Chapter 328

She planned to leave this matter to Bianca and Sophia to handle.

Consider it a test.

The two young knights are hot-blooded and have some personality problems; they need to be properly trained.

Freya wasn't sure if this counted as raising a Genji, but for the time being, she did intend to mold Bianca and Sophia into the kind of people she liked.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Freya also learned from the memories of the Speaker and Anna Charles Darwin, the Minister of Defense and Commander of the Fortress, that the 'Waka Tunnel' that runs through the Earth's core is the Aether Anchor.

Or, to put it another way, this World Bubble itself is an 'artificial creation' constructed in reverse by Previous Civilization using Aether Anchor.

Yeah, what an awesome Previous Civilization.

Finding the Aether Anchor essentially means their exploration team has completed their mission.

Freya is now waiting for the tools placed with Sophia to reach the Inca Republic, after which she can collect samples and conduct investigations in the Waka Tunnel, and then use the teleportation function of the Black Cube to teleport back to the main world.

Finally, we can say goodbye to the days when we have to rely on Aurora a 'middleman'.

Most importantly, Freya missed life in the main world terribly.

Freya gave orders to Rita and the others through Aurora, and Rita and the others also told Captain Shakespeare of the Caledonius about it.

With Shakespeare's consent, the Caledonius immediately changed its destination.

Of course, Shakespeare expressed his interest in the Saintess that Rita and others kept talking about.

Therefore, the destination was immediately changed to the Inca Republic, not only to obtain other gems, but also to see the Saintess Kiana Apocalypse, who was revered by Rita and others.

Incidentally, this name caused Schrodinger, who had just switched to being a technician, great discomfort.

Now that Bianca and her group's itinerary had been arranged, Freya could only wait.

She had already obtained the information she wanted from the mind of the Speaker of the Inca Republic, and had also used the Herrscher of Reason's abilities to analyze the two gems the other party possessed. Even if the Holy Sword Durandal absorbed these two gems, it would not prevent Freya from returning to the main world to study the power of the Holy Sword Durandal.

Of course, before she leaves, she will definitely use the power of the Herrscher of Reason to analyze the Holy Sword Durandal.

Freya wanted to leave as soon as possible for many reasons. Part of the reason was that she had been away from the main world for too long. She was worried that Theresa would not be able to keep things under control, and she was also worried that Welt and Tesla would lower their guard against the World Serpent Organization.

There's no way around it, I'm destined to be a workaholic.

Freya had longed for a carefree life of eating, drinking, and having fun, but reality kept her too busy to stay idle.

Although she enjoyed playing with Shigure Kira and it was a rare vacation for her, Freya knew her responsibilities and what the position she was in meant.

At first, Freya was able to enjoy it without feeling guilty, but the longer she stayed in this world, the more worried she became about the situation in the main world.

On the other hand, before Bianca and the others arrived in the Inca Republic, Freya could only eat, drink, and have fun every day.

"... Sister Kira, how about we go see an opera tomorrow?"

With that in mind, Freya extended an invitation to her favorite idol.

Shigure Kira, who had been invited, was preparing dinner and was naturally slightly taken aback.

"Are you going to the opera tomorrow, Little Freya? I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, it's just that you haven't seemed to be doing anything productive lately..."

Shigure Kira really wanted to ask Freya, "What happened to solving the energy barrier problem? Why are you just eating, drinking, and having fun every day?"

Shigure Kira wanted to say that her private savings were almost gone.

Fortunately, Freya had gotten a lot of money from unscrupulous merchants beforehand; otherwise, how could an idol who regularly does charity work have afforded to support this pampered Saintess?

Roman Holiday -like love stories are romantic, but in reality, how could a junior reporter and a princess actually end up together?

Should we expect young reporters to raise someone's princess with love?

Shigure Kira's gaze was somewhat piercing, but of course, her main purpose was to ask Freya how to resolve the crisis in this world.

Freya naturally understood the meaning behind Shigure Kira's words, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up as she spoke.

"Sister Kira, I haven't forgotten what I promised you, so don't worry..."

