Chapter 291: Poor Richard

Chapter 291: Poor Richard

Madam Tangli held the coffee brewed by her daughter-in-law's own hands, taking a sip—ah, too much sugar.

She then picked up a pastry her daughter-in-law had made from scratch and bit into it, frowning slightly, for the taste was not particularly pleasant either.

As an old woman who had regarded the kitchen as her personal domain for half her life, she truly looked down upon her daughter-in-law's skills in this area, which had nothing to do with her daughter-in-law's status as an adjudicator, a title she did not particularly revere.

Yet she said nothing, continuing to eat slowly and deliberately; regardless of the taste, she harbored a sense of guilt toward her daughter-in-law, for who could help the state her son had fallen into now.

Setting aside that her daughter-in-law came from a well-to-do family, even if she had come from ordinary means, she had already risen to the rank of adjudicator, and in all these years, one never heard of a lady adjudicator suffering any grievances due to domestic or marital affairs.

Because of this, Madam Tangli had tolerated her daughter-in-law's decision in recent years to actively request a transfer away from York City to take up a post in Sampur City.

Kaixi sat upright across the coffee table, cradling a cup of coffee, her gaze somewhat vacant, lost in a daze.

Ever since her husband had applied for suspension, he would vanish for days at a time from time to time, leaving behind a note saying he was clearing his mind, never telling the family where he had actually gone.

If she had not discerned the truth from her mother-in-law that day—that Karen was not her husband's illegitimate child—she might truly have believed her husband was off making up for a lack of paternal affection.

Now, things were even worse, leaving her without a single shred of illusion, making her wish she could simply believe she was a wronged wife just to have an emotional anchor.

Gathering her gaze, she looked at Madam Tangli sitting opposite her; ever since Karen's last visit to the house, her mother-in-law, who had been living in the suburbs near the hot springs to recuperate, had moved back here to stay.

As a result, her own sick leave was now completely tethered to her mother-in-law's presence.

The old patriarch, Delong, was busy with departmental work, her sister-in-law would not drop by without reason, her son was away on a mission to Dark Moon Island, and her husband had taken up the art of vanishing, leaving only her and her mother-in-law in the house.

Between the two women, there was no real conflict, and they were perfectly polite to one another, but the estrangement was visible to the naked eye, and neither intended to resolve this distance, so Kaixi felt as though she were living a performance every day.

"Richard should be returning today, shouldn't he?" Madam Tangli remarked. "His grandfather said the return teleportation array was activated this morning."

"Yes," Kaixi replied in compliance. "He might already be on his way home by now."

"It will be good to have him back," Madam Tangli said, taking another sip of coffee and forcing herself not to frown.

"Yes, it will be good when he returns," Kaixi echoed. "With him away, I truly feel the house is quite desolate."

"To feel desolation means you, too, are growing old."

"Old?"

"When people grow old, they easily become lonely." Madam Tangli set down her coffee cup. "As one ages, the more one sees through and comes to terms with things, and gradually the enthusiasm fades, leading to boredom, leading to loneliness."

"Is that how it is..."

"The days ahead will only get better and better," Madam Tangli said.

"Of course, Mother." Although Kaixi did not comprehend why her mother-in-law would utter such words at this moment, she instinctively agreed.

Just then, a plume of black mist drifted through the window into the living room, halting before the sofa to reveal the figure of Eisen.

Madam Tangli pointed at Eisen and smiled: "Look, his heart is with his son after all; knowing the boy is nearly home, he has returned too."

Kaixi looked at her husband and sighed, yet she forced a smile and said, "You're back."

When speaking to her husband, she had to use a soft and gentle voice, fearing that any loudness would frighten him away like a timid sparrow.

"Yes, I am back." Mr. Eisen nodded to his wife, and then he looked toward Madam Tangli. "Mother is still staying here, I see."

"Why, is that not allowed?" Madam Tangli spread her hands. "I feared Kaixi would be lonely at home by herself."

Eisen spoke up: "Kaixi does not like sharing a room with you."

Kaixi hurriedly interjected: "No, that's not true, how could that be!"

Madam Tangli did not take offense; instead, she laughed.

"I am returning to the study."

Eisen gave a nod to his mother, then another to his wife, before walking toward his study, entering and quietly closing the door behind him.

