The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Are You Here to Arrest Me?
“Yes, hello… I’m Haina, the inspector who had an appointment yesterday… I’m here to investigate the attack on Mr. Eivass Moriarty.”
A young woman in a blue and white uniform, who looked to be around twenty years old, stood nervously and awkwardly in front of the gate of a manor, clutching her wide-brimmed hat.
Her brown curly hair was tied back into a ponytail, and her nose was high-bridged. Her lake-blue eyes were filled with the panic of having messed something up.
“…S-Sorry, the district inspection bureau had an impromptu inspector meeting… There was another warehouse explosion in the White Queen District yesterday, and Flame Essence traces were detected at the scene, suggesting the involvement of a Demon Scholar—I think it’s the wanted criminal who attacked Mr. Eivass the day before yesterday!”
Haina’s voice grew smaller as she spoke, “S-So…”
“—So you took it upon yourself to participate in this inspection meeting that you weren’t actually required to attend, and you’re late… by two hours and twenty-three minutes?”
The old man’s solemn and aged voice echoed from across the iron gate. It was a special tone with a drawn-out inflection, the unique Elven Tone of the capital’s residents.
He snapped his jeweled pocket watch shut with a click and brought it back to his chest, sternly staring at Haina.
Standing opposite Haina was a thin, tall elderly Elf dressed in a butler’s uniform.
The skin on his face was wrinkled like bark, and his dark green pupils were closer to a wolf’s than any lake.
The old Elf was nearly two meters tall, and his posture with his hands behind his back was like a dead tree in the moonlight at night, casting a ghostly shadow. His straight, unmoving back exuded a powerful pressure.
Although Haina was still a probationary inspector who hadn’t graduated yet, she was still a quasi-official inspector who had passed her graduation exams with full marks and could be awarded by the Queen at any time. She was only wearing a probationary badge now because her assigned Gryphon was still being prepared.
By rights, she shouldn’t have been so afraid of a butler.
But the old man before her was different.
This elderly Elf butler was her own instructor.
Although he adhered to ancient traditions and had served the Moriarty Family since the founding of the nation as a butler… he had also resigned as the Chief Inspector eighty years ago.
“—I thought you would be later, Miss Haina.”
The old butler clasped his hands behind his back and spoke in his Elven Tone, which always gave Haina a slight sense of arrogance, “Young Master Eivass was attacked by a Demon Scholar the day before yesterday and only woke up late last night after being in a coma. However, when he heard that an inspector was coming to ask some questions, he readily gave up his planned visit to the Glass Stair Sanatorium. After taking some medicine, he waited by the fireplace for two hours in his weakened state for you, and I waited at the gate for you for two hours.
‘It’s almost dark now, and if you’re any later, you might as well be late for tomorrow. Since you’re already late for tomorrow, I don’t think a week of rest is too urgent. According to the Inspection Bureau’s rules, a case with a signed mandate requires a result within a week—with your excellent upbringing and full marks graduation, Miss Haina, I’m sure you’ll find that Demon Scholar smoothly.
‘Since you’ve already apprehended the culprit, why are you bothering my poor Young Master Eivass? You might as well go back. I’ll explain to Mr. Kent.’
Kent was the director of the White Queen Branch Inspection Bureau. Even if Haina were to become a full inspector, Kent would still be three ranks above her.
If the old butler’s tone weren’t so sarcastic, she would have turned and fled immediately, leaving this troublesome matter to her superiors. But the problem was, she was still a fourth-year student.
Although she could command great influence within the school, she hadn’t graduated yet.
She lacked sufficient social experience to discern whether the old man was seriously making such a suggestion or merely mocking her. But her intuition told her that if the old man hadn’t intended to do this, and she had just foolishly run away, she would probably bring disaster upon herself.
“…I am truly sorry.”
Haina could only bow her head and apologize, “I will apologize to Mr. Eivass as well.”
Regardless, she had made an appointment but showed up so late without any prior notice… she was indeed at fault.
She looked at the iron gate separating her from the old man, her thoughts beginning to wander subconsciously.
The black, hollow wrought-iron gate was adorned with only a subtle thorn pattern… it didn’t look like it belonged to a famous family.
In fact, Professor Moriarty—the adoptive father of Eivass Moriarty, who was involved in this incident—was indeed a quiet, steady, wise, and learned good person. Professor Moriarty was also Haina’s teacher during university, responsible for subjects such as astrology, astronomy, and advanced mathematics.
He inherited the Moriarty trading company, owned three museums, and even funded the only planetarium in the White Queen District. Despite being so wealthy, he quietly pursued academic work at the university. He even sponsored many orphanages and adopted many orphans, making him an admirable and kind-hearted influential figure.
Her captain had specifically warned her when she arrived that the Moriarty Family was not only wealthy but also a founding family served by Elves. Although the head of the family, Mr. James, had a gentle personality, she should still be cautious.
According to the rules, any direct participant in a demon-related incident, after being out of danger, must be immediately escorted to the local inspection bureau with a restraint lock for a mind assessment by a Law Master. Only after being confirmed innocent would they be sent back to a hospital or sanatorium.
This was because the identities of the ritual master, participants, mentor, and sacrifice in a demon ritual could not be easily distinguished by the victim’s status of “being injured or not.”
