"Why don't you invite Aileen first?"
Their eyes soon darted to Clovis. That was right. If he had invited Erwin, he should have invited Aileen, since she was more talented than him.
Clovis simply shook his head while raising one finger. "Well, it's true that talent matters, but the person I recruit needs something in common."
"Something in common?" Lana frowned.
"Yeah. It's ambition." Clovis nodded. "Erwin is brimming with ambition. He looks like a person who has a lot of goals. But it looks like you've changed a little bit." Clovis turned to Aileen.
"I personally don't mind joining the group. It seems like I can continue forward, but… I can't follow you. As you said, I don't have an ambition… or more like I've forgotten about it." Aileen sighed. "Still, I just recovered that feeling again. This time, I'm planning to accept the invitation to the capital city to train under a teacher. This will be good for me to reaffirm my goals.
And if you still have the heart to invite me, then I'll definitely join your group."
"Hoh?" Clovis looked amused. "That sounds interesting. You think you can keep up with us?"
"Do you think I can't? I have decided to become stronger with all the methods available to me. At the same time, this also means that I will only serve the strong."
"I don't really mind taking you on again." Clovis smirked. "Though, someone might get angry at me when that happens."
"Why should I get angry?" Erwin narrowed his eyes.
Aileen, on the other hand, looked at Erwin while saying, "It sounds like joining the Libation Fiesta is only a matter of time for you. In that case, make sure you observe him all the time so that you can tell me his weakness later."
"…" Clovis just looked at these two and said, "You guys… I never mention a name, you know." Clovis glanced at Lana as if trying to imply that he was supposed to mention her.
"!!!" Erwin and Aileen widened their eyes in shock, realizing that Clovis had just tricked them.
"I said that because I was the one who provoked her before your match." Erwin tried to avoid embarrassment.
"That's right." Aileen nodded in agreement.
Clovis and the others were just staring at them, their faces clearly telling them that they didn't believe those excuses. Tarkan and Lana were actually grinning.
Without them noticing it, they were quite similar. They were very competitive and had one best friend.
"Ahem." Aileen coughed with an embarrassed face. She said, "In any case, I owe you one, Clovis. Thank you for defeating me. I've finally regained what I've lost in the past. If you need my assistance, feel free to tell me about it."
Clovis nodded. "Still, I need some time before I can visit your city as promised."
"Certainly. It doesn't have to be because of me. As long as you come into our city, that's enough." Aileen nodded back.
"Erwin. Do you want to visit our city after this? It's only going to be two or three days," asked Clovis.
"I appreciate the invitation, but I have to go back right away." Erwin paused for a moment. "And once you return, you should be careful of that guy."
"That guy?" Clovis squinted his eyes.
"Yeah. The guy you defeated before the competition… I mean, the night when we first met."
"Ah!" Clovis finally knew who he meant. It was Ivan.
"Since you piqued my interest, I couldn't help but investigate those people as well. That guy has completely fallen. I can see nothing but hatred in his eyes. He might do something unthinkable out of desperation.
"The girl, who is always supporting him, is also quite dangerous. I don't really like her personality. She is like a snake. She waits for you to show an opening, approach you without a sound, entangle you, and finally kill you.
"Considering their backgrounds… if you are not careful, you might lose your life. Besides, it's not like you can use your own backing with that name. Don't die before you come to my city." Erwin harrumphed.
Clovis nodded. "I know. Well, I've expected it."
"!!!" Erwin thought for a moment before saying, "Did you forfeit because of that?"
"It was one of the reasons." Clovis confirmed it.
"I see." Erwin nodded while sipping his drink.
"Do you want me to eliminate him?" Aileen asked. "My family is in the assassination business as well, so it doesn't really matter if I assassinate them. This way, you don't have to worry about them."
"No. If you haven't come here, I might do that since it'll be impossible for them to find the connection. But it doesn't matter. This is the problem for our group. We'll deal with them personally." Clovis shook his head.
"In any case, you already have my contact. If you need my help, just tell me about it." Aileen nodded, respecting his choice.
"Still, there is something I'd like to ask you, Clovis." Erwin raised one finger. "After finding out about your true identity, there is something that doesn't add up. I've used my connection to check your evolution rate, do you really have a 40% evolution rate?"
The others who heard the question couldn't help but furrow their eyebrows. If that was really the case, they would definitely be speechless.
"Or else, I won't be able to become an explorer." Clovis shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.
"!!!" They looked confused because of the weird wording.
"Huh?" Erwin knew that Clovis' family might use their connection to change it, but the way Clovis said it, it was as if he had a lower evolution rate.
"I don't really conceal it anymore after my grandfather changed the registered data." Clovis took out his phone and showed them the real number.
"15%?" They dropped their jaws to the ground. There were a lot of thoughts appearing in their heads. The most important question was, how in the world did the grandson of one of the strongest explorers in the world only have a 15% evolution rate?
Clovis simply chuckled. "It's not really a big deal. I just have to work hard for it. Instead of discussing such a heavy topic, let's just drink."