Chapter 16 - Freya 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

"!"

The change was dramatic.

Ali, who had largely been looking down from the moment she entered the room, immediately raised her head at Freya's comment, and her light purple eyes flared. Freya's eyes narrowed slightly in response.

"I was just curious. Will you not answer my question?"

Faced with the goddess whose smile only seemed to grow deeper, Ali responded by—refusing to answer and closing her eyes.

"You! You're before the Lady Freya! Such insolence is—!" Bofman immediately began to scold her but was halted mid-sentence by Freya's raised hand.

"Apparently Shalzad's fallen capital is still filled with screaming." Freya paid no heed to Ali's silence as she pressed the attack.

"…"

"Most of the royal family has been executed, and only a few still survive." "…"

"What must the people of Shalzad be thinking right now?" "…Gh!"

Ali maintained her silence, occasionally trembling as if struggling to hold back a torrent of emotions threatening to break free. The goddess continued to lob questions at her, but the girl persisted in her silence. Unsure of how to react to such an odd scene, Bofman kept glancing back and forth between the two of them, decidedly left out of the loop.

"Bofman, tell me what you know about the prince of Shalzad who was said to have escaped from the enemy."

"Yes? Ah, yes ma'am, of course," Bofman looked surprised by Freya's sudden question as he responded. "The prince's name is Aram Raza Shalzad. He is the first and only son of the king, who was executed when the capital fell. He was rumored to be peerlessly handsome…If I recall correctly, he was sixteen years old."

"Did he have any sisters of a similar age?"

"…? No, not if I remember correctly, at least. The king of Shalzad was apparently not blessed with many children. The prince bore both the royal family's expectations and their obligations…"

Freya's smile did not falter as Bofman finished his explanation. And the

girl before her looked like she was trying to endure an onslaught with her eyelids clenched shut. The light of the single magic-stone lamp in the room flickered. Finally, the goddess spoke with an air of confidence.

"Ali, you look like you would be quite handsome dressed in men's clothes. With the proper attire…yes, I'm sure you could pass for a prince…"

At that instant, Ali's mask broke, betraying her efforts at controlling herself. With Freya having said that much, even Bofman could guess what she was implying as shock spread across his face.

"Ali, earlier, you were about to perform the proper way to greet a deity, but you stopped yourself at the last moment, didn't you?"

"…Gh!"

"That was the correct way to pay respect to a deity that the average inhabitant of the desert would likely not have known, let alone a slave, wasn't it?"

While all the former slaves in the estate were giving their thanks, when Ali had approached Freya, she had started to do something different and then stopped short, instead resorting to an inoffensive bow. It had betrayed her as someone who knew the esoteric method of formally addressing a deity. Her awkward movements revealed her unfamiliarity with pretending to be an unknowing commoner, and Freya's eyes had not missed it.

"And regardless of how I try to press you, you respond with only silence. Only someone who knows full well how to interact with deities would be able to do that."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Bofman asked, half in shock.

"Gods can see through all the lies of children. The most effective method of dealing with a god's questioning…is silence," Freya explained, not taking her eyes off Ali.

Mortals could not deceive deities. Or more precisely, the gods could see through all manner of deception. However, even if they knew someone was telling a lie, it was not possible for them to know what exactly the lie was. With their arcanum sealed on the mortal plane, they could not see all the way into mortals' hearts. Because of that, silence was the one and only means of resisting a deity's questioning that mortals had, and it was an effective one.

"In this desert realm, where familias are generally connected with the military, normal people would not have much opportunity to interact with gods. And there surely would not be many who could reflexively respond in

the most effective way…Not if they had not already been trained to do so."

In a place where many gods and goddesses gathered, like Orario—where it wasn't too hard to find an adventurer who had been caught lying to a god before or something like that—it was plausible someone might have trained themselves to respond that way. But this was the Kaios Desert, far away from the Labyrinth City. Most of the familias here were treated as part of the military of any given country, from what Bofman said before. That meant that the patron god who led the faction would mostly interact with the nation's elites. In that sort of an environment, someone who purposefully maintained their silence when dealing with a god would have to be a person who interacted with gods on a daily basis or someone who had been trained that way in order to prevent information leaks.

"I-if someone received that kind of training, then it would surely only be someone among a select group of merchants or nobility…or royalty," Bofman said, turning pale, finally realizing everything.

In other words, Freya's questioning of Ali had been a bluff to confirm that she was indeed someone of high-class origin. The actual answers she might have given were irrelevant.

"And more than anything, I could feel it when I first saw you. You possess a dignity that separates you."

A tiger biding its time, waiting for the right moment to strike. From the moment she laid eyes on Ali in the bazaar, Freya realized her true nature.

"Th-then that means Prince Aram is…!"

"Not a son, but a daughter. Raised as a prince by a king who was not blessed with many heirs. A rather conventional sort of trope."

It's not conventional at all! Bofman thought, starting to sweat as he shook his head.

Most likely, while her country was being attacked, an incident had occurred and she had been captured by slave traders. Or perhaps after the capital had fallen, while leading the resistance against Warsa, she had been separated from the rest of her allies and wound up in chains. Bofman's face paled even further.

Now aware he was in the presence of the prince, or rather princess, of a country in a difficult situation, he was surely calculating the merits and demerits of the knowledge that had just fallen into his lap.

"If news spread that Prince Aram was actually a princess…given the

current situation, I wonder what would happen?" Freya's lips curled up sadistically for an instant.

The silent girl's eyes snapped open. "You dare blackmail me?!"

Her tone and mood changed in an instant. Just as Freya had observed before, she displayed the majesty of royalty in spades. Even the self- proclaimed wealthy merchant Bofman quivered at her rebuke, intimidated by the presence her small body seemed to project. However, Freya did not budge one bit from her elegant seat.

"Of course not. I've no intention at all of blackmailing you," she responded casually.

"Wh—?!"

"On top of that, I have no interest in either country or the war that is going on. You, and you alone, are what I am interested in.

"I teased you because I wanted to see your true form," she added with a smile that did not contain any malice. Ali's body stirred beneath the goddess's gaze. It had apparently dawned on her that she was seeing something not of this world.

"…You are truly the Goddess Freya, are you not?" "Yes. How many times must I say it?"

"Then, Goddess Freya, I would like you to set me free."

Finally, Ali stopped pretending to be a wretched slave and spoke with a royal demeanor while resisting Freya's alluring appearance.

"You have my utmost gratitude for releasing me from slavery. Truly, I mean it. However, as you have realized, despite being a woman, I am playing the role of the prince. I have somewhere I must return to and a people that I must save."

"…"

"I swear I shall repay this debt someday. So, please, allow me to go back to my country."

Ali's purple eyes met Freya's head-on. She surely recognized that a deity might consider her request unreasonable, but her expression was unyielding. She was being targeted by Warsa and could not be sure what fate awaited her tomorrow. And even if she managed to link up with Shalzad's army, what could the prince of a country that had lost its capital offer to repay a goddess? Bofman was initially overwhelmed by Ali's regal presence, but just as he

was about to point out that there would be no value for the goddess in doing that, Freya again checked him with a wave.

"Very well," she responded without any hesitation again. "What…?"

"You may do as you please. I asked what I wanted to ask, so if you want to go somewhere now, I won't stop you. You may go as you please."

Ali blinked over and over. She had expected to be rejected outright, or at least to have some sort of over-the-top compensation scheme forced on her by a cruel goddess. She was visibly bewildered by Freya's response.

"It's not like I bought you out of a desire for an enslaved puppet in the first place," Freya said. And then her lips curled into a smile. "However, somewhere down the line, you can be sure that I will claim that repayment you mentioned."

Ali was roused from her shock by a bolt of tension that shot right through her the moment she heard those words. Her face looked strained as she nodded, like a criminal making a deal with the devil in the fables of old.

"…You have my thanks, goddess of the world beyond."

Her gratitude was a mere formality. Freya stifled a little giggle. "That's that, then. Bofman, take her to her room."

"I-is this really okay?" "Yes, this is fine."

Bofman nervously double-checked with her, but Freya simply urged him on placidly.

Finally, the female attendants summoned by his service bell appeared and led Ali away. As she was leaving, Ali glanced at Freya, but Freya just smiled back at her.

The sun peeked out over the sand dunes stretching out to the horizon. As the darkness started to fade, the Kaios Desert's temperature increased as it escaped the cold embrace of night.

Morning had arrived.

"I overslept…! As if I've got any time to waste!" Ali leaped out of bed not long after sunrise.

The room she had been led to last night was magnificent, and the soft bed had lured her into a comfortable sleep. She had been constantly on the move, both before she was caught by the slave traders and after they had captured her, pushing her to the limits of exhaustion. Thanks to the inviting bed and a full night's sleep, though, most of that exhaustion was gone, and her head was clear.

She frantically started moving, readying herself for her journey. She wanted to avoid becoming indebted to Freya any more than she already was, but she did accept the travel clothes that the attendants had politely offered her.

At that moment, the only other clothes she had to her name were the slave rags, the dress that Freya had given her for their rendezvous last night, and a light nightgown—and all of which would have drawn unnecessary attention if she walked around outside in them. Given that she intended to leave Leodo and needed to avoid revealing her true identity, Ali did not really have a choice, so she begrudgingly accepted the travel clothes.

I can't figure out what that goddess is thinking. She said I was her heart's desire, but then immediately let me go…No, don't think about it. It's already clear she's the kind of deity that it's best not to get involved with…

Ali had absolute confidence in that analysis as she left the oasis mansion. As she was passing through the gate, the catman standing guard there audibly scoffed in annoyance. Ali was thrown off by his inexplicable hostility, but it was not long before her confusion was resolved.

