Lara cracked open one eye and lazily glanced in his direction. A smile slowly spread across her face as she looked him up and down.
"Albert?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
Albert didn't respond, still too shocked by the scene in front of him. Before he could get his bearings, Lara noticed how he was still holding on to the servant's arm. Her smile turned mischievous, as she quirked a single brow. "Are you pretending to be a feeble old man again? You are a Grand Mage for crying out loud. Will you please act like one?"
From off to his side, he noticed Hector twitch. When he glanced over, he saw how the young man was glaring at him, his eyes perfectly expressing how betrayed he felt. Looking into those sad, brown eyes, Albert felt like he had kicked a puppy. No matter how thick his skin was, even he turned slightly red.
However, before he could explain himself, somebody burst out laughing. It was a loud, unrestrained laugh, full of unadulterated joy — and it was clearly at his expense. Incensed, Albert turned his head, eager to find out who would be so bold. There, in the shade of the pavilion, he found the offender. It was a handsome young man with crimson-red hair and an athletic figure. From his stature alone, Albert would have estimated him to be around twenty years old.
Of course, he was aware that this wasn't the case. From the many pictures he had seen, he would naturally recognize Ezekiel von Hohenheim. However, even Albert had to admit that the illustrations didn't do the young man justice. There was a peculiar weight to his presence that was hard to quantify. When their eyes met, he felt a tingle run up his spine. Despite the playful look in the young man's eyes, it felt like he was being stared at by a predator.
This was different from being in the presence of a strong Mage. Those, Albert could deal with. He had spent enough time around earthshaking figures to have built up a tolerance against the pressure they exuded. However, this young man was different. He seemed to ooze a primal aura of dominance. Albert finally understood the nickname: Blood Dragon.
Ezekiel turned his gaze toward Hector, who stiffened in response. Despite the fact that the boy was no longer looking at him, Albert still felt like he was being watched. It was an eerie feeling. If he had to put it into words, he would describe the sensation as a deluge of tiny tentacles probing every inch of his body. At the same time, the feeling was so slight that it would be almost unnoticeable if he didn't focus on it.
"Thank you, Hector," Ezekiel said. "You can leave our guest to me now."
Hector bowed deeply before returning the way he came. With this, only Albert, Lara, and Ezekiel were left.
"So," the boy said with an inviting smile. "What was that about? Pretending to be a feeble old man, was it?" Albert was still searching for the right words when he heard the boy speak once more. "It couldn't be…" he mused, "that you deliberately slowed down your steps in order to gather information?"
"Is that why he does it?" Lara asked, suddenly interested. "I always thought that he just liked to pull pranks."
Ezekiel glanced disdainfully at the blond Arch Mage. "You shouldn't assume people are like you, Lara. Some of us use our brains occasionally."
Albert grimaced — this would not end well. He might even have to intervene. Lara had beaten people to within an inch of their life for less. The woman was not known for her tolerance. He just hoped that she would listen to him and show mercy.
However, before he could even get a word in, his mouth dropped open. Had… had Lara Sonnenstrahl just rolled her eyes? What was this? Where was the Aurora who had terrorized the eastern border for decades?
"If you're so smart," she challenged, "then how about you tell me why Albert has come today."
"I am completely baffled…" Ezekiel said slowly, causing Lara's face to light up in triumph, "…that you would think this was a hard question."
The smile died on her lips, slowly forming a pout. "Out with it then."
The young man shook his head theatrically, making a spectacle of his disappointment. "Isn't he here for the same thing you were sent originally? I would imagine he is trying to find out what I know about the empire's war preparations. Isn't that right, Mr Thorsten?"
Albert nodded stiffly, still too shocked for a proper response. His mind struggled to process the information.
"Well, this was no fun at all. Shall we take the challenge a step further?" the boy suggested with a mischievous grin. "I can try to guess what he has learned on his way here."
Lara clapped her hands, sitting up. "Sounds interesting. Go!"
"Let's see… Hector is obsessed with my mom, so he probably praised her at some point…" the boy speculated, his golden eyes studying Albert's reaction. He nodded, also interested to see how far the boy could go.
"…Since you came here to meet me, you probably steered the conversation toward me," Ezekiel supposed. "Knowing Hector, he must have told you how scary I am. I don't know why, but he has always been frightened of me."
"…Cause you're a scary kid," Lara chimed in with a snicker.
"Like you have any leg to stand on, Ms. Light beam decapitator," Ezekiel shot back without even glancing at her.
"I didn't decapitate anyone," Lara grumbled, "it was merely his arms."
Albert was astounded. The boy had managed to accurately guess most of what he had learned. It was then that he remembered Ezekiel's affinities. As a Mind Mage himself, it had been foolish to look down on the boy's intellect because of his age. However, before Albert could congratulate him, the boy continued.
"As a seasoned diplomat, as well as a fellow Mind Mage, it is very likely that Mr. Thorsten didn't blindly trust the assessment," Ezekiel said, his gaze still fixed on Albert. "Most likely, he has drawn his conclusions before even coming here. I suspect that he still doesn't even believe I am the true leader of this family."
Albert kept his face calm, not a crack in his facade. However, his heart was hammering in his chest. What was with this kid? How much did he know? And how much was just guesswork? Albert couldn't tell, and that was terrifying. It had been decades since he had last felt this overwhelmed.
The smile on the boy's face widened, taking on a predatory edge. "Spot on, eh?" he declared with a wink. This time, Albert couldn't hide his shock completely. He had always prided himself on his perfect poker face. How was this boy able to see through him? Or was this just another bluff?
