Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The slaves who were walking along the street suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"────!!"

Just then—

Freya captured the "radiance" with her silver eyes.

The location was right in the middle of the crowded, distorted queue.

As if hiding among the crowd—as if lurking among countless chaotic souls—a "girl" stood there.

She has brown skin and thick black hair.

She has a pair of light purple eyes.

Despite being disheveled, she had a beautiful face.

To Freya, that face, somewhere between a girl and a woman, was like a fresh, juicy green fruit.

She was about fifteen or sixteen years old.

Like everyone else, the girl covered her head with a rag and kept her head down to avoid being noticed.

"...!"

The girl seemed to sense the goddess's gaze, and after looking over, she opened her eyes wide in surprise, just like the other slaves—but she quickly looked away.

This surprised Freya quite a bit.

The beauty of the "goddess" was enough to captivate all, yet the young girl was able to resist her with her own will.

The girl lowered her head again, revealing a pained expression, yet she also appeared spirited and heroic.

Those sharp, piercing eyes were not dead; instead, they evoked the image of a tiger lying in wait for its chance.

At least that's how Freya sees it.

Finally regaining their senses, the subordinates cracked their whips, and as the procession moved forward again, the girl disappeared from sight along with the large group of slaves.

"Boffman, let's go."

"Huh...? Where are you going?"

Freya put her hood back on and strode forward. Seeing this, Boffman hurried to catch up.

At this moment, the goddess's lips curved into a crescent moon.

"Please take me to the slave market."

*

The slave market stretched from the central district of "Leod" all the way to the southwestern coast of the oasis.

Here are buildings that are clearly the work of skilled craftsmen, and even high platforms where slaves can stand and bid. This design is intended to allow buyers to carefully examine the "goods." There are many sheds in the square, and some merchants even have slaves stand directly on carpets spread on the ground.

Perhaps because they were easily used as labor, the men were mostly strong orcs. The women came from various races, as well as a few young humans. Amazons were even rarer. The beautiful women were placed in prominent positions. Those exotic, brown-skinned beauties mostly wore only a thin veil. The purpose was probably to make it easier for buyers to check if they had any scars.

Looking to the right, there is a beautiful oasis.

To the left was the slave quarters, filled with pessimistic expressions.

How interesting—Freya thought to herself without any sarcasm.

If the goddess of the hearth (Hestia), the goddess of chastity (Artemis), and the goddess of justice (Asteria) were to witness this scene, they would likely frown deeply. The goddess of chastity (Artemis) might even draw her bow and unleash a fierce attack to save all those who sought her help.

"Isn't this the goddess? Welcome to the slave market! My name is Rozo, and I am the manager here."

When Freya entered the target merchant guild, she was greeted by a man of the same race as Boffman.

This middle-aged man was neither tall nor fat, and had a decent appearance, with a mustache.

His attire was so expensive that all the other merchants combined couldn't beat him.

Although it is rather impolite to say this, this person's qualifications are superior to Boffman's in every aspect.

"Hey, Rozo, this is the infamous goddess Freya from the Labyrinth City. I advise you not to be disrespectful!"

"What? Boffman, I remember there's a proverb in the Far East called 'The fox borrows the tiger's might,' which I think describes you, who lost to my company in a competition. Ah, to be precise, it should be 'The fox borrows the tiger's might,' right?"

Boffman tried to intimidate the other party with a loud admonition, but was met with Rozo's mocking grin.

"Your chamber of commerce is so weak that it can't afford a villa on the island. Is it because you're still eyeing a seat on our organization? Hmm?"

"Damn it! You're just the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Merchant Guild!"

Boffman was so angry that his face turned red, and he stomped his foot hard on the spot.

Although the two seemed to have some past grievances, Freya had no desire to delve into it.

On the contrary, it was a middle-aged man who was quite old who kept shaking his tuna belly and throwing a tantrum, which was really an eyesore.

"Among the slaves brought here just now, there is a child who has caught my attention. May I see her?"

"Of course, no problem! Hey, bring them all over here!"

It seemed that Rosso already knew about Freya's visit long before Boffman's reminder. Without hesitation, he immediately did as instructed, ordering his men to bring the newly "purchased" slaves to the site.

"...What a terrible color."

