Loyalty

Philomena placed Karen into the front passenger seat. As she was about to close the door, Karen reminded her, "Seatbelt." Philomena bent back down and fastened the belt for him. "Captain, I've noticed you always pay a lot of attention to these details." It wasn't merely because of his injuries. Even when he was completely healthy, Philomena had noticed that Karen always buckled his seatbelt whenever he rode in a car. In truth, no matter how catastrophic a car crash might be, he couldn't possibly come to any harm. "It's called respecting the details. It always pays off." "Understood." Philomena sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and stepped on the gas. The car didn't move forward. Instead, it shot backward, quickly reversing off the road and sliding into the ditch. *Bang!* After a violent shudder, the front end of the car reared high into the air. "Cough, cough..." Karen broke into a fit of coughing. Reaching out to touch the seatbelt across his chest, he said, "See? The payoff came right away." Philomena stared blankly at the steering wheel in her hands and asked, "What should we do?" "Call for a tow truck, or you go down and push the car back onto the road." "All right." Philomena got out of the car and jumped into the ditch. Soon, a surge of force came from behind, and the sedan returned to the pavement. She had truly pushed the car back up. Immediately after, Philomena climbed back into the driver's seat and turned the key. After a few tries, the engine roared back to life. Karen felt that the secondhand black Ponce he had bought was truly worth every penny; its build quality was beyond question. "You haven't learned how to drive yet?" "Richard said he'd teach me, but hasn't had the time yet. I'll have him teach me once we get back." "Mm. Drive slowly. Here, let me show you how to shift gears. Just drive like this. Slow is fine; take your time." "Okay." The car finally began moving forward, slowly making its way onto the main road. Traffic grew heavier. Because they were moving so slowly, it caused frustration among the drivers behind them, and horns blared continuously. Philomena frowned. "Annoying." "Ignore them. Just focus on your own driving." Fortunately, though they crept along at a crawl, no enraged driver pulled ahead to cut them off and curse them out. After all, the girl behind the wheel had just run a blade through her own grandmother's head; her emotions were far from settled, and she was in no state to handle provocations. Finally, the car pulled into the parking lot of the headquarters building. Philomena let out a long breath, took her hands off the wheel, and clenched and unclenched her fists a few times. "My palms didn't even sweat when I killed my grandmother." "It's fine. You can only kill your grandmother once, but you can practice driving many times." "Should we get out, Captain?" "Stay in the car. Wait for the section chief. He should have spotted my car by now. Light me a cigarette." "Okay." After lighting the cigarette, Philomena spoke up. "Right now, I feel like I've just woken from a dream, yet also like I'm still dreaming." "Then let me give you a piece of advice." "Mm?" "Live however you lived before. There's no need to force a change just because your grandmother is alive or dead. Like making bean paste, some things in this world are best left to time." "I understand, Captain." Just then, Neo walked out of the building. He spotted the secondhand black Ponce parked there at a glance, rested his arm on the passenger window frame, and reached in toward Karen's nose. Karen asked, "What are you doing?" "Checking if you're still breathing." "I'm fine." "You're out of your mind, getting yourself into this state. If I'd known, you should've flown a crow to me in advance so I could send a hearse to pick you up. Would've skipped a few steps." Saying that, Neo looked at Philomena in the driver's seat and asked curiously, "Uh, should I call you by your name or call you Madame?" Karen suggested, "Call her Grandma." "Heh." Neo yawned. "Looks like it went well—you brought her back." "Brought back a genius." "So it's completely perfect?" "If I weren't injured, it'd be even more perfect." "Might as well approve some leave for you. Go take a good rest. Now that the Norton family has been brought down, next we just plan to sweep up some small fry—no need for you to worry about that. The higher-ups will also want us to settle down a bit, digest the 'territory' we took, and at the same time provide a model for brother units in other districts