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

Let alone a hero, the entire city of Riod suffered because of Ari's involvement, yet Hedin wouldn't allow her to wallow in guilt. In other words—

"You just need to firmly insist that it is clear that the barbaric Varsha was at fault first, and that you are completely innocent."

That's pretty much it.

Looking at the elf who only cared about efficiency and disregarded personal feelings, Ari couldn't help but sigh.

"Alfred and his men, who are responsible for guarding the area around Riod, will annihilate all the invading Valsha forces. It's time for the enemy to start being wary of this area."

"...How were you able to locate enemy troops and launch a surprise attack when you hadn't been in contact with each other?"

"The desert opens up a wide field of vision after nightfall. As long as the areas of responsibility are assigned properly, level one adventurers (like us) can easily spot any approaching enemy by sight."

According to Hedin, it was as if even enemies a kilometer away could be identified.

Ari managed to suppress the facial twitching that had recently become a habit.

To continue criticizing this kind of combat capability that treats annihilating the enemy as easily as breathing is truly tactless.

"More importantly, is your 'speech' ready? Nominee, it's your turn to take the stage tomorrow."

As soon as Hedin pushed open the conference room door, he saw Boffman's personal attendant hurriedly handing him the report like a messenger, so he stood there and glanced at it.

After Aly realized that Hedin was offering her the chair, she felt very tired and decided to accept.

"I am ready. If doing this will help save Sharzad... and help save the Western Desert, I will certainly live up to expectations."

She spoke with some nervousness, clenching her right hand into a fist.

After Ari finished speaking with a firm resolve, she expected Hedin, who appeared to be her adjutant standing to the side, to glance at her—but instead found him staring straight at the top of her head and sighing.

「!?」

Then he reached out a hand and gently combed the hair near the top of Alyssa's head.

"Whoa!? What are you doing all of a sudden!?"

"I advise you to comb your hair more neatly. If the king's appearance is too shabby, how can the people be willing to follow him?"

Ari blushed and jumped up from the chair.

Compared to Ari, whose heart was pounding as if it were about to explode and who had already thrown the prince (Aram) mask to the back of her mind, Hedin stared at her dumbfounded.

"It's best to comb your hair. My combing skills are far superior to those of the servants here. I'll come to your room tonight; remember not to lock the door."

"W-wh-what...!?"

Does a man visiting a woman's bedroom at night mean "that kind of thing"? The thought flashed through Ari's mind, and her cheeks immediately turned red.

But Hedin remained unmoved, like a desolate desert, and lowered his head to read the report in his hand, clearly showing that he had no such intention at all.

For him... no, for them (the Freya Familia), women other than the main god (Freya) were no different from pebbles on the roadside.

Rather than feeling relieved, Ari's last shred of feminine composure was shattered on the spot, leaving her with mixed feelings. To be honest, she was furious.

"A fundamental requirement for someone in a position of authority is to pay attention to their appearance. While there are countless other areas where you need to improve, that doesn't mean you can neglect this aspect."

As an elf, Hedin possessed an extraordinary appearance.

Even within Freya's familia, he and Hegni were exceptionally good-looking.

Especially her beautiful long golden hair, which even women would envy.

In fact, Ari, who was being criticized, also had the thought, "How awful, how enviable!"—and at that moment, she put her doubts into words.

"Herdin, may I ask you something? You served royalty before joining the Familia, right? No, maybe you were originally—"

From Hedin's demeanor and his admonitory admonitions, Aly sensed a "similar atmosphere" emanating from him. In other words, he exuded the same aura of someone from a "powerful and privileged" family.

"What good will it do you to know my past? I don't see any point in it."

Hedin answered while still looking at the report.

Rather than saying he didn't want people to delve into his past, it's more accurate to say he had no interest in the issue.

Ari felt that he was an elf who was completely rational and efficient.

Therefore, she raised the next question.

"If that's the case, why do you insist on treating me like a subject? Even if it's the command of the supreme god, you're the only one among everyone who does so. And unlike Allen and the others, that... even used honorifics with me..."

