The Shepherds Are Dense-Chapter 36: You Have to Play the Role Too, Don't You

Aiwass awakened to discover that he was once more in a setting very familiar to him.
It was the Cathedral of the Candle in the Red Queen District.
But it wasn't the Chapel of St. Ginevra where he had been studying sacred methods before—it was the central hall, filled with attendants.
And he wasn't the ruler of the ceremony.
He sat quietly in the back pew, praying.
Aiwass slightly dipped his head and looked down, finding that his attire hadn't undergone much change since prior to entering the scenario.
He still had on a white cleric's robe, and he didn't even have the ceremonial miter on his head.
Was he just a new priest?
'…Strangeness. Who am I?'
As Aiwass was asking himself, a harsh, rasping voice like fingernails on a chalkboard screamed inside his head:
"You are Priest Julio Alexander, twenty-seven years of age.".
"Your niece Lisa was killed a month ago, but the killer was not discovered by the Inspection Bureau.
"One month later after the crime, you received a letter. They said that you 'did not obey their commands' and would kill your son, Aiwass Alexander—the murder time is today.".
"Thank God you are a disciple of Bishop Samuel Mathers, so you went to the Cathedral of the Candle today with your wife and child to find refuge."
The following instant, several lines of text materialized in front of Aiwass's eyes:
**[Required Tasks—]
**[Continue maintaining the character of Priest Julio Alexander without being discovered or exposed by anyone outside your group. (Points: 100)]
[Rescue your son, Aiwass Alexander, within four hours. (Points: 500)]
[Optional Tasks—
[[Preserve yourself: Make sure your survival. (Points: 100)]
[[The Heart is the Sanctuary: Don't hide in the Cathedral of the Candle, head to Justice Square instead. (Points: 100)]
**[[My Unforgotten Nature: Cure someone who is destined to die. (Points: 100 per person, max 300)]
**[[Once and For All: Locate, arrest, or eliminate the killer. (Points: up to 500)]
**[[My Beloved Jasmine: Save the survival of your wife, Annie Alexander. (Points: 500))]
**[Live Longer: Survive the longest of the nine ritual performers, or die as late as possible. (Points: up to 500)]
**[The Beginning of All Things: Find the mastermind. (Points: up to 1000)]
Aiwass's students' eyes narrowed suddenly when they saw all this.
He suddenly realized something.
Even his breathing skipped momentarily.
He shifted his head and noticed his "wife" sitting next to him.
She wore a silver-blonde mane of hair cascading over her shoulders, with a respectful and dignified stance, and a pearl-hued silk dress. Her naturally gentle and intellectual beauty was now covered up by weariness and fatigue, her eyes closed in silent prayer as she embraced the child in her arms.
The child in her arms was also platinum-blonde.
Since he was yet so young, his hair was short and soft—like the soft fur on a kitten or puppy.
Obviously, he did not yet realize what lay ahead for him.
He simply sat silently in his mother's arms, his sea-blue eyes fixed blankly in front of him.
When "Aiwass" glanced over, the boy opened his eyes wide and stared back.
"Papa…"
He spoke in a baby-like voice, but soft.
You were spacing out, Papa. You told me not to do that."
Aiwass's mind was confused.
He merely nodded quickly and didn't answer the boy.
He dipped his head once more and continued praying.
Only now did he realize what was occurring.
1884.
—That was fourteen years ago.
Aiwass was eighteen this year, so he must have been four years old at the time.
That was the year his parents passed away.
He had been too young to recall clearly why they had died.
He didn't even remember their faces, much less their names.
But in some distant and indistinct recess of his mind, he did vaguely remember a scene such as this—
He sat on his mother's lap, surrounded by looming, tree-like figures of persons reading something.
He was hot with fever, dizzy, and nauseated.
Julio.
So that was his father's name?
And his mother, Annie… and he had a cousin, Lisa.
Then… they were all murdered.
—That voice complained he didn't do what they told him. But what did they tell him?
Why did they attack "Aiwass" rather than "Julio"?
But in actual history, Aiwass was spared, and Julio and Annie perished—what's different here?
