Chapter 486: Dog's Faith

Chapter 486: The Dog's Faith

Mobiten pushed open the door and saw an old man sitting in a wheelchair, his back turned toward him.

Although he could not see his face, the mere sight of his back conveyed a profound sense of desolation and approaching finality—a double decay of both soul and body.

It was not a matter of the wick and wax running dry and needing replenishment, but rather that the entire candlestick was on the verge of rotting and collapsing.

"You have aged a great deal."

Mobiten had once served as the captain of Rasma's guard, so he had been in frequent contact with Taixisen in the past.

"We all age, do we not?" Taixisen turned his wheelchair around. "Even the elders of the Temple, they age too. Mobiten, we haven't seen each other for quite a long time, have we?"

"Yes, this is our first meeting since you stepped down."

"If an outsider heard that sentence, they would mistakenly think you, Mobiten, are a very snobbish man."

"That is actually not wrong; in the eyes of the Benda family, there has always been only the High Priest."

"Mm, I know. It was a bit noisy outside just now, what was that about?"

"My apologies for disturbing you. I ran into one of my grandsons just now; he has been somewhat disobedient lately, so I gave him a lesson."

"Where is this place?"

"It is Fire Island."

"Where exactly?"

Mobiten hesitated for a moment, but still answered immediately, "It is a villa belonging to the Castle family on the island."

"Oh, haha." Realization dawned on Taixisen, and he tapped his forehead lightly, smiling. "Look at my mind, it really is true that when a man is about to leave, his brain gets a little muddled. You know, I almost thought this was your Benda family estate."

"My Lord..."

Mobiten dropped to one knee before Taixisen.

He was strong, exceedingly strong, because he was the shield before the High Priest of the Church of Divine Order; his status was also highly unique, as the Benda family pledged loyalty only to each successive High Priest. As a close confidant who had always accompanied the High Priest, many of his actions would be interpreted as carrying the High Priest's will.

However, his official rank was not high, being merely a guard captain.

And the old man before him, even if he had stepped down, had only relinquished his most vital post; the old man still retained many titles and privileges within the Church.

If no one pressed the issue, it was fine, but once it was pressed, Mobiten was required to salute Taixisen solemnly, and not with the traditional gesture of crossing both hands in greeting.

Taixisen rolled his wheelchair closer to Mobiten, stopping until he was almost right in front of him. Leaning forward, he stared into Mobiten's face and said in a low voice:

"I believe the Benda family has never forgotten its family oath, but I believe even more that people change. At home, it does not matter how you discipline your descendants; but outside, please remember one thing first: they are first and foremost believers of the God of Order, clergymen of the Church of Divine Order, and only lastly... are they the descendants of you, Mobiten Benda."

"Yes, My Lord, I understand."

"No, you do not understand. I know in your heart you still do not think you were wrong. Perhaps you think that an old fellow like me, who is about to die, is just using his last breath to throw a tantrum and show off his authority to you?"

"I would not dare think that, for I know what kind of man you are, My Lord."

"The established rules have been broken. The Church has existed for a very long time, but it also has its own laws of development. Just like how you, Muri, want to strike and discipline your grandson the moment you see him, many people have actually forgotten that we are all equal under Order.

Fuden thinks this way, Crede thinks this way, and you, Mobiten, think this way too.

The rules have actually always been there, but you all simply have not taken them to heart."

"My Lord..."

Cold sweat broke out on Mobiten's forehead. He was truly shocked. He, a mere guard captain, had only casually punched his own grandson, yet he now had to face such terrifying, far-reaching deductions from this old man, who had actually linked him to the Whipper and the Cardinal.

The old man before him was dying.

As an elder who had once sat at the round table and argued fiercely for the future development of the Church, the moment he stepped down meant his halo was gone. But now that he was about to die, and might very well die here on Fire Island, his halo suddenly became blindingly bright once more.

His dying words would certainly make waves, and might even be heralded as the next platform for a faction's political power.

If he were to say that the Benda family was somewhat losing sight of its own position, then the family heritage that the Benda family had always been proud of could very likely be altered by a single sentence from him.

Even High Priest Norton would probably be more than willing to trade a Benda family in exchange for this old man's final "peace of mind."

"Mobiten, I am about to leave." Taixisen reached out and placed his hand on Mobiten's shoulder. "Old friends are already few and far enough between, so I hope you can live with greater clarity. I know the Benda family's upbringing has always been very good and strict, but for the Benda family to endure to this day, it relies on not overstepping the rules. Let the children settle the children's matters themselves. You only need to be responsible for the safety of the High Priest, do you understand?"

