The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 755

Chapter 754
Or rather, it was a gift
However…
Alistair stroked the uneasy Little Crow while narrowing his eyes and thinking to himself.
If Alphonse’s mastermind was Anna Kingsford, and he was killed by the Night Demon’s abilities, would that also indicate that Madam Kingsford had some kind of relationship with the Night Demon?
“I am truly sorry, my dear boss…”
At this moment, multiple voices suddenly rang out. It was as if four or five people with similar voices were saying the same thing at slightly different paces.
These were the voices coming from the mirrors that had been destroyed in the explosion. Although the ceiling and floor had been reduced to nothingness, the mirror that Eivass and the Night Demon shielded behind them had only been shattered into fragments by the shockwave.
Now, these broken fragments simultaneously reflected the images of multiple Mirror Demons.
Because each remaining mirror fragment was too small to contain its entire form, the Mirror Demons, in order to report their safety immediately, had split themselves into several parts, emitting these voices that sounded like several recordings pieced together.
“That was an offensive from the Night Demon, which, to a pathetic little demon like myself, seemed far too ferocious…”
“—Alright, stop talking.”
Before the Mirror Demon could say anything irreversible, Alistair quickly stopped it.
The Mirror Demon did not show the slightest displeasure.
Instead, it smoothly launched into its second wave of flattery: “As expected of you, you understand the nature of us demons so well. That way, I can rest assured—you won’t be in danger by believing the slander of other demons.”
…Professional, so professional.
After being interrupted by Alistair, it immediately stated that if it did anything wrong, it was due to its race’s instincts and not its problem as an individual demon; it then expressed its unwavering resolve to stand with Alistair no matter what; and finally, it subtly implied that “other demons aren’t as good as me”… This sentence could be seen as genuine concern for Alistair’s safety, or as a subtle jab at the Night Demon—as she was also one of the “other demons.”
Alistair hissed, finding it hard to stomach.
—Damn Count Dawn, what have you done to your demons!
How could they have gotten tainted by the filth of the human world… Tsk, that sounded strange…
…But it didn’t seem too strange.
The Phantom Demons of the Dream Realm were ultimately shaped using the souls from the Material Realm. And according to the Fallen Heavenly Envoy’s habits, they only marked individuals with Transcendent Path adaptability with the Mark of Sin—these souls would not enter rivers like the Dream Realm through normal means but would be directly transformed into demons.
This act was akin to intercepting supplies on the roadside, stopping the supply trucks that were supposed to reach their destination and appropriating the supplies.
Many demons were, in fact, humans transformed during the Hrasal Empire era. This meant they were “ancients” from five hundred years ago, or even a thousand years ago.
—How could ancient people be worse than modern ones!
With the progress of human civilization, humanity’s desire for transcendence grew stronger, and the path of corruption continuously spread. Those transcenders who could be chosen by the Fallen Heavenly Envoy five or six hundred years ago might be considered well-behaved in His eyes now…
Perhaps due to special attention to Alistair’s other identity as the “Eternal Pope,” the Mirror Demon that re-signed the temporary contract with Alistair suddenly became enthusiastic. It had planned to escape and take a vacation, but now it seemed in no hurry.
Seeing that Alistair did not respond, the Mirror Demon smoothly changed the subject, feeling no embarrassment: “Who do you think is the mastermind behind this incident?”
Seeing that the Mirror Demon had finally said something serious—or rather, something that wouldn’t make Little Crow feel wronged if Alistair responded—Alistair also became serious and quickly diverted the topic: “If you ask me, it was Madam Kingsford who did it.”
“But this is the ‘Kiss of Betrayal’.”
The Mirror Demon did not hesitate to name the move: “As far as I know, Madam Kingsford is a Witch. Although she also wields the power of the Path of Love, this should not be her doing.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Alistair said meaningfully, “After all, it’s the Path of Love… I wouldn’t be surprised by anything they do.”
After all, it was the power of the Origin River of “Creation.”
Although both the Beast Path and the Path of Love had strayed somewhat, this did not change the fact that the Path of Love was currently the most dynamic path.
Compared to the Mirror Demon, Viness understood Alistair’s underlying meaning: “Does Master mean that Madam Kingsford has other things she wants to do?”
“I ask you,” Alistair did not answer but retorted, “If this was done by Kingsford, then what kind of action do you think this is?”
“I believe it was an act of silencing Alphonse von Piloty.”
The Mirror Demon replied without hesitation, clearly having thought about this answer for a long time: “Because the Ritual he performed was taught to him by Madam Kingsford, and this Ritual itself was closely related to Madam Kingsford’s interests. To destroy the evidence, Madam Kingsford rushed over to silence Mr. Piloty immediately after receiving the information…
“—But I think this is just a wrong answer, a vulgar deduction based on false information and preconceptions. I believe Boss must have some different opinions on this, and I eagerly await your wise thoughts.”
With a shift in tone, it smoothly presented the completely opposite conclusion.
It was like Kogoro Mouri, having just been pricked by Conan, negating his own perfectly reasonable deduction.
“It’s very simple. Because whether it was the Night Demon or Anna who did this, the perpetrator came from the Path of Love—and curses are also skills mastered by the Path of Love.
“The question is—are people from the Path of Love this normal? Or, would she really care about the so-called ‘truth’ and ‘silencing’?”
Although Alistair’s words sounded somewhat argumentative, upon closer thought, she was correct.
– Since Alistair could bypass so many interference factors and directly point to Alphonse, who absolutely did not have the capability to perform this ritual, it meant she had obtained sufficient evidence. Since Alistair already knew that Anna was the mastermind behind Alphonse, then Anna making such an undisguised act of murder and silencing…
…Wouldn’t that be a bit like farting after taking off her pants?
“Rather than silencing him, it’s more like she’s solidifying the impression that ‘she’s the mastermind.’ But if this was a frame-up, it would be meaningless—unless what you told me about Madam Kingsford’s involvement is false.”
“—Impossible, Boss!”
The Mirror Demon cried out without hesitation: “I would never engage in such lies and deceit!”
“I believe you.”
Alistair replied without hesitation: “So there is only one other possibility.
“The other party—we’ll call them ‘the other party’ for now—their actions were completed under the assumption that I had the Night Demon to protect me.
“You see, although the explosion was spectacular, it didn’t cause much actual damage. After the steaming black smoke dispersed, the damaged walls could still barely maintain their shape; and the explosion that shook the ground didn’t even completely shatter the mirror I blocked—
“And I absorbed the full force of the explosion by the Night Demon, not even a single hair out of place. If this was an assassination attempt on me, wouldn’t it be looking down on me a bit too much? After all, I’m someone who can kill Count Dawn silently.”
“So, you believe…”
The Mirror Demon opened its mouth and said slowly, “This might have been just a probe?”
“I prefer to call it a ‘gift’.”
Alistair narrowed her eyes, her scarlet pupils in the midst of the swirling gray smoke glowing like lamps: “Like fireworks set off when a friend arrives, or a salute when a distinguished guest visits.”
(End of Chapter)