Having dealt with the Captain, Karen hung up the receiver and turned to Kevin first. "Just a joke."
Kevin immediately wagged his tail.
"The Captain is actually a decent guy."
Kevin's tail stopped wagging at once.
Purr extended a cat paw and patted Kevin, consoling him. "Just consider it a sacrifice for your good friend, the radio sprite. After all, he can actually converse with you."
Kevin turned his head to look at Alfred.
Purr naturally understood what kind of person Karen was. If his personal interests were not directly involved, he detested any unnecessary risks.
No matter how enticing an object might be, it would hardly sway him.
Karen, after all, had been raised in luxury by Diss.
Therefore, Karen's agreement to the Captain's request—and his promise to explore the burial ground of the Phantom Beast Compasini together afterward—was purely for Alfred's sake.
*Hmph, sprite!*
Alfred took a deep breath and said, "Young Master, I feel this matter is extraordinarily dangerous. You should reconsider..."
"Alfred, I'll ask you just one thing: are Compasini's remains useful to you?"
"Your subordinate... your subordinate can devour them to gain an enhancement, as the Succubus Eye can completely integrate and absorb them."
"Then that's all that matters." Karen smiled. "It's worth it."
"Young Master..."
"Enough. We're all friends here; let's skip the sentimental talk. The stronger you become, the more you can help me in the future, can't you?"
"Yes, Young Master!"
"Get some rest. Oh, and this tooth is yours."
"Aren't you going to hand it over to your captain?" Alfred asked.
"Do you think he'd refund my five thousand Order coupons?"
"Probably not."
"Then keep it." Karen stretched. "All right, I'm heading to sleep. You and Kevin..."
Alfred said, "We will do our best to finish refining the egg by tomorrow morning."
Purr added, "In truth, that egg is in more of a rush than we are."
***
"This is the investigative dossier on Karen. Your father and I have both reviewed it; take a look yourself."
"All right, Mom."
Bart reached out and picked up the report.
A middle-aged man and woman sat across from each other, their posture straight and commanding, exuding an air of natural authority.
The man spoke first. "I had a friend in the scout battalion pull this report from the regional headquarters. It's strictly an official summary; no one was sent to run an on-the-ground investigation. Even so, one can glean a great deal from it."
The woman noted, "The only striking detail in this report is the gossip linking this Karen to the princess of Dark Moon Island."
"Indeed. In every other respect, he seems thoroughly ordinary."
"The more ordinary he appears, the more abnormal it is."
Bart set the report down, looked at his parents, and asked, "Dad, Mom, are you saying Karen is hiding his true identity?"
"Son, I believe geniuses exist in this world. In my eyes, you belong among them," his mother said. "I also believe that this Karen, who earned your admiration, is a genius as well—perhaps even more gifted than you. But he is certainly no simple orphan."
"Heh, indeed," his father chuckled. "Just look at the facts. He contested a woman with Chief Bishop Worflen's grandson, yet not only was he permitted to accompany Bishop Worflen to Dark Moon Island afterward, but his name was even put forward for this selection upon his return. That alone reveals a telling clue: whoever stands behind Karen is someone who makes a regional Chief Bishop—the foremost authority on the surface—tread with caution, to the point of laying down his own dignity.
"Furthermore, that Richard he hauled 'up the mountain' is a scion of the Guman family. Though the Gumans are merely a family of Jurists, their standing in the York City Region is exceptionally unique.
"Many formation masters in our knight order were Delon Guman's students.
"To snatch a woman from the Chief Bishop's grandson and count the Guman family's grandson as a friend means he stands on equal footing with them—in fact, the former likely outweighs the latter.
"It is just like how you usually socialize with children of the knight order when you go out, son. You spend time together because your circles are similar."
"You don't need to dwell on that, nor should you mind whether he concealed his background from you," his mother added. "In any case, what you admire is his strength. If you can befriend him, it is best to do so; it may prove advantageous to your future development."
"There's no need to be so utilitarian," his father remarked. "Just keep it in mind. Besides, the deputy commander spoke with me today. He hopes you will strive to secure that spot. I suspect there is more to the Gate of Samsara than a simple trial.
