13 Mink Street

Chapter 49: Taking Off The Mask

Everyone is like a spider, weaving a web through their life. Whether in hope or in fear, sooner or later, without warning, your web will become entangled with someone else’s. That interconnected web can be vast, so vast it gives the illusion that you can go anywhere you please; Yet it can also be very small, so small that a single gust of wind can scatter what you once believed to be immense.

This was the inscription on Mr. Hoffen’s tombstone. It had been personally designed, written, and commissioned by Karon. There were a great many words, and the sentences were long, but Mr. Hoffen’s gravestone was large, as big as those of the double burial plots intended for couples. If too little were written on it or left behind, the stone would have felt rather empty.

Karon felt that he and Mr. Hoffen were like two webs that should never have become connected. Their first interaction had not gone well, yet in the end, it had been that same old man who, through sheer willpower, had held on just to help the Immers family “wash away suspicion.” All along, the sole vessel for that suspicion had, in fact, been Karon himself.

Today, Tiz was not wearing his priest’s robes. He simply stood before the tombstone, silent as he looked at the photograph on it. Karon led the mourners through the burial rites, and then personally grabbed a shovel, joining the family’s staff to fill in the soil. Finally, everyone placed their flowers on the grave, putting an end to the ceremony.

Karon accepted a cup of water from Mina and drank deeply before walking over to Tiz and handing the cup to him. The old man took it. As he held it in a hand, he said, “I’ll stay with Hoffen a little longer. You still have things to do today, don’t you?”

“Yes. Mina invited Teacher Eunice to go to the amusement park.”

Tiz nodded. “Don’t be late.”

Karon very much wanted to ask Tiz a question. Since all suspicions related to the divine descent ritual had already been preemptively dealt with, what exactly was causing Tiz to urge Karon along in this manner? Unfortunately, Tiz did not wish to say, so Karon would not ask.

Karon gave a small bow to the tombstone. “Grandpa Hoffen, I’m off to go on a date with a beautiful lady. I’ll come to see you next time.”

He walked toward the small road that ran along the side of the cemetery. Alfred was already waiting by a car and opened the door for him. “Rhine Street.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred started the car. Karon had planned to close his eyes and rest for a bit. He had put a great deal of thought into Mr. Hoffen’s funeral, and had risen early in the morning, disrupting his usual routine. One could say that, in terms of treatment, the family had done even more for Mr. Hoffen than they had for Mr. Modis, whose widow had paid for Package B.

Of course, this had nothing to do with money. It was like a chef cooking for guests versus cooking for their own family. When cooking for family, they might be less concerned with presentation, but the flavor and care were something only their own could understand.

However, at that moment, Karon noticed several newspapers that had been placed neatly in front of him, all folded to the correct pages. He picked one up. “Mr. Morf Seriously Ill, Morf Consortium May Face Restructuring?”

Mr. Morf had died some time ago, or, if one preferred, had “completely disappeared.” The Morf family had clearly chosen not to reveal the truth, keeping the matter hidden due to ongoing internal disputes regarding property and power.

The next paper read: “Environmental Girl Delivers Passionate Speech on Cruise Ship!” There were photos and illustrations of Delyss, on the cruise ship, returning to Veyn. She looked ferocious as she gave an environmental speech, perfectly embodying what it meant to try too hard.

Following that were the articles that truly concerned Roja City’s political scene: “Mayoral Candidate Mr. Forde and Councilor Mr. Harget Die After Car Accident, Vehicle Plunges Into Reservoir.”

Another: “Former Mayor Sigran Accused of Using Illegal Means Against Political Rivals. Case Filed for Investigation. He Has Announced His Resignation as Mayor of Roja City and Declared He Will Not Run in the Next Election.”

Mr. Orkan did not appear in the news. His identity had been inherently secretive, likely with connections to Veyn. Editor-in-Chief Humir’s disappearance also went unreported. He had simply not been important enough.

“Young Master, a special department likely intervened,” Alfred explained. “There’s an agency above the police, which is dedicated to investigating and resolving incidents involving demonkin.”

“So the causes of Forde and Harget’s deaths were fabricated by them as well?” Karon asked.

“Most likely, in order to avoid public panic. That night, we didn’t do much to conceal things. Several of the scenes we left had very clear traces of demonkin and faith power. Any sort of investigation would certainly have found clues.”

In Karon’s mind, the image of a man and woman surfaced. The man had a hooked nose while the woman wore a gray dress. “Will there be problems?”

“Probably not. That night, our actions strictly followed the Code of Order. Once Sir Tiz submits the after-action report, the Church of Order will handle communications with the local government and the secret police. It’s a minor matter.” Alfred placed a slight emphasis on the last sentence. As long as the Church of Order remained powerful, it represented absolute justice, in both stance and procedure. “If the incident had a significant impact on some social classes, while an ordinary Inquisitor might be dealt with by the regional authorities, Sir Tiz will bear no such burden. Please don’t worry, Young Master.”

