The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 1039

Chapter 1038
The Triple History
The Triple Truth

After hearing the story of the “Mad King,” or rather, the “Swan King,” Eivass’s brow furrowed slightly.

He reached up and stroked his chin, falling into deep thought. Sherlock did not interrupt Eivass’s contemplation with any words. Everyone at the table remained silent, quietly awaiting Eivass’s opinion and evaluation.

“…I have two questions,” Eivass suddenly asked. “Firstly, what is the Swan King’s Energy Level?”

Given that people referred to the Swan King as the “perfect creation of the Twin Mirrors,” and even considered him an “Earthly Disciple” who had reincarnated into mortal form, did that imply that the Swan King himself was also an incredibly powerful Extraordinary? After all, in this World… the more extreme people were, the stronger they usually were. Their extremism could very well signify a powerful Path Adaptation, and with adaptation, their advancement speed along that Path would be much faster than others, with a much higher ceiling.

Although ordinary people, even with extremely strong Path Adaptation, might not find Occult Classics and thus be unable to become Extraordinary, as long as an Extraordinary possessed high-tier adaptability, they could become a High-Tier Extraordinary by successfully passing an Ascension Ritual. As long as the corresponding Path was not sealed off locally and their own Energy Level was sufficiently high, it meant they would naturally obtain more advanced Occult knowledge.

—And the Swan King was a bona fide King.

Not to mention, the Path of Beauty was originally the Vendome Family’s inherited Path. Even at Avalon’s royal family’s most difficult moments, Princess Isabel still had Sherlock to assist her in her ascension; the Crown Princess of Star Antinomy also had the master talent Clown Laro escorting her. As the monarch of a nation, the Swan King could not have been held back by his Ascension Ritual. With his Adaptability, his Energy Level was bound to be quite high.

As expected, Sherlock’s lips curved upwards slightly. Clearly, Eivass had hit upon the crux of the matter.

“Fourth Tier,” Sherlock replied. “That monarch, only twenty-six years old, had already reached the Fourth Tier at the age of twenty-three.”

—That was in an era before the Power of Transcendence had yet erupted. This level of advancement speed in Star Antinomy was comparable to a candidate for Black Phase! Such individuals were already rising stars drawing national attention… Even Chloe de Cirlex, the granddaughter of the Master Assassin who had her voice stolen by a Shadow Demon, a genius within the Eagle Eye organization, was several years behind this.

“Fourth Tier…” Arsen murmured. “That’s already very strong.” He himself was a Fourth Tier Extraordinary of the Path of Beauty, and he knew firsthand what a Fourth Tier Extraordinary was capable of. Moreover, the Path of Beauty was exceptionally good at evasion. Regardless of profession, if one wanted to survive, it was easy. Their survival ability was even stronger than Extraordinary beings with adapted Paths.

Therefore, Arsen immediately realized something was amiss. “But if that’s the case… how did Louis who was captured by the Mad King? …Could he be Fifth Tier?”

Fifth Tier… There were not many in the entire Iris Flower family. If he were truly Fifth Tier, it would be no wonder that several Dukes believed he was the one responsible. Excluding the obvious Child of the Moon, that essentially left only the Eagle Eye, the Artist Association, and the factions belonging to the three Dukes—The Dukes themselves might not be Fifth Tier, but their Ducal families at least had one or more Fifth Tier individuals. Otherwise, they would not have the power to suppress their armies and gather talent. The powers of the three Grand Dukes were on par. If one of them lost their Fifth Tier protector, their talent and resources would inevitably be consumed by the other Dukes.

“This is my second question,” Eivass stated. “Are there any traces of a battle between the Swan King and Louis?” Although the whereabouts of Louis could not be determined—though Louis had disappeared after the establishment of the council, at least any traces left behind should have been investigated. Whether in Avalon or Star Antinomy, any details of such major events would be thoroughly investigated and documented. And Path traces were very easy to detect… It was a widely used technique, with even Fourth Tier Extraordinary beings able to detect conflicts involving Path Power. Extraordinary beings of the Path of Wisdom, Balance, Adaptation, and Authority all possessed related skills.

