Chapter 245: Jailbreak

Chapter 245: Prison Break

Cullen opened the wooden box on his desk, turned his black notebook to the newest page, picked up his fountain pen, and began to write:

"Though I have always done my utmost to conceal my identity, more and more people are becoming aware of it regardless.

I do not view this as a failure of concealment on my part, for I never chose absolute secrecy... Concelament is merely a means for me, not an end.

Most importantly, among those who know my identity, there are some who would see through me no matter how well I hid—such as my grandmother from the Guman family.

The bloodline abilities of the Alter family are truly formidable; even if I wore a mask when meeting her, she would likely recognize me.

Aside from that particular group, the person they perceive me to be is nothing more than my alternative identities.

Faced with this situation, it seems I ought to feel panicked, terrified, and anxious.

Yet the truth is, I do not.

If one wishes to seek out beloved scenery along the path, one naturally leaves behind their own footprints upon it..."

As he wrote this line, Cullen hesitated, feeling that ending today’s entry with this phrase lacked a certain refinement.

He knew full well that the things he wrote would soon be flipped through by the cats, dogs, and radios in the house, so he was beginning to pay closer attention to their reading experience.

Crossing out the last sentence,

he wrote anew beneath it:

"You stand on the bridge viewing the scenery, while the person viewing the scenery looks at you from upstairs."

Cullen nodded, put away his fountain pen, and returned the notebook to its place.

After stretching his arms, Cullen walked back to the bedroom, just as Xili knocked on the door at that exact moment:

"Young Master."

"What is it?"

"The suitcase you brought back, do you need me to help you move it in?"

A suitcase, what suitcase?

Ah, that suitcase—he had actually brought that old man’s puppet doll back with him.

"Send it to the storehouse."

"Understood, Young Master."

"Right, is Alfred back yet?"

"Not yet, Young Master."

"Alright, I see. You may go about your business."

"Yes, Young Master."

Cullen turned his head to look at Purr, who was busy scratching and drawing with a cat paw in front of a notebook: "What did Alfred go out to do?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. Didn't he tell you?"

"No."

"Perhaps he’s found himself a partner recently."

"A partner?"

"The market seems to have just released a new model of the peanut-tube radio."

……

"What on earth happened to them?"

Alfred asked, looking at the man in the room.

The man clutched his chest, looking as though he were still gripped by lingering fear, gasping heavily for breath as he said: "Sir, they... they have all been captured."

"Captured? Captured by whom?"

"I don't know. That group of people suddenly appeared and brought us down in an instant. We fought back as best we could, but it was useless. They were simply too powerful; we were no match for them at all."

"Then how did you escape?"

Alfred immediately realized something was amiss.

"I... I just escaped like that, and then I immediately sent a message to you, Sir."

"Damn it, you absolute fool!"

Alfred spun around at once to head for the door, but stopped dead in his tracks, ran toward the side window, and with a swift leap, vaulted straight outside.

Yet before Alfred could even touch the ground, two figures materialized behind him.

Alfred’s eyes were just about to flash with a crimson light as he prepared to counterattack, but the opponents seemed to have anticipated this; they raised a protective wall directly in front of themselves while continuing to press closer.

People from the Church of Order?

Alfred immediately raised his hands, abandoning resistance, and after turning to face them, spoke:

"One of your own."

"One of our own?" One of the men voiced his doubt.

"My identification documents are in my coat pocket. I serve the Pavaro Tribunal. That aberrant demon is an informant I helped my Inquisitor develop. I am not an aberrant demon."

"Put the shackles on him first."

"Very well."

Alfred brought his hands together and was placed in handcuffs. At this moment, he noticed quite a few dark shadows appearing all around. If he had resisted earlier, overcoming the two in front of him would not have been a major issue, but there was a high probability he would not have made it out alive either.

The shackles were secured, and the power of the restriction instantly suppressed Alfred’s strength, leaving him very weak.

Only then did the man reach into Alfred’s pocket, pull out an identification booklet, look it over, and say: "We will escort you back. Once the situation is thoroughly investigated, you will be given the explanation you deserve."

