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

Does he have sisters of similar age?

"Hmm...? If I remember correctly, there shouldn't be any. King Sharzad doesn't seem to have many children or grandchildren, and the prince has to shoulder all the expectations and responsibilities of the royal family..."

Freya maintained her smile after listening to Boffman's explanation.

In contrast, the girl in front of him simply closed her eyes tightly, as if she were enduring torment.

There was only one magic stone lamp in the room, its dim light swaying in the breeze.

After a brief silence, the goddess spoke the following words in a confident voice.

"Ari, you look perfect for cross-dressing. Let me think... I'm sure if you dressed up carefully, you'd look just like a prince from some kingdom..."

The next moment, Ari's expression became very serious.

Now that things had come to this point, even Boffman could see the clues, and his face was full of astonishment.

"Ariel, you stopped your 'worship' for me earlier, didn't you?"

"...!"

"That gesture, let alone that of slaves, is a form of 'worship of God' that even the people of the desert wouldn't know about, right?"

When the former slaves thanked Freya inside the house, and it was Ari's turn to come before Freya, she was about to perform a "prayer" (some kind of action), but quickly abandoned the idea and instead performed a proper bow.

That is the action of someone who is familiar with "worship of God".

That stiff movement was Aly's attempt to pretend to be an ignorant resident.

But none of this escaped Freya's discerning eye.

"And whether or not you are facing God (me)’s questions, you remain silent. This is a reaction that only someone who knows how to deal with God would do."

"What...what does this mean?"

Faced with Boffman's slightly surprised question, Freya looked at the girl and began to explain.

"God can see through all the children's lies, and the most effective way to deal with 'God's questioning' is... to remain silent."

The inhabitants of the lower realm cannot lie to God.

To be precise, God can see through all the children's lies.

Conversely, even if the gods can see whether a child is lying, they cannot discern the content of the lie. With their "divine power (Arcanum)" sealed, they cannot read the children's hearts.

That's why Alyssa chose to remain silent.

When faced with "God's questioning," the only effective means of resistance for the inhabitants of the lower realm is this.

"In a desert world where most of the [Families] belong to the military, the chances of ordinary people coming into contact with gods are extremely rare. Not to mention, people who reflexively think about how to fight against the methods of gods are even rarer... unless they have received 'education' from a young age."

In a place like Orario, where gods gather, adventurers who have "suffered" before might be able to find ways to fight back through experience.

However, this is the "Chaos Desert," which is very far from the labyrinth city.

Boffman explained that in this place, the "family clans" were mostly regarded as part of the state's military.

Naturally, only high-ranking officials in the country have access to the main deity of their leaders' families.

In such an environment, someone who intuitively knows to remain "silent" must be someone who frequently comes into contact with deities, or someone who has received "education" to avoid leaking secrets.

"Speaking of people who have received this kind of 'education,' there are only a very small number of merchants, nobles... and royalty."

After realizing everything, Poffman, pale-faced, said in a trembling voice.

In other words, Freya's "questioning of God" was itself a rhetorical device used to confirm the other party's identity and status.

As for what kind of answer the other party will give in response to the question, that was not important from the beginning.

"The key point is that when I first met you, I felt your 'majesty' that was different from ordinary people."

"A tiger lying in wait, patiently awaiting its opportunity"

Freya saw through Ari's true nature the moment she first met her at the market.

"In other words, Prince Aram actually...!"

"It's not a man, but a 'woman.' It's quite common for kings with few children to raise princesses as princes."

This kind of thing is extremely rare—Bofman, sweating profusely, quickly turned his face away.

It's likely that some unforeseen circumstance occurred during the invasion of the country, leading to Ari falling into the hands of slave traders. For example, after the fall of the capital, she was separated from her allies while leading her army against the enemy (Varsha).

Once allowed to be present, Boffman's expression instantly changed.

A prince... no, a "princess" of a country whose situation is at a disadvantage in the war.

Boffman was rapidly calculating the advantages and disadvantages of this person being in his hands.

"If the news that Prince Aram is actually a princess were to spread... what would happen next?"

Freya curled her lips into a smirk as she uttered those words with a mischievous glint in her eyes—

The girl, who had remained silent until then, suddenly opened her almond-shaped eyes wide.

Are you threatening me!?

Both the atmosphere and the tone of voice changed.

She looked exactly as Freya had described, a person with "royal bearing".

Even though Alyssa was petite, the shout still startled the self-proclaimed tycoon, Boffman, causing him to gasp and tremble.

Freya, on the other hand, maintained her elegant posture and remained completely unmoved.

"That's not true. I have absolutely no intention of threatening you."

Then give the answer very frankly.

“Eh…”

"To be honest, I'm not interested in either of those countries, or even the ongoing war. The only person I care about is you."

I only played this trick on you because I wanted to see your true face.

Freya smiled without a trace of guilt.

Facing the goddess's gaze, Ari felt a slight tremor, as if she were witnessing some kind of abnormal existence.

"...Are you really the goddess Freya?"

"Yes, I'm sure you've heard that several times already, haven't you?"

