Just then, Richard walked out carrying two glasses of ice water. He handed one to Karen, and seeing him looking at the photograph, offered an explanation:
"That's my grandfather. Behind him is my father. To my father's right is my younger aunt, whom you just met, and the one on the left is my elder aunt."
"What post does your elder aunt hold?" Karen asked.
"She's dead," Richard said. "Died before I was born. At least, that's what Grandfather and Father told me."
*Died before you were born? Then how did I come to be?*
Karen suddenly realized something: "his" parents hadn't left behind any photographs. One could argue photography wasn't fully in vogue back then, but the Inmerlais family certainly wasn't so poor that they couldn't afford a family portrait.
Even without photographs, they could have hired an artist to paint portraits like any well-to-do household. Yet Karen had never found a single keepsake or belonging of "his" father and mother at home.
In "Karen's" own memories, because his parents had passed away when he was very young, his recollections had long grown hazy. The only vivid remnant was witnessing his grandfather kill his parents with his own eyes—an event commemorated by an extremely abstract drawing in his notebook.
Even during his conversations with Uncle Mason and Aunt Winnie, Karen could tell they knew very little about "his" mother.
A large reason for this was that Uncle Mason and Aunt Winnie had left home early on to pursue their own careers and lives. Back then, they probably only found time to return home once a year, so their lives barely intersected with those of their elder brother and sister-in-law.
They had returned one after another only several years after the tragedy had struck "his" parents, following upheavals in their own careers and families. In those intervening years, Grandfather had kept the funeral parlor running all by himself.
Only after his son and daughter returned did Grandfather dismiss the funeral parlor's mortuary makeup artist and accountant.
As such, Uncle Mason and Aunt Winnie had never truly lived under the same roof with their sister-in-law.
All Karen knew was that "his" mother, like his father, had been an Inquisitor. During a mission, both had been contaminated and ultimately begged Diss to kill them. Diss had no choice but to bear the agonizing grief and slay his own son and daughter-in-law, though he seemed to have preserved parts of their souls.
At night, Diss would light a solitary candle in his study to visit them.
Therefore, apart from Diss, no one in the family likely knew the true identity or origins of "his" mother.
No, there was one person... or rather, one cat, who probably knew something.
Yet Purr had never spoken to him about "his" mother. Was it because she knew he wasn't the original "Karen" and assumed he wouldn't care, or had she intentionally kept quiet?
Karen didn't believe Purr harbored any sinister motives in hiding it, because the truth was... mentioning it would change nothing.
After all, Karen couldn't very well raise a glass to toast Richard and exclaim:
"Ah, my dear cousin!"
"Ah, my dear cousin!"
Such a scene could never happen, because Karen could not possibly reveal his identity to him.
In the entire Church of Order, only Rasma likely knew that he had left Ruilan. But Rasma was currently in a bizarre state, seemingly attempting to condense his own godhead fragment by following the path Grandfather had once trodden, so he was in no position to blow the whistle.
Yet his circumstances were peculiar: while he wouldn't betray Karen, he was also untouchable and unapproachable. Karen had once tried to comprehend Rasma's current state through the Church of Principles' "points and planes" theory used to analyze gods.
Regardless, aside from the exceptional Rasma, Karen could not reveal his identity as an "Inmerlais" to anyone else. It would invite immense trouble.
Though this trouble was rather unique—not the kind of trouble ordinary people imagined.
Even though his grandfather had bombed the Temple of Order, strung up a Temple Elder on a cross, and expressed unambiguous disrespect toward the God of Order... if Karen's identity were exposed within the Church of Order, they would probably... revere and enshrine him like a living icon.
Because his grandfather had merely fallen asleep, not died.
At an event like the banquet held at the Ankara Hotel when Ophelia arrived, he would be able to sit comfortably while grandsons of Bishops, such as Leon and Viclay, would have to stand beside him, fawning over him and buttering him up non-stop.
But if it came to that, the path he had chosen for himself and all the sacrifices his grandfather had made to pave the way would be completely in vain.
In other words, Richard's family likely genuinely had no idea where "his" mother had gone; otherwise, their household would have undoubtedly been implicated as well.
So did "his" mother, like Purr, break ties with her family and leave home?
Karen sat down on the sofa, holding the glass of water.
