After a moment's thought, Roselle actually took the roll of bandages and wrapped them around his eyes, getting more enthusiastic with each loop. He even struck a few classic poses, mimicking famous blind characters.
"Looks like you're recovering well," Alaric remarked, seeing Roselle still had the energy to play at cosplay. It was clear he was fine.
Alaric wasn't surprised. After all, he'd performed the procedure himself... how could he not know if it had gone well?
"No choice. I've been through too much misfortune. Your treatment might be terrifying, boss, but it's ultimately a good thing for me. I can't just mope around," Roselle said with a carefree tone. He then seemed to sense his own condition, his expression growing animated.
"What's up?" Alaric asked with a smile, offering no explanation.
"Boss, something's off. Why are those corruptions still there…" Roselle hesitated before blurting out the question.
He'd assumed this experiment would completely purge the corruptions he'd suffered.
"Why don't you sense them again and check for any changes," Alaric suggested, still smiling.
Roselle raised an eyebrow. Having been deeply troubled by corruption in the past, he'd always steered clear of examining it too closely. He hadn't bothered to inspect the Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption earlier.
But Alaric's words made it clear there was something to see. Roselle immediately began carefully examining the corruptions that had once tormented him.
After a while, his face lit up with shock. He "looked" at Alaric and said, "These corruptions… they've become harmless?"
"I used my power to completely transform them. Now they're just a unique form of energy. You can assimilate it, and it might even grant you some special traits," Alaric finally explained.
Through deeper mastery of that power and a better understanding of the Outer Deities' nature, Alaric had conducted numerous experiments and finally devised a method to neutralize their corruption. The results were now evident in Roselle.
"This is…" Roselle's expression was indescribably complex. Then he burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Finally, Roselle tore off the bandages, looked at Alaric, and asked, "So, can I be resurrected now?"
"That's up to you. If you want it, it can happen anytime," Alaric replied with a nod and a smile.
"Boss, you might be a bit ruthless, play favorites, and be stingy…" Roselle began, looking at Alaric, "but you're a damn good leader."
"…Sounds like you're asking for a beating," Alaric said, rolling his eyes. He glared at Roselle. "Getting cocky, huh? Think you can take me on just because you're Sequence 0 again?"
"No way! I'm just speaking the truth... and I complimented you, didn't I, boss?" Roselle laughed heartily. Without further hesitation, he entered the resurrection state.
Thus, in the first year of the Republic, Roselle returned.
…
Though the procedure on Roselle was a success, Alaric didn't rush to perform it on others, like Bethel.
Roselle's reaction showed the procedure still had some side effects. For instance, he'd clearly entered a state of emotional instability post-procedure, a subtle sign of madness.
... As an aside, once Roselle calmed down and recalled what he'd said, he wished he could rewind time and slap himself twice. Why had he blurted out such blunt truths? Didn't he know Lucifer held grudges like no other? Lucifer already disliked him, and now he'd probably find ways to make his life miserable!
Because of this, Roselle buried himself in the laboratory, with no intention of emerging anytime soon.
Alaric didn't bother with him, focusing instead on refining his experiments.
As time passed, the Republic's policies were implemented smoothly. Aside from Sasrir and others being swamped with work due to staffing shortages, the Republic was thriving.
Until one day, Alaric received a message from Medici.
"Intis and Feysac are making moves. They're planning to join forces with Lenburg and other nations to form a coalition and attack us. Congratulations, Consul Lucifer, you're now the world's public enemy," Medici said, his tone dripping with schadenfreude.
"Congratulations to you too, General Medici. Becoming Sequence 0 is just around the corner," Alaric replied with a smile, unfazed. He stretched lazily and added, "Perfect timing. I've been cooped up in the lab for too long. It's time to get out and stretch my legs."
Medici gave a amused humph but then looked at Alaric with a hint of concern. "You sure it's fine? Need me to lend a hand?"
Medici knew that with Feysac's moves, Alaric would soon be aiding the Evernight Goddess in taking down the God of Combat.
The God of Combat was a Sequence 0, after all. Though Alaric wasn't your typical Sequence 3, Medici couldn't help but worry.
"No worries. You focus on being the general. Use this chance to counterattack, liberate those nations, and ascend to Red Priest. I've got backup," Alaric said with a smile.
Medici raised an eyebrow, catching on. "Roselle?"
Roselle's resurrection and return as the Black Emperor were no secret to Medici.
Recently, Roselle had used his Sequence 0 status as a relay core to develop a basic, large-scale communication device, which was immediately adopted by the military. As the Republic's general and military commander, Medici was well aware of it.
"He wasn't exactly clear-headed last time and said some unflattering things. He's eager to make up for it. Bringing him along will put his mind at ease," Alaric nodded. He looked out the window, smiling as he said, "Now, let's go liberate the world!"
In the first year of the Republic, Intis, Feysac, Lenburg, Feynapotter, and others sought to form an anti-Sotha alliance to overthrow Alaric's reformers and restore the nobility's greatness.
But on the very first day of the alliance's formation, civil war erupted in Intis. With the support of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Church of Steam and Machinery, the oppressed people of Intis bravely launched an uprising.
They received aid from the Republic of Sotha, and Intis was soon mired in internal chaos, unable to wage external war.
Intis wasn't an isolated case. As uprisings broke out there, similar rebellions ignited in Lenburg and Feynapotter, with sparks of revolution spreading across these nations.
The only exception was Feysac. The nation devoted solely to the God of Combat didn't face betrayal from its church, but its god was about to encounter a far graver threat.
***
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