Chapter 134 Imprisoned

"You could have at least let us change into our new clothes." Shaman did not appreciate the intrusion and hoped Freja would leave.

"By all means, change clothes, just know I will be watching." Freja smiled and Shaman had nothing to say back. All Shaman could do was clench her fist in frustration and let out a sigh of defeat.

​ "Do you want me to wake up Elysia? She seems to be out cold though." Shaman looked at Elysia who was fast asleep and surprisingly wasn't woken up by Freja's abrupt entry despite being kept up all night by Kiruya.

"Leave her be, you can catch her up later." Freja sounded like she was in a hurry so Shaman took a seat and waited for Freja to explain.

"So, how much do you know about your parent's situation?" Freja got straight to the point and Shaman instantly became anxious, worried about what she was going to find out.

"All I've learned from Himeko is that they are trapped in the palace surrounded by dark magic and there has been no way to weaken or get inside it. The last thing I remember was my mother sending me through a teleporter and she looked very distressed about something." Shaman explained everything she knew and even added one of the first memories she obtained after arriving in this world.

"So Himeko pretty much explained most of it, looks like she isn't just a mind-controlling freak after all." Freja murmured this sentence but it did not escape Shaman's ears which had got her curious.

"So Himeko does use mind control? I haven't been able to really figure out what it was since she had been captured, possibly by the pope." Shaman also realised that Freja would know more about Himeko and who the pope might be.

"Captured by the pope? I will address the mind-control issue in a moment, but tell me, did this guy have red crystal eyes and blonde hair?" Freja's face turned serious and when she gave that description, Shaman instantly got goosebumps.

All she could do is nod as the flashbacks of the pope's red eyes staring straight at her terrified her.

"His name is Klaus and judging from the look on your face you have met him." Freja looked to the side as if reading something before looking at Shaman.

"When we were exiting the dungeon, he was after Clara but thankfully thanks to Wolfy's shadow skills we were able to hide our presence and Klaus mistook us as ambient mana from the dungeon." Shaman could not be any more thankful to Wolfy because without his skill they would have been killed or worse, become a slave. Freja raised an eyebrow at the mention of the use of shadow skills but she did not question it.

"You are safe here so don't worry about any unwanted intruders in your room." Freja smirked and Shaman stared at Freja with an unimpressed look as she was doing exactly that.

"Anyway, let me explain the mind control. The Ado family has been in possession of a relic for as long as the history books go and it is this relic that caused the mind control. Nowadays we call it a cursed object and by linking your soul with the item it gives you that ability. As for Himeko, it is the Eden of control that gave her the ability to manipulate the mind and is one of the most dangerous relics we know of."

"There is an unknown amount of these relics and the Ado family are the only ones known to find one. However, there have been rumours and information floating around that other families around the continent have got their hands on one."

"Now I am not interested in them but seeing as Klaus has captured Himeko, it must mean he got the Eden of control which makes this a serious problem." Freja got straight to explaining the cursed object and how this may be a much bigger problem not just for Freja but the whole continent.

"Knowing Himeko she probably used her rebirth and is currently in the demon lands recovering, but now that Klaus has the relic Himeko may not have been able to escape yet." Freja spoke to herself and Shaman was surprised to hear that Himeko had a potential way to escape.

"The last time we saw Himeko was when we encountered the pope and she had a collar like she was being kept as a pet." Shaman quickly jumped in as she was still unsure if Himeko would have been able to escape.

"Really? Himeko as a pet? Pffft that woman has too much of a will to be controlled, she will probably be able to break free when she is alone and use her family skill [phoenix rebirth]." Freja broke out in laughter as imagining Himeko a tier 10 like herself sounded impossible.

"Sorry, sorry, it was just too funny to imagine, but don't worry right now she could be a tiny bird in a cave recovering. It may be years till she regains a body, but if you get the chance, find the cave to see if she escaped." Freja could see it was taking a moment for Shaman to process so she took out a glass of wine from her space ring.

"Wait so Himeko could be fine all along and the whole mind control thing, she tried using it on us, why should we trust her?" Shaman was confused as it seemed like Himeko wasn't all that bad but she found it hard to associate the word good with mind control.

"This is something she can't control, it's a passive effect, and she has to regularly monitor the relic just to make sure it is not negatively affecting you. So I understand if you don't trust Himeko, but know she had your best interests in mind." Freja was a bit annoyed at Himeko for not explaining the mind control to Shaman but not much can be done now.

"But what about Clara? Himeko used her powers on her and it was only just recently she was able to gain back her memories that Himeko locked away." Shaman struggled to understand Himeko and she wanted to trust Freja's words, but it was hard to see Himeko in a positive light.

"So there is something more special about her. Sadly I do not know why Himeko had Clara but it probably involves why Himeko has a cave in the demon lands where she can recover without being disturbed. You'll have to go ask her yourself as I am not privy to that information." Freja was starting to understand Shaman's point of view and her interest in Clara has spiked.

"I- I need time to think, let's move on to my parents." Shaman needed to talk to Clara and Elysia as this information drastically changed her point of view.

"Yes, we got a little sidetracked. Although I do not have much more information than what Himeko told you, I do have some good news." Freja had a slight smile and she took a sip of wine before talking again.

"They are alive and well, but they seem to be trapped in some form of time magic, freezing their bodies, which I can only assume is the work of the dark magic barrier. Time magic isn't an affinity a person can just have, so a sacrifice must have been made to create such an effect." Freja shared her findings and Shaman felt a wash of relief from within her soul.

"Don't get your hopes up yet, but for now we can assume they are alive and whoever did this, which was most likely Klaus, doesn't want your parents in the picture for whatever he plans to do." Freja brought the situation back to reality as although they were alive there are still too many unknowns.

"I understand, but still Is there anything I can do?" Shaman felt a bit useless as she lacked the power to be at the forefront.

"Well this was also the other reason why I am here, I want to hire you and your friends to go out on missions for me." Freja could see the excitement on Shaman's face but also dread.

'Wait but if I'm hired, I am going to go through more of Freja's teasing. Still, this place is too nice to leave, AHHHHHH' Shaman was agonizing over it in her head as this was a good opportunity, but since it was Freja, Shaman was unsure if it was a good idea for her sanity.

'I shall have to accept my suffering just so I can live in comfort.' Shaman internally cried as she could only imagine the torture of what was to come.

"F-fine, but this still doesn't mean you get to touch anyone from my group." Shaman wanted to specify that she isn't allowed to go near her members.

"Excellent, I make no promises so enjoy it while it lasts. I will come back later as there are still a few things to talk about, especially Elysia's family and Wolfy. Also, make sure you are not doing anything too spicy, otherwise, I might join you." Freja winked at Shaman before quickly disappearing in a flash of lightning.

"Oh, you BITCH!" Shaman already regretted being hired by Freja but there was no turning back now.