"Why didn't I see the memories of Menky's last moments when I touched him before he ended where he did?" asked Eden. "You don't have legal rights to them," responded Erza. Eden's eyes widened and asked bewildered "Legal rights?" Erza then brought out the contract from the game which was signed by Eden before entering Evansly. "There is more to this contract that humans don't read and makes them susceptible to binding contracts. That also includes accepting contracts that are not written. You can find them in section XXXII, all additional binding contracts will be added and modified so long the terms have been met or broken by a higher power." Eden was still confused. How the heck did this place turn into contracts and legal rights. Eden wanted to ask What is the purpose of the design, but she felt it was something Erza would not be able to answer. So far, she learned that she would have to discover it on her own and Erza can confirm by sharing information. Maybe someone who has figured out the purpose can tell her and then Erza could confirm it after.
A knock on Eden's door was heard. Eden furrowed her eyes and wondered who in their mind would interrupt her night without prior notification. Eden got up and was about to answer the door herself before Erza stopped her. "An elder has come to interrogate you. He will try to find you guilty." Eden stopped and felt her heart beat higher. Something crossed her mind, more like a word, "interseed." Eden said it out loud without thinking and didn't notice Erza's eyes glowing as soon as she said it. "As you wish," answered Erza. Then Erza raised a hand towards Eden and an unseen force pushed Eden against the wall. A gold liquid began to rise from the ground to create a barrier. It took the appearance of a bird cage, but was meant to keep others out. Then Erza moved her hand to open the door without moving from her spot. She pulled out her sword and shield.
A slim looking man walked in through the door. He was wearing a black robe with a hoodie. His eyes and cheeks were sunken. His skin glimmered like if he had small particles of diamonds. He kept the top of his white hair braided because it was long. He wore a crown of crystals of all kinds of colors. His eyes were a deep purple shade with a silver iris. He carried gold jewelry with pods hanging from them. The inside looked like it had a small bean, but Eden couldn't tell what it really was from her distance. Underneath were garments that resembled the Greek gods. It looked like his garment was made of silk because of the shine, but it was too thick to be silk. He looked around the room and then looked at Erza. "Where is the human girl?" he asked her. Erza's eyes still glowing, "I am her interceder." He then gave an angry look. A murderous aura was released instantly. Eden felt the aura and sweat began to build on her back. She felt the air grow cold and thin. Then a sudden warm feeling showered her and she thought she heard, "do not be afraid." The elder then stated, "The girl commanded another one's villager resulting in the loss of his asset which he rightfully attained through the spoils of war. She must pay for his loss or be thrown in the dungeon." Without a pause Erza responded, " the villager was commanded by his liege to answer the question. It is the legal right of the liege to command this despite the consequence." "That is not what resulted in his loss. But when the human girl commanded the villager to stop is the cause of it all," said the elder with a sly smile. Erza then stated "the villagers' roles are assigned, among those roles is to provide the liege's guest with services which is an extension to their role." The elder retorted,"the role of a villager was to transport goods and be a butcher. It does not extend to being stopped for any other reason." Erza rebutted, "transporting goods includes making stops as stated on the job description. Deliveries shall be made at multiple stops throughout the day, the villager is acting in accordance to his role or else he would have been able to refuse the command" responded Erza without a hint of hesitation. The elder felt irritated. He pursed his lips and then said slowly as his eyes rolled back, "the human is not found guilty of breaking any rules of our realm. There were no findings or evidence against her." His eyes had gone completely black. It looked like there was a small galaxy that was hiding behind his eye sockets which was only exposed when his eyes rolled back. Whispers were heard and his eyes returned to normal before saying "She has been released from the charges against her." He then left the room and the door closed behind him.
Erza's eyes stopped glowing and the golden barrier melted into the ground before disappearing. Eden felt relieved to be clear of any charges. She had no idea she was on trial for the simplest thing to ask Menky to stop. Erza placed her sword away and shield. Eden then asked, "why did you pull your sword out?" "It was just in case I had to battle for days," answered Erza casually. "Days?" Eden asked, confused. "Do not fear, this is but one of the ways a trial is conducted." "So it was a trial, not just an interrogation," said Eden. Erza nodded, "when you asked me to intercede I was given legal right to respond on your behalf." "But I only repeated what crossed my mind in the moment, I didn't know what I was doing," said Eden as she made her way to sit. "The helper always guides you when you need it," said Erza. Eden then understood the helper Erza was referring to.