"The deputy commander didn't spell it out completely—he may only have been passing along the commander's intentions. But I know that if you return safely from the Gate of Samsara, you will be cultivated as the true future of the Third Knights. Once you become a full member, you might even serve directly as the commander's personal guard."
"Dad, Mom, rest assured. I will succeed."
***
First light cracked across the sky; the city had not yet fully awakened from its slumber.
A VIP car pulled up before the entrance of the Pavaro Funeral Parlor and came to a halt.
Dincomb, who had been on night watch duty—and snoring through it—was already awake and sweeping the floor. Seeing the VIP car arrive, his first instinct was that Fanny and Peige had come to see the boss.
Looking closer, he realized something was off. Although it was the same model of VIP car, the exterior details differed.
Whether it was the vehicle Fanny and Peige requisitioned for security missions or the one the Captain had personally assembled, both were embedded with numerous formations, leaving the frame slightly bulky. This vehicle, however, had no such features.
The door opened, and a young woman stepped out. Looking at the funeral parlor, she furrowed her brows and yawned.
*Smack!*
A woman following behind slapped the back of her head and scolded, "Who are you frowning at?"
"Mom, coming to a funeral parlor first thing in the morning—isn't frowning completely normal?"
"When asking a favor, one should display the proper attitude of asking a favor."
"What favor are we asking? We could have just sent someone over with the items. You two insisted on coming in person."
A man stepped out of the vehicle and reproached Aisli, "Since we've come, we naturally have an objective."
The woman chimed in, "You don't understand. If you ultimately enter the Gate of Samsara, upon your return, not only will your internship convert to a full position, but you'll even be given an independent office and your own team to lead."
"Huh?" Aisli covered her mouth. "That grand?"
She knew how high her parents' department ranked. Having a private office there meant she could head a project team and enjoy the benefits and resources allocated by the church.
"If not for that, would we bother coming in person so enthusiastically at the break of dawn?" the woman retorted.
"Still, who knows what format the final selection will take? Showing basic courtesy and keeping up ties should be plenty. I've already done that much. When push comes to shove, I still have to rely on myself, don't I?"
"Not necessarily," the man corrected. "We've made inquiries through peer departments in other regions; they have children participating in this selection as well. This selection has a unique quirk: on the surface, it assesses individuals, but participants in every region have been able to lean on those around them for support."
"Oh?"
"The York City Region has been the most discreet about it. In several other regions, candidates formed cliques to claim spots, and complaints have already been lodged. Take that Karen you mentioned hauling his friend up the mountain—if his friend hadn't succumbed to the altitude himself, and if Karen hadn't refrained from making things difficult for the rest of you early on, Karen very likely could have brought his friend through to secure a spot together.
"Why arrange everyone in the same illusion in the first place?"
"Isn't that simpler?" Aisli asked.
The man smiled faintly. "I consulted that church formation master whose formation beast I helped treat last time. Her answer was that doing so imposes a much heavier burden. Assigning each person an individual illusion would actually cost far less to maintain—infinitely less, in fact. Running an illusion for an isolated individual is unquestionably much easier than running one for a group, because interactions between people introduce far more variables and unexpected complications."
"Dad, you mean...?"
"It's intentional. The final selection will very likely rely on teamwork as well. Aisli, you must realize that the purpose of this selection is to produce twelve spots to undergo the trial within the Gate of Samsara, not merely to pick the twelve most outstanding individuals of this age bracket—though the twelve selected will certainly be exceptional.
"The objective of the selection is to find the most suitable team to undergo the trial within the Gate of Samsara."
"I understand, Dad."
At that moment, Dincomb walked over and asked, "Excuse me, are you looking for someone?"
Aisli spoke up. "We're looking for Karen. Is he home?"
"The boss isn't awake yet. Let me go notify him; please wait a moment."
Dincomb promptly returned to the rear courtyard to report.
Upon receiving word, Alfred, Kevin, and Purr—who had stayed up all night monitoring the refining process—were still watching over their work. The egg had now been purged of all consciousness, transformed inside a spell container into a blue liquid, though it still required another round of purification.
"Guests? All right, I understand."
Alfred delivered the final vial of purification reagent into the flask. In three hours, the liquid inside would separate into layers, and the clear fluid at the very top would be the final extract.
