Chapter 302: Entreaty!

Chapter 302: Imploring!

“Once the rewards are authorized, they will be transferred into your identification accounts. Vanni will oversee it then, so keep an eye out on your own.” The Captain clapped his hands together. “Alright, dismissed!”

Karen observed the Captain walking toward Gendi and his group, seemingly offering them words of comfort.

Gerry spoke with a hint of doubt, “The Captain treats Gendi’s flock of little chicks quite well.”

Karen replied, “Because a Commander needs three squads under his command.”

Gerry nodded in realization. “So that is how it is.”

Vanni walked over and inquired, “Karen, give me your car keys. I will arrange for someone to drive the car back to your house. Is it the funeral home?”

“Yes.” Karen retrieved his car keys, and Alfred took out the hearse keys to hand them over to Vanni as well.

On their return, everyone had traveled by warship, docking at the York Military Port rather than the civilian York Port; the vehicles were naturally not here and required someone to be dispatched to retrieve them.

Peggy spoke up, “I have already called for vehicles, but the military port is somewhat remote. Only trucks are available right now. We will have to wait another forty minutes for a business van to arrive.”

“Then I shall not wait. Riding in a truck is just the same, and I wish to return early.”

“Very well, I will arrange it for you.”

Soon, a truck was brought around. The passenger side could accommodate two people, but Karen did not climb inside; instead, he boarded from the back, seeking out a corner to sit down.

Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin also boarded the vehicle. Alfred sat diagonally across from Karen, and just as the truck was about to pull away, Memphis climbed aboard as well, saying:

“I shall join you.”

After boarding, Memphis took a seat on the outer edge.

As the truck journeyed onward, the chassis swayed violently, yet sitting together in the open-air truck felt rather pleasant.

They dropped Mr. Memphis off first. When the vehicle reached the street near the Goumeng residence, Alfred signaled the driver to stop.

“Meow!”

Purr pointed toward a dessert shop ahead and cried out.

Seeing this, Karen did not have Alfred step down to make the purchase; instead, he disembarked himself, treating it as seeing Mr. Memphis off.

“We owe the success of this mission to you, Mr. Eisen.”

“There is no need to speak of it that way. I am merely a member of the squad. In truth, I found this day quite fulfilling. Before this, I had never encountered the God of Sea Religion. Moreover, the Captain is truly erudite.”

“Sometimes coming out to clear one's mind is rather good.”

The two conversed as they walked to the entrance of the dessert shop. Karen counted silently and said to the clerk:

“Five strawberry cones, large size.”

“Very well, sir. Please wait a moment.”

Just as he prepared to draw his money, Karen realized he had brought no funds upon his person. He turned, preparing to call Alfred over to settle the bill, only to see Mr. Eisen take out some Reals and pay.

“My apologies, I am not in the habit of carrying money lately.”

“I used to be the same, but now I always keep Reals on me. I heard from Richard that newcomers have a custom of treating everyone after a mission concludes, though I have never had the opportunity.”

“That custom applies only to Richard.”

“Oh, so that is how it is.”

“Then, goodbye, Mr. Eisen.”

“Goodbye.”

Karen returned to the truck holding four cones, handing one to Alfred, and one each to Miss Purr and Mr. Kevin.

Indeed, it would be highly inconvenient for Purr and Kevin to eat the cones themselves, particularly without a tray, but they could command their puppets to hold and feed them.

With Mr. Eisen gone, Alfred brought out the egg, cradling it in his hands.

Karen glanced at him, discerning that he was communicating with the egg through another medium.

Upon arriving at the funeral home, Karen prepared to rest. He went to the washroom first to take a bath, and when he emerged, he saw Sily carrying Purr inside, having just bathed and dried her.

Karen lay down upon the bed, and Purr nestled close. Man and cat soon closed their eyes to catch up on sleep.

After a while, Kevin nudged open the bedroom door and walked in. It had also been bathed, though by Pick.

It walked to the bedside, saw that Karen and Purr were already resting, and walked over to its kennel in the alcove to lie down. It licked its lips, found a position on its side, and closed its eyes.

