“Are you not concerned about this?” I wondered. “The gods don’t normally intervene in mortal business.” At least that was what I had been told so far. “What would happen if the demons attacked your temple?”
“You are right. We are granted power in exchange for worship. We can use this power as we see fit, as long as we do not go against our goddesses doctrine. But the church is powerful and not an enemy many would like. The building does have some formidable defences too. As long as I don’t take a side in this conflict very few would dare attack the temple.”
“Is helping us with Minerva considered taking a side? The inquisition is likely involved. Demons might be as well. We don’t know what is really going on but it involves politics.”
“Yes. Normally I would stay clear of that. If our church worked against the Empire they would remove the temple and Sylphania would accept that. If we get involved, the consequences are ours to bear. But it is not every day that an archfey walks through my door. Earning your favour might be worth more than keeping the Empire happy.”
“You don’t have a door.” Lucy joked.
Thessia laughed. “I suppose. Although I could grow something to close the entrance very quickly.”
“Grow something?” I asked. “Would it not be simpler to move a root from your tree? Certainly you could have some big ones prepared and it would be less resource intensive. Although it would expose your roots…” Just some random thoughts that I had. Mostly from watching anime where dryads used their roots to attack.
“That is some surprising insight.” Thessia admitted. “Then again, I am probably not the first dryad you have met.”
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I sipped my tea, thinking. Of course nobody expected an archfey to just appear from thin air. If I actually was one, although by now I somewhat accepted that part. People assumed I had lived a long life and had the experiences and connections of an ancient being. I did have some knowledge that came with my reincarnation. I did know a lot about magic, or how to fight. But I was somewhat clueless in other areas. Should I try to come up with a cover story? And what did the gods know?
If I was transported by an overgod, or something like that, the local gods might not know anything about me. Clearly they were not all-powerful and I suspected they were not all-knowing, or all-seeing, either. Were they confused where I came from? Was Thessia helping us for personal reasons, or was she influenced by her goddess? Then again, did it matter?
“Dwelling on old memories?” Thessia asked.
Oh, she thought I was thinking about a dryad I met in the past. She thought her words had triggered memories of old acquaintances.
“No, just about the current situation.” I clarified.
“What is it like to be a dryad? I have never met one before.” Lucy asked.
Thessia looked amused by the question. “I assume you are interested in the tree part? In my current form, I am like most bipedal creatures. It’s hard to describe the sensation when I merge with my tree. It’s comfortable, like under a cosy blanket on a cold winter day. I cannot see, but I can perceive my surroundings with magic. I cannot hear, yet I understand the vibrations in the air when people speak. Being a tree is as natural as walking around in this body for me.”
Lucy pondered that. “So both of your forms are just natural for you? I guess it’s the same when I turn into a fox. It feels right, despite having a different body.”
“Oh? You can turn into a fox? Are you a kitsune?” Thessia sounded surprised.
Was it wise for Lucy to reveal her shapeshifting? We wanted to keep that hidden because we used it to infiltrate the lab. Then again, we used illusions as well. Nobody should have seen through them. Our animal forms had no real connection to the demonic beast illusions we wore, besides the general body shape. And a lot had happened since then anyway. I still had all the documents we stole too. A thought for another time. Anyway, maybe it was fine to reveal our beast forms. Being known as an archfey changed a lot. We could get away with showing more exotic powers.
“No, I am just a fox kin.” Lucy answered.
I laughed.
Lucy elbowed me, I kept laughing. It was nice that she was now mistaken as a mythical creature. Then again, maybe she was a kitsune? If I was an archfey, instead of an elf, maybe she changed too? Kitsune were magical beasts, like dragons, who could shapeshift into a humanoid form. Lucy did mention that kitsune were rumoured to be the ancestors of the fox kin. Like fey where the ancestors of the elves. But my knowledge was limited. In the end, there was one important question: Could Lucy grow more tails?