Hearing this, Alaric glanced at Roselle and chuckled, "Why don't you just come out and say it... like, 'When can I be resurrected and become the Black Emperor again?'"
"Boss, you saw right through me!" Roselle gave a slightly embarrassed laugh, though it was clearly just for show. The next moment, he dove straight in, "So, when can I be resurrected, boss? You've been studying Suah for so long... have you figured anything out yet?"
"Of course, I'm not trying to rush you or anything. Just curious about your progress," Roselle added, displaying the tact of a seasoned adult. "If there's any experiment you need me to cooperate with, I'm all in."
Alaric didn't respond immediately, instead fixing Roselle with a half-smile that made the latter break into an awkward grin.
"Alright, alright, I admit I've been a bit antsy lately," Roselle confessed, spreading his hands. "You've toppled Loen, and six out of the seven gods are practically on your ship... er, I mean, allied with you. Medici's poised to become a god once the war's over, and I'm just dying here!" This time, his words carried genuine sincerity.
Roselle's words reflected his true feelings. As one of the few Sequence 0s in Alaric's camp, even if his strength hadn't fully recovered, he still held considerable status. But Alaric's knack for recruiting was like a runaway train... pulling one Sequence 0 after another onto his side, sparing no expense for his allies. Medici hadn't just regained his status as an Kings of Angel; Alaric had even crafted him a miniature City of Calamity. Azik, while lacking a Sefirah, had integrated the Death's Uniqueness, becoming an Kings of Angel as well.
Roselle watched it all unfold, anxiety gnawing at him. After all, when something becomes too common, it loses value. Lucifer already had it out for him, and if his strength lagged behind others, how could he hold his own in the future?
Even if Roselle was working for someone else, he had no intention of fading into the background.
Alaric could see what was driving Roselle's urgency. He smiled and said, "Since you're so eager to recover, it just so happens I have a few experiments that could use your cooperation."
Alaric hadn't been slacking off while studying Suah. He'd made some progress, but recent events had been so numerous that he hadn't had time to conduct test experiments on a subject. Now that Roselle was practically volunteering as a test subject, Alaric wasn't about to be polite.
"Ahem, uh…" Roselle's body stiffened for a few seconds as memories of past experiments resurfaced at the sight of Alaric's familiar smile. His grin faltered, and he muttered under his breath, "Can I still back out?"
"What do you think?" Alaric countered with a smile.
Roselle's grin turned sheepish. He gave a dry laugh and asked, his tone flat, "I won't die, right?"
"No, that much I can guarantee. I'm not entirely sure if it'll be painful, but you definitely won't die. At worst, you might go half-mad, but I can pull you back from that," Alaric assured him, sounding like an unlicensed quack doctor.
"That makes me even more nervous…" Roselle couldn't help but grumble. He took a deep breath, not truly backing down, and said, "I've got some experiments to wrap up here. Give me two days, and then you can do whatever you want."
Alaric had no objections and nodded in agreement.
…
Two days later, when Roselle followed Alaric into an unfamiliar alternate dimension, he couldn't help but voice a soul-deep question, "Why are we doing this here? It feels kind of ominous."
Indeed, the alternate dimension they'd entered was the very one that had once imprisoned Mr. Door.
"This place ensures that even if something goes wrong with the experiment, it won't affect the real world," Alaric explained, glancing at Roselle before turning to Bethel. "I'll leave sealing the space to you, Bethel."
…
"Just a small matter," Bethel said, shaking his head. His gaze settled on Roselle, curiosity evident as he anticipated the experiment's outcome.
After all, Bethel was also plagued by internal corruption. Though Alaric's previous intervention had stabilized him, allowing a normal life, his inability to advance further remained a problem.
The apocalypse was coming, and this world needed a Lord of Mysteries.
"…I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous," Roselle admitted after Bethel sealed the alternate dimension's entrance.
Anyone who'd been through one of Alaric's procedures would feel uneasy facing another.
"How about I play some music to lighten the mood?" Alaric suggested, glancing at him. To Roselle's surprise, Alaric actually pulled out a speaker... a historical projection version... and began playing a cheerful tune.
The melody was lively and upbeat, instantly stirring something in Roselle. A flood of familiar images danced through his mind, significantly easing his tension.
"Let's get started!" Alaric said with a warm, enthusiastic smile that, to Roselle, carried a hint of devilish glee.
What happened next became a blur for Roselle. He vaguely recalled slipping into some sort of nightmare, repeatedly waking only to fall back into it, trapped in a terrifying cycle.
When Roselle's consciousness finally cleared, he had no sense of how much time had passed.
"…Is it over?" He asked, sitting up groggily from the operating table. His gaze landed on Alaric, but for some reason, he instinctively looked away.
His fingertips trembled, an inexplicable fear gripping him, making it hard to face Alaric in that moment.
What the hell did I just go through?
Roselle didn't dare dwell on it, afraid it would leave a permanent shadow on his psyche. He focused on calming himself, suppressing the strange terror.
A few minutes later, the transmigrator with a flair for theatrics looked back at Alaric, took a deep breath, and, unable to resist, covered his eyes with his hand. "I'm done for, boss. I think I've developed a phobia of Lucifer."
Alaric, who was reviewing the procedure and considering improvements, glanced at Roselle. After a moment's thought, he pulled out a roll of bandages from somewhere and handed it to him with a serious expression. "Then cover your eyes. If you can't see, you won't be scared."
"…"
What a straightforward solution.
***
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