The Shepherds Are Dense-Chapter 49: Wanting to Meet Sooner

Isabelle let out a long breath and opened her eyes.
Holding her forehead, she slowly sat up from the soft feather hammock.
"Awake already?"
With her back turned, Yannis was painting in Isabelle’s bedroom. Her voice was light and cheerful.
"How was the ritual experience?"
Isabelle turned her head and saw a dazzling sunrise.
Above the shimmering lake, the newborn crimson sun seemed to set the whole water surface ablaze.
Below was a fiery mix of red and gold; above, layered sky blues and deep indigos…
This strange yet beautiful scene reminded Isabelle of the “Fox’s” eyes during their shared resonance on the Path of Devotion.
"Hm? Why so quiet?"
When she didn’t hear Isabelle respond, Yannis turned around, half-joking.
"Don’t tell me you failed your advancement?"
"...No, I succeeded," Isabelle replied softly.
"You actually succeeded?" Yannis said, surprised.
"Why do you sound so shocked, Teacher Yannis?!"
"Because I genuinely considered the possibility that you’d fail."
Yannis twirled the brush in her hand and tilted her head.
"What? Don’t blame me for not giving you any ritual prep."
"…It’s fine. Failure is also a kind of tempering."
Isabelle murmured.
"Heh."
The elven artist chuckled and walked over, gently booping Isabelle.
"You’re clearly bad-mouthing me in your heart, silly girl."
At that, Isabelle dropped the act.
She scooted over with a look of grievance.
"Teacher, I really think you
should
have taught me some basic stuff. Otherwise, unexpected failure doesn’t mean much… I’ve already failed plenty of times."
It was practically word-for-word what Sherlock had told her earlier.
"Someone taught you that line, didn’t they?"
But Yannis saw right through it.
"…Eh? How did you—"
"With your personality, when you speak your own thoughts, you're never this smooth or precise. You’d second-guess yourself. As you just said—you’ve failed too often. Your confidence is worn thin."
Yannis sighed and gently stroked Isabelle’s hair.
"Do you know why I
didn’t
want you to succeed on your first try?"
"...Why?"
"Because failure in advancement rituals is inevitable sooner or later."
Yannis answered patiently.
"Whether it’s a Crescent Moon or Full Moon ritual, at its core, it’s still a competition with others. The difference lies in whether it's direct or indirect. If it's a competition, there will always be winners and losers. Some may always lose—but no one wins forever.
"The more you win, the more pressure builds. That’s why
failing your first time
is actually valuable—it helps you find balance and shake off the tension."
"Why is failure a
good
thing?"
Isabelle stubbornly asked, "I’d rather win."
Yannis quietly ruffled her hair again and lovingly pinched her soft cheek.
"It’s simple, Little Isa. Because your
first advancement failure
costs you nothing. All you lose is time—you can join another ritual in half a month or a month.
"In other words, if you’d failed this time, you could just do another Crescent Moon ritual and
really
experience competition. Then when you switch to a Full Moon ritual later, you’d go in with experience.
"If you were deceived, outplayed, your real identity exposed, and treated like a disposable tool—yes, those are all ‘failures’...
"But at the same time, it was only a dream. So what if they found out who you really are? You’re the
Princess of Avalon
—what can they even do? That’s your greatest protection, Isa. They can’t actually harm you. Your failure is
only
a failure, nothing irreversible.
"In a place where no one knows you, no one will consider your status or spare your dignity. There’s only brutal competition, survival, deception, and betrayal…
"And exposure to such raw malice—while still completely safe—is more valuable to your growth than the advancement itself."
Then, Yannis finally voiced something she had never said before:
"It’s true—going into a competitive ritual without understanding, while others are fully prepared, is unfair. But the real world’s the same way… You’ll get ambushed without warning or preparation."
"...If that’s the case," Isabelle suddenly panicked, "then… did I
mess up
by succeeding this time? That means I won’t be able to afford to fail next time… because it’ll
actually
cost me something—"
Yannis blinked.
It took her a second to react, then she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
"My little Isa, you’re too adorable—"
Like hugging a puppy, Yannis squealed, hoisting the soft Isabelle into her arms.
Her gaze was full of warmth and affirmation.
"What are you even saying, sweetheart? If you successfully advanced, that proves you're genuinely capable.
"You’ve done great. As for the next ritual… don’t worry.
"Whatever methods you used to win this time, it means at least you weren’t the worst. If you can win with zero preparation, just imagine how well you’ll do after I train you properly."
Yannis stroked her hair with a gentle smile.
"Enough about all that, Isa. What Path trait did you choose?"
Though she only looked a few years older than Isabelle, she carried the demeanor of a true elder.
"…About that."
Still nestled in Yannis’s arms, Isabelle grumbled softly,
"You didn’t tell me what to choose either. I hesitated a long time… and ended up picking
Silver Voice
."
"Boosts the difficulty of performing magical songs? Not bad. You’re a polymath anyway—pick whatever suits your heart. That’s what makes it
beautiful
."
Yannis raised an eyebrow.
"So, you sang during the ritual, didn’t you? Honestly, I thought you’d fail to even find teammates."
"Of course not—"
Isabelle protested.
"I
did
find teammates. I found them right from the start!"
"Yes, yes..."
Yannis laughed and tilted her head, eyeing Isabelle.
"Want me to paint you a portrait? To commemorate your first successful ritual.
"Exactly like how you are now—groggy from waking up, a mix of surprise and shyness, a flicker of confidence rising like the morning light, and that adorable little bit of nervousness..."
"…Teacher!"
Suddenly, Isabelle cut her off.
A flicker of surprise passed through Yannis’s eyes.
Then she smiled.
"What is it, my little darling?"
Though pleased by Isabelle’s newfound confidence, she was genuinely surprised her student had grown bold enough—after just one ritual—to interrupt her.
It made her even more curious about what Isabelle had experienced.
But she respected Isabelle’s boundaries. She wouldn’t ask unless Isabelle brought it up herself—because she knew if she
did
ask, her obedient student would feel compelled to answer.
That wouldn’t be right. It would feel like wielding teacherly authority to extract secrets—spoiling the beauty of trust and unspoken understanding.
"I remember you said before… you wanted to invite Mr. Aiwass to visit the Palace of Silver and Tin."
Isabelle whispered eagerly:
"Can we invite him a little earlier?
"I really want to see what he looks like now… and talk to him."
After cuddling little Aiwass for four hours during the ritual, she now felt entirely unafraid of meeting the real one.
If she’d once merely “looked forward to it,” now she was “eager.”
That awkwardness and apprehension she always felt when meeting strangers had vanished completely during those four hours.
Now, she wanted to see Aiwass as soon as possible—like watching a character from a story step into real life. It was a strange but wonderful feeling.
She felt oddly secure in this one-sided familiarity, knowing
she
knew
him
, while he didn’t know her at all. And that sense of safe imbalance was something she rarely experienced in real life.
When they finally met, Isabelle planned to secretly whisper to herself:
—
Big Sis once played your mom, you know… even sang you lullabies!
She’d never say it out loud—it’d be rude—but just thinking it would be enough to make her smile secretly inside.
It would be
so
fun!
Yannis raised her brow with great interest at Isabelle’s request—neither agreeing nor denying.
(End of Chapter)