"That's not what I meant... sigh, but I still care... about how that matter is going." Shigure Kira sighed.

Ultimately, Shigure Kira, who has long been a part of this world, cannot ignore the crisis facing the world.

Although she acted as if she didn't care because of Freya, in reality, Shigure Kira was not as calm as she thought.

Seeing this, Freya comforted her:

"Sister Kira, as I said before, I entrusted this matter to suitable candidates. They are currently heading towards the Inca Republic, so please rest assured."

"That's true, but is it really okay? That's... an energy barrier set up by Emperor Napoleon, which no one has been able to break through for nearly a hundred years... If this continues, that energy barrier will devour the world."

Shigure Kira's unease was now evident on her face.

Freya sighed inwardly, realizing she had underestimated Shigure Kira's unease.

She considered her own situation and realized that she hadn't really thought from the other person's perspective. The other person had lived in this world for twelve years... Although she still looked very young, the time she had spent in this world was almost the same as the time she had spent in the main world.

Even counting from the Shigure Kira lived in the two worlds for only about three or four years.

For Shigure Kira, after being defeated in the Second Eruption War, she woke up to find herself in another world, unable to find her familiar companions...

What followed was pain and the blow of defeat.

Then, it was in this world that the wounds in my heart were healed.

Freya subconsciously rubbed her head. Although it was partly because she didn't deliberately use the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness to read the other person's memories and emotions, Freya also realized that she did pay too little attention to her favorite idol.

Or perhaps, they only focused on the aspects they wanted to focus on.

"I'm sorry, Sister Kira, I neglected your feelings... Well, there are some things I should tell you."

Freya briefly explained the power of the Holy Sword Durandal and stated that her family's 'hero' could use the holy sword to cut through the Asgard Wall surrounding Europe.

Of course, even if this plan fails, Freya still has the Honkai Energy as a trump card.

Freya patiently explained, gradually easing Shigure Kira's unease.

"... That's it."

Freya, whose mouth was getting dry from talking, quickly drank a few glasses of water, while Shigure Kira, who had been listening to Freya's story, didn't let her dinner burn.

After explaining how she would handle the world crisis, Shigure Kira breathed a sigh of relief, then took out her gem with some reluctance. However, the reluctance in her eyes only lasted a few seconds before she spoke firmly.

"In that case, once your people arrive in the Republic, I will give them this gem..." At this point, Shigure Kira clearly gave up her idol career.

She knew very well that the reason she had gotten rid of her tone-deafness was entirely due to the unique golden gem she possessed— the Love Gem.

Although its attribute corresponds to universal love, it also has the alias 'Freedom Crystal'.

It is one of the seven basic control units possessed by the Holy Sword Durandal.

Giving up the Freedom Crystal means turning yourself back into a tone-deaf loser, abandoning your dreams and the career that has finally started to take off.

"Forget it, in the end... I also became an idol by cheating. Even if I lose everything now, I will just become the same as before."

Shigure Kira was indeed reluctant, but when she weighed her dreams and career against the world, she naturally chose the world.

"It seems that the sense of mission of Valkyrie still lingers in my bones..."

Shigure Kira's smile was somewhat bitter.

Unlike the joyful experience of becoming an idol in this world, Shigure Kira doesn't have many fond memories of her time as Valkyrie at the Schicksal Headquarters.

Although becoming an idol is a difficult path, Shigure Kira finds joy in it.

"It seems that Bishop Otto's brainwashing education is still more powerful," Shigure Kira said self-deprecatingly.

Even knowing that Shigure Kira said that on purpose, the real reason she chose to hand over the gem was simply because of her feelings for this world.

And what she said was that "the sense of mission of Valkyrie still remains in her bones."

Freya looked calmly at Shigure Kira and realized that she seemed to have really become a fan of this idol.

Not only because of her appearance and singing voice, but also because she is a Valkyrie.

"The reason why that bastard bishop's brainwashing education was successful is ultimately because you were really fighting to protect the world... Sister Kira, thank you for the sacrifices you made for us. Without your efforts, the main world would probably have been destroyed long ago."

