13 Mink Street

The two sat on their own beds facing each other, neither speaking for a long while. Their eyes met again and again, both openly sizing up the other without the slightest attempt at concealing anything.

In the end, Karon was the first to break the silence, “Captain, let’s leave this matter at that.”

The captain looked at him somewhat puzzled. “What matter?”

“I heard Miss Ophelia may be coming to the Church of Order for further training.”

“Mhmm, that’s right. Archbishop Wolfram mentioned it to me this morning.” The captain smiled. “See? Our earlier efforts weren’t wasted after all.”

“Efforts...”

“Before doing anything, if ten parts of preparation are possible, you should do your best to prepare twelve. Study that properly, and grasp the spirit behind my words.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Additionally, there’s one more thing. Since this is supposed to be training, which department in the church do you think would suit her best?”

“The Whip?”

“Correct.”

“Miss Ophelia is joining our squad?”

“She won’t.”

“Haa...” Karon let out a long sigh of relief.

“Archbishop Wolfram’s intention is for her to independently establish a Whip of Order squad with herself serving as the captain. In your opinion, when she begins selecting her personnel, who do you think she’ll choose?”

Karon exclaimed in surprise, “They’re giving her that much freedom?”

“That’s because Darkmoon Island is surrendering command of their fleet. That fleet is Darkmoon Island’s strongest force, as well as the strongest force on these seas. Compared to Darkmoon Island’s fleet, the position of a Whip of Order squad captain is honestly still somewhat beneath her.”

“That’s true.”

“And it’s precisely because of that that Archbishop Wolfram has completely put aside his own reservations and has become willing to support and facilitate this matter. Of course, this still has to go through the Regional Administrative Office for formalities’ sake, but since this decision was personally made by the Cardinal, that’s just basically procedure now.

“This morning, before you returned, Clan Leader Veynar brought Miss Ophelia specifically to visit Archbishop Wolfram. I could tell that they intended to have her apologize and smooth things over. After all, the clan leader’s own daughter will be staying in York City for at least three years. Naturally, he needs to resolve what awkwardness was left behind from the failed marriage arrangement.

“They gave enough face, and since this concerns binding the church and Darkmoon Island together, judging from Archbishop Wolfram’s attitude, he’s completely forgiven Miss Ophelia.”

“That’s good.”

“Heh. He only said he forgave Miss Ophelia. He never included you in anything he said.”

“That—”

“But you don’t need to worry. After observing him these past few days, Archbishop Wolfram actually seems fairly decent. Just look at that boy, Leon. Although he has some habits of a spoiled young master, the way in which he conducts himself and how he handles things are still acceptable. You can judge the whole from a part.

“Any normal elder would be angry if a marriage alliance involving their descendants was inexplicably ruined. He definitely dislikes you, but he won’t deliberately target you. You can rest assured on that point. Still, you should be more cautious in the future and rein yourself in a little when handling matters.”

“No, Captain. Who exactly started that rumor back then?” The true culprit behind it was the captain himself. He had instructed his own squad members to spread the rumor so the Hunting Hounds, which had only recently been transferred from Port Mulberry to York City, could build their reputation more easily and have an easier time taking assignments.

“Ahem...” The captain cleared his throat. “There’s no need to waste energy digging into such ancient history.”

Karon yawned. He truly was exhausted, but the captain continued, “When the time comes and she arrives, take the initiative and report to her yourself. The relationship between you two used to just be a rumor, but now you’ve entered and exited the hotel together countless times. At this point, it’s basically soy paste spilled into your trousers.”

“I’m not going.”

“Don’t throw a tantrum.”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum. I simply like our Hunting Hounds squad.”

“Karon.”

“Mhmm?”

“Even hunting hounds need to mate.”

“...” Karon.

“And to produce new hunting hounds. Think about it. She’ll be a captain, which means she’ll have slots for official members. However, she’ll also be a new arrival in the Church of Order and won’t be familiar with anything. If you go over, who will really be the captain

“Also, in this way, won’t you be able to build a Hunting Hounds squad that truly belongs to yourself very quickly?”

“I still don’t want to go.”

“Whether you want to or not really isn’t up to you, because within our squad, you don’t actually hold an official slot. Theoretically, attached members can be directly transferred into official positions by their superiors without any consent required.”

