"The one you're talking about his mother from which era?" Roselle asked, his expression more serious than ever, tinged with nervous anticipation.
Evah glanced at him with a smile, not dragging it out. "The one from before he crossed over, of course. Jealous?"
Even though he'd suspected Evah's Shadow of Time could do this, Roselle's eyes widened, his breathing quickening. Almost eagerly, he said, "So you really can summon people from the Old Days."
"Of course I can," Evah said, nodding without hesitation. "I thought that was obvious."
Roselle's face grew solemn. He looked at Evah and asked, "What's the price for you to help me see my parents?"
Evah wasn't surprised by the reaction. He smiled, speaking unhurriedly. "No price needed. As an employee perk, I can let you see your family once every three months."
He paused, sizing Roselle up, then shook his head. "But you probably can't cash in on that perk yet. Unless you want your parents to see a corrupted you?"
"No!" Roselle shook his head instinctively. He didn't want his parents to see him in a corrupted state—not just to avoid upsetting them, but because he couldn't bear the thought of them grieving for him.
Roselle knew his parents well. Even across millions of years, they'd be heartbroken seeing him like this.
He gritted his teeth, looking at Evah. "Help me reunite with them after I'm fully cleansed."
"Sure, no problem," Evah said, grinning and nodding.
Roselle glanced at him, sighed, and said through clenched teeth, "You're a natural-born capitalist."
If seeing family was an employee perk, didn't that mean he'd have to keep working for Evah?
"Nonsense, I'm a very fair businessman," Evah said, chuckling, his tone deadpan.
Roselle didn't give up. "There's really no other way to see my parents besides working for you?"
"Sorry, perks are perks. If I really liked you, I might make an exception, but too bad—you're a jerk, and I don't like jerks," Evah said, shaking his head, blunt and unapologetic.
Roselle felt like he'd been hit by his own boomerang. He could tell Evah meant it. No exceptions, all because of the rotten things he'd done.
"Is this my karma…" Roselle gave a bitter smile, his expression sour.
"Blame me?" Evah asked, grinning.
Roselle shot him a look, grumbling, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't, but I'm not clueless. This is on me." His smile turned self-deprecating.
If he'd chosen to be a better person back then instead of indulging his worst impulses, maybe Evah would've cut him some slack today.
"Man, it sucks working for a boss who doesn't like you… Boss, you're not gonna make my life harder, are you?" Roselle said after a pause, half-joking.
"Wow, settling into the role already?" Evah teased.
"It's just a job, no big deal. Who hasn't been a workhorse?" Roselle said, shrugging. He flashed a grin. "At least I've got a shot at seeing my family again and starting over clean. That's better than I ever hoped for."
"Good attitude. Keep it up," Evah said, patting Roselle's shoulder. He checked his pocket watch. "Alright, time's up. See you next time, Mr. Roselle. Hope you've got a solid plan for that Beyonder item by then."
Without waiting for a response, Evah canceled the Shadow of Time summon. Then, unhurriedly, he spoke to the current-era Roselle, with whom he'd maintained a silent connection. "You heard all that, Mr. Roselle. Any thoughts?"
"You're definitely a natural capitalist," Roselle's weary voice echoed in Evah's ear.
"Oh? Want to see some real capitalist moves? Like playing both sides—making you work for me while using you as leverage to get Bernadette to work for me until she drops," Evah said, grinning.
"Holy crap!" Roselle's voice rang out, either in shock or as a curse. He quickly recovered, saying, "You wouldn't do that. You didn't have to tell me if you were planning it. And unlike me, the jerk, Bernadette's a good kid—unless you were lying earlier."
"I wouldn't," Evah said, chuckling softly. "I'm a fair businessman, so I respect my employees' opinions. Roselle, do you want me to reach out to Bernadette?"
Evah had no intention of double-dipping. With Roselle in his pocket, getting Bernadette to work for him would be easy—he wouldn't even need to deceive her, just lay out the facts to gain an ally.
But why bother?
He didn't need a Sequence 3 lackey, and with his deal with the Creator's faction, he didn't need the Mysterious Queen's influence. There was no point poking Roselle's sore spot for Bernadette.
He'd rather let Roselle decide.
Roselle was silent for a long while before speaking. "You've really put me in a tough spot."
He was genuinely torn. On one hand, he didn't want Bernadette anywhere near Lucifer. Roselle wasn't stupid—whether it was that power, distinct from the Mother Goddess yet strong enough to suppress her corruption , or the vague hints his Black Emperor senses picked up, everything screamed that this "Lucifer" was dangerous.
No father would want their daughter near someone like that.
On the other hand, Roselle knew the apocalypse was inevitable. He was out of the game, relying on Evah to pull him through. In that case, getting his daughter to align with a big player wasn't a bad move. Evah seemed principled and powerful—maybe enough to keep her safe when the end came.
(End of Chapter)