Leonel's words made Sael feel as though she was sitting on pins and needles. She never thought that there'd be a day where she felt so uncomfortable in the face of a junior. The worst part was that Leonel didn't even seem to be trying to pressure her. He simply sat there, asking a simple question.
It was only at this moment that Sael understood that even though Leonel had no real connections with the Morales family, that didn't necessarily mean that he would make some with Valiant Heart Mountain.
He had already made his stance clear multiple times already. He wasn't here for the sake of this organization. He was here for Aina and no one else. He didn't give a damn about anything other than her wellbeing.
As for using Aina to pressure Leonel into doing something?
Sure, that might work. In fact, Sael was slightly worried that some fool would try to do exactly this. But ultimately, the action would be akin to shooting themselves in the foot all in an attempt to take just one step forward.
An organization was built on an expectation of mutual benefit. If they showed that they were willing to sacrifice talents so easily for the sake of their own goals, it wouldn't be long before they no longer had an organization to speak of at all.
Leonel's meaning was as clear as crystal.
What right did they have to ask anything of him when he'd received nothing but disrespect since the moment he stepped foot into this place? On top of that, they were actually trying to stop him from getting revenge too.
There was something else that Leonel had said that made Sael realize that just because Leonel wasn't associated with the Morales family, it didn't also follow that he had no backing to speak of.
Namely… That father he mentioned.
Even if Leonel's family was from the lowest rung of the Morales family it would still be more than enough to ride atop their heads with impunity.
Sael felt stifled.
She really couldn't allow Leonel to do as he pleased. If she did, there would be no law and order left in the organization.
After a long while, she managed to organize her thoughts.
"I will make sure that all the posters are removed within the half hour."
"That's not enough." Leonel said plainly.
Was that a joke? Did Sael think that she was doing him a favor by undoing something that shouldn't have been done in the first place? Then what then? He was supposed to graciously help her now?
"Let me finish." Sael said with an exasperated sigh. "I can't allow you to rampage about as you please. But… There are plenty of ways to get revenge that are above board and don't require breaking any rules, don't you think?
"You could join a Peak and make your own Ore faction. That way any battles that happen outside of the mountain range would be sanctioned, for example."
Leonel's gaze remained placid as Sael tried to make an unappetizing suggestion seem palatable.
He was supposed to patiently bide his time and wait? Why? All to deal with Valiant Heart's red tape? No matter what it might seem like, Leonel wasn't a patient man when it came to certain things.
If there was one character trait that he would always have, it was an unwillingness to lose. If this wasn't losing, then he didn't know what was.
Seeing that Leonel was completely unimpressed by her suggestion, Sael bit the sides of her cheek, really not knowing what to say.
Dammit, how had things gone this far? She really shouldn't have allowed Gersan to handle matters, but she had things to do. She couldn't very well sit idly by for weeks watching Leonel's every move. In a lot of ways, her combat strength was far more linked to Valiant Heart's survival than even Leonel's help might be.
She couldn't afford to fall behind in strength. No matter what.
Seeing Sael struggle so much, Leonel shook his head and sighed.
"Feed me."
"Huh…?" Sael looked up in confusion.
"Feed me." Leonel repeated, picking up a menu from the table.
Under Sael's stunned gaze, Leonel called in a waiter and ordered a feast that would easily feed 20 men. He didn't say a word even up until the point the food was prepared and brought over, and also didn't say anything as he began to gouge it all down.
Sael's lip twitched. How much would this meal cost exactly?
It was then she remembered what Leonel said before he ordered all of this. And that was exactly when the heartache set in.
Leonel devoured the meal in what felt like a few minutes. Sael had no idea how he managed to do so without her being disgusted, but she didn't even consider this thought until Leonel was getting ready to leave.
'This wasn't as good as Aina's food.' Leonel shook his head as he stood. It seemed that he had been spoiled.
He had thought that such a high-end restaurant would be able to at least be close, but it seemed that girlfriend of his was more amazing than he knew.
"Leonel! Please wait!"
Sael began to panic again. Even after watching Leonel eat all this time, she still didn't have any good answers. She bordered on shedding real tears at this point.
She knew that if Leonel did as he pleased, the upper echelon wouldn't be able to stand by for long. At that point, to save space, they would at the very least expel him. If that happened, it would all be over.
"Just… Please at least join a Peak first!"
Leonel looked back toward Sael and raised an eyebrow. He looked her up and down as though he was observing a new species of animal he was fascinated by. And in truth, he was. He found Sael to be quite curious indeed.
"You're too na?ve, don't you think? What Peak do you think would accept me now?"
Sael froze.