"Did you really stand guard outside when Tudor and Cheek got together?"
In that moment, Klein's mind screamed one thing: Speak plainly!
He couldn't be blamed. Every word Alaric said was clear, but strung together, the sentence was utterly explosive.
Even Medici, munching an apple nearby, nearly choked. He glanced at Alaric, then at Mr. Door, trapped in some sealed dimension. Raising an eyebrow and crossing his legs, Medici sneered with unmasked mockery. "Hah! I recall someone in the Solomon era being all high and mighty, swearing loyalty to neither Solomon nor the Lord. How'd you end up with a lunatic and start doing that kind of job?"
Medici shook his head in mock disappointment. "And to think I thought you had the most potential. Tch!"
"No, I…" Bethel felt utterly defenseless. Stunned and failing to immediately clarify, Medici's taunts nearly made him laugh in frustration.
After a few seconds, he gathered his words, exasperated. "That didn't happen. I just created a special mirror world for His Majesty Tudor for their union. I wasn't… guarding the door." The last words came out with difficulty.
Who could blame him? Even someone as mighty as Mr. Door hadn't anticipated being slandered like this. It was a first.
The worst part? His gaze landed on Alaric, who feigned innocence. Bethel felt a wave of helplessness.
From their recent interactions, Bethel had pieced together Alaric's situation. He wasn't hiding it... Alaric was immensely powerful, likely on par with a pillar, but currently limited, perhaps sealed or recently awakened, with only a fraction of his strength available.
With Bethel's power, he could give Alaric a thrashing.
But!
How could he? Setting aside that he was counting on Alaric to pull him out, the gratitude for partially freeing him from the Mother Goddess's control meant Bethel couldn't lay a finger on him, even for a light beating.
"Sigh…" Bethel could only sigh helplessly. "Jack, can you not make jokes like that next time?"
"Not a joke! I'm just curious." Alaric said, spreading his hands innocently. "Tudor and Cheek's union was a big deal. It makes sense they'd ask you to guard the door! Otherwise, if no one's watching, someone might sneak in."
"Who'd sneak in to watch that?!" Bethel was at a loss.
"Oh, plenty. Like… Amon." Alaric said seriously, giving an example. "Think Amon wouldn't sneak a peek out of curiosity?"
Mere romance wouldn't interest Amon, but this wasn't just romance. The union was meant to suppress the Primordial God Almighty's consciousness. In reality, due to multiple interventions, it birthed the Original Creator in the mirror.
Honestly, Alaric himself wanted to see how that mirror Creator came to be.
Too bizarre!
Bethel… Bethel realized he couldn't argue. Amon might actually do that.
He even started wondering... did Amon sneak in back then?
"See? You're doubting it too, aren't you? My concern's valid!" Alaric said, spreading his hands confidently. "That kind of thing needs a guard! And while you didn't open the door, you made a special mirror world for them. Rounding up, isn't that like booking them a hotel and providing the bed? How's that different from guarding the door?"
"Stop… ugh, let's change the topic!" Bethel covered his face. Back then, it felt like a serious task to suppress the Primordial God Almighty's consciousness.
But Alaric's spin made it… so weird!
And… Bethel instinctively recalled that event. At the time, he thought he'd acted of his own will, creating that mirror world for Tudor and Cheek.
Now, thinking back, he wasn't so sure.
Was it really his choice, or was he influenced by the Lord of Mysteries?
"Don't be shy, Bethel. It's no big deal... it was for a serious cause. Plus, rounding up, you're basically half the Original Creator's dad. Talk about a promotion!" Alaric said, his "comfort" Sounding all kinds of wrong.
"…No, that wasn't me. It's all the Celestial Worthy's fault!" Bethel gritted his teeth, determined to cut ties with this dark history, or his reputation would be ruined.
"Right, the Celestial Worthy controlled me. I'm innocent." He stressed.
"Pfft... " Medici, spectating, scoffed. "You just called me out for self-deception. What's this, then?"
Bethel didn't respond. He wasn't lying... the Celestial Worthy's influence had been strong.
Alaric, seeing Bethel's resolve to disown this history, shook his head, thinking, Mr. Door's too thin-skinned. Giving him face, he nodded. "True, it's all the Celestial Worthy's fault."
"I get that, but what's this got to do with the Celestial Worthy?" Klein couldn't help but ask. Other topics he could ignore, but the Celestial Worthy? He had to know.
"Hmm, let me think how to explain…" Alaric pondered for a few seconds before organizing his thoughts. "You know the Original Creator, right?"
Klein nodded. The Creator's existence was no secret, appearing in many myths.
"Here's the deal: just like City of Silver's Creator split, the Original Creator did too after making the world. The Celestial Worthy was one of those parts, but he fell long ago and has been trying to revive ever since. Bethel's kind of a backup revival vessel, though not from our era…"
Alaric explained simply, careful to avoid any polluting details, clarifying the past as best he could.
***
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