Bethel stood quietly to the side, his expression calm but his eyes gleaming with excitement. He held a notebook, clearly jotting something down.
It was no surprise that The Battle of Medici and Adam would soon become another of Bethel's masterpieces. Whether it would be 100% factual or embellished with creative liberties was anyone's guess.
Sasrir looked somewhat exasperated but made no move to stop either party. Occasionally, he drifted into thought, likely pondering unresolved governmental matters.
Such was the competence of Sasrir, the Divine Kingdom's deputy.
Klein, Lil' Amon, and Jack were pure spectators. Lil' Amon had even brought a melon, generously sharing slices with everyone watching. Jack, somehow, produced packets of sunflower seeds, distributing them to all, munching away happily.
Clearly, everyone was eager to see Adam's spectacle.
Just then, the God of Steam and Machinery's avatar seemed to sense something, its gaze shifting to a certain direction. Sure enough, Roselle appeared, zeroing in on Alaric and complaining, "Boss, such a big event, and you didn't tell me? What a shame to miss this!"
Alaric glanced at him, chuckling. "Someone already notified you, so why should I bother?"
Roselle pouted, catching the teasing tone but used to it. Then, something occurred to him, and he turned to Alaric. "Boss, lately I've noticed some oddly familiar storybooks popping up. Got any clues about that?"
Though Roselle had been holed up in his mechanical lab, immersed in inventions and barely involved in the revolution, he wasn't oblivious to the outside world.
He'd noticed a surge of novels with protagonists and plot points that felt suspiciously familiar... practically screaming, "Based on Roselle and the God of Steam and Machinery."
As someone with little regard for propriety, Roselle didn't mind too much, especially since he wasn't the one gender-swapped in these tales. Still, he wanted some justice.
Facing Roselle's question, Alaric replied calmly, "You're asking the wrong person."
"It wasn't you?" Roselle blinked, suspicious.
"Of course not," Alaric said, shaking his head and glancing toward Klein and Lil' Amon. "The culprit's over there."
Roselle raised an eyebrow, looking their way. Feeling his gaze, Klein immediately averted his eyes, guilty. Lil' Amon, unfazed, met Roselle's stare and raised a piece of melon. "Want some?"
Klein's guilt wasn't unfounded. He knew about the popular stories modeled after Roselle and the God of Steam and Machinery.
But he hadn't commissioned them. Though tempted by Jack's suggestion, Klein had too much integrity to follow through.
Still, the stories weren't entirely unrelated to him. After gossiping about Roselle's antics to Lil' Amon, things spiraled. Lil' Amon, ever the standout among Amons, hadn't lost his knack for chaos despite gaining humanity. He hired ten writers, and in no time, Roselle's tales swept the Northern and Southern Continents.
By the time Klein noticed, it was too late to stop.
"I hope Roselle isn't too mad. It's my fault…" Klein sighed, resolving to apologize properly to Roselle and the God of Steam and Machinery. He knew they couldn't do much to him, but he'd erred and owed an apology.
That was Klein's nature... imperfect, with human flaws, but always ready to own his mistakes.
As Roselle approached, bristling, Klein preempted him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Roselle, Mr. God of Steam and Machinery. Spreading your stories without permission was my mistake. I deeply apologize."
The God of Steam and Machinery paused, then smiled. "No worries, I don't mind."
Roselle eyed Klein suspiciously. "You had those books written?"
Though their interactions were limited, Roselle knew Klein wasn't the type for such antics.
"Uh…" Klein fumbled for a response.
Lil' Amon, calm as ever, chimed in. "How could it be Klein? Obviously, it was me!"
He said it with such brazen confidence, even countering, "Got a problem with that?"
Roselle looked between Amon and Klein, marveling at the gap between people... greater than between man and dog. Turning to Amon, he said, "Just you wait. Tomorrow, I'll write your narcissistic fanfiction. Trust me, I'm a pro at this. Your story will be legendary."
If Alaric had done it, Roselle would've leveraged it for benefits, like visiting his parents. But since it was Lil' Amon, it was tit for tat.
"I'll be waiting for your draft," Lil' Amon said with a cheeky grin, as shameless as Roselle, unbothered by his own fanfiction.
"Fight! Fight!" Alaric, watching from the sidelines, cheered, loving the chaos.
At that moment, the battle between Medici and Adam concluded. With the War pathway's direct combat prowess and Caly's boost, Medici unsurprisingly emerged victorious.
"What's your plan for me?" Adam asked, his expression calm despite his defeat.
"I told you already," Medici said with a reckless grin. He produced a lamppost from nowhere, swiftly tied Adam up, and hung him on it.
Then, he planted a sign beside it, bearing a single phrase:
"A Necessary Sacrifice."
Hey guys! If you're a fan of Marvel and looking for an interesting story to read, don't hesitate to check out this new fanfic:
[The New Asgardian (Marvel × WoW)]
Synopsis:
A man reincarnated as a Paladin from World of Warcraft to Asgard long before humans could even think of creating fire.
What else could possibly go wrong?
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