Cursed Queen: Battle Against Gods

Girl's Talk

"So, you two will stay here until the month ends?" Aiyana asked enthusiastically.

I nodded. "We shall remain here to continue training. I think I can still get stronger than this."

She clapped her hands. "I am most definitely pleased to hear that!"

I rested my head on the rocks that surround the hot spring and closed my eyes. Ah, this feels good. The fatigue and muscle pain has gone away after dipping on the warm water. I'll miss this once we leave. There won't be any hot springs to go to when we go back to the camp. There are only small ponds there.

Hmm, I find it strange that there's a hot spring in this sort of place, so I thought about asking Aiyana regarding that. I caught her staring at my chest when I opened my eyes. She immediately looked away and pretended to look at the flowers that surrounded the place.

I cleared my throat. "Don't be embarrassed. It's fine. Do you know why there's a hot spring here?"

She nodded and shamelessly looked at my t**s now, which made me chuckle. "The gods of volcanoes and seas once lived here together. They were lovers so they decided to settle down here until the war began. They probably made this."

"Oh. I see," I replied. "I saw them back then. It didn't occur to me that they were lovers.

She didn't answer, so I shut my eyes tightly. Suddenly, I felt something on my chest, so I opened one eye to see what was going on. Aiyana was resting her head on my chest, almost burying her face in them.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" Karis shouted from the other side.

I raised both of my hands as I looked at him. "I'm not doing anything."

"Aiyana! That's my...master," he said as he pouted like a child.

I looked at Aiyana, who was smirking at him as if she won. "We are merely hugging as friends. What are you thinking, huh?"

"You-" He sighed and gave up as he looked away. "Fine."

I chuckled and continued to rest properly. During the past week, I had to rely on herbal medicine to relieve the muscle pain. Ha, what a good day to be alive.

"Stop fondling them," I told Aiyana.

She's still playing around, acting like a child who wants to get milk from her mother. I pursed my lips when I saw Karis's ear twitch after hearing what I said. The poor deer was sulking again. I chuckled and decided to ignore it for now. I'll comfort him later once I have fully recovered.

"Whoa..." Aiyana mumbled as she continued to squeeze them.

"What has gotten to you?" I asked her, confused.

Have her frustrations piled up, and turned her into this? I have never seen her this way, so I found it concerning that she's suddenly like this. She ignored what I said, acting as if she didn't hear whatever I said.

Cyrus suddenly arrived and landed on my shoulder. "Forgive me for not contacting you-what in the world?! I'm sorry!"

I laughed as I heard Drake cursing nonstop. He can hear and see whatever Cyrus can, so he obviously saw the two of us. Karis groaned and got up as he grabbed Cyrus with his eyes closed.

"Careful, you might trip!" I shouted at him.

However, it was too late. He already tripped and fell on the water. I laughed as he struggled to get back up. He dragged Cyrus with him, so the poor little dragon almost drowned to death. Silly boys.

"Stop! You're killing him! Hey!" Drake kept on shouting like an i***t.

How can he drown when he's mastered using the water element? I groaned and got off so that I can pull Karis up. The dumbass resisted because I was naked and ended up pulling me to the water. I grabbed Cyrus from his hand and threw him towards the rock formation. He quickly spread his wings and landed safely.

"Ah, finally..." Drake said. "My poor baby."

Karis was still resisting and drowning, so I pulled his nape and kissed him. He stopped wriggling so I let him go and got off to continue resting on the other side. When I looked back at him, he's still dumbfounded. I shook my head, laughing as I dipped on the hot springs again.

"Snap out of it!" I shouted at him.

He finally did, so I turned to Aiyana who was pouting. I chuckled and motioned her to come to me. She obliged and buried her face on my chest again. Perhaps it's the heat from the hot springs and her frustrations, and now she somehow ended up like this.

I sighed. "You didn't drink alcohol, right? There's no booze here, so it's not like you could have gotten drunk."

"I did..." she mumbled.

My mouth went agape. "What? You have some?"

"Mm. In the warehouse. Koryu brought them here some time ago, but I never drank them until now."

"So that's why you're acting this way?"

