Holding a glowing blue gem in her right hand and a needle in her left, Blanche smoothed away the scars on Karen's right shoulder bit by bit, doing her best to leave no discoloration behind.
When she finished, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Toward her former captain—well, now Section Chief—she harbored little romantic sentiment. It was mostly an instinctive appreciation and fondness for a handsome, exceptional member of the opposite sex.
To her, quietly admiring the Section Chief's physique was simply an enjoyable experience.
Much like during Karen's earlier security mission, when they had shared a room: whether it was Peg sleeping naked or Fannie wearing sheer nightgowns, Karen would look and find them pleasing to the eye;
yet each of them knew perfectly well that nothing would cross the line.
Moral restraint was like a preservative, keeping many of the world's beautiful things from spoiling so quickly.
Karen sat up, inspected the treated wounds, and smiled. "Very nice. Thank you for your hard work."
Neo had once mocked Karen for being a grown man afraid of scars.
Karen had countered with a jab of his own: at least he could keep scars, unlike a certain someone who recovered almost instantly no matter how many holes were poked through him, stubbornly insisting that a man should remain delicate and tender-skinned until the day he died.
Purr, who had been lounging on the bed accompanying Karen through his "beauty treatment," hopped onto Karen's chest and patted it with a paw.
"Ooh, without me noticing, you've gotten a lot sturdier, meow."
"Yes, indeed," Blanche agreed, tidying up her kit.
Karen reached out and ruffled Purr's head, then reminded Blanche, "When you get back to the office, remember to remind Ashley to keep an eye on Daina's movements at all times."
"Yes, Section Chief."
After Blanche left, Purr tilted her head and asked Karen, "Is she going to sneak out?"
"She will," Karen said with certainty.
"You want to go watch the battle, don't you?"
"Yeah, I'd like to see it. The last battle I saw was the naval clash between the Church of Samsara and the Church of the Moon God. It was magnificent, but it always felt like something was missing. I want to see a war fought by the Knights of Order with my own eyes."
"Honestly, there isn't much to see," Purr said, resting her head on Karen's stomach and fiddling with her tail.
"I thought you'd beg me to take you along."
"I have no interest in going. Once you witness a war fought by the Knights of Order, you'll suddenly feel that individual strength is utterly insignificant. It takes a long time to get your mindset back in order."
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"It really is that exaggerated. A proper Order of Knights and garrison knights are two entirely different concepts. You'll know once you see it for yourself."
"Then that's all the more reason to experience it."
"Still, don't you feel exhausted? I thought you'd want to rest."
"I'll rest once we return."
Karen got out of bed, donned his robes, and walked over to the dog bed. Kevin, who had been lying there reading a book, stood up upon seeing him, gave his body a couple of shakes, and wagged his tail.
After patting Kevin's head, Karen squatted down and opened the box beside the dog bed. Stored inside were Morindi's remains.
Curled up, she resembled an old mountain ginseng root.
Purr padded over, looked at her, and asked, "She's very dangerous. Why did you agree to let the Radio Fairy bring her back?"
"Because he is Alfred."
"Oh, what a perfect answer. Next time you can just swap out the names: 'Because it's Purr, because it's the stupid dog, because he's the fun-seeker.'"
"Those answers don't need any other justifications in the first place."
"Fine, whatever makes you happy."
"I'm going to take a bath and sleep for a while. It might be quite a long sleep."
Purr nodded. "Don't worry. If there's any news from the hospital, I'll wake you. That's a service no other kitty can provide."
"I've heard some cats can sense time. If you oversleep, they'll come wake you."
"That's because they're afraid you'll oversleep and miss work. In their eyes, an owner going to work is no different from going out to hunt."
"Sounds like you spent plenty of time around other cats in the past."
"Before I was trapped as a cat, I did turn into one and try socializing with others."
"I'm turning in."
Karen soaked in a bath, then lay down in bed, telling himself:
"No dreaming this time. Even if I do dream, I'll just ignore it."
He closed his eyes and drifted off.