Alfred still remembered the exchange from that night:

“Grandpa, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“It’s fine. Just a little backlash from using a forbidden Art.”

Alfred felt fortunate. When he and Tiz had fought together, the Inquisitor had only used Inquisitor level Arts. Otherwise, Alfred doubted he would still exist.

“Alfred.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Grandpa seems to want me to go to Veyn.”

“Veyn? That’s a good place. A great nation, with a great city, and a great stage. Compared to it, Roja City is just a quiet village at the foot of a mountain.”

“That’s not what I meant. Grandpa might be facing some trouble.”

“Attendants of great beings always encounter trouble, but they always overcome it. Even if they cannot for a time, once the great being truly awakens, they will resurrect their attendants as a reward for protecting it during its early awakening.”

Seeing Karon frown slightly, Alfred hurried to explain, “That’s how the stories go in the murals.”

Karon could not be bothered to respond.

“Young Master, you’re going to Rhine Street to pick up Miss Eunice, correct?”

“Yes. Mina asked her teacher to go to the amusement park.”

“Hm?” Alfred glanced back. “I forgot to have Miss Mina get in the car.”

Karon waved a hand. “Mina’s stomach isn’t feeling well. She can’t go.”

***

The guests had long since left. Only Tiz remained in front of the tombstone. He leaned back against the grave and sat down, muttering, “I really want to use an Awakening Art to call you back, just to chat a little longer.”

Of course, that was only talk. The Church of Order’s Awakening could indeed resurrect a corpse, but those resurrections lasted only for a very, very short time. Once the last trace of spirituality was consumed, the corpse would become nothing more than rotting flesh. That was why, from the Church of Order’s standpoint, burial truly did bring “peace.”

Tiz took out his flask again and took a sip. He then set the open flask before the tombstone. “It’s precisely because the God of Order took nothing that I feel the most uneasy. Free things are often the most expensive.

“The biggest joke is that I removed my own seals ahead of time in preparation for giving an offering, and my realm can no longer be suppressed. Before long, the Temple of Order will sense my presence. They will send me an invitation, granting me what they regard as a supreme honor, and will force me to enter the temple as an elder, to serve the unseen God of Order.

“But I don’t want to go. To everyone else in the Church of Order, no, to most in the so-called orthodox churches of today, the temple is regarded as the most sacred place in believers’ hearts. Any family with a member who’s an elder in the temple receives blessings from the true god. If the elder has no family of their own, they can designate a family close to them to receive that blessing. That family will then serve as a backbone of the church for generations, receiving even greater reinforcement of faith power.

“But I don’t want to serve a so-called ‘true god’ I no longer believe in, and I don’t want my family, my descendants, to fall even deeper into the church’s mire. Yet they won’t allow me to refuse. It’s not just that faith forbids apostasy. More importantly, they cannot allow me to physically defect.

“In this epoch, where the true gods do not manifest, I even suspect that what sustains the true gods is no longer their holiness, but the temple’s conversion of the believers’ faith into nourishment for god. Everything you possess is bestowed by god, so god is naturally entitled to take back what belongs to Him.

“Old Hoffen, do you know, the closer one gets to that height, the more one feels that the faith we hold unquestioningly, our devotion to god, what we protect, what we cultivate, what we stand firm for, might be nothing more than a seed. God gives us that seed, that is god’s grace. When the seed bears fruit, god comes to take it back, and we must still be grateful. We are nothing but fertilizer for god.”

Tiz’s expression gradually deepened. “Perhaps my thinking is wrong. Perhaps my understanding is extreme. Perhaps I have misunderstood god and already fallen, and am now a heretic, but every one of us can only live in the world as we see it. I cannot allow myself to become fertilizer, especially when the doing so means that my descendants will become even better fertilizer. Hoffen, in the world as I see it, I will not allow myself to make that choice.”

He looked back at the photograph on the tombstone, picked up the flask, and stood. “It’s about time to take off the mask.”

***

Alfred’s car stopped on Rhine Street. He deliberately did not pull up to the teacher’s front gate. “Young Master, I’ll get out here and take a taxi home.”

Karon asked, “Alfred, do you think driving a hearse to a date would have better results?”

Alfred blinked at that. “I don’t know, but I do know this: if Mr. Mason had driven a hearse to take Ms. Mary out for a candlelight dinner back then, Miss Mina and Lent probably wouldn’t exist today.”

“You make a good point.”

“Everyone’s aesthetics and favored scenarios are different. Young Master, you may have grown attached to hearses lately, or you might be spending a lot of time thinking about them, so hearse-related thoughts naturally arise now. Normal people don’t have such thoughts.

“That said, it might also produce an unexpected effect. After all, Miss Eunice grew up in a noble household with strict rules. Acts of rebellion might make a deeper impression on her. It’s like how many girls in good schools are drawn to street punks; Their underdeveloped minds and immature worldviews mistake such roguishness for masculinity. They’ll find such thinking foolish once they grow up, but it doesn’t diminish their obsessed at a young age.”

