This Is an Evil God?

"These are crystal grapes from Xinlan. They're very sweet—try one." Eunice peeled a grape and offered it to Karen's lips. Karen ate it. It was indeed very sweet, rich yet not cloying, with complex, layered flavors. These grapes were quite expensive, costing over two hundred Order coupons a jin. Because of where they were produced, they could only be transported by teleportation array. A regular church servant's entire monthly stipend couldn't buy half a jin. They were a genuine luxury found only at high-end banquets within church circles. Of course, the direct lineage of Allen Manor wouldn't normally indulge in these either; this was a special treat prepared specifically because Karen and Purr had arrived. One was the manor's son-in-law and their future reliance—no amount of investment in him could be excessive. The other was the family's ancestral founder, and when the old ancestor had a craving, no filial deference could be too great. Eunice cupped her hand beside Karen's mouth for him to spit the grape seeds into her palm. Karen said, "You eat them. I'm not really fond of fruit." Eunice peeled another and brought it to his lips, and Karen ate that one as well. "Actually, many people who say they don't like fruit don't really dislike it—they just lack the right atmosphere for eating fruit." Karen smiled. "All right, I admit, you're right." "I read about what happened recently in the newspapers. Grandfather also gathered some intel to share with me specifically." "What did you think?" "The newspaper had a photo of you in the tribunal. You looked very handsome." "That was staged. I was just posing for the cameras below." "It looked wonderful anyway. I clipped them all out and made a scrapbook, and I flip through it every day." This was a very "dangerous" topic. If he replied with something like "Isn't the real me right here?" or "Aren't you looking at me right now?", it would drag them straight into the mood-killing vortex of "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you in so long." Karen asked with concern, "How is your body feeling?" "My daily routine is back to normal now. Second Uncle takes time to teach me how to use some spells." "What about your family faith level?" "Second Uncle says I'm at Level Five now." "That's impressive." "It feels surreal to me too. It's like I just slept and slept, and woke up at Level Five in the family faith system." "How many people would envy such a dream?" "There's something else that feels like a dream. Looking at the moving photos of you in the scrapbook, I can't help thinking back to when I first met you in Rojia City. Back then, I never imagined that one day you would be standing in the tribunal of the Church of Order wearing clerical robes. "You know, sometimes I feel a sense of unfamiliarity. Maybe it's because I was asleep for so long over these past six months; so many of my impressions are stuck half a year ago. I even feel at times that the you in the scrapbook and the you I knew are two completely different people. "Do you ever feel that way, Karen?" Karen shook his head and replied, "No." Eunice smiled. "So in your eyes, there's no difference between who I am now and who I was in the past?" Another mood-killing vortex had appeared. "I prefer the you in Rojia City, when I would drive Alfred's car to pick you up outside the school where you taught." "Back then...?" "Because I miss the person I was back then." "Do you want to go back to the past, Karen?" "The past only seems so wonderful because one can never return to it." "That's true. If you had followed Old Master Diss's advice and stayed in Rojia City, your life would probably have been very peaceful, and very wonderful." "That wouldn't do." "Mm?" "Then I wouldn't have met you. And even if I had, you wouldn't have approached me from the very start with marriage in mind under your family's pressure and arrangements. "If that were the case, going from holding your hand to holding you on horseback, and now to you feeding me grapes, would have required so much more effort. It would have been exhausting." If Karen had followed Diss's advice and chosen to keep living in Rojia City, there would have been no need for Allen Manor to enter the picture. Although Allen Manor and the Inmeles family had maintained steady contact due to Purr's presence, Allen Manor back then—and even now, for that matter—had never truly possessed the standing to earn Diss's attention. In Diss's original arrangement, Eunice's only role was to escort his grandson to Wien. Diss had even said beforehand that once Karen reached Wien, Allen Manor could break off the engagement with his grandson; they only needed to handle his grandson's feelings gently, because his grandson "could not bear to feel aggrieved." Yet perhaps even Diss hadn't anticipated, nor had Purr at the time, that as soon as Karen arrived, Old Anderson would lead the family's direct line in ceding the position of patriarch directly to Karen. After all the twists and turns leading up to the present, first the Raphael family, who posed a dire threat to Allen Manor, was wiped out after being implicated in the Church of Order's Qihe case. Then, with the Church of Order's tacit approval, a trade route was established with Dark Moon Island. Furthermore, Eunice's deep sleep and awakening had gifted the family its only current Level Five member... In short, Allen Manor had washed away its decline, and everything was progressing smoothly. Behind every resolved crisis and every opportunity for growth, Karen's figure was ever present. Back then, when Old Anderson whipped his cane across his son's face and led the family in bowing to Karen, he truly had pulled his family back from the brink. Yet the