[Dona's Pov]
"Alright then, I will just go ahead and ask. Are you the patron of the young man known as Aarick Laupier, and if so, are we to regard it as you breaking out of neutrality?"
Watching the blue-haired man finally pose the question that I was waiting for, it wasn't hard to see how much my answer would matter to him. Granted, it was not just him, as I could see that all men sitting at the table were watching me intently, waiting for the answer that they believed mattered so much.
'This is silly...'
I had honestly never cared much about how these people viewed me. I was just happy that the old king had made it possible for me to coexist with humans, despite him having known what I was. But somehow, through the years, my existence had become a lot more important to them than it should be.
Unfortunately, this also meant that answering his question wasn't as simple as it might seem. No matter how much I wanted to just tell them that I was responsible for Aarick, it wasn't a good idea. Because not only would they interpret it as me creating a faction of my own, but that would also put Aarick's life in even more danger.
Therefore, I gave them the only answer I felt I could.
"Although it is true that Aarick is currently living with me, and by extension, I feel like I have a responsibility to keep him safe, I am not his patron."
"Are you saying that despite you protecting him, we are not to regard it as you bringing him in? Isn't that quite contradictory, Ms. Zito?"
Although I liked humans a lot, their way of always having to hold true to their imaginary laws and rules still annoyed me a lot.
"I don't care. That's the way it is."
A moment of silence filled the room after I gave my curt response, with all of them taking a moment to think about it. In the end, the red-haired Leonard put forth another question, showing me that they would accept my previous answer for now.
"Then, when thinking of your position as a teacher at Augustus, can you ensure that you aren't favoring him? Also, could you please explain what happened tonight during his fight with Levi?"
Despite Leonard being known for his hot temperament, even he was careful when approaching the subject that was Aarick in front of me, obviously wanting to know the deal behind him.
Now, although I could to some extent determine that something had happened with Aarick in the past that had something to do with these people, I still didn't know enough to speak carelessly.
"In the case of me favoring him, I am being extremely strict with him to make sure he goes through the same challenges as all the other students. Now, and I do believe this might answer your second question a bit, I am training him in my own time outside of the schooldays."
Once again, the ones who could be said to be the current leaders of Teton had to take a moment to digest what I just told them. Because if my previous answer was contradictory to my stance, how would they interpret the fact that I was training him?
Still, I knew that there was nothing they could do about it, other than grind their teeth. Or at least, two of them did. Because the third one, the one that I still felt like beating the shit out of didn't seem frustrated at all.
In fact, he almost appeared to be happy when hearing me speak. And as if to confirm this, he opened his mouth with a slight smile.
"I see. Well, although it could be said to be quite controversial that someone in your position is training someone without declaring him an heir, I guess it makes sense seeing as you don't actually belong to any faction."
'What is he up to...'
It was obvious that there was something up if he would just accept that I had picked a, in their eyes, disciple without a care in the world. Then again, I wasn't sure if I particularly cared either. Because now, I felt like I had finished my business here.
"If that's all, I will be going home now. I still have someone I need to attend to, after all."
As I stood up and got ready to leave, there was still one person who wasn't quite content with how our discussion had ended.
"Ms. Zito... Please excuse me if I might step over the line, but why him? Why would you pick someone like Mr. Laupier?"
With his brows wrinkled, Damian honestly looked like he couldn't understand my decision to protect Aarick, and I was quite happy that he didn't. Because if he did, that meant he would know enough to force me and Aarick to flee the capital.
"Why I picked Aarick? Simple. He needed help, so I decided to help him. There's nothing else to it."
****
[3rd person Pov]
As Dona and Alexander had already left the Leviathan guild house, there were now only two individuals still sitting at the table in the small meeting room, both of them looking equally conflicted about what had happened this evening.
Everything from how Alexander had found out about Aarick, to how Ms. Zito was for some reason acting as his guardian, there was just so much that happened that they were having a hard time figuring out their next move.
Taking a mouthful of the wine that he had served himself and Damian to calm their nerves, Leonard spoke with a complicated expression.
"So, the same kid that my son put in the hospital somehow ended up being invited by Alexander to fight your daughter? And on top of that, he is somehow related to the witch herself? Isn't that fucking ironic..."
Following his lead, the leader of the Leviathan also took a sip of the expensive red wine, wearing a stiff smile.
"It truly is. But there is nothing we can do about it now. We can just hope that he continues to keep his mouth shut about what happened in the past. From what I could infer from Ms. Zito, it didn't seem like she was aware of it either."
"Hmm? Do you mean that he hasn't even told her about what Will did to him? If that's the case, I suppose we should interpret his actions as him wanting nothing to do with us."
"That's right. And if we can keep things like this, I think it will be for the best. However... After what Alexander put him through tonight, I'm not sure if that will be the case."
Rubbing his chin a bit, Leonard decided to talk about something else for a bit, as they both knew that this topic wouldn't give them anything other than headaches.
"But, he really did put up a good fight against Levi, didn't he? Even if she seemed to hesitate quite a bit, he was still a lot stronger than I thought he would be."
Nodding slightly, Damian couldn't help but agree.
"He was. But more than him being strong, he seems to be in the possession of quite a unique blessing. Most likely, I would guess that he is an irregular."
"Yeah, that means that we at least don't have to worry about him becoming a powerhouse in the future, as his potential should be limited. But..."
"But what?"
"Do you know how Levi is taking it? I am also aware that Aarick was the boy who she was more than interested in in the past. And even if she has grown a lot lately, she is still so very similar to her..."
Quickly stopping the next word from coming out of his mouth, Leonard bowed his head to his old friend, knowing that he was about to bring up a sensitive topic.
"I'm sorry, Damian. I didn't..."
However, Levi's father only waved his hand, while smiling gently.
"It's fine, Leonard. Yes, she is quite similar to her late mother. Even if she tries to hide it, I know that she is a very emotional and passionate young woman, so I would be surprised if tonight's incident didn't bother her. Also, bringing up her, there's no way you aren't reminded of your own wife as well."
Turning his eyes to the table, Leonard didn't have a retort to his words.
"That's true. But for me, every time I remember her, my resolve only grows stronger. Because every time I think of her, I also remember the ones responsible for the death of both our wives."
"So do I, Leonard. And that's the reason why we cannot let something like this affect us."
The reason why both of them were so desperate to hold on to their power, as well as the reason why they wanted to make sure their heirs grew as strong as possible.
To eliminate every single demon out there.