13 Mink Street

Tick... tick... tick... faint, fragmented sound came from beside his ear. The scent of lavender lingered at the tip of his nose. Aunt Mary had always loved using that fragrance on the family’s clothes and bedding.

Karon knew he was dreaming. He rarely dreamed anymore, particularly after surpassing Divine Seeker, yet tonight, he was.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed in his room at the Immers house. Turning his head, he saw a younger version of himself lying in the bed beside him, face turned upward, eyes numb and vacant.

Across the ceiling, light and shadow intertwined, gradually forming a blurred scene. An old man stood there with a sword in hand, two corpses at his feet.

Karon stared at the scene, and kept watching. It was as though this scene had already replayed before his eyes countless times.

When he had first seen the drawing made by “Karon,” he had already wondered how, given Tiz’s strength, he could possibly have allowed his own grandson to witness him killing his own son and daughter-in-law.

Finally, there was an answer: “Karon” had never spied on anything, yet he had indeed seen what had happened. Had this child been enduring such torment from the time he was very young...

A torment that could not be spoken, could not be poured out, and could not be dealt with.

Eisen, at the very least, was an adult and a high-ranking priest, but Karon had only been a child.

Karon turned his head back, slowly closed his eyes, and let out a sigh. “...Sigh.”

***

The morning light fell through the partitioned bedroom window in mottled patches. Karon turned his head to check the time. Seven o’clock.

He took a shower, washed up, got dressed, and walked out of his bedroom to the kitchen.

“Young Master, I made pork with mushroom congee today. Would you like to try some?” Ciri looked at Karon with eyes full of expectation.

“All right.”

She served him a bowl of congee, along with two boiled eggs and two plates of pickles.

Karon took a spoonful of the congee, nodded, and said, “Not bad.”

“Hah!” Ciri gave a happy laugh, then picked up the basket of spinach that was sitting on the counter, only to set it on the floor and then crouch down with her back to the young master.

Just then, Ms. Lake walked through the doorway. When she looked at the scene, the corners of her mouth rose slightly. She was an experienced woman, so how could she fail to see what was on the young girl’s mind?

“Karon, Dasha is taking Dora and Dorin out to the suburbs to sketch today,” the woman announced as she walked over to Karon.

“That’s good. Dora and Dorin should spend more time outside. I’ll have Alfred accompany them.”

“Yes, yes, thank you.” In truth, that was exactly what Ms. Lake had come to request. Naturally, she had seen for herself just how dependable and responsible Alfred truly was.

Then, perhaps to express her gratitude to Karon, Ms. Lake also crouched down and proceeded to help Ciri pick spinach.

After breakfast, Karon first made a phone call to Fannie, wanting to get in touch with the captain. Through that call, he learned that the captain was claiming his new office today in the new Church Affairs Building, which was in the northern outskirts of the city, far from downtown.

Karon asked Fannie to contact the captain for him and arrange a meeting that afternoon at the pottery studio. As for which pottery studio, Fannie did not ask, because she understood that the captain would definitely know.

After hanging up, Karon instructed Alfred to chaperone Dora and Dorin as they sketched, and then drove himself to King’s Avenue. After parking in front of the pottery studio, Karon stayed seated in the car a while longer.

The sunlight was particularly good today. It was warm and gentle on his body, and morning sunlight in particular always seemed to carry an easy friendliness.

“Karon!” Serena’s voice came from beside the car window. Karon did not see her, and it was only after he opened the door that he realized that Serena was a little girl today.

“Oh...” Serena seemed to realize something immediately, and she quickly turned as if to run back into the shop. She had simply gotten too excited upon seeing Karon’s car and had forgotten the form she wore for the day.

Despite never having studied psychology, Serena understood perfectly well that if she continued to reinforce Karon’s impression of her as a little girl, her already slim chances would grow even slimmer. After all, Karon was not some pervert.

However, Karon rather liked Serena in her little-girl form. She was very cute. It was possible that his reaction was because it was how she had looked the first time he had met her.

