Becoming a Shadow in the New World

Once Newt calmed down and composed himself, Gamma also stopped laughing, but the mocking expression on his face grew even stronger.

“New, that’s why I said we’re quite similar to her. We both had bright futures, but we were abandoned by our families, exiled by our own countries, and hunted down because of the cult’s experiments.”

She was betrayed by her only home. The justice she had been taught since childhood turned out to be nothing more than a tool for her family to raise her. When she realized this, she was already just like us, abandoned by her own power.

Right now, she's just running away, using her feelings for the Lion King Organization as a means of escape.

After saying this, Gamma looked up at New, who was still silent, and calmly asked.

"New, do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

"I don't know."

When asked a question by Gamma, New knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to indicate that he did not know.

“You are the numberer of the Shadow Garden. Although I don’t know if Lord Shadow will come back in the future, I have an obligation to let you know more about Lord Shadow.”

New suddenly looked up.

"I feel extremely honored."

Gamma shook his head slightly, a hint of self-mockery appearing on his face.

"I shouldn't feel honored, I should feel ashamed. I'm one of the people who have been exposed to the wisdom of Lord Shadow the longest, but I still haven't grasped even a little bit of it."

Chapter Fifty: The Divided Shadow Garden

What kind of person is Shadow?

This is a very outrageous question. In the past, Gamma would never have dared to even think about it, but now it doesn't matter, since Shadow doesn't care anyway.

After Lord Shadow announced his departure from Shadow Garden in front of everyone in the Abyss Forest, Gamma began to ponder this question for the first time.

To truly know someone, you should look at their actions, not what they say.

—Shadow Master's Quotes

To understand a person, you need to look at their behavior. So what kind of behavior has Lord Shadow done?

They were pulled back from the brink of death, and knowing they wanted to fight against the Order, they were given power and skills.

So why did Lord Shadow save them?

Is it out of justice, or out of pity for them?

They once thought it was for justice, to save the world controlled by the cult, and to save the civilians who were killed by the cult's experiments.

It's neither justice nor evil; I'm just walking the path I want to walk. I think, so I'm just doing it.

Indeed, he is Lord Shadow. How ridiculous that they would presume to know the thoughts of a god based on their own limited understanding.

What exactly is it that Lord Shadow wants to do?

She didn't understand. The Shadow Lord's logic wasn't gray, but rather a gray area between black and white. She really didn't understand.

She began to feel afraid. She was afraid that if she really came into contact with Lord Shadow's way of thinking, she might get an answer she didn't want to know.

For example, if they could do it all over again, would the Shadow Lord have given up on saving them, or even if he had, would he have planned to send them away immediately?

Until this time, Yukina Himeragi's experience allowed her to see part of the Shadow Lord's true thoughts, confirming that no matter how many times she had to start over, as long as the Shadow Lord was still the same Shadow Lord, he would choose to save them.

"Lord Shadow is a very gentle person!"

With a sigh, Gamma looked nostalgically at the photo of Sid and the Seven Shadows standing to the side.

"New, do you think Himeragi Yukina's fate was tragic?"

New stood there thinking, but Gamma didn't give him time to think before speaking again.

"It's terrible, of course it's terrible. She's now destined to be an enemy of the Lion King Organization that raised her. Her former friends and teachers will become her enemies. Isn't that just like us?"

"Lord Shadow changed her, disrupted her original destiny, so why? If it wasn't for justice, why did Lord Shadow change her?"

At this point, Gamma smiled confidently.

"Because, Lord Shadow hates people who fool others' fates, especially those who are fooled and have light in their eyes."

The biggest mistake the Lion King Organization made wasn't cultivating a bunch of tools for arranged marriages, but its excessive arrogance.

The black tea on the left was lifted up by Gamma.

"An organization that shouldn't even be out in the open is teaching about justice. It's laughable. Have they been chanting slogans for so long that they've even fooled themselves?"

But thanks to their teachings, the people they taught all have a light in their eyes, and they believe they are fighting for justice.

It was precisely for this reason that they were despised by Lord Shadow, for he loathed nothing more than the act of wantonly toying with the fates of others.

After saying this in one breath, Gamma stood up.

