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685. Having A Talk
“Where we going?”
Kron asked as she trailed after Rachel, Novis, Oriur, Bellum, and the Salvos apparition.
“We not supposed leave tower!”
The [Krokodis] protested. But nobody listened to her. Rachel just glanced back, waving a hand dismissively.
“We’ll be fine as long as we have your illusions to protect us. Don’t worry.”
“But need adult—”
Kron started, and Rachel scoffed, gesturing at the Salvos apparition.
“Salvos is here, and she’s an adult.”
“That’s…”
Kron trailed off. And the Salvos apparition thumbed at herself.
“I’m responsible.”
The Salvos apparition spoke simply. Kron hesitated, before sighing.
“Fine. But if get in trouble, not me.”
“I’ll take full responsibility.”
Rachel said as she stepped out of the Office of the Headmaster and out into the Central Square of Mavos Academy. Normally, the area was quite crowded, especially at this time of the day. But today, it was devoid of students.
There were a handful of staff members running around or conversing quietly with each other. However, that was it. This scene was a stark contrast to what the Central Square of Mavos Academy typically looked like with all the chatting students who came here to either unwind for the day or passed through to head to another destination.
Rachel shook her head and turned to the Salvos apparition.
“Anyways…”
The young girl tilted her head, a small smile plastered on her lips as she stared at the flaming figure.
“How have you been, Salvos? How’s the Netherworld treating you? What is the real you doing right now?”
However, the Salvos apparition didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, she tapped a finger on her chin hesitantly.
“About that…”
“Yes?”
Rachel waited expectantly for an answer as the group made their way away from Central Square. But the Salvos apparition didn’t speak up. Instead, it was Oriur who raised a hand and cleared his throat.
“Uh, just to clarify, Rachel, but the Salvos you see here… isn’t exactly Salvos.”
“I know that— she’s an apparition, right?”
Rachel said, turning to face the juvenile Wyvern. He scratched the back of his head as he tried to explain.
“That’s not exactly right. Because, you see, what you’re talking to is a clone.”
“A clone? Does that mean… she’s not the Salvos I know?”
Rachel blinked as she eyed the flaming figure.
“I am Salvos!”
The Salvos apparition… or clone harrumphed. But then she shook her head.
“I am also a clone.”
There was a moment’s pause as Rachel narrowed her eyes, almost confused.
“But I don’t like being called Salvos… or a clone.”
“Huh.”
Rachel exchanged a glance with Oriur. He looked just as lost as her. The flaming figure sighed as she looked down at herself.
“It’s… strange.”
“What is strange?”
Oriur asked, frowning. The Salvos clone or apparition or whatever spoke softly.
“My connection to the original Salvos was cut off the moment she fell into the Netherworld. Now, I no longer share my thoughts with her. I am me— my own individual. Yet, I am Salvos, and I am also a clone. It is strange, but that is who I am.”
Even Novis and Bellum were flummoxed by what they heard. And they could barely understand the basic concepts.
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Rachel scratched her cheek, before having a thought.
“So I can’t call you Salvos?”
“Nope.”
“Well, if I can’t call you Salvos… what about a new name?”
“A new name?”
That made the flaming figure perk up. Rachel nodded as Oriur’s brows— in his illusion Human form— snapped together.
“What are you saying, Rachel?”
“I mean what I said.”
Rachel shrugged in response. She turned to face the apparition.
“What do you think?”
“...maybe.”
The Salvos clone rubbed a hand on her chin.
“Depends on the name.”
Rachel came to a halt and smiled.
“What about Sally?”
“Sally?”
The Salvos clone blinked. Novis, Oriur, and Bellum were intrigued by it too. They looked at each other, uncertain whether they approved of it or not.
“Someone else also suggested the name Sally. But why Sally?”
The Salvos clone asked. Rachel shrugged in response.
“I used to have a doll named Sally. Well, its name was actually Princess Sally. I think it would fit you. What do you think?
Rachel purposefully described it as though she had this doll back when she was a little girl living with her father, before she had been given away to be sacrificed by a group of crazy [Cultists]. In reality, it had been already after she had been saved by Salvos— when she had been under William’s care in the Sanctum of Elements.
William had given Rachel an enchanted doll which wouldn’t break, since all of her previous dolls broke when she played with them. And Rachel named that doll Princess Sally, based on Salvos’s own name.
