Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 088
Chapter Title: Making a Scene is the Best #1
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The Erdari guard was utterly shocked, at a complete loss for what to do.
...
"Why are you appearing in the form of Rendo, O Ascendant!?"
Ascendant referred to the high-ranking positions among the Erdari.
Like their nobles or generals.
...
'Am I supposed to be one of those Ascendants?'
It might have been because I swallowed the Bloodwood root.
Whatever the case, it seemed like I could use this situation to my advantage.
"I took on this form precisely to test you!"
"Eek! N-No way...!"
"You dare to insult me? Surely you're prepared to pay for that crime?"
The Erdari guard trembled violently and prostrated himself flat on the floor.
...
"Please, grant me a chance to atone!"
"And what will you do if I give you that chance?"
"I shall hand over this basement access pass!"
Who knew swallowing the Bloodwood root would prove this useful?
But now that things had come to this, one thing piqued my curiosity.
"Do you prioritize the commands and authority of an Ascendant over your employer, the Sewer Emperor?"
"Heh heh, the Sewer Emperor is just a boss who pays well. My homeland is forever-dark Eldonar, and my heart reaches toward the branches of the Ascendants!"
Even Erdari who had blended into human society couldn't resist the authority of the Ascendant class, it seemed.
Some flattery aside, Erdari were ultimately untrustworthy folk.
That was when I tried to brush past the Erdari and head underground.
...
"Um, that earthquake at dawn yesterday... it was surely the doing of the Bloodwood, right?"
There had indeed been an earthquake at dawn yesterday.
The Erdari before me seemed to think it was the Bloodwood's work.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because it felt like the Bloodwood was crying out or something. Of course, I couldn't understand what it was saying...."
"You can't understand the Bloodwood's words?"
"Only the high Ascendants can comprehend the Bloodwood's will."
I recalled the conversation I'd had with the Bloodwood in my dream last night.
It seemed such an event was rare even for the Erdari who worshipped that tree.
Pondering how I might turn this into Ether farming fodder, I descended underground.
The basement of the Sewer Emperor's palace was indeed thick with the musty scent of mold mingled with the sour tang of toxic herbs.
Iron bars lined the spaces between torches, packed with all sorts of people imprisoned within.
...
Thud, thud-.
Thud-.
A few guards patrolled the underground as well.
Not mere sentries—these were plate-armored types who looked like skilled knights.
But thanks to the access pass slung over my shoulder, they paid me no particular mind.
They only lingered briefly on Nimble's face, hidden beneath the hood covering his ears.
"Nimble, so do you know where the dwarf is?"
I whispered to Nimble.
His nose and ears twitched.
...
"Over that way, I think. Smells like fruit gone rotten from overripening."
Rotten fruit smell?
No idea what that meant, but I followed as Nimble took the lead.
...
"Bring more booze! Booze!"
A man about half my height was thrusting his hand through the bars, waving an empty wooden cup around wildly.
The stench of wine was so overpowering it could twist your nose out of shape.
...
'A real dwarf!'
His bushy beard even made him look a bit like Santa Claus.
And in the cell beside him were a bunch of women.
Nearly ten women crammed into one filthy, ragged-filled room.
...
"Miss Ellie, by any chance?"
I asked the women.
But whether exhausted or unwilling to cooperate, they all kept their mouths shut.
...
'They're all on high alert.'
I examined the women closely, then pointed to the one with the most disheveled hair.
...
"You're Miss Ellie, right?"
...
...!
The woman who jolted in shock.
Her expression screamed, *How did you know?*
Figuring it out had been simple.
Miss Ellie was a noble lady.
Just as the luster and value of pearls or gold don't fade when caked in mud...
Even with tousled hair and rags draped over her, the poise in how she placed her fingertips or straightened her back to sit ramrod straight was a bearing no lowly sort could possess.
I approached the bars and said,
"I've come after hearing your request to be rescued."
I flashed the 'Storm Cloak' I'd received as prepayment.
Miss Ellie's eyes widened.
...
"That's our family heirloom!"
Doubt filled her eyes no longer—trust and hope shone through. Her eyes sparkled so brightly it was almost unbelievable.
...
"You're here to save us!"
"Save us!"
"Let us out of this place!"
...
The problem was that the women started screaming in a frenzy.
Worried the Sewer Emperor's knights might notice the commotion, I hurriedly pressed a finger to my lips—*shhh*—.
...
"I can only rescue Miss Ellie."
My Black Satchel couldn't hold unlimited items, either.
Fitting in Miss Ellie and that drunken dwarf would max it out.
But at my words, Miss Ellie frowned.
...
"...Then I won't go."
...
"Huh?"
...
...
Ellie Cheperi.
A commoner by birth, but adopted into the Cheperi family and raised as a noblewoman.
Kidnapped and sold off, she now found herself imprisoned in the basement of the Sewer Emperor's palace.
...
"I won't go."
She'd been locked up for weeks now, denied any semblance of proper living.
You'd think the urge to escape would overwhelm her by this point, yet Miss Ellie stubbornly refused.
...
"Don't you want to get out of here?"
"Of course I do. Who knows when some old geezer will buy me off next? But these women here are like sisters who've shared my hardships."
...
"E-Ellie...!"
"Leave us behind."
"At least take Ellie...!"
...
What was this?
It made me look like the bad guy.
