13 Mink Street

Pu’er, having just finished her supper, padded into the bedroom. She looked at Kevin lying on his bed. “Stupid dog, what are you doing?”

“Woof.”

“Choosing coordinates?”

“Woof.”

“Was that compass given to you by that old man?”

“Woof.”

“And he told you to fiddle with it at random with your paws until you dialed in some coordinate?”

“Woof.”

“And then the coffin carrying his corpse will be sent to those coordinates? But why would he have you do something like that?”

“Woof.”

“He said he wanted a dog to bring an end to a life as slapdash and dog-like as his own?”

“Woof.”

“And he said the pairing was perfect?”

“Woof.”

“Hmm. Poor stupid dog. That old man really did treat you as a dog.” Pu’er walked over and patted Kevin’s bald head with a paw. “Only I’m allowed to call you ‘stupid dog,’ no one else.”

Kevin nodded.

“So where did you send him?”

“Woof.”

“Are you saying you’ve already cracked the compass’s positioning system?”

“Woof.”

“And you even shifted the destination out of the spatial current?”

“Woof.”

Pu’er burst out laughing. “You routed him home?”

Then, the laughter vanished from her face, and she hurriedly asked, “No, wait! Stupid dog, where exactly in the house are you sending him?”

Kevin turned his head to look at the large bed in the master bedroom.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Damn you, you stupid dog! I’m going to burn you alive! That’s my bed! That is my bed with Karon!” Pu’er sprang at Kevin and began scratching furiously at his bald head with her paws. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You absolutely did! This is revenge for making you sleep in the side room, isn’t it?”

Kevin lowered his head in deep grievance and raised a paw to point beneath the bed.

“Mm... you mean the only place in the house you ever set up an array was under the bed?”

Pu’er then froze, because she remembered. Some time ago, when Karon had first started bringing home large amounts of credits and materials had become plentiful, it had been her idea to have the stupid dog attempt to prepare a communication array in the master bedroom, one that would allow two sides to see each other and talk.

With one set up in the master bedroom, then once they returned to Allen Manor, another could be set up in the bedroom of her great-great-great-great-grandniece, allowing the young couple to “meet” from time to time.

As the house cat and dog, where was the safest place to set up an array, where it was least likely be disturbed or damaged? The master bedroom.

More precisely, under the master bed.

Pu’er and Kevin walked over to the bed and stared at it. Kevin silently nudged the compass forward with a paw. “Woof.”

“All right, of course I can see that too. Karon seems to want to Awaken him.”

“Woof.”

“Like Earl Rekar? Two of the twelve?”

“Woof.”

“You people really are trying to assemble twelve Order Knights?”

“Woof.”

“It seems that radio demon has influenced you quite a bit lately. You’re no longer a simple dog; He’s filled your head with dreams. Honestly, it’s humiliating to watch, stupid dog.”

“Woof!”

“All right, all right, I know your life is hard. You’re looking forward to unlocking a few more layers of your seal next time, but... if I call someone in right now to move the bed, is there still time?”

A violent humming filled the room. Despite the windows and doors being closed tight, a fierce wind suddenly picked up, whipping Pu’er’s fur and Kevin’s remaining hair into disarray.

“Woof.”

“Shut up, stupid dog! I know it’s too late! My bed...”

A coffin appeared in midair above the bed...

Then dropped. With a tremendous crash, the bed collapsed beneath it.

Naturally, such a commotion alarmed everyone outside the room. Ciri immediately came running and pushed open the door. What she saw was a cat and a dog, sitting side by side. In front of them, a huge coffin lay atop a smashed bed.

“What... happened?” Ciri cried, covering her mouth.

Pu’er turned her head and said, “Tell Ms. Lake it’s nothing and that everyone should continue sleeping. You too, go back to bed, my dear buttock- no, my dear Ciri.”

“All right.” Ciri left the room, a smile still on her face as she closed the bedroom door. She kept that same smile fixed in place even after the door had shut.

***

“All right then, the funeral is over.”

Clap, clap, clap. Karon began applauding, and Alfred joined in.

