The Shepherds Are Dense

Chapter 139. Lily’s Chosen Path Trait

After Aiwass selected , the other two traits shattered.His body felt light, turning into a gray husk entwined with the shadow demon before reforming.

The shadow demon’s power surged through their contract, no longer a trickle but a roaring torrent. His mana pool expanded, now able to hold the influx of dark-attribute mana.

Waking from the dream, the sun hadn’t risen; the world was pitch-black.

The chicken-blood-soaked robe he wore had dried, emitting a faint stench. Lily was still asleep, likely choosing her trait.

His attribute panel updated:

Demon Scholar LV10:

- Demonology Knowledge - Level 2 (97%)

- Basic Rituals - Level 2 (0%)

- Demon Contract - Level 4 (0%)

- Nurturing (Essence) - Level 2 (0%)

Mana Pool: 27/27 (Light), 24/24 (Dark), 47/47 (Fire)

Path Traits:

- Transcendence - Shadow Avatar (Balance): You are the vessel and the incarnation. Shadows are no longer your enemy. Your and levels increase by one.

- Transcendence - Shadow Affinity LV2: Bound to the shadow demon by a core contract, you can freely use second-tier shadow abilities.

- Transcendence - Darkness Vessel LV1: Touched by the Serpent Father’s feather, your Dark mana pool’s maximum capacity increases by 14.

Aiwass, with a level 15 Priest and level 10 Demon Scholar, had barely spent his experience.

He could advance twice next month.

This ritual confirmed traits could be influenced by actions!

“But how do I get Vessel traits for Wind, Earth, or Water?”

He shook his head, shelving the thought.

Aiwass changed clothes and began cleaning ritual traces.

Ten minutes later, Lily stirred on the sofa, muttering incoherently before waking.

Her clear gray eyes met his silently.

The ritual had deepened their bond.

Before, she’d have leapt up to work, avoiding casual talk to maintain a servant’s distance—professional restraint, speaking only when needed.

She’d chat happily with Princess Isabel when Aiwass wasn’t around, but her low status and reliance on others made her guarded, pretending to be invisible.

Now, looking at Aiwass, she felt calm.

Not the silence of caution, but a warm, thoughtless safety, like being held by her mother in rare quiet moments.

Her mother, often volatile and irrational, was occasionally gentle.

Lily didn’t resent her. Unlike peers, her mother didn’t push her toward the same fate, wanting her to study and change her destiny. That alone kept Lily’s heart free of hate.

Lily studied diligently, excelling until middle school.

At thirteen, her beauty and quiet grace drew suitors.

Marrying well could break her status’s chains, but Lily, raised in Lloyd District, knew better.

Such hopes often led to abandonment, wasting her youth. She focused on studies, rejecting advances.

But rejection fueled curiosity. Classmates dug into her background, uncovering her mother’s profession and her illegitimacy, her surname inherited from her mother.

Rumors spread, suitors fled, and worse pests swarmed. Unable to study, Lily retreated to her attic, reading alone.

Her mother, believing home hindered learning, sought Lily’s father, hoping he’d provide resources befitting the Droste family and a surname.

Only then did Lily learn her noble blood from a founder family.

She fantasized she was born of forbidden love, weaving romantic tales.

Her father, Minister Droste, seemed kind, discussing her grades, interests, relationships, and dreams. He explained his situation, knightly family rules, and why he couldn’t give her his name, apologizing sincerely.

Lily accepted it.

Droste explained her status—illegitimate child of a prostitute, unregistered Lloyd District resident, and knightly family bastard—equated to a felon’s heir.

The military, courts, or Inspectorate wouldn’t hire her; the best job was a governess.

He arranged for her to serve the Moriarty family, another founder lineage, as a personal maid to their adopted son, Aiwass.

A personal maid’s status surpassed most governesses. Raised alongside heirs, often close in age, they were confidants, lovers, or accomplices.

Unlike regular maids, they wore cast-off or gifted clothes, dining on their masters’ leftovers, often at the same table outside formal banquets.

They had private rooms, not dorms, and were rarely dismissed, serving until death. Their pay, second only to housekeepers, included paid family leave.

For a lowborn girl like Lily, it was a dream job.

Though heartbroken over lost studies, she knew she’d reached a peak many scholars couldn’t. Grateful for Droste’s arrangement, she found safety and respect with the Moriartys.

But after settling in, her mother died.

This ritual revealed the truth: her mother was murdered by an assassin hired by Droste.

Perhaps because Aiwass was involved in Droste’s secretary’s death, or because Droste knew Moriarty was dead, emboldening him—or simply because Lily defied him by studying—he now sought to kill her.

Lily realized Droste’s kindness was a lie. No rule barred prostitutes’ children from university; she’d seen sinners’ heirs at the Seminary.

Droste sent her to the Moriartys to confine her, ensuring she’d never claim his name.

she thought.

“What truly matters, I’ve found. My treasure, my life’s purpose…”

She chose to better synergize with Aiwass’s shadow demon. With her prior Adaptation Path , she now had level two.

This was her plan for the future. When Aiwass shed his “wheelchair,” what role would she play?

She had to become useful, never to be abandoned again.