As soon as Daneel heard the last part, he regained control of his mouth.
First, he coughed to make sure that he could speak again.
After that, seeing that Ashah.e.l.l was looking at him with an expression of hope on his face, he really felt like laughing at his own situation.
Here was a man who had taken a special interest in him because he thought that he wanted to save Angaria, too. And if he didn"t join him, he would die.
What was he supposed to say now? That"s great, let"s be brothers and let"s go save this continent together?
No!
Daneel could tell that there was a lot here that he wasn"t being told.
However, he had no idea how to ask.
This wasn"t a multiple choice question: if he said no, he would most probably die.
As the gears in his mind turned, he tried to find a way out where he could live and find out more.
After a few seconds, he finally got an idea.
"If we are truly going to save all the people of Angaria together, then I would not hesitate to join you."
In response, Ashah.e.l.l shook his head, and Daneel felt as if his heart had dropped like a rock.
"No, King Daneel. I never mentioned the people. No matter when I talk about my mission, I only talk about saving Angaria. Angaria is the land we live on- the land we take for granted. The people are just insects who happen to be on it. For Angaria to be saved, they have to be eliminated. I know it"s sad, but sometimes, we have to do what is necessary to get what is needed. This land gave birth to us and allowed us to gain power using its breath and soul. In return, all we do is plunder. That has to end. Angaria will be rid of all that plagues it, and there will be a fresh start under my helm, and yours, if you agree."
There is was.
Hearing this, Daneel sighed inwardly.
There was the typical extremist.
At this moment, he fully understood this man, and he also understood why he had even gotten that doubt in the central tower before, about whether he should follow him.
Ashah.e.l.l truly believed in his cause to save the continent. In fact, when Daneel thought about it, he realized that he really hadn"t heard him ever mention the inhabitants of Angaria whenever he spoke about saving it- not once.
He should have picked up the clue then, but it was too easy to miss.
Right now, Daneel saw an extreme "Save the planet!" protestor from Earth inside Ashah.e.l.l- only, it was one who was insanely powerful and also had the means to get what he wanted at all cost.
What was he supposed to do now?
He could tell what was going to happen if he chose to follow Ashah.e.l.l: at best, he would have to swear an oath, which would definitely be binding enough that it would take a lot of time to find a way to circ.u.mvent it. By then, Angaria would mostly be lost.
In the worst case scenario, Ashah.e.l.l might even have something even more binding, which Daneel would have no hope of getting out of.
And if he chose the other option to refuse, he would simply die.
It was a lose-lose situation, and Daneel cursed himself for even getting into it, even though he saw no way in which he could have done things differently.
All too often, one would only find out one"s true nature when it was too late.
Wait…was it too late?
At this crucial moment between life and death, his mind worked faster than ever before.
All of his experience, drive and urge to save the people who believed in him transformed into a singular need to find a way to get out of this predicament.
Suddenly, he got an idea.
"I refuse."
As these words sounded over the empty plane, the expression of hope on Ashah.e.l.l"s face disappeared and was replaced by one of disappointment.
"That"s a foolish decision. It"s just too bad. I was really looking forward to finding someone else to save from Angaria, so that they can help me when it is time to rebuild. You could have saved your family and friends too. Now, along with you, all of them will also die. King Daneel, goodbye."
As he said this, Daneel once again started to lose control of his mouth and throat, but before it left, he quickly shouted, "WAIT!"
Thinking that he was changing his mind, Ashah.e.l.l paused and gave back control of the ability to speak.
"Why are you killing me? Don"t you have a policy to not involve yourself in the Central Continent? How will you explain yourself to the High Council?"
This was what the young King wanted to say?
Frowning, Ashah.e.l.l just took it as the last struggles of someone who was about to die.
"I"ll just place a clone in your place. It really doesn"t matter; all life on Angaria will end soon. All I need to do is not let anyone get suspicious for a little while. Originally, this was going to take some time. However, a certain prediction allowed me to move all of my plans forward. I a.s.sume that you got this information from that Xuan. You have to thank her for dying so soon, too. If that"s all, we can proceed."
