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

—But Freya didn’t notice that among all the maids, only Heron was staring at her in astonishment.

"Goddess Freya".

"...What is it, Ota?"

Otto, who agreed to enter the room as a follower, spoke.

"Alan, who was in charge of monitoring the tavern, reported that Mia had not made any suspicious moves. Also, as expected, there was no sign of any elves anywhere."

Freya glanced at the boarman who was clearly separating public and private matters and giving a report.

"Now we can be sure that she did indeed escape from the city with the Hermes children."

"It's all my fault for neglecting my duty. After knocking out Bell Crane and [Wind], I assumed she would also be affected by your power, so I left her there... Besides, [The All-Powerful] was there too."

On the last day of the Goddess Festival, Freya and the others discovered that "two adventurers" had suddenly disappeared.

At the same time, they began to be wary of these two people to prevent the "closed world" from being destroyed.

"It's most likely Hermes's doing... After he realized I was about to use 'Charm,' he sent the two of them out of the city."

"I'm very sorry," Ota immediately apologized.

Freya had no intention of punishing Ota. Even with only two people, escaping the city in such a limited time was commendable. Besides, blaming Ota would be tantamount to admitting that she had been negligent enough to allow the god (Hermes) a chance to "struggle in his death throes."

"Continue to plant 'eyes and spies' everywhere. The elves (Ryu) will definitely return here. Of course, they may already be lurking in the city."

"As commanded."

At this moment, we absolutely cannot let anyone get in our way.

Even the elves and others who used to play with "girls" are the same.

The goddess gave instructions quietly, in a voice devoid of any emotion.

"As planned, the matter of Lost Cat (Anya) will also be taken care of at the same time. This time, I will personally take charge."

She walked to the window and silently gazed up at the pale moon that radiated a cold light.

Volume 17, Chapter 4: The Forgotten Beings

“Ugh…”

Ryu groaned as the intense, burning pain accumulated deep within her body was caused by the substance.

After opening my trembling eyelids, an unfamiliar wooden ceiling came into view.

As she shifted her body slightly, a somewhat dirty blanket fell off her.

As Liu propped herself up in bed, she immediately realized that she was in a cheap hotel.

"...! Rion, you're finally awake!"

"Andromeda...? Why are you...? No, compared to this, this is—"

Asphie pushed open the door and quickly slipped into the room, her head inexplicably wrapped in a cloth. Before Ryu could even express her surprise, she couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her, but she remembered halfway through her sentence.

"I remember being attacked by the [King of Warriors]...!!"

Ryu then recalled the situation she had encountered before she fainted.

"Andromeda! What's going on!? What happened!?"

After regaining her memory of being easily defeated by the boar-man, Ryu frantically sought information.

Asifi gently pressed down on the elf who had just finished treatment, reminding it to calm down before explaining.

"First of all, this is Agri Town. We traveled a long way to seek refuge here after escaping Orario. A whole day has passed since you fainted... According to the information I've gathered, the Freya Familia attacked and abducted all the Hestia Familia. Bell Crane, who was traveling with you, was no exception."

"I slept for a whole day!? No, that's not the case. The largest faction in the city (Freya Familia) actually attacked Bell and the others...!?"

After hearing Asphie's rough explanation, Ryu still couldn't understand it for a while.

Even though she was puzzled by the absurd phrase "escape from Orario," she quickly got up, fearing a "battle" might break out.

"Why didn't you wake me up?! We need to get back to Orario immediately!"

Seeing that Ryu was about to jump out of bed, Asifi tightened her grip on Ryu's shoulders.

Looking at the eyes behind the glasses, Ryu panicked.

"...It was Hermes who instructed us to escape Orario. Orario is now probably under the control of the 'Goddess of Beauty'."

Asphie tried her best to control her emotions, and after explaining the current situation, she added her own speculations.

She did witness, no, she felt, the "Silver Divine Will" that covered the entire Orario.