She mumbled words that I couldn't understand. I ignored her because she seems to be in a reverie and turned to Karis and little Cyrus. He's talking to Drake, and they seem to be talking about something serious. I raised a brow, curious as to why they're whispering.

"Hey!" I called.

Karis flinched and turned to me with an awkward smile. "Yes?"

That's suspicious. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Drake, did you contact Alwina?" I asked while looking at Karis who seems to be hiding something.

"Yes, I have. She refused to come and said that no one will look after your subordinates," he replied in a very formal manner.

My brows furrowed. "What the hell is going on?"

Karis pretended to look around, ignoring me. Drake cut the communication off, leaving Karis to answer me. Cyrus flew away, so he was left all alone there. I raised a brow at him, waiting for him to answer.

"We'll talk about it later. For now, let's just continue to rest. Ah, I'm so tired." He dramatically stretched his arms and turned his back on me.

I looked at Aiyana who was sniffling with tears on the sides of her eyes. My mouth went agape, and I didn't know what to do. She started bawling her eyes out like a child that got candy taken away from her.

"There, there," I said as I tapped her back.

Karis looked at us, confused. "What happened?"

"We'll talk later, right?" I said sarcastically.

He pursed his lips and looked away. "Yes. Sorry."

Aiyana passed out suddenly, so I carried her after dressing her up. I placed her on her horse and guided her on our way home. When we got home, I also carried her to her room. She didn't get to eat dinner, so I left some food in case she wakes up.

"So, what did you two talk about?" I asked. "I'd understand if you can't tell me, though. Is it confidential?"

He shook her head. "No, it's not. You see, Hildus placed a bounty on your head. The soldiers are looking for you all over the place. Not only that, but they also have a camp outside the forest to ambush the faction in case we try to leave."

I raised a brow. "Really? I think it'll be easy to get through that, though."

"I suggest that we avoid unnecessary fights. We'll try to pass them by unless we meet any member of the twelve that hasn't broken out of the spell. I'm certain that they'll never let us go. We have to be very careful."

Cyrus flew towards my lap. "Hildus seems to be very careful now. He seems to be expecting that you will come to fight him. He's currently taking precautions."

"Since when?" I asked.

"Yesterday, when all of The Zodiacs finished their heat cycles. He summoned all of us and overworked us when we're all still recovering. That's why I couldn't contact you. We've been deployed all over the kingdom."

"You should rest now, then. We won't be coming to the camp until the month has ended to continue training," I told him.

"Yes, I will. Thank you for your concern, Milady. I'll be off now, please rest also. I've heard that you pushed yourself to the limit," he said worriedly.

I smiled. "Mm. Thank you."

He stopped relaying messages after that, so I turned to Karis. He seems okay, but I know that he isn't. There were dark circles under his eyes, and I can see that he never slept a wink. I didn't notice earlier so I felt bad that I pushed him to his limit when he's still recovering.

I cupped his cheeks. "I'm sorry for overworking you, too. You don't have to train with me tomorrow. Please rest, okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled and laid in bed.

He looked cute as he stared at me, waiting. I did the same and drifted to sleep. It was such a long day, and I felt like I could sleep for days.

"A whole day has passed, Flare," Aiyana told me the moment I woke up.

Karis is still asleep, so I slowly left the bed to go outside. The sun is high up, so I looked at Aiyana. She doesn't look like she's joking. Also, if there's anyone who knows what the time is, that's her. And so I believed her and sighed.

"Perhaps we've overworked ourselves," I said as I sat on the chair to eat.

She sat in front of me and agreed. "After a very exhausting week, I think it is only right that you get a whole day's worth of rest. As for Karis, I am certain that he will not wake up in two more days."

"Why? The rest of the twelve seems fine. Is it a side effect of the potion?"

"Partly, yes. However, it is mostly because of my domain. It must have been very uncomfortable there and stressed him out. I had no choice but to put it up for him because he would have forced you to do it with him if I did not."

My jaw fell. "What? Then, how did he get through it?"

"That I do not know. As I have told you before, I did not peek into the domain while he is inside. If he was in his domain, he wouldn't have had to go through that."

