The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 962

Chapter 961
Two Eivass!
Just as Eivass had expected.
Even though the responsible areas for each legion were planned from the beginning, and efforts were made to prevent them from meeting or clashing… conflicts still arose.
It initially began when the mages were attacked by demons while taking over the Spirit Tower.
The mages made a rather foolish decision—while setting up the Ritual Array to transform the Spirit Tower into a Mage Tower, they refused the protection of the Children of the Moon. Or rather, only the Children of the Moon from the Daffodil Duchy were allowed to enter the Spirit Tower.
Of course, this was understandable. Thus, it could only be called rather foolish.
After all, the construction techniques for Mage Towers were a secret passed down within the Daffodil Duchy, the most core secret. It’s comparable to Avalon’s Gryphon eggs—considering this was a replicable, mass-producible technique rather than a resource like Gryphon eggs that could be strictly controlled, it was even more precious than a Gryphon egg, equivalent to an entire Gryphon breeding system.
It’s highly likely no one would believe these Children of the Moon had good intentions—especially the Children of the Moon of the Iris Flower, whose faith was still in the Blood Heavenly Envoy, making them even less trustworthy than the Children of the Moon of Star Antinomy!
And coincidentally.
—The Children of the Moon indeed had ill intentions.
Mage Towers were strategic facilities. They could control the weather within a radius of tens to hundreds of kilometers, perform spell bombardments on areas dozens of kilometers away almost continuously, and conduct squad-level group teleportations.
Even if not used for war, their weather manipulation capabilities could be used for civilian purposes.
This technology was completely monopolized by the Daffodil Duchy. Even after Star Antinomy occupied the Daffodil Duchy, they couldn’t obtain the manufacturing method for Mage Towers from those mage lords. Now, given such an opportunity to observe openly, being cautiously shut out by these mages… naturally, the Children of the Moon were displeased.
At this very moment, demons attacked the Mage Tower.
The demons’ choice of attack timing was much cruder than before—they failed to strike at the most crucial moment, being about two hours late. As a result, after sacrificing more than a dozen people, the mages managed to complete the transformation of the Mage Tower despite the demon attack!
Fortunately, there were some Children of the Moon converted by the mages here.
The Children of the Moon had resistance to curses and illusions, and could directly consume Phantom Demons—to ordinary humans, they merely fed on blood, but to demons, they feasted on souls. These Children of the Moon repelled the demons, and if there had been a few more people present, this small force could have been easily annihilated by them in an instant.
After the demons left, the Children of the Moon guarding at the base of the tower arrived belatedly.
The surviving mages immediately retaliated—they had sent a distress signal, so why weren’t they rescued immediately?
The Children of the Moon also had their say: the deployment of the Mage Tower was extremely critical. According to the original deployment orders from His Majesty the Pope, it should have been under the dense protection of the Gryphon Legion, the Children of the Moon, and the scouts of the Black Hawk Duchy. But you mages disobeyed, not only failing to wait for the Gryphon Legion and scouts to arrive, but even evicting eighty percent of the Children of the Moon. Wasn’t this deliberately creating a loophole? We even suspect you had spies colluding with the enemy!
And the mages, of course, could not admit such an accusation, holding the Children of the Moon accountable for not coming to their rescue. The Children of the Moon, in turn, insisted they simply hadn’t seen it.
Thus, conflict arose between the Children of the Moon and the mages.
Following this, the anxiety brought about by this conflict spread outwards—the mages were busy arguing with the Children of the Moon, and no one modified the Mage Tower’s standby mode. They had just finished confronting the demons, and now demons could return at any time, so switching to alert mode was reasonable.
Upon entering alert mode, the Mage Tower automatically defended and attacked all approaching entities. If not for the timely rescue, soldiers would have been struck to death by lightning—this lightning was a defense specifically against demons, and it was also highly effective against fully armed soldiers in metal armor. The fact that the soldiers could be rescued was entirely due to Saint Joan’s immense healing power.
The soldiers were blocked at the entrance for a long time and couldn’t get in, while more and more kept landing on shore. They accumulated here, and no matter how much they contacted the front, they received no reply. Eventually, they had to go back and mobilize a wave of the Gryphon Legion, bringing in a wave of Gryphon Knights who were not afraid of lightning and charged in.
As a result, inside the Mage Tower, the Children of the Moon and the mages had already come to blows.
To be precise, a split had occurred within the Children of the Moon.
Although they were all Children of the Moon and possessed a unified racial consciousness, the Children of the Moon aligned with the Daffodil Duchy and the Black Hawk Duchy had a fierce conflict with the Children of the Moon of the Iris Flower. The Children of the Moon of the Iris Flower had long been displeased with the Children of the Moon of the Daffodil Duchy—how dare they dare to steal the power of the great Blood Heavenly Envoy through magical tricks!