Although Hedin always referred to Ari as his nominal master, his attitude was arguably the most softened among the Freya Familia. Aside from his extremely polite words, even after only a few days together, Ari could feel his "respect" for her.

Hedin gave his answer this time.

"A person who is not burdened by his duties is not qualified to be a ruler."

“Eh…?”

"You didn't turn away from your grief and hatred after seeing reality clearly; instead, you confronted the most beautiful and terrifying goddess in the world head-on. We know better than anyone what this means."

The beautiful elf looked up from the documents beside her and stared straight at Ari.

"You have shown the backbone that royalty should at least have, so no matter what others say, I have decided to treat you in the same manner."

He then added, "I believe Hegny also sees you in a different light."

She was stunned speechless.

Ari had been troubled by her royal status, and Hedin's evaluation was tantamount to an affirmation of her. Logically, she should have been happy, but a strange feeling arose spontaneously.

Freya's retinue had largely accepted Ari's situation, which truly surprised her.

I was clearly just a burden to them and hadn't accomplished anything at all.

Since Hedin and others are willing to accept me, it means that I have changed, right?

"I'll go and inform the others; after all, there's too much useless trash here."

Hedin turned to go elsewhere, but before leaving, he suddenly spoke:

"Nominal master, we ask nothing more of you... we only hope you won't let us down."

Since you've caught the eye of the goddess—

The elf left only these words.

"Mm." Ari watched the receding figure, her resolve and determination unwavering, and responded in this way.

*

The Keos Desert was much hotter than usual that day.

At midday, the atmosphere in "Leod City" was unusually heavy.

Although the reconstruction efforts are ongoing, a sense of unease pervades the city of Leod. The reason is that they fear that after Sharzad, the Commercial Nation (Islamic State) will be next, and even other countries will suffer the same fate as Varsha.

As people worry about whether there will be a tomorrow, Ari, accompanied by Hedin and others, arrives in the southern district of "Leod City".

"There were more people than I expected..."

This is the South Square.

This place was originally part of the market, and it has attracted many people since it was opened to the public.

It even made one wonder if all the residents of "Leod City" had gathered here. Ari, who saw this from the shadows of the building, felt her palms begin to sweat slightly.

Alyssa – or more accurately, Hedin arranged this venue, claiming that a major announcement would be made there.

Because the caller was the hero who saved "Leod City", the local residents responded enthusiastically.

As for the content to be announced, the public has been discussing it for a long time.

Some people also hope that Ari and her companions will continue to protect the city in the future.

"Hmph, hmph... Now is the time to fire the sacred clarion call... It is also the time for the king to declare his decision to lead the people of the desert forward..."

"Shut up, Hegni... Prince Aram, your battlefield is about to begin. Good luck."

Hegny and Hedin, members of the Freya Familia, said this to Ari, who was suppressing her nervousness.

Ari realized what was going on after hearing the two voices.

—Yes, this is my battlefield.

Ari, who cannot fight on the battlefield like Allen and the others, will face a challenge here.

She nodded in response and then took a step forward.

Wearing exquisite white armor resembling jasmine—lightly dressed—Ari walked onto the pre-arranged platform, her cloak swaying gently with her movements.

"...Residents of Riod, thank you very much for sacrificing your precious time to listen to me. I have gathered here today to ask for your help with something."

Through the magic stone megaphone set up on the podium, Ari's voice could even be heard outside the town.

It was like a declaration being made to the entire desert world.

"Although some may call me a nameless wanderer—I will now reveal my true identity. I am a prince of the Sharzad royal family, my full name is Yalam Rassa Sharzad."

The next moment, the crowd erupted in a wavering clamor.

The scene was filled with various noises. Although most people were simply intimidated by the prince's identity, some could not hide their surprise; these were the merchants.