Alfred placed the flask into a sealed cabinet—a piece embedded with its own formations, which he had scavenged from the black market.
"Ah... time for bed. So sleepy, meow."
"Woof!"
"Go on and rest," Alfred said. "I'll see what kind of guests they are. If it isn't urgent, I'll have them wait in the front hall. The young master hasn't woken up yet."
Alfred went to the front hall. The moment he laid eyes on Aisli, he knew these guests were far from ordinary.
He had been the one to pick up the young master after their recent dinner. Though he had only driven Ventura back, Aisli and Bart had walked past his vehicle. As an exceptional butler, accurately remembering the appearance and background of every person who interacted with his young master was the most fundamental professional requirement.
Ventura came from a modest family, but the other two were different: one was a scion of the knight order, and the other hailed from a senior research institute within the church.
*Are these... her parents?*
By the time he crossed from the doorway to stand before Aisli and her parents, a warm smile had already settled onto Alfred's face.
"Miss Aisli, welcome. And these two are...?"
Alfred dared not be overly effusive with Aisli—he avoided lines like "my young master was just mentioning you last night" or "my young master has been quite taken with your character." He knew very well what troubled his young master most and would never dare dig a romantic pit for him.
"Hello. I am Aisli's father, Santos, and this is my wife, Selina," the man said. "Aisli mentioned that Mr. Karen keeps two pets. Her mother and I felt that simply sending over some pet supplements might be thoughtless. Supplements, after all, cannot be given carelessly; anything that can be consumed without precaution rarely does much good.
"So we came personally to examine them and devise a regimen to help both pets develop in a better direction."
Alfred maintained his smile, but his heart gave a sudden lurch.
*What? They came to draw up a development plan for Purr and Kevin?*
Alfred felt the two pets in their household hardly needed further development or evolution. They had just assisted him in refining the heart of a high-ranking Sea God Religion adherent—a feat that would prove exceedingly difficult for any ordinary household cat and dog.
Yet Alfred dared not decline outright. He decided to consult the young master first. Most importantly, their status and background carried weight; though they worked in a research department, the higher a research department stood, the more its influence rivaled departments of practical authority.
"Please have some tea while you wait. Ah, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I'll have someone prepare it, then go inform my young master."
"Very well, go ahead." Santos showed not the slightest pretense.
"Dincomb, pour some tea."
Heading into the rear courtyard, Alfred saw Xili emerging from her bedroom and instructed, "We have guests. Prepare breakfast."
"Yes, Mr. Alfred."
Alfred walked to the master bedroom door and knocked.
A moment later, the door swung open. It was Kevin who had opened it.
"Is the young master awake?" Alfred asked.
"What is it?" Karen's voice drifted from the inner room.
"Young Master, Aisli and her parents have arrived. They said they've come to examine Purr and Kevin."
Purr, who had just curled up on the bed, scrambled up in bewilderment. "What?"
Kevin pricked his ears up as well, as though suspecting he had misheard.
"At our front door?" Karen asked.
"Yes, they're already here."
"Why such enthusiasm...?" Karen was puzzled. If it were merely a matter between young people, parents would have no reason to get involved. "Did they catch wind of something regarding the final selection and think they might need me?"
Karen felt that was the only explanation that held up.
Short of Aisli returning home to tell her parents she had fallen for him and would marry no one else, there was no reason for them to drop by at dawn to discuss wedding arrangements.
It was almost certainly tied to the final selection. Since it was scheduled to begin tomorrow morning, they simply couldn't wait.
"An examination isn't a bad idea." Karen looked at Purr. "A healthier body will make it easier for both of you to recover quickly and exert more strength at this stage, won't it? Oh, right—provided that finger is stowed away first."
Hearing this, Purr asked doubtfully, "Did you say they specialize in raising monster beasts?"
Karen added, "And only rare monster beasts at that."
"Still feels bizarre, meow."
"Woof!" Kevin wagged his tail excitedly.
It was plain to see that Kevin was quite eager to improve his physical constitution.
Karen made his decision. "Consider it going through the motions. We can't refuse their good intentions. Alfred, ask them to wait a moment while I wash up."
"Yes, Young Master."
Karen got out of bed and stepped into the washroom.
"Woof!"
Kevin barked at Purr.
