13 Mink Street

“Tomorrow, the Senate of Order will formally deliver this divine decree to every church in the world. Any existence that dares assist the Church of Pamireth will be treated as an enemy of Order!”

The atmosphere in the conference hall had completely frozen, not because everyone was deliberately restraining their emotions, but because their emotions had already found the most suitable outlet.

At that moment, Karon thought of that heretical dog of his. When he had first come into contact with information about the churches, Karon had once wondered what the difference was between a true god and a heretical god. Later, he had been given this explanation: When a stronger existence judges you to be a heretical god, then you are a heretical god. It has nothing at all to do with whether you are kind or evil.

Just like now. Archbishop Wolfram was reading aloud the divine decree issued by the Senate of Order. There were two judgments in it; one that declared the god Pamireth to be a heretical god, while the other declared the Church of Pamireth to be a heretical church.

The very nature of a weak existence was actually determined by the strong.

His gaze sweeping the room, Karon saw solemn flames in the eyes of the priests of the Church of Order, while the priests of the Church of Pamireth wore expressions of utter despair. The former had shifted from their earlier anger into a kind of restrained composure, like people staring at an opponent already locked inside a cage.

The latter did not shriek hysterically with cries of “why,” “how,” or “by what right.” It was as though all strength had been drained out of them, both physical and spiritual.

Just how many people had entered the ecclesiastical world to escape reality, only to never realize that no amount of faith, no amount of doctrinal ornament, and no number of confessions could ever redeem the original sin of weakness?

Karon felt that even if the Church of Pamireth had been just a little bit stronger, just enough to cross a certain threshold, perhaps while this divine decree would still have occurred and would not have been changed, it would instead have been shortened.

For example, the first and second clauses might have remained, but the third clause, the declaration of war, might have been omitted. They might strive with all their might to smear the other’s name, yet would not truly declare war.

Apart from these reflections, Karon was also curious about one other detail: was the reward for their security mission still valid?

Their protected target had just become an arrest target, so did that still qualify as a valid security mission?

Strands of black light began circling above the conference hall, casting dark phantoms upon the walls. They were the maintainers of the Ankara Hotel’s ritual array. Their appearance was a form of intimidation, a way of telling the Church of Pamireth personnel who were present exactly whose territory they were in. Any resistance now would be utterly meaningless.

Ding... ding... ding... All of the elevator doors on the floor opened, and a group of figures clad in black armor entered the conference hall, accompanied by the orderly metallic scrape of their movements.

Karon also saw Captain Nio and the others from their squad appear at the door to the conference room. That showed that their security mission was over, as the hidden security personnel could now show themselves.

Delius raised a hand and said, “I hope that I can be given a chance to explain and clarify.”

He then turned to the Pamirethians in the conference hall and said, “I believe the truth will come out. I believe the accusations against us will be washed away, so before the truth is revealed, I hope that none of you will resist. Please believe me. Please believe in the great god Pamireth. God’s letter is already on the way!”

Is that merely a line meant to stabilize the situation? Karon did not know, but he could see that the Divine Progeny’s words gave every member of the Church of Pamireth a way forward. No one chose to resist. They all allowed themselves to be fitted with specially made restraints and be escorted out in rows.

Karon had nothing to do in that process, but whenever a figure in black armor passed by him, he could not help but curiously note the Knight Regiment insignia on their armor.

These people were from the Second Knight Regiment through the Twelfth. These armored figures did not belong to the same system as everyone else present. It was easier to understand in terms of a secular state; All the other departments, including the Whip of Order to which Karon belonged, were administrative departments. There might be many kinds and possess many functions, but these black-armored men belonged solely to the military.

The military answered directly to the Senate of Order and ordinarily took no part in local affairs. These people were also not on active duty, but were more in line with reserve troops stationed locally after retirement. As soon as a church war truly began, they would rapidly be reassigned into new Knight Regiments, and then sent to war.

When that time came, personnel from every department would be reassigned into service. The Whip of Order would stand at the forefront of each department, becoming part of the war machine, yet the Knight Regiment still stood ahead of even the Whip of Order in the deployment order.

