Did Medici know that Adam had given Alaric a Conqueror characteristic?
Of course not.
After all, Medici and Adam had long since fallen out. Tolerating the limited cooperation between the True Creator and Adam regarding Alaric was already his limit; he certainly wouldn't go out of his way to seek information from Adam.
And given their current relationship, even if Medici tried, he likely wouldn't learn anything.
Alaric, satisfied with Medici's surprised expression, grinned earnestly. "At this point, you should say, 'Who asked you?' That's how you complete the gag."
"Hmph!" Medici let out a reflexive scoff. After the initial shock, he seemed to realize something, eyeing the young man before him with a knowing look. "So, you're here today to brag about striking a new deal with Adam?"
Medici didn't believe Adam would casually hand over a Conqueror characteristic to this enigmatic being. If Adam did so, it was surely to secure greater benefits.
"I did reach some agreements with Adam." Alaric admitted with a smile, not denying it. He toyed with the sealed Conqueror characteristic, treating it like a squishy toy.
Only then did Medici notice the object in Alaric's hand. As the former Red Angel, he should have recognized the Conqueror characteristic immediately, but its previous owner had clearly done something to seal its aura completely. Not a trace leaked out, making it look like an ordinary toy.
"But, Medici…" Alaric looked up at Medici, grinning. "You can probably guess, can't you? At least part of why Adam gave me this Conqueror characteristic."
Medici's expression grew complex. He wasn't foolish; he could see the possibility, which only made it more ironic.
With a sardonic smirk, Medici said, "Are you here just to annoy me today? Or are you playing messenger for Him this time?"
"Just stating facts." Alaric replied with a shrug. "As for being a messenger…"
Alaric chuckled as if he'd heard something amusing, looking at Medici. "Why would I play messenger for Adam? Your issues have nothing to do with me. He didn't turn me into a hot pot back then, and we're not exactly close."
"In fact, if you two fought, I'd happily watch from the sidelines with some popcorn." Alaric said with utmost sincerity.
"Tch!" Medici sneered, not the least bit surprised. He'd long pegged this guy as someone as infuriating as Amon.
Medici's gaze shifted to the Conqueror characteristic in Alaric's hand. "Name your price. What do you want to trade this Conqueror characteristic for?"
Alaric smiled, glancing down at the characteristic but not answering immediately. Instead, he changed the subject. "Medici, what do you think of Tudor?"
"Tudor? Hmph, just a lunatic." Medici replied, his expression cold and sour, clearly triggered by unpleasant memories tied to the name.
"And what about the Primordial Demoness?" Alaric asked, grinning.
"What's there to say? A twisted, deranged creature. If not for Her, the Demoness pathway wouldn't be exclusively male." Medici said, his reaction less intense than with Tudor but still laced with his usual sarcastic bite.
Alaric wasn't surprised. He continued with a smile, "Did you know Tudor and the Primordial Demoness had a child?"
"What?" Medici froze, visibly stunned. As someone who'd been cooked into a hot pot, turned into a wraith, and imprisoned in an underground structure for over a thousand years, the Red Angel was clearly out of the loop on such explosive gossip, with no means to learn it.
Alaric went on unhurriedly, "Not only did they have a child, but they were genuinely in love! Sure, their love wasn't exactly normal, but for high-sequences, it's pretty rare."
Medici's brows furrowed, his expression so peculiar it was as if Adam were crawling all over him. He was clearly choked by the revelation. After a long pause, he sneered, "No wonder the Primordial Demoness… They were already entangled back then!"
Medici was referring to his hot pot incident. As the Red Angel, he'd been hunting Einhorn and Sauron while guarding against the Primordial Demoness's distractions. Caught off guard, he was ambushed by Tudor, Adam, and Amon lurking in the shadows, ending up as a tragic hot pot.
Alaric neither confirmed nor denied it. He just smiled, watching Medici grit his teeth. After a moment's thought, he produced two apples from somewhere and offered one to Medici.
"Want an apple?" Alaric asked, already crunching into his own.
Medici, thrown off by the question, felt his emotions disrupted but took the apple anyway, biting into it with a crunch.
Then he saw Alaric pull out a camera from nowhere and snap a photo of him.
"What's wrong with you?" Medici said, genuinely exasperated, unsure of Alaric's motives.
"It's The Red Angel Eating an Apple! Not quite a legendary scene, but still worth commemorating!" Alaric said, spouting words Medici didn't understand. After putting the camera away, he casually added, "Medici, do you know how Tudor died?"
"You know?" Medici glanced at him, already aware this enigmatic being knew secrets beyond most.
"Of course I do. While Adam didn't directly kill Tudor, he certainly orchestrated His death." Alaric said with a grin, taking another bite of his apple. After chewing and swallowing, he continued, "Feeling a bit touched?"
"Hmph, touched by what? You're not suggesting He killed Tudor to avenge me, are you? That's disgusting and fake. With that fanatic's style, He'd only push for Tudor's death if it served His interests." Medici sneered, biting viciously into his apple as if it were someone's flesh. "I only regret not killing Tudor myself."
"Looks like you really understand Adam." Alaric said with a chuckle, then shifted gears. "Well, you might still get a chance to settle the score yourself."
***
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