Kapitel 170: She Visits the Upper Levels
Within the crowds, a solitary dwarf girl of black hair clicked her tongue in annoyance. She had been so close! A bit closer and surely she'd have caught Robin's true appearance within the range of the memory crystal. For now, she could only bide her time and wait for the next fleeting opportunity. The dwarf girl pocketed the magic sphere, and disappeared within the crowds once more.
"Pfft! Ahahahah! Good one! And I'm tha blacksmith king!" A nearby dwarf guffawed. Robin smiled and drew her sword.
"Wait, hold on there! Ah was just joking! No need ta resort ta violence, laddy!" The dwarf exclaimed in surprise.
Robin rolled her eyes and walked over to an open stretch of cobblestone. Then she stuck the sword point down into the ground.
"If you really do doubt whether I'm the real deal, I dare you to pick up this blade. If anyone can do so, then take it that I'm a fake. But until then~ Have fun pulling~ my king slimes can reset bones, so don't worry about throwing out your back at all~"
Robin easily walked back to the tavern, leaving the sword sticking up out of the ground. At this point, many were already half-convinced, due to the sword and the method described. But as dwarves, they couldn't pass up a chance to closely examine a legendary blade. Thus, a crowd easily gathered about the sword, and would not be dispersed.
"Yer all right leaving tha blade out in tha open like that?" Ayva asked, impressed.
"Those who would steal aren't those whom the sword would choose." Robin replied. "I'm not worried. Why should you be?"
"Indeed, it seems as you really trust your bond with that blade." Ayva noted. "You're not even the slightest bit doubtful are you?"
"That blade has waited thousands of years for one worthy of it, without giving in to elements or any man. And after all that time, it chose me. For me to doubt it at this point would be to doubt my own character." Robin sniffed.
"Besides, if someone else really could claim it other than me, then I'd feel somewhat relieved." She added.
"What? Why?" Christian asked.
"How else will it get back to Ekkinshire?" Robin pointed out. "To leave the holy blade in demon territory would make me feel like I had failed to fully complete my duty."
"Ah...so ye think us as demons, too?" Ayva asked, half-joking, half-serious.
"No. Demons are demons. Dwarves are dwarves. It's more like..like finding that dwarven dragon armor in human territory." Robin pointed out. "You'd have to admit, it was pretty far out of the current dwarf territory, to the point where it was an oddity. But, if it were the dwarven king's crown, instead...."
"Ah...Ah get what ya mean." Ayva smiled cheerfully again. "'T'wouldnae sit well with me if'n such an important thing to our kingdom was placed outside of et, amirite?"
"Mmmn." Robin nodded. "While I am the only one who can wield it, currently, I have not forgotten that it is an important cultural artifact from Ekkinshire Kingdom."
"Ah can understand that ye'd want et returned," Ayva nodded. "But, why does et sound like yer not intending to return et yerself? Are ye bound ta stay in tha demon's lands? Or do ye not expect ta survive yer venture? Izzet that dangerous?"
Christian glanced at Robin. "Well, if we were to say it wasn't dangerous, we'd be lying to ourselves. But...well..." His eyes asked Robin an unspoken question. Robin nodded, and answered on her own.
"I'm not a local hero." She answered. "In fact, I came from another world, whether by accident or by summons. It's because I wish to return that I am seeking the help of the demon king."
"Oh deary dear! Ye poor thing, you!" Ayva sighed. "No wonder why ye've got ta hide yerself like that. If tha nobles caught wind of yer true appearance, than ye'd be sludged down in quite the morass, wouldn't ye?"
"Mmmn." Robin nodded. "That's why I'd like to go back as soon as I can before this trip becomes too well known. I need to gather the seals of the demon guardians as a sign of their approval so that I can seek audience with the demon king."
"Ah, in which case, ye'd be wantin' ta speak with me husband, Ah understand." Ayva smiled sympathetically.
"From what I hear, he won't be back for a bit, but...as the hero, it doesn't seem right to twiddle my thumbs while evil's afoot. In that case, you don't mind me helping you out while I wait?" Robin asked lightly.
