Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

True Relationship

"Welcome back, Your Majesty and Sir Karis!" they greeted us and helped us put our things down.

"Thank you," I replied with a smile on my face.

Every single one of them has gathered here to greet us, making me feel loved. Aiyana was also there, smiling at me. They even prepared a banquet just to welcome us. I chuckled and accepted the booze that was handed to me. The liquor here is quite different, but I'm not a lightweight so it's all good.

"Hey, shouldn't we discuss our plans first? That's the reason we hurried to go back," Karis said in a very stern tone.

I pursed my lips and looked at him. "Uhm, can we do it later or tomorrow?" I asked hesitantly.

They tried their best to prepare all of these and I don't want to waste their efforts. The whole place was decorated and there was even a banner saying, welcome back. Karis sighed and took a bottle for himself.

"Fine. Go ahead and have fun, but make sure that you will be able to train tomorrow. We were gone for two months, so I'm hoping that all of you have improved."

We agreed and raised our glasses for a toast. "Cheers!"

Aiyana nudged my elbow and grinned. "How was the trip?"

"Pretty normal? We didn't encounter any soldiers."

"I am glad. We wanted to come and get you but decided against it since they wanted us to help prepare the banquet."

I chuckled. "You lot seem to have made a lot of effort to welcome us."

She nodded while taking some food. "We did. They did not want you to be welcomed by a gloomy atmosphere, so we planned this."

We had quite a small talk until the others gathered up around us. The werewolves were busy grilling Karis regarding our trip while the rest came up to me, probably to do the same.

"How was the training, Your Majesty?" Aurora asked politely.

I drank first before answering. "Hmm, it was very tiring. We would often stay up late to train."

They seem to be waiting for me to elaborate, so I told them most of the events that happened while I was away. I kept on talking while they just listened carefully. Ah, I don't think I've ever talked this much in my entire life. Even though I'm not a good storyteller, they still tried to understand.

"Wow, a lot of things happened there," Aranel said, looking like he was in awe.

The others agreed and said their opinions regarding what we said. I didn't tell them about the vessel issue because I'd have to elaborate on the curse. That would be quite troublesome for me.

"Your Majesty, did you really promise to allow the imps to build their own nation?" I nodded.

"They may be mischievous, but we had an agreement. After what happened, it doesn't seem like they would still cause problems for me."

They gasped at what I said, which made me chuckle a little. I can see that they don't agree with me, but they trusted my decision and believed that the imps would keep their promise as I've said. Ah, I'm glad. The mages were drinking and talking with Aiyana, but I can see that they also listened. They were whispering about something, not aware that I could hear them. I had to down a whole glass after realizing what they were talking about.

One of the mages whispered to Aiyana. "Did anything happen between Sir Karis and Her Majesty?"

I almost choked on the beer, but I tried to remain calm. Aiyana seems to have noticed my reaction and laughed because of it. The mages looked like they were eager to hear the answer and kept on waiting, so I approached them while shaking my head.

"Nothing happened. We merely trained," I said with a smile on my face.

I don't know if it's just me, but they looked like they were disappointed that nothing happened. The way they reacted made me laugh! Instead of talking about that, we decided to just keep on partying throughout the night. Alwina and I have been drinking a lot but we're still not getting drunk. Almost all of them have dropped while the others are dancing all over the place.

I laughed as I watched them struggle to stand straight. "Ah, this is quite entertaining to watch," I said while looking at Karis who was wagging his tail on the platform. He got drunk and now, he's doing this! I couldn't help but laugh at his gestures. How is he effortlessly funny?!

"Shouldn't you get him?" Alwina asked while looking at him like he's the most ridiculous thing to ever exist.

I shook my head while laughing. "No, he seems to be having fun. Let's leave him like that."

I looked at Aiyana who has been clinging to her after getting drunk. She also looked at her and it seems like she decided to take her to the tent. I shrugged when I was left alone to drink. The others have passed out, so I thought about cleaning up. I stood up and made the others float towards their respective tents. Lots of elves didn't drink, so they helped me clean up after the mess that we made.

