I stared at Freya for a few seconds and let out a long sigh. Then, I walked up to her and leaned my face close to hers. I thought Freya would pull away, but she stayed still.
"I think it's best if I leave. We have nothing to talk about."
"Nothing to talk about? But I just said I found your idea amusing. Why don't we talk about that?"
"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want to give you any information about my Familia."
"What's wrong? Afraid I might try something?"
"Of course I am." I turned and walked over to the window, then pointed toward the tower. "My goal is to clear every floor of the dungeon. All of them. And my second goal is to build a Familia and enjoy myself. That's it. I don't want to get too involved with you, because that fun could easily turn into a nightmare."
"You're worrying too much about me and forgetting about the other gods."
"Don't worry, I'm well aware that all the gods are watching me. I spoke with the captain of the Loki Familia."
"I know."
So she's been watching me. She must know quite a lot.
"Was it you watching me in the dungeon?"
I remembered the discomfort I felt, but Freya shook her head. "No, I wasn't stalking you," she said with a smile. "Do you think someone's been watching you?"
"I felt a powerful and malevolent presence in the dungeon some time ago. I'm guessing it was a god."
"A god? Following you? I doubt that."
"I don't doubt it." I smiled. "I don't trust most of the gods in this world."
"…"
"Of course, that includes you. It'd be stupid to trust you."
"And you say that to my face, looking me in the eyes."
"I'm not afraid of you. The only thing that bothers me is the headache of dealing with the problems you might cause."
"I have no intention of causing you trouble," she said with a sensual smile, then stood and ran her hand across my chest.
Hearing Freya, I couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, no intention of causing trouble? You're joking, right? Just the fact that I'm here talking to you means something troublesome is bound to happen. You're not even supposed to be here talking to me, are you? Ottar said something like that."
"…"
"Let me guess, the Denatus is coming up soon, isn't it?"
"You have good intuition."
It's not intuition. I don't know when the last Denatus was, but since I arrived in this world, it hasn't happened. So, it must be close. I guess I was right.
"And during this Denatus, you'll all discuss what to do about me."
"…"
"I was right." I smiled. "Is that why no one's hunting down my creatures yet? Because you're all still deciding what to do?"
"I think it's foolish. I'd rather talk directly to you and find out your true motives than take part in a pointless discussion that will only lead to one conclusion."
"One conclusion?"
"Yes. They'll decide they need to get rid of you."
"Oh, that doesn't surprise me. I admit, my heart did skip a beat hearing that."
"Aren't you afraid? Do you really have the strength to face all the Familias?"
"I'm not even a little worried." I'm confident I can escape if things go south, so I'll be fine. "But as for my strength… it might be a little difficult to face every Familia."
"I figured."
"But if you help me, I think I could get through it without too many losses."
"You really expect me to help you?" Freya asked.
I don't actually expect her to help. I just asked to see how she would react.
"You won't help me? Am I not interesting enough? If you'd like, I can create a body tailored to your tastes." I smiled mischievously at Freya, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile.
"Hmm…"
She walked over to me and placed her hand on my face. "This appearance is good enough. But do you really think I'd join you just because you have a good face?"
"Am I wrong?"
"…" Freya didn't answer and instead walked away. "You can go now. Don't forget—you'll become a target soon."
"I'm looking forward to it."
After saying that, Clone 16's body vanished, and my consciousness returned to my original body.
####
POV: Third Person
After Zane disappeared, Freya stepped back into the room.
"He can vanish at will. That's so interesting." With each passing minute, Freya became more and more fascinated by Zane. Every day, she discovered something new about him, and each day he grew stronger.
Zane's potential for growth seemed limitless, and that intrigued Freya.
Freya loved powerful, talented adventurers. And when she found one, she did everything she could to make them hers.
And Zane was no exception.
She wanted Zane for herself.
After that conversation, her interest in Zane deepened. The confidence he showed when he said he'd face all the Familias—that truly excited her.
'I need to have him.' Freya thought, running her hand across the table. 'But how will I do that?'
Zane would undoubtedly be difficult to convince to join her Familia. He had outright said he didn't trust her.
…
Silently, Freya left the room, walking sensually through the house as she pondered her next move. Should she just stay in contact and try to win him over gradually?
Or should she use her power and influence?
But after speaking with Zane, she doubted she'd be able to subdue him and make him surrender to her.
'...'
But even if it was hard, Freya could already see herself succeeding in the end.
####
If you want to encourage me to keep writing and read more chapters, here is my patr eon:
patr eon.com/ZhangYe
Next chapters: Chapter 58 - Buy me the skill 'Telekinesis / Chapter 59 - War? / Chapter 60 - Apollo Familia. / Chapter 61 - Isolated house.