A rest!

Empowered by the Power of Nature, Aloteta moved swiftly, but a black shadow kept trailing him, like an old hunter savoring the sight of his prey fleeing, taking pleasure in more than the brief instant of pulling the trigger.

At last,

beneath a statue in a fountain square, Aloteta stopped and released Delis, whom he had carried with him the whole way.

Delis clutched her chest and crouched to one side, dry-heaving. That headlong dash had left her, an unwilling passenger, suffering something no less severe than violent motion sickness.

Dis appeared before them. In contrast to Aloteta's panting, he remained calm.

"I am willing to pay a price to atone for my guilt," Aloteta said. "Name whatever you wish, so long as it is within my power."

There had originally been no law in the religious world. After all, every religion believed its own god to be supreme, and by extension, those who worshipped that supreme being were supreme as well;

but after the Order God Church rose to prominence, laws emerged in the religious world.

Dis shook his head and walked straight toward him.

"I have never met an Inquisitor as rigid and earnest as you." Aloteta took a mirror from inside his coat. It was a blessed Sacred Artifact.

Dis shook his head. "Actually, I'm not."

"Then I was simply unlucky?" Aloteta found that absurd.

"Yes." Dis gave his answer in a calm voice.

"God of Nature above, grant your faithful follower nature's protection!"

Green light, symbolizing vitality, began to ripple from Aloteta's body;

"Mirror of Nature, passed down from Sigulai's hands, grant me the power of your blessing!"

The mirror cast a white glow, forming what looked like a suit of gleaming armor around Aloteta.

"In the name of Nature's Messenger, I summon the surrounding forces of nature to grant me mercy!"

All around him, firefly-like specks began gathering at Aloteta's side, forming something resembling a barrier.

"The earth is our mother. Please bestow your love upon your children!"

Aloteta crouched, unfurling a scroll with one hand and pressing the palm of the other against the ground. A moment later, a star-shaped array of light appeared on the ground.

Immediately afterward,

he pulled out a crystal pendant hanging around his neck:

"The One within the mist, guide your lost follower!"

Clouds of black mist emerged from the crystal pendant, enveloping the surroundings.

"Lost Church of Light, cast the breath of light upon this shattered stone tablet, and let your radiance descend upon the mortal world once more!"

Another layer of golden light flowed over him, adding to his protection.

Aloteta used not only the Berry Church's spells but also Sacred Artifacts from other religions, even a damaged Sacred Artifact from the long-extinct Church of Light.

Throughout this process,

Dis merely continued approaching at his original pace, never quickening his steps despite Aloteta's constant use of spells and Sacred Artifacts.

At last,

Dis reached the edge of the star-shaped array;

inside it, densely packed layers of power with all manner of attributes flowed, strengthened, and protected.

The Berry Church's Power of Nature served as an excellent harmonizing agent. Had anyone else activated so many Sacred Artifacts from different churches at once, the powers of their different attributes would likely have collided and exploded.

"I feel fear. Even with all these layers of defense, the intuition granted to me by the God of Nature tells me that, right now, you look upon me as though I were an ant.

This is utterly absurd;

the Order God Church is immensely powerful, I admit, but I do not believe that any random local Inquisitor under it could be this powerful.

Please tell me this isn't true."

Dis spread his hands,

and chanted:

"Forbidden-Eternal Order-Erasure."

"Forbidden... forbidden... a Forbidden Spell???"

A radiant light symbolizing Order appeared before Dis;

it appeared,

then vanished;

vanishing along with it

were the Berry Church's Power of Nature, Sigulai's mirror power, the Earth God Church's blessing, the Mist God Church's power of nothingness, and the Church of Light's radiant protection;

along with

Aloteta himself,

and even

his clothes,

as though this priest of the Berry Church had never existed at all.

Beside the fountain, where all sorts of brilliant lights had swirled only moments earlier, everything was now silent.

"I'm sorry."

Because your intuition was correct.

"Cough... cough..."

Dis coughed twice, his gaze falling on the vacant-eyed Delis beside him.

Delis had not stood in front of the radiance, so she still existed;

but she had suffered its spillover;

every church claimed that the Otherworldly Demons outside possessed the power to corrupt, yet none believed that the mysteries of its own religion could also carry that property.

