Chapter 241: Eating Pastries

Chapter 241: Partaking in Pastries

Richard had long since promised the newcomer a grand excursion to the pastry shop.

Through the currents of this mission, both from the captain's remarks and his own discourse with Karen, Richard discerned a singular brilliance in the youth...

Precisely because the newcomer was extraordinary, Richard felt all the more compelled to escort him thither, seeking to cultivate a deeper accord.

After all, the young master of the Guman line possessed a bright, gregarious nature, unparalleled in the art of building fellowship.

The captain offered a long, languid stretch, his gaze sweeping across the gathering, and in an instant, a hush fell over the assembly, though they had been perfectly silent before.

Though the counterfeit captain had been felled by Karen's pistol, the genuine article's distinction of being "disappeared" stood as an undeniable testament to his formidable prowess.

The hounds of the Hound Squad had always possessed the keenest eye for the true mettle of their leader.

Following a vigil of some thirty minutes, a dark miasma began to billow within the secret chamber.

The spectacle cast a heavy dread upon their spirits, evoking the grim illusion of being sealed within a chamber of execution.

Yet Karen understood this was no deliberate malice; it was merely a standard paradigm, for having adopted the setting of the Whipping of Order's interrogation room, the ensuing mechanism naturally conformed to that design, a tactic routinely employed within those walls to shatter a prisoner's psychological defenses.

At last, as the dark fog reached its peak intensity, every trace of light vanished from their surroundings.

"Ah..."

Karen opened his eyes and sat upright, as did Mr. Eisen beside him, while the captain was already standing at the front, loosening his limbs.

The sky remained cloaked in darkness, yet a full day had run its course in the waking world, meaning they had lain upon that hillside for hours, leaving their muscles inevitably stiff and their bellies gnawed by a fierce hunger.

Gradually, the rest of the company stirred into consciousness.

Marceau and his secondary squad advanced from the base of the slope, and Karen moved forward to meet him, offering an apology: "I must apologize. In that moment, I knew for certain the captain was a shadow, and so I assumed you, brought back by him, were false as well. That is why I fired upon you."

Marceau reached out, clapping Karen on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.

"A trifling matter, truly. I understand completely. To think you came all this way just to explain—there was no need at all."

Karen gave a slow nod.

Indeed, once liberated from the confinement and isolation of the chairs, the camaraderie among the teammates instantly restored its warmth of understanding and tolerance.

"Oh, my neck..."

Fanny murmured, kneading her nape, evidently afflicted with a stubborn stiffness from her slumber.

Karen knelt beside her, his fingers gently working away the tension.

"Ah... yes... that is wonderful..."

Witnessing this, Peigo turned to Karen and sighed, "Oh my, my chest seems to have seized up as well."

Karen, without pausing his ministrations upon Fanny, replied smoothly, "Have a care against mammary hyperplasia."

"..." Peigo fell silent.

"There, much better," Fanny said, offering Karen a grateful smile.

Karen rose and approached the captain. "Captain, the company is famished."

Neo regarded him with a cool look. "Do you have any conception of the fortune required to purchase a meal for a gathering of this size from a random homestead in the countryside?"

"Well... I can imagine."

As a rule, rural hospitality did not come cheap.

"Therefore, do not fret. Someone will soon arrive to provide our sustenance," Neo continued his exercises. "When I first received this assignment, I felt a twinge of suspicion, though I did not pursue the thought. Next time, I shall be more vigilant and endeavor to avoid such undertakings entirely."

No matter, for the arrangements had already been set.

Sure enough, two transport trucks soon rumbled into view, halting below, driven by members of the clergy.

Neo strode down to meet them, exchanging words with the leader before signing a parchment, whereupon he turned to shout up to his waiting subordinates:

"Come down! Sign and eat!"

The company filed down to append their signatures to the nondisclosure documents, scarcely glancing at the stipulations—not from indifference toward their own rights, but out of a shared realization that no objection of theirs could ever alter the text.

The repast proved exceedingly modest: bread and milk tea.

The beverage was a sparse concoction of a few tea leaves and a splash of milk, drowned in an abundance of water.

Alongside it lay vials of nutritional serum, items usually requiring point vouchers, though in the waking world they could be procured with reles, albeit at an exorbitant price.

Next, this band would have to administer these provisions to Anthony and the members of Cance's squad, ensuring their physical vessels in the waking world did not perish from starvation or thirst.

A grim consequence suddenly occurred to Karen: their own squad had only lain dormant for a single day, and being adults, their bodily control sufficed, but had they endured several more temporal loops, would they not have soiled their own garments in reality?

Hmph...

In that moment, Karen felt a profound relief that he had declined further involvement in such operations.

As they drank the serum, the captain scooped up a generous handful and stuffed them into Karen's embrace, leaving Karen no choice but to secrete them within his inner pockets.

Observing this, Richard followed suit, stealthily snatching a large handful and thrusting them into the arms of Memphis beside him, who, caught unawares, let several vials clatter to the earth.

"Gather them quickly and hide them," Richard urged in a hushed tone.

Memphis ignored the command, continuing to tear slowly at his bread.