When we finished, I said goodbye to the elves who already wants to sleep. I went back to the platform to look for Karis and found him lying on the ground. I sighed as I shook my head. Maybe I should just wake him up.

"Hey, wake up," I said on his ear while tapping his cheeks.

He only groaned but didn't get up. This guy, seriously. Why did he even drink a lot in the first place? Even after how much I tried to make him get up, he refused to do so. I'm tired, but I made him float towards our tent. I dropped to the floor after placing Karis on the bed. Ah, I'm tired. There was still a lot of space beside Karis, so I decided to sleep there.

The next day, they were all suffering from hangovers. I suffered from it as well since I also drank a lot. The mages and fairies made a remedy for it, hoping that we'd feel better. They wanted to discuss the plan that I have in mind now so that we can make early preparations for it.

"Do you feel better now?" Aiyana asked me.

I nodded. "Yes, thank you."

The mages made breakfast first while they're still trying to wake the rest up. I tried to help them once again, but they wanted me to just sit and wait. Aiyana smiled and sat beside me, hoping that I'd feel less out of place. Karis also woke up and sat beside me, waiting for the food to be ready.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

He sighed. "Did I do something embarrassing when I was drunk?"

I chuckled after remembering what he did last night. He looked mortified when he saw me laughing. It seems like he doesn't want to remember, so I showed it to him through telepathy. His jaw fell, scared that the others would stop respecting him if they saw that.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," I said while laughing at his expression.

He frowned. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Huh? What are the two of you talking about?" Aiyana asked, confused.

I shook my head and gave Karis a side glance. "Nothing. We're just reminiscing yesterday's event."

"Oh, really? Did I do something strange?" she asked nervously.

"Hmm, I think you should ask Alwina regarding that. The two of you left at some point, so I don't know."

She nodded and looked away. "I see..."

The food came and we started to eat, but Karis still looks horrified. I tapped his cheeks while the others are still cleaning up, hoping that he would snap out of it. I want him to help me explain the plan, but how are we going to do that if he's like this?

"Come on, no one saw it except me," I said.

He whimpered and I saw his ears twitching. "That's the point. You saw me doing something embarrassing! How come you didn't get drunk?"

I chuckled. "What? Is it my fault that you're a lightweight?"

"I am not!"

Aiyana hushed the both of us. "They finished cleaning up. Stop bickering and prepare the plan."

I pursed my lips and went to the platform. Aiyana and Karis helped me memorize the entire map of Plaisiria, especially the city. I already have a clear image of it in my mind, so I can make a three-dimensional model of it using the earth element.

All of the members of the faction sat wherever they could, waiting for me to start. Karis, Aiyana, and Alwina stood beside me to help me elaborate on the plan. I'm not really good at public speaking, so I got anxious.

"You can do it," Karis whispered from behind, acting like we weren't just bickering.

I heaved a sigh and made the model of the city rise from the ground. I couldn't do this much before, so they were amazed that I can do this without a chant or anything of the sort.

"As you all know it, we are bound to go into war with the king in about three months. I have decided to divide all of you into different squads with at least two healers each. Matteo's pack is a lot stronger when they're together, so I won't separate you. Are there objections? If there aren't any, I will proceed to group you into at least ten squads. Or does anyone have a suggestion?"

Matteo raised his hand, so I gave him a go signal. He stood up and looked at his pack before looking at me. "We're going to have someone to support us, right, Your Majesty? We may be strong as a pack, but I doubt we'll be able to face any of the remaining members of The Zodiac without a healer with us."

I nodded. "Don't worry, you will. As I've said, each squad will have a role to play. As much as possible, I don't want casualties. It may sound ridiculous, considering we're fighting against a god, but let's try to stick to the plan, okay?"

