Chapter 242 - Freya's Charm.

Syr kept staring at me.

She was looking at me like I was a small animal and she was a great lion. I felt extremely uncomfortable.

“Ah, of course,” I said, trying to act normal.

I took the paper from her hand and gave her my autograph. After putting away the signed paper, she pulled out another sheet to write down our order. She kept a friendly smile on her face.

We placed our order, and as Syr walked away, Ais asked, “You seem nervous. What happened? Didn’t expect one of the waitresses to be a fan of yours?” She laughed.

I smiled and replied, “Yeah…”

Even though I tried to act normal, I couldn’t.

‘That’s Freya. I’m sure of it. For some reason, she knew I’d be here today. I need to act natural. If she tries something, I’ll deal with it then.’

“You seem tense.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking about the release of my new series.”

“Wait, you're already releasing the first book of that little story I read?” Ais’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t think you’d finish the book so fast! That’s a surprise! Can you tell me a bit about the story?”

She started asking a bunch of questions.

I explained how I had expanded the world a lot and changed a few things in the story, but I refused to give her any spoilers. Then, our food finally arrived.

I ordered a meat-heavy dish, just like Ais.

Unlike Ais, who got a glass of juice, I ordered a huge mug of beer. I don’t get drunk easily, so it’s fine.

Syr was the one who brought us our food.

As she set everything on the table, her eyes were fixed on me.

Her lips were curved into a friendly, yet somehow sinister smile. I can’t quite explain it.

Then her lips moved.

No sound came out, but I understood what she said.

“Meet me.”

That’s what she mouthed.

I looked over at Ais—she didn’t notice anything strange. ‘That’s surprising.’ I’m certain that’s Freya, so I thought Ais would pick up that something was off. But she didn’t notice a thing.

As soon as “Syr” walked away from our table, she went to a corner of the restaurant and just stood there. Our eyes met again, and her smile widened. I cleared my throat and pretended she wasn’t there.

“You’re acting strange again.”

“Sorry.”

“Thinking about what to write?”

“Yes, exactly. I’m having a hard time continuing the Re:Zero story.”

“What kind of trouble? Writer’s block?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Of course, that’s a lie.

But it helped spark a long conversation between Ais and me.

Thankfully, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

####

Two hours passed, and dinner came to an end. I mostly talked to Ais about Re:Zero and my new book, but we also talked a bit about the dungeon and decided to explore it together again.

This time, Ais said she would try to bring Bete along too.

I don’t particularly care for his presence while dungeon crawling, but… they’re friends.

Then we stepped outside the restaurant.

We chatted a bit more, and before leaving, she said, “I’ll get in touch in the next few days.”

“Alright. I’ll be available for the next two weeks.”

I have a lot of work to do, but that’s fine.

Ais walked away and disappeared after turning down a street.

Then, with a serious expression, I went back inside the restaurant. As I reentered, people looked at me, puzzled. ‘Why is he back?’ That’s probably what everyone was thinking.

I looked around for Syr.

She told me to meet her, right?

I focused as much as I could and tried to sense her presence. Then I felt it. ‘Above.’

I looked up at the ceiling.

People around me seemed startled. They probably thought I’d gone mad.

So, I stepped outside again and used my teleportation skill to warp to the rooftop. It was a tall, two-story building.

Her presence was at the top.

Once I reached the roof, I grabbed the edge and pulled myself up.

Then I walked toward her.

“What do you want?”

“Straight to the point.”

“I know who you are. Just tell me what you want,” I said, not caring that she was a dangerous goddess like Freya.

Freya turned and looked at me. As she stared into my eyes, she said, “You’re amazing.”

Hearing those words made me incredibly uncomfortable.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. I just mean you’re amazing. Everything about you is impressive—your looks, your strength, your talent…”

“Don’t sa—”

“And your capacity to impregnate a goddess.”

When I heard those last words, my heart stopped for a moment.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“I know what happened between you and Hestia. I was surprised when I found out. How were you able to impregnate a goddess? What exactly are you? And besides, you…”

Knowing Freya’s abilities, I’m sure she’s seeing something different in me. Is my soul different? What’s unique about me? I felt like asking.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot or something? What are you planning to do with that information?”

“Don’t worry. No other goddess knows this—only me.”

“Are you going to use this to blackmail me?”

“Why would I do that?”

Freya stepped closer, smiling, and looked into my eyes. As I stared into hers, I started to feel something strange.

[ Freya used the skill “Charm” ]

[ You are being affected by Freya’s charm ]

Instantly, I started to feel drawn to her.

It felt like I had no choice but to obey anything she asked.

“Tell me everything. Who are you? Where did you come from? How are you able to impregnate a goddess?”

She began asking compromising questions about me.

Damn it.