The Shepherd's Secret Sequel

Chapter 2: Misguidance

"Not a lady..."

Haina whispered, "I haven't actually graduated yet."

Moreover, it was just a question...

But before she could finish her sentence, Aivas interrupted her softly:

"You can enter the Inspection Bureau before officially graduating... I see, Miss Haina, are you studying at the Royal Law University?"

Aivas had a standard and clean accent, devoid of the "elf tone" that the people of the capital city took pride in as a symbol of nobility. However, this made Haina, who had come from a small place to study, have a better impression of him.

So she nodded and responded, "Ah, yes."

She proudly straightened her chest as she spoke, "I was the former president of the Student Council and also the top student in the fourth grade. As an outstanding graduate, I obtained a job permit from the Inspection Bureau a year in advance. Although I haven't received my assigned sword yet, my name is already on record with the Inspection Bureau."

"Then that means you can be considered my senior."

Aivas interlocked his fingers and placed them on his knees.

He leaned back, relaxing his upper body, and calmly said, "I'm actually a student at the Royal Law University too. I'm a freshman this year."

"...Really?"

Haina was somewhat surprised. "But I haven't seen you before..."

"That's because I have poor health. I fell seriously ill before starting school. I had to stay in bed at home and rest for three months because of it."

Aivas's somewhat pale complexion made his words sound convincing.

He's a child with a difficult life...

"I understand. You are indeed innocent... I will report this to the director when I go back."

Haina nodded repeatedly, feeling compassion. Her shallow sense of jealousy towards Aivas had dissipated as a result

.

She felt ashamed of herself. As an inspector in the Inspection Bureau, she could be considered half a knight. Yet, she had forgotten the teachings of humility and compassion from her mentor... The feeling of jealousy truly is ugly.

"Well, senior," Aivas suddenly spoke up, "Did you see what was in the fireplace?"

"Burning things..."

Haina turned her head back, uncertainly saying, "It's hard to tell. It doesn't seem like firewood."

"It's a diary."

Aivas said gently, "Perhaps it's evidence of my association with the demon scholar.

"Just like this book in my hand."

He said, closing the book and tossing it into the fire.

Haina was suddenly startled by his words.

Instinctively, she took a step forward and reached out her hand. Without any prior thought, she managed to intercept the book mid-air.

Furrowing her brow, she lowered her head and looked. It turned out to be a book titled "Selection of Poems by Shi Dairel, Volume Eighty."

Of course, Haina was familiar with this book because it was the textbook used for the "Elf Language" course in her freshman year.

She anxiously flipped through it, confirming that it was not evidence of any association with the demon scholar. In fact, there were many highlighted points and difficult passages marked with different colored pens inside.

"Just kidding."

Aivas's lips curved slightly. "I am the victim of this incident, senior. These were the exact words you just said... Why do you doubt me just because I mentioned it casually? Don't you have any confidence in me?"

Haina suddenly realized that this seemingly gentle and elegant young man seemed to have some hidden mischief in him.

"This is a serious matter, and joking about it is inappropriate."

She hardened her expression and sternly lectured, as if she were in school: "Demon scholars often use living beings as sacrifices, and to cover their tracks, they will kill the sacrificial offering after the ritual. It's absolute wickedness. Even if someone has no grudges or conflicts with them, they would still use and kill them as materials. It's horrifying! How can we joke about such a thing?"

As she spoke, she suddenly realized something and her gaze became sharp. "Speaking of which... if you were a sacrifice, how did you survive?"

"They used me as a sacrifice, intending to summon a powerful demon, but they didn't expect that the demon would be more fond of me. So I commanded the demon to kill them instead," the boy said with a mischievous smile. "In fact, the Moriarty family is completely evil. My father, Professor James Moriarty, is a demon scholar with dreams of world destruction. I'm not his adopted son; I'm a demon summoned by him from another realm. I will completely destroy the Kingdom of Avalon within a year."

Haina listened in disbelief, realizing halfway through that Aivas was just talking nonsense. "...What are you talking about?!" she exclaimed, partly out of anger and partly out of embarrassment for momentarily taking Aivas's bizarre words seriously.

This seemingly gentle and poet-like boy was as cunning as a fox, filled with lies and deceit.

She became angry but couldn't speak loudly in front of the butler, which only made her face turn red. "Tell the truth... why did you appear in the demon ritual? Someone anonymously reported that you went to Stone Arch Park on your own accord and weren't coerced."

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can take me to the Inspectorate," Aivas shrugged, seemingly genuinely regretful.

But Haina knew that it was impossible. With the Inspectorate clearly biased, she had no evidence to arrest Aivas. If she actually took the wheelchair-bound Aivas away, she would be the one in trouble.

Then, Aivas slowly wiped away his fox-like smile.

He wore a serious expression and said earnestly, "That's true. But since you can know that what I've been saying is all nonsense, why can you believe the anonymous report? What's the difference between what I said and that report?"

"So, what is the truth?" she asked.

"I can give you another version of the story: I was attacked and brought to Stone Arch Park while I was out for a walk. When I regained consciousness, I was already in a wheelchair. I have no idea what happened in between, how I became a sacrifice for a demon, or how they were driven away and how I survived..."