The place she was stuck in had so much secrecy to it and each new piece of information was a lot to take in. But something that she easily accepted was her faith in Jesus Christ. She didn't know how and why a lot of things happened, but she was grateful to have the grace of God to keep her going in her darkest times. She didn't know exactly how it worked, where someone who committed so much to be ashamed of could be saved, just that it happens. A year before falling into this game, she had committed to her faith despite all the push back she received by people who surrounded her. The only thing that kept her going after every battle at night was prayer and asking for forgiveness because she always did something she wasn't proud of. Even when she was cheeky and had a laugh about it, she would later repent and wondered why the heck it was so difficult to be good. This was an internal battle that always wrestled within her like two wolves fighting over a meal. The meal was her salvation and heart.
"He called the server a realm, what does it mean?" Eden finally asked. "It means you exist in a place where you were transported and governed by the elders. The earth is not within their governed territory and that is why they created a portal." Eden only remembered the smoke and suddenly falling. That must've been the portal opening up after she accepted the terms. But how did they know how to select her? As if Erza read her mind, she said, " certain conditions must be met before you are presented the contract. You must have a desire to leave and express it by saying it outloud." Eden placed the palms of her hands on her forehead. She was frustrated with herself now. I said it out of boredom and trying to get my mind off work, not send myself to another world that could be close to hell. Who wishes for something like that? Eden inhaled and exhaled before asking another question. "So I have to say it out loud without knowing what I consent to?" "It's the power of words. They are recorded and monitored," answered Erza, who still hasn't moved from her spot. During Eden's search for answers she recalled learning about the power of words and monitoring spirits. Could it be that there were spirits from this realm monitoring and acting as agents to make a contract, Eden asked herself. She would probably sound crazy to others because it's become customary to disregard any spiritual things or paranormal things. People these days just disregard their experiences and leave it to coincidence. They go as far as saying you have a mental illness for acknowledging anything that can't be seen. But in her search she realized how many people do go through these spiritual experiences, but stay silent. She even knew people who practiced witchcraft. So Eden knew people do sense the energies, they have just been cut off from the source through the indoctrination of the way the world is viewed now. Eden felt her head hurt with all these thoughts overflowing her at once. She hasn't thought about family, friends or anything related to the real world. The world she belonged to. It's been weeks and she told herself that the more she thought about it, it just made her anxious and depressed. So she only focused on getting out of the game. Wow, she still referred to it as a game even after finding out more truths. People were trapped here and repurposed to fill in the background. Eden looked at Erza and asked, "you are not human, the elder did not address you as human. What are you?" There, she finally had the courage to ask. "In time all will be known, it is not the time," answered Erza. Eden looked down and then another thing that she was wondering crossed her mind. "Are my generals humans?" "All, but one," answered Erza. "Who isn't human?" asked Eden. "General Maximillian." Eden furrowed her eyes and then asked, "Can he be trusted?" Erza paused for a moment before responding, " He is a prisoner of war, his contract is to be your general and to fulfill his role. The loyalty in your people is forged through your interactions and through the broadcast." "What? What broadcast?" asked Eden after her stunned face regained movement. "When you leave the castle, your actions and conversations are broadcasted throughout your castle on communal areas where the villagers can see," answered Erza as she raised her hand and a floating screen appeared. Then a video of Eden talking to Odin started playing.
"What do you think a power boost is going to accomplish?" Eden's eyes glowed and she said "a second chance to protect my people."
Then the screen closed. Erza continued to talk as if she was giving a presentation. "This sparked the hearts of your villagers and army." Eden looked down and her eyes watered, "or break their spirits from ever getting their freedom." This place was truly some kind of a sick joke created by the elders. It burned Eden from inside because she could have easily ended up just like them. Looking towards a screen and watching how another one didn't succeed or turned away from their goal to leave. "How do I look at them and talk to them now? Do I have the right to ask them to do anything?" asked Eden, but Erza remained silent. This must be something only Eden can figure out.