There was no insignia from the First Knight Regiment. That was normal. Of the Church of Order’s twelve Knight Regiments, the First was publicly acknowledged as the strongest in battle, but strength was not the reason they did not appear among the reserve garrisons. The reason was that every single member of the First Knight Regiment was lying in a coffin.

All personnel from the Church of Pamireth who had been in the conference hall were escorted away. They were not considered prisoners, but given the current state of war, they were considered prisoners of war.

Even Divine Progeny Delius was fitted with handcuffs. Because of his special status, he was additionally bound with a full set of restraints. As he was escorted past Karon, he paused and gave a nod, as though thanking Karon for the care he had shown over the past few days.

After that, the others also left one after another, yet on the faces of the people from the Church of Order, there was little tension or anxiety to be seen. Even though the Seventh Knight Regiment had suffered an accident, the foundation of Order remained strong. There was no need to worry about victory or defeat when it came to a war against the Church of Pamireth.

At the entrance of the conference hall, Nio’s squad gathered. Richard also stepped out of the elevator.

Karon noticed that Fannie and Paige each took out a silver mask and put it on. He had one too. After entering the hotel, Fannie had given him the newly customized silver mask, but Karon had left that mask in the room.

The reason he had forgotten it was simple. He had one on him already. He turned slightly to the side, as though taking out his mask and putting it on, but he really just touched his ring, and a silver mask appeared on his face.

Karon felt like he was switching faces on the spot, like some kind of face-changing act, and a rather convincing one at that.

Once the squad had fully assembled, everyone walked out of the hotel under their captain’s lead.

“During wartime, according to the wartime regulations, every Whip squad must guarantee the efficiency to assemble within half a day,” Nio said.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Everyone has worked hard during this period. Dismissed. Rest and recover.”

The squad was disbanded. The captain did not say how the security mission reward would be settled, and no one asked. With war breaking out, there was no real meaning in fussing over such things. There were special circumstances to consider, after all.

Richard pointed at the luxury car and said, “I packed all of the luggage from your room and put everything in the car, including your sword, Karon. It’s really heavy.”

“So obedient.” Paige patted Richard on the head and signaled for everyone to get in. “Come on, I’ll drive you all home. Hmm? Captain, am I driving you too?”

Everyone else from the squad had already left, yet their captain remained. That did not fit his usual style at all. Normally, as soon as the squad was dismissed, the captain would be the first to leave. Every single time, he was the one most eager to get off work.

Of course, that was also one of the reasons he was so beloved by his subordinates. Who would not like a leader who hated overtime the most?

“Mhmm,” Nio replied.

Karon opened the car door for the captain, and everyone got in. This luxury car could still be used privately for one more day, though it would need to be returned the next morning. Not only was the car itself extremely expensive on the market, it had been modified by the Church of Order itself, and been reinforced with protective ritual arrays.

That had little to do with the automobile brand that produced it. Its outward design was nothing more than a simple convenience for carrying out missions in the secular world.

Paige drove. In the car were Nio, Karon, Richard, and Fannie.

“Captain, should I take you home first?” Paige asked.

“Take yourself home first.”

“How can the driver be the first one sent home?” Paige laughed.

“That is an order.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Richard glanced left and right. Since everyone was still wearing their masks, he could not see their expressions, yet he still sensed that something was slightly off.

Karon sensed that too. No matter how one looked at it, having Paige take herself home first was definitely odd.

Soon, Paige’s home came into view. She lived in an old apartment building. Not everyone liked living in a large house. Some people, even when they had the means, still preferred small, old places with a special emotional bond.

“Who’s going to keep driving? My place is here.” Paige got out of the car.

“I can drive,” Richard volunteered at once.

The captain nodded, and Richard immediately opened the door and moved to the driver’s seat.

The captain then looked at Karon. “Get out. Knock Paige down and make her bleed.”

“...” Karon.

“That is an order.”

“Yes, Captain.” Karon could not understand his orders, but still chose to obey. He trusted that if Nio had told him to do something, the captain definitely had his own reason. Most importantly, Karon was only told to make Paige bleed, not to beat her to death.

