The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 464

Chapter 463
The Moriarty Family’s Gambit

“The ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual is fundamentally a counter-attack ritual; it can only solve part of the problem.”

After explaining the ritual’s mechanics, Madam Shafiya revealed its shortcomings. “Objectively speaking, the damage done to Avalon by the Star Antimony people’s manipulation of Minister Dross to assassinate Her Majesty Sophia is far less than the damage caused by their instigation of the knights to slaughter each other.

“As you said, the knights loyal to the royal family would have been wiped out in the first instance. Even if Lancelot I were resurrected, he wouldn’t be able to dispatch all the remaining knights along with them.

“Even if Lancelot I were the founding monarch of Avalon, we ultimately live in the present. That monarch is neither a Heavenly Envoy nor a Disciple… even if successfully resurrected, he would still be a mortal. A mortal cannot meticulously control an entire nation alone. He would still rely on the current knights and officials to rule Avalon.”

Avalon is, after all, a very vast and complex organization.

If the entire Round Table Hall were to perish, the entire nation would essentially fall into a state of paralysis. Even if a new batch of leaders were appointed, it would have to be done gradually, one group at a time; it would be impossible to replace everyone simultaneously.

Merely defeating the invading enemies, thwarting their schemes, or obtaining decisive power like the Eternal Pope would only bring about “stability” and freedom from external threats. It would still not solve Avalon’s internal problems – while Lancelot I could punish corrupt and greedy ministers, he could not conjure more excellent ministers out of thin air.

“Her Majesty Sophia once said, ‘Lancelot’ is merely a talisman to preserve the complete sovereignty of Avalon and the last chance to restore the royal power corrupted by Prince Lloyd.’ Given that monarch’s personality, he is highly unlikely to directly participate in governance.

“Furthermore, being too close to mortals would only cause the mysterious aura of this ‘resurrected monarch’ to gradually fade… and rule from the past would also lead Avalon towards twilight. Therefore, Avalon’s future monarch remains young Isha; this is unshakeable.”

Madam Shafiya replied straightforwardly, “Even if all the knights loyal to the royal family are dead, a portion of the remaining knights must still be won over.”

They could not forcibly extract a “more loyal to the royal family” contingent from this clearly compromised group to serve as an interim government.

This was because everyone’s hands were already stained with blood, making it impossible to differentiate them on that basis.

Upon hearing the Professor’s statement, “The Moriarty Family is the only founding family completely unaffected by the Lloyd Society,” a new idea suddenly sparked in Madam Shafiya’s mind, and it continued to expand, becoming clearer and clearer—

—Could they be divided into two factions based on “whether they were willing to obey the Moriarty Family”?

Professor Moriarty himself was a high-ranking member of the Lloyd Society, and he undoubtedly represented the Society’s will.

Then, from the Lloyd Society’s perspective, it would only be necessary to sever ties between Professor Moriarty and the leaders who obeyed the Star Antimony people, thus dividing the Lloyd Society into the “Lloyd Society loyal to the royal family” and the “Lloyd Society disloyal to the royal family.” They could win some over, warn some, and then punish some… and deal with the rest slowly once Avalon stabilized.

“I recall that the Lloyd Society’s original vision was to control the royal family through marriage, much like Prince Lloyd, to establish a governmental system beneficial to merchants.”

Madam Shafiya’s thoughts were clear: “Compared to being dogs for the Star Antimony people, the merchants would undoubtedly prefer to support Eivass, who is also a merchant and will inevitably become the Prince. Thus, the main body of the Lloyd Society would inevitably return to your side.

“Since this is the case, as long as the influence of Noble Red on the Lloyd Society is removed, and the ‘financiers’ once again support Isabel, the knights will also be forced to stand with Isabel. Those knights manipulated by the Star Antimony people will then be exposed.

“Even if all these people were hanged, Avalon would not harbor any resistance or fear… it could even further strengthen its cohesion. This is because they are essentially using the lives of others as a bargaining chip to gain benefits for themselves.”

Eivass and Isabel were a couple who trusted each other implicitly, so making Eivass the Prince would also mean that power would indirectly return to Isabel…

The more Madam Shafiya thought about it, the brighter her eyes became. Her gaze towards Eivass grew more and more affectionate.

Eivass, however, let out a silent sigh and exchanged a glance with Isabel.

…Undoubtedly.

Madam Shafiya had unknowingly fallen under Professor Moriarty’s control.

Lawyer York had once described Professor Moriarty as possessing “intelligence as precise and invisible as spider silk,” and Eivass witnessed firsthand how he operated for the first time.

