13 Mink Street

The banquet was not large, but was of a very high standard. Even the servers were dressed in Order priest’s robes.

This was not to say that Pasquio’s grandfather had arranged for people from the church to serve as household staff. It was because Pasquio’s grandfather, Mr. Jemal, was still the vice principal of St. Andis Higher Church School. Whenever his family held a banquet and needed extra hands, the student council officers could immediately organize people to come over and help.

They had not been assigned to the banquet, but had volunteered.

Pasquio’s parents did not work in the Teygan Region, so only his grandparents were at home at the moment.

Following etiquette, Karon and the others were led by Pasquio to meet his grandparents. The two elderly people were very kind, or at least appeared to be. They were also very knowledgeable, and they offered words of encouragement to each of the young people, changing their wording for each one.

Once the formalities were addressed, those who enjoyed socializing went to socialize, those who enjoyed food went to sample the spread, and those who preferred quiet found themselves a quiet corner.

Karon chose a seat by the window. Diagonally across from him was the band, which was playing soothing music.

Vintral approached with a large plate of food and asked, “Captain, are you hungry?”

Karon shook his head.

“I noticed you did not eat much at noon, Captain.”

“I drank too much coconut milk. I’m not hungry.” The coconut milk he had drunk during the day had not been pure coconut milk, but a prepared drink. It had not had a cloying taste, but the sugar content had likely been rather high, which resulted in Karon still not feeling hungry.

“You really won’t eat?” Vintral asked again.

“Work hard and eat more. Eat my share back as well.”

“Yes, Captain!” Vintral chose a table near the serving area, sat down, and focused on eating.

Karon leaned sideways against the wall, playing with the coin Instructor Pierro had given him. The coin felt cool to the touch and was very comfortable to rub between his fingers.

During the day, he had lain beside the beach with the blue sky and white clouds above his reclining chair. At night, he was leaning against the wall, holding a glass of iced lemon water while listening to music. Today had indeed been a very complete day of relaxation.

Only, because Karon kept staring blankly in one direction, the girl playing the violin mistakenly thought that he was staring at her the entire time, and her face flushed red.

“I’ve noticed that you really like being alone, but you are not exactly withdrawn.” Murray sat down across from Karon, then turned his head to look at the girl playing the violin. “Am I blocking your view?”

“No.” Karon shook his head and shifted his posture. “Socializing is a necessity. As long as something is needed, there is a degree to it. During this period, everyone has basically been together. That need has already been filled, so I want to cherish the chance to be alone for a while. Being alone is also a need.”

“Heh, then should I leave?”

“If you have nothing else to do, go ahead and sit.”

“Mm, I have nothing else to do.”

A server happened to pass by. Murray snapped his fingers and took a glass of red wine from the tray. “My family also has a manor here. The scenery is about the same as Pasquio’s place, but my family’s elders don’t like living here, so it’s always empty. In the future, bring your fiancée for a vacation here. Just let me know.”

“All right, thank you. I like this place very much, and I believe my fiancée will too.”

“I can tell. Heh, I have been to Veyn. Only after that did I understand why Veynic people were so enthusiastic about being pirates a few centuries ago. In a cold and gloomy place like that, if they didn’t do something fierce and hot-blooded, their whole body would freeze stiff.”

“Indeed, Veyn’s climate is truly torturous.”

“Hey, Karon!”

“Karon, you’re here!”

Leon and Larry appeared from nearby. Clearly, they had also been invited to the banquet, and when they saw Karon, they walked over to greet him.

However, when they saw who was sitting face to face with Karon and chatting with him, their expressions immediately grew somewhat unnatural.

Murray turned to look at them and asked Karon, “Your friends?”

“Mhmm, yes.” Karon stood up and introduced them. “Leon and Larry. Friends of mine from York City.”

Murray turned to look at the two, but did not stand. “Hello, I am Murray.”