"Why, no, not at all!" Ayva chuckled. "It seems this ground nest of wasps has been building fer a long time while we've neglected to look fer et. What are ye planning ta do?"
"Funny thing you should mention, actually, but yes. Did you know there's a form of art in my world that is created by pouring molten metal like aluminum or copper into an ant's nest? What do you think would happen if we did the same thing with a wasps nest, hmm?"
"Whal....Ah'd surely love ta see et, deary. It sounds like somethin'right up our dwarven alleyways~" Ayva chuckled.
Christian felt more than slightly intimidated. It was almost as if it were not Robin and Ayva that he was seeing. The bright smiles over hidden conversations seemed to be more fitted to an old fox and a young fox conversing over tea...Surely...Robin wasn't planning a bloodbath?
...Right?
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Familiar steps once more echoed down the hallway, stopping at the edge of the light.
"My lord-" The voice from the shadows began hesitantly.
"What news is there that you need to run here?" The hooded dwarf asked, looking up from an ancient tome. His goblet was no longer filled with wine, but cleaned, and gleaming from a nearby shelf.
"It has been confirmed. The troublemaker from Ekkinshire is t-the Hero, my lord." the voice conferred through a voice slightly out of breath.
"As I suspected. I will need to send a message to our benefactor, and ask how he wishes us to deal with this person." The dwarf mumbled to himself.
"Also, my lord, our benefactor has chartered a carriage out of the city, with no return charter. Methinks he has left with no intention of returning."
"So saying, he is fleeing the city?" The dwarf hmmphed grumpily. "Then we must not leave behind any evidence of our connections with him. Have my ledgers brought here, quickly!"
"As you wish, my lord." The shadowed servant bowed and rushed back down the hallway.
A heavy sigh drifted out into the following silence.
"Things are getting out of hand...but still within salvageable limits." the dwarf muttered to himself as he reluctantly closed the ancient tome in his hands.
--------
Within Ayva's carriage, Robin was allowed entry into the third level, where the nobles homes were. Passing by the sapphire blue uniforms, the carriage came out into the open, again. Robin had to reassess which level she was on, by glancing back at the blue-clothed guardsmen.
Although the 3rd circle had less area than the other circles, it didn't seem that way. The buildings were larger, and spaced further apart, with decorations on a grand scale. not to mention the magic stone gates. Each gate was an intricate design with magic stones shining from the coat of arms in its center.
"Ah can take ye through to tha second level as well, but fer tha first, even Ah need ta get permission ta come an go, so, ye'll still hafta wait fer a bit." Ayva sighed, feeling a bit frustrated.
"But, once ya do get there, I have tha loveliest garden A'd like ta show ye~!" She began to describe it in detail as they rode.
As they rode up the steady incline, a carriage passed them on the way back. It was a rather small carriage, for a noble. More likely, with the lack of a crest, it was a merchant's carriage.
Merchants were often enough called up to the noble circle. But, they were only allowed entrance if they bore a letter with the nobleman's seal upon it. Otherwise, they'd be refused entrance.
Inside, the shaded sillouette of a man could be seen through the curtains. Robin didn't think much of it until it had already passed them and gone a ways. When she did think of something, she glanced back at the carriage.
"Is something wrong, deary?" Ayva asked.
"...No, it's probably nothing too serious..." Robin replied with a smile.
"In that case, do ya remember tha yellow garden I told ya about? There's actually a hidden swing among tha...." Robin had found that Ayva was a garden otaku.
But, as the carriage moved forward, Robin kept the thought in the back of her head.
'...Was that a human that had been in the carriage?'
Robin closed her eyes in thought before deciding to put it from her mind for now.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
BriarRose
BriarRose Ha! And you thought I had forgotten! The good news is that there is a chapter today. The bad news is that the updates might be a bit irregular after this.
I happen to be preparing to give an art class at a local library, so my updates might be less frequent these next few weeks.
That being said, I do draw art for this book. you can find it on my discord channel....which I posted in one of these chapters~ have fun trying to find it~
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