13 Mink Street

His sleep was short. Karon felt as though his head had just barely just touched the pillow when Alfred’s knocking dragged him back awake.

A call had been received; the squad was assembling at Ankara Hotel to resume their mission.

Sitting on his bed, Karon turned to look at the clock on the wall: quarter to nine. That meant, excluding the time he had spent bathing, he had slept for only two hours. Compared with everything that had happened yesterday, two hours of sleep was clearly nowhere near enough.

After washing up, he changed into some clean clothes and got into Alfred’s car for a ride back to Ankara Hotel.

On the way, Alfred handed over a breakfast that Ciri had prepared. Karon glanced at the stuffed pastry and milk, only to shake his head. “You eat it later. I have no appetite.”

When a person hadn’t slept well, their appetite usually suffered as well.

“Yes, Young Master.”

At exactly ten o’clock, Alfred dropped Karon at the entrance of Ankara Hotel.

“Ah...” Alfred gazed at the grand, magnificent hotel before them, his eyes practically shining.

Seeing his expression, Karon smiled. “One day, if we get the chance, we’ll open one ourselves.”

Alfred smiled as well. “Yes, Young Master.”

Getting out, Karon slung the sword case over his back and pushed a small suitcase towards the entrance. If he had known he would be back today, he would not have bothered packing everything yesterday.

After his identity was verified, he was allowed in.

The number of guards at the hotel’s main entrance was unchanged, but once he stepped inside, it became clear that the number of security personnel within had tripled since yesterday. Every face wore a stern expression.

Though the Senate of Order would only formally announce the divine decree regarding war to all churches at noon, it was clear that news that Order had declared war on Reincarnation had already spread. Everyone was tense, yet even more than tense, they were excited.

Karon remembered the captain saying yesterday that the earlier the Church of Order’s people were regathered, the better the war was going for them. Even so, not even Order Weekly could possibly be already printing about the battlefield progress; There were always unavoidable delays.

After entering the building and having his identity completely verified again at the front desk, Karon went to the elevator and pressed the button. A moment later, the doors opened.

To Karon’s surprise, Richard was already inside.

To his even greater surprise, the moment Richard saw Karon, he lunged forward with open arms and crushed Karon in a fierce embrace, rubbing both hands hard across Karon’s back as tears welled in his eyes.

Fortunately, there was no one nearby. Otherwise, things would have become extremely awkward.

“All right, all right,” Karon said, patting the other man’s back.

“Thank you, Karon! Thank you. Truly, thank you!”

“All right. Help me carry something.”

“Yes, yes!” Richard reached for the sword case, but Karon shifted it aside to avoid him. Richard immediately grinned and picked up the suitcase instead, and the two entered the elevator.

Once the doors closed and it was rising, Richard said, “Mother said that if you hadn’t shown up in time last night, she and Father would already be dead. Thank you, Karon.”

“It was what I should have done.”

“Grandfather said that once the war is over, he wants to invite you to our house. Grandmother will cook for you herself. You are our family’s benefactor.”

“You’re being too polite.”

“Please don’t refuse. Really.”

“All right.” Karon gently rolled his neck. He would treat the time as visiting with his grandmother.

He had no emotional attachment to the original Karon. By the time he had arrived, that Karon had already been dead. If not, Tiz would never have used an over-prepared divine descent ritual.

However, when it came to the woman who had once protected him, he would always be grateful. He could go see that woman’s mother.

“The war is going very smoothly. Three of the Church of Reincarnation’s holy lands have already been taken, and two more have chosen to surrender. That’s what Grandfather mentioned before I left home after receiving word that the mission is back on.

“I think the Knight Regiments may already be gathering to attack Reincarnation Valley.”

Karon shook his head. The smoother this war went, the more likely the Church of Order was to stop while still ahead. From what he could see, the higher-ups had no intention of completely destroying Reincarnation. If that were the goal, their squad would have already been mobilized, and the personnel at the Church of Reincarnation’s Church Affairs Building would never have been allowed to surrender yesterday.

The elevator’s doors opened, and Karon waved Richard off. He entered his room, and after setting down his luggage and the sword case, he yawned.

