What Right Do You Have!

Life never lacks surprises, and they always have a way of arriving at the exact moment you least expect. Karen truly hadn't anticipated that Vicolai would be carried in on a stretcher. As he lay there, medicinal plasters were slapped all over his body, each serving a different purpose—some for blunt trauma, some for burns, some for electrical shocks, some for frostbite... Moreover, though Vicolai had already received medical treatment and most of the foreign elemental powers clinging to his body had been extracted, a lingering portion couldn't be forcefully purged and needed time to seep out naturally. As a result, Karen could clearly sense the faint currents of diverse elemental forces swirling over Vicolai, like an open assortment in a general store. The only reasonable explanation for this was that Richard had dragged Vicolai into a ritual formation and beaten him black and blue. No wonder Old Master Delon had warned him earlier not to speak recklessly, managing to keep his composure even when his grandson looked so battered. And no wonder Bishop Dolph had flared up with such rage at Karen's words. It turned out Delon hadn't brought Richard here to cry foul—the true "victim" was Bishop Dolph. The grandsons of both families had brawled; the opposing grandson was still standing on his own two feet, while Dolph's grandson had to be carried in on a stretcher. Karen suddenly felt like laughing. He didn't bother trying too hard to suppress it. Half-covering his mouth with one hand, his shoulders shook slightly—he was genuinely amused. The hilarious part was... Karen knew Vicolai's supposed prowess was largely fabricated, otherwise the man wouldn't have frequented that illicit venue for infusions. But he truly hadn't expected Vicolai to lose even to Richard... To think Richard had managed to beat him into such a state! Because Karen had his back turned to Dolph, and the Head Bishop's office was fortified with an exceptionally potent isolating array that suppressed spiritual probes, Dolph couldn't "see" Karen's expression. However, Wolflen, seated in the head chair, clearly saw Karen laughing brazenly. He had no choice but to avert his gaze, looking away from this truly improper young man. Old Master Delon was facing Karen almost directly. Seeing Karen chuckling, he nearly lost his composure as well. But unlike Karen, who had nothing to fear, he still had to consider appearances. After all, he had come with his grandson to offer apologies and smooth things over. Yet watching Karen laugh made it hard for him to hold a straight face. Left with no other recourse, the old man resorted to the most primitive method: pinching his thigh hard, using the sharp pain to suppress his mirth, which twisted his weathered face into a rather bizarre grimace. Vicolai was carried over. His stretcher was quite upscale; once the lower corners were folded outward, it could be secured at an angle against the floor, effectively allowing Vicolai to "stand." "You... you..." With great difficulty, Vicolai raised a trembling hand, pointed at Richard, and wheezed in a slurred voice, "I'll kill you... I'll kill you... I'll kill you..." Old Master Delon stopped smiling. His expression darkened, though he held his tongue. Karen, on the other hand, regained his composure, turned toward Head Bishop Wolflen, and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Head Bishop." Behind him, Vic and Muri bowed in unison as well. Next, Karen turned toward Dolph. "Greetings, Bishop Dolph." Dolph merely let out a cold snort. Karen paid it no mind. He had long known what kind of petty, shameless character Dolph was. As a bishop, the man had personally attended a gathering hosted by his grandson to bolster the boy's reputation, even inviting reporters from the *Order Weekly* to take photos and write a feature story. Back then, Karen had already found the bishop's shameless posturing unsightly and his interpersonal standing utterly pitiful. Normally, one would step aside to avoid suspicion and ask another bishop to make a routine appearance, but Dolph's family likely couldn't even manage to invite anyone else. Finally, Karen bowed to Delon. "Greetings, My Lord." Delon gave Karen a nod. The rounds of greetings concluded. Wolflen spoke up, asking, "Did you get any rest after returning?" Karen replied, "Thank you for your concern, My Lord. I have already gone to familiarize myself with my new post." "Heh, very good. Young people should possess the drive and willingness to get things done." "Yes. I have kept your teachings close to heart, and they have always guided my path forward. I will not disappoint your expectations." Wolflen pondered inwardly: *What teachings did I ever give him?