobacco tin missing as Pelrin reached into his pocket and handed it over.

“Who or what is porno, and what is he shooting with?” Pelrin asked as Eren opened the tin, pulling a cigarette out and placing it in his mouth. He relished in the flavor, tasting the faint hint of menthol in the stick as he enjoyed the familiar act.

“You’ll learn when you’re older.” He said as Pelrin held his hand out expectantly, waiting for Eren to return his tin. “You should cut this shit out. It’ll kill you one day.” Eren said, pocketing the tin as he snapped his fingers, a flame conjuring in the air above his thumb. As he lit the cigarette, Pelrin took a second cigarette tin from his pocket and flicked his lighter, lighting it up as the two taking a deep drag from their favored vice.

“You’ve been alive for the past 200 years smoking like a chimney. If anything, this stuff will make sure I live forever.” Pelrin said as Eren sighed, slightly ashamed that every child he raised ended up copying one of his vices.

“I’m surprised you haven’t joined him in festivities. You love to celebrate.” Harvin said, handing them a plate of biscuits with honey. Eren gingerly took a biscuit, biting down on it as he tried to think of who was the best cleaning service in Olskroya and how much it would cost to deal with the current mess.

“I’m still trying to control myself. Rather not cum and accidentally slice the planet in half.” Eren said, still trying to cope with the insane power coursing through his veins. Every breath he took had to be controlled to avoid accidentally blowing the area up. Whenever he blinked, he had to manually do so to avoid moving fast enough to generate a sonic boom. Even talking was a chore, having to control his volume to avoid accidentally shattering their eardrums. The act of restraining himself was not unbearable, but it was uncomfortable. He felt like he was in a world of paper where the slightest move would break it.

“You’re one sneeze away from leveling the city. And you decided to sit me across from you. Something tells me I wasn’t your favorite kid.” Pelrin said, far from amused as he sipped from his teacup.

“You know I love you, you stupid fuck.” Eren said as Pelrin cocked his head to Harvin.

“Right. Just in case, Harvin, please do not feed us anything with beans lest the history of Ruyanei end with a gust.” He requested as the butler nodded.

“I shall avoid any foods that induce indigestion.” He said while bowing at the waist, dead serious as Eren clicked his tongue.

“It’s not that bad you stupid bastards.” Eren snapped angrily, only half lying. “Now help me plan how to get rid of the trash. We have 3 days.” He commanded as he and Pelrin continued to peer through their old contacts. As they wrote, Pelrin spoke up, reaching to another blank length of parchment and dipping his ink quill into a well.

“By the way, when you go back to the Gates, can you tell me what you’re bringing along so I know what to resupply?” He asked, preparing to write as Eren stopped to think, tilting his head to and fro to think. What did he need for his war against the machine?

“I’ll have a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits please.” He said, holding his teacup out as Harvin refilled it. As he spoke, the plate of biscuits instantly refilled, Harvin’s hands just as swift as ever.

“I’m serious Eren. This is for the good of our world. What do you need to bring along? I can get most artifacts in the world within a week.” Pelrin said, fully ready to use the full **** of the Roses to steal anything in the world. Eren smirked, almost proud of how much larger Pelrin had made the Roses in his absence. Even in his prime, it would take at least a month to get a high class artifact into his possession.

“No point in bringing stuff. The coat is enough.” He said while glancing to the corner where the outfit Verdi brought back from the Gates was hanging.

“Are you sure?” Pelrin asked, eyeing the strange outfit Verdi had brought along. The clothes themselves were of no concern, being a mundane military uniform of some forgotten world. The lettering was undoubtedly ancient Helverian, the writing inscribed upon it a long dead tongue. It held a number of pouches and some sort of armour that protected the torso while leaving the limbs and joints exposed, maximizing mobility at the cost of protection. Verdi usually wore the deep gray outfit with a scarf wrapped around his face, removing it only in rare occasions. It was a mere relic from another time.

The coat, however, was a different matter altogether.

The outer coat Verdi was wearing when he returned from the Gates seemed to outright absorb the light itself, being a pitch black colour akin to woven shadows. The stitching was immaculate while the pockets sewn into them were identical to the ones Eren had on his old coat. He could even see the hidden pocket for his cigarettes sewn into it. When the machine had dragged him into the Gates, his original coat had been left behind and taken by Pelrin.

“Harvin, go put this on.” Eren said with a sigh, removing the coat and handing it over to Harvin. The elderly butler gingerly took the coat and donned it, curious to see just what would happen. The second he donned the coat, his appearance changed as the wrinkles on his body faded away. His once cloudy eyes grew clear while his body almost seemed to grow as muscle built on him. Though his hair remained silver, it seemed to grow more luscious, his short hair just as healthy as Eren or Pelrin’s. In seconds, the once elderly man was now in his mid-30s, visibly taller as he studied his own form.

