Roselle suddenly thought of something, gave a bitter smile, and said, "Even if you really wanted to use me as an excuse to make Bernadette work for you, you probably couldn't. Bernadette... she probably hates me."
Roselle still remembered the last time he saw Bernadette, the look of disappointment and disgust in his daughter's eyes. After that encounter, he and his little princess had completely fallen out, never to return to how things were.
"Not necessarily," Alaric said with a smile. "Bernadette does hate you, even resents you for everything you've done. But she also loves you deeply because you're her father. All these years, she's been searching for you."
In the mausoleum, Roselle froze. He hadn't expected such an answer. His lips trembled before he managed to say, "I... I'm sorry."
"You should say that apology to her, not me," Alaric replied, pouring himself a cup of tea. After talking so much, he was a bit thirsty.
Roselle gave another bitter smile and fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "You can approach Bernadette, but you can't force her to work for you."
"I never force anyone to work for me. All my employees are willing," Alaric said with a smile, then countered, "Aren't you?"
Roselle was at a loss for words. Was he willingly working for Alaric? Sort of, he supposed!
After all, Alaric held his life in his hands, along with the thing he wanted most.
"You're really a natural-born capitalist," Roselle muttered after a long pause.
"Please, call me a conscientious businessman," Alaric corrected with a smile. He took a sip of tea and continued, "No need to be too tense. I have plenty of people working for me... Red Angel Medici, Mr. Door Bethel, the Chained God Tolzna, and so on. Honestly, if it weren't for you, a Sequence 3 like Bernadette wouldn't even catch my eye."
Roselle was speechless again.
So, these days, even being a lackey required connections.
Roselle felt a pang of desolation but knew Alaric wasn't lying. With his abilities, there were probably countless people clamoring to work for him, just for a chance at protection or reuniting with loved ones.
"By the way, do you want me to help you reunite with Bernadette?" Alaric asked after another sip of tea, smiling. "That way, you can explain everything to her yourself and avoid me deceiving your beloved little princess."
Roselle fell silent again, clearly conflicted. After a moment, he said, "The pollution on me is too severe. It's not suitable for Bernadette to come here. Just let her meet the past me instead."
"Sure, I'm fine with that. But I'm a bit busy lately, so it'll be a while before I can contact your little princess," Alaric said with a smile, nodding. Then his expression turned serious. "Now that the small talk's done, let's get to business. How's your condition?"
Alaric, like a diligent doctor, carefully inquired about every aspect of Roselle's state, or perhaps like a researcher examining his test subject.
Since this concerned whether he could be freed from pollution, Roselle didn't hold back, answering all of Alaric's questions thoroughly. Finally, half-jokingly, he complained, "Seriously, isn't there a gentler treatment method? I really thought I was going to be blown to bits just now."
"There is, don't worry. Since you asked, I'll definitely try a gentler approach to remove your pollution next time," Alaric said with a smile, jotting down Roselle's data.
"I feel like you're treating me like a lab rat," Roselle grumbled.
"Be confident... you are a lab rat," Alaric nodded without hesitation.
"Seriously, you're just admitting it? Not afraid I'll get mad?" Roselle was dumbfounded. He'd seen straightforward people, but never this straightforward.
"Why deny it? In the field of removing Outer Deity pollution, all polluted beings are lab rats. If you don't like the term, I can call you Test Subject Number 2 instead," Alaric said earnestly, his tone utterly serious.
"...And how is 'Test Subject' any better than 'lab rat'?" Roselle couldn't help but retort, though he wasn't truly angry.
After all, his situation was like a cancer patient who thought he was doomed but got a chance at a miracle cure. Surviving was good enough... why complain about the details?
Roselle even had the mood to ask, "So, who's Test Subject Number 1?"
"The Chained God Tolzna," Alaric answered without hiding anything. "His condition was worse than yours. Before I treated him, he'd completely succumbed. But after the first phase of treatment, he's regained a sliver of clarity, roughly similar to your previous state, but a bit better."
Roselle wasn't too surprised by this answer, but he soon thought of something and asked curiously, "What about Mr. Door? Is he Test Subject Number 3?"
Even if he hadn't known early on, by now Roselle had a good idea of Mr. Door's situation and knew he was also polluted by the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
"Mr. Door is a VIP client. He doesn't participate in experiments," Alaric said without blinking.
"What? Why? Did he pay extra?" Roselle's eyes widened, clearly indignant. "Didn't you just say all polluted beings are lab rats?"
"Why?" Alaric took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Because he's a good person. Because he'd rather endure the torment of an Outer Deity, let his family fade away, than submit or let the world bear the slightest risk. Because in the future, he sacrifices himself to protect this world, never once thinking of shirking his responsibilities."
Roselle fell silent. After a long pause, he said, "Yeah, he does deserve special treatment."
"But what do you mean by 'future'?" Roselle keenly picked up on the keyword.
"The future is the future," Alaric said with a smile, not elaborating further. "Time is a long river before me. I stand in its center, but both ends are clearly visible to me."
Roselle clearly understood what this meant, which left him wanting to speak but stopping, then wanting to stop but speaking anyway. "Boss, are you even human?"
"At least I have a mortal heart," Alaric neither confirmed nor denied. He then pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and said, "It's getting late, Roselle. We'll talk next time. You probably can't stay lucid much longer."
Roselle didn't deny it. Though the pollution was temporarily suppressed, it didn't mean he could remain clear indefinitely. Soon, he'd slip back into chaos and have to sink into slumber.
And so, Alaric and Roselle's first meeting came to an end.
***
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