Chapter 131: Acting Skills!

Chapter 131: Acting!

"Who I am is not important. You must be Karen?"

"I am."

"Come in, then. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Very well."

Mr. Bede turned around, making a very perfunctory gesture of invitation, and then walked inside on his own before Karen could even step onto the stairs.

Karen walked in with Alfred following closely behind. Inside the first-floor living room, three candles were lit, their limited glow illumination only a restricted area, leaving vast expanses of darkness in the background.

An old man clad in a white robe leaned back on the sofa, his eyes closed as if he were taking a nap;

Behind the sofa stood a man in a trench coat, while a young woman wearing a heavy overcoat sat at the side of the sofa;

After entering, Mr. Bede sat on the sofa opposite the old man.

"Karen, coffee."

Piaget's voice echoed from the kitchen, and moments later, he emerged carrying a pot of coffee.

Karen took the coffee and took a sip. There was a bit too much sugar in it, the kind that could sweeten someone to death;

Yet Karen quickly took a second sip.

"Would you like some cake? Shall I cut a piece for you?"

"No need, I came after having dinner."

"Oh, what a pity."

"Did you bake it yourself? If so, I could try some."

"I bought it myself."

"Then never mind."

Elder Dirk opened his eyes at that moment, his gaze sweeping toward Karen as an invisible pressure forced its way straight over.

Karen asked with feigned nonchalance:

"What a solemn gathering. Is it absolutely necessary to keep the lights off and burn candles?"

Sitting at the side of the sofa holding a staff, Helen stuck out her tongue, sounding somewhat embarrassed as she said:

"I am sorry. I accidentally set the electric wires on fire when I was burning the corpses."

"Oh." Karen's gaze roamed around. With sofas on three sides, he certainly could not go sit where the old man was, and he still had to pretend "not to know" his prospective father-in-law. Yet he happened to have no desire to remain standing here; when everyone else is seated and you alone are standing, it naturally adds psychological pressure to yourself, while those sitting can feel more "at ease."

Ultimately, Karen walked over to Piaget's side and sat down on the armrest of the sofa, continuing:

"So, the people I was originally supposed to face have already been burned to ashes along with the electric wires?"

"Catching the wires on fire was an accident, an accident!" Helen immediately cried out in explanation.

"That is enough." Elder Dirk soothed Helen slightly. "Your trouble has already been resolved."

"Does the 'your' here refer to me?" Karen asked, pointing to himself.

"Who else?" Elder Dirk countered.

"Heh." Karen let out a laugh. "I only came to go through the motions and put on a show, treating it like a post-dinner stroll. I did not do anything in the first place, so naturally I had nothing to worry about.

Therefore, what do you mean by my trouble?

What trouble do I have that requires you people to come and resolve it for me?

Most importantly, do you really believe that by destroying the corpses and erasing the traces, no clues will be left behind?

Can you guarantee that within their family, no one knows the destination this group of people was heading to today?

On their way here after leaving the clinic, did no one among that group call home to report their itinerary?

Perhaps what their families know is that this group of people went to see a psychologist named Karen, and then, this group vanished."

Karen handed the half-drunk coffee cup in his hand to Piaget, who reached out to take it for him.

Afterward, Karen spread his hands, looking at Elder Dirk as his tone suddenly intensified, bordering on an interrogation:

"Is this what you called helping me resolve the trouble?"

Helen silently shrank her head back, because she felt that what Karen said made perfect sense.

Vernon's gaze fell upon Karen, sizing him up meticulously.

Elder Dirk's face turned grim.

Mr. Bede spoke up with a smile: "I know them, just a bunch from the Raphael family. Mr. Karen can rest assured; after suffering such a massive loss, they will not dare to seek retaliation again."

Karen turned his head to look at Mr. Bede, asking in response:

"Do I look like I care about these foolish family pests?"

Mr. Bede's face became embarrassed;

"Is Mr. Karen calling us to account?" Elder Dirk's hand had already been placed upon his own knee.

