Jack Jones quietly shattered.
—Well, that's what Evah was playing at, anyway.
After hearing Klein's words, Evah put on a pitch-perfect shocked expression, staring at him intently before saying, "You used a high-sequence method to digest your potion?"
Klein blinked, caught off guard. He didn't yet know the finer points of acting and digestion, but he wasn't dense. Evah's pointed comment, combined with his own split-second Clown potion digestion, made him nod thoughtfully. "I guess you could say that."
The gods had made him a pawn, and by grasping his fate as that pawn, he'd digested the Clown potion. How was that not tapping into high-sequence digestion?
Though, the sequence was a bit too high. Who'd guess I'm only Sequence 8? Klein couldn't help but grumble inwardly. After seven days of processing, he could now think about this stuff calmly.
"That's straight-up cheating, isn't it?" Evah quipped, then shifted to a concerned look. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. In a way, it's a blessing in disguise," Klein said, shaking his head with a smile. His friend's genuine concern warmed him, and he earnestly shared the key insights he'd gained about digesting the Clown potion.
He genuinely wanted to help Jack advance, not just because of Lucifer's request, but because he truly saw Jack as a friend.
"Good to know you're alright," Evah said, exhaling in relief. He listened quietly to Klein's breakdown of the Clown potion's digestion points. While it wasn't useful to him, the heartfelt help from a friend was enough to lift his mood.
"Alright, I know how to digest the Clown potion now," Evah said after, flashing an OK gesture—a universal sign in the Northern Continent, thanks to a certain emperor's efforts.
Propping his chin, he added, "Klein, since you're heading to Backlund, have you scoped out a place to stay?"
"Uh, no," Klein admitted, shaking his head. His knowledge of Backlund came from magazines and some amusing stories from Miss Justice. He'd never been there, so he hadn't lined up a place, just skimmed some rental ads in the papers, planning to check them out in person once he arrived.
"Why not crash at my place first?" Evah suggested eagerly. "I'm hardly ever in Backlund these days, so the house is just sitting there. Might as well let you use it."
He was, of course, referring to one of his safe houses in Backlund.
As for why he'd offer Klein a place? To keep better tabs on him, naturally. Evah was a busy guy, no time to track Klein constantly, and Backlund was huge. If Klein slipped off his radar, it'd be a hassle. Better to nudge him toward a fixed address.
"That's… a bit much, isn't it?" Klein said, tempted but hesitant.
He was genuinely strapped for cash. After setting aside money for Benson and Melissa, he couldn't even scrape together 100 pounds.
"What's with the politeness? I know you, you old pauper. If I let you rent a place in Backlund on your own, you'll end up in the slums," Evah said, shaking his head. Without waiting for a reply, he dashed upstairs with a "da-da-da," grabbed a set of keys, came back, and shoved them into Klein's hands, rattling off an address.
"Besides, you staying there means you can tidy it up a bit. Saves me hiring someone to clean it regularly."
"Alright, thanks, teacher," Klein said, unable to refuse after all that. He nodded and pocketed the keys.
Then, curious, he asked, "Jack, why'd you decide to come to Tingen to teach in the first place?"
"Divination, obviously," Evah said, as if it were the most natural thing. "I had a whim to divine where my opportunities were, and the result pointed to Tingen. So I came here to teach."
He paused, putting on a puzzled look. "Now that I think about it, maybe the opportunity was Mr. Azik and you, Klein. Mr. Azik's a former big shot, and you're all mysterious, clearly hiding something… Could the divination have been about you two?"
Klein went quiet for a few seconds, thinking it wasn't impossible.
Whether it was the Death Consul's kindness or meeting a fellow transmigrator like him and joining the Tarot Club, those could count as opportunities for Jack, right?
"If the opportunity really was you guys, and now you're both leaving Tingen…" Evah mused, rubbing his chin. Then he lit up. "Klein, maybe I'll head to Backlund too. With you guys gone, I don't have many friends left here. It's getting boring."
He'd been laying the groundwork all day to smoothly shift his Jack persona to Backlund.
Tingen had lost its value for him to stick around.
…
Klein was surprised that Jack planned to quit and move to Backlund, but it wasn't a bad thing, so he didn't object.
After saying goodbye to Jack, Klein went home, reunited with Benson and Melissa, and enjoyed a hearty dinner together. Then he broke the news about moving to Backlund.
Of course, he didn't mention the Beyonder world, just said the company higher-ups saw his potential and wanted to transfer him to Backlund's headquarters—a story that lined up 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, "But I'll write to you, and I'll come back to visit when I can."
The room stayed quiet, and Klein's unease spiked. Then Benson, who'd been stone-faced, broke into a smile, clapping his younger brother's shoulder.
"Klein, you're doing great! Don't look so glum. I know you don't want to leave us, and we don't want you to go, but I'd hate for us to hold you back."
Melissa, frowning, said, "Is your company legit? I've heard…" She rattled off examples of scams, clearly worried. Klein had only been at the job two months, yet he'd gotten raises, promotions, and now a transfer to headquarters. It sounded too good to be true.
As the youngest but with the heart of a fretful mother, Melissa was genuinely concerned her brother was being conned.
(End of Chapter)
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