Necessary Sacrifices (Please Invest!)

Five lifelike statues stood on the training grounds at Kamar-Taj headquarters. The Arcanist apprentices practicing defensive spells showed no surprise at their appearance; they did not even know who had placed them there.

Still, they found the statues' expressions far too vivid, as though they were made of flesh and blood. It sent a chill down their spines.

Some apprentices tried to poke at the statues' gauzy hems, but Baron Mordo dragged them back.

There was not a trace of happiness on Mordo's face. He knew what his junior brother was facing, and Salomon had already made his decision. The consequences of that decision stood right before him.

It worried him, and he even resented the Sorcerer Supreme's arrangement somewhat.

After all, his junior brother was a complete cave dweller who rarely ever left Kamar-Taj. He feared Salomon was confronting something like this too early. He was simply far too young.

Salomon, who had brought the statues to Kamar-Taj, was now seated before the Sorcerer Supreme. After drinking the tea from her table, his dispirited mind was revived.

He told her everything he had seen and heard on this journey, including the moral dilemma he had faced. Now, he desperately hoped she could offer some useful advice.

"You have lived in a peaceful place like Kamar-Taj, so naturally you have never had to make such a choice. But once you leave here and venture out into the world, all kinds of problems will follow one after another. What you faced before was merely one of them." The Venerable One gestured toward the training grounds. "But I am very satisfied with your decision, child. I know you have doubts, so let me give you an example from my own experience. It may help you."

"Dormammu has not only begun eyeing Earth recently. Since before humanity rose to prominence, he had wanted to swallow Earth into the Dark Dimension, but the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, stopped him. Later, I became the Sorcerer Supreme and took up the same task. In the past, countless people worshipped Dormammu. There was once a small village where nearly everyone worshipped Dormammu as devoutly and ignorantly as they worshipped God. They did not know they were worshipping an evil god, but their lives truly improved. They could raise livestock, their crops enjoyed bumper harvests year after year, and no one starved to death again. Before long, they held a feast there, using a year's surplus grain to draw in many traveling merchants and villagers from nearby settlements. At the time, the Planetary Defense System had only just been established. They still easily used the magic Dormammu had granted them to summon him, and I detected it through the Planetary Defense System. Just as Dormammu was about to be successfully summoned, I appeared there." The Sorcerer Supreme paused and asked Salomon, "What do you think I did?"

Salomon shook his head. If he had been in that situation, he truly would not have known what to do.

Those who worshipped Dormammu were guilty, even if they did not know what exactly they worshipped. But what about the villagers from the other settlements and the traveling merchants passing through?

"The answer is simple. Just as Dormammu was about to descend, I summoned burning meteors. They fell from the sky and killed everyone present," said the Venerable One. "That included not only Dormammu's followers, but also the nearby villagers and traveling merchants. Do you know why I did that?"

Salomon shook his head again. "I don't."

"Because I could not distinguish which people present were Dormammu's followers and which were not. But Dormammu would soon descend. If I waited until I had identified every innocent person, Earth would already have been swallowed by the Dark Dimension. The simplest, fastest, and most effective method was to kill everyone present and interrupt the summoning ritual. Just like what you encountered: you needed to kill the Vampires, but ordinary people were protecting them. If you insisted on doing so, you would inevitably harm those ordinary people as well." The Venerable One's tone was grave. "But you have no better choice, Salomon. No one can guarantee those two Vampires will not one day see humans as food because they crave blood. You cannot place the lives and safety of everyone else in that town in the hands of a Vampire's conscience. That would be extremely irresponsible. We protect humanity as a whole, not individual people. I believe you already know Barnabas's rank. Earth absolutely cannot allow another Dracula to emerge, or it would be a disaster for humanity. Measured against the safety of all humankind, some lives can be sacrificed. Every Arcanist of Kamar-Taj understands this principle. Though it is cold-blooded and ruthless, it is nonetheless the correct choice. The Planetary Defense System has long been established, and Kamar-Taj can monitor magical fluctuations across the world. More often than not, we can stop Dormammu's followers, devil worshippers, or whoever else before their summoning has truly begun to spread. But even so, we must often face problems like this."

Salomon lowered his head and considered the Sorcerer Supreme's words. From her perspective, Kamar-Taj's perspective, or even the perspective of protecting all humanity, this method was indeed viable. If those terrifying entities were summoned, far more people would die.

The Sorcerer Supreme was pleased to see Salomon thinking. Many people in Kamar-Taj now blindly revered the Venerable One's decisions, but she still hoped the Arcanists would have minds of their own. She dearly hoped Salomon could understand the painstaking intentions behind her actions.

The Venerable One continued, "Kamar-Taj acting this way does not mean we disregard life. Whenever possible, we choose to save as many as we can. Otherwise, we would become typical utilitarians, measuring life solely by numbers, and that is unacceptable. We know that the value of life cannot be measured, yet for the sake of more lives, we have no choice but to destroy a few. Cherish life, and weigh every decision carefully—especially when you decide to abandon another's life and soul."

In truth, every enemy Salomon had faced this time had been within the Venerable One's predictions, including the ordinary members of the Collins family.

This mission had also been arranged by the Venerable One herself, precisely so Salomon could face such a choice in advance and make the decision with his own hands.

Only then could Salomon cast aside unnecessary weakness, develop a decisive mindset, and, according to the Venerable One's plans, ultimately grow into a qualified guardian.

"But making such choices is painful, isn't it?" Salomon looked up. "Have you borne such a burden for such a long time?"

"This is our duty. While protecting humanity, we also bear humanity's sins." The Venerable One's expression did not change. "So long as we continue guarding humanity, such things will happen. Even without Kamar-Taj or the Sorcerer Supreme, someone would make such decisions. These are sacrifices that must be made, and this is the price you will have to pay."

"Treasure the compassion and kindness you possess now. They are precious; preserve them. Only then will you not disregard the value of life when making decisions. Only then will you be able to make better use of these lives—when necessary, including your own."

I'm sorry, Salomon. This is not pain you should have to bear. It is mine.

The Sorcerer Supreme closed her eyes in pain, but soon opened them again. There was no longer any hesitation in her gaze.

Note: This is lawful good.