more this was the case, the less Allen Manor dared to press Karen into marriage. They had already gained too much. With the disparity in their standing growing increasingly lopsided, they were in no position to make demands. Eunice leaned down gently, bringing her lips close to Karen's ear, and whispered, "Did you like the clothes I wore as a teacher? Or... did you like the atmosphere of me being a teacher back then?" "Teacher, I liked both." ... "Listen to that, just listen to that! Stupid dog, if you had half of Karen's emotional intelligence—no, even a tenth of it—you wouldn't have ended up in this sorry state." Purr munched on grapes while spitting the seeds directly onto Kevin's bald head. Enduring this dual assault of grape seeds and emotional abuse, Kevin could only keep his head hung low in grievance. "Sometimes even I wonder: how did Karen get so smooth?" "Woof~" Kevin spread his paws, signaling that he was just as mystified. "Still, when on earth are they going to give me a great-great-great-great-great-nephew?" "Woof." "True, Karen's current physical state isn't suitable for fathering a child anyway. It wouldn't be fun if my unborn nephew came out with a congenital soul defect. "Mmm, these grapes are delicious. Stupid dog, are you really not having any?" Kevin shook his head. "Then I'll leave half a plate for you. How about you go up to the roof tonight and eat them by yourself while looking at the moon?" Kevin nodded. "Hah, so you really did need the right atmosphere to eat fruit." Kevin wagged his tail, looking eager. "Sigh, looking at you, sometimes I truly feel aggrieved on the Sea God's behalf." Kevin grinned, looking thoroughly amused. Seeing this, Purr laughed too. "Haha meow, touched your mental sweet spot again, did I? The Sea God is the unluckiest, most aggrieved chief god in this world!" "Woof, woof, woof!" Just then, Old Anderson carried in coffee himself. "Ancestor, your coffee." "Good, thanks for the trouble, young Anderson." "It is only my duty. By the way, Ancestor, do you wish to review the family's accounts for this quarter?" "What would I look at them for, meow? Give them to Karen... Never mind, he probably won't read them either. Just follow the usual routine and send someone to deliver them to the Radio Fairy when the time comes." "Very well. Mr. Alfred called to say he will be arriving at the manor tonight." "Tonight?" "Yes, this evening. Perhaps Mr. Alfred is concerned about his young master, seeing as Young Master Karen has already been back for some time." "Oh, that probably has nothing to do with Karen. Send someone... Never mind, do as before: take your sons and grandsons personally to clean the performance hall. Oh, and put up those hung paintings and banners from last time again." "To the same standard as last time?" "Yes, exactly." "Understood. Please rest assured, Ancestor, I will arrange it properly." "Mm. Things like this will keep happening in the future. Let me tell you, you can pursue all that other stuff—business growth, cultivating clan members, and so forth—but this one is the most crucial. "As long as Karen doesn't clear out the arrangements in that performance hall, nothing will stop the future growth of your Allen family." *Your Allen family?* Old Anderson didn't dare raise an objection, nodding at once. "Yes, I understand. I will ensure our hospitality is flawless." "Muri and Little Stone's reception was lower in specification than Karen's and mine, wasn't it?" "Er... yes, but we served them with all our hearts." "Don't be stingy over such trivial things. Remember: anyone the Radio Fairy has brought into that performance hall must receive top-tier hospitality. "To put it even more bluntly, the future purpose of Allen Manor's existence is twofold: one is to store those coffins for Karen, and the other is to entertain those people for him. Just treat the manor as a guesthouse specifically designed for Karen and his people. All of the family's revenue can be poured into those two expenses. Understood?" "Yes, understood." Old Anderson walked out of the room feeling slightly dizzy. "Was I being a bit too direct?" Purr asked Kevin. Kevin shook his dog head. "Woof, woof." "Right, that's what I think too. The biggest difference between Karen and Diss is that Karen is willing to expend the effort, and personally enjoys developing and managing his own circle and team. "I quite like seeing that. At least this way, he won't end up with the same fate as Diss. "Diss had to face the pressure of the entire Church of Order alone. As for Karen... in the same situation, I think he wouldn't hesitate to tear the Church of Order apart. "It's great, meow! Why should the one looking out for the bigger picture always have to suffer!" "Woof." Purr pressed her paws repeatedly onto a damp towel, then grabbed another damp towel to wipe her mouth before sitting down in front of the coffee cup. "Ohohoho, my coffee." ... In the room, Karen sat in a wheelchair facing the French window. Muri stood at his side. "Captain, Mr. Alfred said he would arrive by evening, but it's already ten o'clock." "It's fine. I reckon he let Philomena drive." "Oh, that explains it." Below the French window, in what seemed like a pitch-black night, a row of candlelight flickered. Ventura was playing with Borg and Judia. They were all kids, playing kids' games—which meant fireballs and ice blades flying in every direction. Because of Purr, Ventura now had a new nickname in the squad: "Little Stone." Yet in Borg and Judia's eyes, Ventura was a veritable boulder. Facing the combined attacks of both Judia and Borg, he not only blocked everything, but also swatted them away every now and then. Both Borg and Judia were prodigies within clan circles, but Ventura was