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

What on earth is this goddess saying? I can't understand it at all—

These words kept echoing in her heart.

Ari's mind was in complete chaos, and she no longer cared that the goddess would see through her thoughts.

"I want to see how your soul will change, or become more radiant—and I want to make sure."

—Are you worthy to be my partner (Odr)?

Because Ari was too excited, she couldn't hear the last sentence clearly.

"Don't joke around! For the sake of my country, I must return to the soldiers who are fighting valiantly as soon as possible! I don't have time to deal with the goddess's capricious behavior—"

Being pursued by a goddess of unknown origin is something I'd rather not do, and when Ari so firmly refused—

""money for the journey"."

But he stopped moving because of those words.

"I understand you plan to leave this city, but do you have any plans now?"

Faced with the goddess's further question, Ari was rendered speechless.

"I understand you don't want to owe me any more favors, but what can you do alone? I don't know where you want to go. Do you think you can get there on foot? If not, how do you plan to cross the desert?"

Freya's words hit the nail on the head.

Ari is currently "penniless". Without funds and travel supplies, crossing the desert is beyond the limit and is tantamount to suicide.

But Aly did not leave the mansion without a plan.

After all, this is within the territory of the commercial state (Isra Province), and naturally there are merchants who are loyal to the Sharzad royal family.

Therefore, she considered disguising herself as a man, appearing as a "prince," to seek the support of this group.

"By the way, Boffman once said that the situation in your country (Sharzad) is unstable, and many merchants have turned to the invading enemy country (Varsha)... If someone claims to be a missing prince, it would be better to betray the prince for profit than to risk your life to help him hide."

Freya seemed to have seen through Ari's thoughts long ago. She raised one hand to her cheek and stated her point of view.

"Do you really have businessmen who are loyal only to you and not to the country? And the kind who would disregard profit and be willing to devote themselves to 'Shahrzad'?"

Whether it was Ari's overly optimistic attitude or her desperate attempt to revive a dying animal, both were shattered by the goddess's smiling words.

In fact, Ari did not have any businessmen with whom she had close personal relationships, nor did she have a business association that she managed in the guise of a prince.

The reason is that Ari must conceal her true gender.

Apart from those in the know, she is not allowed to have excessive contact with people she doesn't need to get to know well.

"An underage girl embarks on a journey alone, aimlessly... she might just end up being captured and enslaved again?"

“Mmmmm…!?”

Looking at Freya with a faint smile on her face, Ari groaned in frustration.

Now, she has been completely cut off from her retreat by her opponent.

"If you agree to let me come along... it's not that I'm unwilling to provide assistance, is it?"

Freya maintained the same smile while negotiating.

For Ari, who had very few—in fact almost none—to turn to for help, Freya's offer was a godsend.

Although Ari might face a more brutal fate afterward, at least Freya won't harm "Shalchad" or do anything to benefit "Valsha." After all, if she wanted to, she could have done so already.

Freya said last night that she was not interested in war, and that must have been a genuine statement.

(But just let them manipulate us like this...!)

Nevertheless, Aly really didn't want to accept the offer.

Besides being wary of the unknown, even if the other party is a goddess or a prince of a kingdom, one must still maintain a sense of propriety and not be easily subservient. But the most important point is that she is like a child, always wanting to contradict others.

The smile on the goddess's face was something that Alyssa just couldn't stand.

Although even Ari, who was of the same sex, was captivated by her beauty, Freya's gaze always seemed condescending, or as if she were assessing the other person's worth.

Furthermore, Freya's arrogant and self-centered behavior made it impossible for Ari to like her.

Coupled with her feelings of inferiority, Ari ultimately couldn't bring herself to agree frankly.

"The grace of saving my life."

"...!"

"You promised to repay my life-saving grace... I want you to keep your promise now."

These words were a fatal blow to Ari.

As Freya said, this was a promise that Ari herself made.

Even though this was clearly nitpicking, Ari's reneging would damage the reputation of the Sharzad royal family—besides, it wasn't a big deal, and if she refused, she would probably be accused of "not being able to agree to such a small thing as your way of repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Ari was so angry she wanted to ruffle her hair.

I wanted to yell at the other person on the spot for being unreasonable.

But she suppressed all her impulses and helplessly lowered her shoulders.

"I did say that... and I am grateful to you for saving my life... I... accept your offer."

"Really? That's wonderful."

In the end, he was still manipulated by the goddess.

The cat-person smacked its lips because it probably anticipated this outcome. Even though Ari was completely innocent.

In other words, Ari had already repaid the "life-saving grace" long ago.

"But! Please don't get in my way!"

"Of course, I promise you."

Ari shouted out her one and only bottom line that she could not back down from, with all her might.

But the goddess in front of him only responded with a smile that made him grit his teeth in anger.

With a sense of resignation, Ari walked straight ahead.

After crossing the Oasis Bridge, the city of Leode was bustling with activity as noon approached.