“Fascinating. It reverses the aging process.” Harvin said, making a fist and clenching it to test his body out. He was always a stoic man who took to aging with grace, but even he couldn’t hide his joy at regaining his youth.

“Artifacts will hold the residual powers of both the monster core and the materials used to form it. Verdi’s built for resilience and regeneration.” He explained as Harvin removed the coat and returned it to Eren. Despite removing the coat, he remained youthful, his body retaining the age reversal effect. “As long as you wear this, you’ll remain at the age you were at your strongest, regenerate from most injuries, and never feel fatigue. You’ll also never need to eat, sleep, or drink water. Your entire body will be self-sustaining.” Eren explained, finally revealing the secret to his agelessness to the two of them.

The artifacts made from Verdi’s leather and cores exhibited a shard of the same resilience he himself held. Over the course of nearly 8,000 years, he’d been shot, stabbed, poisoned, frozen, electrocuted, burnt, decapitated, and even had that freak Evangeline try to absorb him as a lover. Despite that, the coat was able to outheal everything that was thrown at him. Decapitation was quite terrifying in his opinion. He had a front row seat as the veins in his body outright latched onto his head and reattached it in the blink of an eye.

“Master Eren, will I have to return to my previous age the old fashioned way, or is the rejuvenation temporary?” Harvin asked, studying his build and quietly appreciating his youthful form.

“Give it a few hours.” Eren answered as Pelrin whistled in appreciation.

“If he could build this stuff and heal from anything, I’m surprised he didn’t just distribute these things en mass.” Pelrin said, thinking about the coat Eren usually wore that he had left in their world. If the coats were made from Verdi’s own cores and leather and he could regrow them, he could theoretically make everyone immortal. Of course, that was in a perfect world.

“According to him, losing a core leaves him weakened for a few hours. For an endless war, this was something he reserved only to a few people.” Eren explained, sipping from his teacup while he began writing, remembering one of their old contacts for cleaning up the city.

“Do the effects stack or can I keep your old coat?” Pelrin asked, the prospect of immortality quite literally just sitting in a shed somewhere.

“Coat’s yours. Enjoy.” Eren said as he held his hand over the table. “Inventory.” He said as soft clinks were heard, as Harvin and Pelrin studied what Eren had placed in front of them. Glancing down, they could see a pair of metal rings lying in front of them. They held no real decoration, and they couldn’t sense anything abnormal from the rings. For all intents and purposes, they were just metal rings.

“And these are?” Pelrin asked.

“They’re something Verdi gave to me a long time ago. Called them wedding rings. They delay aging and improve regeneration like the coat. You’ll only live to 5,000, but you’ll look and feel like you’re still 20 when you die.” Eren said, toying around with the priceless artifacts as he spun one of them like a top. “Told me that if I ever wanted to give up, I could just live my life with a lover with these.” He said reminiscing upon the deal. It was the ultimate test Verdi gave to potential allies. At any given moment, they could leave. Nothing was forcing them to stay. Almost everyone took the deal.

“So who is going to get these?” Pelrin asked as he watched the metal rings spin on the table.

“Hand them over to Verdi. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be able to create these things en mass later, but if he can’t he can at least keep his girls alive with him.” Eren said, thinking back to Citrinas and the Hero of the Hunt. To see Verdi march into hell for someone was to be expected. To see someone follow him in was something else entirely.

“Not returning them yourself?” Harvin asked as Eren scratched his neck while chuckling to himself.

“It’s awkward giving him this as a present when it was his to begin with.” He said as Pelrin pocketed the rings, officially taking the “job”. He’d hand over the rings, Eren would get a coat. Simple job, and the reward was immortality. A wonderful deal.

“Yeah, I’ll hand it over.” He said, eager to officially inherent Eren’s coat. “So, what happens next?” He asked, curious to see just what Eren had planned for their future.

“You guys all become immortal, conquer the stars, and enjoy a world of pure prosperity where money ceases to relevant and your every whims are sated.” Eren answered casually as Pelrin scoffed.

“Sounds like Isoldi’s worst nightmare.” He said as Eren frowned, suddenly remembering the one person missing from their reunion.

“Where is that girl anyway? I remember she was on her way to Olskroya.” He said, thinking back to his machine form’s original plan. He had planned to get Pelrin, Belsach, and Isoldi to fight by his side to kill Verdi. Where had she gone? Just when he was about to ask Harvin, the area trembled as the door to the courtyard was attacked, a visible crack forming on it.

THUNK

“Ah, right on time.” Harvin said casually, a low groan of breaking wood heard as they heard fingernails scratch across it. It almost sounded bestial as a low voice growled from behind it.

“Eeeereeeen~ I know you’re in there~.” Her voice was deeper, but that was the same bloodlust Eren knew. Even as a child, she could muster enough bloodlust and rage to match the worst berserkers. “Open up~ I wanna give you a BIG hug!” She said as Pelrin’s lighter vibrated, her lies triggering the Deceit enchantment.

