Inside the Tower of Light, the Rula evil spirit was thoroughly smelted away, vanishing completely.
Neo looked down at the wounds on his body. During the battle, he couldn't have deliberately controlled the healing of his injuries—just as when having a meal, you wouldn't stop to think that the cutlery in your hands might become cultural relics a thousand years later and start cherishing them in advance.
The problem now was that they had healed a little too well.
Neo raised the flames of Light in his left hand while condensing a sword of Light in his right. Treating his own body like ingredients on a cutting board, he began gouging and grilling away at himself.
"Ah... sss..."
After quite a bit of work, Neo was finally satisfied. Then, he sat down unsteadily.
Sweeping his gaze across the area one last time and confirming everything was in order, he pursed his dry, cracked lips and scoffed at himself, "Well then, back to the hospital I go."
He didn't have to wait long before a section above was removed. A troop of armored knights dropped down, surrounded by a large crowd of priests.
Whether it was the killer hunting Order priests in Yorktown or the sudden appearance of the Tower of Light, either incident was more than enough to fray everyone's nerves.
A knight captain walked over to Neo and crouched down. Because of his full-face visor, his gaze was hidden behind the slit.
Yet in that brief locked gaze, Neo's pupils constricted.
Sometimes, certain things required no evidence; a single gut feeling could override everything. Especially for proud, self-assured men, who had no need for solid proof or corroborating clues, preferring instead the thrill of a gamble.
Neo smiled.
Though invisible, it felt as if behind the knight captain's visor, a smile had formed as well.
Neo spoke with effort, "Light remnants... evil spirit... hunting... conspiracy..."
Originally, there should have been more words after that: "Fortunately..." "Prevented..." "In time..." "Praise Order..."
But the finest acting was truth itself. Right after uttering "conspiracy," Neo succumbed to his severe wounds and fell unconscious.
This part wasn't an act.
...
"I truly didn't expect something like this to happen. You should have told me to come back sooner, Fanny. If I had been by the Captain's side, our Squadron Leader might not have ended up like this," Karen said to Fanny, who was driving, from the passenger seat.
His tone carried just the right amount of reproach—enough to demonstrate his concern for Neo, while conveying enough understanding that the person on the receiving end wouldn't feel resentful.
In the back seat, Alfred and Muri sat with their backs ramrod straight.
They still remembered that upon hearing from Bart's Uncle Shali that Yorktown was currently "busy," Karen had unhesitatingly ordered them to spend two more days having fun before heading back.
Yet neither felt the young master (the Captain) was hypocritical. After all, who could say no to a leader who both led everyone to achieve results and took them along to slack off?
"I wanted to notify you, Karen, but the Squadron Leader stopped me. He said you were exhausted and needed more rest."
Karen sighed and looked out the car window. That was enough acting for now.
Fanny pulled up outside the Church Hospital and asked the two in the back, "Who's coming with me to collect the mission dossier?"
Alfred spoke up, "I'll go."
Fanny needed to collect the official security mission dossier on Neo's behalf, and Alfred was accompanying her to handle the handover.
Two days from now, the official delegation from the Church of the Moon would arrive in Yorktown.
Karen and Muri got out of the car and headed into the hospital. Then Karen paused.
"Captain?"
"Do you have any riels on you?"
"I do," Muri smiled and explained. "They come in handy for breakfast."
Living at the Allen Apartments, Muri had gradually grown fond of watching movies on Karen's recommendation, and he had even mastered projection techniques.
Upon learning this, Alfred had fired the projectionist they had originally hired, quoting Master Diss from years past: *The Silva family keeps no idlers.*
Fond of staying up late to watch movies, Muri's schedule ran later than ordinary people. Often he only got ready for bed around daybreak, when the apartment servants were still asleep. Too considerate to disturb their rest, he would go out on his own to eat at the food stalls set up for night-shift workers' dinners (or breakfasts) before heading back to sleep.
"Go buy me some fruit."
"Right away, Captain."
