As expected by Jorgen, Elin's interrogation yielded no meaningful results. The tailor had told Elin, as a customer, that his business had not been affected by the earthquake, which was a lie. Two of his three most important long-term clients had died in the earthquake. He had considered that making up stories about the archbishop for profit might cause trouble, but his only response was "heard it from someone else." Such a person wasn't even worth detaining. After a warning, Elin released him.
The only thing more tedious than the interrogation itself was writing the related report, and what troubled Elin more was having to submit it. Above him in the Seventh Department were the Elder, Jorgen, and Mardias; submitting such a meaningless report to any of them would be asking for trouble. In the end, he just tore it up.
In the evening, Elin returned home. Glocara was half-lying on the central couch in the living room, reading a book. She propped her left cheek with her left hand, her bare feet pressed together. Elin walked behind her and gently pressed the soft spot between her neck and shoulders, which easily tickled. "Don't bother me," Glocara said, sitting up straight without turning around, flipping another page. Elin propped himself on the back of the couch, slightly lowering his upper body, and read aloud in an exaggerated tone from the page she had just turned to:
"If only Elizabeth could hear these words! The father's compliment of Mrs. Clay's appearance might alert her, especially since, in Anne's view, Mrs. Clay's freckles had not diminished at all..."
Glocara closed the book, placed it under a soft cushion beside her, and got up to go to the kitchen. "I'll make something to eat." She didn't look back at him even as her figure disappeared into the kitchen door. Moments later, Elin also walked into the kitchen, leaned against the doorframe, and watched her back at the stove.
"Need any help?" he asked.
"No."
Elin didn't leave immediately. Through the window in front of Glocara, he noticed some suspicious-looking people gathering at the corner across the street, constantly glancing around. To see more clearly, he moved beside her and peered out. "You're blocking me," Glocara said after a moment, nudging Elin's hand. Elin quickly moved aside so she could reach for the sauce bottle on the other side. The group at the corner left, and Elin couldn't see anything else, so he left the kitchen.
At dinner time, Elaine came down from her bedroom on the second floor. Elin wasn't sure what his daughter did all day holed up in her room—mostly drawing, but Elaine was always reluctant to share this topic with her father. With parts of the school severely damaged in the earthquake, classes were currently suspended. She had a small scar on the right side of her forehead, covered by her hair. When the earthquake struck, she had hurriedly climbed out of bed in her dorm, then slipped and hit her head on the wall. This story was pieced together by Glocara from Elaine's roommate, as she didn't want to talk about it.
About ten minutes later, at the dining table, after slowly eating a third of her portion, Elaine spoke:
"Dad. Tomorrow I'm going out sketching with some classmates."
"Out? Where to?" Elin asked.
"Outside the city, of course."
"Out of Stormwind?"
"Not far from the city gates, just in the small woods near the mountains..."
"No," Glocara said.
"We've already planned it," Elaine said.
"How many of you are there?" Elin asked.
"Six."
"I think it's fine," Elin said after swallowing a piece of potato. "Who knows when school will resume. The city is full of ruins and broken houses, anyone would get bored staying here all the time. It's good to go out for a while."
"Fine?" Glocara looked at Elin. "It's too chaotic now, all sorts of people are out there. Not to mention we don't know if there will be another earthquake, it's too dangerous to go to the mountains now."
"We're not climbing the mountains..."
"In any case, it's too dangerous to go near such places."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"You're right," Elin said to Elaine. "The school is closed to keep you safe for a while. Going out of the city is a bit too risky."
Elaine did not respond.
"Can you arrange for some people to protect them?" Glocara asked.
"That... I'm afraid I can't."
"Then there's nothing more to say."
Nowadays, Glocara seemed more like the decision-maker at home. Elin was very clear when this change started. After returning to Stormwind from Stromgarde, Glocara had been waiting for his action. Elin had indeed drafted two resignation letters, but neither was submitted. In fact, neither was finished because he couldn't decide what reason to give. He was a direct agent, and the Elder had clearly stated that a direct agent was to act as his will—and in the Elder's will, there were probably no words like resignation or retirement. He got a week off, which was his best chance to act, but he missed it. A new task was handed to him. On the night before his vacation ended, he lay in the bedroom and said to Glocara beside him:
"I have to go out early tomorrow."
"Where to?" Glocara faced away from him.
"You know, work."
"Seventh Department work?"
"Yes."
