"Pant... Pant... Pant..."
Karen began gasping for breath. Thankfully, this time he had managed to suppress the hunger addiction using only the Fire of Light. Frustratingly, though, past experience dictated that several successful suppressions were bound to be followed by a massive surge.
He had to find a solution... He couldn't very well bring out the Scythe of War to strike himself every time there was an eruption, and then spend over half a month in a wheelchair, could he?
Neo asked with concern, "Over?"
In fact, Neo had noticed the moment Karen's episode began, but had deliberately kept talking about their previous topic instead of asking useless nonsense like "How are you?" or "Are you all right?"
It wasn't as if he could walk over and apply the Fire of Light to Karen's soul.
Hmm?
Actually, it seemed he really could.
"I'm fine," Karen said, shaking his head. "Just a bit hungry. Purely hungry."
"Sigh, your situation is truly a dead end. Take me, for instance: painful as it was in the past, after a long time I got used to it, and could even find pleasure in it. But yours? There's really no way to get used to it."
Neo knew that if Karen ever chose to stop resisting and just get used to it, the cost would be suddenly losing his mind, slaughtering those around him, and devouring their souls.
"I'll find a way eventually," Karen said, offering empty words only to comfort himself.
Even the God of Order hadn't found a way—hadn't his experiment on Ankara failed too?
"Yeah, there's always a way," Neo echoed with an equally empty platitude. "Come on, let's go get a midnight snack. What do you want?"
"Barbecue. I want to bite into some meat."
"And here I was worried you'd say you wanted something bland. Let's go."
Neo took out a blue gemstone and unlocked his cell door.
Earlier, when Old Coya locked up before leaving, he had hesitated because he knew locking the door was meaningless. If he still locked it, it was just to add a bit of ceremony... and not even for his own sake.
Karen unlocked his cell door as well. Just as the two were about to head out, sounds came from above.
Someone was coming down, and quite a few of them.
The two standing outside their cells exchanged a glance, then silently stepped back a few paces, closed the doors, and sensibly locked themselves back in.
A group of people walked down. At the lead was a middle-aged woman. It was hard to call her a priest outright, because she wore armor instead of priestly robes. Moreover, it wasn't the common black armor of an Order Knight; hers was silver-gray, etched with serpentine patterns that flowed with an eerie motion. Occasionally, a few small serpents would raise their heads, only to dissolve back into the armor.
Old Coya followed behind the woman. His heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back down when he saw Karen and Neo still sitting inside their cells.
Phew... Thank goodness these two sirs hadn't made it out for their midnight snack yet.
The woman raised her hand, and a silver rod appeared in her grip. She rapped it against the bars of Karen's and Neo's cells respectively.
Clang, clang, clang!
At the same time, she made clucking sounds with her mouth, as if shooing livestock.
The gesture carried a blatant, haughty condescension.
Karen remained impassive, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Neo, on the other hand, slowly raised his head to meet her gaze directly with a smile on his face. In truth, this was already a stance of striking back.
This wasn't a matter of personality differences, nor did it have to do with behavioral patterns. It was purely because Karen, having entered the cell, tacitly accepted that he would follow this procedure, and the appearance of this woman was part of it.
Old Coya would keep kissing up to you, but how could investigators sent from above possibly pamper you?
Neo, however, was different. The defiance in his bones had grown exceedingly pronounced. Not because he was living more and more for himself, but—something even he himself was probably unwilling to admit—his sense of belonging as a member of Order was growing weaker and weaker.
From the perspective of the Church of Order:
On Karen's side, he still identified with the priestly robes he wore. Though much had happened and many had died, each incident had not pushed him away; rather, it had made him identify with and understand Order even more.
On Neo's side, he seemed ready: "If you push your granddaddy here too far, damn it all, I'll just strip off this robe, quit, and run!"
Though he hadn't put it into action yet, any reasonable person knew that once someone started harboring the urge to give up and slack off, it would inevitably show in their behavior.
