Chapter 527: Can't Wait

Chapter 527: Unable to Wait

"Tell me, how much condolence money do you think is appropriate?"

Neo held the coupons in his left hand and an envelope in his right, looking rather conflicted.

Karen said helplessly, "If it pains you that much, you could always just stuff some newspaper inside."

"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?"

"I doubt the Bishop will be in any mood to open envelopes at a time like this anyway."

"True enough. Coupons only hold circulatory value in the hands of the living. According to the 'Regulations on the Issuance of Order Coupons of the Church of Order', taking coupons into a burial is illegal. So, by law, there’s really no difference between stuffing it with coupons or newspaper."

"Mhm, you have a point there."

"We should still order a flower basket though, right? Should we get a large one?"

"It can't be larger than what the superiors sent. Better pick a smaller one."

"Right, that's definitely something to be mindful of."

The inaugural meeting of the Joint Enforcement Department had concluded successfully; what followed was the time for everyone to collectively stoke the atmosphere.

Yet, while a spectacle was fine, the tasks at hand still demanded execution.

"Alright, I am heading to court." Karen adjusted the cuffs of his divine robes. "Come with me."

"Ha, you didn't have stage fright the first time. Why so bashful now that you need company?"

"I am worried you will slip off and do something else while I am in court."

"Is there truly not even a shred of trust left between us?"

"What I mean is, I can ignore whatever it is you wish to do, but it must remain within my sight."

"Karen, you have no authority to command me. I am your superior, and I feel you have been overstepping your bounds more and more lately—including that manservant of yours. Do you know how long I had been asleep last night before he woke me up just to listen to a report?

I believe the hierarchy between us needs to be properly reaffirmed."

"Very well, I shall go report you right now as a remnant of Light."

"Heh, then I will simply expose you too."

"Be my guest. You will be hanged, whereas I will be enshrined, and perhaps my promotion will come even faster."

"Look at Wick, he doesn't seem to be doing all that well either. What do you have to be so proud of?"

"Setting aside that Rasma has yet to condense a shard of godhood—even if he did, the higher-ups know he wouldn't blow up the Temple of Order for a student. My grandfather, however, already blew it up."

"Damn it!"

"Let's go, together."

Karen stepped into the tribunal chamber. The gallery was far emptier this time, occupied only by a handful of journalists.

The primary reason was that the public sphere was still thoroughly consumed by Bishop Dolf's suicide note; within any given window of time, public attention could only focus on a single sensation.

Confined within the iron cage, Trisen's face bore lines of worry and anxiety. Had the courtroom been a bustling spectacle, he would have felt less concerned, but it was precisely this desolate quietude that birthed an exceedingly ominous premonition within him.

Once a tribunal fell silent, would his sentence not simply be dictated by whatever whim his captors pleased?

In truth, the previous session had been the exception. Under normal circumstances, the Tribunal of Order belonged entirely to the Whip of Order from top to bottom; having dragged you up here, how could they possibly slap their own faces?

Yet, much to Trisen's surprise, he noticed an additional desk beside him, where Madeleine, the director of his former office, now sat accompanied by two clerks.

This sight kindled a spark of renewed hope in Trisen's heart, causing him to overlook the minor detail that Madeleine had not spared him a single glance from the very beginning.

Karen walked to his station, exchanged a mutual nod of acknowledgment with Madeleine opposite him, and took his seat.

From this day forth, the hands of the District Enforcement Department would also extend into this domain—an arrangement that seemed somewhat incongruous, yet remained an inevitable product of political compromise.

Chief Adjudicator Gasper entered the chamber alongside the magistrates, and soon, accompanied by the sharp crack of a whip, the day's trial was declared open.

Alfred commenced the presentation of the case, followed by Wick's demonstration of the chain of evidence. Once they had finished, Karen rose to deliver the final concluding report.

Karen's summary was straightforward, tethering Trisen's case directly to the broader Naton family trials, before offering a brief elaboration on doctrinal and moral stances.

Lacking a broadcasting array today and with only a sparse gathering of reporters, Karen refrained from overly indulging his emotions, remaining poised and concise.