The steady dripping of water did not return. It was a long, peaceful sleep.
Eventually, a fluffy paw began kneading his face.
Karen opened his eyes, and Purr's voice drifted over. "Blanche called. She just left the hospital."
"How long did I sleep?"
"Not too bad. Nearly two days and two nights."
"That really is long."
Karen got up and entered the bathroom. Soon, Purr heard the sound of the shower from inside.
"Hey, aren't you in a hurry at all?"
"No need to hurry. The first ladybug she hijacks after leaving the hospital was prepared for her by me."
"Oh, poor little girl. Look at how you toy with people."
"Watch your phrasing."
After washing up, Karen stepped out of the bathroom and instructed as he headed toward the door, "Stay safe at the hotel."
"Alright, meow. Go on out and hunt in peace."
Karen stepped into the elevator, and it began to descend.
Before it reached the ground floor, however, a figure dropped down from above, landing squarely in the elevator carriage. It was Little Kanna.
"Do you want to come with me?" Karen asked.
Little Kanna shook her head and handed Karen a bag of cream buns.
"Meow."
That meant Purr had sent her to deliver breakfast. Around here, getting normal food was quite difficult; the hotel only served various raw-cured delicacies that looked exquisite to the locals.
"Thank you."
Little Kanna leaped up and climbed back to their floor through the gap around the elevator python.
Munching on the bread, Karen thought to himself that having a little bone dragon was truly nice: she could protect you at critical moments, yet wasn't clingy when nothing was going on.
The reason Karen hadn't brought her along, however, was that Order was going to weaken the dragon faction. Even though the little bone dragon claimed to look down on dragons like Lady Augie who lived on their knees, he could hardly bring her along to watch her kin get slaughtered.
Besides, inside the Knights' main encampment, he wouldn't face any danger.
This wasn't Karen raising a death flag for himself; it was simply hard to imagine any individual or faction daring to cause trouble within the Knights of Order.
The elevator doors opened. Karen estimated the time. To be safe, he decided to let Miss Daina flee a bit longer, lest he intercept her before she even reached the Knights.
Walking over to the service desk, Karen took some point coupons from his pocket.
"A glass of crystal grape sea buckthorn juice, please."
...
Riding her ladybug, Miss Daina traveled due west.
Her injuries had not fully healed, leaving her weak, but at this moment, nothing could hold back her yearning for war.
As a girl thrown into the Order of Knights from an early age, she shared the same convictions as the knights themselves: an urgent craving for battle, an eagerness to prove herself in conflict.
The tracks left by the marching army grew clearer, indicating that the Knights were not far ahead and that she was nearing the territory where the dragons congregated.
Just then, Miss Daina noticed a group of scavengers riding various vehicles on either flank, slowly closing in on her.
They originally hailed from nomadic tribes living along the fringes of the underground world. When the Knights marched out from the main city toward the dragon settlement, they had conscripted other races as auxiliary troops.
These scavengers were not auxiliaries, but they were opportunistic enough to follow behind the army's trail to pick up anything useful.
Naturally, if they encountered a lone young girl, they wouldn't mind acting as bandits. That had always been their logic of survival.
Miss Daina gripped the ladybug's reins with both hands, scanning her surroundings with cold eyes. If they dared move against her, she would certainly strike back.
At the same time, she felt a hint of unease. Having only just woken from grave injuries, mobilizing the spiritual power within her body was difficult. Still, it should be enough to handle these people... right?
A cloud of black mist appeared overhead. Immediately after, a young man bearing a greatsword and clad in divine robes of Order landed on the ladybug, standing tall and straight.
Seeing this, the surrounding scavengers began backing away in haste.
Daina turned around and looked at Karen. Startled, she seemed about to shout something, but quickly understood and cursed, "You bastard, you used me!"
Karen said, "When sneaking out, you should put on divine robes of Order. It saves a lot of trouble."
"There weren't any in the ward!"
"Couldn't you steal one?"
"You..."
"Focus on driving. It's just ahead. When you see your commander uncle, you should know what to say."
