The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 4

Chapter 4
The Gaze of the Silver Crown Dragon
Haina had barely left when James Moriarty returned home carrying a heavy suitcase.
“Are the people from the Inspection Bureau finally leaving?”
Old James asked as soon as he entered the house.
It was clear he had met Haina at the manor entrance and they had exchanged pleasantries.
James was an elderly gentleman who appeared polite and refined, his face marked by distinct wrinkles. His gray pupils were somewhat clouded, his eye sockets deep, and his hair was white and sparse. However, his skin was well-preserved. His cheeks were thin, and his cheekbones were high. Though he looked slender when wearing his coat, he was not weak as soon as he took it off.
He always spoke in a gentle, soft voice, with a noticeably elongated, soft, and slightly curled pronunciation—an Elven Tone. He clearly had excellent upbringing and an unquestionably good temper.
He placed the suitcase at the entrance, while simultaneously removing his double-breasted trench coat and handing his top hat to the personal male attendant standing by the door. “I hope they won’t interrogate Eivass for hours… Thank you, Wade. Remember to send this box to Eivass’s room later.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve taken note,” his personal male attendant replied softly, taking the items and retreating.
“Miss Haina was late.”
The old Elf did not choose to cover for her. Instead, he expressed his dissatisfaction directly. “She is always like this, rushing about without paying attention to details. If she continues, she will eventually miss something important and be severely reprimanded by her superiors.”
“Let ‘eventually’ happen when it happens. If she makes a mistake due to her bad habits, let that mistake teach her,”
The old man merely smiled, squinting as he spoke gently. “Do not reprimand her for mistakes she might make in the future, Oswald. You are her instructor, not her direct superior.”
He was quite friendly and close with his Elf butler named Oswald.
This was understandable, as over sixty years ago, when he was about Eivass’s current age, Oswald had also watched over him as he grew up.
Besides the old butler, the manor employed sixteen other resident servants—including a housekeeper, two personal maids, two personal male attendants, two maids, five male servants, a cook, two kitchen assistants, and a driver. Eivass’s elder brother rarely came home, so the masters of the house, besides himself and Yulia, were only the old man.
James conducted himself with a low profile and a steady demeanor, even being polite to the servants. Although he rarely smiled, he never took his anger or frustration out on his subordinates.
Or more accurately, no one had seen him lose his temper or get angry in decades. Even when faced with the most impolite guests, the old man maintained his composure with neither arrogance nor subservience.
Yes, an old man.
Although James was Eivass’s adoptive father in name, his age was sufficient to make him Eivass’s grandfather.
This was also reasonable… When he adopted Eivass, Eivass was only six years old. Now Eivass was eighteen.
Eivass and Yulia’s elder brother, Edward Moriarty, was adopted by James at the age of eight. He was now thirty-five years old.
“… Dad.”
Yulia, standing beside Eivass, stepped forward and greeted him softly.
She was like a well-behaved cat, approaching him and having her head gently petted by the old man.
“How are you feeling today, Yulia?”
He asked earnestly, “Did you take your medicine properly?”
“I have already taken it,”
Yulia replied softly, her voice possessing a dreamlike transparency.
“Rest early. Don’t read too late. Knowledge is endless,”
The old man admonished her carefully. “You must sleep no later than nine o’clock. Your health is not good—do you understand, Yulia?”
Seeing Yulia’s gaze drift to the side as he spoke, he raised his voice slightly to emphasize, “Yulia?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yulia responded vaguely.
The old man sighed helplessly and reiterated, “Don’t stay up late, you silly girl.
“You don’t go out, so there’s no difference between day and night for you. It’s better to sleep early and read during the day. It’s better for your eyes too.”
As he spoke, Yulia fell silent again.
Old James was at a loss, so he emphasized, “I’m old now and can’t afford to stay up late. I have to sleep at ten o’clock. If you have any questions, I won’t be able to answer them. But if you read during the day and don’t understand something, you can come to me anytime. I don’t have classes tomorrow, and I’ll be home for several days. You can ask me anything you don’t understand, alright?”