As she crossed the big wooden bridge connecting the island in the middle of the oasis to the northern side of the city—

"…Why are you here?"

Ali stopped, her face tensed when she saw the goddess leaning against the railing of the bridge, clearly expecting her.

"Because I was waiting for you," Freya responded, intentionally dodging the actual question.

"Wh-what do you mean?! You said last night you were letting me go…!" Ali shouted, paying no heed to the stares of the other people crossing the bridge.

"I said that I wouldn't stop you, but I didn't say anything about not coming with you."

Freya was wearing the same clothes as she was when they first met the

other day: a short white dress and red hood, a matching red fabric wrapped around her waist, and a black skirt. The clothes that Bofman had arranged for her were breathable and easy to move in, so they would make for convenient travel clothes. Though Ali had no way of knowing that.

"You?! Come with me?! What are you talking about?!"

"The only thing I'm interested in is you. I told you that last night. So I'm going to watch you. I want to observe you from up close."

Ali abandoned her royal gravitas for a moment as her eyes opened wide in unveiled shock.

What are you talking about?! Are you crazy?! That doesn't make any sense! she screamed in her head. She was utterly confused and well past the point of caring that the goddess could accurately read her state of mind.

"In what way will your soul transform? Will it shine even brighter? That's what I want to see. What I want to confirm."

—To know whether you are suitable to be my Odr.

That last part, however, did not reach Ali's ears as her exasperation reached its limit.

"Do you think this is a game?! I must get back to the army as soon as possible for the sake of my country! I don't have time to deal with a goddess's flights of fancy—" So I have no desire to be shadowed by some weirdo goddess! was what Ali was about to add, rejecting Freya, but—

"What about traveling expenses?" Freya's one question stopped the girl in her tracks. "It seems you plan to leave this town, but have you made all the necessary arrangements?"

Ali was at a loss for words as the goddess continued.

"I fully understand that you have no desire to be further indebted to me. However, what can you do by yourself? I don't know where you plan to go, but it's not someplace you can easily reach by foot, right? If so, then how will you cross the desert?"

Freya's points were all sound and undeniable. Ali was currently broke, and without the funds to prepare for a desert journey, venturing out into the sands was not just foolish, it was suicidal.

It was not as if Ali had not considered that when she left the manor, though. This was Israfan, after all. There were merchants here who had close ties to the Shalzad royal family. If she was dressed as a man and identified herself as the prince, it would be possible to get help from them, but—

"Which reminds me of something Bofman mentioned. The situation in Shalzad is currently extraordinarily unstable. Many merchants are wagging their tails for Warsa, as they currently hold the advantage…If you started announcing yourself as the missing prince, they might decide the reward for turning you in is better than the risk of hiding you and providing assistance."

Freya rested her cheek on one hand as she, by all appearances, read Ali's mind.

"Are there any merchants who were close to you personally rather than just aligned with your country? Is there someone who would actually set aside profit to side with Shalzad out of loyalty?"

Ali's optimistic plans and the straws she was grasping at were all swept away by the goddess's smile. Without a personal connection with a merchant, none of the trading companies would extend their hands to the prince of a floundering country. And because Ali had had to keep her real gender hidden, she had rarely had any chances to build such connections. Other than those who already knew her secret, she had not been allowed to interact with other people any more than was absolutely necessary.

"Traveling alone in the desert at such a young age…you might just end up in a slave train again, you know?" Freya commented with slight smile.

"Grrr…!!" Intercepted at every possible angle, Ali could do nothing more than groan in frustration.

"If you'll allow me to accompany you…then I'd be willing to help you, though."

Freya was still smiling as she offered Ali a way out.

For Ali, who did not have many people she could rely on—any, really— Freya's offer was like a blessing from the heavens. It was possible something worse might happen because of it, but at the very least Freya would not try to help Warsa or hurt Shalzad. If she were going to do that, she would have done it already. Ali suspected that what she had said the night before about not caring about the war was probably the truth.

But getting played around with like this is just…!

Even so, though, Ali still didn't want to let her have her way. It was a combination of caution when dealing with such an incomprehensible person as well as the pride of a prince who knew better than to trifle with deities— but most of all, it was a childish rebelliousness. She just could not stand the smug way the goddess was smiling. Her beauty was such that it threatened to

allure Ali, even though she was a girl, too, but Freya's gaze had a certain feel to it, as if she was looking down on mortals or perhaps appraising them. That, combined with the goddess's egotistical actions, and Ali just could not help finding Freya distasteful. Despite her own pathetic situation and the direly needed help, she insisted on holding out.

"My compensation." "…!"

"You swore that you would repay me some day. Today is that day."

That was the clincher. Just as Freya said, Ali was the one who had promised to repay her. It felt an awful lot like minor quibbling, but if she reneged, it would be a stain on the honor of Shalzad—indeed, the request Freya was making was cheap relative to what she owed, so much so that it was debatable whether this request could really be equivalent.

She wanted to tear Freya a new one and scream at her to quit screwing around, but she restrained herself as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm the one who made the promise…and I'm the one being helped here…so I'll allow you to accompany me…"

"Very good. Thank you."

In the end, Ali was forced to dance to the goddess's tune. And the reason the catman had scoffed in annoyance was probably because he had realized it would all end up like this. It was not through any fault of Ali's.

At least she was able to repay her debt quickly.

"However! Promise me you won't just get in my way all the time!" Ali refused to budge on that one point.

"But of course. I promise." The goddess simply responded with a provocative little smile.

Resigned to her fate, Ali started walking.

When they crossed the bridge over the oasis, Leodo was lively as noon approached. The bazaar in the northern part of the city was booming, more than equal to the bazaar in the southern half of the city that Ali and Freya had passed through the day before. Compared to that one, the sides of the streets here were filled to the brim with shops and people lined the road. Camels loaded up with goods were having difficulty moving through it.

"Now that I think about it, is Ali a fake name? Should I call you Aram?"

"…My true name is Ali. Out of respect for my dying mother's wish, my father did not steal away my individuality. Though there have been times I wondered if I might end up forgetting my own name…" Ali explained.

We're in the middle of a giant crowd here…Were you seriously about to start calling me by the name of a prince whose disappearance is the subject of so much rumor? She kept that snide quip to herself, though.

Around that time, Ali lightened up on the formal tone toward Freya. It was not how deities were supposed to be addressed, but she nonetheless started using a tone that conveyed her annoyance a bit more readily. However, Freya did not seem to mind it at all. In fact—

"I see—then I'll call you Ali from now on."

She responded with a smile more befitting a girl enjoying herself than a goddess. She seemed happy, as if anticipating how this encounter of theirs would develop. Ali unconsciously was drawn in by that smile and time froze for a few seconds.

"Ali, make sure you entertain me." "Gh…! Do I look like a clown to you?!"

But that overbearing manner of speech she had was enough for Ali to be able to confirm again that she just could not really get along with this goddess.

"So, where are we going? Surely you don't plan on just walking back to Shalzad like this?"

"…There is a hidden fortress along the border between Israfan and Shalzad. The plan was to meet up there with my retainers in the event that the worst-case scenario came to pass, and we were split up. That is where we are headed."

It was impossible to lie to gods, so given that they were going to be traveling together, there was no point in hiding it. Freya said "Hmmm" as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Now for my questions. What funds do you have available?" Ali asked without looking at the goddess as they weaved through the crowd.

It was quite a ways to the border and the hidden fortress when their starting point was Leodo. Food and water would be necessary as well as a means of crossing the desert. Obtaining passage aboard a desert ship would likely be impossible, but at the very least they would want camels. And protection. Thieves and monsters were plentiful in the Kaios Desert. Without

some skilled bodyguards, the two would not be able to safely cross the desert. It would be faster to join up with a caravan, but given her secret, Ali was reluctant to spend time around too many other people.

While Ali was thinking through all that, Freya responded without any delay,

"What funds do I have? None. I don't like carrying something as unwieldy as a bunch of gold coins. I just promised contracts with my familia to Bofman for everything."

"What?!"

Ali stopped moving at that and swung back to stare at the goddess with an expression of disbelief on her face.

"Wh-what do you mean?! You said you would take care of the preparations! That's why I even…!" Ali moved in, about to ask whether Freya had been lying to her all along, but she was stopped by Freya's next words.

"This is our first trip together, though. I don't want to bring Bofman's money into it."

It was almost like she was saying this was a date for just the two of them. Ali was taken aback, hit again by a sense of wonder. She had long since lost count of the number of times this goddess had stunned her.

I've felt it ever since I met her…but she is a really, really strange goddess. Overwhelmingly beautiful, high-handed, and supernatural. One moment her cool smile was causing shivers and bringing slave traders to their knees,

the next she could sound like an innocent little girl like just now.

Ali had no way of knowing, but this side of Freya was one that she never displayed in Orario. The side of the goddess that Ali was seeing here was one that Freya had literally never shown anyone except Ali.

"…So then what are we going to do? We still don't have any funds," Ali asked in a quiet voice, having missed her moment to get angry. The goddess's only response was to leave her behind, though, walking ahead.

"On-site procurement," she said as she headed toward a tavern.

Despite being a popular bar, it was well appointed both inside and out. It almost looked like a salon for well-to-do socialites. Freya smoothly headed inside, as if she had been looking for it in particular while walking through the bazaar. Ali frantically followed behind while hiding her face, and by the time she entered, the goddess was talking to a pair of men.

