13 Mink Street

Darkmoon deserves only to mirror the shadow of Order.

Tafmann understood that even this was mild. Karon’s true meaning was that Darkmoon was not fit even to wait at Order’s feet.

And yet the general was not angered by the remark, because Karon was stating a fact. Everyone knew the Church of Order was strong, but the recent war between Order and Reincarnation had made people realize that Order was even stronger than anyone had previously imagined.

So whether one looked at the matter from the perspective of personal development or the rise of an entire power, Darkmoon Island simply could not compare with the Church of Order.

Tafmann said, “I can understand you, but as an investor, your ambition may mean that our investment never sees a return.”

Karon countered, “And if you didn’t have me, would you not simply invest in someone else?”

“That is a very sound point,” Tafmann allowed with a nod.

This was a question of long-term investment versus short-term returns, but Tafmann understood clearly that once Karon himself had made that decision, Darkmoon Island had already lost any possibility of short-term gain. This young man could not just be dragged back to the island and forced to lower his head until he was married. That would be the most short-sighted possible course.

“I very much look forward to seeing how far you can go within the Church of Order. I said it before, I like your temper.”

“Thank you for the appreciation.”

“Heh. Good. Continue resting.” Tafmann left the room. Once the attendant outside shut the door, his expression instantly darkened.

He returned to his study and sat back down in the chair, lightly stroking the blood-gem ring on his finger. He had to admit that he could not see through Karon.

As a man who had spent half his life ranging across the sea, Tafmann instinctively doubted everything, because the sea was the finest liar of all. One moment it could be clear and tranquil beneath a bright sky, and the next it could turn into a storming chaos of waves.

No reason, no cause, no evidence, and yet he still suspected that somewhere within this immensely solid chain of clues, there might be some hidden truth no one had yet seen.

It was absurd, because if all this had truly been arranged by human hands, then it had been an enormous undertaking, all for what? Merely to win the favor of his niece?

But there lay the problem.

Tafmann knew his niece had already held favorable feelings toward Karon because of their previous encounter in Veyn. This time, when they met again, barring any surprises, Karon’s coldness should have led his niece to say she wanted to cut off those feelings.

From Tafmann’s conversation with Karon, the young man had clearly expressed his ambitions. He wanted to continue advancing along the path of Order, and had not even bothered to conceal his contempt for Darkmoon, going so far as to invoke Lady Poelle’s own words.

To deliberately forge all this, merely to deceive his niece into falling in love?

And yet from beginning to end, Karon had been the one taking the initiative to reject and push away any possibility of their relationship developing toward marriage.

Tafmann’s brows furrowed tightly. It was too contradictory.

Just then, there came a knock at the door. “Come in.”

The study door opened, and Ophelia stood at the threshold. “Uncle.”

Tafmann noticed his niece was not entering the study. She had only come by to greet him, clearly intending to have him allow her through so that she could go see the man who had just saved her.

Tafmann had always treated Ophelia like his own daughter. Seeing her like this now, he could not help feeling a trace of helplessness in his heart. “The banquet is over?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

Tonight, his elder brother had hosted a banquet for several bishops, including Wolfram, to draw closer to them. His niece had accompanied them, and as soon as the banquet ended, she had come straight back here. “He’s awake. Go see him.”

“Yes, Uncle.” Ophelia closed the study door behind her.

“Heh...” Tafmann let out a self-mocking laugh and lowered his gaze to the blood-gem ring in his hand.

He felt that he still preferred leading fleets into war against pirates and other island powers, because he knew that though the opponents he faced at sea were troublesome, they were still enemies he could defeat through planning and arrangement.

When it came to those towering orthodox Churches, he understood very clearly that even if he won ten wars in a row, it would not narrow the vast gulf in strength between them at all, while his own side would only need to lose a single battle for Darkmoon Island to be destroyed.

He disliked dealing with enemies he could never defeat.

No, not just him. No one liked that.

Tafmann rested his hand against his forehead and muttered to himself, “Light Vermin...”

***

The door to the room opened, and Ophelia walked in. Karon was currently reclining against the bedhead, drinking tea from a cup an attendant had just brought him.

Ophelia came to his bedside and sat down, asking with concern, “How are your injuries recovering?”

“Fortunately, thanks to your personal treatment, otherwise my wounds might have healed long ago.”

At those words, Ophelia’s expression stiffened slightly. She said nothing.

Karon at once set down the teacup. “I’m joking. Thank you for taking care of me. Not everyone gets treatment like this.”

