Chapter 9 - Surprise, Shorty
Anyway, looks like it's up to little old me to guide this malaka on the right path.
I mean, he wants to kidnap- hmm, that term sounds awfully nefarious now that I think about it.
Alright, so Azell wants to, let's just say, forcibly raise a child he has absolutely no connection to because he believes she should have the right to choose whether she wants to be the Shadowlord or not.
Well, his heart is definitely in the right place so I can't exactly blame him (I totally can and will) but my boy needs some classes on the societal structure of Shadows.
Now, I don't think Noelle here is an expert on Shadows, so I'll have to take matters into my own hands.
Wow, 2 hours in and after being abandoned by my family to die in a forest and saved by a Regressor of all people, I now have to explain to the said Regressor why he shouldn't forcibly adopt the little Shadowlord and raise her as his own daughter. This is peak Transmigrator experience.
Anyway, time to get to work.
"I… think you're misunderstanding how the 'system' called 'Shadowlord' works."
"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Okay, let me see how to explain this… hmm, alright, do you know that Shadows are highly intelligent creatures? In fact, their sentience rivals that of us humans."
"Uh, yes."
"Which means they have their own functioning societal structure. They form families, have children who they raise lovingly. You know, just like us how humans do."
"Yes, I do." Azell nodded.
"Wow, really?" Noelle flinched. "Then… that means… the Shadows we have killed till now were…"
"No. They're different, and we'll get to them later." I turned back to Azell. "Anyway, how do you think they handle the whole 'Shadowlord's birth' event?"
"I… don't know."
"Contrary to what you might like to believe, they actually raise the Shadowlord like how a child should be raised."
"What?" His eyes widened.
"Did you really think they just seat the Shadowlord on the throne the moment they take birth and ask them to act like a King? Of course not. The Shadowlord is raised properly with love, given adequate education fit for a ruler, and trained in various things, like politics, strategy et cetera."
"R-really?" Azell and Noelle exchanged glances, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Yup. Now, since the Shadows have their own society and the Shadowlord is given ample love from the moment they take birth, a Shadowlord's desire to create a paradise for their people actually arises not from the hatred that plagues the Shadows, but from the love they feel for their people."
"…" Both of their mouths hung agape.
"It is because of their immense love for their people that their heart cannot handle when a Shadow faces injustice at the hands of humans. That is what drives them to create a paradise for the Shadows."
This effect is particularly strong because the Shadowlord is able to think like an adult from the moment she opens her eyes in this world.
"It is true that the Shadows are born with an innate impulse to kill all that is different from them, but most of them are able to suppress that. And because the Shadowlord knows that, she questions why her people are being slaughtered for crimes they did not commit."
"T-that is…" Azell sputtered while Noelle's lips were sealed shut.
"Those questions are left unanswered because of their bad relations with her other races. That curiosity continues growing until it blossoms into a feeling of hatred and despair; the question of 'Why must my people be killed' turn into the conviction of 'I won't allow my people to be killed'. And that conviction is what drives them to create a just paradise for the Shadows."
It is not the hatred born from Shadows that pushes the Shadowlord on her path, it's the hatred hiding within the hearts of other races.
"…"
"So, while a Shadowlord is born to be the leader of the Shadows, the decision to lead her people to new heights is solely hers."
"…B-but, don't you think she still should have a choice?"
Well, I suppose she should. Being responsible for your entire race is a burden not everyone can carry.
"Of course, but this is reality, where everything is not ideal and you have to play with the cards you are dealt. And the Shadowlords do a wonderful job at it."
However, that doesn't change the fact; she is a Shadowlord.
"But what if she regrets being the Shadowlord?"
"Then, that's what life is all about, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"There's no path in life where you don't have regrets. The very act of choosing a life for yourself means choosing what kind of regrets you want to live with." I stopped for some moments for an added effect.
"Sure, it is entirely possible that the one you're trying to save right now would have regretted being the Shadowlord in the future, that she would have liked a choice when she arrived in this world. However, by… snatching her here, you're doing the same thing. You're taking away her right to choose; you're essentially giving her a new regret, the regret of not becoming the Shadowlord."
Having something to live for is the most beautiful thing in this world, and I will not let him take that away from her just to fulfil his pathetic sense of justice.
"…T-then… what should I do?"
Oh? Convincing him was a lot easier than I expected.
"Can I assume that you want to save her at all costs?"
"Yes." The will in Azell's eyes was firm.
"Alright, then all you can do is give her is the freedom of choice."
"How?"
"Take her in and educate her."
"Huh?"
"Let her know what it means to be the Shadowlord, and show her what kind of life she would live if she decided to reject that position. Arm her with enough knowledge so that she can make a decision on her own and stand by it."
This is actually the main problem I have with the Shadowlord system. The title of the Shadowlord should be granted to someone who's worthy of it, not to someone who has the potential to be worthy of it.
The title should be granted to the one who actually wants to be the Shadowlord and do something for their people, not to some random foetus.
I never want to be the Shadowlord, but I was practically forced into it because there could be no other Shadowlord as long as I was alive. However, not once did I regret inheriting that position. It was pretty fun, on the contrary.
By adopting the current Shadowlord, we can show her a whole new world.
We could answer her curiosity of why her people are killed even though they are innocent.
We could explain to her the various barriers between their races.
We could show her the perspective of the humans while teaching her all about Shadows.
We could show her a world beyond the Shadows, so that the paradise she'll dream of will not stand on the corpses of other races, but will be supported by coexisting with them.
That way, she can actually choose if she wants to continue living with us like a normal child or if she wants to lead her people into a better future.
In fact, by doing this, she could possibly turn into the bridge connecting both sides and end the mindless slaughters once and for all.
Well, that's like counting your dragons before the eggs have hatched, so I guess we'll consider it when we actually get there.
"Is… is that really the right thing to do?" Azell's voice trembled a bit.
"Of course." I flashed a smile. "This is the only way to save her."
"I… see. You are…" His surprised yet worried expression suddenly vanished and was replaced by a warm, gentle smile. "You are absolutely right."
"…"
…
....
...…
This motherfucker.
He was testing me! This little wanker, who's most likely on his second life, was actually testing me!
God-fucking-damnit.
"You were testing me." I couldn't help but sigh.
"You realised that?"
"Unfortunately- hmmm?"
Now wait a minute.
The fact that he was testing me means the little sob story of wanting to protect a comrade from a past life was actually a lie.
He does not want to rescue the current Shadowlord to prevent her from acquiring that position and regret her life choices later on.
Then what exactly are were here for?
There are two options; the first is that he was lying since the beginning and he's actually here to abort that foetus.
The second is that he truly wants to protect the Shadowlord, but from something else entirely, say, someone who wants to use the little Shadowlord to fulfil his/her/its own evil goals.
"Well, that makes things easier for us." Noelle's voice was a lot colder than when she had hugged me. "Who are you?"
Boy oh boy, did she actually put a sword on my throat? What happened to the time when she said she'd protect me with her life?
Man, you really can't trust people nowadays, can you?
Well, they were acting a bit dodgy since the beginning so I guess that's on me. Like, who the fuck invites a glorified orphan they just saved in a forest into their Guild, and that too as a R&D Head?
This just wow.
Can I get an F for myself in the chat?
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