Rachel, of course, neglected to mention all this to the Salvos clone. Which might have been a good decision, because…
“Well, since multiple people think it fits me, I like it! Call me Sally from now on!”
Sally said, grinning at Rachel. Novis, Bellum, and Oriur hesitated. It was Oriur who stepped forward and spoke out.
“Can we still call you mama?”
“Of course!”
Sally gave them a thumbs-up. The three juvenile Wyverns sighed in relief. Rachel smiled, hearing that.
She felt happy. Even if Sally wasn’t exactly Salvos. It was nice to see. The young girl felt like she was a massive step closer to achieving her life goal. To see the real Salvos again.
Kron saw this scene too, looking at Sally and the juvenile Wyverns as they cheerfully babbled with one another. And the [Krokodis] frowned, facing Rachel.
“We walking so long— where go?”
“Oh! I forgot to mention our destination…”
Rachel piped up, drawing everyone’s attention towards her. Oriur peered at her curiously.
“I wanted to ask you about that. It almost seems like we’re walking… away from the campus?”
He eyed the edge of the barrier in the distance cautiously. And Rachel just chuckled, striding in that same direction.
“Because we are!”
“...what?”
Oriur blinked, before staring at her in shock.
“But why?”
Rachel replied back to him casually.
“I want to speak with the Matriarch Centinel, of course.”
And even Sally paused when she heard that.
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“She’s back.”
Edithe whispered as she looked up. An hour had passed, and during that time, Marie Schofen had returned with a few other high-leveled staff members of Mavos Academy. The redhead didn’t know who most of them were, but their faces were vaguely familiar.
Probably because many of them had probably served in the war too. So Edithe had fought alongside them, even if she didn’t know most of their names. And they gathered around, waiting for Faith to return.
Now, she was back. The ritual circle pulled the Fallen Queen of Elutra back into Mavos Academy like it was designed to do so. With a flash of light, Faith suddenly stood there, blinking as she took in the audience in the room.
“Welcome back, Queen Faith El.”
Clayton Skyshredder spoke up as he strode forward. His gaze bore into her, and he tilted his head.
“Have you acquired what you were searching for?”
“I have.”
Faith nodded, and Edithe perked up. The Fallen Queen of Elutra produced a piece of parchment from her side as she took in a deep breath.
“This is what I was looking for.”
“What is that…?”
Edithe whispered with narrowed eyes, trying to use [Identification] on the object from afar. But it didn’t work. There was probably some obfuscation magic there that prevented appraising it from a distance.
However, Clayton eyed him, before whispering what it was.
“It’s a Mythical Grade artifact— a Summoning Scroll.”
“A Mythical Grade Summoning Scroll?”
Edithe’s eyes went wide when she heard that. Most people in the room seemed confused, not knowing what it was. However, Edithe was a former [Summoner]. She had heard of such artifacts.
So she explained.
“A Summoning Scroll lets anyone summon any kind of Spirit they want into battle, even if they are not of the [Summoner] Class. The rarity of the Summoning Scroll depends on the type of Spirit that is summoned. And if it’s a Mythical Grade Summoning Scroll…”
Edithe trailed off, letting the information sink into the room. Clayton nodded as he turned back to Faith.
“It can summon a Sacred Spirit into the battlefield.”
The Headmaster of Mavos Academy said simply. That made Marie Schofen speak out, frowning.
“I don’t see how this can be useful for our predicament. A Sacred Spirit will be of no use to us here.”
“But—”
A voice piped up from the side. It was Willy, flitting forward as he faced the Fallen Queen of Elutra.
“You do not wish to summon a Sacred Spirit, do you?”
He spoke simply, coming to a halt right before Faith. Edithe raised a brow when she heard that. Willy continued.
“You wish to tinker with the spell and alter its effect so it is reversed.”
“I… what?”
Edithe blinked when she heard that. A susurration swept over the room. Headmaster Skyshredder wrinkled his brows, his interest piqued.
And Willy continued as he continued speaking to Faith.
“So that instead of summoning a Spirit into the Mortal Realm, it would summon us into the Spirit Plane. Am I correct?”
Faith just nodded.
“Yes.”
And after a moment’s pause, Willy sighed.
“That’s a terrible idea.”