Ophelia shook her head. “How do you do it? You’ve only just woken from serious injuries, and yet you can be this optimistic immediately?”

“As long as I haven’t yet laid down in a coffin, I will try my best to maintain a cheerful attitude toward life.”

“And after you lie down in one?”

“That way, once I do lie in a coffin, I can rely on muscle memory. Perhaps I’ll even keep smiling after death.”

“What would you like to eat?”

Karon started slightly. “Are you going to cook?”

“No. I’ll have the chefs prepare something.”

“Anything is fine.”

“And then? What should happen now?” Ophelia asked. “You saved me. You nearly died. You were gravely injured. You woke up. I am now sitting at your bedside. You’re staying optimistic. Thanks to timely treatment, your injuries aren’t a major problem... and I, right now, what am I supposed to do?”

“You could smile at life.”

“You’re brushing me off.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Ophelia spoke with certainty. At the same time, a slight smile curved her lips, but it was a cold one. “If I were to say I’ll continue taking care of you, or that I want to show you my feelings, you’d immediately drag out your fiancée again to deflect me, or casually steer the subject away.”

“Would I?”

“You would.”

“So we already understand each other so well now.”

“Since I was young, I’ve usually gotten whatever I wanted.”

“That’s not a good way to raise a child. When you have children of your own someday, don’t indulge them like that.”

“So fuck propriety!” Ophelia cursed.

This was the first time Karon had ever heard the noble princess curse.

He then realized that Ophelia had seized his hand. He did not pull back at once, but the next moment, her fingers interlaced with his, and when Karon tried to withdraw his hand, he found he could not.

Judging from the earlier fight when they had faced his captain, Karon did not believe himself to be weaker than Ophelia in terms of Arts, but Ophelia was a Darkmoon warrior, and in raw physical strength, she far surpassed him.

She had steadily lost ground when fighting the captain in close combat, but that had been against the captain. When Ophelia exerted real strength, Karon trying to pry his hand free became unrealistic. Worse, he could feel that as soon as he increased his own effort, Ophelia increased hers as well.

In the end, Karon gave in and stopped struggling, because if things escalated any further, it would turn into using Arts to fight Ophelia in bed.

The cold smile did not disappear from Ophelia’s lips. With one hand still locked with his, she leaned forward, wrapping her other arm around Karon’s waist and pressing her face to his chest.

Karon instinctively raised a hand to move the princess’s arm from around his waist, but she seemed to sense his movement and tightened her hold before he could follow through. She even shifted her head slightly against his chest, searching for a more comfortable angle.

“Sorry. First time resting against a man’s chest. I don’t have any experience.”

“That...”

“You can keep resisting if you like. It’s fine. Even if you weren’t injured, you still wouldn’t beat me in close combat, let alone now, when you’re hurt.”

“No...”

Paige had once complained to Fannie that she regretted not simply taking Karon by force the first time she had met him in the captain’s office, because before long, she had discovered that she could no longer overpower him.

Clearly, Ophelia was not making the same mistake as Paige.

Karon remained sitting there on the bed, while Ophelia continued leaning against him just like that. There was no sorrow or entanglement on the princess’s face. She seemed to have attained clarity.

No, guidance from Darkmoon.

She was not some schoolgirl who liked to act strong in public and cry in private. She was a princess, and a warrior. If mutual love could not be had, she would at least make herself happy first.

Once she thought it through like that, her entire heart brightened at once.

“Ophelia...”

“Oh, please don’t say those things again and spoil my mood right now. Could you?”

“But—”

“Please place your hand on my back. That would be the proper thing to do.”

“But—”

“It’s only a tiny request. You can’t even satisfy me that much? Consider it helping a friend.”

Karon placed a hand on Ophelia’s back. She continued resting against his chest, looking relaxed and at ease.

“Do you hold your fiancée like this too?”

“I do.”

“She must be very thoughtful. Very gentle.”

“Yes.”

“She would not be like me, not even knowing how to lean on someone properly? I do not mean she is more experienced. I mean... perhaps I am simply not the kind of woman you like. You prefer someone gentle and quiet, don’t you?

“It’s fine. Just answer honestly. I only want the real answer.”

“Yes.”

The moment the word left his mouth, Karon felt her arms tighten around his waist. So much for it being fine.

“You said you met your fiancée through an arranged introduction between your families.”

“Yes.”

“If I had been the first woman they introduced to you instead, would you have chosen me?”

