Chapter 210: The Truth

Chapter 210: The Truth

Richard pushed open the front door and walked through the foyer into the living room, only to find two people sitting there. They sat face-to-face like complete strangers, bearing absolutely no trace of the fact that they had once brought a child into this world.

Yes, sitting in the living room were his father and... his mother.

The woman turned and, upon seeing Richard's return, immediately stood up with open arms, her voice bright with joy. "Oh, my dear son is back."

"Mother!"

Richard leaned in and embraced his mother.

"I heard you went out on a mission?"

"Yes, because I wanted to earn some points through my own efforts, so I could buy a refined gift for my favorite mother on her next birthday."

"Oh, what a good boy." Kathy planted a soft kiss on her son's forehead.

Edison stood up at that moment and said, "Richard, entertain your mother."

With that, as if fleeing a disaster, he walked briskly into the first-floor bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"If only your father could be as cheerful as you," Kathy sighed with deep emotion.

"That is because Father gave all of his sunshine to me."

"You are getting sweeter with your words, my son. So, was the mission difficult?"

"Not at all. It was very fulfilling."

"Then what were your responsibilities within the squad?"

"To stay hidden in the shadows with my captain and teammates, protecting our target."

"Is that so? That must have been exhausting. Why don't you go take a bath first?"

"Alright, Mother. I will head upstairs to wash up now."

"Oh, by the way, your grandfather is upstairs. Go up and say hello to him."

"Grandfather is here too? Alright, I understand, Mother."

Richard walked up to the second floor and knocked on the study door.

"Come in."

"Grandfather."

"You are back." Delon was not sitting behind his desk; instead, he stood before the wall, gazing at an old family portrait.

"Yes, I am back. The mission is over."

"Are you tired?"

"Not at all. It was my first mission, and it felt fulfilling from start to finish."

"Are your father and mother talking downstairs?"

"Even if you came upstairs to leave the living room to the two of them, do you really think they would speak to each other?"

"Alas, I simply do not know how your father became like this. When he was a boy, he was merely a bit unsociable. Now that his own son is this grown, he has instead regressed more and more as he ages."

"I think we could find a psychologist for Father to see."

"Would it be of any use?"

"If he does not see one, it certainly will be of no use."

"Then let us give it a try. Go look around and keep an eye out for one."

"Alright, Grandfather. But once I find a suitable psychologist, I will still need you to speak up and command Father to go."

"Of that, I am naturally aware."

Delon took two steps back, yet his gaze remained fixed upon the photograph.

"Is Grandfather thinking about my eldest aunt?"

"Yes. When your father was a child, it was only when your eldest aunt was looking after him that he would smile, that he would be a bit more lively. I keep thinking, if your eldest aunt were still alive, still living in this home of ours, your father likely would not have become the way he is today.

Your eldest aunt's child should be around your age, perhaps a bit older than you. You would have had a cousin to grow up with."

"By the way, Grandfather, why are you, Father, and Mother all at home? Did Mother make a special trip back from Samp City to visit family?"

"She has an official business trip to York City, so she came home to take a look."

"Oh, so that is how it is."

"Richard, do not blame your mother."

"I have never blamed Mother. If I were in her position, it would probably be very difficult for me to accept facing such a husband every single day."

"Such words are not fitting for you, as a son, to speak."

"We are all family, so it is naturally understood. Grandfather, I shall go take my bath now."

"Go on."

Richard closed the study door. Hearing movement downstairs, he leaned slightly toward the stairwell and caught the sound of his aunt's voice.

Aunt is here too?

Richard did not go downstairs. Instead, he walked into the bathroom. As he stripped off his clothes, he paused for a moment. The whole family was back, and they were all at home at the same time?

One had to know that this household had not been this complete in several years.

Richard could not help but think back to the words his captain had spoken to him before his return.

"It seems that something is truly about to happen."

After finishing his bath, Richard changed into a fresh set of clothes and walked into his bedroom, deliberately leaving the door open as he lay down on the bed.

