Alaric recounted what he knew about the Antigonus family in a leisurely tone, blending details from the original story with knowledge inherited from "Alaric Zoroast's" memories. As a descendant of the Zoroast family, however fallen, he still possessed some understanding of the three survivalist angel families.
Mindful of his current persona, Alaric avoided mentioning anything about Beyonder pathways, sticking to a general overview of the Antigonus family before hesitating with a reluctant expression.
"What's wrong? Is there something you can't share?" Klein noticed his pause and asked quietly.
"It's not that it's inconvenient, just that the rest veers into legends and mysticism... honestly, it's not very reliable." Alaric said, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "According to some rumors, the Antigonus family wielded strange powers, possibly tied to their faith."
"Could they have worshipped an evil god?" Klein speculated, thinking of the deaths linked to the Antigonus Notebook.
Azik, though silent, clearly grew more attentive.
"Probably an evil god, but records are scarce. I had to dig through a lot of texts to find anything about their beliefs." Alaric continued smoothly. "They didn't seem to worship just one entity. The texts mention two: one called the Mother of the Sky, and another called the Fool. I'm not sure if they're two aspects of the same god, but the descriptions suggest distinct beings."
Klein felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. Just yesterday, at the Tarot Club, he'd adopted the moniker "the Fool." Earlier still, when he'd gone to the market and stumbled into a divination, the result had also been "the Fool."
Now, to hear the Antigonus family revered an entity called "the Fool"? Despite only being in this world a few days and lacking a full grasp of its mystical forces, Klein's scalp tingled with unease.
It was too coincidental... eerily so.
Thankfully, Klein had braced himself mentally beforehand, and his acting skills held firm, keeping his expression steady.
But his subtle reaction didn't escape Alaric, whose observation skills rivaled a Spectator's. Deliberately using this to spook Mr. Fool, Alaric sipped his coffee discreetly, feeling a slight digestion of his Joker potion.
Scaring Klein and finding amusement clearly aligned with the Joker's acting principles.
Then, Azik murmured, almost instinctively, "No, He cannot yet be called the Fool."
Hm? Did he remember something?
Alaric glanced at Azik, who was frowning, rubbing his temple as if in pain.
"Mr. Azik, do you know something about this Fool?" Alaric asked, feigning curiosity with a touch of concern. "You don't look well. Headache?"
"Just an old ailment." Azik brushed off vaguely, shaking his head. "I don't know much about this Fool, only… I read somewhere that the Antigonus family's ancestor wasn't quite the Fool, at best half a Fool."
But I didn't say the Fool was their ancestor… Alaric blinked but didn't press, considerate. "I see. Maybe the records I found exaggerated. You know how it is... followers tend to embellish their deities."
Though Klein was burning with curiosity about the Fool, he could tell Azik didn't want to dwell on it. Suppressing his questions, he turned to Alaric. "Jack, do you know anything else about this Fool?"
Alaric shook his head, hesitating again. "I don't know much, but if you're really curious, I can look into it. No promises, though."
"Thanks, Jack. I owe you one." Klein said earnestly, desperate to learn more about the Fool, given its uncanny ties to him.
"Come on, no need to be so formal. We're friends, aren't we? If you feel bad, treat me to dinner sometime!" Alaric waved it off, grinning.
"Deal. I'll treat you." Klein said, mentally checking his wallet. It was thin, but he could afford a meal.
"It's almost dinnertime. How about I treat you both? To celebrate Klein's new home and Jack's new start in Tingen." Azik, ever the reliable adult, offered warmly.
"Sounds great! Thanks for splurging, Mr. Azik." Alaric said with a cheeky grin, ever the social butterfly.
"Thank you, Mr. Azik." Klein added, unable to refuse after Alaric's enthusiasm.
The trio headed out happily, led by Azik to a decent restaurant for a pleasant dinner.
With work the next day, no one drank. After the meal, they parted ways.
Alaric didn't head home. Watching them leave, he exhaled softly, a smile curling his lips.
"As expected, amnesiac Azik's favorability is easy to earn…" He stepped into an empty alley, lightly pulling at the air. A faint shadow emerged, merging into his body.
"I can probably borrow power up to a sequence 7 Necromancer. Thanks to my stronger spirituality, I could sustain it for a fight." Alaric assessed silently.
His efforts to bond with Azik had paid off. Azik's favorability toward him was around 20 or 30... not high, but typical for casual friends. Reaching this level after a second meeting left Alaric quite satisfied.