"No, I am merely curious. Curious as to why a group of people who clearly cannot see the light of day would still act with so little intelligence; at the same time, I am beginning to doubt whether the choice to reach a tacit understanding and cooperate with you in the beginning was the correct one."

"Heh heh." Elder Dirk stood up, looking down at Karen. "Do you know who you are talking to, kid?"

Karen reached out to take the coffee cup back from Piaget's hand and took a sip:

"Then do you, old fossil, know who you are talking to right now."

Elder Dirk raised his arm, a wand appearing within his hand;

Karen gently swirled the coffee cup in his hand, a smile playing on his face;

Standing behind him, Alfred implored with an eager tone:

"Master, your subordinate's teeth have long been itching with impatience. Although the strength of these fellows is just ordinary, I can smell the purity of the blood on their bodies. The taste will definitely be excellent.

I beg Master to grant your subordinate permission to strike!"

Elder Dirk froze for a moment;

Vernon also looked toward Alfred with a solemn expression;

Helen covered her mouth, letting out an exclamation of surprise:

"Bloodthirsty Aberrant!"

The Bloodthirsty Aberrant was a type of aberrant, and a relatively powerful one at that. Their image was similar to a "vampire," but they rarely appeared as solitary wanderers drifting outside; they basically passed down their legacy in the form of families;

Among them were bloodthirsty families composed of aberrants, as well as family belief systems.

What Purr once said about there being no clear line between priests and aberrants actually found its best interpretation right here with the Bloodthirsty Aberrant.

Alfred looked at Helen with some craving, sticking out his tongue to lick his own lips while the crimson hue within his eyes surged, swirling with a soul-capturing luster;

Helen exclaimed once more: "The Eyes of the Succubus!"

"These are just playthings Master casually threw to me last time, a very interesting pair of eyeballs."

Alfred pointed at Helen,

"If the master is willing to grace you with his favor, and if you can attend to him well, then I can give this pair of little toys to you too. After all, I still have many such toys back where I came from."

Helen immediately panicked:

"No, you cannot, you cannot."

At the same time, almost instinctively, she cried out:

"Light—Eternal Guardian!"

A mirror radiating a holy aura appeared before Helen, and she instantly hid behind it.

One could sense that the aura of this mirror was immensely powerful.

But Alfred merely pointed at Helen and laughed:

"Hahaha, Master, she is too amusing, truly too amusing."

Karen also began to laugh, draining the remaining coffee from his cup in a single gulp.

Then, with utter nonchalance, he tossed the coffee cup to Piaget, who reached out with both hands to catch it.

Immediately after, Karen stood up, walked forward on his own initiative until he was right in front of Elder Dock, and stared at him just like that:

"Listen, old man, if it were Miss Bertha standing here, I would still have the interest and the patience to say a few more words to her, because I feel she still possesses a brain. But as for you all, I truly have not the slightest inclination to speak anymore."

"That is because Miss Bertha is an emissary of God," Helen offered an explanation at this moment.

Karen pointed at Piaget, who was sitting there:

"Originally, I was willing to share Piaget with you remnant scum of the Light."

"..." Piaget.

"Now, however, I feel it necessary to change my mind, because the decline of the Light is truly not without reason. It can be seen quite clearly from your very persons."

"You are defiling my faith," Elder Dock said in a deep voice. "Since when is it the Berry Church's turn to desecrate and mock the Light?"

"Mm, hehehe." Karen raised his hand. "If you happen to know anyone from the Berry Church on your end, you are more than welcome to ask them whether they know me. Oh, they certainly would not know me;

Because what I praise is Nature, not the Berry Church."

The Berry Church was born out of the Church of the Goddess of Nature; to a certain extent, the Berry Church was the Church of the Goddess of Nature, but the former grew larger and larger in the secular world, taking on several distinct, characteristic labels, while the latter became increasingly niche.