“Have you hosted an emotional talk show?” Karon asked.

“Roja Storytelling Program does all kinds of shows. In fact, emotional analysis programs often receive higher ratings than horror stories. It’s important to consider the audience willing to listen to the radio at night.”

“I see.”

“Have a pleasant weekend, Young Master.” Alfred reached to open the door, but then paused. “Young Master, would you like me to take that home as well?”

A black cat slowly poked its head up from the back seat. Karon had genuinely not noticed that Pu’er had been hiding in the car the entire time. She was able to evade his notice, but not Alfred’s eyes.

“Karon, I feel it’s my duty as an elder to watch from the side,” Pu’er announced.

“I’ve never seen elders secretly follow juniors on dates.”

“You think they don’t want to? They just don’t have my qualifications! If they were cats, ask them again if they’d follow.”

“I don’t like that feeling.”

“I’m just a cat. On a date, you can even have Eunice hold me. Imagine it: a beautiful young lady holding a sleek, glossy-furred cat. How picturesque!”

“But that cat would be her great-great-great-great-great-great-grandaunt.”

“Then just treat me like her elder sister.”

“That still makes me uncomfortable. Sorry.”

“Uncomfortable?” Pu’er flexed a paw. “Shouldn’t it be more exciting?”

“Alfred, take it home. Your task for today is to keep an eye on it.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Alfred forcibly dragged Pu’er out of the car. Karon slid into the driver’s seat and took off.

“I’m so sad,” Pu’er lamented. “Watching one’s own descendant being lured away by a man with ulterior motives is truly painful for a cat.”

“There’s no need to be sad. If your descendant seizes this opportunity, she may one day end up on a mural.”

“Is your life goal to end up on a mural? I’ve noticed you’re obsessed with murals.”

Alfred shook his head. “My life goal isn’t to be on a mural, but if my life goal is achieved, ending up on one is inevitable.”

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been a cat for too many years. I’m not interested in grand goals. I focus on what’s in front of me, like sour-pickled fish or mandarin fish.

“Oh, and Tiz is truly shameless, and his heretical god grandson is just as shameless! How shameless do a grandfather and grandson have to be to target a nineteen-year-old girl who knows nothing of the world? If I were human right now, believe me, I’d drag Karon to the crematorium furnace and have the sparks singe his hair! I’d dare him, ‘Try it again, see if you still dare!’”

Alfred laughed.

“What are you laughing at? You think I’ll never turn back into a human again? Brat, don’t be fooled by how refined you look now! Back when I was human, I wouldn’t have spared you a glance!”

“Oh? Then hurry up and transform.”

***

When passing Piaget and Mrs. Seymour’s residences, Karon deliberately sped the car up a little and turned his face aside. Fortunately, he was not noticed, and no one called out to him. After all, neither Piaget nor Mrs. Seymour tended to idly stand at their front gates and stare at the road, waiting for a Santelan to pass by.

Eventually, Karon parked in front of Eunice’s house.

At the gate stood a well-dressed noblewoman, staring down the road as if she truly had nothing to do but wait for a Santelan to appear. Her brow somewhat resembled Eunice’s, and though she might be described as a noblewoman, her build was not heavy. It was only her attire and bearing that suggested such.

Karon got out and walked to the gate. The woman lit a cigarette, looked at him, and asked, “You’re here for my daughter?”

“Yes. May I ask if Miss Eunice is home?” Karon smiled warmly, sunlight in his expression.

The noblewoman laughed. While one hand held her cigarette, her other discreetly reached behind and pinched her own backside hard. She used the pain to steady herself; She absolutely could not reveal the expression of a soon-to-be mother-in-law growing fonder of a prospective son-in-law.

Still, such a son-in-law, even if he did nothing at all and was kept at home as decoration, would be pleasing to look at every day. For the first time, her resistance toward her father-in-law’s match-making efforts weakened slightly.

Of course, a son-in-law could not be chosen based solely on his looks. Married life would surely bring problems, arguments, and anger. Still, who could guarantee a marriage without those things? So why not choose a face that was easier on the eyes for when you were angry?

“Oh? You must be Mina? My daughter said she was taking her student to the amusement park today.”

“Mina is my cousin, madam.”

“Oh? Then your cousin Mina must be unfortunately unwell today—perhaps with a stomachache?—and couldn’t come, correct?”

“Yes, madam. Is divination one of your hobbies? You’re remarkably accurate.”

“No. I’m simply a mother of three children.”

“You’ve maintained your figure wonderfully. I thought you only had one daughter.”

“Ohohoho...” Hold it in.

“Heh. Young man, you certainly know how to talk. At this rate, you could probably talk the dead back to life.”

“Heh. You flatter me, madam. How could that be possible?”