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

Eina inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine and was completely unable to move.

"I'll keep this safe."

"what……"

"Don't worry, I won't throw it away, I promise."

Freya hugged the book to her chest and took a step back.

Eina reflexively reached her hand forward, but was stopped by the silver gaze.

With just a glance, Eina's body began to convulse.

At that moment, she did not understand that she was being subjected to a powerful "charm" again.

"My child will come and collect all the documents piled up here later. You should go back now and forget about all of this."

"…………yes."

Freya glanced at the documents scattered on the ground, then turned away.

Eina, now a slave to "beauty," nodded in agreement without expression.

The magic stone lamp was not turned on; the room was only illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun.

After the goddess disappeared, Eina, who had been standing there in a daze, murmured to herself as if she had finally come to her senses.

"What am I doing...? I need to hurry back to find Missia and the others..."

Moreover—

"Huh...? Why...am I...crying...?"

Eina had no idea why two extra lines of tears had appeared on her cheeks.

*

Da da da

In the dimly lit stairwell, only the sound of shoes stepping on the floor echoed.

The sound of footsteps was sucked into the darkness deep below.

Freya, carrying the diary written by the girl (half-elf), walked down the stairs as if no one was there.

After reaching the end of the stairs, you will arrive at the "underground altar" lit by four torches.

"Your consciousness is indeed unaffected, Uranus."

In the center of this stone hall, which resembles an ancient temple.

Freya gave the old god, who sat on the huge stone throne—the altar seat—a beautiful smile that seemed out of place with the atmosphere.

"Besides your divine status as a great god, you are also protected by this 'underground altar,' so my 'charm' had no effect. Speaking of which, it's uncertain whether 'sounds' from the surface can even reach here."

"...Freya."

His pale eyes held a rational and resolute air as he slowly opened his mouth.

He looked down from his throne at the "Goddess of Beauty," who had brazenly barged in despite knowing that her "spells" had failed, and asked:

"Are you also planning to use your 'charm' on me?"

Unlike yesterday's goddess festival, the goddess has now entered the "altar," and the two sides are now so close.

Once "charm" is cast, even a master cannot resist it.

From the moment he failed to stop the goddess from barging in, his life and death were in her hands.

"That's not true. You are indispensable to maintaining peace in the labyrinth city (Oario). If you were to be tempted by me and affect 'Prayer,' it would be a great loss."

"..."

"And... hehe, even if you're under the 'charm' spell, you'll still look like this serious, unsmiling person."

Facing the jovial Freya, Uranus narrowed his eyes with an air of authority.

As Freya stated, Uranus, who offered his "prayer" to the dungeon—the Orario creator god who prevented monsters from escaping through the "Great Hole"—is arguably the most crucial deity within the city and the last cornerstone protecting the lower realm. If his "prayer" were to go awry, a "city collapse" (unpredictable) could occur.

In other words, Freya never intended to use her charm on Uranus.

The fall of the "City of Heroes" is something that absolutely cannot happen.

Aside from the "evil gods" who seek destruction.

Even if Freya was an arrogant and conceited queen, it was still the same.

"What exactly is your purpose in doing this, Freya?"

"Is that even a question? They simply broke the taboo to get what they wanted."

"It's Bell Craney..."

Uranus, who kept a close eye on the city's affairs through his private soldiers (Fels and others), had learned of Freya's divine will from Hermes. Although the old god remained outwardly calm, he felt sympathy for the boy who was often at the center of "incidents"—and at the same time, he inexplicably felt that the gift left by the kind old man (Zeus) would surely cause such trouble—so he let out a very soft, truly very soft, and extremely subtle sigh.

"If that's the case, what are you doing here?"

Uranus, who offered "prayer" to the dungeon, was never able to leave the "altar".

Moreover, the servants (Loiman and others) who acted on behalf of the old god, following his instructions like his limbs, had all fallen into Freya's hands, leaving Uranus helpless. Like Hermes and Hestia, he was defeated the instant he failed to stop the "charm."

To be precise, it wasn't just Uranus, but all the gods who suffered a defeat.

"I want to have a 'negotiation' with you, the god of urban creation."

The ruler, who was not obliged to obey anyone, looked up and stared directly at Uranus after removing his hood.

"I hope you won't get in my way."

"What?"

"If you're willing to keep your promise, I'll push forward the entire maze strategy in one go."

Faced with the goddess who didn't answer the question but directly offered "negotiation" terms, Uranus couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Although I have allowed the Familia (Otto and others) to do as they please until now, I will directly order 'all members to unite and conquer the dungeon'."

"...!"

"Not only will I allow them to enter uncharted territories, but I will also instruct them to prepare for the subjugation of the 'Black Dragon'."

Completely conquer the underground labyrinth that is the "culprit".

And finally, fulfill his long-cherished wish to complete the three great adventure commissions (quests) in the lower realm.

Freya meant that if Uranus accepted this "negotiation," he would go all out to conquer the dungeon.

The Freya Familia, who originally focused only on individual bravery, would definitely be able to speed up their progress in conquering dungeons much faster if they became as united as the Loki Familia when attacking them.

Ultimately, the Freya Familia is entirely centered around the main god.

The members are all devoted to Freya, redeemed by her compassion, and submit to her divinity, even willing to defeat other members to gain her favor. However, if the goddess were to command them to work together—

"I will try to accomplish 'salvation (μαχη)'."

