Boom!!!

There was an explosion. Karon didn’t know what had happened. With so many thick layers of shields protecting him, he was not even able to see what was going on outside.

Still, he felt the impact. It wasn’t terrifying, because the many dark layers of barriers surrounding him canceled out the force by dissipating it. The armor collapsed and the walls melted, feathers fell away.

After the impact, Karon felt the world spin. It was as if he’d been thrown inside a tin can before it was tossed into the air. He heard loud clanging and crashing all around him again and again.

In the end, everything went quiet.

“Ah...” A small sound escaped Karon’s throat. Getting hit elsewhere didn’t matter, as they were just blunt injuries. The problem was that his head had struck twice, leaving him feeling a bit dizzy.

Still, thanks to his daily practice with the Spear of Punishment while at Allen Manor, he’d become accustomed to the sensation of having his head being struck, and so he was able to quickly recover.

He opened his eyes to find that he’d been flung out of the tram, and was lying on the road.

He looked down and saw that the little girl was safe in his arms, though her chips were crushed and scattered everywhere. The sauces were splattered all over both of them. At least he had worn cheap clothes for work.

He used an arm to push himself upright into a sitting position. The little girl stared, wide-eyed and seemingly terrified. After a moment, she started crying.

Karon had no time to comfort her, as he needed to find Alfred.

The tram had been derailed and was tipped over on its side. Flames flickered at the front, and black smoke rose from them. Before the explosion had occurred, Alfred had moved forward in the tram.

As Karon moved, he saw many injured people groaning on the ground. Some were lying down, blood streaming from their heads. Given their motionless state, it was impossible to tell if they were dead or merely unconscious.

Karon searched carefully, shouting as he went, “Alfred! Alfred!”

At that moment, a familiar vehicle came into view. The doors opened, and two people jumped out, hauling a stretcher. A bald, middle-aged man climbed out from the driver’s seat, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. From the other side, a woman in a red knitted sweater climbed out. She practically roared, “Move faster! Find the ones who look rich and are dead for sure! We haul those one back to the funeral home first!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Understood, ma’am!” Pike and Dinkom immediately started flipping over people who were lying on the ground. Given the pressure to survive, it wasn’t only in Roja City that a hearse might arrive at the scene of an accident even before the police cars or fire engines.

“This one! This one!” Pike shouted. “Come here! Over here!”

Dinkom ran over, and they worked together to lift someone up. Large portions of the body were charred, and as they raised the man, his arms dangled loose.

Karon rushed forward and blocked the stretcher. Yes, it’s Alfred.

Large portions of his clothes were burned, soot blackened his face, but Karon could still recognize him. “Get him to the hos—”

Karon nearly shouted for them to take Alfred to the hospital, but then hesitated. Was Alfred’s condition something that should be treated by a hospital? Could a hospital treat Alfred as a normal human?

When a demonkin was injured, how were they supposed to be handled?

“Sir, are you family? We’re from the Pavaro Family Funeral Home. Please accept our condolences, and rest assured, we will provide—” Pike paused. “Eh? It’s you!”

He looked down at the man on the stretcher, and then seemed to recognize Alfred as well.

“Take him to the hospital,” Karon said.

He had decided that, no matter what, the safest option was to send Alfred to the hospital first. He remembered Alfred once joking about Ms. Molly, saying she did not have many parts left that were still human, and that she was practically pure demonkin.

That likely meant that Alfred still had plenty of human parts.

“He seems dead, sir,” Pike cautioned.

“He’s still alive.” Karon’s voice was firm. “Now, quickly, take him to the nearest hospital. I’ll pay!”

As he spoke, Karon rummaged through his own pockets, and then through Alfred’s, only to find that the wallet and the cash inside of it had already burned away.

“I’ll pay. I’ll cover it. Now, take him to the hospital!” Karon pointed behind him as he funeral home’s matron.

The woman pursed her lips tightly. It was clear that she didn’t want to settle for a single ambulance job. They’d arrived early, and they should at least haul one normal order back home.

At that moment, the bald owner, Pavaro, walked over. He placed a hand to Alfred’s neck and felt.

Then, a strange look appeared on the man’s face, and he ordered his two workers, “Get him to the hospital. See if they can bring him back.”

“Yes, boss!”

“Got it, boss!”

The woman muttered under her breath, apparently venting her frustration on the man, but he only turned around and told her, “He’s a priest.”

Her mouth stopped moving and excitement flashed across her face. “Can we charge credits as compensation?”

Alfred had already been loaded into the hearse. As Pike moved to shut the door, Karon went over and demanded to ride along. Pike agreed.

Pavaro got into the driver’s seat, and the woman took the passenger seat. As for Pike and Dinkom, they were told to stay behind and continue looking for “clients.”

The hearse started up, and turned into a side road to bypass the traffic jam caused by the bombing. It quickly headed for the nearest hospital.

On the way, the woman turned her around in the front seat to look at Karon. “Kid, what is he to you?”

“My boss.”

It was a good thing Pike and Dinkom weren’t in the hearse, as the might have remembered hearing Alfred call Karon “Young Master” the day before. Of course, it was also possible that the two muddle-headed, compulsive Divine Servants might have already forgotten that detail entirely.