"I understand, thank you for your instruction."

In truth, Mobiten did not quite understand, but he vaguely perceived something. Could it be that his grandson, Muri, had recently found great favor in the eyes of Lord Taixisen?

"Very well, tell me the words the High Priest asked you to bring me."

"Yes." Mobiten stood up and adjusted his clothes.

Taixisen placed both hands over his chest, preparing to listen to the will of the High Priest.

"The High Priest says he will come to visit you tomorrow evening after the magic array is constructed. There will be quite a few people accompanying him, and he hopes you will not mind."

Taixisen nodded, indicating his understanding.

"The High Priest says he hopes to work together with you to mend some of the internal fractures within our Church."

Taixisen continued to nod; he would cooperate.

"The High Priest says that he has always respected you deeply."

Mobiten finished speaking and dropped to one knee once more.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Taixisen blinked and shook his head: "Is that last sentence a form of moral kidnapping directed at me?"

"I believe those are the High Priest's true words."

"You do not understand. The meaning of that last sentence should be that he knows I will say some unpleasant things to his face before I die. He will not agree, nor will he change them, but he will say that he respects my opinion."

"For you to interpret it this way..."

"It is actually quite meaningless. A very dull and tedious process that nevertheless cannot be skipped. I cannot skip it, and he cannot skip it either; we must still carry it through with all our might. One can only say that I am not dying in the right place, nor at the right time, which will only make things harder for him.

Very well, I know. You may go down now."

"Yes, My Lord."

Mobiten stood up once again.

"Remember your age," Taixisen spoke up. "You are already a gray-haired old man yourself, yet your temper is still so explosive. What kind of behavior is that?"

Mobiten could now almost be certain that Muri was definitely liked by Taixisen; otherwise, there was no reason to use such words to nudge him several times.

"Yes, My Lord, I will remember your words. After I return this time, I will resign from the position of the head of the Benda family and hand it over to my son. I will focus solely on protecting the safety of the High Priest."

"By the way, Mobiten, have you ever raised a grandson?"

"This..."

"Do you think such things are childish?" Taixisen crossed his hands and smiled. "Take the opportunity to try it if you can."

"Yes, My Lord, I will."

"I envy you, having so many grandsons. A man must learn to cherish what he has."

Mobiten lowered his head. He knew that the grandson of the old man before him had been chosen by Lord Marchettini, one of the Twelve Knights of Order, to become a successor. Even though it was only a partial succession, his grandson's status and position had immediately become transcendent, so much so that even when this grandfather saw his grandson, he had to respectfully call him "My Lord."

Opening the door to the room, just as he was about to step out, Mobiten slowly closed the door again, turned back around, and dropped to one knee.

"There is one more matter I wish to ask you about. This concerns a dereliction of duty in my work, an error I cannot allow myself to commit."

Not surprised in the least, Taixisen asked, "The matter concerning Rasma?"

"Yes, the former High Priest, my lord. That time he departed, he did not permit me to accompany him, and that has been a source of constant torment to me. I keep thinking, if only I had been at the former High Priest's side back then, perhaps he would never have gone missing..."

"Have you investigated it?"

"I dare not hide anything from you, my lord. I did investigate, during that period between the former High Priest's disappearance and the installation of the new High Priest. But I was able to unearth absolutely nothing, and I even discovered that a maximum-security clearance had been placed upon that matter."

"I can only tell you this: you need not feel any guilt. That was Rasma's own choice."

"Thank you, my lord."

Mobiten let out a long, sweeping sigh of relief and stood up, this time truly walking out of the room.

Theisen turned his wheelchair around to face the scenery outside the French window once more, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips:

"Because even if you had gone, you could have changed nothing."

Suddenly, Theisen burst into a hearty laugh:

"Hahaha..."

His hands slapped against the armrests of his wheelchair, and it was only after a long while that he finally calmed down, taking a few extra, involuntary breaths before saying:

"When it comes to fighting, he has never lost."

...

"Is the injury severe?"

"It is nothing, Captain. A couple days of rest will see it right," Muri said with a touch of embarrassment. After all, it was indeed quite humiliating for a grown man to be thrashed by a family elder right in front of his companions.

However, having completely severed ties with his family, particularly with his grandfather, left him feeling incredibly comfortable. Though every breath brought a pang of pain, he could still smell the genuine savor of freedom.

