I devoured the sandwich in front of me while others took in the information I gave to them. Just like before I kept some information to myself, specifically the part about the Goddess of Freedom. I just claimed that Aliera told me to clear War God’s Battle Area. I knew that it was a lot the take in, especially after they dealt with a demonic invasion. Börü was the first to speak as he stroked his beard, making me miss my beard.

“So according to what the esteemed Champion of Aliere have said…”

He looked at me playfully, he was probably feeling somewhat left out as he was one of the people who didn’t know who exactly I was.

“A demon king is about to break out of his prison. He is weakened but malicious.”

He took a deep breath and sighed.

“I am sorry Poyraz. I don’t think this is something Whifur could handle. I am indebted to you and Amazons but if it wasn’t for Amazons, I doubt that we could have survived. Even with their help, the losses we took are massive. This is way, way over our pay grade.”

I could hear the difficulty he was having. On one hand, a demon king was a problem to everyone and he owed his life to amazons but on the other hand as a leader, he had to think of Whifur and beastkin’s wellbeing.

“May I speak, Your Majesty?”

Aurora fixed her glasses. I gestured for her to go on.

“Whifur has more to gain than us if we cooperate. Your city is not recognized by human kingdoms. For a settlement to be seen as proper you need to be recognized by other proper settlements.”

Aurora's logical approach made Börü's brow furrowed in thought. He looked at her, then back at me, the weight of the decision visible in his eyes.

“You are right, Archmage Aurora. There is a lot to gain if we cooperate with you. But cooperation requires both sides to give. What can we give to you? Or should I ask what will take from us?”

Amaterasu chimed in, rather aggressively. It was unusual of her but I could see where she was coming from.

1. Beastkin was under oppression from humans for years. To escape them they founded Whifur. Forming relationships with them probably brought up bad memories for them.

2. I wasn’t sure how big Quipax was but it was clear that it was bigger than Whifur in every way. Amaterasu was probably afraid of Whifur having less leverage or even being swallowed by Quipax.

“It is not necessary for Whifur to send help, at least for now. Just the idea of a beastkin city supporting our champion will bring prestige and legitimacy. After that, I noticed several fruits, plants, high-quality wood, and metals you have. We can start a trade.”

Artemeni looked up from the map she was examining. She was right. I was a foreigner in this world with no connection or blood ties. While The Amazons here followed my orders who knew what would happen if some nameless guy went to Quipax and claimed he was their savior.

“Hmm. This sounds good. Morrigan, what do you think?”

Börü turned to Morrigan who was avoiding looking at me. I didn’t blame her. She was probably feeling all kinds of guilt and shame because of being corrupted even though it wasn’t her fault. But she was fine otherwise, her arm reattached and her leg fully healed. Morrigan took a deep breath, finally meeting Börü’s gaze.

“I think we need to consider the long-term benefits of this alliance. Trade with Quipax could provide us with the resources we desperately need. And supporting Poyraz is the least we can do for him after all things he has done for us.”

Her voice was steady, though I could see the turmoil in her eyes. Börü nodded, seemingly reassured by her words.

“Very well,” Börü said. “We will support this alliance and begin trade with Quipax. But we must ensure that Whifur’s interests are protected.”

Aurora and Amaterasu both nodded in agreement. The atmosphere in the room shifted, a sense of determination replacing the initial hesitation.

“Excellent,” I said, finishing the last bite of my sandwich. I took a sip of my coffee and let out a sigh of relief.

“Your majesty. What is our next course of action? We will need to travel to Quipax but I guess that you want to stay here and help with rebuilding the city?”

Thalia asked. I put down my mug on the table.

“Yes. I am thankful that you helped them without any orders from me and I want you to continue it if possible. I also will need some time to rest. My body is fine but my mind is a mess.”

I fought a Nidhogg before the demonic invasion for fuck’s sake. I need some alone time.

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“Poyraz. Morrigan and I need to speak about something. Something Lily doesn’t want you to hear.”

Lily who was playing with some kind of toy he found without any care in the world since the beginning raised his head to Amaterasu’s words. I raised my eyebrows. Lily wasn’t someone to keep secrets.

“It is not something important. I’ll deal with it later.”

I narrowed my eyes and watched Amaterasu’s expression carefully. She was clearly agitated, and it was unusual for her to be this direct. However, it was Morrigan who exploded. She stood up from her chair rapidly and slammed her fist onto the table.

“That not-important thing is the reason I nearly turned into a demon!”

God fucking damn it Lily, what have you done again?

“Alright. Everyone besides Lily, Ama, and Morrigan, please give us the room. Thalia, make sure everything is in order while I handle this.”

“Are you sure, your majesty? Your safety…”

I waved my hand.

“It is okay.”

They nodded and left the room, leaving me alone with them. I could see Lily trying to squeeze out of the room. I turned to them, crossing my arms.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

Morrigan was still fuming, her face flushed with anger. Lily, on the other hand, seemed to still treat the thing lightly.