"Mother, please do not listen to his nonsense," Kaixi quickly explained to her mother-in-law.

Madam Tangli raised a hand to interrupt her daughter-in-law, whispering, "Have you not noticed that Eisen seems a bit different again?"

"Is... is he?"

"In the past, outside of his work, he would never take the initiative to speak on household matters."

"It... it does seem to be that way."

"My son is ill, but now I see the hope of his condition improving."

"If that could be the case, it would be truly wonderful."

At that moment, the front door was opened, and Richard, pushing a suitcase, stepped out from the entryway.

"Oh, my dear Grandmother, your complexion is as radiant as ever!

Oh, and who is this young lady? Ah, she turns out to be my mother! Heavens, who could imagine such a young lady having such a large son!"

The moment Richard stepped into the house, he entered his usual element, proactively embracing both his grandmother and his mother.

"Did the mission go smoothly?" Kaixi enquired.

"Smoothly, exceptionally smoothly, and it was grandly spectacular."

Just then, Madam Tangli glanced toward the study where her son was, cleared her throat, and spoke: "Kaixi, let us go and prepare lunch for Richard first, so he can chat with us while he eats later."

Kaixi was somewhat surprised, for usually her mother-in-law never liked a second person near her when she was in the kitchen, but she immediately stood up and followed Madam Tangli toward the kitchen anyway.

Richard threw his entire weight onto the sofa, stacked his feet upon the coffee table, spread his arms wide, and lazily stretched himself out.

"Whew, there really is no place more comfortable than home."

He felt as though he were now the adult of this household—no, the adult man—who, after a period of toil outside, could enjoy the ministrations of the household's women.

Oh, oh, oh,

The corners of Richard's mouth curled upward,

Heh, heh,

This feeling was truly grand.

At that moment, the study door was opened.

Richard turned his head and saw his father standing at the threshold.

"Uh..."

Richard silently retrieved his feet from the coffee table, sat up perfectly straight, and said, "Dad, I'm back."

Eisen walked toward Richard.

Richard suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar scent, as if the last time he returned home from a mission, he had also been...

With a jolt, Richard instantly leaped to his feet and said to his father, "Dad, I brought you back a gift, and I even borrowed quite a few points from my teammate for it."

Saying this, Richard produced a large string of souvenir seashells from his pocket.

"This one is yours, this is Mother's, this is Grandfather's, this is Aunt's, this is Grandmother's..."

Beholding these seashells, which could be bought by the crate for a single silver coin at the Dark Moon Island market, Eisen's gaze turned even more grim.

For he knew his son had borrowed a massive sum of points from "himself" to buy a gift for that priestess of the Church of Samsara, only to bring back a string of the cheapest shells.

"Dad, which color do you prefer? I think this blue one suits you perfectly, heh heh."

Richard lifted a seashell, proffering it in Eisen’s direction, yet as his father began to move toward him, Richard involuntarily started to retreat.

The bond between father and son runs deep; there are things that require no words to be instantly understood.

Though he did not feel he had committed any new offense, had he not been equally innocent the last time?

Upon returning home then, right as he was enjoying a pastry, his father had walked in and beaten his face into a swollen mess.

“Father, have you been keeping well at home lately?”

Richard offered his greetings while steadily stepping backward, whereas Mr. Eisen continued his relentless advance.

The two of them, father and son, began to circle the living room sofa in a wide, sweeping arc.

Finally, as his orbit brought him near the kitchen, Richard spun around and dashed toward it, shouting at the top of his lungs as he fled:

“Grandma! Mother! Oh, how I’ve missed you both!”

Mr. Eisen spread his hands, his voice dropping to a somber pitch. “Order—Cage!”

“...” Richard froze.

At that exact moment, a torrent of silent curses rushed through Richard's mind.

Before him, a black cubical manifestation materialized, not only barring his path but driving him backward.

Richard pivoted instantly, shaking a scroll loose from the sleeve of his ceremonial robe, which he had not yet removed. The scroll hit the floor, unfurling violently.

“Order—Guardian Barrier!”

The son, in a desperate bid for self-preservation, had unleashed a spell against his own father.