to follow." "Mm. Once my injuries are mostly healed, toward the end of my leave, we'll head to Compasini's burial grounds." Hearing this, Neo gave Philomena a pointed look, realizing that from now on, this girl was one of their own. "The financial settlement for the Norton family is wrapping up. Once it's all done, I'll balance the books with your manservant." "Mm, just go to him. I don't feel like doing math right now." "When have you ever done math? Say..." Neo blinked and asked with a grin, "Should we settle the Felscher family's books together?" "Section Chief, have you ever heard the term 'feeding on the heirless'?" "I have a rough idea of what it means, but you can't slander me. I'm just worried that it's unsafe for a young girl to look after such a massive estate all by herself, prone to accidents and all." "Section Chief, just how shameless do you have to be to describe our 'young girl' like that?" Philomena spoke up on her own initiative. "I don't know what assets remain in my family. If possible, Section Chief, you can help me liquidate and audit them." "Listen to that, just listen!" Neo slapped the car door. "Now that's awareness! That's trust!" "Those are her assets," Karen said, somewhat resigned. "Borrowing later with interest as an investment is fine, but during the liquidation process..." "Tch, with points that can be legally mobilized, why would I embezzle? Do you have any idea how exhausting cooking the books is? Don't worry, I'll take your manservant with me when the time comes." "Mm, that's fine then." "All right, understood. Enjoy your vacation. I'll call Muri down to take you to the church hospital. As for her, I'll take her inside." Neo hooked his finger at Philomena. Karen nodded. "Go ahead." Philomena stepped out of the car and followed Neo toward the headquarters building. Although all of this was kept quiet, the matter of the Felscher family would inevitably attract the attention of the district's higher-ups. Between Philomena and her grandmother, Madame Felscher, only one could return. Therefore, her identity needed to be redefined and processed through formal procedures. Karen wouldn't trust anyone else with this, but with Neo taking her, Karen was certain there wouldn't be any issues. The section chief might be unreliable in many things, but when you genuinely asked him for a favor, as long as he agreed, he would truly see it through. Soon, Muri came trotting over. He slid into the driver's seat and looked closely at Karen. "Captain, let me take you to the church hospital." "No. Take me home." "Then should I go call Blanche over now to treat and tend to you?" "I want to sleep. Once I get back, lie down in bed, and fall asleep, then you can call Blanche to come over and trouble her. Right now... I'm exhausted." "Understood." Muri started the car and drove Karen to the funeral parlor. When they pulled up to the entrance, Karen reminded him, "Use a gurney to bring me inside." "Yes, Captain." Before long, Muri and Alfred came out wheeling a corpse gurney. Karen lay on top of it and was wheeled into the master bedroom. "Oh heavens, Karen, did you go off to fight a war?!" "Woof, woof, woof!" "Young Master, you..." Xili also walked over. "Quiet down, I'm going to sleep first." Having said that, Karen closed his eyes. It wasn't just the fatigue stemming from his soul injuries; the familiar, reassuring atmosphere of home made it easy to drift off to sleep. ... *Drip... drip... drip...* "Sigh..." In his dream, Karen let out a sigh. He knew that [Scythe of War] had entered his dream once again, but he genuinely couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind. *Drip... drip... drip...* Karen continued sleeping inside his dream, and as he slept, he slept right through it. From beginning to end, that [Scythe of War] remained before him, swaying back and forth, back and forth... ... Awakening, he opened his eyes. Purr's cat face leaned in close, its amber feline eyes staring intently at him. It must have sensed the change in his breathing, anticipating his awakening in advance. "How long did I sleep..." "Not too long, half a day. Blanche already came by to treat your external wounds. The external injuries aren't a big deal—just rest and recuperate. But your soul... why does it look like it was gnawed on by a dog?!" "Woof!" "Shut up, don't interrupt!" "Didn't Alfred tell you?" "I know you went to the Felscher residence, but I didn't expect you to end up like this. Seriously, if you weren't Karen, if I didn't know how special your soul is, I'd genuinely think