13 Mink Street

“Serena, when was the mask in the very front made?”

“A very long time ago. At least ten years ago, probably even more. Back then, I was about the same age as when you first met me, Karon; about the age I appeared during the tram explosion.”

Ten years...

That was a very long stretch of time. So, someone had used Nio’s identity to establish a Whip of Order squad, and had also used his identity to form a relationship with Elisa, and had even received her first embrace, obtaining a Bloodfiend constitution.

Karon closed his eyes and began thinking it through carefully.

Then, he realized that the “fake” Nio was, for himself, Fannie, and the rest of the squad, the real one. Because the man had worn the same face for long enough, so long that this stretch of his life had already become detached from the original owner of that face. It was merely that the face was different, while in truth, the life had always belonged to the same man.

Karon thought of a phrase Nio often said: Everyone has their secrets.

So this is your secret, Captain? Karon suddenly found it a little amusing. He himself had actually used the exact same method, and even found the exact same person to have a mask made for the exact same purpose. He wondered what kind of feeling the captain would have when he first learned of Karon’s identity. Would he also find it funny?

So, Captain, you and I alike both have identities that cannot be made public?

“Serena, let’s go back up first. Your brother isn’t here, and it wouldn’t be good for me to stay for too long.”

“Karon, did you see anything you liked? I can pack it up for you!”

“There’s no need. Just having the chance to come in and admire it is enough for me.”

“Really? You don’t need to be so polite.”

“Next time. Because, as you know, the things I need all have to be custom-made in advance. Your brother doesn’t have ready-made products here, so next time, when I ask your brother to make something for me, can you help speak up for me to him?”

“Okay, Karon!”

Karon and Serena went back upstairs, where she poured him a cup of coffee. “Oh right, Serena, do you know who that person was back then, the one who kidnapped you and threatened your brother?”

“I don’t. He just kept me in a room with food and drink while he went to threaten my brother. Once my brother finished making the mask and delivered it, he gave my brother an address, and my brother came to bring me back.”

“He didn’t hurt you?”

“He didn’t. And he even paid my brother a very generous fee. A lot of my brother’s collection, and even how quickly his current crafting skills improved, can’t be separated from that first mask. So my brother only hates him, and because of him, he hates the Church of Order too. But, Karon, you know how it is with hate; It’s like a girl pounding your chest with her fists: ‘I hate you, hate you, hate you!’” Serena shrugged and continued, “I think that’s exactly how my brother feels toward that man.”

“What kind of younger sister says something like that about her own brother?”

“It’s because we’re actually brother and sister that I see him more clearly. But my brother doesn’t really know who that man is either. He only remembers that the man used Order Arts to bind him, so he knows the man belongs to the Church of Order.”

Because he used Order Arts, he determined the man is from the Church of Order?If that sentence reached someone else’s ears, they would consider it to be the most normal thing in the world, but for Karon, it was different. That was because he himself was an exception, and not long ago, he had just been mistaken in precisely that way.

That was why Karon instinctively started to suspect the possibility that, in this regard, Captain Nio might actually be just like him as well. For example, could the captain actually be a believer of Light? Had he always disguised himself by converting the power of Light into the power of Order? Though if that were true, then did it mean that the strength Nio had revealed all along was only half of his true strength?

It was because Karon was such a truly unique case that when he converted the power of Light there was no loss, but Nio would be different. If he were doing this, loss was absolutely inevitable.

No, it could not even be calculated as revealing half of his true strength, because followers of Light had their own system. The former Church of Light had also been a behemoth that had stood at the peak of the orthodox churches, and its own Light system was itself extremely powerful. Under normal circumstances, priests of Light would never do something so laborious and unrewarding as conversion. That meant, if Nio really was a follower of Light, then the strength he currently displayed might be only thirty percent of his true strength... perhaps even just twenty percent.

Karon took a sip of coffee. No, there was still another problem: who could be certain that the strength Nio currently displayed was even his full strength in his disguised state?