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

In fact, Karon knew that Leon and Larry should recognize Murray, but clearly, Murray did not recognize them. Although they were all young masters, there was still a considerable gap between their circles. After all, one belonged to the Central Church, while the others belonged to a regional capital.

“Karon, we’re heading over there to greet the elders. We can chat later after we’re done,” Larry said.

“All right, we’ll talk later.”

Larry and Leon left, and Murray took a sip of wine. He did not look at them again.

After Karon sat back down, Murray smiled. “I thought someone as outstanding as you would not bother entertaining them.”

“They’re decent people.”

Karon remembered that during a meeting, they had brought him some extra food. After that, the three of them had spent most of that meeting sneaking into a small room to eat. Even after Leon had learned Karon’s identity, he had not gotten angry due to the rumors circulating.

Of course, none of that fell within Murray’s considerations. In his view, for someone to earn his respect, at least one of two things had to be on the same level: status or talent.

“Looks like I have to take back what I said earlier.”

“Which part?”

“The part about solitude and being withdrawn.”

“That’s survival, actually.” Karon took a sip of lemon water. “You’ve just always been able to skip that part.”

“Hmm... I admit that because of my family, I may lack some empathy for your circumstances.” Murray swirled the wine in his glass. “Sitting around is so boring. Shall we find a quiet coconut grove and have a fight?”

“A fight?”

“Mhmm.”

“I want to sit here and listen to music.” Karon smiled. “You didn’t come over here at the beginning just because you want to fight me, did you?”

“No, I was just feeling a bit bored. If you don’t want to, forget it.”

“Let’s just listen to the music. Once we reach Reincarnation Valley, we’ll have to be on edge again.”

“That is true.” Murray touched his pocket and asked, “Do you have cigarettes on you?”

“Yes.” Karon handed a pack and a lighter to Murray.

He opened it, took one out, held it in his mouth, lit it, and said, “These past few days have been suffocating me. That lousy training base hotel didn’t even provide cigarettes.”

“Heh.” Karon laughed. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“All right.” Murray laughed as well.

The two captains got up and left without alerting anyone else. After leaving, they continued walking toward the rear of the manor until they found a secluded coconut grove.

“Pity, I didn’t bring a weapon. Will that affect you?” Murray asked.

“It is fine. We are just passing the time, not really fighting.”

“If we are going to fight, it’s only interesting if we take it seriously, no?”

Murray removed his robes, revealing a muscular upper body. Beneath the moonlight, scars were clearly visible.

Bart was also heavily muscled, but he did not have many scars.

“Ever since I was little, my grandfather would have my uncles train me separately. I grew up being beaten.”

“That is also a manifestation of love.”

“Heh.” Murray laughed. “How do you manage to say such nonsense with your eyes open?”

Karon shook his head.

Murray reminded him, “You aren’t removing your robes? If they get dirty, it will be improper when we return to the banquet.”

“It is fine. I just have to not get dirty.”

“I like it, I really do. I like the way you say things like that so abruptly. Someone like you, if I could beat you flat, it would definitely give me even more pleasure.”

“Go ahead.”

“Then here I come!” Murray bent his legs and lowered his body. His muscles instantly tensed. A glowing round shield appeared on his left arm, while an intimidating short blade appeared in his right hand. Behind him, a broken figure could even be seen.

“You possess a family faith system?” Karon asked in surprise.

“That was true a long time ago, but no longer. My family offered everything to the Church of Order long ago. Do you see the image behind me? He’s my ancestor, but he is also a devout believer of Order.

“What I use is not a family faith system. What I use are Arts. However, they require my bloodline to activate them.”

Karon nodded. He understood. The ancestor of the Bendhart family had taken the opposite path as his own grandfather, Tiz. The former had integrated his family faith system into the Church of Order, while Tiz had stripped his family faith system from the church.

