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

"Then tell him that I will never ride in such a disobedient chariot again."

"Yes, sir."

The four Jaliba brothers transformed into four footsteps and quickly issued instructions.

Freya and her group soon set off from the secret fortress.

*

The boarman holding the goddess in his arms, the catman with a grumpy face carrying the girl on his right shoulder, and the group of first-level adventurers following closely behind—their "speed" was simply extraordinary.

What would take three days by camel ride, they covered in just a few hours.

The group barely made it before dawn and spotted the city of Leode, which was not far away.

Ari, who was being treated like luggage and protested until her throat was hoarse but she was powerless to resist, could not hide her surprise.

However—it was too late.

"A city... a city...?!"

The city of Leode is engulfed in flames.

Under the cover of night in the desert, crimson flames and thick smoke rose as if a cremation was being held.

Even without listening carefully, the cries of women and children, as well as the pleas for mercy from merchants, reached my ears.

Arrie, who had just arrived at the North Gate, rushed into the city first, followed by Freya and the others.

The market, which had been set on fire, was now a scene of utter devastation. All the various goods that had once dazzled Freya and her companions were now smashed to pieces, and corpses littered the ground.

No survivors were seen along the way; instead, cries and screams echoed from the city center.

After witnessing this scene, Ari trembled all over.

This is the consequence she brought upon herself.

It's all her fault for seeking refuge here, which led to the attack on innocent people from other countries!

The girl was filled with despair, but she was not allowed to collapse to the ground.

As the goddess looked around, she strode briskly toward the city center.

Even the oases…

The vast, azure oasis of my memory has now been stained blood red.

As Ari whispered this, Freya and her group had already crossed the bridge and arrived at the small island in the city center.

Because the market was burned down, many refugees were driven here.

The inhuman Varsha soldiers chased the people relentlessly, as if playing cat and mouse.

"Freya, the goddess!?"

As Ari was stunned by the horrifying sight, a figure rushed to Freya and the others' side. It was the merchant, Boffman, whose clothes were charred in several places.

"You're back?! Please, please save me!"

"First, explain the current situation." "Remember to keep it concise." "What happened to Goddess Freya's 'assets'?"

The four Jaliba brothers stood in front of the goddess as her guards. Boffman, who was stopped by them, trembled with fear and began to explain.

"The Varsha army suddenly attacked, and after breaching the city walls, they set fires everywhere without warning! While burning, killing, and looting, they inquired everywhere, 'Where is Prince Aram?' Anyone who couldn't answer was immediately killed...!"

Poffman, panting heavily, quickly explained the whole story after kneeling down.

Then, trembling, he looked up at the goddess who had never even glanced at him, and managed to squeeze out a sound:

"They stormed into your house, Goddess Freya... As for your 'property,' namely those former slaves, they've all..."

Freya completely ignored his last sentence, "My fellow members and I from the Fazl Chamber of Commerce have been on the run ever since."

On her journey, ahead of the passage leading to the "Oasis Mansion"—

The two bodies lay there.

Those two were the boy and girl who, through the goddess's intervention, had their slave collars removed and requested that the goddess accept them as her kin.

“…………”

They lay in a pool of blood, embracing each other tightly.

Facing the boy and girl who died with their eyes wide open, bleeding and in tears, Freya didn't care about soiling her own body. She silently reached out a hand and closed their eyes for them.

Perhaps because they were trying to escape, many slaves lay dead along the way.

They were all former slaves bought by Freya.

No one survived.

The goddess's face showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Stop...stop right now!!"

Witnessing this scene, Alyssa burst into tears and screamed.

The girl's heartbroken cries were filled with a fury that could almost consume her.

"Who's there!?"

Because of Ari's shout, the enemy noticed Ota and his men, who were fully armed.

The attackers who burned down "Leod City" gathered around.

They were a group of soldiers wearing the same type of armor.

"Varshah...!!"

"Those purple eyes...you must be Prince Aram! Hahahaha, as expected of Lord Rashap!! You truly possess eyes that can see through the secrets of heaven!"

The burly man (human) wearing a cloak, in stark contrast to Alyssa, whose face was filled with resentment, immediately cheered.

