Amon froze for a moment, clearly not expecting to be dragged into the spotlight just for spectating.
Sasrir's eyes, however, lit up slightly. He looked at Amon, saying nothing, but his gaze carried clear anticipation.
Faced with such a look, Amon couldn't bring himself to refuse. Though he never equated Sasrir with The Ancient Sun God, his experiences growing up had left him with a certain fondness for Sasrir, his "second father." So, after hesitating for less than a second, Amon adjusted his monocle with a smile and said, "I'd be happy to contribute to the new world."
Sasrir's face broke into a gratified smile.
Antigonus, meanwhile, shot Amon a look as if he'd seen a ghost. Ever since regaining clarity in this world, Antigonus felt his worldview constantly being reshaped, the world becoming almost unrecognizable. And at the forefront of this change was his old friend Amon.
What turned you into this?
Antigonus' large wolf eyes darted around, finally landing on Alaric.
"What's wrong, Antigonus?" Alaric noticed his gaze and smiled at him.
"N-nothing," Antigonus replied, shaking his head frantically without a second's hesitation. He glanced at Amon again, feeling like he understood something.
Alaric didn't care what the wolf was overthinking. He turned back to Sasrir to discuss the new rules, pulling Amon into the conversation as well. The discussion stretched through the day.
When the moon rose, the talks concluded. Alaric finalized the two rules to be implemented in the border city, inscribing them into the "Book of Stories," ready to take effect once the necessary preparations and publicity were in place.
"Oh, I almost forgot... it's a full moon tonight!" Alaric said, looking up at the crimson moon with a hint of sentiment.
"Is there something special about a full moon?" Antigonus asked, sounding puzzled and a bit drained... not from physical exhaustion, but from the mental strain of listening to complex discussions all day, half of which he barely understood.
"Of course. A full moon means it's time to retrieve Bethel," Alaric said matter-of-factly, his smile brimming with anticipation.
Amon wasn't surprised by this, merely pinching his monocle with a slightly complicated expression, lost in thought.
Antigonus, too, seemed to recall something, his expression turning complex as well... but his was tinged with sympathy.
Clearly, Antigonus was remembering his own less-than-pleasant experience of being "retrieved."
Alaric glanced at the two, chuckled, and shook his head without saying anything. He turned to Sasrir, who was organizing the day's discussion notes. "Sasrir, I'm about to summon Bethel, so you'll need to head back for now."
"Just give me three minutes," Sasrir replied, unsurprised. He sped up his organizing, and two minutes later, he looked up. "Done."
"See you tomorrow, Sasrir," Alaric said with a grin, bidding him farewell before seamlessly summoning the past Mr. Door.
A familiar figure materialized in the air. The past Mr. Door opened his eyes, paused upon seeing Amon and Antigonus, then smirked. "Is this a meeting of the three dukes?"
"I'd say this feels more like the old days when Tudor called us to meetings," Amon said with a smile.
"Then… who's the Blood Emperor?" Antigonus blinked, asking the critical question.
Three pairs of eyes turned to Alaric in unison.
"That's rather hurtful. Am I really such a madman like Tudor in your eyes?" Alaric said, feigning sadness.
Amon glanced at him, smiling. "Aren't you?"
"Uh, that's not what I meant," Antigonus quickly shook his head, distancing himself.
The past Mr. Door hesitated for a second before saying diplomatically, "From what I know, Tudor wasn't quite as mad as you. At least he didn't threaten The Ancient Sun God with world destruction." The slight curve of his lips betrayed that it was just a jest.
Alaric raised his eyes, his golden gaze sweeping over the three dukes present. Then, with a brilliant smile, he said, "If you're so eager, I could let you relive Tudor's iron fist. I may not be as strong, but I can always call in reinforcements."
Everyone knew that Tudor kept the three dukes in line not with words, but with his fists, beating the unruly trio into submission.
"No need to get nostalgic," Amon said, his smile stiffening slightly. He knew Alaric's words might be a joke to others, but for him, they could very well become reality.
His teacher never held back when it came to giving him a thrashing, seizing any reasonable opportunity without fail.
"Lord, I'm innocent! This has nothing to do with me!" Antigonus protested, not wanting to be dragged down by his two former colleagues.
Bethel, seeing their reactions, was momentarily stunned. "I thought that was just a joke…"
He looked to Alaric for confirmation. "It was a joke, right?"
"Of course it's a joke!" Alaric nodded. For Mr. Door, whom he always respected, it was naturally just a harmless jest.
Alaric casually glanced at Amon, who was wisely keeping his eyes down, and let out a playful "tch."
Lately, Amon had been well-behaved, leaving Alaric with no excuse to give him a beating. What a shame!
"..."
Not surprised in the least, he could only muster a smile.
Ever since meeting Alaric, Amon had truly come to understand the phrase "you pay for what you've done." Even though he'd changed his ways, Alaric's enthusiasm for thrashing him over past deeds never wavered.
Being beaten was one thing... Amon could take it... but Alaric didn't just beat him; he sometimes called in Amon's "father" to join in, which was more than Amon could bear.
But who could he blame?
The little raven sighed, retreating into silent resignation.
Alaric paid no mind to Amon's thoughts. After the joking, he turned to Bethel and said bluntly, "Bethel, I need to enter the space where you're sealed."
This was why Alaric had summoned the past Bethel. Cleansing contamination could be done remotely, but balancing it required Alaric to personally "operate" on Bethel.
However, releasing Bethel before the contamination was balanced posed too great a risk. The Door pathway's mobility meant that, in an emergency, even a Sequence 0 might not catch him. While Alaric trusted Bethel's willpower, there was no need to take the chance.
Thus, Alaric decided to have the past Bethel help him enter the otherworldly space where Bethel was sealed... a task others couldn't manage, but one Bethel might just pull off.
***
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