In any case, after promising Amy that she would absolutely stay safe, the two said their goodbyes at the school gates. Freya returned to Euphemia's rented apartment. It was already evening, so Freya and Euphy obviously couldn't set off overnight. They packed the luggage they might need and prepared to leave the next morning.
Early the next morning, Freya woke up before the sun had even risen. After all, this was her first time leaving the city and her first long-distance trip, so she was quite excited.
In the original owner's memory, she seemed to have lived in this city since birth and had never left. For the current Freya, going on a trip was an exciting prospect in its own right.
She eagerly opened her wardrobe and began picking out clothes. Rummaging through, she spotted a pair of black stockings tucked away in the deepest corner. To be honest, she had bought them during her very first shopping trip, but so much time had passed, and she hadn't worn them even once.
Lost in thought, Freya pulled them out. Feeling the smooth, silky texture against her fingertips, she murmured to herself, Maybe I'll try wearing these today...
She remembered briefly trying them on in the shop when she first bought them. However, she had felt too embarrassed to wear them home, so she had taken them off in the shop and changed back into her old, worn-out ordinary clothes.
As for now, she had already run around barefoot in front of everyone as her Life Freya clone. They were just black stockings—could they really be more embarrassing than going barefoot? It was safe to say that her threshold for embarrassment had been thoroughly lowered by Life Freya.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Freya rolled up the stocking slightly, lifted her right foot, and slowly slid her cute little foot inside. With a gentle pull of both hands, she drew the stocking up. Because of the excellent material and her smooth calves, they slid on effortlessly.
A gentle, snug sensation spread from her foot to her ankle, calf, and finally her thigh. When Freya let go, the stocking snapped softly into place at the top of her thigh. Since she was very slender and had very slim legs, the stockings didn't pinch her skin at all.
After putting them on, Freya lifted her leg and wiggled her toes inside the black stocking. She murmured softly, “These actually feel quite comfortable.”
She repeated the process with the other stocking, paired them with a light-colored top and a dark pleated skirt, and pushed open her bedroom door.
Euphemia had just gotten out of bed, her hair a messy, bedhead crown. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning, clearly not fully awake as she stumbled toward the bathroom.
Then, she spotted Freya walking out. Euphemia froze instantly, her eyes drawn uncontrollably to Freya's slender legs clad in black stockings.
When someone saw a completely unfamiliar, strange woman on the street, what did they look at first?
Some might answer, “The face, of course.” But in reality, the vast majority of people's first reaction was to look at the figure—the chest, the legs. The face actually wasn't the highest priority.
Euphemia rubbed her eyes and opened them again, scanning Freya from head to toe. In an instant, she was wide awake.
As for Freya, seeing the utter shock written all over Euphemia's face, she couldn't help but look a bit self-conscious. She instinctively pressed her legs together, rubbing them slightly.
“Um... does it not look good?”
“No!” Euphemia took a deep breath and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up without hesitation. “It looks amazing! You absolutely must wear this more often from now on!”
Then, as she spoke, Euphemia tilted her head back slightly and bolted straight for the bathroom, leaving a thoroughly confused Freya behind. “If it looks good, why are you running so fast?”
Euphemia's muffled voice echoed from the bathroom. “Uh... my stomach hurts! It's an emergency, so of course I have to run!”
“Is that so?” Freya didn't think much of it. But inside the bathroom, Euphemia wiped her nose. Naturally, there was nothing. That was close. I thought I was getting a nosebleed...
In truth, aside from looking good, Euphemia felt Freya's current outfit was... a little suggestive. But since Freya was the epitome of innocence, the intense contrast gave off a strong urge to pin her down and tease her.
At that point, Freya would surely cry out in protest, her body struggling wildly, her black-stockinged feet kicking around. But because of her petite frame and weak strength, her struggles would be entirely futile. Thinking about it made it seem even more alluring.
Euphemia splashed cold water on her face to calm herself down. Well, to share a little secret buried deep in her heart: she was a massive sucker for good looks, and she actually preferred girls over boys.
Especially sweet-smelling, soft, and cute girls. That was another reason why Euphemia had struck up a conversation with Freya when they first met—Freya was entirely her type.
But another problem followed: Euphemia wasn't sure of Freya's feelings. Even in Freya's previous world, same-sex relationships were relatively niche, let alone in this rather backward world.
So Euphemia was terrified. If she confessed to Freya, and it turned out Freya was just a straight girl, she would surely hate, distance herself from, and guard against her.
Nursing her conflicted feelings, Euphemia quickly finished washing up. After calming her racing heart, she slowly pushed open the door. Peeking out like a guilty thief, she looked left and right. Hearing noises from the kitchen, it seemed Freya was preparing breakfast.
Euphemia dashed back to her room to change. By the time she came out again, Freya had already prepared breakfast: a fried egg, a sausage, and a slice of toast.
During breakfast, Euphemia finally couldn't hold back anymore. “By the way, since everyone at school is around the same age, is it easy for sparks to fly? Are there a lot of couples?”
Freya thought about it. “It seems so. In my class alone, there are at least three couples that I know of.”
