Poor Richard

Madame Tangli held the cup of coffee her daughter-in-law had brewed with her own hands and took a sip. Mm, too much sugar. She picked up a pastry her daughter-in-law had made and took a bite. Her brows furrowed slightly; it wasn't particularly appetizing either. As an elderly woman who had considered the kitchen her personal domain for half her life, she truly looked down on her daughter-in-law's culinary abilities. This had nothing to do with Kaixi's rank as a Jurist; she didn't care all that much about titles anyway. Even so, she said nothing and continued eating at a leisurely pace. No matter what, she felt a certain guilt toward her daughter-in-law—after all, her son had turned out the way he was. Not to mention that Kaixi came from a good family. Even if she had been born into an ordinary household, she had risen to become a Jurist. In all these years, no one had ever heard of an esteemed female Jurist suffering mistreatment over marital or family matters. Because of this, Madame Tangli had tolerated her daughter-in-law's decision a few years ago to transfer away from York City and take up a post in Sangpu City. Kaixi sat upright across the coffee table, cupping her mug, her eyes slightly glazed over as she spaced out. Ever since her husband had applied for suspension from his duties, he would vanish for days on end from time to time, leaving behind notes claiming he had gone out to clear his head without telling anyone where he was going. If she hadn't gleaned the truth from her mother-in-law that day—that Karen was not her husband's illegitimate child—she might have genuinely believed her husband was off making up for years of missing fatherhood. Now, however, she had no idea what to think anymore. In a way, it had been better when she could simply believe she was the wronged wife; at least that gave her feelings an anchor. She lifted her gaze to look at Madame Tangli across from her. Ever since Karen's visit, her mother-in-law, who had previously been recuperating near the suburban hot springs, had moved back here to stay. Because of that, Kaixi's medical leave was now entirely tied to her mother-in-law. The old patriarch, Delon, was busy with departmental affairs. Her sister-in-law never visited without a reason. Her son was off on a mission to Dark Moon Island, and her husband had taken up disappearing acts. In this entire house, only she and her mother-in-law remained. There was no outright conflict between mother- and daughter-in-law, and they were always polite, but the distance between them was palpable. Neither of them had any intention of bridging it, leaving Kaixi feeling as though she were performing on stage every single day. "Richard should be returning today, right?" Madame Tangli asked. "His grandfather mentioned that the return teleportation array was set to activate this morning." "Yes," Kaixi replied softly. "He's probably on his way home right now." "It's good that he's coming back." Madame Tangli took another sip of coffee, holding back a wince. "Yes, it's good that he's coming home," Kaixi echoed. "With him gone, the house feels so deserted." "Feeling that it's deserted just means you're getting old too." "Old?" "When people grow old, it becomes easy to feel lonely." Madame Tangli set down her cup. "As you age, you see through more and more things, and you let more things go. Gradually, nothing excites you anymore. You grow bored, and you grow lonely." "Is that so...?" "Things will get better from here on out," Madame Tangli said. "Of course, Mother." Though Kaixi had no idea why her mother-in-law would say such a thing at this moment, she instinctively agreed. Just then, a wisp of black mist drifted through the window into the living room, coming to a halt in front of the sofa before condensing into Aisen's figure. Madame Tangli pointed at Aisen with a smile. "See? In the end, he still cares about his son. Knowing the boy was returning soon, he came back too." Kaixi looked at her husband and let out a quiet sigh, forcing a smile onto her face. "You're back." When speaking to her husband, she had to keep her voice gentle and soft, terrified that the slightest volume might startle him away like a timid sparrow. "Yes, I'm back." Mr. Aisen gave his wife a nod. Then he looked toward Madame Tangli. "Mother is still staying here?" "Why, is that a problem?" Madame Tangli spread her hands. "I was worried Kaixi would be lonely here by herself." Aisen said flatly, "Kaixi doesn't like being in the same room as you." Kaixi rushed to interject, "No, of course not! How could that be!" Madame Tangli wasn't offended; instead, she chuckled. "I'm going to the study." Aisen nodded to his mother, then to his wife, and walked toward his study. Once inside, he gently pulled the door shut. "Mother, please don't listen to his nonsense," Kaixi hurriedly explained. Madame Tangli raised a hand to cut her off, whispering, "Haven't you noticed? Aisen seems a bit different again." "He... does?" "In the past, aside from work matters, he would never speak up about household affairs on his own initiative." "That... that does seem to be true." "My son is unwell, but now, I see hope for his recovery." "If that's true, it would be wonderful." At that moment, the front door swung open, and Richard walked out from the foyer, rolling a suitcase behind him. "Oh, my dear Grandmother, you look as radiant as ever! "And who might this young lady be? Ah, she's actually my mother! Heavens, who could imagine such a youthful lady could have such a grown son!" The moment Richard stepped into the house, he snapped into character, stepping forward to embrace his grandmother and his mother. "Did the mission go smoothly?" Kaixi asked. "Smoothly, remarkably smoothly! And it was utterly thrilling!" At that point, Madame Tangli glanced in the direction of her son's study, cleared her throat, and said, "Kaixi, let's go prepare lunch for Richard. He can eat and chat with us in a bit." Kaixi