The woman also looked at Neo. Discerning the insolence in his eyes, she poked the rod between the bars, aiming to tilt up his chin.
It was a flirtatious, provocative gesture, typical of patrons at pastry shops looking for a bit of mood while picking their favorite mature woman.
Neo reached out and grabbed the rod.
The woman's eyes widened in a glare, and she tried to yank it back, but Neo kept a firm grip, refusing to let go. Several attempts to pull free failed.
He even bantered, "Sigh, why didn't you engrave some patterns or ridges on it? Straight and smooth is so dull."
"Heh." The woman chuckled. Her armor began to shimmer, and her strength surged.
Neo chose not to continue the deadlock. Decisively letting go, he leaped back rapidly. When the woman swung the rod down, the spot where Neo had just stood was instantly scorched black.
At that moment, Karen stood up and spoke, "Excuse me, have we been sentenced yet?"
"What did you say?" The woman turned her head to look at Karen.
"We haven't been brought before the tribunal, nor have we even been indicted. Therefore, the two of us are still office directors. Do I need to remind you what kind of punishment the Code of Order prescribes for using torture within the church? Furthermore, as the Whip of Order, using torture carries an aggravated penalty."
"Tell me, are you sleepwalking?" the woman said, turning toward Karen.
"The one who isn't awake is you, idiot."
"Say that again?"
Karen looked at her calmly and replied, "You're with the investigation team, but you're not the head of it. Use your brain and think: why hasn't your superior come down to interrogate me all this time? What is he waiting for?"
The woman froze. Clearly, Karen had hit the mark.
Just then, a priest hurried down from above, came up to the woman, and whispered a few words. Her expression immediately shifted. Putting away her rod, she led her people away in a hurry.
"Whew..." Old Coya let out a long breath.
Neo turned to Karen and smiled. "In the end, you didn't say 'idiot' to her a second time."
"Because I was afraid she might actually lose her mind."
...
Not long after, the woman returned. But this time, she was no longer holding the rod or making noises like she was herding poultry. Instead, she led several people bringing late-night food.
The midnight meal was lavish. The woman personally set the dishes before Karen's and Neo's cells, and poured red wine.
After doing all this, she stood up and said, "My name is Richel."
Sipping from his wine glass, Neo replied, "Pleasure to meet you, Lilith."
Richel opened her palm, and the rod reappeared. But this time, without the slightest hesitation, she swung it hard against her own forehead.
Thud!
With that single blow, blood seeped from Richel's forehead.
"Consider this an apology. Well then, goodbye. Good night."
With that, Richel simply departed, having delivered the midnight meal and spilled her own blood.
"Hehehehe..." Neo couldn't help laughing. "Is she an idiot? Ah, that really cracked me up. What do you think, Karen?"
Karen drew his tray over and said, "Yeah. Feels the same as watching you sometimes."
"Damn it!"
"It doesn't taste good," Karen said, shaking his head. "It's late-night food prepared in the building's cafeteria."
"Oh? Then should we go out to eat after all?" Neo suggested.
"Forget it, let's just make do," Karen said with a shake of his head. "Don't scare Old Coya half to death."
"I wonder how many more days we'll have to sit in jail."
"Have you thought of a title for your new book?"
"Not yet. I was thinking of changing the title to Untitled. What do you think?"
"Not great. But I might suggest you start writing the content first."
"Have you considered why I'm agonizing so much over the title? Isn't it just because I'm too lazy to start writing the actual content?"
"Oh, so that's why."
"Still, I think the higher-ups should be reaching a consensus soon. This matter is about to be officially classified."
"A result bought with the Head Bishop's death—I'm not surprised in the slightest."
"Do you think you'll get promoted? Given a permanent department head position? The kind you hold until you die?"
"I don't know, but probably something like that. If they don't hold me accountable, I definitely performed meritorious service. At the very least, there won't be any offsetting merits against faults. I think I'll most likely take Bernie's spot—Head of the Law Enforcement Department. Then, the higher-ups will parachute in a Regional Chief whose status and methods far exceed Bernie's to suppress me, control me, and watch me."
