Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 524. Mindless domination is not the way
The exit was much closer now, and they could see the professor and assistants having some kind of party while the kennel workers tended to the cages.
Velra and the assistants were seated around a table covered with food, laughing loudly before the students entered.
"Already back? Bag carriage?" Velra called out loud, only to stop when he noticed the number of jackals they were carrying.
Theo couldn’t help comparing the way the man spoke to a caveman.
As the group approached, Velra and the assistants stared in surprise at the adult jackals and the trio of cubs.
Once the beasts were set down, Velra crouched beside them and began inspecting the beasts to check if any of them had any injuries.
The exhausted jackals, who had been too tried to resist earlier, immediately started panicking again under the professor’s rough handling.
Theo was fairly certain that even if they had been careful, the professor himself might end up breaking a bone or two, considering the way he was ’checking’ the jackals.
Then velra moved toward the pups and began the same shit, making Theo feel like things were going too far.
"Please be gentle with them, Professor Velra. They’re very fragile," Theo said, his serious gaze drawing the attention of both the professor and the assistants.
"You... do you pity these creatures?" Velra asked, squinting his eyes.
"What do you mean by pity, Professor?" Theo asked, while the rest of the team silently wished for the conversation to end already.
Velra stood up and stepped forward until he was only a few inches away from Theo.
They were the same height, but Velra’s broad face, beard and thick mustache made him appear far more imposing.
"You won’t go very far if you find pity in these beasts. The world treats them as worthless, and so should you." He placed a heavy hand on Theo’s shoulder as he spoke.
Theo wanted to retort, but the memory of accidentally crippling the pup before resurfaced in his mind.
"...I believe every creature has a place in this world," Theo said quietly.
As he looked at this professor, his mind drifted to the unsettling thought of a scenario where he would force the man to change the way he thought.
Ever since the last gate, Theo had started noticing changes within himself, changes he wasn’t sure were right or not.
Before the professor could respond, Theo spoke again.
"We were the ones who invaded their territories, tied them up, and dragged them out of the forest. They didn’t do any of that."
Velra looked into Theo’s eyes and immediately understood. The boy was asking for advice or a different way of thinking. He needed guidance.
"Boy, you don’t know what it’s like living outside civilization. I have tried it, and trust me, feelings like these would get me killed within a matter of days out there."
"Your generation hasn’t seen a single stampede. Not one of you has witnessed the gruesomeness realities ideologies like yours bring out to the world."
The professor wasn’t finished.
"Do you know what happens if you don’t take care of these smaller packs in the forest?" Velra asked, pressing a finger against Theo’s chest.
"They multiply."
"That’s right. A pack of five can become fifteen in just one year. Give them five more years to assimilate into larger packs, and they’ll number in the hundreds. And do you realize what will happen to the leader of a pack that large, BOY?" Velra asked, pressing his finger deeper on Theo’s chest.
Theo merely tightened his muscles, forcing the finger back slightly and making Velra grin.
"If you don’t have a clue about it, then let me enlighten you," he continued. "When a group becomes that large, the leader undergoes significant changes."
"Sometimes they become frighteningly intelligent, capable of commanding their pack well enough that they can wipe a small town out in hours and without support. That’s how dangerous these beasts truly are. And yet you feel pity for them?"
Theo met the man’s gaze without backing down. There was resistance in his eyes, something Velra found interesting.
"...I understand your point, but even then, unnecessary cruelty toward these beasts is still wrong, professor," Theo replied.
Osric looked like he wanted to applaud at the sight of Theo going head to head against a professor, while Valerya simply watched him with unreadable emotions.
"My pity isn’t a weakness," Theo continued. "I still get the job done without causing any unnecessary damage. Just like you saw in our work."
He pointed toward the beasts lying on the ground.
The assistants glanced over, and Theo was right. The beasts were in surprisingly perfect condition.
"Are you sure you want to move on with this perspective for the rest of your life? For the future?" Velra asked, staring straight into those eyes that revealed more than the words ever could.
"Your pity, your compassion, will ruin you one day. Mark my words. These beasts were created by the Benevolent Artifact to keep the humans in check. If we give them too much room to grow, the first thing they’ll do is have their revenge."
"And when that day comes, the world will return to the age when humans had to hide inside caves and holes in the ground, just to survive."
As Theo listened, he looked into Velra’s eyes and saw conviction he couldn’t easily go against.
Not with a half-baked resolve of his own.
"One day, I will show you that things can be done differently, Professor Velra," Theo replied with just one line.
Silence followed.
"I already knew that," Velra replied. "Your pity won’t disappear with just a few words from me. I tried my best. You will learn through experience, just like everyone does. You will fall, then rise again, only this time without your naivety. And I look forward to that day."
"Because with the record you’ve already left behind in the kingdom at your age, I expect great things from you in the future, Theo Merrick. Don’t you disappoint me."
This time, Velra’s eyes turned sharp, and Theo didn’t say anything in response.
Only time could tell what would happen, whether Velra’s cruel and thoughtless dominance was the way or Theo’s so-called ’pity’.