"WAIT!"
When Daneel once again felt control leaving him, he shouted just like before.
With a deeper frown, Ashah.e.l.l asked, "What?"
"Let me speak like one who wants to save this continent to another. You and I want the same things, but in different ways. So, you and I understand each other. I only have one wish. I want to die with my people, along with the knowledge that I did everything in my power to save them and reach my goal. I think you can understand just how much I want that. You, of all people, should. You said that it doesn"t matter. Isn"t there any other way for me to live, but not hamper your plans? Any way? As a King, it is not right for me to beg, but if necessary, I"ll do just that."
As Daneel spoke these words with such pa.s.sion that even tears appeared in his eyes, Ashah.e.l.l"s frown lessened, but he furrowed his brow.
Seeing this, Daneel rejoiced that his plan was working.
This was a man who strived for his goal more than anything, so he was just appealing to that very strong part of him that knew how it felt when one walked forward on the path to fulfilling their dream.
Ashah.e.l.l was, indeed, moved by this speech.
He liked to think that he was a very reasonable man. In fact, before that incident where those 10,000 people had died, he had even been very kind and fair to others.
Of course, after that incident, his thinking had changed, but he had still refrained from causing unnecessary deaths for the most part.
He could understand this last wish of this King who really did only want the best for his people. He was right: they were the same, and that was why he had hoped to recruit him.
So, he thought for a moment whether there was a way to fulfill his wish without taking risks.
He was also someone who pursued perfection, so there was no way that he would leave loose ends.
"Isn"t there a way to wipe my memory, maybe?"
As Ashah.e.l.l heard this, he realized that there was, indeed that method that he hadn"t thought of.
Only, many said that it was worse than death.
"Now that you mention that, there is a way. If you completely relinquish the defenses around your mind, I can use my mageroot to enter your consciousness using an advanced spell to wipe away this meeting. I can even replace it with a fake meeting where I would only tell you about the Church"s threat and ask for permission to examine your core formation-that"s what I"m going to do with the other rulers, anyway. You were just...special."
"Then I chose that!"
"Don"t be hasty. If you let me do that, it means that I will have access to all of your innermost secrets. I will be able to go through each and every moment of your life, starting from birth. You will feel as if your mind has been…violated. You will feel that something is wrong, but you wouldn"t be able to explain it, and you would eventually go crazy. Of course, if you don"t die first, that is. Many prefer death. It"s your choice."
Hearing this, the King in front of Ashah.e.l.l shuddered, which was the typical reaction.
However, after a few seconds, resolve shone in his eyes.
Yes, this was someone that he had chosen as worthy to follow him.
It really was a pity.
"Do it. You said everything will end anyway, right? If I"m going to forget this anyway, can I know when and how that is?"
"I have no need to answer that. Let"s just say that I"m looking forward a lot to a very important meeting. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt a little at first, and a lot later. Goodbye, King Daneel."
As screaming started to echo throughout the barren area, blood started to flow from the King of Lanthanor"s eyes, nose, and ears.
….
An unknown amount of time later.
"Thank you for your cooperation, King Daneel. I hope you take my advice to heart. The Church is no small enemy. We will need all the help we can get."
"Of course. Farewell, and good luck with your quest."
As Daneel saw off the very respectable sect leader from the Big 4, he clutched his head, feeling that something was wrong.
The man had already disappeared, so he was now alone in the Throne Room.
Looking back in his memories, he felt that something was…wrong.
He was just a regular boy on the streets who had worked hard to become King, and had found a lucky inheritance which aided him on his journey.
Crack!
As a sound akin to a gla.s.s being broken appeared in his mind, he felt memories flood back into him, making him collapse on the ground while howling in pain.
A few minutes later, he raised his head and eyed the s.p.a.ce where Ashah.e.l.l had disappeared from with bloodshot eyes.
Due to the pain, he had bit down so hard that his entire mouth was filled with blood, so when he grinned, a visage of one who looked like a ghost with b.l.o.o.d.y teeth could be seen.
In the empty room, he exclaimed, "Who"s foolish now, you f*cking b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"