The Shepherds Are Dense-Chapter 6: Instance - Pelican Bar, the Nexus of Sin

Chapter 6: Instance - Pelican Bar, the Nexus of Sin
The following morning, Inspector Haina came to Moriarty Manor bearing an authorization letter from the Inspectorate.
She had certainly learned her lesson from the previous day.
Following a hasty breakfast, Haina rushed over, getting there earlier than seven o'clock.
At that time, Aiwass had not even gotten up from bed yet.
The butler, Oswald, had to settle her in the reception room, where maids served her tea and pastries.
Only after Aiwass had woken, washed, and eaten breakfast did Oswald inform him that Inspector Haina was waiting in the reception room.
“You’re here awfully early, Senior. Wasn’t our meeting set for nine-thirty?”
Aiwass, seated in his wheelchair, was slowly pushed into the reception room by Oswald.
The second he walked in, he spotted Haina, wearing "formal wear."
Unlike her yesterdays casual wear, Haina was wearing a two-piece leather armor suit.
The armor looked more like a uniform than armor.
It didn't cover every inch of her skin, some protection but probably more ceremonial in nature than anything.
In Avalon's Kingdom, "armor" was sacred.
The ruling classes of Avalon consisted of "knights" and the civil service's "public officials."
In addition to the hereditary families of knights qualified for the Senate, knights consisted of inspectors, arbitrators, and the whole cavalry system.
Only knights could wear armor.
Senators themselves also needed to put on complete armor while going into the Senate; going in with normal clothes was regarded as a disrespect to the jurisdiction of the Round Table Hall.
Anybody else besides a knight that was found wearing or merely owning armor was subject to severe penalty, including the death penalty.
Even knight families' children could not use their parents' armor without the explicit allowance of the Queen.
So, seeing someone in armor walking down the street immediately said something about their position.
The requirements of the armor—its confinement, protection, opulence, and proximity to silver-white—pronounced the wearer's rank.
This wasn't game knowledge; the Kingdom of Avalon had fallen too soon for that.
It was all based on young Aiwass's experiences and general knowledge.
Aiwass could see Haina's leather armor was new.
He could even smell a slight whiff of oil on it.
Maybe because of this, Haina did not want to sit on the sofa of the Moriarty family.
She sat gingerly at the edge, with her back straight, as if she was afraid to sully it and offend.
"Better early than late."
Aiwass was a welcome sight for Haina, and she took a relieved breath as she quickly rose from the plush sofa.
“No worries, Mr. Aiwass. I can work around your schedule—it’s the bureau’s requirement.”
Aiwass raised an eyebrow.
Last time, she was two and a half hours late; this time, she was three hours early…
“I feel like you’re a bit extreme.”
“What?” Haina looked puzzled.
“Nothing,” Aiwass said with a slight smile. “The leather armor looks good.”
“It was specially issued by the bureau!”
Haina’s eyes lit up at the compliment.
"My gear and griffin have been cleared, but they're still getting them ready.
The director mentioned it could take another two months to reach us.
"But after you ed your case, the director feared that if you were to meet with an accident, the bureau would be in trouble.
However, disapproving your request might also bring problems.".
Sending a big escort will bother you, but if I let something happen to you, it'll be a bigger issue.
So the director specially made an exception and gave me armor and sword ahead of time!
When she spoke, Haina tapped the sword lying on the table excitedly.
Aiwass looked at her gaze.
It was a leaf-shaped short sword, with its scabbard shining with silver light.
Approximately twenty-four inches long—about sixty centimeters.
The scabbard was inlaid with elaborate thorn designs, covered with small red, green, and blue glass chips inserted throughout the thorns, glinting radiantly from the sun streaming through the window.
It was unmistakably elven in design—whether practical or not was something else, but it was certainly beautiful.
The beauty of the ornate look of the sword jumbled with the plainness of Haina's leather armor.
It had fitted so harmoniously into the elven-patterned furnishings of Aiwass's house that he first thought it was one of his people's handiwork ornaments.
'So, you brought it. Fair enough.'
"I'll guard you with my life!"
Haina announced steadfastly.
Her calloused fingers stroked softly over the thorn designs on the scabbard.
As soon as she grasped the sword, a sure confidence swept through her.
The shy, stumbling wariness of last evening were forgotten.
Her whole attitude had changed; even her eyes were shining.
It was as if the difference between a horror game player with no gun and one who'd just picked up a gun.
Aiwass locked eyes with Haina, descending into contemplative silence.
He could tell she hadn't rested well last night—probably too pumped to sleep.
Some of it was probably because she got her sword ahead of time.
But the actual excitement was that she felt she could finally "shine."
Her mind, based on yesterday's test, today's encounter, and his probing about her history, Aiwass had reconstructed Haina's thinking.
She was not very sharp.
When there were intricacies involved, she'd rather not spend much brainpower on reason.
But most probably from a modest upbringing, she was highly gifted in what she did—swordsmanship, say—and this pride bolstered her. By Gregg Stefanus.
This inclined her personality towards stubbornness.
Instead of hesitating or overthinking, she relied on her instincts.
Overall, she was a "martial fanatic."
Her humble beginnings meant she did not bother with appearances, so looks-wise, she could not hold a candle to the elegant noblewomen of the capital.
This instilled a latent inferiority complex she was not even consciously aware of.
This insecurity was expressed in insidious hostility towards higher classes.
However, dreading trouble for lack of support, it never translated into words or actions.
Nevertheless, it manifested in her spontaneous responses under stress.
