Karen had mentioned the Captain to Purr before, and had also brought up Philias, but Purr hadn't reacted at the time.
The cat at home had her share of feline quirks and petty schemes, but they were always within tolerable limits; she never deliberately hid anything important from Karen.
The Captain's words now offered an explanation: Purr truly didn't know Philias.
Purr and Jennifer had once been good friends and adventuring companions. But after Purr was turned into a cat over the matter of the God of Light's finger and sought refuge with the Inmerlais family, to the outside world she had essentially vanished.
Only after that did Jennifer meet Philias and fall in love with him. Later, they came into contact with Bernard, leading to the honeymoon period of cooperation between the Light remnants and Dark Moon Island.
Still, looking at it this way, Bernard's actions back then could genuinely be called sickening, far exceeding the bounds of a ruthless overlord.
Using the Light remnants to develop his own power and then trapping and slaughtering them was undeniably brutal, but from a purely rational standpoint, it made sense.
After all, the Light remnants were an absolute taboo for the major Orthodox Churches. Leave alone Dark Moon Island a hundred years ago—even today, if Dark Moon Island dared to publicly reveal its past collaboration with Light, utter annihilation would surely await it.
Yet what was the point of Bernard deliberately commissioning those statues?
He had even crafted a statue of Purr, forcing her to watch how her former best friend was suffocated to death.
If Karen had felt any sympathy for Bernard before coming to Dark Moon Island, he now felt nothing but profound disgust for the man.
The fellow was an utter pervert.
Up to this point, Purr had mentioned several of her past friends, and none had met a good end, though Karen didn't find that surprising.
To many, the word "adventure" seemed no different from an outing, but people really died doing it, and all too easily. Those who lived to see a peaceful end were few and far between.
Choosing that path meant being prepared to lie down upon it for eternal sleep.
If Purr hadn't been turned into a cat, her fate years down the line might well have been a new adventuring squad discovering her remains in some perilous ruin.
Karen sat on his bed, looked at the Captain, and asked, "What's the plan?"
"First tell me, did today's conference go smoothly?"
"Yes, very smoothly."
"Then we'll have to move things up a bit. Bernard's burial site isn't in the ancestral cemetery of the Dark Moon clan's patriarchs, but in the Palace of Yearning—a palace Bernard built for Miss Purr."
"So the plan is to charge in, find Bernard's coffin, pry it open, haul out the corpse, toss it aside, and grab that covenant conch?"
"No, no, no." The Captain's expression returned to normal, and his speech quickened slightly, as if he had shifted back into his usual self. "Someone was tailing me on my way back."
"Tailing you?"
"Yeah, but I shook him. Besides, I have ample reason to suspect the Light remnants on this island were infiltrated by the Dark Moon clan long ago."
"And that ample reason is?"
"It's been over a century, and they haven't changed their marking methods. Even I, the founder, could easily decipher their signs. Do they take the Dark Moon clan for fools?"
"Captain, you're concluding that based solely on..."
"That reason is more than enough. Ordinarily, the Dark Moon authorities might just monitor them and keep the peace. After all, wiping out the Light remnants would only force them deeper underground, so keeping a visible eye on them is preferable.
"However, now that Bernard's tomb is involved, the situation changes. The Dark Moon clan will certainly prepare in advance.
"That batch of Light remnants is just bait throwing itself onto the hook."
"We wait until they throw their lives away, then make our move?"
"Yes, that's my intention. The plan I helped them draw up is set for tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow evening, you can ask Miss Ophelia out to tour the palace. Reasonably speaking, that's something you were bound to do on this trip anyway."
"Yes, that's true."
"Then I'll strike during that time."
"Just you alone?"
"Don't I still have you?"
"Me?"
"Fine, we really are short on hands, but I don't trust those Light remnants. I even suspect that host, Mr. Sebas, is himself a spy planted by the Dark Moon clan.
"Once the first wave of Light remnants gets wiped out, their guard will inevitably drop, thinking the matter is resolved. Striking then will yield much better results, and you can support me from inside the palace. As for more hands..."
"I don't want to ask Ophelia out tomorrow evening."
"A moral burden?"
"Yes. Perhaps I'm being a bit rigid."
"Relax, I understand. Even though I've always wanted to annihilate Elisa's family, I never thought of dragging Elisa into it. Just go in a personal capacity and have Miss Ophelia wait outside the palace for you."
"All right. Thank you, Captain."
Karen naturally understood that if he entered with Miss Ophelia, the palace guards would likely keep their distance on purpose to give the two of them privacy, creating a much better opening for a surprise attack.
"No need to thank me. I said I understand. Otherwise, how would we be any different from Bernard?
"To live, one must always maintain some bottom line. That isn't meant to constrain us, but to give our lives quality."
"Captain, you can go on with the plan. As for the manpower..."
"We'll have to find a way. I can't bring my squad along—oh wait, Memphis can come. Leaving the lord Jurist sitting idle is far too wasteful.
"How's his character, though?"
"Very good."
"Then that's troublesome. Sigh, I don't really like dealing with people of excessive virtue."