It could be understood as the original faith of the Church of the Goddess of Nature being akin to the Temple of Order within the Church of Order, whereas the Berry Church was equivalent to the Church of Order itself.

This was a secret history known to very few, but in Mr. Hoffen's notes, there was a dedicated description of it.

While stealthily learning other people's formations and spells, it was only natural to gather a bit of gossip along the way.

Having finished speaking,

Karen's palm gently patted Elder Dock's face.

Elder Dock merely kept his face rigid, making no further move.

Yet Vernon, who had originally been standing behind the sofa, took the initiative to walk toward Karen.

Karen's gaze immediately locked onto him,

And he said:

"If you continue to practice down this path, you will not live long."

Hearing these words, Vernon's steps froze on the spot.

Karen turned around, walked back, and sat down in his original seat.

Piaget poured him another cup of coffee, and Karen reached out to take it.

The words he had spoken to Vernon just now were not something he had seen in Mr. Hoffen's notes; he had made them up on a whim.

Piaget cleared his throat,

And said:

"It seems everything began because of me. Bertha is my secretary, my helper at work, and Karen is my best, closest friend.

From my perspective, I do not wish for everyone to fall into conflict.

Furthermore,

Now that I have met Mr. Bede, it proves that my premonition was correct. I think so, wouldn't you say?"

Bede also spoke up at this moment:

"All of this must be the arrangement of the God of the Wall.

In this room,

The fallen Allen family, the fallen Church of Light, the fallen Church of the Wall, the fallen Berry Church...

Does no one feel that all of this is simply too coincidental?"

"Hehehe." Karen let out a laugh. "An alliance of losers?"

"Pfft!"

Helen could not help but laugh along, waving her hand to dissolve that mirror.

This degree of control over the spell made Karen's eyelids twitch slightly.

In truth, Mr. Bede was currently very envious of Karen, because Karen had not exposed his identity and could still carry himself as a member of the "Berry Church" or a "believer of the Goddess of Nature," whereas he himself had already been exposed.

Though thinking this way felt somewhat inhumane, it was indeed the family driver who had sacrificed himself to protect him, especially that line he shouted before dying—"Patriarch, get back in the car first"—that could be said to have pinned his identity down directly.

Otherwise, Mr. Bede could have entirely manufactured a temporary identity for himself just as Karen had done.

He knew that Karen, due to the reasons of a special purification, could not have his realm detected by outsiders, allowing him to perform to his heart's content;

In fact, he himself could have originally done this too. He did not even need others to look; he inherently possessed no realm, because the realm of the Church of the Wall would not bring about fluctuations in aura or power;

It was just... could they not even see through the realm of this servant?

Mr. Bede had seen Elder Dock and this man and woman strike with his own eyes; they had slaughtered a crowd of Raphael clansmen as if chopping vegetables.

It could be said that their strength was terrifying. The Church of Light was, after all, the most powerful church of the previous era; even if it had perished now, its remnants were still not to be underestimated.

Though they certainly could not compare to the ancestral Count Recar summoned by the "Young Master," at least here, the three of them could easily obliterate everyone else present.

Yet it was glaringly obvious that the "Young Master" had bluffed them all into submission.

What bloodthirsty mutant demon? When he was at the Allen Manor, he had never seen that manservant drink even a single spoonful of raw blood.

However, Mr. Bede could naturally never expose Karen; after all, this was his own "prospective son-in-law."

Of course, for Bede, the greatest agony was that because he had no way to "create a false identity," he had to communicate with this group of Light remnants in his capacity as the Patriarch of the Allen family, which was equivalent to pulling the Allen family straight to the edge of a volcanic crater.

But the greatest stroke of luck was that after confirming the "Karen" they had previously mentioned waiting for was indeed his "prospective son-in-law," he was no longer that panicked.

It seemed that no matter what crisis the Allen Manor encountered, even if it were a destined fate in a certain sense, this prospective son-in-law of his would be able to resolve it.

"We need time." Mr. Bede pointed at Piaget, then pointed at himself. "We need time to jointly create a mural."