Freya seemed to understand why the Schicksal had been so strong before.

Although a certain scoundrel bishop did exploit the Valkyrie's desires and hatred, even treating Valkyrie as expendable resources, the original world truly could not exist without the Valkyrie's struggles.

Or rather, it is because of the successive sacrifices of our predecessors that we have this best era for the Valkyrie.

"So...it would be too cruel and inhumane to continue making Sister Kira sacrifice herself," Freya said.

Shigure Kira shook her head and said, "It's alright. Anyway... when your people arrive in the Inca Republic, they will all need to hand over this Gem of Love in order to awaken the power of the Holy Sword."

"Sister Kira... listen to me first, you don't necessarily need to give up your career..."

Freya was about to explain that she had already used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to analyze the properties of Freedom Crystal, and that as long as she returned to the main world, she could conduct related research and even mass-produce Freedom Crystal.

"It's okay, at worst I'll retire... or go join Little Freya."

Shigure Kira plated the dishes she had just cooked and placed them on the table, she said in a tone that said, "I don't care anymore."

It's clear that they want to hide the sacrifices they made for this.

However, Freya's relaxed tone did not make her forget her sacrifice. Instead, it made Freya want to bring this 'good woman' home at all costs.

Of course, Freya didn't want Shigure Kira to make any sacrifices. Although she needed a reason to take her away from this world, she wouldn't take advantage of the current situation.

She would rather knock Shigure Kira unconscious and forcibly take her away than take advantage of Shigure Kira's vulnerability when she had given up her career and dreams.

"Sister Kira, let me finish. Although you will be lending out the Freedom Crystal later, of course, the Freedom Crystal may not be able to be retrieved after it is lent out, but... I have previously used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to analyze the characteristics of the Freedom Crystal, and there is a high possibility that it can be recreated in the main world... or even mass-produced."

"???"

Upon hearing Freya's words, Shigure Kira first looked puzzled, and then suddenly stopped serving the dishes.

Immediately afterward, she came to her senses and tossed the bowl of stewed potatoes and meat high into the air.

"Really!!!"

"..."

Looking at the stewed potatoes flying towards her, Freya pursed her lips, her face full of helplessness. Then, she could only use the power of the Herrscher of Ice to freeze all the spilled stewed potatoes in mid-air.

"Sister Kira, I'll have to trouble you to reheat it."

"Wait a minute, Little Freya, is what you just said true?"

Shigure Kira completely ignored the ice sculpture on the dining table and instead asked Freya an emotional question.

Freya nodded and said, "It's true. In the main world with its well-equipped facilities, there's a high probability that Freedom Crystal can be mass-produced."

... And that was the end of it. Shigure Kira locked herself in her room, blushing all night, leaving Freya alone in the living room, completely bewildered, all night as well.

Okay, so it's just about heating the stove yourself and sleeping in the living room!

374. The hard times are finally coming to an end.

Freya only felt that the night was empty, lonely and cold.

Sigh, I feel so empty, lonely, and cold...

Although my idol is slim and slender with little flesh, she has curves in all the right places and a great feel when I hug her.

Without this 'soft cushion', Freya couldn't sleep on the sofa.

Of course, the best 'pillow' belongs to her adjutant.

It's exceptionally large in the right places and exceptionally perky in the right places, with a very soft and fluffy feel. It's incredibly comforting to hold and sleep with it.

"... It's been so long since I've seen Rita. Although the soft body pillow is nice, I still prefer my own plush body pillow," Freya said with a smile.

She didn't know if this counted as her being a "familiar pillow".

Thinking of this, Freya couldn't help but laugh again, feeling that she had a lot of little ailments all over her body.

Freya shook her head, trying to shake off the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

Freya couldn't control her thoughts as she thought about Rita's imminent arrival in the Inca Republic.

From childhood to adulthood, or rather... ever since Laguna recommended Rita to Schicksal Headquarters a few years ago, Rita has always been by his side.

Even if we are separated for a few days, it will not exceed two or three days.

But this time, due to a small accident, she was separated from Rita for half a month.