In truth, however, they did.

The corruption here was incidental erasure.

For instance, parts of Delis's memories and thoughts had now been erased. Even her soul was incomplete, and she would spend the rest of her life in madness.

In fact, she had already gone mad.

For after a brief moment of blankness,

she immediately ran to the fountain pool and screamed wildly at her own reflection:

"We must protect the environment! We must protect the environment! We must protect the environment!"

At this moment,

she was sincere and devout, without the slightest impurity, because those impurities no longer existed.

Dis turned around,

and walked back,

his figure disappearing beneath Rojia City's sparsely spaced streetlights.

"Want some?"

Kallen asked Alfred.

"Young Master, I believe Miss Molly's absence tonight was a tremendous loss for her. So I would like to deliver these spring rolls to her tomorrow and give her a chance to make up for what she missed."

"You're absolutely right. I agree."

"Thank you for your permission."

"You'll still have to sit up front and drive later. I'm afraid you'd have bad breath."

"Great one, your consideration is always so thorough."

"All right, load up."

"Yes."

The bodies of the elderly Legislator Haggett, Ford, and Mr. Oka were tossed into the vehicle as well.

At this point, the Immerlis Family's newly purchased hearse seemed unbearably crowded and cramped.

Kallen could only sit at the very back, leaving more room for the "passengers."

Just then,

Grandpa returned.

"You're back," Kallen said.

Dis climbed into the vehicle. Rather than comment on the cramped space, he asked:

"Is it over?"

"Yes." Kallen folded up the list.

"Good." Dis closed his eyes.

Kallen waved, signaling Alfred to start driving.

He did not ask what had become of the red-robed priest who had jumped from the building. He instinctively trusted that, since Dis had returned, that "Otherworldly Demon" no longer existed.

Nor did he ask Dis why he had not brought the body back,

because there was no point in asking,

the hearse had no room left.

Perhaps,

he could suggest that Uncle Mason install slaughterhouse-style hooks along the ceiling of the hearse's rear compartment, so the guests could hang instead of lying down. That would multiply its passenger capacity several times over.

At three in the morning;

the hearse returned to the Immerlis Family's front door on Mink Street.

The industrious Alfred fetched a Stretcher Cart and transported the bodies into the basement one by one, without needing the slightest help from Kallen or Dis;

no wonder Uncle Mason had started wondering whether he should dismiss Ron.

Kallen and Dis stood outside the front door, in the very spot where they had drawn a circle before leaving.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" Dis asked.

"Do you mean tonight's music?" Kallen asked.

Only then did Kallen remember that the old secondhand radio Alfred had bought for several thousand Lu Coins was still in the vehicle.

Kallen walked to the cab, opened the door, and hoisted the radio onto his shoulder.

It was not heavy at all. Despite its large appearance, it was essentially just some wood and components inside.

"A souvenir of tonight," Kallen said.

That, in fact, was already his answer. After venturing out beneath the stars and moon to attend a concert, one might return exhausted, yet still savor it over breakfast the next morning.

"Many people choose to believe in the Order God Church because of nights like this, using their own strength to exercise their own justice, to restore the order that ought to be set right.

Unfortunately, that understanding is..."

"Superficial," Kallen finished for him.

Dis paused, then continued, "That understanding is correct."

"..." Kallen.

"A thousand years ago, before the Church of Light perished, its pope once stood atop a high tower of the Holy See on a night after he had gone mad and shouted that he had never believed in the existence of the God of Light.

Many people thought those were the ravings of a man driven mad by corruption, a sign of his fall;

but,

I think he was speaking from the heart.

The closer you come to a god, the more you find that the god becomes less and less trustworthy.

You grow ever firmer in the convictions you held when you first joined the church, then begin to question how much meaning there was in all those long years of life that followed."

"But there are some truths you can never understand unless you walk that path yourself."

"Then do you want to understand?" Dis suddenly asked.

Puer, who had already been dozing off, suddenly pricked up her feline ears at those words and became instantly alert.

"I'll follow Grandpa's arrangements," Kallen said.

He did not believe in any Order God Church,

but he praised Order.

So, if there was a way for him to gain the ability to "praise Order" as Dis did, he was willing.