"Why should I? I'm the one who acted willfully and will get punished, and you get all the benefits?"
"If you don't agree, I'll take you back right now."
"What makes you think I won't go back on my word even if I agree right now?"
"You're a person of your word."
The corners of Daina's mouth twitched unnaturally as she fought back a smile.
In the end, she snapped crossly, "You owe me a favor! No, two! That bone dragon counts as one too."
"The bone dragon was acquired through my own application, and this time is a trade for me not dragging you back. There are no favors owed."
"Hey, do you really have to be so pedantic?"
"Because I am also a person of my word, and I don't like owing favors."
"I really can't stand you." Daina was about to toss him the reins so he could drive while she rested, but when she turned around, she saw Karen was already seated on the chair in the back.
"Wake me once we catch up with the Knights. I'm going to catch up on some more sleep."
"You!"
Pouting in frustration, Daina returned her focus to steering.
They rode on for another full day. By nightfall, figures of falcon knights appeared in the air ahead.
Soon, a squad of knights charged toward them, adopting attack postures.
Karen said nothing, leaving Daina to negotiate. The exchange was quickly settled, and the knights began escorting the ladybug deeper into the army's ranks.
Before they even reached the command tent, Commander Daan appeared, riding his Thunderhorn Rhino. He hadn't come specifically to see Daina, however, as a group of people wearing Crypt robes followed behind him—likely leaders of the auxiliary forces.
Daina hopped off the ladybug and went up to Daan, acting affectionately coaxing.
Karen stood behind them, keeping his head down in silence.
The acting-spoiled didn't last long. Commander Daan rode off on his Thunderhorn Rhino with his entourage, but as he passed Karen, he said curtly:
"There are no idlers in my army. Since you failed to watch over her and let her run here, you will be responsible for her safety."
"Yes, Commander."
In truth, some matters were understood without being spoken; people simply couldn't be bothered to make an issue of them.
Once the commander and his party left, Daina walked over to Karen with hands clasped behind her back and a grin on her face, boasting:
"Well? My uncle spoils me, doesn't he?"
Karen hesitated for a moment, then nodded. After what happened with Morindi, Karen had gained a clearer understanding of the internal dynamics among the High Priest's original founding circle. Furthermore, the skeleton had mentioned that the death of Daina's father didn't seem to be an ordinary sacrifice for the team.
Besides, Karen could tell that Daan's attitude toward Daina wasn't true closeness. But since she couldn't see it herself, Karen naturally wasn't going to go out of his way to tell her.
"Come on, I'll show you around. That will count as you owing me a favor, alright?"
Karen nodded.
Right then, the falcons overhead let out shrill cries—a signal.
Immediately, the atmosphere in the camp below shifted, like a war machine rapidly assembling itself in response to a stimulus.
"What does that mean?" Karen asked.
"Our scouts probably ran into a clash," Daina said.
"Envoys coming to sue for peace were slain on the spot by sentries."
Augie's voice drifted over. A flurry of white frost manifested, revealing her form.
"Sister Augie!"
Daina threw herself at Augie, hugging her.
"Why did you come? Your injuries clearly haven't healed yet."
"I snuck out," Daina said with a grin. "Hehe, you know me—how could I miss this opportunity?"
"And him?" Augie glanced at Karen standing nearby.
Daina said, "He came to drag me back, but I was too fast."
Augie frowned slightly, then remarked, "I didn't expect Section Chief Karen to be so curious as well."
Karen showed no reaction to her words, but Daina blushed slightly.
"The battle is about to begin. Stay with me," Augie said, looking down at Daina before turning to Karen. "Do you want to come along?"
"To do what?"
"I will reveal my true form and take to the skies alongside my mother."
"To take part in the fight?"
"To desecrate corpses," Augie sneered. "My mother and I are to become the next generation of leaders for the dragon faction. Order needs to establish its authority before our eyes—using our kin."
"Will you turn on them?" Karen asked. "I mean, suddenly turning traitor once the battle starts."
"Are you joking?"
