Muri had been waiting on a bench in the courtyard early that morning. Seeing Karen emerge, he immediately rose to deliver his report.
"Yesterday evening, we staged an accident for Vicolai on his way home. Members of Gendy's squad crossed paths with Vicolai's car while chasing the suspect, Philomena.
"At first, Vicolai stayed inside and didn't step out. Philomena dashed across his car and sliced open the hood. Vicolai leaped out and retreated to create distance, after which Philomena continued her escape, and Gendy's squad continued their pursuit away from the scene."
"And that was it?"
"Yes, because Alfred gave the instruction to Philomena that it was enough and told her to pull back swiftly.
"Through his Succubus Eye, Alfred had already observed drastic fluctuations in Vicolai's aura. The man's spiritual energy swung violently—spiking as high as an Adjudicator, yet plunging as low as God's Revelation.
"Throughout the encounter, he clearly weighed his options and made several preparations to act, but ultimately chose not to. He possesses absolutely no confidence in his own strength."
"It seems his realm is fabricated and his spiritual power was force-fed into him," Karen remarked. "Is the Norton family really so starved of talent that they had to push a junior like that forward?"
"Captain, I suspect there are deeper, more complex reasons behind this."
"We can leave that to dissect slowly after we bring him in. In any case, we have now proved the link between Vicolai and that establishment."
"Understood, Captain."
"Where is Vic?"
"Having breakfast in the kitchen. I was just in there eating wontons, and he asked Xili to cook him a bowl as well."
"Call him over. It's time for us to head out."
"Right away, Captain."
Muri took the wheel, Vic sat in the back, and Karen rode in the passenger seat.
Under similar circumstances after pulling an all-nighter, Karen would normally have closed his eyes for a quick nap while the thoughtful Alfred put on some soothing music.
Today, however, an undercurrent of excitement kept any drowsiness at bay.
Karen's fingertips stroked the silver ring on his finger from time to time as his gaze lingered on the view outside. The city was gradually stirring from its slumber, clinging to its last trace of indolence; once the sun rose fully, it would turn both sweltering and cold.
Vic, sitting in the rear, could not help asking, "Captain, are we going to the Church Affairs Building to file paperwork?"
Karen glanced at Muri. "You didn't tell him?"
Muri shook his head.
Clearly, the vice-captain had not yet developed enough rapport with this newly recruited team member—or perhaps he simply felt no need to meddle in idle talk.
"We're going to make an arrest," Karen replied.
Vic froze, utterly baffled. "I haven't even visited our office building yet, and we're jumping straight into field duties?"
"Feel like things are moving a bit fast?" Karen asked.
"A little caught off guard, yes. But your efficiency is incredible, Captain."
"Truth be told, I prefer a more relaxed lifestyle. Circumstances just don't permit it—the opposition has simply handed us far too much evidence.
"The person we're about to arrest is an Adjudicator whose grandfather is a bishop of this region."
"Haha… thrilling!"
Vic punched his palm, unable to suppress a grin. The status of a regional bishop clearly failed to evoke any 'reverence' in him.
Due to his connection to Rasma, Vic had been suppressed at what should have been the most ambitious stage of his youth. Now, more than anyone else, he craved an exciting, high-stakes momentum in his career.
The VIP car pulled over across the street from the Church Affairs Building. Karen stepped out and led Muri and Vic inside. He had originally planned to wait in the lobby for Vicolai to show up, but ran into an acquaintance—Leon Delga.
"Hey, Karen!"
Leon walked over and greeted him warmly. Then his eyes caught Muri standing beside Karen, and his expression hitched slightly. Clearly, the awkwardness of their past encounter still lingered in his memory.
"Karen, what brings you here? Do you have business to take care of? Need me to help you expedite the paperwork?"
As the grandson of the region's Head Bishop, Leon's career trajectory had always been remarkably steady, yet that very stability capped his room for advancement. It wasn't that his grandfather hadn't pulled strings for him, but his personal potential was limited. More importantly, he shared much of the same mindset Richard once had: he took his duties seriously, but lacked that cutthroat drive to claw his way upward.