“They can force people like that?”

“It’s called dedicating yourself to the God of Order. Can that be considered force? Thinking that way is dangerous. It means you aren’t sufficiently loyal to the God of Order.

“At the same time, attached members Memphis and Richard can transfer over together as well. Additionally, out of consideration, I’m planning to have Fannie and Paige transfer over to help out.

“See? Just like that, your squad will immediately start with five official slots already filled. Just find another seven people for the squad to be fully established.”

“Wait, things have already been arranged this far?”

“Mhmm. Archbishop Wolfram already discussed the preliminary structure with me. He was even worried that I wouldn’t be willing to let my people go. Look at that, a dignified Archbishop personally came to consult my opinion. How could I possibly refuse?”

“So, Captain, you already sold me off before even asking for my opinion?”

“It’s all service to the God of Order anyway. Does it matter where?”

“You can’t do this.”

“Objection overruled.” The captain stood up and patted his stomach. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

“They didn’t deliver meals?”

“I want to eat outside.”

“I want to sleep.”

“Then sleep. I’ll take the others out with me to eat. We don’t leave for another three days. Miss Ophelia won’t be returning with us, because she still needs to finish handling matters here on Darkmoon Island, so you have plenty of time to mentally prepare yourself.”

“Goodnight, Captain.”

“Good afternoon.” The captain walked out of the room and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.

Karon sat beside the bed for a while longer before getting up and heading to the washroom for a shower. After changing clothes, he lay down on the bed. He was simply too exhausted. The moment he adjusted into a comfortable sleeping position, he quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up again, the sky outside was still somewhat dim.

Had he slept until evening?

The room door opened.

The captain walked in carrying a tray.

Karon noticed the captain had changed clothes, which immediately gave him a bad feeling. Did I sleep for an entire day and night?

“Sleep well?” Nio sat beside the bed, eating something resembling curry rice with a spoon as he spoke.

“Mhmm.”

“You weren’t injured and didn’t overdraw yourself, yet you slept that long.” The captain lifted the cup beside him and took a sip of water. “Looks like your gains from the other night were quite substantial.”

“They were alright.”

“Keeping secrets?”

“Captain, you already owe me several secrets.”

“Heh heh.” Nio shook his head. “Secrets need time to ferment.”

Karon stood up and discovered his stomach hurt from hunger.

“Miss Ophelia sent that warrior who stays at her side to invite you to dinner. I came in intending to wake you, but you happened to wake up yourself. I’m guessing the Council of Elders wants to meet you. Go make an appearance. You were bound to go eventually. It’s impossible to only take benefits without doing any work.”

“Alright. Understood.”

After washing up, Karon changed into a clean divine robe and walked to the courtyard gate, where he saw Panmir waiting beside a carriage. “Sorry for coming out late.”

“You’re too polite, Mr. Karon. Please get in.”

“Mhmm.” The moment he entered the carriage, Karon immediately opened the small drawer inside. It contained a variety of pastries. Such things were rarely eaten, but were replaced with fresh ones every day regardless.

Karon took a plate and immediately began eating directly with his hands.

Seeing this, Panmir promptly poured Karon a cup of tea.

“Thank you.”

“Please enjoy your meal slowly.”

“Mhmm. I’m starving. I just woke up.” Only after finishing an entire plate of pastries did Karon feel like he had barely suppressed his hunger. Just as he reached for another plate, the carriage arrived.

Dinner was being held in a separate courtyard within the same hotel. This courtyard was not open to the public. Recently, it had been specially reserved by the Darkmoon bloodline’s upper echelon for entertaining the high-ranking members of the two churches.

Karon stepped out of the carriage, climbed the stairs, and entered through the main doors. There, he saw Ophelia standing ahead waiting for him.

She wore local attire tonight, and dressed this way, she appeared somewhat adorably naive. However, because of the many incidents within her family lately, she had also grown visibly thinner compared to when Karon had first arrived.

“Sorry for interrupting your rest.”

“It’s fine—”

Ophelia very casually reached out and wrapped herself around Karon’s arm before calling inside, “Father, Elders, Karon has arrived.”

Seeing this, Karon did not shake her off.

Inside the hall stood a square table. Well, it technically wasn’t square, but when compared to the elongated tables typically favored by noble families, it appeared exceptionally neat and compact.