Euphemia said, “A pity. All the knowledge I learned as a child was taught by private tutors hired by my family. I never actually went to school, so I've never experienced school life.”
Then, she suddenly shifted the topic. “By the way, Fufu, since you've been in school for so long, is there anyone you like in your class?”
In response, Freya took a bite of her toast. Without even looking up, she said decisively, “Of course not. Let alone someone I like, there's actually only one person in the class I even talk to.”
Euphemia looked surprised. “Eh? Really? I thought you'd be the type of little ray of sunshine who gets along with everyone, Fufu.”
That was only because the original owner had been too poor. Just working and studying took up almost all her time, leaving absolutely no room for socializing. For the current Freya, first of all, the class had already formed tight-knit social circles over the past two years, making it hard to join halfway through. Secondly, she had no interest in joining those cliques anyway.
Euphemia prodded further. “Then... what kind of boys do you like, Fufu?”
Freya still didn't notice anything amiss, treating it as normal girl talk. After all, Amy had chatted about similar topics with her before. She replied casually, “I don't know.”
Just then, a popular meme from her previous life flashed through Freya's mind. She said, “Actually, compared to boys, I like you much more~ Euphy~”
“Ah... ah?” Hearing this, Euphemia froze, her cheeks turning red at a visible rate.
However, Freya continued, “So, please be my best friend for life~!”
Euphemia was completely dumbfounded. It took a long while before a question mark practically formed on her forehead. “Huh?”
But Freya didn't see anything wrong with what she said. “After all, you're my best friend now, Euphy. You trust me unconditionally and have helped me so much, so of course I super like you~”
Euphemia's feelings were incredibly complicated. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad. She was happy that Freya expressed her affection so directly, but sad because this wasn't the kind of 'like' she wanted!
Looking into Freya's pure, innocent eyes, Euphemia could tell that the other girl didn't have a single strange thought. She truly meant it from the bottom of her heart.
Overall, though, the outcome was still within Euphemia's acceptable range. Fufu didn't like any boys, and she had a high level of affection for her. There was plenty of time in the future. If she took things slow, maybe she could succeed!
After breakfast, Freya and Euphemia each carried a bulging backpack, hailed a carriage, and headed toward the southern part of the city.
Auxerre was a coastal city. The two planned to leave by boat, heading to a place called 【Yuint City】. This city was located at the westernmost edge of the Kingdom of Tarapaca and served as a border city.
Using the border city as a springboard, they would then travel further west to the 【Fanipaca Empire】. As the name suggested, the 【Fanipaca Empire】 was very similar to the 【Kingdom of Tarapaca】. In fact, the early rulers of these two nations were said to have been brothers.
But that was a long time ago. Hundreds of years had passed, and the two nations had long gone their separate ways, even clashing in several wars during that time.
Nowadays, the 【Fanipaca Empire】 was growing stronger by the day, while the 【Kingdom of Tarapaca】 grew weaker. When introducing this history, Euphemia remarked, “Perhaps before long, the Empire might suddenly wage war on the Kingdom.”
After all, legally speaking, the Empire had a legitimate claim to the Kingdom's lands.
Freya didn't care about any of this. She was just an ordinary citizen. What did the survival of the 【Kingdom of Tarapaca】 have to do with her?
After introducing the basic situation of the Empire, Euphemia added, “Within the Empire, there is a very famous non-governmental organization called the 【Mind Research Association】. If you have things you can't figure out, mental struggles, or psychological issues, you can go to them for help. They will resolve them for you, though they do charge a fee.”
“Simply put, it's an organization made up of psychiatrists, and the vast majority of them are extraordinaries of the Mind Pathway. If you want to embark on the Mind Pathway, finding them is probably your quickest option.”
Freya murmured, “A non-governmental organization? Then what is the Empire's official pathway?”
Euphemia answered instantly, “It's the Moon Pathway, or you can call it the Night Pathway. The Empire is a theocracy where the King is also the Pope. The lord of every city is also an Archbishop of the Church, and even government officials are devout believers.”
As they spoke, their carriage passed through Sanheng Street. Freya poked her head out to look, catching sight of the old, blue warehouse, which left her feeling a bit sentimental.
A moment later, they arrived at the southern docks. A massive ironclad ship was moored there, surrounded by a dense, bustling crowd. The scene was quite packed.
Euphemia took Freya's hand. “Let's go. It's almost boarding time.”
It was worth mentioning that because Freya had nearly run out of money, she had opened a simulation specifically to 'borrow' another sum of money from Brother Scar before they left. Instantly, her personal stash of funds was plentiful again.
The two navigated through the crowd. The closer they got to the ship, the more crowded it became. Consequently, Freya accidentally bumped into someone. She quickly apologized, “Sorry, sorry!”
The man looked down at her with a gentle expression and said, “It's quite crowded here. Be careful.”
Then, they brushed past each other. As for this man, he was none other than 【Trig】. Following Jerome's final request, he had come to Auxerre's Church of the Earth to meet Life Freya.
...
Rate on N.U.
