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

I don't know where to move the piece.

I don't know where to go next.

(No—I lost—it's all over—I'm already—)

Ari could no longer exert any strength in her hands.

She was like a puppet with its strings cut, her body about to fall forward.

Ari, whose heart was consumed by despair and who had been staring at the chessboard, finally raised her head for the first time.

Before him sat the goddess, facing him.

The smile on her face never changed; she was always watching over Ari.

There was not a trace of pleasure or mockery in that smile.

We're just waiting for Ari to write what kind of ending she'll create.

"────!"

Faced with that smile.

Facing that gaze.

Ari's hands trembled incessantly.

When she came to her senses, she found that her ten fingers were clenched into fists.

The frozen blood seemed to be thrown into a fire, and a surge of hot blood rushed through the body.

(I don't want to do this, I can't do this, I can't do it—)

do not give up.

We cannot back down.

It was impossible for her to turn around and run away in front of the goddess.

(How could I possibly show such a pathetic side in front of this goddess?!)

This is Yali's persistence.

These were her heartfelt words.

Ari didn't want to lose to Freya, who had completely disrupted her inner world.

She didn't want to be pushed away by the goddess who had once enlightened her in the moonlit oasis.

I don't want to disappoint her no matter what.

"—So I—!!"

This will manifested as a voice, and Ari picked up the princess on the chessboard.

She didn't think much about it, nor did she have any plan.

Simply move the chess piece toward that light on the chessboard—that clearly visible, solitary moonlight.

The soul (Ari) reflected in Freya's eyes seems to radiate a powerful light.

"────────…………!"

This was merely a move driven by an inner impulse.

The blazing fire of will burns only for a moment—

just disappeared.

Because it was a bad move made without thinking, a desperate last stand. After the burning passion subsided, Ari, regaining her composure, had to admit it.

She quietly lowered her head, without even praying in her heart.

They were simply awaiting the goddess's execution.

Ari stretched her neck out like a sinner awaiting execution, anticipating the final judgment—as should be the case.

「… … … … … … … … … … 」

Freya stopped moving completely.

Those silver eyes opened slightly, staring intently at the chessboard.

"...?"

Since the goddess never paused while playing chess, Ari was puzzled by this reaction and looked up.

Under Ota's astonished gaze, Freya lowered her head for a moment.

"Heh...hehehe...ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Then she burst into laughter.

He burst into laughter as if he couldn't contain his joy.

Hearing this laughter, which was more cheerful than ever before, Ari was stunned.

The goddess, who was still laughing, ignored Ari and reached out to touch her flag.

"E4 Princess, C3 Chariot, D2 Fairy—"

Before Ari could even cry out in surprise, Freya had already moved her pieces without permission.

Black and white pieces moved continuously under the goddess's fluid and graceful movements. This was the position after Freya had completed dozens of moves on her own.

At first, Alyssa was puzzled by the situation—then her eyes widened in surprise.

"Your chariot will checkmate the Queen (me) – you have won."

Checkmate.

The person being gallowed was not Ari, but Freya.

The key lies in the move Ari made when she moved the princess.

Even Ota, who was standing to the side, opened his rusty eyes wide.

"No, no way... How could this be!?"

Ari was stunned.

This was a situation dozens of moves in, something Ari could never have foreseen, and absolutely could not have achieved on her own. If Freya hadn't actually laid out the moves, Ari certainly wouldn't have noticed these things and would have inevitably lost after a few moves.

The move that Ari just made was indeed an "unknown move" that only the gods could perceive.

"I won...!? No! In the end... I couldn't have won by myself alone..."

That move was Aly following her intuition; to be honest, it was just a momentary impulse.

In other words, Ari cannot defeat Freya in the game of chess.

"A true monarch is not someone who can overcome difficulties on his own."

But Aly demonstrated it.

This demonstrates a move that could drag the invincible goddess off her throne.

It demonstrates the "possibilities of the lower realm," turning the impossible into the possible.

"But rather, it is the ability to show hope to those other than oneself, to prove the glory that exists beyond the light."