The drifting voices from the living room downstairs came in fits and starts, mostly consisting of his aunt and mother chatting. After a while, he also heard his grandfather's voice; Grandfather must have gone downstairs as well.

Lying on the bed, Richard began to feel drowsy. Over the past few days, he had essentially been standing in an elevator, sleeping while leaning against its walls. Having not touched a bed for days, the moment he encountered one, he was somewhat reluctant to leave it, and a heavy sleepiness was dragged out of him.

Yet Richard still forced himself to stay awake. Later, finding it too agonizing to resist while lying down, he simply got out of bed and leaned his side against the wall by the bedroom doorway, as if he were still standing guard inside that elevator on his mission.

In a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, he knew not exactly how much time had passed when he realized the voices downstairs had ceased.

Richard snapped his eyes open instantly, as though someone had pressed an elevator button, returning to a state of sharp alertness.

Promptly, Richard walked downstairs. Sure enough, he happened to see the four of them—Grandfather, Father, Mother, and Aunt—just walking from the living room to the foyer.

"Aunt, you are here!"

Richard greeted his aunt with great warmth.

"Look at that, the glorious Whip of Order of our family is back."

Kathy looked at her son with concern and asked, "Did you not sleep?"

"I slept for a little while just now. I am preparing to go out on a date with Belina."

"Who is Belina?" Kathy asked in confusion.

"A girl your son has been seeing recently," his aunt remarked. "I remember that name."

"Yes, a very gentle girl. Her father is a missionary of the Church of Samsara, and her mother is a Rueland native who is very skilled at cooking Rueland cuisine. I imagine I might have the opportunity to taste it tonight."

Richard noticed that when he spoke these words, his father, mother, and aunt all maintained perfectly normal expressions.

Huh, was something amiss?

"Richard, my grandson."

At this moment, Delon, who had already reached the doorway, stepped back inside and pointed a finger at Richard:

"After returning from a completed mission, I believe what you need most right now is rest—ample rest. I know young people like to enjoy themselves, but there is a time and place for everything.

Therefore, for the sake of your health, I expect you to stay home and sleep today. You are an adult now, and you must master the rhythm of your life and work, do you understand?"

"I understand, Grandfather."

"I do not wish for you to deceive me. What you promise me must be fulfilled, otherwise your grandfather will be exceedingly angry."

"Yes, Grandfather, I will heed your words. I will go nowhere today and remain home to rest well."

"Mhm, good."

"Rest well, my son." Kathy gave Richard a brief embrace, then followed the others out of the house.

Instead of returning to his bedroom, Richard walked over to the living room sofa, sat down, and muttered to himself, "Grandfather's reaction seemed remarkably sensitive. Father, Mother, and Aunt showed no response at all. Does this mean that, as of now, Grandfather is the only one who knows where they are going and what mission they are to execute, while Father, Mother, and Aunt currently lack the security clearance to know?

Such stringent confidentiality protocols, to be strictly observed even against one's own children."

"Ring, ring..."

The telephone rang, and Richard answered it.

"Hello, it is me."

"Captain!"

"Did you say it?"

"Captain, I spoke just as you instructed. Grandfather... had a reaction."

"Very well, I understand. Rest well."

"Yes, Captain."

...

Neo hung up the receiver in the telephone booth, looked at Karen, and said, "I will grant you a single guess: which orthodox church do you think it is?"

Karen replied, "The Church of Samsara."

"Why?"

"Because upon our very first meeting with Derius, he offered us one hundred thousand Samsara vouchers just to invite us for afternoon tea. I imagine that for this negotiation, he must have brought quite a substantial amount of vouchers. Under those circumstances, Space Gem vouchers would have been unsuitable to give away, as they were constantly depreciating at the time and were not robust vouchers issued by an orthodox church.

The fact that he could casually bestow one hundred thousand vouchers upon us as a tip proves he still carries a vast amount of Samsara vouchers on his person. It also demonstrates the intimate relationship between the Church of Pamireth and the Church of Samsara.