Since the sacrifice survived, it meant the ritual was largely a failure—the sacrificed victim might not necessarily die, but they would usually be killed to silence them. Therefore, when there were injuries instead of deaths, the injured party was not necessarily the sacrifice, and there was a considerable possibility they were involved in the ritual.
But these rules were now ineffective.
Director Kent acted like a blind man, completely ignoring this readily available clue. It was only after the old butler personally contacted Director Kent and made an appointment for today’s meeting that he seemed to “suddenly remember” this matter. And when she arrived, the Inspection Bureau didn’t even assign her a Law Master to accompany her, sending a probationary inspector without a Gryphon, armor, or sword alone.
Such blatant favoritism…
Haina felt that even if this matter truly involved Eivass, she wouldn’t be able to take him away.
But because of such a grand display, she actually felt… perhaps this matter was indeed related to him.
…It’s so good.
He was just an adopted commoner orphan. He was just fortunate enough to be noticed and adopted by the professor. Now he’s an influential figure the Inspection Bureau can’t touch…
Haina, standing at the gate, was lost in thought, feeling a little envious.
But just then, the iron gate slowly opened.
She raised her head in shock and saw the old man’s expressionless face, which somehow felt less angry.
The old Elf looked at her silently, then slowly walked back with his hands behind his back.
Haina froze for a moment before realizing she was being asked to follow.
She hurriedly put on the hat she was holding and hurried to catch up. But after a few steps, she remembered to turn back and close the door. However, as she turned her head, she saw the manor gate close by itself.
Not only that, but bright runes glowed from the inside of the seemingly unremarkable iron gate.
The sunlight slanted, and the evening breeze paused. Haina vaguely felt as if something invisible was covering this area, changing the atmosphere of the manor.
“I’m not trying to cause you trouble, Miss Haina.”
Although the old Elf was walking in front of her, his much gentler voice sounded precisely in her ear, “But when you make a promise with someone, you must keep it. If you agreed to meet at a certain time, then meet at that exact time, not before, and not after. Yes, the consequences of breaking rules in school might not be that severe, but the school also doesn’t have Gryphon Knights patrolling the streets, nor Law Masters who conduct regular tax audits of companies with armed knights—nor inspectors like you who can directly arrest suspicious individuals.
“Everyone in this country values ‘rules.’ The Inspection Bureau, the Court of Justice, and the Arbitration Hall protect not only the will of Her Majesty the Queen but also the many rules established by the council.
“I will forgive you this time, and I won’t tell Mr. Kent about your mistake—I’ll say you arrived on time, and after understanding the situation, you stayed for two cups of tea and had some snacks out of gluttony.
“But this is because Young Master Eivass is kind-hearted. When you were an hour late, I had already decided to call the Inspection Bureau. It was Young Master Eivass who stopped me. He said that everyone deserves a chance… no matter what reason, we should meet first.”
The old Elf spoke slowly, and after a long walk, he reached the manor gate.
The next moment, his voice lowered slightly but still sounded clearly in Haina’s ear, “Although Avalon has no ‘nobles’ like other countries, the descendants of the founders are equally noble. Without the sacrifice of those twenty founders, everyone would have died—even the Queen must respect the descendants of the founders.
“I feel your sincere apology, so I’ll forgive your transgression for now. But you might want to think carefully if you’ve offended someone or blocked someone’s path… As I said, this was an inspection meeting you didn’t need to attend.”
Hearing this, Haina suddenly froze.
At this point, the old man at the gate turned elegantly and bowed slightly to Haina, “Please follow me, Miss Haina. The Young Master has been waiting for a long time.”
At this moment, he wore the butler’s mask to welcome a guest.
His previous attitude was more like an instructor facing an unpromising student.
With her mind in a complete mess, Haina followed the old Elf towards the drawing-room.
The soft touch of the carpet under her feet startled her, and she raised her head, wanting to ask if she needed to take off her shoes—but the old Elf’s calm demeanor made her unsure. So, she followed behind with trepidation, feeling the sudden warmth of the fireplace in winter.
It was then she realized that she had made an old man wait at the gate for two hours on this winter evening.
Filled with guilt and shame, she didn’t know how to speak.
Even her suspicion towards Eivass was diluted by this remorse.
And so, she saw the Eivass Moriarty, who had a somewhat debauched reputation.
He was currently sitting in a wheelchair, with a blanket covering his lap.
His pale, weak face was devoid of color. His youthful appearance, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen, possessed a handsomeness entirely different from Professor Moriarty’s.
He was wearing a Pure White plush pajama set, looking as if he had just finished bathing. His soft, white-gold hair reflected the warm light of the fireplace. He was reading a book quietly and intently by the fire. His delicate face had a gentle aura… reminding her of a poet and the flames rising from her home’s fireplace.
That beautiful scene looked like a painting. Haina’s eyes widened subconsciously.
But at that moment, the young man heard something and skillfully turned around, pushing his wheelchair.
And it was at this moment that Haina noticed the wheelchair he was sitting in.
…Is this the price of being attacked by a Demon Scholar?
At some point, she had instinctively dismissed the possibility that “the Demon Scholar was Eivass.”
The young man looked over, his deep blue pupils like the sea.
“Madam Haina.”
It was a clear voice that exuded nobility, a luxurious tone that matched his appearance.
Compared to his pale face, his voice was more vibrant and very polite, “It’s nice to meet you for the first time. Hello.
“—May I ask, are you here to arrest me?”