In its dream, it beheld the sun and the beach once more.

…

The Goumeng Residence, Bedroom.

Richard lay upon the bed holding a tome of magic, reading through records detailing the effects of several mental-type spells and experiences in countering them.

Regrettably, this act of preparing for the examination in advance failed to grant him much confidence; instead, it weighed upon him with immense pressure.

For Richard knew his own standard well; within the circle of young masters, he was not the absolute worst, but looking across the entire Sacred Church within this age group, he had nothing to do with the rank of genius.

Originally, he had merely intended to focus on participation, considering his grandfather had expended personal favors to register him, but upon learning that Karen would also participate in the selection, his family members, whether intentionally or otherwise, had created pressure for him.

“How could I possibly compare to him, sigh.”

Richard sighed, continuing to turn the pages.

At that moment, Kathy walked in carrying a plate of fruit, smiling. “No one is asking you to surpass him. Having a target ahead simply provides the drive to urge oneself forward.”

“Mother, you were eavesdropping at the door again.”

“It is because you speak so loudly yourself.”

Richard took the fruit platter, which was neatly arranged with toothpicks. He picked up a piece of apple, placed it in his mouth, and asked while chewing, “Mother, did you ever meet geniuses when you were young?”

“I did. Your father was one.”

“Oh, heavens, that is hard to imagine.”

“I am not joking with you. Your father in his youth was completely different from how he is now.”

“Right, right, I know, I believe you.” Richard lowered his head, continuing to read.

“Study well. When your grandfather returns tonight, he will tutor you privately. Karen cannot enjoy this sort of treatment.”

“See, Mother, you are doing it again.”

“Very well, I spoke out of turn. My apologies, keep it up, son.”

Kathy walked downstairs into the living room. Hearing footsteps at the entryway, she saw her husband.

“You are back?”

“Yes, I am back.”

By now, Kathy had grown somewhat accustomed to her husband’s sudden disappearances.

According to past habits, if her mother-in-law were not still residing in this house, she would likely have returned to Sunpu City after her injuries healed.

Kathy prepared to head to the kitchen to make some pastries for her son, but was called to a halt by the person behind her.

“Wait a moment.”

Kathy turned around, looking toward her husband, and asked:

"What is it?"

Mr. Eisen raised his hand, holding a half-melted cone.

"Is this... for me?"

Mr. Eisen’s eyes began to blink, the corner of his mouth began to twitch slightly, and his expression grew stiff;

Yet, he still forced out a coherent sentence:

"The strawberry flavor, the one you like."

Kaixi reached out and took the cone, and Mr. Eisen turned away, his back somewhat rigid, as though he were strictly restraining the pace of his steps to keep from looking like he was fleeing in panic. Finally, he reached the study door, opened it, and walked inside.

Looking down at the cone in her hand, Kaixi took a lick.

Yes,

It had already melted.

...

Karen slept all the way until evening before waking, and then lay in bed for a while longer with his eyes wide open.

Pu'er was still fast asleep; controlling a puppet was no small drain for it nowadays, but Karen knew it had been forcing itself through the exhaustion, terrified that if a similar opportunity arose in the future, he wouldn't bring it along.

Getting out of bed, he washed up, and as he walked to the door of the master bedroom ready to open it, he heard Kevin’s faint snoring.

Karen gently pushed the door open and stepped outside. The weather tonight was beautiful, the sky awash with stars, especially since the backyard of the funeral parlor followed a courtyard-style architectural layout, making the view upward wonderful as he walked through the grounds.

In no rush to look for a late-night snack, Karen first walked over to a bench and sat down, draping his arms along both sides of the seat, tilting his head back to gaze quietly at the stars.

Originally, he had intended to have Mr. Wood return to Allen Manor, but he had refused, saying that many people on Corona Island had died for him, and he needed to settle the aftermath now.

From this recent incident, it was clear that the strength of Allen Manor was still too weak, but that was not something that could be resolved in a short period of time.

Karen gently twisted his neck, banishing all other thoughts from his mind, simply letting himself go completely blank.

Just then, Picque led two people in from the front hall, a man and a woman—Lemaire and Selena.