you were ruined. Even Dora and Doreen were far healthier than you when they were infected back then! Hey, hey, hey, what are you trying to get up for?" "Young Master?" The bedroom door opened, and Alfred entered. Seeing his young master struggling to get up, he hurried forward. "I want to see if I can still stand," Karen said, continuing to exert force. His leg and abdominal wounds were manageable; it was mainly the injury to his shoulder that made it hard for his arms to bear weight and support him. Alfred stepped out of the bedroom and brought back two new crutches. Then he personally helped Karen up and placed the crutches under his armpits. "I can manage a few steps," Karen assessed himself. "My, aren't you impressive, meow? You actually learned how to walk, my Lord Adjudicator." "Why do you sound like you have gunpowder in your mouth today?" "Gunpowder in my mouth? Karen, why don't you count how many days it's been since you last came home? What kind of good attitude do you expect from me? I'm not your wife!" "Woof, woof!" "Shut up, meow!" "I've just been busy lately," Karen offered a perfunctory explanation. "Busy? Even Diss knew to come home to sleep after blowing up a temple! You're busier than him!" "Now you're just being unreasonable. If I had Grandpa's ability to blow up temples, I'd come home to rest every day too, too lazy to even work overtime." "Humph, meow." "Young Master, the section chief informed me of a few matters. I will coordinate the handover with him." "Mm, good." Karen nodded. No one could resist the temptation of having an Alfred in both work and life. "One more thing, Young Master. I need your explicit approval." "You may take Philomena to the performance hall at Allen Manor." Karen had already anticipated what Alfred was going to ask. "Understood, Young Master." "Are Muri and Ventura at headquarters?" "They should be at the apartment right now." "Have them take me back to Allen Manor. You stay behind to handle those matters with Neo. Remember, if he shows any sign of going crazy, let me know in advance." "Yes, Young Master." "Going back to the manor, meow?" Purr's mood instantly brightened upon hearing they were going home. Karen looked down at Kevin lying by his feet and said, "Kevin, come along too. I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Once my soul injuries recover a bit, I'll help you break the next layer of the seal." "Woof, woof!" Kevin wagged his tail excitedly. "Call them over. We'll set off right away." Alfred suggested in a low voice, "Young Master, given your current physical condition, I don't believe it's suitable for you to endure a bumpy ride. You could rest for a day or two before going; that would be more appropriate." Karen shook his head. "I'm worried something else might crop up. It's best to go now while my injuries are at their worst. I don't want any more delays." "Exactly, exactly, meow!" "Have Muri drive the hearse. Go to the storeroom and pick out the most comfortable coffin; lying in a coffin, I won't have to worry about bumps." "Very well, Young Master." ... The coffin was black, lined with very soft silk inside. Lying within, the space wasn't cramped at all, but rather quite comfortable. Ventura and Muri carried the coffin out together. Mrs. Lake was holding a bowl and whisking eggs. When she saw a coffin being carried out of Karen's room, she was so startled that the bowl slipped from her hands and smashed onto the floor, spilling egg yolk everywhere. She was Pavaro's widow and knew a thing or two about church circles; besides, her husband had been taken away just as abruptly. Losing her composure, Mrs. Lake threw herself toward the edge of the coffin. Ventura froze for a moment, not having time to explain. It wasn't until Mrs. Lake saw Karen lying in the coffin with his eyes open—and even blinking at her—that her emotions choked up in her throat, unable to cough it out or swallow it down. "You..." "Ma'am, let's hold Mr. Pavaro's funeral after I return. I plan to make it a memorial service, but as you can see, my current physical condition isn't suitable." "All right, of course. Whatever you say is fine." After all, Mrs. Lake knew her husband had been dead for a long time. The initial period of grief had long passed, and she was currently in the intermittent phase of feeling sorrowful whenever reminded of him. "Mr. Karen, your body..." "Not a big problem. I'm going to the countryside manor to recuperate for a while." "All right. Please take care of yourself." "Mm. If anything comes up at home, just speak