Inner Voice: All Heroines Hear My Inner Voice Chapter 963: Confrontation with Freya

Time continued to flow onward.

Eiji and Hestia’s date had extended until dusk was nearly upon them. All the while, Freya and Hedin maintained their secret surveillance of the pair.

Hestia remained oblivious to their presence.

Eiji, playing along as if unaware, had no immediate plans to confront the two followers.

"Eiji, thank you for today! See you again~!” Hestia bid farewell at an intersection leading towards her familia’s residence.

It was a spot on West Main Street.

“Are you certain you don’t require an escort home?” Eiji inquired, embodying the role of a solicitous boyfriend.

“Eh? No, I can make my way back alone. My familia’s home isn’t far. You should also head back before it gets too dark,” Hestia replied with a touch of urgency, as if concerned for the safety of someone as comely as Eiji traversing the streets after nightfall.

Eiji fell silent.

Such a naive woman.

Who exactly was in need of concern?

Nevertheless, he offered a smile and said, “Indeed, be careful on your journey home, Hestia.”

“Un! You as well, Eiji!”

Hestia beamed, waving goodbye as she turned and proceeded toward her familia’s quarters. Her hands clasped a plastic bag brimming with Jagamarukun, other assorted snacks, and the charming dresses Eiji had purchased for her.

Eiji’s gaze lingered on Hestia’s retreating, curvaceous form. The smile then dissolved from his own countenance. He ventured off in the opposite direction, his intentions not to return home directly.

The countless lights of the city structures flickered to life, casting a glow upon the increasingly deserted streets. To aid Hestia Familia in their confrontation with Apollo Familia, numerous solutions presented themselves, any of which he could execute in mere moments.

For instance, the termination of Apollo and the subsequent annihilation of his familia. Would that not resolve the predicament entirely?

However, Eiji found such a course of action distasteful, deeming it a betrayal of the protagonist’s intended sacrifice!

He was far too compassionate to inflict such a fate upon Bell!

Furthermore, he had already communicated his intentions to Hestia regarding his assistance. With less than three days remaining until the commencement of the War Game, it was imperative that the event proceed.

While the War Game would still occur, Hestia’s familia need not fear defeat.

Still, Eiji withheld the information that upon their victory, Bell would likely remain entangled with Apollo. After all, their destinies were intertwined—a connection he had subtly manipulated.

[Do you truly believe you are not sufficiently cruel to the protagonists of this realm, host?]

“My feelings align with that assessment, Miss System,” Eiji responded.

A sigh escaped Eiji. Some might surmise he harbored genuine sympathy for Bell.

Yet, Miss System was acutely aware of the contrary reality. Her host was remarkably wicked—a veritable apex predator among beasts.

“Miss System, is it merely my perception, or do you harbor rather impolite thoughts concerning me?”

[It is merely your perception, host.]

Eiji found this assertion difficult to accept. With his current capabilities, his sixth sense had evolved to transcend the very fabric of space and time.

But, ultimately, it mattered little.

His pace was unhurried, almost leisurely, as if he were sauntering through Orario, absorbing the sights.

His true objective, however, was to draw someone out.

“Eiji, do wait a moment!” A voice, melodious and pleasing, echoed from behind him.

Eiji turned to find Freya, still concealed beneath a cloak and hood. Despite her disguise, the sheer aura of allure she radiated was potent enough to immediately capture the attention of passersby, marking her as an exceptionally beautiful woman.

Truly befitting the Goddess of Beauty.

Nevertheless, Eiji’s expression remained unchanged as he regarded her with an air of detachment.

“Freya, your appearance is precisely as anticipated. I had considered seeking a more secluded locale, but it appears that is no longer necessary.”

“No, let us proceed to a more private setting! Follow me!”

Freya displayed no surprise at Eiji’s apparent awareness of her pursuit. Instead, a flicker of annoyance crossed her features; he had deliberately allowed her to witness his date with Hestia!

And now, he met her gaze with such disinterest.

Humph! Just wait a little longer, and I shall undoubtedly elicit a lecherous expression from you, captivating your infatuated gaze.

With bold assurance, Freya grasped Eiji’s hand, guiding him in a specific direction. Eiji offered no resistance, intrigued by her impending actions.

Activating his god-tier acting prowess!

From this moment forth, he was a man impervious to the allure of beauty.

He was a Shounen protagonist!

[Are Shounen protagonists, by definition, not drawn to attractive individuals? Your understanding appears flawed, host.]

“……” Eiji.

He chose not to engage in further debate, and to his slight astonishment, Freya did not lead him into a secluded alley or a private room.

