CHAPTER THREE

Grisha sat down in his desk chair, visibly exhausted. "Leading companies is a child's play compared to handling teenagers. I apologize for her behaviour. Usually she's a very lovely and calm girl-"

Levi's patience was wearing thin.

"Yeah, I recall you mentioning it. Do I have it right that these kids are regularly together, which means that I've to take care of each one of them in case the guy who threatens your daughter might get the idea to try to get a hand on her through them?" Grisha's jaw dropped a little, but he recovered swiftly.

"You're sharp, Levi. What might be part of the reason you're here today, correct? Indeed, I was about to ask you for exactly that. I know that guarding teenagers isn't one of your usual missions, but the man we are tracking isn't a usual person either. He's very talented and operates on a high level. And as it seems he's got– ahm – special abilities, so to say. According to Mr. Smith, this makes you the perfect shield against him. There won't be too much for you to do. You have to stay near them, escort them when they're leaving the house and stay alert in general. It should be almost impossible for him to attack in our ground since the whole estate is surrounded by motion detectors and guards, but I don't want to leave an opening for him. And it'd give me a better feeling when I have to go back to Munich to continue my research. I'm confident that with Mr. Smith's help we'll be able to find the man in no time. Naturally, I'll pay you any fee you wish me to."

Levi kept sitting in his chair, thinking everything through. He was sure as hell, this mission wouldn't end without some serious encounter with at least one of those brats. And although everyone kept telling him that there's nobody else who could carry out this job, it seemed to be a rather simple one. So the little detail about why he has to the one doing, must be crux. After all he had heard, especially about his target's ominous abilities, he was getting curious.

"Fine, I'll do it. But I have my own way of handling things, and this includes dealing with those kids."

Grisha sighed relieved. "That's fine with me. I trust you to not torment them too much when I'm gone. But perhaps the boys will profit from a stronger regiment. I'm getting too soft in my older days."

The three men stood up and Grisha escorted them to the main entrance. Erwin said his goodbyes to Grisha, then to Levi. When he was about to turn and walk away, Levi grabbed him by his collar and pulled him down to his level, so he could reach his ear: "You better find that cocksucker fast, you hear me?"

Levi released him and Erwin stood straight again. His lips twitched up while he closed his eyes.

„When have I ever disappointed you?" was all he said, and then he was gone. Leaving Levi alone in this mansion with an elderly man and an even older maid, who can at least brew a good cup of tea, and three brats.

This is going to be one of the shittiest jobs I've ever taken.

"Well then, Maria will show you your room as well as the rest of the house. I have to excuse myself as there are still some things I have to take care of. In case you need anything, find me in the study." And so, Mr. Yeager also was gone. Maria bowed and was about to say something, but Levi disrupted her.

"Stop it. I want no fucking bowing, no titles, bullshit whatsoever. Just show me everything I need to see."

Maria straightened her back and looked Levi straight in the eyes. "Very well, follow me."

It was a quick change of attitude, but Levi appreciated it. Maria took him up the stairs again, showing him his room first. It was decorated very femininely, but Levi didn't care. It had a large bed, a closet, a TV, a desk and a separate bathroom. But most importantly, it was sparkling clean. It was all he needed. Maria next led him to the rooms of the three kids without entering them, and afterwards she showed him the kitchen, the dining room, the library and pretty much everything else including the basement, where a gym with a small pool and a sauna were located as well as a shooting area.

When Maria guided him back to his room, she said: "That was about everything. The luggage Mr. Smith sent should've already been brought to your room. Dinner will be at seven o'clock. Is there anything else I can do for you at the moment?"

Levi found said luggage lying next to the bed. "Did you make the tea I drank in Mr. Yeager's office?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good, bring me another can as well as some cleaning stuff. No one may enter this room from now on. Remember to tell the rest of the staff."

„Very well."

Levi closed the door and began to unpack his things. So Erwin already knew he would take the job. He allocated some of the short-ranged weapons throughout the room, one on either side under the mattress, one in the closet, and another on top of the shower cubicle. Additionally, he placed a sniper rifle under the windowsill. Then he switched the Glock he was wearing with one of his hunter knives. He preferred them anyway inasmuch as he preferred hand-to-hand fighting. Maria came back with another can of jasmine tea and the requested cleansers and clothes.

Hours went by and Levi busied himself with cleaning the weapons he hadn't used for a longer time. Finally it was seven 7pm and Maria knocked on his door again. Levi opened it, and got irritated when he saw she had come with empty hands.

"Dinner's ready," she stated.

"Did you eat it your way up here?"

The maid blinked. Now it was Maria who got confused.

"No, of course not. Dinner normally takes place in the dining room. I came to escort you, since you weren't there already."

Levi stared at her for a moment. "I'll eat in my room. Alone." He started to glare at the elderly maid to lend weight to his words, but Maria remained indifferent.

"If I understand your role in this house correctly, you're supposed to keep an eye on the two young Sirs and the Miss. How will you do that, if you aren't in the same room as them?" This was already getting on his nerves.

"As far as Mr. Yeager told me, being in this house isn't his prime concern. My job's to be faster than whoever will come here uninvited, which is assured due to the surrounding motion detectors. The main problem will occur when they have to leave." The fact, that he wouldn't even need any useless detectors, he left aside.

Maria's irritation appeared to grow bigger. "I don't know if I can allow such manner, so I must speak to Mr. Yeager about it." Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Do so. In the meantime, I'll get my food." He pushed past Maria and headed to the kitchen.

Eren sat in their dining room, chatting with Armin about their progress in the newest video game. Armin was way ahead, but Eren was used to it so it didn't bother him much. Well, not anymore at least. There had been times he would have gotten furious that he wasn't able to surpass Armin in any damn game that wasn't only about physical dexterity. But Armin seemed completely unable to lose as long as he could put his mind to use. Often, he was too smart for his own good in Eren's opinion, since the usual result of all his brain wracking was that he never tried anything until he was one hundred percent certain about every aspect of it.

He kept talking with Armin while Mikasa and his father ate their meal in silence, until he heard something behind him. He looked over his shoulder to find a rather unhappy Levi marching down the hall in direction of the kitchen. He was about to ask across the room whether he'll eat with them, but then Maria appeared shortly after Levi and tiptoed towards Grisha.

"Mr. Yeager, Sir Levi would rather take his meals inside his room, but I wasn't sure, if I could allow this myself."

"That's fine, Maria. Please stop worrying. He isn't here to play part of the family, he's here to protect us. And I fully trust him to know which way is best to do so."

Grisha was confronted with four sceptical looking faces, but he just continued eating, dropping the matter. Only moments later, Eren saw Levi heading in the opposite direction, most likely back to his room. He didn't know what to think of this guy. He evidently was one of the quieter side and who preferred to be by himself. Given their warm first meeting, Eren wasn't surprised. But it nagged him somehow, that there was someone in his very own home he knew almost nothing about. He was friends, or at least on friendly terms with every single person who was working on their estate. Even the security guards dropped their attitude towards him as long as no one else was around to see. So Levi was kind of an outlandish exception.

Maybe with time comes change, he thought.