I stared at the man, unable to believe what I had just heard. How could he possibly expect help from the elves? Why would we help humans we don't even know? After everything that has happened, that's impossible.
For years, foolish humans have attacked us without any clear reason. For years, rivers of blood have been spilled.
I let out a laugh, and the man swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I'll leave right away." He realized how foolish his words had been and stood up to leave. The other humans lowered their heads, preparing to follow him.
But before they left, I called out to him—the leader of their group.
"You."
When he heard my voice, the man turned with hope in his eyes.
"Before you go, tell me everything that happened before you fled. I want to know exactly what's going on in Rakia right now."
"Why?" the man asked.
Well, it makes sense that he'd be suspicious of my motives. He knows I don't care about humans.
But the queen wants answers.
"You said Phobos took control of Rakia's capital, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"How did that happen? Did she manage to gain the support of many people?"
"No, she conquered everything by herself."
"Phobos did that?"
"The strongest adventurers of the Ares Familia sided with her. She turned them into her puppets. She destroyed the Familias one by one and stole their members within just a few days. Many were killed…"
"I see. Many were killed." It's the first time I've seen a goddess order such an open massacre of humans. Isn't that against the rules? Won't Phobos be punished for this?
I stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought as her face came to mind.
It had been so many years since I last saw her.
The last time I did, she was still licking Ares's feet.
She has changed a lot.
"Alright, thank you for the information."
"Um… may we stay here for just one more day? We don't have food and would like to hunt—"
"Absolutely not." I cut him off instantly. The men flinched and stepped back at my words. "Turn around and leave this place immediately. If you're not out of the forest within an hour, I'll deal with you myself. I don't want a single human near the World Tree!"
I made it very clear: humans have no right to approach the World Tree.
####
When I finished with the men, I turned and flew back toward the tree. The queen was still standing on one of its branches. As I drew closer, she asked, "Did you take care of everything?"
"Yes. You won't believe this—Phobos has taken control of Rakia."
"Phobos…" The queen gazed into the horizon, deep in thought. "I don't recall anyone by that name."
"You don't remember? She's the one who used to lick Ares's feet. Don't you remember her?"
"Hm, I think it's coming back to me. Back then, I never actually spoke to her. How could someone like her achieve such a thing?"
"The men said she recruited the strongest members of the Ares Familia and slowly destroyed all the other Familias in the capital."
"She's not someone respectable, even if she is a goddess. She never showed any qualities worthy of recognition. Do you think she used her body to achieve this?"
When I heard the queen's question, I was stunned. What kind of question is that?
I felt my face grow warm.
Even though I've never done anything indecent and have almost no sexual desire, I can't help but feel embarrassed talking about things like this. Even the oldest among us can still feel shame, you know?
"What kind of question is that?"
"Don't you think men are easily swayed by the body of a beautiful goddess?"
"You're not wrong, but…"
I coughed and cleared my throat. "Let's not talk about that anymore. What do you intend to do?"
"What do I intend to do?"
"Yes. Are you going to act against Phobos?"
"Why would I?"
"And if she tries to use her newfound power to cause trouble?"
"You really think she could accomplish something even Ares couldn't?" The queen smiled maliciously. "If that woman dares stand before me and try anything suspicious, I'll reduce every inch of that lascivious body to dust."
"Lascivious body?!" What kind of language is that?!
####
POV: Frieren
When an awkward silence filled the air, I finally realized I had said something unnecessary... 'Lascivious body'… Why did I say that? Where did such words even come from?
Was it from that man's consciousness?
Was that the kind of thing he liked?
I wanted to ask.
"Queen?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"You suddenly went quiet. What happened?"
"It's nothing. I'm watching them. They've started moving quickly. They'll be out of the forest soon." That's a lie—I'm not even looking in their direction.
"Then I'll return now. I need to continue teaching the elves."
"Ah, about that. Could you leave it for later?"
"Hm? Why?"
"It's just that I want to test something. It will take a few hours."
"Test something?"
"Yes, it's related to my training. I'll need your help for this. What do you say? Will you help me?"
"I want to help you!" Serie said eagerly. "But… is it really okay to leave all the elves alone?"
"You've already taught them plenty. They won't die if you leave them for a while. Besides, Lyu is already a very capable girl. Let her look after her brothers."
Huff~~ Serie sighed. "Alright, I'll talk to Lyu about it."
"Good. I'll wait for you inside the tree."
"You're sure this is really about your training, right?" Serie's face was flushed.
Is it because of what I said earlier? Does she think I'll try something indecent with her?
"Of course." I answered sincerely, unaware of what was about to happen just a few minutes later.
####
I'm still recovering, but I'm already much better!
Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl