Chapter 536: Look, He Is Here!

Chapter 536: Look, He Comes!

"How are you feeling, Mr. Dalliss?"

"Excellent. So well, in fact, that I nearly deluded myself into believing I was whole again. I almost kindled a hope for a new life, a resolve to strive for the restoration of the Dun family's glory."

"Very good."

"Tell me, Captain Karen, how is the weather today?"

"It is raining. Quite heavily."

"I have grown to dislike rainy days. They remind me of what I told you during our chat—that I would be washed by the downpour into some gutter along some street in York City."

"Look at it another way. Perhaps York City's rainy days dislike your intrusion even more."

"True enough. I suppose I am getting the better end of the bargain."

"Learn to accept it, Mr. Dalliss. This is the judgment destiny has passed upon you, and your most comfortable self-exile."

"Thank you, Captain Karen. Thank you for seeing me out, and for speaking these words to me." Dalliss looked at Karen, a smile gracing his face. "It is a pity I will never have the chance to sit across from you, sipping tea and basking in the afternoon sun. My intuition tells me that conversing with you would have been a most comforting endeavor."

"You tend to your affairs, and I shall finish mine. When all is done..."

"Might I come to find you for tea and sunshine in the final moments of my life?"

"That depends on whether I am free, and whether the sun is free as well."

Dalliss drew the hood of his divine robe over his head and smiled. "Well then, it is time for me to go and greet my sunshine."

With that, he stepped out of the headquarters building and into the torrential rain.

The downpour relentlessly washed over his silhouette; wherever he walked, it was as though he left behind puddles of mire.

Karen reached out, catching a few drops of rain from the outside, then flicked his hand, turned, and walked up the stairs.

Entering the office, he found Alfred and Richard sitting inside.

"Master, I still adhere to my suggestion..."

"Alfred, do you know why Neo told me that whoever is inside Philomena's body doesn't actually matter?"

"Your subordinate..."

"You can look into it. To this day, Madam Felsher still carries the pension allowances of many of her family members. Though she has never once collected them, she remains a part of the Church, a part of the Church of Order."

"Yes, your subordinate understands."

"Too many people cannot be involved in this matter, because afterward, there will be an investigation."

"Yes, Master. It was an oversight on my part."

"No, you were merely too concerned for my safety and overlooked the majesty of the Church. You committed no wrong—at least, not within the bounds of your awareness."

"You are right, Master."

"Is she bathing?" Karen asked Richard.

Richard nodded. "She said it was your request."

"Yes, it was. It is a pity today is a rainy day, though. I had originally intended to have Fanny and Peg come over to help her dress and do her hair, but now it seems unnecessary."

"Karen, you must be careful."

"It is fine." Karen shook his head. "In truth, I am not going there to fight."

Yet, it was more perilous than any fight.

"Can I... can I come along? I mean, I could drive for you, even if I just stay in the car and watch, waiting for you to come out."

"Are you worried about me?"

"What else?"

"No need, I can drive. You can make a trip back home later."

"A trip back?"

"Tell your grandmother what we intend to do today."

"Alright... very well."

"But you must wait until three hours after we leave before you go home. Do not use the telephone, and do not use crows. Understand?"

"I understand. I will also ask my grandmother for a cup of tea, for I am the messenger bearing tidings of death."

"Good. It is well that you still remember the funeral customs of Wien."

"I imagine my grandmother will feel some sorrow."

No, she would likely be quite pleased.

Judging by her attitude toward Philomena in the cafeteria booth yesterday, she truly disliked this particular flavor of soybean paste so intensely that she loathed the entire jar.

As for mourning and remembering that yet another contemporary from her era had vanished... it was unlikely. Karen felt his grandmother was not that sentimental; she loved cooking, not writing poetry.

Philomena emerged from the inner room. Bathed and changed into fresh clothes, she sat quietly down upon a chair.

"Go dry your hair," Karen said.

Philomena responded, "It is raining outside."

"Stepping out with dry hair is the most basic respect one can show to a rainy day."

