"I'm okay with survival." Elara walked slowly toward the bed, each step obviously painful. "Mahir consented because he values my survival more than his temporary discomfort. That's his choice. I accepted his offer because the alternative was death. That's my choice. Both choices were informed. Both were documented. Both were legal."
She sat on the bed carefully.
"If you want to judge the ethics of a system where Beast Knights serve with such absolute loyalty that they'll consent to physical harm to save their masters, fine. Judge the system. But don't accuse me of violating consent when I followed every legal protocol specifically to 'avoid' that violation."
The System floated silently for a long moment.
"The goddess isn't going to care about legal protocols," it said finally. "She's going to care that you hurt someone. That you treated him like a tool."
