Fists

"After all, what the hell are they?"

Those words

shook Kallen to his core.

No,

it was almost fair to say... they overturned everything.

Ever since waking up, he had been building his understanding of this world. Although he had revised it many times, he had still not completely shaken off the influence of the assumptions from his previous life;

this was a real world,

a world with systems, society, and structure,

but until now, he had only paid attention to the sort of "petty antics" involving Alfred and Miss Molly,

without ever truly grasping

that this

was a world ruled by divine authority!

That was why, once Alfred believed he was an "Evil God," he had dropped straight to his knees and showered him with flattery and praise, without the slightest concern for his dignity;

it was not because Alfred was exaggerating or putting on an act;

Afu was not the one who was wrong.

He, Kallen, was.

He had never truly "understood" this world.

He thought Alfred's performance was ridiculous;

Alfred might well have been laughing at him for trying to act serious when he was already standing onstage in clown makeup.

That was also why

Dis had asked him: why would you think that I, your grandfather, would be afraid of these things?

Because he had always cast his grandfather as a secluded master, quietly maintaining a certain order while still having to respect the rules.

But in reality,

that was not the case.

From the standpoint of the Order God Church,

from Dis's standpoint,

from within the Order Rules,

there were actually very few beings he needed to fear.

All the things Kallen worried about, fretted over, and felt entangled in

were, in Dis's eyes,

not worth mentioning.

It was not that he did not care. He simply held them in contempt.

Kallen thought again of Uncle Mason kneeling downstairs earlier, letting out low cries of anguish.

When they returned, his uncle had said: Father is only a priest. Telling him these things would only bring him distress and pain.

At the time, Kallen had silently disagreed:

No,

Dis isn't like ordinary priests.

Well,

his own understanding was really no better than Uncle Mason's.

You don't understand your father, and I don't really understand my grandfather either.

Kallen stared blankly at Dis.

He did not think Dis was joking. A man like him simply did not make jokes.

The reason he could not speak for a moment

was that his mind was completely blank. He had no idea what to say.

"You can lead the way now," Dis said.

"Oh, all right."

Kallen left the study, with Dis following behind him. When he reached the turn in the stairs and was about to head down, he looked back at Dis.

"What is it?" Dis asked.

"Where are we going?"

Where am I supposed to lead you?

"To the home of that mayoral candidate, Mr. Ford."

Hearing that, Kallen asked, "But... where is his house?"

Dis looked at Kallen.

Kallen looked at Dis too.

Grandfather and grandson stood facing each other at the turn in the stairs. For a long while, neither spoke.

Finally,

Dis asked Kallen in some bewilderment:

"Just now, you were the one who knocked and came into my study, correct?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"You were the one who told me this matter was very likely connected to an Otherworldly Demon, correct?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"And you were the one who suggested that whoever benefited most was the likeliest suspect-in other words, that mayoral candidate, Mr. Ford. Correct?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

Dis nodded,

held his hands in front of him,

and asked very seriously:

"So now you're telling me that you actually don't know where he lives?"

"I..."

Countless roars flashed through Kallen's mind:

How is that my fault?

How is that my fault?!

How was I supposed to know you could take me straight to the mastermind's doorstep?

When dealing with powerful people like this, aren't you normally supposed to start with little clues, find evidence, catch the small fry, and work your way up, then get threatened, have a few teammates silenced, and finally, after all that, find an opportunity to risk everything and expose the evidence to the public?

Even if you know who's behind it, he's still rich and powerful.

Even if they've already booked the Funeral Society in advance, even if they smile at you and show off their polished manners, even if they mock you, asking what you can possibly do to them even if you know the truth, you still have to swallow your anger;

after all, they're the ones who make the rules.

But

you're telling me,

come on,

let's go to his house and have a chat right now?

This feels like

we're just about to start filming,

and I come to rehearse our lines with you,

only to discover we're holding completely different scripts.

Dis looked at the speechless Kallen,

sighed,

and said:

"So you actually haven't prepared anything?"

"I..."

"I thought you already had everything ready, and that was why you came to my study to get me."

"I..."

"Then what exactly did you come to me for just now?"

"I..."

"Surely it wasn't because your conscience was troubling you, so you came here to make one last attempt, even though you never really thought I could step in and do anything?

"To put it simply,

"you came to me to have a little cry and ease your conscience?"

"Yes..."

Kallen admitted it.

Because the people who had died were not Rot's family, he had not completely lost his reason. But he still felt awful, just like Uncle Mason: completely overshadowed by those people, yet so constrained by fear that, in the end... all he could do was accept his fate, smother his conscience, and comfort himself by murmuring over and over, "This is the tragedy of being a nobody."

In truth, he had not even prepared himself to be the sort of little man who tried to move an elephant.

"Kallen."

"Yes."

"When you have time, take another good look at those books I had Lunt bring you, especially the Light of Order, which you said you'd already read.

"It's all spelled out clearly in that book. Did you really read it?"

I thought it was exaggerated propaganda...

I didn't realize it was a factual, educational book.

Dis reached out

and patted Kallen on the shoulder,

saying earnestly:

"A thousand years ago, even a king had to prostrate himself at a god's feet to be crowned. He needed religion to grant him the legitimacy to rule-the divine right of kings.

"Over the past thousand years, such scenes have become much rarer.

"But

"that's because kingship has fallen into decline.

"The gods,

"however, have stood there all along."

After saying this, Dis glanced at the black case he was carrying, shook his head, and turned back toward his study, saying as he went:

"Don't be like a coward who, when his conscience troubles him, can only lie on the ground and warm his belly in the sun.

"Learn to take action.

"At the very least,

"prepare a list of the suspects who might be involved, along with their addresses."

