God Won't Call Me Grandpa

Without the earlier intrusion of the Soul Voice, the study was much quieter. As for the commotion outside from Purr and Rasma's brawl, it did not have nearly the impact of Uncle Mason opening a can of herring downstairs. It was hard to tell whether Uncle's can had been preserved particularly well or particularly poorly. Karen stood up, picked up the incense from the desk, took out a lighter, and lit it. In truth, snapping his fingers and casting a purification spell would have been far simpler, but he refrained because he was reluctant to part with the scent that belonged to home. Watching Karen's movements, Diss asked, "Still smoking?" "I quit. I only have one occasionally when something's troubling me." Karen set the lighter and the pack of cigarettes from his pocket onto the desk, like a misbehaving child turning in incriminating evidence. "Do you have many troubles?" "Fewer and fewer. Because the clearer I am on what I need to do, the less time I have left to worry." "Kanna is a good child." "Purr raised her." "Purr is a 'child' herself. She can raise a child?" "Perhaps after returning home, she matured quite a bit." It was just as well that Purr was outside fighting right now; otherwise, hearing a grandfather and grandson both younger than her evaluate her like this, she would most likely have bristled in indignant mortification. "I agree with raising that dragon like a child—there's nothing wrong with that. But what about your own children?" "Grandfather, it's still early." "Are things not going well between you?" "They're going very well." "Are you married yet?" "Not yet." "What delayed it?" "Not long after going back, she awakened her family bloodline. Then I threw myself into church work and got busy. I've been busy ever since." Diss was silent for a moment before saying, "At times, I cannot understand the Allen family's actions either." Karen nodded in understanding. After all, the Allen family had once pulled off the extravagant feat of hiring a 'temple elder' to assassinate the head of a rival family. It had once thoroughly baffled even Old Bern, the shadow operative skilled in investigation and deduction. Presumably, when Grandfather had appeared in Patriarch Raphael's office holding that bookmark back then, he must have been frowning too. "Hasn't your maternal grandmother urged you?" "Grandfather, how did you know I met Grandmother in Wien?" "With her personality, she wouldn't be able to hold back." "Grandmother does urge me occasionally. Also, I met Grandfather, Uncle, and my cousin." "Delon?" "Grandfather Delon has changed a lot." Diss nodded. "And my cousin, his name is Richard. He's a very sensible young man. The first time we met, he brought me straight to his house." "The Alte bloodline." "Yes." "That child's bloodline concentration is too high. Trouble will come of it." "Grandfather, have you seen him?" Diss shook his head. "When that bloodline awakens too early and too acutely, it becomes a curse. Have him borrow the power of faith from a church with gentle attributes to ease it." "He is already using the faith power of the Church of the Goddess Miers to suppress it." Karen could not help feeling a sense of marvel. The special method Richard had stumbled upon by coincidence had been known to Grandfather all along. "Grandfather, I also met a boy whose mother was tainted. You treated her once. Even now, your portrait hangs in their living room, and he and his grandparents are deeply grateful to you. Oh, right, he came along this time too. You'll be able to see him shortly." "Merely each taking what we needed." Right now, Karen could have followed this thread to ask about the cause of his 'parents'' deaths, because the reason Diss had treated Ventura's mother in the first place had been to find a cure for his own son and daughter-in-law. Yet after a moment's hesitation, Karen chose not to delve into the matter after all. Instead, he smiled and said, "I met Lord Theisen." "Did he scold you?" "He did." "He feels aggrieved; he'll always find an excuse to scold you." Before falling into slumber, Diss had used the Church of Order's teleportation arrays to visit many places, and one of those stops had been specifically to say goodbye to Theisen. Back then, the two of them had stood on the balcony, talking about the past and about their respective grandsons. "Lord Theisen's reprimands were entirely justified and very timely. He taught me how to truly understand the Code of Order." Hearing this, Diss looked down. Naturally, a copy of the Code of Order lay on his desk as well. "He bound his entire life to the Code of Order, and he wanted to bind you to it as well." "Grandfather, as a believer in Order, I believe that is as it should be." "This is something you shouldn't have been comprehending at your age. The earlier you grasp it, the more exhausting your life will be." "But fulfilling as well." Diss smiled. Far from being angered by his grandson's mild rebuttal, he nodded. "No wonder you were promoted so quickly." Karen smiled too. "Grandfather, do you take your grandson for an opportunist who schemed his way to the top?" "I wouldn't know. The highest position I ever held in my life was Inquisitor." "I've met many people—priests at the grassroots, as well as great figures at the top." "With your current standing, there probably aren't many 'great figures' left to you, are there?" Diss glanced out the window. "Not counting that bunch in the temple." "Indeed not many. Along the way, I certainly saw plenty of pests, but even more who were devout believers in Order." "You truly have changed a lot. Remember when you used to sit here? Do you know what I saw in your eyes? I saw contempt and scorn for the church in my grandson's