Mr. Azik

Lynch was just about to check which abilities he could currently simulate when he saw a man in a formal suit and top hat, with bronze skin and a black mole under his left ear, walking over in a hurried manner.

There seemed to be a faint sense of confusion and helplessness in the man's eyes.

"You, what is your relationship to Joshua Trance?"

"He is my father."

Lynch took a slight step back; he had a feeling that this person looked somewhat familiar.

But he had never met the man before, and he didn't know why he would have such a feeling.

"How is Joshua Trance doing?"

The man asked again, his expression becoming agitated, and the way he looked at Lynch was as if he were looking at a long-lost relative.

This made Lynch start to suspect that the man was some relative of the original owner.

Come to think of it, that was actually quite possible.

Lynch recalled the original owner's father.

The man must have been wealthy in his childhood, so he was always extravagant with his spending no matter where he went.

He had been good to the original owner, but unfortunately, he passed away due to illness when the original owner was six or seven years old.

He had squandered all the family's money, so after the original owner's mother struggled to hold on for a few years, she also passed away, leaving only the original owner, who had to stop his studies and start working odd jobs.

"He passed away. Did you know him?"

Lynch asked curiously.

The excitement on the man's face slowly faded, and he sighed helplessly, though his gaze toward Lynch remained warm.

"Azik Eggers, a lecturer at Hoi University. I was invited by Mr. Skuton to attend this gathering, and I didn't expect to run into you. How is your life going now?"

Mr. Azik?

Lynch widened his eyes in shock.

He remembered now; wasn't this the Death Papa of Klein from the original story?

How could this Mr. Azik have a connection to the original owner?

"Were you friends with my father?"

Lynch couldn't help but ask.

"...Yes, yes, I was his friend, but, but we hadn't been in touch for a long time, so I didn't know he had passed away, and I didn't know he had a child. In my memory, he was still a child himself..."

Mr. Azik looked at Lynch with agitation.

Lynch felt a bit strange; the way this gentleman spoke was just like some elder.

But he quickly brushed aside this doubt, intending to get closer to this gentleman. This guy was so powerful that he might be able to ask for his help in the future!

"I miss him very much too. In my memory, he was just like a young lad."

Lynch said in a heavy voice.

In truth, he didn't have much affection for the original owner's father, but he could certainly feign filial love for him now.

"Life is always full of partings and deaths. I think he would prefer to see you living well!"

Mr. Azik's eyes calmed down, eventually leaving only pity and fatherly love.

That's right, it was fatherly love.

Lynch twitched the corner of his mouth, only able to comfort himself that Mr. Azik had lived for many years, so it wasn't strange for him to look at a younger generation with such eyes.

But...

Mr. Azik didn't look old at all, and being looked at like that put a lot of pressure on him!

"You haven't answered my question yet. How has your life been recently?"

Mr. Azik asked again.

Lynch nodded.

"Very good. I recently joined a security company to do odd jobs for a weekly wage of two pounds. However, they said that as long as I can get into Tingen University, they will make me a formal employee and give me a raise!"

Lynch said in a relaxed tone.

He didn't have a diploma, so if he said he was getting three pounds a week upon joining the company, anyone would suspect he had sold his soul. It was better to say two pounds; keeping the money amount low wouldn't arouse suspicion.

He thought he had planned it well, but after he finished speaking, Mr. Azik immediately showed a look of heartache. He looked at Lynch and asked with some hesitation:

"Would you be willing to resign? I happen to be short an assistant, and the weekly wage can reach five pounds. How about it?"

Lynch:!!

Damn it!

Why couldn't Mr. Azik have appeared sooner?

If he had appeared earlier, he definitely wouldn't have become a Nighthawk. Staying by Mr. Azik's side would surely be safe.

But now, he had even signed the confidentiality agreement for the Nighthawk squad and couldn't resign for five years.

Of course, the main reason was that he had secrets, and staying by Mr. Azik's side all day made him afraid of slipping up.

Lynch suppressed the urge that was about to spill out and gritted his teeth, saying, "No thank you, Mr. Azik. I actually quite enjoy life at that company. The boss is a man of good character; he's even willing to sponsor my education at Tingen University despite me not having a diploma."

Mr. Azik's expression softened.

"Schooling is indeed important. If you ever need help, feel free to write to me. By the way, tell me your address as well, and I can send you some books you might need."

Lynch nodded hurriedly.

He immediately took out paper and a pen and wrote down his address for Mr. Azik.

Mr. Azik took the paper and looked at it for a while before sighing.

"You'd better just tell me exactly where it is; I can't make sense of this."

Lynch: ...

He sheepishly took the paper back. Well, his handwriting was indeed a bit messy, so it was normal that it couldn't be read.

"I'm currently living at 2 Daffodil Street, sharing a place with a colleague."

"Sharing a place? Would you be willing to share a place with me instead?"

Mr. Azik asked again.

Lynch refused immediately this time.

Mr. Azik lived nearby, and the rent alone cost two pounds a month.

Besides, living here would make it difficult to leech off the energy of Sefirah Castle, and he certainly didn't want that!

"My colleague isn't well-off. Even though he earns a pound more than I do, he has three people in his family to support. I'm afraid that if he loses me as a roommate, their financial burden will increase. If his financial pressure eases in the future, could I reconsider the matter of sharing a place with you?"

Lynch didn't shut the door on the idea completely. He worried that after Klein was killed by Ince Zangwill for the first time and Melissa and the others went to Backlund, he, as someone staying in Tingen, might be able to seek out a shared living arrangement with Mr. Azik.

However, he remembered that Mr. Azik eventually went to Backlund as well, though he didn't know when he left.

Forget it, he would deal with that when the time came.

Lynch pulled back his thoughts and was just about to ask Mr. Azik if he had any plans to leave Tingen in the near future when he saw Instructor Skuton walk out of the house.

"Why are you two still standing out here? I've been watching you chat here for a long time from the doorway. Is there anything you couldn't have come inside to say?"

Lynch hurriedly apologized on behalf of himself and Mr. Azik.

The two of them were indeed acting a bit eccentric.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Azik is a friend of my father's. I couldn't help but pull him aside to chat the moment I saw him. I truly hope you don't blame us!"

Upon hearing Lynch's words, Instructor Skuton looked at Mr. Azik with confusion.

He had never heard of this old friend having a friend he didn't know about.

"His father was one of the people I held in high regard. I hadn't seen him for a very long time, and I never expected that when we finally met again, only this child would remain. If I had been earlier, this child wouldn't have had to work outside at such a young age, or even rely on others to be given the chance to attend school!"