I nodded and decided to go out for some fresh air. I sat by the edge of the cliff where I went with Karis before going into Aiyana's domain. That was such a peaceful moment that I wanted to last forever. But I am perfectly aware that nothing lasts forever.

When I heard about the bounty on my head, I realized that we are in very deep trouble. Hildus has a lot of soldiers, and we are outnumbered. I have said before that as long as we have Alwina on our side, we shall never lose. But what if they have something to counter that?

As a leader, I must charge forward while protecting those behind me. This might be my pride or anxiety talking, but I don't want to rely on Alwina. I might subconsciously pass the pressure onto her, and I am certain that it will be hard for her. She can be a leader, that I am sure of. But I only want to rely on my subordinates to push me forward. I don't want them to overtake me and get hurt on their way. It might sound like nonsense, especially when we are planning to go into war, but that is what I want. I have had enough of that kind of system.

I shall not return to the camp until I see myself worthy to become a queen. I have very little knowledge of this world and I never learned proper manners and etiquette. As I have observed for the past month, Aiyana is very sophisticated and well-mannered. I wish she can teach me while we train to get stronger.

I was surprised when Aiyana sat beside me. "What has been bothering you? You should keep your focus all the time, Flare. You can tell me anything if you need anything."

"Can you...teach me how to be well-mannered? As you can see, I'm not knowledgeable regarding those kinds of things. I have been raised as a peasant, so it is quite obvious that I need to learn certain things to become a queen," I said while scratching my nape.

She blinked twice and then chuckled. I got embarrassed, so I hugged my knees and buried my face there. She said that I can tell her anything, so I didn't hesitate! Now that she laughed at me, I realized how stupid I am.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. I only laughed because you were acting cute. You see, it is not necessary to learn such things to be a queen. But if you insist, then I shall help you."

I looked up at her and I saw the sincerity in her pretty eyes. "Thank you..." I mumbled.

"But there is something that I must tell you..." she said, sadness filled her eyes.

"What is it?" I asked worriedly.

She sighed. "Do you remember the day you came here? When I suddenly kissed you?"

I nodded. "What about it?"

"I saw through your past. It happens whenever I touch someone I've never met before."

What she said surprised me. However, I didn't get scared. Perhaps I have finally learned to let go of those things. To be honest, I am not proud of it. I mean, who would be? But I have left those memories behind. The trauma has subsided, and I am perfectly fine now.

I smiled at Aiyana, who still seems to be worried. "It wasn't pleasant to see, right?"

"Bluntly speaking, yes. But the Flare in front of me is different from the one I saw in your memories. You have completely changed for the better and I am very proud of you. I would also like to congratulate you on getting better," she said softly while caressing my hand.

Ah, I knew she would accept me. Before, I would get anxious whenever they mention something about the past. Now, it doesn't even faze me. When Aiyana said that she's proud of me for getting through it, I felt euphoric. I thought that the people here wouldn't like me for having that kind of past, but it doesn't matter anymore. That Flare is dead and gone. And she's never coming back. Although that Flare taught me a lot of things, I don't want to remember her anymore.

"Thank you for accepting me..." I said as I smiled at her.

She returned the smile. "Of course, I will..."

We kept quiet as we felt the strong breeze brushing against our skin. It was very peaceful, and I couldn't hear anything except the sound of wild animals running around and the harsh blowing of the wind by the cliff. It was very comfortable, so I closed my eyes to feel it.

After quite some time, we decided to go back to the house because Karis was alone there. I thought hard about what to do with Hildus and The Zodiacs. If they're searching for me all over the kingdom, it is not impossible that they would go all the way here to look for me. I do not wish to get Aiyana involved, so I hope that they wouldn't do that.

"Should we put a barrier up just in case?" I asked hesitantly.

Her brows furrowed. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Hildus is looking for me all over the place. It is not impossible that he would come here. In fact, it is most likely that they would come to check. This place is a perfect training ground and a place to hide, after all."

"Alright, I will put a barrier up. It will alert us once an intruder steps in. Koryu will most likely come here if he finds something suspicious."

