The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 141. I Will Always Trust Brother

Lily, sprawled on the sofa, watched Aiwass clean the ritual traces. Unable to sit idle, she joined him.“What Path trait did you choose?” Aiwass asked casually.

He usually avoided such questions, merely curious this time.

Path traits were chosen instinctively, bestowed by the Nine Pillar Gods, infallible. The options were always suited to the user—any choice worked.

The ritual rewarded traits based on actions, ensuring the best fit for those who acted true to themselves, unleashing their potential.

Only those with specific career requirements, like Iris’s assassin or Aiwass himself, needed to control trait selection.

Lily, guided by a secret tome to the transcendent path, had no such restrictions. Her path was unique, uncharted even to Aiwass. Giving advice risked steering her wrong.

His experience: if you don’t know a profession, admit it rather than guessing.

“Both times, Shadow Affinity,” Lily replied softly.

“Huh?” Aiwass paused. “You’re aiming for shadow stealth?”

A mocking chuckle came from his shadow, audible to Lily.

She glanced at it, answering earnestly, “Yes. Didn’t you say that assassin gained shadow stealth after three Shadow Affinity levels? I want that ability.”

“You want to steal the power of shadows, Spider Miss?” the shadow demon growled, lion-like.

“Not steal, but learn,” Lily corrected politely. “You said those assassins never truly encountered a shadow demon. Their skills come from imagination, not mastery. If you taught me shadow stealth, wouldn’t I surpass them?”

“Obviously,” the shadow demon replied without hesitation. “They barely grasp shadows’ surface, clumsy enough to make me laugh. The issue is… why should I, a follower of the Scale-Stealing Feather God, teach you?”

Lily sensed faint hostility in its tone.

Aiwass crouched, patting his shadow gently. “So, it’s not a problem, right, Shadow Demon?”

Lily’s words struck a chord.

Aiwass had considered this: if he sealed the shadow demon into a blank card as his Great Beast, it’d be like a Poké Ball—requiring release to act externally.

He’d control it without Shadow Affinity but lose its constant vigilance.

Without his “wheelchair,” Lily would have no reason to stay close, pushing him. Her gear—lowering others’ attention and enhancing perception—would rarely trigger. If attacked, Aiwass might not react in time.

If Lily learned shadow stealth, she could replace the demon, hiding in his shadow for safety, alerting him in dangerous areas like archaeological sites or foreign lands.

Her high-end gear would be wasted on low-stakes tasks otherwise.

“It’s not that I don’t want to teach, respected master,” the shadow demon rumbled, its tone softening, almost aggrieved. “Spider Miss lacks the seed of shadows. Like a human without gills, she can mimic swimming but can’t breathe underwater long.”

“The seed of shadows…” Aiwass mused.

He hadn’t used the other half of his Nurturing (Essence) skill, a Transcendence Path ability to grant a nurtured demon’s power to others.

He thought for a moment, addressing the shadow demon. “How about a deal? I give you my flesh, and you give her your power. Don’t refuse yet—it’s not for today.

I promised you flesh after the ritual, but you’ll wait half a day. I need my mana for something big.”

“Are you fighting someone, master?” the shadow demon perked up. “If so, you may not need mana. I can now channel some power through your body.”

“Not a fight. I’m crafting a transcendent item—requiring fifty units of fire mana.”

“…A bomb?” the shadow demon hesitated.

Aiwass smirked confidently. “Watch your master’s skill.”

With the ritual site nearly clean, he told Lily, “Go get Yulia, quietly. Don’t wake anyone.”

“Now?” Lily glanced at the time—barely past 4 a.m.

“Yes, before sunrise. It’s the new moon, the darkest night, when the Sun’s power is weakest.”

Aiwass explained briefly.

“Okay, we’ll be quick.”

Lily nodded, slipping into the shadows.

After she left, the shadow demon sounded uneasy. “What are you making… needing so much mana?”