"Hey, mind if I join?" "Huh?"

The men were seated around a table, playing a board game. The human who turned back with a puzzled look on his face froze like a statue when he saw Freya. And a split second later he was very obviously lovestruck.

"M-milady, is there something I can do for you?" "I just said it, didn't I? How about a match?"

Glancing at the beastman who had a similar lovestruck expression, Freya ushered him out of his seat and sat down at the table. Ali was having trouble keeping up, wondering what Freya was doing when she finally realized it.

"You're a merchant, aren't you? Not only that, you must be quite well off to be gambling here before noon."

"Y-yes, indeed! My name is Nahzo, one of the big four in this town!"

Everything from the well-tailored clothes and jewels in plain view to the fact that they were drinking the best quality of wine in broad daylight, it was clear they were merchants. And not just any merchants, but quite successful ones at that. The man Freya questioned responded with an obvious desire to flaunt his success.

And what does he even mean, "big four"? Is that guy who got up also a top four?

Ali looked over with an air of annoyance at the waste of time as Freya's eyes narrowed like a cat's.

"If I win against you, will you do me a favor?" "A-a favor?"

"Yes. I'd like you to give me all the money that you currently have on you," Freya responded with a brazen request.

Ali stared at the goddess, feeling What are you even saying, lady? levels of shock and exasperation. And the man sitting across from her had exactly the same sort of look on his face. Glancing over at the other merchant, he responded with a wry smile and a look of consternation.

"E-even if it is a request from a goddess such as you, that's a little…"

"If I lose, I'll give you my body. For one full day, you can do as you please."

At those words, though, the man locked up.

He could run his hands over her body. Those voluptuous breasts. That alluringly narrow waist. The man audibly gulped. In the blink of an eye, his

gaze became like that of a hyena at a full feasting table.

"…Are you sure about that? It might be rude to say, but if you're going to wager that much, then I won't really be able to hold back."

"I look forward to it. I mean what I said and would never tell a lie.

"I will have you listen to my favor, so I'll make sure the wager is sufficient to bring you to the table." When Freya put it like that, the man's lips cracked into a desirous smile. Ali was dumbfounded by the negotiations happening before her eyes before finally cutting in frantically:

"W-wait! What do you think your body is?! Betting yourself on something like this…!"

"Oh, are you worried about me?"

"O-of course not! It's just that I can't sit idly by and watch such licentious behavior!" Ali stammered, turning red as she raised her voice.

Freya's shoulders trembled a bit as she restrained a giggle at Ali's response.

"I'm grateful for your concern, but I'm going to have to ask you to just let it go this time," she said. "When the time comes that you want something, it's reasonable that you would put something of equivalent value on the line to get it, right? At the moment, we don't have anything else to offer other than ourselves. So there's nothing to do but wager that. If I can't at least do that, then I would be a fool for saying before that I would cover your travel expenses."

"B-but…"

Freya held out her hand as Ali approached her, still resolutely against this bet. Reaching out her thin fingers behind the girl's neck and pulling her close, the goddess whispered so that only Ali could hear her.

"You're going to be the next king, aren't you?" "!"

"Then don't forget this. No matter how great the policies implemented by a wise leader, no matter how skilled at war a ruler might be, no matter how tyrannical a despot might be, by laying claim to the title of king, each and every one of them will have to engage in countless gambles."

The voice whispering in Ali's ear threatened to melt her mind as it left her awestruck. She froze for a second before suddenly pulling away from Freya. Pushing her hand to the ear the goddess whispered into, she could feel a loathsome heat burning in her cheeks as she glared back at Freya. But at the

same time, she could feel an inexplicable wave spreading through her chest.

And because of that, she did not say anything more to try to stop Freya.

The admonition she had just received was like a divine revelation. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we begin?"

Freya recrossed her legs as she turned to the merchant. Her opponent nodded, looking like he might start licking his lips at any moment as he arranged the pieces on the board. Realizing something, Ali broke free of her stupor and approached Freya again.

"D-do you know the rules? The games here in the desert are different from the rest of the continent. They can be quite complex…!"

"Not in the least. It's my first time seeing this game, so it should be fun."

Ali came close to collapsing when she heard the carefree response. Ali had bounced through a range of different emotions the past few minutes. There was a hint of anger in her voice as she quickly explained the rules.

The game they were about to start playing was called Halvan. It was one of the most popular games in the Kaios Desert region, along the lines of the continent's chess or the Far east's shogi. And as Ali alluded to earlier, the strategy involved in Halvan was more complex than that of chess or shogi. Someone who had just learned the most basic of basic rules about the pieces' movements and formations had virtually no chance of winning. At least that was what Ali thought, and the merchant on the other side of the board who had undoubtedly amused himself playing Halvan countless times before was chuckling to himself, assured of his victory.

After Freya finished attentively listening to the rules, she just said— "I got it."

And then, toying with one of the pieces in her hand, she declared: "We don't have time to waste, so let's get this over with quickly."

And then, about fifteen minutes later… "Th-that's not…?!"

In a corner of the tavern, Ali and the beastman exclaimed as the human man looked down at the board in shock. It went without saying, but it was a complete and utter victory for the goddess. She had finished it with a quick attack, not needing any pauses at all to think through a strategy.

"All right, then, I'll be taking your wallet."

Smiling at the wealthy merchant who was about to slump out of his seat, Freya held out her hand. The man's eyes glanced back and forth between her hand and her silver eyes before weakly holding out his wallet. The sparse crowd in the tavern had all been drawn into the game of Halvan and was shocked that the beautiful goddess won. However, Freya seemed to have already lost interest as she left the tavern. Ali, who had been standing stock- still while watching the game, snapped out of her stupor and chased after Freya.

"Wh-what was that?! You were lying about never having played it before, right?! It was stunning how badly you trounced him…!"

"Even having descended to the mortal realm, deities are still all-knowing. There are lots of amusements here we've never thought of, but once we grasp the key points, we'll win.

"In fact, I'm a little hurt you thought I wouldn't win," she added, as if her victory was as self-evident as the sun rising in the east.

When she put it like that, Ali did not really have any kind of follow-up. There were certainly a lot of foolish gods in the mortal realm, but this just reminded her again how deeply absurd deusdea really were.

"All right, then, we've collected our war funds—I mean date funds. Time to go shopping."

"It's not a date!"

Ali fired back immediately, but only just barely. She was getting worn down dealing with the goddess.

The two of them proceeded down the lively street, Ali getting half- dragged along by Freya. Because the bazaar in the south of Leodo had the desert ship port, it had more of a trading influence with all sorts of products gathered together. In contrast, the products gathered in the northern bazaar were more aimed at travelers and locals. Packaged rations, travel clothes, and all sorts of day-to-day necessities were on display there.

Almonds were apparently popular at the moment. A beastman with thick fur, perhaps unable to deal with the intense heat, was sitting in the shade of a building as he ate some ice cream. "Oh, so they even have ice rooms in the desert," Freya commented. Then she laughed a little at herself as she glanced over at a stall where the ice cream vendor pulled another treat out of a magic- stone cooler.

"Move along. Don't go buying stuff we don't need. We need to get food

and water first—"

"Ali, let's try that kebab. I'm curious what it tastes like."

"—Have just a little self-control!" Ali finally hit her limit and shouted at the free-spirited goddess dragging her around from stall to stall.

Her face was still deep in the shade of the hood she was wearing, but the volume of her shout betrayed the fact that she had forgotten about trying to conceal her identity.

She could not tell whether Freya recognized what she was feeling or not as the goddess simply smiled back at her. Freya was just doing as she pleased in order to experience the sorts of things that could only be experienced there in the desert.

Ali gave strict instructions for her not to move while she went to get water and food, but unsurprisingly the goddess had not listened, and when Ali got back, she was buying some other seemingly pointless things at a different shop. The purchases were various expensive magic-stone items.

"Hey! What are you buying?!"

"You were taking care of the preparations we need for the trip, right? So I decided to gather the indulgences we need so we can enjoy the trip."

"You idiot! Traveling through the desert is difficult enough as it is! And all the more so for an outsider who did not grow up here and has no experience walking the desert!" Ali was staggered, about to fall over as her anger exploded.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're hard-headed, Ali? Worrying about what the future holds is not a bad thing necessarily, but focusing too much on it robs you children of the wealth of your lives. Optimism is the refuge of fools, but a wise man always has a vice or two to amuse themselves. That applies as much to kings as it does to anyone else."

The goddess's admonition was implicitly patronizing, and—though the goddess had no intention of doing so—just further antagonized Ali because it was the same as the gossip that had been spread behind her back in the palace.

For example: "The prince is too serious."

Ali's cheeks reddened as Freya's words struck home, and she responded with her most defiant stance of the day.

"I—I have a duty that I must fulfill no matter what! I don't have any time or mental capacity to spare to be enjoying myself! If you're going to

accompany me, shouldn't you be considerate of that?!" she said in a rather childish tone, pressing the goddess to listen to her.

"I don't want to. I have absolutely zero intention of turning this trip into some boring journey like any other," Freya responded without a care in the world.

Her response was the very embodiment of divine freedom, and it left Ali wishing she could tear the goddess's head off. And upon seeing the girl's frustration, the goddess just giggled, enjoying herself. If anyone who knew the goddess could have seen her there, they would have been shocked. She was not just allowing Ali's back talk, she even seemed to be relishing it.

"She's quite enjoying herself today…"

"Today, too, you mean. She's been enjoying herself ever since coming here and finding that girl."