Upon concluding, he thoughtfully accommodated the requests of the journalists below, leaning slightly closer to Trisen's iron cage to grant them an optimal photographic angle.

This was a key requirement from Neo and a directive from above; since the headquarters intended to shower all subsequent promotional resources onto Karen, he had no choice but to offer some cooperation.

After all, with the headquarters officially securing its authority, the desolation of yesteryear would fade into the past. Bernie’s position as minister was undoubtedly secure, but the future would certainly bring the establishment of the Second and Third Disciplinary Inspection Offices, along with other directly attached operational battalions.

To avoid being crushed upon the shore by the incoming waves, the only option was to seize this interlude to amass sufficient political credentials and renown for himself.

Once Karen's portion concluded, Trisen waited with breathless anxiety for Madeleine to offer a defense on his behalf, but Madeleine simply stood up:

"Our side has no objections."

Trisen froze. Then, a hideous smile twisted his features; had he not been bound by heavy, restrictive shackles, he would undoubtedly have chosen the most direct form of resistance.

In truth, he had not been devoid of such opportunities, yet habitual family-oriented thinking had still driven him to follow this due process, only for the final outcome to prove utterly cruel.

Seated in the gallery under Karen's firm compulsion, Neo looked at Trisen within the iron cage and let out a soft sigh in his heart.

He had crossed swords with Trisen before; Trisen's strength was genuinely formidable, yet here he was, locked in a cage to be sentenced... well, Neo would not pity him, he merely felt a touch of regret.

At the same time, he silently cautioned himself that should he ever face a similar plight in the future, he must never allow them to capture him and haul him before a tribunal—unless it was Karen who would be defending him.

Gasper delivered the verdict: not obliteration, nor even execution, but "banishment."

Trisen would be sent to a region of extreme danger and cruelty to endure pioneering hard labor—effectively serving as a capable piece of cannon fodder, ensuring his death yielded greater value to the Holy Church.

To a certain extent, such a place was a living hell where death itself was the only true release.

Had the Naton family still stood, perhaps some connections could have been pulled to ease his plight; though he could never return, some leniency might have been secured. But barring any surprises, the Naton family would likely perish before he did.

There was another reason why Trisen was spared the ultimate punishment: his father had already released his suicide note.

To make the "suicide" of the big fish appear more reasonable, the small fish could be spared for the moment.

Everything was done to serve the atmosphere.

The verdict delivered, the court adjourned.

Madeleine took the initiative to approach Karen, offering a smile. "Captain Karen, I believe we shall be dealing with one another quite frequently from now on."

"Indeed. It is an honor to work with you."

Madeleine extended her hand to Karen; in truth, handshakes were a rare courtesy among clerics.

Karen reached out to shake her hand. She appeared to be between thirty and forty, with a mole near the corner of her mouth, bearing a striking resemblance to a school dean in charge of discipline; indeed, her current role as director within the Enforcement Department suited her image perfectly.

Furthermore, her hand was remarkably soft, and when meeting her gaze, one could scarcely resist the impulse to peer beneath her divine robes to glimpse her mature, seductive allure.

Karen's gaze cleared instantly. Ah, so this lady director walked the path of the mental discipline.

Madeleine smiled. She apparently had not expected Karen to break free from her mental allure so rapidly, yet she promptly spoke:

"Captain Karen, I hope that in our future cooperation, there can be a greater measure of respect—and I mean between the both of us."

"Of course."

"Perhaps I can be more explicit. In principle, we will agree to most of the cases you present. We shall do our utmost to avoid conflict in the open, unifying our stances in private before stepping into the tribunal, so as to preserve the majesty of the Court of Order."

"Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation."

This represented a clear stance from the Law Enforcement Department of the Regional Administrative Office, granting the Whip of Order the greatest possible latitude, while retaining only a provisional veto power.

Karen figured that the fact that Leon, that grandson, had joined his squad probably played a part in this.

Since the path of conflict was no longer viable, the next step was to be as amicable as possible.