"Alright, New, I'll ask you one last question. Do you know why I didn't tell Himeragi Yukina about our identities with the Shadows earlier?"

Faced with this question, New York thought for a moment before answering.

"Because...we are not on the same path as her."

Gamma smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, we're not on the same path. We're ultimately different from her."

What is the biggest difference between them and Himeragi Yukina?

The biggest conflict between Yukina Himeragi and the Lion King Organization is that while the Lion King Organization talks about justice, it does all sorts of shady things.

It's hypocritical, but also normal.

The problem is that Yukina Himeragi actually believed what the Lion King Organization said, which created an irreconcilable conflict between the Lion King Organization and Yukina Himeragi.

If Yukina Himeragi were to truly become an enemy of the Lion King Organization, the biggest reason would undoubtedly be the justice that the Lion King Organization instilled in her.

It is precisely for this reason that Gamma said that although they are very similar, they are not the same kind of people.

Because they are never righteous; they are essentially a group of people who have been abandoned, have no home, and have nothing.

What they value is the shadow who took them in, their fellow abandoned companions, and this new home, not justice.

Even setting aside their past identities, just considering their status before they were abandoned, they were still young ladies from noble families. Expecting them to believe in justice is a bit too ridiculous.

"So, as long as she holds onto her sense of justice, she can't possibly join us."

If she abandons the justice in her heart, how is she any different from the Lion King organization?

I believe that someone valued by Lord Shadow would not easily abandon their principles.

Even though the curtains were already drawn, Gamma turned his gaze to the outside of the window.

“Lord Shadow, although it’s a bit late, this time I’ve finally come across your thoughts.”

After saying this, Gamma fell silent and stared blankly out the window.

Seeing this, New also remained silent, as Gamma often did after Lord Shadow left.

After a long while, Gamma spoke again.

"Sorry, Newt, I was just spacing out."

"It's alright, Lord Gamma. Is there anything else you need?"

When New asked a question, Gamma thought of something and wanted to ask it, but stopped himself.

The hesitant look only disappeared when the elven beauty took a deep breath and made a determined expression.

"Alpha... how is Alpha now?"

Seemingly oblivious to Gamma's earlier pause, New spoke indifferently.

"Lady Alpha is still training in the Abyss Forest, and her mental state is better than it was two months ago..."

"That's enough. It's enough to know that Alpha is alright now."

Without letting Newo explain the information in detail, Gamma interrupted and asked the next question.

"Tell me about the other seven Kage. The Seven Kage Conference is about to be held. How many people will be able to attend?"

This time, New didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and glanced at Gamma, making sure that Gamma's emotions were relatively stable before speaking.

"Lady Zeta is currently investigating the Black Death Emperor's faction and has informed her subordinates to tell Lady Gamma that she will still be unable to attend the next Seven Shadows meeting."

"Lady Delta... Yesterday, she appeared at a restaurant owned by Mitsukoshi with another group of people and had a big meal. By the time her subordinates arrived, Lady Delta had already left and her whereabouts are currently unknown."

The group consisted of five people, led by a white-haired boy, along with two monsters and a pair of blondes who appeared to be siblings.

"Lord Epsilon is currently in Netheril with the high-ranking witches. Omega was also sent to report on the Shadow Council, saying that Lord Epsilon has urgent matters to attend to and will be unable to attend the next Seven Shadows Council. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Lord Beta is currently on a cruise ship bound for Itogami Island and will arrive soon. However, regarding the next Seven Kage Summit, Lord Beta's response was that he is investigating the Order and is unable to travel to the Abyss Forest to attend the Seven Kage Summit."

"Lord Ita is still in the laboratory in the Abyss Forest conducting experiments, just like before. He should be able to attend the Seven Shadows Conference."

After revealing the information about the Seven Shadows that had made her uneasy ever since she saw it, New kept her head down, not daring to raise it even slightly.

New felt her heart pounding after she finished speaking, and a sense of unknown fear spread through her.

In this atmosphere where every second felt like an eternity, Gamma spoke.

"So, this Seven Shadows meeting is just the three of us: me, Alpha, and Ita? Okay, you can go now, New."

The flat voice reached Niu's ears, without a trace of the anger, sadness, or grief that should have been present.