Chapter 232: The Autistic "Karen"

Chapter 232: The Autistic "Karen"

"Well, it is done, though it is somewhat unsightly."

Old Saman observed the coffin before him, taking a draw from his pipe.

This coffin... if it could even be graced with that title, possessed a rough exterior, its numerous runes and array lines exposed to the open air like the chaotic wiring of a slum.

The joinery where the panels met was similarly crude, devoid of any refinement and bearing the marks of a hurried hand.

Alfred ran his hand along the wood, recalling the frenetic day and night spent rushing this labor, yet he could not help but admire Old Saman's mastery of spatial forging—in this particular discipline, the old man was indeed a true maestro.

Previously, he had not ventured into this domain and thus felt little impression, but once he truly stepped across its threshold, he could perceive the sheer grandeur of the old man's prowess.

"For future coffins, you shall follow this exact process; naturally, you will not have to rush as we did this time, and they can be crafted beautifully."

"Once I have fashioned a new coffin in the future, I shall move you elsewhere."

"No, no, absolutely not. Though this one is unlovely, it is at least the work of my own hands, which gives me peace of mind; it may lack beauty, but it is entirely functional.

I have no desire to lay myself inside a coffin that has bypassed quality inspection; if you should come to visit me in a few years only to find what little spirituality I have left has long since evaporated, leaving nothing but a puddle of rotten flesh, I would not even have the tears to weep."

"You ought to have more faith in me."

"Mmh, true enough. Aside from being somewhat eccentric, your capacity for learning is truly formidable; from whom did you acquire your knowledge of arrays?"

"Elder Hoffen."

"Elder Hoffen? Of which church?"

"The Church of Principles."

"How is it I do not recall such a figure within the Church of Principles? He must be quite advanced in years, and surely he would have been rather famous thirty years ago."

"It is entirely natural that you would not know of him, for he was the Elder who guarded the Wheel of Principles within the Church."

"Oh, is that so? A truly remarkable figure, then."

Dincomb and Pick were already numb with exhaustion, yet with each of them clutching five hundred Order vouchers in overtime pay, they remained standing perfectly upright, awaiting their next command.

Old Saman’s gaze swept over them, and he chuckled, "Heh, these two servants look as though they are on the verge of divine epiphany."

Alfred looked toward them and said, "You have worked hard, go down and rest."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

Pick and Dincomb walked out, their legs moving with a certain stiffness, feeling that if this overtime continued any longer, it would be uncertain for whom this hastily built coffin would actually be used.

"I am about to lie down within it, and yet where is that lad Karen? Has he not returned?"

"You should learn to show reverence to the Young Master."

"He himself says nothing, so why do you take issue?"

"Why, then, does the high and mighty God still require a church?"

"I know, I understand," Old Saman waved his hand, "it is just that it all still feels somewhat unreal, like a dream dreamt after death, and I know not whether the dream is about to wake."

"There is an issue within your array," Alfred said, picking up the manuscript of the diagrams. "What exactly is the core configuration of the array here?"

"I thought you would fail to notice," Old Saman smiled.

A coffin was a coffin, and an array was an array; only when twelve coffins worked in tandem with the array could the true effect be realized.

"Is this... the sacrificial position?" Alfred inquired.

"Of course. I can assure you that the resting place of the First Knights must feature a similar arrangement. It becomes clear when one thinks on it—how could spiritual power simply manifest from nothing?

Even if you wish to nurture a single flower, you must water and fertilize it."

"Very well, I understand."

"Eh? That is all?"

"That is all."

"Have you nothing else to ask regarding the core position of this array?"

"To others, this might pose a problem, but to the Young Master, it is of little consequence."

Alfred was well aware that his master possessed an almost miraculous capability; the price he paid for "awakening" was exceedingly low, which meant he could replenish the spiritual power of corpses in the most economical fashion.