Consequently, though undeniably outstanding among his peers, in front of someone like Karen—who had fought and gambled his way to prominence—Leon consciously lowered his posture.
Who could have imagined that the young man who once flashed a reserved, aloof smile when they passed in a restaurant hallway would now take the initiative to come over and show goodwill?
"I'm here to meet someone," Karen said. "I arranged to see him here."
"Oh? When will he arrive?"
"Not sure, but I probably arrived early."
"In that case, why don't you wait in my office? We can have some coffee. I'll instruct the front desk to keep an eye out for whoever you're expecting."
"All right, thank you."
"Don't mention it, haha."
Seeing Karen accept his invitation gave Leon a genuine sense of being flattered. The last time they met had been just two days ago, when Karen returned with his squad, but a formal hug in public was an entirely different matter from sharing coffee in private.
"By the way, who are you waiting for? Someone from our church?"
"Yes, a fellow member. Vicolai."
"That kid from the Norton family?" Leon looked surprised, a curious smile spreading across his face. "Good news or bad news?"
"What do you think?"
"Then I won't pry. Wait here—I'll make the arrangements for you. Don't worry, the front desk knows what he looks like. The moment he steps into the building, my office phone will ring."
"Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all, not at all!"
Leon had initially thought of waving over a clerk to pass along the instructions, but hesitated, deciding instead to personally walk to all three service desks in the lobby and give them his orders.
Vic asked in a low voice, looking a bit concerned, "Captain, aren't you worried about a leak?"
Muri answered on Karen's behalf. "First, the Norton family has a terrible reputation among the regional bishops. That fellow is Leon, the grandson of the Head Bishop; he has no reason to bow his head and leak anything to him.
"Second, even if word leaked, what could happen? The target is an Adjudicator whose family is rooted right here. He wouldn't abandon everything and flee just because he heard someone was looking for him, would he?"
Leon returned. "Everything's arranged. Please follow me."
"Thank you, excuse the intrusion."
"No need to be so polite."
Leon's office was situated on the ground floor, set further down the corridor. Once the door clicked shut, the clamor outside was cut off entirely.
"Make yourselves comfortable."
Leon gestured for everyone to sit and began brewing coffee himself.
The young scion's office was tastefully understated. By comparison, Neo truly could never escape his nouveau riche tendencies.
Still, considering that Neo's lavish office had ultimately ended up in Karen's hands, Karen felt a bit guilty mocking his section chief in his head.
Even so, the room held plenty of personal touches, revealing Leon to be a refined man who appreciated the comforts of life.
"I heard stories about your observation delegation's mission," Leon said. "It sounded truly magnificent. Ah, what a shame I couldn't witness those scenes myself."
"There will be opportunities in the future." Karen paused, then added, "Next time an opportunity arises and circumstances permit, I'll come ask if you'd like to join us."
"Really?" Leon stared, looking somewhat incredulous.
"Really." Karen smiled and nodded.
In all honesty, Karen harbored no dislike toward Leon. For one thing, Leon hadn't held a grudge over the rumors linking Karen with Ophelia, nor had he used his grandfather's influence to trip him up. For a third-generation scion, such restraint was practically a rare act of mercy.
Furthermore, when they first met, Leon had willingly shared his food. Counting Laure, the three of them had shared several meals in that storage room.
Although Leon had put on the aloof pride typical of a young lord after the gathering concluded, Karen was no madman who felt the urge to brawl with anyone who cast a dismissive glance his way.
It could only be said that they had missed an earlier chance to become close friends. If Leon hadn't been so reserved, or if Karen had been willing to be a bit more proactive, their relationship would certainly look different now.
Yet at the core, it was just as Neo once said: both were proud scions; why should either pamper the other?
Leon carried the coffee over. Handing a cup to Vic, he asked curiously, "And you are?"
