Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Corvo Bianco vineyards. Resanstour Valley. The southernmost region of the city of White Raven.

An uneventful-looking evening. The night skies were somber and starless. The winds carried a distinct winter chill with them, creating a serene atmosphere in the valley.

The Rasanstour valley was artificially created by White Raven city's administration by using earth-element rankers as laborers. They had transformed the barren region into a lush green valley that is now considered one of the most renowned vineyards in Edinburgh.

White Raven ale was Eren's signature liquor brand but it was not the only one. The city had started producing a lot of wines and other brewed concoctions ever since the formal launch of Eren's premium products. Wine-making was just the investment he wanted to add to his portfolio to diversify it.

He started cultivating Resanstour Valley after he started seeing profits in his business. The valley was now decorated with lush-green resources ranging from F to B ranks.

In the Resanstour valley, three wineries were established. The grapes would be taken to these wineries by a bunch of trained plant monsters for wine concoctions.

There were a lot of plant monsters in the Resanstour valley. Eren had also sent his woodland creatures to better control his estate. He had to thank Rey Remus for providing him with such a convenient way of taking care of his land.

Corvo Bianco vineyards– or better known as White Raven vineyards- was where Eren had erected a small house. This suburban-style house was in the middle of the vineyards, serving as the butcher's weekend home whenever he found time to celebrate his off-work hours. He would often practice potion-making here as well.

Seraf– the plant monster that had been trained by Will Evaan served as the caretaker of Corvo Bianco vineyards. He would also maintain the small house that often remained unoccupied because its owner was never inside his city.

However, the house will not stay empty tonight.

"This… this looks like our house in the city of Osan."

Nina mumbled to herself as she stood in front of the small house Eren had created inside the Corvo Bianco vineyards. It was almost a replica of the house they shared in Osan before Eren left for LA.

The butcher smiled lightly before commenting.

"Hehehe. Surprised? We left the duchy of Lionhearts for our reasons. But we don't have to leave this piece there anymore. With this house, it has followed us here."

While he stood behind Aunt Nina, Eren smiled and said aloud. The latter had no words to express how nostalgic she felt at the time. Not about the house per se but the passage of time it represented in her life. A relaxing break from the ruthlessness of rankers. She wasn't busy with her guild responsibilities when she used to live in this house. She had no missions to complete, and no party members to meet.

The butcher knew Nina had decided to leave this house behind only because of him. She was happy to stay in this house with him. She even had trouble achieving her ranking breakthrough during her peaceful stay in Osan, but she did not complain because of the respite she received in exchange.

Thus, Eren decided to recreate the feeling of that time for herself.

"You mean…?"

Nina couldn't help but smile joyously as she predicted the butcher's intentions. The latter chuckled before confirming.

"Yep. You can live here from now on, Aunt Nina. Your very own peaceful haven. You can use this entire vineyard as your front yard and backyard."

Eren made Nina in charge of all the arrays placed in the region after saying that, which was kinda like giving her the keys to the house. After spreading out her mana sense, the Master ranker immediately controlled all the arrays according to her preference.

Eren had given large fertile land to Aunt Nina so that she could cultivate her herbs like she was supposed to. It was just that the quality, scale, and rank of her herbs and resources would be on a completely different level than before. This is thanks to the plant monsters under Nina's control.

This was the most sought-after gift Nina needed without her ever knowing about it until she got it. She turned around and hugged Eren right after he said that. But then she lifted her face off his chest and looked at him suspiciously.

"You haven't brought anyone here, have you?"

Eren chuckled when he heard Nina's question. He knew what she wanted to ask so he assured her right away.

"Except me, you'd be the first person to have seen this house since its creation. I come here and practice potion-making. I'll show you. Want to go inside?"

Nina smiled when she heard that the place was made exclusive by Eren from the very beginning. She wouldn't have liked it as much as she did now, knowing that Eren had not brought any of his "flames" here.

Eren rubbed Nina's back with his hands. His ever-restless fingers couldn't help but graze her mushy buns as he did that. Nina also had playfulness reflected in her eyes for a brief moment before she smiled mischievously. She didn't say anything or prevent Eren from doing anything. She just nodded at his question and prompted him to lead.

The butcher held Nina's hand in his and walked towards the front door. His presence was sensed by the protection array laid under the house's foundation. As a result, the door opened on its own, welcoming the couple inside

"The small potion lab we used to make potions almost every day. For those grumpy old men at the Healers' Association. And those stairs leading upstairs. The kitchen and the dining table. And that sofa…"

Nina started mumbling as she started roaming inside her newly-built house. The butcher had made sure that he got the details of the house down to a T, so the insides of the house also looked just like what he used to live in.

Eren sat on the sofa while Nina took a small detour from the house. The house was larger and better. And yet, it had just the right kind of nostalgia mixed into it.

AN: Corvo Bianco means White Raven in Italian. Those who know about the place will now know where the term White Raven was inspired from. "Nina" was one of the original owners of the place in "that" lore as well. ;)