In other words, even if this core position of the array were left vacant, the loss of spiritual power for the entities resting within the twelve coffins would be vastly curbed.

And if the Young Master were to stand at the array's core for a brief moment every few months, using his own accumulated spiritual power as a conduit, he could maximize the array's efficacy, allowing it to "nourish" those residing within the twelve coffins.

Old Saman deemed this an incredibly difficult feat; after all, the Church of Order paid an immense price each year simply to maintain the scale of the First Knights.

"You need not concern yourself with these matters," Alfred said, tapping his fingers against the wood. "Lie down inside and begin your slumber."

"I wish to wait for Karen to return, to speak one last word to him. He cannot be like this; here I am, still awake, while he has gone out. Did he go to attend a banquet?"

"Mmh, a dinner."

"What dinner could possibly be so important?"

"Very important."

"Very well," Old Saman took another draw from his mouthpiece, mocking himself, "the bodily organs are beginning to degrade, and the stimulation from the tobacco is growing faint."

Just then, Xili's voice drifted in from outside: "Young Master, you have returned."

Karen did not return to his bedroom first; instead, he came to the storehouse, walked to the side of the coffin, touched it, and said:

"How ugly."

Owing to his past experience working on Mink Street, Karen possessed a defined aesthetic sense regarding coffins.

"As long as it serves its purpose," Old Saman lowered his pipe, his voice dropping slightly.

"Then you must suffer this grievance for the time being."

"It is no grievance; once the eyes close, one knows nothing at all. What matters where one lies?"

"I shall replace it with a new one for you in the future," Karen said.

"No need, no need, I care nothing for that."

"But I care," Karen looked toward Alfred and instructed, "The twelve coffins must ultimately match in style, otherwise it will distress my eyes."

"I understand, Young Master."

Karen turned his gaze back to Old Saman and asked, "Do you still need to wander outside once more?"

"No, there is nothing left to see. The matters of my past life have all been settled. I merely wished to wait for your return to speak one last word with you."

"Very well, speak."

"Am I to be your slave from this day forth?"

Karen was just about to open his mouth,

But Old Saman answered his own question: "Or is it that the heavens and the earth are not merciful in the slightest, treating all creation as nothing more than dogs made of straw?"

"Which of the two do you prefer?"

"The latter. It allows me to understand exactly what sort of relationship this is, and it brings me far greater comfort of mind."

“Then it is the latter.”

“Indeed. So, the next time I am awoken, please be... please, My Lord, be a bit more aloof, a bit more decorous.”

“Very well, I understand.”

“Then I shall sleep.” Old Saman took the initiative to lie down inside the coffin. Before closing his eyes, he smiled and added, “Closing one’s eyes without a single care or attachment is truly comfortable, as if I have rediscovered the feeling of going to sleep after a long day of playing as a child.”

Karen spoke up, “When sleeping as a child, one usually looks forward to tomorrow upon waking, because the playing can continue.”

“Yes, exactly so.”

Old Saman placed his hands over his chest, forming the ritual seal of the Pamires Faith:

“I have assumed the proper posture. When I awaken next, I shall offer you my praises.”

“Regrettably, I am not particularly interested in your praises.”

“Yes, yes, exactly! That is the very feeling, that sort of decorum.”

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Karen’s lips.

Old Saman cleared his throat and shouted:

“Goodnight!”

The coffin lid was closed by Alfred. As the internal formation of the coffin activated, Old Saman fell into a spatial seal.

“Are Dincomb and Pick doing well as assistants?” Karen asked.

“Your subordinate believes there is no issue. Although there are still quite a few technical matters I have not fully mastered or understood, duplicating these coffins according to the template poses no major problem.”

“Good, that is well.”

“Furthermore, Young Master, it seems Pick and Dincomb are on the verge of entering their Divine Revelation. It will likely happen within this month.”

“I have noticed.”

“Their aptitude is mediocre, but fortunately, they encountered you, Young Master.”

