After the Villainess Failed to Overthrow the Gods

Chapter 16

"Do you know what's Rachelle up to?" I asked suddenly when I was half way through the giant cake in front of me. 

"Rachelle?" Cecil asked. "Why are you asking about her all of a sudden?"

"I realized you guys know quite a lot about the outside. Like Rachelle and her revival." 

"You know there are lots of mortals coming into the Woods these past years, when they gossiped with each other, we heard of them too." Cecil said with mild embarrassment. 

"Ah, eavesdrop." I snapped my finger. "That seems fun. So what about Rachelle?"

I was just curious why the god of order broke his promise not once but twice. I should be thankful about what Rachelle did. I told myself. Otherwise, I would not have such opportunity. 

"About that, I'm not quite sure," Cecil replied. "We're really curious too. The mortals didn't seem to know. But it seems to be the matters of gods, so we decided to not be nosy. You know what of our... past." 

"I see." I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. I gave this place one final look. The sturdy wooden columns, the statues decorating this place. It's a place of wealth. 

"Lorelei... are you..."

"Cecil, remember what I told you just now?" 

"What?"

"The wrath of god you're all so frightened of is all just for show." 

Cecil nodded hesitantly, wary lined her eyes as she did not understand where this conversation was heading. 

I smiled and leaned my head on her shoulder like how I did three thousand years ago. When we were just care free youths hanging out on a sunny day. Then I said nonchalantly, "And you all fell right into it."

"Lorelei?" Cecil asked innocently. Just like three thousand years ago. As if nothing had changed, but things had changed.

"Cecil, you have grown up. You now know how to lie to me." My usual smile was plastered on my face as I whispered into her ear, like a whisper between best friends. "Everything changed, but me." I hung my head down, laughter rang out from my mouth, "Don't you think I didn't catch what you all are thinking. You want to persuade me to give up my escape. You want me to return to my prison, am I right?" 

Cecil opened her mouth and then close again, but nothing came out of her mouth. I wiped the tears of laughter from my eyes. "You all are so easy to read," I snorted. "I understood as soon as I saw this vibrant beautiful town. Ah I am sad. I thought you're my friend." 

"Lorelei... that's not what I thought!" Cecil exclaimed, but her gaze shied away from me. 

"The brain washing skill of the god of order is really something huh," I chuckled. "Everyone betrayed my family, understandable. What had my family ever brought you guys but destruction and wars? How about the god of order? This thriving town! Food and warmth! Hope and love. Sacrificing me is just a tiny tiny payment for all of your lives. A very insignificant payment. Understandable. Even a fool knows what to choose." 

"No... Lorelei... we're not sacrificing you," Cecil cried. "It's just... just..."

I raised my hand to stop her from saying any more excuses. "It's time for me to go. Judging from the fact that the god of order didn't come rushing in at this moment, you guys haven't told him about me yet. Wanting your new lord to praise you for turning the escaped siren in? That would be such honor."

Cecil hung down her head in dejection or embarrassment. No matter which I didn't care.

"I don't have time to talk to you." I stood up and with a final wave I walked towards the door. "Bye, traitor." 

This town most probably had a ward surrounding it to stop others from stumbling in. The ward was to keep people out, not keeping people in. I turned towards north where the edge of the forest was situated and started to run towards that direction. 

To freedom, again. 

I left the vibrant town, my crying friend behind me and headed to freedom. Or to my doom. 

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After non-stop trekking through the woods, I was finally back to the edge of the Forbidden Woods. Back to the ward stopping everyone from going out. There was a group of mortals at the edge of the Woods, gingerly testing out the limits of the ward. 

"This won't do, the ward absorbed every spell that's thrown at it. It's too strong," one said. 

"Why is there such a strong ward here?"

"The earthquakes, the ward... all of it gives me a bad vibe. Do you think we offend someone? Maybe... maybe a god?" another whispered. 

Their discussion stopped abruptly when a noise behind them frightened them. They turned around to find me bursting out from the woods. I ignored them and walked straight to the ward separating them from the outside world. 

"There's a ward! You can't go out!" one shouted as he tried to stop me by grabbing my shoulder. 

I flicked his hand away and continued on. 

"There's really a ward..." 

I ignored them as I pulled out my pendant and sliced the pendant at the ward around the forest. The pendant was met with huge resistance. The ward was strong. The god of order was not slacking off with this one. 

After several tries, the ward was still holding strong. I needed to speed up. The god of order would come sooner or later. He should have realized by now. 

Even though my hand hurt from the reaction force from slicing through such a strong ward, even though my hand started to bleed, I didn't stop. 

Faster, faster, Lorelei! I told myself. 

That's when someone I had been expecting finally arrived. 

"Let's go home," a gentle voice called out from behind me.

I turned around to find Archer standing behind me. And I wasn't even surprised. 

Not one bit.