What was her name again?
She talked so much back then I didn't even hear half of it. I just wanted her to stop already.
Myrith warned me several times that this species was difficult—but did I listen? Of course not.
Oh, I miss Myrith...
Aerisse wiped her invisible tears and got back to work.
Technically, her body was weak. Even though she'd prepared it carefully before descending, it still couldn't handle her divine power. That led to excruciating pain—and bleeding. Lots of bleeding.
The pain she could deal with. The bleeding? Not so much. She couldn't mend what was defective from the start.
Yes, she was a goddess, but she wasn't a miracle machine.
Everything had a reason. Humans just didn't understand that yet.
But with time and guidance, they would.
Now… to the portal.
Destination: the Fairy Land.
"Wow," she murmured, stepping through. "Still as beautiful as ever. Maybe a little foggier than I left it, but… artistic choice, I suppose."
"Who are you, foreigner?! How did you manage to break the barri—ah! Goddess-sama!"
Ah, there she was already. So fast to show her "hospitality," and what were those glowing sticks being pointed at her?
No matter. Aerisse had no time for drama today. She wanted to finish her job quickly and get back to her tower—there was still a whole backlog of past-life dramas to catch up on.
"Well, Fairy Queen," Aerisse said, brushing off some fairy dust from her sleeve, "I do have some matters to discuss with you." Her eyes flicked to the guards. "In private, if you don't mind."
"Oh! Yes, of course!" The Fairy Queen beamed, immediately shooing away her soldiers before dragging Aerisse into her glittery little palace.
To her size, it was a grand structure. To Aerisse, it was… cozy.
If she stretched her arms too far, she might knock over a chandelier.
"Totally usable," she decided.
"I came to discuss the Accord of Universal Peace, Fairy Queen," Aerisse began. "As the ruler of all the western territories of Skethera, I hope to have your agreement on this important matter."
"Universal peace?" the fairy echoed, pouring Aerisse a cup of tea that smelled suspiciously like sugar and regret. "But of course! It's just—well, Goddess-sama, it isn't us who break the peace! We stay where you told us to stay, but the humans you welcomed later—oh, they've grown greedier by the century! They keep crossing our borders, stealing, lying, shouting, building things—ugh, humans!"
Aerisse was already tuning her out halfway through.
Yeah, that sounded about right. Humans. Classic.
But wasn't she here to fix the problem? Did they really have to spend an hour complaining instead of finding an actual solution?
"Lady Fairy," Aerisse interrupted sweetly, "if I may ask—what about the guardians I sent to protect your borders? The fog ones, you know? They looked like unicorns—adorable but lethal. Are they not helping?"
The Fairy Queen rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't even mention them, Goddess-sama. They're terrible! You sent them to serve us, and now they claim to be 'independent beings.' They don't obey anymore! It's scandalous!"
Scandalous indeed.
Aerisse blinked. "Wait—you thought they were supposed to serve you?"
She rubbed her temple. "I sent that species to help you, not to be your servants! The idea was cooperation—you provide clean mana for their fog to stay breathable, they protect your forests. Balance, remember?"
"Oh… I didn't know our mana had that effect on them."
"Exactly." Aerisse smiled patiently. "The goal was for both species to live as one big, happy, sparkly family."
The Fairy Queen blinked, clearly processing this new concept.
"I see… I must have misunderstood Goddess-sama's grand design. I'll summon their leader for a meeting so we can discuss a proper alliance. But as for the humans… they're just—how do I put it—not reasonable at all."
"Don't worry, Fairy Queen. I'll handle that part."
"Wow, incredible, Goddess-sama, so confident," the fairy said, her eyes sparkling with way too much admiration.
Aerisse smirked. "I plan to visit every realm and gather the leaders of all species. Once that's done, I'll unite the human kingdoms into one and bring their greatest leader to sign the Universal Peace Accord—alongside everyone at the Great Table."
Yes. A great, noble table.
And for the humans, she would choose an Arthur—their representative of unity and reason.
The difference, of course, was that 'Arthur' wouldn't be the only king at the table. Every leader would have a seat, all bound by oath to never even think about harming her precious creations.
"Perfect plan," Aerisse muttered to herself, smirking. "Now—on to the Siren Realm. Let's see how my once-depressed little soul is doing. Hopefully… less dramatic this time."