Chapter 179: The Intermediaries (1/2)
”Huh.” Mike said to himself while putting the antler away. He hadn't thought it was possible for the pieces of defeated dungeon monsters to remain behind, but apparently this was a special case.
Shrugging, Mike took one last look around the chamber, enjoying the strangely peaceful and solemn atmosphere one last time. Making sure his disguise was in place, he shouldered his new spear and exited through the portal.
He found himself back outside, facing a small crowd of adventurers and guild clerks, who erupted into cheers as soon as he'd appeared. From the sounds of it, there was some kind of commotion going on in town as well.
The man who had been manning the entry stall ran over to him. ”I'm sorry I ever doubted you. If I had known that you were capable of conquering the dungeon on your own, I would have never have bothered you.”
He had a fawning, desperate expression that seemed to begging for absolution.
[Is clearing a dungeon really that big of a deal? Judging from their reactions, at least it looks like I didn't cause them any problems by doing so.]
”That's alright. You were just doing your job.” Mike replied, trying to head off any further groveling. ”What's all this about?”
The man blinked, ”Why, we are celebrating. It's been years since the last time a delver has conquered the Cave of the Beast, so when the portal changed color, it didn't take long for word to spread. Give it another hour or two and the whole town will be one big party.”
Mike looked behind, noticing that the dungeon portal had taken on a distinctly greenish hue, which somehow made it look more inviting. ”This won't cause any problems for anyone? I mean, it's not like I ruined everyone's source of income or anything, right?”
The man blinked again, looking a little unsure of himself, ”Of course not. Whenever the dungeon boss is defeated, it makes the other monsters more docile, less powerful. If anything, you've made everyone's lives easier for the next few months, until the boss respawns and things return to normal. Is this your first time clearing a dungeon?”
[Well, that answers a few questions. It looks like I don't need to worry about anything else.]
”Thanks for the information. Anyway, I need to be going. I have pressing business to attend to. Judging from the position of the sun,” he took a moment to stare sagely into the air, ”I have already spent too long here.”
With that he began moving towards the village gate. The assembled crowd moved apart to allow him past, cheering all the way.
The guild clerk hurried up beside him, ”Are you sure you can't stay longer? I think they're planning on a having a big feast in your honor. If you've never been a part of a Dungeon Conquest party, you should know that you are missing out.”
Tempting though that was, Mike had other obligations. The last thing he wanted to do was to stand up his two female party members just to attend a feast. He would never hear the end of it once they found out. ”I'm afraid I cannot.”
”Wait, come on. You haven't even told us your name!” The man pleaded.
[Didn't I show you my guild card earlier?]
There was some murmuring amongst the crowd, which suddenly took on a scandalized tone. Shouts of 'you can't leave!' and 'tell us who you are!' could be heard over the general noise. Mike noticed that the onlookers had started crowding closer, evidently trying to get a better view, but in the process, they cut off his line of retreat.
[I never knew that popularity was such a pain. Why does anyone want to be famous? Ugh, I really don't have the time or the patience to take care of it in the appropriate way, so I might as well be flashy.]
He sent a quick mental message, before halting in the center of the constricting circle of excited adventurers. With a trickle of mana, he enhanced his voice to make it carry over the assembled people, while giving it greater gravitas. Raising his new spear to quiet the crowd, he delivered his statement. ”I have no desire to spread my name, and therefore I won't share it. If that answer doesn't suffice, fear not. I will show you everything you need to know momentarily.”
There was a moment of silence as the crowd digested this statement. Mike heard someone in the back say, 'what does that mean?' before he got the mental reply he was looking for.
With a burst of Air Magic, he threw himself directly up, just in time to intercept Red as he nimbly navigated through the encroaching trees. Mike was almost out of earshot, when he heard the crowd finally react, bursting into frenzied cheering which faded as the dragon flew them farther north.
[Man, the Dragonknights are really popular here. Just have to show up on the back of one and suddenly it's a national holiday or something.]
Mike put it out of his mind, and concentrated on holding on. Red was complaining mentally about having to dodge around the ancient trees, and as soon as there was enough clearance, he ascended above the canopy. Angling himself towards the capital, the dragon launched himself forward at high speeds, evidently enjoying the act of flying with all of his might despite whatever discomfort it caused his rider.
In a short span of time, they were over the city, and Mike was preparing to jump.
[Thanks again, Red. You've been a big help. I'll treat you to something tasty once we've reached the point you can hang out in the city without causing too much of an alarm. I've heard there is a restaurant that cooks an entire cow using an old family recipe. Supposedly, the meat just falls off of the bone.]