Ophelia and Karon sat on one side, and Clan Leader Veynar sat opposite them.

Elder Zimar and Elder Romuel occupied the two side seats.

Elder Zimar was clearly still injured. Although he had received healing Arts, the bruising remained obvious and he required time to properly recover.

Elder Romuel wore thick glasses. He was short and maintained a constant smile.

The dishes on the table were lavish, but what somewhat amused Karon was that in order to deliberately display their regard for him, they had apparently prepared an entire table of Veynic cuisine. There were nearly ten large bowls dedicated solely to various sauces.

Finding ten flavors of Veyn soy paste on Darkmoon Island was a truly impressive feat.

After some brief opening pleasantries, Clan Leader Veynar expressed his apologies to Karon. This meeting should originally have happened long ago, but the chain of recent events on the island had forced it to be delayed until now.

As Karon selected dishes he could eat and calmly replied, he found himself entirely relaxed, composed, and natural.

After all, he had already impersonated both their ancestor and their descendant.

After going through all that, this situation no longer fazed him.

When Elder Zimar spoke, his words occasionally became muddled and incoherent. It seemed the explosion during the attack on Torathos’s head had left him with a mild concussion.

Elder Romuel mainly discussed internal matters concerning the Church of Order and Karon’s future career direction. His tone clearly implied a desire to help Karon plan his professional path, but Karon continuously redirected the conversation and refused to engage deeply.

He did not need Elder Romuel worrying about his career planning.

As for Clan Leader Veynar, he mainly discussed customs and local culture from Veyn, Darkmoon Island, and even other continents and nations. It was obvious that he had traveled extensively.

Ophelia mostly remained seated beside Karon, occasionally helping him to retrieve dishes, though saying very little herself.

The meal lasted for nearly two hours. Just when Karon assumed the dishes would be cleared away and replaced with dessert while the conversation continued, Clan Leader Veynar unexpectedly delivered some concluding remarks first.

Although slightly surprised by how quickly things were ended, Karon still cooperated politely with the formalities before standing to take his leave.

Ophelia escorted Karon outside. Only after reaching the doors did she release his arm. “Sorry for troubling you to come all the way here.”

“It’s only proper. After all, I accepted some credits.”

“I’m going to Veyn.”

“Oh? Really? That’s wonderful news.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll meet in York.”

“Mhmm. I look forward to it. Once you arrive, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“It’s still early. Walk with me a little longer?”

“I still haven’t fully rested.”

Ophelia leaned forward, bringing her face close to Karon’s as she said, “Are you trying to force me to use violence on you right here?”

“If I refuse to walk with you, you’ll turn violent on me?”

“I went looking for you at noon. Your captain said you were asleep. He also told me you became so happy after learning I was going to Veyn that you stayed awake all night and ended up exhausted from insomnia. You obviously already knew I was coming to Veyn, yet at dinner, you pretended to act ‘pleasantly surprised’ in front of me?”

Captain!!!

“You know how it is. Sometimes the more exciting something is, the harder it becomes to express emotions properly. Under those circumstances, people often deliberately act calm and indifferent. You can understand that, right?”

“No.” Ophelia shook her head decisively. “Karon, from now until I leave for Veyn, I’ll show you a great deal of respect, but you also need to satisfy the requests I make of you.”

“You can’t be this overbearing. Your status is far too noble.”

“If you refuse to listen to me, I’ll hit you. Anyway, you can’t beat me. I’ve figured it out; This is the first time in my life I’ve liked someone, so why should I make myself suffer? I refuse.”

You might not necessarily be able to beat me anymore...

Unfortunately, he and Ophelia had already teamed up against the captain twice, so she was fairly familiar with Karon’s strength. If she suddenly discovered that his power had explosively increased, especially an absurd enhancement provided by the Darkmoon Blade, he would have no way to explain himself.

But once you arrive in Veyn, if you still want to use force to pressure people, we can have a proper fight. Because after returning to Veyn, I’ll be able to say my understanding of Darkmoon power deepened further.

“Walk with me.”

“Alright.”

“Karon, was I very barbaric earlier?”

“No. You were quite cute.”

“Your Captain told me at noon that if someone likes you, then no matter how unreasonable or overbearing you act in front of them, they’ll still find it cute.”

