Man in the Ark: Revitalizing Kazdel

“7-265 Serfas Street...this is it…” In the suburban neighborhood far from the center of the Holy City, Krell, dressed in a black tuxedo and wearing a top hat to conceal his horns, found the home of Felia and her daughter by referring to the Holy City map in his hand.

As Krell stood outside the door, preparing to knock, he suddenly tensed up, carefully straightening his collar and cuffs twice. The Sarkaz man took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.

"Click!" The locked door suddenly opened, and Cecilia's little head peeked out from the crack. The father and daughter, reunited after so long, looked at each other. Krell froze for a moment, his expression instantly becoming complex.

Happiness, joy, elation, excitement, bewilderment... So many intense emotions overwhelmed me, leaving my mind blank, and I couldn't even open my mouth to call out my daughter's name.

"Mom, Dad's back!" In contrast, Cecilia reacted quickly, turned her head and called out into the house, then excitedly tiptoed and grabbed the Sarkaz man's broad hand to walk inside.

Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Felia came out. When she saw that familiar face she had longed for appear before her, she froze on the spot, tears that had been suppressed for many years streaming down her face.

“…I’m back, Felia.” Claire’s eyes reddened as he took Cecilia’s small hand and walked towards her.

"Welcome home, my dear." Felia wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her face beaming with a happy smile.

The Sarkaz man embraced the Sarkaz woman tightly, suppressed sobs echoing in the room. Their child, Cecilia, looked at her parents with a half-understanding gaze.

"Why cry when it's something that makes you happy?" Cecilia said, confused.

......

Across the street, in a two-story building, the mourner watched the whole scene through his scope, his index finger removed from the trigger.

"Threat eliminated, risk level reassessed, assessment result: harmless."

In fact, the undertaker's gun was already pointed at the man's non-lethal parts the moment the Sarkaz man appeared in front of the protected person's door.

Once he confirms that the other party poses a security threat, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger, instantly incapacitating the other party. It now appears that the Sarkaz man has a close relationship with the person he is protecting; the initial assessment is that they are lovers.

If that's the case, the unstable state of the little girl named Cecilia's wings and halo is very likely caused by her mixed blood.

"Why do the offspring of the Sarkaz and Sarkaz possess racial characteristics of both parents? Is this something that has never happened before, or has it been deliberately concealed?"

Realizing the special nature of the target family, the undertaker finally understood why the Pope had entrusted him with this task—someone did not want the child's special identity to be made public.

If this were made public, it could shake the very foundations of Lateran, and certain devout, fanatical believers would not allow such a thing to happen.

With that thought in mind, the undertaker silently put away his guns and got up to leave the attic. He needed to get closer to his target to avoid any unexpected situations.

......

After the lively banquet ended, a satisfied Theresa walked out of the hall. She had found several desserts at the banquet that particularly suited her taste, so she approached the pastry chef to ask to exchange recipes.

The pastry chef was honored that Theresa liked her work. The deal was struck happily, a small cultural exchange completed.

Carrying a small gift from the banquet organizers, Theresa stood near the entrance, looking around for that familiar figure.

Roy, who had been secretly observing from behind a marble column, appeared just in time, extending his hand in a gentlemanly gesture, giving everyone an unexpected surprise.

“Beautiful Ms. Theresa, I’ve come to take you back.”

"How is it? Is everything settled?" Theresa was clearly surprised that Roy would appear from behind the pillar.

However, she immediately gave a gentle and sweet smile, naturally took Roy's arm, and asked with concern.

“Yes, we’ve obtained some very shocking information. Let’s talk about it as we walk…” The two walked side by side back to their residence, and Roy shared the information he had obtained from the PCS system with Theresa.

"The ancestors of the Sarkaz were actually a branch of the Tikkaz..." Upon learning this shocking secret, Theresa's mouth agape, her face filled with astonishment.

“My reaction when I first found out was similar to yours.” Roy found Theresa’s reaction quite amusing and said with a smile.

"The memories of the previous Demon Lords don't contain much about Sarkaz. However, we can infer from certain phenomena that the Sarkaz and Sarkaz have a close relationship. It's just that none of us have thought of it that way."

"It's not too late to find out now. By the way, at the banquet just now, the Ursus representative approached me, hoping to import a batch of anti-Oripathy drugs through secret channels..."

"Hmm, I think I know why now. It's really not convenient to tell a third party before that matter is completely over."

Roy recalled his secret conversation with the Ursus Emperor, during which the emperor mentioned needing Kazdel's help; it turned out he was referring to this matter.

"I see. If it's really inconvenient, then forget it." Seeing Roy's serious expression, Theresa decided not to pry into the reason behind it.

“It’s alright, I’ll tell you in detail when we get back.” Roy snapped out of his thoughts; there was no need to deliberately hide this. The principle of “not revealing it to a third party” did not apply to Theresa.

"Okay." Theresa smiled happily, her steps becoming lighter.

......

In a dimly lit corner of the city, a row of more than a dozen secluded drainage pipe outlets stood. Fiamet, the watchman of the shimmering light who had been waiting for some time, twitched her fiery red, fluffy ears.

He quickly raised the large-caliber gun loaded with a flamethrower with his right hand, moving the muzzle back and forth between the several holes from which the noise was coming from.

"Whoever's there, come out here, or I'll open fire!" Fiameta shouted sternly at the entrance to the cave where the sense of danger was strongest.

"Oh dear, I never expected to find such a beautiful Miss Liboli here so late. I wonder if I am lucky or unlucky?"

A dark green figure slowly emerged from the shadows, the young man's right hand resting on an Iberian-style longsword. His narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, and a gentle smile graced his face, yet he gave off the aura of a venomous snake.

“Bishop Aurus of the Deep Sea Church, a wanted criminal reported by the Papal Court, I admire your courage in entering the Holy City alone.”

Upon seeing the man's face clearly, Fiameta's expression instantly became extremely serious, his index finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

"Lay down your weapons now and accept the judgment of the law. Do not try to resist; I am not sure if this flamethrower will cause any deaths."

According to the basic procedure for apprehending wanted criminals, verbal persuasion is given priority, and only after warnings fail can necessary force be used.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot agree to your request. Actually, I have no ill intentions; I'm only here for this important conference..."

"I'll say it again: lay down your weapons and accept trial," Fiameta warned again, her firm stance unwavering.

"Alas, if possible, I still hope to resolve this through negotiation." Aulus sighed, leaning slightly forward as if to draw his sword.

"Bang!" The deafening roar of the grenade's barrel exploded first, and the huge fireball, carrying astonishing heat, instantly scorched everything around it.

“No, this shouldn’t have caused such a large-scale fire.” Fiameta stepped back from the flames, her expression grim.

"That man sliced ​​the grenade apart after it left the barrel with his sword. Such precise and swift swordsmanship... is this the supreme art of Iberia...?"

The wanted criminal, Oulus, had already taken advantage of the cover of the explosion to quickly escape the scene. After reporting the situation to the patrolling guards, Fiameta turned and left, no longer checking the other pipes from which the noise was coming.

She already knew that the sinful man had returned, but now was not the time to settle scores with him. At least she needed to find out what really happened back then, with Remien and Mostima as witnesses.