They agreed on what I said, so I asked if there's anyone who wants to ask more questions. None of them raised their hands, so I proceeded to divide them into ten squads. I have been thinking about this since Karis told me about each of them and their abilities. They would be able to work better if they can cover for each other's flaws.

After I chose their squads, I saw that they seem to be satisfied with it. Ah, I'm glad. I just labeled each squad with numbers because that's the easiest. They're cool with it, so I proceeded to explain the whole plan to them.

"We already have four of The Zodiacs with us. That's Karis, Drake, Sheena, and Bren. We're not sure about Kath, but let's just assume that she's not with us. Anyway, I'm sure that each of them can handle at least one member of the twelve. I'm going to leave the remaining four members to the first four squads."

Karis stepped up because he knows the members of The Zodiacs more than any of us here. "The four of us are going to fight Tristan, Ruby, Sullivan, and Shan. This means that the only ones left are Kath, Delvian, Felix, and Alice. Squad one, Matteo, you'll fight Kath. Squad two, Delvian. Squad four, Felix. Squad seven, Alice. Those four squads, follow me after this meeting. I'll be supervising your training."

Since Karis doesn't accept any criticisms, no one said anything and just straight up agreed with him. I explained the route that the four squads would take along with Karis. They nodded in agreement and kept quiet so that I can explain the other squads' roles.

"Squads three and five, you will be evacuating the civilians within the city. The remaining squads will charge towards the castle. There are soldiers all over the city, so each squad will try to eliminate them. The squads who will fight The Zodiacs must not expend any energy before getting to meet them, okay? That's why the four squads are going to charge first while covering for the squads who will evacuate the people. I know that it's quite a difficult task, but we can do it, right?"

"Yes!" they shouted as a way to hype themselves up.

I smiled and called each leader in to explain their routes. I will be on the front lines with them, so it made them feel more assured. "Squad six will take this route, opposite to squad eight. Squad nine will come here and the last squad will take this one."

After explaining it to the four squads, I called the Evacuation team to explain what to do. Most of them aren't that much of a fighter, but they're good at manipulating their respective elements, so I figured that they'd be perfect for this task. Plus, they're the best at using spatial magic.

"All of you are in charge of making the portals, right?" They nodded as they listened intently. "You will take them somewhere safe and stand by until I talk to all of you again through telepathy. Make sure to pay attention to it, okay?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"As soon as I meet Hildus, I'll bring him up to the sky to avoid destroying the castle. There's a plain space just south of the castle, right? I'll take him there so that Alwina can place a barrier on us."

We finished discussing the plan after a while and they had no questions, so Karis suggested that we should proceed to our training. Since we only have three months left, we'll try to improve as much as we could.

"See you later," Karis whispered to me before getting off the platform.

I raised my brow at him while taking the three-dimensional model down. He looked so sweet when he whispered to me, but he's suddenly acting like a stern mentor when he turned to the members of the faction.

"Those four squads, come with me!" Karis said.

He sounded really strict so I was a bit shocked. I guess I'm just surprised to hear him speak like that. I mean, he's always acting like a softie around me! So that's how he is as a leader. Interesting...

"Those who want to learn swordsmanship, come with me," I said.

There are a lot of them who want me to teach them, so they followed me. Meanwhile, the mages followed Alwina and Aiyana. They made separate training grounds for separate fighting styles. I headed for the weaponry station since that's what they want to learn from me. I can also teach the archers how to get a better aim, but I'll do it later after teaching these guys the basics.

"No, your stance is wrong."

Most of them are already good with it, but they still need some polishing. Some of their forms are wrong. Well, that's the reason I'm here. I corrected what was wrong and helped them get better. I smiled when I noticed that they're taking whatever I say seriously. Once they already know what they were doing wrong, they started working on it alone. Since I'm done giving them advice, I turned to the archers. Some of them can't hit their exact target and kept on missing, so I gave them tips on how to get a better aim.

"Do it like this, it's better this way," I told them.

After teaching every single one of them, I stood in the corner with my hands on my waist. They're doing good, but I know that they can still get better than this. Meanwhile, I took my katanas out to sharpen the blades.