Instead, she directed him toward a place known as the Adventurers’ Graveyard.

As befitting its name, the location was profoundly silent.

“What are your thoughts on this place? It is remarkably tranquil, possessing a rather romantic ambiance for the two of us,” Freya proposed, halting their advance after they had ventured deep into the graveyard’s expanse.

Her hand still clasped his, and with a slight tightening of her grip, she removed her hood.

Bathed in the nascent glow of the moon, her exquisite features, capable of ensnaring the hearts of mortals and gods alike, were now fully revealed.

Her silver hair possessed an undeniable beauty, and her current smile radiated the allure of a delicate, ailing woman.

A yandere!

The way she gazed at the man before her seemed to carry an almost predatory intensity, as if she wished to consume him whole.

Eiji let out a soft chuckle, yet offered no overt reaction to Freya's expectations. He spoke calmly, "This is a graveyard, correct? You certainly have peculiar tastes, Freya. Do you frequently bring other men here for amusement?"

"What? No! This is the very first time I've brought a man here, and only because of the circumstances! If you desire, we could proceed to a nearby hotel instead."

Freya advanced, pressing her chest against Eiji's. As she spoke, she deliberately exhaled her warm, fragrant breath towards his face.

Eiji blinked, a look of clear disgust crossing his features as he gently pushed Freya away.

Freya recoiled, visibly shocked. Like a yandere whose affections were spurned by her beloved, the light in her eyes flickered and dimmed, her smile twisting into something unnervingly sinister.

Run! Hurry and escape, host!

Miss System chimed in, her voice tinged with playful urgency.

Leme, meanwhile, observed the scene with amusement while casually devouring a slice of pizza.

Eiji could only sigh internally, a common reaction for him. He managed to suppress a smile, pleased that his efforts to cultivate Freya into a yandere were yielding results.

However, her current level of yandere devotion was still insufficient; it required further refinement.

"Do not underestimate me, Freya. I possess no interest in engaging in such activities with you." His voice was cold, and his expression bore a trace of annoyance.

Leme gasped, then choked on her pizza.

How could she not?

Her King truly knew the art of deception.

"You... You're not interested!? But why? I am undeniably beautiful, far surpassing Hestia and the other goddesses! Yet, why do you treat me this way, Eiji!?" Freya shrieked, her voice laced with madness. She bit her lip, drawing blood.

Before Eiji could formulate a response, she unleashed the pent-up resentment that had festered since their very first encounter.

"Do you comprehend? From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I was utterly captivated and yearned to claim you as my own! Unlike my usual demeanor, I lowered myself and attempted to seduce you."

"Yet, you failed to appreciate my efforts, and instead, you continued to defile yourself with other women who were beneath my standing!"

"You scoundrel! Ever since our intimate encounter when I was in my Syr form, I have not been intimate with any other man. Other men repulse me; their very presence causes me pain... I cannot explain it, but this must be connected to you!"

"Eiji, you are obligated to take responsibility! You must be mine, and mine alone!"

Freya panted, her ample chest heaving with each breath. She wasn't so foolish as to remain oblivious to the fact that her peculiar affliction was intrinsically linked to Eiji.

Whether Eiji had orchestrated this intentionally remained unknown to her. However, as long as he belonged solely to her, she figured she could persuade him to gradually lift her curse.

Naturally, she refrained from voicing this thought at the present moment.

Nevertheless, Eiji perceived her unspoken intentions, and his smile became chillingly cold. "Oh? Syr is you? And it seems you've endured significant hardship these past few days, Freya..."

He feigned ignorance regarding Syr's true identity being Freya.

Eiji's words led Freya to mistakenly believe he was offering her pity. She thought he was finally being swayed by her plight.

"However, your intentions are not entirely sincere."

"What do you mean? I declared my love for you, Eiji!"

Freya faltered for a moment, then shamelessly reiterated her confession of love.

Given her current state of extreme devotion, her declaration of love for Eiji was not a fabrication.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have devolved into the yandere she was now. Yet, her loyalty remained wavering, and she was still unwilling to concede anything to her canine familiars.

Eiji felt a pang of disappointment; he realized the need to escalate the intensity of Freya's training regimen.

"What do I mean?" Eiji shook his head, stepping forward to close the distance between them. He made no move to touch her, merely looking down at her from his superior position.

Freya's heart began to race, a tempest of humiliation, lust, and exhilaration swirling within her.

Gazing upon his handsome visage so close, she longed to kiss him, much like they had during their intimate encounter in her Syr form.

