Becoming a Shadow in the New World

"You should change your lifestyle, Ita. I don't want to hear from Gamana one day that you died from overwork."

Although he knew it would be pointless to say it, Sid said it anyway.

When Alpha led the Seven Shadows away, his biggest worry was Ita, who was standing right in front of him.

Among the Seven Shadows, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, and Zeta all have high intelligence and can live well on their own. Although Delta has a low intelligence, with Delta's intuition and strength, it is believed that no one can deceive Delta.

Only Ita is truly helpless without someone to take care of her. If left to live alone, even without anyone harming her, she would probably drive herself to her death... Although before Ita kills herself, she will most likely cause a lot of trouble for the world.

"Yes, don't worry, Master, I can manage my own life."

"…never mind."

Ita nodded in response to Sid's advice, indicating that she could take care of herself.

Seeing Ita's behavior, Sid knew that Ita still hadn't listened to him. He wanted to say something more, but he just put his hand on Ita's head, and blue light emanated from his hand as he began to fix Ita's hair.

In the past, Sid could have forcibly corrected Ita's schedule without any scruples, but now what right does he have to control Ita?

He is a person who values ​​distance. He and Ita are friends, so he can give Ita advice, and because they are friends, he can only give Ita advice.

Anyway, Ita is an elf, and his physical abilities are not weak under his training. It would be wishful thinking to think that Ita would be overwhelmed by the problems of daily life. The reason why he is so worried about Ita is probably out of the mentality of an old father.

Because of the owner's neglect, the slightly dry and dull hair became smooth and shiny again under the bluish light.

Ita himself didn't stop making mouth movements, but he also closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed Sid's treatment.

Time passed slowly, and both sandwiches in the paper bag were already inside Ita's stomach. Sid's treatment was nearing its end, and the blue light on his hand gradually disappeared.

"Master, you're still the best to me."

After the blue light completely disappeared, Ita returned to his usual attitude, but his somewhat mechanical voice gave people a lazy feeling.

"So...Master, what brings you here?"

"Master, have you discovered some new wisdom of shadow? Or... Master, are you planning to rejoin the Shadow Garden?"

Shaking his head, Sid mentally translated everything Ita had said before speaking.

"I've lost interest in the game of defeating the Diablo Order. This new world is so vibrant and interesting, why should I tie myself to the Diablo Order?"

I came here today because... Why are you looking at me like that, Ita? I thought you could understand?

Noticing Ita's gaze, Sid stopped his impromptu performance and began to wonder if he had spoken too cryptically this time, making it impossible even for Ita to translate it smoothly.

"No, I just didn't expect you, Master, to so directly admit that the Diablo Cult is a game. I thought, Master..."

Withdrawing her surprised gaze, Ita's voice showed a change of emotion for the first time.

Sid felt he understood. Ita felt that the Diablo Order was like a dark history that no one could know about and that had to be eliminated, just like a former chuunibyou who used to think he was the Dark Flame Master shouting "Be devoured by the Dark Flame!" in front of him.

snort!

Sid sneered inwardly, feeling the need to let Ita know that he wasn't just some chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), but someone with a screw loose.

"I have never changed (I have always been a chuunibyou), but since a person can live in a huge house, why should he stay in a room where he can't even move his hands and feet (the world has merged, who still plays the Diablo game)? I want to do something more meaningful and interesting (I'm going to become a true Shadow Power). All of this will not change because of you, because this is my will (goodbye)."

After hearing this, Ita chuckled and could only shake his head helplessly.

"I can only say that you truly live up to your title, Master, with such..."

arrogant!

But because of your arrogance, Master, I will drag you down from your divine throne. I will prove to you that I will inherit all your wisdom of shadow and... surpass you.

In the latter half, Ita didn't say it aloud, but silently gazed at Sid, burying the word "arrogance" in her heart. After all, if she really said it, she would be the one who was arrogant. No, she had no right to say "arrogant," she should say "foolish."

Well, poor Alpha, he was directly deemed meaningless by Master.

Ugh... Why doesn't my lab have recording equipment? Otherwise, I could record this and use it to blackmail Gamma the next time Alpha withholds my funding. I don't want to see Alpha's Dao Heart shatter for the third time, so Gamma has to give me the funding.

Wait a minute, I forgot, Alpha hasn't recovered from the second shattering of her Dao Heart yet. Now it's Lady Gamma who's in charge of budget allocation. Tsk, useless Alpha. We need to find a way to get Alpha back into the swing of things and take control again.

Chapter Sixty-Five: Pride and Arrogance

In the brightly lit room, Sid, wearing a black coat, was flipping through a bound volume that looked like a medical record. Ita was explaining it to Sid behind him. After finishing flipping through the bound volume, Sid thought for a moment and turned to look at Ita.

"Is that all? Are you sure there's nothing else?"

"No, of course, if you don't believe what I'm saying, Master, you should believe this data. Data may be falsified, but it won't lie. And according to the current report, Master, your body is perfectly normal, with no abnormal physiological activity."

Seeing Sid fall into deep thought after hearing her words, Ita held her breath and tilted her head.

