Deep in the Spirit World, amid mottled colors that made directions impossible to distinguish-"Mr. Azik?"
Klein looked at the familiar figure with bronze skin beside him, his voice filled with disbelief as his body began to tremble slightly.
"It's me." Azik's voice was as gentle as ever. "I received the letter you sent me."
"You received it!" Klein felt a weight lift from his heart.
Too much had happened lately, all of it a tangled mess. With Ilyin, a Demoness, at his side, he had never found a suitable opportunity to write to Mr. Azik.
Only when this mission to impersonate the Red Gloves proved absurd beyond belief did he feel things had spiraled beyond his control. He hurriedly found a spare moment and wrote to Azik about his recent experiences and doubts.
He had never imagined Mr. Azik would actually appear at the most critical moment and save him.
"I read your letter," Azik said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I never expected you to join the Society..."
"Actually, I didn't want to either-but..." The corners of Klein's mouth twitched, forming a bitter smile.
He explained every detail he had been unable to make clear in his letter, from how it had all started and the ambassador incident to how Charles and the others had "helped" him resolve his problems, then all but forced him into their organization.
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, like a child venting his grievances. He couldn't help it. To him, Mr. Azik was the only person he could trust this much.
"You've been through a lot." After listening to his student's account, Azik offered a gentle word of comfort.
"Right." His brow creased slightly, as though he had slipped into some unpleasant memory. "I haven't remembered much about