Aizel was exhausted from the fighting and the journey. All he wanted now was to soak in his bathroom's long, hot water bath. He also wanted to ponder over the mind potion he used during the raid, which was a treasure to him. He wanted to know how he could get more.
That's why he ignored the bickering with Leah about the Best Friend stuff and headed straight for the dining hall.
Daisy had already prepared some extra food and was serving it to him.
"Oh, thank you, Daisy; you are an angel," Aizel said, gulping his food as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Daisy chuckled while serving some food to Leah.
"Wait a minute, what are you doing here? I mean, why are you eating with us? Don't you have food at your home?" Aizel said as he glanced at Leah.
"Why? Can I not be here? Daisy is my friend too."
"When did you two become friends?" Aizel asked. He was visibly confused.
"While you were gone," Leah said casually.
Aizel suspected there was more to it and made a mental note to ask Daisy when they were alone.
"So, I heard you guys had it rough," Leah said. She already knew everything as soon as they had arrived.
"Yes, and without your advice, I think it would have been much more difficult."
"Well, if you want to thank me properly, go out with me next week," Leah said. Aizel coughed on his food.
"To a city. I will take you there with me. If you like something there, you can have it." Leah giggled.
"You should speak properly, and about that visit, I will think about it?" Aizel snorted.
"Never mind. Have fun. I should go back. There might be a lot going on in the household right now after the recent raid." Leah got up from the table and left abruptly.
"Now that we are alone, how did you become friends with her?" Aizel glanced at Daisy. She sipped her tea quietly.
"Who said we were friends? She just assumed that." Daisy smiled.
Aizel was at a loss for words.
"Let's just focus on eating I guess," he thought.
*****
On the Northern side of Chester Town....
Aizel and the kids were at the center, amongst the marketplace of the town. His new home was on the outskirts on the Eastern side, while to the west, there were mostly homes for normal people. But the North was exclusively for mages and hunters who could use mana and had a respectable standing in the town.
Both noble families had huge castle-like homes here as well.
The Rosewell Castle...
Not only was it made of pure white marbles that were extremely thick, but the entire castle looked magnificent. The Rosewell banner, which bore a flying hawk, hung on the walls and various other locations.
The inside of the castle was as magnificent as the outside. The great hall was the centerpiece of the castle, with high ceilings, grand halls, and spacious rooms, with a roaring fireplace, ornate tapestries, and a long table fit for the family.
With canopied beds, soft feather mattresses, and plush carpets, the bedrooms were opulent. There was also a private library in the castle, complete with leather-bound tomes, history books about Xelgar, and rare manuscripts.
Overall, the structure was grand and impressive, fit for royalty or any powerful nobility.
Inside the Grand Hall...
David stood with Thomas in front of the head of the Rosewell family, David and Leah's mom.
"I know the raid was successful, but it was far from what I promised. I don't have any excuse for that." David kept his head down.
"Do you agree, Thomas?" A sharp, crisp voice resounded from David's mother. It was enough to make Thomas sweat buckets.
"Yes, Mrs. Rosewell, if that mage was not there with us in the raid, I think we wouldn't have been able to make it back."
"Is it because you are weak David? If you were like that mage, would it have made a difference?" She asked.
"Y...yes mother, definitely," he replied.
"You are wrong; you just didn't use your brain enough. Let me show why you have always been stupid and useless." As she finished speaking, Leah walked through the grand hall and stood beside her mother. There was another person who followed. David and Thomas were surprised.
"You know David, not only did Leah save the nearby village, which was under the rule of the Paul family, but she also cleared the whole path to travel across that village safely. She even destroyed the Paul family Grade II mage, three other mages, and the oldest son of their family, without needing to lift a finger or sacrificing our members."
"What do you mean 'she' did that? It was me who arranged the team, and we killed them together; she was not even present there." David yelled, unable to accept what his mother was saying.
"That's why you have always been useless, brother," Leah smirked.
"What was the name of the mage who killed Tristian?" His mother asked.
"Aizel."
"Then who do you think recruited him? Forget about recruiting; your sister has been using him from the start, since he even entered the town. Do you see this girl? Her name is Alisha. She met him in the forest, where he saved her group. She is a loyal follower of your sister.
"She reported back about the situation to Leah; your sister understood the talent of that young man with just the summary Alisha provided to her. She ordered her to maintain a relationship with him while she went herself in the forest, following him, to see whether he was worth it or not.
"She chose the monkey king territory for a reason. She knew if this mage was as powerful as Alisha claimed, then with his help, they could clear the path that leads to the village.
"They killed a Grade II monster and his underlings while making a small team to rescue the villagers and killing the Paul family bandit.
"Alisha somehow convinced him to join the goblin raid as they planned to lure out the Paul family members. They knew they would not sit idle after the village incident, so they used your useless ass and hired some hunters and mages to lure them out.
"What happened next, you know it; if the plan failed, it would not be our family's loss. We would have just lost a single useless son and some hired mages and hunters.
"Not only did you return safely, you all even managed to deal a heavy blow to them."
David and Thomas' jaws were wide open. David wasn't even able to think properly as he stared into the hall between her mother and her sister.
