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

"We must always force our opponents to choose between two options."

"what?"

"And both options must be in one's best interest. Allow the other party to decide on any option, rather than forcing a choice. This negotiating tactic is crucial, whether in the court or on the battlefield, for the nominal master."

"!!"

"I advise you to learn more of these cunning 'negotiation techniques'."

Hedin looked at Alyssa and offered advice as if inheriting the divine will of the goddess (Freya).

As Ari gazed into those coral-red eyes, a clear sense of self-awareness arose within her.

The other party is optimistic about how she will grow as a "queen" and also wants to see through this aspect further.

"However, the outcome of your 'speech' will determine everything. Whether you can move this desert world forward depends entirely on your performance."

"The capital of Sharzad, Solshana, has fallen, and my father has been executed! The culprit is Varsha! I have never hated my powerlessness as much as I did that day!"

While attracting the attention of the crowd through her words and actions, Ari also turned her head to observe her surroundings.

Boffman has used all his connections to invite many merchants from other towns to come here. After all, "Leod City" is the "City of Merchants," and their intelligence network must cover the entire territory of Caios.

Incidentally, the high-grade armor that Ari wore was also provided by the Fazl Merchant Guild.

Ari couldn't help but worry that if she continued to use the Fazl Merchant Guild, or more precisely, the most overworked member, Boffman, there was no guarantee he wouldn't die from overwork.

"However, we now have powerful allies! These are the legendary warriors who have pledged their allegiance to Sharzad, the 'Eight Heroes' who have repeatedly defeated Valsha's army! Their strength is as you can see!"

The crowd turned to look at Ota and his group, and instantly erupted in a clamor.

Ari borrowed the charm of the Freya Familia and did everything she could to incite her audience.

The merchants also began to stir. They too were likely disgusted by Varsha's atrocities.

If it were simply a matter of disseminating this statement on behalf of others, the businessmen would certainly be willing to accept Aly's request.

The reason is that they were also enraged by the destruction of the town.

Next—as long as Ari proves that she is "Prince Aram," everything will fall into place.

"My fellow citizens of Islam, I implore you once again! Please convey my words truthfully! Let my voice reach my beloved homeland and the soldiers who are still fighting bravely!!"

Today's words—all of them—have to be relayed to Sharzad's army through the merchants' intelligence network.

The loyal subjects might worry that the prince is an imposter, or suspect that this is a plot by Varsha and become more vigilant.

The claim that the Sharzad royal family has inherited purple eyes is simply not enough; the evidence is too weak.

Therefore, Ari included "proof" of her status as a prince in her oath.

"I swear in the name of my great royal ancestor, Ari! The decisive battle is set for five days from now, at the Jazp Desert! Let us gather our forces and reclaim the capital!"

Ari's evidence—is her "real name".

This is something that a fake cannot fake; the "true face" of a prince who impersonates the opposite sex.

The king's declaration of vowing to punish the villains, along with the majestic presence befitting a ruler, brought the passion of the people and merchants to its peak.

Ari clenched her fist and stretched it towards the sun.

Be prepared to shoulder everything and shout it out loud.

"I hereby swear! I will inherit the throne as the last descendant of the royal family and rise up to punish the wicked Varsha!!"

The crowd cheered and applauded.

This cry, representing hope, resonated throughout the scorching desert.

The merchants' enlightenment, carried by the desert winds, soared into the skies of Caios.

Seeing this, the members of the Freya Familia accepted the girl who had become "King".

*

"Ah, Princess...! Thank goodness you are safe and sound!"

The day the "Leod Speech" was distributed through the hands of merchants—

Upon receiving the news, Sharzad's loyal followers knelt down on the spot, weeping with joy.

"Princess—no, Prince! Since the name of our great ancestor Ari has been mentioned, it must be Prince Aram!!"

Sharzad and other places

Although most of the troops were at a disadvantage, with only remnants remaining, they all roared in anger.

There is no one named Ari among the ancestors of Sharzad.

The few ministers who knew the prince's (Aram's) secret were overjoyed when they realized that the "speech" was Ari's own coded message.

"Immediately notify other units! The prince who appeared in the Islamic domain is the real person! The entire army must immediately assemble at the decisive battleground—the Jazp Desert!!"

In the camp where morale was declining due to the deteriorating battle situation, Jafar, Ari's right-hand man and most trusted veteran, issued an order.

The Sharzad army, which had previously lost hope and become dejected, quickly regained its fighting spirit and set off eastward together.

"Report! The Sharzad forces, which have been resisting in various locations, have all begun to advance eastward! Moreover, they have been subdivided into multiple units... Our army is unable to stop them all!"

Located in the Valsha military camp in Solshana, the capital of Sharzad—

After the messenger arrived in a hurry and finished his report, Gesa clenched his fists in anger and slammed them hard on the large table where the map was placed.

"Damn it! I've been tricked!"

Leod's "speech" also reached the ears of Gesa and others.

He never dreamed that the enemy would use merchants to gather troops scattered in various places. The terrain of this country was naturally more familiar to Sharzad's army; if the enemy used a little-known route to rendezvous, Varsha would have no chance of intercepting them all. If Sharzad were to execute a large-scale counter-offensive, the Commercial Nation (Islamic Domain) would inevitably provide support. And this was the price the [Rashap Clan] would have to pay for their reckless actions.

The time is five days from now, and the location is the "Jazp Desert".

The other party was clearly provoking them.

If the challenge is not accepted, they will directly attack Valsha's homeland—Gesar clearly understood the unspoken message that the elf wanted to convey in that speech.

