"Maybe it's just my knack for improvisation?" Alaric shrugged. "After all, your body was full of my corruption. Just as the Mother Goddess of Depravity could control you through her corruption, I could use mine to achieve my goals."
"That sounds terrifying!"
It dawned on Roselle what he'd been doing. He instinctively checked his corruption and was shocked to find it perfectly balanced, as Alaric had claimed.
Now, Roselle no longer had to fear interference from the corruption or being overtaken by his corrupted persona. With the forces in equilibrium, he could almost pretend the corruption didn't exist.
But for some reason, this joyous milestone felt heavy, tinged with inexplicable sorrow, as if he'd endured countless trials to reach it.
Wait, what exactly happened during the treatment?
Roselle shot Alaric a suspicious glance, straining to recall. As memories trickled back, his expression grew darker.
"Here, have some hot water."
A cup was thrust into his hands. Roselle snapped back, glancing at the cup, then at Alaric, his face a mix of wanting to speak and holding back.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Alaric asked, holding his own cup of hot water, puzzled by Roselle's gaze.
Roselle kept staring. After a few seconds, he tilted his head back and downed the water.
"Ow! Why's it boiling?!" Roselle yelped, cursing.
"Well, they say 'drink more hot water,' but I figured magma's a bit much for a recovering patient like you, so I went with boiling water." Alaric said matter-of-factly.
"…Should I thank you for being so considerate?" Roselle's mouth twitched, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"No need to be polite." Alaric replied, setting down his cup. He studied Roselle for a moment, nodding with satisfaction when Roselle instinctively leaned back. "Good, your emotional responses are normal. Looks like you're finally sane."
That comment set Roselle off. "You've got the nerve to bring that up? What was that all about?"
"Temporary insanity." Alaric said candidly, a hint of pride in his voice. "Think of it as a unique trait of my corruption. You're lucky it was me. I'm a pro at handling temporary insanity. A less skilled hand, and you'd be permanently mad... a lunatic for life."
"…Ugh." Roselle wanted to retort but didn't know where to start. Finally, he said, "Didn't you promise to keep me safe?"
"Exactly. You're alive, aren't you?" Alaric said, as if it were obvious. "Even if you'd gone permanently insane, you wouldn't have died!"
"…Tyrant!" Roselle glared at him, spitting out the word.
"Relax. If I'm a tyrant, I'd make you the head of the secret police." Alaric shot back, smirking.
Roselle shivered, instinctively covering his vital areas.
Joking aside, with Bernadette watching, he'd stay out of trouble, but staying out of trouble didn't mean losing his manhood.
"Alright, enough moping. You're no stranger to insanity, are you? You've been hijacked by your corrupted persona for years." Alaric said, waving a hand. "How do you feel now?"
Roselle composed himself, carefully assessing his condition. He broke into a grin. "Better than ever."
He hadn't felt this free in ages, unburdened by the Outer Deity's corruption. It was as if he were a pure Sequence 0. Even in his lucid moments before, he'd had to suppress the corruption to avoid being overtaken.
"Looks like the surgery was a success. My method works." Alaric said, studying him with satisfaction.
The process may have been hellish, but the results spoke for themselves.
Roselle flinched at the mention, then thought of something. "Since it worked, are you doing this for Tolzna and Mr. Door next?"
His eyes gleamed with schadenfreude, eager for company in his suffering.
"Not Tolzna yet. My research on the Mother Tree of Desire isn't as deep as the Mother Goddess of Depravity's. I'll need a couple more test subjects to ensure safety." Alaric said, glancing at Roselle. "Bethel's surgery can be scheduled, though. With your case as a reference, I'm confident."
"Can I watch… I mean, assist? I might be useful. I'm kind of acquainted with Mr. Door…" Roselle said, rubbing his hands, barely hiding his excitement.
Alaric saw through his desire to spectate but didn't refuse. "Sure. Barring surprises, I'll operate on Mr. Door at the full moon, when he's most lucid. You can observe."
Having a living example like Roselle could be handy if something went wrong.
Roselle hesitated at Alaric's quick agreement, but it was too late to back out. Suppressing his doubts, he asked, "Since the surgery worked, can I resurrect now?"
"Better not. I can't guarantee that becoming a full Sequence 0 won't disrupt the balance. I need to study that further." Alaric cautioned, shaking his head.
"…Fine." Roselle said, a bit disappointed but not overly so. Even without resurrecting, he could wield Sequence 0 power to some extent... enough for an era where true gods rarely appeared.
***
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