BAM!
"Are you mocking me right now?!"
"I told you already, you need to trust me."
After barely managing to calm down Princess of Thorns, Freya, after infuriating her just moments before, I had started explaining the first and most important thing she needed to know about the pendant. Namely, its location.
And just like that, she lost it again.
Yup, square one. Nice to see you again.
No, seriously, where did that cold, composed Freya go? The same woman who used to annoy the hell out of me every time I read a chapter she appeared in? Back then, she was like an emotionless block of ice. No weaknesses, no slip-ups.
But now? She looked more like an out-of-control wildfire threatening to burn everything around her to the ground.
"What do you mean it's in the hands of the royal family?!"
" Exactly what I said. I mean, come on, did you really think an item with powers like that would end up anywhere but with them?" I found myself scolding her lack of foresight, only to be met with a glare that could incinerate a mountain.
Right. I forgot my place.
I quickly looked away.
Gods, what am I doing? Have I lost my mind?!
Is this that thing they call the arrogance of knowledge?
Seriously, I just scolded Freya Heavens, that Freya, just because I happened to know something she didn't.
I really need to learn how to keep my mouth in check. For my own safety, if nothing else.
But despite the terrifying storm of her emotions, I suddenly felt her aura settle. Cautiously, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, just in time to see her take a deep breath... then gently shake her head before fixing her gaze back on me.
"…So, why exactly do you believe the pendant is with the royal family?" she asked, in her usual calm, almost disinterested tone, like she hadn't just exploded moments ago.
That kind of self-control... That sharp shift back to composure... it stunned me.
This, this right here was the real Freya. The one who truly deserved to be called composed.
No, scratch that. Freya was the embodiment of composure and grace. Her emotional outbursts were the only cracks in an otherwise perfect image.
And as long as she wasn't focused on torturing me, those cracks would stay hidden, and she'd go on being everyone's ideal.
Seriously, what am I even doing now, singing praises in my head? Am I getting charmed again? Damn.
Anyway, I pushed those thoughts aside and organized my explanation.
"Aurora's Pendant isn't just some trinket that can fall into anyone's hands. Sure, there are other tools and weapons that might be on its level, but the royal family, no, the king himself, has his eyes set on that pendant."
"The king's... goal?" Freya repeated.
Yes. The king of this vast kingdom.
A man who desired something beyond everything he already had.
In this massive world, there's magic, and a system behind that magic.
Naturally, there are magical tools and weapons.
Weapons are mostly made for battle. Tools, on the other hand, are more… domestic. Everyday conveniences, ranging from common trinkets to rare relics.
Take electricity, for example. Not that it exists here.
Instead, the streets are lit at night by lamp posts fueled with fire-elemental magic.
That's a basic magical tool for daily use.
But then you have magical tools that are basically weapons in disguise, and Aurora's Pendant is one of them.
In the original timeline of the story, Freya would eventually discover that the pendant was in the royal family's possession. That revelation would drive her to search for a way to take control of the family, and more importantly, the king.
Which, incidentally, would also give the now-freed protagonist the perfect chance to meet one of the royal princesses. She'd fall for him, just like he would for her, and eventually steal the pendant for him after learning of his plans to enter a certain dungeon that housed a weapon capable of turning the tides.
Freya, of course, would find out about it.
And this time, she wouldn't be attacking the hero out of annoyance, but with deadly intent. She'd trap him inside the monster-infested cave… which, in a poetic twist, would lead to the pendant's destruction, along with the entire dungeon, thanks to the new weapon he acquired.
But the part that truly matters in this whole tragic mess that spirals into everyone suffering, and Freya eventually traumatizing the hero by showing him a twisted reenactment of his mother's rape, right in front of his royal-blooded lover (don't ask how), the real point of focus was the king.
Freya, not having the influence or authority to probe deep into the royal family's secrets, still knew one thing.
Something every noble in the kingdom knew.
"The king…" Freya murmured, tapping her lips with a single finger in a way that was… distractingly provocative. "It can't be..."
"it is." I cut her off before she could reject the same conclusion she came to in the original story.
I needed her on track. No matter what.
Honestly, this woman's mind didn't evolve, it didn't need to. Not because she lacked intelligence, but because she was already at a level of perfection.
Information or not, I'm certain she'd always reach the answer, just toss her a thread to pull on.
That's what made up the mind and soul of Freya Heavens.
Unable to help myself, I chuckled softly and continued.
"In the end... there's not much difference between resurrection and immortality, aside from how long you stick around. No matter how you look at it, life and death are a package deal, they come together."
And if a king obsessed with eternal life wanted to uncover that secret? He'd first need to figure out how to stop his soul from vanishing, and then bring it back.
Yeah. Life and death are two sides of the same coin.
There's no life without death, and you won't die unless you've lived first.
It's a simple truth. One everyone understands.
You can't go around death.
But.
You can go through it.
"Death… Resurrection… Immortality…" Freya muttered, lost in thought. She was reaching the conclusion I only knew from reading.
