"What's the occasion, Charlotte?" The girl that first emerges from the Beastmen village is a cutie.

She looks like a kitsune, straight from an anime.

While she only has one tail, it's fluffy and orange with a large silver tip.

Her ears are similar, peeking out from her silky blonde hair.

Her clothes resemble the traditional temple maiden outfit, and I'm melting.

Despite the cuteness, she talks to our chieftain like she's in charge, but what is she, sixteen?

"My scouts worried when they saw this many Orcs approaching until they recognized you." She adds, keeping the gates closed behind her.

It's not one of those medieval castle gates that descend from above, it's a huge two-winged gate.

"We came to trade as usual, but we brought more mean than a few people could carry."

Charlotte treats her with almost the same respect she treated me. When she wasn't trying to kill me, of course. So is this fox girl the leader of this place?

It's too well built for a children's playground.

[Notice: As you may have realized, Beastmen ages slower than humans. She might look sixteen, but according to my analysis she's closer to sixty.]

No way. So that's why Alex looks eighteen but the stories portray her as much older too.

Am I into older women now?

The fox girl's eyes flash when she notices me, and it's not the spark I like to see.

"We always welcome food, but if you bring more we can eat, it would only rot on us." She raises her nose as if trying to ensure the quality of the meat we brought by the smell.

Is she trying to bargain even before she knows what we want to trade for?

Charlotte doesn't wait with the answer. It looks like this isn't the first time they're doing business.

"I heard your tribe got a new spellcaster. Keeping the excess food fresh with ice magic shouldn't be an issue. But if they can't command the elements, I'll lend you our Gitaut to do it for you."

She handles it like a pro, and the fox girl smiles.

Her face hardens when she looks at me again.

"What do you want to trade for?" She asks, adding after a short pause. "And what about the slave girl?"

The sudden silence carries a heavy weight.

The Orcs hold back their breath, looking shocked at the village leader.

Did she mean me? So not everyone recognizes the Goddess.

I can't help, but laugh, breaking the heavy silence, and now all eyes are on me.

Shit, I should have held that in. They don't want me to introduce myself right?

[Notice: Keeping your identity hidden is still the best you can do. Especially since the Vice Commander asked you to let her speak.]

[Explanation: We're uncertain who's friendly or hostile towards the Goddess.]

Good point. Crap. I can't take that laugh back now. Then let's keep it simple.

"I'm not a slave, and came with the Orcs on my own." Let's bow a little to hint that I'm an everyday ordinary cat girl, nobody important. Of course, it doesn't work.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The fox girl's eyes light up again, and I can tell she realized something. First, she looks surprised, then blushes, and seems scared.

A second later all these expressions give way to anger. Yep, they're not friendly towards the Goddess. Bringing that Sentient Mask would have been a good idea.

[Reminder: The Thirteenth Bride turned it into your future shell. It's unfinished and you can't use it right now.]

Ugh, right. At least I won't feel guilty for forgetting about it.

"So you have returned." The fox girl spits out, and her mood is different.

She raises her hand and the guards behind the gate and on the walls raise their weapons.

She wouldn't pick a fight with a Goddess, would she? Is it too late to act dumb?

"We have come in peace." As Charlotte interjects, she holds up her hands. The rest of the Orcs aren't as calm. They point their new spears at the Beastfolk, and the situation escalates fast.

"With an army and the woman responsible that my parents disappeared?" The village leader's face turns red, and if this weren't this serious, I'd say she's cute even when angry.

Right. Of course. Alex made the whole capital disappear.

Who knows how many people couldn't reunite with their loved ones?

"Fenna Silberwolf isn't someone who forgets and forgives. And you can't intimidate me by showing up at my doorstep." The fox girl announces, pulling a dagger from her white clothes.

[Notice: You can enable Auto Battle.]

No, let's not. They outnumber us, and we have kids here. I know the Goddess could win this, but not without a massacre. And wait, did she say Silberwolf?

"You're Fang's daughter?" I ask the first thing that comes to mind despite the worsening situation. The Beastmen surround us.

They carry shields and swords, with arrows pointing at us from the walls. They must have loads of iron to clear that stupid mission. I want to trade for it rather than take it by force.

But my question makes her hesitate, and she raises her hand, stopping the two dozen fighters.

"How do you know about Fang?" What a tiny fantasy world this is. What are the odds?

[Notice: It's quite high since they both lived in the Old Capital.]

Come on, don't ruin it for me. Okay, I have to come up with something fast. I can't say that he's our hostage, can I?

"He's a guest in our camp." Let's go with that. "So you didn't hear about the Seal on the Gates of Hell breaking? He was with the Demon Lord for the last decade."

Her eyes widen, and she waves her men back. I can't believe it worked.

"What about my mother?" She asks, hope glistening in her eyes, but that's asking too much. She can't expect me to dig up her entire family when I met her for the first time.

"How about you call your warriors back? We conduct our trade and throw all information on top of the food for a better exchange." Thank God for Charlotte, she doesn't miss a beat.

"What do you want?"