Muri headed toward the fruit store in the distance while Karen waited by the hospital entrance.
Just then, he saw a familiar face approaching with a food container—it was Xinyali.
"Did the mission go smoothly?" Xinyali asked directly.
"Thanks to your intelligence, very smoothly."
"Oh, so things happened beyond the intelligence—and quite a lot, too. Not convenient to tell me?"
"Not yet."
"I suppose there's more for me to do?"
"Yes."
"I like this straightforwardness."
"As do I."
"I need some point coupons to buy practice materials."
"Pavaro Funeral Parlor."
"Do I have to come in person to pick them up?"
"Go to the parlor and find your assistant, Alfred. He'll be your liaison from now on. If you need anything, tell him directly. He's my assistant as well."
"All right." Xinyali smiled, showing her braces.
"Has your teacher been discharged yet?"
"He was supposed to be discharged today."
"Supposed to be?"
"Then my master's wife caught him in the restroom with a female nurse... and two more of his bones were broken. He's still lying in his hospital bed."
"I'm more interested in the nurse."
"My teacher shielded her from being dragged into it. That's how his second rib was broken."
"Your teacher is truly kindhearted."
"Setting aside certain aspects, my teacher is a good man."
"Yes, quite."
"Can I head over to your funeral parlor after delivering this meal?"
"Yes. My assistant knows about you."
"Understood."
The partnership between an Order priest and a Principles priest was inherently one of mutual utility. While there were exceptions like Diss and Hoffen, who had become lifelong companions in their old age, the vast majority were bound strictly by self-interest.
Thus, dispensing with unnecessary pleasantries and engaging in straightforward business transactions often felt more relaxing and comfortable.
Muri returned with a fruit basket and remarked, "The fruit store actually accepts point coupons for payment."
"What a ripoff."
Muri followed Karen into the inpatient building.
After asking for Neo's room number at the nurse's station, they walked over just in time to see a group of people wearing Order robes emerging from within. Their robes were embroidered with whips and eyes.
Stepping aside to let them pass first, Karen then carried the fruit basket into the room.
Neo was leaning against the head of the bed. Seeing Karen come in, he said directly, "Pour me a glass of water."
Karen set down the fruit basket, poured a glass, and handed it to Neo. Taking it, Neo asked, "Sorry for making you come to the hospital to see me again."
"It's fine. I quite enjoy visiting you in the hospital."
"If you want to laugh, go ahead. I won't be mad."
"That would be terribly impolite."
Karen sat down by Neo's bedside, took an orange from the basket, and began peeling it.
"I discovered something strange..."
"I discovered something strange..."
Both spoke in unison.
Neo looked at Karen.
Karen smiled. "I'll go first."
"You really don't hold back on politeness, do you?"
"The more polite one is, the more distant the relationship."
"Oh, really? But I think we ought to keep our boundaries clear. For instance, you haven't even addressed me since coming in."
"Squadron Leader, sir, if you'd like to spar, I wouldn't mind doing it right now."
"All right, you go first."
Karen recounted his experience during the physical examination, focusing especially on Dawens, the vice director of the Knights Hospital.
Toward Neo, Karen had always maintained unconditional trust.
Neo felt the same toward Karen, having once even felt anxious over running out of secrets to share.
Karen didn't believe in fate, especially in a world where gods existed. Yet it was undeniable that Miss Elisa's funeral had brought him and Neo together, gradually forging them into true friends.
Without Neo, Karen's progress within the Church of Order would never have gone so smoothly; he might still be slogging away under Pavaro's identity, grinding for merits and waiting for promotion.
Without Karen, Neo would have been utterly lonely during his most lost, adrift period after Miss Elisa's burial.
Karen brought a slice of orange to Neo's mouth. Neo opened his mouth, swallowed it, and remarked, "Mmm, very sweet."
After that, Karen fed all the remaining slices into Neo's mouth one by one. Halfway through, Neo asked in bewilderment, "Aren't you eating any?"
"I know it's sour. Stop forcing it."
