The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 830

Chapter 829
This Grudge Match!
The center of this ritual should be Alistair.
Eivass was sent in through his special connection with Alistair… and the others should all have some direct or indirect relationship with Alistair, most of them being Star Antimony people.
Now, Star Antimony is in chaos internally, and they are all filled with rage towards each other.
With the memories Alistair previously transmitted, Eivass basically confirmed the identities of these people.
That old mage should be from the Daffodil Duchy. He is the only one present who has a main hand weapon – which means this staff was crafted by him. Apart from Eivass and Alistair, he should be the strongest among them.
…And the one in rags should be the “Clown Laro” mentioned by Prince Xiardo.
He was Valentine VII’s most trusted jester, one of the few wise men in the court.
Sometimes he would use a spell to style his hair into a broccoli-like explosion, meaning he was “overwhelmed”; other times, he would have a nearly half-meter-tall spiked hairstyle that looked like a potted plant, indicating he was as insignificant as a plant.
When people still had to choose their words carefully, Laro always spoke his mind directly.
He would openly mock Valentine VII in front of other ministers, and scold others in front of Valentine VII. Considering the reason “you can’t argue with a clown,” no one would truly get into a fight with Laro – it was too undignified. He always claimed to be a clown – you can’t argue with a madman or a clown, right?
Whoever couldn’t help but break down under Laro’s sarcastic remarks would be mocked by others.
But if they endured their anger and debated with Laro, they would often lose… because what he said actually had some truth to it.
Because of this, although Laro appeared to be a mad clown, he was instead respected – or even feared – by people. Prince Xiardo, at least, valued this person highly… although he would frown when mentioning him, he still had to suppress his discomfort and give a rather high evaluation.
And in this incident where Valentine VII met misfortune, Laro had disappeared without a trace beforehand.
Some said he was already dead, killed by Red Phase. Some even said he died without a grave, his body unseen… Others said he escorted the Royal Family to safety. Because several other children of Alfonso Valentine also disappeared with him.
Now, it’s at least proven that he is not dead.
Laro sat soundly in his chair, shouting loudly, “Your crazy lover killed the King and destroyed Star Antimony! Look up, is this the Star Antimony you want now? A bunch of parasitic vampires, why don’t you take a good look in a dirty ditch, that’s where you belong!
“Aha, if your lover hadn’t died quickly, your father would have been chopped by him too! And then everyone would see him ‘doing it’ with you in front of your father’s coffin, mocked like that parasite who stole Louise’s skin!”
“—Audacious!”
Andrea Valentine, who had been verbally attacked, finally reacted.
Her face immediately flushed red, and she shouted sternly, “Just wait for death, clown! Father couldn’t kill you, this bug, today I will bury you here! You will all die!”
“Oh, you will all die~ Then come and hit me? Come and hit me now? Hit me, hit me, hit me, why aren’t you coming? Oh, who came later than me, was it you? Miss Valentine? How many fathers do you have?”
“I am your father!!”
The two of them started cursing each other directly across the silent woman in the middle.
So…
Eivass looked at the woman who entered with Laro. They entered around the same time, suggesting they were together.
The woman had short, curly, dark, and lustrous hair. Her short curly hair, which didn’t reach her shoulders, gave her a dignified and neat aura… In an era where men generally had longer hair, this length gave her a somewhat androgynous and authoritative presence.
This hair color…
This person should be Valentine VII’s daughter. Considering her age, she was most likely his eldest daughter – the first child born before Queen Louise became a Child of the Moon. This would be Prince Xiardo’s elder sister, the current Crown Princess of Star Antimony, Noel Valentine.
The Path of Balance, Tier Four to Five.
“…Golden Stone Knight.”
Eivass muttered softly.
Hearing his voice, Crown Princess Noel looked up in astonishment.
Eivass nodded at her, but it was clear – with Laro and Andrea shouting at each other, Noel in the middle couldn’t talk to Eivass at all.
At this moment, the old mage beside him took the initiative to speak, “You can call me Pelican, Archbishop.”
“I am [Sun].”
Eivass said to Pelican.
As he spoke, two of the remaining three also appeared one after another. They didn’t have to wait long.
One of them wore a Black Eagle officer’s uniform, exuding a powerful and肅殺 aura; his identity was self-evident – he was a “Warrior” from Black Eagle.
And another… was an acquaintance of Alistair.
As soon as he appeared, he looked directly at Alistair. Alistair also recognized him… even though his features were indistinct, the hairstyle alone was enough to identify him.
– It was Professor Rasimi, whom Alistair had seen on the ship before, a Fourth Tier Necromancer. His specific advanced profession was unclear, but it was said he had disappeared a long time ago. Perhaps because he was part of the Red Phase forces, he fled after the fall of Red Phase.
