"Young Master Karen, here is the menu for tonight's late-night snack."
Madam Jenny presented the menu to Karen. Karen took it, scanned it briefly, and shook his head.
"It's too much. There are only five of us, plus a cat and a dog. We can't possibly eat all of this, and it's far too wasteful. Let's just keep the first five dishes—one portion per person. Take off all the alcohol and just serve ice water. That will do."
"Understood, Young Master Karen." Madam Jenny took back the menu, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered the courage to ask, "Should Eunice come in to arrange the table?"
"Could Eunice handle the arrangements for tomorrow's formal meals instead, Madam? Tonight's situation is a bit special. I would rather my fiancée not be exposed to these matters too early. Please understand, Madam."
"No, no, no, I didn't mean anything by it! I was just asking, merely asking! Whatever you say goes, Young Master Karen."
Madam Jenny quickly beamed and shook her head, then stepped out of the dining room with the menu to instruct the servants.
Karen naturally understood Madam Jenny's intentions. As a mother, looking out for her daughter's interests was her natural prerogative.
However, this simple dinner was somewhat unusual. For anyone Alfred led into the performance hall, the secret had to be kept strictly confidential, even from their own families.
As for telling Eunice the secret now and letting Alfred turn her into one of Karen's believers?
That would be insane!
Freshly bathed and changed into clean clothes, Ventura walked into the dining room with his hair still damp. The moment he saw Karen sitting in the wheelchair, a broad smile spread across his face.
"Looks like you had a lot of fun playing with your friends today."
"Mm-hmm!"
"Where are the two of them?"
"Carried off for medical treatment."
Karen nodded, not at all surprised by the outcome. After all, he had personally witnessed Ventura pummeling them for an entire afternoon.
Just then, Muri walked in and took a seat beside them.
Ventura said to Karen, "Brother Muri said he's going to start instructing me tomorrow."
"Cherish this opportunity," Karen said.
"I will, Captain."
"Young Master."
"Captain."
Alfred and Philomena entered the room.
Philomena stood beside the table, looking at Karen, and asked, "Should I bow to you?"
"I believe I told you before: how things were in the past is how they remain now. There is no need to make a deliberate effort to change, whether regarding your grandmother or regarding me."
"Understood."
Philomena sat down. It was obvious that she was repeatedly adjusting her breathing and heart rate.
For someone accustomed to treating assassination as her primary mode of combat, this should have been the simplest, most effortless task—an instinct, even. Yet right now, it was proving quite difficult.
Ventura and Muri exchanged a glance, both curling their lips into a smile. When the two of them had first walked out of the performance hall, they had been the exact same way. No, the Philomena before them was actually far calmer than either of them had been back then.
Purr bounded into the room, leaped onto the dining table, and commanded Ventura, "Little Stone, tie this for me."
"Sure."
Ventura stood up and helped Purr fasten her dining bib.
"Where's Kevin?" Karen asked.
Purr glanced at Philomena, who was sitting across the table, and said, "The dumb dog went up to the roof to chat with his goddess."
There was another detail Purr left unsaid: the dumb dog had likely been quite 'hurt' by this introverted girl from the Felscher family.
The late-night dishes began to arrive. Once everything was set, the servants all withdrew, leaving the room entirely to Karen and his circle.
Just as Karen was about to raise his glass of ice water, the dining room door was nudged open, and Kevin trotted in, bouncing with each step.
Ventura cut a piece of steak from his own plate, poured a glass of water, and set both down in front of Kevin.
"Dumb dog, is your nostalgic, sentimental journey over already?"
"Woof," Kevin replied, his gaze fixing intently on Philomena.
"What's this? Is there some special meaning to it?" Muri drew an Ace of Spades from beneath his plate.
Every person had one of these cards under their plate, and another was tucked beneath the vase in the center of the table.
"Mmh, no special meaning. Just to commemorate this gathering," Purr quickly explained. Evidently, she was the one who had arranged it.
"A souvenir, then?" Muri slipped the card into his pocket, and Ventura and Philomena followed suit.
Purr was very pleased with their reactions. She had always been a cat who fancied a strong sense of ceremony.
Karen raised his glass of water and said, "It is my honor to have your company on the path toward the future and toward faith."
Everyone raised their glasses. Alfred was the first to respond: "To follow you is our glory."
The others chimed in one after another: "It is our glory."
Purr also placed her paw over her chest: "Glory, meow!"
"Alfred?"
Hearing the young master call his name, Alfred stood up and addressed the room:
"Everyone:
"We should not merely look at how small our group currently is; we should look at its purity.
"We should not merely feel our voice is not yet loud enough; in fact, the smaller we are, the more clearly we can hear the voices in each other's hearts.
"We already possess the present, and we will just as surely seize the future.
"Order,
"a new Order,
"shall be born in our hands!
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
With the ceremonial formalities concluded, everyone began eating.
As the meal wound down, Alfred wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Please remain behind after the meal, everyone. I will be holding a small study session on the Young Master's notes."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Alfred was quite satisfied with their cooperation. But when the servants cleared away the plates and set up a small blackboard for the study session, he noticed that his young master had stayed in his seat as well, taking out a notebook and a fountain pen.
"Young Master, you may go rest. I will compile a summary of the study progress and report it to you."
Karen shook his head and said, "We study together."
"Understood, Young Master."
Alfred stood up and walked toward the small blackboard, saying, "Philomena, I will tutor you privately on the material you missed. Tonight, our study topic is:
"'The Principle of the Iterative and Infinite Nature of the Cognitive Process': Cognition possesses an iterative nature. Bounded by subjective and objective conditions, humanity's pursuit of truth is never smooth sailing..."
...
When the study session concluded, Alfred personally pushed Karen's wheelchair to escort him back to his bedroom. Once inside, Alfred could contain himself no longer. Leaning down, he asked in a low voice:
"Young Master, do you feel there is anything about my study session tonight that needs improvement?"
"You taught very well. Exceptionally well."
"Thank you, Young Master." A deeply gratified smile spread across Alfred's face.
"Get some rest early."
"Young Master, please rest early as well."
Alfred backed out of the bedroom and closed the door.
Karen remained in his wheelchair, turning over Alfred's lecture in his mind. He would write down various thoughts in his notebooks, but he rarely expounded on or organized them systematically. In that regard, Alfred had filled in the gaps for him. Moreover, Alfred had contributed plenty of original material, all kept neatly within the framework.
*No wonder so many great works were compiled by students and later generations. Chances are, those ancient sages never thought that deeply about it at the time either.*
...
The next morning was clear and bright.
If the wheelchair beneath him were replaced with a fine steed, Karen would have felt far more comfortable.
Today marked the first time since he began recuperating that he intended to stretch his limbs.
"Someone step forward as a target," Karen said.
Muri looked at Ventura. "You go."
"Alright."
Ventura walked out to face Karen, measured the distance with his hands, and asked, "Captain, should I step back a bit further?"
"No need. That's plenty." Karen gestured toward him. "You can come at me."
Ventura took it literally, assuming Karen was simply calling him over, and hurried toward him.
Karen reached downward with his left hand, then hooked his fingers upward, speaking in a low voice:
"Order—Despairing Vines."
*Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!*
Thick, black, barbed vines erupted from beneath Ventura's feet. Ventura immediately sprang backward, giantizing in an instant. Spreading his arms wide, he seized two of the vines.
"Heh heh, Captain, this spell against me..."
"Order Flame."
The vines ignited in a flash. Black flames swept downward, crashing directly into Ventura's giantized form.
"Roar!"
Ventura let out a roar as a white sheen surfaced over his entire body, insulating him from the fire.
"His talent is formidable," Karen remarked to Muri, who was standing beside him. "The corruption in him is not only being gradually mastered, but he has also begun actively developing it."
"Yes." Muri nodded. "He is a born warrior."
