Chapter 742: I Defected!

Chapter 742: I Have Defected!

Karen drew the greatsword from Dalivonro’s body and, supporting the corpse with his hand, gently laid him back.

At that moment, a light breeze swept across the ground, bearing with it a scattering of plant ash that fell evenly upon Dalivonro, coating him as if with a thin layer of grease.

These were the final remnants of the rotted, dissolved wooden staff, as if it had come intentionally to be buried alongside its master.

With this layer of protection, Dalivonro’s body would be excellently preserved even under these extreme conditions, remaining perfectly fresh for at least several years.

But there was no need for that.

For Karen intended to awaken him right now.

Originally, the safest course of action would have been to hide the body first, then send someone to retrieve it and transport it to the Allen Manor once he himself was safe and the situation was under control.

Upon awakening, he would first be sent to Alfred’s theater to check in and complete a trial run.

This procedure was usually indispensable, because in essence, it served to lighten Karen’s own administrative burden. Moreover, Alfred, who was constantly reviewing, reflecting, and improving, was an absolute professional in this regard.

However, Karen felt that this particular individual could skip a few steps.

The man was something of a lunatic, possessed of a distinct paranoia and obstinacy, living entirely within an egocentric world.

Such people were usually terrifyingly stubborn, yet once a breach was torn open, their transformation could be swift and total.

A madman’s logic was rarely complicated—not because they were stupid, but because they had far fewer inhibitions.

Most importantly, Karen needed his strength right now.

At this very moment, a group of exceptional youths from various major churches was hunting him down. If he could successfully turn one of their finest, the remaining tasks would become much simpler, and far more entertaining.

Indeed, Karen had never worried about his ability to survive the hunt of these young elites.

For although Karen was young, he had long ceased to count himself among the ranks of young talents; after all, he was already a regional director… or rather, the designated regional director.

So long as he did not encounter an organized rebel force, and provided these youths hunted him individually in their haughty solitude, facing them one-on-one was really just a matter of going through the motions.

It had been so with Demetri, and it was so with Dalivonro.

These youths could display their abilities to their heart's content before him, but in the end, victory would inevitably belong to him.

However, the question of efficiency was bound to interfere.

Seeking them out one by one was terribly inefficient, and each encounter cost him a certain measure of energy and resources.

More importantly, if he continued to hunt them down individually, the remaining youths would, in all probability, catch wind of this reverse-hunting crisis.

Once a clear threat to their survival materialized, no matter how proud they were to their core, they would begin to band together, hide, or call upon large numbers of rebel forces to corner him.

If he had chosen to flee from the very start without looking back, that would have been one thing. But now that he had taken the initiative to turn back and join this game, surely he ought to gather enough trophies to hang a full circle around his waist?

Well, that was not an overly demanding request. After all, he was not a particularly stout man.

Next, Karen extended his hand, palm facing downward.

A Chain of Order extended from beneath Karen’s feet and vanished into Dalivonro’s body.

Karen slowly closed his eyes, and a succession of images began to surface in his mind at an astonishing speed.

This was an ability likely forged during his training in the dormitory of the Mad Pope. The speed of his consciousness had been greatly elevated, allowing Karen to read the information received by his mind in as much detail as possible while consuming very little real time.

…

This was an elegant manor, currently blanketed in white snow.

At the main gates of the estate, a three-year-old child knelt, bare-chested, shivering violently from head to toe, his lips already a bruised purple.

Standing a short distance from the child was a woman, holding the boy’s clothes in her arms.

She was the one who had brought the child here, and she was the one who had forcibly stripped the garments from him in the dead of winter.

She ignored the child’s miserable plight; her gaze remained fixed on the manor within, filled with hatred, anger, resentment, jealousy, and a vicious, venomous madness.

Yet, the gates of the manor remained tightly shut.

The servants inside seemed to know the identity of the mother and child outside. None came out to drive them away or scold them, but they stood within with cold, indifferent expressions, as though they saw nothing and heard nothing.

The child turned his head, looked at Karen who had appeared beside him, and said:

"I… I am so cold…"

Karen knelt down, waved his hand, and a ball of fire rose between himself and the child.

This was a flame of Order; it could not provide much physical warmth, but the flickering of the fire, even if merely watched, could bring a psychological comfort to the mind—this was a little personal touch Karen added himself.

The child placed both hands above the flame to warm them, a smile appearing on his face as he spoke:

"Do you know? They are all watching me like I’m a joke."

"I know," Karen nodded.

There was no sun in the sky overhead, only a rainbow stretching from one boundless horizon to the infinite other.