“…Okay.”
This time, Yulia did not pretend not to hear. She seriously looked up, her ruby-like eyes gazing at the old man. “I’ve been reading books on Alchemy recently… discussions from the Path of [Balance]. Do you understand this, Dad?”
“I understand all the books in this house, Dad,”
The old man said calmly. “I understand a little about all Nine Great Paths.”
His tone was plain, yet it exuded a sense of unshakable confidence.
“Then I will sleep early today.”
The girl held up two fingers to her ear and said seriously, “I swear, I mean it—”
“Don’t.”
The old man simply reached out and gently bent her fingers back into a fist.
“Don’t do that.”
James said sternly, “This is a [Simple Oath]. It’s a gesture with spiritual significance. If you break the oath, you will truly be punished.”
“…I just wanted to try.”
Yulia said softly, “I just read it in a book today… Was my gesture correct?”
“It was correct. So don’t do it again next time,”
The old man sighed, a little tired. “Go eat now, I have something to discuss with Eivass.”
Yulia responded and, following Oswald, went to the dining room. Only two people remained in the living room.
James returned to silence, sitting opposite Eivass.
The old man picked up the cup of tea that Haina, from the Inspection Bureau, had not touched, poured it out, and then poured himself a fresh cup of hot tea.
Looking at Eivass, who remained silent, he clutched the teacup and asked softly, “How do you feel… in your current state? Is it still stable?”
He was referring to the Shadow Demon that Eivass had contracted.
There was no hiding such a matter from his adoptive father.
Since Eivass woke up at home, it was highly likely that Butler Oswald had brought him back in a comatose state. James must have examined him and applied a simple universal seal. At the very least, he prevented the Shadow Demon from taking over Eivass’s body while he was unconscious.
It could be said to be very thoughtful.
In the “future” vision, James Moriarty—the mad, gaunt, and hunched figure—and the kind old man who cared for him now seemed like completely different people!
His memories were filled with James’s doting affection—
When Eivass was a little over ten years old, he once casually mentioned missing the special fried cod he and the other orphans used to get from Aunt Miso during festivals.
The very next day, Aunt Miso was hired at a high salary to work as a temporary kitchen assistant at home. Not only the special fried cod, but all her other “commoner dishes” were taught to the household cook. When she was let go, she was given additional severance pay.
Eivass was so frightened that for at least half a year, he dared not mention anything he wanted or wished for. He feared that as soon as he said it, it would be bought for him immediately.
Even as the young Eivass, who had not yet recalled his past life memories, his self-awareness was clear—he was not James Moriarty’s biological son. He did not deserve to be pampered and spoiled so unreasonably.
It was only because Eivass was sensible that he did not become a spoiled brat under such indulgence.
Therefore, when Eivass looked at his adoptive father now, he always felt complicated. He harbored a glimmer of hope.
…Could it be that his adoptive father was not the mastermind when the story began? Or perhaps he fell into evil ways only when the Avalon Kingdom disintegrated?
This was not impossible.
In the original story, when the Avalon Kingdom fell apart, Eivass followed the protagonist to escape to the Church. From that point on, he was separated from his adoptive father. They met again three years later.
Perhaps…
Something had happened during those three years?
…But that would not explain Eivass’s role as a spy, infiltrating the lives of the “Players.”
“—Eivass?”
Seeing Eivass fall into thought again, the old man softly called out, “If you can’t handle it, shall I ask the Lord Bishop to help you dispel the possessing demon?”
“…Ah, I’m fine, Father. The demonic knowledge I obtained from those people includes a method to seal Shadow Demons.”
Eivass looked up and offered a comforting smile. “I was just thinking about something else.”
“Then I believe you,”
His adoptive father nodded slowly. “The materials you asked me for yesterday, I have brought them back for you. The ropes from the gallows were easy to find… but the nails from the heads of those executed by breaking and entering—those were incredibly difficult to find. That method was abolished after the Queen’s enthronement. I managed to find them in a museum.
