Chapter 519: Look, Who Am I? (Large Chapter)

Chapter 519: Look at Me, Who Am I? (Extended Chapter)

Vicolai’s sudden cry of “Father” caused a massive uproar throughout the hall.

Those able to enter and attend this hearing were all clergymen of status and position; there were virtually no ordinary onlookers.

Thus, everyone was well aware of Vicolai’s identity, and equally aware that the elderly man seated in the VIP section—whom Vicolai was now calling “Father”—was supposed to be Vicolai’s “Grandfather.”

Yet now, the legal grandfather had transformed into the biological father.

This kind of ethical perversion in family relations was invariably the most eye-catching form of curiosity, and its sensationalism only amplified with the heights of the parties' status and power.

Those who had been present for the trial from the beginning could not help but exult in their hearts; not only was the spectacle they witnessed today extraordinarily brilliant, but it rolled in wave after wave without pause, leaving everyone utterly breathless.

As for those who arrived midway through, they felt this trip was truly worth every bit of the effort; though they had missed the spectacular first half, they caught the even more thrilling second half, and to top it all off, right at the end came such a delightful surprise.

Compared to the people on-scene, who still had to maintain some semblance of restraint and decorum, the clergymen watching the trial before the broadcasting arrays were far more uninhibited—especially at the broadcast points outside the York City district, where the crowds broke into open wolf-whistles and cheers.

In the eyes of ordinary people, clergymen were the very picture of solemnity, but within their own circles, they were no different from common folk; they felt all the usual emotions, and they smiled joyfully when tossing back sweet, juicy fruits.

As for the journalists on the scene, their eyes turned completely green, resembling a pack of ravenous, desperate wolves.

As the preeminent divine church of the era, every move Order made was major news, and when internal power struggles within the Church of Order were paired with an ethical scandal, it was impossible for such news not to explode; this was no longer something a single front-page headline could satisfy—it demanded a serialized report.

The newspapers run by the Divine Church were not only instruments for internal propaganda but also battlegrounds for public opinion externally, meaning they too faced sales requirements and performance pressures, much like secular newspapers, except that purchasing them required the payment of vouchers.

Neo understood perfectly well that the activity funds specially approved by the department had now entirely become bonuses and stipends; he could even go so far as to leak inside details of the case before and after the trial, collecting interview fees from the journalists' hands.

So, why on earth not?

If his pockets were a bit more lined, Neo truly wanted to thoroughly renovate his drafty office.

But on second thought, if he renovated it beautifully and then received a promotion, wouldn't he just be renovating it on Karen's behalf again?

Although his relationship with Karen was excellent, always being the one to give unilaterally like this would surely disrupt the balance of their friendship, so it was better to continue maintaining his own hardship and simplicity.

“Things are much easier to handle now,” Neo said to Bernie, who stood before him.

Bernie nodded and remarked:

“I wonder if the Regional Director is slapping his own face in his office right about now.”

……

Karen was also stunned for a moment; he genuinely had not expected that such a layer of relationship existed between Vicolai and Dolph.

Oh no, a relationship had existed between them originally, but it was deeper and much closer than what he had perceived.

To this, Karen merely sneered coldly in his heart; how should one put it—it felt as though once you attained the upper hand through your own efforts, even the wind began to blow in your direction.

“Damn! They play it that wild?” Richard’s eyes were wide with shock.

Filomena cast a glance at Richard; just over here someone had cried out “Mother,” and immediately over there, someone else started calling out “Father.”

Old Man Delon and Mr. Eisen immediately controlled the broadcasting array, fixing the “perspective” completely upon Bishop Dolph, even setting up a separate close-up of his facial expressions, terrified that those sitting before the broadcasting arrays might not see his countenance clearly.

Worfulen’s brow furrowed as he turned his head to look at Dolph, who sat beside him.

He knew the Coya family was a pile of foul excrement, but he truly had not expected it could stink to such a degree.

In truth, under normal circumstances, this would not be considered a momentous affair; the filth within high-ranking clans was often such that if you could think of it, they could do it—take the Vienna Royal Family, for instance, which had always been recognized as a chaotic vat of pickled vice.

Yet to add this particular fuel to the fire precisely at this juncture was simply rendering the situation as disastrous as it could possibly be.

Loya felt highly satisfied with the effects of her “prank,” though at this moment she truly had to return, for after all, the task for which she had emerged was already complete.

She could only pretend to sweep her gaze forward to steal one last look at her Brother Karen, and then she saw that her Brother Karen was looking back at her as well.

Her heart instantly filled with happiness.

Sometimes, a young girl’s heart is very small—so small that a single glance can fill it to the brim.

Loya’s attachment to Karen included the interactions during their time at the sausage factory, but the primary bond stemmed from that night when Karen utilized his Chains of Order to recongeal Loya’s consciousness; in a strict sense, that was not an “awakening,” but it was equivalent to granting Loya a “new life.”

At that moment, she felt as if pieces and fragments of herself were being “picked up” by Karen, and then gently pieced back together, the entire process incomparably warm and serene.

Ah, she just didn’t know when she would be able to see Brother Karen next, but Brother Karen seemed to be promoted very quickly; perhaps it wouldn't take many years before Brother Karen would be qualified to “rent” her.

Keep it up, Brother Karen, Loya will be waiting for you~

Karen watched Loya's figure fly into the spatial rift; the young girl had returned, leaving a trace of loneliness in his heart.

Every time he encountered Loya, she was able to assist him, which always made him, the older one, feel somewhat embarrassed; after all, as an artifact spirit, the age of Loya's birth was actually the true appearance she manifested now.

He would see about the future; they should still be able to meet again, and once he secretly located that Lax copper coin in the waters near Vienna, he could use the mask left by his grandfather to frequently go and chat with Loya.

By comparison, Karen felt Neo was still fortunate; Neo had saved vouchers for so long just to assemble that VIP carriage, while for himself, it seemed an even grander objective was to exchange for a divine artifact.

“Silence!”

“Crack!”

The whip cracked loudly, and the courtroom finally fell into silence, leaving only the wailing of Vicolai as he knelt on the ground, serving to accentuate the quiet through his motion.

Gaspard spoke:

“By the judgment of this court, the defendant Vicolai is found guilty as charged, and is hereby sentenced to the penalty of—'Obliteration.' Court is now adjourned.”

Having delivered the announcement, Gaspard and her fellow adjudicators stood up and left their benches.

The penalty of 【Obliteration】 was considered the highest level within the first class of punishments, but above it, there actually existed second and third classes of penalties.

For example, extracting a person's soul and burning it daily while keeping it nourished, torturing him for decades—such a cruel punishment belonged to the second class, ensuring a fate worse than death.

There was also another type where your body was sealed, and your consciousness was cast into an illusionary realm to undergo an endless cycle of nightmares, and you would be awakened at regular intervals to make you realize you were being punished before being cast back in; this belonged to the third class of penalties.

But not just anyone could enjoy the second and third classes of penalties, because the cost was immense.

However, the penalty of 【Obliteration】 possessed one advantage: once the sentence was pronounced, the convict had nothing more to do with the outside world, and not even relatives had the right to view the convict's corpse, meaning that you could carry out the final disposal of his life and body according to existing conditions.

If you found it troublesome, you could simply kill him and add a purification... well, omitting the purification didn't really matter either.

If you happened to be free, then based on existing conditions, you could do whatever you wished to do.

Gaspard could be considered to have done Karen a favor this time; she knew that due to the death of Adjudicator Pavaro, there were certainly personal grievances between Karen and Vicolai that required a further chat.

It was the same old principle: one of our own, so of course one looks after them however possible.

Worfulen set down his teacup, stood up, and walked straight out of the hall.

The other bishop also stood up, following the Chief out.

Dolph stood up, torn between concern for his son and a desire to leave, momentarily falling into hesitation.

Vicolai was still shouting loudly:

“Father, save me, save me, you must save me, Father!”

Vicolai’s emotions had completely collapsed; at this moment, his desire for survival had long since overwhelmed everything else.