To use the Church of Pamireth as a springboard to strike an adversary, that adversary had best be closely acquainted with them, and ideally, maintain excellent relations on the surface. Only then would the effect of a surprise attack be maximized."

"A very fine reason," Neo said.

"I feel my reasoning is somewhat far-fetched."

"No, that is merely because the information available to you is sparse. Investigating and verifying a matter is often precisely like this; you cannot always expect to be blessed with abundant intelligence.

The target of Order this time is the Church of Samsara.

Initially, my analysis aligned with yours, but at that moment, it was nothing more than a conjecture. After all, this involves the entirety of my savings, so it was impossible not to be prudent. Therefore, I had Richard go and ask for me—well, one could not truly call it asking; rather, he used a possible answer I provided to conduct a small probe."

"Are you certain the Guman family would know?"

"Mhm. Do you still recall the previous collapse of the administrative building?"

"I remember you mentioning that Mr. Delon's department director was exposed as a mole. Before being apprehended, he activated the administrative building's magical array."

"Yes, quite so. The facts are indeed thus, but do you not find it strange?"

"Strange?"

"Our Church has actually begun hunting for traitors."

"..." Karen.

"The higher-ups are not necessarily ignorant of this phenomenon; it is possible they simply could not be bothered to investigate, or perhaps they deliberately left it untamed. After all, among the various great churches, you infiltrate me and I infiltrate you, mixing sand into each other's ranks while remaining fully aware of it.

Thus, the previous incident was distinctly anomalous—anomalous to the point where... it resembled a deliberate screening of the required forces right before embarking on an urgent and momentous undertaking.

And with the director of that department meeting his downfall, does not the former deputy director—our elderly Mr. Delon—naturally become the true voice of authority in that department?

Certain matters might elude even the bishops of the York City diocese, yet Mr. Delon is privy to them, for he holds the very hilt of that blade. Furthermore, no one can cast doubt upon the Guman family's absolute loyalty to the Church of Order.

I suspect that tonight, they will coordinate their actions with the departure time of those few knight orders over there. For instance... using an array to seal off the Church of Samsara's administrative building and several critical missionary outposts in York City ahead of time?"

Neo gazed toward the grand screen, where Samsara vouchers, as tokens of an orthodox church, were ranked near the very top.

"What fun is there in Space Gem vouchers? Shorting the currency of an orthodox church is where the true amusement lies."

"Captain, Vanni still has one hundred thousand Samsara vouchers."

"Knowing Vanni's habits, she likely headed to the black market to exchange them for Order vouchers the moment she parted from us. You need not worry about that. Furthermore, following this affair, the Church will likely conduct a grand purge against traitors, focusing primarily on those who leaked secrets and sold information this time. That is also why I had you beat those three until they bled; otherwise, they might very well have been implicated."

"But, Captain, what about the two of us right now..."

Karen felt that, compared to the likes of Pegg selling information, the two of them resembled actual spies far more, having achieved something that even an exceptional spy might not necessarily accomplish.

"Do you have a handler?" Neo asked Karen.

"I do not..."

"What a coincidence, neither do I. Therefore, since neither of us has a handler, how can we be considered traitors?"

"This..."

"Do you know? Many handlers who buy internal church intelligence are themselves members of the Church. Angling is surely much easier than diving into a pond to catch fish with bare hands, is it not?"

"I understand, Captain."

"Very well, I shall go place my order now. Go downstairs and request another glass of Derna blood-wine for me. I imagine that once I finish placing the order, my hands will still tremble a bit—after all, it is the entirety of my savings."

"Right away, Captain."

A short while later, Karen returned upstairs bearing a glass of blood-wine, only to find the captain already sitting there, having completed his order. He was staring at his own hands, which seemed, in truth, to be trembling.

"Your wine, Captain."

Neo took the glass, swallowed a great gulp, and asked, "Are you returning home next?"

"Do you have other arrangements, Captain?"

"I wish to go outside the Church of Samsara's administrative building to admire the moonlight."

"I would like to go as well."

