Oscar... what's that..?
Azik thought but hesitated to ask, he instead decided to offer an explanation.
"No, Klein doesn't know about my situation, and I only had guesses about his. It seems he's indeed become an Beyonder now," Azik said, shaking his head. He looked at Evah with the fond exasperation one might show a naive pet deer—helpless but indulgent.
Evah seemed to realize he'd accidentally spilled his friend's secret. He stammered for a moment before saying, "Mr. Azik, can I tell Klein about you?"
"Why?" Azik asked, not angered by the bold request, his gaze still gentle.
"Because I let slip Klein's secret. I know you're a good person, Mr. Azik, and wouldn't do anything to him, but I need to make up for this…" Evah said with a serious expression. "If you both know each other's secrets, it'll balance things out. Of course, I'll make it up to you too…"
Azik grasped Evah's logic. After a few seconds of thought, he nodded. "No need for compensation. You can tell him about me and arrange a meeting. I have some things I'd like to discuss with him in person."
Azik did have matters to talk over with Klein. He wanted to entrust Klein with investigating his past. Among his current contacts, Klein was one of only two Beyonders he knew and likely an official one at that.
Why not ask Evah? Simple—Evah's overly trusting nature and lack of an official Beyonder's backing made Azik worry that commissioning him would end with Evah accidentally landing himself in an official Beyonder's jail.
With Klein, Azik had no such concerns, not just because of his official status but because his personality was far more reliable than Evah's.
Evah could guess what Azik was thinking, and this was precisely the outcome he'd nudged toward. He had no intention of breaking up Azik and Klein's "father-son"… er, teacher-student bond. Keeping them as each other's anchors was more beneficial to him. If they both lost their anchors and their divinity grew too strong, that would give Evah a headache.
Evah knew his limits. He could charm his way to high favorability with both, but he could never be their anchor.
So, from the start, he wasn't here to tear this "family" apart—he was here to join it.
But no matter his inner thoughts, Evah showed none of it, only beaming with delight. "I'll write to Klein right away…"
…
"Dear student Klein,
Please forgive me for making a mistake…"
Klein read through Evah's letter at a leisurely pace, feeling a slight headache coming on.
After seeing the Zoroast diary at the Tarot Club a couple of days ago, he'd planned to find time to meet Evah and ask about his connection to the Zoroast family.
But the past two days had been hectic. During the day, he'd studied a ton of Beyonder-related knowledge with Old Neil, learning the names and traits of numerous low- to mid-Sequence roles and about various secretive organizations. In the evening, he'd visited Tingen's underground black market with Old Neil, broadening his horizons. He simply hadn't had time to see Evah.
And then, at the end of this busy day, he found this letter in his mailbox.
The letter detailed how Evah had confessed his Beyonder status to Azik and accidentally revealed Klein's as well. Evah apologized sincerely and mentioned that Azik wanted to meet Klein in person.
Honestly, Klein wasn't too upset about Evah exposing his Beyonder status. As an official Beyonder, he didn't fear exposure like rogue Beyonder did. His reaction was more of a wry, "Ah, he finally messed up" kind of feeling.
"I'd better get Jack's informant status sorted out soon, or I might end up visiting him behind Chanis Gate one day…" Klein rubbed his temples, shaking his head helplessly before turning to another matter.
"Mr. Azik is an Beyonder too? I wonder what pathway he's on. Jack didn't mention it in the letter—probably didn't ask…"
Recalling what he knew of Azik, Klein couldn't guess his pathway from memory alone. But based on the original Klein's memories and their last interaction, Azik didn't seem like a bad person.
Still, Klein didn't jump to conclusions. Ever cautious, he returned to the gray fog for a divination on whether meeting Azik would be dangerous. The result showed no threat.
"Guess I'll meet him, then. Wonder what Mr. Azik wants to talk about," Klein mused, reviewing his schedule for the next few days. While nothing critical was pending, his days were packed, and he might need to join the search for the Antigonus family notebook at any moment, making it tough to take time off.
"So busy!" Klein muttered. He'd been a corporate drone before transmigrating, but his current workload was several times worse, every day brimming with excitement.
"If it comes to it, I'll wait for my next day off…" Klein decided, writing a reply to Evah. He first reassured Evah, saying he wasn't upset about the slip-up, then agreed to meet Azik but noted his busy schedule might delay it until his next day off.
Of course, he added that if he freed up time before then, he'd visit them directly.
…
"Looks like next time I see Klein, he'll be a full-fledged Nighthawk…" Evah set down Klein's reply, unsurprised by the outcome. Mr. Fool's post-transmigration life was indeed relentlessly busy.
Evah picked up another letter from Backlund, this one from Xio.
She wrote that she'd read his last letter and found his reasoning sound. They knew a noble who'd been inquiring about Beyonder matters for a while and didn't seem like a bad person, so Xio and Fors planned to approach them.
"Even salted fish perk up when it's about their own safety," Evah said with a grin, starting to write replies to both parties. After finishing, he stretched and began plotting his next steps:
"Once Azik and Klein meet, Azik will likely ask Klein to help trace his past memories. When that happens, I can have my third alias appear in their line of sight."
(End of Chapter)