Although Lynn sympathized with Azik's confused memories, he had no intention of revealing the truth to him. After all, if he were to say anything, the one who would end up needing sympathy wouldn't be Azik, but himself.
So, Lynn merely put on a suitably puzzled yet curious expression and said, "From what you're saying, it does seem like your memories have some contradictions. Logically, since you had already escaped the clutches of the God of Death back then, there shouldn't have been any reason for you to get involved in the Pale Disaster afterward..."
It's worth mentioning that, possibly due to periodically receiving memories of altered history, Azik's recovery of his memories as the Death Consul was progressing faster than in the original story.
This isn't surprising, given that even the altered memories of history contain many familiar people and events for Azik, such as his past identity as the Death Consul, his terrible father, and various situations in the Balam Empire. With such stimuli, it was natural for Azik to recover these particular memories more quickly.
Fortunately, it seems that the same influence of the altered history has prevented Azik from becoming too much like the cold Death Consul of the past. Instead, he leans more toward the fourth-era Azik who was misguided by Lynn, with his now-restored humanity serving as a balancing factor, leaving his personality largely unaffected.
"Could it be that something unexpected happened, forcing you to return to the God of Death?" Klein also furrowed his brow, proposing a possible scenario.
He was understandably shocked that Mr. Azik had been involved in the Pale Disaster and was worried that recovering those memories might make him cold and ruthless.
But Klein also believed in Mr. Azik. No matter what the Death Consul had been like, the Mr. Azik he knew now was a kind, gentle soul with a soft heart.
Even the memories Azik had recovered involving Lynn showed that even back when he was still the Death Consul, he had a gentle side.
'As for the Pale Disaster... perhaps there were hidden reasons, such as coercion from Mr. Azik's father. That God of Death didn't seem like a good father. He had oppressed Azik since birth...' Klein couldn't help but grumble internally. At this moment, the God of Death, Salinger, had already been categorized as a lousy father in Klein's mind—an extremely cold and unfeeling deity, whether towards his offspring or his followers.
If the God of Death, as both a father and a deity, had discovered the truth behind Mr. Azik's faked death and forcibly brought him back, it was entirely possible that he had been coerced into participating in the Pale Disaster.
And it was clear that Mr. Azik couldn't have resisted.
However... Klein glanced at Lynn beside him, looking as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Naturally, Lynn noticed his gaze. He spoke up, "Sherlock, the possibility you mentioned is indeed likely, but there's also a problem—where was I at that time?"
Lynn rubbed his chin, assuming a thoughtful expression as he continued, "Although I'm not sure what kind of freak I was back then, it's clear that I was strong. Even if that strength came at a price, it was enough to easily suppress a Sequence 0."
"And given my personality, since Azik was already under my protection, working for me, I wouldn't have abandoned him easily even if something unexpected led to his whereabouts being discovered by the God of Death..."
Lynn looked at Azik as he spoke, his brow furrowed slightly, "Unless something happened to me at that time, making it impossible for me to act."
The expression on his face was so genuine, it was as if he had no idea what the truth was.
"That's also a possibility," Azik nodded, hesitating for a moment before adding, "Something must have happened to you back then. Based on the memories I've recovered, you were already preparing to establish a church for the True Creator to help Him escape His madness. At the same time, you had obtained the uniqueness of the Paragon and were clearly preparing to ascend to that level. Even the Angel of Crafts was just a follower in your wake..."
"But now, the one who became a Paragon was that little follower from back then. The church of the True Creator never existed, and far from breaking free of madness, His condition has only worsened..." Klein muttered, looking at Lynn with some concern.
"Indeed. And now my soul has split in two, a deliberate act by my past self, no doubt, but it's clear that I wouldn't have done something like that without a reason..."
Lynn nodded gravely. Successfully leading the two men down the wrong path, he sighed and said, "Sigh, it's a pity that I haven't recovered many memories about this. The Angel of Secrets certainly knows the answer to everything, but he just refuses to tell me," he added with evident displeasure.
"He must have his reasons. Some things might not be suitable for you to know right now," Klein said, offering a defense for the Angel. Although Klein was also frustrated by the Angel's cryptic behavior, he could understand why.
"Fine. He has plan after plan; I can't be bothered to think about it," Lynn shrugged and then continued, "But this does clarify some things. No wonder he suddenly had me restrain and guide the Aurora Order—he's planning to continue what wasn't finished in the Fourth Epoch. But will this really work?"
"From what I know, a believer's perception of a God can indeed influence the deity themselves..." Azik chimed in, now more knowledgeable due to the memories he had recovered:
"So if the reputation of the True Creator can be reversed, and His image among His followers can be transformed, it might indeed help Him break free from His fallen and mad aspects."
"However..." Azik hesitated, then said, "Even if such a method works, it might take a long time to succeed. The current world may not have that much time left."
Having recovered some of his memories as the Death Consul and the altered historical memories related to his soul, Azik clearly recalled matters related to the Outer Gods. Despite his fragmented soul and forgotten skills, his Sequence 2 remaining characteristics had protected him from any Corruption.
(End of Chapter)
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