Among the goddess's followers scattered around the pair and watching over Freya from the shadows, the eldest prum brother and the white elf exchanged words. Some of the followers looked dour as they watched the goddess and girl, while others made no effort to hide their distaste, but the boaz warrior alone simply observed the two, his eyes narrowing as he studied the carefree goddess's radiant smile.

"Nggggh! Whatever! Moving on…The next thing we need is protection!

Let's find a mercenary familia to hire…!"

"We don't need that. Let's just go find some camels instead. We'll need them to carry the stuff we bought anyway. If possible, I'd like to travel while riding, but do you think it will hurt my bottom?"

"Hey! I said don't just go wherever you want!"

As her followers watched from the shadows, the goddess continued to drag the girl around at her own pace. Freya was in a good mood as she continued gathering the provisions for the trip, which led to Ali shouting in frustration time and time again.

There were four entrances to Leodo: the desert ship port constructed in the south and gates in the north, east, and west where travelers and caravans traveling on foot and by camel were entering and leaving the city at brisk

rate.

Freya and Ali left from the northern gate.

"The fortress is not close enough to reach in just a day or two. There are several relay points along the way where we can rest. We'll spend the nights there before setting out again. For today we'll head for one of the northern oases."

"Do as you please. I'm just along for the ride."

Each straddling a camel loaded up with bags, the two of them set off across the sea of sand that stretched off into the horizon. And it really was like a sea of sand. So much so that camels were called the ships of the desert until literal desert ships took the stage. The dunes made an amusing sound as the camels' legs stepped into the sand. In terms of comfort, horses were generally considered more reliable. Ali was already used to how it felt, but Freya was left furrowing her brow in quite the dignified manner, which gave Ali a brief moment of schadenfreude, but—

"Are we going to just keep moving at all times? It seems like it would be more comfortable to travel at night," Freya asked, seemingly already bored.

"We're not the only ones who feel that way. There are many animals and monsters in the desert that are nocturnal. Factoring in the possibility of being attacked, it's best for us to move during the day. And more importantly, I don't have any time to waste. I need to link back up with the army as soon as possible," Ali explained brusquely.

That was what she said, but in the end she knew that monsters showed up when they wanted to show up, paying no heed to people's convenience.

Ali had bought a sword for herself for self-defense at the bazaar and had previously been trained to proficiency, enough for the bare minimum of self- defense, but compared to a mercenary, her combat ability did not amount to much. If she got surrounded, it would be over in an instant.

Ali had gotten into it with the free-spirited goddess already about leaving without finding guards first. She had no idea what the deity was thinking, but in the end all that worry was for naught.

" Gh?!"

The giant desert lizard was executed instantaneously, not even allowed death throes. The two-meder-long, four-legged carnivorous monster was laid low by a spear tip that flashed like lightning. That was the fifth one, and Ali still could not follow the action with her eyes.

The group of monsters that had appeared before them, attracted by the scent of prey, was eliminated in the blink of an eye by a catman with a silver spear.

"…So that's what you meant about not needing guards."

"Yes. My children are here. I had originally intended this trip to be without them, but since they decided to tag along, we might as well put them to work." Freya nodded.

That was when Ali finally understood the goddess's nonchalance. Of all the factions whose fame had spread around the Kaios Desert, Freya Familia was known as the strongest. With that sort of protection, Ali had indeed been foolish for trying to hire mercenaries.

"But if they're guarding us, then they could just stay beside us…Where are they even hiding…?"

She glanced at Allen, who had appeared out of nowhere to protect them— or more specifically, to protect Freya. The catman, wearing a simple cloak over his head, just swung his spear once to clean it as if he thought everything going on was pointless. And when it came to Ali, he treated her as if she weren't even there.

"Not very sociable, is he…So is he the only one tagging along while the others stay back in the town?"

"They're all here. They're a bit overprotective."

"Wh-what? Where?! Other than him, I can't see any of them!"

"Right beside us. They're just maintaining a little distance so as not to be an eyesore while protecting us."

Looking all around, there was nothing for the eye to see but the vast desert. Ali could see neither hide nor hair of the guards who were supposedly watching over them. She couldn't tell whether they were hiding or whether she just could not see them. The girl's face tensed a bit as she was reminded once again just what kind of group they were.

Meanwhile, Freya had already climbed down from the camel as she conversed with a carefree tone. "Yep, it really is quite rough on my bottom. Also, I can feel some motion sickness coming on," the goddess commented as she started walking beside her camel while holding the reins. Ali just sighed and got down from her camel, too. Freya was an annoying goddess, but she was reluctant to disregard her and look down on her from atop a camel.

"Not that it matters much now, but how did you end up caught by slave traders anyway?" Freya asked.

Ali had already said before that pointless conversations were just wastes of energy, but perhaps out of boredom, the goddess walking out in front started a new one anyway.

"…It was in order to escape from Warsa's army. While our forces were routed and being scattered, I ran into a gang of slavers and intentionally allowed myself to be caught," Ali finally gave in and responded.

"Intentionally? That's quite brave of you."

"It's just that I didn't have any other way of escaping…I cast aside the royal family's armor and clothes and pretended to be a powerless little girl to avoid detection. In that situation, I needed to prioritize surviving, even if I ended up suffering badly in the short term. With the royal line in the balance…other concerns don't measure up."

Ali paused, hesitating before she finished her thought, but Freya, who was undoubtedly listening closely, said nothing in response

The sun beat down on the goddess, the girl, and their camels as their shadows grew longer. They paused a few times along the way to drink from a leather water bag to wet their throats. No matter how long they walked, the scenery did not change at all. Sand dunes just continued off into the distance. From time to time, they came across bleached skeletons along their path— either animals that had not been able to keep going or perhaps drop items from monsters. Though Ali suspected they were probably the latter.

The desert was wide. Even Ali, who had lived there all her life, was starting to wonder whether there would ever be an end to the sea of sand stretching to the horizon.

"—Tch!"

Along the way, monsters attacked them several times. And every time, Allen's silver spear ended those monsters' lives. His boots would leap off the ground, and while the kicked-up sand was still flying into the air, it would be accompanied by a spray of blood and the beasts' cries.

By the time Ali could sense the monsters' presence, they were annihilated, over and over again. It was a gust of wind accompanied by the slightest cloud of dust. Desert lizards' heads were sent flying, sand scorpions were dismembered, and vulture hunters' wings were clipped and then skewered. She could not even really make out the afterimages of the nimble wild-

fighting cat. Even so, though, Ali could not help but be amazed that mortals could become so strong, so overwhelming.

And she could guess why Freya's other followers were not showing themselves. Because Allen was the fastest of them all. Thanks to that, he could protect their patron goddess the most effectively with the minimal chance of danger. That was why the others were leaving the direct combat to him and were probably just keeping an eye on their surroundings. Though Ali could not say whether that was because of the trust they had in one another or because of the reality of the situation they could do nothing other than acknowledge.

"Quit starin' at me, you shitty brat. It's pissing me off." "Wh-what…?!

Catching a glimpse of Freya Familia's awesomeness—fearsomeness— Ali had been staring at Allen's face as he finished up his latest round of combat.

She was tempted to shout back, Who's the brat? It's not like I'm any shorter than you! but she stopped herself right before those words crossed her lips. She had a feeling that that might have broken a taboo. That she might find herself mercilessly torn to pieces if she finished that thought out loud.

"…Why do you go so far for that goddess?"

Instead, what crossed her lips was a simple question born out of irritation at not being able to respond to his verbal abuse, but—

"Why do I have to tell you anything, asshole?"

"…Gh! You were pissy before we left the town, and you've been pissy ever since. You just think it's a pain in the ass to protect your goddess, don't you?!" Ali raised her voice in response to his rude comeback.

Hearing that, Allen just turned his back and responded as if answering her was the most annoying thing of all.

"In order to be who I am, I've offered up my everything—heart and soul

—to serve her." "!"

"If I could have my way, I'd chain her up and lock her away indoors, but if I did that, she would lose what makes her who she is. Just like I would lose what makes me, me. So everything just goes smoother when I'm pissed off at the annoyance. That's all."

Ali experienced a not-insignificant shock at the catman's response.

Her attitude is the worst, and her personality is atrocious…but just how much charisma must that goddess have to get such a powerful follower to go that far for her…

Oddly enough, it was almost a demonstration of the difference between Ali and Freya as sovereigns. On the one hand, Ali had been separated from her allies and caught by slavers; while on the other, the goddess was behaving every part the queen wielding the loyalty of elite retainers. It left Ali lamenting just how much she still needed to grow as a ruler.

There were certainly retainers who would follow Ali—or rather the prince Aram. And they would gladly do whatever they could to support Aram. But put another way, Ali had not done anything herself. It was also taken care of by adept and knowledgeable retainers. All she did was hand down orders. No, not even that, since she could not really say with any certainty whether those orders were even really guiding them. If she had not provided the directions she had, maybe the capital would not have fallen, and they would not have been routed so badly.

A figurehead prince. That was Ali's assessment of herself. Hiding her own gender, unable to reveal her true self. And perhaps provoked by that feeling of inferiority, Ali subconsciously found herself asking—

"…Why are you all so loyal to her?"

"…What?" Allen froze as he was walking back to his guard post and then slowly turned around.

"She's so self-centered. She's certainly divine in her own way, but she's too high-handed. She thinks only of how to best enjoy herself, smiling smugly as she calls it amusement. It's not regal at all. It's almost like she's just an enchantress—"

"You should watch yourself. I don't have permission to rip your throat out, so quit saying things that will make me kill you." Allen spat. There was more of a bite to his tone as his usual annoyance skyrocketed when she insulted his patron goddess.

