Charge, Stupid Dog!

Madam Felscher looked at her granddaughter and asked, "When I spoke that surname, why didn't I see anger in your eyes?" "Because ever since I was a child, I have been trying hard to steer my anger away from you." "Heh heh." Hearing this, Madam Felscher was not angry in the slightest. Instead, she beckoned, gesturing for her granddaughter to come sit beside her. Philomena sat down before Madam Felscher. Underneath the coffee table, her father shifted his head, rubbing his face against her shoe. "Tell me, how did you lose?" Philomena recounted everything, from the York City Region trials to the final selection at Augurev Fortress. Throughout the entire telling, she did not display a shred of personal emotion, as though she were merely an uninvolved bystander. Madam Felscher listened as she kept her head down, continuing to knit her sweater. Even after Philomena finished speaking, her hands did not stop their rhythmic motion. She simply said calmly: "The blame for the failure isn't entirely yours. I imagine the parents of those other youths from the York City Region had deduced in advance that teamwork was a possibility in the final selection. "You were in York City by yourself, without any elders by your side. It is only natural that you wouldn't guess this beforehand; after all, you grew up here and hardly ever ventured out. "Sigh, though even if I had put your father on a leash to accompany you, it wouldn't have been of any use, would it?" Philomena remained silent. "However, you lost your power of observation. You said that young man named Karen performed just as exceptionally as you during the York City Region selection. Then did you ever wonder why he went to the Church Affairs Building to participate in the final selection together with those others? "Did you ever wonder why they shared food and water, interacting with such intimacy, after entering Augurev Fortress? "Did you ever wonder why a young man you acknowledged as being just as brilliant as yourself was willing to play along with those people? "Did you think he wouldn't feel annoyed? That he had no pride? That he genuinely enjoyed having a swarm of 'children' chattering around him? "Patience only exists when there is a purpose." "Yes, I understand now." "No, you don't understand. What you lack compared to him isn't just this bit of patience, but also this..." Madam Felscher picked up her knitting needle and tapped her granddaughter's forehead. "He is wiser than you." "I admit it." "Treating reality as a dream, displaying arrogance—in the end, one must always pay the price for it. You lost a wonderful opportunity, one that should have fallen easily into your grasp. "Heh heh. Between you and the Gate of Samsara lay merely a small piece of pastry." Philomena fell silent once more. "Forget it, forget it. What's lost is lost. That boy named Karen—what kind of family does he come from?" "I don't know." "You lost to him, yet you didn't investigate him?" "No." "You don't hate him?" "I don't." Madam Felscher nodded. "Not bad. At least you can take a loss with grace." Philomena remained seated where she was. After a long silence, Madam Felscher spoke, "Go get some rest." "Yes, Grandmother." Philomena stood up and walked toward the stairs. She saw her father crawling along behind her. Watching this, Madam Felscher smiled. "Oh, look at that. It really does like you." Philomena walked up the stairs alone and entered her room. Her bedroom was austere: a single bed, a wardrobe, and nothing else. Who would put much effort into decorating something inside a dream? She stripped off her clothes in the bedroom and walked naked into the bathroom. After taking a bath, she returned to the bedroom just as bare and lay on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, her eyes were wide open. For some people, insomnia was a tormenting affliction; For her, the most troublesome thing was how to "wake up." Outside the window, the moon had long risen high into the sky. At last, she slowly closed her eyes. In the dream, she opened her eyes. Philomena stood before a wooden cabin surrounded by a delicate picket fence, inside of which grew flowers and vegetables. She took a deep breath, and the rigid expression that had gripped her face finally softened. The cabin door swung open. Wearing an old leather jacket, her father stepped out hand in hand with her mother, who was dressed simply and neatly. Her mother scolded, "Philomena, you were playing around again! How dare you not come home yesterday!" Her father hurried to soothe her mother. "All right, all right, our daughter is all grown up now. She has a mind of her own." Saying that, her father even winked at Philomena. "Quick, go inside. Your mother and I are heading to the market to trade for some seeds. There's a meal ready for you on the table inside." Smiling, Philomena turned aside and watched her parents' figures fade into the distance. Only after quite a while did she step into the cabin. On the wooden table sat smoked meat, bread, milk, and fermented soybean paste. Philomena sat down, dipped a slice of smoked meat into the paste, and popped it into her mouth. The savory flavor of the cured meat combined perfectly with the rich aroma of the fermented paste—this was Philomena's favorite taste. Just then, Philomena felt the pet dog under the table rubbing against her pant leg, letting out soft whines. Clearly, it was craving a bite too. "All right, all right, good girl. Here's a bite for you." Philomena picked up another slice of smoked meat, dipped it in the paste, and held it under the table. "Is it good?" Philomena asked. "Woof!" Beneath the table, Madam Felscher nodded vigorously. *** The morning sunlight was ever graceful and unhurried, gently caressing everything from above. Karen popped a slice of hawthorn into his mouth with his right hand while turning a page of Mr. Hoffen's array formation notes with his left. The