An Empty Grave Plot

On his way back, Karen stopped by the hotel to visit Mrs. Lake and Mr. Pavaro's two daughters, though he did not transform into Mr. Pavaro. Even if he took Mr. Pavaro's appearance, Mrs. Lake knew who he really was, and the two girls knew the man standing before them was not their father. A mask was meant for outsiders. To genuine family, it served no purpose at all. After paying his respects, Karen drove back to the apartment. Night had already fallen. Pushing the door open, he saw Purr perched on the coffee table eating sliced fruit, while Kevin was gnawing on a large marrow bone to grind his teeth. "Xili just left. Dinner's in the kitchen," Purr said. Karen tossed the equipment bag onto the rug and sat down beside it. "Ooh, what's that?" Abandoning the fruit, Purr trotted over. Kevin stopped grinding his teeth and came over as well. "The standard-issue equipment bag for a Whip of Order squad. Picked it up this afternoon, though I doubt we should get our hopes up." Karen unzipped the bag and first pulled out a thick sheet of paper—surprisingly, an instruction manual. Unfolding it, he found it fully illustrated and detailed with diagrams and text, giving him the distinct impression of unpacking a toy starter kit rather than official combat gear. Tossing the manual aside, Karen withdrew the first item: a revolver. It felt rather light in his hand, and the material did not look particularly high-grade, though a closer inspection revealed numerous runes etched into the metal. He picked up the ammunition box and opened it. The bullets inside were entirely red, and they felt surprisingly light when held between his fingers. "A spell revolver?" Karen asked. Purr inspected it closely. "Yes." Kevin pawed aside the manual Karen had discarded and nodded with a bark. "Woof." "Lowest grade of spell revolver," Purr explained. "The bullets possess a mild purification effect, but don't expect too much from it." Next, Karen pulled out a stack of scrolls. Yes, a whole stack; but each scroll was very narrow, and nowhere near as pristine white as the ones Alfred had previously bought from the black market for Purr and Kevin. The difference was like that between a genuine diamond ring and a toy trinket. "Lowest-grade scrolls," Purr said. "They can only imprint entry-level spells, which basically just saves you the time of chanting an incantation. On top of that, the success rate is only around fifty percent." "So no matter how weak the spell revolver is, it still fires a physical bullet that makes a bang and can scare a person or an aberrant demon. But these scrolls are completely useless, and might even backfire?" "Measured against you, that's exactly right. You rarely have any trouble casting spells, especially low-level ones, and by now you can probably cast them almost instantaneously anyway. So yes, they really are useless to you." Next, Karen retrieved a pair of leather boots, a set of black clerical robes, and a silver-white mask from the bag. The silver-white mask stirred a memory. "We have one in the exact same color back home." "It should be in the radio goblin's bedroom. Dumb dog, go fetch it." "Woof!" Kevin immediately scurried into Alfred's bedroom to rummage around. The luggage Karen brought from home had always been kept in Alfred's care, including several suitcases of notes and books given by Mr. Hoffen. Karen trusted Alfred implicitly; Alfred would never steal from what he guarded, not least because he already had full permission to read through anything openly. Grandfather had not left behind many physical belongings for him, and that silver-white mask was one of them. Back then, when he sat in Grandfather's study wearing that mask during Diss's blood sacrifice ritual, it was precisely thanks to it that he became the "fish that slipped through the net." Not only had his spirituality not been stripped away, but he had also become the sole inheritor of the Inmerlais family's spiritual bloodline. Karen slowly put the mask over his face, then looked toward Purr. Purr stared back at him. After a moment, Karen took it off and remarked, "It really is just an ordinary mask." Just then, Kevin emerged from Alfred's bedroom holding the silver-white mask brought from home in his jaws. He laid it before Karen, who reached down and picked it up. The style was identical, but the texture in his hand was entirely different. This mask had remained stored in his luggage ever since they arrived in Wien, and Karen had not touched