Philomena sighed. Evidently, she was highly uncomfortable, yet she dared not show it before Karen.

Watching the retreat of her figure as she stepped back inside, a faint smile involuntary played at the corner of Karen's mouth. Sometimes, forcing a reclusive girl to do something she found utterly foolish brought a certain sense of joy.

Then, Karen turned his gaze toward Richard.

However, the men of the Guman family would likely never have the chance to enjoy such a pleasure. One could see that clearly from Old Man Delon's demeanor in front of his grandmother.

Indeed, if his uncle were not "mentally ill," he would probably receive much the same treatment.

"Richard, go keep watch at the main entrance."

"Understood."

Once Richard had walked out, Karen sat down behind his desk.

Alfred stood up and poured a glass of ice water for his master. "Master, I shall return to the funeral parlor first and await your homecoming."

"I would like wonton noodles for my late-night snack."

"Yes, Master."

Her hair now dry, Philomena walked out. Only she and Karen remained in the office.

"I can feel that Alfred's attitude toward you is not that of a servant to a master."

"Have you only just sensed it?"

"Yes."

"Then your perception is truly quite dull."

"Details within a dream are inherently easy to overlook."

"Are you mentally prepared? You have dreamt for so many years; it is finally time to wake up."

"I remember you telling me, Captain, that if a dream is comfortable enough, there is no need to cling to reality."

"Offering advice on a healthy, positive attitude toward life often invites resentment from the other party.

Perhaps when I said that to you, our relationship wasn't quite what it is now, so to a detached outsider, if you can advise them to sit, don't advise them to stand; if you can advise them to lie down, don't advise them to sit.

Do you know the definition of a dream? It is a fleeting, ephemeral beauty. Philomena, you have been dreaming for so long now, long enough to make many envious."

Philomena fell into deep thought, and after a long silence, she nodded:

"You are right."

Time, minute by minute, second by second, was slipping away.

During this time, Karen lit three cigarettes.

In truth, Alfred had already prepared a soul-healing potion for him, but how should one put it—the effect was not as good as this cigarette from the Church of Thunder, because what he needed was numbness, not a useless cure.

He couldn't very well go to the Church hospital for an examination either; this soul wound... would be rather difficult to explain.

Finally, a knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Richard pushed the door open.

Karen asked, "It seems our old lady has come to pick up her granddaughter to go home?"

"Uh... no, the one who came is Bishop Dauphinant."

...

Karen and Philomena walked downstairs together; at the landing of the staircase, Ventura and Muri stood waiting.

"Captain."

"Captain."

"Mm." Karen nodded to them and continued walking down.

Philomena's gaze lingered on Ventura and Muri for a moment before she hurried to keep pace with Karen.

Once the two had walked down, Ventura let out a long breath and said, "The feeling the Captain gave me today is different from before, isn't it?"

"What did it feel like before?"

"A big brother, my own brother," Ventura pursed his lips, "a brother who helped me and saved my life."

"Then today is indeed different; people all change."

"They change?" Ventura shook his head, "I think it's probably because after today, it won't be long before Mr. Alfred takes Philomena to the performance hall of the Allen Manor."

Muri was slightly surprised, asking in confusion, "Did Mr. Alfred tell you that?"

"No." Ventura looked at Muri and smiled, "It's because just now when the Captain walked down, he gave me the same feeling I get when I usually look at the portraits in our living room at home. The Captain isn't going out to execute a mission today, nor is he merely protecting his subordinates, but rather... he is going to guard his believer."

"I am quite surprised that you would say something like that." Muri placed his hand on Ventura's head and rubbed it.

"You should read Mr. Alfred's notebooks more often, Brother Muri."

"I am reading them."

"You have to immerse yourself in them, otherwise, to use that phrase Mr. Alfred often says..." Ventura made a face at Muri, "there won't even be a place for you in the cobwebbed corners of the murals."

...