In return, his side could not interfere too much with the people the other party arrested or wished to put on trial.

In short, Karen had no reason to reject such goodwill.

In truth, this kind of situation was by no means what superiors wanted to see; they always hoped the lower departments and factions would fight without breaking apart, crying out to the higher-ups for help and nourishment. In reality, however, nobody was a fool, and since they couldn't openly tear each other apart, everyone immediately blended together smoothly.

After Madeline left, Alfred spoke up, "Master, I would like to head back home first to take a look."

"Oh? Is there something very important?"

Karen had originally intended for Alfred to drive him and Neo over to the Norton house to watch the excitement.

"The coffee for Purr is almost gone."

"Alright, then you head back."

Vick caught Karen’s drift, stood up with a smile on his face, and indicated that he was quite free next.

But Karen merely pointed at him and instructed, "You'll be responsible for running the subsequent procedures. Also, submit the paperwork for Mr. Daliss as a tainted witness as soon as possible to select a trial date."

"Captain, isn't Bishop Dolfo about to commit suicide anyway..."

"Whether he dies or not is his business. We have to finish our own processes completely. Chief Judge Gaspoir hasn't returned to the Dingle Region yet, so go discuss with her right now to fix a date. Once it's set, let me know via crow, and I'll give Bishop Dolfo a nudge while I'm at it."

"Alright, I understand, Captain."

"Also, Leon—the new guy who just joined—his grandfather is the Chief Bishop of this region. Show him the ropes more. In the future, he can take Alfred's place when appearing in court.

While his grandfather is still in office and hasn't retired, let him show his face as much as possible."

"I get it."

Karen did not explain to Alfred why he was stripping him of his duty, and Alfred would not mind either, because in fact, regardless of whether Karen himself was at the headquarters building or not, basically everything this action brigade captain needed to do and the procedures to run were being handled by Alfred.

Strictly speaking, apart from appearing in court and attending a few important meetings, Alfred acted more like the captain.

Walking to the gallery, Karen first pointed at Richard, then pointed at Leon sitting behind him, and Richard immediately gave Karen an "understood" response.

Right after, Neo stood up and walked to the parking lot with Karen. Just as they sat in the car and started the engine, he complained a bit:

"There really wasn't anything worth listening to in that trial. You just had to drag me to sit here and watch, wasting so much time."

"Intuition tells me you want to do something."

"Karen, this is where I need to give you a good education. You actually do things based on intuition?"

"If you didn't want to do something, you wouldn't have thought about leaving an envelope, stuffing cash, or sending funeral gifts."

"Actually, I wanted to let Daliss out, and then take him home to see. I'm very curious about the conclusion of this set of curses."

"You're playing with fire."

"How interesting, isn't it? Terrison has been sentenced, Vicolai is dead, and once Dolfo dies, the Norton family will be completely ruined. Even if Daliss is a tainted witness, so what? Even if his merits outweigh his faults, the Church cannot possibly give him a chance to make a comeback. After all, his image is terrible, and his political review wouldn't pass.

I think at this moment when the Norton family completely collapses, it should also be the moment when the curse finally comes to fruition. It doesn't necessarily require everyone in the family to die.

The situation in the Felsher family, I think, might be an extreme manifestation?

Besides, Daliss said at the very beginning that his father couldn't possibly die, and the best outcome would be dismissal, confinement, and reflection, so he didn't intend to kill everyone in the family either, but at least he drained all the family's fortune.

Could it be because the Felsher family caught the first-hand curse from your grandfather, while the Norton family received a second-hand curse released by Mrs. Felsher?

Just like diluting with water, adding water one more time definitely makes it weaker."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Karen buckled his seatbelt while looking at Neo, saying:

"If you're that curious, you can just pay a visit to Mrs. Felsher directly. Anyway, you are Philomena's supervisor, so making a staff home visit is quite normal."

"Haha, I'm afraid I'd get in but wouldn't get out. That old lady is definitely a lunatic."

"There's actually a lunatic you're afraid of?"

"It's different. Being crazy toward those close to you, I can't bring myself to do that sort of thing."