"Ha, it is clear you have never known the sting of hardship."

Memphis, still tearing his loaf, inquired quietly, "And you have?"

"Indeed. In my youth, our house fell upon meager times. My sire cloistered himself away, refusing all labor, and my mother abandoned the hearth. We lived from one uncertain meal to the next, alas."

"Ah, is that so."

Overhearing the discourse, Karen suppressed a smile, turning his gaze toward Richard, but Richard spoke first:

"Karen, let us journey to the pastry shop together shortly. This ordeal has been thoroughly exhausting, and I believe we deserve some pleasant diversion." With that, Richard flung an arm around Memphis, grinning widely. "I have already struck an accord with the newcomer; we shall go together, heh."

"The two of you... intend to visit the pastry shop together?"

"We do. Will you join us?"

"I think not. Enjoy your delicacies."

Karen mused that upon returning home, his cousin would undoubtedly face a dreadful reckoning.

Those who were habitually parsimonious with their words were often the most tempestuous when their wrath was truly kindled.

The trucks conveyed the company to the railway junction, and as a locomotive rumbled past, everyone leaped aboard.

Karen observed that upon entering the carriage, every soul stared with intense scrutiny at the passing landscape outside, each haunted by a lingering dread that they might yet be trapped within another cycle.

Such trials inevitably left a scar upon the psyche.

Fortunately, the train finally slid into the station, and as they disembarked, a collective sigh of profound relief swept through the ranks.

"The customary banquet following our mission shall be deferred, for I trust each of you desires nothing more than to return home, take a hot bath, and surrender to a deep slumber. Very well, dismissed!"

Neo dissolved the gathering without offering any critique or analysis of the operation, for today's exercise demanded strict secrecy, rendering public discourse entirely inappropriate.

"Captain, I shall take my leave then."

"Very well. I shall seek you out tomorrow for a discourse," Neo signaled with a gesture mimicking a telephone receiver. "If my coming is certain, I shall ring you beforehand."

"Understood, Captain. You are most welcome at my hearth. Call ahead, and I shall prepare the meal myself."

"Oh, then I am already looking forward to it. You should head back; I need to make a trip to the academic affairs building first to drag out that deputy director who assigned me the mission and give him a beating."

"Remember to throw a punch for me as well."

"Of course."

Karen got into his car, and before he could start the engine, the rear door was pulled open, and both Richard and Memphis climbed inside.

"Do you want me to drop you off at the pastry shop?"

Karen had done quite a few crazy things since waking up in this life, but none of them seemed to compare to sending a father and son to visit prostitutes.

"The newcomer is shy, too embarrassed to go. Just look at his facial features and habits; he clearly has that dull personality, the type who dislikes speaking. Ah."

Richard let out a sigh and continued:

"Rest assured, in the future you can cover for me on mission matters, and I will cover for you in daily life. I have the most experience when it comes to drawing out introverted people."

Karen nodded and said, "Then keep it up."

"Haha, Karen, just take me home. I came by taxi. Oh, right, newcomer, where do you live? I remember you came over in Karen's car, right?"

Karen spoke up: "Memphis's home is very close to mine. I'll drop you off first so you can let your family know you're safe early. Actually, back at the platform, you could have borrowed the phone in the administrator's office to call home first."

"No rush, no rush. I'm not a child anymore. It's just a mission, a small matter."

"I was afraid your grandmother and the others would worry about you."

"They'd be better off worrying about my dad instead of me. Do you know, Karen? My dad took a long leave of absence, the very day before we executed this mission."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, right now Grandmother, Mother, and my young aunt are probably more worried that my dad might suddenly lose his mind and commit suicide."

"It's not that serious."

"Who can say for sure? Goodness, anyway, I can't be bothered to worry. Sometimes I even think it would be better if my mom remarried a more normal man sooner."

Karen silently pulled out a cigarette, bit it between his lips, then produced a lighter and ignited it.

"Don't you usually avoid smoking?" Richard asked curiously.

Holding the cigarette between his fingers, Karen shook it outside the car window and said:

"To honor you."

"To honor me? Then give me one too."

Karen handed both the cigarette pack and the lighter to Richard, saying, "Smoke it if you can."

Holding the pack, Richard pulled out two cigarettes and offered them to Memphis, but Memphis did not reach out to accept.

"Heh, can't even smoke."

Richard lit one for himself. Without inhaling it into his lungs, he held the smoke in his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and blew a perfect smoke ring toward the front.

Glancing at Memphis,

He said:

"This is a man's charm; it can trap a woman's heart. Otherwise, your wife will just run away on her own."

"Hehehe..."

Karen truly could not restrain himself and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha..."

Seeing that his performance had garnered a reaction from Karen, Richard laughed along with him.

Karen understood perfectly well why Richard was so lively in front of Memphis, acting with a bit of deliberate display. It was just like the enthusiasm he showed when he first met Karen. He possessed an innate affinity for blood relations. It was precisely because he "liked" this newcomer that he did his best to speak with exaggeration and make dramatic gestures in front of him.

Finally, they arrived at the Guman residence.

