Judgment!

Bernard turned his eyes toward Karen. Just then, two strands in the cluster of threads beside him snapped. Instantly, streaks of black patterns surfaced across Bernard's body, binding him like whips of lightning. At the same time, a gray halo materialized above him, radiating a weakening effect down upon him. Bernard's expression contorted viciously, yet he made no sound, continuing to silently resist. Karen calmly picked up the cluster of threads, lightly toying with them between his fingers. Seeing this, Bernard's expression relaxed. The black patterns on his body and the gray halo above dissolved into nothingness—not because he had broken free, but because he had decisively chosen to abandon his struggle. The formation had activated earlier only because it sensed Bernard marshaling his internal power. After all, Mr. Aisen had laid the spell formations directly upon Bernard's body, and some had even seeped deep inside him. While these formations might not be exceptionally advanced—certainly incomparable to forbidden-tier arrays—they were exceptionally close. It was the difference between a match burning in front of your face and one burning inside your heart. Karen had been cautious enough and made ample preparations. Under these circumstances, an accident was practically impossible. "Did my descendants offend the Church of Order?" Karen wore the vestments of Order, making his allegiance unmistakable. Bernard's voice was somewhat raspy. Though he had never truly died, his organs would naturally take time to recover after waking from such a prolonged state of suspended animation. Furthermore, Karen noticed a faint swirl of dark red deep within Bernard's pupils, resembling a dark crescent moon embedded in his eyes. Back at the Ankara Hotel, Ophelia had used a spell to detect whether either side was lying, relying on the Sword of Arius to react. Count Rekar had also monitored the veracity of Karen's words in the name of the sea. Now, Bernard was employing a similar method, though his technique was far more covert and operated on a higher level of perception. This meant that lying was out of the question for the conversation ahead. However, that was precisely the atmosphere Karen wanted. Karen smiled faintly. "No. It just so happens that I belong to the Church of Order." A smile of relief crossed Bernard's face. "That is good. That is good. I truly feared my descendants might have made a blunder and offended great Order." "As of now, Dark Moon Island and Order are partners." "Really? That is wonderful. It seems Dark Moon Island has developed to the point where it can serve great Order." Bernard never once asked why he had awakened, let alone why he had awakened here. He deliberately avoided the core issue at hand—a classic negotiating tactic. Karen was very familiar with such techniques. When talking with patients, he often behaved the same way: never poking at a patient's core sensitivities right away, but deliberately engaging in a prolonged, seemingly pointless exchange to glean more useful information. "Indeed." "I truly cannot wait to return to the island and see it." "It seems you recognize where we are?" "Yes, I do. As a child, I loved eating snake gallbladders. That bitter, pungent flavor was always my favorite, and this island satisfied that craving of mine." "Mhm. There are indeed plenty of snakes on this island." "Do you enjoy eating snake gallbladders, sir?" Karen shook his head. Bernard continued, "Then I recommend you try the wine I brewed with snake gallbladders. Purr drank it too, and she liked it very much." The first probing step had been taken. "Miss Purr, is it? Dark Moon Island is filled with tales of the romance between you two." "Is that so? Ah, that is the greatest regret of my life. We could have been true lovers, yet our respective duties forced us apart." "It sounds truly sorrowful and helpless." "You look very young, sir. Do you have someone you love?" "I do." "Please cherish her. Do not end up like me, regretting it only after losing her forever." "We are away from home now, but when we are home, my beloved and I sleep together every night. She gently rests her hand on my chest to soothe the day's weariness away, and when I wake in the morning, I tuck in her blanket and admire the way she curls her lips in deep sleep." "How blissful. Truly enviable." "Bliss comes from comparison. Hearing your story, I feel even more fortunate." "Hahaha, of course. I am honored to serve as the stepping stone to your happiness. Are you here on an official mission, sir?" "Yes, an assignment." "That is quite a distance to travel all the way here. It cannot have been easy." "It wasn't bad. A Church of Order teleportation formation has been set up on Dark Moon Island, so coming from Wien takes merely an instant." "Splendid. It appears the ties between Dark Moon Island and great Order are truly close now." "They are." "I am quite fond of Wien's thick bean paste. I believe that is a wondrous flavor capable of truly stirring the palate." "I'm not particularly fond of Wien cuisine." "Purr was the same. She felt Wien food grew tiresome quickly. For a time, I even suspected her love of adventure was just an excuse to seek out delicacies abroad. She was quite the glutton." "Oh, really?" "I learned culinary arts specifically for her." *Then your cooking must not have been very good.