We left the Adventuring Guild. Several barricades had been created and there appeared to be people on the roofs. Unlike the Guild Master and Ruby, most of the other residents weren’t smart enough or powerful enough to reach the roofs. Therefore, it was a rather simple process of roping one of them, pulling them, up, and then restraining them. That was when they didn’t have magic to just incapacitate them one way or another.
I knew I still had a long way to go before everyone was freed. Of course, if things went a certain way, I might not need to do anything else. The situation might end up resolving itself. Once Elaya saw me, she might just surrender the dungeon immediately. Of course, that all depended on me encountering her outside of the dungeon, and based on what I had seen so far I had a feeling she hadn’t left the dungeon in months.
Had she not come out by the time I had finished conquering the town, then I had every intention of using the mansion and trying the backdoor to reach her. The last thing I wanted to do was start a protracted battle where I had to fight my way down the dungeon. It would likely take days, even if the enemies weren’t much of a challenge. Of course, there was also the possibility that the second I walked into the dungeon, she’d recognize me. I didn’t think that would be the case though. If it honestly was, then she should have recognized me the second I walked into the city, or when I started altering the miasma being fed back into the dungeon.
Of course, there was an alternative that I wasn’t considering. There was the possibility that she did already recognize me, and chose not to come until now. Maybe, master didn’t stand for Dungeon Master, but she was still recognizing me as her master. That didn’t make a whole lot of sense either. I really wouldn’t know what was happening until I reached the outside of town and spoke to her or whoever was representing her.
I realized as I followed Ruby that a group of guards ended up forming around us. I wasn’t at a level where I could determine people’s levels at a glance, but I had a feeling that these were probably some of the top-level guards in the city. I glanced at them curiously until Ruby seemed to notice.
“This was decided by the residents of Chalm. Chalm originally was growing so rapidly that there were more strangers than friends. Most people had never even seen you but had only heard of you. Even during the battle against Alerith, you seemed like a lofty presence surrounded by beautiful slaves. Now, every single person has been personally pulled from the dark fog by your hand. They’ve watched you working hard to save them from the infection. They know you now, and you’ve made an impression on them.”
“R-really…”
“The citizens won’t stand to see you harmed once again. They don’t want to see something happen again like it did in the Ost Republic. They wish you to have an honor guard at all times. You could say that if before you had earned their respect, it seems like your actions recently have been earning their adoration.” Ruby responded with a slight smile.
I didn’t know how to respond to that, but I didn’t have to because we were already outside of town and approaching the dungeon mouth. I could see a person standing there in a robe, but it was impossible to make out who it was exactly. I walked up to them as confidently as I could.
“I’m Deek Deekson,” I responded. “This dungeon, and everything in it belongs to me. Surrender.”
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