Before she could run back to the shop door, Serena was picked up by Karon, though there was not even the slightest trace of happiness on her face, because he was carrying her as one would typically carry a child.

Karon pushed the shop door open. Lemar was in the middle of savoring a glass of red wine. Sensing movement, he turned his head. When he saw his sister being carried into the shop like that by Karon...

“Pff.” He spat out the wine in his mouth on the spot.

“You drink this early?” Karon asked.

“I’ve gotten into the habit. If I don’t drink a little in the morning, I have no energy all day. What is it?”

“Yes. I’d like to ask you to make a mask for a friend of mine.”

“All right, no problem. Is there a hurry?”

“A little.”

“Then I’ll start now. Did you bring the face skin?”

“No. Do you have any in stock here?”

How could a master skilled at making masks possibly not have some sort of stock in his storeroom?

More importantly, the last time Karon had come in here with Nio, they had both seen face skins displayed in the cabinet.

“I do have a bit of stock, but I didn’t kill anyone for them. Face skin that carries resentment can’t make a mask of proper quality. All the ones I have were bought. Bought with rels. Some came from people at death’s door, some from people preparing to kill themselves, as they wanted to leave some money to their families.”

“I trust your character, Mr. Lemar. You don’t need to explain so much to me.”

“Mm, good. So tell me what you need and we’ll see if I’ve got something suitable in stock.”

“A middle-aged man, I suppose. Other than that, nothing in particular.”

“That’s easy enough. As for quality, should I make it to the same standard as the one I made for you last time?”

“No. This is just a normal transaction and doesn’t involve anything else. He paid me with Order credits, so just give me a price.”

“All right then, a friendship price: six thousand Order credits.”

“Fine, no problem. Put it on my tab for now. I’ll be coming back later to order two puppets as well, so I’ll settle everything together at that time.”

“Mm, all right. In that case, I’ll go and get started.” With that, Lemar even winked at his younger sister.

He proceeded to his workshop, directly leaving his “underage” younger sister with another man. Lemar was entirely at ease, because he knew that Karon had no such thoughts towards Serena.

“Karon, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Yes. By the way, were you about to head out just now?”

“Yes. I was planning to go to my mother’s. She and her second husband got divorced again, this time because of domestic violence.”

“Oh. Then your mother is rather pitiful.”

“My mother was the abuser. Her second husband was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for emergency treatment. Fortunately, they managed to save him.”

“...I see. All right.”

“Now that she’s divorced again, she wants to remarry my father, and is currently planning on how she can break up his marriage. I was planning to go comfort her today.”

“Then I’ve delayed you?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I’m already used to the love-hate drama between Father and Mother. They always manage to stir up all kinds of trouble.”

Karon nodded in deep agreement. Who could have guessed that the father and mother Serena spoke of were actually two puppets her brother had made for her? It was likely that he had created that pair of parent puppets to give his younger sister a complete childhood, but who could have known that the two puppets would end up divorcing each other because of marital discord?

Still, Serena’s childhood really had become much more complete. Her experiences were certainly richer.

“Karon, still ice water?”

“Yes.”

“All right, I’ll go pour you some.”

Karon found a chair and sat down. After Serena brought over the ice water, he took two sips, then rested an arm on the table. Pillowing the side of his face on it, he closed his eyes just like that.

Serena did not pester him. She simply sat beside him, resting her chin in both hands to stare at him intently. Sunlight spilled across Karon’s face, creating a strangely captivating sight.

Karon had not intended to fall asleep. Though he had dreamed last night, the quality of his rest had not been poor. Yet for some reason, despite only intending to bask in the sunlight for a moment, he fell asleep almost instantly.

The speed with which he slipped into sleep took Karon completely by surprise. In that hazy moment, he almost felt as though he was not in Lemar’s Pottery Studio at all, but was seated in the VIP car the squad only used during missions.

