Zeke was not surprised by Leo's request. The moment he had seen Maximilian's handwriting on the letter he had known what his friend would ask of him. Personally, Zeke had instantly decided to accept Leo's request.
Was there any reason to turn Leo down? He was thrilled by the idea of having Leo become a part of his family. But there was one problem. Zeke was certain that Maximilian would be against it. The question was less about if Zeke was willing to help Leo and more about if he even could.
Zeke and Maximilian had too many secrets. The Trinity Project and the meditation technique were of utmost priority to the old man. Zeke had his doubts that Maximilian would allow a stranger into their house. The other concern that Zeke had was that Maximilian had said many times that he did not want a successor. Zeke was almost certain that the old man planned to take his Explosion Magic to the grave. Before Zeke could answer Leo, somebody intruded on the conversation.
"I finally found you, young master Ezekiel," a voice called out from behind Zeke.
He turned around and saw David standing there. David was Maximilian's butler and right-hand man. His family had been in Maximilian's employ for three generations already and there was nobody who Maximilian trusted more. Zeke had learned that the man had reached the Grand Mage level decades ago. Out of all of Maximilian's subordinates, he was the strongest.
"Was there something you needed, Sir David?" Zeke asked courteously.
"Indeed! I have just returned from an important mission with a surprise for you," David said with a twinkle in his eye. "Master Maximilian asked me to bring you to his lounge."
Zeke was immediately intrigued by this surprise. What could this important mission have been? However, before he could lose himself in his thought, he remembered where he was. He looked over at Leo. His friend had a disappointed expression on his face. He must have looked forward to hearing his answer. Zeke knew that he could not make any promises on behalf of the old man. But he also didn't want to leave Leo hanging.
With a crafty glint in his eyes, he turned back to David and asked, "Can Leo come with us?" He shot Leo a significant look before adding with only a slight delay, "After all, he is like a brother to me."
Leo was overjoyed. Zeke had all but agreed to help him get adopted with his last words. David on the other hand raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he looked between the two boys. He studied first Zeke's and then Leo's face before falling into deep contemplation. The two boys exchanged a nervous glance but remained silent. They could do nothing but await the butler's verdict.
"If that is your wish, young master," David finally said. "The surprise was never meant to be a secret in the first place."
Zeke and Leo exchanged relieved smiles before following the man down the hallway. David led them through the winding maze of corridors. The entire way, Zeke tried to tease the secret out of the stoic butler. David, for his part, merely smiled at Zeke's attempt to get him to slip up.
Soon after, the three of them found themselves in front of a luxurious wooden door. David stepped to the side and indicated the door with a flourish of his hand. This was a clear sign for Zeke to take the lead. Zeke didn't wait for another second and barged into the room. He was too excited to find out what the surprise was.
In the next moment, a tiny body cannonballed into his chest. Zeke only barely managed to catch himself without falling. He looked down and found a pair of deep blue eyes staring back at him.
"BROTHER!" the girl cried. "Why didn't you tell us that you were fighting in the big tournament?"
"Maya?" Zeke asked. "How come you are here?"
Before Maya could reply there was another voice coming from behind the girl. "Sir David brought us here in that fancy Airship of yours."
"Mom! Dad!" Zeke cried out, as he dove into his parent's embrace. Maya was sandwiched in between the three of them but didn't seem to mind. They held the embrace for a while before Zeke stepped back again.
"How come you guys are here? Just to see me fight?" he asked.
"Just to see him fight, he says," his father imitated with a scoff. "Don't try to sell us for fools, boy. David already explained to us how you made it to the top 8 of your year. Your mother and I might not be Mages, but we still know how impressive that is!"
The man stepped in front of him and laid both his hands on his son's shoulders. Despite Zeke's recent growth spurt, his father still towered over him. He met Zeke's eyes with a gentle gaze.
"You have no idea how proud your mother and I are. There is no other place that we would rather be than here," his father said, as he squeezed his son's shoulders gently.
Zeke held his father's gaze. Both their eyes had started to turn a little red at the edge. To divert attention away from himself Zeke cleared his throat and motioned for Leo to come forward.