"Just call me Vic." Vic stood up and shook Leon's hand.
Karen took the initiative to introduce him: "A student of the former High Priest."
The smile on Leon's face deepened, and his posture softened with respect.
Had his grandfather Wolflen been present, the elder man—attuned to high-level political winds—certainly wouldn't have shown any warmth over Vic's background. In fact, he might have deliberately kept his distance for fear of being branded a conservative.
The group settled into casual conversation.
Muri was a man of few words and couldn't be bothered with pleasantries, so Leon didn't press him. Karen held his coffee, chiming in occasionally so as not to leave Leon feeling ignored.
Fortunately, Vic was adept at navigating social situations and hit it off splendidly with Leon.
Just then, the telephone on the desk rang. Leon excused himself to answer it.
"Yes, I'm here."
"I have friends over."
"It's Karen."
Leon offered Karen an apologetic gesture and pointed upward, indicating it was his grandfather calling and that he dared not hide anything. Karen nodded with an understanding smile.
"Understood, Grandfather."
Leon hung up and turned to Karen apologetically. "Karen, my grandfather wants you to head upstairs to see him. If you'd rather not, it's fine—no, I mean, I can explain things for you. You do have business, after all."
This placed Karen in a bit of a dilemma. He needed to wait for Vicolai, yet refusing a summons from the Head Bishop was hardly an option.
Just as Karen was preparing to leave Muri and Vic behind to keep watch, Leon added, "Bishop Dolph—Vicolai's grandfather—is also up in Grandfather's office right now. Since you're waiting for Vicolai, he'll definitely head up to see his grandfather the moment he arrives. Those two are remarkably close."
Hearing that, Karen blinked in surprise and quickly replied, "All right, I'll go pay my respects to the Head Bishop."
Muri stood up. "Do you need Vic and me to stay and wait here, Captain?"
"No, come up with me."
Karen not only trusted Leon's judgment, but from his own observations—having met Vicolai once at the funeral parlor and once attended a meeting presided over by him under Pavaro's identity—the fellow was a classic grandpa's boy.
Leon led the way, taking the three of them up the elevator to the top floor. The entire level held only the Head Bishop's office, functioning as the supreme seat of power for the region.
An aide was stationed at the door. As Karen and the others approached, the aide opened the door and signaled them to enter.
The office was vast—spacious enough to play a full-court basketball match. The distance from the entrance to the main desk was absurdly long.
Around a semicircle of sofas sat three elderly men.
In the primary seat sat Head Bishop Wolflen. Below him sat Bishop Dolph, Vicolai's grandfather. And sitting across from Dolph… was none other than Karen's maternal grandfather, Delon Guman.
Standing in the center among the three old men was a young man. When he turned to face the door, Karen failed to recognize him at first glance. Only upon a second look did he realize—it was Richard!
What was going on?
By all accounts, Richard should have received the notification by now, regrouping with the reinforcements Neo assembled outside the Kumquat Avenue cinema to raid that establishment once the designated time arrived. Why was he here?
And what was the story behind his injuries?
Not only were there bloody lacerations across his face, but patches of scorched flesh peeked through tears in his clothes. His aura was violently destabilized.
This was definitely not Uncle Aisen's doing. Mr. Aisen always knew where to draw the line when thrashing his son; at most, he used minor spells to keep Richard from running before resorting to fists, kicks, or a belt. He would never use combat spells to savage his own flesh and blood.
So where did Richard get these wounds?
Karen tilted his head toward Muri, only to find him looking equally baffled.
"Captain!" Richard saluted Karen.
Completely ignoring the three high-ranking elders in the room, Karen walked straight up to Richard. He rolled back Richard's sleeve to reveal several deep, gouged bloody furrows that looked like freshly debrided troughs.
Next, Karen parted Richard's collar. Several hideous wounds crisscrossed his chest.
