POV: Third Person
Valua, the capital of Rakia.
The atmosphere within the city walls was heavy. The commoners' district was deserted—everyone remained inside their homes. The noble district was equally empty, its residents hiding within their mansions.
The military district had fragmented into several parts.
Many small Familias that were once under Ares' control had taken over specific sections of the military zone for themselves. The capital's military district had turned into a ticking time bomb.
In recent days, these minor Familias had been working hard to recruit the soldiers who lost their falna after Ares' death. However, their numbers had dropped significantly, as many chose to leave the country.
So despite the high number of Familias, each one had very few members.
In other words, if a battle were to break out, it would be an intense and bloody conflict—because none of the Familias was significantly stronger than the others. They were all on a relatively equal level.
And because of that, a large-scale battle had yet to occur.
Who would dare to strike first? No one.
They all knew that the first Familia to make a move would likely be the first to be destroyed.
And so, days and days went by, and the expected war never came.
With each passing day, the atmosphere grew more hostile.
More and more citizens began leaving Rakia. The economy started to collapse, as there was no one competent to manage it.
Some nobles attempted to seize control of the nation to stabilize it, but the Familias would not allow it. Eventually, even the nobles began to abandon the country.
Everyone knew that Rakia would fall within a few months if nothing was done.
Yet none of the small Familias were willing to give up the chance to rule.
As the country crumbled, every Familia was focused solely on figuring out how to win this "war."
####
POV: Frieren
A few more days passed, and I managed to accumulate more mana in my stats. I now have over 30,000 mana again, and my magical proficiency has surpassed 70,000. "How slow…"
I left the tree and saw Ryuu approaching.
"My queen."
"Ryuu? I thought you had gone back to Orario."
"I did, but I've already returned. We need to talk."
Something serious had happened. I nodded and entered the tree with her so we could talk privately.
"Tell me what happened. Is it about Ares?"
"Not directly."
"What do you mean?"
"Loki asked to speak with me. She asked questions about you."
"..." I stayed silent for a few seconds before asking, "What did you tell her?"
"She pressed me a lot, but I didn't say anything. Still, I'm sure she already knows… Loki is cunning—she definitely knows."
"Well, after Ares died, I expected something like this might happen."
"The other gods don't seem to be concerned with you at the moment. Only Loki. She knows Ares died after coming to the World Tree."
"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"
"I didn't know she had that information. She kept it to herself for days and only questioned me three days ago."
Huff~~ I let out a long sigh.
So Loki already knows I woke up. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now.
"Do you think Loki will try to do something against me?"
"She didn't say anything, and I didn't ask."
"I see."
"But I think you're safe."
"Why do you think that?"
"She didn't seem angry. Actually, she looked excited while asking questions. She seemed… happy."
"..." Happy?
I spoke with Loki many times in the past, though we were never close.
She was always playful.
"Do you think she'll try to contact me?"
"I don't know. Maybe she'll send a message in the next few days."
"Hmmm… That's possible. Well, thank you for the information."
"What will you do now? Are you worried?"
"After Ares' death, I've been feeling very confident." As long as I have a large amount of mana stored up, everything should go smoothly. A powerful magic attack fueled by a lot of mana should be enough to kill even top-level adventurers.
I never really understood how adventurer levels worked.
All I know is that I've always been stronger than everyone else.
"I see. I'm thinking of staying here a few more days before heading back to Orario."
"Do what you want, but I don't think that's a good idea."
"I'm just worried Loki will keep questioning me about you."
"It's okay." I smiled at Ryuu, and her face turned slightly red. "She already knows I've awakened. When you return, I want you to deliver a message to her…"
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'll write everything down, and you'll give it to her."
"Alright…" Ryuu looked a bit worried about what I would write in that letter.
I smiled to reassure her. "It's okay, I'm just going to send her a letter explaining my current situation. That's all."
"..."
I went to Serie's house and, alone in the room, began writing the letter.
[Dear Loki…]
I wrote a few lines, then folded the paper. I didn't have an envelope, so I simply handed it to Ryuu.
Serie, who saw the folded paper, asked, "What's that?"
"Just a shopping list," I replied.
Ryuu nodded, and we left Serie's house together.
"Don't let anyone read this except Loki, alright?"
"Alright."
After I said that, Ryuu ran off into the forest.
Once she was gone, I sighed.
'I wonder what her reaction will be when she reads the letter…'
####
Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl
Next Chapters: Chapter 24 - Why don't you go and visit her, Riveria? / Chapter 25 - Is Loki Here? / Chapter 26 - She doesn't look like the same Riveria. / Chapter 27 - Information about the culprit. / Chapter 28 - Happy to have prepared good food. / Chapter 29 - Heiter and Fern.