“Do you happen to know if your boss carries any money that isn’t rels?”

“Yes, rupi.”

“Not rupi.”

“There’s other foreign currency at home.”

“Not foreign currency.” Since she couldn’t get anything useful out of Karon, the woman gave up.

While driving, Pavaro asked, “You weren’t on the tram when the explosion happened?”

“I was on the platform buying my boss a flatbread. He said he was hungry.”

“You got lucky.” Pavaro glanced at the large smear of sauce still staining Karon’s clothes.

Alfred’s injuries were severe, because he had been too close to the blast center, with no time to defend. This had nothing to do with his strength. Even the best swordsman, if careless, could have his head chopped off, no matter how exquisite his technique might be. It didn’t matter if he had no chance to use it.

Alfred’s abilities leaned toward control and charm. Physical durability was not his specialty. It could be said that followers of Earth or those who followed family faith systems that focused on physical development would have an advantage in such a situation.

They arrived at the hospital, and Pavaro got out and went to the rear door. Karon helped to lift the stretcher down.

“Stand a bit farther back and don’t push; Just keep it balanced,” Pavaro reminded him.

“Oh, alright, I understand.”

Once the stretcher hit the ground, medical staff rushed over and began emergency procedures.

Karon was told to go pay first, but after he filled out the forms, Pavaro appeared behind him. The man pulled two thousand rels out from his wallet and placed it on the counter.

“Thank you.” Karon was completely sincere.

Pavaro chuckled twice. “I hope they can save him. Alright, I’m going back to the scene of the accident to pick up some clients.”

After a moment of hesitation, Pavaro took out a business card and handed it to Karon.

“Don’t worry, I’ll repay the dispatch fee and the money you fronted right away.”

“No, if it’s not enough, call me.” Pavaro then shot a look of pure contempt at the sign for the payment counter. “York City hospitals are all vampires raised by capitalists.”

After cursing, Pavaro turned and left.

Karon paid and accepted the receipt. He then headed for the hospital’s public phone to call home.

“Woof!”

“Get Pu’er on the line.”

“Woof!”

“Where’s Ciri?”

“Woof!”

“Neither is home? You’re the only one there?”

“Woof!”

“Alfred is injured and in the hospital. We’re at Covenant Hospital. Go to Alfred’s bedroom and look for cash. When Ciri comes back, have her bring it over.”

“Woof!”

Karon hung up.

A woman knitting at the phone station didn’t even lift her head. “Two rels for the call.”

Karon paid her and then went to the entrance to the operating room and sat on a long bench. After about half an hour, the doors opened. The doctor stepped out and removed his mask.

“Doctor, how is he?”

“We saved him. His wounds have been treated, but his burns are extensive, so he isn’t out of danger yet. We’ll transfer him to the intensive care unit for continued observation.”

“Alright. Thank you, doctor.”

Alfred was wheeled out. By this point, he was already able to open his eyes.

Karon accompanied Alfred to the ward, and at that moment, large numbers of other victims injured in the accident started being brought in. The hospital became unbelievably busy.

That was the advantage of arriving early. At a time like this, if you arrived late or even with everyone else, you would have to wait.

Once inside the ward, a nurse hung an IV bag for Alfred. After telling Karon to keep an eye on him, she left.

“Young Master.”

“How do you feel?”

“Not too bad.” Alfred sounded apologetic. “Mainly, I didn’t expect them to have explosives hidden inside their clothes.”

If Alfred had been given even a few more seconds to react, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

“It was bad luck,” Karon said.

“Yes. I stepped right on the timing and was blown unconscious. I actually woke up in the hearse, but I kept pretending I hadn’t, in case that Inquisitor noticed something. He said I was a priest, heh heh heh.”

“You can still laugh?”

“It’s fine. I prepared a small ritual array for myself from Mr. Hoffen’s notes. Right now, I have no demonkin aura at all.”

Karon lifted Alfred’s blanket and looked at the bandages covering large areas of skin, especially the front of his chest. “Can you do what Ms. Molly does?”

“In theory, yes.”

“Good.”

“But I still want to preserve this body as much as possible. Ms. Molly’s approach actually limits growth and the realization of talent.”

“Why?”

“It’s like drinking; The damage alcohol does to the body is irreversible, but in a freezing snowfield, a couple of swallows can keep you warm. It still harms you, but in that context, the benefits outweigh the harm.

“Our demonkin bodies are the same. Mr. Hoffen’s notes say there are two kinds of demonkin in this world; those born naturally, and humans who have turned into demonkin after being corrupted. I am one of the latter. A moderate bit of corruption can stimulate and develop the body’s potential, and it can even be controlled, turning into a kind of evolution.

“This is part of how demonkin advance. Throughout that process, our original body is the most suitable. At the very least, we should preserve as much of the original parts as possible. Without that, it becomes easier for us to lose ourselves, or it becomes harder for us to evolve further.

“That’s also why Ms. Molly chose to stay in Roja City instead of following us to Veyn; She knew that after merging with her new body, her potential basically became fixed. She didn’t expect that there is actually another path, the birth of faith in you, Young Master. Heh, though with her intelligence, she wouldn’t be able to do it anyway.”