Paige, who had just gotten out of the car, had been planning to wait until her squad mates drove off in the car before going inside. Instead, she saw Karon step out carrying the Aelius Sword and move towards her. “Are you seeing me off, Karon?”

Karon continued walking closer to Paige. As he walked, he lowered the sword so the tip touched the ground and dragged. Sparks sprang up. The meaning was obvious enough: I’m about to attack you.

Paige neither raised any defenses nor took a step back. She merely asked in a curious tone, “What are you doing?”

Karon shifted his body slightly and took up the opening posture for a swing. His intention was perfectly clear: I’m attacking.

Paige still did not defend. She only asked again in puzzlement, “What are you doing?”

Karon swung the sword at Paige, not using the blade’s edge, but with the flat of the sword.

Bang! Paige was smashed to the ground with a single blow. After striking the ground, she still said in disbelief, “Are you insane!”

Karon followed up and struck her again with the flat of the sword while she was still lying on the ground.

Paige still did not retaliate. She only raised both arms to block.

Bang! Even though Karon did not use the power of Darkmoon Blade, the sheer weight of the Aelius Sword, combined with the force of the swing, still injured Paige. Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

This time, she did not ask Karon what he was doing, because Karon had already struck her twice. Despite that, no one in the car, especially not the captain, showed any reaction at all.

Seeing that Paige bled, Karon sheathed his sword and gave Paige a nod. He himself did not know what this gesture was supposed to mean, but after beating someone until they bled, one ought to at least offer some sort of farewell.

He turned and dragged the Aelius Sword back to the car, and got inside.

The car started moving. In a somewhat tense voice, Richard asked, “My house next?”

He mistakenly assumed that this was some standard post-mission activity reserved for the Hunting Hounds.

Nio said, “Westwater Street Bowling Alley.”

“Yes, Captain.” Hearing that they were not headed to his house, Richard let out a long breath of relief.

The luxury car arrived at Westwater Street. Since it was midday and a weekday, the bowling alley was not very crowded.

Still, there were already two people playing on one lane: Marlow and Gray.

“This is really interesting. The captain actually asked us to come bowling.” After saying that, Marlow threw his ball. With a crashing sound, it knocked all of the pins down, except they were the pins in the lane next to his.

“Oh.” Marlow looked a little embarrassed and hastily tried to patch things up. “I’m just giving myself extra difficulty.”

Gray ignored him and instead looked over at Karon, who was walking towards the two from the other side. Most importantly, Karon was still carrying the Aelius Sword.

Marlow sensed the movement and looked up. He shouted, “The captain invited you here too?”

Carrying the sword on his shoulder, Karon stopped in front of the two men and said, “I’m going to beat the two of you until you bleed. Who wants to go first?”

The two froze. Marlow scratched his head and laughed. “Does this count as internal conflict? No, not even an internal conflict would be this direct, would it?”

“I’ll go first,” Gray said.

“Mm.” Karon acknowledged it and asked, “Will you resist?”

Gray shook his head. “You just need to make me bleed, right? Then I won’t resist. I can’t beat you right now anyway.”

“All right. Stand properly.”

“Hmm? I am standing.”

Karon swung the Aelius Sword, transforming the bowling alley into a golf course. Gray was sent flying by the blow. He crashed onto the lane, clutched his chest as he coughed up blood.

Karon then looked at Marlow and tilted his chin at him. Your turn.

Marlow immediately stood upright and said, “I’m a ritual array master, so I’m not as tough as Gray. Take it easy on me.”

“I think the captain sent me here to offend people.” Karon sighed as he held the Aelius Sword sideways.

“No, I think the captain sent you here to collect favors.” Marlow seemed to understand something and offered a different answer.

“You can do the countdown. Three numbers.”

“All right, all right. Three—”

Bang! Marlow was sent flying, and he landed near Gray, also coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Having finished his job, Karon waved at the two men. He then picked up a bottle of soda from the table. It had been opened, but otherwise remained untouched. Holding the sword by the hilt over his right shoulder and the soda in his left hand, he drank the soda as he walked out of the bowling alley.