Pike and Dinkom were still rather dazed, having no idea exactly what had just happened, but that did not stop them from following the atmosphere and applauding as well.

“Young Master...” Alfred began, then stopped.

“Alfred, Saman has just given us an extraordinarily splendid funeral. He’s even managed to refresh my understanding of what a funeral can be. I think this ought to be recorded as a classic case.

“Cremation, burial, sea burial, even sky burial, compared to this ‘spatial exile,’ they simply are not on the same level. When you get back with Kevin, the two of you should study this array carefully. We can turn it into a service in the future. I’m sure there will be people who like this. To have your coffin carry you adrift through the endless cracks of space? That’s romantic and beautiful, isn’t it?”

“What you say is perfectly right, Young Master. Once we return, I will immediately begin studying that portion of the array and will strive to add it to our list of services as soon as possible.”

“Mm. I trust your ability, and I trust Mr. Hoffen’s judgment even more.”

“Young Master, Mr. Hoffen chose you.”

“Alfred, have you forgotten? Mr. Hoffen once said that your eyes are best suited for learning. He wrote so many notes before he died, they can hardly be intended for me alone.”

“Only now... have I realized that.”

“It’s all right. Once we one day return to Roja City, we can visit Mr. Hoffen’s grave. Fortunately, he was nowhere near as mischievous as Saman.”

“Young Master, as for the twelve coffins...”

“That is also for you. Have them made as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, Young Master. I understand. Had Saman died a day later and helped us to copy the array over, the efficiency would have been much higher.”

“But he’s already gone.”

“Yes. He’s already gone.”

“All right then. Let’s go home.” Karon started the hearse, and Alfred, Pike, and Dinkom climbed in behind him.

As the hearse drove out through the gates of Ivy Cemetery, Karon saw that all of the priests of the Church of Pamireth had already left.

What he did not know was that they had already obtained what they wanted. At the moment of death, Saman had ultimately chosen to return what belonged to Pamireth back to Pamireth.

It was probably not due to love, but more likely, the old man had simply not wished to leave any debt behind, or perhaps he did not wish to leave behind any lingering ties. He wanted only to depart cleanly.

On their way back, Alfred glanced several times at his young master behind the wheel, repeatedly wanting to speak, and yet holding himself back. Saman’s corpse has been lost, which means Young Master can no longer wake him.

Before the funeral, Alfred had simply assumed that Saman would become one of that select group. He met the conditions, and had even been the one to design the twelve coffins.

Yet reality did not play out in that way.

So Saman was not, after all, one of the chosen? Because of his mischief, did he lose a chance to receive divine favor? What a pity...

And yet, when Alfred opened his notebook and prepared to strike through the [2/12] written on the last page, his pen stopped. He looked back up at his young master and saw that his expression remained perfectly calm. Alfred licked his lips and closed the notebook. He got up and moved over behind the driver’s seat. In a voice so low that only Karon could hear it, he asked, “Young Master, were you originally intending to Awaken Saman?”

“I meant to Awaken him after his funeral and ask him to get up for supper.”

“It seems that isn’t in his cards. This is his loss. Just like his life, he lost the chance to ascend onto the mural.”

“Fate has its arrangements.”

Karon left off the next sentence, “There’s no need to force things.” In any case, the first line was always followed by the second.

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred returned to his seat.

As he drove, Karon said, “Alfred, put on some music.”

“At once, Young Master.” A faint redness began to glimmer in Alfred’s eyes, and music then was heard through the car’s radio. It was a slow, sorrowful song that perfectly suited the moment.

“Are all of these part of your collection?” Karon asked.

“Yes, Young Master. I usually keep an ear out for new songs.”

“That must take some effort.”

“Not at all. I could not do such things in the past. It is only after following you, Young Master, that I gradually become capable of them. It is you who changed me.”

“You’ve changed me too, Alfred. It’s hard for me to imagine what my life in Veyn would have been like if you hadn’t come with me.”

“I am willing to remain by your side and serve you always, Young Master.”

“Good. Then wherever I go from now on, I’ll bring you with me.”