However, it was still a quiet annoyance. Not worth the effort to care about. It brought to mind the image of a cat licking its fur as a mouse caused a fuss right in front of it. And that fact—that she was not even worth getting worked up for—caused the blood to rush to Ali's head, robbing her of her better senses. Freya, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked back as Ali shouted:

"You all are just captivated by her beauty anyway! Just pathetic puppets enthralled by her charm!"

All of a sudden, Ali was staring up at the sky. "—Eh?"

It took one second for her to realize what she was looking at. It took one more second for her to realize that she was lying on her back in the sand. And it took a third second for her to sluggishly lift her head and notice that a spear was being held right in front of her eyes.

" "

And in the fourth second, she finally realized that she was about to be killed. Allen Fromel had swept her legs out from under her and had drawn his spear, about to stab it home between her eyes. His icy gaze was filled with a merciless readiness to kill.

Standing behind him was a boaz warrior holding the shaft of the spear in place with a single hand. On either side of Ali stood two elves, one dark and one white, their black sword and rhomphaia crossed to hold back the spear's tip. And surrounding the catman were four prums, their swords all drawn and pointed at the cat's neck.

Just as she realized that they were the only reason she was still alive, Ali broke out into a cold sweat.

"Stop it Allen. You're going against the Lady's will."

Allen was still trying to pierce the girl's head as Ottar's deep voice urged restraint. Allen's rage would not be quelled. He had no use for words and was trying to kill Ali with a pure desire to lash out. It was the fury of someone whose master had been belittled and scorned. And as Allen's ferocious gaze stole her breath away, Ali realized it. Ottar and the others had not stopped Allen because they had reservations about him murdering her. Quite the opposite. They were all furious with her, too, but they were stopping him despite that because it was what their goddess willed.

"Allen, lower your spear," Freya spoke gently, having watched it all unfold.

And the catman who had persisted in trying to kill her, even though his weapon had been stopped, and even though there were blades at his neck, finally lowered his spear. However, even that movement was slow, betraying the mixture of rage and loyalty clashing in his heart.

"I'm touched that you got so upset for my sake, but you must not get

violent. You're scaring Ali."

"…Are you really okay with that?" Allen responded, stifling the emotion in his voice.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," Freya answered with a smile as if there was really nothing to it.

The goddess walked over and held out her hand. Ali was still in shock from what had transpired and unconsciously accepted Freya's hand and stood up. Ottar and the others lowered their weapons and silently moved away, returning to their stations.

"Let's keep going" was all the goddess said, continuing the trip as if nothing had happened. Her sore bottom seemingly recovered, the goddess smoothly straddled her camel.

Left behind with the second camel, Ali was frozen in place in awe when Allen, the only one who had stayed behind, said:

"If you insult us—no, her—again, I will kill you." Allen glared at Ali, causing her to recoil, but then his brow furrowed. "If she ever seriously used her charm, everything would be nothing but a farce," he spat.

Ali looked back at Allen's face in surprise.

"Her going to that town, you, everything. Get a grip. Just how thoughtless can you get, shit-for-brains?"

"What do you mean…?"

But Allen did not answer. He just shot her one last murderous glare and disappeared like a mirage. Scrutinizing her surroundings, she still could not see the Freya Familia members anywhere. Ali awkwardly looked forward. Freya was there, riding her camel. Her silver eyes glanced back at the girl.

Unable to move for a few seconds, Ali finally started following the goddess as if drawn in by Freya's back cloaked in a shimmering haze.

They were progressing ever farther north, toward Shalzad's hidden fortress along the border. Thanks to the protection from Freya Familia, all they needed to do was ride their camels, allowing them to make good progress on the first day. However, after that incident, Allen did not appear before the two of them again. The dark elf, Hegni, took the role of exterminating the

monsters in their path in his stead. The way he cut countless monsters in half with a single flash of his black sword was different from how Allen handled them but no less intense than the cat's technique. Meanwhile, with Allen no longer appearing, Ali was at a loss for words, unable to explain the swirl of feelings filling her chest.

The sun high up in the sky gradually started to sink, painting the western

sky a vivid palette of colors as evening finally began to set. A golden crescent moon appeared high in the sky.

"Oh, it's a much nicer oasis than I was expecting."

They had reached one of the small oases connecting north to the border and gotten there earlier than expected. It was surrounded by small sand dunes, palm trees, and other greenery. There were no signs of anyone else. They were the only travelers staying there that night. It was no match for the one in Leodo, but it was understandable Freya might call it cute.

"Let's eat. I'm getting hungry" was Freya's first comment after they tied their camels to trees. Apparently even she could get tired from traveling through the desert.

"…Okay," Ali said as she looked around the surroundings.

There was no trace of the goddess's familia. Perhaps because of Freya's admonition, they apparently had no intention of disrupting the two of them during their journey together.

"You take care of the preparations, please. I'm not very good at cooking." "Okay…"

"And not just dried meat, please. I want some fruit to eat, too." "Okay…"

"Actually, the truth is I've never held anything heavier than a pan. So I'm counting on you to feed me."

"Okay…" "..."

Absentminded, half-hearted replies. The girl could not even manage a proper conversation as she prepared some food for dinner. Even when Freya intentionally added in little jabs to get a rise out of her, Ali did not get angry or shout or even respond at all. Disappointed in the lack of response, Freya just sighed in boredom. And after they had finished eating—

"Ali, I'm going swimming." "Okay...Wait, what?"

That was enough to finally get Ali to snap out of her trance. She stopped moving, doubting her ears as Freya's lips curled into a smile.

"I'm going swimming. In this oasis."

"Wh-where'd that come from all of a sudden?!"

"Ever since earlier, you haven't strung together more than a couple words. It's partially Allen's fault, but at this rate I'm going to die from boredom. So if you won't talk with me, then I'm going to go swimming."

There was a sound almost like a catman snorting in annoyance that reached Ali's ears, but she did not have the presence of mind to react to that as she turned on the goddess, who was fishing for something in her bags.

"O-oases are the common bounty of all travelers! They're not something to dirty in order to clean yourself!!"

"Nothing unclean can come off a deusdea, though? But if it bothers you that much, then we can just use the magic-stone items I bought. This tool is for filtering water, so the water will be even cleaner than it was before we used it."

"Th-the nights are cold in the desert! It's already pretty cold as it is!

You'll freeze if you bathe yourself in the water!"

"There's a magic-stone item for that, too. I made sure to get it at the bazaar before we left."

The goddess met each and every one of the complaints that Ali threw out with magic-stone items. The goddess who lived in the one and only Labyrinth City in the world pulled the magic-stone items made in that city from her bags one after the other, as if raising a toast to Orario.

—I thought the bags were a little heavy, but this is what she bought?!

Ali was in danger of forgetting the situation she was in and exploding in frustration.

The item that looked at first glance like a largeish lantern was actually a kind of stove. It had both lighting and heating functions combined in one item, and the model Freya bought was both compact and high-spec, trading that convenience for a relatively short life span. Incidentally, it was also unbelievably expensive.

Grrr, buying such a frivolous item, even though the ironclad rule of traveling in the desert is that water is the most important thing, with food a close second!

"If I put it next to the water's edge…see, it gets warm!"

She placed several torches at intervals along the edge of the oasis and then turned them on. After a short while, the air, which was uncomfortable without insulating clothes, suddenly warmed up significantly. At that temperature, it would definitely be possible to go swimming. And on top of that, perhaps because Freya had messed with some setting, the torches started randomly shifting between blue, purple, and yellow lights.

"Once is enough, but I just had to have a desert oasis all to myself…I so wanted to try turning it into a night pool."

You had this freaking planned from the start!

Thanks to the shine of the magic-stone lamps, the tranquil night scene of the oasis turned into a resplendent spring that reeked of man-made modifications. It was certainly a new and different scene. One that she could acknowledge was befitting the "night pool" that the goddess spoke of.

But she has to be the only one in the world who would think to do a night pool in the desert.

"—Wait, you're really going to take your clothes off?!" Ali shouted, turning red as the goddess unhesitatingly began to strip.

"We're both girls, so there's nothing to hide, right? Besides, we're the only ones here."

"B-but what if someone tried to peep…!"

"Don't worry. Right now, this is the safest oasis in the world."

Ali was stunned by the goddess's boast, but she readily accepted it. Freya Familia was standing guard. Forget thieves or monsters, they would never allow anyone to lay even a single eye on their goddess bathing. The small oasis had already transformed into an impenetrable fortress, a one-hundred- meder-diameter zone that no one would ever be allowed to enter.

"…gh!"

Undoing the rings holding her lower skirt up, the goddess let the black skirt fall to the ground and removed her white dress. Ali immediately looked away as the alluring goddess undressed herself. Her voluptuous breasts broke free, and a lock of her silver hair rested atop them. It was clear from a glance just how soft the round butt that revealed itself was. And it went without saying, of course, that the goddess's skin was vibrant and sensuous.

It was an otherworldly nude form. Ali was on the verge of being entranced by it despite herself, almost gulping audibly at the sight.

It's almost like I really am some naive, inexperienced prince!

"Woo, it's cold, but…it feels good!"

Meanwhile, Freya had jumped straight into the pool without hesitation. The splash of water lit by the light of the lamps twinkled like jewels in the air. As the goddess played and the water sparkled in a rainbow of colors, she really did look like she was in a world of gems, an owner of a beauty that was truly not of this world.

