Poor Troy

"You traitor!"

Ah... I want to go home already. Why do I have to resolve the disputes of two Gods who are a thousand times older than me? I feel like a mother who has to put an end to a siblings' fight… which is not entirely false, actually. But seriously. Are those two really partially responsible for the World's management? I hope all my Gods aren't like this. Well, if they were, I'm pretty sure the world would have ended already.

"I asked for your help to retrieve my territory!" Yoko exclaimed. "Who the hell told you to steal it from me?!"

I sighed. "You guys don't leave me the choice… If I don't do something, this ridiculous fight will last for a while. You have drawn enough attention to yourselves like this, lately. If this keeps going, humans will retaliate."

Yoko shrugged. "So what? I can deal with a few thousand humans; you don't have to worry about that!"

"… Yoko… It's not for your safety that I'm worried about."

She squinted her eyes before pinching her nose bridge, letting out a loud sigh.

"First Naia, and now you too… Seriously, what's so special about them? Why do you guys want to protect humans so much?" She grunted.

"Well, that was unexpected…!" Harri sneered. "I guess that means we have to leave?"

I shrugged. "Not really. You know, I don't really care about all these territory issues and rules. To be honest, I have absolutely no interest in this land, but I can't let you sow panic either. So now this place is mine. You can stay as long as you want, but no fights allowed. My territory, my rules. If you have something to say, go ahead, we'll settle this right now."

Harri chuckled. "Haha, no way. That's fine by me! I'm not crazy enough to challenge the Creator in a duel! Besides, I'm a gentleman! I don't fight ladies!"

…What about Yoko, then? Is she not a woman too?

"This one doesn't count, it's a fox," he added, answering my unspoken thoughts.

"How did it come to this…" Yoko complained, placing her hand across her face. "I lost my territory, and now I'll have to cope with this idiot every day."

"Sorry about that," I responded. "So I'm guessing that you're fine with it?"

"Of course not," she retorted. "But it's not like I had the choice, do I? The idiot over there is fine, I can handle him, but I'm not fighting the top dog. I don't want to be treated like a pet again…"

Oh. Her pride must have taken a real blow back then. Sorry, I won't do it again… probably.

"But why are you guys so determined to stay here?" I asked, changing the subject. "The two of you obviously can't stand each other, yet none of you is willing to leave. I doubt this is just about pride. Is there something special here? Don't Gods live isolated?"

"That depends on our personality," Harri started to explain. "Take Naia, for example; she is pretty fond of humans. She is living among them. On the other hand, there are those of us who are much less sociable, like the minx. Yoko is reclusive. She prefers seclusion and avoids humans' territory… usually."

Is that so? Then what is she doing here? I turned my gaze to Yoko, furrowing my forehead. "If you hate humans so much, how come you've settled here?"

She shrugged. "It's not that I hate them, it's just that I think they're stupid and I'd rather not get myself involved with them. But well, I like it here. A few humans aren't enough to make me leave."

"Yeah, I understood that. But why?"

"I'm just following my guts. I felt like staying here, so I'm staying here," she answered lazily.

…Huh? What an useless answer. So she has no good reasons to stay? It doesn't seem right. She was ready to fight an army of humans and to destroy the forest for… nothing?

"Actually, it's the same for me too," Harri suddenly spoke up, with a nonchalant smile. "It's hard to explain, but from our point of view, there is something really attractive around here. The aura, maybe? In any case, it makes this place a first-class territory for a God, even if it's so close to a human city."

Yoko sighed, crossing her arms in front of her. "It's the mana. This place is filled with mana, and it only gets stronger over time. Mortals don't care about that, I even doubt that they noticed it, but for us, divine beings, mana is like essence. It's not just us actually. Any beings with a high affinity for magic like dragons or demons will be naturally drawn to places with a high amount of mana."

"D-Dragons…?" I repeated, widening my eyes. "But I've never seen a dragon around here."

"Of course not. What do you think my miasma is for? It's a warning. It prevents any magical beasts from getting close to this area."

Oh… So if it wasn't for her, the city would have been attacked long ago. In the end, she has a pretty good heart, and she is not that irresponsible! …This is what I would like to say, but knowing her personality, she probably did it for herself, so that she won't be bothered by any intruders. It wasn't enough to stop Harri from coming, though.

"But if you're staying here because of the mana, do you know why it's like this?" I asked, returning to the main topic.

"I don't. It started a few years ago, just a little before I arrived. I'm not sure what caused this, but I don't really care. It's only beneficial for me, after all."