"Alright, I shall cooperate. Praise the God of Order."

……

"Ring, ring, ring!"

The telephone began to ring.

Dincombe came to knock on Cullen’s bedroom door: "Boss, there is a phone call looking for Mr. Pavaro."

Because Mr. Pavaro was never at home, the two workers in the shop naturally regarded Cullen as the big boss, while referring to the former boss as Mister.

"Alright, I will take it in the study."

"Yes, Boss."

Cullen walked into the study, touching his ring to transform into the likeness of Mr. Pavaro before picking up the receiver.

"Hello, this is Pavaro."

"Inquisitor Pavaro, there is a matter we need to understand from you."

"Who are you?" Cullen asked.

"Praise the God of Order."

The voice on the other end gave only that simple reply, without disclosing their specific department.

"Is Alfred one of your men?"

"Yes, he is mine."

"Very well, can you guarantee his loyalty?"

"I can."

"Then please trouble yourself to come down to the Lycesco Gym on Silodd Street to collect him."

"Understood, I shall be there shortly."

After hanging up, Karen immediately dialed the captain's office, but the phone rang for a long time without answer; the captain was clearly not there.

Karen had no choice but to call Fany.

"Hello."

"Fany, it's me, Karen."

"Yes, what is it?"

"A colleague of mine from the Inquisitorial Office has been detained by some department of the Order for reasons unknown, and they are demanding Mr. Pavaro come to collect him."

"The address?"

"The Lycesco Gym on Silodd Street."

"Got it. What's his name?"

"Alfred."

"Is Mr. Pavaro at home?"

"He is."

"Then tell him we will meet outside the gym. I'll fold another paper crow for the captain to see if I can reach him now."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble."

"Don't mention it."

Karen walked into the bedroom and began to change his clothes. Pu'er, who had been asleep on the bed, rubbed her eyes and asked, "Has something happened?"

"Alfred has been arrested."

"Oh, the radio goblin got caught—wait, what? The radio goblin was arrested?"

"By the people of the Order of Order. I am going to bail him out now."

"Then hurry along. Ah, that poor radio goblin must have gone out in the middle of the night to steal a new model of radio."

Karen drove to the entrance of the gym. The storefront was not particularly large, but its location was quite hidden. He noticed a car parked ahead, with a long-haired woman sitting inside.

The woman stepped out of the vehicle; it was Fany.

Karen also opened his car door and stepped out.

"Mr. Pavaro?"

"Yes, it is I. Are you Miss Fany? Thank you for your assistance."

"Um, did Karen not come?"

"He did not."

"Let us head inside then. I know of this place; it serves as a cover for an external affairs department, though I do not know which specific department is currently utilizing it. However, it is certain that the ones who detained your man belong to our Order, not swindlers."

"Very well, thank you."

Karen and Fany walked inside together.

"Hey, what do you think you're playing at? How dare you casually detain someone from the Whip of Order, what is the meaning of this!"

The moment Fany stepped inside, she began to roar at the personnel.

"Are the people of the Whip of Order so extraordinary?" a man sitting behind a desk with a fountain pen retorted indifferently.

"We are nothing extraordinary, but if you want to break the rules and play internal power games, fine. Tomorrow I will spread this news to the other squads. You, your colleagues, and your superior had better be absolutely clean without a single drop of illicit gain, or else we will tear you apart!"

The Whip of Order was a massive department. Squads like Neo's were combat units tasked with various missions, but there were also clerical and other administrative offices; internal surveillance was precisely one of the duties of the Whip of Order.

The man looked defiant, but he merely lowered his head and ceased to argue with Fany.

"Where is he!" Fany demanded, slamming her hand on the desk.

"Name," another staff member approached to inquire. "You must tell me who he is first."

Karen stepped forward. "Alfred."

"Ah, so you are Inquisitor Pavaro?"

"I am."

"Very well, come over here to sign the log, and I will have someone bring him out."

"Hurry up! I am already thoroughly displeased!" Fany continued to slam the desk.

The man with the fountain pen could not help but mutter, "It is already being processed, what is the rush."