Yet, the piercing intensity of his golden eyes instilled a terrifying feeling within her, paralyzing her under their unwavering scrutiny.

Freya felt a surge of frustration, and what Eiji uttered next shattered her remaining composure.

"What I mean is... Freya, you still harbor desires to share your affections with the dogs you keep within your familia. The fact that you've ceased intimacy with other men subsequent to our encounter has marginally improved my perception of you."

He continued, his voice gaining a sharper edge, "But that's the extent of it. You are still contemplating having me retract the curse (the contract derived from your Voracity) that I have placed upon you at some point in the future. I am disappointed, and frankly, a little saddened, Freya. You do not value my love."

Eiji no longer concealed the fact that he had exerted influence over Freya.

"!?" Freya's eyes widened, her mind utterly blank.

Rather than anger, overwhelming panic and a profound sense of guilt rendered her momentarily speechless.

This was because Eiji had not only articulated his dissatisfaction with her but had also explicitly stated he had cursed her.

Furthermore, he had declared his love for her!

'Eiji loves me?'

For a woman experiencing love, a significant decline in IQ was a common phenomenon, and Freya proved to be no exception.

Joy filled her heart, as Eiji shared her affections. However, his possessiveness exceeded her expectations, even going so far as to curse her, ensuring she could only touch him and no other men.

Freya’s face flushed, believing Eiji’s profound love for her was evident.

While the original Freya was prone to love-struck foolishness, her current state was far beyond that. It was as if her love-dazed nature had been amplified manifold.

After all, the man who had captured her heart in this lifetime was indeed Eiji, whose methods of wooing Freya were undeniably excessive.

The results were so overwhelming that the protagonist, Bell, found himself repeatedly overshadowed by Eiji's romantic exploits.

[Hahaha! Truly, our King is the epitome of a Harem King!]

Leme’s accolades for his king caused Eiji to instinctively touch his nose, resisting an urge to preen.

The System remained utterly speechless.

"Eiji, this… this isn’t what you imagine!" Freya reached out, attempting to touch the man before her.

Eiji, however, swiftly batted her hand away, not with force, but enough to send a sharp pang of hurt through her heart.

Jie jie jie.

"Enough, you still seek to deceive me? You are not worthy to be my woman, Freya," Eiji declared, his performance rivaling that of an Oscar-winning actor, perhaps even a tenfold winner.

In this particular narrative, he embodied the role of a cold, handsome CEO, far too astute to be duped by a manipulative woman.

Miss System: My host certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He must have consumed an excessive amount of 'regret' and 'woman chasing husband' genre dramas.

A most discerning taste!

Eiji: Miss System, do you find yourself enjoying them as well?

Freya grew increasingly desperate, yearning to reason with Eiji, yet struggling to relinquish her ingrained habit of collecting admirers.

It was a pursuit she had indulged in for millennia.

Yet, one might question why she should remain faithful to a single man when Eiji himself maintained a harem.

Was that not a blatant double standard?

Harem Halo: (No comments)

"Ah, I almost forgot," Eiji suddenly remarked, as if struck by a sudden memory. His gaze shifted to Freya, growing noticeably colder.

A sense of unease washed over Freya.

"W-What is it?"

She was certain that aside from Eiji’s accusations, she had committed no other offense against him.

"This is the second time one of your hounds has dared to provoke me. First, a stray cat, and now this bespectacled cuckold." Eiji snapped his fingers, and instantly, an elf with glasses and blonde hair materialized nearby, sprawled not far from them.

However, unlike before, he appeared utterly defeated. Numerous wounds covered his body, blood staining his mage robes. His front teeth were shattered, his glasses broken, and his hair was in disarray.

"Hedin!?" Freya gasped, recognizing the vice-captain of her familia.

She longed to question how he had ended up in such a state and what exactly he had done.

Yet, she stopped herself. She didn't approach him, and indeed, his appearance filled her with intense disgust.

"Freya-sama?" Hedin also seemed surprised, finding himself face-to-face with his goddess. To his dismay, Eiji stood intimately close to her.

His body trembled; though still envious of Eiji, an overwhelming fear of him also gripped him.

How could he not be terrified?

Eiji explained, "He had been tailing you while Hestia and I were together. Do you have any idea what he did afterward?"

His voice turned so frigid that the temperature in the graveyard plummeted dramatically.

Freya swallowed, inwardly cursing Hedin as she nervously inquired, "What did he do to infuriate you so, Eiji?"