There were fresh cigarette butts in the ashtray on the tea table, indicating that Paige and Fannie had already stopped by, though neither was currently in the room.

Leaning his back against the bed, Karon closed his eyes and caught a bit more sleep, until the telephone rang.

He got up, picked up the receiver, and heard Fannie’s voice. “Come down to the first floor. We’re preparing to receive the target.”

“Got it.” Karon rubbed his neck, left the room, took the elevator down, and arrived on the first floor. Paige and Fannie were already standing at the entrance. When they saw Karon approach, they both greeted him. Fannie, in particular, looked energetic, despite having coughed blood after Karon had hit her yesterday.

“Didn’t sleep well?” she asked.

“Mhmm.” Karon nodded.

“Then make up for it this afternoon.”

“Mhmm, all right.” He rubbed his eyes and used the back of his hand to conceal another yawn.

At that moment, buses started pulling through the hotel’s gates, one after another. They unloaded the members of the Church of Pamireth who had previously been arrested by the garrison as prisoners of war.

A separate sedan drove in and stopped right in front of the three of them.

Karon straightened up and stepped forward to open the car door. The first person out was not Delius, but Archbishop Byrne, who climbed out of the front passenger seat.

Delius stepped out afterward. On his face, Karon saw a reflection of his own current state. Everyone was tired.

“You’ve worked hard,” Karon said, but Delius just smiled and shook his head.

Karon had assumed that after being released, they would at least be given today to rest, which would also give him a chance to catch up on sleep. However, when he stepped back into the elevator, he realized they were heading for the conference room floor.

Fine. This is work. Sleep can be had anywhere.

Inside the conference hall, the negotiation tables that had faced each other the day before had been rearranged into an angled formation, all united and facing outward.

When Karon sat down, Paige patted him, signaling that he could sleep on her shoulder, but he shook his head. “Later.”

He was not rejecting her, but there were simply too few people present at this time. In fact, it was only the three of them seated below, while up at the negotiating table sat just Archbishop Byrne and Delius, father and son.

Soon, more and more people entered the hall, all participants of yesterday’s meeting.

The seats at the negotiating tables and those down below slowly filled up, but Karon noticed the two rows of soldiers still stationed by the entrance.

Just when he felt it was time to borrow Paige’s shoulder for a quick nap, he saw Leon and Larry signaling at him to step out.

Karon very much wanted to ignore the two, but offending two young masters over a desire for some sleep was not worthwhile. With a silent sigh, he stood and left the hall.

At the washbasin outside the restroom, he splashed some water onto his face, and then entered a storage room.

Leon and Larry were inside, already eating bread and drinking milk. Karon sat down, bit open a milk pouch, and started drinking.

“What kind of nonsense is this?” Larry complained.

“But it already happened,” Leon said, shaking his head.

“Did your grandfather know?” Larry asked.

“He acted calm, but I think he genuinely didn’t.”

“Same with my grandfather. Last night, in front of me and Father, he acted like everything was under control, but the old man didn’t fake things very convincingly.”

“So, this was all coordinated by the Senate.”

“Yeah. For secrecy, probably.”

Karon simply drank milk and listened.

“But I heard that the war is going very well,” Larry continued, clearing his throat. “Those Church of Reincarnation people can’t fight at all.”

“Right,” Leon agreed. “They’ve lived in peace too long; Probably forgot how terrifying war is. At this rate, with a bit of concentration of forces and a few redeployments, we can launch a formal assault on Reincarnation Valley.”

“Exactly. It feels like we’re close. Shame we didn’t get the chance to get to the front lines.”

Leon glanced at Karon. “If anyone went, he’d be there before us.”

Active Knight Regiments were deployed first, local garrisons second, followed by the Whip of Order. Only after that would other Church personnel be sent out.

Larry looked at Karon. “Do you regret not joining the battlefield?”

Karon smiled. “Not really. This war is almost over.”

“Almost over?” Larry frowned. “How so?”

“This is just my guess, but I think the objective of this war has already been accomplished. If nothing unexpected happens, the Church of Reincarnation will soon offer a surrender and ask for negotiations.”