She didn't respond. After a moment, Elin propped himself up slightly and continued, "I mainly want to tell you that I won't be home tomorrow night."
"Okay."
"That's it then." He lay back down. "Good night."
In the dark bedroom, Elin looked at Glocara's back and the hair falling on her shoulders; although she didn't move at all, he could tell from her breathing that she hadn't fallen asleep for a long time. Elin recalled his childhood experience: getting into trouble at school, knowing that the trouble had reached home and a beating was inevitable, but still trying to act calm when he got home. Seeing his father take out the ruler and order him to stretch out his hand, he still couldn't admit his mistake. "I did nothing wrong, I shouldn't be beaten," he would deceive himself. It wasn't until the ruler left mark after mark of blood on his hand that his false pride would dissolve with the blood; whether he was willing to admit his mistake after the punishment no longer mattered because he had already endured the judgment's consequence. Facing Glocara's back, Elin felt a similar sensation—he hadn't directly admitted that he couldn't keep his promise for now. Glocara's seemingly emotionless simple response was Elin's punishment; the punishment defined his mistake.
Elin didn't forget the surge of motivation to start a new life triggered by being with Glocara on the slopes of Arathi Highlands. At that moment, he truly felt he had seen enough: murders, conspiracies, deceptions, betrayals, and all the people connected by these things. This impulse remained almost entirely intact on the way back to Stormwind, until he once again stood in front of the Seventh Department headquarters. Up close, the building had a massive frame that didn't match its simple design; the gray sky seen over the wall edges looked like a dust-covered but immensely heavy curtain. Elin stood there, looking up. A colleague walked past with a newly captured prisoner, who had dried blood on the side of his head and kept staring at the ground. The colleague didn't recognize Elin from behind and bumped into him as he passed. This casual bump interrupted Elin's slightly strange nostalgic gaze, and he realized: those dark things wouldn't cease to exist just because he couldn't see them temporarily. The Seventh Department was the closest place to these things' essence and his long-time refuge. He had never told anyone he "enjoyed this job," but at that moment, he clearly wanted to step through that door again, not leave it forever. He waited for new orders; when they came, he carried them out.
Murders, conspiracies.
Deceptions, betrayals.
He, Elin Tias, knew he could control these things.
Some work must be done by someone. They can't be completely ignored or abandoned. Even if by nature, he had never truly enjoyed these things.
He had fantasized about a compromise—keeping his job at the Seventh Department while not disappointing Glocara. This fantasy lasted less than a minute. He had promised to resign, that's a fact. He couldn't—temporarily couldn't fulfill that promise, and that was the result.
From that day on, Glocara gradually took the lead at home. Elin understood that things would inevitably head in this direction, but his guilt led him to actively accelerate this process. He would prioritize her opinions and proactively seek her input when she did not express her thoughts on her own. Until the day he fulfilled his promise, he had to ensure that Glocara became indispensable in his and Elaine's lives, making her responsible for them both.
That night, Glocara was half-lying in bed, continuing to read her book. Elin entered the room, sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, hands resting on his thighs. After a moment, he turned to her and said:
"I've thought about it. Arranging for one or two people to protect them shouldn't be a problem."
"Really?" Glocara turned a new page.
"I can find some subordinates who have nothing important to do tomorrow."
"Make sure you're certain."
"Of course, I've decided. Let Elaine go out and have some fun."
"Then go tell her."
"Sure."
Elin went upstairs and knocked on Elaine's door.
"Come in," Elaine said.
Elin entered the room. His daughter was sitting at her desk, apparently not ready for bed yet.
"We've talked it over," Elin said. "You can go hiking tomorrow."
"It's sketching."
"Oh, sketching."
"Glocara said it for your own good."
"I know. I'm not upset."
"That's good. Because you didn't say anything afterward..."
"There was nothing to say. If both of you said no, then I wouldn't go."
"Anyway, even though we've changed our minds, you still need to be careful. Otherwise, it'll be like last time... Let me see how it's healed..."
Elin reached out to move Elaine's hair from her forehead to check the scar. Elaine tilted her neck to avoid him. Elin withdrew his hand and stood up.
"That's all. Get some sleep early."
As Elin was halfway out the door, Elaine said:
"Dad."
"What?"
"You two should get married soon."
Elin bent slightly as he left the room; if you only looked at his upper body, it seemed like he vaguely nodded. "Get some sleep early," he said.