“I don’t know if you’ll need them later, so I brought all four existing ones. The museum records have also been thoroughly cleaned up. There’s nothing to worry about. Tell me if you need anything else… and don’t easily trust outsiders again.”
…He found them so quickly?
Eivass couldn’t quite believe it.
He hadn’t expected his adoptive father to actually find them after just one day.
Was this the power the Moriarty Family could wield when the Avalon Kingdom still existed?
“That’s great! With these, I can seal the Shadow Demon more stably.”
Eivass’s heart warmed, and he expressed his heartfelt gratitude, “Thank you, Dad!”
The two ritual materials he had requested were not actually for sealing the Shadow Demon. Using a wheelchair was the simplest and most stable sealing method. This was the optimal solution discovered by Demon Scholars of the Star Antimony Kingdom four years later.
“Then I won’t have dinner today!”
He felt a tingling sensation, appearing somewhat impatient. Eivass was a fervent enthusiast of the occult, and his current actions were completely in character.
“Let me help you.”
Seeing Eivass about to push his wheelchair himself, Old James quickly stepped forward, steadied the back of the wheelchair, and pushed Eivass towards his room.
Along the way, the old man said softly, “Eivass, even though you might be unhappy to hear this… Father still has to say it.
“In rituals, never use humans or human corpses as materials and sacrifices. Other than that, whatever materials you need, Father will find a way to get them for you… Can you promise Father?”
Hearing this, Eivass, sitting in his wheelchair, widened his eyes slightly in surprise.
It wasn’t because he was surprised that his adoptive father, the mastermind, had made such a seemingly moral request…
But because he knew that what the old man had said was completely accurate.
It was not until the “Fallen Heavenly Envoy” descended and the level cap for Demon Scholars was raised that the Demon Scholars of the old era realized their path was entirely wrong.
They all believed the focus of a Demon Scholar was on “demons,” but they failed to realize the focus was on “scholars.”
Humans could not use humans as ritual materials, nor could Elves use Elves. If it were a converted Undead, they could not use the bones of any animal as material. This was a taboo of “Heavenly Calamity.”
Any Demon Scholar who used fellow race members as sacrifices and incurred the punishment of Heavenly Calamity could not ascend to the rank of “Great Sin Scholar.” Those Level 40 Demon Scholars could only transform themselves into various demons. This was not even an advancement; it was merely exchanging their professional levels for a racial template stronger than human.
Undoubtedly, such an upper limit and abilities would be much weaker than a “Great Sin Scholar,” who was a Heroic Profession.
Players, from the beginning, could not use members of their own race as ritual materials, thus they were unable to achieve the condition for erroneous advancement.
Now, James had clearly stated this secret.
Was it a coincidence, or…
Eivass’s heart stirred, and he simply nodded seriously.
He raised two fingers of his right hand to his ear and uttered the oath word by word: “I swear never to use fellow race members’ lives or corpses as my ritual materials and sacrifices.”
As his voice faded, he suddenly saw a phantom vision—
In the darkness, on a snowy mountain.
A radiant dragon, wearing a silver crown and appearing like crystal, diamond, or silver, quietly gazed at him.
The illusion lasted for only a fleeting moment, less than half a second. But when Eivass awoke, he was covered in cold sweat.
[You felt the gaze of ‘Authority’]
[You obtained the trait: Authority – Silver Scale]
[Authority – Silver Scale: With this mark, the Silver Crown Dragon is gazing at you. A certain oath you have made cannot be broken. When you attack anyone who breaks the oath, gain +1 Advantage (Divine)]
“…Whether it is your fortune or misfortune, simple ‘oath’ made it attract Its attention. It must be a coincidence…”
The old man behind Eivass also seemed to sense something and stopped walking.
He remained silent for a while before continuing to slowly push the wheelchair, saying softly, “But regardless, the God of Authority has heard your oath, and it cannot be broken.”
“Of course…”
Eivass closed his eyes wearily, feeling his heart pounding intensely, almost with a sense of obstruction. “I will never walk that path of irreversible degeneration.”