Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1830

Rain stopped, feeling her sense of joy dim a little.

A perplexed smile appeared on her face.

She wasn't a fool, so she had considered these things, as well. But didn't the importance of her discovery far outweigh such details?

"But it can save countless lives."

Tamar looked away and shrugged.

"Can it? Maybe in the short term... but what will happen when these new and untested Awakened have to face the horrors of the Dream Realm? What can cowards who refused to face even the First Nightmare do? Surely, they will buckle and break, leaving humanity defenseless. In that sense, what you offer is poison, not salvation."

She sighed.

"That is not my opinion, by the way. That is just one example of what others can say... will say... to justify harming you and suppressing your discovery. They might not even do it out of malice, but out of sincere belief. Because what you offer does not just attack their authority, but also their identity. That, as well, is built around the Nightmare Spell for many."

Rain dropped the harness into the mud.

"You can't be serious."

Her voice was calm, but her eyes weren't.

Because... she could easily imagine a world where Tamar was right.

Take the two Domains, for example. On the surface, the royal clans were benefactors to those hundreds of millions of mundane people who now lived in the Dream Realm.

But if one looked at it differently, the citizens of the Domains were hostage to the royal clans. They could only be safe if their Sovereign protected them, and could only really attempt the First Nightmare — and thus step on the path to greater power — if the Sovereign or one of the Sovereign's vassals allowed them to.

In the future, when more and more people of the waking world settled in the Dream Realm, that would become the cornerstone of the authority of the royal clans.

Would they be willing to share that authority?

And then, there were the Legacy clans below the two royal houses, whose culture and identity were irrevocably connected to the dreadful challenges of the Nightmare Spell. They were already prohibiting their scions from saving themselves from the trial of the winter solstice by entering the Dream Realm in advance, purely out of belief that warriors had to be forged in fire.

Would they accept Awakened who had not faced the First Nightmare? Or would they find the very concept offensive?

The consequences of Rain's achievement went far deeper than she had considered.

Tamar sighed.

"I am deadly serious, Rani. You... should speak to the extraordinary person who guided you to Awakening, at least, before making any decisions. They had to have been more aware of the repercussions than you are. Be mindful, though. Make sure that they have your best interest in heart before listening to what they have to say."

She paused for a moment, and then added in a subdued tone:

"Until you do, no one must know that you are not a carrier of the Nightmare Spell. We... we'll tell them that we had no choice but to cross the realm boundary and leave the Song Domain while escaping from the Tyrant, and that you had your First Nightmare as a result. That will work as a temporary measure, at lest."

Rain looked at her soberly.

Tamar was young... but she was a member of a Legacy clan, as well. She served the Queen as a vassal.

So, she was the exact type of person she had warned Rain against.

'Can I trust her?'

After what they had experienced together, Rain wanted to believe that she could. But in a sense, covering the truth would mean betraying the trust of Tamar's clan and Queen Song.

Would she really do that?

Rain sighed.

"One thing I don‘t understand, Lady Tamar... is why are willing to hide this secret for me."

The young Legacy looked at her from the muddy stretcher. Her face was pale and stern... which was a bit of a comical look for such a young woman.

After a while, she looked away, remained silent for a moment, and said stiffly:

"Well, aren't you a member of my survey team? I am responsible for your well—being... as a superior. So... if something happens to you, a stain would be left on my reputation. And I value my reputation very much."

Rain stared at her silently, keeping a straight face.

'... Adorable!'

By that time, the night had already fallen, and the three moons were high in the sky. So, she couldn't see Tamar's expression very well.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify