Ingvild was a pitiful woman and Damian did feel bad for her but the reason he had sent Sona on such a wild goose chase was far from an innocent wish. He hoped that Ingvild could be added to Sona's peerage.
Rias' peerage was plenty strong and Damian had a few candidates in mind though there was nothing concrete just yet. However, Sona's peerage was lacking. In the 'canon' her peerage was subpar, her talents being mere humans that possessed a faint shred of talent.
Damian understood that he couldn't be everywhere at once even if he had a peerage at his side. Rias' peerage would be a force he could rely on however the same could not be said for Sona's own. Perhaps they would grow powerful in the future however that wasn't what he needed.
He needed beings that were guaranteed to be worth his investment. He needed to be one hundred percent certain that they would be powerful in the future and could be allies that he could entrust his weaknesses.
"Sickly? Are they alright?" Rias questioned, a worried frown on her face. Since she wasn't aware of the deeper meaning of the two's words due to a lack of experience and prior information she was merely worried about a sick lady rather than the descendant of Leviathan.
"It will take them a long time to recover however they are safe." Sona reassured her friend calmly, already expecting such a response. Rias wasn't dumb by any means but she did have a tendency to fall to her naivety and lack of experience.
"That is regrettable. If you don't mind me asking, was it a personal trip or did it include your family?" Damian asked politely, his smile unassuming despite his obvious true intentions. He wanted to know if Serafall was informed.
"My sister was there as well. Sadly, she was only able to spare a single day." Sona revealed calmly. She was aware that this would be revealed in the end and there was no real reason to hide it.
Serafall was a busy lady as the Satan in charge of Foreign Affairs and so it was a miracle that she was able to take even a day off. It was helpful in finding the girl however it did lead to their movements being tracked by almost the entirety of the supernatural world.
"Serafall was there?" Rias exclaimed, betrayal in her tone and eyes. It would be one thing if it was something Sona decided to do on a whim but to involve a Satan meant that a large amount of prep time was required! She could have been invited!
"Rias." Sona called out coldly, her voice and eyes containing the chill of Cocytus despite her attribute being that of water. In a few short hours, they would be attending an extremely important event, bad habits such as calling a satan by her name needed to be removed with haste.
"Uh, I didn't… I mean… Damian is here! It's just friends so we can relax!" Rias sputtered out, a righteous fury burning in her eyes. Sadly, her opponent just so happened to be skilled in the use of water magic.
"That is true but you still need to fix that issue. If you were to call Lady Leviathan by her name then there would be plenty of issues." Sona explained, a deep sigh of worry escaping her lips. Rias was a good friend however she was difficult for somebody as stern as Sona to deal with.
"I think it's fine for now, right Miss Sona?" Damian questioned, showing his stance but ultimately leaving the choice in Sona's hands. To a certain degree, both sides were correct. It was a bad habit that could be dangerous as Sona said but being formal at all times, even among friends, was also unhealthy.
"Do what you want." Sona acceded with a sigh of annoyance, gently rubbing her brow. She always felt like the mother of the group when she was with Rias and that was quite stressful for somebody so young. Damian who should be helping her was more like an observer as well so she was completely on her own.
"In any case, I would like to hear more about your trip if you don't mind. Specifically, I'm interested in the person you met. It's not easy getting the recognition of Sona Sitri." Damian requested, an amused smile on his face as he looked at the girl across from him.
"Yeah, I want to hear about them! How come you've never told me about it?" Rias demanded from her friend, a deep pout on her face. However, her pout instantly vanished when she was placed under the scrutiny of Sona's cold eyes declaring her a nuisance.
"I do not know much about her I'm afraid. Oh yes, Rias. I believe I heard that Grayfia wanted to see you." Sona abruptly mentioned as though it just crossed her mind. It was an impossibility for somebody so on top of things however Rias wasn't in the correct mind to think about it as her face paled as though she saw a camel.
"I-I'll be back later!" Rias shouted, rising to her feet and hurrying out of the room as though her worst nightmare was looming over her should. Truthfully, that wasn't all that far from the truth. Grayfia was one scary lady if the rumors were to be trusted.
As soon as Rias left the room, the warm atmosphere vanished as the two sat in silence for a moment. While Damian at least had the mind to keep his polite smile on Sona had no such idea in her mind, her distrust writing blatantly on her face.
It was hard not to be suspicious of a person like Damian. People who knew more than they should without a clear source were always the source of distrust, it was inevitable. Damian had expected such a thing though it was much more tame than he expected.
'I thought Serafall would be here to interrogate me.' Damian thought to himself absentmindedly as his eyes took in his current 'opponent'. It was unlikely there would be any strife but it was inevitable that Sona would question him.
There was no real way out of being questioned so he had a few different options. He could tell the truth though that had obvious drawbacks, he could use his connection to Ajuka, or he could even fabricate a false clan trait.
"How did you know about her?" Sona questioned, her voice demanding the truth.