“We’re not attacking Reincarnation Valley?” Larry asked unhappily. “I’m sick of all this negotiating.”

Leon instead asked, “What’s your basis?”

“The fact that we’re still sitting here eating bread and drinking milk. If this war were going to expand further with the goal of taking Reincarnation Valley, I don’t know where you two would be, but I would already be preparing to deploy as reserve forces with my captain and squadmates.”

“That does make sense.” Leon nodded, then looked at Larry. “And did you notice? Both sides entered, but negotiations didn’t immediately resume. They’re sitting there, waiting. I’m sure the communications room will receive the latest battle report any moment now.”

Larry’s lips curled. “I’m going to ask my grandfather to transfer me to a Knight Regiment.”

“The First Knight Regiment?” Leon teased.

“Piss off!”

The three finished eating and walked back out. Karon knew they had simply called him along out of habit, reliving a little prison camaraderie.

After returning to his seat, Karon was not as drowsy as before, though he still felt a little groggy. Looking around, he saw he was not the only one in a daze. However, for the others, it was not due to a lack of sleep. Yesterday, they had sat in this same room, while one side acted arrogant and triumphant, the other dejected and defeated.

Today, they gathered again, only to somehow be united against an outside party. The upper levels had clearly reached understanding long ago, and ultimately, everyone below had merely been dragged along, experiencing the various twists and turns. The feeling of being toyed with was unpleasant, yet no one dared to show any dissatisfaction.

Karon noticed some attendants entering with tea, and this time, even the representatives of both parties who were seated down below were offered tea and pastries.

This was not because the leaders had suddenly grown consciences, but because the hall’s security level had been lowered.

As the tea was distributed, there were still some people who did not receive any. Instead, an attendant would whisper something into those people’s ears, and they would rise to their feet, terror on their faces as they walked to the doors, where black-armored soldiers handcuffed them.

Almost all who stood and left were members of the Church of Order. Every single member of the Pamireth delegation received tea.

They were purging the spies.

Before long, more than ten Church of Order priests were denied tea and were escorted out of the room. Throughout the process, no one argued and no one resisted, because they all understood exactly what defiance would cost them.

When the attendants reached Karon’s row, he, Paige, and Fannie all received tea.

Paige ignored the heat, and gulped a large mouthful. She then repeatedly rubbed Karon’s leg with a hand, clearly delighted. If he had not beaten her yesterday, she would likely be one of those walking out.

Karon smiled. “It’s best to avoid this kind of side hustle in future.”

“I won’t do it again, won’t do it again. That little hush money isn’t worth the risk. I never imagined the Church would suddenly crack down on this.”

Fannie said, “From now on, they’ll only get stricter.”

“Yes,” Karon agreed. “The good, loose days are over.”

He checked the time: 11:50.

A burst of static came from the speakers mounted along the conference hall walls, followed by the sound of people moving into position. This meant that the formal divine decree declaring war was about to be issued. The feeling was much like a representative of the highest seat of power preparing to deliver a nationwide broadcast.

Some things could be handled casually, while others needed to pass through every required procedure. No matter how widely the news regarding the war had already spread, no matter how many people already knew about it, if this process was not followed properly, it would remain illegitimate.

Take, for example, the divine decree announced in this same room yesterday, the one declaring war on the Church of Pamireth. Karon believed Leon’s grandfather had certainly believed it to be genuine when he had read it aloud. In fact, it likely was genuine, and originated from the Senate of Order. Everyone present had believed it to be real. The news of war had leaked the moment the meeting ended.

Even so, the true effects would only begin once the Senate formally released the divine decree at noon today. Of course, the decree issued today would certainly not be one declaring war on the Church of Pamireth.

There was something almost amusing about it all. Whoever had designed this battle plan had even made use of the spies hidden within the church’s own ranks. That alone showed how clearly the upper levels understood the extent to which they had been infiltrated.

If everyone who had attended yesterday’s meeting had been unwaveringly loyal to Order, the smokescreen would never have worked.

Karon took a sip of tea and waited patiently. Everyone present was waiting, both those seated below and those up on the platform.