Karon hesitated.

“Answer,” Ophelia pressed him.

“I would have.”

“Why?”

“Because you are beautiful too.”

“So when you look at women, all you care about is whether they are beautiful?”

“When you meet someone for the first time in an arranged match, what else are you supposed to judge first besides appearance?”

“So I was simply too late, wasn’t I?”

“Fate.”

“Your understanding of love is truly shallow, Karon.” The people of Darkmoon Island had all been raised under the influence of Ancestor Bernard’s love story, and so their understanding of love naturally carried a romantic idealism.

Karon truly wanted to tell her what her Ancestor Bernard had really been like.

“Ophelia, do you know why love stories are always so sought after in this world? Because people generally like to pursue through literature the things they cannot obtain in real life.

“You may think my understanding of love is shallow, but you’ll find that in truth, I’m already happier than most people in this world.”

“You’re no older than I am,” Ophelia reminded him. “And yet you always give people the feeling that you’ve already lived a whole life and seen through far too much.”

“That’s probably just because people mature at different speeds. I may have matured early. But, Ophelia—”

“All right, I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the relationship between you and your fiancée. Though our island has no marriage laws, when I read works written in Marcan, I can still understand the appeal of one husband and one wife.”

So don’t burden yourself psychologically. I could even smile and attend your wedding.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I’d go to bless you, not to cause trouble.”

“Ophelia—”

“All right. Be quiet for a while. I want to stay like this a little longer.”

After a long while, Ophelia suddenly noticed a dampness against her face. Somewhat surprised, she lifted her head, looked at Karon, and asked, “What happened?”

“My wound... reopened.”

***

Once again, the facts proved that injuries which might well have healed earlier instead became more serious under Ophelia’s devoted care.

Fortunately, the healing resources available were abundant. Late that night, another group of physicians came and treated Karon with Arts, and by the following morning, he was already able to get out of bed and wash up on his own.

Of course, that also owed much to the captain’s precise handling of the injuries in the first place.

“I already sent word to your captain and explained your present condition. He said he would arrange for someone else to cover your duty and told you to stay here and recover properly. Your captain truly is a good man.”

“Mhmm.”

Yes. He would probably be happiest if I stayed here all the way through the child’s confinement month with the mother.

“You’re still going back to the hotel today?”

“Today is the start of the meeting. I want to go and see it in person,” Karon said.

“You care a great deal about this sort of thing?” Ophelia asked.

“Don’t you?”

“The details of the meeting will be available afterward.”

Karon shook his head. “It’s not the same. I want to experience the atmosphere. Perhaps after sitting below and listening for a full day, I’ll be too lazy to go again tomorrow.”

“If you find it boring, I can take you around other parts of the island.”

Karon did not refuse. He simply said, “All right.”

Breakfast had been lavish, but the turtle egg especially stood out. Fresh and richly flavorful, scooped out with a spoon and eaten straight from the shell, it was the sort of taste that could leave a person intoxicated.

Karon felt that this single turtle egg had nearly shaken the place Yangchun noodles held in his heart as the ideal breakfast.[1]

Unfortunately, according to Ophelia, this kind of turtle egg was something her uncle, General Tafmann, deliberately kept an eye out for while voyaging at sea and hunted specially for her. Even for Darkmoon Island’s own princess, it would be difficult to eat one every day, let alone for Karon.

At present, aside from the fact that his cat had drunk coffee beans bought with credits, no one in his household had yet reached the level of extravagance where they were eating food bought with credits.

After breakfast, Ophelia said, “Take my carriage back to the hotel.”

She then added, “I’m going to the hotel as well. I have matters there.”

If the two of them returned to the hotel together in a carriage this morning, it would practically be an open declaration of some kind of relationship.

Karon found the whole feeling somewhat strange. In most cases, when it came to romantic relationships, it was men who more often took the initiative to proclaim things and assert a sense of claim. Yet with Ophelia, the entire situation was reversed.

No, actually, if one simply swapped the gender roles around, then everything made perfect sense again. Ophelia had clearly taken up the role of the boyfriend, which would make him...

“No need. I’ll go back myself.” Karon stepped out of the villa, crossed one street, and hailed a carriage. “To Bernard Hotel.”

At that moment, a female warrior stepped into the carriage as well. Though she wore a faceguard, Karon knew it was Ophelia.

She spread her hand and said to him, “This way, you don’t need to worry about damaging your reputation, right?”

