The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 149. Diomedes’ Warning

With Oswald’s help, they quickly packed the items Yulia wanted to bring.This wasn’t just a trip to school—it was essentially a move. Until Oswald returned, the Moriarty estate wouldn’t be safe. At Aiwass’s urging, Yulia brought everything she deemed essential.

Unlike other young ladies of her status, Yulia packed sparingly on clothes and jewelry. The bulk of her luggage consisted of toolkits and material crates. Aiwass advised against bringing many books, as the Royal Law University’s library—Avalon’s largest—outshone even Professor Moriarty’s private collection, especially its restricted section. Yulia selected only a few advanced alchemy texts and her university-level study notes, neatly organized from her first to third year, totaling ten thick volumes stacked higher than her calf.

To assist with Yulia’s “move,” Oswald accompanied them.

Post-recovery, Yulia brimmed with visible energy, chattering incessantly in the carriage like an excited child before a field trip. Her topics, however, were weighty: transcendent career paths, ascension rituals, the Dream Realm, astrology, tarot—regretting not bringing her telescope—then alchemy, immortality elixirs, plant breeding, Avalon’s land policies, and tax systems.

Only Aiwass’s vast knowledge kept pace with her.

Yulia’s social experience was near nonexistent, her knowledge gleaned from books and newspapers. Yet her prodigious memory made her a walking archive. She even recalled the exact date Aiwass first appeared in the papers and its contents—details he’d forgotten, having bluffed through that interview caught off guard.

Her enthusiasm drew a rare smile from Oswald’s weathered face.

To retrieve Aiwass’s wheelchair, they headed to the Inspectorate in Red Queen’s Ward, just down the street from the Royal Law University. The wheelchair was in Edward’s office. Aiwass and Yulia waited in the carriage, chatting, while Lily and Oswald went inside.

It was Lily’s first time at the Inspectorate.

She’d previously visited the White Queen’s Ward Supervisory Bureau at night to collect a secret tome. The Bureau was chaotic—armored supervisors bustled about, some heading to the griffin paddock out back, others poring over files or shouting to colleagues about incomprehensible matters.

Lily had thought the Bureau only handled arrests, but there she learned they also managed taxes—a thornier issue than security. Everyone seemed stressed or stern. Feeling like an obstacle, she clung to the walls, looking more like a suspect than a reward claimant.

The Inspectorate, however, felt entirely different.

At 3:30 PM, well before closing, the spacious halls were eerily empty. The polished floor reflected Lily and Oswald’s shadows, their footsteps echoing with a faint sense of dread.

“…Mr. Oswald,” Lily whispered, “why’s it so empty? Aren’t they working?”

“If the Inspectorate were as busy as the Supervisory Bureau, that’d spell trouble,” Oswald replied calmly, hands behind his back. “The Inspectorate oversees knights’ and officials’ loyalty, morality, bribery, or treason, plus monitoring foreign spies and infiltrating other nations.

“These rooms might be hosting interrogations—or be entirely vacant. The number of officials under review is sensitive; even that knowledge can sway stock trades. That’s why rooms have soundproof runes. You only hear inside by knocking.”

Noticing Aiwass’s fondness for Lily, Oswald shared his experience. He liked the diligent, earnest human girl—far more than Haina.

Stopping at a door, he said, “This is Young Master Edward’s office. Remember it?”

“Yes,” Lily nodded. “I can find him here.”

“Exactly,” Oswald said simply.

He knocked, and the muffled interior snapped into clarity, as if unblocking an ear. A brief pause suggested multiple occupants.

“Urgent?” Edward’s cool voice came. “I’m handling matters. There are chairs outside.”

“It’s me, Young Master Edward,” Oswald replied.

After a moment, Edward opened the door.

He looked stern but relaxed slightly upon seeing Oswald. “Here for the wheelchair?”

Oswald nodded, glancing inside. Besides Edward, two others were present: a captivating red-clad blonde woman in her thirties and an elderly elf with a rare square jaw.

“I had good news, but with guests here, it’s inconvenient,” Oswald said slowly. “Come home tonight.”

“I’ll try,” Edward nodded.

Turning to the woman, he said, “Handle it, Lady Red.”

“You always give me the dirty work, dear Inspector General,” she grumbled. “The Lloyd Society’s full of snakes.”

“Do it anyway,” Edward said curtly. “If you vanish on the way back, I’ll remember you next year.”

“I get that every year. Fine,” she sighed, leaving.

As she passed Lily, time seemed to slow. Lily’s senses sharpened—she felt she’d seen this woman before.

Could it be the Love Path’s Lady Red from the ascension ritual’s waiting hall? Lily hadn’t met her there but overheard her sultry, languid voice for over an hour as “Gray Robe.”

When Lily glanced at her, Lady Red noticed, offering a friendly smile without concern.

As for the elderly elf… Lily felt a similar familiarity.

“Good to see you, Diomedes,” Oswald greeted first.

“Long time indeed,” the elf, Diomedes, replied, smiling faintly. “Thirty years, give or take?”

“Before the master adopted Young Master Edward,” Oswald recalled fondly.

He chuckled. “I’m heading to the Theocracy. Want me to pass a message or bring back a souvenir?”

“You’re leaving your kids?” Diomedes raised a brow.

Edward glanced over, frowning with concern.

Oswald shook his head at Edward, signaling they’d discuss it at home.

“Bring some Rose Gold Brew,” Diomedes said with a laugh. “I miss the homeland’s wine.”

“No message then, old man,” Oswald teased. “Die quietly in this foreign land.”

“Don’t badmouth me, you dying fossil,” Diomedes shot back.

By human standards, both looked seventy or eighty; as elves, they’d lived four or five centuries. Without Path powers, elves averaged five hundred years. Longer, and they’d be Amber’s chosen.

Oswald introduced, “This is Diomedes, the Droste family’s guardian and my old friend. We were both papal guards before I came to Avalon. He recommended you to the Moriarty family.”

“…I remember her,” Diomedes said, his expression serious. “We met briefly years ago.”

“Thank you, Mr. Diomedes,” Lily said, bowing sincerely.

Without him, she’d never have joined the Moriartys or reunited with Aiwass.

But Diomedes’ look was complex. He hesitated, sighed, and said softly, “Stay safe, child.”

Oswald squinted, patting Lily’s shoulder. “Got your meaning, old man.”

(Chapter End)