Wolfram, Archbishop of the York City region, spoke from the dais, “Quiet, everyone. Next, His Eminence the High Priest of Order will proclaim our divine decree to every church in the world.”

The High Priest? Rasma? Has he finally come out of the church on Mink Street?

Karon turned to Fannie and asked, “Is our High Priest His Eminence Rasma?”

“You didn’t know that His Eminence Rasma stepped down months ago? The current High Priest is His Eminence Norton. Order Weekly explained it at the time; Lord Rasma received a calling from the God of Order and is making final preparations to enter the Temple of Order as a Temple Elder.”

“Oh. I see.” Rasma truly was going all out to condense his godhead shard. He had even relinquished the office of High Priest.

At that moment, two communications priests hurried into the conference hall carrying letters. Everyone present immediately craned their necks. A message arriving at this moment could only mean news from the front.

Archbishop Wolfram opened the letter. After reading it, he passed it to the person beside him, and then smiled faintly at the crowd below. Everyone was craning their necks like giraffes, and the Archbishop pressed a hand downward in reassurance.

Karon heard a wave of relieved exhalations. Clearly, everyone had taken the Archbishop’s reaction as a positive sign: the battle was going well. Nothing unexpected had happened.

In that moment, the people of the Church of Pamireth and the people of the Church of Order were of one mind. They already knew that their own upper ranks had reached an agreement with the Church of Order, so all they could do was pray for Order’s success in this war. To the Church of Pamireth, the Church of Order was a powerful lion, but was the Church of Reincarnation any less than a savage wolf?

Either way, the Church of Pamireth was still a little white rabbit, pitiful and helpless.

A sharp burst of static came from the speakers, followed by hurried footsteps and the rustle of papers.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation. Karon believed that, at this moment, the entire ecclesiastical world was waiting for the noon proclamation from the Church of Order.

The war had started ahead of schedule, but the church world had enjoyed peace for so long that a war between two orthodox churches still felt unreal. Earlier, even Larry and Leon had seemed somewhat dazed by it.

At last, it was noon.

Archbishop Wolfram took out a black gemstone the size of a pebble and tossed it forward. The gem hovered in midair, then projected the towering figure of a man dressed in black priest’s robes.

So it’s not only a broadcast. In places with better resources, there’s a projection as well.

Then, the exact same voice was heard from both the speakers and the projection, perfectly synchronized. “I am Norton, High Priest of the Church of Order.”

All of the bishops on the platform rose to their feet. Below them, the members of both the Church of Order and those of the Church of Pamireth stood as well.

Those from the Church of Order placed both hands to their chests, while those from the Church of Pamireth formed a different gesture before their chests. Together, they called out, “We pay respects to His Eminence the High Priest!”

Though the High Priest could neither see nor hear what happened in this room, proper respect had to be shown in public.

Karon felt that after introducing himself, the High Priest paused for a full minute, likely to give the faithful time to pay their respects. So this is the kind of ceremony Rasma once commanded.

Back when the man had stood with Tiz, Karon had truly not noticed.

At last, High Priest Norton spoke a second sentence, “We have just received news from the front. Before proclaiming the divine decree, I will first issue this temporary notice:

“The Church of Reincarnation has submitted a document of defeat to our frontline Knight Regiment and wishes to begin surrender negotiations.”

Reincarnation had surrendered? In just a single day?

Everyone in the conference hall revealed astonishment, including the bishops atop the platform.

The members of both delegations below erupted into cheers. Whatever one thought of the procedures or justice of a war, people were always pleased by victory.

Paige and Fannie were cheering beside Karon as well, celebrating the triumph. Karon, however, had expected this and remained far calmer.

By now, this news had likely spread through the entire church world. The Church of Order had forced the Church of Reincarnation to seek surrender in only one day.

“Mm.” High Priest Norton made a sound, and the hall fell silent at once. Everyone resumed a posture of respectful attention.

In the projection, Norton’s gaze was stern and imposing.

“I now proclaim the divine decree of Order originally scheduled for release at noon today:

“The existence of the Church of Reincarnation has disrupted the Order that should exist between life and death.”