The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 841

Chapter 840
Endless Feast is Completed
The Crown Princess’s hands trembled slightly.
She likely hadn’t just never skinned or dismembered anyone, but had never even killed anyone.
Eivass thought, with a mixture of regret and relief.
When her slightly trembling knife tip pierced Eivass’s skin, he knew she was a novice. Skinning was one thing; though she peeled off some of his flesh, causing Eivass to cry out in extreme pain… she could barely proceed to the dismemberment stage.
Perhaps it was because Eivass’s screams were too horrific, that she became so frightened she trembled uncontrollably, lacking the strength to sever Eivass’s limbs. Instead, she began to cry herself.
Eivass could only give Noel a bloody embrace. He spoke in a gentle voice, comforting and encouraging her for a long while.
“Didn’t you want courage?”
Eivass said softly, “Then I will give you courage.”
He hadn’t intended to speak so gently. It was because the pain from being skinned by a novice had made him too weak, leaving him without strength. Eivass’s pain was not diluted or weakened; otherwise, the Shepherd’s Method would have lost its efficacy.
“…What’s your name in reality?”
Although it was Eivass’s plan, hearing his screams, Noel softened her heart—or rather, she was somewhat horrified.
She couldn’t help but say, “I will find a way to compensate you…”
Eivass merely gave a mysterious smile. “Then there’s no need, Your Highness. You cannot compensate me for anything.”
Finally, Noel steeled herself.
She used the abilities of the Path of Balance to enhance the Ritual Knife in her hand, and with swift, decisive movements, she severed Eivass’s four limbs in quick succession before cleanly cutting off his head as well.
She simply didn’t want to hear his wails anymore. But the swiftness of her actions actually reduced his pain.
As Eivass’s head flew off, his brain still held the intense pain.
However, he simply closed his eyes in prayer, and a stream of bloody tears flowed from his hollow left eye socket:
“For the Banquet Master, I offer the Wings of Freedom…
“For the Banquet Master, I offer the Pure Wrists…
“For the Banquet Master, I offer the Dancing Feet…”
And under Noel’s awestruck gaze, she saw Eivass’s hacked-off remains fly up, circling the vibrant Candlemaster Sacred Statue, exploding into a bloody mist that dyed the Candlemaster a deep scarlet.
Eivass’s severed head traced a bizarre arc, landing on top of the Candlemaster.
One of his eyes was closed, while his other eye grew pure white flowers, giving him a strange yet compassionate appearance.
His right eye continuously sprouted black Sin Thorns, which entwined around the now crimson Candlemaster, finally completing the last piece of scarlet the Candlemaster lacked. The Candlemaster’s originally strange, joyful smile, now stained with blood, also appeared compassionate.
Beautiful white flowers bloomed from within the black thorns, completely obscuring Eivass’s head.
The next moment, all the candles on the Candlemaster’s head lit up, burning with pure white flames.
The radiance, capable of illuminating heaven and earth, surprisingly revealed a hint of rainbow brilliance within the blood mist, appearing like a sacred halo.
The guests and musicians whom Eivass had killed, their corpses, simultaneously ignited—albeit with scarlet flames.
Their burning bodies suddenly rose from the ground, raising their hands as if holding wine glasses; they bowed or placed a hand on their chests, paying homage to the Candlemaster, or to Eivass on the Candlemaster’s head.
Then, the guests embraced each other warmly within the flames, and the musicians played a joyous and fervent final song.
Dance, dance, dance madly—
An increasingly wild dance, a dance performed with all one’s might.
Noel watched this scene in a daze.
Their dance this time had no structure, no technique. Each person danced according to their own ideas, and the musicians’ tunes were no longer synchronized… yet this chaotic feeling did not come across as messy or noisy. Instead, it gave Noel a sense of profound shock.
Suddenly, she was pulled into the center of the dance floor by a “person.”
It was a golden-haired youth in his early twenties.
He had a large gash on his neck, but his face beamed with an enthusiastic, joyful smile.
In the Star Antinomy royal court, Noel had never seen anyone wear such a smile, apart from the Clown Laro.
Everyone else seemed to carry sad stories, either frowning deeply or maintaining a stern expression. All were lost in thought, always arguing with each other.
“…Why is everyone so happy?”
The Crown Princess, dragged along and performing a comical dance, couldn’t help but ask.
But the other party didn’t open their mouth to answer her.
However, the youth was not a mindless undead—he reached out his hand, gestured to his own face, tugged at the corners of his mouth with one hand, and smiled upwards.
Then, he pulled her along and danced wildly.
The flames on his body did not spread to Noel… or rather, the flames only made her feel warm. It was like putting on warm, dry clothes after being rained on.
First, the clothes on his body burned away, turning into nothingness. Then came his skin and flesh.
When the song ended, both guests and musicians were reduced to mere skeletons.
The scene began to slow down and become stagnant.
Eivass watched it all.
Despite his head being severed, he was still “alive.”
His body was transparent and glowing, exceptionally conspicuous.
But at this moment, Eivass stood behind Noel, yet she did not see him.
And on the other side…
Eivass looked at the petrified Andrea.
Her soul had not floated out.
As expected, as long as she wasn’t completely “killed,” but only controlled through petrification, freezing, or sealing, she was irrelevant to this Ascension Ritual.
Just like the Child of the Moon in the Material Realm.
The best way to deal with immortality was to seal them away.
“It’s just…”
Eivass sighed inwardly.
Truly, it was a Candlemaster’s ritual, encouraging self-“death.”
He hadn’t deliberately tried to guess the examiner’s intentions when choosing self-sacrifice. But now, because his choice perfectly matched the Candlemaster, he benefited…
In the world that had become stagnant and frozen, another line of text appeared before Eivass.
【For what reason did the guests die?】
Immediately after, three doors appeared beside him.
Corresponding phrases also appeared beneath them:
—【Feast】, 【Slaughter】, 【Judgment】.
Now, he had no more doubts.
Eivass, in his spirit form, pushed open the door of 【Feast】 without hesitation.
The next moment, the entire world turned into light.
The whole world was stripped away and condensed into a complete painting.
The crimson Candlemaster, entwined with Sin Thorns, shone with a circle of brilliant radiance.
On the scarlet stage, skeletons burning with red flames danced and played music passionately. Each skeleton’s movements were entirely different, resembling a frenzied, unrestrained dance more than a social ball.
Some skeletons raised their wine glasses, clinking them enthusiastically, splashing scarlet wine from the vigorous clash of cups.
It was not a banquet.
It was revelry—
【All feasts have an end. After drinking the Fool’s blood and consuming the banquet-goers’ flesh, until the banquet is successfully completed and the guests depart in satisfaction. Then, the Banquet Master will be perfected again, ascending to the position of Heavenly Envoy. The banquet they yearn for will be held again, perhaps in the Dream Realm, perhaps in the future】
—Completed, Endless Feast】
A young and solemn voice echoed in Eivass’s ears.
(End of this chapter)