Chapter 342: Who do you side with?
<Shaman POV>
Landing just outside of Freja's mansion, it was extremely quiet for such a grand entrance. There was no commotion outside, as if no one was living there anymore. We all got off of Himeko's back for her to then transform back into her human form.
"She might be expecting us." Clara was on edge, constantly looking around for anything and everything.
"Possibly. But first, Himeko, accept the system and it should be applied right away." Offering the system to Himeko, I wanted to get that over with before it was too late.
"Interesting." Himeko slightly smirked and pressed yes without any hesitation. There was a small jolt after she pressed the button, but then she returned to normal.
"So what now?" Himeko looked at her body and, as expected, didn't feel any different.
"Just think 'status' and it will open up a screen in front of you. We can go in-depth on how to use it later. For now, the only change you'll notice is that everything feels a lot easier to use.
Side note, you have your own dimensional storage now, so you don't need to have storage rings anymore." In hindsight, I should have explained it all while we were still in the air, but it's hard to explain how to use the system without her having it.
Unless Himeko was from another world like mine, it would be difficult to understand.
"Oh wow, that is a lot." Himeko's eyes widened looking at the holographic screen in front of her. I could see her itching to explore it, but now isn't the time.
"This is all we can go over for the moment, but who knows, it might still come in handy in other ways." I had no idea what kind of stats Himeko had, so it might not even do anything for her right now, but she has it now, so hopefully she can get some mileage out of it.
"We should get moving." Clara gestured to the front door, which so happened to conveniently open wide for us. It felt like a trap, but would Freja really jump to conclusions about why we were here?
"Here goes nothing." Looking to see that everyone was ready, they all nodded so I took the first step and walked towards the door.
Just like how I remembered it, we were instantly greeted with Freja's throne, on top of which sat who else but Freja herself. However, instead of her usual cocky smirk, it looked like she wasn't happy to see us.
"Well if it isn't Shaman and her gang, I see that you've recruited a new kitten and even Himeko, but I don't see your other girlfriend anywhere." Freja tapped her armrest with her fingers, filling the silence in between her sentences.
"She currently can't be here, but that doesn't matter. What's gotten you so agitated, Freja?" I could see within Freja's eyes that she was analysing every single movement we made. It was a side of her that we have never really seen before, eaving me to wonder if she already knows why we are here.
"Whatever reason you have for coming here will drastically change my mood. I was enjoying myself when some people decided to barge their way into my forest." Hearing the tension in her voice, perhaps it's best I get straight to the point.
"I see. I won't waste your time, then. Why did you seal my parents and are you still working with the pope?" Everyone readied themselves just in case everything exploded and we got straight into fighting.
"That's a bold claim, Shaman. Do you have any proof of that? Think carefully of what you say next if you don't want me to get angry." The pressure in the air got heavier as Freja looked down at us, daring us to respond.
"I had merged with my other self and inherited their memories fully, and on the day my parents were sealed, I saw a certain woman setting up the barrier. It sounds like a stretch, but right now the way you are acting only makes you seem more guilty." Even if it was a death wish, I wanted to poke the bear on the nose. After all, if she didn't do anything wrong, then why is she so defensive?
"..." Freja stayed silent and that silence, only making her more suspicious.
"Come on Freja, just be honest. We want an answer, not a fight." Himeko put it nicely, but if Freja is working with the pope, then we don't really have a choice.
"Why should I? I'm not under any obligation to entertain you. Besides, does it look like I work for that bastard? You all saw me fight with him in the Demon Lands." Freja's gaze became sharper, but she still avoided answering the question directly.
"So? We would still like answers. You just have to deny it if that's the case, but instead you keep dancing around the issue." Clara jumped in, but I could hear in her voice that it was a little shaky. She knew she wasn't quite strong enough to face off with Freja, so it wasn't easy putting herself out there.
"Didn't you say you couldn't lie." Silver surprisingly spoke up, being a bit cheeky and bringing up the fact that Freja claims herself to be 100% honest.
*Sigh* "To be pulled out of my own personal time for this shit." Freja shook her head, getting more annoyed by the second.
"I don't want bad blood between us, so please, give us an answer. Better yet, help us unseal my parents. Didn't you say you were trying to figure out a way?" I was willing to give Freja the chance to prove herself, since I didn't want to fight her. We wanted to avoid conflict in the first place.
Even if she worked with the Pope in the past, it doesn't matter if she is willing to go against him and help us ruin his plans.
"Like Silver said, I am 100% honest and I'm going to tell you the truth." Freja finally began to open up, but her gaze was still sharp. There was a looming feeling of death lingering in the air and I was afraid this would turn ugly.
"We may be from the same world, Shaman, but you have not lived as long as me or Klaus. You are oblivious to the reality of this world and the truth of who's actually pulling the strings. If you knew what was really going on, then you would understand Klaus and why he decided to become who he is now."
"You are still in your honeymoon phase of coming to a new world. It is that Naive perspective that absolutely pisses me off. To think that after over 100 years, THEY send another person to clean up their mess."
"You want honesty? Well, I fucking hate you Shaman and what you represent. I wanted to strangle you when you first revealed you were from our old world, but I refrained as you didn't choose to come here."
"Now I offer my hand to you. Do you want to learn the truth or are you going to deny it?"
Freja finally exploded, essentially admitting to the accusations. What I didn't expect was for her to hate me. I know I am new to this world, but how was I supposed to know its underlying issues? I wasn't told anything and I've completely severed my connection to whatever higher power controlled the system.
The air turned thick as Freja forced my hand to make a decision. A part of me was inclined to see where this goes since Freja is from my old world and I could see how she'd be frustrated being thrown into this mess. However, that doesn't change the fact that Freja has become corrupted or that whatever god is monitoring her is making her do this?
Letting her take me wherever is not an option, so unless she spills the beans here and now then that's a deal breaker. Just like Himeko said, this could be a trap and I am just walking into my death.
Everyone looked at me awaiting my response and I could see the stress on their faces. I'm sure they trusted me to decline, but the consequences of saying no would likely lead to a fight. Despite that, I am going to stand my ground, as I have no reason to believe what Freja's actually trying to turn a new leaf.
"No, I don't. Sure I don't know everything, but that's all the more reason to learn the truth BEFORE making any decision. How can you expect me to blindly trust you? What makes you think that I will just give in to your demands?" If Freja wanted to explain, I would listen, as she clearly has information about these higher beings, but I would find out on my own if I had to.
"Is that your answer?" However, Freja showed no sign of elaborating, meaning a fight was imminent.
"Yes, it is." I gripped Kotetsu and flowed my mana around my body, ready for anything.
"What a shame, Shaman. I'm afraid I will have to kill you and everyone here. I'm afraid, your very existence has become an interference."
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