was surprised. Her mother-in-law had never liked anyone else in the kitchen when she was working, yet Kaixi rose immediately and followed Madame Tangli into the kitchen. Richard threw himself onto the sofa, propped his feet up on the coffee table, spread his arms wide, and let out an extravagant stretch. "Phew, there really is no place like home." He felt like the man of the house now—no, a fully grown man who, after toiling out in the world, could now enjoy being waited on by the women of the family. Ohoho. The corners of Richard's mouth curled upward. Hehehe. This feeling was fantastic. Just then, the study door clicked open. Richard turned his head and saw his father standing in the doorway. "Uh..." Richard quietly pulled his feet off the coffee table, straightened his posture, and said, "Dad, I'm back." Aisen walked toward Richard. Richard suddenly caught a scent that felt terrifyingly familiar—almost as if, the last time he returned home from a mission, he had also been... With a jolt, Richard sprang to his feet and said, "Dad, I brought you a gift! I even borrowed a bunch of point coupons from my teammate for it!" Saying so, Richard pulled a large strand of souvenir seashells from his pocket. "This one's yours, this one's Mother's, this one's Grandfather's, this one's Aunt's, and this one's Grandmother's..." Seeing these shells—the kind sold at Dark Moon Island's market where a single silver coin could buy an entire crate—Aisen's gaze grew darker still. He knew his son had borrowed a massive sum of point coupons from "himself" just to buy a gift for a priestess from the Church of Samsara, only to bring back the cheapest string of shells for his family. "Dad, which color do you like? I think this blue one suits you really well, hehe." Richard held up a shell, offering it in Aisen's direction. But as his father stepped closer, Richard began unconsciously stepping backward. Father and son were connected by blood; some things needed no words to be instantly understood. Even though he didn't feel he had done anything wrong this time... then again, he hadn't done anything wrong last time either! Back then, he had just been sitting at home eating pastries when his father returned and beat him black and blue! "Father, how have you been at home lately?" Richard offered pleasantries while retreating, while Mr. Aisen kept advancing. Father and son began circling the living room sofa in a wide loop. Finally, when Richard circled around toward the kitchen, he spun around and bolted for it, yelling at the top of his lungs: "Grandmother! Mother! I missed you both so much!" Mr. Aisen raised a hand and said grimly, "Order — Cage!" "..." Richard froze. At that moment, an endless stream of curses raced through Richard's mind. In front of him, a black cube materialized, not only blocking his path forward but driving him backward. Richard spun around, flicking a scroll out from the sleeve of the clerical robe he hadn't yet taken off. The scroll hit the floor and unfurled. "Order — Guardian Barrier!" To save his own skin, the son had unleashed a spell against his father. Yet two bolts of black lightning crackled across Mr. Aisen's palms. One struck the scroll Richard had thrown, instantly reducing it to ashes, while the other crashed into Richard's newly formed barrier, blasting straight through it. In an instant, lightning flashed and wind roared through the living room, gouging numerous holes into the rug and the sofa. Richard's vision blurred, and his father appeared directly in front of him. Richard clutched a spell handgun in his right hand and a spell crossbow in his left. Just as he prepared to raise his arms, he found he couldn't lift them at all. Looking down, he saw both hands already bound by two black chains of Order. "No, why?!" The next instant, Richard was hoisted into the air by the chains. "Dad, why are you doing this?!" Then, Richard was slammed brutally onto the floor. *Thud!* "Cough... why must it be like this... my dearest Father..." Richard was hoisted into the air once more, left dangling. "Father... how did I upset you?" Hearing that question, images of all the ways his son had provoked him recently flashed through Mr. Aisen's mind. Without thinking back, he had merely been angry; having remembered, he was now thoroughly enraged! He couldn't even fathom what kind of endurance had kept him from striking until now! Richard was hurled toward the floor once again. *Thud!* "Cough... why are you doing this..." Richard was lifted once more. *Thud!* Richard collapsed limply onto the floor and looked up in a daze, finding that the chains of Order had vanished from his body. *Phew, it's over.* *Crack!* Then, Richard heard the sharp crack of a whip. He looked up to see his father brandishing a leather whip—the ceremonial implement bestowed upon his father when he became an Adjudicator, an item he had stopped carrying after his promotion to Jurist. "Oh no, don't do this, please, no!" *Crack!* "Aaaagh!" *Crack!* "Aaaah!" *Crack!* "Ah!" *Crack!* Richard: "..." ... "Mother, they've started again," Kaixi said to Madame Tangli. Although the house was large, with such a commotion and such potent magical ripples, it was impossible not to notice. "A long-awaited reunion between father and son. Engaging in a little bonding activity is completely normal." "Is it...?" "Aaaagh!" Richard's agonized wails continued to drift in. "Mother, isn't he hitting him a bit too hard?" "I know you care for your son, and I care for my grandson too. But you must remember, after Aisen beat him last time, didn't his mood improve considerably?" "That..." "As long as it helps Aisen's condition, Richard can endure a bit of hardship. After all, he's helping his father heal. As a son, it's his duty to bear it." "No! Please, no!" Richard's screams grew even more frantic. "He's being far too rough! What state is the boy going to be in?" Kaixi fretted. "You need to look on the bright side. Richard is extraordinarily