He wore high-grade armor unlike that of ordinary soldiers and held a magician's staff in his hand.

This person is very likely the "expert" mentioned in Alfred's report who led the soldiers to attack the secret fortress.

"I am Marsana, a warrior blessed by the god Rashap! Surrender now, Prince Aram! Otherwise, having completed my upgrade, I will burn everything to ashes, for I am a Level 2—"

When Ari showed an angry look, while Allen and the others ignored her and coldly stared at Marsana, who was swaggering around and boasting about his abilities, only one person walked forward.

She was a goddess with silver hair swaying gently with her movements.

"Goddess Freya!"

"Hmm...? You are...?"

Allen and the others called out out of concern. Marsana, on the other hand, looked surprised.

As Ari stared wide-eyed in bewilderment, Freya stopped in the middle of the two camps.

The goddess used her beauty to draw all eyes to the soldiers of Valsha.

Everyone first looked on with infatuation, then lewdly scrutinized Freya from head to toe.

Even Marsana, as the team captain, couldn't help but lick his lips and open his mouth to ask:

"May I ask what brings you here, beautiful goddess?"

"Did you cause all of this?"

"That's right, everything is done in accordance with Lord Rashap's divine will!"

Marsana maintained his aloof attitude, waving his hand dismissively.

"Goddess...are you angry? Are you filled with rage for burning down our town!?"

Hearing the sarcastic voice, Allen and his companions were filled with murderous intent. They silently took a step forward, ready to let the man meet his end.

Freya, however, dismissed the issue with an indifferent attitude.

"It is common for children to die in war, and if we were to get angry or lament for each one of them, it would never end."

"Huh...!?"

"After all, that's the truth, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

On the contrary, Ari was greatly affected by these remarks.

Even though they had only spent a short trip together, Aly knew quite well that Freya never lied, which made it all the more shocking to her.

Marsana, on the contrary, burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! As expected of the Goddess, you are truly a reasonable person! So, could you please make way? Our target is Prince Aram standing over there—"

However──

The goddess seemed unable to bear the man's annoying voice and interrupted him directly:

"But the lives you took are another matter."

The goddess's words silenced the audience; her voice was so sharp it was like a slash that had transformed into moonlight.

The surrounding soldiers and Ari all shuddered. Freya continued:

"Yona, Hora."

The two names were transformed into sounds that reached everyone's ears.

"...?"

"Anwar, Latifa, Murat, Shisham, Hajid, Seree, Kana, Oza, Naserru, Nadia, Leila, Rukeya, Zahir, Karadona—"

Faced with the names being mentioned one after another, whether it was the soldiers of Valsha, Marsana, or even Ari, they could not hide their confusion.

Marsana seemed impatient with the goddess's incessant talking and was about to interrupt when Freya, who had just finished speaking, suddenly changed her tone.

That clear, soprano-like voice was filled with authority for the first time.

"They all died at your hands, the names of my children."

The instant Ari heard those words—

It felt like an electric current was running through my body.

"I am not interested in the sacrifices of war, but I will never let anyone who dares to harm my children—my things—go unpunished."

Freya remembered it all.

She remembered the name of every slave she freed.

She remembered what each person who had called her name looked like when she impulsively stepped in to save them.

She remembers every child she has ever taken in!

“W-what…”

"No one wants their personal belongings to be touched or mishandled, whether it's money, emotions... or even their life."

It was only then that Marsana noticed Freya's unusual behavior.

He did indeed feel a sense of pressure.

They began to feel fear at the strange occurrence before them.

"Therefore, you must accept the corresponding retribution."

Freya opened her eyes wide.

Those silver eyes emitted an eerie light.

His body emanated an extraordinary "divine power".

"──────!!"

At this moment──

For the first time, Allen and the others' expressions changed drastically.

These strongest adventurers, who had never wavered no matter what kind of enemy they faced, now had anxious expressions on their faces.

"Close your eyes!!"

"what?"

Alyssa was completely caught off guard by Allen's impassioned shout of warning.

Then the cat-man smacked his lips and pounced on Ari, forcefully covering her eyes and ears.