Wasn't I supposed to be the knight in shining armor riding in on a white horse to save the captured noble damsel?
Nimble bristled with irritation at the scene.
...
"What a pain in the ass these bitches are."
He was right.
But with things as they were, there was no helping it.
...
"Nimble, looks like we'll have to go with Plan B."
"Plan B? What's that?"
"You'll need to draw the knights' attention."
Escaping the underground prison with this many people required diverting the knights' eyes first and foremost.
Nimble could surely pull it off.
...
"Such a hassle."
Tch-.
Nimble clicked his tongue, then slapped both palms to the ground and crouched low.
A low *grrr* rumbled as he transformed into a wolf.
...
—Woof! Woof woof!
Nimble, now a wolf, barked like a dog and bolted off into the distance.
The knights standing watch far off immediately stirred.
...
"Didn't you hear a dog barking?"
"No, that's a wolf. About two meters tall. A female."
"No way some beastkin made it all the way here...!?"
"More importantly, fuck, how can you tell all that just from listening? You're creeping me out."
...
Thud thud thud-.
The knights clanked off in the direction Nimble had vanished.
Now was the moment!
...
Clank-!
I picked the lock.
The booze-scented dwarf behind me jolted in surprise.
...
"You picked the lock I made with those shitty tools...!? Damn, the alcohol's clearing right out of my system! Just who the hell are you!?"
"Dwarf sir! Let's get you out too."
"My name ain't 'Dwarf sir,' it's Umbatu!"
...
Umbatu?
What an unusual name.
I also picked the lock on the dwarf's cell door.
...
"Huh, damn it! That wasn't made to be opened! Fine, whatever!"
...
The dwarf Umbatu put on a solemn expression.
...
"You have no idea what might happen if you steal us away from that ruthless King of Thieves. Can you handle the consequences, young man?"
Handle? That was a problem for if we got caught.
As long as they never realized I'd snuck them out, it was fine.
...
'The window's only while the Sewer Emperor's distracted by that fake root.'
Divert the Sewer Emperor's attention elsewhere—.
Let me roam the basement freely—.
With even the knights lured away by Nimble.
...
It was unlikely such a perfect alignment of stars would come again.
So whatever it took, it had to be now.
As I crept toward the exit, Umbatu spoke up.
...
"Young man! Don't go that way! Head deeper underground!"
...
"Deeper underground?"
...
"Trust me! For just one or two to escape, your way works. But to save us all, we go underground!"
...
The dwarf urging me to trust him.
That's when Miss Ellie grabbed my back.
...
"Mr. Umbatu is a trustworthy man!"
...
"Fuck it, let's go!"
I led the group even deeper underground.
...
Thud thud thud thud-.
After descending the stairs for a good while, a plaza-like space appeared, so dark no light penetrated.
A fishy stench filled the air.
...
Wondering what the smell was when a savage beast's growl—*grrr*—echoed.
...
Fwoosh-.
Umbatu lit a torch.
...
Revealed were stone-like, rough scales, and massive eyes glaring at me.
...
Fuck, it was the Stone Dragon Isidore!
The monster that spewed strange rays from its mouth, turning things to stone!
Why the hell was *that* locked in the Sewer Emperor's palace basement?
...
"Eek!"
"W-What's that thing!"
"Hii!"
...
The sudden dragon appearance had the girls wetting themselves in panic!
...
Dwarf Umbatu poked my side.
Seemed like he wanted me to lean in.
As I bent down, he whispered in my ear.
...
"With your skills, young man, you could undo that beast's chains and shackles, right? Then we slip out while it's rampaging!"
...
The Stone Dragon rampaging?
Yeah, it'd smash everything to bits, total chaos.
For nearly ten people to escape, that mayhem would be our best shot.
...
The issue was whether that massive maw wouldn't swallow *me* first.
It looked ready to chomp me the second I freed it.
Sensing my hesitation, Umbatu thumped his chest.
...
"I'll handle convincing it, so don't worry!"
...
Umbatu approached the dragon.
The chained beast didn't hide its fury.
【Get lost, dwarf.】
【Maker of the chains binding me.】
【Before I tear you to shreds.】
"Hey, Isidore. It wasn't my fault you got duped by Bain and locked up here, was it?"
【Grrr....】
【I trust no more words from scaleless ones.】
【Once free, I'll swallow you first, then kill Bain.】
From the looks of it, this dragon had been tricked by the Sewer Emperor into this underground prison.
What kind of lie had chained a dragon down here?
...
"Isidore, didn't you need a thief and make a deal with Bain for that? What if this guy's the thief you've been looking for!"
【That greenhorn?】
"Yeah, he's the one who picked my cell and shackles! He might even be able to steal what you want. Let me prove it!"
...
Umbatu jerked his chin.
Meaning: undo the chains and lock binding the dragon.
Doubting if this was wise but with no other options, I shrugged and undid the chains in a whatever-happens-happens mood.
...
Clank-.
Luckily, the locks gave way on the first try.
...
Rumble rumble rumble-.
The Stone Dragon rose, its flattened body straightening from the chains' weight.
Its massive eyes curved like a crescent moon.
【Hoh, freeing a dwarf's chains without a key?】
【Good, little kobold. I'll come find you soon.】
...
Shrrk-.
Stone Dragon Isidore spread its wings.
And then it smashed through the solid walls, soaring toward the surface.