Returning to Glass Island

Iver did not immerse the Shadow Fiend in too much care on the train.

It wasn't for safety reasons—in most areas of Avalon, even if Iver were unconscious, Lily and Shadow Fiend alone would be enough to protect him.

The main reason is that trains are public places, and there are many things that are inconvenient to do.

When one is in pain and fear, but one's heart is filled with compassion and goodwill, the element of "dedication" is strengthened, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of Shepherding Method.

But if you make such a nice room covered in blood, it would be too much trouble for others.

Furthermore, making too much noise might attract the attention of the waiters waiting at the door. That could startle them and even expose the existence of the Shepherding Method.

To maintain silence, Iver, for the first time, abandoned the Ritual Knife and instead bit through his wrist with his own teeth, nearly severing it. Since Iver could make his wrist bleed profusely, it meant he had ruptured a blood vessel.

The fear of gradually approaching death, and the resolute act of biting oneself despite the resistance, in terms of sheer pain, is far less than the pain of gripping Ritual Knife tightly and carving the blade into one's bone. After all, "excruciating pain" is not just a figure of speech.

However, biting through one's own wrist with teeth that are much blunter than Ritual Knife undoubtedly requires even greater willpower.

So, if the same level of compassion and goodwill is used to inspire the Shepherding Method, which method would be more effective?

By observing Shadow Fiend's reaction, Iver confirmed it.

The current version is better.

Rather than focusing on "pain," suppressing "fear" and "resistance" with good intentions is a more fundamental and crucial approach.

Iver gradually understood.

—That doesn't mean you can't use Ritual Knife.

It's just that he had to use a blunt knife! He had chosen Ritual Knife that was too sharp in order to ensure that it could penetrate the bone by gripping it tightly, but this actually went against the essence of the Shepherding Method, because he was subconsciously choosing a tool that was "more convenient and more comfortable".

Would it be more effective if I just pierced my abdomen or heart with my hand?... The only problem is that my fingers don't seem to be strong enough.

Because he was only fed some snacks this time, Iver's mental state was relatively good. Before a candle had even burned down to a third of its length, Iver ended the herding and turned to using Sacrificial Fire Method to heal his wounds.

"Is it just my imagination?"

Iver returned to his original form and lay on the bed, holding the Shadow Fiend, who had turned into a black cat, on his lap.

He asked with some skepticism, "Why do I feel like you've gotten stronger?"

"That's the master's kindness~"

The Little Cat, a pitch-black mass that looked like a black hole with eyes, spoke in the sweet, coquettish voice of the Assassin Miss Chloe.

"Tell the truth," Iver interrupted mercilessly.

"Tsk."

Shadow Fiend clicked his tongue and stopped speaking in a high-pitched voice.

She switched to Miss Bayard's cold and mature voice, completely different from Chloe's. "It started with the Promotion Ritual."

Iver immediately guessed what it was. "Is it because you ate your past self?"

In his previous Promotion Ritual, Bayard devoured himself as the vampire Bayard, as well as himself as the newly born Shadow Fiend, who still bore the Great Sin Imprint of Wrath.

The other two Bayads may have unintentionally fulfilled the conditions of some kind of ritual by sacrificing themselves voluntarily.

After all, the Sacred Number is three, which belongs to the domain of the Candle Lord. The Candle Lord is the God of Thorns Binding the Body and God of Burning Body Chasing Darkness. He himself has the sacred concept of bearing sin and sacrificing himself for others.

Thinking of this, Iver suddenly became interested. "Have you regained the Wrath Brand?"

The Great Sin Imprint is the embodiment of the core power of the Fallen Angel.

The ability to transform Material Realm like humans or elves into demons who can freely enter and exit the Dream Realm is undoubtedly a power quite close to the origin. Moreover, demons branded with the Great Sin Imprint only need to continue cultivating their great sin to continuously grow stronger and evolve upwards along the same Great Sin Imprint —depending on their race, the level cap can fluctuate from level 50 all the way up to level 70.

Conversely, if a demon "wakes up" and is no longer entangled by its great sins... for example, if it completely stops being enraged like Bayard, it will also lose the possibility of continuing to grow stronger.

A demon that has lost the Great Sin Imprint cannot evolve.

Aside from a significant difference in combat experience, there was virtually no difference in strength between the Shadow Fiend from hundreds of years ago and the Shadow Fiend summoned by Iver.

However, after a brief silence, Shadow Fiend replied, "Yes, I have regained the Great Sin Imprint."

"... But not [rage]."

"What is that?" Iver asked.

"—It's [jealousy]."

Although I couldn't see Shadow Fiend's expression clearly, I sensed that it must be quite subtle. "I've been branded with the Jealousy Brand... If nothing unexpected happens, I'm probably the only Shadow Fiend to have been branded with the Jealousy Brand."

"No wonder."

Iver nodded thoughtfully.

He sensed that Shadow Fiend's strength was increasing much faster than before.

Previously, with the same amount of mana, Shadow Fiend's growth rate was significantly slower than Little Butterfly's.

The Shadow Demon, having regained the Great Sin Imprint at the Fifth Level, has recovered its full power as a high- Greater Demon and unlocked its growth potential, making it possible to evolve into Greater Phantom Demon.

Although its growth path may differ subtly from before, and it might even evolve into a completely new demon, "Wrath" and "Envy" are certainly different, and a Shadow Fiend bearing the sin of envy... is probably the only one of its kind in the world.

"How far do you feel you are from reaching the Sixth Level?"

Iver asked Shadow Demon carefully, "If you receive this level of nurturing every day, how long will it take you to reach the Sixth Level?"

"I was never far from the Sixth Level, my master."

Shadow Fiend quickly replied, "I think it should be at most two weeks."

"Okay, I understand."

Iver nodded slightly, deciding to allocate more resources to Shadow Fiend this month.

—Then, it's about time to start preparing for the Shadow Fiend's seal.

Let's use that most powerful shepherding to help the Shadow Fiend break through its racial limits.

Once Shadow Fiend evolves, it should obediently be added to the deck.

With that thought in mind, Iver hugged the black cat and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up again, the train had already arrived at Glass Island.

Because Iver's return was entirely impromptu, he didn't notify anyone, and therefore no one came to pick them up.

Noble Red was dead, and school was on holiday. So Iver returned to his real home after a long absence.

It's not 14 Ronin Street, but Moriarty Manor in the White Queen District.

Iver hasn't been back for a long time.

Lily took out her key and opened the gate. The two strolled along the cobblestone path leading from the front door to the main entrance. The gardens on both sides were well-maintained and still in full bloom even in winter.

Snowdrops, white daffodils, pink roses, and red roses. They are arranged carefully, giving people a warm and comfortable feeling.

Good afternoon, Professor Sorenson. It's been a long time.

Iver greeted the old gardener with a smile.

The old man smiled and nodded in response to the future head of the Moriarty family.