"Mom, Dad, Maya, this is Leo. He is a friend from the academy and he is also one of the other finalists. Leo, this is my mother Mia. This is my father Geralt and the little monster over here is my sister Maya."
Leo greeted Zeke's parents stiffly. He noticed that his friend didn't know how to behave around them. Fortunately, Zeke had a secret weapon that could dispel any awkwardness.
"Hey Maya, did you know that Leo is super strong?" he asked his sister. "He can do Fire and Earth Magic like Grandpa Maximilian.
"Is that true, Leo? Are you as strong as Granpa Max?`" she asked innocently.
Leo chuckled and patted her head, "No, I have never met anyone who is stronger than Sir Maximilian."
"Then who is stronger, you or Zeke?" she asked.
"I am stronger," Leo said without hesitation. Zeke gave him a disbelieving look. How could he betray him like that?
"Is that true, Zeke? Is Leo really stronger?" Maya asked her brother.
"Well, there is an easy way to find out, right?" he asked with a challenging grin in Leo's direction.
Before the situation escalated into a fight, Zeke's mother stepped in between the two young men. "Would you two stop it already?" she asked. "There will be enough fighting today even without you two behaving like children."
She grabbed both Zeke's cheeks and pulled on them as if he was a misbehaving child. After she had suitably punished her son, she turned to Leo and asked, "What family do you hail from, Leo? You must be a member of one of the great families if you have made it this far?"
Leo had been smirking at Zeke's punishment. But the moment his family was brought up, his good cheer immediately disappeared.
"I-erm… I am not," he said.
Zeke stepped from behind his mother and put an arm around her shoulder as he spoke up for his friend.
"Leo doesn't belong to any noble family, mom," he explained. "Not only does he not belong to a noble family, but he has also lost both his parents at a young age and grew up in an orphanage. He has managed to get here with his incredible talent and hard work alone."
His mother seemed shocked at the revelation. She exchanged a look with her husband. The expression on the man's face had also turned serious. Mia fixed Leo with a gaze, her blue eyes studying his face intently. Zeke could tell that his friend felt uncomfortable at the scrutiny but he trusted that his mother knew what she was doing. After a moment she walked up to Leo and gently put a palm on his cheek.
She used her thumb to gently caress his face in that soothing way only a mother could. Leo didn't know how to react and looked over to Zeke for help. Zeke, however, just watched his mother's actions from a distance. He had no intentions of getting involved. Without another course of action, Leo returned his attention to the woman in front of him. Mia was about the same height as Zeke and Leo. This allowed her to look straight into his eyes. She never averted her gaze from Leo and continued to caress his cheek.
Zeke could see how the edges of his friend's eyes got redder and redder by the second. The boy was clearly on the verge of breaking into tears. Zeke had never seen Leo cry before. Even when the boy told him about his past, he managed to hold on to his composure. But his mother had not even spoken yet and he was already barely hanging on.
Mia leaned in and embraced the boy. Zeke knew from personal experience how warm and comforting his mother's hugs were, but they seemed to have the opposite effect on Leo. He buried his head into her shoulders and remained there.
"That must have been hard for you," she finally said. Her voice was firm but gentle. Zeke could hear sniffling noises coming from his friend. He averted his gaze out of respect for Leo's privacy and saw his father doing the same. Maya just kept staring at the two though. Zeke thought that she was being rude at first, but then he noticed the tears running down her face.
He walked over and picked his little sister up into a hug of her own. He walked over to his father and the two talked about the upcoming fights as Maya sniffled in his chest. A couple of minutes later Zeke's mother and an embarrassed Leo joined them. His eyes were still red from crying but Zeke felt his friend looked changed. It seemed almost like a great burden had been lifted from the other boy's shoulders. Zeke marveled at his mother's methods.
"There you are, my boy!" Maximilian called out from across the room. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed the somewhat strange mood.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked hesitantly.
"No, it's fine," Zeke said immediately. "We had an emotional family reunion, that's all."
Maximilian simply nodded. His gaze traveled over all their faces before stopping a moment on Leo.
"A family reunion, is it?" he murmured to himself. Zeke thought that his mentor would ask more about the topic, but Maximilian just let it go. In the next moment, the old man clapped his hands and went on in a more cheerful mood.
