Pigsty

Mr. Bede’s entire sequence of movements had been exceptionally fluid—so much so that one could not help but wonder whether he had done this many times before and developed a reflex. Piaget licked his lips and marveled, "Mr. Bede once told me he has a daughter. I wonder if his future son-in-law would get cold feet seeing this. The poor guy probably wouldn't dare abandon his wife for the rest of his life." "..." Karen was speechless. Karen turned to look at Piaget. Piaget looked back at him and asked, "What's wrong?" "Heh." Karen figured Piaget had probably guessed his connection with Mr. Bede and was merely playing dumb. Mr. Bede walked back. The fighting above was still underway, so the three of them squatted back down in the corner of the wine cellar. Karen was in the middle, Piaget to his left, and Mr. Bede to his right. "How much longer will they fight?" Piaget asked. "Not long. This is York City," Mr. Bede replied. Karen nodded. Both sides clashing above were desperate to end the battle quickly, regardless of the outcome. This was York City, capital of Wien and one of the largest metropolises in the world. Every major church maintained offices here, fully staffed, which naturally included the Church of Order. The Light remnants feared that if the standoff dragged on, reinforcements from the Church of Order would arrive. Meanwhile, the Order priests above were equally terrified that if the stalemate continued, their own reinforcements would arrive! Karen kept murmuring the opening prayer under his breath: "O great and supreme God of Order, O Chains of Order that adjudicate all things..." *** Rayson sat inside the car while the old butler stood outside the door, keeping guard. The violent explosions coming from ahead and the thick, suffocating aura of faith palpable even from here left no doubt about the sheer intensity of the clash. A look of heartache crossed the old butler's face. He bent down and whispered, "Eldest Young Master, our losses..." The fiercer the battle grew, the more members of the Raphael family perished. These people were the family's foundation, the bedrock supporting their faction. Rayson remained unmoved. A dark cloud appeared in the distant sky. Its sudden arrival seemed starkly out of place, so prominent that it stood out distinctly even against the pitch-black night. The old butler's heart jolted, and he gasped, "A Jurist!" Rayson leaned his head out the window, staring up at the dark cloud. "Eldest Young Master, the Jurist has taken action. The Light remnants should be suppressed very soon." Rayson seemed unconcerned. "If the Light remnants were so easy to suppress, why would Lord Jurist need to step in personally?" With that, Rayson lifted his wrist to check the time. "They can't drag this out any longer." "Eldest Young Master!" Rayson looked out the window once more and saw an enormous silhouette of light rising from the ground. At first, it was impossible to tell what it was, only that it was colossal. Only when it stood fully upright could he discern that it was a luminous tower. "That's the Tower of Light, Eldest Young Master! That's an advanced spell of the Church of Light! Legend has it that in a dark void, as long as a Tower of Light is erected, it won't be long before the surrounding land is purified by the Light." As the Tower of Light rose, its spire pierced right through the dark cloud above. A fierce collision erupted between the two forces, light and shadow flickering and clashing rapidly beneath the night sky. *** *Buzz!* Several white patches had appeared across Tyers's chest and arms. These were injuries caused by the power of the Light invading his body; they could instantly strip the vitality from skin, muscle, and even bone. Yet the woman before him was already slumped on the ground, her hair disheveled and her body covered in lash marks. Although a blazing light still swirled in her eyes, her physical weakness and damage were irreversible. To be precise, her soul energy was immense, but it was constrained by her physical body. She was an enigmatic woman. Tyers felt that if she were given another year or two to absorb more of her soul's power or strengthen her body's capacity, he would no longer be a match for her. This strange sensation... Could there be something special about her soul? Could something be sealed deep within it? Tyers considered a possibility, yet dismissed it as absurd. Could the remnants of the Church of Light today still have the capacity to host a god's reincarnation? Tyers turned to look at the other side of the battlefield. The Light warrior following the path of a Light Knight was also on the verge of exhaustion after Adjudicator Ruke intervened. Though Tyers had not fought him directly, the man gave him an unusual feeling as well. What an astonishingly pure aura of Light. Ruke's hand holding the Sword of Adjudication was dripping with blood. Vernon knelt before him, propping himself up with his sword, surrounded by the corpses of several squad members. "Whose divine will did you just summon to possess your body?" Vernon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You don't deserve to know." Ruke frowned slightly, his peripheral vision catching Tyers's side, where the battle was also wrapping up. The caliber of these Light remnants was terrifyingly high. This man and woman—one walking the path of a Light Knight, the other a Light caster—both possessed startling talent. Secrets were undoubtedly concealed within them. Why would they risk throwing themselves away like this...? Ah. Right. They were after that artifact. Unlike Pavaro, who acted to rescue people, and unlike that idiot Tyers, who had operated a blood spirit powder business behind Lord Jurist's back, these Light remnants dared to meddle in this matter solely for the object Lord Jurist had stored there. They were remarkably well-informed. Ruke recalled a line from the Church of Light's scriptures: *The eyes of the Light can see everywhere the light touches.