Allen Manor was an extremely safe place.

Outside of the manor there were multiple teams of security guards hired from professional firms who handled protection and patrols, while inside, members of the family’s faith system led trusted servants and younger clan members to monitor every key area.

Inside the manor itself there were Master Anderson, Mike, and the others, as well as Alfred, who stayed on almost the same floor as Karon at all times. Even inside the study there were ritual arrays for protection.

So there was no doubt at all that the study was the safest place in all of Allen Manor.

Still, there were always exceptions, and one such exception was the young royal girl before him. She had followed her grandfather, Duke York, straight into the core area of Allen Manor in an open and proper manner, but then instead of entering through the study’s main door, she had gone in by climbing up the wall. Most importantly, because of her bloodline, she had successfully awakened the Allen family’s faith system despite having the Gloria surname, which meant the study’s ritual array did not reject her and allowed her to enter.

The moment she arrived, what had originally been the safest place for Karon had instantly become the most dangerous, and he himself inexplicably became a helpless turtle.

The fact that Judia was eating Prince Henry’s hand like a snack right in front of Karon could only mean one thing: she did not think he would leak her secret, and the most trustworthy keeper of any secret was always the dead. Karon was very clear that a label reading “to be killed” had already been pasted onto his forehead by this little girl.

And yet he was powerless to do anything. He was still only a Divine Servant, even if, as Pu’er put it, a Divine Servant with an exceptionally deep foundation. What made things even more infuriating was that because he had just completed purification, he had not yet had time to learn even the basic Arts of the church that Divine Servants were allowed to study.

In other words, in front of this little girl, Karon was currently in a completely undefended state, capable of putting up no resistance whatsoever.

If he had been holding a revolver instead of a box of pastries, his combat strength could have been raised an entire level, but what he was holding was just indeed a box of cream-filled biscuits, chocolate flavored at that.

Judia continued admiring the portrait of Earl Rekar and the queen while eating her snack. It was at this moment that she heard movement behind her. Turning her head, she saw Karon shift the chair that guests usually sat in another direction. After putting it down, he casually sat in it.

He put a small cream-filled pastry in his mouth and, while chewing, smiled and said, “The way you’re eating that really wastes such good ingredients.”

“Oh?” Judia looked at Karon curiously.

“You should debone it first, while keeping the cartilage, and then season it. Let it sit for a few hours so the flavor can sink in. Fresh lemon juice is essential, as it cuts the grease.”

He was offering the proper way to prepare boneless chicken feet. Judia glanced at the snack in her hand. All at once, it no longer seemed quite as appealing.

Karon shook his head, a trace of mockery lingering at the corner of his mouth. “Still too young.”

***

Inside the master bedroom, Alfred flipped through Mr. Hoffen’s notes while interacting with Kevin, the golden retriever. “Is that how this works?”

The golden retriever shook its head. “Oh, not that. Then how about this?”

The dog shook its head again. “Then it seems I still misunderstand.”

Alfred had realized that even if the heretical god had turned into a dog, it was still a heretical god that had turned into a dog. It was possible that Kevin did not understand what Alfred was saying or gesturing about, but it could instinctively shake its head or nod.

Alfred treated the dog like a priceless treasure, becoming excited enough to almost want to cry. When Young Master had undergone purification, a true god had descended to bestow blessings, and as a servant who basked in Young Master’s light, even while studying, Alfred actually had a heretical god at his side as a teacher.

Even if this heretical god teacher could currently only shake a dog’s head, offering only yes or no answers, this was already enough to help Alfred to avoid many detours and reinforce his correct choices.

“Ha, time to take a break.” Alfred closed the notebook and stretched. He rubbed his extremely tired eyes, then walked over to the window where he saw Pu’er lying on the windowsill, engrossed in a notebook.

“Is that Young Master’s notes?” Alfred asked.

“Mhmm.”

“I think it’s very inappropriate for you to look through Young Master’s notes without his permission.”

“Yesterday he told you to bring it over here, and then he himself tossed it onto this windowsill. I wasn’t deliberately sneaking a look; I was just lying here on this windowsill when a light breeze flipped the pages. Oh, radio demon, help me open the window. Thanks.”

Alfred opened the window, and the wind blew in. Pu’er immediately pressed down on the page that she had not yet finished reading with her paw. “Sigh, sometimes the wind isn’t gentle enough, and it can easily damage the pages. Meow.”

Alfred leaned his head over. “Let’s put it back.”

“Mm, this isn’t a diary.”

“Even if it’s not a diary, it’s still inappropriate to secretly—”

“If believers in the past hadn’t secretly read and recorded their true god’s writings and words, how would so many of the classics have been passed down? The Light of Order, the Record of Principle, the Light Epoch, and so on. If believers back then hadn’t read and recorded things like we’re doing now, could those classics have survived? Besides, wouldn’t a true god know? It’s probably just like Karon, leaving it there precisely for you to secretly read it.”

Alfred frowned slightly. “I think you’re talking nonsense, but that also seems to make sense.”