"It's a good thing that Leo is here as well. There is going to be a meeting of the contestants. Everyone who made it to the quarterfinals is invited. This event is a tradition, from what I've been told. It's a chance for the noble families to brag about their offspring and socialize," Maximilian explained.
"Can't we just skip it, old man?" Zeke asked.
"I'm afraid that's not an option, unfortunately," Maximilian sighed. "The second part of the event is an interview with the contestants. It's going to be held publicly, so you can't miss out."
Zeke groaned. He didn't enjoy public speaking much as it was. The presence of nobles and their games would only make the experience that much more unbearable. Unfortunately, he would not have Viola and Sophia with him this time. He remembered that he had promised them that he would be right back.
"Fine, I guess there is nothing I can do about it," he said. "But can you send someone to inform Viola and Sophia about what's going on? I don't want them to worry."
Maximilian nodded and was just about to give his orders, but then Zeke remembered one more thing.
"Can you also send someone to pick up my winnings from the betting house?" he asked.
Maximilian gave him a look but didn't comment any further on it. His parents, however, weren't so forgiving.
"What was that, Zeke? Gambling?" his mother asked with an incredulous expression. "I don't think we raised you to be that irresponsible with your money!"
His father's gaze also turned stern. Zeke however felt like he had nothing to be ashamed of and spoke up with a righteous tone.
"Thats right!" he exclaimed. "When I arrived here in the capital I had nothing but the clothes on my back. I worked one odd job in the crafters' district after the other, counting every piece of copper. That is exactly the reason I had to gamble."
"What do you mean?" his mother asked, bewildered.
"I can earn a fortune just by betting on a fight where I am certain of the outcome. Tell me, wouldn't the irresponsible thing be to not bet on such a fight?" he asked with a sincere tone.
His parents exchanged a glance. They seemed halfway convinced by his argument. However, it was Maya who spoke up next. She was hopping up and down with shining eyes.
"How much?" she asked. "How much did you win? Is it enough for a new dress for me?"
Zeke got a smug expression on his face. He crouched down to Maya's eye level and patted her head.
"10,000," he said. Maya looked at her fingers for a moment but immediately gave up on counting. Still, she knew that it was a big number.
"10,000 copper?" she asked with a hesitant voice. Zeke shook his head, his expression only getting smugger.
"No, it's 10,000 gold coins, Maya. It's enough money that you can have any dress you want!" he said. As Maya broke out into a celebratory dance, Zeke looked up at his parents. He saw three incredulous pairs of eyes looking back at him. In addition to his parents, Leo was also staring at him with a weird look on his face.
"You earned 10,000 gold coins?" Leo asked. His parents also seemed to be very much interested in hearing his confirmation.
"Yes," Zeke replied with a smile. "I told you you should have come to the lounge!"
Before his parents could ask any further questions about it, Maximilian returned. He waved them over and the group made their way to the exit. As they walked, Maximilian started to explain.
"For this special event, only the contestants and their families are allowed. I'm afraid it will be an aristocratic affair. That means you three: Geralt, Mia, and Maya will have to dress up. You two boys, on the other hand, are expected to appear in your armor. I've had people prepare everything for you. Now, get changed!" he explained as he pointed out different rooms.
A couple of minutes later, everyone had gathered again. Zeke and Leo were wearing their armor sets without their helmets or weapons. Zeke's parents, Geralt and Mia were wearing simple yet elegant clothing.
Zeke could only marvel at how different his parents looked. His father had a regal appearance, even his posture seemed to have changed. It appeared to Zeke as if his old man had undergone a decade of noble training in the last couple of minutes. His mother was struggling a little more with her attire, she was not used to wearing skirts. Even though she looked great in the formal dress, she didn't seem to enjoy wearing it. Maya was beaming ear to ear at her cute dress. Out of the three of them, her dress looked the most elaborate.
Zeke looked over at the old man in suspicion. He could not have had those dresses made recently. It seemed to him that the old man had planned this whole thing for a while now. Maximilian just smiled at him and Zeke could only return the smile. His mentor had really managed to surprise him this time, and what a welcome surprise it was.
"Shall we?" Maximilian asked. "We have a gathering to attend."