The Lord, also known as the Shadow, is a character in Love Nikki. They are a mysterious leader of an organization that purportedly aims to "bring peace to Miraland".
Profile
Appearance
The Lord's appearance is never described or shown in-game. Instead, they choose to do things like project themselves onto windows[3] or sit behind an illuminated curtain, which prevents their identity from being shown. Bobo never sees their face at all, and according to the Lord, it is best that way. However, they are described as having a gentle and calming but powerful voice.[1]
Personality
Though the Lord takes on a gentle, forgiving persona and acts understanding of their followers, they have killed people again and again to get their way. They generally do not do the killing themselves, but rather order their underlings to do it for them, usually in the aim of carrying out a greater plan. They seem to see themselves as above it all, usually not even letting their followers see their face.
Two of the Lord's primary followers, Bobo and Neva, are only seventeen and have been working for them for years. The Lord took them in when they were at their weakest. Therefore, it's only evident that they are willing to use children to further their goals.
Identity
Royal City
Though it has never been explicitly stated, the story implies that their true identity is Lilith's queen, Queen Nanari, through evidence such as:
- The Lord knew Royce when he was a child[4]
- At approximately the same age, Neva dedicated her life to both Nanari[5] and to the Lord[6]
- After Neva failed the mission given to her by the Lord, Nanari gave her to Royce[7]
- The Lord knew that Nikki was going to come to Miraland,[1] and Nanari was the one to summon her (however, it's worth noting that the Star Seer and Lunar's uncle Sue also knew)
- The Lord has been shown to operate out of Royal City,[8][1] where the royal family lives
- The Lord is very familiar with the royal treasury, and knows where things are located in it[9]
- They hide their face, implying their identity is significant to the plot
History
Past
Sometime around or slightly before 669,[10] the Lord took Neva in as their "sword", or protector. She was just a little girl whose parents had been murdered, and she had nowhere else to go when the Lord found her in an alley.[6]
The Lord attempted to give Neva etiquette lessons, but the young Neva did not enjoy them or find them particularly useful. Though the Lord attempted to encourage her to let her past go, Neva insisted that she did not need to see the light in life, as she believed her sole purpose was to act as a sword. Thus, the Lord prepared a ritual for Neva, and gave her the power of Kindred by creating a magic formation on the ground. This ritual also gave Neva loyalty to the Lord, even stronger than her existing loyalty.[6]
Neva was sent on a mission, but ultimately what had been done to her backfired: she went into a frenzy for blood and started attacking the people who she was working with, who were also loyal to the Lord. The Lord forgave her, but from then on, she was sent into the palace to be the guardian of Royce.[9]
Year 677
During this year, Bobo joined the Lord's organization after a traumatic event in which her father was killed by a man in black on a suspicious work mission. Noah rescued her when she was about to be killed herself and took her home,[11] but offered to let her know more about the "true nature" of Miraland when she was ready. After a month, Bobo sent the dove back to Noah, who took her to meet the Lord. They explained their purported mission of bringing peace to Miraland, and Bobo agreed to join.[12]
Despite this, it is strongly implied that the murder of Bobo's father was a set-up which Noah was involved in, and not a simple coincidence. On the night of Bobo's birthday, her family was being watched by two figures who spoke of giving her a test.[13]
Year 680
Bobo's Mission
The Lord knew ahead of time that Nikki would be arriving in Miraland, and directed Bobo to carry out a mission of meeting her and involving her in the disputes of the world so that they could resolve the peace.[1] While she was gone, the Lord kidnapped her mother. She was kept in a simple room, but she lost a great deal of her strength, and she did not get any of the letters Bobo wrote back.[14]
Bobo was unable to finish her mission, telling the Lord that she didn't understand the point. The Lord chose to stop giving her assignments and instead suggested she take a break..[1] They sent Noah, who was aware of their deception, after her and asked him to report on anything that might happen.[15]
On this break, Bobo made the discovery that her mother had been kidnapped and decided to investigate, with Noah by her side. After a lot of investigation that went nowhere, Noah took pity on her and magicked up a live feed of her mother.[14] Unfortunately for him, Bobo caught a snippet of the Lord's voice at the end before he was able to cut it out. This led Bobo to realize that the Lord had kidnapped her mother and that Noah and the Lord had both been lying to her the whole time.[16]
Neva's Mission
Neva, still loyal to the Lord, was given an assignment to take a box from the treasury one night and to kill anyone who stood in her way. The Lord also ordered many of her men to accompany her. Neva felt that the mission would be better without more people around, but upon hearing that it was the Lord's decision, allowed them to come along.[9][17]
When Neva reached the treasury, she found that Royce was guarding it. She realized she had to make a decision between killing Royce and remaining loyal to the Lord, or breaking her contract with the Lord. She hesitated for the first time to complete her mission, but the blood contract she had made forced her to press her dagger against Royce's neck.[18]
Neva pressing her dagger against Royce's neck.