Of course she did. She was leagues above me in magical theory, after all. But even so... I saw her sigh and smirk,a crooked, dangerous smirk.
"That lunatic… he's planning to unlock resurrection, so his soul comes back every time he dies…"
"Bingo."
Ignoring her casual insult toward the king, an insult that would probably get her executed if anyone else heard, I nodded.
That was the king's plan.
Can't escape death? Fine.
He'd just die. Then come back.
Simple, right?
Of course, saying it was miles easier than doing it. In the original timeline, even though he'd already had the pendant for over two years by the time the hero met the princess, hell, even before the story began, he still hadn't cracked the secret to infinite resurrection.
"So, are you convinced now?" I asked her, full of confidence.
I hadn't received any magical training yet. I was supposed to be enrolled in the magic academy at sixteen, but the protagonist had chosen the path of the sword and trained his body until he was nineteen, right before his mother's incident changed everything.
Which meant, as far as Freya knew, there was no way I could know any of this stuff.
No way I should know anything about the pendant, or resurrection, or anything else tied to this whole conspiracy.
Unless…
Someone told me.
I had a source.
Call it an informant.
A whisper in the wind.
Whatever you like, Freya, but you'll never figure out how I know all this.
For just a second, a smug little grin spread across my face,but I wiped it away quickly, waiting for Freya's reply.
And eventually, she spoke.
"I'll believe you for now. But even if the pendant really is in the hands of the royal family, that doesn't change the fact that it's completely out of my reach. And even more absurd... the idea that you of all people might end up holding it one day. Like a fantasy."
I wonder what she'd say if she found out she herself was just a fictional character,created by some sadistic author trying to manifest his broken fantasies into the body of a beautiful woman.
Even with all the bold things I've said and done to her… I could never say that.
Still, her admitting the pendant was beyond her reach? That was a huge relief.
"For now, yes. You can't get your hands on it, and you don't have the influence for that," I emphasized, hoping she'd think logically, not emotionally.
"No matter how powerful the three noble families are, unless they go all-out with brute force, even if they team up, they still wouldn't be able to get that pendant out of the royal vault." I paused. "But… if we're talking about the possibility of a way? Then yes. There is one."
"You're saying.. something's going to happen?"
"No, no." I shook my head. "We are going to make something happen."
"We...?"
That's right.
Oh, come on, Freya. Don't tell me you're still trying to squeeze all the useful info out of me and toss me aside? You know I won't let that happen, right? Isn't it obvious we need to work together here?
"…."
Dear gods, she's actually waiting for me to keep talking!
Unbelievable. This woman just doesn't know when to give up.
Faced with her unyielding silence, I couldn't help but laugh, this time, out loud.
Then finally, I stood up from my cross-legged position on the ground, and straightened up to face Freya, who had been silently watching me for a while now.
"Well then," I said, brushing my hands together with a casual air. "Now that you're standing on the same ground as I am...allow me to make you an offer."
Carefully, picking each word like it was a precious gem, I began laying it all out, only the words I needed. Just enough to let her feel that I was still one step ahead. Just enough to remind her that I had something she desperately wanted.
"With this information alone, you could get your hands on the pendant eventually. But with my help…" I paused for effect, "you could gain the strength and influence to claim it from the royal family yourself, in just six months."
Building fame and power...even for someone like Freya, that wasn't easy.
Her methods were always long-term. Meticulous, strategic, designed to hit multiple birds with one arrow. And no one understood better than her how slow her steps could be sometimes.
So I weaponized her own ambition, her hunger for the pendant, and paired it with her razor-sharp mind.
Without saying it directly, I acknowledged that she would eventually get the pendant. Maybe in ten… twenty years? Who knew what the world would look like by then? That I understood how far her mind reached.
And if I admitted that much, then surely she'd believe I understood her thoughts now, though I most definitely didn't.
But at the same time, I dangled the truth in front of her, that I could guarantee her the pendant in a fraction of the time.
Six months. A blink compared to the years she'd spend gathering power.
Then, just as she seemed ready to speak, ready to bite and respond, I raised a single finger.
To silence her.
Oh, I could see it in her eyes. The murderous intent. The fire. You're burning up inside, aren't you, Freya?
I'm sorry, but you're going to have to endure just a little longer before you get your hands on this man.
"And in return…" I said, my tone cool, firm.
Of course there was a price.
What? Did she think I'd spill the secrets of the century, solve the mystery that haunted her for years, and then just walk away without asking for anything?
As if.
I hadn't forgotten the sorry state I was in. It was only natural to want something in return. Honestly, I should be asking for two things, not just one.
One for helping her.
And one for putting up with everything I went through today, because of her, and that damned servant of hers.
"You really are enjoying yourself, aren't you?" she said suddenly, almost as if she'd read my mind.
Her unexpected smile caught me off guard, but I couldn't help smiling back. Then, I gave her my answer.
"In return... I want you to kill me."