The Shepherds Are Dense-Chapter 28: The Two Who Used to Live in the Orphanage

As Oswald pushed Eiwass through the front entrance, it was not only the house servants who came out to meet them.
Yulia stood silently by the window, wearing pajamas and clutching her stuffed animal.
She watched silently as Oswald rolled the chair slowly down the front walkway. Then, she dashed to the door to greet them.
"Miss Yulia has been waiting for you," Oswald whispered behind Eiwass.
Eiwass nodded and dropped his voice too.
"I believe Yuli is just a little lonely. After all, children her age tend to spend time with classmates at school. But the only friend she sees is me."
The old butler sighed but said nothing further.
As Yulia ran over, he closed the door behind her, keeping out the biting winter wind of early evening.
He frowned and spoke sternly,
"Miss Yulia, the winter air is cold. Don't stand so close to the main entrance."
".I'm fine,"
Yulia mumbled obstinately.
"I've already taken medicine twice today."
"That still won't do,"
the butler answered firmly.
"Your health is already fragile. If you catch a cold, it'll only get worse—"
".It's fine, Mr. Oswald. If Yuli gets sick now, I can cure her."
Eiwass interrupted softly.
"I think the divine methods instructed to me by Bishop Mathers are for just this kind of time."
He said this as he took off his overcoat, exposing the sweater underneath.
Eiwass put his hands inside the sweater and used his body heat to warm them.
He had only come in from outside, so his coat and hands were still cold. For Yulia, whose normal body temperature was abnormally high, this would be horribly uncomfortable—much the same way that someone with a fever is cold even in a normal environment.
It was one of Yulia's chronic conditions.
Yulia had, from a very early age, been host to a Phantom in the juvenile stage—*Butterfly of Defiant Flame*.
These people, who incidentally harbor immature Phantoms in their bodies, were termed as
Phantom Eggs
.
Their spiritual power, endurance, and even life would perpetually be siphoned off to fuel the Phantom within them. In case they were killed through weakness or outside trauma, the Phantom would be activated and cause disaster. However, if the Phantom might be grown safely to a point of maturity, the host might tap into its power—even without venturing onto the road of the unknown.
As the Phantom grew up, the load on the Phantom Egg's body would keep doubling. When the Phantom finally developed a full personality, it would be able to opt for either forcing its way out or as a symbiotic partner to the host.
That option, however, belonged solely with the Phantom—not the host. That is why the hosts were referred to as Phantom
Eggs
—since most Phantoms opted for the former.
Although Yulia's Phantom was not yet fully awakened, it already gave her some powers—and a heavy price in the process.
Yulia's body temperature was several degrees above normal.
To be precise, she existed in a state of a low-grade fever all the time. At six or seven years old, it was half a degree above normal. Now, it was two degrees above.
She stayed at a constant 38.5°C (~101.3°F). Without the church's normal healing therapy, she would not have made it.
The worst part was that this condition was not related to disease or curses and therefore couldn't be treated by supernatural means. Only methods such as
Illumination
could calm her nerves and organs, with potions assisting in refilling the nutrients lost to the Phantom.
Yulia was not James's biological daughter, either. She was adopted—just like Eiwass.
She was so close to Eiwass because the two of them had grown up together in the same orphanage.
Eiwass had lost his parents in an accident when he was only four. His memories from back then were foggy—he didn't even know what exactly happened.
Later on, he was taken to an orphanage, where he befriended Yulia.
Yulia was still an infant at that time—abandoned and wrapped.
Even as a baby, she possessed supernatural strength and would frequently hurt the caregivers. Not many were able to approach her safely—only the headmistress, the kitchen auntie Missu, and Eiwass. So, taking care of her largely rested on the headmistress. But the old woman was already quite old, and the enterprising Eiwass would take it upon herself to assist.
Eiwass was but three and a half years Yulia's senior, yet he was appallingly mature. He did not behave like other kids his age—ever calm, never ruffled, as if he had witnessed much more than any child ever should.
Except for the fact that his naivety quite obviously indicated he was still a child, one might've suspected he contained another soul in him.
It was not even unthinkable.
Preservers of the Dusk Path and Amber Artisans
may
transfer one person's soul into another's body. And Eiwass's actions were so strange, the orphanage once had a priest come to verify whether his soul was actually his own.
Two strange children, great friends.