* Although Karen's squad had served as his honor guard during the Dark Moon Island conference, giving them frequent interactions, he didn't recall speaking much to this young man. Still, bureaucratic flattery was a game played by everyone. Since Karen was offering polite platitudes, Wolflen wasn't foolish enough to puncture his own balloon. "Excellent. I hope you will keep up the good work in your duties. If you encounter any difficulties, you may report them directly to me. The Region has always supported the work of the Whip of Order; after all, we are on the same side." "Yes, you are absolutely right. Whenever one serves the Region, one must abide by the Region's directives. Only in this way can the smooth operation of the entire Region be maintained." "Good, very good. It is a relief to see you possess such understanding and awareness." Wolflen stroked his white beard, smiling with satisfaction. In truth, he wasn't far from retirement. A few years ago, he had harbored ambitions of climbing higher—if not reaching the Dinge Region, then at least securing a leading seat in the Wien Region. But with the sweeping policy reforms implemented since High Priest Norton took office, he knew he most likely stood no chance. Had he been in his youth, he would probably have fought for another shot like the young man before him. But at his current age, his only wish was to maintain a stable situation in the York City Region for the remainder of his term. The resurgence of the Whip of Order would inevitably spark conflict with the Regional Administrative Office. He had no intention of resolving that clash; he merely wanted to delay it until after his retirement. "*Ahem! Ahem!*" Dolph coughed loudly, clearly displeased by the mutual pleasantries and flattery between the Head Bishop and this junior. *You taught him?* *Didn't this Karen have a scandal with the woman you originally arranged for your grandson?* *Wolflen, has your temper really softened to the point where you would meticulously nurture a young punk like this?* *Are you a Head Bishop or a head sheep?* Wolflen couldn't be bothered to engage Dolph, the disdain and distaste for the man virtually plastered across his face. Turning back to Karen, he remarked, "I originally thought you came specifically regarding this matter." Karen replied, "To answer the Head Bishop, I was unaware of this matter beforehand. My visit to the Church Affairs Building today was for other business. However, Richard is, after all, my subordinate." "I know. Take a seat." "Before such esteemed lords, how could I have the right to sit? It is already an honor that you permit me to stand here and listen." Dolph couldn't hold back anymore. "Then stand aside and listen, and stop wasting time! Once business here is wrapped up, my grandson still needs his next round of treatment!" Karen quietly stepped over to the side of the sofa, with Vic and Muri flanking him from behind. Neo had claimed he would forge an official summons to bring Vicolai to the Church Affairs Building this morning. Well, Vicolai was here, but it seemed to have nothing to do with any forged summons. Karen didn't believe Neo would use Richard as bait to "draw the snake from its hole." That wasn't Neo's style. Even if Neo intended to do such a thing, he would have coordinated with Karen in advance rather than keeping him entirely in the dark, knowing that doing so would draw Karen's resentment. So, was this whole thing truly just an accident? "Recount the details of what happened," Wolflen said to Richard. Dolph immediately interjected, "Didn't I just say it? Look at what my grandson has been reduced to—what else is there to say?" Wolflen pointed at Richard. "We must at least let the boys tell their side of the story. Go ahead." Richard nodded and spoke. "Last night, I went to the pastry shop street I frequent to chat with two ladies. While we were talking, cries for help came from the neighboring pastry shop, accompanied by heavy fluctuations of spiritual power. "I went next door to inspect the situation and found him..." Richard pointed at Vicolai. "I found him using chains of Order to bind four ladies and whip them. The four ladies were screaming in agony, their lives in imminent danger. So, I spoke up to dissuade him." "Spoke up to dissuade him?" Wolflen asked. "Yes." "Heh, spoke up to dissuade him and ended up like this?" Dolph sneered. Richard replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Because he refused to listen, so we fought." "In short, you struck first?" Dolph pressed. "Yes." "There, the matter is clear. Since he struck first, convict him, Head Bishop!" Wolflen yawned. "A brawl between youths in a place like that—is it truly worth pursuing convictions?" "Head Bishop, I believe that if your grandson were in this state right now, you wouldn't be making such excuses to smooth things over." "Dolph, I am not merely smoothing things over. Do you realize what a formal conviction would entail? Your grandson and this boy from the Guman family—their futures would be completely ruined. "Two priests getting into a vicious brawl in a pastry shop—what kind of conduct