The horse carriage stopped in front of the gate of the mansion once again with a violent jolt that threw everyone forward slightly.
The carriage man's palm extended toward Richard expectantly. "Sir, my payment?"
Richard stepped out and dropped a few coins into the carriage man's hand—exactly 25 Aether. Less than half what he had promised.
"Hey! You said you would give me triple!" the carriage man shouted in genuine anger, his face flushing red with indignation at being cheated.
Richard's face suddenly transformed. His expression shifted from weary traveller to something cold and dangerous—a mask of authority and barely concealed fury that radiated sudden, terrible power. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"Johan gave you double payment, and I have given you my legal payment. Now get lost. By the way, I am a police officer."
The carriage man froze like ice. Even his horses sensed the shift in the air and began to back away nervously, their hooves clopping against the stone in agitated patterns. Without saying anything else, the carriage man cracked his whip and departed at speed, eager to escape.
Power, Richard had learned, was far more effective than money when it came to enforcing one's will.
Kaeli called from outside the gate, her voice echoed in the garden. "Somebody here! We want some help!"
Richard turned to Johan, who was standing by the reception window, his expression clearly annoyed at seeing him again. "Johan, please... let us enter."
Johan looked annoyed at seeing Richard once more. But his gaze suddenly shifted past Richard entirely, focusing on Theo standing behind them. Johan, aside from his irritation and went out to open the gate.
"Theo, are you fine now?" Johan asked as soon as the gate was wide enough, his question directed entirely at the young man who had once tried to kill Joseph.
"You should ask me first…" Richard grumbled, gesturing dramatically to his own battered state—the bandaged forehead, the bruises along his jaw, the general air of defeat that clung to him.
Johan looked at Richard's forehead and narrowed his eyes with clinical precision. "Oh, sorry, sorry, but did this forehead injury just happen now?"
"No, this happened the previous night," Richard admitted, his voice tinged with shame.
"Let me guess, a lady hit you," Johan said with a knowing smirk that suggested he found the situation amusing.
"Not like that, but you are right," Richard said in sheer frustration.
"What else can I expect from the greatest simp of all time?" Johan taunted him, his tone dripping with affectionate mockery.
The banter continued, natural and easy between them despite everything—the kind of friendship that could withstand even dramatic rejections and elaborate proposals.
Jennifer was watching them from the reception window. The moment she saw a young girl accompanying Richard—a girl who looked no older than sixteen, with frightened eyes and a delicate frame—her entire body went rigid.
"Aaaaa!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the hallway with the force of genuine alarm.
She burst out of the mansion, running toward them at full speed. Her protective instincts had activated, and nothing short of a wall could have stopped her. Before Richard could even properly greet her, she had shoved him aside with surprising force, picked Kaeli up, and practically hauled her toward the mansion like a soldier rescuing a civilian from a combat zone.
"Do you know how perverted this man is?" Jennifer yelled at the bewildered Kaeli, her voice sharp and cutting. "What compulsion do you have that you are anywhere near that man?"
Kaeli, looking completely bewildered and overwhelmed by Jennifer's intensity, responded with a face of deep sadness. "Yeah... you can call it compulsion."
"Jennifer, don't worry, she is my cousin!" Richard shouted from outside the gate, trying desperately to defend himself and his honour.
Jennifer spun around, her eyes flashing with absolute fury. "Shut up, you bastard! First, you tried on my friends, now this girl, what will your next target be? An old woman? A statue?"
Richard stood there, stunned and profoundly offended. "You are the neighbours of this vampire family. This is not the scary thing. The scariest thing in here is me...?"
"Now tell me, why did you come here?" Johan asked, his tone turning serious as they stood by the gate. The playfulness evaporated, replaced by something more urgent.
Richard took a breath, collecting himself. "Can you afford a new member in your orphanage?"
"Oh, definitely," Johan said, his chest lifting with genuine pride. "My mother gave me the divine responsibility to adopt orphans. She gave us this beautiful mansion for that very purpose. This is one of the prides of our family."
Richard sighed in visible relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "What about Theo? Listen, you know exactly what type of family he belongs to. The Diaftis Order, the Dark Lord's followers—they will hunt him to the ends of the earth for his betrayal. This is the safest option for him. To stay here under your roof, where they would never think to look."