"Heh, you haven't just detained one wrong person, have you? What kind of mission are you executing anyway, do you have an official dispatch!"

Fany immediately spotted the vulnerability. She knew full well that certain operations would not have official dispatches, and the executors of such missions were usually unwilling and inconvenienced to make them public.

The man was at a loss for words once more, and could only wave his hand frantically to signal his subordinates to fetch the prisoner.

Before long, Alfred was brought out, and a guard beside him unlocked his handcuffs.

"You may leave now," the man with the pen urged immediately.

"Humph!"

Fany let out a cold snort and walked out.

"Thank you, Miss Fany."

Fany waved her hand and said, "I only did this for Karen's sake, yet that fellow didn't even show up."

With that, Fany got into her car and departed.

Karen and Alfred also got into their vehicle.

"Young Master..."

Karen cut him off and asked, "Are you injured?"

"No, Young Master. I did not resist when I was apprehended."

"Why did they detain you?"

"I am not entirely sure, but it seems to be related to an operation. Most of the aberrant demons in that club were rounded up."

"Aberrant demons?"

"Yes, an aberrant demon club, all of whom possess mental-type abilities, along with two or three beguiling demons. I encountered them in the black market. The reason I joined that club was to broaden the information channels for you, Young Master, and to facilitate the procurement of resources. Even in the black market, buying goods is not so convenient; many items are not openly listed and require internal information to circulate."

"Very well, I understand."

"Young master, I have no other thoughts..."

"I know, I know, Alfred, no need to explain. If I cannot even believe in you, who else can I believe in? You are the person I trust the most here in Wien."

"Yes, young master."

"Were there many people arrested?"

"A great many, which leads me to believe this is a specialized operation, as the traits of their targets are highly similar."

"Clack..."

Karen slammed on the brakes, causing both occupants to jolt forward within the cabin. Ahead, there was no traffic light.

For a possibility had flashed across Karen's mind... a possibility that was intimately linked to himself.

At that time, a crimson ball of light had requested his instructions, and the reply he had given was: Under the circumstances that you ask me face-to-face, I cannot grant my consent.

It was a request regarding the permissions for the Ranedal Plan; members of that secret department were currently hunting down and rounding up bewitched anomalies to participate in the trials.

So,

the ultimate culprit behind Alfred's arrest

was myself?

"Young master, what is the matter?"

"It is nothing, I am merely a little tired."

"Then let me drive, young master. I am terribly sorry that my affairs have disrupted your rest; this is my sin."

"It is only right, it is only right, you need not blame yourself."

Karen did not swap seats with Alfred; instead, shifting back into his original guise, he restarted the car. Automobiles of this era shared a common malady—they were exceedingly prone to stalling.

Just then, a small truck came driving toward them from ahead.

"Young master, it is a vehicle from that department. I was escorted to that place in an identical truck."

"It appears they have arrested more people and are returning."

Suddenly, a white shadow drifted out from before Karen's car, completing a swift turn before crashing directly into the small truck.

"Bang!"

The truck was instantly overturned by the impact. The white shadow came to a halt at the front of the vehicle; it was a woman dressed in a long white gown with short hair. Her palm faced downward, and a torrent of white flames erupted, instantly incinerating the two men inside the driver's cabin into ash before they could even utter a cry of agony.

"Hum!"

A hole tore open at the rear of the truck, and a black vine thrust straight out to seize the woman, yet the moment it drew near her body, the vine abruptly shattered apart.

Beneath the woman's feet, the shadow of a black grid appeared—the rudimentary form of the Cage of Order.

But the moment the Cage of Order unfolded halfway beneath her feet, it seemed to encounter an immense resistance and violently exploded.

From within the rear compartment of the truck, a young girl crawled out. The woman's figure flashed, appearing before the girl. The young girl opened her mouth, and a fluffy white creature flew out from within, landing upon the woman's shoulder.

Evidently, the woman had come to save her—no, to save it.

"The Church of Order is executing official duties, how dare you..."