Then, Picque walked right past him, and Lemaire and Selena walked past him too.

Hmm?

Did none of them see me?

Karen stood up instinctively.

Sensing something, Lemaire stopped immediately, turned his head to look at Karen, and asked, "Karen, do you use stealth magic at home as well?"

"I was just sitting right here," Karen said, pointing to the bench.

"That's impossible, we didn't see you," Lemaire said.

"Oh, perhaps I wasn't thinking about anything just now." Karen immediately shifted the subject. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Just as he always had a purpose whenever he visited the pottery workshop, Lemaire coming to the door in person meant there was certainly a matter at hand.

"There is indeed a matter, and I need your help this time."

"Come, let's go to the study to talk. Picque, tea."

"Right away, Boss."

Upon entering the study, Lemaire expressed his admiration: "I love the decor style of this study. It's a pity I rarely use a study normally, otherwise, I would have one decorated just like this."

"Please, have a seat."

"Alright."

Karen turned his gaze toward Selena; he felt the girl was a bit too quiet tonight.

But after a closer look, Karen immediately noticed something amiss.

"Selena, she..."

"My sister has been locked inside."

"What happened?" Karen asked.

"Because of an accident a few days ago."

"An accident?"

"It goes like this. Three days ago, my shop was broken into. That night, I wasn't home, and when I returned, my sister was locked inside this body. I only found out what happened by questioning the other puppets in the workshop."

"How did they manage that?"

"He sealed off the external perception of Selena's body. Right now, Selena is essentially locked within this form, unable to leave to change bodies, and stripped of any external feedback functions.

She can see you and hear you right now, but she has no way to respond to you. All of her actions are currently being controlled by me on her behalf."

"Selena is locked inside her body? The other party understands puppet-forging too?"

"Yes, the other party is also from the Voss family, sharing our surname, but that branch of the family has always lived in Bernet, and there is no real connection between us.

In truth, I don't know when he came to Wien, nor do I know how he found us.

He locked my sister inside here and left a message for me through my puppets. He said that if I want to unlock my sister's puppet and return her freedom, I must trade the Yilmaz engraving knife for it."

"The Yilmaz engraving knife?"

"It refers to the twelve engraving knives forged by an exceptionally brilliant ancestor of the Voss family long ago. But over the years, many of the knives have been lost or destroyed. Of those known to still exist, there are probably only three left."

"So, he wants your engraving knife, and locked Selena up as leverage for the exchange?"

"Yes."

"Three days ago?"

"Well, I came to look for you the day before yesterday, Mr. Karen, but you weren't home. I came again yesterday, and you were still not home. I've finally met you tonight."

"My apologies, I was away for the past few days."

"No, no, no, you don't need to apologize."

"What is the time limit he gave you?"

"Ten days. I think he purposely gave me enough time to let me attempt to break the seal myself and fail, so that I would willingly go and beg him."

"This lock must be very difficult to break?"

"The difficulty is extremely high. The slightest carelessness could cause my sister's consciousness to disintegrate. However, for me, it is very simple. I would only need fifteen minutes to crack it open."

"You can crack it open?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Are you afraid of alerting him?"

"Exactly. Since he dared to lay a hand on my sister, then I want his life."

"I understand." Karen nodded. "I can understand how you feel."

Lemaire left his seat and bowed deeply to Karen:

"Mr. Karen, please help me. I don't know what I can promise you, but I only know that whatever you need in the future, I will spare no effort!"

"Mr. Lemaire, I don't think there is any need for such formal courtesies between us. Selena is a kind and lively girl; there is no way I could watch her be bullied like this by someone else."

"This matter, I promise you. But when exactly? I mean, the timing for you to feign submission and lure him out."

"The final day of the deadline, which is seven days from now. I want him to believe I only made this choice out of sheer desperation at the very end. By then, his guard should be at its lowest."

Karen calculated the timeline in his head. In three days, he was scheduled to participate in the York City regional selection, which shouldn’t take too long.

After the regional selection concluded, he would proceed to the Holy Church for the final selection. There should be a window of preparation time in between, but the exact schedule had not yet been released.