Karon. “...”

“He treats you really well. I can tell.”

“My captain is like Elder Zimar today. Before coming to Darkmoon Island, he suffered an accident while carrying out a mission and injured his brain.”

“That’s really pitiful.”

“Exactly.”

“He also said that if I repeated his words to you, you’d immediately accuse him of having brain problems due to embarrassment.”

“Alright then. What else did the captain say?”

“He said there was once a Miss Elisa who succeeded in making him accept her through her relentless pursuit. Before that, he’d never imagined himself falling in love with anyone.

“I could tell that when your captain mentioned Miss Elisa’s name, his eyes were filled entirely with tenderness. They’re living together now, right? They must be very happy.”

“Mhmm. They are.”

***

“What do you think?” Clan Leader Veynar leaned back in his chair and asked.

Elder Zimar said, “She’s a very steady young lady.”

Elder Romuel rubbed his temples. “He was overly calm and composed while facing us. Based on the information Ophelia originally provided about him, he shouldn’t be capable of this. That means he must have concealed certain things about his past, yet he also doesn’t seem worried about us investigating him. It’s possible that he’s just confident that we won’t uncover anything.”

Elder Zimar said, “That’s called having conviction and the ability to stabilize a situation. I liked his boots.”

Elder Romuel smiled. “But things changed too quickly. The Church of Order suddenly extended its hand directly into our core. Our offshore fleet’s command authority is even being taken away, and our Ophelia is heading to the Church of Order for training. Won’t his importance become much lower than before?”

Elder Zimar immediately rebutted, “You can’t look at things that way. Ophelia is Ophelia. Karon is Karon. Their positions within the Church of Reincarnation are entirely different.”

Elder Romuel said, “Zimar, perhaps you should still ask a physician to check your head again later. I think your injuries haven’t fully healed.”

“There’s something wrong with your ass.”

Romuel: “...”

Clan Leader Veynar spoke up, “Elder Zimar is correct; We cannot abandon Karon. Even if not for the present, then for the future. Tafmann also thinks highly of him and believes he’s extraordinary.”

Elder Romuel nodded. “Very well. We’ll proceed according to your wishes, Clan Leader. I have no objections.”

Elder Zimar agreed, “I don’t have gripes, either.”

After the two elders departed, Clan Leader Veynar walked to the side hall. Tafmann had been sitting there the entire time drinking tea.

“You should’ve come out and met him,” Clan Leader Veynar commented to his younger brother.

“I didn’t want to see him.” Tafmann smiled. “I get jealous even more easily than you, her actual father.”

“The two elder factions in the Council of Elders have already agreed to my proposal.”

“They know even less than we do. If we fully shared all of our information, they’d support investing in Karon even more strongly.”

“Yes.” Clan Leader Veynar sighed. “Perhaps because of that, I actually felt pressured while facing him today. Clearly, he was the junior meeting his elders tonight, yet somehow I felt the roles had reversed.”

“Once Ophelia enters the Church of Order, the position of next clan leader becomes completely settled. Her status as heir will be secure, and your authority will fully stabilize as well. Additionally, command authority over the offshore fleet is being transferred to the Church of Order. I feel I’ll be able to lay down this burden very soon.”

“Do you truly have to leave?”

“Yes. I must.”

“This is too sudden, Tafmann.”

“I underwent a cleansing. You should be happy for me.”

“Happy that my younger brother is becoming Light vermin?”

“After leaving the island, I’ll hide my identity. I’ll become a completely new person. I won’t bring trouble upon the island.”

“You know that isn’t what I mean. I’m not used to losing you. Even though these past years you’ve remained with the fleet and have only rarely come ashore, I could still sense that my younger brother was always beside me, helping me.”

“Brother, from now on, I want to live for myself.”

“...Very well. I respect your choice.”

***

In York City, at the Pavaro Funeral Home, in the master bedroom, Kevin, who was sleeping on the carpet, suddenly had a dream.

In that dream, someone lying inside a coffin continuously screamed hysterically at him, “Rhanedar, I curse you to die horribly! I curse you to die horribly!”

Smack! Rhanedar slapped his own face with a dog paw.

Pu’er, who was lying on the bed reading a romance novel, turned to look at Kevin on the carpet and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Woof.”

“Oh, a mosquito bite.”