Chapter 6:

A new Adventure - 3

The Betrayed Princess Will Conquer the Continent with Her Summoned Strategist.

There are times when the words you want to say simply refuse to come out. No matter how hard you try, they remain stuck between your thoughts and your tongue, leaving you with only one question.

How do I even explain this?

At the moment, Atmik found himself facing the exact same problem. The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.

In front of him was a girl, glaring at him like a blade pressed to his throat, awaiting his answer. With every passing second, the pressure mounted as her tapping intensified.

Atmik scratched his head, unable to find the right words. But he knew he had to say something. After all, just like Freya, there were some answers he wanted to hear.

Slowly, he parted his lips as words tumbled over one another.

“Uhm... well... uh...” He stammered before finally blurting it out. “Sorry, I lied to that old woman about that.”

“That much was obvious. What I’d like to know is why.” Freya pressed on.

“ Well…”

Atmik looked toward the river.

“To save you.”

“Huh?”

Her eyebrows twitched in frustration.

“That explains nothing.”

“Uh! Haha.”

Atmik sighed.

“Remember that flash of light I mentioned?

“What about it?” Freya responded.

“After it happened, I woke up somewhere unfamiliar. We were outside, but the dungeon was gone. There was nothing around us except thick forest and wild vegetation as far as I could see.”

He glanced briefly at Freya before continuing.

“The first thing I did was check on you. You were still alive but unconscious and burning with fever, while your deep wounds had somehow healed.”

He paused, a guilty smile playing upon his lips while his gaze fell upon Freya’s bare feet dirtied by mud.The sight reminded him of how he had brought a girl like her here.

“Honestly, the thought of abandoning you crossed my mind.”

Freya gaze sharpened. For a moment, less than even a heartbeat, an ache flared through her body. But quickly she composed herself and continued listening.

Atmik, who pulled his eyes away from her. Now, raised his gaze and looked straight into her golden eyes.

“But I couldn’t do it. My heart didn’t allow that, "he said.“So, I looked for a way out. Eventually, I found this river and carried you on my back and followed it upstream. That’s how I found this village.”

For a moment, silence lingered in the air. They were still things left unsaid, but Atmik simply gazed at the figure standing before him.

“You thought of abandoning your Master?”

Freya glared at him.

“Hey, let’s put that aside and focus on the story for now.”

“Hmph. For now.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

Atmik cleared his throat.

“So where was I? Ah, right. The village.”

“At that time, I thought I’d finally caught a break. But then, the village guards refused to let us enter. No matter what I said, they wouldn’t listen. They just kept repeating the same thing.”

“Outsiders are not allowed. State your relationship.” Atmik imitated their stern tone.

“Relationship?”

“Yea, I didn’t understand it either.”

Atmik scratched his cheek.

“Not until I met a Lamia medicine seller. He seemed interested in my swarthy skin and started asking where I came from. I gave him a few random lies and somehow we hit it off. He seemed amused by my answers and told me a few things about the village's rather strange customs.”

“Turns out, this village followed a religion that forbids them from dealing with outsiders. Even touching was considered a sin unless you were one of the “pillarmen’ who were permitted to do so.”

Freya’s brows furrowed.

“And that wasn’t even the strangest part,” Atmik continued. “Another teaching considered the relationship between unmarried men and women impure and taboo. It was the reason why the guard wouldn’t allow us to enter.”

Freya’s eyes darkened, as if she had seen something disgusting.

“A taboo like that in this age? What kingdom do these backwater fools belong to?”

“Antaboga.” Atmik answered instantly.

“I heard the name from the medicine seller. That’s the kingdom the village comes under.”

Hearing his words, Freya fell silent. Antaboga, though a neighboring kingdom, was still far away from the dungeon. She couldn’t understand why they had found themselves here.

“So…” Freya stepped towards Atmik. “You convinced them by lying that we were married?”

“Not exactly them.”
Atmik shook his head.

“The guards were still wary of us because we were outsiders and without any connection to the village.”

“Our luck changed when I met Grandma Candra.” He smiled faintly. “She saw me arguing with the guards while carrying you in my arms and approached me. She asked what our relationship was.”