"I might need it to be a bit earlier," Karen said. "If it happens to fall precisely on that seventh day, I might be a day or two ahead of schedule."

Once the results of the York City regional selection were out, it would be impossible for him to stand them up and skip the next round of the entire Church's selection, unless he intended to abandon his identity as Karen.

If Serena had truly been abducted, Karen would not have hesitated. After all, from his very first step into the Lemar Pottery Workshop to their subsequent encounters, the Lemar siblings had always treated him exceedingly well. In their interactions, he was almost always the one benefiting; by all rights of reason and affection, Serena's safety was paramount.

But the issue was that Serena was currently perfectly safe. The adversary had clearly underestimated Mr. Lemar's craftsmanship as an artisan.

Karen knew full well that Mr. Lemar would absolutely never gamble with his sister's safety just to save face. If he claimed he could safely pick this lock, he undoubtedly could.

If this was purely for the sake of vengeance, then he had to take his own schedule into consideration.

"If it is a day or two early, I believe that will pose no problem."

"How about this," Karen smiled. "Do you still remember the first person who approached you to make a mask?"

"Him?"

A look of shock, dread, conflict, and anticipation crossed Lemar's face all at once.

It had to be said that Serena’s past description to him regarding her brother's feelings toward the Captain was incredibly spot-on.

"Personally, I also feel that cutting it close to the tenth day would actually be best. I will go inform him and have him come along to help handle this matter. If I am in York City that day, I will accompany him to help you exact revenge and root out this hidden threat.

If I am not in York City that day... I am deeply sorry, but this is an event within the Church that I cannot refuse to attend, unless I choose to renounce my identity within the Church of Order."

"You need not explain, Mr. Karen. I understand your difficulties, really, there is no need to explain. We are friends, we understand each other."

"Yes. If I am not in York City that day, he will be in full charge. This is not mere consolation but the honest truth: when it comes to seeking vengeance and thoroughly severing future troubles, he is far more professional and excellent than I am."

Were it anyone else, Karen truly wouldn't be this at ease. But the Captain...

Karen believed the Captain was entirely capable.

"That is truly wonderful then."

"Yes. Take Serena back first. I will help you notify him beforehand. Barring any accidents, he will pay you a visit sometime soon."

"Alright, thank you, Mr. Karen. Thank you ever so much."

"I am quite ashamed."

"No, please, you must not say that. I am well aware that if you hadn't spoken up, he would never have lent me a hand."

"You made a mask for him too, after all."

Mr. Lemar's expression turned awkward as he said, "But he paid me points—a great, great deal of points. When too much money is involved, the personal favor is wiped clean."

Karen nodded, then walked over to Serena. Looking down at her, he said:

"Serena, bear with staying here for a few more days. We will eliminate the person who locked you up."

Serena offered no reaction whatsoever, but Lemar had mentioned that she could see and hear.

Once Lemar left with Serena, Karen picked up the telephone. He didn't call the Captain, nor did he bother to fold a messenger crow; instead, he dialed Fanni directly.

"Hello."

"It's me, Fanni. Help me get in touch with the Captain. Tell him to find some free time over the next couple of days to visit the pottery workshop. Say that I am asking him to help the shop owner resolve a bit of trouble."

"Alright, understood."

After hanging up the phone, Karen stretched his limbs. He trusted the Captain would help. Setting aside the fact that the Captain already owed him numerous secrets, even if things truly fell through, he could just have Kevin go stay at the Captain's house to sleep alongside him for a few days.

Stepping out of the study, Karen prepared to head to the kitchen to fix himself a midnight snack. Just as he reached the kitchen doorway, he spotted Alfred sitting inside, cradling that egg, the two of them still engaged in a silent communion.

"Alfred, you aren't resting?"

"Hmm?" Alfred looked as though he had just "awakened" with his eyes wide open, rising to his feet instantly. "Young Master, you are awake."

Right then, Karen heard a voice transmitting toward him from inside that very egg:

"I truly... cannot... take him... anymore... I beg of you... please just fry me already..."