Roselle paused, then gave a bitter smile. "Even if you wanted to use me as leverage to make Bernadette work for you, it probably wouldn't work. Bernadette… she probably hates me."
He remembered the last time he saw her, the disappointment and disgust in his daughter's eyes. That meeting had shattered their bond, leaving no trace of the little princess who once adored him.
"Not necessarily," Evah said, chuckling. "Bernadette does hate you, even resents you for everything you've done. But she also loves you deeply because you're her father. All these years, she's been searching for you."
In the Fog Sea mausoleum, Roselle froze. He hadn't expected that answer. His lips trembled. "I… I'm sorry."
"That apology's for her, not me," Evah said, pouring himself a cup of black tea. Talking so much had left him parched.
Roselle gave another bitter smile, silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "You can contact Bernadette, but you can't force her to work for you."
"I never force anyone to work for me. All my employees are volunteers," Evah said, smiling. He even countered, "Aren't you one?"
Roselle was stumped. Was he voluntarily working for Evah? Sort of, he supposed.
After all, Evah held his life in his hands—and the one thing he wanted most.
"You're such a natural capitalist," Roselle muttered after a long pause.
"Please, call me a fair businessman," Evah corrected, grinning. He sipped his tea. "No need to stress. I've got plenty of people working for me—Red Angel Medici, Mr. Door Bethel, Chained God Tolzna, and more. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even glance at a Sequence 3 like Bernadette."
Roselle was speechless again.
So, even being a workhorse required connections these days?
He felt a pang of desolation but knew Evah wasn't bluffing. With his abilities, countless people were probably clamoring to work for him, hoping for protection or a chance to reunite with loved ones.
"By the way, need me to arrange a reunion with Bernadette?" Evah asked, sipping his tea with a smile. "That way, you can explain what happened yourself and avoid me tricking your precious little princess."
Roselle fell silent, clearly conflicted. After a moment, he said, "My corruption's too severe. It's not safe for Bernadette to come here. Let her meet the past me instead."
"Sounds good, I'm fine with that. But I'm pretty busy lately, so it might be a while before I reach out to your little princess," Evah said, nodding with a grin. His tone shifted, more serious. "Enough small talk. Let's get to business. How's your condition?"
Like a diligent doctor—or a lab researcher checking on a test subject—Evah meticulously asked about Roselle's state, probing every detail.
Since it concerned his corruption cleanse, Roselle didn't hold back, answering every question thoroughly. Finally, half-joking, he griped, "Seriously, no gentler treatment? I thought I was gonna get blown to bits earlier."
"Of course there is. Don't worry, since you asked, I'll try a softer approach next time," Evah said, smiling as he jotted down Roselle's data.
"I feel like you're treating me like a lab rat," Roselle said, half-complaining.
"Be confident—you are a lab rat," Evah said, nodding without a hint of denial.
"Bro, you're just admitting it? Not afraid I'll get mad?" Roselle said, dumbfounded. He'd met straightforward people, but this was next-level.
"Why deny it? In the field of outer god corruption cleansing, every corrupted being is a lab rat. But if you don't like the term, I can call you Test Subject No. 2," Evah said, dead serious.
"…How's 'test subject' any better than 'lab rat'?" Roselle muttered, though he wasn't genuinely upset.
His situation was like a cancer patient given a miracle drug when death seemed certain. Surviving was enough—who cared about pride?
Roselle even had the mood to ask, "So who's Test Subject No. 1?"
"Chained God Tolzna," Evah said, not hiding it. "His condition was worse than yours. Before I treated him, he'd completely succumbed. But after phase one, he's regained a sliver of clarity, similar to your earlier state, but a bit better."
Roselle wasn't surprised but soon thought of something else. "What about Mr. Door? Is he Test Subject No. 3?"
Back in the day, he might not have known, but by now, Roselle had a rough idea of Mr. Door's situation and knew he was also corrupted by the Mother Goddess.
"Mr. Door's a VIP client. He's not part of the experiments," Evah said without blinking.
"What? Why not? Did he pay extra? You just said all corrupted beings are lab rats!" Roselle's eyes widened, indignant.
"Why?" Evah sipped his tea, speaking slowly. "Because he's a good man. Because he endured outer god torment, let his family wither, and refused to yield or risk the world. Because he'll sacrifice himself in the future to protect it. Because he never shirked his duty."
Roselle fell silent. After a long pause, he said, "Yeah, he deserves special treatment."
"But what's with 'future'?" Roselle latched onto the keyword.
"Future's just the future," Evah said, smiling without elaborating. "Time's a long river to me. I stand in the middle, but both ends are clear as day."
Roselle got the implication, hesitating as if to speak, then stopping. Finally, he couldn't hold back. "Boss, are you even human?"
"I've got a mortal heart, at least," Evah said, neither confirming nor denying. He checked his pocket watch. "It's getting late, Roselle. Let's wrap this up. You probably can't stay lucid much longer."
Roselle didn't argue. Though his corruption was temporarily suppressed, he'd soon slip back into chaos and have to sleep.
And so, Evah and Roselle's first meeting came to an end.
(End of Chapter)