“Keep an eye on them.”

“Understood, Young Master. As the specific time draws near, your subordinate will inform you in advance.”

“Inform me for what?”

“Only you, Young Master, possess the right to grant them revelation.”

Karen instantly grasped Alfred’s meaning and asked, “Is the stride perhaps a bit too large?”

“Only when they receive a true Divine Revelation can they be counted as truly our own.”

Seeing Karen still hesitating,

Alfred continued, “The God of Order is too far from them, but you, Young Master, are right by their side.”

“I understand, but before the revelation, I will give them two choices. If I forcibly distort their revelation, what difference would there be between myself and the God of Order?”

“I believe they will make the correct choice.”

Alfred added the next line in his heart: After all, the God of Order only gives them a hundred coins a month.

Karen returned to the bedroom. Purr was lying on the bed wrapped in a small blanket, having presumably just taken a bath.

“Oh, my busy little Karen has finally returned.”

“Do you quite like greeting me in this manner?”

“Not particularly, but I feel this way of greeting reflects my status as your elder.”

“You worry overmuch, for no one has ever mistaken you for being young.”

“Oh, your mouth today tastes as though it were smeared with Wien bean paste!”

“I am going to the pottery workshop tomorrow. Have you finished listing the requirements for your puppets?”

“Well, we haven’t chosen yet. I plan to wait for the couple of days when little John comes home on holiday from boarding school and have him help paint portraits for the two of us.”

“Such a hassle?”

“It wasn't easy to finally gain the chance to appear in human form, so we must certainly be a bit prudent.”

Kevin also nodded immediately in agreement.

“Very well, let me know when the time comes.”

Karen went to the washroom to bathe. After returning to the bed and lying down, he spoke:

“Today, the old lady seemed to recognize me.”

“The old lady? Your grandmother?” Purr turned onto her side, looking at Karen. “She recognized you?”

“Though it wasn't with absolute certainty, it felt that way to me. It seems she does not faith in the God of Order.”

“Mm, she likely faiths in the Progenitor Alter—a very mysterious family belief system.”

“You know of it?”

“I only heard Dis mention it once in the past. You know how Dis always placed great importance on family. Although the Guman family was unaware of the Inmerais family’s existence, Dis certainly knew of theirs.”

“Are you certain?”

“Regarding which aspect?”

“I feel she recognized me, yet she did not expose my identity, and even did her utmost to conceal her own loss of composure.”

“You mean to say she might know something regarding the Inmerais family?”

“I am not entirely sure. If it were merely out of consideration for my hidden identity, she ought to have found an opportunity to speak with me alone to question me. By omitting this step, she seems to have deemed my concealment of identity as highly necessary.”

“I believe that from the perspective of considering the Guman family, hiding your identity from them is the most appropriate course. Number 13 Minke Street has the slumbering Dis to guard it, but here, there is no one.”

“I am aware of this.”

“I do not know much regarding the matters of the Alter family; they have always been very mysterious. I only know they seem to possess a strange sort of perception. They are not a powerful family, but they have endured for a very long time.

Moreover, their lineage is unlike that of the Allen family, where the direct line all resides within the Allen Manor. They have always been very loosely connected, yet they have never been broken off. In fact, they do not even resemble a family possessing a family belief system.”

“Woof! Woof!”

Karen sat up, looking at Kevin who had just walked in.

Purr spoke, “The stupid dog says that the Alter family is a family blessed by the God of Eternity.”

“The God of Eternity?”

Purr spoke, “It appears to be a main god from an even more distant era.”

“Woof! Woof!”

“The stupid dog says that the God of Eternity was born before the God of Light. Before the God of Light and the Church of Light became the representatives of the orthodox god and the orthodox church, that position belonged to the God of Eternity and the Church of Eternity.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“At the end of two epochs ago, the God of Eternity suddenly became lost.