Piaget nodded and said, "I have recently spent a long time teaching myself painting again. Hehe, back when I was with my wife, I learned some of the basics."

Bede continued, "I feel that in the mural we are about to create, it will bring us true revelation, and will guide the next moves of everyone sitting here, as well as the families, churches, and forces behind us.

I surmise this ought to be the turning point for a resurgence."

"But," Miss Helen began, her voice tentative, "if the scenes in the mural are bound to happen, what difference does it make whether we look or not, whether we act or refrain?"

Bede’s brow furrowed slightly. He desperately wanted to say that the mural's prophecies were not entirely immutable;

yet the truth was, speaking such words here, before this gathering of the remnants of Light, was utterly inappropriate.

Karen broke the silence:

"That is because 'your viewing of the mural' is itself a preordained condition. Much like how you must first embrace the Light before the Light will offer its sanctuary."

Only by beholding the mural would you be subtly influenced by it, unconsciously nudging everything around you toward the very outcome displayed within the frame.

Therefore, the "mural" must still be painted, and above all, it must be seen.

"So that is how it is. Thank you, Mr. Karen, you really are incredible."

Karen offered a reserved smile. He could spin these hollow, metaphysical arguments indefinitely, rearranging them simply to validate his predetermined conclusions.

Yet one thing was certain: this girl named Helen was indeed rather simple-minded.

Elder Dock spoke up: "Then we shall continue to protect you, ensuring you finish this piece."

Mr. Bede then said, "I need to return home to make some arrangements for family matters."

"Very well," Karen replied.

Elder Dock glanced at Karen, raising no objection to his decision.

"Then I suppose it is time for my own holiday," the artist murmured. "At last, I can fully immerse myself in the joy of painting, just as Linda once did."

"Agreed," Karen continued to direct. "The matters of the clinic shall be left in Miss Bertha’s hands, and I shall continue to report for work as well."

"Understood, thank you."

Karen continued, "To ensure safety, this villa will serve as their creative sanctuary. From our respective sides, only a single individual shall be permitted to enter and monitor the situation.

On my side, it will be me; on yours, Miss Bertha.

No one else is to enter this villa without cause, nor are they to spy upon it."

Elder Dock's lips twitched slightly, but he ultimately nodded. "Agreed."

"Excellent."

Karen stood up and walked toward the entrance, with Alfred following closely behind him.

Reaching the threshold,

Karen paused, turned back, and said:

"There is one more matter I must remind everyone present: just as the deepest treasures are guarded by the most formidable monsters, the closer we draw to the turning point, the nearer the danger approaches.

This is a divine oracle granted to me by the Goddess of Nature."

"You can still receive divine oracles!" Helen cried out in astonishment.

Ah, so the remnants of Light can no longer receive oracles at all; they have completely lost connection with their deity.

Elder Dock, however, stared intently at Karen with absolute gravity:

"Is this true?"

Clearly, he placed immense weight on divine oracles, precisely because he possessed none...

"So, do you understand now why I am acting with such utmost caution?

Even though I could crush those family pests with a single finger,

I still came here specifically to put on a performance for them.

Because at this critical stage, not a single drop of carelessness can be tolerated. The crisis born of destiny will only grow clearer.

The Church of the Mural, the Holy Church of Light, the Church of Berry, ha...

I have a premonition that next, we may face the tentacles of the Church of Order, for it is the common enemy of everyone sitting here—if we are still deemed worthy of being their enemy, that is."

Upon hearing the words "Church of Order," the faces of Dock, Vernon, and Helen all turned solemn.

Elder Dock inquired:

"Has the Church of Berry also been targeted by the Church of Order?"

"The mastermind behind the severing of ties between the Church of Berry and the Church of the Nature Goddess was none other than the Church of Order. They naturally abhor the resurgence of any fallen or suppressed deity."