"So, what's your theory? Who's the true Mastermind?" Ezekiel asked but clearly didn't expect an answer as he immediately started to call out names. "Margret? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Kerim? Not a bad choice, as the captain of the Alexandria, he has a lot of authority. But I bet it's not him either, not with his character. What about David?" the boy surmised, glancing at Albert for confirmation.
Albert once again kept a tight seal on his emotions. This time, he would make sure not to give anything away. However, his efforts were once again in vain as the boy nodded right away, acting as if Albert had outright confirmed the guess.
"So it was David after all," Ezekiel stated. "I wonder what's the reasoning behind it. Is it because he is the strongest? Or because he was the most trusted?"
Albert didn't reply. He had no idea how to handle this situation. Wasn't this supposed to be a vacation? How was it that such a monster had appeared instead of the teenage boy he had expected?
The silence was broken by a peal of melodic laughter. "Not so smart now, are we? Mr. Super ambassador?"
Annoyed, Albert fixed Lara with a glare. "What are you even doing here, Lara? I was told that you couldn't find out anything?"
"No Ms. Sonnenstrahl? You must be really mad."
"Of course I am mad!" Albert hissed. "Why aren't you working? If you started pulling your weight, I might get some free time as well."
Lara merely shrugged. "I know my limits."
"What kind of an excuse is this? Did you even try to get something out of the boy? If you two are on such good terms, it would have been easy for you to get the information yourself," Albert demanded.
"I am right here," Ezekiel chimed in but was completely ignored by both of them.
Lara sighed. "I know when I am outmatched. If I tried to question Zeke, I would learn exactly what he wants me to learn — nothing more and nothing less. Don't be fooled by his act, the boy is ruthless. And you would be naive to assume he has no agenda."
It was like Albert had been slapped. Hadn't he also felt out of one's depth just a moment ago? Now that he thought straight, Lara's behavior made sense. He had naively assumed that she was here in order to relax or make fun of him. But hadn't she goaded Zeke into revealing his true capabilities? Albert might have gotten completely played if he had come here without knowing what the boy was capable of. He gravely nodded at the blonde Mage, signaling that he understood her true intentions.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel was staring at Lara with wide eyes. "You are gonna play it like that, huh?" Then, turning to Albert, he fake whispered. "You shouldn't trust her, Mr. Thorsten. She's been here every day during the past week. I've seen her do nothing but laze around during the entire time."
Albert inwardly scoffed. The boy's attempt to divide them was way too obvious. He would not be deceived again. He glanced at Lara, trying to reassure her that he didn't believe any of those accusations. However… for some reason, the woman wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Lara?" he asked. "That's not true, is it?"
Lara's face turned serious. "Albert…" she started gravely, "You have been to the Equinox embassy, yes?"
Albert gulped. "Yes, many times."
"Then you know…" she stated with a nod, "…how much nicer this place is."
The silence was deafening as Albert stared at Lara who now had an awkward expression on her face. He had been wrong to trust this woman! The silence was finally broken when Ezekiel cleared his throat.
"Anyway, how about we get started on what you came for?" he suggested. "Despite Lara's claims, I'm eager to help. If a piece of information I possess could be helpful to the alliance, I won't hold anything back."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. von Hohenheim," Albert said, grateful to finally make some progress.
"You can call me Zeke," the boy offered.
"Fine, Zeke. In that case, please refer to me as Albert as well." Ezekiel nodded, accepting the suggestion. "Are you willing to do this here?"
"Sure," the boy agreed, "but before we get started, I've prepared a little something for you."
Lara's eyes snapped to the side, where, out of nowhere, a man emerged from the shadow. He was tall, with a robust frame and dark hair and eyes. This had to be David, the former butler of the household. The man wordlessly walked up to the table, dropped a stack of paper, and with a bow, turned to leave.
"David," Zeke called out. "Can you believe that Albert thought you were a secret mastermind pulling my strings?" Albert's eyes widened fractionally. What were the boy's intentions? Was this some kind of warning?
David glanced between Albert and Ezekiel. "That would have saved us a lot of trouble, young Lord," he said with the faintest hint of a smile before returning to his position in the shadows.
"Killjoy," Ezekiel grumbled as he picked up the stack of documents, handing them to Albert.
"What's this?" Albert inquired. He didn't even glance at the documents yet. He wouldn't allow himself to show how curious he was.
"A present," Zeke said with expectant eyes. Intrigued, Albert started reading the topmost page.
Date: 3240
Prepared by: Ezekiel von Hohenheim
Subject: Arkanheim Troop Deployment Estimation
Objective: The objective of this estimation report is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the enemy's troop deployment, categorized by elemental affinity and unit strength, to aid in formulating effective strategies and countermeasures.
Fire Affinity Troops:
Regular Soldier: Estimated presence is moderate to high, indicating a significant frontline force.
True Mage (Fire): Expect a limited number of True Mages, primarily deployed to provide offensive magical support…
Albert couldn't avert his eyes, as he flipped through one page after the other. Everything was here: Troop deployments, number estimations, battle tactics, weaponry. This was the most comprehensive document of its kind he had seen to date. He would be surprised if even the alliance headquarter had anything similar. This was fantastic!
However, there was one problem. How could any of that be trusted? The boy might be playing them, or he might've gotten played in turn. There was only one way to find out, but Albert highly doubted that Ezekiel would agree to it. With a heavy heart, he looked up, only to be met with a pair of shining golden eyes.
"So?" Ezekiel asked. "Are you gonna do it now?"
"…Do what exactly?"
"Truthseeker," Ezekiel said with a glint in his eyes. "Isn't that what you truly came for?"