The market on the north side of the city was bustling with activity, no less so than the market on the south side that Ari and Freya had passed through yesterday. Compared to the south side, the north side streets were crowded with vendors of all sizes and packed with people, so much so that even camels carrying goods had to struggle to get through.

"By the way, is Ari your pseudonym? Should I call you Aram?"

"...Ari is my real name. It was only at my mother's dying plea that my father did not take my 'self' away from me. Although I have almost forgotten my real name..."

Did she intend to shout out the missing prince's name in the crowd? Ari thought to herself as she spoke.

The current Ari has no respect for Freya whatsoever.

Not to mention the tone one should use when addressing a deity, she even displayed an attitude of disgust.

However, Freya didn't care, let alone whether she cared or not—

"I see—then I'll call you by your real name from now on."

She didn't seem like some kind of goddess; she even had an innocent smile like a young girl.

Freya seemed very happy, as if she was now looking forward to how this encounter would unfold.

Alyssa was unconsciously drawn to that smile, and froze as if time had stopped.

"Ariel? You'd better try to please me."

"Hmm...! I have no obligation to please you!"

Faced with Freya's condescending manner of speaking, Ari immediately thought, "I still can't like her!"

"Where are you going next? You can't possibly be heading straight back to your own country (Shahrzad), can you?"

"...There is a little-known fortress on the border between the Commercial Kingdom (Isla Province) and our country's Sharzad. I have arranged with my men to meet there if anything happens, so we should head there first."

Lying won't work on God, and since he'd already agreed to let Freya go with him, there was no reason for him to continue hiding the truth.

After Ari confessed honestly, Freya made a soft "hmm~" sound, while tucking the hair from her temples behind her ears.

"Now it's your turn to answer my question. What do you have on hand right now?"

Ari weaved through the crowd, asking her question without even glancing at Freya.

The fortress is quite a distance from the city of Riod.

The necessities are not only food and water, but even without a "desert ship", at least camels are needed as a means of transportation.

Protection is also crucial. The Chaos Desert is often infested with thieves and monsters, and without highly skilled fighters, the two women would be unable to embark on their journey.

The quickest way is to travel with a caravan, but given her own position, Aly wants to keep a low profile as much as possible... While she was pondering this, Freya honestly answered:

"What do I have right now? I have nothing. I don't want to carry around bulky things like gold coins, and the [Family] certificate is with Boffman."

“Eh!?”

Faced with the goddess's nonchalant answer, Ari couldn't help but stop and look back with an incredulous expression.

"W-What's going on!? You just said you were willing to help, that's why I agreed to let you come along...!"

Ari initially wanted to scold Freya for lying, but she was stunned by what Freya said next.

"Because this is 'our first trip together,' I'm not going to use Boffman's money."

Yes, Freya made it sound like the two of them were going on a "date".

Ari was dumbfounded.

In fact, this has happened countless times so far, but an indescribable feeling has been washing over her.

(I had this feeling from the moment we met... She's truly a strange goddess.)

Freya possesses unparalleled beauty and always adopts an aggressive and otherworldly attitude.

She had previously displayed a chilling sneer that forced slave traders to kowtow and kneel on the spot, but now she was behaving like an innocent young girl.

Although Ari had no way of knowing, Freya had never shown this side of herself, even in the labyrinth city of Orario.

Freya only showed this attitude in front of Ari.

"...So what are your plans? Right now, it doesn't change the fact that we have no funds."

After missing her chance to lash out, Ari whispered these words, and the goddess left her behind and walked on.

"Then we'll have to handle it on-site."

After speaking, Freya walked towards a bar.

The interior and exterior décor here is more sophisticated than that of a budget bar, and it even feels like a social lounge.

She seemed to have already spotted this bar while shopping earlier, and in the blink of an eye, she was inside.

Ari quickly covered her face and chased after her, only to see the goddess talking to two men:

"You two, want to make a bet with me?"

"What's up?"

The two men are playing chess at a table.

The human male turned his head in confusion, but stopped when he saw Freya's beauty.

Then, without any attempt to hide it, he put on a lecherous expression.

"W-Isn't this the Goddess? What can I do for you?"

"I've already told you, haven't I? You want to make a bet with me?"

Freya winked at the male orc who had the same expression, and after he got up, she sat down in the chair without any hesitation.

At first, Ari was at a loss because she didn't understand Freya's intentions, but then she noticed something.

"You're a businessman, aren't you? And so rich that you can squander your money from early morning."

"Ah, yes! My name is Nazo, and I'm one of the four great merchants known locally!"

The two men were dressed in various gemstone jewelry and high-end clothing, and were drinking fine wines in broad daylight, so it was easy to imagine that they were businessmen, or even "tycoons".

Faced with Freya's question, the man tried his best to answer. But what on earth is this "Four Heavenly Kings" title? Was the male orc who abdicated in favor of Freya also one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

Ari glanced at Freya dismissively, only to find Freya squinting her eyes like a cunning wildcat.