I was stunned for a moment as the noble glared at me. Standing by his side was one of the bodyguards. I recalled hearing from Lydia that the other one had fallen in the dungeon. That was what had led this man to his retreat and also abandoning Lydia. She would have been dead if he had his way. In fact, his actions had almost killed me too. I felt anger rising in my gut. It took quite a bit to make me angry. Even being embarrassed and mocked in class was something I used to push off, but this guy's arrogant and selfish actions were seriously pushing my limits.
"Deek! You're alive!" The voice came from inside the inn.
There was a commotion of people talking inside. It felt like we had arrived at the end of a gathering. It was the Guild Master who came out. He was just as tall and had just as broad shoulders as the bodyguard of Lord Tibult. It made me feel a little better that I had an ally with a happy expression on his face while the other man shot me a stern expression.
The Guild Master came out and suddenly gave me a big hug. He didn't show any restraint, and I felt my ribs creak. I was wrong, it turned out. In the end, it was as if my allies would be my death. As he realized I wasn't breathing, he finally let go, and I let out a rough breath. He patted my back laughing. In the meantime, a tall man with a dark complexion came out. He wore a fine suit, not unlike the nobles, although it didn't have the signs of travel wear that Lord Tibult's did.
"What does he mean, about the hero position?" I wheezed out as I straightened myself.
The Guild Master put on a guilty look and scratched the back of his head. "Ah… well… after you fell into that trap, we managed to escape. We waited for you for two days, but Lord Tibult came out and said he found your dead corpse. So, we gave up any hope."
The pair of us turned to the noble, who snorted, looking indignant. "You must have misheard me. I said that he might as well be dead."
The Guild Master frowned. His expression verified that what the noble was saying was false, but he couldn't argue with him.
"Either way, he's been trying to woo the city with bribes for the last few days to have us make him the hero."
The man sputtered. "Bribes… donations! I'm merely showing my generosity! Another town would have made me a hero five times over for the help I've provided."
"But he didn't do what he promised and finish off the dungeon!" I argued.
"Hmph! That dungeon is clearly a place far too dangerous for normal heroes. However, I bravely collapsed the staircase, not to mention we wiped out a good portion of the monsters inside. I've given the city the time needed to put out a reward for a dungeon diver to finish off the dungeon. I even contributed to the bounty."
"Eh?" I blinked. "But the dungeon has already been defeated."
This time everyone else stared with confused expressions.
"That's impossible!" Tibult shook his hands. "Who could defeat such a powerful dungeon?"
I blushed slightly. "Well, I did…"
"Nonsense!" Tibult's face turned to rage. "I can't believe the likes of you could do anything of the like!"
"Is that true?" The Guild Master asked, a serious expression on his face.
"Sir… I saw him do it. After Master collapsed the entrance, it was the only way to escape. He… saved me as well…"
The Guild Master whistled, and two men came out of the guild. "You two are the fastest and sneakiest I have, go confirm this!"
The two men didn't question his orders, immediately running off in the direction of the dungeon. As for Tibult, he looked like he had swallowed something very distasteful.
Tibult's face turned red and his anger turned to the girl. "You… you insolent slave! How dare you speak out of turn!"
She winced as he reached out and grabbed her arm. I went to grab her, but the large man stood in my way. A moment later, Lydia was pulled away from me and put behind Tibult. She gave me a single sad look, and then lowered her eyes.
Just like that, she had been taken away from me.