The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 727

Chapter 726
Mark of Wrath?
Princess Xiardo, Miss Alistair, and Selene all got into the car.
At first, Alistair subconsciously thought they would be taking a carriage.
But when Prince Xiardo led them to the side of the street, Alistair noticed his vehicle.
—It was a genuine “car,” as clearly etched in Alistair’s memory.
Alistair’s eyes suddenly lit up.
And it wasn’t just a car, it was a sports car—
Its stunning red, streamlined body gleamed under the lights. It was a convertible, and the driver’s seat was occupied by a driver wearing peculiar sunglasses. The middle-aged driver wore glasses similar to Master Nobel’s, embedded with seven microscope lenses, which were now all shining with a bright green radiance.
The driver subtly turned his head, seemingly surprised by Prince Xiardo bringing two ladies into the car.
“Home,” Prince Xiardo said as he sat in the passenger seat.
Alistair skillfully opened the car door and sat behind him. She then reached out to help Selene settle in.
She subconsciously fumbled around the seat but couldn’t find a seatbelt, so she gave up.
Through the rearview mirror, Xiardo saw this but said nothing, merely gazing ahead.
With the engine’s hum gradually growing louder, the car drove forward with remarkable stability. The tires seemed to be of good quality, and the asphalt concrete road was well-maintained.
As the car’s speed increased, the surrounding scenery rapidly receded.
“—Ah!”
Selene was suddenly thrown back into her seat by the force, startled, “Wh— why so fast!”
She immediately reached out and clutched Alistair’s arm, managing to escape the intense unease.
However, the increasingly suffocating feeling that followed made her gasp for air—the excessive speed made Selene find it difficult to breathe.
Alistair glanced back at this, a slight smile on her lips. She comforted her with a touch of helplessness, “It’s okay…”
She tried to lift her hand slightly, to grasp the wind outside.
Through this simple speed-testing method, she judged that the current speed had exceeded eighty miles per hour, and it hadn’t reached its limit yet, still accelerating—she didn’t feel any significant vibration at this speed.
“Could you slow down a bit?”
Alistair leaned forward onto the seat and called out to Xiardo, “Could you slow down a bit?”
“Slower,” Prince Xiardo turned his head slightly and said to the driver, “And roll up the windows.”
Immediately, the still-slowly-climbing speed dropped by half. At least at this speed, Selene no longer felt breathless.
Then, transparent car windows rose simultaneously in the front and back, blocking the outside. As the windows ascended, they emitted a rattling noise until the red roof was also sealed by an extending shell. The boisterous wind was suddenly cut off, and the interior of the car became quiet.
“…Dare to roll up the front windows at this speed, aren’t you afraid the strong wind will blow them off.”
Alistair sat up straight and couldn’t help but retort.
When the windows were being rolled up, a tragic scene flashed through her mind—she was quite afraid that His Highness the Prince would be directly impaled in the eyes by suddenly shattered car window glass and die on the spot. Just like when she was in school in her past life, she always worried that the precarious electric fan would fall and decapitate the students in front of her.
“Mr. Fenrir knows what can and cannot be done. I simply provide my opinion, and he knows how to proceed.”
Prince Xiardo explained briefly.
Then, he turned his head slightly to look at Alistair and asked, “Have you seen the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ before? This… Miss?”
He couldn’t quite recall if Alistair had introduced herself before. Perhaps she had, but he clearly hadn’t remembered.
“Alistair,” Alistair corrected him.
“Of course, Miss Alistair,” Prince Xiardo immediately added Alistair’s name, “I see you are quite familiar with this car, at least not entirely unfamiliar.”
A car… Alistair realized that the Star Antimony people had the concept of “cars.”
She curiously asked, “The Philosopher’s Stone… is its name?”
“Precisely,” Prince Xiardo nodded slightly, his voice unconsciously growing louder, “Don’t you think? This beautiful red is the color of the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. As the essence of Star Antimony alchemy, it undoubtedly deserves this name.”
“But I remember,” Alistair smiled, “that the Star Antimony people believe the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ doesn’t exist.”
“It is precisely for this reason that it has been named after a car.”
Alistair saw Prince Xiardo’s lips curve slightly, and he seemed to smile faintly.
His melodious and calm deep voice continued to be clearly heard within the sealed cabin, “At least nothing can be named ‘Star Antimony’.”
“Did you invent this car?” Alistair suddenly asked.
“…No,” after a brief pause, Prince Xiardo replied with a somewhat complex expression, “But I participated in its design.”
—What a poignant and proud complex expression that was.
Only a soul thoroughly tormented yet brilliant could possess such a bitter yet steadfast spirit.
If such a soul were torn apart, defiled… made to wail…
Looking at that expression, an inexplicable desire to crush the other person suddenly arose within her.
It was like seeing something cute, yet having the incongruous thought of wanting to tear it apart…
Alistair’s pupils flickered with a dark red light.
“Miss Alistair,” as if sensing the fleeting pure malice behind her, Prince Xiardo suddenly turned his head and looked at Alistair’s right eye, “Please compose yourself.”
He warned her solemnly.
Alistair, however, did not hide the innocent yet cruel smile on her face.
She merely extended a finger and placed it between Prince Xiardo’s ear and neck, her index fingernail gently scraping. Her sharp white nails were like daggers, capable of severing flesh in an instant.
A brief silence fell within the car. Alistair, leaning on the front seat, met Prince Xiardo’s gaze. Selene, meanwhile, had completely wilted, curling into a fluffy ball on the other seat. Only the driver calmly continued to drive, the neon lights outside flashing by.
“…Hmph.”
Alistair chuckled softly and retracted her fingernail. The dark red glow in her pupils gradually dissipated, returning to clarity.
Although her expression suggested she was unconcerned about her actions,
She was shocked internally—because this sudden, wild behavior was completely inconsistent with “Eivass’s” rationality.
The feeling was akin to seeing noisy children outside and having the urge to rip their heads off; or seeing someone stuck in a swamp extending a hand for help, only to grasp it and then sever their arm with an axe.
As an expert in Demonology, Alistair immediately concluded… this was a characteristic of having the Mark of Wrath branded by a Fallen Heavenly Envoy.
Souls chosen by the Fallen Heavenly Envoys would be branded with a Mark of Sin. They would be gradually drawn into the corresponding domain until their desires spiraled out of control.
If they died in the correct manner, they would be transformed into demons after death.
If Shadow Demon Beyad had not reconciled with her back then and abandoned the Mark of Wrath, this would have been her original form. By further developing and evolving the power of the Mark of Sin, she would eventually advance to become a Flame Demon.
Alistair’s current contracted Beasts of Sin were Sloth and Envy.
This meant she shouldn’t have the Great Sin of Wrath on her at all…
…Could it be that the Fallen Heavenly Envoy had acted against her? But if so, hadn’t He noticed her Sin of Arrogance?
Or was this a characteristic of her being the “Child of the Moon” at this moment, imbued with the desires of the Path of Love?
(End of Chapter)