From caution to trust, from hostility to relaxation, from full disclosure to standing together… Professor Moriarty had said almost nothing and used no extraordinary abilities. With just a few words, he had brought Madam Shafiya to his side.

Madam Shafiya, who had been anxious and tense, was unknowingly infused with confidence, her agitated state calmed. She, who had intended to flee to the Church with Isabel, no longer considered such a thing, and even began to plan for “the situation after the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual succeeded.”

Eivass could understand why she felt that way.

Professor Moriarty had induced in her a logic of “no loss no matter what” and created a sense of security that was fatally attractive.

—If Madam Shafiya succeeded in stealing the Queen’s remains and activating the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual, Avalon would be reborn in blood. Even if she failed and was killed, Isabel would still have a chance to restore the kingdom with the Moriarty Family’s support. Even if she were delayed, with Old Moriarty’s protection, Isabel would not be pursued and captured.

In short, it was enough to make her “feel at ease.”

Upon realizing this, even though Madam Shafiya had not yet reclaimed the remains, she had already relaxed and completely sided with Professor Moriarty.

“I have an idea, Madam Shafiya,” Eivass suddenly said.

Even though he knew that speaking now meant feeding information to his foster father, Eivass had to brace himself and intervene.

After all, he couldn’t just watch Madam Shafiya run back to her death.

Hearing this, Madam Shafiya and Old Moriarty both looked at Eivass.

Eivass continued, “There is likely a trap at the Queen’s remains… but the reason I want to stop you is not just that. It’s because I know that if you go back like this, you absolutely won’t get the Queen’s blood.

“The reason is simple: according to your words… there is at least one Fifth Tier Necromancer in the Silver and Tin Hall guarding the Queen’s remains. Once you reveal your intentions, the speed at which he desecrates and pollutes the corpse will definitely be faster than your speed in drawing blood.”

“…That’s true.”

Madam Shafiya nodded with some reluctance.

She actually knew that the chance was slim, and rationally, she even believed the Queen’s remains were already defiled… but she had no other choice.

—If they didn’t revive Lancelot I, how could they win over these founding families and drive out these Extraordinary beings?

Even if they achieved a narrow victory and somehow defeated these individuals… the Star Antimony still had several times more Fifth Tier Extraordinary beings than Avalon.

Ultimately, after Meg’s death, Avalon had lost its ability to fight back.

—And if this ritual wasn’t completed, wouldn’t the royal family members who died from the curse have died in vain?

Now, they were only one step away!

“But, Madam Shafiya, don’t forget…”

Eivass said, “Because they want to replace ‘Isabel,’ the Queen’s funeral will inevitably be held normally seven days later. So, if they don’t realize your target is the remains, they won’t immediately destroy the Queen’s body. In other words, they will keep the remains there as a trap and bait.

“…But as long as I attempt to seize the remains, there will inevitably be traces.”

Madam Shafiya shook her head.

“Therefore,” Eivass replied calmly, “our true target is not the Queen’s remains. We just want them to think we are trying to seize the remains. This way, all their attention will be focused there.

“And we can complete the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual through other means.”

Hearing this, Madam Shafiya paused for a moment.

Soon, her pupils contracted slightly in surprise.

She realized the implication of Eivass’s words.

—If blood cannot be drawn from the Queen, how else can the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual be activated?

There was only one way.

That was… to assassinate John Du Lac.

The last remaining member of the royal family besides Isabel. The posthumous child of Isabel’s aunt, a two-year-old infant being nursed by his wet nurse in the side hall.

Madam Shafiya subconsciously glanced at Isabel, then looked at Eivass with some trepidation.

What scared her the most was… for a fleeting moment, she believed Eivass’s plan was the most correct and effective.

“As a sworn subject, you cannot act against the royal family. Therefore, all the blame will fall upon me— I will be the one to act, and you will be responsible for luring them away and helping me buy time.

“I don’t need to sneak in. I can accept Minister Dross’s invitation and walk in openly.

“If possible, I hope you can also rescue Sherlock. He was trapped somewhere for trying to inform the Queen. If I don’t make it out, he can contact you on my behalf.”

Eivass said word for word, “We will act immediately, while Diomedes hasn’t gone far. I can still catch up.”

Madam Shafiya’s expression was complicated: “This matter… it originally had nothing to do with you…”

Eivass shook his head: “For Isabel, I will spare no effort.