Johan looked at Theo with a warm, genuine smile—a smile that held forgiveness and acceptance. Even though Theo had tried to kill his brother, Johan understood that the young man was a victim of his own circumstances, a person caught between family and conscience.
"Definitely. Theo, you are welcome here," Johan said simply. "You made your choice, and that choice deserves to be honoured."
Even though Theo had attempted to murder Joseph, Johan forgave him and sheltered him anyway. This was who Johan was—someone who understood that redemption mattered more than revenge.
Jennifer, who had been listening to the conversation from behind the door, smiled to herself with quiet approval. She understood Johan's choice, even if she wouldn't have made it herself. She opened the door wider.
"Come in," Jennifer said, her voice rich with warm, genuine motherly hospitality. She stepped aside to let them pass, gesturing them toward the warmth of the mansion. "You're safe here."
"Thanks," Theo said quietly, his voice trembling with emotion. He looked emotional, his eyes reflecting a mixture of relief and a hope he hadn't felt in far too long—hope that perhaps he could be more than his family's instrument of revenge.
After some time had passed, the sun began to dip lower in the sky, painting everything in shades of gold and amber. Kaeli and Richard were preparing to leave now. Jennifer and Johan came out to the gate to see them off properly, the courtesy of hosts bidding farewell to departing guests.
Jennifer used her Rizas spell to heal injuries of Richard.
Suddenly, Richard dropped to one knee in the gravel right in front of Jennifer.
The movement was so sudden, so completely unexpected, that everyone froze.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a glittering engagement ring. The diamond caught the last rays of sunlight, refracting them into tiny rainbows.
"Thank you, kind lady, for helping and understanding me. I hope you accept my proposal. Miss Jennifer... will you marry me?" Richard proposed, his voice filled with a dramatic, desperately misplaced hope that seemed to come from another world entirely.
"What? Www-what?!" Kaeli's jaw dropped in pure shock. She had not expected this. No one had expected this.
Johan didn't even flinch. He just stood there, looking entirely calm but deeply, profoundly disappointed in his friend. "A simp will always be a simp," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
The spectacle didn't go unnoticed. From the mansion's garden, where the children had been playing, they all turned to watch with wide eyes—understanding instinctively that something dramatic was occurring.
Daisy, with a fiery spirit that burned brighter than her small frame, made a tight fist with her right hand. "This guy has come back to disturb Dr. Jennifer again!" Her voice was filled with outrage. She was ready to charge across the garden and launch an attack that would have been both hilarious and surprisingly effective.
Scarlett quickly held her back, grabbing her shoulders and blocking her path. "Wait, Daisy. Dr. Jennifer can handle him herself."
"If we need a substitution for the fight, we always have brother Eloise," Arnold added, pointing toward a nearby mansion where Eloise lived, the Josephine mansion. The suggestion was both practical and weighted with the knowledge that Eloise would destroy Richard without hesitation if Jennifer asked.
Jennifer stared down at Richard, her expression unreadable. For a moment, she was simply silent, letting the weight of his proposal hang in the air between them. But her eyes—her eyes were absolutely, unquestionably angry.
Without a word of warning, she swung her leg and kicked Richard squarely in the face with the precision and force of a trained combatant.
THWACK!
Richard sprawled back onto the gravel, clutching his face, gasping in pain. He looked like a discarded doll thrown across the ground.
"Get lost in front of me! Leave now, or I will call Eloise to finish the job..." Jennifer growled in a low, dark tone that sent a chill through the air and made even the children shudder.
Richard sprawled back onto the gravel, clutching his face in genuine agony. "Do you know I am a police officer?!" he shouted, trying desperately to reclaim some shred of dignity and authority.
"Who cares?" Jennifer snapped. She turned on her heels and began marching back toward the reception, her entire posture radiating righteous fury.
On her way through the garden, she stopped briefly in front of the gathered children. She looked each of the boys in the eye, then the girls, her expression serious and instructional.
"Boys, don't be like him. Girls, stay alert around men like that," she said firmly, her tone carrying the weight of genuine advice.
"Yes, Doctor!" the children chorused in unison, their voices bright and obedient.
Johan watched the carriage finally pull away with a bruised and defeated Richard inside, his face still throbbing from the kick. He felt a mixture of amusement and resignation—Richard's romantic pursuits were as persistent and futile as the turning of seasons.
Jennifer took a short breath and turned to Theo, who was still standing by the door, witnessing the entire spectacle. Her expression softened immediately.