is that? What would people say? "Even if your Norton family and your Guman family are willing, as Head Bishop, I will not allow such an embarrassing scandal to occur in my Region. Wouldn't that be inviting the other Regions to laugh at us for nothing?" Old Master Delon chimed in, "Indeed, Head Bishop, Bishop Dolph. It is quite common for young people to roughhouse and squabble. As long as nobody's life is at risk, all is well. We are willing to compensate Adjudicator Vicolai and formally apologize to the Norton family. What do you say?" Delon adopted a very humble posture. However, this could hardly be seen as weakness; rather, it was a natural calculation given his position. There remained a substantial gap in status between the Guman family and the Norton family. Furthermore, comparing Richard to Vicolai, any fool could see that his grandson hadn't come out on the losing end. If paying a price could bury the matter, then letting it be buried was the wisest course. Wolflen nodded. "Then let it be so. Henceforth, both families must properly discipline their children. The three of us have mountains of work to handle every day; how could we have the energy to waste on such nonsense?" "On what grounds!" Dolph surged to his feet, pointing a trembling finger directly at Delon. "Delon, what kind of insignificant thing is your Guman family? You say compensate, and we compensate? You say apologize, and we accept? You say it ends, and it's over? "Heh, I'm sorry, but your Guman family isn't qualified to stand on equal footing with my Norton family! "I don't want apologies! I want a conviction! "Under the *Code of Order*, I demand he be convicted, stripped of his clerical status, and have his power of faith severed!" Wolflen quietly raised his teacup, took a sip, and made no haste to intervene further. Delon closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again. Karen noticed the old man's fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Evidently, he was truly enraged. Richard stood there serenely, remaining silent. *Oho.* *So confident?* *That's hardly your usual style, Richard.* This made Karen realize that Richard had likely received instructions from Neo. Neo hadn't orchestrated this brawl—the fight in the pastry shop had been an accident for him as well. Karen refused to believe Neo possessed the confidence to send their Richard to defeat the other side's Vicolai. However, after the incident occurred, Neo must have swiftly followed up. After all, the goal was merely to get Vicolai to the Church Affairs Building today. Regardless of the method, as long as the man showed up here, the requirement was fulfilled. Old Master Delon stood up, glaring fiercely at Dolph, and ground out through clenched teeth: "Who dares touch my grandson!" "Heh." Dolph gave a sinister sneer. "Yet someone has already touched mine! In any case, if this matter is not resolved according to my demands, I cannot guarantee the safety of your Guman family!" *Clack!* Wolflen slammed his teacup heavily onto the coffee table. Dolph turned to face Wolflen. "Grant me this, and from now on, in every Regional Administrative Office council, I will follow your lead entirely." "You are speaking nonsense." Wolflen picked up his teacup again. In truth, that motion alone signaled the shift in Wolflen's attitude. His primary preference had been to play the peacemaker, but if the matter could not be resolved amicably, he had to consider his own interests. That was human nature. At the end of the day, the Guman family was simply no match for the Norton family. "If you intend to make such threats..." Delon stared into Dolph's eyes, "...then my Guman family will see it through to the end!" Standing to the side, Karen kept his head lowered and his eyes half-shut, choosing not to participate. One shouldn't look at these so-called "high-ranking figures" through rose-tinted glasses. Karen admitted that the final clash between High Priest Norton and Lord Theisen had been magnificent, but that had been a struggle of ideological paths. The spectacle unfolding before him was no different from street thugs trading vicious threats to slaughter each other's families. Dolph stepped forward until he stood beside Richard, declaring, "Summon the people from the Law Enforcement Department. I want to hear the verdict directly, and I want to watch the execution!" "I said, whoever dares touch my grandson, I will—" Dolph took another step, practically nose-to-nose with Delon. A cruel smirk played across his lips as he reached out and poked Delon's shoulder. "You should know my temper, Delon. In this matter, I will fight to the bitter end. I know your Guman family holds a somewhat unique status within the ritual formation system, but so what? "I'll lay it bare right now: since someone dared lay a hand on my grandson, I will make that brat pay dearly! Whoever dares obstruct me, I'll add their entire family to my ledger!" Old Master Delon remained stubborn. "I will not allow anyone to touch my grandson!" Wolflen continued sipping from his cup, which seemed as though it would never run dry. Karen also continued dozing off, as though his nap would never end. *Grandpa Delon is still holding back too much.