* Ruke raised the Sword of Adjudication once more. In the past, remnants like these would have been captured alive and taken back to the church for study. But this time, that was out of the question. On the other side, Tyers soaked his leather whip in his own blood, preparing to strike. Just then, however, a Tower of Light suddenly rose! If it were likened to a lamp abruptly lit against a black veil, the people present were now standing in its most blinding glare. Vernon and Helen were bathed in light, as though a fresh surge of power had been pumped into them, reigniting their vitality. In an environment flooded with Light, anyone who dared launch an assault against beings of the Light would suffer severe rejection from the radiance itself. This was an area-of-effect spell! *Using this spell now?* Ruke was bewildered. Casting an area-of-effect spell in the middle of ongoing combat was completely inappropriate. Then it hit him: *He's sending an alarm!* The light enveloping Helen and Vernon condensed into flame-like wings, an unyielding resolve flashing in their eyes. Tyers took three steps back, not daring to take the brunt of their power right now. Ruke did the same. The surviving members of the Order squad hesitated even more. Had the Adjudicator not arrived in time, they might have been slaughtered by that Light Knight long ago. Even though they possessed the theoretical strength to resist and suppress him, they lacked the courage to face someone who fought with such reckless, self-harming savagery. Helen and Vernon did not choose to press their attack either. Instead, they took flight and rushed toward the Tower of Light. Yet just as they drew near, the dark cloud in the sky plunged downward like a giant hand pressing flat against the spire, sending violent tremors through the entire structure. Standing on the rooftop with wand in hand, Elder Doke's white hair whipped wildly in the wind as he roared within his mind: *Get out!* That command was not meant for the entity above, but for his two students. A white beam from the Tower of Light swept over them once more. The next instant, two streaks of light broke away from the luminous curtain and vanished into the distance. *Buzz!* The power of the dark cloud intensified once more. Blood began leaking from Elder Doke's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, accompanied by a brittle snapping from within his body. The Lord Jurist within the dark cloud was immensely powerful, but Elder Doke was not without the strength to contend with him. The only reason he had fallen into a disadvantage from the start was that winning a duel was not his goal. When your church had perished and you were branded a remnant, the luxury of fighting an unrestrained battle was gone. Elder Doke knew that even if he managed to hold out against this Jurist, he would have no chance of survival once reinforcements from the Church of Order arrived. He had erected the Tower of Light to sound the alarm across the area: *We are exposed!* This Light elder, whom Karen had once deemed a reckless hothead, had indeed looked down on Bertha the divine envoy and acted with utter disregard for convention. Yet at this critical moment, he shouldered his responsibility, willingly taking the worst of the blows in the confrontation just to deliver the warning to his comrades. *Boom!* The dark cloud pressed down again, and the Tower of Light began to fracture. Elder Doke gritted his teeth, straightening his bent knees as his body burst into flames. The fire climbed upward along the Tower of Light, engulfing the entire spire in blazing fury. By this time, several more dark clouds were drifting in from the surrounding sky. Down below, the black whistle inside Tyers's chest pocket emitted a faint hum, signaling that other Whip of Order squads were converging on the area! Ruke pressed his lips together and scanned the surroundings, sensing the auras of other Adjudicators on their way. The first to arrive were forces from the Church of Order, but it was easy to imagine that other churches in York City would quickly follow. The dark cloud above suddenly ignored the flames on the tower and wrapped around it directly. The sight filled Elder Doke's eyes with shock. He was doomed to lose. He had never expected to win, nor had he entertained hopes of escaping; all he wanted was to buy time for the other believers in York City to evacuate. The enemy had clearly already won, as their reinforcements had arrived. Why would he force his hand now, risking severe injury to strike? What puzzled Elder Doke even more was why the Church of Order had sent reinforcements in waves. If they had already discovered them, why hadn't they concentrated their strength from the very beginning? None of that mattered anymore. When the figure clad in dark red clerical robes appeared before him, a faint smile merely curved Elder Doke's lips. Ignoring the intense burning of the Light aura against his flesh, the figure reached out two fingers and pressed them between Elder Doke's brows. Yet an instant earlier, Elder Doke had completely ignited his own soul. *You were the one who gave me this chance!