“But if you don’t replace some part, your current body won't be able to last much longer.”

“My ability to recover is much better than ordinary people,” Alfred said. He closed his eyes and sensed his condition. When he opened them again, he looked resigned. “Oh my. These burns are even more severe than I expected. This body probably won’t be able to last any longer.”

With burns covering such a large area, infection was practically inevitable. Even with a far more advanced medical technology, handling such cases often came down to luck.

Of course, Alfred didn’t need to fear death, but he couldn’t keep using this body.

“A purified corpse, right?” Karon asked.

“Yes.”

“I understand. I’ll contact Allen Manor later and have them arrange for delivery.”

“But won’t that ruin your training preparations, Young Master?” Alfred asked. He knew why Karon had left Allen Manor.

“Things have changed. We can’t have anything happen to you,” Karon calmly replied.

“Young Master, I handled this poorly. I shouldn’t have gone to the front. I still lack real experience as a bodyguard.”

“You handled things fine. It was just bad luck.”

With two shooters firing upon civilians, it was a normal choice for Alfred to move forward to take control of them. Who could have expected they had hidden dynamite inside their clothes?

“Do you want water?”

“No, Young Master.”

“Then I’ll go make a call and have the Allen family arrange for your transfer and follow up treatment.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

Karon stood up, left the ward, and headed back for the hospital’s phones.

As he walked down the corridor, he suddenly heard a burst of barking from outside. He went to the window and looked down. He saw a golden retriever with a small satchel on his back, barking nonstop as hospital security tried to surround him. Kevin.

Karon immediately leaned out and waved. The dog saw him at the upstairs window, and immediately darted through the security ring. He slipped through a flowerbed, cut sharply to the side, and charged into the inpatient building.

Karon didn’t even bother with the call anymore, and instead hurried to the stairwell.

Kevin sprinted up, arriving in front of Karon. The dog was panting with his tongue lolling out, a grin on his face.

“Pu’er and Ciri aren’t home?”

“Woof, woof.” (Ciri took Pu’er to the supermarket to buy supplies, they aren’t home.)

Karon crouched and opened Kevin’s satchel. There were five thousand rels in it, as well as a phone book with just a few numbers: one was for the Immers household, one for home, and one for Allen Manor.

Karon had them all memorized, but Kevin had been thorough. The dog had clearly sprinted all the way to the hospital from the apartment. Karon saw all four of his paws were caked with mud, and even rubbed raw and bleeding.

Karon led the golden retriever into the ward. When he pushed the door open, the golden retriever went to Alfred’s bedside. He looked up and stared at Alfred, who stared back. “Heretical god, good afternoon.”

The golden retriever panted, backed up a few steps, and then leapt onto the bed. He placed a paw on Alfred’s blanket, leaving a bloody muddy print.

Karon thought for a moment, then stepped forward to lift up Alfred’s blanket. “His burns are too extensive, so his current body can’t be saved. We need to get a replacement.”

The golden retriever shook his head, then placed a paw directly on Alfred’s bandages.

“You want to see his wounds?” Karon asked.

“Woof.”

Karon nodded. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t explain medicine, but he did first go to the door and lock it. Only after that did he return and begin undoing Alfred’s bandages. Layer by layer, the horrifying burned area on Alfred’s front was revealed.

“Whine.”

Seeing the bloody, nauseating wound, the golden retriever closed his eyes in disgust. Then, he turned around.

One of the dog’s hind legs stayed on the bed, while the other rose and Kevin assumed a posture that any normal dog would.

Alfred’s expression turned bitter. “Heretical god, please don’t joke like this.”

Karon instead asked, “Will it work?”

The golden retriever nodded. “Woof.”

Alfred froze as well. While folk remedies concerning dog urine were nonsense, who could really say when it was heretical god dog urine? Anything that was connected to the word “god” became mysterious.

Alfred immediately accepted this answer. “Heretical god, aim properly.”

The golden retriever looked back, gave Alfred an intensely disdainful look, and started peeing.

The urine splashed onto Alfred’s wounds. Karon stepped forward, ignoring how filthy it was, and simply rolled Alfred over so that the urine could reach all of the burned areas more evenly. He even used his hand, as though spreading ointment to smear it across the wounds.

Alfred kept his eyes shut, his eyes trembling.

When the golden retriever finished, he shook himself and jumped down the bed, nearly collapsing onto the floor as he panted. He had run all the way from home and was truly exhausted.

Karon didn’t even wash his hands as he closely monitored Alfred’s condition. He quickly discovered, much to his shock, that the effect was immediate. The burns started to grow red, and then fresh, bright red tissue began to appear.

“Alfred, check your wounds again,” Karon urged.

“Young Master, my wounds are itchy; so itchy.”

“Kevin!” Karon called.

“Woof!” Though exhausted and overdrawn, the golden retriever still proudly lifted his head, ready for praise. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“From now on, you’re not allowed to use the toilet. You can only use a chamber pot.”

“...” The golden retriever fell silent.