The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 702

Chapter 701
Conspiracy Against Yulia

After most people had left, Pomanach grabbed a blood servant who looked no older than twelve or thirteen and drank deeply. Only after the other party turned pale and collapsed, being carried away by other blood servants, did he finally calm down.

Rubbing his forehead, he asked sarcastically, “Do you have any more bad news for me?”

“Indeed.”

Prince Heinrich nodded. “It’s confirmed—Count Leo Karl has now become a Warrior. He no longer possesses the Power of Transcendence.”

“Hmph, this is the worst news I expected,” Pomanach snorted, not showing much reaction. “Although he was on the Path of Transcendence, he never seemed like a Transcendent. It’s not out of my expectation that he’s now classified under Path Adaptation. After I heard about the ‘Warrior,’ I thought he might leave us.

“But what about his Flame Demon? I haven’t heard any news about a Flame Demon going out of control recently.”

“It seems he’s merged with his Flame Demon and is now adapting to his new power,” Prince Heinrich reminded him. “Although he’s lost the Transcendent Path, his power doesn’t seem to have weakened; it might have even grown stronger.”

“It’s not surprising. The Flame Demon suits him. He wasn’t just suppressing it purely through the power of a contract,” Pomanach said, shaking his head slightly. “Since Karl is no longer a Transcendent, find another sacrifice.”

“Am I the one to decide?” Prince Heinrich was a little surprised.

“Of course, ‘Pomanach’ doesn’t belong to the Rose Cross. If I were to decide, it might make our friends wary,” Pomanach chuckled—this was the first time in days his face showed a smile. “You are the Host of the ritual, so it will be more natural for you to decide on the victim. Pick anyone; you don’t need to consult me.”

“…The ritual will certainly proceed. It doesn’t matter if there’s one less person. No other Transcendent has become a Warrior… How about Master Walter?”

“Let’s forget Walter. I quite like his daughter. Sacrificing him would mean killing her. That would be a shame.”

Although he said to pick anyone, Pomanach was still carefully considering and giving reasons for refusal. Prince Heinrich showed no surprise at this and suggested the next name, “Madam Marasia?”

“We need to borrow the power of a Fallen Heavenly Envoy. A female vessel might not be suitable?”

“Then… Count Dawn?”

“Yes, let’s go with him.”

“Alright, I’ll notify the others,” Prince Heinrich nodded.

But then, he hesitated again. “There’s one more thing, Father… What about Count Karl?”

“Deal with him as you see fit,” the “Red Phase” Pomanach said lightly.

“I mean,” Count Leipzig emphasized, “he knows the secret of the Ouroboros Ring ritual. And now, he’s been excluded… Do we need to silence him? He might be stronger now than before, so if necessary… I think I might need support.”

“I said, deal with him as you see fit,” Pomanach looked deeply at Count Leipzig. “What do you think?”

“…I think there’s no need to kill him.” Count Leipzig hesitated for a moment before speaking up to plead for Count Karl. “He was originally a sacrifice for the ritual and didn’t know too many secrets. He also knows how many people are involved in this grand ritual… I believe he’ll be sensible and won’t reveal anything. He’s an intelligent person.”

“You want to protect him?” Pomanach was a little surprised but nodded. “Very well.

“I said—deal with him as you see fit. Meaning, you can do whatever you want, but you must take responsibility. Don’t cause trouble that I have to clean up… I’m tired of it. Although you call me Father, I didn’t say you should truly treat me like a father and act spoiled. You weren’t ejaculated by me, so that’s enough.” The Red Phase sighed, showing a rare hint of exhaustion in his words.

“Then, Father,” Prince Heinrich confirmed again, “What about the Hrasal Secret Treasury…?”

At his question, the Red Phase fell silent for a long time.

“The Blood of Heracles must be obtained. But I don’t know how much information Emma has leaked… Our chance might be only once.” Pomanach casually pulled a blood servant into his embrace, concentrating on his thoughts. “Violent means are not feasible—as I said, we cannot directly confront the Church. And now, Avalon has allied itself with the Church.

“How about this, Heinrich. Your Leipzig—it has many Alchemists, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, Father.”

“I remember there was an Alchemist in Avalon who researched explosives. He’s a Star Antimony person… and also Yulia’s teacher.”

“That’s right.” Prince Heinrich nodded. “His name is Nobel. He used to be in our Leipzig’s Third Alchemy Team. Later, he slightly modified a classic alchemical formula and accidentally created a more stable explosive. At the time, the Vice President of the Royal Alchemical Association disliked him, claiming it was an infringing modification of previous achievements and that its usability was purely accidental, not a result of his intellect, thus it couldn’t be copyrighted.”

“Absurd,” Pomanach scoffed. “Aren’t those alchemical formulas just modifications based on previous work? I’ve been tired of that since Valentine’s time.”

“But many were jealous of Nobel, especially since his project lacked technical depth but yielded significant economic benefits. Therefore, the Vice President’s claim was widely accepted, and he was deemed a ‘lucky but unethical researcher.'”

“He kept trying to sue them… but as you know, that’s impossible. Later, he left in anger, and the Royal Alchemical Association pressured me, so I couldn’t keep him.”

“Then I probably understand his personality,” Pomanach mused. “So, Heinrich. I’ve thought about it… If we try to hold an apprentice alchemical competition or offer him some benefits, given his stubborn personality, he probably won’t return. Let alone bring Yulia with him.

“So, do this—write him a letter in the name of his former colleagues. Ask if they heard he’s returned to Star Antimony and has patented all his classic formulas, questioning why he didn’t come back to find them. Then, casually mention that ‘Nobel’ has found a new student, said to be a genius who has inherited all of Nobel’s legacy and has already made contact with ‘you.’ But ‘you’ suspect his student’s invention infringes on patents—anyway, the war has stopped now, and he won’t be able to resist.”

“…Will that be enough?”

“Yes, that will be enough. Then find an actor to stage something similar, and have the news of Nobel returning to Star Antimony with his student spread through the newspapers. But don’t send him the newspapers directly; let him find out himself.”

Pomanach chuckled. “For researchers like them, who are stubborn and noble, benefits and threats won’t work. But once their reputation is threatened, and someone tries to steal their achievements and honor, they’ll jump at the chance to prove themselves. As long as Yulia is smart enough, he’ll bring Yulia back, letting her inherit his connections and achievements—Yulia has been ill for too long, and now Eivass has become so strong, she’s unwilling to fall behind and longs to grow… She will definitely come. Valentine was like that back then… I understand them too well.

“…Honestly, I quite miss people like that.”

(End of Chapter)