Neo looked at Karen and inquired:

"So, when you witnessed the collapse of our administrative building last time, particularly when you saw the floors housing the warehouse and the shops tumbling down, did you not also feel a sudden impulse in your heart?"

Karen nodded and replied, "Regrettably, there were several adjudicators guarding the vicinity of those floors at the time."

Neo let out a sigh,

and said:

"I only regret that it was daytime then."

...

"Creak..."

The iron door ground open, and Delius, weighed down by shackles, was escorted from his cell into an office.

There, Delius beheld a figure clad in dark armor... Bishop Bourn... his father.

Bishop Bourn spoke, "My apologies. The garrison's cells haven't been used in a long while; the conditions inside must be dreadful."

"You are... a man of the Order?"

"You should be proud of that, for your father is not merely a bishop of the York City diocese; he was also once a glorious member of the Order. Though retired, I still retain my commission in this garrison. Strictly speaking, the office of bishop is merely my second vocation."

"You entered into cooperation with the Hierophant long ago. The Order's target this time wasn't the Palmireth Cult at all; they merely used the Messenger Space as a springboard."

"You finally realize it?"

"The moment I learned of the collapse of the Cage Space, I understood. Without the Hierophant's consent and cooperation, this play could never have been performed."

He had notified the Hierophant himself in time, yet matters had not changed; still, he had firmly believed that the Hierophant possessed the power to prevent all of this from happening.

"Mm, yes. In truth, the Order has infiltrated and controlled the Palmireth Cult for much longer than you imagine."

"So, who is the Order's true target this time?"

"Do you know who destroyed the Cage Space? Captain Konda of the maintenance squad—you should be familiar with him. He once competed with you for the position of Divine Son, but lost to you."

"It was him?"

"Yes, it was him. When he and his accomplices attempted to flee after sabotaging the Cage Space, they were captured just in time, along with a team sent to receive them.

Furthermore, the Palmireth sacred artifact he stole and utilized—Silence—perfectly recorded the entire process of his crime. It can be considered a caught-red-handed situation, with exhaustive evidence.

In fact, he is quite like you. All these years, you said you always wanted to praise the Order in public; he, too, likely wanted to loudly praise Reincarnation."

"The target is the Church of Reincarnation."

"Attacking a medium-sized church like the Palmireth Cult would be improper if we used these reasons and excuses. But if the target is an orthodox church like the Church of Reincarnation, the Order indeed requires a justification that can convince the entire ecclesiastical world.

We have obtained this justification—an irrefutable, undeniable, crystal-clear justification. It was the Church of Reincarnation that struck first against my Order; the Order is merely striking back in self-defense.

Tomorrow, the Council of Elders of the Order will present this evidence to the entire ecclesiastical world, exposing the vile deeds of the Church of Reincarnation. My Order will declare war upon them!"

"Hehehe... hehehe..."

Delius began to laugh, laughing until tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.

Bourn simply sat there, letting him vent his emotions, though he glanced at the clock from time to time, seemingly calculating the duration of his tolerance for his son's emotional outburst.

Finally, Delius raised his head once more, looking at the father seated before him:

"So, you planned everything long ago. The target of the war, the justification for the war, the springboard for the war—you plotted it all long ago.

Then what about me? What do I amount to in all of this?

Am I just a clown? A clown who didn't even know he was playing the role of a clown, yet still performed with all his might? Hehehe, how truly comical.

Because no matter what choices I made, no matter what I did, it would never have affected the progress and outcome of this matter, would it?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you still send me to the Palmireth Cult!

If I could start over, I wouldn't want to be any Divine Son. Even though you are not a good father, I still wished to stay with my family always."

"In truth, you have always been with your family."

"Who?"

"After you entered the Palmireth Cult, who granted you the greatest help and promotion all this time?"

An expression of utter disbelief washed over Delius's face; his eyes widened, and he muttered blankly:

"The Hierophant?"

Bourn smiled slightly,

And said:

"You should call him... Grandfather."

---

Today's update is finished, good night. Requesting monthly tickets!