The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 61

Chapter 61: A Reliable Brother and Sister

Eivass paused, then subconsciously reached out to touch the red powder remaining on Yulia’s forehead. He felt a scorching sensation on his fingertips, like touching hot water just poured into a glass. The sweat Yulia had exuded had now turned into the flame essence seeping from the Phantom Demon, “Butterfly of Bewildering Flames,” within her.

Eivass suddenly recalled the day after the first warehouse explosion… the day Senior Haina visited their home. Yulia hadn’t woken up until late afternoon, approaching dusk, and had appeared unusually weak. And just now… it was merely a warehouse explosion, yet Edward had forgone taking Eivass home, instead immediately dismissing Sherlock and personally handling the matter. He had returned even earlier than Sherlock.

Eivass immediately realized who the “culprit” was for these two warehouse explosions. This wasn’t about a Demon Scholar attempting to summon a demon from the start. It was because the “Butterfly of Bewildering Flames” within Yulia had lost control! The flames inside her had leaked uncontrollably, ultimately causing these two explosions… and the flame essence collected in the warehouse wasn’t a synthetic imitation created by an Alchemist, but rather the residual traces left by the “Butterfly of Bewildering Flames”’s activity!

“…Alright, it’s reattached.” Edward sighed with exhaustion. “The rest is up to you, Eivass. I’ll catch my breath for a bit, and I’ll explain later… You should tend to your sister first.”

As he spoke, the invisible chains binding Yulia dissipated. The scorching hot Yulia fell into Eivass’s arms, and he was surprisingly aware of the unconscious girl’s weight. The cracks covering Yulia’s skin no longer shone with red light nor spewed terrifying flames and heat. They had yet to fully heal, appearing like fresh wounds from a dagger all over her body, slowly oozing blood.

Edward’s lips were parched. After sitting down, he immediately poured himself a full glass of water. He drank it in one go and poured a second. After finishing the second glass, he closed his eyes, leaned back on the sofa, and slumped down, visibly weakening. Eivass was no stranger to this sight – it was the clear sign of his Mana Pool being nearly depleted.

He clearly recognized that the sealing spell onto Yulia was not a Law Spell taught by Law Masters, as it bore no Avalon insignia. These transparent shackles were more akin to the Soul Shackles of the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, used for capturing slaves or performing sacrifices, which could directly bind the soul and temporarily seal control over the Mana Pool. Edward had used all his power to cast this spell, forcing the nearly hatched Butterfly of Bewildering Flames back inside. Was this a spell he learned at Milton University… or one his foster father taught him? Doubts arose in Eivass’s mind, but he had no time to ask. Yulia had merely been spared the fatal fate of being ripped open by the Phantom Demon, but her high temperature and fever still needed to be addressed.

“Bring me a clean towel and wet it with water.” Eivass, pushing his wheelchair, slid to the bedside and quickly instructed Oswald, “Lukewarm water would be best.”

“Understood, I’ll get it right away.” Oswald nodded and went to prepare. Eivass frowned deeply. He removed Yulia’s torn pajamas and tucked her lower body into the blanket. Holding Yulia’s upper body in his arms, he let her head rest on his lap, positioning her on the bed, face up. He extended his left hand, placing it steadily above Yulia’s heart. Closing his eyes, he visualized a radiant light emanating from himself.

A brilliant radiance erupted from Eivass’s palm, rapidly burning away and expelling the pain within Yulia. Yulia visibly calmed down significantly. The flushed red of her cheeks quickly began to fade, and the murmuring sounds from her mouth also grew quiet. However, Eivass’s frown deepened…

Feeling his palm thoroughly soaked with sweat, his expression turned solemn. As he continued his treatment, Eivass clearly felt a restless and chaotic heat flowing incessantly into his body through his palm. It was like eating very spicy dried chilies and then choking, making his entire esophagus feel fiery. He could sense a tubular organ becoming distinctly present in his senses. At this moment, this “fiery” sensation appeared in Eivass’s left palm and rapidly flowed towards his heart, forcefully creating a scorching channel in the middle of his left arm. Eivass didn’t know what was happening, but he instinctively sensed danger. Before the heat could spread to his heart, he released his grip.