“—No,” Sherlock answered without hesitation, providing a definitive answer. “There’s no need for an Extraordinary investigation… because none of the many artworks displayed in the Swan Palace were damaged in any way. Even the Preservation Technique used to prevent the artworks from aging had not been removed by any external force.”

Arsen had the most say in this matter. Because he knew very well that even if he wanted to preserve a painting, a jewel, or a ring, he had to use special techniques. Those paintings were too fragile; without the thin outer layer of “Preservation Technique,” they would likely fade, become damp, crack, or discolor within a few years. Maintaining constant temperature and humidity in a room was troublesome. Although Mages and Alchemists could develop similar techniques, none were as effective as the Preservation Technique—one only needed to apply a thin layer of it.

No matter where it was placed, under any environment, regardless of how it was folded or transported… As long as the Preservation Technique was not completely depleted or deliberately broken, the passage of time would have no effect on those delicate masterpieces; they would enter a state of complete stillness. Arsen had a specialized “Treasure Preservation Box,” one of his Phantom Thief tools. This box was imbued with a powerful Preservation Technique. Arsen had to immediately place stolen items into it after he stole them. Otherwise, if he performed any form of space-time travel or high-frequency movement, or was hit by someone else’s spells or curses, it could cause the thin outer layer of Preservation Technique to be interfered with and shattered by his Extraordinary Power, leading to the destruction of the hard-won loot.

Ultimately… it was because the Preservation Technique itself was considered a form of Extraordinary Power. Therefore, it had its own priority. The Preservation Technique could act as a shield to defend against spells because it could negate spells of lower Energy Levels than itself; just as it could be shattered by higher Energy Level spells, the Preservation state applied to any object would instantly shatter upon contact with any Extraordinary Power higher than the caster’s Energy Level.

“—And this is also the ‘Extraordinary detection’ mechanism of the old Iris Flower nobles,” Sherlock explained. The popular Paths in Iris Flower were the Path of Love, the Path of Beauty, and the Path of Adaptation. And these three Paths were clearly not good things. These three Paths had too many Extraordinary techniques that could bewitch hearts, control wills, incite desires, and rewrite memories. One could be controlled if not careful.

“And to counter this situation, an inventor developed a counter-technique,” Sherlock said. “It was to have low-Energy Level Preservers create a kind of ‘insurance.’ These insurances were placed in the reception hall, or under the guests’ seats. Because they were maintained by the Preservation Technique, even guests of great weight would not crush or break them. But if they came into contact with any Extraordinary Power higher than the caster’s Energy Level, they would suddenly shatter. This would then trigger an alarm device, recording the time and location of the corresponding event, and processing it according to pre-arranged methods. By observing the shape of the ‘insurance’ when it shattered, one could infer its shattering speed, and thus roughly calculate which Energy Level of Extraordinary Power had influenced it.”

“Very clever. That’s a good idea,” Eivass commented. “After we go back, we can install a set in the Avalon Round Table Hall. Put it under everyone’s stool. After the meeting, we can see whose butt cushion cracked, and we’ll know who used Path Power.”

Sherlock stated, “The ‘insurance’ in Swan Castle was Third Tier. And almost none of the insurances in the entire castle were shattered… which means, at least no Extraordinary beings of Third Tier or above had used power in the presence of the Swan King.”

“You said… almost?” Eivass keenly picked up on a detail in Sherlock’s words. Sherlock nodded. “That’s right, ‘almost’—of course, I’ve also conducted investigations. Those few shattered insurances had nothing to do with this matter. They were either old and in disrepair, or there were some minor misjudgments during the investigation.”

“That might not be the case,” Eivass shook his head. “Even without any evidence, one must remain suspicious. After all, there are too many abilities in this world that can erase evidence. Rather than ‘method,’ I care more about ‘motive.’ Because many people have means to achieve miracles, and what is ‘impossible’ for some simply doesn’t exist for others. But if he wanted to do it, he would leave traces—that trace is his ‘want.’”