“That suit of armor is nice. It’s more fitted than the large one you wore the first time I saw you when you got off the ship.”

“Large suits are troublesome and time-consuming to put on. Also, when you leave the hotel these days, be a bit more careful. That Light vermin might be dead, but he might have accomplices who haven’t yet. The whole island is searching for them in secret.”

Karon nodded. “Hope they catch those damned bastards soon.”

The carriage began moving toward Bernard Hotel. Ophelia said, “Go by the side entrance. This gentleman doesn’t like being seen with me.”

“Very good, miss. And sir, you truly are not very chivalrous.”

Bernard Hotel was divided into several lodging zones. The main entrance led to the largest residential area, which was currently occupied mostly by the Church of Order delegation, while the side entrance led to the lodging area of the Church of Reincarnation. While the two delegations were staying at the same hotel, they had little direct contact.

On the road outside the side entrance to Bernard Hotel, a crowd stood holding banners and shouting slogans:

“We want peace!”

“No to war between the Churches!”

Seeing this scene, Karon could not help asking, “Are there followers of the Church of Reincarnation on Darkmoon Island?”

Ophelia shook her head. “None on the island itself, but one of the Church of Reincarnation’s holy lands lies rather close to Darkmoon Island. This is a large island, but there are also smaller islands scattered around the nearby sea, and many people on those smaller islands follow the Church of Reincarnation. They came here of their own accord this time and registered when they came ashore. For the duration of this conference, they won’t be driven away, but after the meeting is over, only the Church of Order’s mission chapel will be allowed to persist on the island.”

“Then why aren’t they demonstrating at the main entrance?”

“Because they’re afraid of getting beaten.”

The driver stopped the carriage. “Miss, sir, we’ve arrived.”

Ophelia stepped down first and tossed the driver a gold coin. “Blessings upon you, generous miss.”

Karon and Ophelia both stepped out of the carriage, and he said, “I’ll go report back that I’ve returned.”

“I’m going to the conference hall.”

“Mhmm. Then goodbye for now.”

“Goodbye.”

Karon was not wearing priest’s robes. He had on ordinary islander clothes and no mask. In a perfectly natural way, he crossed through the Church of Reincarnation’s residential area and returned to the courtyard where he was staying.

He pushed open the gate and stepped inside. The courtyard was empty. There was still a little time before the conference’s opening, so everyone was having breakfast in their rooms.

Karon pushed the door to his own room open and found the captain sitting on the edge of his bed drinking coffee. The moment he saw Karon return, Nio immediately set down the cup, stood up, came over, and began checking Karon over from head to toe. “See? I told you. Not even one scar will be left. They definitely used the best healing Arts and medicine.”

“Captain, next time I hope you won’t—”

Before Karon could finish, the captain cut in, “Let me tell you a secret: there really are Light vermin on this island.”

“Aren’t you one yourself, Captain?”

“Oh no, I mean besides me. While you were recovering yesterday, I went for another walk around town and found a marker that signals where Light vermin gather. Mhmm. Theoretically speaking, that signal should be one that I originally designed, or rather ‘I’ did.”

“After what happened the night before, Darkmoon Island is conducting a secret search for the Light Vermins on the island. It’s normal for that to have alarmed them.”

“No. If they were responding to a search, shouldn’t they become even more silent and hidden? Why would they be sending signals and actively gathering together?

“Bernard may have slaughtered those thousand-odd Light priests, but even back then, quite a few islanders already started believing in Light. The seeds of Light may well have taken root on Darkmoon Island long ago.

“Even in Veyn, the territory directly governed by the Church of Order, there are Light vermin. Their ability to survive is truly formidable.”

“Captain, what are you getting at?”

“I suspect they may intend to do something during the conference. Are you planning to go in and sit in on the meeting? If so, you and Memphis go. Each bishop can bring two guards to sit below.”

“And you, Captain?”

“Once I deliver the Archbishop to the conference hall, I’m going out for a while to find out what exactly they intend to do.”

“And how are you planning to do that?”

“Simple. I’ll attend their meeting directly.” With Nio’s identity, slipping into a gathering of Light Vermins would be easy enough, especially when the marker signal itself was something created by the “he” in his memory.

“Captain...”

“What is it? Do you still need something?”

“Promise me this. You’re only going there to gather information and attend the meeting.”

“What else would I do?”

“Please don’t give them advice.”

1. Yangchun noodles are a simple, classic Chinese noodle dish, often associated with comfort food and everyday breakfasts. ☜