"We can explain it to him—for instance, saying we found clues that Light and Dark Moon Island once collaborated, and this trip is to verify it. But because of Dark Moon Island's current partnership with the Church of Order, it can't be exposed openly and requires a private warning."
"Will that work?"
"Mr. Memphis only needs a suitable justification. Besides, I think he's quite worked up right now and looking for an outlet to vent."
After all, this wasn't the place to beat his son; he had to hold back until the mission ended and they returned home. Uncle Aisen was surely suffering from holding it in.
"True enough. Should you talk to him, or should I?"
"It would be more appropriate for you. You can say it's on Bishop Worflen's instruction, giving Dark Moon Island a minor tap on the knuckles so they remember their place."
"All right, got it." The Captain smiled. "I can see you're quite skilled at dealing with upstanding people. As for the rest of the hands, I have an idea."
"What idea?"
"Didn't a bunch of priests from the Church of Samsara arrive as well? They have units similar to our Whip of Order squad. When the time comes, I'll lure one of their teams over. As for the exact method, I'll see when the time comes, but trust me, it won't be a problem.
"Alright, looked at that way, the plan is settled."
"Still feels a bit crude to me..."
"Karen, that's not called crude; that's leaving room to maneuver and adapt to the situation at hand. After all, no plan survives contact with reality."
"Understood."
"Then there's nothing else for tonight. Are you turning in?"
"Richard invited me to the hot springs."
"Oh, alright. I'll pass; I want an early rest to recharge."
"Captain, one more thing."
"Go ahead."
"Once we obtain that covenant conch, who blows it?"
"Me."
"Understood, Captain."
The Captain yawned and stretched lazily. "No need to worry. Whether I'm Neo or Philias, I won't hurt you. You don't have Dark Moon blood, you share a symbiosis with Miss Purr, and you can even wield the power of Light."
"I know."
"If I don't sleep now, I really will lose myself. Goodnight, Karen. Keep the door quiet when you return, or just head next door and borrow a spot from Fanny and Peige—that works too."
Karen shook his head helplessly and opened the door.
Just then, he saw Fanny and Peige stepping out of their room.
Spotting Karen, Peige immediately said, "Karen, we're ready. Let's go."
"Hmm?"
Peige chuckled. "The Captain said you asked the two of us to join you for the hot springs."
Karen smiled and gave a nod.
It was a joke from the Captain, and Peige knew it was a joke, so there was no need to explain.
"I also invited Richard," Karen said.
"I'll go get him, then." Peige walked over to the room shared by Richard and Memphis. Inside, the two were eating dinner.
"Richard."
"Miss Peige." Richard immediately set down his utensils and stood up to answer the door.
Peige merely spoke through the open window. "Take Memphis to the hot springs. Karen's heading over with us first."
"Uh..."
Memphis, in the middle of eating, spoke up: "Alright."
Peige strolled back and said to Karen, "Richard and Memphis are eating right now. He said he'll go with Memphis later and told us to go ahead."
"Alright then."
Karen nodded. Since they wanted a father-and-son soak, Karen had no reason to break them up.
The hotel had two hot spring areas—one large, one smaller—positioned to the east and west.
If the Church of Samsara crowd wanted to soak, they were assigned to the smaller one.
Dark Moon Island certainly didn't want priests from opposing factions breaking into a brawl right inside the pools.
After picking up their wristbands at the reception desk, Karen stepped into a changing cubicle and emerged wearing a bathrobe. Fanny and Peige had also changed into bathrobes—fairly conservative ones that differed little from regular coats.
An attendant led the three toward the hot spring area. As they passed the public baths, Karen saw quite a few people inside already.
Most were likely priests from the Church of Order, though Karen hardly recognized anyone.
Still, that didn't stop several people from waving at him and whistling, even pressing a single arm downward toward him in a gesture akin to reverence, or simply saying, "Respect."
Karen hadn't understood why at first, but as they walked further in, he realized: Peige and Fanny had booked a private bath.
Standard lodging and hot spring access were fully covered by Dark Moon Island, but opening a private bath required extra point coupons, and the fee was steep.
It wasn't that Dark Moon Island was trying to make a profit; rather, it was meant to maintain distinction. When important figures like bishops came to soak, they would naturally be placed in private pools, so high prices were used to reserve those slots in advance.
Far fewer people were on the private pool side—scarcely anyone was in sight. Hidden within patches of lush greenery sat individual small hot spring baths.
"Esteemed guests, right this way. If you require anything, you may ring this bell. The cabinet over there contains drinks and pastries, freshly refreshed this evening."
Once the attendant left, Peige and Fanny slipped off their bathrobes, revealing the undergarments beneath, and sat by the edge of the pool.
Karen asked, "How many coupons?"
"Three thousand Order coupons," Fanny replied.
"Put it on my tab," Karen said.
"Hehe, wonderful." Peige scooped up a handful of water and laughed. "I knew it. Even though Karen looks down on us, he definitely wouldn't want other men staring at our bodies. He'd gladly spend these coupons."
"Right, right." Karen didn't argue. Shedding his bathrobe, he walked straight into the center of the spring and sat down.