Based on the anxious appearance of the chief god (Hermes) before the incident, it is almost certain that it was the power of "charm".

The result is that the goddess has "completely dominated" Orario.

After hearing Asphie's explanation, Ryu had no reaction other than being dumbfounded.

"Using the power of 'charm' to dominate the city...!? You mean the goddess Freya!? How is that possible!? Why would she do that!?"

"The rest is all my speculation... the reason being to possess Bell Craney."

“──!!”

"Goddess Freya has always been quite obsessed with the rapidly growing Bell Crane. I learned about this because I was often forced to accompany God Hermes to deal with troublesome matters. As for why she chose this time to make her move, I can't be sure... In any case, she decided to take advantage of this Goddess Festival to 'harvest' Bell Crane."

Anyone who lives in the labyrinth city is well aware of the goddess Freya's amorous nature.

There have even been instances where rival clans were annihilated in the struggle for a single man.

Ryu's heart grew even more anxious. After finally understanding that her beloved had been taken away by the goddess, she felt utterly confused.

In response to Ryu's reaction, Asifi once again advised her to "respect herself".

"Li'ang, please promise me that you won't act impulsively or hastily, and that you will remain calm and composed in your actions. Otherwise, even if I have to beat you up, I can only tie you tightly to the bed."

"An, Andromeda...?"

"No one can resist the allure of the Goddess of Beauty... The inhabitants of Orario must have all been controlled, including your friends, companions, and even the gods."

"!"

"...Even Hermes, who is usually calm and collected, was terrified and ordered me to run away. So...he is very likely to be our 'enemy' now."

Ryu finally understood. The reason Asphie had returned here so stealthily and was wearing a cloth as if to conceal her identity was because she was worried about the existence of "pursuers." Once Asphie and Ryu were caught in front of the goddess Freya, their chances of survival would be over.

So Asphie tried desperately to calm herself down.

At the same time, he was utterly disappointed in himself for failing to protect the main god, and struggled with the despair of having to fight against this group of people.

Seeing Asphie's eyes trying her best to remain calm and avoid trembling, Ryu suppressed her inner impulse.

"I'm sorry, Andromeda... I'm truly grateful to you for saving me."

"Don't say that. If I were all alone right now, I'd definitely take my anger out on everything I have. Let's go back to Orario once we're ready. The first thing we should do is start reconnaissance and try to gather intelligence."

"Okay." Ryu nodded in agreement, ready to follow this "friend" with whom she had a troubled past.

"Agri Town" is located southeast of Orario, near the "Ruins of Shurim," the stage for the War Games between Bell and his allies and the Apollo faction. Traveling there by carriage from Orario takes a full day, but flying there eliminates this time limit. Remembering that Asphie was holding him, Ryu used the power of his "Flying Shoes" to reach Orario in the shortest possible distance.

Including the time spent preparing the disguise tools in "Agri Town", the two did not see the huge city wall surrounding the labyrinth city again until the morning of the third day after the "Goddess Festival" ended.

"Apart from the south gate of the city, none of the other gates are open to traffic...?"

Unable to approach the city freely, Ryuzo hid in a secluded spot among the rocks on a small hill, using a small cylindrical device to observe the situation. This was Asphie's telescope (a magical item) that could "enhance" the already superior eyesight of advanced adventurers, allowing them to see clearly even scenery ten kilometers away.

Ryu and her companions, who were spying on the city, soon noticed something amiss.

Normally, the city gates that are open in the north, east, and other directions are now only open at one gate, causing merchants and travelers to crowd the south gate to the point of being impassable.

As Asphie whispered with a sense of foreboding, Ryu, who was pointing his telescope at the inside of the city gate, couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"It's the goddess Freya...!?"

Because she saw, before the crowd preparing to pass through the city gate, the goddess's holy countenance, as if she were about to announce a divine decree, with her arms outstretched.

