The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1142

Chapter 1139
Thomas: Advantage is mine!
June 12th.
Iris Kingdom, Lessar Gnaire, Vendome Manor.
Eivass was in his room, leisurely lying on the bed, drinking tea and reading a novel.
Isabel was also curled up in the blanket, leaning next to Eivass. She rested her head on his shoulder, reading together.
It was a rare few days where they didn’t have to worry about anything or feel any pressure—though perhaps that wasn’t fair to Yulia, who had just ascended to the throne and was still working overtime at home. After all, the new Hrasal Empire had just been established and was in a transition period.
The balance of power between countries, as well as jurisdiction, laws, culture, military power, education, social welfare… all of these would lead to endless disputes.
Isabel had rushed out with Eivass, partly because she felt a sense of apprehension about it.
Although she now possessed the demeanor of a queen and could handle affairs of state—that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get a headache from such troublesome matters. If it were just about competing for preferential treatment for Avalon, Isabel could have displayed a bit of the “Iron-Blooded Queen” persona… but the new Hrasal Empire wasn’t conquered by Avalon; rather, the other side had proactively surrendered, bringing their entire populace with them.
In such a situation, it wouldn’t be right to not offer some preferential treatment. After all, there were so many people, so much talent—they were all already one family, and even the linguistic divide wasn’t severe. Moreover, the Iris Kingdom remained isolated, and it was necessary to set an example for them to facilitate their reintegration and rebuild the new Hrasal Empire.
If those who actively surrendered and integrated were to be suppressed, and if there was no magnanimity shown, then why would anyone surrender?
—It was precisely because of the consideration of united front value that things became complicated. Furthermore, the new Hrasal Empire definitely couldn’t simply divide itself into Avalon District, Narcissus District, Star Antinomy District… the administrative divisions had to be broken up. How to divide them reasonably became a new problem.
Coincidentally, Eivass, Sherlock, and Isabel were all in the Iris Kingdom—but the ones responsible for handling this matter were Eivass’s sister and Sherlock’s brother.
Thinking of this, the sense of guilt made this rare short vacation even more enjoyable.
Sherlock, on the other hand, was full of energy. He had nothing to do these past few days, so he went to the Lessar Gnaire police station and took on a few cases to help out. His soul was far stronger than his body, and if he didn’t do something to alleviate his excess brainpower, he would feel uncomfortable.
Eivass and Isabel were both extremely busy people.
Now that the Blood Heavenly Envoy had fallen and the Path of Love had reached its limit, the Ouroboros Ring ritual would no longer be a secret. It was a rare time with no disasters or wars, and there wasn’t much time left for rest. They were here to make up for a belated honeymoon.
To be honest, the Iris Kingdom had quite a lot of entertainment.
This week, Eivass had taken Isabel to see several operas—especially “Lulu’s Magic Flute,” which she had been longing to see. This opera, which had guided Isabel onto the Path of Beauty, held a high place in her heart.
“It also has a special meaning,” Isabel said to Eivass at the time. “When we first met, it was the first topic we discussed.”
As the birthplace of popular opera, the Iris Kingdom’s prowess in this field was undoubtedly world-class. Elves from the Church even came to visit… On one occasion, Eivass also encountered a Lord from the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi visiting the Iris Kingdom.
These Lords were all incredibly wealthy individuals. They were essentially kings of small countries, except their rule was absolute, and no amount of wealth accumulation was considered excessive—after all, those people would have no one to turn to if they left the Lord. In such a situation, it could be said that each Lord possessed over 60% of a small country’s wealth.
They were accompanied by more than twenty bodyguards, including even Fifth Tier extraordinary individuals. In contrast, the Iris Kingdom’s internal affairs had become chaotic, and they hadn’t received them properly—even the civil official sent to greet them was merely a Third Tier extraordinary person.
After confirming that the Lord was not the one who had written to invite him, Eivass didn’t bother to greet them. Therefore, after watching the opera, he simply remembered the other party’s appearance and left with Isabel.
In addition to operas, they also watched several pantomimes. The actors were likely Twilight Path extraordinary individuals, and their artistic dance, like that of a dying leaf butterfly, was deeply impressive. Afterwards, led by Isabel, they visited several art galleries and sculpture museums, and even toured the renowned Citadel University Art College.
If Isabel didn’t need to inherit the throne, and if Eivass’s mother, Anna, hadn’t been sent to Avalon due to a marriage alliance… they should have studied and trained here.
—This was “another world line” where they were not entangled in any conspiracies or bound by fate.
Eivass was also very curious about the place, so he followed Isabel to visit.
It was indeed a school of immense scale—the white colossal structures were jointly built by Fifth Tier extraordinary individuals of the Path of Beauty. Even before reaching Citadel Island, one could see the towering spires from afar. The ground was entirely paved with marble roads… even by Eivass’s “modern” aesthetic standards from his past life, it possessed a strong sense of “futurism.”
It was as if the students weren’t there to study art, but rather how to pilot giant robots.