"Hiss..." Neo gulped down a large mouthful of water and asked, "Did you do that on purpose?"
Karen shook his head and nodded toward the door, where Muri sat on a bench outside. "He's a young master through and through. How could he know how to buy oranges? Every single one is greenish-yellow."
"Well, that explains it."
"Mhm. Have a melon then. This melon looks decent." Karen broke the melon open, only to find it was overripe and partially rotten inside. Left with no choice, he tossed it into the trash can beneath the bed.
"Got ripped off by the fruit store outside?"
"Seems so."
"Tell him to go demand an explanation. That fruit store outside is outrageous, bullying people like that."
"To open a fruit store outside the Church Hospital, they must at least be a relative of a vice director, right? After all, that shop even takes point coupons."
Neo said, "Would a young master of the Benda family fear a vice director?"
"True enough."
Karen stood up and walked to the door. Muri turned to look at him.
"Captain?"
"None of the fruit you bought is edible. Go find the shopkeeper and get a refund. Also, it's not that we're deliberately avoiding you to talk about something, so don't overthink it."
"No, I won't."
Muri stood up and headed toward the stairs.
Shutting the door, Karen sat back down in his previous seat. Neo began recounting his experience.
Once he finished, Neo asked, "Do you get the feeling that our stories share an overlapping part?"
"Yes."
"This organization's influence has actually grown this extensive."
"You've never caught wind of it before, Squadron Leader?"
"No. The various systems within the Church have always been relatively compartmentalized."
"Mm. Still, I think we'd better not get too deeply involved. It's likely to cause too much trouble—though we might already be in trouble. The people in that organization might know Mrs. Sidra wasn't some Light remnant."
"Mrs. Sidra wasn't one of them, and they aren't very familiar with her either."
"Yet you've definitely drawn their attention. Did you do that intentionally? Just to stir up some extra fun?"
"I feel honored that you think of me that way, but the truth is, do you really think it's easy to kill an evil spirit possessing an Order priest?"
"So you had no choice?"
"Right, I had no choice at the time. I wanted revenge—revenge for Gray. That alone severely constrained how I could handle things. Otherwise, I might have just taken the fifty thousand Order coupons and treated everyone to roadside grilled sausages."
Karen scooted his stool back.
Seeing this, Neo asked, "What, afraid that attention on my identity will drag you down?"
"I just feel a bit warm. Sitting a little further away cools things down."
"Hah."
"Whether you were forced into it or acted willingly, you'd best be careful with this organization."
"Do I need you to teach me that?"
"Just a well-meaning reminder."
"Are you telling me you have no interest in this organization?" Neo asked curiously. "Like what you did with Muri and Ventura—aren't you developing your own organization as well?"
"Is it the same?"
"Not the same, but there's a huge commonality: they are loyal to the God of Order. Fine, I know you're about to say you aren't, and I know you aren't, but haven't you thought of using them?"
Karen shook his head.
Neo asked, "Is it because they're loyal to that God of Order, and not to you?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"They are merely loyal to the God of Order of their own imagination."
...
Stepping out of Neo's ward, Karen exhaled softly. Sometimes, he really disliked his Squadron Leader's habit of stirring up trouble wherever he went, as it clashed with his own consistently cautious nature.
On the other hand, if Neo weren't constantly plucking back black, yellow, gray, and red clouds from all over the place, work and life might feel rather monotonous.
Karen then went to the ward where Xinyali's teacher was staying. Pushing the door open, he saw that Xinyali wasn't inside.
"She went to wash the food container. She mentioned you ran into each other at the entrance," the old man said to Karen with a smile.
Karen walked over, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it for him.
After the old man inhaled the entire cigarette in one ravenous gulp, Karen immediately lit another for him. This time, the old man began puffing slowly.
"Ran into trouble?"
"Minor matters."
Having Xinyali as his Church of Principles partner was enough; Karen was unwilling to get too involved with this old man, primarily on account of his wife.