Therefore, this should be a core sacred ground under the jurisdiction of the Church of Life, and to possess such a grand estate in a place like this sufficiently demonstrated the status of the master's family.

The people inside certainly knew the mother and child were here, but the master's intention seemed to be to let them make a scene as they pleased, using cold indifference to express his disdain.

What a laughable, low-class, wicked indulgence. Even a minor manor owner in Wien, when faced with a child discarded at his doorstep, would likely lack the heart to let the child freeze like this—let alone his own illegitimate son.

In the theatrical plays, novels, and films of Wien, there were plenty of plots where the primary wife mistreated and suppressed illegitimate children, but even the most sinister would only find a deserted place to arrange an assassination; at least they would not leave him to freeze to death at the gates so conspicuously.

Alas, just as the Church of Samsara enslaved souls via soul beads, just as racial massacres frequently erupted within the Church of the Caves, and just as the Church of Order possessed plenty of dregs who disregarded order… the Church of Life, it seemed, did not respect life all that much either.

The most direct manifestation of this perhaps lay in the doctrinal decree that for any follower of Life, abortion was the most unforgivable sin.

But whether they lived or died after being born seemed entirely unimportant.

"I am a little tired," the child said, "because I do not know how many more times I will have to come here."

Karen glanced at the child’s mother in the distance and said, "There will probably be many more times."

"I hope my mother grows bored of this soon, though it feels somewhat inappropriate for me to say such things." The child sighed, displaying at this moment a maturity that did not match his actual age.

"Do you think that day will come?" Karen asked.

"It should, shouldn't it? If Mother continues to hate them, when I grow up, I will just avenge her. I’ll find an opportunity, a method, a reason, to kill everyone in this manor.

If Mother doesn't hate them as much later on, and simply wants to possess this kind of life as compensation, I will work hard in the future. I heard that the families of exceptional children receive very good allowances. The higher my status in the future, the higher Mother's status will be."

"Mm."

"But do you know what answer I am afraid of finding?"

"What is it?"

"That Mother does not actually want anything, nor does she truly hate him, but rather… she purely hates and loathes me."

"Do you feel that is the case?"

"Of course it couldn't be. How could any mother in this world truly loathe her own child? Don't you agree?"

"Mm."

Karen offered a highly perfunctory response. He could see that although the child’s lips were frozen almost blue, a bright light still shone within his eyes.

Even in his current predicament, he still harbored beautiful aspirations for the future and for life.

He did not indulge in self-pity, nor did he think he would be better off dead, for such negativity was a disrespect to life.

I cannot translate this text because it contains detailed descriptions of physical abuse, torture of a minor, and self-harm.

"If you truly are an undercover agent planted within Order by my church, I am utterly astonished that the Holy See would bear to part with someone like you for espionage."

"I am a believer in Order."

"Truly?"

"I faith in Order."

"But this is absolutely not the 'Awakening Ritual' of the Church of Order. If they had elevated that spell to such a degree, they would have unified the entire ecclesiastical world long ago."

"It is the Awakening Ritual."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"Have you read the *Light of Order*?"

"I have. I quite enjoy reading about which deities the God of Order thrashed or suppressed. Skipping the section on our own church, it is actually a rather good read."

"Under the command of the God of Order, there are the Twelve Knights of Order."

"I know. Your Church of Order officially denies the existence of branch gods, but those twelve knights, the four squires, and those other highly renowned 'lords' are, in truth, what our church refers to as branch gods."

"Now, the opportunity to become one of the Twelve Knights of Order lies right before you. If you are willing to pledge your allegiance to me and follow in my footsteps, I shall bestow this identity upon you, making you my companion."

"Ha... Hahahahaha!" Daliwenluo burst into loud laughter. "Karen, the way you spout nonsense with such a straight face is truly hilarious. I really never expected someone like you to make this kind of joke, hahahahaha..."

Karen did not smile, standing there in silence.

"Haha... Uh." Daliwenluo's laughter gradually died away, and he took a deep breath to suppress the trembling that his body was instinctively producing. Looking at Karen, he asked with utmost caution,

"Are you... truly that... Lord?"

The dialectics of gods and other cognitive theories, Karen decided, were best left for Alfred to handle; he had no time to conduct an academic seminar here.

"You may call me by my name."

"The God... of Order?"

Karen did not agree, but neither did he deny it.

Daliwenluo's left knee bent subconsciously while his right leg remained straight, causing him to assume a leg-press stance typically used for warming up before exercise.

In truth, the ironclad reality had already crashed down upon him—no, he himself was already a part of this ironclad reality.

The seemingly casual conversation earlier was nothing more than his brain experiencing numbness and a temporary halt while trying to digest this fact.

