If this was all premeditated, that'd be one thing. But if Alaric came up with it on the spot… Medici gave Alaric a meaningful look and said unhurriedly, "But this isn't without risks. Intis might take a gamble and start a war early."
Medici fixed his gaze on Alaric, curious to see how this guy, who always insisted on happy endings, would respond.
"War's coming sooner or later. If Intis starts it early, at least it disrupts their preparations, which is better than facing them fully ready." Alaric said, pouring himself another cup of tea and taking a sip. "Besides, I trust Mr. Red has ways to make them think twice about starting a war."
Medici suddenly chuckled, his blood-red eyes glancing at Alaric before he flashed a reckless grin. "You sure have faith in me."
"Just some basic trust." Alaric replied with a smile, though his eyes clearly said, So, can you do it or not?
"Piece of cake." Medici said with a laugh. In the past, pulling this off might've been tricky, but with the Lord's backing now, making Intis hesitate was child's play.
"However…" Medici's grin turned mischievous as he looked at Alaric. "You'd better figure out how to explain that fox tail you just let slip to your little friend over there."
With that, Medici vanished. He had to hurry back and discuss this major move with the True Creator.
Alaric, who'd gotten carried away, blinked and turned to see Klein staring at him. After a moment's thought, he flashed a smile. "Surprised?"
"..."
If Klein still had any naive sweetheart filter on Alaric before that discussion about conning Intis for aid, it was now shattered to dust.
Klein finally realized his friend wasn't just not a naive sweetheart... he was a terrifyingly cunning schemer.
"…Did you plan all this in advance?" Klein managed after a long pause.
"No way! Why would I waste time thinking about this? I'm not even involved in Red's revolution plans. This all just came to me because I had to help you out of your mess." Alaric said, waving a hand. It was the truth... he had no intention of joining the revolution, only planning to nudge it from the sidelines. With how busy he'd been lately, he hadn't had time to scheme this far ahead.
"So you came up with all that just now…" Klein's mind flashed back to Alaric's words, and he looked at his friend as if he were some rare species.
Klein wasn't dumb. After realizing he'd been dragged into an espionage case, he'd quickly devised follow-up plans. But he couldn't, like Jack, casually orchestrate a scheme to mooch off another nation's resources for a revolution.
Was that a normal person's thought process?
"It's just a habit of using everything at my disposal." Alaric said. With his naive sweetheart persona officially dead, he didn't bother keeping up the act, though he wasn't flustered either. He'd long planned to transition into a cunning schemer, and while getting carried away was a factor, it also served as a convenient push. After all, defusing a bomb early was the best way to eliminate a hidden threat.
Alaric pulled an apple from somewhere, took a bite, and tossed another to Klein. "Here, eat an apple. Get some sugar in you."
Klein caught the apple with a complicated expression, took a bite, and looked at Alaric. "What do you mean, 'using everything at your disposal'?"
"Well, I haven't told you about my past, have I? Before transmigrating, I was an orphan, but I didn't go to an orphanage. A con artist took me in. He saw I was good-looking and wanted to use me to craft an identity to scam more people." Alaric said, sipping his tea with a nostalgic look. "So, from a young age, I was taught how to make use of everything around me. For a con artist, even something as small as a button can be a game-changer at the right moment."
He looked up at Klein, smiling. "Turning disadvantages into advantages, dangers into opportunities... that's a con artist's survival course."
Klein's throat went dry. He stared at Alaric, opened his mouth, and said, "…So you've been lying to me this whole time?"
Alaric fell silent for a moment before looking at Klein. "I'm not as naive as I acted, but I genuinely see you as a friend, and I really want to help Mr. Azik."
"Do you believe me?"
Klein was at a loss for words. Looking at Alaric, who'd just transformed from a naive sweetheart to a cunning schemer, his mind was a mess. Yet he couldn't bring himself to say "I don't believe you."
Because Klein wasn't foolish. He could tell the difference between fake and genuine emotions. Jack might have deceived him in other ways, but his friendship was real.
Even this reveal of his true nature was, in a way, to help Klein.
"…Why did Lucifer say you've got a screw loose?" Klein hesitated, avoiding a direct answer about trust and instead voicing his lingering doubt.
Because my old persona didn't keep up, and I got too carried away this time, so I had to overhaul it… Alaric muttered to himself. He looked at Klein earnestly. "For certain reasons, I do tend to trust some people easily... good people, in my judgment, like you. I didn't have my guard up with you from the start. You probably sensed that."
It was the truth. With his original-story filter and keen sense of others' intentions, Alaric did find it easy to trust good people.
Klein glanced at him and suddenly pulled out a gold coin, as if about to perform a divination on the spot.
"Hey, come on, that's not necessary!" Alaric protested loudly. "What about trust between friends?"
"It died just now." Klein shot back, rolling his eyes. But he didn't flip the coin. Instead, he gestured for Alaric to hold out his hand.
Alaric gave him a puzzled look but extended his hand.
Klein slapped the gold coin into his palm, heads-up, with an exasperated expression. "Jack, I choose to believe you." He said, sighing. "I know you've lied to me about a lot, but I believe your feelings are real."
Now it was Alaric's turn to be speechless. He looked at Klein, then at the coin, and finally covered his eyes with his free hand. "Well, damn."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Klein said, instantly annoyed.
"You're trusting a con artist. You're done for, Klein." Alaric said without explaining, lowering his hand and looking at Klein with a serious expression.
Klein felt his fists clench, itching to throw a friendship-breaking punch.
"Hahahaha!" Alaric burst out laughing, tossing the coin playfully and grinning at Klein. "Nice gift. I like it."
***
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