"What about me? Can I get promoted along with you?"
"Depends on whose side you're seen on."
"Oh, damn, I almost forgot that in the eyes of the higher-ups, I'm supposed to be standing with Bernie. Haha, good thing I'm sitting in jail. Does Bernie doing this count as boosting my credibility?"
"It does."
Bernie and Harry were both bound to be demoted and punished for their blunders. Correspondingly, anyone Bernie punished was clearly not his man, and whoever opposed him deserved to be rewarded.
It was genuinely like a werewolf calling out a fellow wolf to boost their teammate's innocence—no, Neo was an inverted wolf from the start, serving to deflect suspicion and lift others up.
"There's bound to be plenty of vacant department head positions this time. Can I snag one?"
"Probably. If you want to be completely tied to me, I can propose giving you a permanent, unpromotable department head position when the time comes. Though it can't be the Law Enforcement Department—that seat should be mine. You could take the very last one in the hierarchy of department heads..."
Karen paused.
Neo's eyes lit up. "Head of Logistics!"
"Sigh."
"Hey, what's that look on your face?"
"If you really end up as Head of Logistics, I'm honestly worried you'll sell off this entire headquarters building."
"Hey, are you questioning my loyalty to Order?!"
Karen immediately said, "Justice is imperishable."
Neo chimed in, "The Light endures forever."
"See?"
"See what? Damn it, I only said that to play along with you!"
"Heh."
"Still, thinking about it is pretty thrilling. Permanent Head of Logistics, hahaha! I suddenly feel like that prefix and position make for a delightful combination."
...
A sedan drove into the headquarters building, carrying two elderly passengers.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Madame Tangli asked with some concern, "Karen is still locked up. Nothing will happen to him, right?"
Old Delon immediately consoled her, "He'll be fine. Isn't our grandson Richard, Karen's subordinate, still going to work as usual? As long as he hasn't been locked up, it proves Karen will be fine. The outcome of losing this kind of struggle usually means purging everyone along that line. Since they only locked up Karen, it means the higher-ups had long established a consensus tone. Detaining him is just going through the motions."
"You analyze things so well, so why are you still only a department head after all this time?"
"I..."
"When will you be able to wear a set of red priestly robes back home? That way I'd feel a bit better when doing the laundry—at least the colors would be much more vibrant. Sigh, doing laundry for you Guman men is pure misery. Pitch-black shades everywhere; it's enough to make a person depressed just washing them."
"My dear, didn't you once say you had no great expectations for how high I climbed, and only wished I could spend more time with you and the children?"
"I only said that because I didn't want to pressure you."
"But have you ever thought, my dear, that if I really became a bishop, you'd complain that I couldn't be home often to keep the family company?"
"Usually, women who complain like that are actually showing off."
Delon: "..."
Just then, Richard came running out of the building in high spirits.
Madame Tangli remarked with a sigh, "If only it were Richard locked in there instead of Karen."
Delon: "..."
"What? Why the long face? Are you mad because I said that?"
"No, not at all. I just feel that with Karen locked up, we don't really need to worry too much; he'll most likely get himself out. But if our Richard were thrown in, he might really never come out."
Madame Tangli dismissed it nonchalantly. "Then that'd be easy. We could just stage a prison break without a second thought. Your department designed the arrays here anyway. Just open a door for me, and I'll break Richard out."
"And then?"
"And then the Guman family goes on the run, of course."
"My dear... are you serious?"
"Just scaring you, you old fool. But I heard a whole bunch of bishops will be pulled down this time."
Delon nodded vigorously, reaching out to grasp his wife's hand. "I've already begun mobilizing my former students and old connections. There's a very good chance I can secure the bishop seat in charge of the regional array affairs."
"Very well, my bishop husband."
"Haha, but who can say for sure with these things? Unforeseen accidents could still happen."
