While everyone else was unloading the airship, Zeke, David, and Margret had retreated to a conference room. Margret had held herself back from asking anything up to this point; the moment the door was locked, however, she burst out with her question.
"What was that?" she challenged.
Zeke stared absentmindedly into space. "Which part?" he asked. His expression remained blank as he was going over what he had learned just now.
"The part where you asked him to deliver a message," Margret clarified. "I know you, Zeke, there is no way you did that on a hunch. You have learned something."
Zeke was snapped out of his contemplation. He looked from David to Margret before giving her a grave nod.
"You are right, I indeed know something," he explained. "The Goldfinger company is much more involved in what happened here than they let on."
"What do you mean by that?" David asked while furrowing his brows.
"They were the ones who informed our dear Mr. Steffano about what happened to Maximilian. They probably also offered him protection if he agreed to their deal," Zeke said.
"How is it that you've come to know about that?" David questioned further.
Zeke didn't immediately reply. He wasn't sure how much of the Trinity Project he wanted to share with Margret and David. Maximilian hadn't shared it with anybody. He might have had his reasons for not even trusting David with it….
Zeke shook off those dark thoughts moments later. If he couldn't trust his guards, then his life was forfeit anyway. He decided to share a bit of his capabilities with them at least.
"One of my engraved spells… allows me to read from a distance," he confessed. "While I pretended to go over his contract, I went through the other documents in his case. I found several interesting contracts. All of them signed by a certain Herald Steffano."
"Son of a whore!" Margret cursed. "We should not have let him leave in one piece!"
"Calm down," Zeke said. "I think we handled the situation perfectly."
"How so?" the woman asked with a raised brow.
"There was something off about his behavior," David stated.
"You noticed too?" Zeke asked with a nod and a smile toward David.
Turning his attention back to Margret, he explained his theory. "He was trying to provoke us from the get-go. It was as if he was hoping for a fight. I am pretty certain that he had additional guards hidden somewhere. He only quit the act when he realized that they would not arrive in time to save him if David actually attacked."
"That makes sense," Margret agreed. "It was strange when he started talking about how dreadful the empire's dungeons were. I thought he was just a bastard. Turns out he is a scheming bastard."
The three descended into silence. There was something they all knew had to be said, but nobody wanted to bring it up first.
With a sigh, Zeke broached the subject. "There is most likely a traitor within our ranks."
The other two nodded with grim faces. There was no other way that Gilderoy could have known how much gold they were carrying otherwise. The amount was only determined on their way over. That meant that they not only had a spy, but it was also somebody with the capability to send messages from a distance.
Before they could discuss the matter any further somebody knocked on the door. Zeke indicated for David to open the door and the man obliged. He spoke a few words with somebody before addressing Zeke.
"We have a visitor. He claims to be from the embassy of Invocatia," David explained.
"Allow him in, then," Zeke ordered. David relayed the order and it was only a few minutes later when a thin man entered the room.
"Greetings," the man said smartly before scanning the faces of the three occupants of the room. His eyes finally locked on Zeke's figure before continuing. "Am I dealing with Ezekiel von Hohenheim?"
"You are," Zeke stated with a nod. He had no idea what the man could want from him.
"Great," he said emotionlessly. "You have been requested at the Invocatian embassy."
"For what purpose?" Zeke asked with a raised brow. "I've never had any dealings with you or anybody from your country, to the best of my knowledge."
"That is a confidential matter, I'm afraid," the man replied.
"Let me get this straight: you want me to come to your embassy, but you won't even tell me to what avail?"
"That is correct," the man stated in the same emotionless tone. Before Zeke could react in any manner, there was another knock on the door.
While Margret remained close to Zeke, David stepped out once again.
"Another visitor. From Equinox, this time," David called from the hallway.
"Allow him in," Zeke ordered once again. David returned soon after with another formally dressed man. Immediately after stepping into the room, the man started with the same routine as the previous messenger, but before he could get the spiel started, Zeke interrupted him.
"I am Ezekiel von Hohenheim. Am I right in assuming that you intend to invite me to your embassy?" he asked.
The man nodded mutely.
"And you won't tell me what this is about?" he questioned further.
"I am not at liberty to divulge that matter," the man said with a shake of his head.
"… what is it with this place," Margret murmured from behind Zeke. He had gone quiet and was deliberating on how to deal with his guests. He had enough on his plate already.
His musings were interrupted when the door was knocked for the third time. David had remained next to the door and stepped out. A moment later, he returned to the room. "We have another vis-"
"Bring him in," Zeke interrupted in an exasperated tone.
Soon after, David returned with a man that was clad from head to toe in full plate. Despite the heavy armor, his movements appeared unhindered. The moment he entered, Zeke's gaze locked onto him. He was confronted with something he had never seen before. The stranger had a Blood core. The man also halted his step and studied Zeke in turn.
The new arrival had a hard face and a tall frame. Next to the previous two visitors, he stood out like a sore thumb. He appeared to be more of a warrior than a diplomat. The man was at the Grand Mage level. Zeke studied his core in detail. He did not recognize the engraved spell at all. It was not something he had seen before. After a long moment passed without anybody speaking up, David cleared his throat. This finally managed to snap Zeke back to reality.