Karon drove on through the night. As he went, his gaze glanced into the rearview mirror and across the empty space in the back where the coffin should have sat.

He suddenly thought of the book he had just read, I Left You Behind in Spring. All of the suspicion, anxiety, and oversensitivity that had been present in the first half of the protagonist’s life resembled the first half of many people’s lives: sensitive, doubtful, arrogant, and prone to fantasy. One could also call it restless, enriching, or anxious.

Then, once the protagonist killed his wife, everything abruptly grew rational and calm, which made the latter half of the book feel rather dull. It seemed that, in life, one had to “kill” something before they could obtain what people considered maturity.

Rather like the second half of Saman’s life.

As for the final essay praising dandelions, that felt more like a sigh at the end of life itself. For most people, life could never truly begin and end in perfect symmetry, nor could it ever be made wholly complete.

Even gods fell with regrets; How much less could men avoid them? Who could ever draw that final period into a perfect circle?

Unfortunately, the author of that book really had been a wife-murderer, which made Karon’s reflections seem faintly absurd, as though they had a foundation of strained overreading.

Still, once a work was written and placed before the world as an independent thing; its thought and angle were no longer entirely determined by the author. It was wholly open to the interpretation of whoever read it, and could, in that sense, become unrelated to its creator.

Grandpa’s ending seems much the same, then what about my own?

Karon briefly fell into confusion. It was brief because Saman had already offered an answer: “If I could live it once more, I would not want to think, to hesitate, or to linger in indecision. I would want to be unrestrained. I would want to be free. I would want to be willful.”

A smile appeared at the corner of Karon’s mouth. After all, he had already been given another chance.

Alfred was watching Karon this whole time. It was a habit he had developed whenever with Karon. Alfred opened his notebook and wrote:

Even gods can be lost. Even gods can let go. A god’s greatness lies in how unlike us He is, yet a god’s greatness also lies in how He is like us.

After hesitating, Alfred continued writing:

Though I am unwilling to admit it, in that moment I believe I doubted god, and am guilty.

I feel that everyone who comes into contact with Young Master is changed by him. Their former lives, their former paths, are smoothed out by him. Saman was no exception, nor was he an accident.

I still firmly believe, just as Young Master said, that everything has its arrangement. I repent, for that brief moment of astonishment, for that instant of distraction.

Young Master, I have sinned.

***

The hearse returned to the funeral home. Pike and Dinkom went to clean up, while Karon and Alfred walked inside.

“You mean to house the twelve coffins at Allen Manor?”

“Yes, Young Master. The performance hall there is ideal.”

“I agree. I trust Pu’er will agree as well. After all, Earl Rekar will be the first to be moved in. Oh, right, follow up on that trade deal between Allen Manor and Darkmoon Island; the commercial dealings and the movement of interests. There should be progress soon.”

“Yes, Young Master. I have kept it in mind all along. Once there is progress, I will report to you.”

“Mm, good. Get some rest early. I don’t think I’ll have any missions for a while, so I should be able to rest properly too. Oh, I nearly forgot. In a few days, I need to find some time to go to the pottery studio to order some humanoid puppets for Pu’er and Kevin.”

“Please rest early, Young Master.”

Karon pushed open the bedroom door and walked in.

Alfred turned and headed for his own room, but just then, his young master’s voice came from behind him. “Alfred...”

“Young Master?”

“Come in here for a moment.”

Alfred stepped into the master bedroom, and there he saw an extremely familiar coffin resting atop the bed that had been crushed flat beneath it.

The scene before him was so jarring that Alfred’s mouth fell open on instinct.

Fate has its arrangements. He let out a long breath of relief. He was very glad, glad that on the ride back, he had already repented, rather than waiting until this moment.

Once the gaze of god falls upon you, even if you flee into the spatial currents, you still cannot escape god’s master bedroom.

The lid of the coffin had not been nailed shut, merely fastened into place with some catches, so opening it required nothing more than a bit of technique. Alfred alone opened it with ease.

Karon stepped closer and bent over to look at Saman inside.