* Karen drew a cigarette from his pocket, placed it between his lips, and clicked his lighter. It was a subtle cue that he was growing disinterested in the topic, and he trusted Bernard could read it. "Do you like Dark Moon Island, sir?" "I do. I like the climate here; it's very pleasant." "Because you come from Wien. Compared to Wien's climate—forgive my boldness—Dark Moon Island is paradise." "I agree with that assessment." "You should also come to appreciate the hospitable people here." "Yes, indeed. Though, it is more that the people of Dark Moon Island are rather fond of me." "Oh? Look at that. Which fortunate young lady from our island has the blessing to share a wonderful romance with you?" Evidently, Bernard knew very well that this referred to a second woman. Karen held his cigarette between his fingers and looked at Bernard. "She calls you 'Ancestor.'" "A political marriage, then? Ah, I hope she hasn't disappointed you, and I hope you will treat her well." "I will. Barring any accidents, she will succeed as clan chief of the Dark Moon clan in the future." "Truly? Heavens, then she must be of my direct lineage. Splendid! That means the bond between Dark Moon Island and great Order will be even more unbreakable. "Let me think... back then, I left behind some treasures in various places. You may unearth them and gift them to your future children. Your children will be the crystallization of the Dark Moon and Order. "I am truly overjoyed. Truly, nothing brings greater joy upon waking than learning one's house has flourished so remarkably." "Actually, meeting her was purely a stroke of luck." "The scarlet crescent traces the path of your arrival. Every encounter, every acquaintance, even falling in love—though seemingly coincidental—is a destined arrangement made by the Dark Moon, by fate itself." "I said those exact same words to her." "Oh? Is that so? It seems my tale spread far and wide long ago, or perhaps you had already taken note of our Dark Moon Island, sir." "Actually, the people of Dark Moon Island took note of me first." "As they should. I can sense your extraordinary caliber, sir." "They believed my surname to be Allen." "You belong to the Allen family? You are of the same family as Purr? What an extraordinary coincidence! Haha, wonderful, truly wonderful. It seems my descendants have successfully forged ties with the Allen family." "They felt that a union between her and me would serve as the finest conclusion to that beautiful romance, and make it far easier for her to become the sole candidate for the next clan chief." "Indeed, of course. Coupled with your status in Order, I believe Dark Moon Island will flourish even more brilliantly in the hands of you two." "Mhm." Karen tapped the ash from his cigarette and added, "They believe I am Purr's descendant." Bernard: "..." For the first time, Bernard's mask slipped. Because he instantly connected Karen's previous comment—"the finest conclusion to that beautiful romance"—with the groundwork laid throughout their conversation, arriving at an inescapable implication. "Haha... What else did they say about you?" Karen turned his face toward Bernard and smiled. "They actually claimed that I am the descendant of you and Miss Purr. Tell me, isn't that hilarious?" "A misunderstanding! What an absolute misunderstanding! How dare they speculate on your identity like that? Haha, a total misunderstanding! Miss Purr and I truly loved each other, but we never..." "Indeed, it is a misunderstanding. When Purr found out about it, she was utterly beside herself with rage." Bernard stammered, "She... she... she is still alive?!" "You're still alive, aren't you? Why shouldn't she be?" "Did she come to the island too? Was it she who told you to dig me up?!" Bernard completely forgot the honorifics he had maintained until now. His dread at the prospect of Purr being on the island was palpable. That dread did not merely stem from the disgust his fabricated romance might provoke in Purr, but from something deeper... Karen noticed Bernard's peripheral vision flick toward his side—toward Lady Jennifer's sarcophagus. That alone proved that in the past, Purr was not only ill-tempered, but far more importantly, formidably powerful. Back home, Purr had vowed that once her strength recovered, she would go to Dark Moon Island and scatter Bernard's ashes. She had never intended to do so quietly. Karen shook his head. "She didn't come. She's at home." "Allen Manor? Whew... I am glad. Learning that she is still alive brings me such immense joy." "At my home." "At... your... home..." "She loves having me rub her belly. Every time I do, she giggles nonstop, hugs my