The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 167. Alastair Must Be Your Man Ch 167. Alastair Must Be Your Man

“You could say, Mr. Lloyd, this isn’t a threat but a declaration: even if I die, I’ll take a chunk out of you. Think carefully,” Boca said, his voice dripping with unmasked hostility.Tommy found it laughable.

“Think carefully?” he chuckled. “Oh, I will.”

A sudden thought struck: Was Boca behind Meg’s visit? Was he orchestrating this?

Squinting, Tommy probed, “A shadow demon’s power is impressive, isn’t it?”

“It’s strong, but I’m no weakling,” Boca replied, voice low. “Alastair already paid me a visit. When’s your turn?”

Tommy’s mind roared, clarity dawning.

This was his key to solving Meg’s task in three days.

Boca shouldn’t know Alastair’s name this soon—not when even Grand Arbiter Meg lacked details, and Boca had no ties to the Inspectorate or Bureau.

He Alastair—maybe Alastair was his man!

That explained Boca’s quick agreement to attack Aiwass. He knew Aiwass would be fine. Why would a volatile demon-possessed like Alastair take Aiwass alive unless instructed?

Tommy suspected Aiwass wasn’t kidnapped but hidden by Boca to pressure Avalon’s authorities against him. Aiwass was faking his death!

This would hit Noble Red and, by extension, Lloyd Society—Tommy most of all. If Meg’s curse killed him and the society crumbled, Boca could reveal Aiwass, becoming a hero to both Lloyd Society and Avalon.

Public approval, media buzz—Boca’s obsession.

What a plan!

Boca’s silence wasn’t weakness but a calculated strike. Tommy had to admit, Boca had outplayed him.

He’d initially thought Alastair was Noble Red’s, not Boca’s, as Boca lacked motive. But now it clicked: Tommy’s death was motive enough.

If Tommy hadn’t realized Alastair was Boca’s and searched Noble Red instead, three days wouldn’t suffice. His hostility could push Noble Red to abandon or silence him.

Ruthless Boca—still waters hiding a crocodile, not a rabbit!

Tommy’s eyes burned with killing intent, his giant blood barely restrained from crushing the phone.

“I’ll find you, Mr. Boca,” he said with a menacing grin. “Be careful… though it won’t help.”

He hung up.

On the other end, Boca’s face was grim.

Droste promised intel by afternoon but sent Diomedes that morning, distrusting even allies.

That intel confirmed Alastair was Lloyd’s man.

Joining Noble Red without knowing his mentor? Impossible.

Boca knew Noble Red’s process: prospective members studied demonology and rituals via mail, then faced interviews and written tests by two full members. Passing led to an initiation ritual:

Killing someone with bare fists—not weapons or guns—required prolonged brutality, awakening malice to prevent later regrets. Some joined for occult curiosity or Transcendence potential, unaware of the darkness.

After, they’d dissect the victim for their first ritual, becoming first-tier Transcendents. Only then did they receive a Noble Red ring and join a mentor’s tutelage.

Exceptions, like Aiwass, wild demon scholars who killed ring-holders, could skip initiation but were recruited by senior members.

Alastair, a demon-possessed, faced stricter scrutiny. Even York struggled to join. Droste’s described process was wrong, meaning Alastair was deceived. He hadn’t joined but knew Noble Red’s ideals and had a ring—proof his deceiver was a mentor within the society.

With Noble Red planning a big move, Glass Island’s members worked in fixed pairs. Available mentors were Lloyd Society’s, and with York dead and Boca uninvolved, only Tommy remained.

Initially, Boca doubted the “Mr. Lloyd sends his regards” taunt, suspecting a ploy to pin him against Tommy’s volatile temper. But Droste’s intel erased doubt.

No more hesitation—retreat meant death.

Tommy’s unmasked killing intent aimed to frame and eliminate Boca. Alastair was surely his.

But Boca’s allies were dead…

His mood darkened.

Tommy, a fourth-tier demon scholar nearing demon incarnation, had Alastair, a shadow demon-possessed, aiding him. They could strike anytime, and Boca’s rituals risked detection by Noble Red’s ritual experts.

Though Avalon’s royal family held ritual mage legacies, Noble Red retained ritual and curse knowledge.

Boca was in grave danger.

He had no choice but to take a desperate gamble.

If executed well, he might clear his name.

Saving Aiwass was his shot.

With resolve, he made the call:

“Honored Great Guardian, this is Bran Boca.

“I’m turning myself in and reporting Tommy Lloyd, president of Lloyd Society, for thirty-six counts of murder, kidnapping, extortion, and more… I request the witness protection program.”

(Chapter End)