* There was no explosion. As Elder Doke's body and soul melted rapidly, they formed an orb of light less than three meters in diameter. A pure explosion looked grand, but against truly powerful figures, it achieved little. A concentrated mass, however, was another matter entirely. There was no thunderous blast, only dissolution. When the circle of light faded, only the figure in dark red robes remained. His clerical robes concealed his body, but underneath, from his chest to his thighs, flesh roiled like molten lava, exposing white bones and internal organs. "Hunt down the Light remnants!" His voice rang out from above, and then his figure vanished. Tyers and Ruke immediately bowed to receive the order, but a shadow fell across both their eyes. Could this matter truly be kept secret? They could silence insiders like Pavaro, but they could not silence the Light remnants—unless they managed to kill them before word spread. With other forces within the church joining the fray, however, that would prove difficult. "Lord Adjudicator?" Tyers looked at Ruke. Ruke replied coldly, "Hunt down the Light remnants." With that, Ruke vanished from the spot, heading in the direction where the two streaks of light had fled. Their only gamble now was that only the Light remnants present here knew about the matter. Those two could not be allowed to live! Tyers snorted and transformed into a plume of black mist, setting off in pursuit. *** "Eldest Young Master, the Tower of Light has collapsed. Lord Jurist has won." "There was another reason he mobilized my men—he didn't want any fish slipping through the net. You think that elder lost, but in truth, he was sending a signal." "Eldest Young Master, you mean...?" "Sigh. Our men died for nothing." *** "Envoy, the Tower of Light!" "It's a signal. Immediately order all believers in York City to evacuate as quickly as possible. Do not assume you can remain hidden. What comes next will be a massive dragnet conducted jointly by all churches, led by the Church of Order." "Understood, my lady. But what about Elder Doke...?" "His soul shall return to the embrace of the Light." Bertha pulled out a slip of red paper, rolled it up, and swallowed it. Her facial features began to shift, her hair color changed, and even her height and build altered. She no longer looked like Linda, returning instead to her true appearance: a tall, aloof woman with long red hair. She stepped out of the clinic and entered the elevator. At the same time, the clinic's security guards, cleaners, assistants, receptionists, and nearly half of the psychological counselors abandoned their posts well before their shifts were over. The entire clinic abruptly emptied out. Several counselors hired later on opened their office doors and poked their heads out, bewildered by what had just occurred. "Did the boss go bankrupt?" *** "This power of the Light feels so comforting," Piaget said. Mr. Bede remarked, "Back in the day, that was how missionaries of the Church of Light preached. First they proclaimed the doctrine, then summoned the Light to make everyone present feel warm in body and soul. Many mistook that for the divine caress of a god and converted to the Light." "A bit of light isn't enough to make me betray Linda." Karen felt slightly dizzy from the intense illumination earlier. Even though they were down in the basement, the light seemed capable of penetrating solid matter; one could feel it unmistakably. He wondered if this counted as a form of radiation... Karen stood up and said, "It seems everyone above has dispersed." Mr. Bede said, "Let's get out of here first. Karen, I'll be heading back to Allen Manor." "What about you?" Karen looked at Piaget. "Judging by the state of this basement, my house is probably ruined, and next door must be even worse. The clinic has likely ground to a halt as well. I plan to go with Mr. Bede to his manor." Piaget had always been an easygoing man. Of course, Karen figured part of that easygoing nature was genuine disposition, while the other part was that he had never lacked money in his life. "To be safe, let me check one more time." Mr. Bede walked over to the corpse he had killed, dipped his finger in the blood, and began drawing on the ground before him. "Can it really be that crude?" Piaget whispered. Mr. Bede replied, "Isn't that how the most primitive murals came to be?" As he drew, Mr. Bede paused. "What is it?" Karen asked. "There's still someone here. Two people. Familiar auras—that man and woman from the Church of Light." "It's not over?" Karen asked, surprised. "They've been sealed deep underground. Sending the signal with the Tower of Light was one objective, but what that old fellow truly wanted was probably to create a diversion and protect his two prized students. "No one would suspect his students are currently sealed deep underground, asleep and slowly recovering." "Couldn't they just hide in a basement?" Piaget asked. Mr. Bede glanced at him. "You're an ordinary person. I possess no family faith, and believers of the Church of the Mural God are no different from ordinary people. Karen walks the path of church faith, but due to a unique purification, he too is currently an 'ordinary person.' "The