Pu’er had once said that if the Allens continued to decline, what awaited them would be a fate no different from becoming breeding pigs and dogs. In truth, the ecclesiastical circles were the same. So many frameworks, so many systems, so many departments. Where had they all come from? Had they all been developed by the church itself? Heh, how could that be possible?

Buzz!

Murray charged forward.

Karon opened both hands. Four chains of Order appeared on each side, raising his body up entirely. As Murray charged over, Karon quickly retreated.

When Murray charged again, Karon waved his left hand, and a wall of condensed flames of Order rose and shot towards Murray.

Murray brazen rammed into the wall with his shield. His entire body was covered with a dark yellow luster as he smashed straight through the flames of Order. However, he then saw three Cages of Order beneath his feet, in front of him, and above his head.

With a low roar, he used his short blade to cut the Cage of Order in front of him. However, as he leaped forward, a field of Spears of Punishment suddenly appeared around him.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out, raising a cloud of dust. Karon looked down and brought his hands together. A prism-like structure appeared beneath him.

Bang! The ground beneath Karon’s feet collapsed, and Murray burst up. He swung with all his strength, shattering the prism, but as Karon retreated, more and more prisms appeared in front of him.

Murray could break through seven in one breath, while Karon could immediately and easily prepare another ten.

For a long while, Murray was like a raging bull, smashing through Karon’s Arts one after another, while Karon maintained his distance and threw every Art he rarely had a chance to use at his opponent.

Murray wanted to rely on this sort of attrition to exhaust Karon’s reserve of spirituality. Karon knew Murray’s purpose, but did not care. After all, they were just sparring.

The stalemate continued for a long time.

Murray failed to obtain the result he wanted. From his initial confidence, he shifted to doubt, and then incomprehension.

In the end, once Karon had tested all his rarely used Arts twice, he opened a hand and put his palm facing downward. A structure began to condense beneath his feet.

Seeing that Karon was even about to summon a Black Keep, Murray quickly raised his hands. The shield and short blade immediately vanished as he shouted, “I’m not playing anymore.”

Karon waved his hand. The foundation dissipated, and the chains of Order that had been supporting his body on both sides withdrew into his body. His feet finally touched the ground again.

“I lost,” Murray said.

In truth, Karon was a little surprised. The other squad captain was truly powerful, especially in terms of the power contained within his body.

It was just that during the final selection, they had mainly faced illusion demons, which had limited Murray’s performance. If they had instead fought for real in a direct confrontation, Bart would not be Murray’s opponent. No, there were very few people who had participated in that selection who could be considered his opponent.

“I know you have a method to rapidly close the distance and get into melee range, but you didn’t use it.”

“Yes, I do, but because using it comes at a price, and the damage is uncontrollable. We were just playing around. There was no need to be serious. Besides, you are skilled at close combat. I could tell from your matches with Instructor Levin. You only used Arts and did not fight me up close. Considering both sides, and that both of us held something back, you still won.”

“Who knows what the result of a real life-and-death fight would be?” Karon was not very interested in determining victory or defeat.

“Why is your spirituality so abundant? My body can store more power, but compared to your reserves, I feel like I can never measure up.”

“I was born with it, I suppose. When I was young, I often dreamed of seeing the God of Order’s back.”

“Heh, hahahaha. Why does that feel like a perfunctory excuse?”

“Heh.”

Murray put his priest’s robe back on, then stretched and sighed. “A fight really does loosen the body up. It’s given me an appetite too.”

“I’m hungry too.”

***

The banquet had not ended when the two captains returned to the manor. Karon took a plate, selected some food, then sat down and ate slowly.

Murray carried over a large bowl of rice and two bowls of dishes from the buffet. He sat down opposite Karon, picked up a large spoon, proceeded to scoop food into his mouth, chewing large bites.

Karon smiled. “With that way of eating, I would truly be embarrassed to say I know you outside.”

“What I pursue is physical improvement. Ordinary warriors have large appetites, because we can digest more and absorb more.”

