"You don't need to worry about that. I have a plan."
Olivia did not look convinced.
"Yes, it's a plan that's guaranteed to work."
Although she wanted to ask what the plan was, she kept her thoughts to herself.
After all, Tartarus might be listening.
That's why he did not say anything anymore.
Olivia juggled between the choices.
The obvious answer was to not accept Neo's deal.
The Tyrant was too dangerous.
Olivia and Nicolas combined had no chance against the Tyrant. That's how powerful she was.
But the chance of reviving her daughter was too alluring of a choice.
Neo's words were like the temptation of a demon.
"If you are worried about Elizabeth, then you don't need to," Neo said. "Before, she was trying to protect her country like a cornered cat.
"That's why she was so desperate, trying to show off her might and scare away any potential dangers.
"She will not do anything like that anymore. Not after she was almost killed by the people of Mermaid Country," he explained.
"Cat…?" Olivia looked at him with a stunned gaze. "You are comparing 'her' to a cat?"
As far as Olivia knew, cats were cute little pets.
Not some world-ending threats.
If Elizabeth was a cat, then the Underworld was a picnic spot!
"That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is you don't need to worry about her going down the path of Tyrant again."
"I will stop her if that happens."
Elizabeth could easily rank among the strongest ten Exalted Demigods in their world.
It was impossible for Neo to defeat her when he was weaker than Nicolas and Olivia.
"Haah," Olivia couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. "I want to say it's impossible, but it's at least more believable than you subduing Tartarus."
"The choice is yours. Help me save Elizabeth, and I'll help you meet Leonora."
Her words were swift.
If she needed to make a deal with the demon to meet her daughter, then she would do it.
Besides, the dragon who remained at Neo's side was stronger than her.
If Neo wanted to use force to make her work for him, he could've done than.
"What about the Holy Element? You need that too if you want to purify the Void corruption," Olivia questioned. "Percival needs time to increase his Holy Element mastery to that level. I doubt the Tyrant has that much time left."
"Percival's mastery is not enough, but his guardian Spirit has a powerful Holy Element affinity. The only thing holding back Sunshine is Percival's Divine Energy pool.
"If we can use something to boost Percival's Divine Energy pool temporarily, then Sunshine and you together can…."
Neo stopped speaking when he noticed Olivia's confused gaze.
"Was there something wrong with what I said?"
"It's the name of Percival's Guardian Spirit."
Olivia seemed unsure, but she kept her doubts to herself.
After they made the deal, Olivia entered Neo's Shadow Space.
Her senses expanded instantly upon entering the sub-dimension.
Its vastness surprised her.
However, it was just the beginning.
"You have land here, and…!?"
Olivia swiftly moved back and circulated her Divine Energy.
Droplets of water started to appear around her.
"Was this your plan, Neo Hargraves? To ambush me after tricking me into entering your Shadow Space?" she glared at him.
"Don't act clueless. The Void Entity here is the proof you are working with 'them.'"
Neo followed Olivia's gaze and noticed the thousand-eyed pillars in the distance.
They were staring at Olivia in confusion too.
He realized what was happening.
"Okay, stop. This is a misunderstanding," Neo spoke before Olivia started to rain down Spells on him. "At least let me prove my innocence."
"That thing there is my Shadow Summon. The principal of the Demigod Academy has vouched for it."
Neo had overlooked the fact that Olivia would see him as an enemy as soon as she noticed Velkaria.
He could only improvise and bring the legal documents signed by Charlotte.
A bug brought the documents to Neo.
He held them up, knowing Olivia could see the fine print even from the distance.
"It has the principal's sign, and her Divine Energy imprint."
She slowed her chants and stopped the Spells that were about to be released.
She expanded her senses to examine the imprint of the papers.
"It's really Charlotte's Divine Energy imprint," she murmed.
Neo walked towards her before giving her the papers.
"I brought Velkaria from the Shadow Trial. The principal gave me these documents knowing people won't trust me if I tell them the truth."
Olivia took the papers while keeping her dozens of shields active.
She went over the information multiple times.
Her Divine Energy churned as she used Spells to verify their authenticity carefully and make sure no tampering was done.
"….Everything you said is right."
She looked up and stared at the thousand-eyed pillars.
"I know you must have a lot to say, but let's focus on the task at hand," Neo said.
She followed Neo towards the place where Elizabeth was present.
Her medical bed was placed inside a cozy house made from mimicked earth elements. The ventilators were connected to her, and the constant beeping of the monitor echoed in the room.
A violet flower was placed at the top of her bed.
Olivia's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the flower.
She tried to ignore it and faced Neo.
"Should I start now?"
A thick green aura appeared around Olivia.
She used her Concept to heal the injuries of Elizabeth.
The process took hours, during which Neo focused on creating Essence, bringing his total Essence to 11/1,000.
Olivia was drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her curves, by the end of the process.
"I've done the best I could," she said, breathing heavily. "But as long as the corruption of Void isn't removed, her injuries will keep re-opening."
"Thank you for your help."
Neo passed Olivia an energy drink and let her rest.
He shifted his focus to Elizabeth.
Her complexion had improved, and her breathing was stable.
However, the deadline of the Quest to save her remained the same.