Aly looked back at the scrutinizing gazes from the podium and continued:

"I believe some have heard my rumors. The usual tales of an incompetent prince who vanished after his capital was captured, leaving his homeland to be ravaged by the Valsha army—but the truth is far more complex. At a time of crisis for the royal family, I temporarily left the army to reunite with a 'legendary warrior' willing to lend me a hand. Hearing of the town's plight along the way, I rushed here."

Ari read out the lines that Hedin had prepared on the spot.

However, the speech only goes this far.

She absolutely must demonstrate the demeanor befitting a queen.

"—Fellow merchants and people of the Islamic realm! I do not ask for your financial assistance! But I hope you can spread this message! Let it ride the sandstorms, cross the dunes, and reach my homeland, Sharzad!"

Alyssa shouted loudly, while recalling an incident from a few days ago.

"speech?"

On the night that the battle against the goddess ended in "Halvan"—

In the conference room, facing Alyssa who looked doubtful as to whether she had misheard, Herding nodded and affirmed.

"We currently have too few manpower available. The current situation makes it difficult to transmit intelligence, espionage, or reconnaissance. Even if we wanted to annihilate all the enemies, we don't know their exact location. Therefore, we need to take the initiative to 'speak out' and let the enemy walk into our trap."

As Otto and the others listened intently, Hedin looked down at the map spread out on the table and said this.

"You mean to take the initiative to speak out and lure the enemy into a trap...? What kind of message are you going to spread?"

"It means calling on all of Sharzad's troops to take the initiative and fight the enemy to the death."

Ari stared in shock, her eyes wide.

"To get Prince Aram's 'voice' out, we must first use the merchants. Their voices travel faster than the wind; they'll surely spread the message throughout Sharzad, which is now under Valsha's control. After all, this is the 'City of Merchants,' and the 'Land of Merchants.'"

"...!"

"The key ultimately lies in the 'speech.' We are not providing information of dubious origin or of dubious authenticity, but rather a concrete statement to be made to the world in a public setting on a specific day. The desert world needs to witness firsthand Prince Alam's courageous and decisive actions."

In the eyes of the Valsha army, "Leod City," where their troops had successively lost contact, was no different from another world, yet it was from this other world that they issued a "declaration of war."

This move is not only aimed at Valsha and Sharzad, but at the entire Caios desert region.

"You must announce the time and place of the 'all-out battle' on stage, and heat up the atmosphere of the decisive battle, urge everyone to take action, 'inspire' the entire nation of Sharzad, and force the Valsha army to assemble."

"Wait a minute! Even if my voice can successfully mobilize all the soldiers in Sharzad, it's hard to say what will happen to Valsha! After all, the difference in troop strength is huge. Even if the enemy is on high alert, they may not act as we expect...!"

In response to Alyssa's rebuttal, Hedin pointed to a certain area on the map and replied:

"The location where we need to assemble the Sharzad army is the 'Jazp Desert,' northeast of Riod City. This is a wasteland where the three kingdoms of Sharzad, the Commercial Kingdom (Islamic Domain), and Varsha meet. Once our forces are assembled here, not only can we advance on Sharzad, but we can even march directly into Varsha itself."

"!!"

"As a result, the main force of Valsha, which was stranded in Sharzad, could no longer sit idly by. The reason was that if their own country fell, all their gains would be in vain."

Despite her surprise, Alyssa understood what Hedin was trying to say.

Hedin intended to use intimidation.

If Valsha does not accept this "challenge to a decisive battle," his country will disappear forever.

In this invasion of Sharzad, Varsha must have committed most of his forces, so his country's defenses must be quite weak. "At worst, we can also encourage the Commercial State (Islamic State) to send troops. After all, the Commercial State (Islamic State) has also suffered because of Varsha's atrocities, so it has a perfectly legitimate reason," Hedin even casually offered this unprecedented contingency plan.

Ari couldn't help but stare intently at Hedin's face.

This elf had neither retainers nor troops, yet with a single plan, he forced all the forces of both nations to mobilize. And it might not be entirely impossible.

Ari felt a chill run down her spine and was filled with fear of the elf before her.