“Ever heard of a demon card?” Aiwass asked.

“What’s that?”

“Or rather,” Aiwass chuckled, “do you know ‘Great Sin Arts’?”

“…You mean the ritual that drained my power?”

The shadow demon remembered the Great Sin Ritual vividly—no one had ever siphoned an upper demon’s power so easily.

“You know Yulia’s a Demon Egg,” Aiwass said.

“Obviously,” the shadow demon replied darkly. “A vessel… for a demon’s revival.”

Demons reborn from Demon Eggs weren’t new but resurrected from past deaths.

“I know your secret to immortality,” Aiwass said. “When demons die, their remnants return to the Dream Realm, slowly regenerating with Path power. But if destroyed too thoroughly or during rebirth, their concept falls to the material world.

Infants born with Path resonance, unaware of their names, can sense juvenile demons.”

Demon Eggs were often prodigies. Yulia, only fifteen, mastered university-level knowledge.

But rather than Demon Eggs granting talent, only true geniuses became them.

“I’m going to extract the demon from Yulia,” Aiwass said. “So she won’t fear losing control.”

“Master, extracting a demon from a Demon Egg kills the host instantly,” the shadow demon warned.

“That’s human art,” Aiwass countered. “I’m using Celestial Art.”

Lily returned, gently pushing the door.

“We ran into Mr. Oswald, so it took a bit,” she explained softly.

Her coat draped Yulia’s pajamas. Yulia, still groggy, stood quietly, uncomplaining.

Rubbing her eyes, she scanned the ritual remnants.

Aiwass smiled. “Oswald probably heard us and came to check.”

“Mr. Oswald’s incredible,” Lily said. “I was in stealth, and he saw me.”

“Normal,” Aiwass nodded.

His elf butler might be fifth-tier. Uncertain without combat data, Aiwass speculated Oswald’s role tied to the Church, Candlekeeper, or Silver-Crowned Dragon, protecting founder families.

Their ancestors aided the Silver-Crowned Dragon’s ascension to Pillar God, many becoming its apostles, like Gawain.

The Church likely ensured their bloodlines endured, a reasonable act of respect, possibly the Candlekeeper’s will.

Aiwass suspected the Silver-Crowned Dragon was once “Arthur.”

Avalon’s founder was Lancelot, with founder families as original Round Table Knights, including Merlin, Vivian, and Mordred—missing only Arthur.

The giant chieftain called Aiwass’s warrior body “Arthur,” recognizing him but not Barton’s knight.

Was this Arthur’s story before slaying the White Dragon to become the Celestial of Strength?

Arthur had Strength and Transcendence Path affinities then.

Elves, worshipping the Candlekeeper, were Avalon’s only clear allies against the giants. Was this a divine war between the Candlekeeper and Supreme Sky?

Or at least the Candlekeeper’s revenge for the Supreme Sky’s apostle murdering his ?

This could explain the Silver-Crowned Dragon’s rise, the Church and elves’ high status in Avalon, and the “eternal alliance” with the Church Nation.

Aiwass set aside his curiosity about Oswald.

“Come here, Yuli.”

He patted his lap, smiling and opening his arms for a hug.

Yulia, now waking, noticed Aiwass wasn’t in his wheelchair.

She froze, then rushed over. “Brother, your legs are fully healed?”

Aiwass laughed, lifting her overhead before hugging her close. “Does it look like I’m unwell?”

He kissed her cheek gently. “Still wearing the amulet, Yuli?”

“Always, except when bathing,” Yulia whispered in his ear.

She giggled, rubbing her cheek against his, eyes crescent-shaped. “This whole week, no headaches or heart pain… the amulet works!”

They both knew it was a seal’s effect.

But Yulia preferred believing in the amulet—it meant no more pain.

“Good. It won’t bother you anymore,” Aiwass said, touching his forehead to her warm one. “Trust your brother?”

“I’ll always trust you,” the white-haired girl said earnestly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

(Chapter End)