"…Sheesh, no consideration at all for others…" Ali sighed as she sat on the edge of the water and watched the goddess splashing around in the water.

Sitting cross-legged with her cheek propped up by her hand, she looked at Freya and the oasis. She did not realize it herself, but she was sitting in the seat that many a man or god in the world would kill to have. Freya was beautiful. Utterly and incomparably beautiful. The way she looked swimming around, the way she lifted a handful of water over her head, the laughing voice that crossed her lips. The oasis had already become the goddess's personal slice of paradise. Countless people would probably be filled with bliss just by seeing it. The way the desert's night breeze rustled the trees, it seemed to be overcome with emotion at the scene. And the way the moon hung in the night sky shining down almost seemed as if it was blessing the goddess.

"…So she can smile like that, too?"

At the slave market, she had behaved like a detached, tyrannical queen. And during the journey here, she had taken quite a bit of pleasure in constantly teasing Ali, the quintessential goddess's demeanor. And now, her smile was like that of an innocent girl. She was just simply enjoying herself in the oasis of a foreign country—living in the moment. Ali was nearly certain it was a smile she did not show in the Labyrinth City. A side of the goddess that could only be seen here, in this time and place. A side of the goddess that perhaps no one other than Ali had ever seen.

Ali was seeing more and more of Freya, sides that she had not even imagined, and it was flustering her. She felt that Freya was truly divine. She was both a queen and a girl, two sides of the same coin. She was like a capricious wind, and Ali could not pin her down.

"Hey, Ali? What are you sitting there worrying about?" "…! Wh-what are you talking about?"

Ali had gotten lost in thought as the scene before her stole her attention, but Freya's question dragged her back to reality as she feigned composure.

"I can see the radiance of souls. And right now, yours is faintly clouded." "Gh…"

"It has been since before your quarrel with Allen. It was even when I first met you. Something has been troubling you," Freya said without looking at her, still playing in the water.

Ali stirred as her deepest thoughts were laid bare. She suspected that the goddess knew what was in her heart better than she did herself. Freya glanced over as Ali pursed her lips, not attempting to respond.

"Ali, do you know why I left Orario?" Freya unexpectedly changed the topic.

"Hmm?" Ali glanced up, seeing that the goddess had lain down, floating on the water.

"I came to this desert in search of a companion…to find my fated partner."

"—So it really is just about sex, then!" Ali shouted back in a loud voice, the serenity of the moment broken by Freya's silly reason.

"Don't ruin the mood right when I was starting to have a little faith in you!" she shouted, but Freya paid it no heed as she started swimming slowly on her back.

"I wanted to see if there was a child—a soul—in this world that could suit me. And I found you. Noble and beautiful, dazzling like amethyst."

The goddess's breasts floated like peaches on the surface of the water, as if emphasizing their volume. Her entire body was a lethal weapon that could be wielded against any man or woman. Ali had long since abandoned any illusions of going through life as a woman, but she still could not help glaring a bit at such a prominent demonstration of something she could not have herself.

"Ali, you with your beautiful soul might be able to become my Odr." "I'm a woman just like you are!"

"That doesn't matter in the face of love." "Quit just saying whatever you want. Jerk…"

"That's why I want to clear away whatever it is that's clouding your radiant soul."

"!"

"I want you to overcome that listlessness and shine even brighter."

Those words, spoken as Freya floated on the surface of the water and

looked up at the desert night sky, caused Ali's eyes to widen. The goddess lying there, rocking in a cradle of water as the moonlight shone down, seemed to be saying, If you want to talk to me, then go ahead. I'll listen and even grant you an oracle.

Ali was silent for a little while before finally speaking up.

"…I'm consumed by doubt about myself as the prince," she gradually started to explain. "Am I really adequate to bear the weight of my country's future? Can I truly become a proper king? Can I fulfill my duty and leave an heir to continue the line?"

"That's a pretty common concern. All those who call themselves royalty will face it at one point or another."

"I know. But, I can't help but wonder. If I had been more suited to ruling when Warsa attacked, would the capital have not fallen? Would all my innocent countrymen currently suffering be better off?"

"…"

"Warsa is strong. No matter what we did, there was no stopping that invasion. I understand that logically. But I still…"

Those were the words of the girl Ali, not the prince Aram. That was the anguish that had always gripped her. The true nature of the unease she felt. Her trip with Freya had been too distant from danger, too peaceful, so she could almost forget it, but the blood of her people, her country, was still flowing, even at that very moment. The valiant generals were still resisting, and the people were still being trampled. And with her father dead, she could not change that course. On top of all that, it had taken all she could muster to allow her allies to flee while acting as bait and then escaping by letting herself be captured by slave traders.

"With my country being ravaged right now, closer to the edge of the abyss than ever before, I find myself thinking again how all I can do is just impatiently stand by and watch." Ali looked down as she finally aired all of the concerns that had been bothering her.

She could not help thinking how small and pathetic she was for whining like that. As she fell silent, it felt like the oasis itself was laughing scornfully at her. She was sure she could see the goddess's followers' sneers, and that hallucination shaved away at her confidence even further. Having admitted her own incompetence, Ali felt more ashamed than at any other point in her short life.

"Everyone will tell you that a king is a being who stands alone," the goddess spoke. "And everyone admires kings for their isolation."

"…?"

"It's obvious, really. Because to be a king means that you cannot pass your responsibility on to anyone else."

It was as if she was saying that a king who tried to share responsibility, to share decisions, was not fit to be king. Ali looked over and Freya was stretching a hand up to the sky as she floated on the water. As if she were tenderly caressing the outline of the moon shining all alone by itself in the sky.

"So worrying like this, suffering like this, is perfectly healthy.

"There's nothing wrong about what you are feeling. It's the same wall that countless other kings have been faced with."

The goddess's voice echoed, as if comforting Ali, who had felt so ashamed of herself.

"So let me tell you something obvious, Ali."

Freya stood up, planting her feet on the ground and facing away from Ali as everything from her waist up was visible out of the water. And, as if in time with her movement, the magic-stone lamps ran out of power and switched off. The moment the sparkling lights cut out, the oasis was consumed by darkness. The only thing outlining the goddess was the pale light of the moon. Time stopped for Ali as she looked at Freya's back.

"Just be yourself. Stop worrying about what others think of you. Don't mistake all the burdens you are bearing for your own weakness. And before cursing your own powerlessness, stand and face the reality before you."

The goddess's sweet voice. The tranquility of the desert. The cool moonlight and the lapping waves on the surface of the water. The oasis had transformed into its own little world, a small domain of profound mystery. And that dreamlike scene stole Ali's sight, her consciousness, and even her soul.

"Live nobly and resolutely.—Like a hero."

The goddess looked toward Ali. Drops of water ran across her skin and the silver hair covering her back swayed. Ali's widened eyes met the goddess's gaze.

"Even if you fail and your country is destroyed…even if everyone comes to resent you…we gods will praise you."

Without realizing it, Ali had stood up. Freya's voice, her eyes, her smile

—they all had drawn her in, pulling her to her feet.

"We will celebrate those decisive kings who bear that lonely pain that none can understand without turning their back on it."

Neither the prince Aram Raza Shalzad nor the girl Ali would ever forget that scene. The moonlit moment when they touched upon the most beautiful thing in the world, the goddess Freya's divine will.

"You resisted my beauty of your own volition in order to sacrifice yourself. The radiance of your soul in that moment captivated me. So take pride—"

"…"

"—because you really do have the makings of a king."

Perhaps Freya had been trying to teach Ali that all along during the trip. Even if it was only calculated to increase the brilliance of her soul, Freya had probably been trying to guide her. Ali thought back to their earlier interactions. Freya had always been teasing her, but there was a meaning hidden in everything she said. She had a deity's point of view, but her gaze was almost motherly.

The naked goddess's unvarnished words caused Ali's chest to tighten. "Ali? I want to embrace you. A you who shines even brighter than you do

now."

"I…am a prince. I cannot reciprocate your affection," Ali struggled to respond, saying nothing more than that.

"A wonderful answer. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The goddess's voice and expression were gentle. The breeze blew between the two of them. It was a cool night breeze, filled with grains of sand. The wind of the desert. It was utterly familiar to Ali, but to Freya it was a new and fresh experience. As if provoked by the wind stirring up waves in the water, Ali drew her shoulders back.

And then kicked off the ground. "!"

Freya was surprised as Ali leaped into the oasis, still wearing her clothes. She swam underwater with all her might, as if washing away all the restraints holding her back, as if wiping away all the idle doubts filling her heart. Taking off her shoes and top, Ali felt her body became more and more free. Finally, she sunk all the way to the bottom of the pool and kicked off the

ground, breaking free from the surface with a splash.

Catching her breath and shaking her head, Ali realized the goddess was right in front of her and not very far away. For once, Freya looked visibly surprised.

"Umm…I'm sorry!" she shouted as she pulled her hair back, her soaked undergarments clinging to her brown skin. "I lost my temper like a child! As your follower said, I insulted you!"

There were still too many complex feelings swirling in Ali's heart for her to be able to express her gratitude to the goddess who had illuminated her heart, but even so, she could at least apologize, so she honestly conveyed the feeling that had been gnawing away at her since earlier.

"…Hee-hee, ah-ha-ha-ha! What, that?! That was still bothering you?" "I-it's important to me to take responsibility for my mistakes!" "Don't worry about it. I said before, I'm used to it."