—Rather than quarreling, it was more like they were looking for trouble.
Initially, they had been on high alert, but after truly witnessing the demon legions at sea, they felt… these demons weren’t as formidable as His Majesty the Pope had described.
Even Upper Demons were now merely Third Tier. Some powerful demons might possess special suppressive power due to their status, but it was at most Fourth Tier—in this light, everyone was actually on roughly equal footing.
The moment they let down their guard, malevolent thoughts surged into their hearts.
—It was as if they were meticulously preparing for an exam, having heard that a passing grade was only possible by giving it their all, and thus intending to abandon all distractions and focus on salvaging their grades. But as soon as they started studying, they heard that the exam had been changed to an open-book test, and instantly they became slack, even losing all motivation.
And at this very moment.
Eivass made his move.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations—this Eternal Pope did not intervene with gentle persuasion.
Instead, he summoned a gifted illusionary beast called the Butterfly of Betraying Flames and delivered a thunderous punishment!
As the Mage Tower entered alert mode, whirl-like dark clouds gathered in the sky—yet the pillar of fire spewed by the Butterfly of Betraying Flames pierced the sky, instantly shocking those with ulterior motives and their own hidden agendas!
—He killed the first mage who defied orders and the first Child of the Moon who actively attacked the mages.
Publicly burned at the stake.
No longer with gentle, philosophical words, nor by relying on a radiant, brilliant aura like the sun, but like a ruthless, iron-blooded soldier, he truly punished those who violated discipline.
Immediately after, Lixia and the Grand Guardian took over command and began the cleanup.
They also displayed extreme aggression—but after Eivass demonstrated his Fifth Tier destructive power, this disciplinary action did not trigger a mutiny.
—The Paladin Legion, loyal to the Pope, was watching their backs.
When the Pope explicitly ordered the Paladin Legion to slay any who disobeyed command on sight, internal dissent within the allied forces significantly decreased.
Although the atmosphere became much more somber, at least the missions could be carried out normally.
However, people couldn’t help but wonder… was His Majesty the Pope acting a bit strange?
It was as if he had become a different person, nowhere near as gentle as he was at the beginning…
But at dinner, Eivass reappeared within the legion.
Just as people were filled with dread, thinking someone else was about to be killed.
This Pope revealed his brilliant and radiant gentle demeanor.
He no longer possessed the decisiveness, madness, and ruthlessness he had when executing the public burning at noon, but instead appeared as divine as they had first seen Eivass—even more gentle than before.
His Majesty the Pope, unconcerned about his divine attire getting stained with mud, sat directly on the ground and chatted cheerfully with the soldiers.
Later, when the soldiers compared their memories, they couldn’t ascertain where the Pope had actually appeared.
Because that night, Eivass seemed to be in many places—and given the distance between their camps, it seemed impossible for Eivass to visit them all.
But regardless of where Eivass appeared, the topic of discussion was the same:
—Let’s talk about your family/hometown…
“Is that so, it was like that…”
When Eivass heard something amusing, he couldn’t help but clap his hands together, as if a naive child, and the soldiers seemed infected by his smile.
He ate the same coarse food as the soldiers, without any hint of disgust.
He cast Illuminate Spells for the soldiers, treated them with care, and was unsparing with his mana and prayers.
He also sang hometown folk songs and played hometown musical instruments with the soldiers. His Holiness the Pope was such a genius that after listening for a short while, he learned how to use these instruments.
He only stayed for a short while, but by the time Eivass left, the people had a completely new perception of this Pope—not the radical, divine, and inspiring figure from his initial speech; nor the mad, ruthless, and decisive leader who suppressed a mutiny by executing just two people. His words did not carry such strong passion, but like a neighborly youth, he was gentle and approachable, also possessing the cunning and wisdom of a fox, yet no one could possibly dislike him.
He was a warm and bright presence, indispensable like the sun.
The people reluctantly saw Eivass off.
The procession to see off His Majesty the Pope extended all the way to the mountain valley bend.
“I fear I will never forget him in my life…”
A soldier from Black Hawk said nostalgically and respectfully.
Let alone the Pope, he had never even seen a Count or Viscount step onto the battlefield. Even if a few Barons or Lords participated, they were officers and would not gather with them. Much less chat intimately with them.
—Only when “Eivass” completely disappeared from their sight would he remove the mask from his face.
That was not Eivass, nor was it Isabel.
—It was the Grand Guardian!
Of course, sometimes it was Lixia, as George couldn’t remain missing forever.
Isabel, as a monarch, could not leave Avalon for an extended period to personally step onto the front lines of war. Especially since she had no escorts and was pregnant, Eivass could not possibly let her rush over.
