Chapter 20: Though I Smoke, Drink, and Dye My Hair, I Am Still a Good Priest

“This…” Roland fell silent for a moment. “The situation is just like that… Is there any way to do it without those conditions?”

“I’m a lawyer, not a magician. Are you making wishes here?” Harvey laughed in disbelief.

“So there’s really no other way?”

“There is,” Harvey said after a moment’s thought, dropping two sugar cubes into his coffee. “You could just do it secretly yourself. But I have to remind you, any renovation of an existing building requires a construction permit. Otherwise, no construction is allowed, and it’s considered illegal.”

“…Breaking the law in Gotham City doesn’t seem like a big deal,” Roland pondered seriously.

“Hey!” Gordon almost spat out his coffee. “Are you sure you want to say that in front of a sheriff and a district attorney?”

“What choice do I have…” Roland looked troubled.

“I have another suggestion. Go ask the church for help,” Harvey said. “Provided they don’t exorcise you first after seeing you like this.”

“Is that really necessary…”

“What do you think?” Gordon glanced at Roland.

“Though I smoke, drink, and have a wild hairstyle, I know I’m a good priest,” Roland said earnestly. “The people in the church outside all look respectable, but who knows—they might secretly be cozying up to little boys.”

“You better hope no church priests hear you say that, or they’ll come at you with a Glock to ‘cleanse’ you.”

The three chatted for a while longer. Gordon and Harvey took the opportunity to give their tense nerves a brief respite.

“Let’s go. I still have to see the doctor later,” Gordon said, covering his jaw. “This toothache… I can’t avoid it anymore.”

“And you still eat so many sweets?” Harvey picked up a macaron. “These alone are already too rich with coffee.”

“Eating sweets helps reduce stress. I suggest you try some too.”

“No thanks,” Harvey shook his head.

“Alright, I’m off then. See you tomorrow, if nothing happens tonight.” Gordon put on his coat, paid for the coffee, and packed a sandwich to go.

“Yeah, I’m heading out too.” Harvey felt his mental state had been off lately and decided to visit his psychologist and girlfriend, Gerda, that evening.

“Okay.” Roland felt like he had come just to mooch a cup of coffee.

“You should find someone reliable at the church about your matter,” Harvey reminded him. “Don’t let Homeland Security catch wind and tear it down.”

---

After parting ways with the two, Roland returned to the church. From afar, he saw a group of homeless people approaching.

“The boss is back!” A child ran out to greet Roland. “We’ve gathered all the homeless around for dinner.”

“That’s good,” Roland smiled. “Is there enough food?”

“Our kitchen still has six hundred pounds of flour. Definitely enough,” the child replied.

“Alright, let the aunts who know how to cook work hard today.” Roland entered the kitchen where a few women in their forties and fifties were preparing food.

They were unemployed women from the East District, whom Jason had hired with a sum of money to be the cooks here.

“Boss, there are quite a few people today. We’re a bit overwhelmed,” one said.

“No need to make it fancy. Just enough to fill their stomachs,” Roland said. “I wasn’t planning to cook anything delicious anyway—just plenty of bread and oatmeal porridge.”

“Okay.”

Roland directed the homeless to receive their food in turn, bustling about busily. The goodwill points kept accumulating steadily.

[Goodwill +8]

[Goodwill +12]

[Goodwill +6]

[Goodwill +11]

Suddenly, he heard someone speak, “Isn’t the Eucharist the body and blood of the Lord? Why is there only bread? Where’s the wine?”

“Hey, do I look like wine? This is all there is. If you don’t eat, get lost!” Roland snapped, seeing someone trying to push their luck.

But when he saw who it was, he froze abruptly. “Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be busy?”

It was Harvey Dent, dressed sharply in a neat and exquisite suit, standing out from the surroundings.

“Oh, I originally planned to see the doctor tonight, but she had other things to do, so I decided to take a walk and happened to come here,” Harvey explained. “I didn’t expect your charity work to be so well done.”

“Of course,” Roland said, calling Jason over to oversee things and sat with Harvey to chat.

---

“I thought you wanted to renovate this church to make money, but I didn’t expect it was really to help more people,” Harvey said thoughtfully. “How about this: wait a few days. I’ll see if I can help you sort out the paperwork.”

“Thank you so much,” Roland’s eyes lit up.

“No need. It’s just a small favor…”

While they were chatting happily, a commotion suddenly broke out where the food was being distributed.

A homeless man, upset that the piece of bread given to him was smaller than others, started making a scene. When Roland and Harvey arrived at the scene, the man grabbed the child handing out food and slapped him.

“Damn, this is outrageous!” Roland cursed, about to intervene. But before he could move, a fierce-looking Harvey was already there, stomping on the homeless man’s face with a kick.

Harvey then relentlessly kicked the man’s mouth, knocking out several of his teeth.

“No, this…” Roland was taken aback, preparing to step in but stopped when he saw Harvey’s brutal behavior. “That’s not necessary…”

Harvey kept cursing under his breath. Everyone in the room was shocked by his demeanor. Even those who had seen Harvey on TV began whispering among themselves.

Roland sensed something was wrong. He had some children pull Harvey aside, then addressed the crowd, “Nothing happened just now. Anyone who spreads rumors will end up like this guy on the ground.”

He then had several people carry the unconscious homeless man out.

“Boss, Prosecutor Harvey Dent has left. What should we do now?”

“He’s fine. Keep an eye on those coming for a meal. Don’t let today’s incident spread,” Roland said, quietly sighing. Harvey’s behavior had left him uneasy.

“This guy might be turning into a two-faced man…”

“Hey, boss, what did you say?”

“Nothing. Get back to work.” Roland left the church and lit a cigarette. The sharp nicotine burned his lungs, bringing a rush of stimulation.

He exhaled a thin stream of white smoke, ash falling from his fingertips.

After walking a short distance, a sudden commotion arose nearby. Sending out a kamaitachi to scout, his expression shifted from serious to strange.

“Batman humiliating the Joker mercilessly? What kind of weird play is this?”