Otaku Witch

Chapter 1999 - 1015: Triple Pride

"You’re not a bird, so how do you know if a bird wants to leave the cage? The idea that birds are born to belong to the sky is just wishful thinking on your part as a human, Dorothy. Have you ever asked the bird’s opinion?"

Looking at her puzzled and increasingly agitated sister, Denisha asked in return.

Dorothy: "Uh..."

The Homebody Witch was suddenly at a loss for words.

Goodness, sis, are you getting philosophical with me? If you’re not a bird, how can you know the bird’s joy?

But, even though she’s speechless, she had to admit that the God King did have a point.

The idea that birds are naturally meant for the sky is indeed a preconception of hers, and she honestly hadn’t considered whether she should ask the bird’s opinion before setting it free. Indeed, it’s possible that the bird is actually a homebody bird that just wants a comfortable, sheltered life.

Of course, such a dilemma doesn’t usually concern humans since ordinary people don’t understand bird language, but witches can use magic to genuinely communicate with birds.

"It seems you’ve realized this problem. You subconsciously feel that there’s no need to ask about this issue, and you don’t consider the fledgling a being worthy of respect. This is where your pride lies, Dorothy."

Denisha continued her relentless attack, each word hitting the mark.

As a result, Dorothy frowned even more deeply, wanting to refute but finding no reason to argue at the moment.

However, the God King didn’t let her off so easily.

"So let me ask you again, Dorothy, if that fledgling, after recovering, truly doesn’t want to leave and just wants to stay in the cage you’ve woven for it for life, would you still be willing to keep it?"

Denisha probed further.

Dorothy: "...."

The Homebody Witch fell silent again.

She wanted to simply say yes, but upon deeper introspection, she found that after being pressed about this seemingly irrelevant question, a faint annoyance arose within her.

Even though this emotion was subtle, under the illumination of her clear Bodhisattva Heart, she caught it unmistakably.

Why would she owe anything to this bird? Why should she keep taking care of it? It’s quite bothersome to maintain.

This was what her emotions were conveying.

Dorothy knew very well that if she indeed rescued a bird and raised it for a while, and if it didn’t want to leave afterward, she would likely keep it, for pets do evoke emotions over time.

However, as it stood, this was merely a hypothetical question, and she had no emotional attachment to the hypothetical fledgling, so this instinctive emotion might represent her true thoughts.

This is one of the inherent flaws of human nature – always weighing pros and cons.

And Dorothy’s hesitation and silence could already be considered an answer.

"See, you hesitated. You’re not entirely willing to continue keeping it. After all, you were willing to feed it before it healed because you believed it would eventually leave. The effort of feeding and caring for it had an end date. This responsibility had a deadline. When the deadline came, you could gain the satisfaction of having done a good deed, and that would be the reward for your toil."

"But once it involves continuously caring for a fledgling unwilling to leave the cage, it becomes a losing deal for you. The benevolent act intended for self-satisfaction would now turn into a burden, hence your hesitation and weighing of pros and cons."

"Am I right?"

Denisha asked again.

As expected, claims about the God King not understanding the human heart are all rumors. He understands it too well, piercing through Dorothy’s unwillingness to expose her darker human nature and openly putting it on trial.

"Dorothy, you never wanted to save the fledgling; you merely wanted to satisfy your heart. The bird’s future isn’t important. What’s important is your belief that you’ve done a kind deed."

The Homebody Witch: "....."

"No, the bird’s future is quite important, I...."

She started sweating profusely, wanting to argue, but before she could finish, Denisha’s third question came.

"Is the bird really important? If you truly think the bird’s fate is critical, have you considered that a fledgling raised in a cage can truly survive in the harsh wild?"

"Dorothy, from the moment you decided to bring the fallen fledgling home, you personally broke its free-flying wings, yet you expect that injured bird to soar freely into the sky once healed, just as you imagined. This is your second pride."

The Homebody Witch was now drenched in sweat.

"Then I could train it before releasing it, ensure it’s wild enough before letting it go."

She tried to salvage the situation.

Yeah, there’s always the option of wilderness training.

"Heh..."

But to this, the God King laughed mockingly once more.

"Are you referring to the kind of wilderness training where even if it can’t catch prey, you’ll provide for it to ensure it won’t go hungry?"

"That’s just self-deception."

"Do you have the resolve to watch it starve without softening your heart?"

"Wake up, Dorothy. Even if you cruelly drive the fledgling out of the cage, it will never truly gain freedom because you’ve become the cage in its heart. No matter how high it flies, the fledgling can never escape the cage you’ve set in its heart."