talented. Think about it—his parents have taken a hands-off approach his entire life, and hasn't he still become a God's Shepherd? He probably isn't far from becoming an Inquisitor either. "Aisen is simply forcing out his potential to make up for the time he wasted slacking off in the past. You want Richard to take over your mantle eventually, don't you? If a family of Jurists produces an Inquisitor as their heir, that would be truly humiliating. "Even if strings were pulled to get him into a Jurist seat, you know very well how vast the difference is between a nominal post and real capability." "Is Aisen really doing this because of that?" "This is probably the deepest expression of paternal love." "Ah..." Richard's screams were gradually growing faint. "Mother, Richard's voice is getting weaker." "I heard his grandfather say last night that the York City Region is about to hold a selection trial. Only eligible priests of the right age can register. There are only twelve spots across the entire church, and his grandfather is already pulling strings to register him. "That selection will be far harsher than this. If Richard can make the cut, it will be of immense help to his future development." "Can Richard be selected?" "The York City Region has five slots. I think my grandson has a shot. If he can secure one of those five spots, then going up against the church-wide selection will come down to luck." "Does Aisen know about this too?" "I'm not sure. Perhaps he does. He's only suspended; his former colleagues and friends are still around." "Aisen has friends at work?" "Er... well, he ought to have a few." "Mother." "What is it now?" "Richard... doesn't seem to be making any sound at all." "Stop! Not my grandson!" ... Waking from his sleep, Karen sat up against the headboard. Morning sunlight already streamed through the window, bringing warmth and comfort. Karen loved this feeling. Being well-rested in the morning sunlight made him look forward to the day ahead from the bottom of his heart. "Meow~" Purr rolled over and went right back to sleep. Having held a mourning vigil for Jennifer the previous night, the cat had turned in very late and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Karen turned his head to look at Purr's chubby face and the way she habitually slept with her head propped on her paws. Ignoring her temper, she really was an adorable cat. Of course, even with her temper, she was still quite adorable. Getting out of bed, he headed into the washroom. After a shower and freshening up, Karen went into the study and sat behind the desk. He pondered what Kevin had told him yesterday. Logically speaking, the Gate of Samsara was an exceptionally perilous place, yet the Church of Order had negotiated spots for it into the treaty and finalized the agreement. Could the higher-ups of the Church of Order truly be completely ignorant of the internal situation within the Church of Samsara? Karen didn't think so. In that case, if someone earned one of those twelve spots, would the Church of Order have other arrangements before sending them through the Gate of Samsara? After all, no matter what, the Church of Order would never allow corruption to spread to its own people. He would only find out for sure once he passed the trials and made the list. Regardless, the Gate of Samsara still held tremendous allure for priests. Most contracts signed by ordinary priests of the Church of Samsara were with spirits they had captured or coerced. Inside the Gate of Samsara, however, lay the opportunity to form contracts with truly powerful souls—an entirely different matter. Furthermore, the fall of the God of Light seemed to be intertwined with the Gate of Samsara as well. Well, that made it a prime opportunity, didn't it? A faint smile appeared on Karen's lips. Although he still didn't fully comprehend his own soul or that black chain of his, that didn't stop him from possessing immense confidence when it came to the realm of souls. He had to fight for a spot. Only by entering the Gate of Samsara would he have the chance to witness the true mysteries surrounding the gods. Before that organization known as the Silencers discovered him, he needed to keep as low a profile as possible—though keeping a low profile didn't mean doing nothing at all. He was also quite eager to see what kind of undead spirit he might find inside the Gate of Samsara. Rising and leaving the study, Karen decided to make himself a bowl of plain broth noodles. After being away on business for so long, he genuinely missed the breakfasts at home. Beyond that, he planned to drive over to Allen Manor to take a look after finishing his meal. Right then, Karen saw Alfred approaching him. "Young Master, Richard is here." "He's here?" Karen was somewhat surprised and asked, "Did he come in a wheelchair?" "No." "Then he's quite lucky." "He arrived on a stretcher." Karen walked out to the front parlor and saw Richard lying on a stretcher. "Karen... *waaah*..." Richard was sobbing his heart out. Standing nearby, Karen cleared his throat with a cough to suppress the urge to laugh. Given how much fun Richard had enjoyed on Dark Moon Island, his present misery was practically preordained. Crouching down in front of Richard, Karen asked, "Your dad beat you?" "Yeah." "Impressive of you to still drag yourself here for a meal after taking a beating like that." "No... my grandmother invited you over for lunch." "I have plans today." "My grandmother knows you live in a funeral parlor. She said if I couldn't bring you over, I should just buy a coffin from you, lie inside, and have a hearse deliver me home." "How could your grandmother be like that? I thought she was very kind and gentle." "She was, originally. But yesterday, while my dad was beating me, I pretended to be dead and scared her half to death. Then, once she found out I was faking..." "What happened?" "She told my dad, who was already about to stop, to give me another beating."