"I haven't, all right? I never thought about improving my physical conditioning. My dream has always been to turn directly back. What about you? Did you ever consider it?"
"Woof!"
"Isn't that obvious nonsense? You never imagined you'd turn into a dog, so how could I have ever imagined turning into a cat!"
"Woof?"
"That was just playing around—playing! Turning into a cat used to be a hobby, but I never meant to make a profession out of it."
"Woof."
"Fine, we'll humor them. They're mainly here for Karen anyway; we're just complimentary extras."
Once Karen finished washing up and changed his clothes, he walked to the kitchen to meet Aisli and her parents. The three of them had not waited in the front hall; instead, they were eating breakfast in the kitchen, where Xili had prepared wonton noodles tailored to Karen's taste.
Evidently, it suited their palates well. They ate with great relish, an empty bowl sitting before each of them, clearly indicating they had gone for seconds.
In any case, in the Wien Region, where heavy sauces and pungent flavors were the norm, finding people who could appreciate light, savory fare was genuinely rare.
"Karen!" Aisli called out upon seeing him.
"You are Karen?" Selina found Karen unexpectedly handsome, unable to stop herself from looking back and forth between him and her daughter.
For a mother with a marriage-aged daughter, instinctively evaluating whether an eligible young man might make a good match was practically second nature.
Moreover, her husband had analyzed that Karen's background was likely far from ordinary.
Santos stood up and said, "Karen, Aisli told us at home that you were handsome, but I didn't expect you to be this dashing—practically how I looked in my youth."
"Dad!"
"Good morning, Uncle, Aunt."
Since people of their stature had gone to the trouble of visiting in person, Karen had no intention of putting on airs. If they were this courteous, he would naturally return the courtesy.
"I haven't eaten breakfast yet either; let's eat together."
Karen ate a bowl of noodles, chatting as they went. The atmosphere felt very much like distant relatives dropping by for a family visit.
Given Aisli's temperament, Karen had initially assumed her parents would be the reclusive, unworldly scholar type. In reality, the opposite held true: Mr. and Mrs. Santos were remarkably smooth and tactful.
They were likely proud by nature, of course, but with their precious daughter's future at stake, they were willing to set pride aside.
Once breakfast concluded, the Santos couple immediately proposed conducting the pet examinations.
Karen naturally agreed, though he did not arrange the examination in his master bedroom or study. Instead, he directed them to the workspace that had once belonged to Mrs. Lake—the room where she used to cosmeticize corpses.
Because Karen had shifted the funeral parlor's clientele, Mrs. Lake had not used that workshop in quite some time.
Purr and Kevin walked over. To avoid drawing undue attention, Purr did not ride on Kevin's back this time.
At the doorway, Mrs. Selina gently scooped Purr into her arms and stepped inside.
Mr. Santos led Kevin in after her, then shut the door.
The workshop had only a door and no windows.
Before long, energy fluctuations from diagnostic spells began radiating from within.
After a short while, the door opened, and Kevin and Purr trotted out. Kevin bounded toward Karen, rubbing against his trouser leg, while Karen picked up Purr directly, deliberately creating the impression of pets showing affection to their master.
Mr. Santos's voice drifted from inside the room. "Mr. Karen, both of your pets are in excellent physical health. However, they do not fall under the category of monster beasts; they are merely ordinary pets. We will provide you with a breeding plan. If you feed and nurture them according to our regimen, their coats will grow glossier and their bodies will be far healthier. Please wait a moment."
"Understood. Thank you both for your hard work; I am truly grateful." Standing outside, Karen voiced his thanks to the pair within. For two experts in rearing rare monster beasts to visit in person and play the role of pet veterinarians was indeed a tremendous effort on their part.
Aisli was slightly surprised. It seemed Karen truly was fond of these two pets; otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to spend point coupons on supplements to feed them. She felt a touch of disappointment deep down that they were only ordinary pets—she had assumed they would at least be low-tier monster beasts or creatures endowed with spiritual intelligence.
"Aisli, do you have a fountain pen with you?"
"Yes, Mother, here you go."
Aisli pulled out a fountain pen and pushed open the workshop door.
Inside the workshop,
her father and mother
were deathly pale.
Chapter 312