Klein was dumbfounded. He glanced at Evah, then at Medici, and after a long pause, managed to say, "Nobody told me about this."
He noticed Medici's expression showed no surprise or denial, confirming that Evah was telling the truth. Mr. Red and his faction were indeed planning a revolution, and Evah was fully in the loop.
Klein suddenly recalled their early days in Backlund . When he'd suggested informing Mr. Lucifer about Medici's hostility toward Jack, Jack had brushed it off, calling Mr. Red a good guy.
It hit Klein like a ton of bricks: Medici's presence wasn't just about some looming Backlund crisis . It was likely tied to a deal between Medici's faction and Lucifer regarding this revolution.
And through it all, Klein had been completely in the dark.
He looked at Evah instinctively, his mind flashing to how Evah had instantly identified Meursault and Ian Wright's spy connections. Suddenly, his buddy felt like a stranger.
Was this really the naive, overly trusting guy who was always getting into messes?
"Seriously, what else would I be? A monster in disguise?" Evah said, catching Klein's thoughts and rolling his eyes. "How many filters have you slapped on me? I'm the old man's student, traipsing around the world with him. You didn't actually think I'm some naive sweetheart, did you?"
"If I were that clueless, you think the old man would let me wander around solo?"
But Mr. Lucifer did say you've got a screw loose… Klein thought, not daring to say it. Reflecting on his time with Evah, he realized the signs were there.
For starters, when they first met, Evah had pegged him as a Seer right off the bat . No naive sweetheart could pull that off.
Evah was never dumb—just his social vibe had tricked Klein into piling on the filters.
Now that he thought about it, if Jack were truly that naive, Mr. Lucifer's protective streak would've kept him on a tight leash, not let him roam free.
And if Jack wasn't as clueless as he seemed, had he figured out Klein's transmigrator secret?
The realization hit Klein like a lightning bolt. He glanced at Evah, who winked back.
In that moment, Klein knew Jack knew.
A flood of memories—every slip, every hint he'd dropped—rushed back, and embarrassment surged from his toes to his scalp. Goosebumps erupted. He wanted to dig a hole and bury himself.
This was mortifying!
"What's with the silent drama you two are putting on?" Medici said, watching the exchange with a mocking tone.
"Just some friend stuff. Mind your own business," Evah shot back without missing a beat, then turned to Medici. "You and I both know your faction alone can't pull off this revolution. So why not leech off another country's resources?"
Medici's eyes narrowed, clearly catching on.
Evah grinned, pressing on. "Intis has been itching for war for years. Think they'd mind lighting a spark to make Loen tear itself apart from the inside?"
"They're not stupid. They'd see the risks," Medici said, grasping Evah's plan: trick Intis into backing the revolution, using their resources to fuel it.
But Intis wasn't brain-dead. They'd recognize the danger of a revolution to their own stability.
"This is a world of Beyonder powers. The stronger you are, the cockier you get. You really think those arrogant types would take a revolution without angels seriously?" Evah said, unhurried.
Medici got it. If the True Creator openly pushed the revolution, it'd face fierce pushback .
But if they hid behind the scenes, framing it as a low-stakes conflict involving only those below angel level, its perceived threat would plummet.
In this world, might made right.
"And once the spark's lit, with your involvement, putting it out won't be so easy, will it?" Evah said, smiling, reading Medici's thoughts.
Theoretically, with the Ancient Sun God's Creator faction, they had the biggest fist . Pushing reform should be easy. But the Sun God's appearances were limited , and Evah wasn't keen on being a tool to summon him for every fix . That meant getting creative.
"Even then, Intis might not bite. This isn't a small deal," Medici said after a few seconds, though his thoughtful look showed he was weighing it, probing Evah's angle.
"That's where your skills come in—convincing them to fund it," Evah said, smiling. While Klein wasn't looking, he silently mouthed "Black Emperor" to Medici.
Medici instantly got it.
Normally, Intis wouldn't sink major resources into destabilizing Loen. But if they learned the Loen royal family was grooming a Black Emperor ?
If that news reached them, Intis would spare no expense to stop a Black Emperor's rise, ensuring their own safety.
Triggering Loen's internal chaos would be one tactic.
With Medici pulling strings, he could easily secure a flood of Intis aid. Once in Loen, he'd control its use. As long as Intis saw "results" before the Black Emperor ritual fully flopped, the aid would keep flowing.
Their side risked little. If it failed, no big loss. If it succeeded, everyone gained.
Medici's gut screamed that Evah was dangerous—not just for his bizarre powers but for his brain. Not everyone could spin a scheme from one ambassador into a geopolitical gambit, flipping Klein's disadvantage into an edge, roping Medici in willingly, and even turning the Loen royals' Black Emperor plot into a usable pawn.
(End of Chapter)