Even after getting out of the car, Richard did not forget to lean against Karen's car window and say, "Come over to play sometime, my grandmother likes you a lot."

"I will. Also, regarding your father..."

"Him? He's a hopeless case, don't waste your energy."

"Alright."

Richard made a dramatic gesture, executed a turn, and pointed toward the diagonal front, declaring:

"The loyal Whip of Order is about to return to his warm family!"

Karen chimed in, "The leather whip is going home."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Karen started the car, drove out of the neighborhood, and then came to a stop. He couldn't drive too far; Memphis... no, Uncle Eisen still needed to go home.

"I want to ask one thing, if I may."

Karen nodded, thinking to himself that what was bound to come had finally arrived.

"Please ask."

"What is going on?"

A very concise question.

Karen stretched his back, his mind rapidly weaving a rationale. This justification was somewhat difficult, so Karen could only continue concocting it as he spoke:

"Would you care to guess?"

"I dare not guess."

Karen pursed his lips, lifted his head, and looked through the rearview mirror in front of him at Uncle Eisen sitting in the back seat.

Uncle Eisen was also looking at Karen through the rearview mirror;

But Karen noticed that Uncle Eisen's gaze was somewhat evasive.

In fact, Karen had noticed it long ago. Ever since they emerged from the secret chamber, even with Richard cracking jokes in between, Uncle Eisen had never looked him straight in the eye.

Probably, within that special space, his own massive and majestic form had left another deep shadow in his uncle's heart.

Very well,

You are afraid,

Since you are afraid, then I am no longer afraid.

The smile on Karen's face gradually faded, and his gaze grew increasingly profound.

In the mirror, Uncle Eisen's neck subconsciously shrank downward, and his eyes began to drift continuously, not daring to make contact with Karen.

Coming from an orthodox church family, a Temple Elder meant solemnity, majesty, and greatness to him.

In truth, except for Karen's anomalous family, almost everyone within the church circle held an incomparable reverence for an existence of this echelon.

Silence persisted for about a minute.

Karen's expression grew steadily more serious, while Uncle Eisen began to look more and more like a frightened mouse.

Presumably, when he asked Karen that question earlier, he had already summoned all his courage. This was because, in truth, he already possessed some answers in his heart. Most importantly, in that environment, he had witnessed it with his own eyes—no, it was witnessed collectively by hundreds of pairs of eyes. This was absolute reality, absolute credibility, leaving absolutely no room for refutation or doubt.

"Heh..."

Kallen let out a soft laugh.

Easen opened his mouth, seeming to struggle for breath, his hands instinctively gripping the fabric of his trousers.

Beholding his uncle in such a state, a pang of reluctance stirred within Kallen's chest; there was no joy to be found in posturing before his own kin after having just finished doing so before outsiders.

Yet he bore a responsibility to himself, to Dis, and to the Guman family.

His uncle’s current display was testament enough to the sacred, unyielding reverence the Church of Order held within the hearts of the Guman family.

He was not like Captain Neo; both the Captain and he were mavericks at heart—no, the Captain had actually gone so far as to wash himself completely clean, in the truest sense of the word.

Kallen spoke up, "Since certain things have come to pass, there must surely be a reason for them, wouldn’t you agree?"

Uncle Easen nodded instantly, replying, "You speak the truth."

"But for now, it is not yet time for you to know."

"Yes, I understand."

"Alight from the carriage then, and act as though everything is as it always was; I do not wish for my identity to be known by others."

"Very well, I understand."

Kallen brought his hands together before his chest, intoning with solemn sincerity:

"Praise Order."

Uncle Easen immediately mirrored the gesture:

"Praise Order."

Uncle Easen stepped down from the carriage.

Kallen called out, "Mr. Easen."

"Yes?"

"You might show a little more concern for your son."

"Right, I understand."

…

"Are you weary? Were you hurt?" Seeing her son’s return, Kathy immediately pulled him by the hand to sit down, examining him with careful scrutiny.

"I am fine, Mother, this mission was perfectly safe; not a single hair on my head was harmed."

"Truly?"

"Truly, truly. By the way, where is Father?"

"Your father did not return yesterday."

"He didn’t? He must have some business to attend to."

"He took a leave of absence, what business could he possibly have?"

"Mother, Father requires his own privacy as well; everyone needs their privacy, and all the more so between husband and wife."

"Very well, I know how silver-tongued you are. I shall go see what is left in the kitchen and prepare something for you to eat."

"Oh, heavens, look at this virtuous and beautiful woman, whoever could she be? Ah, she is my mother, the enchanting Lady Kathy!"

Kathy shook her head with a smile as she walked into the kitchen, not forgetting to remind him along the way: "If you are hungry, eat some of the pastries on the tea table first, I made them myself."

Richard sat upon the sofa, took a sip of water from his cup, and then picked up a pastry to pop into his mouth.

Just then, a shadow fell across Richard.

Richard lifted his gaze,

And saw his father standing before him.

"Father, you have returned."

Mr. Easen spoke not a word.

Richard blinked, pointing to the pastries his mother had handmade upon the tea table, and asked with well-meaning kindness:

"Father, would you care for a pastry?"

*Slap!*