“Karon.” He was shaken awake by Serena. He first checked the time and found that it was already two-thirty in the afternoon. He had actually slept for half the day.

“Are you hungry, Serena?”

Lemar was in his workshop making a mask for Karon. No matter what, he could not let the man’s younger sister go without food.

“Mm-m, no. Look over there.”

Karon turned his head toward the shop entrance, where he saw a black crow perched on the doorknob. He walked over and opened the door. The crow instantly dissolved, and nearby, Karon saw Captain Nio’s figure.

“Serena, I’m stepping out for a while. Stay in the shop.”

“All right, Karon.”

Karon walked over to Nio. “Captain.”

“I just saw you sleeping very soundly. Didn’t rest well last night?”

“No. That’s the odd part. I think it’s a bit too strange. I slept quite well, came over here in the morning, and then fell asleep again.”

“It could be a kind of instinct.”

“Instinct?”

“Just like how some animals can sense an impending natural disaster, people can sense things coming, too. It’s only that most never realize it in time.”

“Captain, do we have a mission?”

“Yes. At midnight tonight, there’s a cleanup operation. Demonkin have been conducting illegal activity at a coastal manor. A total of three squads will be cooperating to clear the manor.”

“All right, Captain. Understood.”

“At this rate, I think I need to reassess the difficulty of this mission, because you actually took a nap in advance for it.”

“Captain, isn’t that a little too exaggerated...”

“Any overlooked sign, no matter how minor, can lead to the miserable collapse of the entire squad. As captain, I can’t afford not to take things seriously.” As he spoke, Nio let out a sigh. “Forget it. I was originally thinking that our squad would head out early, finish the job, and leave, but now we’d better wait and move together with the other two squads. We’ll push our timing back a little.”

“All right, Captain. I’ll follow your arrangements.”

“By the way, what did you want with me, and why meet here?”

“It’s like this, Captain...” Karon told the captain about Eisen.

“You want to use this method to treat him?”

“Yes, Captain. I’d like to try.”

“That Expositor, will he obey orders?”

“He will. He simply doesn’t like talking, but he does like doing things. If someone tells him clearly what he should do, he’s actually much more comfortable.”

“All right, understood. I agree. After all, what captain of a Whip squad would refuse to take in an Expositor, especially one who doesn’t fill up an official slot and only serves as an attached member?”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“You’re here to prepare a mask for him?”

“Yes. It should be nearly done.”

“Then can he take part in tonight’s operation?”

“That seems a bit rushed.”

“If he really is the kind of person you described to me, then since you told him to take sick leave, he wouldn’t go to work the very next day.”

“All right, Captain. I’ll make a call and ask.”

“Good. If he can come, tell him tonight’s assembly point: twelve o’clock, Platform Three at East District Railway Station.”

“I’ve got it, Captain.”

“Then I’ll be off. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight, Captain.”

When Karon walked back into the pottery studio, he saw a middle-aged man talking to Serena. Just from the man’s face, one could tell he was the honest sort.

There was a flash of light, and the middle-aged man turned into Lemar. He tossed a ring toward Karon, who caught it with one hand. “It’s done.”

“Thank you.” Karon weighed the ring in his hand. He could tell at once that the quality was far inferior to the one he already had, and by no small margin.

Of course, the ring Karon currently possessed had also fused with Tiz’s silver mask, and had thus undergone an enormous transformation.

“The original owner of that face skin was suffering from a terminal illness. Before he died, someone introduced him to me, and he sold his face skin to me, leaving a considerable sum for his wife and daughter.”

Karon nodded. “I need to borrow your telephone.”

“Go ahead.”

Karon picked up the receiver and dialed Richard’s home number from memory.

“Hello, this is the Gorman residence.” The voice was unfamiliar and did not belong to any of the women in the Gorman family. It was likely a maid answering.

“May I ask if Mr. Eisen is home?”

“The master is home, but the master never answers the telephone. If you have something to say, I can pass it along for you.”

