Danitz nervously glanced at Alaric.
Alaric returned a warm smile before turning to Mobet Zoroast. "I came up with the name. Don't you think it's got that Hunter Pathway flair?"
Mobet's expression turned odd. "I get the 'Red' part, but 'Maid'… I can't see any connection between Hunters and gentle maids."
"That just means you don't know the Hunter Pathway well enough…" Alaric rubbed his chin, launching into an explanation about the pathway's quirks, focusing on the tale of Medici, the Chosen Red Nanny. Mobet listened, dumbfounded.
"This… I've heard some rumors, but I thought they were fake…" Mobet's face mixed fear of retaliation with a craving for gossip. Swallowing hard, he said, "Mainly, Lord Medici doesn't seem like the childcare type…"
Mobet had seen the Red Angel before. Though far from acquainted, as a talented Zoroast, he'd once glimpsed Medici from afar. The man's majesty and pride left a deep impression, making it impossible to imagine him tending to children.
"That's just a stereotype. Lil' Red's great at caregiving. He looked after me, Gehrman, and Lil' Amon," Alaric said, shaking his head, gleefully tarnishing Medici's image.
"Yeah, Red Mommy's super nurturing. He's the kind of man who could be my mother!" Lil' Amon chimed in, adding to Medici's bizarre reputation. He tugged at the silent Klein. "Right, Gehrman?"
"..."
Sorry, Mr. Medici.
"Mr. Medici is indeed very adept at caring for others," Klein said, offering a mild description while silently apologizing.
With three people vouching and Pallez not denying it, Mobet started to believe Alaric. Feeling both incredulous and worried about being silenced for knowing too much, he glanced at Pallez.
"No need to worry. Medici won't mind, as long as you don't spread it around," Pallez reassured his descendant, expertly hiding how much he'd enjoyed the gossip.
Even for Pallez, such juicy details about an King of Angel were rare.
Mobet sighed in relief but didn't dare linger on the topic, fearing the Red Angel might appear and incinerate him. So, he shifted gears, eyeing Leonard beside Pallez curiously. "Old man, is this your current student?" His tone mixed doubt with disbelief.
Leonard, suddenly called out, felt a sinking premonition.
Sure enough, Pallez sighed. "No choice. He's a bit of a fool, but he's got good luck."
"..."
He knew it!
"Old man!" Leonard couldn't hold back, retorting, "How am I a fool?"
"Where aren't you a fool?" Pallez glanced at him, chuckling. "Be honest with yourself. Do you think you're smart?"
Leonard froze for a few seconds before rallying. "I'm not some genius, but I'm not a fool either!"
"Heh," Pallez laughed, then grew serious. "Compared to ordinary people, you're not a fool... maybe even a bit clever. But Leonard, you're my student, a member of the Joker Club and Tarot Club, and your best friend is close to multiple angels…"
"If you're not smart enough in that context, you're a fool," Pallez said, looking at Leonard with a sigh. "I want you to be smart, so if something happens to me or your friends, you can protect yourself. But I know you're not that sharp."
"And if someone not smart enough tries to act clever, they're better off embracing being a fool." Pallez's expression turned wistful, as if recalling something. "Luckily, you're a fool who doesn't like overthinking. That's good... it keeps you from getting too entangled in dangerous matters."
Leonard fell silent. He hadn't expected Pallez to think this way. He'd assumed the old man mocked his intelligence for fun, pushing him to study. Learning it was for his safety touched him. "Old man, you…"
But his emotion didn't last a second before Pallez continued with a chuckle, "Though your intelligence is beyond saving, your knowledge gaps can still be patched. Since Mobet's missed a thousand years of lessons, you two can study together later."
Leonard's expression froze.
Mobet, recalling something unpleasant, hesitated before saying, "Old man, I'm over a thousand years old…"
"A thousand years old, so what? The Ancient Sun God's thousands of years old and still studying under the God of Knowledge. You're not even a demigod, and you want to skip learning?" Pallez glanced at Mobet, chuckling.
Mobet was promptly cowed by his great-grandfather.
Siatas, catching a certain keyword, perked up and glanced at Pallez curiously but said nothing.
Amid the lively banter, the group reached the camp, where others were waiting. Mobet introduced both sides.
When Lil' Amon was introduced, most showed little reaction, but the ascetic Snowman snapped his head up. Clearly familiar with the name, he studied Lil' Amon intensely, his expression unprecedentedly agitated. "Y-You're the Angel of Time?" His voice trembled with disbelief.
Lil' Amon paused, looking at Snowman. Seeming to realize something, he pursed his lips, sighed, and nodded without refuting or distancing himself from his main body as usual. "It's me."
Looking at Snowman earnestly, he said, "Snowman, you've done well all these years. I'm here on The Ancient Sun God's orders to bring you home."
"My Lord! My Lord…" Snowman's emotions were indescribable, like someone long trapped in darkness glimpsing light. He bowed to Lil' Amon, his voice devout. "Your will is my will."
---
Hi guys! If you're into Marvel stories and want a different from the usual stuff and aren't full of clichés, feel free to give this new Marvel story a try:
[A Survival Guide to the Marvel Universe]
Synopsis:
Marvel.
A cursed superhero world that even the craziest person alive wouldn't want to visit.
How could they? There's basically an apocalypse every Tuesday.
Only the craziest of the crazy would choose to stay in a place like this.
And Ludwig isn't one of them.
The only way for him to return to his original world is to die.
In this cursed world, dying should be the easiest thing to do.
But there's just one problem standing in his way...
Why the hell do these idiots keep stopping him from dying?!
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