Some things seemed completely natural if one didn't dwell on them, but once one stopped to ponder, another layer of reality beneath the assumed truth began to reveal itself.
First was that "his" parents had been killed by Diss because they were contaminated.
But what kind of contamination was so severe that even Diss was helpless against it, leaving him no choice but to end their misery through the most extreme measure?
Diss, who had always placed supreme value on familial affection, would never have watched his son and daughter-in-law suffer just to conceal his true realm. If there had been any viable method, he would have moved heaven and earth to save them.
So what kind of contamination had "his" parents contracted? And was a mission involving contamination of that level something ordinary Inquisitors could even take part in?
Purr had always loved to say: "Inquisitor is the ceiling of the Inmerlais family profession."
Were "his" parents, like Diss, Inquisitors, yet not merely Inquisitors?
Furthermore, neither Uncle Mason nor Aunt Winnie had chosen to take over the family funeral parlor, opting out of church circles entirely. For "his" father, who inherited the family mantle, Diss's standards for him surely couldn't have been lower than those he held for his grandson.
If Diss could personally choose a fiancée for Karen, had he done the same for "his" father?
Looking at it this way, if "his" mother had merely been an ordinary Inquisitor, it would actually make no sense.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Richard asked.
"Just thinking about the Church Affairs Building. Things must be going crazy outside right now."
"Oh, absolutely," Richard said with a chuckle. "That slap in the face must really sting."
The Church Affairs Building was by no means a high-end establishment for the Church of Order in York City. Many of the offices inside belonged to administrative departments overseeing grassroots church operations; true high-ranking divisions and prominent figures rarely showed up there.
Even Neo only treated it as a temporary meeting spot.
Yet it remained a symbol of the Church of Order in York City. An attack carried out in such a manner was an undeniable provocation—no, it went far beyond provocation. It was a declaration of war!
There was no room for compromise, no ground to concede. Unless the Church of Order was willing to relinquish the hegemony it had established over this era, it would inevitably wage relentless, merciless vengeance upon the perpetrators, even if the culprits belonged to another orthodox church.
As for the Church of Pamires...
Karen suddenly felt that such an obvious frame-up might actually grant the Church of Pamires an unexpected turning point. It was merely a hunch, unsupported by concrete evidence for now.
"Do you need to take a bath?" Richard asked. "You seem like someone who values cleanliness. I could tell when we were carrying the stretcher."
"You could tell?"
"Details, details. Even though you didn't mind your clothes getting soiled by all that blood and dust, certain habits can't be masked. If you want to take a bath, you can use the bathroom on the second floor. I'll get you some of my clean clothes."
"No need. I'll wash up once I get back."
"Don't be polite! Like I said, I probably just took a liking to you, with no other intentions, so don't get the wrong idea. Damn it, even I'm starting to question myself for no reason."
"I understand."
*He really is my cousin, after all.*
Karen knew that certain people were born with a sharper intuition for bloodlines, and Richard clearly belonged to that category.
"You really don't want to? I've got a few unworn clerical robes upstairs. I was planning to let you change into one."
*Clerical robes?*
Karen pinched his sleeve, feeling a trace of revulsion. "Fine, I'll take a quick wash. Otherwise, it does feel uncomfortable."
"Second floor. I'll go grab the clothes for you."
"Thanks."
Karen headed up to the second floor. There seemed to be very few permanent residents in this house; perhaps only Richard and his parents lived here, and with his mother away from York City and his father rarely around, it was basically just Richard alone.
After showering, Karen found two sets of robes folded neatly outside the bathroom door. He reached out to feel them: the fabric was smoother than silk and inscribed with minor arrays.
He chose a black robe and slipped it on, instantly feeling a soothing comfort. Channeling a wisp of spirituality into it, he detected six arrays embedded within the garment:
Self-cleaning, temperature control, fireproofing, waterproofing, concealment, and purification.
It was easily several times more expensive than the custom order he had placed.
When it came to clerical robes, aside from specific colors and emblems reserved for certain offices, there was actually a high degree of freedom.
The church was a strictly hierarchical world; everyone harbored reverence and knew their proper place.
When Karen walked downstairs, he saw a middle-aged man sitting on the living room sofa. He bore a strong resemblance to the man in the photograph, though he looked far more weathered. This was Richard's father—his own... uncle.
