The Shepherds Are Dense-Chapter 37: You're My Wife Now

When she heard the voice of Aiwass, "Lulu" visibly eased.
".Mr. Fox!"
She spoke the codename softly, but no sooner had the words escaped from her lips than she hesitated.
"Are you really… Mr. Fox?"
There was some reason why she felt a slight sense of danger emanating from him.
She might be tricked. or poisoned.
But she could feel no genuine hostility or killer's intent.
"I've already employed
Illumination
just now. I believe that should be evidence enough of my identity."
"Ah… you're right…"
As soon as she composed herself, Lulu herself realized how silly her previous question had been—
And that made her feel ashamed and regretful.
Ashamed because her nerves had rendered her so ineffectual, she could end up weakening the team.
Regretful because in normal times, she would've made the deduction easily—
But her head was absolutely empty at the moment.
"——Shh."
Aiwass suddenly put up a finger and touched it to the lips of his "wife."
The surprise contact from a man opened wide her eyes in shock.
The platinum-haired young woman, though mature in appearance, now resembled the very innocent maiden—
Perplexed and flustered.
It was the first time she'd ever dared to gander at the "husband" in front of her—
The father of her child.
Forget about men—she hardly had female friends at all.
Maybe it wasn't who she was that scared people off,
But the vulnerable position she held as a royal with a bloodline almost wiped out—
Someone who might be cursed to death at any second.
Nobody wanted to become entangled in an issue they couldn't handle.
She hadn't been able to look at him before now, because they were just too close.
She had no idea what she looked like in this instant…
But the man standing before her—with dark curls and piercing sapphire eyes—
Could not have been older than his twenties.
Youthful and irresistibly handsome.
And that priestly garment he wore around his thin body gave him a look of ascetic calm and somber reassurance.
In that moment, Lulu felt the sudden desire to draw him.
Not from fondness—
But because her
Aesthetic Vision
saw an instant of pure [Inspiration]-
Wearing white clerical robes, his gold-embroidered collar proudly raised to hide his Adam's apple,
One powerful arm easily cradling a four-year-old child,
The other hand extended before her lips—
The candlelight of the cathedral threw upon him a contradictory gleam: subdued, yet blinding.
Like the austere lines of a Mycenaean carving,
His dark blue eyes mirrored the fire behind her,
Blazing like aquamarines ignited.
There was a calm gravity to his face,
But Lulu could dimly perceive a mischievous sport behind it—
A sort of calculated guile, such as his nickname
Fox
.
And still, she sensed no evil.
Instead, there was a clean, sincere goodness to him—
The authoritative, comforting presence of a responsible adult male.
Lulu was speechless, staring at him in a trance.
Aiwass did not talk any more—he merely looked off toward the front of the cathedral.
Looking in the direction he indicated, Lulu suddenly noticed—
She'd been too boisterous.
"…I'm sorry, Mr. Fox."
She muttered in exasperation,
"I'm not good at anything…"
"That's not true."
Aiwass replied in a casual tone.
If you were good at everything, I'd be afraid.
As long as you do as you're told, that's satisfactory.
Let the rest to me.
She watched the man retract his right hand and caress the top of the child's head.
Warm light flowed from between his fingers,
Tracing his hand in an effulgent golden aura—
Like sunlight shining through the stained-glass halls of the Temple of Silver and Tin,
Reflecting sacred runes on the wall.
It wasn’t blinding, nor harsh.
His fingers looked as if they were becoming transparent,
Glowing faintly red-gold—
Like the setting sun…
Or perhaps the rising dawn.
This light… the color of [Illumination]. I’ll remember it.
"——It’s done."
Just as she was entranced, Aiwass murmured,
"The curse has been dispelled."
"That's amazing… Wait—your right hand? You cast
Illumination
using your right hand?"
Only then did Lulu understand—
"You're already
that
skilled?"
Being capable of casting
Illumination
with the right hand for ten consecutive seconds,
And sustain two normal units of mana flow—
That was the Divine Seminary graduation requirement of the Royal Law Academy.
The right hand accordingly gravitated towards darkness.
Even after a split moment of lapse, the light-mana flow would be disrupted.
And in church service, there would be moments when the left hand could not be used.
That was when right-hand casting proficiency was put to the test.
The man in front of her had just cast
Illumination
using his right hand for a whole fifteen seconds—
Smooth and effortless.
Never once did the light grow dim or flicker.
He gave no indication of strain or exhaustion.
That was a sustained output of
three complete units
of mana…
"…So Mr. Fox, you’ve actually already graduated, haven’t you?"
She lowered her voice and leaned in to ask:
"You’ve joined the Church, haven’t you?"
Strangely, her nervousness had vanished without a trace.
In its place was curiosity… and discouragement.
She was already halfway through her sophomore year,
And still hadn’t advanced.
Meanwhile, this possible “upperclassman” had reached standards most graduates could only dream of.
I’m so weak…
"It’s not a big deal."
Aiwass replied plainly.
He really didn't care.
Although Bishop Mathers had instructed him to practice with his left until he got casual visualization under control—
Aiwass had healed Yulia with his right hand the same day.
He hadn't even known it was his right—he'd just used his accustomed hand instinctively.
"It wasn't an intricate curse.
It wasn't to kill—to track, really.".
Now that I've taken it apart, it should give us some time."
"And one more thing."
Aiwass snapped his fingers at her eyes, releasing a spark of light that caused Lulu to close them in shock.
Then he spoke carelessly,
"Don't go digging into real-life things.
Otherwise, don't say I didn't warn you if I show up to find you."
".Sorry."
Lulu hung her head in apology.
"I forgive you."
Aiwass smiled.
As the service approached its conclusion, he would quite naturally take Lulu's hand.
She involuntarily winced—
But quickly remembered her mission,
And pretended to take his hand calmly.
Aiwass, emboldened, intertwined their fingers—
And pulled her up from the pew.
Like inviting a partner to dance.
"Don’t be so stiff.
And don’t be scared."
Aiwass said smoothly,
"You’re my wife now."
"…Y-yes."
Holding the child, he led Lulu out of the main sanctuary of the Candle Cathedral.
But he didn’t leave entirely—
Instead, he pulled her into a small, empty side chapel.
The instant he closed the door behind them, Lulu's heart skipped a beat.
She gasped in alarm.
…W-What is he going to do?
"Here, hold the child."
Aiwass's voice was soft and low as he handed over the boy.
Lulu automatically and gingerly accepted "Little Aiwass" into her arms.
The boy, just released from the curse, looked drowsy.
Like a warm bath after sheer exhaustion—
Relief led to drowsiness and comfort.
He tucked quietly into the sweet scent of his father's arms—
A blend of musk, sandalwood, and vanilla—
Hearing the muttered prayers.
His eyes would open for an instant, then shut again.
When passed from father to mother, he stirred for a moment.
"There, there… Good boy…"
Lulu looked at the child's soft, cute face,
And couldn't resist smiling softly from the heart.
She spoke softly,
Embracing this milk-scented boy.
She had taken care of her little brother before—
So she understood how to cradle a child.
Despite that, she treated him with care…
As if she were afraid to drop someone else's precious child.
"You'll have to practice.
People will think you stole him at the rate you're going."
Aiwass stood against the door, hands in pockets,
One ear against the wood as if half-sleeping.
Then he spoke softly,
"Can you sing lullabies, Lulu?"
"I can."
This time, Lulu replied resolutely—her tone laced with confidence.
"Put him to sleep first.
Then we'll leave."
Aiwass supplemented,
"See that he sleeps soundly…
Exert all your strength."
(End of Chapter)