Just like those conspiracies involving the Demoness, Evah clearly knew what was coming in Backlund—far more than Medici did.
Medici's gaze shifted back to Klein. This kid, tied to Sefirah Castle and completely fooled by Evah, was genuinely worried about Backlund's future, while his all-knowing "teacher" had no intention of cluing him in.
"Pretty nasty," Medici muttered, then grinned. "Why should I tell you anything? Unless…"
His eyes locked on Evah. "You beg me."
Keep playing the innocent lamb, then!
Klein blinked, caught off guard. He wouldn't mind pleading with Mr. Red, who might be an angel, but it was clear Red wasn't targeting him.
Glancing between Evah and Medici, Klein realized something—Mr. Lucifer and Mr. Red might have a seriously bad relationship.
Evah raised a brow, meeting Medici's blood-red eyes for a moment. Then, with a smirk, he grabbed Klein's arm, huffing, "Beg, my foot. Let's go, Sherlock. If he won't talk, fine. I'll just write to my teacher later!"
He wasn't pretending to be a docile lamb but a goat ready to butt heads at the slightest provocation.
Evah shot Medici another look, adding, "Mr. Little Red, I don't know what's between you and my teacher, but if you're trying to take out your grudges on me, think again. If you don't want to live with us, I'll write to my teacher and ask you to leave."
In other words: don't stir trouble, or get lost.
"Ahem, Mr. Red, please don't take it personally. Jack's just blunt, no offense meant. But if you really don't want to stay with us, we can write to Mr. Lucifer to sort it out," Klein said, smoothing things over but clearly backing Evah.
"Tch, the big one's as tricky as the small one," Medici grumbled, not exactly disappointed. He'd only been testing the waters, and now he knew: Evah, even playing dumb, wasn't someone you could easily rile up.
Stepping forward, he said, "Alright, don't get mad. Just a joke. If you're upset, I'll throw you a bone as an apology."
He paused, lowering his voice. "The Augustus family. If anything big's happening in Backlund, it's tied to them. If you're curious, go dig, but I wouldn't recommend getting yourselves killed."
Klein's heart skipped. He knew the Augustus family—the royal family of Loen.
So, Backlund's next big event involves the Augustus family? A Loen version of "Why did His Majesty rebel?"
Guesses swirled in Klein's mind, giving him a headache.
Evah, unfazed, snatched Klein's luggage and, along with his own, shoved it at Medici, who was a step behind. Smiling, he said, "Thanks, Mr. Little Red."
Medici raised a brow at the pile of bags, grumbling, "You're really treating me like a nanny, huh?"
Evah just smiled, his eyes saying, "You're the pro, after all!"
Everyone knows the Red Priest's "red" isn't just for war—it's for nannying too. Medici raised Amon from childhood, making him a certified expert in kid-wrangling.
"Hah!" Medici saw the jab coming, sneered, but still hoisted the luggage.
Not because he was scared of Evah—he was enduring for his Lord's sake.
"See? Mr. Little Red's a good guy!" Evah turned to Klein, beaming.
"Uh…" Klein didn't know what to say. In that brief exchange, it felt like some kind of clash had gone down.
But given Jack's personality, it wasn't surprising. Jack might be naive in social dealings, but he's sharp about malice, so it made sense he'd push back against Mr. Red's obvious hostility.
Jack was never a pushover.
Klein shook his head, deciding to let them sort it out.
The trio took a trackless carriage to Evah's Backlund residence, a three-story villa.
Evah unlocked the door, leading them inside while explaining, "This is my place. The master bedroom's on the right side of the second floor, with my teacher's room next to it. Sherlock, you can pick one of the two rooms on the left."
He glanced at Medici, grinning. "Where do you want to stay, Mr. Little Red? If you've got special needs, we've got a basement."
Medici caught the sarcasm but didn't bite, just sneered. "I'll take the third floor."
"Cool, third floor's got four rooms. Pick one," Evah said, nodding, unbothered. He grabbed the luggage from Medici and started showing them the house's layout.
After finishing, he swiped a finger across the table, saw the thick layer of dust, and turned to Klein and Medici, saying seriously, "Before we settle in, we should probably clean this place up."
"What, too broke to hire a maid?" Medici said, arms crossed, dripping with snark.
"Yeah, feeding an extra freeloader stretches the budget. Maybe Mr. Little Red wouldn't mind chipping in?" Evah shot back, smiling.
"Hah!" Medici sneered, not answering.
Evah pulled a broom from somewhere, offering it to Medici. "If you're not sponsoring, let's get sweeping."
"…Ten minutes, and someone'll come clean," Medici said, eyeing the red broom, clearly annoyed.
"Thanks!" Evah said politely.
"Sherlock, let's pick your room," Evah said, pulling Klein along. They headed to the second floor, and Klein chose the leftmost room as his bedroom.
After picking, Klein hesitated, then said, "Jack, if you really don't like Mr. Red, we can tell Mr. Lucifer."
He could tell his friend and Mr. Red were at odds, with Jack's usual chill giving way to rare snark.
"Dislike? Nah!" Evah laughed, looking at Klein. "He's got a mouth, sure, but why turn down an extra nanny? Haven't you noticed, Klein? Mr. Red grumbles, but his actions are all-in. Total caretaker vibe."
"Uh…" Klein paused, then had to admit Evah had a point.
Maybe Mr. Red really was a tough-talking softie?
(End of Chapter)