We decided on that as we went back to the house. It will probably take them a few days to get here if they ever try to look for you. We will have enough time to prepare. But then again, it's only a hypothesis. I'm still not sure if they will actually do it. There's still a lot of different places to hide.

However, if they know that I'm currently training to master the techniques, they will consider this place as a perfect hiding spot. And they might have heard about a god dwelling here, too. Ah, I sure hope that everyone in the camp is alright. I mean, Alwina is there so I'm sure that they are.

"The forest will protect them, do not worry," Aiyana said as she held my hand.

I smiled at her and nodded. "What's with that forest anyway? Why does it protect us?" I asked.

"That forest was burned to smithereens before. However, Bythos used his magic and made it prosper. Since then, it never allowed someone who isn't devoted to Bythos to enter. You, his successor, were allowed because you have his magic. I am glad that the forest accepted you."

I nodded and finally understood everything. Everyone just accepted me as his successor. It made sense, but it was quite strange for me that they didn't even question him. Although, I would have felt insecure if they did.

"Why did you accept me? Do you really think that I am worthy?" I asked while looking away.

She chuckled. "Of course. I have seen you a lot of times before. I used to peek into the future and saw you in it. You are going to be a fine queen, Flare. Believe in yourself, okay?"

"You saw everything about the future?" I asked.

She smiled, but I noticed that it was a sad smile. My brows furrowed, but she immediately flashed a happy one. For a second, I thought I was seeing things. Or maybe I was? Perhaps I'm still tired and misunderstood.

"I did. I was young and naive, so I decided to look into everything. However, there are tons of futures out there. It might change if something unexpected happens."

I was about to ask her more regarding what she said, but she giggled and ran towards the house. She was acting strange when we talked about the future.

"Hey, wait!" I tried to catch up to her while she was skipping on her way to check on her crops.

The way she reacted made me curious as to what the future holds. Will it be a happily ever after like what happens in books? The thought made me laugh, knowing that it will not happen for me. Maybe it will, but I am certain that it won't be a pleasant journey towards that.

"Come here, we should harvest these ones!" Aiyana said as I approached the farm.

"Have you been doing this since the past century?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I have nothing to eat at first, so I made a farm while eating magical beasts when I couldn't find wild animals."

My mouth went agape. "That's poisonous, right? What did it do to you?"

"I get sick for a short period of time after eating them. Ah, how painful it was. That was more than a century ago, but I couldn't forget how agonizing it was!" She pouted as she continued to pull the crops out gently.

"You must have been depressed. Why didn't you ask Bythos for help?" I asked.

She smiled. "He offered to help me. However, he was very busy as a king. I did not want to get in his way, so I left without telling him. Hmm, I remember him sending food supplies here through Drake's dragons or any member of The Zodiac. How stubborn."

We giggled because of that. Bythos is a really kind person and friend. He's someone who will never let his comrades down. Suddenly, her face looked sullen, and I know why. I licked my lips and stood up when we finished.

"It suddenly stopped one day, and a bird came here with a letter. According to the letter, The Zodiacs betrayed my dear friend and drove him out of the castle. I knew about it and what happened after it, so I didn't storm into the castle." She smiled bitterly as we placed the crops on the warehouse.

The fruits from the trees she planted seem to be ripe now, so we harvested them as well. I guess we'll just have to train tomorrow.

"So, you stayed here to wait for me?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded. "I knew that you would come here, so I patiently waited. I have been alone here for more than a century now, so knowing that someone's coming to keep me company got me excited."

I chuckled. "But didn't you wait for a few decades? What did you do while waiting?"

"Hmm, I played with the dragons, planted crops, and tame magical beasts."

"Oh? Were you able to tame them?" I asked, surprised to hear what she said.

She nodded. "I was able to tame a few of them. They are standing guard on a few parts of the mountain as we speak. Do you want to meet them?"

"Yes, if it's fine."

"That might need to wait, though."

"Huh? Why?"

"I can feel that someone has passed through the barrier. They will likely get here within a day. We need to hide! Karis is asleep, so we have one big baggage to carry as we try to escape!"