Before tonight, he might have wavered and hesitated. After all, there was the tragedy of "Kallen" losing both his parents;

but now,

he admitted

that he could not resist this temptation.

Even Mr. Molf could only lie before him, not daring to move;

could the "peaceful life" he envisioned truly endure?

When divine authority capable of breaking the established rules truly stood over this world, what could offer him any real security?

Perhaps this view of his was far too extreme;

but Kallen could not help being extreme, especially after seeing what had happened to the Siso Family. All he had to do was try to imagine their despair that night, and any possibility of hesitation vanished.

And that did not even account for his own almost certain identity as an Evil God.

Dis smiled. "I remember saying, before I leave."

Kallen took a deep breath, then slowly let it out,

and said:

"Then I hope Grandpa lives a long life."

This was neither sarcasm nor a veiled jab. After all, who could turn down a grandfather like this?

"But people always die. Even gods are no exception," Dis said. "You can reconsider your choice of where to study abroad. High school courses shouldn't be difficult for you, should they?"

"Why?" Kallen asked.

"Studying hard is what you ought to do anyway. Isn't that what you said before?"

"I was wondering why you've changed your mind again, Grandpa. You said before that you wanted your family to stay by your side."

"Of course I want that while I'm alive. But if I'm gone, would I want my whole family to move into the cemetery?"

"Well..."

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest."

Dis walked into the house.

Kallen followed him and pressed, "Grandpa, has something happened?"

"Before I leave, nothing that happens will affect the Immerlis Family."

"No, Grandpa, you shouldn't talk like that. It's terribly bad luck."

Dis stopped, turned to look at Kallen, and said:

"I've even cursed the God of Order. Why would I worry about bad luck?"

"That's different. As your family, I don't want anything to happen to any of us, especially you. Those things you kept saying just now sounded like you were making your final arrangements."

"Young master, the bodies have all been carried downstairs. I..."

"If you're gone, Alfred might just swallow me whole."

"..." Alfred.

"If I'm gone, you can actually live more freely with those two."

"Listen to yourself. You're doing it again." Kallen stepped forward and took Dis's arm. Dis coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Kallen asked anxiously.

"It's nothing. A minor side effect of using a Forbidden Spell."

"...!" Alfred.

"Then let's not do anything like tonight again. We can just run our business in peace and earn Lu Coins. That's a good life. We can save up dowries for Mina and Chris."

"Sometimes you aren't looking for trouble. Trouble comes looking for you, and there's no avoiding it." Dis gently pushed away Kallen's supporting hand. "Anyway, I'll pray to that son of a whore, the God of Order. I'll pray that he won't let me die..."

Dis smiled at his grandson standing before him.

"Because I'll warn him that he won't be able to bear the consequences of my death."

"Call me when you pray. We'll warn that son of a whore, the God of Order, together."

"All right."

Dis went upstairs.

Kallen didn't follow. He still had a few things to finish, like putting the final rest at the end of a piece of music.

"Young master."

"Alfred, thank you for your help. Please bring me a glass of ice water in the basement."

"Of course, young master."

Kallen entered the basement.

The basement was lively tonight. Nine guests were staying there.

Aunt Mary's workroom had long since run out of space, so all nine guests had been placed in the morgue. In the dead of winter, there was no need for air-conditioning.

Kallen switched on the lights and fetched a round stool from the workroom.

The Siso Family lay in four coffins.

On the floor beside them lay Mr. Molf, the editor-in-chief, Ford, Haggett, and Oka.

If those five could still get up and speak,

they would probably have found it unbelievable.

Unbelievable that someone had actually killed all five of them over the deaths of four lowly commoners.

Well,

never mind them.

Even Kallen himself still found it all a little unreal.

"Phew..."

Kallen let out a long breath.

He murmured to himself:

"I really wish Miss Molly were here right now, and that she could spit Mrs. Hughes back out in one piece."

Kallen laughed.

He pointed at the four coffins, then at the five people lying bare on the floor, each dead in a different way:

"What is art? What is artistic value? What is the impact of art? Killing a few people around you and arranging them on a platter doesn't make it art.

Look here.

Look at what's in front of you.

These four coffins, these five people, put together.