Karon knew that truly important internal church messages and orders were delivered through Arts. “Please tell him it’s Karon calling. He’ll answer.”

“All right, I’ll try.”

The maid walked toward Mr. Eisen’s study on the first floor. At that moment, Casey, standing on the staircase, asked, “Who’s calling?”

“Madam, it’s a gentleman named Karon.”

“Yes, I understand. Go tell the master.”

The maid knocked on the door, and after being told to come in, she relayed the message. Eisen immediately stepped out of his study and went to the tea table in the sitting room to answer the phone.

Seeing her husband move with such speed, Casey bit her lip. She went to head to the washroom, but when passing her son’s room, she saw that Richard was sitting on the floor with an exquisite box in his arms. The box was filled with quite a few credits.

“What’s wrong, son?” she asked.

“Father actually asked me for credits just now. He took half of them!”

Half? Taken from his own son?

Yet Richard was not angry that his father had taken half of his private stash. On the contrary, he excitedly told his mother, “I can hardly believe it, Mother! Father actually asked me for money! Do you think this means Father has changed in some huge way? After Karon’s psychological counseling, Father has changed!”

Richard’s earlier daze had not been from heartache, but from sheer disbelief at the change in his father.

Casey smiled. “Yes, Karon’s treatment really is having an effect.”

“Mother, do you know something? From the very first moment I saw Karon, I felt this inexplicable closeness toward him. Sometimes I truly feel he’s like some older brother of mine.”

“Like your older brother—”

“Richard, answer the phone.”

“Coming, Father!”

Watching her son run downstairs to answer the phone, Casey returned to the top of the staircase to watch as her husband went back into his study. Not long after, he emerged yet again, this time wearing an overcoat instead of his priest’s robe.

Eisen turned to look up at Casey, looking as though he wanted to say something, yet he stopped himself.

Casey drew in a breath, maintaining her smile as she asked, “Are you going out?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“...”

Eisen walked out of the house. Casey had no intention of following her husband. Even putting aside the fact that her injuries were not yet fully recovered, in many respects, she was not a match for him even in her best condition.

“Oh yes!” Richard, having hung up the telephone, let out a sharp cry as he ran to the foot of the stairs, shouting up at his mother standing above, “Dearest Mother, your son shall once again wield the Whip for Order tonight. Praise be to the God of Order!”

***

Late at night, Platform Three, East District Railway Station.

Richard wore his priest’s robe, a mask tucked under one arm and a bag slung over his back that contained the supplies he needed for his Arts. Due to the cold night wind, his hands and feet kept shivering from the chill.

At that moment, Zema and Kensey walked over, shoulder to shoulder. Seeing Richard standing there and shivering in the cold, Kensey teased, “You really showed up early and just stood here waiting? Hey, we got here early too, but we waited in a pastry shop.”

Ordinarily, railway stations had especially large numbers of pastry shops nearby.

Zema laughed. “Hahaha, the rookie probably hasn’t been to a pastry shop before. Don’t worry, next time we’ll take you with us.”

As the very last person at the bottom of the squad, Richard could only keep smiling and accept the teasing from the old hands.

Richard then saw Karon walking over with an unfamiliar middle-aged man. “Karon, who’s this?”

“A newcomer.” Karon knew that Richard was able to sense the bloodlines of those related to him, and so he did not say much to introduce the man beside him. “I’ve got something to do. I’m going up ahead to find the captain first.”

With that, Karon walked away, while the newcomer remained where he was.

Hey, there’s a newcomer! Richard was delighted. At last, he was no longer at the very bottom of the squad. Now there was a new tail behind him.

Seeing that the newcomer simply stood there stiffly without moving, Richard, wanting to the role as a senior member, took the initiative to go over and ease the awkwardness of someone joining the squad for the first time. He bumped the newcomer lightly with a shoulder and said with a grin, “Bet you’ve never been to a pastry shop before, right? Don’t worry, next time I’ll take you.”