"Master, why do you want me to examine you? If it were you, Master, you should be able to know your own internal condition even without using the machine."

When she said those words, Ita did her best to control herself, keeping her heart beating normally so as not to show any guilt.

Ita knew that asking this question was very risky, because given her usual personality, she would never ask it.

All she needs to do is listen or figure out the deeper meaning behind her Master's actions, because this is how her Master teaches them—not by revealing everything, but by giving hints and letting them think for themselves, thereby training their thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

This time was an exception, because Sid's decision to have her undergo a checkup was a completely pointless act.

As the person with the strongest control in the world, Sid doesn't need to do any checks at all. If Sid wants to, even the movement of quark-level particles cannot escape Sid's perception.

Even if we absolutely must use scientific equipment for the examination, why come to her?

If it's to prevent others from knowing about his special status, then Sid could simply go to Mitsukoshi Hospital and have anyone in Shadow Garden print out the documents for him to read the reports himself.

The only advantage of coming here is probably that she will be there to explain things, but what kind of advantage is that? Does she think her Master won't understand the report?

What a joke! The person in front of her is her Master, who taught her the wisdom of shadow. How could she not understand a physical report?

Perhaps because she felt guilty, Sid's special visit and his request for her examination made her think of a possibility she didn't want to admit.

Her Master has already discovered her secret and came here to see if she has any remorse, and also to make fun of her.

Yes, she could certainly interpret Sid's action as him coming over for a check-up after not seeing her for so long, and that he was just catching up with her while he was there. All her previous assumptions were just her overthinking things.

But she knew very well what kind of being she was scheming against. He was one of the most intelligent people in the world, capable of seeing the big picture from small details and constantly acquiring new knowledge – the Shadow.

Her confidence in scheming against Sid stemmed entirely from Sid's arrogance and trust in her. Without these two things, she had no confidence that her scheme would succeed.

That's why she wasn't surprised if Sid discovered a flaw in her plan and pieced together the whole story.

She was aware of this and had long been prepared for failure, but she would rather die than have to please others like a clown.

Anyway, if the plan is exposed, all that will happen is that I get a beating from Master and completely lose the possibility of bringing Master down from his throne. It's no different from before.

"Um!?"

As if startled by Ita's voice, Sid made a questioning sound, which made Ita feel pressured as she looked at her. Sid just stared at Ita quietly.

Ita knew that Sid was probably wondering about her actions, and her only hope now was that Sid was unaware of her plans and that his trust in her would outweigh his suspicions.

Time passed slowly, and under Sid's gaze, Ita managed to control her heartbeat without using any magic. Just when she was about to give up, Sid finally turned his attention back to the documents in his hands.

Won.

The thought popped into Ita's mind, and he suppressed the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.

Because I don't understand it.

Flipping through the documents in his hand, Sid silently answered Ita's question in his mind.

What does "magic energy content" mean? What's this "magic reaction pathway" thing? And what's this "spiritual-physical reaction"?

Looking at the pile of data he couldn't understand, Sid couldn't help but feel despair, just like the despair he felt every time he made up his mind to figure out the mysteries of his own body, only to close his eyes and feel his messy, incongruous body, which was like strawberry mapo tofu.

I don't understand it, I really don't understand it.

Of course, that's what he thought, but he couldn't say it like that. Saying he didn't understand would lower his prestige as a Shadow-level user, so he had to come up with a more sophisticated way of putting it.

"Sometimes, those involved are confused, while bystanders see things clearly. If you feel there is a problem but can't find the problem, why not ask someone else? Maybe a word from someone else can enlighten you?"

Believing in yourself is a good thing, but only believing in yourself, blindly rejecting the opinions of others, and thinking you are right can only be called arrogance. As for me... I am never arrogant.

That's precisely why I'm the only one who will never be defeated; after all, pride and arrogance are two different things.

I'd give that a 10/10; it's so cool.

Silently giving this sentence a score in my mind, it fully demonstrates the wisdom, humility, and pride of a Shadow-level powerhouse. 10 points because the maximum score is only 10 points.

Upon hearing this, Ita, knowing that she was not suspected, not only did not feel relieved, but became even more anxious.

"Master, you are truly a formidable opponent."

"Ok?"

After a long silence, Ita finally uttered those words with a sigh.

"I really can't imagine how we could possibly defeat you if we were to fight you, Master."

A powerful enemy is not scary; what is scary is an enemy who is not only stronger than you, but also better at playing, smarter, and more cautious.

"If that day ever comes, it will definitely be because you have a problem. After all, I am not going to fall."

Sid chuckled and ruffled Ita's purple hair in response to Ita's exclamation.

You say you're not arrogant, but Master, what you say is anything but humble.

Because you are invincible, even if Master has a problem, it will only be us who are defeated. And those who are defeated will have problems even if they don't have any problems, under the pressure of your strength. How arrogant is that?

No… According to your theory, as long as you are not defeated, you will only be proud; it is only after I defeat you that you will be arrogant.

Thinking this in his heart, he outwardly pushed away Sid's hand that was pressing on his head, and spoke in a voice tinged with anger.