At this point, Yulia’s breathing had become steady. The scorching heat on her skin had largely dissipated, and the blood-soaked wounds had healed again. However, the heat didn’t immediately recede; instead, it remained within Eivass’s left arm. It caused a distinct throbbing pain, similar to the swelling when gums are inflamed. The color of his left arm even became redder than his right, and the temperature of both his arms was different. He frowned, not immediately attending to his left arm, but rather tucking Yulia back into the blanket to conserve her body heat and let her rest a while. Even though the blanket might get soiled by her sweat… it was flame essence, and after it dried, it could provide good warmth.

“Here’s the towel.” At this moment, less than half a minute later, Oswald brought over a clean towel soaked in warm water. He also brought a basin and placed it on a nearby shelf. Eivass nodded, took it, and carefully wiped Yulia’s sweat with the towel. After just a few wipes, the originally pure white towel became red. However, it wasn’t dark red like blood, but rather like strawberry jam wiped from a table. He handed the towel back to Oswald, signaling him to wash it. After three repetitions, the flame essence secreted from her body was almost completely wiped clean. He even kept some and put it in his pocket. Yulia’s body temperature finally returned to normal, and she tilted her head, falling into a deep slumber on the pillow.

Before Eivass could give any instructions, Oswald had already brought a soft, warm blanket. He wrapped the new blanket around the old one and gently rolled the sleeping Yulia into the new blanket. He then replaced the blanket and sheets contaminated with flame essence.

“This blanket is clearly unusable now – it’s filled with residual flame essence,” Eivass sighed, leaning back slightly in his wheelchair, and explained softly, “The same goes for this basin. Even after it dries, it’s dangerous – if a little flame essence remains, a single spark or slightly higher temperature will cause it to ignite. Likewise, pouring them into the sewer is also unsafe.”

“I understand, Young Master Eivass,” Oswald nodded, clearly accustomed to handling the current situation. “I’ll go find a place to burn them.”

Watching the old butler leave, Eivass glanced at the sleeping Yulia and then looked at his elder brother, Edward. He asked in a deep voice, “What exactly is going on?”

“You know Yulia is an ‘Egg of the Phantom Demon,’ right?” Edward, pressing his forehead with force, exhaled deeply and replied in a weary voice, “Even if you didn’t know before, after reading so many Occult books, you should have guessed. Yulia is fifteen this year. Generally, Eggs of the Phantom Demon have a hard time surviving past twelve… but the Hypnos potion Father acquired can keep the Phantom Demon within her perpetually dormant, and the Blood Purifying Potion can gradually excrete bodily fluids contaminated by the Phantom Demon’s power. However, as she grows older, the suppressed power within her grows stronger. Now, even double the dose of Hypnos potion can’t easily suppress the Phantom Demon, and increasing the dosage further could cause irreversible damage to her nerves. A slight fluctuation in her emotions could trigger a leak of power.”

Edward then reached out and pressed his temples, opening his eyes to look at Eivass. “Speaking of which, this incident is somewhat related to you.”

“…Me?” Eivass widened his eyes in surprise.

