In the spacious living room, the red-haired young man lounging in an ordinary recliner suddenly frowned. Then the corner of his mouth curled into a mocking arc as he asked in a careless tone:
"What do you want with me?"
Sno appeared out of thin air, casually found a seat, and asked calmly, "Have you met him?"
"Yeah. He was just as naive as before. I put on a little show, and he actually believed it! Still, being naive is fine. Pawns like that are easier to control."
Medici shifted slightly backward, making himself look more like he was sitting upright. Sno, however, gently shook his head and said with a somewhat complicated expression:
"Not a pawn. A partner."
"Heh." Medici let out a noncommittal sigh, dropped the subject, and changed the topic. "When are you planning to make your move?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Sno raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, his expression utterly genuine. Medici narrowed his eyes, then relaxed again, smiling as though he had seen through Sno's lie—
"If you don't care, then neither do I. It's not me who'll die, anyway."
"Of course. Our plans aren't the same, after all. But if you can't even bring out the full potential of the pawn in your hand, then you, the Lord of Turmoil and Strife, would be pretty disgraceful." Sno spread his hands, his face full of indifference. Medici glanced at his chest, but ultimately said nothing mocking. He only muttered gloomily:
"I sent him to find Katarina."
"Who are you trying to bluff this time?" A trace of amusement appeared at the corner of Sno's eyes. The current Medici was different from the one in the original story. Although he still possessed only the strength of a demigod, combined with the