The woman leaped, soaring into midair, and pointed her finger downward. A primitive, ancient stone monument manifested above the truck, and immediately following, the monument plummeted.

"Boom!"

Like the method a scrap yard employs to crush retired automobiles, that entire area—the truck and the ground beneath it—was flattened in an instant.

As for the people inside... their fate required no explanation.

She was silencing them completely.

Through this method of direct physical annihilation, even if the Church of Order wished to seek clues by means of "Awakening," it would be utterly impossible.

The woman's gaze shifted toward Karen's side, where they sat parked not far away, and she raised her finger.

Damn it, she intends to continue silencing witnesses!

Karen's form rapidly dissolved into a black mist as he flew out of the secondhand Ponces car, while Alfred immediately shoved the door open and rolled out.

Yet the fluffy white creature upon the woman's shoulder suddenly flew in front of her face. The woman frowned slightly, drawing back her finger.

And at this moment,

Karen, having just touched down upon the street, instantly crushed a bead and struck it against the ground. Light flared, a hilt manifested, and Karen drew the Sword of Alius in a single motion, his body becoming clad in the Armor of the God of the Sea.

...

The backyard of the Pavaro Funeral Parlor, the master bedroom.

The old refrigerator suddenly gave a violent shudder. Kevin emerged from the partitioned space, extended a paw, and pulled open the refrigerator door. The sword inside was gone.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Purr leaped down from the bed, and witnessing this scene, cried out:

"Good heavens, has Karen gone to break into a prison!"

...

The woman flew toward Alfred. Seeing this, Karen accelerated his form without the slightest hesitation and crashed toward her.

"Hum!"

A phantom image appeared behind the woman, and from within the phantom, a colossal hand extended, a hand thoroughly permeated with the aura of negative attributes such as calamity, curses, and pestilence.

Karen felt no fear; his speed undiminished, he crashed straight into the giant hand.

The woman had clearly not expected Karen to confront her with such sheer rigidity, for the power of pollution contained within that giant palm was not something a common purification spell could cleanse.

Yet Karen, bursting forth from the colossal hand, arrived directly before the woman, bringing his sword down upon her in a slashing blow.

The woman extended her left hand. Her nails were not terribly long—at least not to an exaggerated degree, remaining within the conventional boundaries of a woman's vanity—yet it was these very nails that managed to catch Karen's Sword of Alius in a direct grip.

The distance between the two parties was now exceedingly close, and the woman gazed at Karen. Especially upon witnessing that Karen's gaze remained perfectly clear, a look of doubt surfaced in her eyes; she was visibly astonished that Karen was not only unpolluted, but entirely unaffected.

A low shout rumbled from Karen's throat, and the power of the Blade of the Dark Moon burst forth. In an instant, the Sword of Alius transformed from a sharp greatsword into the finest vessel for the power of the dark moon.

The woman withdrew her hand immediately, yet her nails were entirely shorn away in that very instant.

Karen pressed his advantage, sweeping his sword horizontally. A look of wrath appeared upon the woman's face, but just then, a spiritual shockwave struck her. Alfred, his eyes rimmed with red, had launched an offensive in coordination with his young master. She chose to retreat, her figure instantly widening the distance by more than a dozen meters.

Alfred stood before Karen, speaking: "Young master, you ought to have chosen to withdraw just now."

"I wished to do so as well, but did you not see? Her speed is so immense, we cannot outrun her."

Seeing Alfred step forward, the fluffy white creature upon the woman's shoulder began to flap about, addressing the woman in a flurry of highly agitated sounds.

The woman looked at it, then looked at Alfred, and finally glared at Karen,

saying:

"I can choose not to kill you, but you must promise me that you will not report what you have just witnessed to the Church of Order."

Karen's expression was solemn and devout,

both hands gripping the Sword of Alius before him,

the aura enveloping his entire body rising completely to an absolute pinnacle,

Looking at the woman with determined eyes:

"Alright!"

------Off-topic------

Recommending two books, one is "Endless Debts" by the author Andlao, and the other is "Ten Thousand Sparks." Both are Western fantasy themed books; interested friends can check them out.