"Goddess Freya, please grant me my freedom."

From this point on, Ari no longer pretended to be a slave with a tragic past, but instead resolutely resisted Freya's beauty, displaying the demeanor befitting royalty, saying:

"I am truly grateful to you for helping me escape my slavery; there is absolutely no pretense in my gratitude. However, as you predicted, I have always presented myself as a prince, posing as a woman. Now I have a place I must return to, and people I must save."

"..."

"I will surely repay your life-saving grace one day, therefore... please let me return to my country (Sharzad)."

Her pale purple eyes met Freya's.

Ari's expression was very stiff; she probably understood that her request was quite unreasonable.

After all, she is currently the enemy nation's (Varsha) number one target, and her fate is uncertain even for tomorrow. Moreover, even if she successfully reunites with her own country's (Sharzad) army, how can a country whose capital has already fallen and its prince possibly repay the other side's "life-saving grace"?

Since Ari possessed royal blood, she was a complete hot potato to Boffman. At the same time, he also believed that Ari could not bring any benefit to the goddess, so he prepared to interrupt from the sidelines—but Freya interrupted Boffman's words again.

"no problem."

And this time, they gave a reply without hesitation as well.

“Eh…?”

"What I mean is, do as you please. I've already gotten the answer I wanted to hear, and if you have a place you want to go, I won't stop you. Besides, the slave collar on you has long been removed; you can just do what you want."

Ari blinked repeatedly.

She probably thought Freya would refuse, or that Freya would, like a god who likes to make things difficult, propose an unreasonable exchange, which is why she looked dumbfounded at this moment.

"From the very beginning, I never bought you in the hopes of having an obedient puppet."

After speaking, Freya raised the corners of her mouth.

"But you must fulfill your promise and find a way to repay my 'life-saving grace'."

Ari, who had been flustered, became very nervous after hearing those words.

At this moment, she resembled a sinner in a novel, about to sign a forbidden pact with the devil, her face solemn as she lowered her head deeply—

"...Thank you so much, goddess from the outside world."

And then he uttered this insincere thank you.

Freya couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Boffman, take this girl back to her room."

"Is this really a good idea?"

"It's alright, you may all leave."

Faced with a trembling, anxious Poufman seeking confirmation again, Freya urged him with such elegance.

Hearing the bell, the maid entered the room and then led Ari out of the room.

As the girl left, she caught a glimpse of Freya giving her a meaningful smile.

*

The rising sun peeked over the horizon of the endless sand dunes.

The deep blue darkness gradually faded, and the Caios Desert emerged from its deep, cold night, with temperatures rising steadily.

It was already daytime.

"I overslept...! I don't have time to waste here now!"

Some time had passed since sunrise when Ari, who was hiding her identity as a prince, finally woke up in a fright.

Last night, Ari was assigned a superior room, and she fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the soft bed. The reason was that she had been constantly traveling before and after being abducted by the slave traders, and was already physically and mentally exhausted. Thanks to this, she got plenty of rest, and her mind became clear.

So she hurriedly took action and prepared to embark on her journey.

Ari didn't want to owe Freya any more favors, but she still respectfully accepted the travel clothes given to her by the attendants.

All she had were the tattered clothes she wore when she became a slave, a dress given to her by Freya, and a thin nightgown. Wearing any of these clothes on the street would inevitably draw attention. Ari had no choice but to conceal her true identity, so she had no other option but to leave Riod City.

So she accepted the travel outfit with mixed feelings.

(I have absolutely no idea what that goddess is thinking. She clearly said I was the "target" back then, but then she let me go right away... Oh well, whatever I'm sure of is that it's best not to get involved with that goddess...)

Ari was convinced that her insight was absolutely correct, so she prepared to leave the "Oasis Mansion" that Freya had bought.

As she passed by the cat-man who was in charge of guarding the gate—

"spit."

The cat-man made a blatant smacking sound at her.

Alyssa felt a little lost, wondering when she had offended the other party—but she soon found the answer.

"...Why are you here?"

On the wooden bridge leading from the oasis island where the mansion is located to the northern part of the city—

The goddess was leaning against the railing, waiting there. Upon seeing this, Ari stopped in her tracks, her expression stiffening.

"Because I'm waiting for you."

The goddess Freya, beaming with pride, uttered what was hardly an answer—and Ari, ignoring the other pedestrians crossing the bridge, shouted at the top of her lungs:

"What...what are you trying to do?! You promised to let me go last night...!"

"I did say I wouldn't stop you, but I never said I wouldn't go with you."

Freya was wearing the same clothes she had worn the day before when she met Ari: a white short-sleeved top, a red hoodie, a red loincloth, and a black tulle skirt. The outfit Boffman had prepared for Freya was easy to move in, breathable, and suitable for traveling.

But in Ari's eyes, it had absolutely nothing to do with her.

"You want to come with me!? What are you talking about...!"

"As I said last night, you're the only person I care about, so I want to pay attention to you and stay by your side to observe you."

Ari almost forgot her royal status and stared wide-eyed in a rather unseemly manner.