a prodigy of church circles. While he couldn't compare to monsters like Karen and Philomena, he had still been selected by the York City Region, and had even forged a contract with a Church of Order soul within the Gate of Samsara. Different platforms naturally produced different tiers of genius. Even so, Borg and Judia had stubborn, unyielding temperaments. Facing a peer, even after being knocked back time and again, they wiped the blood from the corners of their mouths and charged right back in. "From now on, you'll be in charge of guiding Ventura, focusing on combat skills and methodology." "Yes, Captain." Muri didn't ask about Borg and Judia. As a scion of the Benda family, his standards had always been exceptionally high. "Captain, will our circle keep growing larger?" "Our goal isn't expansion for its own sake," Karen corrected. "As things stand, I only wish to bring those who won't betray us into our fold. As for guiding principles and the like, leave that to Alfred." "Mr. Alfred is indeed very good at that." "He enjoys doing it. Heh, he has been like that from the start. He's actually reined himself in a lot compared to before." "From what is recorded in *Light of Order* and the murals, the retinue and knights around the God of Order back then shared an atmosphere quite similar to ours now." "The transition was too clumsy. You drove the point home far too directly." "Yes, I will pay attention next time, Captain." "I've been recuperating for quite a few days. Tomorrow, push me outside to loosen up my joints. I don't want to rest until I rust." "Understood, Captain." A car drove into Allen Manor. Karen took a glance; it wasn't his used black Ponce. Catching Karen's gaze, Muri spoke up. "Mr. Alfred said the section chief sent your car off for modifications." "Good follow-up this time." "Yes, sir." ... "A secret is hidden here?" Philomena looked around as she spoke. She had been here before; Karen had once hosted a team gathering at the manor. "Yes. It's just that last time, you weren't qualified to enter." "Qualified?" "Meaning loyalty." "Mr. Alfred..." Old Anderson led his people over in a warm welcome. "Mr. Anderson, is the performance hall ready?" "It is ready, just as you requested last time." "Very good. I'll take her to the performance hall first." "Of course, after you." Alfred pointed at Philomena. "Follow me." Philomena followed Alfred into the performance hall. This performance hall had once been built on a whim by Miss Poer Allen, but now it had been converted into Karen's corpse storage and propaganda-and-education center. After listening to Alfred introduce the figures resting in the two coffins, Philomena asked curiously, "What is the purpose of sealing them here?" "To wait until the Young Master attains power of that level, so he may awaken them and bestow upon them eternal life. Oh, right, that Madame Gandiluo will also move in later—the woman we met in the deepest part of that family cemetery." "Karen will bestow... eternal life upon them?" "I know that to you right now, the loyalty you offer might feel like a repayment, more akin to an honorable brotherhood. But what I am going to show you now belongs to another level. Your loyalty ought to transform into faith. "I will guide you to know and behold a new object of worship." ... "Oh, poor girl of the Felscher family, having her soul distorted by the Radio Fairy tonight. Boohoo, so pitiful, meow." Purr sat on Kevin's back, lamenting and dabbing her paw at her eyes now and then, though not a single tear fell. "Woof?" "Aiya, I know you can't wait to go eat grapes with your goddess, but you're useful right now. The Radio Fairy just finished brainwashing her, so it's best that the girl sees you the moment she steps out. "You're an evil god, you know—a visible, tangible evil god! Wait a little longer, it should be over soon. Once you're done backing him up, I'll even give you a bottle of expensive red wine so you and your goddess can have a few drinks together. "Good boy, be obedient. No throwing tantrums." Purr rubbed Kevin's bald head with her paw while offering soothing words. Just then, Alfred led Philomena out from the performance hall. "Here they come, here they come! Stupid dog, puff out your chest and receive the shock and worship of a new believer, great Lord Raniedal! "Come on, get that pie chart of emotions going in your eyes!" Kevin immediately held his dog head high, his gaze projecting fifty percent arrogance, thirty percent reserve, and twenty percent indifference. Philomena stopped in her tracks and stared at the large golden retriever squatting before her, suspicion lingering in her eyes. Girl looked at dog; dog looked at girl. The person and the hound locked eyes in a prolonged stare. Kevin felt he could no longer maintain the pie chart in his eyes; his dog eyes were aching. Sensing his majestic image was about to crumble, Kevin lightly swept his tail against Purr beside him. Purr teased Alfred, "Radio Fairy, seems your professional skills could use some improvement this time." Alfred shook his head. "Quite the contrary. I believe the results this time are exceptionally good." "Oh?" Purr looked curiously at Philomena and asked, "Are you doubting Karen's identity?" Hearing this, Philomena shook her head and said very calmly, "I believe in the might of Mr. Diss; Grandmother told me stories about him for as long as I can remember. "I believe Karen is the successor to the great God of Order, because Karen appeared in my dream. When the Chains of Order coiled around his body, I clearly sensed a supreme aura belonging to Order." With that, Philomena bent down, continuing to gaze at Kevin. "What I truly find hard to believe is... that this thing is an evil god." Raniedal: "..."