“It is something I can deal with. You don’t need to worry.”

Ama had to stop Morrigan from leaping on Lily.

“You said that the last time we talked about it! You will tell us who that man was!”

Morrigan flashed her teeth and growled.

"Spill it," I said, fixing my gaze on Lily. He turned his head slowly towards me. Our gazes met and I saw a coldness I hadn’t seen from him.

“You aren’t my superior anymore, Poyraz. We are not on Earth anymore.”

Ohoh, look at this fucker. He thinks he can just talk back at me like this?

“That man knew who you were. He also knows who Poyraz was.”

Ama spoke up, causing me to frown harder. I looked back at Lily, this time much more serious than before. At first, I thought that this was another shenanigan Lily caused but this sounded way too serious.

The room felt charged, a palpable tension hanging in the air as I stared at Lily. This was no longer a trivial matter; it was something that could unravel everything we’d worked for.

“Lily,” I said, my voice steady but firm. “I need you to tell me everything. Who was that man, and what does he know?”

Lily leaned closer.

“You once told me that a superior could only expect things they themselves would do. How can you ask me to tell you everything when you don’t tell me everything?”

I massaged my temples.

“What do you want to know?”

He opened his arms wide.

“I don’t know, maybe you can start with the fact that you are going insane? The fact that you speak to yourself? The fact that you hallucinate?”

The air in the room seemed to freeze as Lily’s words hung between us. Morrigan and Amaterasu stared at me, their expressions a mix of concern and shock. This was a confrontation that was waiting to happen. I knew that Lily had already picked up on my mental state and he was using it to deflect the question he was asked. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before responding.

“I know. I am not all well in there.”

I said as I pointed to my head.

“But this is different.”

The room fell silent as everyone absorbed my admission. I could see the concern in Morrigan and Amaterasu's eyes, but it was Lily's cold gaze that worried me the most.

“Whatever that secret you are hiding hurt Morrigan. We-“

“It is always about others, isn’t it?”

He cut me off.

“Why it is always others? Why do you hate yourself this much?”

He jumped off his chair and shouted at my face.

“I have the power, Lily. I have what it takes to protect others.”

He spun around as if trying to spend energy to quench his anger

“Don’t give me that with great power bullshit! You died once, Poyraz! Dying sucks! I should know, I died too! And what awaits you is worse than death! You are falling apart!”

I looked at his green eyes. Even though I knew him for years, it was rare for me to look people in the eye. There were lots of emotions in his eyes. I knew that he was thinking that he was doing what was best for me. Which made what I was about to say even more painful than it already was.

“I am not you, Lily. I am not going to turn tail and run the moment I get tired. I am not going to throw myself to alcohol and others to make myself feel better. I am not going to expect problems to be solved by other people. I am not that weak.”

My tongue felt like sandpaper in my mouth. I knew that I shouldn’t have said that but…

Was I angry? Angry like a wounded animal because Lily mentioned my mental state?

Morrigan and Amaterasu remained silent, watching the exchange between Lily and me with wide eyes. Lily’s face twisted with hurt and anger, his fists clenched at his sides.

“You are strong alright. But not strong enough to stop your best friends or your own death!”

Lily's words hit me like a punch to the gut, the raw emotion in his voice cutting through the air. But that only caused me to get angrier.

“You think I didn’t try to reach you in time? After your death, I chased William without any rest-“

I paused when I saw something in Lily’s eyes shift. I dropped my hands to the side, a heavy feeling starting to swell in my chest.

“It's William. That man is William.”

I managed to let the words out with great difficulty. It made perfect sense. Why would Lily, who is not secretive want to hide it? Who could be powerful and skillful enough to overwhelm Morrigan? It was improbable to have just two outworlders who knew each other but three? Yet, Lily’s expression told me everything I needed to know.

“Are you insane? You hid it from me!”

Before my mind could process what I was doing, my hand wrapped around Lily’s throat and slammed him against a wall.

“He could have killed you! He killed you once! WHY DID YOU RISK IT?!!!”

He tried to free himself from my grip but I was too angry to let him go.

“Because of this, you dumbass! You already have enough shit on your plate! And I knew that if you learned about him you would stop everything you were doing to kill him!”

He snarled, his face turning red.

“Of course, I would hunt him! He is unforgivable! The damage he caused, the things he has done… And most importantly, he killed you!”

“If you… don’t… let go… you will… also… kill me!”

My grip on his throat loosened, and I stepped back, breathing hard.

“Damn it, Lily,” I said, my voice trembling. “You should have told me.”

Lily gasped for air, rubbing his throat where my fingers had left marks. I looked at my hand that was gripping Lily’s throat just a second ago.

“I am… sorry.”

He coughed.

“Heh. I missed the chance the say harder.”

He coughed once again, Morrigan stepping between us.