"Leaving already?" Dox said. "I still have so many questions I haven't asked."
Wai quietly said from the side, "You mean there's still plenty of payment that hasn't been deducted."
"Don't joke around," Dox said. "I was only acting just now. You think I'm afraid he'll deduct it?"
The moment he finished speaking, Dox heard Wise Sovereign's voice by his ear: "Six tenths of—"
Almost as if by conditioned reflex, Dox turned toward the source of the voice and gave a ninety-degree bow. Then he humbly said, "I was wrong. Please spare me, Lord Sovereign. I'll shut up. I promise I won't say another word for the rest of my life!"
After rattling off that long string of words, Dox suddenly noticed the unnatural silence around him. Wise Sovereign had not spoken again. A few seconds later, Wai instead let out muffled snickering.
Dox's eyelid twitched. As though realizing something, he looked up.
There was no Wise Sovereign before him at all... Only Angel, leaning lazily against the alchemical puppet and looking at him with a thoroughly "kindly" smile.
Seeing that Dox had caught on, Angel cleared his throat and said solemnly, "It's good that you know your mistake, but there's no need to never say another word in your life. If any of us ask you something, you can still answer."
Dox straightened his back and gave a complicated "Tch." It was impossible to tell whether that sound was one of relief or speechless exasperation at Angel's teasing.
After straightening his slightly rumpled clothes and easing some of his embarrassment, Dox finally put on a cold expression. "I guarantee that after this, I absolutely will not answer any of your questions!"
"Is that so?" Angel asked.
"Of course," Dox snorted.
The moment he finished, Dox saw Angel's expression turn