Crunch—
Medici's apple shattered in his grip. Even though he'd vaguely sensed the Primordial Demoness's conspiracy when Evah mentioned her fifth honorific name, this moment still threw him off, enough to lose control of his strength.
Totally normal. Anyone hearing something this horrifying would be just as rattled.
"What a waste!" Evah said, eyeing the ruined apple with mild regret. After a moment, he added, "You made the mess, you clean it up."
Medici: …
Medici felt a surge of frustration, caught between emotions. He shot Evah a grudging look, saw him still focused on making coffee, and snapped his fingers.
Flames flared, incinerating the apple debris without a trace, leaving the furniture untouched. Clearly the work of a seasoned pro.
Evah looked up, watching Medici dutifully clean up, and grinned. "Pretty skilled… Looks like Mr. Sun God trained you well."
"Hah, who do you think was babysitting Amon back then?" Medici rolled his eyes, irritation clear. The interruption cooled his agitation, leaving him grumbling, "Lunatics!"
No telling who he was cursing.
Evah assumed it was the Primordial Demoness and Tudor. He smiled. "They are lunatics. That's why Tudor's dead. He wanted to play a big game, but Adam wasn't in the mood."
"Guess that paranoiac does some good once in a while," Medici said, his expression softening, not too surprised.
"Strictly speaking, he's always doing good—for the bigger picture, that is. But you're one of his victims, so I'm all for you cursing him out," Evah said with a laugh, returning to his coffee. Soon, two freshly ground cups were ready.
He handed one to Medici, saying sincerely, "Here, have some coffee. Calm your nerves."
Medici took a sip, then grimaced, nearly spitting it out. He stared at Evah, incredulous. "How much sugar did you put in this?"
"Half a cup?" Evah said, uncertain, sipping his own. "Just yours, though. You seemed in a bad mood."
Implying: I added extra sugar because you were upset.
"Should I say thanks?" Medici said, his voice practically grinding through his teeth.
"You should thank me, but not for the coffee—for the intel I just gave you," Evah said, taking another sip, smiling. "The Primordial Demoness hasn't given up her old plans. So, Little Red, watch out. Don't end up as hotpot again."
Medici glanced at him, then scoffed, maybe mocking someone. "I don't owe favors. What do you want?"
"I'm generous with allies, so I'll give you a discount. Hand over that Red Priest Blasphemy Card. It's useless to you anyway!" Evah said, smiling, unsurprised by Medici's reaction.
What he admired most about Medici was that, despite being one of the top schemers, his time with the Ancient Sun God made him loyal to allies. In the original story, he genuinely tried to save the Eternal Blazing Sun after their alliance.
Too bad Blazing Sun still croaked. God's a real menace, the ultimate backstabber in Lord of Mysteries.
"Tch, so it's still about that card. I'm curious—what's it to you?" Medici scoffed, flipping his hand to reveal the Red Priest Blasphemy Card. "Don't tell me you just want the Hunter pathway's potion formula."
Evah plucked the card from Medici's hand, who didn't stop him, clearly agreeing to the trade.
Evah examined his first Blasphemy Card, saying casually, "Just doing some research. Blasphemy Cards are tied to outer gods, and I've been pretty curious about them lately."
Medici raised a brow, neither believing nor disbelieving.
After a few seconds of studying the card, Evah tucked it away and looked at Medici. "Since the intel trade's done, let's talk about something else."
Medici's expression turned serious, knowing Evah was about to discuss the Conqueror characteristic trade.
He was right. Evah started toying with the Conqueror characteristic again, his smile brighter than ever. Looking at Medici, he said, "Work for me for three years. After that, it's yours. Pretty good deal, right?"
Medici's brows furrowed. Trading three years for a Conqueror characteristic was a deal no one would refuse. As Evah said, it was a steal.
For an angel, three years was a blink.
"I won't betray my Lord," Medici said, neither accepting nor refusing.
"No need to betray the True Creator. We're allies, remember? Think of it as your Lord loaning you to me for a three-year gig. You can go back after, or treat it as a special three-year mission," Evah said, adding pointedly, "I bet the True Creator won't mind."
Medici didn't respond, tilting his head as if listening to something. After a moment, he looked at Evah, decision made. "I'll work for you for three years, but if you give me obvious suicide missions, I can refuse."
"Of course!" Evah nodded, smiling. "Don't worry, I don't send people to their deaths. I take good care of my workers. Here's your badge. Welcome to the Trickster Club."
He pulled a badge from his pocket and handed it to Medici.
Medici took it, unsurprised, clearly aware of it—Mr. A had already reported it up the chain. He glanced at the badge, then smirked, looking at Evah. "So you really want to fish Bethel out?"
(End of Chapter)