it since. Now, Karen placed the mask over his face. An icy chill instantly sank from his facial features through his entire body. Suddenly, the ring on the ring finger of Karen's left hand flared with purple light. Yet instead of transforming him into Mr. Pavaro, the silver-white mask on his face began to melt under the glow. Gradually, the mask dissolved into strands of silver liquid that flowed down—from his face to his chin, down his chest, along his arm, and finally reached the ring, where the two began to fuse. It did not look like the ring was absorbing it; rather, it looked as though the ring were being captured and overrun. Karen lowered his head, watching the transformation. The purple glow gradually shifted to a bright silver-white. Once the radiance dispersed, the original amethyst ring had turned entirely silver-white. "It didn't... break, did it?" Worried that some mutation might prevent him from transforming into Mr. Pavaro, Karen tried channeling a thread of spirituality into it. With a flash of white light, Karen shifted into Mr. Pavaro's form. "Is there any difference?" Karen asked Purr and Kevin. Both Purr and Kevin shook their heads, indicating there was no change—it was just as flawless and lifelike as before. A moment later, Karen shifted his thoughts and returned to his original appearance, but a silver-white mask had appeared over his face. Immediately afterward, the silver-white mask vanished as well, leaving Karen entirely as he was. "Do you know the origins of this mask Grandfather gave me?" Purr shook her head. "Judging by how it reacted with the ring made for you by the Voss family, I'd guess it probably originated from the Voss family as well." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" "The dumb dog says it almost certainly came from the Voss family, but an ancient Voss family from long ago, quite different from the one today." "Woof! Woof! Woof!" "Because it shielded you from the blood sacrifice ritual back then, which means that whenever you wear that mask, even bloodline traction is completely severed." "Sounds formidable." Karen nodded, tossing the silver-white mask from the equipment bag casually aside. Although he had yet to discover what other uses Grandfather's mask possessed, he had verified that the one in the kit was utterly useless. Next, Karen took off his shoes, slipped into the leather boots, and took a few steps. "How are they?" Purr asked. "A bit too big. Not a good fit." "Can you exchange them for a smaller size?" "Probably not. A veteran squad member told me that anything we can't use can just be sold on the black market." "A pair of boots won't fetch much." Purr pressed her paw against the black clerical robes. "These robes are just the standard cut too. No runes embroidered inside." Karen put on the robes and found them oversized as well. "Oh, looks like the whole set doesn't fit. We'd better have some custom-made," Purr said. "There should be tailors on the black market specializing in clerical robes. They can hire array masters to stitch basic formations into the fabric for you." "How much would that cost?" "Not cheap." "Forget it. I'll buy a set through official channels. After all, it's my first official clerical uniform." By ordinary logic, clerical robes bought through official channels ought to be more expensive. "Once you become an Inquisitor, they'll issue you an Inquisitor uniform every year. For God's Servants, God's Revelations, and God's Shepherds, they usually only issue them when a specific post requires it," Purr said. "How stingy," Karen sighed. "The grassroots benefits are truly terrible." "It's like that everywhere," Purr said as if stating the obvious. "In every line of work, the lowest ranks work the hardest and get paid the least. That's why you have to climb the ladder." "For this mission, I'm assigned to the close security detail. We'll likely be wearing plainclothes, so no clerical robes needed. I'll just use Pavaro's channels to buy one from the church with point coupons." "Mm, that works too." Karen then pulled out a vest lined with steel plates. It looked remarkably like a posture corrector. Slipping the vest on, he found that it offered minimal protection, covering only small patches over his chest and back. There were no arrays woven into it either; when Karen attempted to channel spirituality, nothing happened at all. So, confirmed: it really was just a posture brace. The backpack appeared empty now. Karen turned it upside down and