Richard harbored that worm within him and possessed remarkable regenerative capabilities. That meant that when the injuries were freshly inflicted, they must have been vastly worse than what showed now.
Karen asked, "Tell me, who did this to you?"
On the sofa, Bishop Dolph narrowed his eyes and spoke up:
"Have the youths of our church forgotten all sense of propriety? Not even knowing how to offer greetings? What abysmal upbringing."
Hearing this, Vic stepped forward at once, pointing a finger straight at Dolph's face. "Old bastard, whose upbringing are you questioning?!"
Dolph's cheek twitched. It had been decades since anyone had dared to point a finger at his nose and curse him. His eyes flared with rage, and he thrust out his right hand, unleashing a terrifying surge of pressure.
Old Master Delon frowned and glanced toward the Head Bishop.
Wolflen raised a hand, manifesting a barrier between Vic and Dolph.
Dolph checked his power and turned toward Wolflen, demanding, "Lord Head Bishop, this insolent brat dares to behave so outrageously, and you stop me from disciplining him?"
"There are proper ways to discipline the young. Resorting to violence on the spot—what kind of conduct is that?" Wolflen remarked calmly. "Dolph, you ought to display the dignity befitting a bishop."
"Dignity be damned! I'd like to see if you could hold back if he pointed at your face and called you an old bastard!"
Wolflen didn't even bother looking at Dolph. Instead, he looked directly at Vic. "Offending a bishop—do you know what crime that is?"
Old Master Delon sat silently, his expression shifting between dark and contemplative. Clearly, in a setting like this, the Guman family possessed very little say.
Vic kept his finger pointed at Dolph and asked, "Lord Head Bishop, then allow me to ask you as well: offending a High Priest—what crime is that?"
At those words, the expressions of Wolflen, Dolph, and Delon all changed.
Vic continued glaring at Dolph, demanding, "Just now you said I lacked an upbringing, didn't you? My teacher is former High Priest Rasma!"
Dolph's expression underwent a rapid series of shifts. At first, a flicker of guilt crossed his face, followed by an air of calm as if he had remembered something. But very quickly, he realized that even though the former High Priest's faction had fallen from grace, a High Priest was still a High Priest. If word got out that he had openly disrespected him to his student's face, it would bring him zero benefit.
Ultimately, Dolph had no choice but to swallow his pride. "I withdraw my earlier words. It was a slip of the tongue. I harbor no disrespect toward the former High Priest."
Vic pulled his hand back and retreated behind Karen, shooting a glance at Muri.
*Blockhead, the Captain brought the two of us along precisely to use our family backgrounds to hold the floor! You were too slow just now!*
Karen turned back to Richard and pressed, "Who did this to you? Tell me. I won't let them off."
As Richard's captain, Karen was fully entitled to take this stance. As Richard's cousin, he was equally entitled to say those words, for in Karen's heart, Richard held the same place as Mina and his other cousins back home.
Yet the moment Karen spoke, Old Master Delon chimed in, "Karen, watch your tongue. Mind your words."
Karen glanced at Delon. *Your own grandson has been beaten to this state, and you're telling me to mind my words?*
Dolph's chest heaved with fury as he pointed at Karen. "Who won't you let off?! Who do you think you won't let off?!"
Karen responded, "Richard is a member of my squad. As his superior, I cannot stand by silently and watch him be abused like this!"
"Who was abusing whom?!" Dolph shot to his feet. If Head Bishop Wolflen hadn't cast him another warning glance from his seat, the old man might already have lashed out.
Just then, an aide entered and announced, "Adjudicator Vicolai has arrived."
Dolph immediately barked, "Bring him in! Let everyone see who was abusing whom, and who won't let whom off! I refuse to believe there is no place in this entire Yorktown Region where reason prevails!"
Karen paused, momentarily stunned. *So Richard was beaten like this by Vicolai? What kind of turn of events is this?*
Moments later,
Vicolai entered.
Well,
he was carried in on a stretcher.
Chapter 500