The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 985

Chapter 984
I Want To Die With You
After returning to Avalon with the egg, Eivass first went to Isabel to report his safety.
When Isabel saw Eivass, she was so overjoyed that she ran over and hugged him, refusing to let go.
After the relief and joy, she hugged Eivass and cried in his arms.
This was in full view of everyone.
The young “Iron-Blooded Queen” cried her heart out without any reservation. Eivass gently held her and softly comforted her. This scene was captured by reporters and published in the newspaper.
To this day, no one would doubt the love between Eivass and Isabel.
It wasn’t until after dinner and washing up, when Eivass lay beside her, that Isabel truly felt “Eivass has returned safely.”
She immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Maintaining the Mask of Secrets Grimoire for a long time had put a great strain on her spirit. She had barely slept these past two days… Sleep was only for recovering mana; even when sleeping, she would enter the Dream Realm to prepare detailed “contingency plans” for tomorrow’s performance. What was even more tormenting was her worry and fear for Eivass’s safety.
Isabel did not voice her unease.
Because it wouldn’t change anything and would only waste Eivass’s energy comforting her.
—If I can’t help Eivass, at least I won’t burden him.
This was a decision Isabel had made long before she became queen.
That night, she did not drink alcohol and did not choose to enter the Dream Realm.
Instead, she fell into a complete, deep, and peaceful slumber.
When she woke up the next day, Isabel found herself unconsciously wrapped around Eivass like an octopus.
She had not had such a good night’s sleep in a very, very long time. There were no distracting thoughts, no nightmares, and she woke up feeling refreshed and experiencing ultimate peace. It was as if she had become a “newer version of herself.”
When she realized she was clinging tightly to Eivass, she didn’t feel shy… instead, she boldly moved closer, gently licking Eivass’s chest like a puppy. While licking, she observed Eivass’s eyes.
“What do you want?”
Eivass, who was leaning against a pillow reading, somewhat helplessly put down his book and reached out to stroke Isabel’s hair.
Isabel didn’t respond, just burying her head in Eivass’s chest and looking up at him pitifully, “Wuwu…”
“You little naughty thing…”
Eivass lovingly reached out and picked Isabel up, letting her lie on him and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Isabel seemed to realize something and suddenly showed a mischievous smile.
She wriggled her body and whispered into Eivass’s ear word by word, “You big naughty thing… miao?!”
Before she could finish speaking, Eivass grabbed her waist and flipped her over, pinning her down.
Isabel’s face flushed red as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Eivass gently kissed her lips, then lowered his head and bit down hard.
“To put a book like this by the bedside…”
Eivass said with a smile, “Are you trying to make me practice it in real life?”
“That wasn’t placed there.”
Isabel’s left hand gripped one of Eivass’s antlers as a “handle,” while her other hand caressed Eivass’s chest, collarbone, and Adam’s apple, whispering, “That’s something I wrote myself…”
“…As a writer, it’s quite reasonable to review what I’ve written before when I have free time, right?”
She spoke half righteously, half vaguely.
Eivass didn’t respond, just hugged Isabel tightly and kissed her earlobes.
“Your meow was quite pleasant just now,” his voice grew deeper and more hoarse, “Let me hear it again.”
…
It wasn’t until Isabel couldn’t meow anymore that Eivass reluctantly let her go.
While using the Illuminate Spell to help Isabel recover her strength, he casually asked, “Rebuilding Hrasal… you should have heard about it by now.”
Isabel rested her head on Eivass’s arm and nodded gently.
“Star Antinomy needs the name of Hrasal to preserve itself. But Avalon may not need to join…”
Eivass softly asked, “What are your plans? Whatever you decide, I will support you.”
“Join.”
Isabel answered without hesitation.
“Why?”
Eivass was somewhat surprised, “Don’t you want to be queen anymore?”
“…I never wanted to be queen from the start.”
Isabel shook her head slightly, “I never wanted to be queen from the very beginning.”
“It’s just that I [must] be queen… I had no choice. Because I am the only one left in the Du Lac family… If I don’t become queen, what will happen to the subjects of Avalon?”
As she spoke, she turned back and reached out to caress Eivass’s cheek.
Her eyes, as bright as emeralds, were filled with affection.
“The more I look at you,” Isabel whispered, “The more I yearn for freedom.”
