Additional Chapter! Thank tiredcabinet, Ineedcopium, vcut, and isaiahman_123 for thus additional chhater.
Enjoy!
---
Leonard fell silent for a moment, likely steadying his emotions. Then, as if struck by a thought, he said, "Old man, you don't seem surprised at all that Lucifer is an Angel."
"Is it strange for a deity's Blessed to be an Angel?" Pallez countered.
"Guess not," Leonard said, ruffling his hair, though his face betrayed a conflicted look. "Old man, if the Chaos Sovereign and the Goddess are really allies, should I join that… Trickster Club thing?"
He'd been reluctant to join due to his faith in the Evernight Goddess, but now that it seemed the Goddess Herself was allied with the Chaos Sovereign, Leonard had no reason to resist.
Pallez didn't answer right away, likely weighing the matter. After a few seconds, he said, "It's probably not a bad move for you."
So, a few days later, when Evah, donning his "Evah Zoroast" persona, swung by to farm some goodwill with Pallez and fish for Fourth Epoch gossip, Leonard caught him off guard. "That invite to join the Trickster Club you mentioned before—still valid?"
Well, well, looks like he's finally confirmed the Chaos Sovereign and the Evernight Goddess are buddies.
Evah raised an eyebrow, not entirely surprised. He'd figured Leonard would shift his stance once the Goddess's position was clear. Smiling, he said, "Of course it's valid. So, Leonard, you've finally come around?"
"Ahem, just to be clear, even if I join the Trickster Club, I won't betray the Goddess," Leonard said, coughing—whether from embarrassment or guilt—before adding earnestly.
"I thought you'd already confirmed that my Lord and the Evernight Goddess are allies," Evah said, grinning at him.
"So, Luciferiel is Lucifer, right?" Leonard pounced on the key point.
"When doing good deeds, Senior Lucifer does prefer the name Luciferiel. It seems to hold special meaning for him," Evah said, neither confirming nor denying, just explaining at a leisurely pace.
"Why do you still call Lucifer 'him'? Isn't that an Angel?" Leonard, momentarily pleased his guess was right, caught Evah's phrasing and asked, puzzled.
"I don't know Senior Lucifer's Sequence, but he does prefer being called 'him,'" Evah said, shaking his head seriously.
Big truth there. Compared to the divine "Him," Evah genuinely preferred the more human "him" for himself.
"Such a Weird Angel," Leonard muttered.
"Angels always have quirks. Take a certain Monster pathway Angel I've heard of—he loves ice cream. Maybe it's their way of clinging to humanity!" Evah said, chuckling along with Leonard's comment, tossing in a jab for good measure.
Big truth again. Everyone knows Lord of Mysteries Angels without quirks barely qualify as Angels.
"Huh?" Leonard froze, clearly not expecting such juicy gossip.
Pallez, however, gave Evah a look and said with a chuckle, "Will does have a thing for ice cream. Probably tied to how he keeps rebooting as a kid."
"No need to probe, old man. I'm not tight with Mr. Will. Even if the organization's in touch with him, someone else handles it. Right now, the only Angel I'm dealing with is you," Evah said, catching the subtext in Pallez's words and responding with a smile.
Pallez picked up the implication in Evah's reply and chuckled. "I figured you lot, allied with the True Creator, would be hostile toward Will."
Pallez's comment was rooted in the existence of Ouroboros, the Angel of Fate. It's common knowledge that only one Sequence 0 can exist per pathway, so Sequence 1s aiming for godhood have to slug it out. Ouroboros and Will, the only two Sequence 1s in the Monster pathway, are locked in a perennial feud.
Of course, it's usually Ouroboros chasing Will down. Backed by the True Creator and wielding two Sequence 1 Characteristics as a King of Angels, Ouroboros has the edge. Will, despite holding the Monster pathway's Uniqueness, hasn't assimilated it due to luck issues, making it a burden rather than a boon. Talk about rough.
If Ouroboros weren't a bit dim and the True Creator hadn't gone crazier after the Fourth Epoch defeat, Will might've long been caught and fed to the big snake.
Evah caught Pallez's drift and, with a smile, said, "My Lord is indeed allied with the True Creator, but that doesn't mean He's hostile to Mr. Will. In fact, my Lord welcomes alliances with anyone."
"…Because chaos suits your needs better, right?" Pallez said, either misunderstanding or having misunderstood from the start.
Evah didn't correct him, only saying, "Competition makes the world livelier."
"Just hope it doesn't get too lively," Pallez said, shaking his head. He could already picture the chaos ahead, but…
Eh, might not be a bad thing.
Pallez then turned to Leonard, who was listening with a dazed expression, and nudged him. "Leonard, don't forget you're joining the Trickster Club."
Snapping back to the matter at hand, Leonard looked at Evah. "Is there some kind of initiation for joining the Trickster Club?"
"We don't do that formal nonsense," Evah said, shaking his head with a smile. He pulled a badge from his pocket, handed it to Leonard, and explained how to use it.
"So cool…" Leonard said, inspecting the strange badge curiously. He stared at the central word—unfamiliar yet somehow comprehensible—and asked, "What language is this? I've never seen it before."
"It's my Lord's script," Evah said, offering no further explanation, just a smile.
Pallez, too, eyed the badge's central word, likely mulling something over, but he didn't comment on it. After a glance, he said, "I see some familiar techniques in the badge. Reminds me of an old friend."
"This batch was indeed crafted by Mr. Bethel. I only just got mine—earlier badges weren't this fancy," Evah said, nodding without denial. He knew it was a tell; Pallez could likely guess Bethel had recently struck a deal with the Chaos Sovereign.
But so what? The badges being new didn't mean the Trickster Club was freshly formed. Maybe past gatherings just worked differently.
Even if Pallez suspected the Club was new, it didn't matter. The Evernight Goddess's stance was real, Mr. Door's collaboration was real, and the True Creator's alliance was real. In the face of those facts, the rest was trivial.
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
Release Remarks!!
Before I knew it, it's time for a new release again. First, I want to thank my editor, Penglai, and of course all of you readers for your continued support.
No more chit-chat—on release day I'll add at least one extra update guaranteed, and if first-day subscriptions reach 1,000, I'll add another one. That's the deal.
Finally, please send me monthly votes, first-day subscriptions, recommendations, and tips—love you all!
(End of chapter)