He soaked frequently at home, luxuriously using Light-attribute power to maintain the water temperature, so despite the pool's intense heat, he didn't need to adjust at all.
Even so, he had to consciously rein in his habits so the Light power inside him wouldn't leak, lest Peige and Fanny notice.
"Aren't you afraid of getting scalded?" Peige asked.
Karen shook his head.
"Fine, sitting right in the middle, in the hottest spot."
Peige stripped off all her clothes and stood by the pool's edge. Under the surrounding foliage and the glow of the Dark Moon above, she possessed a beauty combining wildness and nature.
Then she eased into the pool, though she could only manage to stay at the very edge.
Fanny also shed all her clothes, her voluptuous figure gleaming as if polished with wax under the dark moonlight, appearing incomparably graceful.
Once in the water, she stayed near the perimeter as well.
The temperature of the private pool was indeed far higher than that of the public ones.
The three of them had long grown accustomed to this dynamic. During past missions when sharing suites, the two women had frequently walked around bare or skimpy in front of him, treating it as entertainment.
It was much like middle-aged men enjoying off-color banter with a new female employee—except with the genders swapped, it didn't come off as repulsive.
Of course, the primary reason was Karen's astonishingly rapid growth in strength. He was already universally recognized as the strongest in the squad after the Captain, so they didn't dare push things too far.
Just then, Peige spoke up: "Karen, what do you think Her Highness Ophelia would think if she found out you were sharing a private bath with the two of us?"
Karen paid her no mind.
Fanny chimed in, "What else could she think? Come in and soak together?"
Peige burst into laughter. "Hahaha, great! I wouldn't mind."
"I wouldn't mind either," Fanny added.
Karen rolled his neck in silence, offering no response.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside, accompanied by the clatter of armor, heading straight toward them.
Peige and Fanny's gazes sharpened at once.
They didn't mind showing off their bodies in front of Karen, but that didn't mean they were willing to be seen naked by an outsider—and one wearing armor, at that. Who wore armor into a hot spring?
Karen, who had been soaking with his eyes closed, opened them. Having heard the clanking armor as well, he thought to himself: *No way.*
Sure enough,
an armored figure pushed open the lattice gate of the private pool and stepped inside.
The expressions on Peige and Fanny softened slightly, noticing the armor was tailored for a woman, meaning the wearer was female.
Karen, on the other hand, let out a silent sigh. He recognized the suit; he had shared a carriage with it on the ride back to the hotel this morning.
Ophelia removed her helm, revealing her face.
"Your Highness."
"Your Highness."
Fanny and Peige both greeted Ophelia.
Ophelia nodded to each of them in turn. "Greetings, elder sisters."
Peige and Fanny exchanged glances.
They understood perfectly well why the princess of Dark Moon Island would show them such deference.
"Karen, I'm done soaking."
"Yes, it's too hot. I'm getting out to catch some air."
"Right, let's take a stroll."
"Your Highness, could we trouble you to hand us our bathrobes..."
With just the three of them earlier, showing their bodies hadn't mattered. With another person present, remaining like this felt inappropriate.
"Of course, one moment."
Ophelia lifted her sword, habitually intending to flip the hanging robes over with her scabbard, but she lowered the blade and reached out with her hands instead, handing the bathrobes to the two women.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Your Highness, we'll take our leave."
Peige and Fanny threw on their bathrobes and promptly exited.
Only Karen and Ophelia remained in the private enclosure.
She walked over to the cabinet, opened it, and retrieved two glasses. A small metal bucket beside them held ice. After dropping in ice cubes, she poured in water.
Ophelia set one glass by the pool's edge, signaling Karen to come drink.
Karen shook his head, indicating he wasn't thirsty.
Ophelia took a long sip from her own glass, then set it aside.
However, she didn't remove her armor to join the soak. Instead, she sat down on the ground, leaning on her sword with her left hand. The evening breeze gently ruffled her hair, and her armor shared the same hue as the dark moon, making her resemble a delicate work of art.
After a long pause,
"The negotiations went very smoothly today."
Ophelia seemed to be trying her best to find a topic, only to land on an entirely unromantic one.
Karen immediately followed up, "Yes. The main reason is that the Church of Samsara realized our Church of Order came with great sincerity."
Ophelia blinked, realizing something was off.
"Naturally, we must also thank Dark Moon Island for its immense support and thorough arrangements for the conference."
Ophelia smiled.
She slapped the surface of the pool, splashing up a spray of water, and said,
"I don't know what to say at a time like this, and you're deliberately playing dumb with me too?"
"Heheh."
Seeing her display her temper, Karen couldn't help laughing as well.
"Are you laughing at me for being clumsy?"
Karen shook his head. "No. Moments like this are the finest. Once you become adept, it loses its charm."
"You always talk like this. Sometimes even my father doesn't speak like you..."
Suddenly, Ophelia's gaze froze. Clutching her chest with one hand, she spat out a mouthful of black blood and gasped in shock:
"The ice is poisoned!"
Seeing this, Karen immediately rose and moved swiftly toward her.
Even having taken the poison, Ophelia didn't forget to warn him:
"Be careful! This poison was meant for you!"
Chapter 265