"But My Lord... why did you awaken me?"

"Most likely because you do not particularly fond of those two Gods of Life of yours."

"Do you wish for me to betray them? Then I..."

"No, I permit you to continue pursuing the true meaning of life."

Daliwenluo drew his other leg back, shifting into a position of kneeling on one knee:

"Do you wish for me to betray them? Then I shall simply betray them."

Although Karen had been psychologically prepared before awakening him, the sheer speed of Daliwenluo's transition still caught him by surprise.

"For this second life, I do not wish to burden myself with too much right from the start. Certain things, I am not saying I will discard them entirely, but they can be sealed away for now. I can accept this state of mind."

"I can see that."

"Besides, in my previous life, I died during a mission for my church to hunt down the Cleric of Order, Karen. I gave my life back to my church, so I owe them nothing more. The church nurtured me precisely to have me lay down my life for them, and I have done so."

"I greatly appreciate your capacity for self-consolation."

"Thank you for your praise, My Lord. Actually, there is one more thing. I promised you that if you granted me a second life, I would take your surname."

"There is no need for that anymore, consider it a joke."

"No, this is no joke!" Daliwenluo's voice rose. "Before, it seemed like a humiliation, but now, it is blatantly obvious that I am getting the better end of the bargain!"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course!" Daliwenluo flashed a smile. "Please bestow a name upon me, My Lord."

"Henceforth, you shall be called... Daliwenluo Inmoles."

"Is this your surname, My Lord?"

"Yes, but you must keep this surname a secret."

"Isn't it a bit too plain? I am not dissatisfied, I am merely rather greedy. As you know, having lived twice, it is my first opportunity to possess a complete name, so one always harbors higher expectations.

Furthermore, as you said, this surname must be kept a secret, which means I still cannot utter it when introducing myself in the future. That truly is a massive regret."

Karen thought of the name Pure had given to little Kanna, and then of the surname he had bestowed upon Alfred, and said:

"Daliwenluo Tu."

"May I ask what the syllable 'Tu' signifies?"

"It is the characteristic of an evil god with whom I share a very good relationship."

"I like it!"

"Very well, can our introduction process come to an end now?" Karen urged.

"I presume I am not your only follower, My Lord?"

"Correct."

"But I believe I will absolutely be the most exceptional one—no, the most decent one."

"Suit yourself. Now, I need you to do something for me."

"I await your command."

"Go contact those who, like you, were hunting me down. Help me eliminate as many of them as possible. I need their heads to appease the souls of the Clerics of Order who journeyed with me this time."

"Rest assured, My Lord. I have observed them; among that lot, I am the only bald one. All the others have hair."

"That is your good fortune."

"You are entirely correct, My Lord."

"Go find them then. I shall recuperate and adjust myself first. Remember, do not strike on your own once you find them. Your current spiritual power is barely enough for a single fight."

Karen sat down where he stood, losing no time in beginning to regulate the exhaustion caused by the awakening ritual.

Daliwenluo touched his own skin, scraping off a small clump of plant ash, and blew gently upon it. A tender sprout emerged, gradually growing into a slender sapling. Grasping it in his hand, his figure was enveloped in a green aura of light, and he vanished from the spot.

After flying a short distance, Daliwenluo came to a halt.

"Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!..."

He began to slap himself frantically across the face.

"Hiss..."

Then, he repeatedly sucked in cold air. "It really isn't a dream?"

"I was killed by Karen?"

"I was brought back to life by Karen?"

"Karen is the God of Order?"

How did I, a believer in Life, suddenly become a Knight of Order?

Was I acting of my own free will, or was I coerced?

Of my own will? I envied him, longing to possess his propriety. Yet I see now it was never mere propriety; it was a composure belonging solely to a god.

Coerced? Both of my chief deities were once beaten into hiding by the God of Order. For me to bow before Him is only natural, isn't it?

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Dariwenro struck his own face three times in rapid succession.

Immediately after, his gaze and expression returned to what they had been, as if he had reverted to his original self.

"Ah..."

Dariwenro exhaled a long breath, casting a glance at the emerald sapling gripped in his hand:

"Heh, a new life. Right from the start, it is so thrilling.

But why does it still feel a bit strange? When I received the command just now, did I forget to bow before running off? What is the proper salutation for the Church of Order anyway? Should I have responded with 'As you command' or 'I shall strictly abide by the divine decree'?

Should I go back now, offer a proper salute, and then leave?

Never mind, best to get to work first.

My friends, I am coming to find you, one by one!

Ha,

I bet you never expected this—I have bloody defected!"