Yulia was always attached at the hip to Eiwass.
Her clothes were meager in those orphanage years, and Yulia's furnace body allowed Eiwass to remain warm in winter. He used to only be able to sleep soundly embracing her otherwise he would shake the whole night.
They were both adopted by James Moriarty when Eiwass was six years old.
He recalled it vividly—
James had only planned on adopting Yulia, not Eiwass originally.
But as soon as she was taken away from Eiwass, Yulia shrieked and wailed so wildly that it was impossible to stop her. Her violence, frightening even at three years old, was too much for the grown-ups.
No adult could tear her away. Havoc erupted in the orphanage. She tipped over pieces of furniture and smashed anything within reach.
James finally questioned the headmistress about something, then suddenly decided otherwise and took them both.
It was only then that Yulia finally calmed down.
As she learned to read and write, her personality softened and became timid, and her natural, monstrous power lost strength. Now, her body today was so weak she couldn't even compare to normal girls her age—her existence living thanks to priests and alchemy.
Eiwass had always been extremely thankful to Yulia.
Thanks to her, he was able to break free from his intended fate. An orphan without parents and a noble with the last name
Moriarty
were meant for two vastly different existences. He only ended up being brought in because of her—an afterthought, really. And while James was kind to him, Eiwass never forgot that he was an impulse.
To Eiwass, who had lost his parents at a young age—Yulia was the individual he'd known longest. Longer even than his adoptive father or older brother.
And Yulia counted on Eiwass extensively.
She remembered nothing of her biological parents. To her, Eiwass
was
her true family—second only to the headmistress, Auntie Missu, James, and Edward.
Once having warmed his hands, Eiwass extended toward Yulia.
The white-haired, red-eyed, delicate girl obediently leaned forward and hugged his neck from the front. Her left knee carefully rested beside his leg, mindful not to press her weight onto him.
"Don’t worry, Yuli. I’m not that fragile."
Eiwass chuckled softly.
He reached his right hand up and gently pressed it to her upper back—right behind her heart.
With a dash of fire-realigned mana as a catalyst, a warm light emitted from his palm.
As the soft light oozed out between his fingers, Yulia's body eased up slowly. Her shallow, labored breathing slowed down as the agony was chased away slowly.
Though she had been sick for years, through James's constant care, she had never come into actual decline. Prior to any real complications, a priest was always summoned. Eiwass spent only two points of light-based mana to heal her fully.
Then, he placed his still- glowing hand on her forehead.
As the radiance recharged her mind, her ailing spirit also recovered rapidly. This time, he didn't even use a complete point of mana.
Yulia's body remained hot with fever—but tonight, she'd be sleeping peacefully.
"Good girl," Eiwass smiled gently. "Come on, let's go have some food…"
Right at that moment, Eiwass reached out casually for
Shepherd's Secret Scripture
, resting her on his lap.
But his motion abruptly halted.
He had never handled
Yulia's
book. Now, however, he could sense a fantastic, burning warmth from it—the same as Yulia's body. The feel was uncomfortably different as well.
He might as well have been touching Yulia's
naked back
, not a book cover.
The warmth was hotter than when he had merely been holding Yulia herself.
Appalled by the odd feeling, Eiwass looked down.
There wasn't any steam coming up, and the substance was still the same—still that same hard leather.
Then Eiwass noticed something even more bizarre—
The heat from the intense flames wasn't coming onto his legs at all. Only the hand which had just employed
Illumination
—his right hand—could feel it. His left hand, which he put on the book, could feel nothing abnormal.
Not batting an eye, Eiwass passed the burning-hot book to Yulia.
"Yuli, would you mind helping your brother place this book in his study?"
"Okay,"
Yulia nodded softly.
She picked up the book without responding to its temperature whateversoever.
As if she didn't feel the heat whatsoever.
Eiwass asked with concern,
"Is it a little chilly? It was exposed outside for some time."
"A bit, but it's okay," Yulia said. "Where should I place it, brother?"
"Placing it on the desk. I will be reading it after dinner."
"Got it."
Yulia nodded once more and departed with the book.
Eiwass had assured one thing:
Apparently,
only he
was able to sense the temperature and tactile changes of the
Shepherd's Secret Scripture
.
How fascinating, he thought.
Following dinner, he would have to look into it properly.
(End of Chapter)