hand, and curls up entirely." "She favors my shoulder. Whenever we are outside, she loves leaning right against it." "She loves the food I cook. At home, she begs me to cook for her almost every day. In return, she always grants my requests and forgives my mistakes and transgressions." "Whenever I leave the house, she always reminds me not to look at other women. Even at home, she repeatedly emphasizes that I am only allowed to love one person in my entire life." "Oh, right. She shares a bed with me every single night." Bernard's face flushed crimson. The dark crescent moon in his eyes told him that the man before him was telling the truth. Black lightning crackled across his flesh once more, but he immediately suppressed the energy that had surged within him from his fury. His eyes were bloodshot—a redness completely unrelated to the Dark Moon. Bernard forced out, "She and you... truly make a well-matched pair." Karen smiled. Gritting his teeth, Bernard continued, "It is my honor to serve as the source of your amusement." Karen nodded. "So, did you come here specifically to seek revenge on her behalf?" "She once asked me to, but I didn't care to at the time. I thought you were rather pitiful—pining after someone you couldn't have, forced to fabricate stories to comfort your own ego." "Yes, I am a failure. In truth, Miss Purr never once looked upon me with favor. To her, I was like a cup of water scooped from the vast ocean—utterly redundant. "I am willing to apologize to you and to Miss Purr for my past ignorance. I only hope you both can forgive me. "I was never as exceptional as you, never able to move her heart." "I saw the mass grave on the island." "They were a pack of Light remnants!" "Yes, I know." "When I first met them, I didn't know their identity! I treated them as good friends! Seeing them adrift upon the open sea, I kindly took them in! Who could have guessed they would conspire to establish the Church of Light on Dark Moon Island, aiming to turn it into a stronghold of Light?! "The Church of Light is a heretical cult! How could I permit such a thing to happen? So, once I learned the truth, I told them to leave—to depart from this untainted island! "They agreed on the surface, but plotted a rebellion in secret, scheming to overthrow me and seize control of Dark Moon Island! "Left with no alternative, I was forced to strike them down! Alas... "I beg that great Order does not doubt the purity of Dark Moon Island. I believe my descendants would never collude with Light remnants either! Please believe me! Please believe Dark Moon Island!" "When I first saw that pit of corpses, I was quite surprised. Even Purr never realized you were such a ruthless person. Still, I could understand your choice. Light remnants—wherever they are, they are bound to bring tremendous trouble down the road." "Yes, you are entirely correct, sir!" "So, back then, I could understand you." "Thank you for your understanding!" "However..." Karen pointed toward the two statues before them, then toward the sarcophagus nearby. "Lady Jennifer used to be Purr's dear friend, wasn't she?" "She had converted to Light! She was bewitched! I had no choice but to deal with her like that! In truth, I hoped she would see reason and turn back, but she remained obstinate. Driven to wits' end, I could only... alas... "She was once my companion too! Doing that to her broke my heart, truly! "That was why I went out of my way to erect statues of myself and Purr here—as a memorial to the days we spent together as companions!" Karen knew Bernard was probing—probing how much Karen truly knew, and probing Karen's true intention. "I imagine that when I return and tell Purr about this, she will come in person to topple your headstone and grind your bones into ash." "You should understand what must be done when facing Light remnants, sir! It is only natural for Purr to hate me for it, but I do not regret what I did back then! Even if I had to choose again, I would do the exact same thing! "That pack of hypocritical, deceitful Light remnants deserved death! They had to be purged! "Had I not done so, the Dark Moon Island of today would never have existed! They would have brought ruin upon this beautiful island, dragging every soul here into death along with their madness!" "Mr. Philias and his followers were good people." "How can you utter such words, sir?! They were heretics! Devils cloaked in white skins! Masters of deceiving hearts with feigned virtue to achieve their vile ambitions!" "Do you know? I originally thought that if I did nothing this time, Purr would certainly come to Dark Moon Island for revenge once she learned of this anyway. I figured I would just do it in her stead, saving her the trip. "Besides, upon arriving on this island, I discovered you weren't merely spinning tales to comfort yourself. You were truly defiling her, insulting her. She is someone who sleeps in the same bed with me every night, after all. Your behavior made me very uncomfortable." "I admit my wrong! I