Karen pointed forward, tracing a rune. The rune spun and expanded, ascending into the air under the infusion of Karen's spiritual power.
"Order—Array of Wallfacers."
Towering walls materialized one after another, sending tremors through the ground.
Ventura began swinging his fists, smashing through wall after wall by brute force as he closed the distance toward Karen.
Karen traced another glyph with his left index finger. A fresh rune formed, expanded, and abruptly scattered:
"Order—Tornado Strangle."
A violent black gale erupted with Ventura at its epicenter, bombarding him relentlessly with tremendous force and razor-sharp slicing currents.
Ventura's advance ground to a halt. Unable to push forward toward Karen, he was forced to petrify the ground beneath his feet to anchor himself against the terrifying pull of the cyclone.
Karen said, "Relying purely on physical toughness and brute force to resist fully formed spells seems rather foolish when there are no teammates behind him who need protecting."
Muri concurred, "Indeed. Compared to his physical advantages and talent, his tactical perception still lags behind."
"There is another reason: after giantizing, his mind easily turns reckless, and he naturally prefers the most direct approach to handle whatever is in front of him. Focus on this when training him so that even after giantizing, he can still solve a jigsaw puzzle."
"Understood. I will draw up a training regimen for him."
"Mm. When it comes to teaching, you are better at it than I am."
For a moment, Muri was unsure how to respond. He knew the deeper implication of those words: because the captain mastered everything at lightning speed, he had no idea how to instruct ordinary people.
After all, Muri had personally witnessed the captain casually flipping through a spell manual while eating a meal.
Karen spread both hands, casting a new spell at Ventura, who was still pinned down by the tornado.
Thick Spears of Punishment materialized overhead. They circled, converged, and finally fused into an enormous Spear of Punishment that plummeted directly toward Ventura's position.
*Boom!*
Acting as a stationary target, Ventura took the full brunt of the spell. When the dust finally settled, he was lying flat on his back, black smoke rising from all over his giantized body.
Moments later, the giantization faded. He sat up slowly, patting his own head lightly as he grinned foolishly toward Karen, shouting, "Captain, you're amazing!"
"You're just a bit slow."
Ventura kept grinning foolishly.
Amused by his antics, Karen shook his head with a chuckle. "Muri, your turn."
"Yes, Captain."
Muri retreated to a much greater distance than Ventura had, then silently raised his round shield and short blade.
From there, Karen launched spell after spell at Muri. Muri countered each one calmly, biding his time to find an opportunity to close the distance.
The entire exchange was exceptionally brilliant. Ventura watched from the side, utterly dazzled, while further off, Borg and Judia, covered in bandages, stared in outright shock.
Judia blurted out, "I can swear that the first time I met him, he was genuinely afraid I was going to kill him."
Borg shook his head. "If you say that now, could you even believe it yourself?"
Judia swallowed hard. "Not anymore."
"And yet, I know for a fact that the young master completed his purification and became a God's Servant right here in this manor."
"Alright, you can shut up now. I suddenly feel like my life has completely lost all meaning."
"I originally thought I'd be able to work by the young master's side. Turns out the two of us joined forces yesterday and couldn't even beat someone his age among his retinue. Seems like I'll only ever be fit to handle manor chores from now on."
Judia closed her eyes, then opened them slowly. "Suddenly, I feel like quietly guarding the tombs is a very fine prospect."
Meanwhile, the spar between Karen and Muri drew to a close. Muri successfully reached Karen's position, signaling his victory in the contest.
However, Muri showed no sign of elation. He was gasping for breath, while Karen looked entirely composed; clearly, that consecutive barrage of spells had hardly placed any strain on the captain.
Most importantly, the captain was still recovering from his injuries, and from start to finish, he had never once left his wheelchair.
"After advancing to Adjudicator, my control over power took a major leap. My spell efficiency is much higher and far more relaxed. I think I can begin learning higher-tier spells now. Aside from that, I still need to resolve the integration and coordination issues once my body fully recovers."