Jurist Eisen Guman sat on the sofa resting with his eyes closed. As Karen descended the stairs into the living room, Eisen slowly opened his eyes and looked at him.
"Greetings, my lord. Richard invited me over."
Karen bowed to Eisen.
Eisen gave a slight nod, offering no reply.
"My lord, I shall take my leave now."
Eisen spoke up: "Richard went out to buy a late-night snack. He asked me to keep you here so we can eat together."
"There's no need, my lord. I should head back."
"This is the first time my son has brought a friend home." Eisen's tone was calm, yet brooked no argument.
"Understood, my lord."
Karen had no choice but to sit down on the sofa.
"Introduce yourself."
Eisen seemed to be the exact opposite of his son. He clearly despised pleasantries, and Karen could sense a palpable strain in his expressions—the strained effort of a father forcing himself to fulfill the duty of exchanging cordial greetings with his son's guest.
It did not stem from disdain over status... though for a Jurist, looking down upon a God's Servant or even an Inquisitor was entirely normal.
This man might oversee different departments, but in rank, he was on equal footing with Qihe.
Karen realized he probably suffered from... severe social anxiety.
No wonder Richard's mother lived apart from him.
Uncle Mason was a prime counterexample. Uncle Mason remained an incurable optimist no matter what, so even after his business failed, his relationship with Aunt Mary stayed wonderfully warm.
"I am Karen Silva, a God's Servant serving under the Pavaro Inquisition office."
"Pavaro?" Eisen looked at Karen. "Your superior is a good man."
With that, he closed his eyes in apparent discomfort. Karen noticed a subtle twitch in the muscles of his face as he forced out another sentence:
"Pass along... my regards to him."
"Certainly, my lord. I will pass them along."
*Phew...*
Karen heard the sound of a long exhalation, as if the mission—or rather, the fatherly role-play—had finally concluded.
After that, Karen and Mr. Eisen sat in complete silence for a very long time.
Eventually, Richard returned home carrying takeout containers from a nearby restaurant, skipping lightly and humming a tune as he walked.
Just then, a black crow flew in through the ventilation window and landed squarely on Eisen's shoulder.
Eisen said, "Something has come up. I must go. Enjoy your meal."
Karen noticed that the posture and movements of the crow matched Mr. Eisen's pace with absolute precision as he rose from the sofa and walked away. If this had been a communication crow spell cast by someone else, such perfect synchronization would have been impossible—
unless he had conjured the crow himself.
*Did he just call himself to get out of the room?*
Eisen departed.
Richard placed the food on the coffee table, opened the boxes, and smiled. "My father is just like that. He isn't singling you out, and he definitely doesn't look down on you, so don't take it to heart. He treats me the exact same way."
"Not at all."
*Uncle's psychological issues run this deep? He gets social anxiety even when facing his own son?*
Looking at it from another angle, for someone like that to hold the post of Jurist, just how formidable must his personal strength be?
"Come on, let's eat."
"Alright."
Richard had bought chicken wraps, sliced roast beef, and sausages, along with a vegetable salad.
Halfway through their meal, the wall clock in the living room chimed softly.
"My grandfather is here." Richard stood up and went to open the front door.
*Your grandfather? Wouldn't that make him... my maternal grandfather?*
Karen set down his fork, rose to his feet, and looked toward the entryway.
"Where is your father?"
"Father said something came up and just left. Grandfather, what brought you here?"
"I missed you, so I came to visit."
Shortly after, Karen saw an elderly man enter the room accompanied by Richard.
"Oh, you have a guest."
"Yes, Grandfather. This is my friend, Karen."
"Greetings, my lord." Karen bowed to the old man.
He had to greet every single member of Richard's family with "my lord."
"Good." Delon Guman nodded and sat down on the sofa. "I'm hungry too."
Richard hurried into the kitchen to grab a fork and plate for his grandfather.
Karen noticed that the old man wore a blue robe adorned with distinct array runes.
Delon ate two chicken wraps, followed by some roast beef, then picked up the water his grandson had poured for him. After taking a deep gulp, he let out a long sigh of contentment.
"Today was close. The Church Affairs Building came within an inch of collapsing completely."
"You were at the Church Affairs Building today too, Grandfather?"
