Free Web NovelChapter 28: Still Dreaming?
Eren looked at the mesmerized girl, still staring at the black-and-white footage on the plain wall like primitive men discovering fire.
"Hey Emma, what’s the exact time the attack happened?" He inquired, making the tanned beauty come out of her amused daze.
She shook her head a little and looked at him with a stern look. "The... the initial mana disturbance was flagged at exactly 3:50 in the morning," she reported in a crisp tone.
"Got it. 3:50 in the morning..." he nodded, pressing the fast-forward button on the projector, making the visual on the wall accelerate dramatically. The in-room audience kept looking in awe as figures of estate guards and servants sprinted back and forth in the picture.
Eren kept his blue eyes locked on the projection until he finally got the visual he wanted—a group of seven heavily cloaked, masked men appeared at the far end of the right-wing hallway.
They practically materialized out of thin air.
But strangely, they weren’t moving towards the Duke’s chamber; they were running away from that direction like some prey getting chased by an apex predator in the geographical channel he used to watch.
People there, except for the proud girl, leaned forward to see what they were running away from.
A second later, the reason for their terror manifested on the screen, and it was Emma.
The intruders were desperately trying to defend against her, attacking her with all kinds of tricks and skills, but it was like a group of rabbits against a hungry lion.
Eren flinched as the footage showed she literally slimed one intruder’s sternum with her blade. He slowly looked back at the girl in question standing behind him. The tanned beauty caught his gaze and offered him a proud, smug smile.
"Damn... She really is an absolute monster. Good thing this muscle mommy hadn’t decided to smash my head.’
He then changed the crystal on the projector to the outer courtyard’s camera, and the battle sequence that followed was nothing short of an awestruck masterpiece.
Even without color, Eren can feel the sheer density of Emma’s green-bluish aura as it ripples across the grass. Four intruders surrounded her simultaneously, attacking her all at once, yet she dismantled them without losing a single scratch.
Then the last surviving assassin desperately sprinted toward the wall. Just before he could leap over the wall, an arc of Emma’s aura sliced through the fabric of his mask right off his face.
The man instinctively turned his head back to check the distance—and right then, the camera captured his face in perfect clarity.
Eren immediately paused it. He dramatically turned around to face his father and the stunned captains. He gestured toward the wall like a proud software developer delivering a flawless product demonstration.
"Well, gentlemen, take a detailed portrait of this gentleman and start searching."
After seconds passed, Duke came to his senses. He slammed his hand on the desk to get the attention of awestruck captains in the room.
"You hear the boy, right? Call the artist into my office immediately, and be ready to deploy a search team right once the sketch is finished!"
"Yss, your Grace!" The three captains shouted in unison like some NPC characters before marching out of the room.
Once they left, Alfric’s blue gaze shifted to the smug face of his son. "Eren... I must admit, I am thankful for this. When you were draining the money over the past two weeks, I genuinely thought you were just wasting it."
He waved a hand tiredly. "We will discuss your formal achievements and rewards later. For now, go back to your room and take some rest."
He then turned to Emma. "And Emma. You did an exceptional job defending the manor last night. You are the pride of this family. I am ordering you to stand down and take a mandatory rest shift immediately."
Emma opened her mouth, tried to protest against the forced leave. But she clicked her tongue softly, saluted her lord, and marched out of the office.
As she walked down the quiet hallways, she let out a massive, uncharacteristic yawn.
"Hey, Captain. Hold up a second."
Her footsteps halted right as she heard that familiar voice. She turned around to see Eren standing there, casually rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He seemed like he had run out to chase her.
Inside, she was happy to see him, but forced a stern look on her face.
"What is it, young master? You came here to lecture on my incompetence again?" she asked firmly, crossing her hands beneath her perfect assets.
He shook his head, his blue eyes showing his most genuine sincerity that he had ever shown.
"No, that’s not it...I actually wanted to say I’m sorry, Emma."
That sincere apology threw the tanned warrior off guard completely, blinking to check if it was reality. But he gave her a faint, wry smile.
"I’m not just apologizing for our little verbal banter in the office earlier. It’s about everything I’ve done to you over the years... like calling you a brute or claiming you were entirely unlikable as a woman. I was a complete piece of trash to you. Looking back, I think I was just too much of an idiot to admit you were beautiful."
"Did that Aura attack from Reinhardt... really crack open your brain or something? Are you sure you’re alright?" Emma’s voice shook, trying to process his compliment.
Eren simply smiled at her question, giving her a casual shrug. "Maybe?"
Seeing that usual smile on his face, Emma chuckled softly. She tried to cover it, but it quickly turned into soft laughter that echoed in the silent hallways like a melody.
Seeing her laughing heartily gave him more reasons to admire this tanned beauty.
She finally contained her laughter, though her lips still curved in a beautiful smile.
"Well... I suppose I should also say I’m sorry. For letting that final target escape the courtyard layout. And... to think about it, if you hadn’t asked me to monitor the Duke, those intruders would have killed Duke already. Because of you, I took night patrols near his wing and was able to defend on time."
Eren leaned forward slightly, his usual confidence returning.
"See? We are completely even now. And with this, I really hope you’ll finally stop hating me, Captain."
She looked at his confident face, the smile on her face turning dangerous. "You idiot. The emotion I feel towards you is not hatred or grudge anymore."
Before he could ask what it was, the tall girl leaned down to his level and cupped his head firmly. She then pressed her soft lips on his, giving him a passionate kiss. The overwhelming feel of her warm lips and tongue against his made his internal self scream.
He genuinely asked one question, ’Am I still dreaming after my situation with truck-kun?’