Muri smiled wryly. "Facing you just now felt like facing a Jurist. Your spellcasting efficiency and tier truly are no lesser than a Jurist's."
"Haha, your flaw is a bit like mine, Muri."
"Please enlighten me."
"You place too much emphasis on safe defense. I like doing that as well, but the purpose of defense should be to create better counterattack opportunities and forge your own winning momentum. Perhaps it was also because you were sparring with me, so your counterattacks lacked sharpness."
"Captain, under the pressure of your spells, finding a good counterattack opening was extremely difficult."
"Once we head back, go consult the Section Chief. He combines the two exceptionally well."
"Yes, understood."
"Alright, that will be all for today. I won't be coming down for dinner. I promised the dog at home a long time ago that I'd undo a layer of his seal, and it's time to deliver. If I put it off any longer, I'm afraid hair might actually start growing on his head."
...
"Mr. Alfred, are we having our makeup class now?" Philomena asked, sitting on the sofa.
Alfred shook his head. "I wasn't the one who called you here. Rather..."
"Woof!"
Philomena saw the large golden retriever step out from behind Alfred's sofa.
Kevin walked over to Philomena, sat down, and began arranging his dog eyes into a pie chart: arrogance, indifference, and the like, all partitioned in meticulous proportions.
Seeing this, Philomena began staring back at the dog, just as she had the night before.
"Ahem..." Alfred cleared his throat, gently patted Kevin on the back, and reminded him, "You're forgetting the real business."
"Woof!"
Kevin barked with great 'majesty,' still refusing to let go of the pie chart in his eyes.
"Sigh." Alfred sighed and turned to Philomena. "You be the mature one. Don't lower yourself to bickering with a dog."
Kevin: "???"
At those words, Philomena looked away, stood up, and addressed Kevin: "I apologize for my behavior last night."
With that, she stepped forward and patted Kevin on the head.
Kevin's eyes instantly widened. In this household, only Karen and Purr were allowed to pat his head. Anyone else—even Alfred—could only pat his back!
Philomena continued, "It's mainly that after learning your true identity, seeing you again gives me the feeling of seeing my father."
Hearing this, Kevin's gaze instantly softened.
Alfred chimed in, "She just likened you to a father. Shouldn't you show some gesture in return?"
Kevin nodded, then lifted a dog paw toward Philomena, signaling that he was ready to accept her salute.
Philomena, however, raised her hand and gave Kevin a high five.
Kevin: "..."
"Was that wrong?" Philomena asked. "My father often interacted with me like that."
Stifling a laugh, Alfred explained, "What Kevin means is that he can be your teacher."
"Teacher?"
"Woof, woof, woof!"
"Historically, the reason the Sea God Religion fractured was that he successfully assassinated one-third of its high leadership."
Philomena stood straight and bowed to Kevin:
"Teacher."
Kevin knitted his brows: "Woof."
Alfred turned to Kevin. "Are you serious?"
"Woof."
Alfred leaned down, brought his mouth close to Kevin's ear, and whispered, "Let me warn you: you know what this girl's personality is like. If you insist on her addressing you that way, she will definitely call you that right in front of the Young Master. Think about the consequences if the Young Master hears it."
A look of shock crossed Kevin's canine face, his muzzle parting slightly.
He could already envision how Karen's expression would shift if that scene actually played out.
He immediately gave his dog head a vigorous shake, tossing away the mischievous impulse, and raised his paw once more.
Alfred looked at Philomena. "Say it again."
"Hello, Teacher."
"Woof!"
"Alright, Philomena, go report this to the Young Master now. This matter still requires his approval."
"Understood." Philomena walked out of the room.
Alfred poured himself a cup of coffee and asked with a smile,
"I'm quite curious—why did you suddenly want to take her as a student? What I mean is, was it purely because you took a liking to her personality and talent?"
Alfred took a sip of his coffee and continued,
"Or is it because you think she holds a grudge against Inmeles?"
Chapter 544