Her frank personality, down-to-earth upbringing, excellent scholastic record, and ability to not offend others rendered her well-liked at school, particularly amongst less cerebral pupils.
But getting into the outside world, she faced constant brick walls, leaving her disoriented and open to manipulation or even a criminal life.
She was lost more than ever now.
And that kind of person was an easy target for manipulation.
Aiwass had consciously posed himself as weak and helpless yesterday, a strategic decision after seeing Haina's profile.
It was the ultimate posture to entice her.
"Reading poetry" subtly suggested he was stationary.
The wheelchair upheld that image of "stillness," going around confronting Haina's assurance in "athletics," "stamina," or "swordsmanship" directly.
This helped avoid activating her competitive nature or attracting her attention prematurely.
Aiwass gazed in the mirror and recognized his new body to be beautifully handsome.
With that as basis, he instructed his own maid to apply makeup to create a pale, thin look, seeming to be weakened by loss of blood.
He tenderly adjusted the fireplace to a soothing heat, its light casting a warm, golden filter over him.
This vision awakened Haina's protective energies, keeping her background-hostility in check.
A "weak," "hurt," "handsome" master, completely in her care, made her
wish
Aiwass to be a good one, not an adversary.
Now her instincts would tell her enough was enough.
Her lack of experience made her actions instinctual.
Having made an impression of Aiwass, she'd only look for proof to validate it.
But too strong an impression stood the chance of becoming idealized and two-dimensional.
If Haina became too fond of her, any action going against her expectations could result in "self-inflicted disappointment."
In counteracting this, Aiwass had to balance his first impression, making it less than perfect.
He had used her lateness yesterday to tell uncomfortable truths, leaving her feeling attacked.
In reality, having been guilty, she secretly
desired
Aiwass to condemn her—it relieved her guilt.
Having heard his words as an attack, her subconscious rebuffed their merit.
When Aiwass presented a valid reason, she clung to it in order to dispel her guilt and tension.
So from now on, today onwards, she'd be a good bodyguard.
Following the incident yesterday, Haina probably treated them like friends.
She wanted to demonstrate her beloved sword fighting to this noble, innocent, gentle, cultured, frail, and handsome new friend.
If she might really excel, she'd feel she'd revealed her highest asset, yearning for the endorsement of Aiwass.
By confirming her expertise and speaking of his necessity to have her assistance, Aiwass could satisfy her social cravings.
This would turn Aiwass, who was once a suspect she did not trust, into a close friend overnight, naturally inducting him into her school social group.
While controlling a young, newly graduated woman bothered Aiwass a little.
It was his debt to her.
And Aiwass didn't like owing.
Favors had to be paid back in a timely manner.
Or else, getting too close to someone was risky.
Friends might pull you into danger or betray you when your defenses were down.
Aiwass enjoyed keeping associations at arm's length.
Intimate relationships only resulted in tension and unease.
A successful, effective, viable business relationship was optimal—reciprocal assistance, reciprocal utilization.
No grief from betrayal, no wrath from abandonment, no shame in betraying others.
Aiwass's antecedent was a warning.
Too trusting of pen friends, regarding them as friends, he took a bitter toll.
Payback for Haina's favor was easy enough.
In Aiwass's honor, the game did not have a character by the name of "Haina."
Most probably, she perished in the first iteration when Avalon was conquered.
Aiwass wasn't rescuing Avalon for her; he desired stability for himself.
Rescuing her along the way didn't constitute payback for the debt.
With Haina's personality, narrow perception, and abilities, she'd definitely draw opportunists in the guise of friends at school.
Aiwass would easily know them and assist her in meeting reliable allies with less tendency to turn against her.
He was a master at understanding people.
If anything, HR work had an element of "secret police" to it.
It required keen judgment, objectivity, and cruelty.
One gesture could "eliminate" someone—taking away their job or their pay.
That was Aiwass's job.
A very despicable vocation.
Most employees detested HR with passion.
Aiwass himself had experienced three years of joblessness not too long ago.
He'd just recently secured a job, not yet begun work, when he landed in this uncertain future world.
Though calm on the surface, Aiwass had examined himself—he had profound unease.
He loved his life as it was but was aware of the impending tragedies.
To offset the dread of this world's future, he had to rise up the ranks quickly, gaining some mastery of Avalon's power.
At least, he could not afford incompetent allies to slow him down when the world came under attack.
This was not paranoia.
Aiwass was sure.
His vision reached beyond the vast majority in this world.
Decisions based on partial information were bound to be flawed.
He could not share his foresight—it was not saintly altruism.
This knowledge was the most valuable asset he possessed.
So, Aiwass required influence.
Not his adoptive father's "knight" title—a nominal one.
Even making it into the Senate involved fighting sly old foxes, bogged down in slow-moving bureaucracy.
That aimless, uncontrolled existence was suffocating.
Aiwass wanted the powerful to consult him before making a decision.
He couldn't join them or belong to any group, nor be a pawn in their wars.
He had to be above them.
Not to dominate others, but not to be dominated.
To neither be sacrificed nor to sacrifice others.
Vaguely, Aiwass remembered this event would involve a high-ranking minister.
In the original timeline, the player would earn much prestige by solving it.
Without someone playing in this world, Aiwass had to take part in the investigation.
Thanks to Yulia, even though he'd missed the cutscenes of the game, he'd retained important information—such as where crucial clues were or the enemies and their levels in the final instance.
Following a disorganized investigation, the first instance of the game would be unlocked:
Level 10 case, "Pelican Bar, the Nexus of Sin."
(End of Chapter)