“In the end, I will personally witness the ‘Shadow of Avalon’ ritual as a sinner and murderer. I will calmly accept His Majesty Lancelot’s judgment upon me, and I am prepared to die for it. As for that traitor… I hope you will leave him to me, so I can execute him personally.

“No matter what, I want to kill him.”

—All of this was the truth.

Eivass was indeed prepared to die; otherwise, he wouldn’t have convinced Madam Shafiya.

It was just that it wasn’t “accepting Lancelot’s judgment,” but being killed by the impact of the Shadow Heavenly Envoy’s descent.

Madam Shafiya finally realized the extremity of Eivass’s resolve and couldn’t help but gasp.

No wonder… Eivass, despite his young age, could reach the Third Tier.

As long as the purpose was purely altruistic, even if the price was not “self-harm,” it still belonged to the principles of the Path of Devotion.

Coupled with the serenity and sacrifice of willingly bearing sins…

This was precisely a follower of the “God of Sin Thorns Binding the Body.”

He was a madman…

Madam Shafiya was momentarily speechless.

When Eivass finished speaking, silence filled the living room.

“Eivass…”

Suddenly, Isabel tightly grasped Eivass’s arm.

She gripped him so hard that she dug into his flesh. Then, she cupped Eivass’s face.

Isabel’s tone was incredibly firm, yet low, as she said word by word, “No matter what you do, I will believe it’s for me.

“No matter what you’ve done, I will be with you.

“No matter what great sins you bear, I will bear them with you…”

She looked into Eivass’s eyes: “So…”

Eivass was slightly taken aback.

Because in Isabel’s pupils, he saw only pure seriousness and sincerity.

He could not be sure whether Isabel was acting… or if she was taking this opportunity to express her true feelings, which she was usually too shy to say.

“—So, please go ahead without worry.”

The girl replied earnestly.

She took off the silver necklace she wore around her neck, stood on her tiptoes, and solemnly put it on Eivass.

Madam Shafiya watched all of this with a complex expression.

She knew it was the sacred necklace called “Isolde’s Tears,” with a teardrop-shaped green gemstone pendant.

It possessed the power to bring the wearer back from the dead and was an extraordinary item Isabel used for her own survival. It was invaluable.

Since Isabel had given it to Eivass, it meant she had tacitly approved of Eivass’s plan.

“—I don’t consider this a sin; at most, it can only be called a Necessary Evil,” Old Moriarty suddenly said from the side.

He earnestly and seriously retorted, “After all, is this not the original sin of the Star Antimony people?

“If their plan succeeds, Prince John will inevitably face death. Therefore, our using young John to resist the Star Antimony’s blessing is merely bringing his death forward. Who was it that first placed his life on the precipice of danger? Wasn’t it the Star Antimony people?”

Having said that, he looked deeply at Eivass and waved his hand, ending the topic: “Oswald, you go with Madam Shafiya…”

“I’m fine with anything on my end,” Madam Shafiya temporarily set aside her inner turmoil, worrying about Eivass’s safety. “I’m more concerned about Eivass. Perhaps you could let Mr. Oswald accompany Eivass…”

“I trust my son,” Old Moriarty said without hesitation. “He is not someone who overestimates himself. Since he didn’t say he needed it, it means he doesn’t.

“Hurry, Eivass. You can still catch up now.”

Hearing this, Eivass nodded with an impassive face: “I’ll pack up and set off immediately.”

Eivass’s heart stirred slightly.

Good, he had finally tested the waters.

His foster father’s deliberate trickery in sending Madam Shafiya to her potential death was precisely to test Eivass’s mission and, through Eivass, to observe Isabel’s attitude towards him.

And similarly…

Eivass’s choice of a utilitarian and ruthless, yet highly efficient and executable plan, was also to test his foster father’s attitude toward “sacrifice” and “pawns.”

After all, it was inconvenient for them to lie in front of Madam Shafiya.

Therefore, as long as they spoke, it would at least be partial truth.

Now, with the Ascension Ritual as the stage and Madam Shafiya as the mirror, the real Eivass and the illusory Old Moriarty met each other’s gaze.

It was like a person standing on a lake, looking down at their own reflection.

Eivass could finally glimpse a sliver of truth beneath his foster father’s mask.

He wanted Eivass to become like him, which was why he said these words.

This indicated that he did not regard Eivass as a mere tool.

This was good.

But…

“Premature death” is merely a Necessary Evil—

This was Old Moriarty’s fundamental philosophy, which he could not hide. Similarly, it was likely his attitude towards Eivass and the others.

Got you.

Eivass thought.

Seven thousand five, update complete!