Phew.

That suffocating sense of art hits you straight away.

It's like a set of scales. Placing them together is, in itself, one of the best forms of artistic expression.

No.

They aren't even placed together.

The Siso Family are lying in comfortable coffins now. Heh, heh, heh. These five don't even deserve coffins."

Kallen was talking to himself.

At the ramp, Alfred, holding a glass of ice water, tactfully stopped and concealed himself in the shadows beneath the passage light. He didn't step forward to interrupt his young master's enjoyment.

After saying his piece,

Kallen pressed his lips together.

His gaze swept over the four coffins of the Siso Family, one by one. Then he walked over and knocked once on each coffin.

"Knock..."

"Knock..."

"Knock..."

"Knock..."

It was like knocking on doors, as though the family were merely asleep.

After knocking on every coffin,

Kallen sat down on the round stool.

He said:

"Get up and take a look."

Black, chainlike strands spread from beneath Kallen's feet, extending under each coffin. An indescribable solemnity and gravity filled the entire basement.

Holding the ice water, Alfred watched the scene in shock and wild delight!

Tonight,

I danced with an Evil God to the same tune, the same rhythm!

If he isn't an Evil God, who is?

Miss Molly even told me that Young Master Kallen seemed too easygoing!

Hahaha!

What would a lowly Otherworldly Demon know?

A true Evil God should be exactly like this.

He hasn't undergone Purification, yet he can use "Awakening" so naturally.

O Evil God above, forgive me for being unable to kneel while I hold your ice water.

But my heart has already submitted to you!

In the study.

Puer, who had followed Dis back to the study, asked curiously:

"Dis, did Headquarters send someone over? No, that doesn't make sense. Since you don't intend to kill Kallen, you must have hidden and covered up the matter of your Divine Descent Ritual. There's no way you would have let anything slip over that.

Who did they send?

What made you say those things tonight?

No.

Dis.

What exactly did you sacrifice for the Divine Descent Ritual?"

Suddenly,

a strange aura spread up from below.

Puer's feline eyes widened at once, and she cried, "There it is again!"

Dis smiled.

"He hasn't even undergone Purification. He hasn't even taken his first step yet. Dis, am I really going to worship an Evil God who can cook all kinds of fish?

Though I don't see anything wrong with that,

and your attempts to dissuade me probably won't work,

I still think

you should at least try to dissuade me. That would make things seem normal."

"Perhaps my grandson isn't an Evil God," Dis said.

"Hahaha, there you go again. If he isn't an Evil God, are you saying you summoned the God of Order?"

Dis shook his head.

He said:

"Could it be possible..."

"Could what be possible?"

"That my grandson, like the God of Order, is simply... someone who returned from the dead."

"Creak..."

Scraping sounds came from all four coffins, whose lids had not been sealed tight.

In the basement at night, those sounds were particularly eerie and sinister.

Kallen sat there quietly, like the sole audience member at this macabre concert.

Finally,

the coffin lids were lifted one after another.

Kallen saw Siso, Siso's elderly mother, Siso's daughter, and Siso's wife sit up in their coffins in turn. Then they all looked at Kallen with bewildered eyes.

Kallen took the Molf Gold-Frame Cigarettes out of his pocket. There was only one left.

He felt a little regret.

If he'd known, he would have pocketed a fresh pack in Mr. Molf's study, or brought back a few more so his uncle could hand them out to distinguished guests as he welcomed and saw them off.

But did the "Order Regulations" permit robbery?

Or would that be called confiscating an Otherworldly Demon's illicit gains?

Kallen took out his lighter.

As he prepared to light his cigarette, he said:

"The enemies who murdered your family are right here.

Now,

you can take your revenge."

The Siso Family climbed out of their coffins and onto the floor.

At that moment,

the hand with which Kallen was lighting his cigarette trembled slightly.

In the end,

the cigarette remained unlit.

"Heh..."

He gave a little laugh.

He held the cigarette between his fingers.

At the same time, he blinked hard, holding back the moisture welling in his eyes.

Because,

after climbing out of their coffins, the Siso Family didn't throw themselves furiously at Mr. Molf and the other four, biting them and venting their rage.

Instead,

the family embraced each other tightly.