Hearing this, Karen nodded, feeling that Neo made sense.

Neo said, "I thought of something, the matter we discussed that night in the restaurant private room."

"What about it?"

"I think your grandfather was a very kind person."

"You can just get straight to the point."

Karen felt a bit amused yet helpless. Sometimes Neo would deliberately make respectful gestures; for instance, most of the time he would respectfully refer to Kevin at home as "that dog."

"Your grandfather was very good to you, right? Is there a possibility that since this curse breeds the fattest one, could that one be handed over to you, his grandson, along the way?"

"What kind of logic is that."

"There's no logic to it. If it were me, I planted two fruit trees there, and originally left them there because it didn't matter. Now someone in my family is thirsty and wants to eat, so who do you think I'd give them to?"

Karen shook his head and said, "It won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because although my grandfather gave me a lot of help, he never directly intervened or interfered. He preferred that I walk my own path, which was also my own requirement."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Suddenly, Neo slammed on the brakes.

Karen's body jolted forward twice, the seatbelt doing its job.

"What is it now?"

Neo asked, "Karen, when do you advance to Adjudicator?"

"When Bishop Dolfo dies."

"So, between you and Daliss, who exactly is the last fat worm?"

...

Inside the detention house.

Daliss sat on the ground. His brother Terrison had been taken out for court, and calculating the time now, the trial should have ended, but his brother had not returned.

He rubbed his fingers. Because of his status as a tainted witness, they hadn't put the heaviest shackles on him. Therefore, although there was a formation suppressing him here, and he had no way to break out, he could still manipulate some basic spells.

Just like now, a dandelion appeared at his fingertips.

Most of the fluff on the dandelion had already blown away, leaving only that small cluster in the center.

Looking at it, Daliss smiled:

"Father, hurry up and go."

Daliss leaned his body back, supporting himself with both hands on the ground, looking up at the cold ceiling:

"After your death, I shall inherit the glory of the Norton family."

Philomena, Richard, and Leon walked together onto a building terrace in front of the headquarters, where Mrs. Felsher stood waiting.

She had sent word, requesting Philomena to meet her here.

Though she could have entered the headquarters directly as a family member, she obviously had no intention of doing so; though the building had been desolate for many years, the defensive arrays within were undoubtedly still functioning normally.

Philomena stepped up to her grandmother, a look of doubt in her eyes. "Grandmother, why haven't you gone back yet?"

"I was meant to, considering I only left a single day's worth of dog food and water for your father, but who could have foreseen a slight complication that forced me to linger."

"Why are you paying attention to Bishop Dolph's suicide note, Grandmother?"

"Oh, my granddaughter actually guessed it."

"Because that is the only major matter left now."

"I merely feel that everything is approaching far faster than I anticipated. I originally thought this sort of conclusion could be a bit more tranquil, yet who knew that when the moment truly arrived, it would feel like stepping hard on the accelerator."

Philomena frowned.

Mrs. Felsher gestured toward Richard and Leon, who stood a short distance away.

"I am quite curious—has my granddaughter actually begun to make friends now?"

Richard had been ordered by Karen to stay by Philomena's side these past few days, while Leon was tasked with integrating him into the team's dynamic, so by force of social cohesion, the three of them had come together to meet Philomena's grandmother.

"Do I need to report this to you, Grandmother?"

"Naturally. I am rather selective when it comes to friends, and I have no desire to be associated with those who are dull and devoid of taste."

"Grandmother, are you ready?" Philomena looked directly into her grandmother's face.

"Oh, it seems my granddaughter has beaten me to it and prepared herself first. Heh, what a dutiful child; your grandmother did not spoil you in vain."

Mrs. Felsher reached out to gently stroke Philomena's head, then leaned forward, pulling Philomena into her embrace as she spoke softly.

"I know you have suffered greatly ever since you were small, but your grandmother promises you that very soon, you will find release. Your grandmother will use your eyes to retrace his footsteps."

"But he placed a curse upon our family."

"Nonsense. That is the blessing he bestowed upon your grandmother."

---

More to come tonight.