“But I know that is not something that belongs to me—people still need me.”
“…You don’t just want to join the Hrasal Empire, do you?”
Eivass realized Isabel’s true purpose, “You… want to abandon the surname Du Lac?”
He knew that Isabel didn’t want to be queen.
In the original worldline… Isabel had sacrificed her fertility in exchange for the power of the “Queen of Flowers.” After that, she handed the country over to the Camelot family—although the Du Lac family was childless, she could have adopted a child and passed it down to the Du Lac family as a successor.
But she didn’t do so.
And now… Avalon had not yet been destroyed, and her younger brother was still alive. Did Isabel still think this way?
“Is it not possible?”
Isabel retorted, “From the very beginning… wasn’t our ancestor Lancelot Du Lac a knight under King Arthur? It was because the monarch he served, Arthur, was ascending to the Dream Realm that he chose to take over the throne in his stead…”
“…From the beginning, this was not our country. And the knights of the past all identified themselves as Hrasal people—they only established their kingdom on Avalon Island because they could not accept the decline and corruption of Hrasal.”
“And now we have the opportunity to become a member of Hrasal again, even an original member… I believe they would agree. If you’re not clear, I can invite them down to ask in person.”
After all, the ancestors in this world could truly communicate with the living.
“…Yulia becoming Emperor and you becoming King do not conflict.”
Eivass shook his head, “It is normal for the Empire to have several subordinate kingdoms; they just need to nominally belong to the Empire. So I don’t think that’s the real reason…”
“We’re getting married, aren’t we?”
Isabel suddenly asked.
Eivass nodded, “In a little over half a month.”
“Seventeen days—I’ve already started preparing.”
Isabel whispered, “But if we get married, we’ll face a problem… What surname should we have?”
Hearing this, Eivass suddenly understood what Isabel cared about.
According to Avalon’s rules, after marriage, the couple could only have one surname. Either Eivass would change his surname, or Isabel would.
Eivass shook his head, “I don’t care about that; I’ll change it. It’s not a disgrace to have a royal surname, is it? Originally, the Moriarty family were knights who protected the king…”
“And there’s Brother Edward, isn’t there? If I became Du Lac, Brother Edward could inherit the Moriarty family’s fortune. Although he can’t inherit due to his profession, now… hehe, I have the final say. Those old rules can be changed.”
“However,” Isabel whispered, “You will eventually become a god, Eivass.”
“Yes.”
Eivass was not humble in front of Isabel, “My planned honorific title is Banquet Heavenly Envoy… but that doesn’t stop me from becoming Eivass Du Lac.”
What arrogant words.
Even as a mortal, he was already reserving his honorific title for when he became a Heavenly Envoy.
However, neither Eivass nor Isabel thought there was anything wrong with these words.
“It does.”
Isabel said seriously, “If you become a Heavenly Envoy… what about me? Will you leave me alone in the mortal world?”
Becoming a Heavenly Envoy meant no longer being a living person.
—If you go to the Dream Realm, then I have no reason to continue living in this world.
“Wherever you go, I go.”
She cupped Eivass’s face in her hands and said word by word, “When you go to the Dream Realm, I will go too. At least give me a spot as a Disc… like the Banquet Heavenly Envoy and the Mist Envoy back then.”
“But once we both go to the Dream Realm, who will manage Avalon? So… so…”
Hearing this, Eivass finally understood Isabel’s thoughts.
Because she felt that she would leave Avalon sooner or later, she wanted to find a successor ruler for Avalon in advance.
She believed that with Eivass’s talent, he would likely ascend to the Dream Realm and become a Heavenly Envoy very soon. Their children would not have enough time to grow into monarchs… Monarchs were not just symbolic; they needed to be responsible for their subjects. If Avalon remained independent, the monarch would be responsible for Avalon’s entire future.
But if Avalon belonged to the new Hrasal Empire, then their children could just muddle along, only needing to listen to their aunt.
And Yulia, as a “pioneer,” belonged to this era.
Yulia had the mission and responsibility to guide all living beings to the next era and could not easily leave the Material Realm like Isabel.
“I want to go on adventures with you too.”
Isabel lay on Eivass’s arm, looking at him.
Her voice was soft and transparent, like moonlight on a lake, “Is it not… possible?”
Eivass sighed, somewhat helpless yet full of affection, “Yes. Everything is possible.”