"Do not be embarrassed. If I hadn't happened to be heavily wounded that day, I suspect I would have been thrashed by my elder as well."

Karen was certain that Theisen had wanted to beat him that day, but on one hand, the man did not know how to fight and feared he would not be able to restrain his strength, and on the other hand, Karen's condition at the time had been so dire that the elder probably truly worried a single punch would crush him to death.

Ventura walked over at this moment carrying ice water; there were only the four of them left in the room now.

Muri and Ventura had long since become members of the inner circle, because they knew Karen's secret.

"In these next two days, the High Priest will be coming as well, correct?" Ventura appeared somewhat excited.

Indeed, having the chance to see the High Priest himself with one's own eyes—not on a newspaper page, nor via a projection—was absolutely something that could excite any follower of Order.

"Yes, he should be. This involves a political gambit among the upper echelons," Muri could only explain it this way.

Alfred lamented, "What a pity about Lord Theisen's remains..."

Muri looked up in surprise, "Do you wish to retrieve Lord Theisen's remains and place them in the performance hall of the Allen Manor?"

Alfred nodded and said, "I have developed a certain ailment now: whenever I see a powerful expert who is inclined toward our side, I cannot help but wonder exactly when they are going to die;

and whether I can manage to drag their remains back.

Of the twelve coffins, only two are occupied now, plus Madame Gandilo has a spot reserved, which means there are only three.

If I don't fill them up, I feel a great sense of regret in my heart, like a psychological phenomenon the young master once mentioned, called obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Karen cast a sidelong glance at Alfred and teased, "Yours should be called a 'hoarding addiction' instead."

Muri spoke up, "But it would be very difficult to manage—no, it is virtually impossible. Lord Theisen's status is simply too exalted. After his death, his remains will surely receive the highest degree of protection before being sent into the First Knights. We simply will not have any opportunity to strike. And if one could go to the First Knights to steal remains... then there would hardly seem to be any need to store one's own remains at all."

Karen waved his hand and said, "Though Lord Theisen did not know how to fight, his realm was simply too high. Putting aside the fact that it is utterly impossible to obtain his remains, even if we did get them, I feel I might not even be able to awaken him.

Besides, the man is still alive right now. It is inappropriate to speak of such things.

Let us discuss something more fitting instead.

Find some time to draft a plan for the execution of Vicole. As soon as we return to York City, we move immediately."

"An assassination plan, Captain?" Muri asked.

Karen corrected him, "A judgment plan."

Alfred immediately produced his notebook and uncapped his pen, ready to take notes.

Seeing this, Muri instinctively felt his own pockets, realizing he did not have the habit of carrying a notebook and pen.

Then, seeing that Ventura had actually pulled out a pad and pen as well, Muri suddenly looked even more awkward.

Karen began, "The theme is judgment. First, prepare in advance the cash coupons Vicole once gave me. Remember to calculate the average interest rate of the black market bank, as I will 'return' them to him when the time comes."

"Yes, young master."

"Second, investigate Vicole's past behavior and his conduct after he became an Adjudicator. You can call upon Sinyali to help search and organize the clues. I do not believe a man like that could have always strictly adhered to the rules of Order."

"Yes, Captain."

"Third, what I want is not a simple assassination plan. I hope that before killing him, I can speak a few words with him, in an environment as composed and leisurely as possible—within allowable conditions, of course."

"Yes, Captain."

Karen nodded, took a sip of the ice water, and said, "Let us leave it at that for now. We shall take matters one by one, clearing out what has accumulated first. Thank you for your hard work."

With that, Karen stood up, "I will go check on that three-headed hound."

...

Giragon remained sprawled there, his gaze somewhat vacant, just staring straight ahead as he had been doing for the past two days.

Eisley sat not far away, watching the surroundings alertly. She was no longer afraid of Giragon suddenly flying into a rage; rather, the island was still unsafe, as the Delan and Watson families had not chosen to submit to the law like the Castle family had.

However, she had already made preparations to summon Sindi at any moment to sound an alarm or transmit a message.

Purr and Kevin, meanwhile, were very close to Giragon's dog head, which rested against the ground.

"I'm telling you, you couldn't escape now even if you wanted to. The Church of Order will definitely intervene formally in the affairs here, and you have so many marks from the [Scythe of War] on your body, which serve as the perfect beacon; the Church of Order will surely be able to lock onto you.

