Cough… Klein, who'd been pondering why Leonard was here without any disguise, nearly choked on his own spit at Alaric's words. He shot Alaric a mix of exasperation and helplessness. "What nonsense are you spouting? I'm just surprised to see Leonard here."
"He's a member of the Joker Club. Didn't I mention that?" Alaric said, feigning confusion.
"Did you?" Klein gave him a pointed look.
"Oops, maybe not. No big deal!" Alaric shook his head, then grinned at Klein. "So, you gonna go say hi to your colleague?"
Klein went silent for a few seconds, glancing toward Leonard. As colleagues and friends, he should greet him, but Klein dreaded the possibility of Leonard blurting out "Klein" in front of everyone. Even if the people here were trustworthy enough not to care about his identity, getting unmasked while in disguise would be mortifying... pure social death. Especially… He glanced at Sharon and Maric, sighing. Especially since he knew them as Sherlock Moriarty.
But as everyone knows, some things can't be avoided just by dodging. Case in point: Leonard, after fixating on Mr. A for a while, finally had the bandwidth to scan the others in the alternate space. His gaze landed on Azik, and he froze.
Leonard had met Azik before, back when investigating Welch's mysterious death with Captain Dunn at Tingen University, where Azik was a history professor. He's here? He's a Beyonder? Leonard thought, stunned.
"Don't stare like that. That's the former Death Consul of the Balam Empire." Pallez's voice echoed in his mind.
Others might not recognize a Death Consul, but Pallez, a veteran of the War of the Four Emperors, certainly did. He was adept at playing dumb, especially when he sensed the Evernight Goddess's schemes. Azik, an amnesiac Death Consul, operating openly in the Church's sphere without altering his appearance? No way that was a coincidence. Pallez wasn't buying it, but as a savvy player, he kept quiet.
Now, in this Lord of Chaos's alternate space, seeing Azik in a different state, Pallez knew the Lord of Chaos had a hand in this. No need to keep pretending. Still… Death, Fate, Hunter, Chained, Fool, and the Creator outside... tch, how many heavyweights has the Lord of Chaos roped in?
Pallez was quietly floored. The high-sequence density in this space was staggering. The Lord of Chaos's influence might be even bigger than I thought… He sighed, glancing at "Jack Jones." chatting and laughing with Klein. That bloodline aura… I'm not imagining it, am I?
Leonard jolted at Pallez's words, whispering, "Death Consul?"
"Sequence 2 of the Death Pathway, former Balam Empire Consul. Clear enough for you?" Pallez said, eyeing him with a kindergarten-teacher tone dripping with sarcasm.
"That's… an angel." Leonard muttered, swallowing hard and stealing another glance at Azik. Angels were still a rare sight for him.
"Look at you, acting like it's a big deal. This space is crawling with angels. That one painting? That's Ouroboros, Angel of Fate. The one eating an apple? Former Red Angel, Medici…" Pallez chuckled, leisurely rattling off the room's high rollers. As Leonard gaped, he added, "And don't forget, I'm an angel too."
Leonard's brain short-circuited. He barely used it as is, and now it was overwhelmed. He mentally cataloged the angels Pallez named, then whispered, "By the Goddess, five angels in one space? I've never seen this many. I haven't even seen five Sequence 4s!"
He mumbled, "Uh, I know you're an angel, but you're so… approachable, I almost forgot."
"Hmph!" Pallez snorted, unimpressed.
Leonard couldn't help it. He knew Pallez was an angel and had been shocked and nervous at first. But Pallez acted nothing like the records described... more like a retired grandpa, sipping tea, reading papers, even talking about fishing once. Over time, Leonard started seeing him as just an ordinary elder. Pallez had zero angelic vibe.
Pallez could guess Leonard's thoughts but didn't bother arguing. This kid doesn't get it. The more angelic you are, the more you lean into human habits to anchor your humanity. If Pallez ever stopped his tea and papers, Leonard should worry... either Amon had secretly devoured him, or he was on the verge of being overtaken by the Celestial Worthy.
Pallez just chuckled. "Your colleague's watching you."
"Huh?" Leonard didn't immediately catch who Pallez meant. He instinctively scanned the room, finally spotting Klein, who was keeping a low profile next to Alaric.
Despite Klein's disguise, his core traits shone through. After a few glances, Leonard's eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth to call out. "Kl... "
Before he could finish, Klein, ever-prepared, lunged and clamped a hand over his mouth.
That was close. Almost got unmasked.
***
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