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682. Risk
“We shall ask for aid from the Spirit Lord.”
Edithe spoke simply as she met the gaze of everyone in the room. She paused as she spotted Rachel standing in the corner. That was a surprising sight.
But as much as the redhead wanted to approach the little girl and question what was going on— maybe even comment on how much Rachel grew since they last saw each other— there was no time for that. Instead, Edithe had to address the reactions to what she had said.
It was a bold statement— an outlandish suggestion. And it was immediately met by shocked and confused reactions.
“That is ridiculous—”
Marie Schofen rebuked.
“This was your plan?!”
Faith stared with wide eyes.
“What does that mean?”
Centina asked as she glanced around in confusion. As a Centinel, she must not have known much about anything beyond the Human lands.
Clayton Skyshredder himself furrowed his brows when he heard that. But he wasn’t as outraged as his [Secretary].
“Explain yourself— how shall we obtain the Spirit Lord’s aid? Only the Immortal King Alexander and Melissa the Oracle of Light has ever exchanged contact with him.”
He demanded, and Edithe nodded.
“You’re right. We can’t just send a [Message] to the Spirit Lord. There is no direct line of communication between us and him. And the Sprit Lord has had zero contact with Humankind ever since Melissa the Oracle of Light vanished.”
Taking a deep breath, Edithe faced the Headmaster of Mavos Academy with a serious gaze.
“But that doesn’t mean we cannot contact him now. Nobody has ever said that wasn’t a possibility.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
Marie Schofen snorted as she crossed her arms.
“I knew I shouldn’t have brought you here. If this plan of yours was so easy, others would have done it a millennia ago.”
“But they did.”
Edithe replied with a steady voice.
“Alexander did exactly this. Back when the Demon King first invaded. He sought the aid of the Spirit Lord, and that’s when the first pact between a [Summoner] and a Spirit was formed. If not for him, the Mortal Realm would be populated with wandering and stray Spirits visiting our lands. But nothing like what we have today.”
Her eyes flickered as she remembered Druma and Mistshard. The two Spirits she lost after forsaking her contract with them to protect their lives.
When she lost her Class as a [Summoner].
Marie Schofen backed up when she heard this. Centinel still seem puzzled. However, surprisingly, one of the juvenile Wyverns in the room seemed to understand what Edithe was saying.
Which shouldn’t have been surprising, after Edithe peered at them for a moment.
She hadn’t realized it earlier because of how much they had grown, but they were Salvos’s children. Adopted children, at the very least. As expected of Salvos’s children, they are smart.
Edithe thought approvingly, before focusing at the matter at hand. She looked back towards Clayton as she held his gaze.
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“And that’s not all…”
She started, then paused. Closing her eyes, Edithe recalled a fact. Something that she remembered from history— an obscure fact that was brushed over.
“Melissa the Oracle of Light herself had ventured into the Spirit Plane to meet the Spirit Lord.”
Hearing that, Clayton narrowed his eyes. Edithe continued.
“This was something even the Immortal King Alexander did not do. He had spoken to the Spirit Lord through intermediaries— through spells and divinations. But he had never once stepped into the Spirit Plane. And because of that, we have assumed it is forbidden to do so.”
“However, because Melissa did so, you are asserting that we can do the same.”
The Headmaster of Mavos Academy finished Edithe’s train of thought. She nodded.
“That is correct.”
Marie just blinked. Faith almost looked convinced. Clayton considered this with wrinkled brows.
Willy remained silent.
And a voice spoke out in support of Edithe.
It was Oriur. The fact he could even speak surprised Edithe. She nearly jerked back, and Faith was taken aback too.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing myself… I even brought this up to Rachel—”
Oriur started, glancing over at the young girl next to him. She nodded as she placed a hand on her chin.
“I found it strange too.”
“But it isn’t strange.”
Marie retorted, raising a hand.
“The only reason why Melissa the Oracle of Light was permitted to cross into the Spirit Plane was due to her status as the oracle of the Fairy Queen. Otherwise, she would have been killed for even attempting such a thing by the Spirit Lord’s Angels.”
As she spoke, she turned to face Edithe. But the redhead just crossed her arms.
“And where in history has that been shown to be a fact?”
“I… what?”
The [Secretary] paused. She backed up, flustered as Edithe pressed her.
“Cite me one example in recorded history where someone has ever been repudiated for crossing into the Spirit Plane.”
“That’s—”
Marie hesitated, before her shoulders slumped. Edithe grinned at that.
“Exactly. You can’t. And I doubt you can either Headmaster Skyshredder.”
The redhead looked towards Clayton knowingly. He ran a hand through his long beard as he was in deep thought.
“You are correct, Ms Edithe. Because everyone believes this law of the Spirit Plane— that trespassers are not allowed— nobody has ever dared cross to the other side. Except for Melissa the Oracle of Light. But…”
Clayton shook his head.
“That doesn’t prove that it is permitted. It simply proves that we do not know for certain whether it is permitted.”
Edithe took in a deep breath when she heard what he had to say.
“You’re right. We don’t know that for certain. It is dangerous— it is a risk. I may be completely wrong, and stepping into the Spirit Plane may be suicide. That is why I am volunteering myself to do this.”
Clayton peered at her as she spoke resolutely. She strode forward, placing a hand on her chest.
“I will not force any of you to risk your lives to do this. I shall cross to the Spirit Plane myself. And I shall return with the Spirit Lord. That is how confident I am in this plan.”
“Are you really sure you want to do this?”
Faith asked from the side. Her lips were drawn into a thin line, staring at the redhead worriedly. While the two were nothing more than mere acquaintances at best, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be concerned for one another.
“I’ll be fine.”
Edithe offered Faith a small but reassuring smile. The redhead looked up towards the Grand Spirit who hadn’t spoken the entire time. But he was normally quiet, so this was normal.
“Besides, I won’t be venturing into the Spirit Plane alone. I’ll have a guide. Isn’t that right, Willy—”
“No.”
The [Will O’ Wisp] replied simply. That made everyone in the room pause, drawing their attention towards him. Edithe blinked a few times as Clayton raised a brow.
“What do you mean by ‘no’, Willy? Are you saying I cannot enter the Spirit Plane?”
Willy flitted back and forth for a moment, before making a nodding motion with his entire body.
“You may. But that is not the issue.”
Edithe frowned when she heard him speak. It was unusual for him to speak in full-sentences. And with the way his flames were flaking, glowing a faint blue, it was evident that something was wrong with him today.
“Then what do you mean by that?”
Edithe asked as she stared at the [Will O’ Wisp]. He sighed, huffing out a plume of smoke.
“The issue is that the Spirit Lord will not aid us. So this will be a pointless endeavor.”
That made the redhead snap her brows together.
“But you don’t know that for certain. We will never know unless we try.”
“But I do know.”
Willy countered as Edithe blinked.
“Because of the simple fact that the Spirit Lord hates Humankind.”
And everyone in the room froze when they heard that. Nobody spoke. Except Rachel, who blinked and muttered.
“Huh.”