"Prince Aram...! I was wondering why he disappeared without a trace, resorting to such a cunning scheme! I never expected him to be so decisive! I had heard he was quite talented, but it turns out he is such a remarkable person!"

Otherwise, there is an excellent think tank helping to come up with ideas.

That being said, no one is more perceptive than the people who can discern the birth of a new monarch.

This atmosphere of fervent support from people in other countries even reached here, making Gesa personally feel that the enemy prince had finally "awakened".

"This is so suspicious! Absolutely so suspicious!! There's definitely something fishy going on here!!"

In another tent in the commander's camp area where Gesa and others were located, the heartthrob Rashap couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"This 'either/or' option is too suspicious! Judging from this method that seems to give you a choice but actually forces you to comply, the guy who came up with this plan is really vicious!"

Putting aside his character, Rashap, being a god at least, accurately saw through Hedin's scheme, realizing it had ulterior motives. The problem was that even if he saw through this, he could only accept the enemy's invitation.

Even if you understand that the enemy has ulterior motives, you don't know what they're really up to.

Even the gods couldn't guess the answer until it was revealed.

"Soldiers degenerate into bandits, committing atrocities in the desert world... While this may not be bad, it cannot be denied that the scope has narrowed—it feels rather petty."

Lashap was not interested in winning the war.

Just as Ari and Gesar feared, he held different beliefs from those of the two countries and was acting according to "a certain plan." To put it bluntly, it was just some of the gods' entertainment and hobbies, no different from the "evil god's" conspiracy to bring chaos to the lower realm.

"Fine, I'll accept the invitation. It'll be more interesting that way anyway, and we've got a 'trump card' up our sleeve, don't you think? Hill."

"Yes, Lord LaSharp. But unfortunately, there hasn't been a chance for that thing to make an appearance yet."

The elf who served beside Rashap, Hill, as the captain, responded.

The man wore an evil smile that was unlike anything an elf should have. He was tall and slender with long black hair. His upper body was naked except for a cloak, and his exposed skin was covered with strange tattoos.

His appearance was even like that of a "forbidden spellcaster" from the darkness.

"I alone can crush Sharzad and Aram to death. Then I will skin them and make them into flags to send to Lord Rashap as a victory report."

"I just love that you have such a handsome face, yet you spout such vile and inhuman things. Hahaha."

Rashap laughed heartily at the attendant and the commander's family member.

Rashap is a cruel god, and his retinue is equally deviant.

Their "plan" is cruel and will bring chaos to the lower realms.

However, in conclusion, this "plan" will not be revealed in this great battle.

"I've never heard of any 'Eight Heroes,' but none of the neighboring forces can defeat us."

The reason is that even the strongest being (Rashap) was unexpected, and at this moment, he has appeared in the Chaos Desert.

*

"Hedin, could you please invite everyone over?"

The night the great battle is about to begin tomorrow—

Alyssa made this request to Hedin.

They are currently still in Riod City. After all, given Otto and the others' speed, they can reach the Battleground in just a few hours. Another reason is that Ari is worried that Valsha might target the place where Prince (Aram) is giving his speech, so she insists on protecting it until the very last moment.

"All those who were willing to come have arrived, but what are your orders? Are you perhaps trying to motivate us for tomorrow's battle?"

Those who gathered in the hall included Hegni, Otto, and Alfred.

As for the four Jariba brothers' younger brothers, they were all monitoring the surrounding situation, while Allen had no intention of coming.

Hedin specifically summoned Otto and the others to ask this question, but Aly shook her head in response.

Facing the invincible Freya Familia, she naturally had no intention of boosting morale or offering any opinions.

Alyssa simply felt that tonight might be the only chance she would have to talk to them.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for your help. Although Hedin, you may criticize me for not lowering myself to others so easily as royalty... the only way I can repay you now is with this most sincere gratitude, so—thank you."

Ari looked at everyone present one by one and spoke frankly from the bottom of her heart.

The goddess's retinue, of course, showed absolutely no appreciation. However—

"This matter isn't over yet, and you're thanking me too soon. But... I'll pass on the message to my brothers."

Alfred appeared calm, but his tone softened slightly in the last sentence.

"...You, you're not as foolish as you think... It means... well... Waaaaaahh ...

The taciturn Hegny seemed to be trying hard to convey something, but suddenly let out a groan-like scream, and ultimately became incoherent due to over-embellishment of his words.

"Keep shining. That's your duty now that you've caught the eye of a goddess."

Ota gave a brief, unfazed response.

"I don't need to remind you of anything else. If you don't think I'm being nosy, there's one last thing... that troublesome 'cat' should be on the third-floor balcony right now."

After thanking Hedin for telling her this, Alyssa went to where the difficult and rude "cat" was.

"Allen".

Indeed, just as Hedin had said, the cat-person, whose fur was a mixture of black and gray, almost silver, was on the balcony overlooking the desert night view. Looking at the unresponsive figure despite being called out to, Ari quietly walked forward.

"Don't come any closer. You'd better get this straight, I don't want to be on good terms with you."

"Is that so? Then I'll say it here."

On the spacious balcony, Ari walked about five steps forward and then stopped.

"I thanked the others just now... but I also want to apologize to you. I actually insulted you during the trip."

On her first day away from Riod City, Ari uttered harsh words out of pointless anger.

Even though she almost died at Allen's hands, she still wanted to apologize to him.

"I'm sorry, Allen, I was too narrow-minded to have offended your loyalty to the goddess."

"You brat, stop putting on airs. It's disgusting."

Allen showed absolutely no mercy and was always verbally abusing people.

However, Aly knew Allen's character all along, so she wasn't angry at all, and instead laughed in relief.

"……why are you laughing?"

"nothing……"