"Alright, I'll come."
*Wuuuu—!*
A war horn blared.
Daina said in surprise, "So rushed?"
Hardly any time had passed since the skirmish broke out at the perimeter sentries, and they were already launching the offensive?
Augie sighed and said, "They probably fear that if they delay any longer, more and more dragons will run out begging to surrender."
Augie gripped Karen and Daina by the shoulders and flew into the sky. Immediately afterward, she revealed her true form. Karen and Daina stood atop her back—specifically, on the Whip-Wielder's golden viewing platform.
"How big is that little bone dragon?" Daina suddenly asked.
Karen replied, "Only ten meters long right now."
"So short, like a child's toy. Then I don't care for it anymore."
As Augie flew higher and higher, Karen moved near the edge of her body and looked down. Below, he could clearly see an extremely orderly encampment, while in front and on either flank of it, patches and clumps of various other colors were scattered haphazardly like smeared paste.
The conscripted auxiliaries truly numbered quite a lot.
It was rather ironic when you thought about it: the Church of the Crypt was supposed to be a single entity, yet when Order stepped in and decided to take a blade to one of its factions, the other branches didn't unite to resist; instead, they complied with orders and acted as cannon fodder.
Soon, another frost dragon took flight—Madame Anser.
Both mother and daughter revealed their true forms in the sky, yet neither exchanged a single word.
Ahead, at the dragon settlement, stood a towering mountain range. It was a natural defensive barrier, but right now, there was no sign of any serious intent to defend it.
A vast throng of dragons—some flying low, some in human form, along with dense swarms of various dragon sub-species—crossed over the mountains and spread across this side of the range, rushing over to surrender.
The reason the offensive had been launched so hastily was precisely because it had been forced by this wave of surrenders.
Below, hundreds of armored giants serving in the Knights secured the catapults in place. The grating screech of gears grinding together was clearly audible even high up in the sky.
*Wuuuu...*
The army horns sounded repeatedly.
Shield-bearing knights formed up ranks at the front. Once the formation was set, aided seemingly by a team of array masters, the phantom silhouette of an enormous black shield materialized instantly.
On both flanks were true cavalry. They mobilized rapidly, driving the auxiliary troops outward like a pack of wolves herding sheep.
Auras of various elemental affinities, so thick they choked the breath, emanated from the camp below as the summoner corps began their incantations.
Two colossal phantom figures were summoned forth, towering within the camp. Both wielded staves, radiating a dense priestly presence.
Summons on such a grand scale were capable of casting wide-area blessings and healing across the entire battle formation.
A gigantic eye appeared in the sky. Augie and Madame Anser pulled apart immediately, positioning themselves on either side of the eyeball.
Everything was hasty, and many things had not yet been fully set up, but this spectacle alone already shook Karen to his core. That colossal eye, those two gigantic priestly statues—the aura of each gave off an impression of immense power.
This way of waging war... blended an entire legion seamlessly into a single entity, or rather, into a small squad with clearly defined roles.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Multitudes of colored spheres of light hurled by the catapults slammed into the mountains. For a moment, it was as if numerous lesser forbidden curses were being discharged in batches. Powers of diverse affinities expanded and devoured across the range with terrifying speed, ruthlessly obliterating the lives there.
This scene made Karen unconsciously bite his lip. He began to wonder: if he were on that mountain right now, could he dodge it using his own strength?
No, dodging would be pointless. It would be better to drop to his knees and pray that his position happened to be a spared corner outside the blast.
After a barrage of catapult bombardment, the auxiliary troops were ordered to charge forward and slaughter, while the Knights began advancing in full, unbroken formation.
As they advanced, new colossal phantoms were continually summoned. Even though they were no longer needed, they kept summoning colossi without pause—probably because real combat opportunities were hard to come by, and they insisted on showing off everything they had practiced in daily drills.
At this moment, Karen finally understood what Purr had said:
"Once you witness a war fought by the Knights, you'll suddenly feel that individual strength is utterly insignificant."
Chapter 645