Although the apostle kept reaffirming that the ritual was completely fictional.
In Aiwass's eyes, it seemed frightfully familiar.
For a brief while, he didn't know what was real and what was not.
First, he had to verify…
Were those fuzzy memories of his true?
With that in mind, Aiwass turned around and glanced at the younger Aiwass.
He spoke softly and asked kindly:
"…Aiwass, does your head hurt?"
"A little, Papa…"
The boy answered obediently.
"What?"
After hearing that, his mother Annie was surprised.
Her green eyes snapped open, and she instantly put a hand on the boy's forehead.
She spoke in a harsh whisper, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"What's wrong?"
Aiwass bent forward immediately.
Annie raised an eyebrow and felt her own forehead.
"I think. it's a little warm. But I'm not sure."
"It's fine. Let me deal with it."
Aiwass said kindly and took the boy—his younger self—from Annie's arms into his own.
He laid a hand on the child's heart.
—**Illumination.**
Water-like light poured from his palm.
A soothing force flowed into the small Aiwass.
Luckily, they were in the back and did not disturb the others.
The instant he channeled
Illumination
, Aiwass realized something—
The pool of mana he had drawn upon was not Julio's but his own.
A priest should have experienced their first advancement at least.
There was no way Julio had only seven points of Light mana.
Aiwass flowed in a solid point before breaking the spell.
His heart fell.
Because he didn't feel any sickness inside little Aiwass.
If it wasn't Aiwass himself, they might've suspected the boy was lying or wanted to get out.
But since it was Aiwass himself, he knew the boy was not lying—in fact, he was being modest.
He remembered.
Then his head had felt packed, as if something dense was smashing around in his head.
His whole body burned uncomfortably, breathing was difficult, and the air he exhaled felt like it was scalding his nose.
It was like being bundled tightly in a quilt while feverish—his heartbeats felt like they shook his entire body.
And yet, little Aiwass was a strong child.
Sensing his parents' concern, he kept his discomfort to himself and endured it silently.
Later, he slowly lost consciousness.
That familiar sight in front of him, Aiwass's mind started assembling his memories together.
More and more things became clear.
He understood that the problem his "son" was encountering was not straightforward.
A condition that makes someone faint and become unconscious can quite possibly be lethal.
But there truly was no sign of any disease in small Aiwass….
"Is it not an illness?"
His wife Annie also frowned in concern.
She gazed at their son, not knowing what to say.
She edged closer uncomfortably, furrowed brow in contemplation, and proposed, "I wonder… could the individual who sent that threatening letter have applied a curse instead?"
Then—
Aiwass's hand halted.
He gazed intently at his "wife," Annie.
—That point of view and phrasing weren't correct.
He clutched little Aiwass tightly, squashing the boy's face against his chest.
Then, he leaned towards "Annie."
In a low, deliberate voice, he whispered:
“I think. you’re ‘Lulu,’ aren’t you?”
Seeing Annie’s emerald eyes suddenly widen in panic, her posture immediately stiffen, her knees snap together, and her whole body instinctively inch away from Aiwass—
He couldn’t help but sigh.
For some reason, it felt like bullying a kid.
…Way too easy to guess.
It was obvious she’d never played the role of a mother before.
So many gaps in her performance… Aren't you the 'Polymath' on the Path of Beauty?
Didn't you learn acting?
But then again—
It was just because he so easily recognized Lulu that he knew the ritual had already commenced.
So he came to attention at once.
Aiwass didn't wish to disclose that the boy in his arms was his younger self.
So he didn't display even a trace of worry or unease.
Instead, he wore a gentle, confident, and reassuring smile.
He drew "Annie," who had involuntarily leaned back, softly toward him.
"Don't move around.
"If I'm correct, your job also entails 'playing a role'. and currently you're my wife."
His rich, pull-and-rush voice echoed softly by "Annie's" ear:
"Don't be scared. I'm 'Fox.'
"I'm positive you didn't abandon the Path of Devotion, right? I'll guard you. That's my job."
…One of them, at least.
Aiwass spoke silently in his heart.