eyes. Heh." "The same things—I believe you can surely still see them now." "Yes, I see it. I see a pair of eyes loyal to Order. I'm gratified, truly. I didn't want you entering church circles, but I am glad to see that my grandson is a true believer in Order." "It all originated from your enlightenment, Grandfather." Diss pointed outside the window. "Did you break the dog's seal?" "I did." "If Old Hoffen knew, he wouldn't be pleased." "There was a reason, Grandfather. Because..." "Whatever you wish to do, I will support you. As for the explanation, go tell Old Hoffen yourself." "Mr. Hoffen is already..." "He's almost here." "What?" Back then, Karen had personally conducted Mr. Hoffen's funeral and laid him to rest. Diss offered no further explanation. He rose from his chair and walked to the window, and Karen stepped over to join him. As if to suit the occasion, or perhaps as an interlude in their reunion, the grandfather and grandson were finally ready to pay a bit of attention to the current situation and grant some basic respect to those 'great figures' directly participating or observing. "The display this time is far bigger than the last." "Yes, Grandfather. This operation is divided into two parts. Half of the command is in Ukonga's hands." "Ukonga is awake?" "You know him, Grandfather?" "I don't know him, nor have I met him, but I know he has lived for a very long time." "Yes. He has lived for a thousand years, spending most of it asleep." "Must be very dull. Everyone around him is gone, with nothing left to hold dear. It must be very lonely." "You're right." The reason Karen had been able to get Ukonga to act for him in the past was also because of his 'roommate' connection, which had mellowed with the passage of time in Ukonga's mind. Across those long ages, there were truly very few people and things left that could stir his concern. "Then who holds the other half of the command?" "In your grandson's hands. Mine." "Heh heh heh. And here I thought you snuck back in secret." Karen produced a command token and showed it to Diss. "Grandfather, your grandson is commanding a legion out there right now." "I seem to recall hearing Rasma roar something about you having accomplished merits on the battlefield as well." "Yes, but only minor skirmishes." "At a time like this, modesty seems misplaced, doesn't it? Child, I want to hear you boast." "Because the grand landscape has changed. The opponents our church faces now are no longer the other churches. The Return of the Gods is no longer a prophecy, but a reality visible to the naked eye." Diss fell silent, then gently tapped the windowsill with his palm. "She consumed so much, yet in the end, she can no longer hold on either?" Karen asked in surprise, "Grandfather, you even know this?" "Even a pig in a sty, hearing the screams of its kind in the slaughterhouse next door every day, would understand its fate. Among the temples of all the churches, only our church's temple elders are required to offer up their power on a regular rotation. Under normal circumstances, they cannot live out their days until a natural end; instead, in their twilight phase, they must sacrifice themselves—just like Ankara's fate. In her eyes, we are merely a blood bank. When we can no longer provide the stable nourishment she requires, she swallows us whole." Diss looked at the pillar of light outside the window and smiled coldly. "They, we—are nothing more than pigs she keeps penned." "Grandfather, she did it to—" Diss cut his grandson off. "I can guess what it was for. In an era where no gods walk, she is the only one constantly crying of hunger. But by what right must generation after generation of us be sacrificed, solely to fulfill her greatness? Yes, she is a god, standing at the very pinnacle of the laws of Order, but does that entitle her to make decisions for all who come after? Is she so certain that what she does is best, that those who follow will definitely be inferior to her? She won't even give us the chance to try, to choose. She treats us like penned pigs, yet we must still praise her. "Heh. "Praise that daughter of a whore—" "Grandfather, I understand you!" Diss looked at Karen and asked, "What's wrong?" "Grandfather, I just feel everything has two sides. If we look at it from another perspective, this matter..." Karen knew where Grandfather's anger toward the God of Order stemmed from. From a personal perspective, had the God of Order not sealed off the era, Diss's talent gave him a very high chance of ascending to godhood. Both Raniedal and Dikenuo had offered such assessments of Grandfather. Yet the choice made by the God of Order not only blocked the return of past gods, but also shut off the birth of future gods. Of course, that was only one reason. The most important reason was likely that the God of Order had made these unilateral arrangements without asking a single word or even going through the motions, wounding Grandfather's pride and self-esteem. From beginning to end, Grandfather believed in Order; what he resented was the God of Order herself. Karen had rehearsed arguments to persuade Grandfather many times in his mind, yet facing his freshly awakened grandfather, he stalled after uttering just the beginning. Because here, the problem became far more complicated. Karen had risked his life multiple times. For the sake of the Light of Order, he had willingly laid aside everything he had gained, even gambling with his own life. Only that earned him a clear conscience when demanding that other believers in Order do the same in daily duties and on the battlefield. This was the tradition of Order: telling you what you ought to die for, asking if you were willing, and if you were, letting you go to your