So that's why they were both so stubborn to stay here. Uhm…? Something isn't right. It started around the same time she got here? She did say she was here for eleven years, right? What timing... I arrived in this city twelve years ago. Coincidence? I don't think so. Is it me? Could it be my fault? Did I do something again without noticing it…?

I remember now. Yoko said that by their presence alone, Gods could change their environment. She changed the valley into a forest, and Harri changed the forest into a meadow. And if both of their territory shared something in common, it's the fact that they were infused with their mana.

… That's totally my fault. Just by being here, I transformed this place into a Gods magnet. No, actually, I am the Gods magnet. I am the reason this conflict started in the first place. I must be cursed. Wherever I go, problems follow. I think I deserve a new title. [The Troublemaker], that would fit perfectly.

Wait, does this mean I'll never have a peaceful life? That's terrible… Can I cry now?

"If you weren't so unwilling to share, we wouldn't have that many problems!" Harri exclaimed, glaring at Yoko.

"No way. First-come, first-served. I was here first," she grunted.

"Actually, I was here first…" I said with a small voice. As they both turned to me, raising an eyebrow, I continued. "You see, I moved here twelve years ago. And I think I'm probably the reason why the surroundings started to change…"

Yoko and Harri widened their eyes at my sudden revelation, glancing at each other. After staying silent for a while, Yoko spoke up.

"… So this territory was yours from the beginning? Ah… Now I can't even complain anymore," she muttered, with a defeated look on her face. "Still, that would explain a lot. You're the Creator after all. But… Do you not know how to restrain yourself? I thought you wanted to hide. Why would you emit so much mana? It's just as if you were sending invitations to any strong beings."

Rubbing the back of my neck, a wry smile appeared on my face. "Well, I actually thought I was doing a pretty good job of controlling my mana… until now."

"So you're doing it unconsciously? You're really weird," Yoko bluntly said, her eyes squinted.

"Thanks… I hadn't noticed."

I hate the Gods. It must be fate. No matter which world it is, I just can't seem to live as a normal girl. Well, I guess it was to be expected. Being reborn as the protagonist of my own story, there was no way I could lead a carefree life.

As my eyes drifted to the horizon, I noticed the sun falling behind and the darkness slowly taking over the sky.

"It's getting late… I should probably go home," I muttered.

"Sure. Let's go!" Yoko and Harri both exclaimed.

Tilting my head to the side, I looked at them, my eyes tight and worried. "Uhm… You're coming?" I asked, my voice full of apprehension.

"Of course I am. I'm your friend, remember?" Yoko responded, as if it was obvious.

What? What does this have to do with that? No wait… What exactly is her conception of "being friends" to begin with? She probably misunderstood something. Oh, well, it doesn't really matter. But what about Harri? I slowly turned to him, narrowing my eyes.

"It's a gentleman's duty to escort the lady back home," he said, as he probably guessed my thoughts.

Ah… Of course. That was to be expected. Whatever, I don't care anymore. I guess it's fine if they come, it's not like if I could stop them, but… I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring two Gods into the town, especially considering their lack of common sense. Will it be fine? I can't help but be a little worried.

As we were getting ready to go back, Harri suddenly spoke up.

"Yoko, sweetheart?"

"What?" Yoko growled, clenching her teeth. "And aren't you going to stop with those cheesy nicknames? It's giving me goosebumps..."

"You forgot your mortal," he said with a mocking grin, pointing at Troy.

"Ah!" Yoko and I both exclaimed at the same time.

… Man… This guy has absolutely no presence at all. Even though he was the main reason –well, second main reason- why I came here, I keep forgetting about him. Please, manifest yourself. But well, I can't really blame him. No one would really stand out when standing alongside two Gods –three if you include me.

Seeing Troy, still confused about the whole situation, Yoko let out an exasperated sigh.

On the other hand, Harri just smiled. He brought two fingers to his mouth and gave a soft blow, letting out a long whistle. A few seconds later, one of the unicorns that were grazing a little further approached. Its curly mane had a pinkish color and its big eyes were framed by long lashes. I-I'm at a loss for words… It totally looks like Barbie's horse, except that it has a horn. Harri mounted the unicorn with ease, and then, a broad smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand in front of me.

He's not… expecting me to ride with him, right? No, no, no, absolutely not.

"No thanks. I'd rather go with Yoko…" I muttered, as I awkwardly averted my eyes.

"Heh?!" Harri exclaimed, clearly surprised by my refusal. "But it's a gentleman's duty to escort the Lady! Besides, riding this stupid fox can't possibly be comfortable! She is as delicate as a dragon!"

