Promotion

Originally, the York City Region had a landmark building: the Church Affairs Building of the Church of Order York City Region. Unfortunately, that building had collapsed during an operation to apprehend an internal traitor. Karen had personally witnessed the entire event, and that was also when he had first met Richard. Later, the new Church Affairs Building chosen for use was situated in the suburbs, with its teleportation array area occupying what had once been the underground parking lot. For some reason, every time he came and went from here, Karen could smell a faint scent of engine oil. Even though Karen believed the cleaning staff might even use purification spells for a deep clean, the ingrained habit of frowning and wanting to pinch his nose the moment he saw this environment was impossible to break. Yet after smelling the salty brine of the ocean for so long, catching this scent of engine oil suddenly felt remarkably familiar and brought a comforting sense of belonging. Lore and Leon were waiting here to welcome them, accompanied by a group of clergy members. "Welcome back safe and sound." Lore stepped forward, wanting to embrace Karen. Noticing journalists taking photographs in the surrounding perimeter, Karen wore a smile as he stepped forward to return Lore's hug. After parting from Lore, Leon also walked up with open arms, leaving Karen no choice but to give him a hug as well. Throughout the embraces, camera shutters clicked incessantly. Leon smiled and said, "You've worked hard this time." "Serving the Church is my duty. It wasn't hard at all." "A banquet has been prepared for all of you. Would you like to attend?" Leon asked. "Is it possible to skip it?" Karen asked. "Of course. It can be canceled at any time. After all, my grandfather thought you must be homesick and exhausted having just returned." "Then please convey my gratitude to the Chief Bishop, and thank him for his thoughtfulness toward his subordinates. I'll pay a personal visit in a few days to express my thanks." "Oh, right now in York City, I doubt anyone would welcome your visit. Haha." Hm? What did that mean? Karen sensed something unusual in those words, but this was clearly not the setting to pursue the conversation. Once the welcoming ceremony concluded, Karen was in no rush to lead his subordinates away from the parking lot—or rather, the teleportation array hall. Instead, he sat down to rest at an indoor café tucked into a corner of the hall and ordered an iced latte. Why order a cup? Because it felt awkward occupying the space to rest without buying anything. Why order only *one* cup? Because the café and food shops in the teleportation array hall were just like the airport dining Karen had experienced in his past life—absurdly expensive. This single iced latte cost ninety-nine Order coupons. Truly a bargain—not even a hundred coupons. Back in the day, the monthly servant stipends of Pick and Dincom would have just barely covered one cup here, leaving a single coupon to spare... and if the taxi driver happened to be an avid collector of commemorative coins, perhaps that last coupon could get them a ride home. "Blanche, Mars, are you two heading home?" Karen asked. Blanche and Mars's homes were not in the Wien Region. Karen didn't ask Muri, however; even though Muri's home was in the Dinge Region, Karen was certain Muri wouldn't want to visit family right now only to take another beating from his grandfather. Blanche and Mars exchanged a look. Clearly, they wanted to go back. After all, they had been away for a long time, and word of their supposed "deaths" had once circulated. It was high time they returned home to reunite with their families. Karen looked at Alfred. "Go help them buy tickets." "Yes, Young Master." "The rest of you may draw some point coupons from Alfred to buy gifts for your families." "No need, Captain. This time we were a self-funded observation delegation, so there are no mission rewards," Ventura said with earnest bluntness. Generally speaking, when a leader offered benefits to the group and someone suddenly stepped forward urging everyone to sympathize with the leader's hardships by declining those benefits, that person would certainly be despised by everyone else. However, in Karen's squad, this issue simply didn't exist. First, their squad had a well-established system for benefits and reward distribution; after their previous missions, everyone's wallets were bulging, and a reserve of point coupons still remained in the squad's public funds. Second... aside from Ventura, everyone else came from well-off families and never lacked pocket money in coupons. Therefore, when the person with the poorest background and greatest need for coupons said he didn't want any perks, no one had any grounds to complain. In truth, there had been plenty of extra gains from this mission—especially in the Mipos Archipelago, where massive windfalls were reaped—but the problem was that everything had landed in Neo's pockets, and Neo had probably used it all to settle his debts. "Draw a token amount. Regardless, everyone worked hard this time and went through so much danger. Consider it a small holiday treat." "All right, Captain." "Thank you, Captain." "Also..." Karen reached out and gently patted Ventura's cheek. "While we didn't receive many tangible rewards this time, what we actually gained is far beyond that. The greatest reward is invisible. Understand?" Ventura first shook his head, but then quickly nodded. Yep, he didn't understand. This kid simply did whatever Karen told him to do. He had virtually no concept yet of high-stakes political gambles, choosing sides, or opportunistic ladder-climbing. "Everyone else, take time off as well. Go see your families. But I have a feeling this leave won't last very long. If anything comes up, I'll summon you back. So, Mars, Blanche, be mentally prepared." "Understood, Captain!" "All right, dismissed for leave!" Everyone said their goodbyes and departed. Memphis and Philomena remained behind. The two glanced at each other, then averted their eyes, both waiting for the other to speak first, only to end up sitting in awkward silence. In terms of personality, Philomena and Memphis were remarkably alike. Both had social difficulties, and judging by Memphis's habit of beating up Richard to relieve stress, both harbored underlying violent streaks. "Ahem..." Karen turned first to Philomena. "Are you going home?" "Yes." Philomena nodded. "Grandmother always waits for me to go back and tell stories." "How much time do you think you have left?" "Not right now." "All right. When you feel your grandmother is preparing to make a move on you, let me know, and I'll come help you." "Yes, Captain." Philomena stood up, bowed to Karen, and turned to walk out of the café. Once Philomena left, Memphis leaned in closer to Karen and said, "Karen, when are you coming home for dinner?" A dutiful maternal uncle, after his sister's passing, would naturally treat his nephew's home as his own family. "Uncle, I often go home to eat," Karen said with a smile. "No. In the past, I didn't know, so I didn't feel it. Now I feel a bit resentful toward my mother—she enjoyed it every single time." "Haha, all right, Uncle. I'll go see Grandmother as soon as possible." "Mhm, go see your grandmother, see your aunt, see your cousin... never mind, you see him all the time. See me too... What am I saying..." Having rarely engaged in this kind of familial exchange, Mr. Aisen found it difficult to quickly pick up a skill normal people took for granted, even though his condition had improved. "However..." Mr. Aisen solemnly warned, "in front of your grandfather, you must hide your identity carefully. Understand?" Clearly, as a son, he understood his old man very well. "I understand, Uncle." "Good. I'll wait for you at home. I'm heading back first." "Uncle." "Hm? Is there something else?" "Be careful not to arouse suspicion." Mr. Aisen nodded immediately. "I understand. I'll maintain my past habits." "All right." Watching Mr. Aisen's retreating figure, Karen felt as though his uncle found maintaining those old habits rather lingeringly appealing. Karen stood up, picked up the latte on the table, took a big gulp, and after a moment's hesitation, carried it outside. Alfred was waiting there. "Where are Muri and Vic?" Karen asked. "Young Master, Muri took Vic upstairs to the coupon shop to purchase some supplies. Afterward, Muri will take Vic back to Allen Apartments to settle him in." "Okay, good." Walking out to the entrance of the Church Affairs Building, Karen saw the family's second-hand black Ponce and a VIP car parked outside. Sitting in the hearse was Richard, while Neo sat in the VIP car. Evidently, having returned earlier, Neo had already redeemed his beloved VIP car from pawn. Richard got out of the car, walked up to Philomena, and then noticed Mr. Aisen walking out behind her. He said to him: "Haha, Memphis, glad to see you back safe and sound." Mr. Aisen nodded at Richard. "You go on ahead, Memphis. I won't see you off," Richard waved dismissively