gave it a shake, dislodging several one-hundred-riel bills. He gathered them up—five hundred riels in total. "I think the most practical item in the entire pack is that spell revolver. The second most practical is these five hundred riels." Karen loaded the revolver and kept it on him, set the five hundred riels on the coffee table weighed down by a teacup, and threw everything else back into the bag. "By the way, I'm carrying out a security mission this time," Karen said. "You mentioned that earlier. I heard you," Purr replied. "Looks like your captain thinks very highly of you." Karen had no intention of expanding on the topic of being "thought highly of." Instead, he asked, "The VIP we're protecting is the negotiating delegate sent to York City by the Dark Moon family. What's the connection between this Dark Moon family and the Dark Moon Blade I learned?" Purr froze. Beside them, Kevin kept his mouth closed, but the corners of his lips pulled upward and his dog eyes widened. He knew full well how Dark Moon Blade had ended up in Purr's paws. "Uh, I think, maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably... they belong to the same family." "Elaborate." "There's really nothing to elaborate on." "Where did that spell come from? How did you get it?" "Well... back then, a fellow from the Dark Moon family had a crush on me and wanted to court me. So he gave me the spell as a gift." "And then?" "And then what?" Purr blinked her watery, amber cat eyes innocently. "What happened to the guy?" "I didn't like him, so I dumped him. Didn't I tell you before? In my past life, I never even considered dating or getting married. My father couldn't beat me, my uncles couldn't beat me, my siblings couldn't beat me—no one could force me into anything." "It was that simple?" "Nothing complicated about it, trust me! In the end, we had an amicable breakup. No, he never even touched my hand! In short, in a very friendly atmosphere, we parted ways and drifted apart across the vast sea." "So if I use Dark Moon Blade in front of people from the Dark Moon family, it shouldn't be an issue?" "You can't!" Purr shrieked at once. Karen sat down on the sofa. "Spill it." "Back then, I needed to visit a monster-infested island to find an egg. He insisted on accompanying me, and I couldn't shake him off, so I had to let him tag along. Once I found the egg, I left the island." "And him?" "We drifted apart across the vast sea." "You left him behind on the island all by himself?" "There was no other way to shake him! You have no idea how clingy that guy was!" "Did he die?" "No, he didn't. I inquired about it later—he made it back alive. At the time, I was truly..." "Relieved?" "No, astonished! Astonished that he actually survived! I was terrified he'd come looking for me again. You have to understand, the Dark Moon family is very peculiar—they're one of the few family clans with the standing of a minor church. If he kept tailing me around, going anywhere would be a nightmare, and it'd easily draw the attention of the major churches. But thankfully..." "Thankfully what?" "His father died." "Hm?" "So he had to return and inherit the position of family patriarch. He even wrote me a letter saying he could no longer leave Dark Moon Island, hoping I would visit him there so he could summon the radiance of the Dark Moon and propose to me beneath its blessing. And after that, sure enough, he couldn't leave the island anymore! Hahaha!" Purr burst into laughter. Karen looked at Kevin, and Kevin looked back at Karen. "Why aren't you laughing?" Purr asked, puzzled. "Because I don't think it's very funny." "Woof." "In fact, it sounds like that man was genuinely devoted to you." "Woof." Purr flicked her tail dismissively. "If you don't like someone, you just don't like them. How can you force feelings? I'm not like Eunice, who tries her best to like whoever her family arranges for her. Oh, no offense to you, Karen—just making an analogy. Back then, my temperament was such that whenever my family arranged something, I'd instinctively despise it." "Have you ever considered that if you'd gone to Dark Moon Island back then, you probably wouldn't have ended up turning into a cat?" "Why dwell on that? It's pointless. Besides, Dark Moon Island doesn't have squirrel mandarin fish." "All right. I'll make it for you tomorrow." "How about tonight, pretty please, my dear Young Master Karen?" "I didn't buy the ingredients." "I had Xili buy them this afternoon!" "You spoke to her?" "Of