to Alfred." Karen was lifted into the hearse. The coffin fit squarely into the recessed slot in the center of the vehicle, serving as double shock absorption. Once the hearse set off, Purr hopped onto the rim of the coffin, looking down at Karen, who appeared quite comfortable lying inside, and said: "I bet you're thinking of Mason right now." "How did you know?" "Because that's how Mason and the others picked you up from the hospital last time." "Mm." "Can I jump onto your chest?" Purr asked. "Gently." Purr landed down, truly very light. "Tell me, have you spent too much time around that section chief of yours and caught his madness? Why were you so reckless this time?" "There wasn't enough time," Karen said with some helplessness. "If I hadn't struck myself with the [Scythe of War] in the Norton family's basement and injured my soul, this matter would have been simple." "Then you didn't have to rush there." "Madame Felscher wasn't going to make an appointment with me. It just happened to coincide. Besides, the clash in the realm of consciousness was tense, but still under control. The main unexpected part was that after the clash of consciousness ended and both sides were in terrible shape, we still ended up fighting in the living room. The wounds on my body were sustained then." "Still too dangerous, meow." "All right, all right. I'll be more careful next time." At this moment, Ventura also poked his head over and said, "Captain, whenever there's something dangerous next time, just bring me along." Purr snapped immediately, "Shoo, it's not a matter of bringing you or not. Little Pebble, go play somewhere else." Ventura could only scratch his head and sit back down. "Sigh, that Felscher woman is really ridiculous. She kept pining for Diss, only to be cursed to death by Diss's grandson in a relay. I honestly think it's hard to find anything more hilarious in this world." "There is something." "What?" "Bernard on Dark Moon Island." Purr: "..." "All right, I want to sleep a bit more. It's rare to have such a great environment for an afternoon nap." "Do you need me to have Little Pebble close the coffin lid for you?" "No need." "Oh, right, there's one more thing. I didn't want to ask, nor did I want to rush you, but... my great-great-great-great-niece probably isn't sleepy anymore. What do you plan to do?" "What must be done will be done." Purr shook its head and lamented: "Only a scumbag of a man could say something so proper." ... Allen Manor had already been notified in advance that Karen would return to rest and nurse his wounds. At this stage, even setting aside his connection to Diss, Karen's current status and prestige were more than enough for Allen Manor to treat him as a true guest of honor. "Dressed so beautifully! My daughter looks just like an angel," Madame Jenny praised, watching Eunice in a white gown. Hearing this, Eunice hesitated slightly. "Then maybe I should change into another outfit." "What, he doesn't like angels?" Madame Jenny, being an experienced woman, understood immediately and smiled. "Looks like he prefers someone a bit more mature, doesn't he?" "Mother..." "All right, all right. Your fiancé is coming back, and I'm happy for you." "But Mr. Alfred said Karen was severely injured." "What, are you blaming him for only thinking to come see you when he's injured? You should think about your mother! I'd love it if your father were injured outside and sent back to me. Instead, he's running around the world with another man right now. Who can I complain to?" "Father will come back." "Whatever. I'll wait another six months for him. If he still doesn't come back, I'll go attend those banquets with dukes and counts, just to give him some extra creative inspiration for the future." "Mother, you're joking like that again." "All right, all right. If you want to change outfits, how about this red one? It looks more mature." "Madam, Miss, the Eldest Master sent someone to deliver word that Lord Karen will arrive shortly." "All right, we know. Come, come, daughter, let me help you find some more clothes... Hmm, what are these with all the tiny holes? Stockings?" ... On a bright, sunny afternoon, Old Anderson, who was standing at the manor gates preparing to welcome the guest, saw a hearse drive up before him, followed by a coffin being unloaded. With his eyelids twitching, Old Anderson took a deep breath, stepped forward, looked at Karen lying in the coffin, and said with great reverence: "Welcome back, Young Master Karen, to the manor that remains forever loyal to you."