Rubik's Cube hovering before him was spinning rapidly. "Ah..." Karen checked the time. He had already been reading for three hours. He stopped studying and put away the Rubik's Cube. Having learned his lesson from nearly fainting from overexertion during his study last time, Karen was now very mindful of moderating his pace. Stretching his limbs, Karen stood up and walked out of the study. Dora and Doreen were sitting in the yard painting, with Teacher Daishan standing nearby, keeping them company. When the attentive and meticulous Alfred had renovated the courtyard, he had planted a variety of flowers in several garden beds. At this time of year, they were just beginning to revive. Karen softened his footsteps and sat down on a bench at the back, wanting to soak in some sun. Just then, Pike happened to pass by. Seeing Karen, he immediately turned back and returned with an armful of newspapers to hand to him. Resting at the very top was the *Order Weekly*. The front-page headline was the Holy See's explanation and introduction of the new reform measures, while the second page featured his photograph, taking up nearly a third of the spread. Tapping the photograph twice with a fingertip made the image move on its own, reenacting the scene from that day. The reporter named Mellier had provided a very thorough account. However, Karen did not scrutinize the report about himself, merely closing *Order Weekly* and setting it aside. Right now, he needed to give his brain a rest, so he picked up the *Wien Daily* beside him. The front-page headline covered a lawsuit: a man who had grown up in a colony, later moved to Wien to build a life, worked his way up from the lowest tier of illegal labor, and eventually became the owner of a mining company, had filed a lawsuit against the Wien Royal Army Headquarters. The cause was that when he was very young, Wien's army had invaded his homeland and descended upon his village. Not only did they loot the villagers' property, but they also rounded up the women to humiliate them. His mother was among them. Now, he was using this as grounds to sue the Wien Royal Army Headquarters, demanding that they admit their guilt and pay reparations for the atrocities committed in his village all those years ago. This news had drawn tremendous public attention recently, but because Karen had been busy with the selection, he hadn't followed it. Of course, another reason was that his social circle had already drifted somewhat outside the realm of ordinary society. Karen admired this owner. Enduring hardships and fighting to climb to his current position, he had now staked his fortune and influence on this lawsuit. The lower half of the front page also contained a photograph. The background appeared to be a courtroom, where three young men were weeping bitterly. They were young people from that same colonial village who had recently acquired Wien citizenship. However, they had not come to testify on behalf of the owner; rather, they were testifying for the Wien Army Headquarters. Beating their chests and stamping their feet in court, they wailed at the top of their lungs: "Their grandmothers and that owner's mother were prostitutes back then! They willingly served the Wien army for money! It was all voluntary!" "Honestly, I find their behavior very difficult to understand," Teacher Daishan said, appearing behind Karen as she looked at the newspaper. Karen asked, "Difficult to understand?" "Do you think they testified like that in court just to obtain citizenship? "Actually, no. They acquired their citizenship by coming to Wien for school, earning their degrees, and accumulating enough years of employment. Citizenship was not bartered in exchange for this case. Furthermore, my journalist friend told me they received neither bribes nor threats. "The Imperial Ministry of Finance was planning to cut army expenditure, which is why they tacitly allowed this lawsuit to proceed, catching the Army Headquarters completely off guard. These three young men volunteered to testify. "So, do you understand what I mean? Deep down in their hearts, they truly believe this, and they wept as they insisted that their grandmothers were prostitutes who voluntarily serviced the soldiers of the Wien army." "I understand." Teacher Daishan said, "Anyone with normal logic and reasoning can see what the truth really was. Yet their actions baffle me." Karen set down the newspaper and said, "It only proves one thing." "What?" "The Wien Empire's mental castration of the colonies has been executed exceptionally well." "Mental castration?" "Just like performing a castration surgery on a pet. In truth, a person's spirit—no, the collective spirit of an entire ethnic group—can be subjected to a similar procedure. "Through economic, cultural, and political means—culture in particular—using all kinds of cultural channels and media to guide and manipulate them mentally, first erasing their core identity, and then reshaping a new identity that Wien wants them to possess. Thus completing a collective mental castration of their people. "You wonder why they could say something so absurd from the bottom of their hearts, but in truth, they genuinely want to identify with it, genuinely want to believe it. "This psychology and behavior that you find incomprehensible is what they call 'objective and independent thinking.'" "Are you well-versed in this field, Mr. Karen?" "Not at all. I've simply seen a lot of it. Aren't you from Wien, Teacher Daishan?" "I am a Wien citizen, though I have Saint Antis ancestry on one side." "Ah, I see." Karen smiled, intending to bring the topic to a close. "Mr. Karen, I'm very interested in this kind of ethnic mental castration you mentioned. Do you have any books on the subject you could recommend to me?" "I'm sorry, I have none here." "Then how do you think this phenomenon will develop in the future?" "With advancements in information