However, Isabel’s Mask of Secrets Grimoire could achieve this.
She donned Eivass’s mask and transformed into Eivass’s appearance—while Eivass handed Isabel’s Mask of Secrets, which was in his hand, to someone else.
In this way, others would wear Isabel’s mask, have their bodies taken over by Isabel’s will, and transform into Isabel’s appearance; but at this time, Isabel herself had already donned Eivass’s mask.
The original Mask of Secrets was more akin to a Divine Possession technique. When Isabel transformed into Eivass before, it was Eivass’s will and soul that were summoned and attached; the same was true when Selene transformed into Isabel. Although Selene could break free from control at any time, in reality, it was Isabel possessing her.
This is the origin of the name “Mask of Secrets”; its essence is a puppetry technique, a possession technique.
Eivass originally intended to control his own body with his will through this method, using Isabel, the “observer,” solely for purification.
However, Isabel gave Eivass an unexpected surprise.
Her mastery of illusions now and the realism of the illusions she created meant she no longer needed to summon Eivass’s will to directly disguise herself in his form!
Although doing so would cause the Eivass abilities she used to drop by one Energy Level—meaning she could only wield the Fourth Tier Illuminator’s abilities—it was still more than enough.
Thus, the “Eivass” currently in Star Antinomy was neither Eivass nor Isabel, but merely a mask.
—The one controlling this identity and playing this role was Isabel, who was still in Avalon!
Isabel possessed no Wind Attribute mana.
Because of this, Isabel’s true form could not achieve supersonic movement through the elementalization of a gryphon.
After all, Lancelot’s surname, “Du Lac,” means “of the lake.” Therefore, Isabel’s full name translated could be considered “Isabel of the Lake.” This name was enough to indicate her innate affinity with the Water Attribute—even though she had never used any Water Attribute spells.
—However, a mask could. Just like a sword or a suit of armor!
The most hardworking individuals, besides Isabel, were the Grand Guardian.
He and his gryphon, Philip, witnessed everything—first, the Grand Guardian served as this “body,” and then it was Lixia’s turn. Lixia also possessed Wind Attribute mana and could ride a gryphon to the “next venue” to re-stream the famous piece, “The Great Eivass,” for the people.
Isabel performed ten shows in succession.
She received this news at two o’clock, finished her preparations by four o’clock. Then, through remote manipulation, she played Eivass for a full eight hours, not even having time to eat. After all, she had already eaten during two shows, and her brain told her she was full.
But the effect was excellent—the Eivass portrayed by Isabel was more like “Eivass” than the Eivass currently corrupted by the Fallen Heavenly Envoy.
Even Eivass himself would find it difficult to capture that essence!
With Isabel present and the “ubiquitous Eivass,” the chaotic situation in Star Antinomy quickly stabilized.
The next two days required Isabel to maintain this level of close attention.
Eivass only hoped Isabel would remember to rest and eat.
He himself also had no time for food or sleep—he had his own work to attend to.
Taking advantage of having another “Eivass” substitute for him here, he, in the Butterfly of Betraying Flames’s flame form, ventured into the interior of Star Antinomy.
He remembered another important matter…
That was why old James had burrowed into the Queen of the Fey’s birdcage.
Because both he and Cardinal Loki possessed the Stellar Secrecy, and Cardinal Loki could detect his every move!
To evade prophecy, he had burrowed into the gap between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm. Only after Cardinal Loki’s death did he finally escape. His appearance in the Church afterwards was also because he no longer feared anyone.
—In other words, he definitely wasn’t in the Fairy Kingdom now.
Previously, Eivass had been evading him, coupled with his fear of James… so he had never thought of searching for him.
But not anymore.
The killing intent from the Fallen Heavenly Envoy had made Eivass more decisive.
He requested a High-Tier Divine Art from the Lord of Scales and Feathers—this true prophet bestowed upon Eivass the “true location of James.”
He didn’t know what role James would play in the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s plan, nor did he know what the subsequent plans of the Ring Heavenly Envoy were.
But since James was the “Savior” created by Anna, the loyal Disciple of the Ring Heavenly Envoy… then what Eivass had to do was shatter Anna’s plan.
“Even if I don’t know what you’re going to do, smashing all of your plans must be the right thing.”
Eivass, with his hood up, walked silently through the wilderness.
—He was going to kill someone.
When the Ring Heavenly Envoy could neither predict nor interfere with him, he would remove their most crucial piece.
At the same time…
It was also revenge for Yulia.
Eivass remembered the words James had spoken to him—
He intended to cause Yulia’s death to make Eivass regret it deeply, thereby opening the Gate to the Past.
And the current Eivass was no longer as weak as he was back then.
The only bad habit Eivass didn’t want to change was his vindictiveness.
(End of Chapter)