Hearing this, Karon could not help thinking of Ophelia. She could also eat a lot.

“Which girl are you thinking of?” Murray asked.

“Hmm?”

“You smiled.”

“Did I?”

“That curve at the corner of your mouth. You were definitely thinking of a girl, and not your fiancée.”

“Why does a warrior like you have to be so attentive?”

“Do warriors have to be rough?” Murray shook his head. “My family has inherited the position of captain of the High Priest’s guard. That position is truly not one that relies purely on muscles. It requires observing many people. Not just the High Priest, but other people as well.

“On top of that, my family’s ancestors helped to establish the Department of Psychology at Teygan University.”

“Is that so?” Karon was somewhat surprised. “I also have an interest in psychology. We should discuss it more when we have the chance.”

“All right, no... Hm, you changed the subject. Looks like she is a girl you have feelings for, but can’t be with. Do you know what pure beauty is? It’s what you cannot obtain.”

Karon picked up his glass of ice water, took a sip, and slowly said, “Does your grandfather dislike you?”

Murray froze.

“Your family is very prominent, but within this family, you’ve actually always been suppressed since childhood. You weren’t happy at all.”

“I’m so optimistic and cheerful.”

“That is why you are very strong. If my guess isn’t wrong, your unhappiness may be related to your mother. From childhood until now, you probably lived in an environment lacking maternal love. My guess: was it because of your mother that your grandfather isn’t very happy with you or your father?”

“Who told you that?”

“What a coincidence. I quite enjoy reading some psychology books too.”

“Heh, hehehe.” Murray laughed. “Damn it, you really leave me with nothing to say. You’re right, my grandfather is very strict. I have to be more outstanding than my peers before he will truly regard me as his grandson.”

“The grandpa I remember is the exact opposite of yours. No matter what I wanted to do, he was willing to help me realize it.”

“You’re saying that on purpose.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me, do you envy my family background? For example, my grandfather’s status. I want to hear the truth.”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

“No.”

“There’s no need to lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. Truly.”

“Heh, not bad. You are a friend I recognize.”

You misunderstand.

When the dinner banquet was about to end, Pasquio stepped up to deliver some final words of thanks to everyone for attending his birthday banquet and so on. This made many people finally remember: Oh, right, it was his birthday.

***

“My lord, the candidates have been selected.”

The old man seated in the chair slowly opened his eyes. Kneeling before him was the photographer from that afternoon. He had another identity as well: a B-rank department director within the Church of Order’s Divination Division.

“Who are they?”

“One is a youth from the York City Region named Vintral. Both of his parents are dead, and his grandparents are priests at the York City Region Church Affairs Building. The other...”

“Why did you stop?”

“The other is...”

“Is it my grandson, seeing how hesitant you are?”

“Yes, my lord. The other is your grandson, Young Master Murray.”

“Hmm.”

“My lord, the two of them were calculated and tested based on the known conditions. They are the candidates most suited to replace those two as vessels. However, this subordinate can try to change—”

“You said they are the most suited, did you not?”

“Yes, but—”

“It is all for the Church of Order. This is Murray’s honor, and the honor of my Bendhart family. No changes are allowed.”

***

After returning to the hotel and taking a shower, Karon had only just lain down on the bed when Vintral once again hugged his bedding and made his bedroll at the door of Karon’s bedroom. “Vintral, are you planning to follow me home in the future?”

“No, Captain. You have people at home, so there is no need to worry then. Right now, we are outside, and there is only you and me in the room. I am simply not at ease.”

Karon could only leave him be.

Before turning off the lights, Karon took the photograph out from the pocket of his divine robe and rubbed his fingertip over Vintral’s blurry figure. “Vintral, do you think your luck is good?”

“I’ve always felt that I am very fortunate.”

“Oh?”

“Before I was born, I met that old man. Now, I’ve met you, Captain.”