Outside, he saw Richard and Fannie standing beside the car, while the captain sat in the car with the door open. “Captain, as ordered, I made them all bleed.”

“Mm.” Nio nodded. “Drive.”

Karon glanced at Richard and Fannie. Richard said, “The captain told us to head home on our own.”

“Oh. All right.” Karon still had no idea what the captain was trying to do with all of this, but judging from what Marlow had just said, at least he had gained a clear understanding, but Karon hadn’t gone over to ask him.

How could you beat someone until they were bleeding, then approach them again and asked, “Tell me, why did I have to hit you?”

No matter how Karon looked at it, that felt a bit too cheap.

After putting the Aelius Sword in the car, Karon climbed into the driver’s seat. He started the vehicle, and asked as he drove away, “Captain, where to?”

“Ivy Cemetery.”

“Yes, Captain.” After driving some distance down the road, Karon took the initiative and asked, “Captain, why did you tell me to beat them?”

As he spoke, he glanced up at the rearview mirror to look at Nio in the back seat.

“It was to remind them.”

“Remind them of what?”

“Do you know, there are many traitors inside the Church of Order?”

“Mm? Really?” Karon glanced at Nio. He found it strange for the man to say something like that. Captain, aren’t you one yourself...

At the same time, Karon also realized that he himself seemed to be one as well. It was because both he and Nio seemed to be using the same method, which was using forged Church of Order identities.

“There should be some within the negotiation delegation too.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know, but there definitely are some. Because in this negotiating delegation, the ones seated at the table were the ones who should be seated there, but the lineup of the people who sat below was rather strange.”

“Mm?”

“The fact that your two fellow inmates, Leon and Larry, appeared as members of the negotiating delegation is the clearest proof of that. In a matter this large and serious, allowing one pampered young master in to pad his record would already be enough, yet there were two. That means the tone was set by those up above, which indicates that there was a great deal of arbitrariness in the overall selection of this delegation. The selection of the other personnel would not have been as strict as before either. With things becoming more flexible, many people became able to maneuver their way in and add a line to their records.”

“And among them... there were traitors?”

“Some, yes, but some can’t really count as traitors. For example, the three people you just made bleed. They are not, but they do have rather close ties with other churches, and in ordinary times, they even sell bits of information and the like on the side to make a bit extra.”

“So you had me beat them in order to...”

“When there is blood in the mouth, it becomes inconvenient to talk too much.”

Karon recalled what Marlow had said when he had been sent flying: No, I think the captain sent you here to collect favors.

“So you were having me warn them that this time, they have to keep their mouths shut. So this whole matter...”

“If I have to beat someone until they bleed, I might as well skip a step, which is the one where I beat you myself.”

“...” Karon.

“Still, I hear your strength has improved greatly lately.”

“I’m still far behind you, Captain.”

“But my hands are really itching.”

“Captain, I know an ointment that’s very effective for eczema.”

They had arrived at Ivy Cemetery. Karon and Nio got out of the car. Before they even entered the groundskeeper’s hut, they could already hear music being played inside. When they pushed open the door, Karon saw Saman holding a new flute and playing it, while Alfred had a radio at his feet, which he used to accompany the flute and provide rhythm.

It was clear that Saman was enjoying himself. His face was lit up with a smile.

When he saw Karon and Nio come in, Saman stopped playing. Alfred stood up and moved aside.

Saman sighed. “The negotiations ended? Looks like my funeral is about to begin.”

Karon said, “The Church of Order has declared war on the Church of Pamireth.”

“Huh?” At those words, a sharp light flashed in Saman’s eyes, and his entire bearing shifted in an instant. He was like a feral beast breaking free of its chains, poised to tear into its prey. “I won’t lay a hand on you, but you can tell me where the new Church Affairs Building has been set up. I don’t know who brought it down the first time, but I’ll do it this time.”

“Heh...” Nio let out a soft laugh. “Go on, keep preparing your funeral.”

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