“Harvin. How tough is that door?” Eren asked casually, sipping from his teacup as he mulled over whether this was his last meal.

CRUNCH

Splinters fell onto the ground as Harvin showed genuine pain in his eyes, the damage to his door like daggers to the chest.

“Strong enough to take at least an hour for her to break through.” Harvin answered as the doorknob jiggled, the lock remaining intact.

“Come out Eren~ I just wanna talk!” Isoldi said from behind the door as Pelrin’s lighter began trembling as if in fear, her lies flowing like water.

“About what?” Eren asked.

CRACK

“Oh nothing. Just want to know where. You. Spent. My. Money.” She said, the word money escaping her lips like acid. Eren cleared his throat, thinking back to what he had done before fighting the Monster Lord. With Rael as the witness, they signed a contact transferring his assets to Isoldi as a long term investment with 0% interest. It was a roundabout way of giving her his assets, but the Goddess of Commerce had strict rules about wealth. Had to be self made. He couldn’t just give her money and she couldn’t just inherit it. The other party had to gain something of value from this.

“Contract said I was your primary investor. I just took my money back.” Eren said, regretting his words as a crack formed on the door. A bright purple eye stared into the room, the gaze wild and chaotic as it stared daggers into Eren. There was no affection, joy, or really anything outside of murderous rage. Isoldi truly hadn’t changed a bit.

“I read that contract! It said you had to give me a 6 month warning if you did that!” She snarled as Eren shook his head.

“Read the contract again. Karshadi in Devil tongue is courtesy, not guarantee. I had no legal obligation to warn you.” He said, an eldritch scream of frustration and pain filling the air as Harvin and Pelrin winced.

“SO THAT’S WHY YOU USED THAT LANGUAGE!” She screamed, the blows on the door intensifying as they watched it bend, her fury fuelling her blows.

“Lady Isoldi, do you truly believe being here is the smartest choice?” Harvin asked as Pelrin and Eren took a long drag from their cigarettes, relieved to see Harvin bailing them out from her fury. He always knew how to get her angrier at someone else.

“And why would I ever miss a chance to reunite with my dear father?” Isoldi asked, a hint of wariness in her voice as fear of further losses overcame her rage.

“Master Verdi has just sent word requesting Reiza come to negotiate a deal for his porno. Considering her rates, I would advise you be present during negotiations.” Harvin asked as Isoldi’s voice devolved into a series of frantic calculations. Instead of calculating binary calculations like mages, she was making estimations and deductions from what she knew about the daughter of Halicarnassus, the average amount Verdi was able to negotiate with prostitutes, and theories on just what a “porno” was.

“Who-who the hell is Verdi? And what is a porno?” She asked, completely baffled as she outright missed everything that had transpired.

“Oh, I left him in charge of my finances. This entire party was his idea from start to finish. I owed him a huge favor, so I gave him control of my funds.” Eren said, completely selling Verdi out as Isoldi’s eyes grew bloodshot.

“... Where?” She snarled, her voice like an animal’s growl as whatever anger she felt at Eren was redirected to Verdi.

“Few klicks north. Look for the cowgirls carrying platters of booze. He’s at the biggest table doing a toast with Reiza.” Harvin said, keeping up to date intel on Verdi as Isoldi’s purple eye disappeared into the shadows, intent on tracking down and exterminating her new target. In a way, they could almost understand why she and the Hero of the Hunt were known to feud at times.

“Glad she’s doing good.” Eren said as Harvin inspected the door, grieving over both the damage. The fact that Isoldi didn’t even recognize his youthful appearance spoke volumes about how different he looked.

“Master Eren. Is it truly wise to send Isoldi straight to a ladies man like Verdi?” He asked as Eren scoffed at the question.

“Look who’s talking. You sent your daughter to star in a porno with him?” He snapped back as Harvin seemed to age back to his usual self from expression alone, a weariness overtaking his body.

“Master Verdi desired to ravish the most famous and beautiful courtesan in the lands and record it for posterity. I desired to keep Master Verdi from ravishing my wife and recording it for posterity. Compromises… Had to be made.” Harvin said flatly through a **** smile, far from pleased to know what his daughter was up to. Even if he was the absolute pinnacle of a hero, Eren could tell that Harvin was not at all delighted at the prospect of having the world watch his daughter be impregnated by him. The fact that Belsach would be the one recording everything seemed to twist the knife further. It was almost amusing to see Harvin pray that Isoldi would be able to halt his bloodline from suffering what he deemed to be the ultimate humiliation. Sadly, Eren knew Isoldi better than anyone. There was no chance she would be able to stop Verdi from enjoying himself.

Author's note: Get ready kids. Our third heroine is here!