Chapter 21: Daphne
This clearly wasn't normal. He hadn't heard of anything like this before!
A guardian faerie, or a spirit of any sort could show up in specific places. They were creatures bound to the source of that place, and commands to protect their home was instilled deeply inside their minds.
The faerie that showed up in front of him was Yale's own guardian.
For a guardian to pop out like this..
<..I demand an answer. Human, was it you that revived the lake?>
The faerie's tone was starting to get harsher. She was desperate for an answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I sensed a lot of chaotic magical energy strewn inside the lake, so I went in and unified them!" Elgin thought up of a reasonable answer and confessed.
There's no way he could tell her that he was actually aware of the secret compartment of the lake along with the magic stones below it, and hence wanted to take advantage of her home, right?
He would get kicked out in a matter of seconds.
Guardian spirits were usually hostile to those who intrude into their spaces.
Unless you were recognized by them, then you can kiss your chances of messing around goodbye.
The fact that Yale had a guardian spirit cannot be ignored. Not every single place had a spirit, and each of the places that did have one possessed something so rare that their worth can't be evaluated.
'A treasure, just like Cecily said.'
Elgin gulped.
'Did the previous Players meet this spirit as well, just didn't get to tell about her existence? A treasure.. If I were to receive one, I wouldn't spread the news too.' He theorized.
There was a possibility that the spirit made the Players shut their mouths. Signed a contract. Or maybe just basic human reflex to hide one's lucky find.
Now, what if the spirit didn't like him? Did that mean his trip here would go to waste? What would happen to the lake that he already tweaked?
Luckily, the faerie quickly answered his doubts and uncertainty.
<I see.. It might have been a fluke, but you must be the lake's savior. I can see the similarity between the mana mixed in the lake and the one around you. It's very.. special.>
The faerie narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Elgin. She was still a little suspicious, but her gaze and words softened considerably.
"Is there something strange with me?" Elgin felt the intense gaze and averted his gaze.
<No- I was just wondering if you have recently came in contact with a High Spirit or anything of that sort.. I sense traces of a great presence lingering around you. Was I mistaken?> The faerie was confused.
She had all the rights to be confused.
Not to mention showing themselves to humans, High Spirits typically disliked appearing in front of their fellow kin. They lived in seclusion, doing their own thing with their respective powers.
Thus, the human in front of her possessing the traces of a High Spirit made her baffled.
For example, she was a Middle-ranked Spirit, and her area of governance was only this lake.
Higher-ranked Spirits transcended being a guardian. Instead of just being confined to the place and having the responsibility to defend it with their lives, they had a much larger power. They could have a life of their own, separated from their duty. Leaving the treasure, expanding their influence, meddling with the rest of the world, and so on.
The Higher-ranked Spirits typically resided inside legendary places that contained someone's legacy, and held absolute authority inside those places. They were both the guardians and the legendary being's proxy, acting on their stead to manage the legacy.
Basically, a fake successor.
"Ah..! I might know who you are talking about." Elgin realized her connotation and thought of Cecily, who was hiding.
The little bug might be annoying at times, but she was undoubtedly a High Spirit.
<May I know the identity of that someone? It couldn't be, you acquired a legendary legacy..?>
The faerie had doubts. Elgin was abnormal, but it wasn't to the point where jumping into a legendary place could be viable.
"H-Hey, aren't you jumping over too many stages? I don't know who you are, what happened with the lake, and what I did. Care to explain first? You are a guardian spirit, right? This lake.. What does it hold? What are you protecting?" Elgin backed away, reversing the situation and taking on the role of the interrogator.
'I can't reveal Cecily yet.' He thought.
The faerie then crossed her arms and thought that he made sense.
She approached him, flying into his close proximity.
<Well, alright. It's true that it would be unfair I'm the one asking all the questions. For starters, this one's name is Daphne. As you said, I am this place's guardian spirit.>
Daphne made a light bow as a show of respect before starting to delve into her explanation.
It started with her memories.
Her relation with the lake, and how it was reduced to its current pathetic state.
As far as she was concerned, the lake wasn't always like this. It used to be thriving with life, abundant with magical energy, and had frequent visitors. There were also other lower-ranked faeries that lived on the lake's energy source.
In the middle of the lake was a blessing in form of a lotus bud that would only bloom if the challenger is someone she approved. This bud was the treasure she was assigned to protect.
Then, one day, for some reason, she was forcefully put into slumber.
She remembered the last moments before she was knocked out. There was a black mist that hovered over her home, and covered everything up. She lost consciousness for an undefined period of time.
When she woke up, the lake's condition had deteriorated, and her authority over it depleted. Her companions had disappeared. The lotus bud was nowhere to be seen.
Everything compiled together made her status as the guardian spirit blurry.
She couldn't even come out and do her duties. Some people came in and made a mess in her territory, but she couldn't punish them properly.
What was she supposed to protect?
She wondered time and time again whether she was still a guardian spirit or not. What her current position is.
The cruel disappearance of everything left her without an answer, and it vexed her terribly.
Then, enter Elgin.
He managed to restore the lake's vitality by fixing the lake's energy circuit. With that, she was also healed, and finally obtained the chance to get out of her restraints and materialize herself into the world.
He was the first person to see her.
Her savior.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ErbluhenZero
ErbluhenZero daphknee