Well, he isn't wrong, but I am still not riding with him. I'm not playing the princess sitting behind the Prince charming. Besides, I like Yoko's fluffy fur.

"If you want to escort a lady that much, just go with him," Yoko bluntly said, annoyed by his remark, as she turned her gaze to Troy. "I'm not carrying him again. He's such a crybaby…"

Seeing that I had no intention to change my mind, Harri let out a disappointed sigh. Riding a unicorn together with another man is probably not his ideal romantic journey. He looked at Troy, who was now as stiff as a stick, and then he sighed again. Poor Troy… Even though he didn't ask to be here, no one wants to go with him. Wait, isn't it my fault? Oh, well…

Since we weren't leaving them the choice, Troy had to go with Harri. None of them were really happy about that, and they spent the way home in silence. Me? I went with Yoko. Since it wasn't the first time that I rode on her in her fox form, it wasn't as intense as before, but I still had to be careful in order not to fall off. I think she isn't used to giving a ride to others, since she tends to forget that I'm up there and runs as she pleases. I thought Harri and Troy would fall behind, but surprisingly, the unicorn was able to keep pace with Yoko. Well, it is a magical beast after all.

We arrived at the city within thirty minutes. We stopped at one kilometer from the gates to avoid creating panic. It's not every day that you could see a Nine-Tailed fox and a unicorn after all. After dismounting it, Harri sent the unicorn back to the forest, while Yoko returned to her human form. I explained to them that we needed to keep a low profile and not attract unnecessary attention. When I asked Yoko to hide her tails and her ears, she immediately threw a tantrum. I already knew that her tails were her pride, but it's not like if I asked her to cut them off, right? In the end, we came to an agreement: she could keep the ears, and one tail. At least, this way, she would pass as a demi-human.

My plan was perfect. We will easily go unnoticed… or so I thought. I'm so stupid. There was no way we could blend in.

As soon as we arrived at the gates, I felt everyone's gaze turning in our direction. For a moment, absolutely every single person there stopped what they were doing and stared at us, their eyes and their mouth wide open. That was to be expected. Thinking logically, there were two reasons why we attracted so much attention.

The first reason is Yoko. Even without her nine tails, she still appears as a demi-human to the others. In the capital, where rich households abounded, demi-human slaves weren't that rare. However, since Yoko didn't wear a collar, it was clear that she wasn't a slave but a free woman. And a demi-human walking freely around, that was uncommon.

The second reason is our appearance. Because of my inhuman appearance and my golden eyes, I'm used to attracting a lot of attention. Eventually, I stopped caring, since at least, the others would try to be discreet when peeking at me. However, this time, since it wasn't only me, they didn't even bother to hide their surprise. There were also Yoko and Harri. From an outsider's perspective, they would both appear as absolutely perfect, without any flaws.

No matter how you would see it, we were definitely an unusual trio –well, quartet if you count Troy, but because of us, no one noticed his presence.

Feeling so many gazes on me made me uncomfortable, but Yoko and Harri paid absolutely no mind to it. They just headed to the entrance, as I followed them from behind. When he saw us approaching, the gate guard quickly regained his professionalism. It was the same guard that allowed me out.

"Already back?" He said, as an awkward smile played on his lips. "You've brought friends with you this time! Then it will be one silver coin per person."

Hearing this, Yoko immediately clicked her tongue. "You want to make us pay? You should be honored that we decided to visit your damn city, yet you want us to pay?"

Feeling her hostility, the guard's smile disappeared. As he was about to reprimand her, I stepped forward.

"Sorry, she's a foreigner, she doesn't know about the rules."

The guard let out a comprehensive sigh. I glared at Yoko, whispering in her ear.

"Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with a human? What is it that you don't understand when I say that we need to keep a low profile?"

Without answering anything, she just rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth, clearly frustrated. Turning back to the guard, I apologized one more time.

"It's fine, it happens!" He said. "So, it's just the three of you, right? That will be three silver coins."

"We're four," I corrected, as I handed him four silver coins.

"Is that so? Sorry, I hadn't noticed…"

Poor Troy… Everyone forgets about him.

As we made our way through the city, the intense gazes in our direction did not subside. Quite the opposite, actually. Since there were more people inside than outside the gates, there were more eyes staring at us. Moreover, the citizens were always eager to have something interesting to see, be it a brawl or a magic display. Since I wanted to avoid attracting the attention of influential people, I quickly headed to the Adventurers' Guild where Axis would be waiting, as the others followed nonchalantly.mass

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Note from Ozen_Ice: halfway point of the mass released chapters, five chapters remaining.