The goddess's laughter rang out from the center of the oasis. Ali realized she had been unconsciously biting her lip as she finally managed to relax.

"Your clouded soul has gotten a tiny bit clearer. At this rate, it will shine even brighter."

Still just saying whatever she pleased, Freya turned around and walked to the shore. Ali watched her as she placed a hand on her chest. Her clouded soul had gotten a little clearer. That also meant there was still some hesitation left.

The misgivings plaguing her had not entirely been resolved. Hardships were sure to continue. And there would undoubtedly be many more times where she would not be able to forgive herself. But, for today, she would try to live as the goddess had said—nobly and resolutely, heroically.

That was what she thought as she looked up at the solitary crescent moon shining high in the night sky.

"What's going on with the search for Prince Aram?!"

A deep, manly voice boomed out in the tent city constructed in the conquered capital of Shalzad, Solshana. The man's name was Gorza, the general commanding the Warsa army that had invaded Shalzad. At just short

of two meders tall and with his commanding presence and burly figure, he looked every part a great general. He had deep brown skin and the air of a fabled desert warrior.

"W-we still have not been able to determine his whereabouts…However,

it is known that he was among the enemy forces we clashed with and routed in the south of Shalzad…"

"Fool! We have to find him! Shalzad is a country that reveres their royal family! If we don't hunt down every last member, this war will never end!"

The soldier fell back in the face of Gorza's thunderous shout.

Despite the fact that they had lost their king and their capital had fallen, Shalzad forces were still continuing to fight back all around the country. Their resistance was entirely due to the generals holding on to the single thread of hope embodied with Prince Aram, who would become the next king. As long as the enemy still rallied behind the prince, the resistance would continue.

For Warsa, who had planned a lightning strike, the war dragging on was terrible news. Both in the obvious sense that it exhausted the country and because their country risked being targeted by its neighbors given how many troops it had committed to carrying out the invasion. Part of the reason no country had emerged as the dominant force in this part of the western Kaios was because the cluster of countries here would never allow a neighbor to rise to the top and were always watching for the opportunity to strike.

"At Serein, in the north of Shalzad, an elite division is attempting to push back our forces. If we don't do something soon, they might break through…!"

The country of Warsa was in a particularly poor position in the desert, so it had to resort to pillaging and violence to get by. Shalzad, with its enormous belt of oases, had always been a juicy target for them and a territory they could not afford to let slip away. Just stealing a piece of land and not finishing the job would be unacceptable.

We have to force Shalzad to accept defeat. If we can't even do that much, then why did we join hands with that scourge—

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeey! Resheph enters stage right! How's the war going, General Gorza? "

Just as Gorza was groaning to himself, a single god with long black hair tied back appeared in the tent.

"Wh-why are you here, Lord Resheph?!"

"What do you mean? I'm the patron god of the familia, right? It's part of the job description to at least show my face!"

The god was accompanied by a male elf, one of his followers.

He was a relatively short god, even when not compared to such a giant of a man as Gorza. He wore a hat that was pointed at the front, like an arrowhead. And though he was a deity, his insincerity was plain to see. No sane person would ever consider following him.

"You should have gotten word to pin down the enemy forces putting up a resistance in the northwest! So why are you here?!"

Warsa's royal family had been unable to contain their displeasure with the familia that was formerly in charge of their military for never being able to invade Shalzad, so they had summoned a different familia from outside the desert. Resheph Familia had been the ones to answer their call. A god and followers who were not even born in the desert, they had been charged with the most recent attack on Shalzad. And the results were self-evident. They had broken through the enemy's defensive line that Gorza's army had not been able to break for years and even toppled the capital. There was probably a days-long feast in celebration going on in Warsa right at that very moment. However—

Our country may have no talent beyond raiding, but compared to them?! Burning the villages, pillaging, rape! Resheph's followers lay waste to everything in their path! It was like the work of devils! To think I'd see the day where I'd feel pity for the accursed Shalzad…!

An atrocity. That word alone was enough to describe Resheph Familia. Gorza, who had been chosen as the overall commander of the forces,

could be called the buffer between the existing army and Resheph Familia. He was the one who drew the short straw to try to keep them from getting too out of control.

"I'm aware I'm a mere mortal, but as the representative of my patron god who stayed behind in Warsa to protect the capital, I hope you can please accept my instruct—"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here 'cause I murdered the shit out of the enemy already. "

Gorza and all the other soldiers around froze as Resheph cackled.

"The ones you were saying were strong—at Serein, was it? We

slaughtered the soldiers there. Just straight up genocided the lot of 'em! So where's my reward? Ha-ha-ha!"

Gorza was at a loss for words. And as if to confirm what the god was saying, a soldier frantically dashed into the tent to report that the enemy forces near Serein had been wiped out. It took everything Gorza had not to keep his giant body from staggering back in shock.

The main forces of Resheph Familia were all elites who had leveled up at least once. There were not too many people in the desert realms who could measure up in terms of pure strength, and theirs was a familia full of them. Gorza should have known that. He did know that. But even so, that report was just too—

"Since we've got nothing else to do, can we join in with the search for Prince Aram? We can help out torturing whoever is hiding him. "

"…! Wait! You should deal with the remnant forces—"

"There's basically none left. The resistance is on death's door already, so you can take care of that yourself. If you can't even do that much, then there's no choice but to judge you to be as incompetent as your patron god.

"

Gorza's cheek twitched as the god laughed mischievously.

"The prince was near the southern front when you lost track of him, right? So he probably fled to Israfan. Maybe he even disguised himself as a slave to blend in?"

He was lacking in dignity and grace, but there was still no mistaking the fact that Resheph was a deity. He was more than capable of gauging the state of a game board, even with only the slightest bit of information.

"Let's put a little fire to the feet of Israfan. If he's a good little prince, he'll rush forward all teary-eyed to announce himself!"

"Don't, Lord Resheph! We can't afford to drag a third country into this!" "Come on, man, the king is getting on your case to end the war already,

isn't he? So just leave it to us. My kids will murder everyone who gets in the way. Every last one of them!"

There was a chilling grin on Resheph's face as he left the camp with his follower.

"Pestilent beast!" Once the god had left the encampment, Gorza's shout was loud enough to cause the soldiers to shrink back again.

Currently many of the soldiers of Warsa were being drawn to the strength

of Resheph's followers, entranced by that power and swearing to convert over to his familia. The army had always been wild to begin with, but it was becoming less and less controllable by the day and could barely even be called an army anymore.

And with regard to the proposed assault on Israfan, even if Gorza handed down a strict order not to carry it out, there would be many people who went ahead with it anyway because of Resheph's instigations. Gorza was little more than commander in name only.

The vile god was just spreading the flames of war for entertainment. For Warsa and for Shalzad, Resheph was assuredly a country-destroying pestilence. Gorza's boulder-like fists trembled as he was convinced again that that god would bring chaos to the desert world.

They finally spotted the fortress on the border three days after they set out from Leodo. The scenery of sand dunes had long since disappeared. The area around the border was a rocky hamada. It was a craggy valley region with boulders scattered all around.

"There it is! That's where the hidden fortress is!" Ali shouted from astride her camel. She was pointing to a bunch of rocks that soared into the air like a mountain. Perhaps because she had been there before, a confident smile filled with joy at the end of their journey crossed her face as she looked at the location that appeared at a glance like a little more than a pile of rocks.

"…"

Meanwhile, Freya furrowed her brow. Her vision was excellent, more than capable of distinguishing individual souls' glimmers from the top floor of Babel in Orario, and her silver eyes had noticed something strange.

"Alfrik."

"Yes, I see it."

Immediately responding to her call, the prum warrior materialized out of the shadows. As Ali looked in shock, the eldest Gulliver brother lifted the faceguard of his sand-colored helm, revealing his blue eyes that narrowed as he looked into the distance. Prums had the best vision of all demi-humans, and he confirmed the goddess's suspicions.

"It's faint, but there are traces of magic particles. And there is a smell of blood in the wind."

"…Huh?"

Initially a look of confusion crossed Ali's face as she listened to Alfrik. But realizing what he was implying, she turned pale and urged her camel into a run. Freya and Alfrik followed behind her.

Dismounting at the foot of the towering bedrock, she ran up the gentle slope that resembled a trench. The moment she crossed through the entry cave and set foot in the fortress, she was greeted by the smell of burned flesh and the sight of countless corpses scattered around the floor in a pool of blood.

"No…but that's—?!" Ali screamed.

The inside of the fortress was horrifying. There were signs of resistance, but every last one of Shalzad's soldiers had been mercilessly slaughtered. Cut by swords, run through by spears, scorched by magic. The armored corpses told a mortifying story with their wounds on full display. Tables, chairs, weapons lining the wall—everything had been overturned and trampled.

"Aaaah, aaargh?! Douglas! This can't be true! Not like this…!"

Ali ran to one of the fallen officers, reaching a hand out to his body, but it was already cold. His eyes would never open again. Ali cried as she embraced the corpse that had lost an arm and been impaled through the chest. "The enemy attacked with magic indiscriminately and then charged in, taking advantage of the confusion among the fortress's forces…They are experienced in conducting surprise attacks. It seems clear the perpetrators were the aforementioned Warsa troops," Alfrik said, calmly analyzing the

cruel scene of the fortress while Ali collapsed in tears. "How many people carried this out?" Freya asked.

The remaining three prum brothers, who had immediately examined the surroundings of the fortress, appeared.

"Likely around fifty. They were also lying in wait at the hidden passage in the rear where they loosed a fusillade of arrows at those who tried to flee," reported Dvalinn.