at Mr. Aisen, his eyes immediately pivoting to Philomena. Karen noticed that both Mr. Aisen's footsteps and expression stalled for a brief second before he silently departed. "What is it?" Richard asked Philomena. "Heh, I really didn't expect you to take the initiative to talk to me." Philomena looked at Richard and said, "When I heard the news that you weren't dead, I was very glad." "Oh, really? Thanks. I understand—without me, things would be awkward for you in the squad. After all, getting used to another new teammate is simply too painful." "Yeah." "So I still have a purpose in this squad: keeping the second-strongest member comfortable. That is my purpose." What Richard didn't know was that his purpose extended beyond just that, since he had also brought about the direct addition of another key figure. "Yeah." Philomena had no objections to ranking second below Karen, as she herself viewed it that way. Richard asked, "Need me to drive you home?" "No need." "Don't be polite. I think your grandmother and my grandmother get along quite well." "That is because you don't understand women." As a celebrity along the pastry shop street, "Young Master Aisen" could only nod at this point: "You're right." Philomena walked away, and Richard watched her leave. Richard, who had always considered himself the dead weight of the squad, was glad to have found where he was useful, while Philomena was glad to have found an anchor point for herself within the team. It was a stable relationship built on mutual necessity. ... "Young Master, it seems Miss Philomena and Richard have quite a good relationship. It doesn't feel like they're heading toward romance, though—more like pure platonic friendship between a man and a woman." Purr opened her eyes at this moment and said, "Radio Sprite, would you believe that in the beginning, Ophelia thought her relationship with Karen was purely platonic too?" Alfred countered, "Can Richard even compare to the Young Master?" Purr, instinctively about to retort, paused and said, "Right, there really is no comparison." *Honk, honk...* Neo honked the horn impatiently. Karen handed Purr over to Alfred. "Take Purr, Kevin, and the others home first. I'm going to talk with Neo. He returned earlier and should have more information." "Yes, Young Master." Lying in Alfred's arms, Purr yawned and mumbled, "Why does it feel like Neo is like a wife picking up her husband from a business trip every single time, always showing up to fetch Karen?" "You should just go to sleep." ... Karen went over to greet Richard first. Richard rushed forward and hugged Karen. "I don't know why, but I just knew nothing would happen to you." "I knew nothing would happen to you, too," Karen replied with a smile. *Because your father never sensed you were in danger.* Richard glanced over at Neo. "Then go talk business with the Delegation Head first. Shall I take the others home?" "Yeah. Drive carefully, and head home early." "No problem. My dad took off on vacation somewhere recently anyway, hehe. Philomena said I don't understand women, so I think I'll hit the pastry shops later to chat with a few aunties. I feel like I know plenty." "Mhm." Karen patted Richard on the shoulder, then walked over to the VIP car and slipped into the passenger seat. Starting the car, Neo handed Karen a thermos and a bottle of water. Karen chuckled. "Being so attentive all of a sudden makes me feel a bit uneasy." "Hey, you've earned it." "How so?" "I got back earlier than you guys, and my position was rearranged again. That definitely had nothing to do with me; it came from your end." "Position?" Karen asked while dropping in ice cubes. "What's the new position?" "You'll know once we get there. Let's keep it a little surprise for now." "Tell me about your side..." "Tell me about your side..." Both spoke at the exact same time. Neo tapped the horn and said, "I'll go first." Neo then recounted what had happened to him in the Mipos Archipelago. "The woman and the baby girl—did you bring them back?" "Damn it, shouldn't you first ask how I revealed my identity to that Samsara commander named Lango? Shouldn't you ask how calmly I switched back to my own face and stated my identity as an Order observation delegation member? You could even ask me about Ryan, or that emotional moment about 'what true Light really is.' Why the hell do you have to ask about a several-month-old infant and an ordinary woman?" "Because I'm not that interested in the rest. I just want to know how you settled that mother and daughter." "I settled them