death with a willing heart. Yet when applying that same principle to his grandfather, Karen faltered. It was not merely because of family ties. Even with Richard and Uncle, Karen had taken them to the battlefield just the same, using Uncle and the others as bait, while placing Purr—bound to him by a symbiosis contract—alongside them. Even if the worst disaster had occurred, Karen would have held no regrets. Grandfather, however, was different. His standing should have rivaled that of the branch gods. Yet while Karen could despise the betrayal of those branch gods—because those lords had once followed the God of Order, held promises and covenants with her, and at least fought and bled for a shared ideal—the God of Order had not even offered Grandfather a single greeting. What Grandfather wanted was respect. Karen's silence seemed to make Diss realize something. Sitting back down in his chair, he picked up his teacup, took a sip of the now-lukewarm tea, and said, "Karen." "Yes, I'm here." Shaking off his daze, Karen walked back to the desk. "You are my grandson. Whatever you want, I will agree to." "I know. And I believe you." Only after traveling far from home had Karen gradually realized just how much Diss had prepared for him, terrified that he would suffer outside or be wronged. In essence, it was no different from Uncle Mason and the others, except that Uncle and the family focused on material comforts. Diss smiled. "As the commander of this operation, you carry another mission on your shoulders, don't you?" "Huh?" "Did someone arrange for you to do something? Speak freely. It's fine; Grandfather will agree to all of it." Karen sat down in a chair and answered, "Before I set out, our High Priest did indeed assign me a task." Diss nodded, not the least bit angry, and raised a hand. "Go on. Tell Grandfather, what does this High Priest want?" "He wants to secure your help and form an alliance with you to face the calamity of the Return of the Gods together. He does not want to see the gods descend upon this world again. He wants to stop it—to stop it at any cost." Diss said, "Then what he wants is different from that lot in the temple." "He is the inheritor of Tyrannus, but he seems to have suppressed Tyrannus himself." "He is far more interesting than Rasma," Diss mused. "He will act more like a High Priest than Rasma ever did. Rasma was merely a puppet controlled by the temple, and he knew it himself." Clearly, Diss understood full well what it meant for a Child of God to occupy the seat of High Priest—especially one who was also Tyrannus's inheritor. "Yes. His power and prestige today outstrip even Budalas back then. But on this matter, he cannot tear aside all pretenses with the temple. Perhaps he wants to know your stance, which will determine his next moves." Diss asked, "What kind of stance does he need from me?" "Well..." "To cooperate with the temple and bow to them? Or to resist the temple? Or perhaps tear off all pretense and come to blows? Or maybe take our family and flee, going into hiding to play hide-and-seek with the temple? Or... simply step forward and declare my willingness to obey this High Priest's decree?" "Ah?" "Karen, if he can give you what you want, Grandfather is willing to comply with his demands." As he said this, Diss was completely calm. Karen also knew that with Grandfather's temperament, he was not speaking out of spite or irony. He truly meant it, and he was truly willing to do it. This was perhaps an elder's unconditional love for a descendant, surpassing all worldly logic of mutual interest—no, it defied logic entirely. In the past, Karen had concealed his background while mocking himself: if his identity were ever exposed, he would have no choice but to live as one of the church's supreme young lords. For deep down, he knew full well that Grandfather harbored infinite love... no, indulgence for him. Yet love was reciprocal. Grandfather had clearly misunderstood. How could Karen ever treat him as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with the High Priest? And yet, from Grandfather's perspective, his grandson seemed to have returned with precisely such an agenda, yet he was still not angry, still utterly indulgent. His grandson was allowed to change; he had grown up and had his own ideas, which was only natural. What would never change was Diss's devotion to his grandson. "Grandfather, it isn't like that. The task the High Priest gave me was only incidental. I used that role and opportunity to return so I could help you resolve the temple's operation against you. You don't need to wonder what deal I struck with the High Priest. I would never do that. Trading away family violates the tradition of our Inmeles family." Diss rested his hand on the teacup lid. Seeing this, Karen immediately stood up, grabbed the hot-water kettle, and refilled it. Diss did not drink the tea. Instead, he gently ran his fingertips along the rim of the cup and said, "And yet, I see guilt in your eyes." Guilt was indeed there—because he had intended to persuade his proud grandfather to stand alongside him. Diss gently pushed the teacup across to Karen. "You should drink some water too." Karen looked down and discovered that through that gentle caress of fingertips, the freshly poured boiling water now contained ice cubes, turned into a glass of ice water. Grandfather had always remembered his grandson's preference. Karen took the cup into his hands; the frigid surface felt warm to the touch. "Child, do not be embarrassed, do not feel it hard to speak, and above all, do not feel guilty. Grandfather is willing to do anything for you." "Then... what about the God of Order?" "Heh. The God of Order? She won't call me Grandpa." "Grandfather."