"Welcome to the family, Theo. It's never a dull moment here," she said warmly, extending her hand in genuine welcome.
Theo took it, and for the first time since his arrival, a genuine smile crossed his face.
Later, at the Headquarters of the New World Order in Barniglos City.
Kaeli and Richard arrived at the headquarters. The building was a massive two-story structure, one of the oldest monuments in the city, its stone walls weathered by centuries of history and countless conflicts. Torches burned in iron sconces along the walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed ominous in the gathering darkness.
As they walked through the grand corridor, Richard let out a heavy, miserable sigh. "Aa… what a day!"
"What did you expect from her?" Kaeli taunted him, her voice dripping with sarcasm and amusement at his complete and utter romantic failure.
Richard stopped and glared at her, his face still throbbing from the kick. "Hey, change your behaviour," he said, his eyes flashing with genuine anger. His pride was wounded, and he needed an outlet for his frustration.
"Look who's talking," Kaeli shouted back, matching his gaze with her own fiery look. She was not about to be intimidated by his police officer authority.
Without another word, they split up, heading in different directions through the headquarters.
Richard pushed open the doors to the staff room, expecting the usual quiet professionalism. Instead, he was met with absolute chaos.
Officers were running frantically from one table to another in panicked haste. The air was thick with the sound of ringing telephones and the constant rhythmic clicking of faxes and telegraphs—sounds that screamed emergency and disaster. In the corner, six officers in the Communication Department were continuously working the telegraph machines, their fingers moving in a blur as they sent urgent messages across the city.
One officer caught sight of Richard and rushed over, his face pale with genuine terror. "Sir! Sir, our headquarters in four different districts have been destroyed by an unknown order! We have to do something. This is an extreme emergency!"
"What?" Richard's voice dropped, all annoyance evaporating instantly.
The magnitude of the situation was clear in the officer's eyes.
"Inform the capital headquarters immediately!" Richard commanded loudly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
"Sir… the capital city headquarters has already been attacked. They barely survived it," the officer said, his voice trembling as he delivered catastrophic news. "The attackers destroyed the entire capital prison. All the criminals are free now. The Master is currently trying to establish contact with the Grand Master."
Richard's eyes widened in horror as the scale of the disaster became clear.
They destroyed the capital prison… In that prison, the Grand Master of the Diaftis Order was being held for interrogation. If she's out… That means this attack comes from the Diaftis Order.
Richard whispered, his mind racing through the implications of this catastrophe. If Theo's mother were free, if all the Dark Order criminals had been released, then everything they had built was in jeopardy.
Richard walked away from the panicked officers toward the large window overlooking the main entrance. He stared out at the city below, his reflection in the glass looking exhausted, battered, utterly defeated.
"I can't handle this alone," he thought, clutching the ledge for support. "I need the help of the other members. Especially Johan and Jennifer. They are the only ones with the strength to stop a full-scale insurrection. They are the only ones I can trust."
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn downward to the main gate below.
A mysterious man, dressed in dark, flowing robes that seemed to swallow the light itself, walked calmly toward the entrance. Each step was measured, purposeful, radiating an aura of absolute power. The robes moved around him like liquid shadow, and his presence seemed to drain hope from the very air.
"Hey, who are you? Do you have an ID card?" one of the guards shouted, stepping forward to block the path. His voice wavered slightly, as if some part of him already knew this would end badly.
The man stopped. He looked up at the guard, a faint, terrifying smile playing on his lips—a smile that held no warmth, no humanity, only the satisfaction of a predator facing prey.
"Oh! You need an ID card?" he asked, his voice soft and almost polite.
The man raised his hand slowly and deliberately.
He snapped his fingers.
He charged his mana.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted at the entrance right before Richard's eyes—a detonation so powerful it seemed to tear the very air apart. The shockwave rattled the entire building, shaking the foundations, shattering the window glass beside Richard and sending a cloud of dust and debris screaming into the air like the breath of a dying god.
Richard was thrown back by the force, his body crashing against the wall. His ears rang with a high-pitched whine that drowned out all other sound. The screams of the guards were swallowed by the roar of consuming fire.
Through the smoke and dust, the figure in dark robes continued walking forward, untouched by the explosion, moving through the flames as if they were nothing but air.
The headquarters was under attack.
And they were utterly unprepared.