Bang.

The study door closed.

Kallen remained at the top of the stairs. There was no wind, yet he still felt utterly disheveled.

"Meow~"

Puer's voice rang out.

She padded steadily along the smooth banister, then turned her head to look at Kallen, seemingly wearing a faint, deliberate smile:

"Didn't I tell you? Dis can always give you the calmest, soundest advice."

As she spoke,

Puer flicked her tail with a hint of excitement.

"Are you happy with that advice?"

Kallen looked at Puer.

Only now did he understand

why Alfred, upon seeing how dejected he was, had volunteered the reminder:

"Young Master, you could ask your grandfather."

So,

from Alfred's perspective,

he must have been rather puzzled.

The other side has already used the power of an Otherworldly Demon. Why are you still sitting in the hearse, sighing?

Phew...

Fortunately, both Puer and Dis had said there were no flaws at all in his identity as an Evil God. Moreover, when an Evil God first descended, there would be a long period of weakness, and that weakness applied not only to power... but also to an incomplete consciousness, not merely missing memories;

thus, Alfred had only been a little puzzled, without actually suspecting anything.

Kallen took a deep breath,

reached out,

and gathered Puer into his arms. She did not struggle. Instead, realizing that his despondency had lifted, she took the opportunity to make a request:

"When are you going to make that carp with crispy noodles you mentioned last time?"

Kallen reached out and rubbed Puer's belly.

Just as Puer could no longer resist raising a paw to teach him a lesson:

"I'll make it for you tonight."

"All right, meow~"

Everyone had gathered in the first-floor living room, including Siso's family of four.

Uncle Mason sat on the sofa with his head bowed, while Aunt Mary quietly comforted him beside him.

Aunt Winnie held a hand to her forehead.

Ron wore a miserable expression. Even with his intelligence, he could tell that this family of four had certainly not committed suicide.

Alfred and Miss Molly stood together, like passersby who had accidentally wandered into a rehearsal for a grim, oppressive play.

Kallen came down the stairs holding Puer, his soles striking the wooden steps with clear, steady footfalls.

Gradually,

everyone turned to look at him.

"We've already accepted the deposit. Having taken their money, we have to see this job through, no matter what.

"Aunt Mary, please take Molly and prepare the four family members for viewing. The weather has turned cold, and the memorial service is tomorrow, so embalming won't make much difference. But at the very least, we must let them leave with dignity.

"Uncle Mason, please take Ron and set up the first floor. The client requested something simple and solemn, so that's what we'll give him.

"Alfred, please keep an eye on the reporters and protesters outside. The memorial service isn't until tomorrow. I don't want anyone disturbing my home today.

"Also,

"Aunt Winnie, thank you for putting together a list of the important people attending tomorrow's memorial service. Have them leave their addresses during the service, so we can mail them a fine keepsake."

Having said all that,

Kallen looked around at everyone again.

"These are Grandpa's instructions;

"Grandpa said,

"the Immerlis Family doesn't keep freeloaders.

"Get to work!"

Everyone began to bustle about. Perhaps the earlier gloom had merely been a necessary transition. Once it passed, they still had to face reality.

Aunt Mary and Miss Molly worked together to move the family's bodies, one by one, to the basement workroom.

Uncle Mason took Ron to fetch the decorations and began arranging them.

Alfred took a wooden stool into the yard and sat down, watching the reporters outside and the protesters seated on the ground.

An Otherworldly Demon sat inside the yard;

a group of White Roses sat outside it.

Alfred, the Otherworldly Demon, sat with elegance, while those White Roses looked as though a dog had been carrying them in its mouth.

Aunt Winnie began compiling the list, standing beside the telephone and occasionally making calls to ask for information.

Everyone had begun working in an orderly fashion.

Holding Puer, Kallen returned upstairs.

Waiting had originally been an ordeal. Now, it had become something to look forward to.

At tomorrow's memorial service, everyone who was supposed to take the stage would arrive. Who played the lead and who played a supporting role would be clear at a glance.

Once the memorial service ended,

he could take the list and bring Grandpa along to visit them, one household at a time.

The family of victims was already dead, and the perpetrators' dance was about to begin. But he who laughed last laughed best.

Kallen wouldn't mind taking a good look at their smiles tomorrow,

just as a true hunter enjoyed watching his prey dance before the kill.

It was something to savor,

and a pleasure he could not refuse.

He did not know when such thoughts had begun filling his mind;

yet Kallen had no desire to resist or banish them.

Dis's stance was his greatest source of confidence,

just as Dis had said: a fist was the strongest argument.

Kallen held Puer in his left arm and raised his right hand, slowly curling it into a fist.

Puer seemed to be a cat who could see into people's hearts.

Though she was still lying in Kallen's arms for the sake of carp with baked noodles,

she could not change her nature and teased him.

"So, have you started getting drunk on the fist of a god, too?

"A fist that can break free of worldly restrictions and smash anyone outside the rules into pulp?"

A divine fist?

Or,

divine authority?

"My understanding of this fist isn't the same as yours," Kallen said.

"Heh, heh, heh. What else could it be? Only the will of a god can break through the filthy darkness humanity has created for itself and bring punishment that cuts to the bone!"

"There's actually another kind of fist."

"What kind?"

"Your cat brain wouldn't understand."

"Are you looking down on me? Though I do think 'your cat brain' sounds much nicer than 'your dog brain.'"

"Yes, exactly."

"If you ever want to embrace a faith, you can come to me."

"Why not Dis?"

"Why? Why?

"Heh.

"Can't you put that human brain of yours to work?"

Puer wriggled out of Kallen's arms,

landed on the floor,

looked at Kallen,

and said with a smile,

"Because Dis doesn't believe in religion."