This is a declaration from the goddess's heart.

Uranus, who had never wavered, was filled with astonishment.

"...Defeated by the goddess (Hera), trapped in Orario, why are you doing this now?"

Freya's decision was purely a whim.

Since the fall of the gods (Zeus) and goddess (Hera) fifteen years ago, Freya has indeed fulfilled her "duties" as a member of the labyrinth city (Orario), but she has not done so seriously. Because she prioritizes her own "interests"—her own purposes—she entrusts the operation of the faction entirely to the free will of her familia.

"Because I've found what I wanted...I've found a partner."

The reason why the goddess changed her style from the past is that simple and clear.

Freya's face revealed a smile that was both arrogant and conceited, yet also breathtakingly beautiful, like that of a dreamlike young girl.

"I want Bell, I want to possess his body, his heart, and his soul. Yes, I only want Bell. I'd do anything for him."

"..."

"As long as you're willing to stay out of this matter, I guarantee I won't do anything that harms Orario's interests. Besides, isn't that the wisest course of action?"

She then put on a wicked smile, like a witch.

"If I were to forcibly take Bell away, it would inevitably cause casualties. Not only Hestia's family, but also Hephaestus and the others who assisted Hestia; on the other hand, my method will not harm anyone."

This is a fact.

While changing the entire city's atmosphere is far from commendable and is a grave mistake, Freya's method, from the perspective of "urban combat power," will not cause any losses. It will not trigger clan conflicts or war games, but rather minimize the impact, merely altering the perceptions of all citizens.

Moreover, the Freya Familia is willing to speed up their conquest of the dungeon, so this negotiation is not a loss for the old god.

"Aside from my own clan, the only people who still retain all their memories from before the city's 'allure' are you three: the slave I admire (Bell), the virgin goddess (Hestia), and the creator god (Uranus)."

"..."

"In other words, only you can destroy my 'closed world'."

Therefore, do not put up futile resistance.

No countermeasures are allowed, no external assistance is permitted, and no rash actions should be taken.

That's exactly what Freya meant.

In order to eliminate any "variables" that could turn the tide, she took the initiative and came here to "negotiate" with Uranus.

"I've been busy all day! To make sure there were no flaws in my 'seduction', I even went on a tour of the city with my kids."

"..."

"I asked the children of 'Enchantment' to help me alter Bell's experiences, but loopholes still appeared, just like the non-combatant (children) in your family who just raised doubts about the altered 'records'."

Freya opened the confiscated logbook and quickly skimmed through the information inside.

As this confession states, Freya ordered her kin (Alfred and others) to tell Bell that "she was in the Tower of Babel," but in reality, she was "personally cleaning up the mess for Enchantress."

"My 'charm' does not cover the dungeon, which means that the adventurers who entered the dungeon yesterday did not have their memories altered."

"...You rewrote those characters too?"

"That's right, I tried my best to identify this group of adventurers and complete the 'Charm', including the residents of the inn town (Rivera Town)."

Despite her arrogance, Freya is actually quite "diligent".

Just as she hadn't "charmed" Uranus, there was no point in randomly stimulating the dungeon. Although most people were enjoying the Goddess Festival, a small number of adventurers who had ventured into the dungeon were unaffected by Freya's "charm," so she acted first to eliminate any potential threats.

Even the residents of the 18th floor, "Labyrinth Inn Town (Rivera Town)," were brought to the surface by controlled adventurers and all of them were "charmed." However, it seems that some of Loki's children entered the deeper levels from the lower levels during this period, making the same treatment impossible. After all, she couldn't send her Familia to the lower levels. The reason is that the dungeon is too vast, and it's easy for them to miss each other or fail to find each other.

It would be easier to deal with the situation once these people return to the surface. As for the port city (Mellen), which is not far from here, it has already fallen. In this way, groups around Orario will have almost no chance of noticing the changes in the city.

Those who are "bewitched," regardless of whether they are human or god, are all ordered to immediately report any existence that could endanger Freya's "closed world." This means that anyone who has doubts about Bell's affiliation with the Freya Familia will be immediately identified.

These "finishing touches" are for the purpose of achieving the above objectives.

Freya genuinely wanted to confine the boy (Bell) to her "closed world".

"In addition, I have already obtained this."

Freya took out a small bottle.

This substance, which resembles an "unlocking drug," is a contraband that only circulates on the black market.

This is an extremely rare item, with only one existing in the entire labyrinthine inn town (Rivera). Freya was willing to delay her negotiations with Uranus in order to obtain it.

"There may be more who have slipped through the net... but I will use the girl (Heron) and others to find them one by one."

The entire plan is virtually foolproof, and any flaws can be corrected immediately.

The goddess painstakingly explained her series of actions, which were tantamount to cutting off the old god's retreat, forcing him to nod and accept the "scythe" of negotiation.

Her beautiful long silver hair shone like a bright moon even in the dim underground altar.

"I have revealed all the information at my disposal to demonstrate my sincerity... Uranus, what is your reply?"

Uranus silently endured the gaze that seemed to pierce through him, and slowly closed his eyes.

"Although it's not my wish, I am known as the 'Creator God of the City' by the world, so all I can do is dedicate myself to everyone in the city. Based on that, I absolutely cannot agree to your outrageous behavior, Freya."

"so?"

"...However, the reality is that I have no way to stop you, so during the time I close my eyes, do as you please."

Uranus's response was "remain silent."