three of us are all 'ordinary people.' In their perception, we're three drops of water in an ocean. "They can't do that. Even if a fish hides in the murkiest depths, it can still be found easily. That's why this method was necessary." "Underground next door?" Karen asked. "How deep?" "Thirty meters." "How long will their seal last? When will they wake up?" "It will take some time—perhaps a month, perhaps three. Right now, they're merely sealed to isolate their auras from detection. To be safe, the seal won't gradually convert into nourishment to heal them until a month from now. That process will take quite a while. "What, do you want to dig them up?" "Just asking." Karen shook his head. "I haven't lost my mind." The basement door was twisted and deformed, jammed so tight it could not be opened. Fortunately, several extra skylights had been blasted through the ceiling, and the three climbed out. Mangled corpses littered the ground, mostly belonging to the Raphael family; the few intact ones had been charred black. "How do you feel?" Karen teased. "Quite pleased," Mr. Bede replied. "Follow me. We'll leave this way." Mr. Bede took the lead, guiding Karen and Piaget away from the street. Only after stepping into a twenty-four-hour café did Mr. Bede finally breathe a sigh of relief. From here, the distant wails of police sirens and fire trucks could be heard, though they seemed stuck in place, showing no intention of coming closer. The café owner walked over to Mr. Bede. "Arrange our return to the manor." "Yes, Patriarch." "Karen, what about you?" Bede asked. "I need to make a phone call." Karen dialed home, finished speaking, and hung up. When he walked back, he found Bede and Piaget waiting for him. "The car is outside. We'll be heading back first," Mr. Bede said. Piaget walked over, gave Karen a brief hug, and walked with Mr. Bede toward the café entrance. Mr. Bede paused, looked back at Karen, and reminded him, "Find time to visit Eunice at the manor." The tone sounded like a father-in-law rebuking his son-in-law: *How long has it been since you came home!* Yet given Karen's unique identity, Mr. Bede could only express it tactfully. Hearing the name "Eunice," Piaget did not seem surprised in the slightest. He even nodded in agreement: "Exactly, exactly." "I understand, sir. Once the matters at hand are settled, I'll go see her." Karen stood there, watching the car carrying Bede and Piaget depart. The outcome did not seem to have changed much; Piaget had come to York City to wait for someone, and now he had found him. Intuition told Karen that Mr. Bede harbored deep secrets. After all, he was someone who could sit face-to-face with his grandfather in the study and chat. Karen had consulted Purr and personally had Alfred comb through Mr. Hoffen's notes and church texts; the conclusion always seemed to be that believers of the Church of the Mural God were not skilled in combat. Yet looking at Mr. Bede, Karen began to doubt that conclusion. Still, he couldn't very well send an assassin just to test the theory, could he? What was even more absurd was that Bede would probably foresee that Karen had sent the assassin. Nor could you threaten him with his family—he was the kind of man who could sit on a distant hillside painting the scenery while watching his own manor burn to the ground. "Sir, is there anything you need right now?" The café owner belonged to the Allen family, though only core members knew Karen's true status. Karen looked down at his dirty, dust-caked clothes. "Can I take a shower here?" The second floor of the café featured private rooms equipped with baths and beds. Only then did Karen realize that the world held not only pastry shops, but cafés of this sort as well. No wonder it was open twenty-four hours; the patrons here were ordering more than just coffee. Nevertheless, Karen declined the owner's offer to summon a waitress to help him bathe. Indulging in that at an establishment owned by his wife's family would require him to have canned herring for brains. After showering and changing into a fresh waiter's uniform provided by the owner, Karen felt considerably refreshed. Heading downstairs, he sat at a table and ate the simple meal prepared for him. As he swallowed the last piece of veal steak, a black second-hand Ponce pulled up outside the café entrance. Karen gave a nod to the owner, who bowed respectfully in farewell. Alfred stepped out and held the rear door open for Karen, who climbed in. Once inside, he found the car rather cramped. Little John was in the front passenger seat, while Mr. Pavaro sat beside him. The main reason for the squeeze was a dog sprawled in the middle and a cat resting on Karen's lap. Mr. Pavaro spoke up: "Did the snake come out?" Karen smiled. "And it got wounded." "You've suffered," Mr. Pavaro said. "It didn't have much to do with the case you're investigating, to be honest. Without that case, I might not have broken the stalemate so smoothly." "Have the boy give us the address. I asked him back at the house, but he said he couldn't reveal the place without your permission." Sitting in the front passenger seat, Little John puffed out his chest and turned around to look at them. "The address," Karen asked. "The Misu Sausage Factory. Beneath the factory floor." "Alfred." "Right away, Young Master." Alfred started the car. Little John volunteered, "Sir, do you know what they call that place?" "What do they call it?" "The pigsty."