in my home. Satisfied with that answer?" "That doesn't sound like your style." "I own plenty of homes. While I didn't buy a massive villa because maintaining one is a pain, I have several apartments. One of them is right above Fanny's. I put them there and gave them a sum of riels. Fanny will help keep an eye on them for me. I usually don't live there." "That doesn't sound like your style," Karen said, taking a long drink of iced water. "It's just the same name." "I think this is precisely my style. Deliberately ignoring them would be genuinely caring too much and being unnatural. I'll just consider her lucky that her baby shares the name Eliza. Out of regard for my Eliza, I'm looking after them." "Yeah, fair enough." Karen took another sip of iced water, then began recounting his own experiences over this period. "Oh? Why do I get the feeling that Mavaglio has a bit of a crush on you?" "Squadron Leader, there's really no need to force that narrative. When I was telling the story, I used 'he', not 'she'." "Those gods transcend human desires. For things like 'love' and 'liking,' they have no gender boundaries whatsoever; they've broken free of conventional ethics and morality. For example, Mavaglio's grandfather still calls him 'my Lord.'" "Hah." "Still, your grandfather is truly something, knowing so many formidable figures. Lord Theisen—tsk, tsk. In Wien, wouldn't that be equivalent to a retired minister?" "That's pretty normal." Neo nodded. "True. In the future, once your child grows up and I see him—if I can recognize him—I'll look after him too." Karen chimed in, "Right, and then my kid will mention it to a friend who gambled away his entire fortune, and that unlucky friend will marvel, 'Whoa, the friends your dad knew are incredible!'" "Hahahahaha!" Both burst into laughter. Neo corrected, "A son would be too soon. Let's make it a grandson—a longer sense of history, and it gives me more time to climb the ranks." "I've never understood why you, a remnant of Light, are so obsessed with climbing the ladder within the Order system. Do you really want to achieve the feat of becoming the highest-ranking mole Light has ever had inside Order?" "I think I'm proving the greatness of Order. Look at me—steeped in Light, yet still devout to Order." "I'm worried that once you climb really high, you'll suddenly change one day." "Am I insane? Even Philias couldn't change my faith; would I change it myself? If I could change, I would have bowed to Philias long ago." "True." "By the way, Captain..." "Call me Squadron Leader." "By the way, Squadron Leader..." "Call me Delegation Head." Karen pursed his lips, nodded, and played along: "By the way, Delegation Head..." "Call me Battalion Commander." "By the way, Battalion Commander..." Karen paused and looked at Neo. Neo grinned and declared: "Call me Director!" "Director?" "That's me!" "I want you to help me investigate someone named Vicolai. His grandfather is a Bishop of the York City Region." "You want to kill him?" "I want to gather evidence of his crimes." "You want to kill him?" "I want to punish him according to the Order Regulations." "You just want to kill him, and you want to find rock-solid reasons to kill him so you can feel better about doing it." "Yes, exactly." "Heh." Neo smiled, and then the car came to a stop. This was the York City Region Whip of Order Headquarters—a building that had always been deserted, remained deserted, and in Karen's impression was merely responsible for receiving, sending documents, and stamping seals. "Then let's investigate him. As our first case, the grandson of a bishop is quite a fine appetizer." "First case?" "When I returned, I was originally promoted to Battalion Commander. Thanks to you, I only stayed a Battalion Commander for a few days before getting promoted again. Now I'm the Director, and you are the Operations Battalion Commander under me." "Director of which office?" Neo cleared his throat. "Ahem, listen closely." "All right." Karen poured a little iced water from the cup and cleaned his ears to show he would listen carefully. "Damn it!" "What's wrong, Director?" "Nothing. It's just that your ear-washing gesture felt so satisfying. Next time Bernie summons me to assign work, I'll bring a bottle of water along to wash my ears too. The effect is bound to be fantastic—I'm sure Bernie will scream with excitement just like I did." "Right. So, Director, exactly which office are we talking about?" "The Discipline Inspection Committee Office under the York City Region Whip of Order Headquarters!"