Alaric had no idea their method of raising Lil' Amon was being mocked by the Amon Avatar. If he knew, he'd have fired back without hesitation.
After a refreshing nap in the pocket dimension, Alaric tidied up and began pondering a pressing issue... who should oversee the biological laboratory?
Medici, the workhorse, was out of the question. Regardless of suitability, even Alaric, the shady boss, couldn't bear to pile such a massive task on him given his current workload.
"But aside from Medici, I don't have anyone else reliable. If Roselle were already revived, he could handle both the mechanical and biological labs. Tch!" Alaric clicked his tongue, rubbing his chin in thought before a candidate came to mind. "What about Will?"
Though the Snake of Mercury might know nothing about biological experiments, Will's trustworthiness was a major plus. Handing the lab to him meant no worries about sabotage.
Second, the Serpent's luck was exactly what experiments needed. When conditions fell short, a bit of good fortune could drastically cut down research time.
Third, with his reset ability, even if the lab went haywire... say, unleashing a mushroom-zombie apocalypse... Will could restore it with a snap.
"Besides, if I don't use Will for this, I don't have many other tasks for him. It'd be a waste to let a Snake of Mercury sit idle…"
With that, Alaric made his decision. Returning home, he found Will teaching Lil' Amon about ritual magic.
Lil' Amon was listening intently, even taking notes, the picture of a diligent student.
Alaric glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are his clothes a bit small?"
As everyone knew, kids grew fast... one day's clothes might not fit the next. This was especially true for Lil' Amon, who aged a year daily. Today, his tenth day since arriving, he'd shed much of his childishness, looking more like a teenager, nearly matching a typical thirteen- or fourteen-year-old.
Will, once taller than him, now looked shorter by comparison.
"I didn't expect Amon's growth from nine to ten to be so drastic, so the clothes were bought for a normal ten-year-old. They're a bit small." Azik said, approaching with a coffee cup in hand. After a sip, he added, "I planned to buy new ones, but Amon refused. He really likes the ones he's wearing."
Alaric glanced at Lil' Amon's outfit... a magician-themed ensemble. It wasn't too small; the sleeves were just a bit short, exposing his wrists. It didn't look bad, though.
"No wonder Amon's main body always dresses like a magician. Guess he's always had a thing for it." Alaric thought, keeping a smile on his face.
Lil' Amon overheard their conversation and turned to them, saying earnestly, "I do like these clothes. And since I'm only wearing them for a day, there's no need to change. They're not uncomfortable, and wasting is wrong."
Alaric raised an eyebrow at that. He reached out, ruffling Amon's hair, and asked with a smile, "Sherlock teach you that?"
Besides Klein, Alaric couldn't think of anyone else in the household who'd instill a "waste is shameful" lesson in Lil' Amon.
"Mm-hmm!" Lil' Amon nodded vigorously, then hesitated, his expression firming up.
He grabbed Alaric's sleeve. "Uncle Lucifer, do you not like Brother Sherlock?"
Alaric paused, then looked at Lil' Amon with interest, smiling. "I can't say I'm particularly fond of him."
It was the truth. While Alaric genuinely saw Klein as a friend, his Lucifer persona had always kept a distance from him... a deliberate choice to differentiate Lucifer from Jack.
"But Brother Sherlock is really great…" Lil' Amon said, his black eyes pleading. "Can you not dislike him?"
Though he looked pitiful, on the verge of tears, a closer look revealed a cunning glint beneath the surface.
Clearly, Lil' Amon knew exactly what he was doing, leveraging his childlike charm to tug at Alaric's heartstrings and get his way.
"Pfft!" Alaric couldn't hold back a laugh. Seeing Lil' Amon's flustered expression, unsure how to proceed with his act, Alaric ruffled his hair again. "Sorry, kid, no can do. I'd love to grant your request, but it's a matter of principle."
"But…" Lil' Amon, clearly unsatisfied, pressed on. "Brother Jack likes Brother Sherlock too. Why doesn't Uncle Lucifer?"
Alaric's smile widened. He smoothed out Amon's mussed hair before saying, "There's no rule that says if a student gets along with someone, their teacher has to as well, right?"
"Take you, for example…" Alaric withdrew his hand. "In this house, you don't get along equally well with everyone, do you? At least you're not too fond of me."
Lil' Amon froze, caught off guard by Alaric's bluntness, standing there at a loss.
"And I don't demand you like me or think it's wrong if you don't." Alaric continued, crouching to meet Amon's eyes. "That's my principle. It might not be perfect, but I hope you understand: emotions can't be forced. There's no rule that says looking pitiful entitles you to make someone like another person."
Lil' Amon lowered his head, either hurt or deep in thought.
"Talking to a kid like that... are you sure that's okay?" Will's voice came from the side. He'd set down his teaching materials, glancing at Amon, then at Alaric. "He might just want Sherlock to be happy."
***
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