"But this version of the story is too smooth, without any flaws. It's like the defense presented by a lawyer in court. If I say it directly, you might become even more suspicious," Aivas sighed, appearing helpless and innocent.

"So, which one do you believe?" he asked.

... If we exclude emotions and judge based on reason, it seems that the latter version is more reasonable.

Haina immediately realized that she had misunderstood Aivas again.

—Because Aivas was too weak. Haina could sense that he was probably extraordinary, but his reactions were very weak. At most, he only illuminated a small portion of the path.

Even if a demon was truly summoned, it would at most be the strength of a familiar, incapable of causing that level of destruction. Moreover, the confirmed deceased at the scene were wanted criminals who had infiltrated the capital.

"That person had once sacrificed a small village and is now a third-level demonic scholar, capable of even summoning higher-level demons."

...Could it be that after he summoned the demon, the contract failed and he was consumed by the demon in return?

Well, it's not entirely impossible.

If that were the case, when the summoner died, the demon would be sent back. In this scenario, Aivas would have only suffered severe energy depletion from the ritual and then was rescued by the old butler. Logically speaking, this possibility seems more likely.

...But why did Aivas tell such an outrageous lie to himself?

Soon, Haina realized what was going on—she provided a very reasonable explanation: because her attitude change was too simplistic. Without thorough questioning, she had simply declared Aivas innocent. As a truly innocent person, Aivas became angry at this hasty attitude and deliberately said strange things, sarcastically highlighting his own tendency to jump to conclusions and trust others too easily.

That makes sense.

That's why the chief investigator wasn't particularly concerned about this case... because he knew Aivas couldn't be the culprit and probably didn't possess any important information. Investigating further would have been a waste of effort.

It all fits together now.

Another incident occurred yesterday—a demon scholar usually requires a partner to perform major rituals like summoning demons. Furthermore, in most cases, demon scholars work as master and apprentice pairs.

If we assume that the mentor demon scholar was consumed by the summoned demon, it would make sense for the apprentice to escape and act alone. If Aivas was his assistant or apprentice, then who committed the crime in yesterday's case? If Aivas controlled a demon to kill someone, would he spare another person?

...Well, what am I even saying? It's highly unlikely that an entry-level person like Aivas could manipulate higher-level demons.

"I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions."

Haina realized this and straightforwardly apologized, "I'm also sorry for the misunderstanding before. If you still plan on returning to school, I can ask my juniors to make things easier for you."

"This isn't compensation, just an expression of apology. If there's anything else I can do, please feel free to ask."

"Anything?" Aivas seemed somewhat intrigued.

"...Just to clarify, I don't have any money."

Haina's face showed a hint of sadness as she added, "Apart from monetary compensation—if needed, I can perform some voluntary labor."

"It's okay, the misunderstanding is cleared up."

Aivas smiled gently, "Actually, I felt uneasy too. After all, if word got back to you after you returned to school and raised doubts, it would be troublesome for both of us. Not to mention, if I'm late again..."

"Well then, why don't you try to guess, Miss Haina, why I know about demons? Even though I haven't had any contact and was unconscious throughout. But why was I able to guess the connection to demon scholars the moment we met?"

"...I think this is what they call deduction! Like that famous Mr. Sherlock Holmes!"

Haina's eyes brightened, "I remember Mr. Sherlock Holmes was once the professor's favorite student. He seemed to excel at deducing details about others through this kind of divination-like method! I've collected clippings of the articles that mentioned Mr. Sherlock Holmes from the newspapers—I cut them out and pasted them into a book. It's already filled one-third now..."

The more she spoke, the more logical her thoughts became.

Feeling like she had encountered a kindred spirit, she suddenly felt enlightened, and many doubts were instantly resolved. Her brain seemed to clear up in an instant.

As Haina continued talking excitedly, Aivas, sitting in the wheelchair, slightly narrowed his eyes, revealing an innocent smile.

If Haina hadn't been so careless and had observed more carefully, she would have noticed the silent presence of the old elf guardian beside her, whose shadow beneath him remained motionless. But the shadow cast by Aivas' wheelchair trembled slightly, like a sleeping beast breathing steadily.

You arrived at this conclusion all by yourself through your "deduction." I didn't tell many lies.

When it comes to deduction, if you start with a predetermined conclusion and then look for evidence, you'll undoubtedly be led astray. It seems you're not quite up to par.

Yes, Aivas is indeed the sacrificial offering.

But at the same time, "Aivas" is also a participant in the demon ritual.

What he said earlier was not a lie.

If I hadn't suddenly remembered my past life, then he might truly have been the "Otherworldly Demon" summoned as a sacrifice with the soul of Aivas in the ritual.

Because along with those memories of the past life, what appeared before him was an incredibly familiar screen:

Aivas, male human, comprehensive level

Base occupation:

Priest Level 1: [Basic Prayer - Level 1 (93%)]

Demon Scholar Level 3: [Demonology - Level 1 (13%)], [Basic Ritual - Level 1 (5%)], [Demon Contract - Level 1 (99%)]

Illuminated Paths: Dedication - Level Zero; Transcendence - Level One

Mana Pool: 1/1 (Light), 3/3 (Dark)

Free Experience:

Path Features:

Transcendence - Shadow Affinity Level 1: You have signed a life-long contract with a Shadowfiend and can freely utilize first-level shadow abilities.