The man was not lying peacefully, at least not in any conventional sense of the word. The violent jolting of the array’s transmission had flipped what should have been a face-up corpse into one lying face down, with both hands pinned behind it like a man attempting the butterfly stroke within his coffin.

Pu’er explained the whole sequence of events, and only then did Karon understand why, once they had reached the cemetery, Saman had suddenly mentioned Karon’s golden retriever.

...

“What else do you want me to say? That he’s as clever as a person? He’s just a dog, after all.”

“Yes. Quite right. Just a dog.”

...

Saman had wanted a beautiful form of exile that was laced with a black, self-mocking humor. He had chosen a dog as his instrument. By Kevin’s own account, when Saman had handed him the compass, he had included a bone chewed so smooth that not even a fly could stand on it.

At the same time, Saman had dribbled meat gravy over the compass. He had intended for the golden retriever to lick, paw, and play with the compass, and in that way, randomly choose spatial coordinates for his coffin.

Karon truly found it difficult to imagine how Saman had managed to come up with, and actually carry out, something so shamelessly absurd. Under normal circumstances, if a golden retriever slobbered, pawed, and gnawed all over a precision compass, heaven knew where the array would end up pointing when activated. There would be no way to trace it afterward, no reconstructing things no matter how diligently one tried.

And yet Saman had suffered a truly terrible stroke of luck. He had entrusted the setting of the compass to a heretical god.

Not only that, to a heretical god who had just been treated like a dog, and was, quite understandably, offended. Well then, since you insist on treating me like a dog, I’ll drag you back and we can be dogs together.

“Kevin.”

The golden retriever sat before Karon with his tail wagging.

“You did very well.”

“Woof!” Kevin was thrilled to be praised.

Pu’er, however, tilted her head and asked, “What I want to know is, where exactly are we sleeping tonight?”

Alfred said, “This bed can’t be replaced until tomorrow, so Young Master can sleep in my room tonight.”

“No need to trouble yourself.” Karon waved the suggestion away. “It’s only one night. Sleeping on the floor is fine. By the way, are you all hungry? I’ll go make supper.”

Karon left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen. There was still plenty of leftover rice in the refrigerator. The household had gradually adapted to rice as a staple because of Karon’s own tastes, but the others were clearly still adapting, which led to there always being quite a bit left over. It was perfect for preparing egg fried rice.

Crack the eggs. Beat them. Heat the oil. Add the eggs, then the rice, and stir-fry them together.

Karon liked his fried rice on the dry side, as it felt more satisfying when eaten that way. At the end, he scattered a great handful of chopped scallions over the rice, and aroma burst out at once.

“Alfred, call them to the kitchen to eat.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Karon himself spooned out two bowls of rice and set them aside on a tray, along with two pairs of chopsticks; one laid flat, the other stuck upright in the rice.

He then carried that tray back to the master bedroom. Inside, there were only Karon and Saman: one standing beside the coffin, the other lying inside it.

Karon set the tray down on the floor and stood facing the coffin. A black chain stretched out from beneath his feet, climbed over the coffin, and entered it.

A deep vortex appeared in his left eye. He raised a hand, pointed at the coffin, and said in a low voice, “In the name of Order, Awaken!”

In an instant, the black chain turned red. Karon could feel his spiritual power being rapidly depleted, though by now, he could bear such a cost with relative ease.

Once it was finished, the red chain returned to black, and then withdrew beneath his feet, where it disappeared.

Karon sat down on a cushion, picking up one of the bowls of egg fried rice. He took two bites with his chopsticks. Mm. A little bland. More salt next time.

Just then, Saman slowly lifted his head out of the coffin. He stared around in utter shock. His surroundings felt so familiar that, for a moment, he almost believed it to be the landscape of his consciousness after death.

His gaze then landed on the old refrigerator that stood within the familiar bedroom, and he instantly understood what had happened.

This was reality, and he had been Awakened.

At last, Saman’s eyes settled on Karon sitting before him, and in a tone of complete disbelief, he asked, “You... are the one who awakened me?”

“Yes.”

“What... what for?”

“Supper?”