Karon’s mind recalled the scene of Nio killing that rune giant last time. The man had given the impression of an elegant pianist while completely suppressing the rune giant without allowing his opponent even the slightest bit of room.

“Karon, is there something on your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm, but I don’t know how to comfort you.”

“Heh, there’s no need for that. My former job was comforting people. I still have something to do, so I’ll head off first. When your brother comes back, greet him for me. Also, I’ve moved, so I’ll write down my new phone number for you.” Karon picked up the pen and paper on the table and jotted down both his new number and address. “When you have time, you can come play at the house. There are also two little girls at home, maybe you can become good friends.”

“Ah, there are already two little girls there? Does that include that older sister with the umbrella?” Serena asked.

“What are you thinking? Those are the two daughters a good friend of mine left behind. I’m taking care of them right now. They’re very pitiful; They were corrupted many years ago and have rarely had any contact with the outside world.”

“Okay, then I’ll prepare some gifts before I go visit them.”

“Call ahead before you come. I’ll cook something delicious for you.”

“Karon, aren’t you worried that she’ll get jealous?”

“I already told her that there’s a cute little girl, and that she and her brother helped me a lot.”

“I regret asking that question.”

Karon reached out and rubbed Serena’s head. “You’re still young.”

“If Karon wants, I can become mature right away.”

“Serena, do you know what the greatest respect for youth is?”

“What is it?”

“It’s to have a little more patience for it.”

“Okay, okay, Karon. I know what you mean. Don’t worry.”

“Then I’m leaving. You should rest early too. Good night.”

“Good night, Karon.”

Karon walked out of the pottery studio and returned to his car. Just as he started the engine, he froze. “Does the captain really live near here?”

***

The next day, in the afternoon...

“Karon, are you crazy? He’s an Adjudicator, an Adjudicator!” Pu’er, sitting on Kevin’s back, shouted at Karon. “You can’t be this impulsive, you really can’t.”

“I’m not being impulsive. I just feel that this is something I should do. I’ll treat it as avenging a friend.”

“But even so, you can’t do this. You’re fooling around!” Pu’er had actually used the tone of an elder.

Karon looked at her somewhat strangely and asked, “Didn’t Alfred tell you this is a squad operation?”

“Hm?” Pu’er looked around in confusion. “Did he?”

At that moment, Alfred pushed open the door of the study and stepped in. “Young Master, I only had time to tell her that Luke’s whereabouts have been discovered and that you intend to go kill him. I didn’t have a chance to finish the rest before she turned around and ran over here.”

“Ah, it’s a squad operation. Then it’s fine, it’s fine. Damned radio demon! Can’t you speak a bit faster? Is this how you used to pad out the length of your broadcasts?”

“Very well, that was my oversight.” Alfred gave a bitter smile and did not bother arguing with the cat over it.

Karon picked up the sword case.

“Young Master, I don’t know when it will be that I can act together with you.”

“It shouldn’t take too long before a chance comes along. Once I advance to Inquisitor, everything on our side will become much easier and more composed.”

Pu’er asked suspiciously, “So, Karon, is that your purpose in actively requesting to participate in this operation?”

“Yes. I think I’ve already found the answer, and I’ve also chosen a path, but I still need a suitable opportunity to verify it. If the verification succeeds, then when I return tomorrow morning, I should already be a true Inquisitor.”

Pu’er nodded her head and teased, “A being who stands on equal footing with Tiz.”

Right after that, she looked at the sword case in Karon’s arms and worriedly said, “I still feel that Miss Ophelia gave you this precious Aelius Sword not only because she considers you part of the same family.”

“Didn’t she?”

“Of course not. This is a woman’s intuition. After all, before my poor niece emerges from her sleeping beauty slumber, I have to keep watch on you for her.”

“If it weren’t for those two terrible lines from Darkmoon Island you gave me, there would have been much less trouble between me and her.”