What was he doing now? Did he think his power was insufficient?
As soon as he appeared, Andrea, who was already struggling to argue with the clown Laro, immediately seized him.
Her identity was exposed, and she clearly didn’t want others to hide in the shadows – if everyone’s identities were exposed, it would be as if no one’s was. At least no one would choose to attack her first for this reason.
So Andrea shouted back, trying to change the subject, “Odval Rasimi! You traitor!
“We already know, it was you who tricked Father and Prince Heinrich into the Spirit Tower! You are dead, just like that slut Blood Coral!
“We have already sent people to hunt you down, do you think you can escape? You will die soon, they are already near you!”
“—Well done, Professor Rasimi!”
Laro immediately shouted even louder, even making “Pelican” wince and cover his ears, “Don’t be afraid, you immoral old man! Those vampires can’t cross the river, they can only go by boat! Hit them hard, send them to the bottom of the sea!”
Andrea glared, “Pomanach will avenge all traitors…”
Laro let out a shrill duck-like laugh, “You’re a Pomanach, are you? Does your bastard father know you’re using his surname? He won’t even give you a surname, will he? Oh dear, whose illegitimate child is stealing someone else’s surname, how shameful, how shameful.”
“You bug!”
Laro, with just two sentences, firmly drew Andrea’s hatred back to himself.
Clearly, Andrea, who came from a distinguished family, lacked vocabulary. She tried her best to retort to Laro, but it looked like a one-sided humiliation.
Alistair couldn’t help but say, “This is the first time I’ve seen a Tank-class Extraordinary of The Path of Beauty…”
Eivass nodded in agreement.
– The hatred was truly drawn steadily.
He had no doubt that when the ritual began… Andrea would completely forget about Pelican taking care of her and rush straight for Laro.
And Laro could calmly turn back and explain to Alistair, “Oh, old Laro’s profession is not Tank. Old Laro’s profession is – the Late Night Poet!
“Would you like me to compose a poem for you, beautiful lady?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Alistair chimed in, also wanting to stir up trouble, “Let the theme be the death of Red Phase!”
“You slut…”
Andrea glared at him with red eyes.
“—Ah!”
But before she could say anything, Laro exclaimed, pulling her hatred back to himself, “Pomanach, the drunkard who caused this feast, the god of the godless who is dead!
“I believe you contain the entire universe in a glass bead, as omnipotent as an infant!
“Unfilial offspring fly away from you like a flock of birds, leaving bird droppings on the shrine of the former god!
“Your body buried in the earth, let the winter snow dig into you like an old farmer!
“Let the rain wash away your ugly face! And let the maggots remove your clothes…”
“—Laro!”
Andrea shrieked.
She glared at Alistair and shouted, “You are also a Child of the Moon, you slut! You betrayed Father and our race!”
“Oh.”
Alistair said with a smile, “Can I say that all Children of the Moon are idiots? Can you? Do you dare?”
“Ai…”
Eivass sighed, letting Alistair out to join the battlefield.
Nine people became eight, with only one remaining. That should be the Extraordinary of the Path of Authority.
It’s truly ridiculous.
He never expected that the clown Laro would be an Extraordinary of The Path of Beauty? But it made sense, this mad state was quite fitting…
Finally, the last Extraordinary joined.
He wore a suit, and he should be a Law Master. But it was unclear if he was from Avalon.
As soon as he appeared, he immediately introduced himself, “Everyone, I am ‘Sour Wine’…”
But before Sour Wine could finish, his words were drowned out by the arguments and curses in the room.
His eyes widened in astonishment!
– What was going on?
This was the first time he had seen such a fight in the preparation room…
He cast a pleading gaze at Eivass, who clearly looked like an Archbishop, beside him. Eivass had made a round and was now beside Alistair.
Eivass pondered for a moment and said tactfully, “Let’s just say, everyone has a reason they cannot afford to lose…”
“…So the New Moon Ritual for ascending to the Fifth Tier is this competitive!”
Sour Wine nodded and said solemnly, “Thank you, Your Excellency Archbishop.”
“You’re welcome… I am [Sun].”
“I am [Great Serpent], Mr. Sour Wine.”
Alistair, having had her fill of yelling, pursed her lips and smiled, turning back to introduce herself to Sour Wine, who was completely outside the situation.
At this moment, the stone statue in the center finally came alive impatiently.
“Stop arguing—”
A voice like an angry child rang out, covering all disputes, “Is it over yet!”
It was obvious that [Fiery Wings of Life] had already arrived, and might have even come with the Candlemaster.
But they couldn’t appear because not everyone was present… The bickering was giving Him a headache.
– No one expected that the first casualty of this Ascension Ritual would be the Invigil.
(End of Chapter)