"The majority of them were riffraff, but there was likely at least one who was skilled," added Berling.

"Some of the magic remnants are a bit stronger. Perhaps someone who has leveled up," Grer said, before adding, "Also, inside the fortress…there

are characters written in blood."

As Ali looked up, tears still streaming down her face, Freya asked Grer to lead her to the room. The place he took her was likely the command center. The Shalzad flag, a crescent moon and wreath of jasmine, hung on the wall, torn tragically apart, and in its place, a message was written in the blood of one of the soldiers.

"Come forward, Prince Aram. If you don't, Israfan will be consumed by a sea of flames…"

Ali read the words written in blood, covering her mouth as she struggled not to vomit at the repulsive deed. Perhaps it was because of a merchant's report or perhaps it was just the keen insight of a god, but either way Warsa had apparently realized that Aram had headed for Israfan. And—

"Leodo will be the first warning…"

Freya's eyes arrived at the final passage of blood. She had not been shaken at all by anything else, but that line caused her to suppress her emotions. Her frozen eyes narrowed as she turned on her heels.

"We're going." "Wh…wh-where?"

"Leodo, obviously," Freya responded without any hesitation.

Ali had not recovered yet from the shock of the all the soldiers who had been killed as she tried to keep up.

"B-but the enemy left here long ago. We must have crossed paths somewhere along the way. Even if we chase them, we won't make it in time…!"

"That's irrelevant," she said, disregarding the words Ali struggled to get out. She took Ali's hand as she headed for the fortress's exit. "It's unfortunate, but we're leaving the camels here. Tell Ottar to carry me and Allen to carry Ali."

"That stupid cat will probably complain about not wanting anyone other than Lady Freya to touch him."

"Tell him I will never again ride a chariot that won't do as it's told." """"Understood.""""

Four sets of footsteps rang out as the Gulliver brothers acknowledged their orders. Freya and Ali would be departing from the hidden fortress without delay.

The boaz carrying a goddess under his arm, the cat person with a look of an annoyance on his face and a girl over his right shoulder, and the other first- tier adventurers accompanying them were all moving at extreme speed. They sprinted across a distance that had taken camels three days in just a few hours. Leodo came into view before the sun had even started to rise. Even though she had been complaining quite loudly about being handled like luggage, Ali could not hide her shock at how quickly they arrived.

But even so, it was already too late. "Th-the town…?!"

Leodo was ablaze. The red flames and smoke beneath the desert's night sky looked like a funeral pyre. The lamentations of women and children filled the air, and the shouts begging for mercy were probably the merchants'.

When they reached the northern gate, Ali scrambled toward the center of the town. Freya and her familia followed behind her. On the way, they discovered that the bazaar had been wrecked before being set ablaze. The colorful goods that had been so pleasing to Freya's eyes before were scattered all over, interspersed with the corpses lying everywhere.

There were no survivors anywhere to be seen, but screams could be heard coming from the center of the town. Ali could not keep herself from trembling as she saw the carnage. The results of her actions were laid out before her.

The people of an entirely uninvolved country were attacked, all because of me. Because I came here!

She despaired but did not allow herself to fall apart there. The goddess striding through the town as she looked around would not allow it.

"Even the oasis…" Ali whispered.

The giant emerald blue oasis still fresh in her mind was now crimson with blood. Freya and her procession crossed the bridge to the island at the heart of the oasis. There were many residents of the town who had been cornered there after fleeing from the burning bazaars. And the inhumane soldiers of Warsa were also there, having chased down the residents to amuse themselves. Ali was frozen in shock at the hideous scene as a figure ran toward them.

"L-Lady Freyaaaaaaa!" It was the merchant Bofman, his clothes scorched here and there. "You've returned?! P-please! Please save us!"

"Situation report first." "Make it fast." "What of Lady Freya's property?" The Gulliver brothers stood in front of the goddess, blocking the way.

Bofman recoiled from the memory of their punishment and explained himself, driven by a fear even greater than they evoked.

"W-Warsa's forces suddenly attacked and broke through the city's defense! They started burning the town without announcing any demands or accepting any negotiations! They just pillaged everything, demanding to know where Prince Aram was and killing those who could not answer them…!" Bofman responded with a torrent of words, his shoulders heaving as he knelt on the ground. He timidly looked up at the goddess, who had not glanced at him even once, struggling to finish his report. "Lady Freya's property, too…Warsa broke into the manor…the former slaves are already…"

Freya did not hear the rest as he finished by explaining he had been running away with the rest of the employees of the Fazoul Trading Company. She proceeded down the path to the oasis mansion. Strewn across the path were two bodies. The young boy and girl whom she had freed from the slave's collar, who had asked to become her followers.

"…"

They were clinging to each other, lying in a pool of blood. Their eyes were wide, and tears and blood had streamed down their cheeks. Freya silently lowered a hand over their faces and closed their eyes, without any concern about getting her hand dirty.

They had clearly tried to let the others get away, since there were many others collapsed farther down the path. All of them former slaves that Freya had freed. And every last one of them had been killed. There was no emotion on the goddess's face.

"Stop…Stop iiiiiiiiiiiit!" Ali's scream resounded.

Tears were streaming down her face as she took in the scene. Her shout was filled with a rage that seared her body as she broke through the grief.

"Who's there?!"

The attackers noticed Ali's scream as well as Ottar and the others, who were armed and ready for battle. The people who had torched the town gathered. They were soldiers wearing official uniforms.

"Warsa…!" Ali growled, her voice filled with loathing.

"Purple eyes…could it be Prince Aram?! Ha-ha-ha-ha, that's Lord Resheph for you! His eyes really are all-seeing!" A masculine human wearing a cape laughed.

He had higher quality armor than the average soldiers, and he was wielding a mage's staff. He was probably the skilled magic user who had led the troops that assaulted the fortress that the Gulliver brothers had mentioned. "I am the warrior Marzner, who has been blessed by the god Resheph!

Surrender, Prince Aram! If you don't, I, who have leveled up, shall burn everything before me! Behold my Level Two—"

While Marzner haughtily bragged of his strength, Ali pierced him with a wrath-filled gaze, and Allen and the other adventurers watched with a dry look that did not even rise to the level of disgust, a single deity stepped forward. The goddess's silver hair swayed.

"Lady Freya!" "…? You're…"

Allen and the others tried to warn her it might be dangerous as Marzner looked at her dubiously. Ali's eyes widened. Freya stopped right between both groups. She drew the eyes of every last one of the Warsa soldiers to her with her beauty. As more and more of them became entranced, their eyes started to crawl over her body, their vulgar thoughts obvious to all. The commander Marzner licked his lips.

"What business do you have here, Goddess of Beauty?" "You were the ones who did this, were you not?"

"Indeed. All of it was done in accordance with our Lord Resheph's divine will!" Marzner maintained his haughty pose, gesturing overdramatically as he spoke. "Are you perhaps…displeased? Perchance, is a righteous indignation burning you like we burned this town?" He asked in a jeering tone, not realizing his death was quietly approaching as he stirred Freya Familia's murderous ire.

However, Freya rejected his implication without any indication of caring. "There's nothing strange about victims in a war between children. If I got

angry about it or grieved over every victim, there'd be no end to it." "Wh…?!" Ali was rocked by the goddess's response.

"That's just how it goes. Nothing to be done about it."

And her shock was all the stronger because, though it had only been a

short journey, she could tell from the time they had been together that Freya meant every last bit of what she was saying. Meanwhile, Marzner was laughing loudly.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! That's a true goddess for you! No need to beat around the bush! So could you step aside, please? Our target is Prince Aram over there—"

However, that was where she cut off the man's annoying voice. "But, when it comes to what you stole, that's a different matter."

The goddess's voice was like a crescent blade, silencing everyone around her. The soldiers and Ali felt a chill as Freya continued.

"Yona, Haara," she started listing off names. "…?"

"Anwar, Latifah, Murat, Hicham, Hazid, Sere, Khanna, Ohza, Nacer, Nadia, Leila, Ruqaiya, Zahir, Karathona—"

The Warsa troops, Marzner, and even Ali were shocked by how eloquently she listed off so many people's names. And, just as Marzner was about to shout something, perhaps irritated by the goddess's seemingly never- ending list, Freya's tone shifted, reaching the end of her litany. For the first time, Ali heard an intense power in her soprano voice.

"Those are the names of my children that you killed." A spark shot through Ali's body.

"I've no interest in the victims of war. But those who lay a hand on my children—on my property—those people I shall never forgive."

Freya had remembered them. The names of those slaves she had freed. The faces of those whom she had saved on a whim, who had praised her name. She remembered every last child whom she had claimed as her own!

"Wh-what…"

"No one likes having something of theirs taken, right? Whether it's a physical item, memories…or even lives."

Perhaps finally noticing that something strange was going on with Freya, Marzner became overwhelmed. He pulled back in the face of her supernatural force and presence.

"So I'm going to have to demand an equivalent recompense."

Freya's eyes opened wide. Her silver gaze sparkled bewitchingly. An eerie divine gravitas emanated from her body.

" gh!"

Allen and the others were the first to react. The strongest adventurers who were unmoved no matter the situation or the enemy became visibly nervous.

"Close your eyes!" Allen shouted, paying no heed to appearances. "Huh?" Ali did not move.

The cat person growled in annoyance as he leaped to her and forcibly covered her eyes and ears. Despite her vision and hearing being cut off, though, Ali could still sense Freya's divine majesty. It pierced through everything, as if it had her very soul in its grip.