As for whether the Evernight Goddess would turn against Alaric for supporting Azik's soul fusion and taking control of the Numinous Episcopate as a tool, Alaric wasn't worried.
Judging by the Church of Evernight's friendliness toward "Lucifer" and Lilith's attitude, it was clear the Evernight Goddess had been keeping tabs on him. She likely knew of Alaric's unique abilities, including his capacity to summon the Ancient Sun God.
As a shrewd entity, the Evernight Goddess wouldn't oppose Alaric without a fundamental conflict of interest. It would be too dangerous and unnecessary.
And what was her core interest in the matter of Azik and the Numinous Episcopate? Undoubtedly, the Uniqueness of the God of Death.
Azik was never an enemy the Evernight Goddess needed to eliminate, as evident in the original story where she had no issue doing him a favor.
As for the Numinous Episcopate itself, to someone as powerful as the Evernight Goddess, it was dispensable... nice to have, but not worth fighting over.
Given her nature, she would never risk a falling-out with Alaric over something as trivial as the Numinous Episcopate. It simply wasn't worth it.
Regarding the Uniqueness of the God of Death, Alaric and the Evernight Goddess had no real conflict. Azik, as the God of Death's revival vessel, could never truly accommodate the Uniqueness and ascend to godhood... the risk was too great.
Even Alaric, confident in his ability to help Azik merge with his other soul half through various means, couldn't change the fact that Azik was inherently the God of Death's vessel.
The connection between Azik and the God of Death was too deep. Beyond the deity's manipulations, Azik's status as the God of Death's direct offspring made him a natural vessel in this world, a bond rooted not just in blood but in mysticism. Even switching bodies likely wouldn't sever it completely.
Thus, Azik stopping at Sequence 1 was the best outcome. Anything further would be perilous.
Of course, while there was no fundamental conflict, that didn't mean Alaric would simply hand over the Uniqueness. Once something was in his grasp, there was no reason to give it away freely. If the Evernight Goddess wanted it, she'd need to offer something in return.
Alaric wouldn't make outrageous demands, though. He always believed in mutually beneficial arrangements.
"If this opportunity could smoothly secure the Church of Evernight's support for reform, transforming the Loen Kingdom would be much easier…"
With that thought, Alaric chatted briefly with Azik and the Death Consul, then dismissed the latter's summons. He reminded Azik that the usual family bonding package was scheduled for tomorrow and urged him to prepare, thinking about where to take the kids.
As Azik happily went off to plan the outing, Alaric sipped his tea, his gaze falling on Klein, who sat across from him on the sofa. Smiling, he asked, "Why haven't you left yet? Got something to discuss?"
"Er, not really…" Klein gave an awkward smile. He hadn't stayed because he had something specific to say; he just hadn't come up with a good excuse to leave and felt it would be impolite to go abruptly.
If only I'd gone with Mr. Azik to plan the outing… Klein thought with a twinge of regret, stealing a cautious glance at Mr. Lucifer. When their eyes met, he hurriedly grabbed his coffee and took a sip, pretending to be busy.
Klein had to admit, perhaps because Mr. Lucifer always seemed to have some issue with him, he felt nervous and out of place whenever they were alone... like a student stuck with a strict teacher, tense from head to toe.
Sigh, I really want to get along with Mr. Lucifer… Klein sighed inwardly, feeling a mix of disappointment and regret. Then he heard the man across from him ask, "How long until you advance to Sequence 6?"
Klein froze, as if called on in class, his whole body tensing. He quickly answered, "I've nearly digested the Magician potion. In about two weeks, I should be ready to advance."
As for the materials for the Sequence 6 Faceless potion, Klein had already prepared them.
"Not too slow." Alaric said with a faint smile, setting down his cup and looking at Klein. "Have you thought about how to act as a Faceless?"
"I have two ideas." Klein replied, nodding slowly. "One is to create a new alias and act through it. The other is to find people who need help, make deals with them, and act as them for a while…"
Unlike in the original story, where he knew little about the Faceless sequence, Klein now had plenty of mentors and access to knowledge. He had long understood the key to the Faceless sequence and had ideas on how to act.
"Good ideas." Alaric said, nodding with a smile before changing the subject. "But perhaps I can offer a suggestion."
"Please, go ahead." Klein said, sitting up straight, all ears.
"No need to be so tense. Just a small suggestion." Alaric said with a chuckle. He took a sip of tea and looked at Klein.
"You know that in certain border cities, Medici has already sparked the flames of revolution, waiting for the day they engulf the entire Loen Kingdom."
Klein nodded. He understood the "flames" referred to reform.
Alaric continued with a smile, "You also know Medici will be busy with the Numinous Episcopate for a while. That's not something resolved quickly... it'll take time."
Klein nodded again, his sharp mind already forming a guess. Tentatively, he asked, "So, Mr. Lucifer, are you suggesting I act as Mr. Medici for a while?"
"Not bad. You're not clueless." Alaric said, nodding with a smile. "Though Medici's strength is diminished, he's still effectively Sequence 2. Acting as him would greatly help you digest the Faceless potion."
"But that's not my only goal." Alaric continued, taking another sip of tea before looking at Klein. "Besides acting as Medici, you should create a new alias. I'll have Medici arrange a suitable role for it in the revolutionary army. You might be a bit busy in the coming days."
Alaric's reason for having Klein create a new alias for the revolutionary army was primarily for the sake of Klein's Miracle Invoker ritual.
***
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