Finally, Bishop Dolph took a deep breath, turned, and departed.

Behind him, Vicolai continued to shout with all his might, tearing his throat:

“Father, save me... save me...”

Old Coya led his men forward, gesturing for his subordinates to lift the cage containing Vicolai, and then he walked up to Karen:

“Captain Karen, I shall imprison him first, and then await your instructions?”

Old Koya, who had always carried himself as an equal to Neo and Karen, finally adopted a deferential tone with Karen at this very moment.

With the conclusion of this trial, a great many things had already shifted.

"Very well. Keep him under strict surveillance."

"Rest assured, sir. Though the dungeon is not located within our block, the holding facility here is reinforced by barrier arrays. I will personally oversee his custody; there will not be the slightest oversight."

"You have worked hard."

"Look at what you are saying, sir—this is merely my duty." Old Koya pursed his lips, letting slip a sigh of deep emotion. "It is truly wonderful. To think I would live to see the day our Whip of Order has a moment like this. Oh, that reminds me, Captain Karen, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Speak."

"It concerns my old comrades who retired alongside me. They would likely wish to be rehired now, to offer what little warmth and light they have left. What do you think..."

"You may draw up a list and submit it to the Director. Let the Director make the final decision."

"Understood, I shall do so."

Old Koya found it quite amusing in his heart; he had finally begun to see through things. Nominally, between Karen and Neo, Neo was the superior and Karen the subordinate, but where had one ever seen a subordinate who pushed all the tedious, complicated work onto his superior?

Yet Karen had always operated precisely this way, and Old Koya had also noticed that the Director seemed to harbor absolutely no wariness or resentment toward this subordinate of his.

These two—their bond was truly something else.

Karen, naturally, was disinclined to guess what was currently running through Old Koya's mind. Even if he had known, he would not have cared. His relationship with Neo... to put it at its worst, even if they were viewed merely as two remnants of Light who had infiltrated the depths of this district's Whip of Order headquarters, they would still need to stand in tight solidarity and watch over one another.

Old Delon and Uncle Eisen were in the middle of shutting down the broadcasting array. Karen walked toward Old Delon first, offering the elder a respectful bow.

Delon said with a smile, "Go on with your business, go on. You still have matters to attend to. Once this busy period is over, come over to the house for dinner. Your grandmother misses you dearly."

Madame Tangli treated Karen so exceptionally well that she had practically taken him in as a grandson. Delon, for his part, was glad to see this dynamic play out.

"Understood, my Lord."

Karen turned and gave Uncle Eisen a nod. Uncle Eisen smiled back. Though the smile was somewhat stiff, being able to express his emotions so openly in a public setting was already a massive stride forward for his uncle.

Stepping down from the tribunal stand, Karen arrived at the gallery. The gallery was crowded, yet no one stepped forward of their own accord to greet Karen at this moment. Such interactions would undoubtedly be reserved for a private setting, not here.

Furthermore, the aura Karen had just displayed on the stand left many hesitant to approach him now; after all, just moments ago, Karen had practically pointed a finger at a Lord Bishop to denounce him.

Karen raised his arm, giving a brief wave, and then every member of the squad—save for Uncle Eisen, who found it inconvenient—stood up and followed their captain out of the courtroom.

Stepping outside, Karen spotted Bernie and Neo standing there, and took the initiative to walk up to them.

"Minister, Director."

"Excellently done." A smile surfaced on Bernie's face. "Now, go invite Deputy Minister Terrison over to assist with the investigation."

"Yes, Minister."

Without the slightest lingering or hesitation, Karen nodded in acknowledgment to Bernie and Neo, then immediately led his subordinates into the vehicle, driving out of the headquarters compound.

"Will that Deputy Minister try to flee?" Aisli asked. "After all, everything in the courtroom was just broadcasted live. He must know the outcome by now."

Vic replied, "Wouldn't it be better if he did flee? Fleeing is tantamount to admitting guilt, directly cementing the charges. If he truly runs, we can simply come back and await the warrant to arrest the Lord Bishop."

Alfred reminded them, "We only possess the authority to invite him back to assist with the investigation."