“And you lied.”

“Yeah. I had no other choice.”

Atmik gave an apologetic shrug.

“I told her we were a married pair of adventurers.”

Freya’s eyebrow twitched.

“And she believed you?”

“Somehow,” Atmik answered, a helpless smile crossed his face.

“She asked guards to let us enter on the condition that we would interact only with her. I guess she was one of the pillarmen who were allowed to touch outsiders.”

Atmik turned his gaze towards the path leading to the village.

“She guided me to her cottage and healed you with her magic.”

“And that’s the whole story.”

As soon as the words faded after the explanation, silence lingered between them. Gradually, the world returned to its natural rhythm.

Leaves rustled as winds passed through them. The river flowed quietly beside them, its gentle murmur filling the silence that existed between the two.

Freya stared at Atmik’s back.

She has listened to his explanation. His reasoning was crude and the style of speaking even more so. The way he casually addressed her without the slightest hint of reverence was enough to irritate her.

Yet Freya couldn't bring herself to be angry.

The old Freya would have demanded that he prostrate himself before for even half of what he had said.

But at the moment, there was an emptiness inside her that didn't wish to push him away.

Freya clenched her first. Then took another small step forward, her bare feet scraping against the cold dirt.

“Uhm…”

Atmik turned around.

Seeing him, Freya raised her chin.

“Though, I may not approve of your method or your reasoning. I cannot ignore your intentions to save me.”

She paused, her expression stiffening.

“So, for now, I shall forgive you for tarnishing my name.”

The words caught Atmik off guard, freezing him mid breath. He stared at her, baffled.

What was that supposed to mean?

Yet, he had no desire to argue over it.

“Well…thanks.”

The word seemed almost foreign coming from him. Then, he glanced back at Freya.

“If you understand my intention and why I did what I did, princess, then, I have a few questions for you?”

Freya’s posture shifted instantly. She straightened and folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowing as she grasped the weight behind the tone.

“Go ahead,” She said.

Without hesitation, Atmik blurted out his thoughts.

“Who are you? What is this world? And why was I summoned?”

Freya met his gaze.

His brown eyes, usually half-lidded with indifference, were unusually still. A rare seriousness burned in them now.

“Truthfully,” She began, her voice steady. “I do not know why you were summoned. I don’t even know if I was the one who summoned you into this world.”

Then, her hand rose, her finger pointing towards him, as if to peirce through his doubts.

“But that mark,” she declared, “is proof that we are bound to one another by the magic of the Valkyria”

The words hung in the air as she pulled her gaze away from him, preparing to tell him the truth about herself.

“As for who I am…and What this world is…”

She closed her eyes. And when they opened again, the uncertainty was gone from them.

“My name is Freya Valkyria.”

“I am the first princess and rightful heir of the Valkyrian Kingdom.”

Her voice carried the certainty of someone stating a truth rather than introducing herself. Her golden eyes held a pressure that forced one to yield before her.

Atmik couldn’t help but be drawn in by them.

Then, with her commanding voice, she began to speak. She told him about Ausia. About the ten kingdoms. About Athena’s ten retainers and eventually, about the betrayal.

The words flowed with surprising ease. Perhaps because she had spent so long keeping everything locked inside. For once, she didn’t bother choosing parts to hide.

When she finally stopped, only the babbling river remained to fill the silence

Atmik remained silent for several seconds. Words pressed against his lips, but he forced them back, unwilling to speak before thinking about everything he had just heard.

He couldn’t believe a girl younger than him had faced and endured so much. To lose everything she knew and still standing before him with that unyielding age.

It was like gazing at a miracle.

“...Wow.”

The sudden remark shattered the silence.

Freya’s eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open.

“Uwaa…”

For a brief moment, the proud princess lost all trace of her composure.

“You really had it bad,” he said, a gentle smile tugging his lips, choosing levity over pity.

“You..”

Freya’s eyebrow twitched. “

Your tone is incredibly irritating.”

She turned away with a huff.

“As your Master, I believe I have to teach you a few things about speaking to nobility.”

“Can you stop saying it like I’m your slave?”