They Deserve to Die

Leon stared at the cigarette butt slowly extinguishing in the ashtray under the gentle pressure. Though he hadn't taken another drag, his nose and the rims of his eyes began to prickle with soreness once more. Before death came for him, what Wolflen had cared about most was bolstering this grandson's mental resilience. He didn't want his grandson to feel guilty, nor did he want him to shoulder too much. Leon understood his grandfather's intentions, so he took the initiative to face the world with a continued smile. It was just that compared to the carefree dandy he had been in the past, his current smile was like a painting stripped of all color. You could see he was smiling; indeed, he was merely smiling. Thus, even after Alfred told him the "truth," he could still wear a smile when facing Elanga. Nowadays, he often felt as though his life were that of an actor—he was alive, standing on a stage, performing for his family in the heavens. Yet all of that resilience crumbled in an instant alongside this cigarette and his Minister's words: "Put it out." Leon opened his mouth, drew a deep breath, and rubbed his face vigorously with his palm. "Minister, I'm sorry. It's just hard for me to take in for a moment... No, not hard to take in, but I never expected you to say those things to me after calling me over. I..." "A bit sudden?" "Ah, yes... too sudden, so sudden that I was completely unprepared." "I felt the same." Karen reached out to take a second mango. Seeing this, Leon took the initiative to help, quickly peeling it and placing it on the plate before Karen. Karen glanced at Leon's hands and still didn't touch the mango. "Actually, I originally intended to postpone this matter. I thought I would wait for the higher-ups to make up their mind and issue the order, and then make my choice based on what that order was. I thought I would ponder and agonize over it for a long time. But when I learned that the superiors abandoned the plan to strike, I realized that I had already reached an answer deep in my heart. "Simple, calm, natural—there was no need to hesitate at all." "Thank you, Minister. But I don't want you to fall into an awkward predicament again because of my grandfather. That's not what I want to see, nor what my grandfather would want to see. Just hearing you say those words has moved me deeply. Or... perhaps we can wait for later, wait for a better opportunity..." "You're mistaken. Your grandfather was indeed very good to me when he was alive. I have always been grateful that back when he could easily have crushed me, he didn't act against me over the rumors outside. "Furthermore, before he died, your grandfather did several things for me. Every single one of them merits my gratitude and remembrance. "However, I didn't make this decision for you, nor for your grandfather, nor for any personal feelings..." Karen quietly retrieved a copy of the *Code of Order* from the pocket of his clerical robes and set it on the table. "According to the *Code of Order*, they deserve to die." Gently caressing the cover with his fingertips, Karen smiled and continued, "I have already found the most reasonable basis to support my upcoming actions. As for whether this action happens to align with my personal feelings, that is purely a coincidence, isn't it?" "Yes... Minister." "Go back to your duties. Your upcoming task is to play your current role well, continuing to manage the security affairs here on my behalf just like before. Do not ask about when or how we will strike. I'm afraid your emotions might adversely affect the operation." Leon nodded firmly. "Please rest assured." "Mm." Karen waved his hand. Leon stood up and walked toward the crowd at the banquet. In the distance, Alfred stood by the doorway, his eyes fixed on his young master. Seeing Leon stand up and leave, Alfred pulled out his small notebook and drew two heavy circles around Leon's name. Although a new path of faith ultimately relied on its light to inspire the world to follow, that did not prevent utilizing the leader's personal charisma in the early stages to construct a basic framework. The two were not in conflict. Therefore, for the core circle of initial believers, loyalty always came first. At this moment, Elanga walked over to Karen's table and asked, "Minister Karen, may I sit here?" "Of course." Karen nodded with a smile, then pushed the plate of mango Leon had peeled with hands that had just wiped tears and snot over to Elanga. "Try some. I'm very fond of this flavor." "Oh, really? Then thank you." Elanga picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and ate it. "Mm, delicious." "If you like it, you can have the front desk send some up to your hotel room." "Alright, thank you for the suggestion. I saw you discussing work with your subordinate just now?" "Yes." "That subordinate of yours is the grandson of the former Head Bishop of this region. Bishop Boqier introduced him to me just a moment ago. My heart aches for his family's misfortune." "He doesn't need pity. He is very strong." "Of course. The faithful of Order are all strong, unbroken by any storm. That is precisely why the Church of Order is so formidable today." Karen shook his head. "An elder once told me why the Church of Order holds its current status in the ecclesiastical world." "Oh? And how did your elder explain it?" Karen raised his hand and lightly clenched his fist. "Big fists." The expression on Elanga's face stiffened slightly. "That..." "And not only big