This was not something Karen had fabricated; it was recorded in Mr. Hoffen's notes, though Mr. Hoffen had appended a brief annotation to the line: *So I was told by someone.*

Who that someone was, was not hard to guess.

"In short, let everyone be prepared. If we wish to rise again, we must inevitably confront the greatest rule in the world today... Order.

Should any of you perceive the approach of the Church of Order,

please inform me immediately so we may face it together;

my side shall do the same."

With that, Karen opened the front door and stepped out.

They walked out of the courtyard and got into the car. Only after the vehicle had driven a considerable distance did it pull over to the curb.

"Sigh..."

"Sigh..."

In perfect unison, Karen and Alfred leaned back against their seats, letting out a long, deep breath.

"Young Master, the remnants of Light are far more formidable than imagined. I even question whether I could best that seemingly foolish young lady in my current state.

The protective mirror she summoned casually without incantation was of an exceptionally high magical tier.

It is entirely thanks to your excellent guidance, Young Master, that your subordinate was able to keep pace with you."

Karen shook his head and said:

"No, it was their warnings that guided us.

Mr. Bede usually carries himself like an ordinary man even before his father and brother, yet when he came out to greet us earlier, his stride possessed a powerful aura.

This was actually a hint to me that the people inside did not know my true identity.

Piaget added an immense amount of sugar to my coffee, yet he knows I dislike sweets; this was to tell me that I was actually in danger.

You saw it too—that old man harbored a killing intent toward me at first. Though he and Bertha both belong to the Holy Church of Light, they do not seem to walk the same path. What did that woman call Bertha again?"

"An emissary, Young Master."

"Yes, correct. A parachuted special envoy is bound to clash with the local factions.

Furthermore, Piaget asked if I wanted cake, offering to share a piece with me. He meant that the upcoming conversation would involve dividing the spoils."

"Mr. Piaget is truly that clever?"

"Because they must have held a preliminary meeting before we arrived. Though Piaget is a layman and did not understand the specifics, he certainly understood the *nature* of the meeting; he knew what kind of negotiation this was.

Compared to that old man or his secretary, Bertha—even if Bertha bears an uncanny resemblance to Linda—he actually feels nothing for her. Piaget still prefers to trust me."

"So there were so many intricate details hidden within."

"Did you fail to spot even a single one?" Karen asked Alfred, a note of curiosity in his voice.

Alfred shook his head and said, "I only know that I must keep my eyes on you at all times, Master, and act in concert with you."

"Very good."

"Master, that old man not only failed to see through you, but he failed to see through me as well. I feel as though my faith has reached a higher plane; there seems to be no trace of a heterodox demon's aura left upon me now."

A heterodox demon stripped of its demonic aura.

Alfred believed that his faith in his master had sublimated further at that very moment when, after Kevin had urinated on him that day, the master had personally used his own hands to dress his wounds, utterly heedless of the filth.

"Though the difficulty was raised, we played our parts well in this theater."

They had originally intended to perform for the members of the Raphael family, yet who could have foreseen that those people had already scattered into the air of Vienne, blending with the scent of burning plastic from the electrical wires.

"It was because you controlled the tempo so masterfully, Young Master."

"In any case, it was well worth it. At the very least, we have earned the right to stand on equal footing with this powerful remnant of the Light. A remnant... such a mighty remnant. Is this truly the latent strength of an orthodox church?

They are like millipedes; even when severed and dead, they can still keep writhing."

Alfred immediately committed this metaphor to memory.

"Compared to them, we are impoverished indeed. You, me, a talking cat, and a dog that cannot even speak."

"What should we do next, Master? Wait for that painting to be finished?"

"Wait for what? We have no religion of our own to resurrect."

Alfred blinked.

"The preventative measures are already in place. Next, we shall continue our investigation into the case left behind by Mr. Pavarotti."

Saying this,

Karen stretched luxuriously,

A slight smile gracing his face as he added:

"Even if this stirs a reaction from certain individuals within the Order of Order, someone else will finally be there to take the blame."