Not Humoring Her

In truth, Karen felt utterly helpless from start to finish. He had merely come out on an official business trip, accompanied by a subordinate whose skillset fit the job, along with a cat and a dog acting as "beast appraisers." Yet no sooner had he stepped out of the carriage than he ran into Lord Augie, who had "forgotten" him. Then this noble young girl named Daina took an inexplicable dislike to him, and before long, the conversation took a sharp, forced turn into her simply wanting to beat him up. Since she had already raised her hands against him, there was no way Karen would humor her any longer. Noble status was noble status—as if his own background was anything ordinary. After all, he was currently a section chief of a regional Whip of Order. Plainly put, if he gave up on climbing the ranks and abandoned any ambition of advancement, he really had no need to give much face to the willful young masters and haughty young ladies of the so-called "high and mighty." Cursed, foolish clans like the Norton family were a tiny minority, after all. Active officials from ordinary families remained rational and kept public duty separate from private affairs. Even if badgered by their juniors to vent spite on their behalf, they would carefully pick their targets. As for Karen... he had already become a stubborn fixture in the York City Region. To put it crudely, he and Bishop Bern could be described as two bricks in a latrine: foul and rock-hard. If genuinely pushed to the brink, Karen might not do it, but Head Bishop Bern was truly capable of following the precedent set by the former Head Bishop: unlocking all authority to confront the High Priest directly, then dropping dead right before the High Priest's eyes as a final gesture of defiance. Karen looked down at the young girl lying face-down on the floor. *So, what are you trying to accomplish here?* Miss Daina propped herself up on both hands and spat, "Heh. Didn't you claim you're an array formation master who doesn't know how to fight?" A pressure array formation swiftly gathered in Karen's palm, and he casually thrust it downward. *Bang!* Suddenly subjected to tenfold gravity, Miss Daina experienced another intimate contact between her face and the floor. "As you can see, I am indeed an array formation master." With a slight flick of his finger, the array formation's effect dissipated. Miss Daina pushed herself up on both hands once more and said, "Fine. Very good. You've successfully pissed me off." "Miss, I believe I should be the one saying that to you. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't offended you in any way since we met. You were the one being unreasonable first." "Heh... heh..." A black sheen radiated from Miss Daina as a seal broke open. Her body whipped around in a swift roll, her hands clamping onto Karen's right leg. A knight order grappling technique! Bart had demonstrated it during their internal squad sparring sessions. In another two seconds, once her strength exerted itself fully, his right leg would snap completely. If the target of her tantrum today had been another priest instead of him, wouldn't that priest have been disfigured first and then crippled? Around his right leg, the Sea God's Armor condensed, blunting the initial burst of Miss Daina's force. Immediately after, Karen pressed his palm down. *Hum!* A black chain surged from beneath the floor, binding Miss Daina instantly. Karen lifted his foot and kicked out! *Bang!* Miss Daina was kicked flying. Thanks to how extraordinarily spacious the suite was, she traced a perfect parabolic arc through the air. *Thud...* After hitting the floor, she skidded a fair distance before grinding to a halt. ... Purr and Kevin, who had been running around playing in the living room earlier, had stopped long ago. As Miss Daina went flying, the eyes of both cat and dog tracked her trajectory. "This is a first, meow. A young girl meeting Karen for the first time who not only feels nothing for him, but actually wants to beat him up." "Woof." "Could it be that Karen looks like an ex-boyfriend who betrayed and hurt her, meow?" "Woof." The golden retriever nodded. "Aiya, but it really is quite a surprise. Our little Karen has actually gotten this formidable." Purr puffed out her chest with pride. "Woof." Kevin also puffed out his chest proudly. When they first met, Karen had been an ordinary mortal, not even a servant. The two of them could be considered his inaugural mentors, so watching him casually thrash this girl naturally brought the sweet satisfaction of nurturing a prodigy. ... Karen looked toward where Miss Daina had landed and spoke with utter calm: "Miss, I believe we require verbal communication to resolve the misunderstanding between us. Resorting to violence neither befits our shared identity as fellow believers nor does it offer a proper solution to our conflict." "Heh... heh..." Miss Daina propped herself up with one hand. Raising her head to glare at Karen, darkness began brewing in her eyes, while fluttering black crows materialized behind her back. "Truly... identical. Even though you clearly hold the upper hand, even though you've clearly gained the advantage, you still unhurriedly maintain your dignified reserve, as if everything before you is just a dish set upon the dining table, waiting for you to tie your napkin before picking up your fork and knife to savor it at leisure. I truly despise people like you. Filthy! Tyrannical! Hypocritical!" A scimitar appeared in Miss Daina's hand. It was tiny, barely the size of a palm, yet the moment it emerged, the surrounding air currents seemed sheared apart, stirring up a vortex of wind with Miss Daina at its center. "Miss, are you speaking of a family member? I can sense your deep resentment toward him. In