confess my—" Karen snapped a thread. A burst of soul fire flared from Bernard's chest, scorching his soul in agony. Bernard could not hold back a wretched shriek. "When I am speaking, could you please refrain from interrupting me?" "I won't... I was wrong..." The soul fire gradually dwindled, leaving Bernard's face ash-white. "More importantly, I realized that Mr. Philias and his followers truly were good people. I have never encountered a group so genuinely kind. "You claim that if you hadn't killed them, they would have brought ruin upon Dark Moon Island. Yet they never did, even when the opportunity was right before them. "You know perfectly well how kind they were. And I believe you know that if you had simply told them to their faces that you wished them to leave, they would have walked away without seeking retribution. "They would have embarked on a new journey with smiles on their faces." Bernard fell silent. "Sigh, blame it on me witnessing their kind side. Blame it on their benevolence genuinely moving me, making me truly detest you. "Above all, blame it on my sudden realization that Mr. Philias and I are so remarkably alike. He walked the same path I walk; he held the same philosophy I hold; he shared... the same ambition. "He was another me, and I am another him. "Do you know? That single fact alone is enough to multiply my revulsion toward you a hundredfold! "Because you murdered my comrade. "I began to fear—fear that what befell Philias might one day happen to me. I fear that years from now, someone might uncover my bones buried in some forgotten corner, learn of my fate, and pity me just as I pitied him. Hahaha... "I don't know whether such a thing will come to pass, but if it does, I hope that future person will avenge me, just as I am avenging him today." Bernard stared at Karen, completely incapable of understanding what the man before him was talking about! Because he did not know that in this world, there existed a group of people walking a path of questioning and doubting the gods. Karen, who had sailed through life with smooth winds until now, perceived with stark clarity for the first time the deadly perils lying along this path. Would a god... Allow you to climb step by step, reach the heights, stand before Him, and interrogate and criticize Him? Perhaps, Just when you are riding high, brimming with confidence, and feeling at your very best, that hand will descend to mete out divine retribution, visit heaven's wrath upon you, and obliterate everything you possess! Just like Philias and the others—playing their lutes, singing, dancing, arriving at a beautiful island through the introduction of a beloved wife, and meeting a gentle, refined young clan chief; Only for their fates to be brutally extinguished upon that very island. How remarkably the prelude to all of that resembled his current situation! Why had Diss wanted him to remain at the Inmerlais house all along? Why, even after arranging a marriage and leaving behind so many aides for him, had Diss asked him multiple times whether he was truly prepared? Could Grandfather not know that with Karen's qualifications, rising through the ranks of the church world was practically inevitable? What else was there to worry about? It was because Diss had long understood: [The gods will not sit idly by and let this happen.] There was something Karen had mentioned just now but had not pressed: Bernard could have simply asked Philias and his people to leave. Bernard surely believed those kind people would cherish their hard work on Dark Moon Island and refrain from retaliating; they would even have actively kept their presence secret to shield Dark Moon Island from the orthodox churches' scrutiny and avoid dragging the island down with them. Yet Bernard had still chosen the most extreme method: he slaughtered them. And after murdering them, Bernard went into hibernation like this. What was the purpose and meaning of his slumber? What was he waiting for? Who had influenced him, and who had guided him? The phantom vestments of an Inquisitor manifested over Karen's body—not the priestly robe he wore, but the solemn majesty of Order's judgment. "Bernard, in the name of Order, I now pass judgment upon you." Bernard cried out in terror, "No, you cannot do this! I only killed followers of Light! I committed no blasphemy against Order! You have no authority to judge me! Everything I did aligned with Order's stance against the Light! And your judgment does not follow the proper procedures of Order!" "You are right." Karen nodded, and the illusion of the Inquisitor's vestments dispersed. Bernard let out a long breath of relief, hoping Karen had merely used the display to pressure him—perhaps to pry out that secret. Right at that moment, a flash of white light erupted. To Bernard's sheer horror, the illusory vestments of the Church of Light materialized across the young man's frame. "You... you... you're actually..." "Bernard, in the name of Light, I now pass judgment upon you." Bernard: "..."