However, when she remembered all the words and encouragement that Royce had given her, she lowered her dagger.[18] Unbeknownst to her, Royce had reversed the blood contract that Neva was under and freed her.[7] The soldiers that served the Lord immediately began to attack Royce and Neva once it became clear that she wasn't going to hurt him,[18] and Royce summoned the secret army (presumably that of the royal family) to fight them off.[4]
Royce took a now-unconscious Neva out to another room once it seemed the army would win, and the Lord projected their shadow onto the window next to them. Royce accused them of lying to Neva and told them that he wouldn't fall for their beautiful lies. He told them that the truth couldn't only be decided by them, and vowed to end their dark game.[4]
Relationships
Bobo
Bobo was entirely unaware of the Lord's true nature for the years that she followed them, and saw them as someone who truly had her best interest in mind. After her father was murdered, she was very dedicated to the idea of eradicating violence and death in Miraland, but it eventually became clear that the Lord was using this against her to make her do whatever they liked.
The Lord was also aware of the true nature of Bobo's bloodline, which they hid even from Bobo. It's implied that this was at least part of the reason they had kidnapped Bobo's mother, due to the scene Noah showed Bobo in which they were talking about it.[16]
Noah
Noah seemed to be the one person that the Lord wasn't actively lying to, as he seemed to be in on all their plans - from rescuing Bobo in the snowy mountains to listening in on the meetings that Bobo thought were one-on-one.[15] Though he seemed entirely loyal to the Lord for the most part, he showed a sign of wavering when he showed Bobo images of her mother to prove that she wasn't dead, which ended up giving away the whole ruse.[16]
Neva
Though the Lord saved Neva from the streets when she was a child, it was under the stipulation that she become their sword. When she was still very young, they performed the blood ritual on her that gave her the powers of a Kindred, but which also made her loyal to the Lord. The Lord later used her in a plot that resulted in her almost killing Royce.[6]
Quotes
- "I can tell you that our goals are the same. Now it is your turn to answer me. Will you assist me in restoring peace and tranquility to these lands?"
— The Lord to Bobo in Parting in the Snow - "Each of us is just a piece on a massive chessboard. What you're doing right now may not make an immediate difference to the world, but time will give you an answer. We have been working together for the same goal for so long. If we give up now, we will never ever see the light at the end of the tunnel."
— The Lord to Bobo in Sunflower in Long Night - "Royce, this is a huge game. Alliance, betrayal, conflicts are all the means to reach the final goal. And you are nothing but a pawn on others' hands. Only those who know the truth can be the player."
— The Lord to Royce in Black White Puzzle
Name by Server
| Version | Name (Romanized) |
|---|---|
 International (English)
|
Lord |
Trivia
- Noah and Neva both knew that the other worked for the Lord, as evidenced by the time they went together to Royal City to receive an assignment.[8]
- The Lord may be associated with a gray-blue pendant that has a shining light, as Neva recognized it when a man posing as a gardener used it to prove he was a man of the Lord.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Dreamland - Bobo/Sunflower in Long Night#Shadow of the Confession Room
- ↑ In Chinese, the Lord isn't referred to with gendered terms. In English, they're referred to as both male and female depending on the story - possibly a translation error due to the ambiguity.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#2 Hidden Quest
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#9 Black and White Chess
- ↑ Rose Kiss
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#7 Blood of Contract
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#8 Oath of Accompany
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dreamland - Chloris/Moon Night Poem#Harp before Thunder
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#4 Blood Moon Returns
- ↑ Calculation based on Neva's estimated timeline.
- ↑ Dreamland - Bobo/Parting in the Snow#Magic and Youth
- ↑ Dreamland - Bobo/Parting in the Snow#Dove of Hope
- ↑ Dreamland - Bobo/Parting in the Snow#Picture and Cake
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Dreamland - Bobo/Sunflower in Long Night#'Reunion'
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Dreamland - Bobo/Sunflower in Long Night#Strange Sound
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Dreamland - Bobo/Sunflower in Long Night#Waking Up From A Dream
- ↑ Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#5 Moon Night Royal City
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Sea of Trees/Black White Puzzle#6 Silent Confrontation
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