"You can trust Xinyali completely. I know my own student."
"I will."
"Your Squadron Leader and I share quite a fate. He's back to keep me company again, heh."
"That's good. Neither of you will be lonely that way."
Karen bent down and placed the pack of cigarettes and lighter into the lowest, warded drawer of the nightstand.
A gratified smile appeared on the old man's face. Just as he was about to give another reminder, he saw Karen wave his hand and use Order purification to clear the smoke smell from the room, making his smile broaden even further.
"You're a good lad."
"Thank you."
"Do me one more favor." The old man produced a pink envelope from his robes—in all likelihood, a love letter. "Pass this to her for me."
"That nurse?"
"No, her older sister."
Karen took the envelope and turned to leave the ward. After asking at the nurse's station, he located the nurse.
She was currently comforting another nurse who looked remarkably like her. When Karen handed her the envelope, he noticed the joy and excitement in her eyes.
He washed his hands in the hallway restroom.
Walking out of the inpatient building, he happened to see Muri walking over, and the two exited the hospital gates together.
Karen glanced over and saw that the fruit stall over there had been trashed.
"Next time, just ask for compensation. No need to be so aggressive."
"Yes, Captain."
Flagging down a taxi, Karen visited Gray's home to check on him.
In all probability, Gray would remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, which left Karen sighing inwardly with sorrow.
After all, back at the very beginning, it was Mr. Gray who had taught him how to fight.
Gray had no family, only two caregivers tending to him here.
Leaving Gray's home, Muri noticed Karen's low spirits and said, "Sooner or later, we'll all experience things like this, Captain."
"Your way of comforting people is truly dull."
The taxi was still waiting where they left it, and it drove the two of them back to the funeral parlor.
Alfred hadn't returned yet, but he should be soon.
Karen walked into his study, only to be surprised to find Richard sitting on a cushion reading a book. Well, it was Kevin's cushion.
In the previous era, such an act would have been called high treason and desecration.
But since it was Richard, it wasn't surprising.
"Why haven't you gone home?" Karen asked.
"Going straight home the moment a mission ends makes it seem like I haven't grown up."
"What about Memphis?"
"He went home."
"See? Even he knows to go home."
"What does his going home have to do with me?"
"Mhm, fair point."
*I'm just afraid your father will get impatient waiting for you at home and end up thrashing you without holding back.*
Karen sat down behind the desk.
Richard stood up and walked over to the desk.
"Something on your mind?"
"It's about the physical examination. I never found a chance to ask you in private."
"I found a mechanism—or you could call it a pattern, or a loophole—which let me influence and manipulate that quill. It was quite interesting, and quite simple really."
Richard blinked, but didn't leave.
Karen looked at Richard, spreading his hands. "Is there something else?"
"Still about that..."
"What is it?"
"Let me state this beforehand: I don't mean anything by it. I'm just curious, and this curiosity is something I have to ask out loud. Even though I feel it might not be appropriate, in my heart, we're brothers. Whether cousins or full brothers, our relationship should be open and honest. That's why I feel I must voice the doubt in my heart, or else I can't be at ease."
"Go ahead and ask."
"I heard a sentence the quill spoke in reply to you."
"What did it say?"
"'As the divine decree commands.'"
Karen paused, then shrugged. "What's so strange about that? I am the God of Order, after all."
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Richard burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.
"So that loophole can alter its perception and make it think you're the leader?"
"Yes, exactly. A fun little spell. Useless most of the time, but occasionally it works wonders. If you want to learn it, I can make a rub copy for you."
"Useless most of the time? Forget it then, I don't want it. Ah, much better now. I'm going home."
Richard walked out of the study, even thoughtfully closing the door for Karen.
Just then, Purr's voice drifted over: "Perhaps you ought to be more careful, before you possess power as formidable as Diss's, my little Karen."
"Is there a possibility that I've actually been very careful all along?"
"Then how do you explain what just happened?"
"Perhaps it's because I have the Arte bloodline in me too."
Chapter 432