course not. I showed her a written note. Though I suspect that heavy-bottomed maid has known for a while that I can talk. Back at the manor when I spoke with you, she was sometimes mopping the floor downstairs. Her psychological endurance really is something else." "Fine, I'll cook it for you. The mission isn't until the day after tomorrow, and I have nothing scheduled for tomorrow anyway." "Hehe, love you, meow!" Karen stood up, walked into the kitchen, and began prepping the ingredients. Purr hopped onto the edge of the sink, reminding him, "Maybe you should ask the dumb dog where Sea God's Armor came from. I bet there's quite a story behind that too." "I'm not particularly interested." "Why not? That's not fair! I told my story, but he didn't say a word. I guarantee that dumb dog was tricked by a woman in the past, and tricked terribly!" "Yours is barely modern history. His would probably have to be traced back to the previous era. A story like that won't feel very relatable." "You make a lot of sense, but I still feel offended." "I'll add boiled fish with pickled greens for tomorrow's lunch." "Oh! In that case, please feel free to offend me whenever you like." "Call Alfred and have him bring Pike and Dinkum over for dinner as well." "It seems joining Neo's squad has given you an immense sense of security." "It really feels that way." Purr hopped down from the sink, trotted to the cabinet where the telephone sat, and began dialing with her cat paws. Around nine-thirty in the evening, Karen finished preparing dinner, and Alfred returned with Pike and Dinkum. The two guests were visibly ill at ease, sitting stiffly upright in their chairs. Karen brought the dishes to the table and gestured for everyone to dig in. At the table, Dinkum and Pike focused entirely on eating without speaking a word, only to discover that the food was extraordinarily delicious! Karen casually mentioned to Alfred that he had an upcoming mission and would be away from home for a period of time. Alfred assured him that by the time Karen returned, the renovations at the funeral parlor would definitely be finished and ready for move-in. After dinner, Dinkum and Pike took the initiative to clean the kitchen. Once everything was tidy, Alfred led them downstairs. They still had to work through the night to meet their deadlines, having slept on the construction site these past few days. "I really never expected Mr. Karen's cooking to be so amazing," Pike marveled. "Yeah," Dinkum agreed. Alfred pulled out six hundred Order coupons and handed them over. "Divide this amongst yourselves." A God's Servant received a monthly stipend of only one hundred Order coupons. Three hundred each amounted to an entire quarter's pay handed out on the spot. Cutting off their thanks, Alfred waved a hand. "Work hard, and you won't be mistreated." *** Ivy Cemetery. Neo stood quietly in the night, keeping company with the person resting beneath the soil. A ring of white roses was planted around the tombstone. After a long silence, Neo spoke. "Elisa, there's another mission coming up soon. Once it's over, I'll come see you again. You see, just like old times." Just then, Old Saman, the cemetery caretaker, walked over while sweeping the ground. He looked at Neo curiously and called out, "Hey, it's late. I'm about to lock up." Neo looked at him and answered, "I'm leaving now." "Hey." "Something else?" Old Saman glanced at the tombstone surrounded by white roses in front of Neo. "Do you know the son-in-law of the Pavaro family's funeral parlor?" "Son-in-law?" "Goes by Karen." "Mm. I know him." "He ate a pot of my macaroni last time, and afterward he sent someone over with a ton of food, saying he was storing it here until his next visit. It's all sitting in my fridge, and I can't finish it all. Want to join me for a late-night snack?" "All right." "Give me a moment, then. I'll pack up as soon as I sweep this spot. By the way, who is that lying in there?" "My... wife." "You're in luck. We're currently offering a discount on a second grave plot. We never used to run promotions like that," Old Saman said. "I won't need one." His body would be surrendered to the church, not buried in the ground. "Hey, I'm not trying to sell you one. I know you don't need to buy another—didn't you already have that Karen buy one for you?" "What?" "Over there, look. Right next to your wife's—that empty plot. If I remember right, the deed was registered under the name Neo. That's you, right?" "That's me."