“How can that be blamed on me? How am I to blame? How could I know that idiot back then actually dared say so many disgusting things to my face? Even now when I think of it, I still feel disgusted deep down!”

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

“Young Master, I’ll place the sword case in the car for you first.”

“Mm, alright.”

Alfred went out holding the sword case, and when Karon walked out of the study, he saw Ciri bringing him some ingredients prepared for the day. “Young Master, is it because the funeral home’s business is bad, so now you’re going to work as a chef at a hotel outside to help support the household?”

“Hm? No.”

“Young Master, if the household is really having financial difficulties, I can take a pay cut.”

“Don’t overthink. It’s just that a friend is about to retire, so I’ll be going to keep him company more often during this period.”

“So that’s how it is.” Ciri lightly patted her chest and let out a long breath of relief.

“You’re responsible for your work, very good. You deserve your pay. Oh right, did Alfred tell you? In the future there will also be clothing allowances and holiday subsidies.”

“Mr. Alfred told me, but there’s no need. Jeans are very durable.” As she said this, Ciri even spun around in front of Karon.

Ever since Alfred had her wear jeans when working in the house, while her tops might occasionally change, her lower half had always been jeans that tightly wrapped and clearly outlined her figure.

She also did not mind if, when the young master came downstairs after washing up from the bathroom in the mornings, she just happened to be facing away from him while squatting to wipe the floor or straighten the carpet.

The little girl was simple, but she was not stupid. She had known another young woman who had recently become a maid. Her wages were low and often docked, and the male master of the house often got handsy with her, which had distressed the young woman very much.

Ciri’s wages were high, and she even received other subsidies. Her work was not heavy, and could even be considered easy. Her only distress was that the young master never got handsy with her.

Karon carried the ingredients outside and saw Ms. Lake holding a bundle of cloth.

“Are you heading out?” Ms. Lake asked with a smile.

“Yes. Someone owes Mr. Pavaro a debt, so I’m going to collect it.”

Ms. Lake understood the meaning behind his words and immediately asked, “Is it dangerous?”

“It isn’t. He’s already trapped.”

“That’s good. If it is dangerous, please don’t go. I know my husband. He wouldn’t want his family and friends to face danger for his sake.”

“I know, madam. Are you planning to make clothes with all that cloth?”

“Yes. I’m planning to make some sleepwear for the family.”

“Dora and Dorin will definitely be very happy.” Before, the girls’ clothes had all been relatively simple. Because of concerns that the rotting areas of their skin might stick to the fabric and be difficult to remove, they had no sleepwear.

“What color would you like? I can make one for you first,” Ms. Lake asked.

“Black.”

“Alright.”

Karon walked outside and got into the car, and then turned to glance at the sword case Alfred had placed on the back seat.

“Young Master, I regret that I won’t be able to witness tonight’s realization.”

“My thoughts are all written in the notebook,” Karon replied.

“I’ve already copied them out, Young Master,” Alfred answered with a smile.

“I’m leaving.” Karon started the car and drove away.

Alfred placed both hands before his chest and watched with a devout expression. Only after the car’s shadow could no longer be seen did the demonkin let out a long breath and say, “I can feel it. A new chapter is about to begin.”

***

“Why didn’t the captain come today?”

“Ask him. How should I know? Am I supposed to call every day and ask if he’s coming to freeload dinner tonight?”

“Then we won’t open the wine for now.”

“If he isn’t here, I’m not worthy of drinking wine on my own? Brat, do you still want to inherit my refrigerator?”

Karon pulled out the stopper and poured a glass for Saman. The old man took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, “This wine is very good. What was it steeped with?”

“Ginseng.”

“That explains it. There’s a fresh fragrance to it. Also, the dishes today are very good again. You brat, why believe in Order at all? How good it would be if you just became a chef.”

“Can a chef not believe in Order?”

“Pff... Hahaha!” Saman nearly sprayed out the wine in his mouth. “That’s a good answer! After all, maybe your God of Order used to be a chef. Heh heh, even if I said that, you won’t get angry, right?”