truth, many adolescents your age develop similar rebellious feelings; this requires internal psychological adjustment on your part." "Shut... up!" The air currents flanking Miss Daina contracted violently, and she transformed into a plume of black mist, rocketing straight at Karen. Karen raised his arm. Sensing his call, the Sword of Diamans resting in the bedroom flew out and settled directly into his grasp. Karen then leaned aside, but Miss Daina seemed to have anticipated this move. Her form paused and twisted, her scimitar slashing into Karen's abdomen—only to meet no cutting resistance at all as the Karen before her dissolved into thin air. In the next instant, Karen appeared behind her. He swung the Sword of Diamans—not hacking, not cleaving, not even lashing, but coming down flat-bladed like a paddle. Yet at this moment, Miss Daina was already enveloped in concentrated wind energy, merely kept under tentative restraint. Though Karen's swat lacked great force, it struck precisely right to shatter her control—like pricking a balloon with a needle. *Bang!* Miss Daina shot forward completely out of control. Moreover, since this room was long end-to-end but shallow front-to-back... *Smack!* Miss Daina slammed into the wall. The exceptionally sturdy wall was dented by the impact, and as her body slowly slid down, she left a trail of blood on the surface. Karen rested the Sword of Diamans against the floor. He could sense the girl's mystery and distinctiveness, especially the way she seemed to restrain the use of her power. That wasn't out of arrogance or stupidity, but likely because she feared breaking too many seals would alert someone. However, to Karen, this posed little threat. Throughout his journey, he had experienced far too many battles, both mental and melee, and he had always had exceptional teachers and companions guiding his study. That tutoring session arranged by Rasma, in particular, had been an extravagance beyond measure. Furthermore, this girl had an obvious flaw: while her combat repertoire seemed "rich," she lacked genuine combat experience. She had likely undergone systematic, even grueling training in a knight order, but because of her noble status, she had never experienced life-or-death stakes, or even battles where she faced real injury. That shortcoming was fatal. Consequently, if he were still overwhelmed or cornered by an unruly young lady like her now, that would be a true joke. "Miss, if you have issues with your family, I would first suggest trying to communicate. Of course, in normal circumstances, such communication leads nowhere. From an adolescent perspective, craving and needing parental love is practically a trite truism. Yet in reality, not every parent possesses the time and energy to accompany you through your upbringing. If they do, cherish it; if they don't, you must cherish yourself all the more. Besides, I think your circumstances are already remarkably fortunate. I can't afford bodyguards like yours, nor can I afford suites of this caliber—even on official business, it certainly wouldn't be reimbursed back home." "Practically identical... completely identical. The tone of voice, the lecturing manner... You and he are truly carved from the same mold. I'm even beginning to suspect you're his illegitimate son." Miss Daina stubbornly stood up once more. Karen sighed inwardly. Unruly though this lady was, her physical resilience was genuinely remarkable. The darkness in Miss Daina's eyes was so thick it nearly dripped. She glared fixedly at Karen: "What do you know? What do you understand? I'm not blindly begging for his love and attention! I just don't want him treating me like an article of clothing—wearing me when the occasion demands it, and casually tossing me aside the moment the occasion ends! I can accept growing up all alone; I'm not that fragile or delicate! But time and again, he gives me hope, lets me glimpse affection, only to strangle it right before my eyes with his own hands! He's tormenting me! He is torturing me!!" ... "Oh, poor little thing. I can actually relate to her perspective. Cases like this are quite common in great clans." Purr propped her head on one paw, lounging atop Kevin as she watched Miss Daina throwing her fit. "I can even picture a scenario: say, a loyal subordinate died protecting the clan head, so the clan head adopted the child. On certain occasions, he brings the child out and displays an air of intimacy—purely for the other subordinates to see." "Woof." Kevin rolled his doggy eyes upward. "Woof, woof." "Still, it's not that big a deal, is it? Pitiable though it may be, at least it's... understandable. With survival as the baseline, playing along to secure one's livelihood is simply human instinct." "Woof." "Yet she's clearly gone to an extreme. Or rather, certain unique factors have left her overly repressed. It doesn't seem caused by that person's status, but more like... how should I put it, how should I put it... Maybe that person is just too charismatic, mixed in with an Electra complex?" Kevin's eyes widened. He turned his head in utter surprise, trying his best to look at Purr on his back. The moment that term came out, Kevin felt Purr had instantly become so professional. "Haha, meow! Mainly because after Karen said something last time, the Radio Fairy was forbidden from buying romance novels for me. Bored out of my mind with nothing to do, I could only read psychology research books—the Radio Fairy has a huge pile of them." "Woof." "Not that I'm actually studying it! I just enjoy reading the case studies. Every one of them is quite twisted, very entertaining, just like little stories." "Woof." "It's alright, really. Her case isn't all that severe. An Electra complex is quite common. After all, a daughter interacts most with her