* With the other party hurling such extreme threats, what he should have done was lay all his cards on the table and blow the whole affair wide open—for instance, threatening a strike across his entire department, or taking it further by demanding that the ritual formations in multiple vital sectors be shut down. Meeting aggression with equal escalation—or better yet, threatening to intentionally disrupt those formations. The Head Bishop clearly wanted to maintain stability, so all one needed to do was drive up the cost of that stability. Yet Delon hadn't considered that, or perhaps he had instinctively disregarded any option that used harming the Church's interests as leverage. By comparison, when Diss moved to protect him, he had blown up a sacred temple without a second thought. The difference between his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandfather was not a matter of strength. Delon was genuinely someone willing to sacrifice himself for the divine Church; whereas to Diss, as a devout believer of Order, the divine Church had no right to mistreat his family. When a person with principles faced an overbearing scoundrel with none, they invariably ended up on the losing end. "Summon the Law Enforcement Department to pass judgment. I want to witness the sentencing with my own eyes, and I want to watch the punishment carried out. This matter ends today, without delaying anyone's work," Dolph said. The Law Enforcement Department was the Region's internal punitive apparatus for crimes committed by clergy, and the deputy director of the regional Law Enforcement Department was Dolph's eldest son—Vicolai's uncle. Dolph kept his eyes locked on Delon as he added, "Delon, if you are dissatisfied with the Law Enforcement Department's judgment, you can appeal. You can even take your lawsuit all the way to the Dinge Region. I'll gladly keep you company anytime, heh." "You..." Wolflen glanced over at Karen, who was standing there exuding an aura remarkably similar to his own. Like two bubbles rising from the same pond, he felt an urge to pop one. He directly addressed Karen: "Karen, what do you think? Richard is your subordinate, after all." Dolph's gaze shifted to Karen as well. This young man and his attendants had been quite arrogant at the start, yet throughout this recent confrontation, he had remained uncharacteristically quiet. Karen blinked as though waking from a standing slumber, looking around with a puzzled expression. "Hmm? What is it?" Vic stepped closer, whispering in a tone that every person in the room could hear clearly, "Captain, Bishop Dolph wants to hand Richard over to the Law Enforcement Department to determine his guilt." "Oh, sure. That's only proper. I support it." Dolph smiled. Wolflen's brow furrowed slightly. Delon stared at Karen in sheer disbelief. Dolph said to Wolflen, "Head Bishop, notify the Law Enforcement Department to come up. The evidence is solid and the matter is straightforward. Let's not delay any longer. Let us conclude this swiftly; everyone is busy." Wolflen said, "Then I shall have the people from the Law Enforcement Department come over to offer their opinion first. We can deliberate further based on what they say. I still maintain that we shouldn't jump to such severe punishments. With young people, education should remain the primary approach." Karen spoke up, "Head Bishop, allow me to notify the Law Enforcement Department on your behalf. The phone line to that office often fails to connect, requiring a call to the Security Section so they can send someone to notify them. I apologize, but it might take quite a while for them to arrive." Dolph immediately countered, "What do you mean, it won't connect? What do you mean, it will take a while? The Law Enforcement Department's office is right inside this building! Sending an attendant with a message is all it takes to bring them up!" Karen smiled and said, "Bishop Dolph, are you referring to the Law Enforcement Department of the Regional Administrative Office? Ah, I thought we were summoning the Law Enforcement Department in our Whip of Order headquarters. The office conditions over there are truly dreadful, and the personnel on duty frequently slack off and leave their posts unattended." Dolph sneered, "You're overthinking things." The smile on Karen's face gradually faded. His gaze turned icy and razor-sharp, staring straight at Dolph as he spoke: "It is you who are overthinking things, Bishop Dolph. Richard belongs to my Whip of Order. What right does the Law Enforcement Department of the Regional Administrative Office have to pass judgment on someone from the Whip of Order!"