“I won’t, because I think the God of Order was raised by a whore.”

“...” Saman gaped.

After a long while, he set down his pipe and flute and pointed at them. “These two are also good things. They’re no worse than that refrigerator.”

“Oh?”

“The refrigerator isn’t actually all that useful. You can’t carry a refrigerator around with you everywhere. If you keep it at home, it’s just another little storage cabinet and doesn’t mean much, but these two are different. They can be considered a set. Using them, you can ‘take’ things out from inside the refrigerator while you’re outside.”

“You’re giving them to me now?”

“Of course not! You can only take them after I retire. But don’t worry, I won’t use them to fight. Besides, if things really come to blows, I’ll hit you first and knock you flat, so you won’t feel bad about it.”

“No, why would I feel bad?”

“Hm?”

“Rest assured, if we really come to blows, I’ll be the first to charge up and hack at you. You old thing, before this you actually only intended to give me a refrigerator!”

Give me a storage space, but if I need something inside it, I still have to go home and get it? Then what’s the point of having the storage space at all if I have to go home to get it anyway!

“Tch, just you?”

“Yes, just me.”

“Forget it, forget it. You’re alright, I suppose, you brat.” Saman reached out and patted Karon’s shoulder. “For the sake of currying favor with me, you can even say something like that. That’s really going all out. Well then, when you said it, wasn’t your heart beating wildly in fear?”

Karon let out a long sigh and touched his chest. “Yes, I was scared to death.”

“I’ve never seen anyone like you. You make me feel bad if I don’t leave you even more things.”

“Do you have any other good stuff lying around?”

“What do you want to do?”

“If you do, I can curse you a few more times.”

“...”

***

A quarter to eight, Karon drove to Marone Dock. Worried that arriving too early would alarm the target, he parked along the road outside and waited another twenty minutes.

It was a smuggling dock, so ships would only come by on fixed days each month. At this hour and day, it was very quiet inside.

Karon loaded the Art bullets one by one into his Sawa-7 pistol. After Fannie had finished modifying it, the gun had gained a special kind of texture.

He then put six small vials of potion into his pocket.

Finally, he opened the sword case and took out the Aelius Sword, resting it on his shoulder.

He didn’t like this look. He had once thought that when Ophelia wielded the longsword, the contrast gave her a certain charm, but seeing himself in the car’s reflection, the sense of dissonance felt just as necessary. “I should have Alfred make a sword harness that fixes it to my back.”

After making his preparations, Karon walked toward the dock. Before he got far, he heard a puzzled voice, “Hm? Why are you here?”

The voice was very familiar to him; It was Fannie’s.

Swish. She slid down from a hanging beam beside him and looked at Karon.

“Isn’t today the arrest operation?”

“Yes. Are you here to participate in the mission?”

“Yes. I shouldn’t be late. Captain told me eight o’clock.”

“But our assembly time was seven. The operation started long ago.”

“Luke is already dead?” Karon remembered that Nio had said Luke would not be left alive.

“No. We successfully ambushed and severely wounded him, but Captain suddenly halted the offensive and told us only to keep him pinned down and surrounded. We’ve been waiting until now.”

At that moment, Fannie suddenly said, “Understood, Captain.”

She removed a blue shell from beside her ear and held it to Karon’s ear. “He’s here.”

Nio’s voice came from the shell.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Go in.”

“Understood, Captain.” Karon kept walking forward, entering a badly rusted factory building. A bit of blue firelight flickered inside. Luke, his face covered in blood, sat there, treating his own injuries.

When he saw Karon come in, Luke asked in confusion, “Who are you?”

“I’m the one you asked to come.”

“I asked you to come?” Luke’s confusion instantly transformed into joy. “Then can we negotiate? Are you now willing to negotiate? I can tell you where all of Zeric’s assets are, so long as you let me go this one time.”

Karon shook his head and said, “I came to tell you who exactly I am.”