“Look here. I really didn’t expect Karon to record so many interesting things. In this piece, he uses Mrs. Hughes as an example to analyze her personality, or more precisely, he analyzes the personality of the demonkin that possessed Mrs. Hughes and evaluates its behavioral patterns.”

“Worthy of the great Young Master. His grasp of the human heart is truly astonishing.”

“However, in his conclusion, he gives the demonkin possessing Mrs. Hughes a very low evaluation, thinking that it isn’t a true artist.”

“Yes, someone who can catch Young Master’s eye must be exceedingly rare.”

“Then below that, he writes a new analysis, analyzing how to evaluate its behavior and if the demonkin that possessed Mrs. Hughes could have improved comprehensively. I instantly had the urge to keep reading.

“Karon writes that the baseline of psychology is humanity, yet both the upper and lower limits of psychology lie outside the scope of humanity. Below humanity is bestiality, which has no sense of beauty and is rarely used. Even when it does appear, there’s no need for any sort of analysis. Above humanity lies mystery and the unknown. Because it passes through humanity as a transition, when analyzing their behavior, one can naturally bring in analytical methods that originate from humanity.”

“Oh my god!” Alfred blurted. “I think Young Master is clearly analyzing divinity!”

Pu’er pointed at a passage. “Karon even gives an example. If you encounter a true artist who surpasses Mrs. Hughes in a closed space, how should you face her?”

Alfred grew even more animated. “The design of such a scenario is very interesting. Perhaps because Young Master himself is always very safe right now, he feels that only within specific spatial areas and environments can his theories be better extended.”

Pu’er kept reading. “Karon says that this type of artist’s aesthetic has already completely surpassed the human category, manifested in the fact that she no longer regarded her hunting targets as beings equal to herself. This isn’t to say that she thinks her targets aren’t human, but rather that she believes that she herself is no longer human. In her perspective, humans are low-level species equivalent to cats and dogs.

“Damn it, meow!” Pu’er slapped the windowsill.

Kevin also barked, propping his front legs on the windowsill while leaning over to look together.

Alfred said excitedly, “Isn’t this exactly the perspective of gods looking at mortals?”

Pu’er puffed out her cheeks and continued, “So how, in this closed environment, can one avoid falling to a status similar to ‘pigs and dogs’? Hah, that feels better, meow.”

Pu’er glanced at Kevin. The dog’s brow was tightly furrowed.

Alfred translated for himself, “How to make gods not see you as pigs and dogs.”

“Here, it’s divided into three stages,” Pu’er read.

“Worthy of Young Master,” Alfred praised. “Even this is broken down so meticulously.”

“The lowest stage is... interesting,” Pu’er read.

Alfred nodded solemnly. “Oh, Young Master’s choice of wording here truly is interesting.”

It’s like someone who’s just finished a steak with salad and a glass of wine at a restaurant. When they step outside, they see a cute stray dog. The dog runs up, acts affectionate, and begs for attention. They find it adorable. They smile and feel the urge to pet it, maybe even feel distressed if the dog looks injured, and willl condemn those who abandoned or hurt it. They tell themselves they are different, kind, compassionate.

Yet just moments before, they ate steak, salad, and drank grape juice. The cow suffered. The vegetables suffered. The grapes bled. So this is not true kindness. It is only a kind of kindness that feels interesting to them.

Also, if that same stray dog were filthy, crawling with fleas, not begging for affection but barking wildly and baring its teeth, they would no longer find it cute. They would turn away at once, eager to distance themselves from the mad dog.

“So profound,” Alfred murmured, and in his mind he immediately saw that night again, when Sir Tiz had taken Young Master out to kill people. Along the way, Alfred himself had carried the radio and danced to its rhythm beside Young Master. Oh, so that was it. That is interesting.

Alfred suddenly felt a surge of relief. At least he had always retained his own mannerisms in front of Young Master, instead of turning into a flat, lifeless presence.

Kevin kept grinning with his mouth open. He had always been very cute.

On the other hand, Pu’er looked faintly puzzled. So in his eyes, is my temper also interesting?

“Keep going,” Alfred urged.

“‘The highest stage is complete sameness, perfect alignment with one’s position, full assimilation under a shared point of view.’

“He pauses, then writes a single line: ‘heaven and earth are not benevolent. They treat all things as straw dogs.’”

Pu’er frowned. “What kind of line is that?”

She looked over at Alfred, who shook his head. Pu’er then looked at Kevin, but the dog shook his head too.

Pu’er fell into deep thought. Could it be that Karon was really writing church scripture?

“Keep going,” Alfred urged again.

“The lowest stage is crude. You throw yourself forward and pay no attention to the consequences. The highest stage is unattainable, unrealistic in practice.

“That leaves the middle path, the one with real practical value.

“In an enclosed space like this, the answer is simple. You pretend to share their aesthetic.”

***

Back in the study, Judia walked over to Karon. “Is it really tasty to eat it like this?”

“Yes.”

“You said I’m too young?” Judia continued to approach.

Karon took a clean white handkerchief from his breast pocket. It was intended to be a decorative cloth for wiping glasses, yet he proactively reached for Judia’s face with it. He was not gentle, and even used a bit of force to wipe the bloodstains from her face.