Ryu immediately put down her binoculars and looked away. Her reasoning was that even from a distance, simply seeing her was enough to fulfill the "bewitching conditions" of the "Goddess of Beauty." Once people saw her "beauty," they would immediately become her captives, falling into a state of trance. If they heard her voice, they would transform into the most loyal puppets.

Ryu desperately pressed down on her rapidly pounding chest.

After some time, my heart, which had been pounding violently from accidentally coming into contact with "beauty" that transcended human intelligence, finally calmed down.

"Are you alright!? Leon!!"

"Hmm... But now it's confirmed: Goddess Freya has taken over the city with her 'charm' and is exerting some kind of 'hint' on outsiders...!"

Having managed to avoid being caught in the trap by acting decisively, Liu glanced sideways towards the city center.

This confirms that Orario has been unified under the rules of the goddess Freya and transformed into a "closed world".

—On the other hand, Ryu naturally wouldn't discover that the goddess she saw was actually someone else "transformed" into a deity.

"Given their complete control of the city gates and the fact that they 'charm' everyone who enters the city... not only the guilds, but even the Ganesha Familia have become their puppets."

"If our identities are discovered after we infiltrate the city, we could be arrested immediately. We can only pray we're not wanted."

"The problem is, Gale, you've already been blacklisted... Hold on! I'm kidding! Please put down that chop!"

"I never imagined I'd be targeted by the military police," Asifi lamented as the two began preparing to infiltrate the city.

*

Dark clouds filled the sky outside the window.

On the bed where no sunlight shines in, there is a small mountain made of blankets.

A cat's tail could be seen sticking out from under the skirt, but it was limp and powerless, like a dying snake.

Anya sat there, hugging her legs with both arms, her eyes vacant.

“…………”

This is a branch of the tavern "The Abundant Mistress".

Since the second night of the Goddess Festival, Anya has been locking herself in her room.

Not only did she fail to stop the Freya Familia from killing Seele, she also obeyed her own brother, Ellen Fromo, without any resistance and made way for him.

Anya always considered her colleagues at the bar as "family".

Unfortunately, she failed to protect her "family" this time and even handed them over voluntarily.

Anya, who has been staying indoors and not going out, is naturally unaware of what happened later.

I wonder how Seele is doing? If she were still alive, I wouldn't have the face to see her.

Even if she could gain Seele's forgiveness, Anya would not be able to forgive herself.

She felt utterly hopeless about herself, and her usual cheerful demeanor was gone.

(I... am afraid to sleep...)

After reuniting with her brother (Allen) overnight, Anya, who had fallen into a deep sleep, had a "dream".

In the "dream," Anya and the others lived their lives as usual. For example, she slacked off at work and got scolded by Mia, bickered with Chloe and the others, which made Ryu sigh, and in the end everyone burst into laughter. It was a common scene in the tavern.

But the girl (Seele) is not inside.

None of Anya and the others noticed this strange phenomenon.

It's as if the girl (Seele) never existed from the beginning.

Bell inexplicably became a member of the Freya Familia. Apart from the "information" she remembered, Anya and the others knew nothing about Bell.

(I'm so scared... I'll see that "dream" again after I fall asleep.)

Anya never dared to lie down to rest again, remaining fully conscious, sitting on the bed as if time had stood still.

The thought that the terrible "dream" might be some kind of declaration of her failure to save the girl (Seele) filled her with terror and she didn't know what to do.

Therefore, she just wanted to continue locking herself in this empty shell.

"—You silly Anya—! Get out here right now, meow—!!"

Unfortunately, her wish was not fulfilled.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Roy and Lunova swaggered in.

"How long are you going to stay cooped up in your room?! I don't know what happened to you, but you better pull yourself together!"

"Miya's mom told us not to bother you, but cats won't listen! They absolutely won't let you skip work so blatantly! Only cats can slack off, meow!"

The tightly closed curtains were pulled open, and the blanket covering Anya was removed.