Just lie here and wait. Don't take this matter too heavily to heart, either. It wasn't your fault, understand, you useless dog?

According to the usual practice of the Church of Order, they will put you on trial. Just accept the judgment honestly. They will be relatively fair, because they don't want to kill you either; they want to tame you.

Although you will lose your freedom because of it... you will still be alive;

if there is a chance in the future, I will come to visit you. That mostly depends on the speed of my Karen's promotions.

The faster he gets promoted, the sooner I can come see you, you useless dog."

Giragon stared back at Purr, his massive eyes brimming with aggrieved tears, but he had to hold them back, because he feared that a single drop of his tears falling might wash Purr right away or drown her completely.

Seeing that Purr and Giragon still had a long conversation ahead of them, Kevin shook his head and trotted down first, finding a small pit amidst the ruins. After pawing at it a few times, he turned his back and squatted down.

Having relieved himself, Kevin yawned, turned sideways, and noticed two familiar figures standing atop a somewhat elevated section of the ruins in the distance.

...

"I thought you had left long ago."

Karen said as he sat there, watching the islanders in the ruins ahead who were searching for their loved ones and digging out buried belongings.

Tafman spoke up, "That lord didn't seem to give orders to arrest me, though perhaps it is also because you are short-handed at the moment."

His hair was already half-white. Though no age spots were visible on his skin and there was no sagging, his entire being gave off an aura that was somewhat withered and weary. It was uncertain whether time could ever replenish it, but even if it did, his vital energy would undoubtedly remain heavily damaged.

"You should leave. The main force will arrive on the island within these next two days."

"I know. I will leave. I have already booked a ship and will be departing shortly. However, judging by the tone of your words, if I don't leave, would you come to arrest me?"

Karen shook his head, "Why would I arrest you?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot—you and I are the same, both remnants of the Light."

"My faith lies in Order; the Light is merely a means to my end."

"Then all the more reason for you to arrest me, isn't it?"

"You haven't violated Order, and the Regulations of Order contain no clauses specifically targeting the Church of Light."

Some things could never be written into explicit law, yet this did not prevent all orthodox churches from maintaining a tacit, private understanding to strike down the remnants of Light, preventing its rekindling.

"Karen, you seem... to have changed somewhat?"

Karen raised a finger, pointing ahead, and said, "I was thinking, if I hadn't been so single-mindedly intent on leaving back then, and had chosen instead to join you in stopping him, would this island have averted this disaster?"

Tafman smiled slightly and replied, "I only know that if you hadn't risked mutual destruction to finally kill him, under his control, perhaps even if that lord of yours interfered, it would have been impossible to stop Gilagon, because that lord of yours doesn't know how to fight.

Without you, this island would have been completely destroyed by now.

But, are you blaming yourself?

You have absolutely no need for self-reproach."

Karen shook his head: "What I am pondering is not the outcome; outcomes can bring unexpected turns, but the only thing I can control is my initial choice and intention."

Tafman spoke up: "Everyone has their period of confusion, I hope you can step out of it soon, or perhaps, you already have."

"Thank you."

"Then I shall depart, I fear the ship I booked will grow impatient waiting."

"Where do you intend to go next?"

"Do you wish to know?"

"No, it was merely a polite farewell."

"I do not know either, I shall go wherever the ship takes me. I booked a small vessel called the Jinluo.

Originally, I boarded intending to haggle over the price, but the old captain threw down his cutlass directly and asked where I wanted to go next, saying he could set sail immediately."

"I wish you a smooth journey, do not get caught."

"Mm, the road ahead will be even harder to walk. Not only will Order pursue me, but after this, the side of Light will also brand me a traitor. Well, I am off, I won't disturb you further, do continue."

Tafman departed.

Kevin came trotting up, wagging his tail, and looking at Karen seated there, he paused for a brief moment, then approached more gently than usual of his own accord, lying down beside Karen's thigh, accompanying him in gazing at the "scenery" below.

Karen reached out and gently patted Kevin's bald head, offering a quiet greeting.

One man and one dog sat there for a long time, until night fell and the moon hung high.

Karen suddenly asked, "Kevin, have you ever been confused?"

Kevin shook his head without the slightest hesitation, then barked toward the moon in the sky:

"Woof!"

Karen began to laugh.

Kevin turned his head toward Karen, somewhat perplexed.

"Indeed, the faith of most people in this world is not even as steadfast as a dog's."

——

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