dissemination technology, this phenomenon will only grow increasingly severe." "Mr. Karen..." "All right, Miss Daishan, you are asking a bit too many questions. I would like to rest. Pardon me." Teacher Daishan smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I am terribly sorry to have disturbed you." "It's fine." "I do have a small request. Dora and Doreen told me you have an extensive collection of books in your study. I was thinking..." "You may borrow books as you please, but you need to inform Alfred first. And remember to return them in a timely manner." "Of course. Thank you for your generosity." In truth, "return them in a timely manner" was an idle remark, yet Karen had felt compelled to say it. The mental imprint of that Light Old Man still resided within his study; if too many books were lost, Karen worried the old man might cease to exist. Alfred had hired Teacher Daishan, so he had certainly run a background check beforehand. It was time to have Alfred conduct another check to see if she had come into contact with anything unusual lately. There was still some time before lunch. Karen returned to the study carrying the newspapers, just as the telephone began to ring. Karen picked up the receiver. "Hello, I'm looking for Karen." "Captain." "Haha! We've completed our mission. We're returning to York City tomorrow. I know you passed the final selection, but I figure you must be tired of hearing congratulations by now. Besides, passing the trial was always an inevitability in my eyes, so there's no need for pleasantries between us." "Captain, is something the matter?" "I need to lay some groundwork first! Bringing up business right away is too blunt; it's bad form." "Just get straight to the point, Captain. There's no need for pleasantries between us." "All right. I just stepped out of a friend's office in Sangpu City. He showed me a document issued by the Whip of Order headquarters—oh, right, and the spirit of the Holy See's directives. It seems that was published in the paper." "I just saw it in the newspaper. But as for headquarters' document, I'm unaware of it." "Well, it wasn't stated outright, but I guessed their intention. I won't bore you with explaining policies—let's skip that step and jump straight to the conclusion, all right? After all, long-distance calls between cities cost far more than local ones." "All right, Captain." "You youngsters who took part in the final selection will very likely be assigned to Whip of Order squads for a period of tempering. So I wanted to ask: did you make any good friends during the trial?" "No." "Sigh... what a shame." "I made quite a few squad members." "Damn!" A pause lingered on the other end of the line before he spoke again: "So, you've been wanting to break away from my squad and go independent all along?" "Captain, there's no need for pleasantries between us." "Right. What it means is that once your squad is established, you will have a high degree of autonomy. After all, your status is quite special; in the future, you will certainly be key targets for the Church to groom." "And so?" "So if you establish your own Whip of Order squad, you will have the authority to choose whether to affiliate under a squadron leader, and specifically which one." "Ah, I understand, Squadron Leader." "Very good, Captain." The call disconnected. Karen looked at the receiver, shaking his head with a chuckle. The captain had specifically called just to secure this promise from him. Still... He could form his own Whip of Order squad? Didn't that mean he could rightfully pull Ventura, Aisli, Bart, Mars, Blanche, and the others into his squad as his subordinates? What a high-quality Whip of Order squad that would make! Karen was already beginning to look forward to it. *** In the warehouse, Purr sat atop a coffin, extending two paws and slowly rubbing them together in midair until a fireball formed. Seeing this fireball, Kevin immediately shrank his head back, clearly traumatized. Purr tossed the fireball onto the ground. The fireball dispersed, turning into a red starlight pattern, from within which the hilt of a red sword emerged. This was a summoning ritual under Ancestor Allen's faith system, summoning one of Ancestor Allen's two former weapons. "The tonic sent by that family really is remarkably effective. I feel the spiritual power I can harness within me has grown much richer." "Woof!" Kevin barked excitedly as well, happy for Purr, wagging his tail in accompaniment. "It's just that the medicine meant to treat your head didn't seem to have any effect." "Whimper..." Kevin ducked his head again. "Sorry, stupid dog. I didn't expect it would leave you bald forever. But you actually look nice bald too. Isn't there a saying? A fellow who can look handsome bald is truly handsome." Kevin nodded, perfunctorily playing along with Purr's perfunctory consolation. Purr looked at the red longsword before it, which stood several times taller than itself despite less than half of it being exposed, and furrowed its feline brows. "I never thought this sword was so huge before. With it this big, how am I supposed to wield it?" "Woof!" "All right, let me try modifying the summoning technique." The red starlight and red longsword vanished. Purr used its cat paws to roll an even smaller fireball and slammed it onto the ground. A red starlight pattern, several times smaller than the previous one, appeared on the floor; Immediately afterward, the hilt of a small red sword emerged. "Heh heh, meow." Purr reached out a paw and gripped the hilt. With a click, it locked its hold and yanked backward, drawing out a small red sword. Purr swung it excitedly, leaving a blur of afterimages. "It worked!" "Woof!" Kevin eagerly pawed at the floor where he stood, then trotted before Purr and lowered his knees. Purr leaped onto Kevin's back, brandishing the small red sword as it shouted: "Charge, stupid dog!" "Woof, woof, woof!"