"Mm." Delon nodded. "Not only was I there, but I also saw you and your friend carrying the injured on a stretcher."
"Why didn't you call out to me, Grandfather?"
"I was maintaining the arrays! How could I have had the leisure to call you? Weren't you afraid that a momentary lapse in concentration would cause the building above to crush you to death? By the way, what were you doing at the Church Affairs Building today?"
"Collecting my stipend. Grandfather and Grandmother's wedding anniversary is coming up soon, and I wanted to prepare a commemorative gift for both of you. But I didn't have enough point coupons, and since I hadn't collected my God's Servant stipend in ages, I went to pick it up."
Karen glanced at Richard. If not for the peculiar sense of closeness he felt from him, Karen would have genuinely doubted whether he was Mr. Eisen's biological son.
Delon chuckled, retrieved a passbook from his sleeve, and set it on the coffee table. "Withdraw coupons from here. I won't tell your grandmother, so you can still give her a surprise."
"Thank you, Grandfather!" Richard obediently pocketed the passbook.
This passbook was used for storing point coupons. Karen had one as well; in fact, every member of the church, even a God's Servant, possessed one. However, Karen had never deposited coupons into his, and his squad's earnings were distributed as cash.
After all, he was officially just a God's Servant receiving a stipend of a hundred coupons a month. Depositing tens of thousands of coupons into the account would make anyone suspect something was amiss.
"Good thing you and your people were there today, Grandfather. Otherwise, if the building had collapsed completely, who knows how many would have died."
"Our department happened to be having a meeting there today." Delon nodded. "Indeed, it was fortunate."
*Was it truly just fortunate?*
*Just as the building was about to collapse, the very department responsible for maintaining arrays happened to be holding a meeting inside?*
"So, Grandfather, was this whole thing staged by our own church?" Richard asked candidly.
Delon glanced at Karen sitting opposite them and shook his head. "No. The church would never humiliate itself with such methods."
"Then what was the reason?" Richard pressed.
Delon clearly did not wish to pursue the topic further. Instead, he asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to join the Whip of Order?"
"Yes, Grandfather! Did you finally agree?"
"I was never against it to begin with. Many prominent figures rose through the ranks via the Whip of Order, and the higher-ups place great weight on service records from that branch. I've always supported your choice, but the squad I picked for you..."
"Captain Gendy was acting so obsequious to you and me the last time we met! I really couldn't stand it. Following a captain like that would be so dull, completely contrary to what I imagined the Whip of Order to be.
"I still want to join that squad—the one just transferred over from Sangpu City. I heard all about them when I went to Sangpu to visit my mother.
"Didn't they just achieve an enormous merit recently? They wiped out two Lost Squads, purged the corrupted, and even received Rax copper coins!"
"Those two Lost Squads might have had a chance of being saved," Delon reminded him.
"Under those circumstances, resolving everything with the utmost decisiveness was the right move!" Richard declared. "Being in a squad with that kind of style is what makes it thrilling!"
Clearly, as a young man, he was thoroughly enamored with the operational style of Neo's squad.
Karen felt an urge to laugh. His cousin actually wanted to join his squad.
"Do you know how the higher-ups describe that squad? They call them a pack of hounds," Delon said.
"Grandfather, I think being called a pack of hounds is the highest praise for that squad! I want to temper myself in a squad like that, and I believe you will see a completely transformed grandson in the future."
This was the advantage of having powerful backing. Dincom and Pike used to sit outside the funeral parlor sipping soda, staring blankly at the sky;
meanwhile, Richard could not only be arranged directly into a Whip of Order squad to pad his credentials, but he could even be picky about it.
Growing more animated, Richard continued, eager to persuade his grandfather to make the arrangements:
"Grandfather, don't you want me to find a dependable girlfriend and settle down soon? I know you're unhappy that my mother only had one child. Don't you want to see great-grandsons and great-granddaughters sooner?"
"Of course I do. But what does that have to do with joining a Whip of Order squad?"
"It has everything to do with it!"
Richard jumped to his feet, speaking with immense excitement and reverence:
"I heard that this squad was previously tasked with escorting the envoy from Dark Moon Island. And one of the squad members managed to send the Princess of Dark Moon Island back with a belly full of child!"
"..." Karen.
Chapter 194