When he finished, Karon smiled and pinched the little girl’s cheeks twice. “You really are just a young little cutie.”

Judia did not get angry. Instead, she smiled and leaned closer to Karon, raising up both hands for a hug.

He bent down a bit and let the little girl wrap her arms around his neck. There was a faint scent of expensive perfume to her, which was very pleasant.

Karon worked hard in his mind to imagine that he was holding a cute little girl rather than a ferocious beast that had just eaten human flesh.

Judia blew a breath by Karon’s ear, and he smiled, doing his best to keep his voice from trembling, “Hehe, that tickles.”

“Handsome big brother, you know, from the moment I climbed in through the window and saw you, I was thinking that such a good-looking big brother must taste very good, hehe.”

“Hehe.” Karon laughed as well. At this moment, only the cloth on his back, which was already soaked through, revealed how nervous he truly was. Even so, he reached out and gave the girl’s butt a hard smack.

“That hurt,” she complained.

“You really are an idiot, a young, ignorant idiot,” Karon stated coldly. “Do you know that talking to you and interacting with you is simply a torment to my patience? You moron. You mentally deficient imbecile. You low-grade defective product born of the Gloria family’s incestuous breeding.”

With every insult, Karon’s heart trembled, because each sentence might result in the little girl biting clean through his throat. And yet, with every insult, the little girl trembled as well.

“Remember this,” he continued. “Do not use your low-grade tastes to measure true scenery. Doing so will only make you look like that pile of horse dung you personally stuffed into your brother’s mouth.”

“I...” Judia’s voice broke.

Karon pressed his hand hard against the back of her head, fingers tightening as he spoke. “Stuffing horse dung into your brother’s mouth is something only trash like you would do! If you wanted to humiliate him properly, you should have chosen a clean pair of underwear and made him hold that in his mouth. Only then would it have been true mockery, not just of him, but of the entire Gloria family.

“That would have been real artistic shock,” Karon continued, his voice growing colder. “People can pinch their noses at horse dung. Such disgust passes. But this, this would have forced a reaction. Those outside of the Gloria line would laugh despite themselves, while every Gloria royal would feel rage and shame, as if something filthy inside of them had been dragged into the open. And that underwear should have been your great-grandmother’s, Her Majesty the queen’s. Only then would the effect be complete. Right?”

By the time he finished, Karon felt like his brain was completely starved of oxygen. Fortunately, the window was open, and the cold wind kept pouring in, keeping the sweat on his face from spilling down.

In his arms, Judia started to sob. Her tear glands seemed absurdly active, and her tears quickly soaked his clothes.

“Big brother,” she choked out. “You’re completely right! So, is there a way?”

Karon looked at her. “Eating me should be of some help to you.”

Judia wiped her tears and showed a shy, embarrassed smile, as if to say she had been thinking the same thing all along. He reached over and hooked a finger in her lips, slowly pulling them downward. She did not move her head, and simply let him tug at her mouth.

“For trash like you,” Karon explained. “The only way forward is simple and brutal. That is the fate that suits you.”

Judia began to sob again, her eyes flooding, tears falling one after another. “I... I understand what I am...”

As she spoke, Karon noticed something new forming deep in her eyes, a different emotion: the first stirrings of self-awareness.

To outsiders, the girl unquestionably had a noble status, and whatever level she had reached in her family’s faith system was more than enough to justify a certain amount of pride. It was like someone who had been deceived suddenly waking up at the right moment, breaking free of an atmosphere that had been built by words and gestures.

The most direct example was anyone, man or woman, who had spent a long time indulging in devoted self-sacrifice, only to snap to their senses one day and feel the urge to slap themselves. Why was I willing to demean myself like that?

Such deceptions succeed only because the victim wants them to be real. Games continue because the participant chooses to stay and play. Karon did not believe their earlier exchange had worked because of any particular brilliance on his part, but because he had caught Judia’s interest and drawn her in, granting her a role she wanted to perform.

The moment she grew bored or felt sufficiently satisfied, she would end the game, and end the life of her “playmate” along with it.

Which led Karon to immediately pointing to the painting of Earl Rekar. “Last night, when I went to speak with Earl Rekar, he was intimate with Queen Gloria the Third. When he saw me, he pushed the queen to the deck and tossed her a black pearl, laughing as he said, ‘A real pirate never owes a whore her fee.’

“I can take you to meet Earl Rekar,” Karon declared.

Judia’s lips parted slightly as she stared at him in a daze.

“This may be a chance granted to you by the sea,” Karon continued. “And it may be the only way for you to change your fate, and the filthy Gloria bloodline mixed into you.”

Judia slowly stood up. She was no longer crying. Instead, she studied Karon with a focused seriousness. Her eyes revealed a maturity that did not belong to her age, and faintly, pale blue ripples stirred, like water beginning to move.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. It broke the stillness of the sealed room and sent ripples strong enough to overturn everything inside it.

Yet there was no panic on Karon’s face. Even though his heart had nearly lodged itself in his throat at the sound, he merely tugged at the damp patch on his chest where the girl’s tears had soaked his clothes, and then impatiently said to Judia, “Press the desk bell. I need to change my clothes.”