"You are?" Zeke asked in a cautious tone.
"Arthur Bloodsword, at your service," the man introduce himself. He didn't follow up his introduction with anything else, however. Zeke waited for a few more moments, but the man still didn't state his business. Instead, he continued to eye Zeke carefully.
"And you are here for…" Zeke eventually prompted.
"Ahh yes, right," the man replied. "I have come with an invitation."
"Please don't tell me that it's a confidential meeting?" Zeke asked, expecting the worst.
"Confidential?" the man repeated in a bewildered tone. His gaze then landed on the two men that had entered before him. A knowing smirk made its way onto his face soon after.
"No, there is nothing confidential about it. Our Patriarch heard about a young Mage with a perfect Blood core and took an interest. That is all," Arthur explained.
Zeke was positively surprised by the man's straightforward manner. He cast a meaningful glance at his two previous visitors as if to say: 'See? That's how you do it!'
The offer to meet with the Patriarch of the Bloodsword family was also an enticing offer. He had never gotten the chance to properly learn about Blood Magic. This was not an opportunity that he could miss out on.
"Excellent," he replied in an energetic voice. "When is this meeting supposed to happen?"
The man nodded approvingly at Zeke's demeanor. "The Patriarch is still at the front, but he has sent word that he will be returning soon. The invitation is for two months from now."
After finishing his explanation, the man handed Zeke a sealed envelope. The symbol that was pressed into the wax was a sword dripping with blood. After handing it over, the man nodded at Zeke and promptly left.
From this interaction alone, Zeke had a good impression of the Bloodsword family. Straightforward and to the point. If only all of his visitors could be like that. He turned his weary gaze back to the two official envoys of their respective kingdoms, who both still idled around the sides of the room. There was only one answer that he could give them.
"Gentlemen," he said in a businesslike tone, "you have my apologies for the delay. As to your requests, I'm afraid that I will not be able to comply."
The two men appeared astonished by his refusal. It was the messenger from Invocatia who eventually responded. "May I know the reason for the refusal?"
Zeke's eyes closed and he let out a drawn-out sigh before responding to the question. "How would I dare? I am sure that you are both aware that embassies have a special status in Tradespire. I would not be protected by the laws of the Merchant Union the moment I step onto your land. Who would guarantee my safety there?"
"What reasons would we have to harm you?" the man asked.
"You? None, but I have enemies enough. I bet you would receive generous compensation from the Feuerkranz family for example, were you to deliver my head," Zeke stated.
"What are you implying, boy?" the man questioned angrily. "Do you believe us to have no honor?"
Zeke met the man's gaze head-on. In a calm voice, he questioned the man in turn, "Honor? It's a curious thing, isn't it? I have been around nobles long enough to know what that word means to you. You will uphold honor for as long as it doesn't get in the way of something you truly want."
"Shame on you!" the man roared. "Don't you dare think that we are anything like the nobles of the empire!"
"Is that so?" Zeke replied in the same calm tone. "Then tell me: What would your leaders do if the empire offered you peace in exchange for my head? Would they still uphold 'honor' when it would cost them countless lives to do so?"
The man didn't respond. His pride didn't allow him to tell an outright lie, but he also couldn't admit the fact that his country would most likely take such a deal.
"Don't worry," Zeke said in a consolatory voice, "I don't hold it against them. Being a leader means putting your people's interests first, sometimes. Unfortunately, this means that I'm not at liberty of putting my full trust in any of you."
The man seemed somewhat mollified by Zeke's declaration, but it was clear that he still wanted to argue the point.
"Understood," the other messenger chimed in before his colleague could speak up. "Did you want us to relay a message?"
Zeke thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yes, please tell your leaders that I am not against meeting them. I will not be entering any of your embassies, however. If you just want to have a chat, you know where I live."
The man nodded and turned to leave. The other man lingered for a beat longer but eventually followed the other messenger after giving Zeke a brief nod as well.
Silence returned to the room as only Zeke, David and Margret remained. Nobody spoke for a time. The surprise visitors had only added to the mountain of problems he was facing.
"I need you to find out what the diplomats want from us," Zeke eventually told Margret. The woman nodded and departed the room straight away.
"Any instructions for me?" David asked when the two were alone.
"No, I'm sure you are going to be busy enough overseeing everything while we settle in. You are free to go about your business," Zeke replied.
"Are you going to be alright on your own?" the man asked in a worried tone.
"I'll be fine," Zeke replied with a tired smile. "I just need a moment to gather my thoughts."
David looked at him for a long moment before nodding. On his way out, he silently closed the door so as not to disturb Zeke.
The surroundings went dead quiet in an instant. The conference rooms in the mansion were apparently equipped with a feature to suppress any and all sounds coming from outside. Even the noise from the people moving into the mansion had completely disappeared.
A long, tired sigh escaped Zeke as he slumped onto the sofa. It was the only piece of furniture that was in the room as of yet. It had been brought over from the Alexandria.
Zeke's eyes fell onto the wooden ceiling as he lay down fully. He pressed his eyes shut to get rid of his intrusive thoughts. A fruitless endeavor, as it turned out. The silence was only amplifying his tense mental state.
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked quietly