After Freya finished speaking earnestly, Ari slowly looked at her.

As if to acknowledge that the "soul" before her had indeed radiated "royal glory" in the end, and to acknowledge that Ari had found the only key to victory, Freya pushed over the empress (princess) representing herself on the chessboard.

This is a declaration of defeat.

This time, Ari truly held her breath and became completely unable to think.

"You won, Ari."

"Eh...! Wait a minute, I...!"

"Just accept this victory honestly. I'm in a great mood right now."

When Ari saw Freya leave her seat, she was about to get up and continue arguing, but was stopped by a look she received.

What did those slightly narrowed silver eyes see? As she had just said, the goddess could not hide her joy and gave orders to her attendants.

"Ota, you must obey Ari's orders and treat her as your master until the battle she faces is over."

"As commanded."

"Please also tell Allen and the others."

The goddess ignored the stunned Aly and went on to make arrangements.

After nodding in response to his true master's instructions, the boarman's follower silently moved behind the young woman, awaiting further orders.

Ari turned around stiffly, staring blankly at the warrior who was as upright and unyielding as a rock, looking down at her.

"I'll change rooms to rest. From now on, this is your castle, and you must behave like a king."

"...!"

"It's up to you to decide what to do next. Will you stop the invasion? Or destroy that troublesome country? You are now omnipotent, truly possessing omnipotent 'power'."

Freya's words as she walked toward the door made Ari gasp.

She felt like it was all unreal. Only her heart was beating faster and faster, like the passing of time.

Whether it was a feeling of tension or excitement, it enveloped the girl's petite body.

As the goddess reached for the doorknob, she thought it was a rare opportunity and left a suggestion before she left.

"If you encounter any difficulties, ask Hedin for help; he will arrange everything for you."

*

Ari's victory immediately reached the ears of the first-level adventurers of the Freya Familia.

They initially looked incredulous, but soon obeyed the will of the supreme god.

The goddess's retinue were all willing to become Ari's right-hand men.

However, one of the members, the cat-man, made his resentment completely undisguised.

"A boring game of make-believe."

After nightfall, in a room with the doors and windows tightly closed.

Several maps were spread out on a large table that had been pushed together.

Under the dim light of the wall-mounted magic stone lamp, Allen complained to the group gathered in the room—Ota and several other first-level adventurers, as well as Ari.

"This is the will of the Lord God; you must obey, Allen."

"Is that all you can say? You wild boar bastard. That goddess is the same, actually treating this little girl who can only cry for help as a source of amusement."

"Well……"

"I'm not here to demean myself into becoming a toy for pampering little girls."

To put it nicely, it was because Ari defeated Freya in the game of chess, but if the goddess hadn't given her guidance, she wouldn't have been able to discover the winning move. Moreover, Freya had gone easy on her in an unprecedented way, so how could Ari be so high and mighty as to order Ota and the others around? Faced with Allen's blunt reprimand, Ari was speechless.

The silver-haired goddess was not present. After telling them to "go ahead and do it," she disappeared.

"You beastly cat, you're disrupting the discussion. If you're not satisfied, then stop pledging allegiance to the goddess Freya and get out of here right now. Anyway, it won't matter if you're gone."

"……spit!"

"The elf Hedin said indifferently."

His tone was devoid of any anger or helplessness, purely businesslike. The dark elf and the dwarf quadruplets didn't even glance at Allen. The cat-man youth spat angrily, then remained silent.

They are clearly companions... yet their relationship is so terrible.

As an outsider, Ari was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that she almost fainted on the spot. Thinking of Freya, who commanded this group of strong-willed individuals, Ari couldn't help but feel a deep respect for her. At the same time, the thought of having to lead them herself sent a chill down her spine.

As Ari instinctively touched her stomach, Hedin glanced at her and said:

"We'll begin the strategic meeting immediately. You don't want to waste time, do you, my nominal master?"

"Ah, um!"

It was the dead of night.

After finishing their "halvan" game with Freya, everyone immediately gathered here. Although her brain, overworked from playing against the goddess, was screaming for rest, Ari continued to act with sheer willpower.