A certain Jack Jones quietly shattered.
... Of course, it was just Alaric's act.
Upon hearing Klein's words, Alaric put on a convincingly shocked expression. He stared at Klein intently and suddenly asked, "Did you use a high-sequence Beyonder to digest your potion?"
Klein froze for a moment. Naturally, he wasn't yet privy to certain details about acting and potion digestion. But Klein wasn't foolish. Hearing Alaric's pointed question and recalling how he digested the Clown potion in a mere second, he nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose you could say that!"
The gods had made him a pawn, and by realizing his fate as one, he digested the Clown potion. How could that not count as using a high-sequence Beyonder to digest it?
Though, the sequence is a bit too high. Who'd have thought I'm only Sequence 8… Klein couldn't help but grumble inwardly. After seven days of digestion, he could now think about these matters with a calm mind.
"That's basically cheating, isn't it?" Alaric quipped, then adopted a concerned look. "You alright?"
"I'm fine. In a way, I turned misfortune into a blessing." Klein said with a smile, shaking his head. Feeling the genuine concern from his friend warmed his heart. He then earnestly shared the key insights he had gained about digesting the Clown potion.
He genuinely wanted to help Jack advance soon, not just because of Lucifer's request but because Klein truly considered Jack a friend.
"Good to know you're okay!" Alaric said, letting out a relieved sigh. He listened quietly as Klein outlined the key points, and though they weren't particularly useful to him, the sincere help from a friend was enough to lift his spirits.
"Alright, I know how to digest the Clown potion now." Alaric said, giving an OK gesture... a common signal in the Northern Continent, thanks to a certain emperor's efforts.
Propping his chin, Alaric continued, "Klein, since you're heading to Backlund, have you found a place to stay there?"
"Uh, no." Klein admitted, shaking his head. His knowledge of Backlund came only from magazines and anecdotes shared by Miss Justice. He had never been there himself, so he hadn't secured a place to live. He'd only browsed some rental ads in newspapers, planning to check them out in person once he arrived in Backlund to pick a suitable place.
"How about staying at my place for now?" Alaric suggested eagerly. "I'm hardly ever in Backlund these days, so the house is just sitting empty. Might as well let you use it."
Alaric was referring to one of his safe houses in Backlund.
As for why he offered Klein a place to stay, it was to keep better tabs on his whereabouts. Alaric was busy and couldn't constantly monitor Klein. Backlund was vast, and it would be easy for Klein to slip out of his sight. Guiding him to a fixed residence was a much simpler solution.
"That doesn't feel right." Klein said, tempted but hesitant.
He was genuinely broke. Aside from the money he'd set aside for Benson and Melissa, he couldn't even scrape together 100 pounds.
"What's there to feel bad about? I know you, you old pauper. If I let you rent a place in Backlund on your own, you'd probably end up in a slum." Alaric said, shaking his head. Without waiting for a response, he dashed upstairs with a "da-da-da." grabbed a set of keys, and handed them to Klein, rattling off an address.
"You staying there can also help me keep the place tidy, so I don't have to hire someone to clean it regularly."
"Alright, thank you, Teacher." Klein said, unable to refuse after such an offer. He nodded and pocketed the keys.
Then, struck by a thought, Klein asked curiously, "Jack, why did you decide to come to Tingen to be a teacher in the first place?"
"Obviously because of divination." Alaric replied with an obvious expression. "I had a whim and divined where my opportunity lay. The result pointed to Tingen, so I came here to teach."
At this point, Alaric put on a puzzled look. "Now that I think about it, could the opportunity I divined be Mr. Azik and you, Klein? Mr. Azik was once a big shot, and you're all mysterious, clearly hiding something… Could the divination have been pointing to you two?"
Klein fell silent for a few seconds, feeling this wasn't impossible.
Whether it was the goodwill of a Death Consul or meeting a fellow transmigrator like him and joining the Tarot Gathering, both could be considered opportunities for Jack.
"If the opportunity really was about you two, and now you're both leaving Tingen…" Alaric mused, rubbing his chin before suddenly saying, "Klein, how about I go to Backlund too? With you both gone, I don't have many people I know here anymore. It's getting pretty dull."
He had been laying the groundwork all day to make it natural for his Jack persona to relocate to Backlund.
After all, Tingen no longer held enough value for Alaric to stay permanently.
…
Though Jack's decision to resign and move to Backlund caught Klein off guard, it wasn't a bad thing, so Klein didn't object.
After bidding farewell to Jack, Klein returned home and reunited with Benson and Melissa. After a hearty dinner together, he told them about his plans to move to Backlund.
Of course, Klein didn't mention anything about the Beyonder world, only saying that the company's higher-ups had recognized his abilities and wanted to transfer him to the head office in Backlund... a story that aligned perfectly with the Nighthawks' earlier cover.
"So I'll probably have to move to Backlund." Klein said, looking at the silent Benson and Melissa. He quickly added, "Of course, I'll write to you often and come back to visit whenever I can."
The room remained quiet, and Klein's unease grew to its peak. Just then, Benson, who had been stone-faced, broke into a smile. He reached out and patted his younger brother's shoulder.
"Klein, you're really something! Don't look so glum. I know you don't want to leave us, and we don't want to leave you, but I'd hate for us to hold you back from progressing."
Melissa, frowning, said, "Is this company really reliable? I've heard…" She listed some examples of scams, clearly worried. After all, Klein had been promoted and given raises in just two months, and now the boss wanted to take him to the head office. It sounded almost too good to be true.
Though the youngest, Melissa, with her motherly mindset, was genuinely concerned her brother might be getting scammed.
***
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