fists, but also adhering to a single principle: whoever dares violate Order, strike them dead with a single punch." "Do you also think this way, Minister Karen?" "I've been to many places and visited the holy lands of many churches, so naturally I've interacted with many people. I've rarely seen their reverence for the Church of Order stem from agreement with the doctrines of Order. Most of it comes from the fear of facing retribution from the Church of Order if they dare defy its will." "Naturally. The great Church of Order is not to be defied!" Elanga raised his wine glass. "Come, let us share a toast." Karen did not raise the glass beside him. Instead, he pointed a finger at Elanga and said with a smile: "You said it yourself." Elanga: "..." He had come over deliberately to probe him; Karen knew this. It was just that Karen disdained hiding anything, because unless the higher-ups changed the meeting venue, security for this conference remained in his hands. That was why Karen could remain so composed. Whether to kill them was not a matter of whether he could, but whether he was willing to. If he completely disregarded the fallout and consequences, Karen could even order dozens of Whip of Order squads to storm the hotel and slaughter every last one of them in the name of "worshiping an evil god." Therefore, before this final answer was unveiled, Karen didn't mind toying with them a bit, like teasing a guinea pig with one hand. The banquet speeches began. Having eaten and drank his fill, Karen had no intention of lingering to listen to grand visions or hypocritical blessings. Signaling Alfred with a nod, he stood up and left the banquet hall, stepping out of the Ankara Hotel altogether. The snow had stopped, and the temperature had dropped further. Karen thrust his hands into the pockets of his clerical robes and deliberately exhaled, forming a plume of white mist. A taxi happened to pull up. A young priest stepped out of the vehicle, casting a few glances toward Karen. Because of the dark and Karen standing sideways, he didn't recognize him, and walked into the hotel carrying his briefcase. Seeing this, Karen simply walked over to the taxi, opened the door, and got in. "Where to, sir?" "The cemetery in Blue Bridge Community. Do you know the way?" "Of course, though it's a bit of a distance. Given the road conditions right now, as you know, it might take a while." "No rush. Drive slowly." "Alright, sir. By the way, sir, is there something unusual about this hotel?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, I occasionally drop off passengers here, but sometimes when I drive over with an empty cab, I can't find this hotel at all." "You probably just weren't in the mood to look around when your cab was empty." "Haha, no, I actually drove by a few times specifically looking for this hotel, but just couldn't find it. I even told my cousin about it. He's a writer, and he wrote a story about this hotel based on my experience." "Was it published?" "Only serialized in a newspaper, but it didn't seem to get much traction, so it got axed." "A pity." "Yeah, a pity. What a mysterious place." "Aren't you afraid, Mr. Driver?" "Afraid? Oh, no. I love taking fares here. Passengers heading to this hotel always tip generously—at least, they never ask for change, haha. "In this day and age, even if a demon held a fistful of riels, people would go wild and pounce on it." Karen made no comment. Halfway through the trip, a woman hailed the cab from the roadside. The driver glanced at Karen in the rearview mirror and pulled over. "Hey, ma'am, where to?" "Second Street, Queen Avenue." "Hop in, ma'am, it's on the way." As he spoke, the driver checked Karen's reaction in the rearview mirror again. The woman opened the door, noticed someone already sitting in the back, hesitated briefly, but got in anyway. Karen closed his eyes. He didn't object to the driver picking up another passenger along the way; he wasn't in a hurry anyway. However, Karen caught the scent of disinfectant on her. Combined with the flat leather shoes she wore, she was likely a hospital nurse. "Going home, ma'am?" the driver asked, trying to liven up the atmosphere. "If my home were there, do you think I'd still need to work?" "That's not necessarily true. Some people work to survive, while others work to live." "You're quite right about that. There's an employee in my department whose husband is the deputy chief of our district's police department. She only comes to work because she's bored at home." "Those aren't my words—my cousin said that! He's a writer!" "Oh, impressive." "Yes, I'm proud of him." The car stopped on Queen Avenue. The woman paid and got out. Then the taxi continued on, finally arriving at the cemetery gates. "Forty-five riels, my esteemed sir." Karen handed over a 50-riel bill and opened the door to step out. "Hey, sir, here's your five riels in change." The driver reached a handful of coins out the window toward Karen. Karen took the coins and asked, "I thought you said no change?" "This time is different. Thank you for your understanding! Haha, have a good night." "Good night." Karen walked to the cemetery gates. The gate was closed but unlocked. The caretaker's cabin where Old Saman used to live now had a new occupant, but he was clearly not very diligent about his duties. Pushing the gate open, Karen walked inside. As soon as he entered, Karen had a premonition. He walked over to Miss Eliza's tombstone, and sure enough, saw a man sitting leaned