Seeing this, Sherlock smiled helplessly. “You’re right. And here’s another piece of information for you… There’s no need to pray anymore. I’ve already asked. The ‘Swan King’ did not enter the Dream Realm, nor did he become a Disciple. He disappeared after being beheaded.”

Back in Avalon… he already knew Eivass was like this. Eivass didn’t place much importance on evidence and logic; he was more inclined to find psychological flaws in others based on their motives. This also made Eivass always half a step ahead of Sherlock, because he didn’t need to gather all the evidence to prove his reasoning. He only needed to convince himself. This also made Sherlock somewhat unwilling—although his intelligence was innate, his way of thinking was developed through education, making him half an academic. Eivass, on the other hand, conjured behind-the-scenes truths out of thin air without any information. And it happened to be correct; where does it come from? “I know everything.” But if you ask in detail, Sherlock feels he knows nothing… At least Eivass himself didn’t know why things had developed to this point. Sherlock could only assume that Eivass had this trait. Once a matter involved people related to him, he could directly jump to conclusions through those eyes that pierced into people’s hearts, bypassing the need for proof. But the “Swan King” incident was clearly an unsolved case. No one knew the origin and whereabouts of “Young Louis.” Or perhaps some knew but deliberately concealed it… Regardless, it couldn’t have any connection with Eivass. Eivass himself didn’t have a clear grasp of this case at this moment, and still relied on Sherlock’s meticulous explanation.

—In this situation, you can’t possibly jump to conclusions again! Sherlock had gone through all the relevant documents and files in the Mirror Hall, researched a lot of related information, and even used the special mechanism of the Mirror Hall, the books behind him—information obtained by “browsing the lives of deceased artists”—to indirectly confirm his investigation results… Now, he could finally present a detailed and perfect conclusion.

“You’ve asked your two questions,” Sherlock said, looking at Eivass with excitement. “Then I’ll ask you, Eivass—what do you believe is the truth of the matter? And on whose side was Louis?” The depths of his pupils burned with azure flames, a trace resonating with the Path of Wisdom.

“…I’m not very sure,” Eivass said softly after a long silence. “But I have some conjectures… These are conclusions based on my common sense. To me, the easiest way to know is to invite him directly. A genius of the Swan King’s caliber, his death is his ascension. Just like the Fool of the past, at the moment he ascended to the Dream Realm, he would become a Disciple of the Heavenly Envoy and the Pillar God. Even if he didn’t do that, he might have become a new Heavenly Envoy. But you said… the Swan King is not in the Dream Realm then. The only possibilities I can think of are three. These three possibilities exist simultaneously, perhaps in different timelines, but perhaps they are all valid.

“—The first possibility is that the Swan King’s soul was intercepted. For example, he made a deal with a demon, or was branded with a Mark of Sin by a Fallen Heavenly Envoy. But I can’t see any possibility of a Mark of Sin being inflicted on the Swan King from him; the closest possibility would be the Mark of Arrogance, but its purity is still insufficient. It’s also possible he was devoured by a wild Phantom Demon in the Dream Realm… thus his soul scattered.

“The second possibility is that his soul never entered the Dream Realm. For example, he died unjustly, and his soul attached itself to some artifact, or to a family. For example… the execution platform, or…” At this point, Eivass glanced at the Duke, then continued, “The strange illness of the Vendome Family.”

“It shouldn’t be,” Old Argon replied, not angry, but shaking his head. “Our family’s history of the ‘cold sickness’ is much older than the Third Rebellion…” He still looked at Eivass with some anticipation and asked, “Then what is the third possibility?”

Eivass and Sherlock exchanged glances and gave the only answer to that question:

“—It’s very simple, the Swan King didn’t die at all.”

“…Correct,” Sherlock breathed a sigh of relief, responding with a mixture of regret and satisfaction. “This is the conclusion of my investigation. The Swan King, he hasn’t completely died—he, or his soul, is still somewhere in Iris Flower, watching all of this.”