father while growing up, and often the father's image shapes her future standards for a partner. Initial adoration, familiarity, and habit—these all follow a template, like an application of survival experience. Most cases are perfectly normal, with clear boundaries maintained; the probability of turning into something messy and twisted is infinitesimally small. Keep enough pickle vats, and one or two are bound to spoil. Her situation really isn't so unique, nor is it that severe. It's just that her special status has spoiled her rotten, and with power at her disposal, she can afford to be arrogant. In fact, I'd wager that despite how bitter she looks right now, in front of the man she resents, she's as docile as a quail, not daring to make a peep." "Woof?" "Exactly! She saw traces of her 'father' in our little Karen, so she picked an easy target to vent her resentment on. Too bad for her, our little Karen doesn't humor anyone. Though, if the Radio Fairy were here, he'd surely marvel again: *Wow, meow! How lucky you are—to pinpoint your father with such uncanny precision!*" ... A single drop of blood dripped from Miss Daina's brow. When it hit the ground, it splashed outward, dissolving into a black quagmire. Immediately following, a black phantom appeared behind her. At first glance, it resembled a sealed soul struggling for freedom, but upon closer inspection, one could tell the shadowy figure was dancing. The darkness in Miss Daina's eyes rapidly receded, turning crimson. She spoke: "Charm!" Karen's body stiffened. His gaze turned hazy, and his entire frame began swaying slightly from side to side. A curl of a smile appeared at the corner of Miss Daina's lips. Her figure flashed, reappearing right in front of Karen. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, she did not use her scimitar to slit Karen's throat; instead, she put the blade away and used the edge of her palm. She hated him, enough to disfigure his face, break his legs, and slice open his belly, but her hatred wasn't enough to drive her to outright murder. This actually had little to do with Karen's identity in the Church of Order; after being beaten so many times, who cared about his status? It was purely because her emotional projection had overlapped. Yet just as her palm was about to chop into Karen's neck, a hand gripped her wrist with pinpoint precision. At the exact same moment, the haziness in Karen's eyes faded right on cue, restored to crystalline clarity. "You—" Karen pivoted his body, dragging the girl along in a spin before slamming her straight into the ground! *Boom!* Miss Daina was once again smashed brutally against the floor. However, Karen chose not to hold a sword to her neck or stomp on her back to force her submission, because a crazed young girl was liable to ignore threats and choose the most extreme form of retaliation. Therefore, Karen could only swing the Sword of Diamans once more toward Miss Daina on the floor. *Whack!* Thanks to having played golf for so long at Allen Manor back in the day, this swing was splendidly executed, and Miss Daina once more arced gracefully across the air before landing. *Slap! Slap! Slap!* After crashing down, the girl smacked the floor repeatedly with her palms. Karen sighed and thought to himself: *You're certainly tough.* Miss Daina stood up once more. Even though she was thoroughly disheveled, the fury in her eyes had not diminished. A cross-shaped pattern surfaced on her forehead—presumably the final layer of her seal. Even from this distance, Karen could sense the surging power beneath that seal. If she unleashed that power, it would be troublesome. The trouble was not that he couldn't defeat her—possessing raw power without experience was like a toddler brandishing a weapon, childish and almost endearing. Rather, Karen was concerned that the destructive force would spill out beyond this room, and that he might fail to calibrate his own strength in the aftermath, leaving her gravely injured or even accidentally killing her. In the past, Karen wouldn't have shown softness. Yet he had caught her earlier hesitation when she put away her dagger and switched to a palm strike toward his neck. Miss Daina pressed her finger against the cross seal on her brow, but stopped herself and asked instead: "If I break this seal, will I still be unable to beat you?" "Yes." "Is your true age what you appear to be right now?" "Yes." "Hah... whew..." Miss Daina let out a long breath, lowering her finger from her brow. Breaking this seal would certainly alert those above. She slumped back onto the floor, propping herself up with both hands, and cursed, "It's the exact same feeling. In front of him, I'm always an overgrown child. I can't defeat him, not ever." *She's done fighting?* Karen put away his sword, retrieved a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and walked toward Miss Daina. Halfway there, Miss Daina's body twitched as if she were about to strike, but the rhythm of Karen's steps didn't waver in the slightest. Failing to even startle him deflated the girl once again. She began kicking her legs and thumping the floor, venting her frustration and grievance: "I finally found someone to vent on, and I still can't beat you! Who on earth are you?!" "I'm just Karen. Perhaps you aren't in the habit of reading newspapers." "I don't read them!" "Then it's no wonder." "Still, can you stop imitating him?!" "Are you out of your mind?" Karen reached Miss Daina, bent down, and offered her the handkerchief. Miss Daina glared at him viciously, then pouted and yelled, "I don't care! You wipe it for me!" *Slap!* Karen slapped the handkerchief straight onto her face, covering it completely—looking for all the world like a client about to be wheeled into a cremation furnace. "As if I'd humor you."