against it. The man held a liquor bottle in his right hand and a cigarette between the fingers of his left, murmuring cliché words: "Look at you... without you, my life is such a mess. Without you, how am I supposed to live..." Few people could remain consistent in front of others and behind closed doors. Most behaved quite childishly in front of those closest to them. Even Karen would display an indulgence rarely seen outside when he was with Eunice. Neo was no exception. It was just that in the past, they would exercise restraint around each other. Like when Karen had come here before and found Neo present, Neo had usually stood quietly before the tombstone, silent, silent, and silent once more... Now, though, he certainly sensed Karen's arrival, but couldn't be bothered to stand up and put on an act of silence. "Oh, Eliza, look. Our little Minister Karen is here." Neo looked at Karen with drunken, hazy eyes. Karen asked, "Are you uninjured?" "Me? I'm fine. The physical wounds and depletion aren't too bad; it's just my head feels a bit uncomfortable. After the fight, I found a reef islet and passed out for half a day. I only got here a little while ago." "Passed out?" "They were having a meeting and arguing in my head. I didn't feel like listening, so I just took a 'leave of absence' and let them argue it out. After arguing enough, they'd get tired too. See, it's much quieter now, heh." "Will there be aftereffects?" "Is that a polite inquiry?" "Mm." "Just the usual stuff. At worst, getting lost." "Mm." "Why did you come here? In a bad mood?" "Why don't you guess that I came here specifically looking for you?" "Heh, I'd believe you went back to Allen Manor to find your fiancée before I'd believe you came looking for me for no reason. Out with it, what happened? You look a bit down." "The wind shifted up top." "Toward that desert bunch?" "Mm." "All that groundwork wasted?" "Seems so." "Heh..." Neo stretched, lightly brushing his palm over the tombstone beside him. "I reckon this Church of Order will sooner or later walk the old path of Light." Karen sidestepped the topic. Neo continued, "Blindly pursuing its own so-called strength, straying further and further from its original heart... It's hard to say whether it's truly strong or growing weak." Karen took a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and tapped it against the case. Neo pointed at Karen. "You understand." "I believe methods can adapt according to changing circumstances." "Oh, of course. After all, the Church of Order has a massive household and vast enterprise now, so it should be this way. Whereas Light has already perished; aside from its original heart, Light truly has nothing left. "But what about this matter? I mean those desert folks." "The conference will go on for several more days." "And then?" "I won't let them leave Yorktown alive." "I knew it." Neo took a drag from his cigarette and blew a smoke ring. "What the Church of Order won't touch, you'll manage; whom the Church of Order won't kill, you'll slay." Karen took out his lighter. Neo stood up and brushed off the stray blades of grass clinging to his clothes. "You're qualified to do such things. Just like the rumors out there about our... oh, no, not rumors anymore. We saw with our own eyes that the High Priest's undead summon can use Tyrannus's sealing forbidden curse. "In terms of interpreting the *Code of Order* and acting in the name of Order, you possess greater legitimacy and righteousness than the Church of Order itself. "For a church, can the grandest overall picture ever surpass the God of Order? "Alright, I know you loathe people calling you the God of Order. I'm saying this to console you, hahaha. Don't feel that you're being willful. Do what you ought to do, and do whatever you want." "I don't need consoling," Karen said. "Hm? I thought you came specifically to seek that from me. You know that's what I'm best at." Karen shook his head and asked, "Why do you think I'm doing this?" "For Wolflen. He was good to you." "Fine." Karen walked toward another area with his cigarette and lighter, Neo following behind him. Eventually, Karen stopped in front of a tombstone affixed with Dincomb's photograph. "Looks familiar." Neo examined it closely and soon remembered. "An employee under the Pavaro Inquisitorial Office. I saw him when I visited your place before." "Yes. He died that night, killed by an assassin. His body was flattened, flat as a sheet of paper. When I used to return to the funeral parlor, he and Pick would take turns keeping night watch. I could hear their snoring." Karen bent down, planted the cigarette before the tombstone, and lit it. "Were you close to him?" Neo paused, then asked, "Are you incomparably grieved by his death?" "My relationship with him was ordinary. His death made me feel awful for a short while, but not for very long." "Oh, you're certainly honest." Neo pursed his lips, then revelation dawned in his eyes. "Oh, I almost forgot." "Yes. You all think I made this choice to avenge Wolflen, and Leon thinks so too. But you've all overlooked one thing: since that assassin was sent by them, it means those people came within a hair's breadth of killing my entire family." "Ah, yes. The matter suddenly becomes very grave and very righteous." Neo scooped up a handful of snow and rubbed his hands together. "Tsk, everything makes complete sense all at once." Karen straightened up, looked at the tombstone, and said very calmly: "Yes. For that alone, they deserve to die."