"You are pretty clever. That's correct. That's why I said only you can do it!" Lira agreed.
She sent her Book of Darkness back into the necklace around her neck as she stood empty-handed before Gabriel, who hadn't stopped eating the apples throughout the conversation.
"Okay, I understand that I can get inside the city, but aren't you forgetting something important?" Gabriel asked. "According to you, the Ancestral Staff of Darkness is kept in the Academy of Elements under a secure exhibition. And only the students and teachers there can enter the academy."
"That's right, but how hard is it to get admission to the Academy for someone like you? You are a Mage of Light. All you need to do is hide your Emblem of the other element, and you can get in. It's not like you need to study there."
"There are two flaws in your logic, Lira. Firstly, even if I go to the academy, I won't get admission. The Head Priest of the Church of Light has banished me from the Academy of Elements. I can never get admission there."
Gabriel told Lira about his past and how he was to be selected in the Holy Church of Light before being pushed off the cliff. He also talked about hearing of his banishment.
"And even if I could, by now, the Head Priest has probably already been informed about my Awakening of a Dark Element. My wanted poster would be everywhere before long, starting from the Academy. And secondly, my other element, even if I hide it from plain view, can't it be sensed by the other mages, especially the Mages of Light and teachers there?"
"Those aren't actually flaws, you see." Lira smiled. She was slightly happy that he wasn't outright refusing her anymore. Since they were talking about flaws, that meant there was a possibility of him agreeing.
"Firstly, about your banishment. That's easy. All you need to do is make sure no one can recognize you, and that's the easiest part. I can help you with that. No one will know who you really are. And secondly, you are entirely wrong. No one can sense what your element is unless you use it."
"That's why the Mages of Light don't hide their Symbol of Light. They want everyone to see and know how special they are. The only way someone can sense your element is through your aura, but a mage only gets an aura after becoming an advanced Mage. You aren't at that level yet, so you don't need to worry about it."
"That's why you can easily get inside the Academy of Elements with a little bit of my help. So far, everything you stated hasn't been an obstruction. The only problem with the plan is the actual stealing amidst the security, but I have an idea for that as well. As long as you agree, I promise we can pull it off successfully!"
"Isn't that a win-win situation for both of us? Without my help, you can never get inside the Holy City to get your revenge. And without your help, I can't get the Ancestral Staff of Darkness. I can help you, and you can help me. So, are you in?" Lira reached out her hand to Gabriel. "Together, we can make the world a better place... A better place for us!"
Gabriel gazed at her but didn't reach out his hand. She was partially right. For now, all he wanted to do was kill Hawrin before anything else. Unfortunately, without Lira's help, entering the Holy City was truly impossible.
He didn't even know much about the city and the world of Mages. The thing he lacked the most, for now, was knowledge and resources for infiltrating the Holy City, and at the moment, Lira seemed like his only option.
She could provide him with the information that was unknown to most people and also give him the resources that could help him enter without being recognized.
It was like a proper business deal where he provided something in exchange for something. However, there was still that strange feeling in him. He still couldn't trust Lira enough. She was already strong enough.
He believed that if he fought, giving it his all, he might still survive in a battle against her, but if she received the Ancestral Staff, her years of experience were going to make her too dangerous.
Because of that uneasy feeling in his heart, he couldn't get himself to agree. Something was really wrong, and he could feel it. Even though Lira looked like a kind person, there was something that he couldn't see for now, and he knew it.
'I don't really want to enter the conflict of strangers, especially with this uneasy feeling in my heart. It's like something inside me is telling me to be careful of this person… but without her help, I might be wasting a lot of time and even risk getting caught. The thing I need the most now is knowledge.'
Gabriel gazed at Lira in the distance, who wondered what he was thinking about.
'I can't let her know my true thoughts, but for now, I want to take her offer. As for giving her the Ancestral Staff, I can think about it when I'm inside the Holy City first…but if I agree so easily, she might be suspicious….'
Gabriel wasn't sure what that uneasy feeling inside his heart was, but he decided to trust that mysterious feeling. He did not want to play into someone else's hand. His identity was quite complicated after all.
"The world-changing stuff doesn't matter to me. Tell me how I'll actually benefit from this plan other than all the future stuff. If I succeed, you'll get the Ancestral Staff. If I fail, I'll be killed. You have no losses in this entire plan, and I have no benefits that I can see."
Even though he could already see the benefits for himself, he wanted to take his time. Only with enough negotiations did he believe he could prevent Lira from realizing that he was suspicious of her.
"In the end, it seems more and more like you're using me as a pawn. Why should I do anything?" he asked in response. "If I want to change the world, why won't I go with my initial plan of becoming stronger so I can do it myself? Why will I depend on you?"
No matter how much this plan made sense for him, he didn't care about it in the end.
Lira started pacing back and forth as she scratched the back of her head in frustration. Even after trying to convince the guy so much, they were back at square one.
"Fine! Tell me what you want in exchange for your help?" she ultimately asked, glaring at the young man.
Seeing such impatience, Gabriel was even more suspicious of her. Something wasn't right with her, but he couldn't let it be seen. He had to play along, at least until he found out what her true intentions were…
"After you get me the Ancestral Staff, I will do any one thing that you ask, no matter what that may be! You wanted benefits; what more benefits can I give? You feel like you're being a pawn, but I'm willing to be a pawn too, all for my goal! So tell me, what do you want in return for your help?!"
Lira had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time where she could recover the Ancestral Staff and complete a set with the Grimoire of Darkness so she could bring out its full strength. Now that she was so close to it, she was so desperate that she was willing to do anything for it!
"You want me to kill your enemies? I'll do it! You want me to bring you wealth? I will! You want me to help you plunder cities? I will help you! No matter what one thing you ask, I will do it!" she declared. "As long as you agree to help me retrieve the Ancestral Staff that belongs to us Dark Mages!"
Gabriel was surprised at the determination of Lira. She was actually willing to do anything for him? Didn't that imply...
He observed her expressions as he asked, "Anything anything? No matter how absurd my demand may be?"
Lira didn't know why but she felt slightly worried by the tone of the young man. Just what was he planning to ask her?
'He is a man, and all men are like that! Of course, he will ask for my body! But if it's for my goal, I am ready!' she thought, clenching her fist.
She nodded. "Anything!"
"Fine. I will help you as long as you promise to fulfill my one demand after that," Gabriel finally agreed since there really was something he couldn't miss out on at this point.
In any case, he had decided to take advantage of this situation… take advantage of her knowledge. As for what he truly did after he entered the Holy City, he left that for later.
"What is your demand?" Lira asked, even though she had already guessed what it might be.
After a brief pause, Gabriel took another bite from his apple as he told his demand.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" This time, it was Lira's turn to be shocked. She had assumed his demand, but even in her dreams, she couldn't have expected how crazy his demand was going to be!
The ball, which was in Gabriel's park before, was now on her field. The decision rested on her as she incredulously stared at Gabriel.