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"You really agreed?" The Outer Deity nervously grabbed a handful of popcorn. "How thrilling."
The sound of someone angrily berating him for watching the show seemed to begin echoing in his ears. It was probably an illusion.
Not receiving an immediate reply from the Lord of the Mysteries, Klein looked up and stared in shock at this fellow who had suddenly spoken.
The other party seemed to have compressed his presence to the absolute minimum, producing an effect similar to Psychological Invisibility. Until he spoke of his own accord, Klein had not noticed there was anyone else in the square at all!
"What are you looking at me for?" the Outer Deity asked, stuffing popcorn into his mouth. "Look at yourself. You're about to become like the protagonists in those power fantasies Roselle wrote, getting an opportunity that instantly makes you stronger, with Beyonder characteristics flying straight to you at a single rallying cry. Aren't you happy?"
"Are you wondering why I'm here? It's because the Demon of Knowledge took you away too quickly, straight from the sea to inland. I couldn't catch up. I just swam over from the sea." Seeing that Klein was still staring at him as though he had seen a ghost, the Outer Deity simply offered him the popcorn in his hand. "Why are you still looking at me? It's a new product from the Church of Mysteries' improved popcorn machine. Pretty sweet. Want to try some?"
Klein instinctively glanced at the popcorn.
It really was freshly made, still giving off wisps of steam. Its caramel-colored coating made his mouth water, and it looked delicious.
No, no, no, was this the time to think about that??
Klein felt his emotions crumbling a little-*One second I was seriously discussing life and death with the Celestial