"Uhm, Your Majesty, may I humbly ask you to cross swords with me?" one of them asked.

I nodded and stood up to prepare. There was a ring in the middle, so we stood there and took our weapons out. I have two but it would be unfair if I fight with both of them, so I only took one. The others wanted to watch, but I told them to focus on what we're doing. He was fast so I matched his pace. We kept going until he got tired and decided to take a rest.

The others challenged me one by one to test their skills out but no one has ever beaten me. Despite not being able to win against me, they never gave up and kept on training. The archers needed a moving target, so I made a golem for them. I also kept an eye on them while sparring with the others.

"Hmm, you need more force. You should jog around the forest in the morning or lift weights."

They took note of my advice before we went back to the camp for lunch. I sat on my usual seat, waiting for them. They never let me help!

"You're sweating. Was it tiring?" Karis asked as he sat beside me.

Aiyana also came and sat on the chair beside me. We started talking about how the training wasn't rigorous enough like how we used to do it. However, I know that I won't get any weaker. I noticed that Karis has been playing with my hands while talking and everyone who passes by our table notices it! They would give me a teasing look, but I would just shrug it off. Karis is oblivious to it because he's busy talking to us regarding the training session.

"Do you think I should be more strict?" he asked.

I nodded. "What's the point if you're not going to be that strict on them? As long as you don't insult them and treat them like they are nothing, it's all good," I replied.

Aiyana also agreed. "We are pushing the mages to their limits because they will not get any better unless they surpass it. You should do the same."

"Ah, I see! Then, I won't hesitate, now."

I chuckled because of how cute he was. "You looked strict and all earlier, but you're still such a cutie. Were you scared that they would hate you if you were very strict?" I teased.

He pouted and looked away. "I was not..."

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a mocking grin on my face.

He changed the topic because he felt embarrassed. "We'll talk to Drake regarding the plan later?"

I nodded. "Once the training sessions are over."

They suddenly served the food, so we started eating quietly. After eating, we went back to the training grounds and continued to train the squads.

"You won't hesitate this time, right?" I teased Karis.

He chuckled. "I won't!"

One of the fairies approached me after seeing me talk to Karis like it's nothing. She seemed hesitant to talk to me, so I tried to encourage her. "You want to say something, right? Go on," I urged her.

She smiled upon hearing what I said. "Uhm, this might sound disrespectful, but I would like to know how Her Majesty feels about being in a relationship with Sir Karis?"

I almost choked on my saliva after hearing her question. She panicked and looked around, trying to get some help. I stopped her and just laughed. Ah, that question again. They never seem to understand that I'm not in a relationship with Karis. We might have feelings for each other, but we don't want anything beyond that. The both of us decided to stay this way for the rest of our lives.

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty!" she said while bowing.

The others got curious and approached us, so things got a little complicated. Ah, how do I explain this? Maybe I should just straight up tell them that nothing is going on. That'll end their speculations regarding me and Karis.

"Listen, I'm not in a relationship with Karis."

"So, you're merely master and servant?"

I nodded. "Yes, nothing more than that."

They stopped asking after that and just continued to train. We only continued what we were doing earlier, and I didn't hear any complaints. Then, dinner came. It seems like a lot of them heard what we were talking about and now, the word has spread throughout the camp.

"Not in a relationship, huh?" Aiyana teased as soon as she sat beside me.

I chuckled. "That's the truth, though."

She raised a brow. "Are you serious? After sleeping next to each other almost every day? All those moments I have seen while we were at the other side of Hylus Mountain?"

"Come on!" I complained.

They kept on teasing me about it until Karis came from their training grounds. It seems like he's heard of it, but he's not saying anything about it. We went back to our tents after eating and I thought Karis was mad because he wasn't saying anything!

"You know what my feelings for you are, right?" he suddenly asked after he laid beside me.

"Yes..." I trailed off.

He smiled and ruffled my hair. "That's good..."