A VIP carriage was parked outside the headquarters building, and through the exterior, an old man wearing a bishop's robe could be seen sitting in the rear seat—Bishop Dauphinant, ranked near the bottom of the York City District, but a bishop nonetheless.

An attendant stood by the door.

Karen raised his umbrella, stepped down the building's steps, stopped his pace, and glanced back at Philomena.

Philomena walked down, coming under the shelter of Karen's umbrella.

She even looked up with a touch of curiosity, glancing up at the canopy of the umbrella.

The attendant spoke, "My Lord Bishop has come in person, at the request of Madame Felsher, to escort Miss Philomena home."

The Felsher family had already faded into ruin, but they were, after all, once the family of the Chief Bishop of the York City District; some embers of the family's influence still remained.

Bishop Dauphinant had once served as the attendant to Philomena's great-grandfather.

Karen spoke, "Please trouble yourself to inform the Lord Bishop that Philomena is a member of my squad; I will escort her home myself."

The attendant looked at Karen, speaking in a polite yet haughty manner, "Captain Karen, this is the Lord Bishop's wish."

"Do you know me?"

"How could I possibly not know you." The attendant maintained his previous expression.

"Good. My point is, I am escorting her home, so there is no need to trouble the Lord Bishop."

"Captain Karen, please respect my Lord's command." The attendant's voice rose slightly, "This is a private matter of the Felsher family; it is inconvenient for outsiders to interfere."

"I have no intention of interfering; I am merely taking my subordinate home. Furthermore, please go and inform your master that I am a mad dog, and only yesterday did I witness Bishop Dolph Knight commit suicide right before my eyes."

The attendant's words choked in his throat, turning into anger as he asked, "Is Captain Karen threatening my Lord Bishop?"

Karen smiled, "You can raise your voice a little louder, and then help me announce and shout it out loud: 'Next, the target of the Whip of Order's investigation is the family of Bishop Dauphinant'—if, that is, you can make that decision for your master."

"You..."

The attendant's momentum instantly withered away, and he immediately turned to run back toward the VIP carriage.

A moment later, the VIP carriage drove off, and the attendant jogged back over, "My Lord says that it will then be a troublesome task for Captain Karen."

Karen nodded, reached out, and flipped back the hood of the raincoat the attendant wore on his head, letting the rainwater splash down onto his head and face, "Remember, here, you do not have the right to speak loudly."

"Yes, I will remember."

Karen led Philomena to his second-hand Ponts carriage—a vehicle Neo kept saying he would modify, but still hadn't finished to this day.

Philomena sat in the passenger seat, watching the attendant walk away in the rain, and asked in bewledderment, "So we can actually be this unyielding now?"

"We couldn't before, but after Dolph died, we can manage it a bit." Karen started the carriage while continuing, "It's mainly because your family doesn't have much sentiment left, and that Lord Bishop was only going through the motions to offer a final bit of face, so there was no need for him to contend ruthlessly with a pack of mad dogs like us.

A bishop—without a nod from above, how could we investigate just because we say so?"

Philomena nodded, "So that's how it is."

The performance of the second-hand black Ponts remained reliable; after driving into the suburbs, it navigated out of the muddy roads, finally coming to a halt before an empty plot of land.

The Felsher home had arrived, though it remained out of sight.

"We're here. Go on in first, I'll come up after I have a cigarette."

"Captain, I remember you saying that my house has no telephone lines, making it very troublesome to contact me, and that you have to fold a few more paper crows."

"If you wish, you can remodel the house; I'll have our director contact the construction team that did the renovations for my office."

"Captain, do you think it would be better to just burn it down?"

"Burning is only burning it for outsiders to see; whether it still exists in your heart is something only you yourself know."

Philomena opened the carriage door.

Karen reminded her, "Take your things."

Philomena took the umbrella and opened it.

Karen shook his head: "I am speaking of the blade."

Philomena picked up the Nightmare Blade, looked at Karen, and said: "Captain, you seem different today than you used to be."

"Are you only just noticing?"

"Yes, just as your appraisal of me suggested, I am very slow to react."