"Doesn't matter. If you don't get it, I'll still call you 'my dear Bishop' from now on, even in front of outsiders."
"If I don't become a bishop, I'll be so ashamed I won't have the face to be seen in public."
"It's fine. The family is used to it anyway. And since our son is gradually returning to normal, you, as his father, can just go take over his position."
Delon: "..."
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
"Ah, my dear grandson!" Getting out of the car, Madame Tangli embraced Richard warmly, showing an affectionate display that bore no trace of her earlier wish to toss him into prison.
"Grandpa, Grandma, follow me. I've already arranged visitation clearance."
"Good."
Delon asked, "Was it difficult to apply?"
"Not at all. The investigation team has been here for quite a while, but hasn't conducted a single interrogation. That head of the investigation team has been holed up in the communications room all day."
Delon nodded. "Oh, sounds like he's watching which way the wind blows."
Entering the headquarters building, before the basement stairs leading to the dungeon, the two elders saw Philomena waiting there.
Madame Tangli stepped forward and gently cupped Philomena's cheek. Philomena frowned slightly, but didn't pull away.
"Eating too fast makes it hard to digest, and then you get sleepy."
Philomena answered, "I'm fine."
"The food at your place isn't very nutritious either. You should look over the recipes I recommended to you more often."
"I'm trying."
"How does it feel?"
"Not great."
"Once I finish visiting the prison, come take a walk with me alone to get some fresh air, all right?"
"All right."
"Then it's settled. Such a good girl."
Richard led his grandfather and grandmother down the stairs.
Philomena, meanwhile, walked into Alfred's office and said to Alfred, who was sorting files inside, "I want to request leave."
"I heard. Going for a walk with Madame Tangli?"
"Your hearing has been absurd lately."
"Yes, and I'm quite troubled by it." Alfred rubbed his temples. "Even with all the isolation barriers and arrays here, sitting right here, I can clearly hear all the gossip from every office on this entire floor."
"That's a trouble?"
"Yes, I haven't mastered how to control this hearing yet. Just now, the Head of Logistics was frantically making love with his secretary in his office. He probably senses he'll be demoted and transferred away soon, so he's seizing the chance to savor the environment and atmosphere here a bit more."
Originally, Bernie had held the position of Head of Logistics; after moving to become Head of Law Enforcement, his former post was left to his designated successor, making that person someone from Bernie's faction.
"I thought hearing that would bring joy," Philomena said. "Otherwise, why do men all love going to pastry shops?"
"Joy? But the Head of Logistics' secretary is a man."
Hearing this, Philomena pondered for a moment, then asked, "Doesn't that make it even more joyful?"
"...All right, then."
"Am I abnormal?" Philomena asked humbly.
"No, you're becoming normal."
"I don't understand."
"Very well, your leave is approved. Go take a walk with the old madam."
"I'm not going for a walk. I'm going back to the dormitory to rest."
"Rest? But didn't you just make plans with the old madam? What, you don't intend to go?"
"Because I could tell she wants to beat me up."
...
"Oh, my dear little Karen, you've really suffered! Come, let Grandma look at you—how haggard you've become!"
Madame Tangli gripped the cell bars with both hands, looking at Karen sitting inside with utter heartache.
Long ago, Madame Tangli had told Karen to call her "Grandma" just like Richard did, though in private when no one else was around, Karen would address her as Maternal Grandmother.
"Grandma, why did you come?" Karen asked with a smile.
"To see you! I was worried you were suffering in a cell, afraid you'd freeze down here..."
Immediately, Madame Tangli spotted the brazier placed inside Karen's cell, in which fire crystals were burning.
Madame Tangli hastily shifted gears: "Afraid you wouldn't eat well..."
But soon, her eyes fell upon Karen's unfinished gourmet meal, along with the high-end red wine.
"Afraid being locked in here would be too depressing..."
Karen opened the cell door. "Grandma, why don't you come inside so we can talk?"
Madame Tangli: "..."
Chapter 606