If it were anyone else, they might not worry about Klein becoming the Lord of Mysteries; they would see it as a good thing, even envy being him. But as someone who sees Klein as a son, Azik found it hard to view this matter purely from a utilitarian perspective.
Or rather, this is the perspective unique to family and friends. Those who care about Klein would naturally consider it from these angles.
"The initial path was chosen by him," the Angel of Secrets suddenly spoke, as if understanding what Azik was thinking. There was a hint of a sigh in the voice.
"But..." Azik looked at the Angel of Secrets, hesitant to continue.
Klein was stunned for a moment. At that moment, he thought of many things—he remembered the strange ritual, and how, when he first arrived in this other world, he unknowingly performed the ritual that brought him above the Gray Fog.
The path was indeed chosen by him.
Even if, at that time, he was completely ignorant of the mysteries and dangers of this world.
But Klein knew that the dangers and madness of this world would never favor him just because of his ignorance. Compared to those unfortunate souls who died after performing strange rituals, he was considered lucky.
"This is also the best outcome, both for this world and for him," the Angel of Secrets continued. After glancing at Klein, he sighed and said, "From the very beginning, you had no way out."
Yes, from the moment he ascended to the Sefirah Castle—no, from the moment he arrived in this world—Klein had no way out.
His birth had been watched by the Evernight Goddess. From the beginning, his path was destined. Lynn did not deny that he had pushed Klein a little in this direction, but even without that push, the outcome would not have been much different.
Because Klein had already been bound to Sefirah Castle, and even if he was willing to give it up, beings like Amon or Zaratul would never just let him go. Would they?
Lynn did not believe that these two would be so magnanimous, especially Amon, who had already proven in the original work what he was capable of.
And in the era that he had interfered with, Klein still had no way out.
This world needed a Lord of Mysteries, and with Bethel unable to take the position, Klein was the only choice.
'If I could exist forever, if I could break away from my True Self, then maybe I could always protect you from becoming the Lord of Mysteries. But even if that were the case, I might not be able to protect this world. After all, at most, I could only deal with one or two Outer Gods. There's a whole bunch of them out there! And unfortunately, I can't even guarantee that. So I can only ask you to have the ability to protect yourself...'
Lynn spoke softly in his heart. The more he understood his True Self, the higher he ascended, the more despairing he became about his ability to break away from his True Self and maintain independence.
Moreover, Lynn had a hunch that the dangers in this world might not just come from those Outer Gods.
Some bad entities might also be eyeing this world—or rather, Him. Of course, that being hadn't fully descended into this world, likely just part of its power or an avatar, but it probably existed.
It was an unfounded premonition, but Lynn had always trusted his instincts.
So Lynn had already prepared for the worst—if necessary, he would return to his True Self and, before doing so, see if he could borrow one last wave of power to destroy the Outer Gods and drive out the entity that had targeted him from this world.
Lynn knew he could do it because at that time, he would no longer be himself; he would be... the True Self.
For the True Self, such things would not be difficult.
This is also why Lynn insisted on making Klein the Lord of Mysteries—only by becoming the Lord of Mysteries and grasping the power in his hands could Klein, after Lynn was gone, avoid worrying about being harmed by people like Amon, and avoid the danger of dying in a Beyonder event.
Otherwise, even if the threat of the Outer Gods was gone and Amon became well-behaved, if a war broke out between the Sequence 0s of this world or if some conspiracy arose, someone like Klein would still be easily swept up in it and then... game over.
After all, this was not a peaceful and stable world but one where the underlying rules hinted at madness. In this world, without power, one could only be an ant.
Especially since Klein had a knack for getting into trouble. A person like him, without power, was very likely to die young.
So, even knowing that Klein did not particularly want to become the Lord of Mysteries, knowing that this responsibility was heavy for him, Lynn still chose to push him down this path.
"I'm sorry, Klein. Maybe I shouldn't have done what was best for you, but I chose to do it anyway, because I have always been a willful person," Lynn said softly, looking at The Fool through the guise of the Angel of Secrets. "You and I both have no way out."
Klein must become the Lord of Mysteries, and Lynn must become the Demon of Knowledge. Even if, in the end, his efforts proved to be in vain, Lynn still wanted to try.
"...No need to apologize. The path was indeed chosen by me," Klein pressed his lips together and then looked at the Angel of Secrets, speaking seriously, "You never forced me to do anything, not even to become a savior..."
Klein sighed but showed a faint, relieved smile. He said, "I admit I'm a bit resistant, but it's not because I dislike it. I'm just worried I won't be able to shoulder this responsibility, that I won't be able to bear the burden of saving this world. After all, I'm just an ordinary person. Before meeting you, I never thought I'd one day become a savior."
"I'm very scared..." Klein lowered his eyes, seeming a bit embarrassed. "Afraid I won't do well, afraid I'll disappoint you, and afraid I'll die because of this responsibility. I also used to complain, why me..."
Of course, he was scared. Who wouldn't be? Saving the world isn't a game, and Klein wasn't a child. He knew that saving the world was not something you could achieve just by saying a few words. It was undoubtedly accompanied by danger, hardships, and even death.
"But..." Klein raised his eyes, looking at the Angel of Secrets, and asked, "This is something only I can do, right?"
"You are the most suitable person, and currently the only choice," Lynn did not deny it. He looked at Klein but seemed to see through him to the figure of The Fool in the original work, who once said, "Some things are more important than others."
He said, "Others have either lost the qualification or cannot bring salvation, but only greater disaster to this world."
"Then there's no problem. If this is really something only I can do, and since I'm the only one who can do it, then I will do it," Klein said, his expression firm.
He might not be as mature as he was in the later stages of the original work, might not have gone through as much, but ultimately, Klein's essence had never changed. He would save the world because, from the beginning, he would always choose to save the world.
Just like in the Tingen incident, even though he didn't know he could revive, Klein still chose to bravely face the spawn of the evil god alongside Dunn and the others, rather than flee.
And in the later Backlund Fog incident, Klein could have easily walked away but chose to confront Mr. A head-on and disrupt the descent of the True Creator.
Klein had always been this kind of person. He wasn't perfect—he liked money, enjoyed sweet iced tea, was terrible at crafts, and was a bit of a con artist—but his soul, his character, always shone with the undying light of humanity.
So, despite being scared, despite worrying, The Fool was still willing to take on the role of savior, as long as it was something he could do.
He has always been like this, and he always will be.
(End of Chapter)