Therefore, the divine wars of the first half of the last epoch were essentially fought between the side represented by the God of Light and the side of the God of Eternity, with the purpose of purging the world order left behind by the God of Eternity.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The Arte family once guarded the God of Eternity, though it remains unclear whether this occurred before the deity’s ascension, mid-term after it, or if the god simply chose to walk the earth as a mortal once more.

In any case, the God of Eternity was deeply moved by the warmth and harmony of the Arte household, bestowing a blessing upon them so that their lineage might live in mutual love and affection for generations to come.

"This story sounds terribly familiar," Purr murmured doubtfully. "It feels as though a similar tale is recorded in the *Age of Light*. When the God of Light walked the mortal realm, he too was fond of doing such things."

"Woof! Woof!"

"The stupid dog says that all the divine stories in the world are just plagiarized from one another. He also says the Church alters mythological narratives for the sole purpose of erasure and annihilation."

"Two eras have passed, and this is now the third. The God of Eternity must have fallen long ago, yet the effects of his blessing endure?"

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"It would certainly wane and grow thin. However, if a spouse of the family bore the next generation with a high-ranking priest, it would likely activate the lineage. The reason the Arte family remains so mysterious is that they possess no ambition; most of the time, they do not even know they belong to the Arte family themselves. Furthermore, this blessing is not strictly part of a family faith system, because it does not conflict with faith at all."

So, was it because of their maternal grandfather, Old Master Delon, that Uncle Eisen and his own mother were able to awaken the bloodline perception of the Arte family?

No,

what about grandmother then?

Karen recalled his grandmother's reaction upon seeing him; she had, in fact, already awakened the bloodline.

It made sense. As a family of Justiciars, the woman capable of marrying Old Master Delon would certainly not be ordinary.

"Today I finally understand why Mr. Eisen became like that. He sensed the agony of his sister being corrupted on her deathbed, and he even made the choice to end her suffering within a dream. Because they mutually awakened the Arte bloodline, a specific bond might have been forged between them. I believe it grants you a more intuitive, indescribable perception and empathy among relatives who share the same blood. This is a blessing, but in a certain sense, blessings can sometimes turn into a curse."

Uncle Eisen possessed flawless personal capabilities and mental clarity; Karen felt he was almost like Captain Neo. They were both strong and exceedingly calm—after all, becoming a Justiciar was no easy feat.

It was just that he simply could not walk out of this circle.

Purr looked toward Kevin and asked, "Are you very familiar with the Arte family?"

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

"Uh..." Purr froze.

"What did Kevin say?"

"The stupid dog says that in the last era, many nobles—the truly powerful ones—would deliberately hunt down people of the Arte lineage to satisfy their own yearning for beautiful love. They would refine their blood and souls, then consume it alongside their beloveds to transform the blessing and achieve a beautiful romance. Even in some arranged marriages, to make the alliance feel more genuine, they would intentionally prepare elixirs brewed from the blood and souls of the Arte clansmen for the betrothed couple. For a time, it became a standard fixture at weddings."

Purr added, "But in this era, that custom has long been severed. I have never heard of it, otherwise that idiot Bernard would surely have procured some."

Thus, everything has two sides. A god's blessing and a god's curse might merely be the flip sides of the same coin; perhaps the thing itself remains unmoved, and it is only humanity that changes its perspective.

Karen spoke up, "Richard, too, must have awakened the Arte bloodline, or is about to."

This would explain why, upon seeing him, a pampered young master like Richard would grow so remarkably close to a mere "servant of god" like himself.

"Yes, that should be the case," Purr agreed.

"Wait a moment." Karen raised his hand. "We missed one person. That person might be one as well."

"Meow?"

"Woof?"

"Mr. Eisen has endured mental torment until now alongside his sister due to the influence of the bloodline's power. That person might have been enduring the same torment all along."

Karen pointed a finger at himself,

and said,

"The autistic 'Karen'."