Witnessing his goddess humbled before Eiji, and her apparent lack of concern for his plight, Hedin’s heart ached. He wished to confess his misdeeds and implore Eiji not to blame Freya for his actions.

But, an invisible force rendered him utterly speechless at that critical moment.

"He followed Hestia, intending to harm her as a means to inflict a painful lesson upon me."

"It would have been one thing if he had attempted to attack me directly with his meager power, but no… He chose to target my woman."

"Freya… What do you believe I should do with this particular hound of yours?"

Eiji offered a smile, but Freya shuddered, her gaze meeting his. His eyes held no trace of mirth.

...

Returning to the past.

Specifically, to the moment Hedin shadowed Hestia.

Hestia had just entered her familia’s humble abode, an abandoned church.

Upon witnessing a goddess residing in such squalor, Hedin scoffed.

"How can a goddess like her possibly compare to my goddess, Freya-sama? Eiji’s taste is truly deplorable!"

"But that works to my advantage; it will be far easier to capture a goddess from such a minor familia like Hestia’s. I subjected her to torture and recorded the entire ordeal with a magical artifact."

"Then, I shall make you witness it, Eiji!"

Contrary to his appearance, Hedin harbored an obsession with Freya, far more fervent than even Allen's.

With a cold smirk, he pulled down his hood and prepared to use magic to conceal his presence.

However, at that precise instant, the shadows emanating from Hestia Familia’s dwelling stretched outwards, engulfing his own. Hedin froze, an unsettling sensation creeping up his spine from behind.

He turned his head, only to be met with the sight of a colossal ant standing upright. Its obsidian body was adorned with vivid, pulsing purple stripes.

"Wh-Why is a monster appearing here!?"

"Why not? A mere speck of dust dared to harbor wicked intentions towards one of my Lord's women. I was instructed to kill you, but my Lord commanded me instead to break your bones and reduce you to a trembling cur." Beru declared in a chilling tone.

Hedin stood frozen, utterly bewildered. "You... you can speak!?"

Before he could utter another word, his disbelief solidified; he was incapable of defeating the monstrous entity before him.

With a single hand, Beru seized Hedin's face and plunged him into the deep shadows beneath them. Moments later, they materialized within a dense forest, miles away from Orario. There, the ant flung Hedin violently to the ground.

"You...! Where is this place? How dare a lowly monster like you—"

*Bang!*

Beru's fist connected with Hedin's abdomen, sending a Level 6 adventurer flying at speeds that defied sound.

"Aaaaghhh!"

An unbearable agony coursed through Hedin. Several of his ribs snapped, and a crimson spray erupted from his mouth. As he was propelled through the air, his back violently impacted numerous trees. Before he could even cast a spell, the ant reappeared directly in his path, delivering a swift kick.

*Crack!*

A fresh wave of pain made Hedin cry out. Another bone had fractured. Each time Hedin was sent hurtling away, Beru would reappear and strike him before he could recover.

The creature's swiftness surpassed any monster he had ever encountered within the dungeon's depths.

Its sheer power dwarfed even that of a Goliath.

As a mage, Hedin's survival relied on his Level 6 physical prowess, which proved utterly insignificant against this foe.

Observing the scene, one might mistake it for a solitary game of ping pong within the forest, with Hedin serving as the ball and Beru as the player.

"Stop! Please—"

Each plea for mercy was met with another punch or kick, launched at various angles as Hedin was tossed through the air.

"Ahhhh! Ya-Yamete! (Stop!) "

Hedin's agonizing shrieks reverberated through the silent woods. Tears streamed down his face, overwhelmed by the pervasive agony engulfing his entire body.

He found himself wishing for death, yet Beru's sadism prevented it. The monster deliberately held back from delivering a fatal blow, continuing its relentless assault until Eiji teleported him away.

This recounting pertains to a past event.

Returning to the scene at Orario's adventurers' graveyard.

Freya pressed her lip between her teeth and stated, "Much like Allen, you may eliminate him, Eiji."

"Freya-sama, you... you wish for my demise!?" Hedin's complexion had turned deathly pale from substantial blood loss, but the physical torment he endured paled in comparison to his goddess's pronouncement.

To placate Eiji's rage, she seemed indifferent to Hedin's potential death.

Did Freya's affection for him truly vanish? It appeared so!

Though Hedin was prepared to perish for his goddess, he never anticipated she would make no effort to preserve his life.

He had held the conviction that, among the esteemed members of the Freya Familia, his standing in his goddess's heart was surpassed only by Ottar.

However, he was gravely mistaken.

He was merely a jester who had momentarily captured her fleeting interest!