"Go on."

"Yes, Captain."

Philomena turned around, holding her umbrella in her left hand and clutching the blade in her right, walking toward her home.

As she drew near, a dilapidated villa materialized within the empty space before her.

Sitting inside the car, Karen reached up to gently massage his own face, sighing to himself in soliloquy:

"I really cannot disgrace Grandfather today; the pressure truly is immense."

Flipping the rearview mirror so that it faced him, he looked at his own reflection inside and mocked himself:

"Grandfather’s burden of image is indeed a heavy one, making me lose my temper quite a bit today."

...

Philomena opened the front door, the old wooden frame letting out a harsh, drawn-out screech of friction.

Inside the living room, it was lively, with many people sitting about.

Some were reading newspapers, some were drinking coffee, some were chatting, and some were knitting sweaters...

They were all familiar faces, the very faces from the funerary portraits.

"Look, everyone, look quickly, see who has returned, oh, it is our little darling, Philomena, haha."

Madam Vilsher, who had rarely changed into a formal gown, wore a faint smile as she called upon the people in the living room to welcome the girl who had returned holding a blade.

"Come, greet them quickly, this is your great-grandfather, this is your grandfather, this is your eldest uncle, this is your second uncle, this is..."

Madam Vilsher indefatigably introduced them one by one.

These puppet dolls, in turn, displayed the corresponding expressions to cooperate.

Once, in order to help her grandmother collect materials for the puppets, Philomena had personally helped another puppeteer blackmail the Lemar Pottery Pavilion.

That had also been her second encounter with Karen after the final selection.

Now, the purpose behind her grandmother’s choice to become a puppeteer manifested itself; her grandmother had been preparing for today’s family banquet since a very early time.

The Captain was right, the dream must end, but that did not hinder this final immersion.

Philomena began to greet the people present; these were all members of the Vilsher family, her elders.

The once incredibly prosperous Vilsher family, which had hereditarily held the position of Chief Bishop of the York City District, had fallen into sudden obscurity overnight.

"Come, son, today you are permitted to eat at the table."

Philomena noticed that even her father, who usually could only crawl at the foot of the table to eat food that dropped from it, had been groomed today, changed into new clothes, with his hair neatly combed.

Yet sitting by the dining table, her father’s hands were still resting before him, his nose sniffing from time to time, his tongue sticking out as saliva dripped down.

Madam Vilsher’s gaze fell at this moment upon the blade in Philomena’s... hand.

"This blade looks somewhat familiar."

"Do you recognize it, Grandmother?"

"Let me see." Madam Vilsher leaned closer, "The Nightmare Blade, hahaha, how could her weapon possibly be in your hands."

"Borrowed."

"Ah, it is quite nice, seeing it is like seeing an old acquaintance, and seeing an old acquaintance makes me involuntarily recall the past. Oh, it was also on a rainy afternoon just like this, a family gathering was being held at home.

The moment I pushed open the window,

I saw to my pleasant surprise,

That he had actually taken the initiative to come to our home to find me.

In my excitement, I called your grandfather over, saying, look, that man whom I truly love to death, he has come to our door to find me, he has come for me!"

As Madam Vilsher spoke, she pushed open the window, seeming as if she intentionally wanted to demonstrate to Philomena that extreme excitement she felt when that man had come to her home that day.

The window pushed open,

Through the curtain of rain, she saw the silhouette of a man walking toward this place; because of the rain, it was somewhat blurred, yet that distinct presence seemed to overlap in an instant with the scene in her memory.

Walking into the courtyard, Karen heard the sound of the window opening, stopped his pace, and looked up.

He saw an old woman, reaching out to point at him in excitement; the battering of the rain drowned out all other sounds, but the old woman's expression was plain to see: weeping and laughing all at once.

Madam Vilsher clutched her chest, sobbing:

"Look, he has come."

---

A new month begins, asking everyone for their guaranteed monthly votes, if you have monthly votes please cast them for us first, holding you close!