Before the slaves were summoned, Freya carefully observed her surroundings.

Only the merchants and customers seemed to be in high spirits.

Countless other slaves bowed their heads like sinners.

Generally speaking, no one willingly becomes a slave. If taken away by a kind buyer, one might be able to live a better life than before—and if one is willing to look, it is possible to find such lucky slaves. However, Freya looked around and saw that every slave was "very murky."

These people have lost their honor and their dignity has been utterly trampled upon. Despair is not only written on their faces, but is also deeply rooted in their "souls".

There wasn't even a single slave here seeking salvation.

No one wanted to pray to God.

It feels suffocating.

Freya whispered this.

It also sounds like a sigh.

Only Boffman noticed this, and fearing he might displease the goddess, he nervously kept secretly observing Freya's expression.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. These are the 'goods' you ordered. Since they've just arrived, they haven't been 'trained' yet..."

After a while, the slaves lined up and stood in the scorching sun.

Perhaps due to the long journey, everyone wore an expression of utter exhaustion. The elderly and children, lacking strength, were almost on the verge of collapsing to their knees. Only the slave trader (Rozo) wore a smile.

Freya immediately followed the line forward.

She ignored any pleading or infatuated looks and checked the appearance of each slave one by one.

Then she finally found it.

"...!"

The girl from before.

The girl noticed a shadow stop in front of her, and when she looked up, she couldn't help but gasp.

Freya used her fingers to lift the girl's chin, making her look into her eyes.

What is your name?

"…………Ari".

The girl seemed unable to disobey the goddess's will, and simply stated her name.

Her voice was like a harp playing in the desert night.

Freya narrowed her eyes, withdrew her hand, and looked around again.

Everyone was captivated by the "Goddess of Beauty's" every move and watched her intently.

"I've decided what I want to buy."

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

After Freya finished speaking, the slave trader (Rozo) beamed with joy.

"So, what item do you want—"

The slave trader was interrupted as he was about to speak.

He was abruptly interrupted by the goddess's next sentence.

"Everyone."

Everything seemed to stand still, as if time had stopped.

"……………………What?"

The only constant was the scorching sunlight streaming down from the sky; the sounds vanished from the slave market in that instant.

Anyone would have the above misconception.

Whether it was the girl named Ari, Boffman, or the slaves around them.

Everyone suspected they were hallucinating and were completely unable to move their bodies.

Only Rozo, who was being watched by the goddess, managed to let out a terrified exclamation.

"I've already said, not only your current 'goods' inventory... but I want all the children in the market."

Freya made this request to the stunned slave traders.

In this market where everything is still, Freya wears a smile.

That was the queen's unique smile, a smile that ensured that every capricious, unreasonable, and domineering demand would be met.

"Such a filthy sight is truly unpleasant. Besides, the city isn't very big, so it's impossible to avoid looking at it; these slaves are just too much of an eyesore."

Freya continued to make statements:

"After I leave, you can sell slaves however you like. But while I'm here, please don't let me see these eyesores."

That's why she decided to buy all the slaves.

This is neither a good deed nor a display of great love.

Freya simply considered that she would be staying here for a few days, and just for those few days, she decided to "remodel" the town's streetscape.

So she followed her heart and spoke freely about her requests.

"...Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, the 'goods' here all have a price. You...you mean you want to buy everyone...that is, all the slaves in the entire market. In that case...!"

Although the slave trader (Rozo) has finally regained his mobility, his facial muscles keep twitching, implying "How could you possibly do such a thing?"—but Freya won't allow him to talk back.

Freya deepened her smile and looked at the slave trader in front of her to confirm.

"Tell me who I am?"

"...You are the goddess Freya."

"Where are my [familia]?"

"...[Freya Familia]!"

What is our title?

"...The most beautiful and most powerful goddess and her retinue! They control all the wealth and fame in the world!!"

A large amount of cold sweat streamed down the slave trader's face.

So──

Freya asked one last time.

"So, I'm going to take all the slaves with me?"

"—I will obey the divine will of the Goddess!!"

Rozo could only kowtow and obey.

Upon seeing this, the other slave traders who had been standing by were all terrified and turned pale. They all imitated Rozo's actions and knelt down to kowtow.

It means that the entire slave market was willing to submit to the goddess.

The next moment—