"Do you want a hug?"
I think I had surprised her. Her sadness seemed to have vanished.
Isn't one of the best ways to deal with sadness to embrace someone? Sometimes, just saying it out loud is enough.
"Ahhahahaha! Thank you, but I don't need it," Shya seemed to have lost all her sadness, and a smile appeared on her face.
Maybe this little gesture in the surroundings had helped her regain her composure.
After waiting for a while, she began to speak. "As you might guess, I'm not intentionally raising the level of my dungeon. This way, I'm trying to avoid interventions from other masters." Shya took a deep breath.
There was still a hint of sadness within Shya. Even though she wanted to appear strong, there was a part of her that seemed to be in need of help.
"I'd like to help you. I'm in the process of building a castle nearby. In addition to societies and civilizations, I plan to take control of the surrounding dungeons."
My thoughts were quite clear. I aimed to eliminate all other authorities and become the sole power center.
"Do I interpret this as a threat? Besides, isn't it strange to say a sentence like 'Do you want a hug?' and then follow it with something like this?" Shya spoke with a surprised tone.
"I prefer not to mix my emotions with my business. Besides, this is not a threat, it's nothing but the future itself."
After a brief moment of silence, I continued talking.
"It doesn't matter whether you decide to raise the level of your dungeon or not because I'm planning to form a group of hunters. So, even if I can't reach you, hunters will always be a threat to you."
Although my emotions weren't exactly like this, sometimes it was necessary to appear tough.
"What should I do?" Shya may have looked sad, but she was determined to grab the lifeline thrown her way.
There was a deep silence. I didn't have an answer to this question yet. Could it be something like a vassal? Maybe that would be too harsh.
"Trust, I want your trust. Trust me, and take action with me," I said after a long pause.
A spark had appeared in Shya's eyes.
When Shya didn't speak, I took the initiative and started talking again.
"Should I consider this a 'yes'? Well, I'll be waiting for your answer. Take this!"
I handed her a ring. It was one of the teleportation rings.
"You've purchased a total of 5 teleportation rings. All your rings have been integrated into the system. You can access them from the system if you wish."
The notification from the system made me happy. Carrying multiple rings was definitely not pleasant.
"Well, if you charge the ring with mana, you'll teleport to my side. I know you need time to think, so there's no need to rush."
Looking back, I was in a somewhat sad situation. I wanted to obtain the Dungeon Crystal, but my efforts seemed to be in vain.
"I understand... But I also want to be able to trust you. Why should I trust you?"
Wasn't having trust issues natural? I think it was a reasonable concern. Blindly committing to someone, would that be the right thing to do?
"Do you want to be my wife? That's the greatest privilege I can offer you."
I think the ultimate partnership between mates was above all else. Like my parents...
"I accept. Please help me!" Shya's eyes began to well up again.
This time, her behavior was irritating me. Perhaps it was the release of suppressed emotions.
I think she truly needed a hug this time.