"Quit stirring up trouble and go do stand-up comedy or something!" Alaric jabbed Medici with an elbow, unable to refute his words.
Because it was true... Alaric didn't care much about his own life. He wouldn't recklessly seek death, but if there was an important goal or some fun to be had, he wasn't above gambling with his life.
"So Mr. Red's telling the truth." Klein said. If he'd only been guessing before, Medici's words and their interaction now all but confirmed it... Jack did have a self-destructive streak.
Alaric froze briefly at Klein's words. Meeting Klein's disapproving gaze, he sighed. "Alright, alright, I admit I don't care that much about my life, but I'm not going to throw it away. Trust me, okay?"
Klein looked at him deeply, not saying whether he believed him or not. "Jack, I promised Lucifer I'd look after you."
"Hm? So…?" Alaric asked tentatively.
"So the next time you're planning something dangerous, can you tell me first?" Klein said, looking at Jack earnestly.
Alaric faltered, mumbling for a bit before conceding, "If it's something that could genuinely endanger my life, I will."
Klein wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer. He could tell there was some wordplay involved... by Jack's standards, his previous stunt clearly didn't count as "genuinely life-threatening." But Klein also knew not to push too hard, so he nodded. "Alright, I trust you."
At the same time, Klein felt a mix of frustration and worry. He'd thought Jack was a naive sweetheart and instinctively looked out for him. Now, learning Jack was a cunning schemer, he figured he wouldn't need to babysit anymore. But it turned out Jack was a schemer with a self-destructive streak.
Damn it, that's worse than a naive sweetheart!
Klein, the mother hen, felt both annoyed and concerned.
This made him instinctively look for an ally, his gaze landing on Medici, who was munching an apple. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked suspiciously, "Mr. Red, have you known Jack for a while?"
He hadn't noticed before, but now it was obvious... Mr. Red and Jack were clearly very familiar with each other.
Medici glanced at Alaric, took a bite of his apple, and with a mischievous glint in his eye, countered, "What do you think?"
Klein immediately turned his suspicious gaze to Alaric.
Alaric shot Medici an exasperated look before explaining to Klein, "Remember when I told you the old man went to investigate the War Angel?"
Klein paused, then recalled the conversation... it was after Mr. Azik reunited with his daughter. He nodded.
"Well, after that, I went to Backlund. I didn't just meet Audrey and the others... I also met Mr. Medici." Alaric said, then ruthlessly exposed Medici's identity. "He's the War Angel Lucifer was investigating."
Klein blinked, stunned, and looked at Medici. He'd guessed Medici wasn't ordinary, but he hadn't expected this. After Derrick joined the Tarot Club, Klein had learned what an King of Angels meant.
So, this was the War Angel who once followed City of Silver's Creator?
Recalling Medici's motherly behavior over the past few days, Klein felt a wave of shock.
"What's with that look? Is it weird that I'm a War Angel?" Medici narrowed his eyes, his smile carrying a hint of danger.
"No, no, just a bit surprised…" Klein quickly shook his head. Looking at Medici, he couldn't help adding, "I didn't expect a War Angel to be so good at taking care of people. I thought you'd be more… iron-blooded."
"You don't get it, do you? Caring for others is a Hunter pathway tradition. Medici's a top-notch mother hen... City of Silver's Creator's kids were practically raised by him." Alaric said eagerly, giving Klein a crash course.
More weird knowledge added to the pile!
Klein suddenly found it hard to look at the Hunter pathway the same way. Look at the people it produced: the pure-hearted Blood Emperor and the motherly War Angel. If the top high-sequences were like this, what about the rest?
"Is Medici your real name, Mr. Red?" Klein asked, suppressing his urge to snark and testing the waters.
"Yes, Medici's my real name, but Mr. Red isn't wrong either. War Angel's also called Red Angel, so you can keep calling me that." Alaric explained.
Klein nodded, understanding, then recalled the earlier talk of reform. After a moment's thought, he asked, "So, Mr. Red, you're here for the reform, right? Are you planning to start a revolution in Backlund?"
It was a question he'd wanted to ask since hearing about the reform.
Medici glanced at Alaric, clicked his tongue, and said irritably, "No, I'm just here to babysit you two."
"My Lord made a deal with Lucifer. Out of consideration for our ally, I'm here to look after you. As for the reform…" Medici paused, eyeing Klein like he was some war novice. "Do you think a nation's capital is a good place to kick off a revolution?"
No, I don't, I was just worried you might try… Klein felt a bit stifled. He knew Backlund's waters were too deep for that... a spark here would likely be snuffed out instantly.
"So, do you have a suitable location?" Alaric asked curiously.
Medici glanced at him, listed a few place names, and said, "These are the current candidates. We haven't decided which one yet. Got any ideas?"
"Nope! I'm no good at this stuff." Alaric said, shaking his head honestly. Professionals should handle professional matters, and he was no war expert.
Medici didn't say whether he believed him or not.
Klein, meanwhile, caught a blind spot and asked, puzzled, "Wait, Mr. Red, you follow City of Silver's Creator?"
"Who else?" Medici shot Klein a look, his face practically screaming, What kind of dumb question is that?
"So…" Klein hesitated before asking, "He hasn't actually fallen?"
He'd always thought that Creator had fallen. Now it seemed otherwise?
***
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