Yet two bolts of black lightning erupted from the palms of Mr. Eisen’s hands. One struck the scroll Richard had cast, instantly reducing it to ashes; the other crashed into the newly coalesced barrier, piercing straight through it.

For a moment, gale-force winds and flashes of lightning whipped through the living room, tearing numerous gouges into the carpet and the sofa.

Richard felt a blur before his eyes, and in the next instant, his father stood directly in front of him.

With a magical pistol gripped in his right hand and a magical crossbow in his left, Richard prepared to raise his arms, only to find he could not lift them at all. Looking down, he discovered his wrists were already bound by two black chains of Order.

“No! Why is this happening?!”

In the next heartbeat,

Richard was hoisted into the air by the chains.

“Dad! Why?!”

Immediately following,

Richard was slammed violently against the floorboards.

*Thud!*

“Cough... why must you do this... my dear father.”

Richard was lifted by the chains once more, his body suspended in mid-air.

“Father... where have I provoked your anger?”

Hearing these words, memories of the ways his son had irritated him over this recent period began to flash through Mr. Eisen's mind. It would have been better not to remember; he had merely been angry before, but with the recollection, a profound rage consumed him.

He could not even comprehend what manner of restraint had allowed him to endure until now before finally taking action.

Richard was dashed against the floorboards once again.

*Thud!*

“Cough... why must it be like this...”

Richard was hoisted up anew.

*Thud!*

Richard lay limp upon the floor. Raising his head in a daze, he realized the chains of Order binding him had vanished.

*Whew, it is over.*

*Crack!*

Just then, the sharp snap of a whip struck Richard's ears. He looked up to see his father producing a leather crop. This was a ceremonial item bestowed upon his father when he became an Adjudicator, an implement he had essentially ceased to wear after his promotion to Justinian.

“Oh, no! Please, not that! No!”

*Crack!*

“Aaaaaah!!!”

*Crack!*

“Aaah!!”

*Crack!*

“Ah!”

*Crack!*

Richard: “...”

…

“Mother, they have started again,” Cassie said to Madame Tangli. Although the house was grand, it was difficult to ignore such a violent commotion and such a dense fluctuation of magical energy.

“A long-awaited reunion between father and son, playing a little family game—it is quite normal.”

“Is it...”

“Aaaaaah!!!”

Richard’s agonizing screams continued to echo through the halls.

“Mother, isn't he striking him a bit too harshly?”

“I know you ache for your son, just as I ache for my grandson. But you must remember, after Eisen thrashed the boy last time, didn't his own mood improve significantly?”

“That...”

“As long as it helps Eisen recover from his ailment, Richard will just have to suffer a little. After all, he is curing his own father; this is a burden he ought to bear as a son.”

“No! Please, no!”

Richard’s screams grew even more desperate.

“This is far too severe. What state will the child be left in?” Cassie asked anxiously.

“You must look on the bright side. Richard is a highly gifted boy. Look at him; even though his father and I have left him to his own devices until now, hasn't he still become a Divine Shepherd on his own? He is likely not far from the rank of Inquisitor.

Eisen is merely forcing out his potential, making up for the time the boy wasted through past indolence. You do wish for Richard to succeed you both in the future, don't you? If a family of Justinians should end up with a mere Inquisitor as an heir, that would be truly disgraceful.

Even if we pull strings to maneuver him into a Justinian’s seat, you know very well the vast gulf that exists between a title of empty words and one of actual substance.”

“Is that truly the reason, Eisen?”

“This is, perhaps, the most profound expression of paternal love.”

“Ah...”

Richard’s screams had gradually faded into whispers.

"Mother, Richard's voice is growing fainter and fainter."

"Last night, I heard his grandfather mention that the York City district is about to commence a selection process. Only clerics of the appropriate age will have the opportunity to be registered for participation. There are twelve spots in the entire Church, and his grandfather has already begun pull strings to help him register.

The selection is even more grueling than this. If Richard can successfully pass, it will be of immense benefit to his future development."

"Can Richard make the cut?"

"There are five spots allotted to the York City district. I believe my grandson has a chance. If he can secure one of those five spots and proceed to the grand arena of the entire Church, it will then come down to luck."

"Does Eisen know about this as well?"

"I am not certain; perhaps he does. He is merely suspended from