“Yes. Last week, because you were attacked and fell into a coma, she was very worried about you. She couldn’t sleep well that night and came to see you several times. The next morning, she started a high fever.” Edward said grimly, “Yulia had a premonition that she was about to lose control. But Father hadn’t left yet, so Yulia immediately told Father about it. Father dispatched Mr. Oswald to take Yulia to a nearby deserted seafood warehouse, allowing her to burn and vent her overflowing power as much as possible – that warehouse was one of our family’s subsidiary businesses, so we didn’t have to worry about the owner repeatedly demanding an investigation from the Inspection Bureau or hiring a private detective due to property loss. As a result, perhaps after venting last time, Father forgot to reinforce her seal… Today, because you attended Princess Isabel’s banquet, or perhaps because you’re going to school tomorrow, or for some other reason, Yulia lost control again. It should have happened when Oswald was seeing you off. At that time, you and Mr. Oswald were at the Princess’s banquet, I was invited by Sherlock to investigate a gang in the Lloyd District, and Father had also temporarily left Avalon. The other servants had no experience with the supernatural, and she didn’t know who to ask for help, nor did she want to trouble us, so she decided to handle it herself. I suspect she intended to go to the same warehouse as last time. After all, it wasn’t far from home, about a fifteen-minute walk… but she wouldn’t know that it was still under strict guard. She couldn’t get into her intended destination and didn’t know how to navigate the outside roads. But she started looking for a deserted warehouse along the way… In the end, she was fortunate enough to stumble into an abandoned stone warehouse before losing consciousness.”

“Yulia doesn’t recognize routes at all, and yet she still dared to go out alone…” Hearing Edward’s words, Eivass shook his head with lingering fear. “Fortunately, she didn’t go too far, still within the White Queen District. If she had gone to the Lloyd District, it might have been dangerous.”

“No, I think she’s quite good at remembering routes. She only went once with Mr. Oswald, and that was when she was feverish and delirious. This time, relying on her residual memory, she managed to find that warehouse on her own. I think her actions were too decisive. If not for this, the mansion would likely have been burnt down by now. Many servants would have likely died, and her identity as an Egg of the Phantom Demon might have been exposed – according to current laws, Eggs of the Phantom Demon are usually euthanized. In that regard, Yulia might have an adaptability for the Path of Balance or the Path of Wisdom. Instead of scolding her, I think she should be praised.”

Edward sighed. “But there’s no point in saying all that, as everything is fine now. Optimistically, this might even be a good thing. Yulia has used her Phantom Demon power twice in a row, nearly exhausting its strength. I have also used a secret technique to reinforce the seal – as long as she takes the potion on time from now on, she won’t easily lose control even if her emotions fluctuate.”

Everything is over. Eivass’s elder brother said this, lying wearily on the sofa. Although his clothes were somewhat disheveled, half-covered in black ash and torn, Edward’s voice remained calm and steady, unhurried. “Don’t worry, Eivass. It’s just too late today, and it took too long… That’s why you had to use ‘Illuminate Spell.’ If it were daytime, I could have called Bishop Mathers to come. Although the fire this time wasn’t as fierce as the last, it was precisely because of that that I noticed the flames too late. I wasn’t home that day – thankfully, I happened to hear about it from Mr. Oswald this morning. So when I saw the flames, I immediately thought of Yulia, which allowed me to rush over immediately. But her burning lasted too long this time, to the point where her spiritual shell began to crack and fester. If it can be suppressed in time next time, such a situation won’t occur, and sealing it will be much simpler.”

This man with a square face, a stern expression, and a perpetual frown spoke clearly and calmly, with the voice of a reliable adult. “This time, it’s my fault. I forgot to remind Father to check the seal, and Father left too hastily… This situation won’t happen again. As for staying flame essence, you don’t need to worry about that either. Due to historical and political reasons, Avalon Royal Family can only hire a few Alchemists. There is only one scholar responsible for examining dangerous Alchemical Products brought back by the Glass Island Inspection Bureau.”

“Who is it?” Eivass pressed.

“Dr. William Wayne Westcott. He is currently teaching Alchemy in the Sixth Department – the Occult Department – of the Royal Law University, and also teaches Anatomy in other departments. You might encounter him at school. He is a good friend of Father’s, and Father had already made arrangements… I’ll accompany you to school tomorrow and pay him a visit.” Edward narrowed his eyes, uttering a dangerous statement calmly. “I presume after his inspection, it will only yield another result.”

Then, he looked at Eivass and comforted him. “Although Father is not here, I will return home every day from now on. If there’s nothing going on at the Inspection Department, I won’t go out. Go to school with peace of mind and study hard. Leave everything at home to your big brother.”