No wonder Old Meg suspected Madam Mina of being a spy simply because Madam Mina went to Avalon to study art. At the time, Eivass had thought, “Are you that unconfident in Avalon’s educational standards?”… Now, looking at it, he realized his own perception was limited.
Compared to this, Avalon’s Royal Law University was as primitive as a rural-urban fringe area.
They also stopped midway, and Isabel, driven by her interest, borrowed a student’s easel to paint a portrait of Eivass.
Although Isabel was not a professional painter, as a genuine all-rounder, her Magic Painting also attracted the attention and admiration of the students.
Neither Eivass nor Isabel took the painting; instead, they gave it to the student. He was overjoyed and earnestly said that he would preserve it well.
—Hopefully, he will truly preserve it well.
Then he would never regret it.
Because those students were unaware of their identities. They didn’t know that if, in the future, they learned that both of them were Fifth Tier extraordinary individuals, that the painter was Avalon’s Iron-Blooded Queen, the model was the former Pope of the Church, and this painting was a memento from their wedding honeymoon… how much its value would increase.
If they were to become beings of the Pillar God and Disc level, this painting might become a national treasure of a certain country in the future.
After Eivass and Isabel had toured for a few days, they were satisfied and retreated back to Vendome Manor to rest.
The literary standard of the Iris Kingdom was also quite good—during this outing, they bought many novels that couldn’t be exported overseas. Most of them were of a very high standard, far superior to Avalon’s formulaic knight novels. What was a drawback or advantage, depending on one’s perspective, was the abundance of… explicit content.
It was extraordinarily abundant, to say the least.
In Avalon, it would absolutely fail censorship and could only circulate underground. Moreover, if one were caught selling such books, they would be imprisoned for three years, forced to run in a hamster wheel.
But for a newlywed couple, this level was just right.
As Eivass and Isabel excitedly read “The Last Love of Phantom Thief Arsène Lupin and Countess Cagliostro,” pointing and commenting, a knock came from the door.
“—Your Majesty?”
Sherlock’s voice came from the door.
“Come in,” Eivass replied for Isabel.
Sherlock entered the room, too lazy for pleasantries, and handed a briefcase to Eivass: “Fox, take a look at this.”
“What is this?”
Eivass opened it with interest. Inside was a thin booklet document and two appendices.
“—An investigation report on Mist Demons,” Sherlock said. “An investigation into whether Mist Demons are harmful. You can report it to Yulia… Her Majesty Yulia when you return.”
“Did you do it?”
“Of course,” Sherlock scoffed. “You can’t expect the Iris people to do it, can you? They wish they could bury every Path of Love extraordinary person alive right now… Look, if there’s no major issue, we’ll talk to Little Cain. See if she can unite and lead the Mist Demons as a racial leader. Otherwise, letting them act arbitrarily… I’m still somewhat uneasy. After all, they were Children of the Moon before.”
“That makes sense,” Eivass nodded. “I’ll look into it.”
“Do I need to go with you?” Isabel asked.
“Do you want to?” Eivass countered.
Isabel thought for a moment, shook her head vigorously, and snuggled back into the blanket as if spoiled, “I want to—rest—”
Eivass gently patted her head and smiled, “Then you rest.”
“Then I’ll head back to the police station as well,” Sherlock said coolly, crossing his arms. “There are still a few cases to handle. This has been written for two days already; I only came here to give it to you because I heard you two weren’t going out today.”
“Alright, you go ahead and busy yourself,” Eivass said with a smile.
And at this moment, outside the window.
Thomas was silently lurking in the shadows.
He had been lying in wait for two days, motionless, waiting for an opportunity.
Eivass was, after all, human. He wasn’t even twenty years old yet, so his Energy Level wouldn’t be too high.
As the former Pope, even at the highest estimate… it would be Fifth Tier Path of Devotion.
Although this deduction was exaggerated, Thomas felt it was possible. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to become Pope.
And even considering High-Tier Divine Art… a lone devotee would surely be easier to deal with than being with others. Therefore, even though Eivass was only accompanied by Queen Isabel, who lacked combat experience, Thomas had been hesitant to act.
It wasn’t out of consideration for international repercussions, but he worried that Isabel might transform into someone else.
According to the information, Eivass possessed some ability to summon higher-level Phantom Demons. But that ability required pulling out a Grimoire or crushing a card to activate… meaning, if he were to catch Eivass off guard, he wouldn’t have time to summon help.
The only true opportunity would be once.
When Eivass was alone and unsuspecting—to kill him in an instant.
—He could certainly do it.
For a Master Assassin, such a requirement was not difficult.
In a sense, extraordinary individuals of the same or even higher Tiers were easier to deal with than Ordinary Persons of lower Energy Levels.
This was because the former often acted arrogantly and alone, foregoing guards and vigilance… while assassins like them could hide in the shadows.
Undoubtedly, advantage is mine.
Therefore, Thomas patiently waited for the opportune moment.
Now, the moment was finally approaching.