The last rites concluded with people, families of the dead present at the scene, offering flowers to the monunt that was built in their na.
As ti passed, the plaza slowly emptied and the people returned to their hos.
Sadness was not as prominent around the city as it was this morning. Perhaps it was the words of the branch manager or perhaps it was the scene of burning coffins at the end, but, so positivity had returned to Westford.
"You know what you want." Reddy and Aria now stood before the association castle which was still open.
The regular function of the association had never stopped until now even with the ongoing problems. They had been doing what they needed to, and what they were supposed to.
Assisting the public, looking after the preparations, looking after the adventurers as well as the nobles and their inquiries about the Naga were happening even right now.
The noble representatives did not care as much about those who had died as they cared about the price that the association needed to pay.
"It is not what I want, Reddy. It’s... just... you know? So things are just inevitable." Aria wanted to explain her situation to her but she just could not.
After all that had happened, she did not really know how to deal with the consequences. That was the reason behind their presence here, before the office of the branch manager.
"What is inevitable about this?" Reddy’s voice was softer, but her grip on Aria’s hand was firm. "You saved many, Aria. More than anyone else could have."
Aria looked at her, her eyes still holding a lingering sadness. "And yet, many still died."
"That wasn’t your fault. That was the dungeon’s doing, it was an unpredictable shift." Reddy squeezed her hand, trying to convey all the comfort she could. "No one blas you, not truly. Even the branch manager... he already knows the truth better than any of us."
Aria knew he knew. That was precisely the problem.
His knowledge brought with it a different kind of burden, a different kind of gaze that she was now under.
She was no longer just a talented adventurer; she was a variable, an anomaly that was sohow involved in altering the dungeon’s internal fabric and bringing about unforeseen consequences.
And that, in the eyes of powerful entities like the association’s higher-ups, was a far more serious matter than re casualties.
"Co on." Reddy pulled her towards the grand entrance of the office. "Let’s face whatever cos. Together."
Aria looked at her confident blue eyes and nodded, a silent acknowledgnt of the unwavering support.
"Ok."
The air within the castle was different from the mourning outside. There was a hum of continued activity, a subdued urgency that spoke of paperwork, reports, and the endless work of managing the city’s defense against the inside elents and the ones out there.
The branch manager’s office was on the highest floor, a place of quiet authority.
-Knock. Knock.
"You may enter."
Sir Quinn was waiting for them, seated behind a large wooden desk, a stack of docunts piled neatly before him.
He looked up at the two as they entered the office with a polite bow, his gaze eting Aria’s with an intensity that made her instinctively brace herself.
"Miss Aria. Captain Reddy." His voice was calm, but the underlying gravity was obvious. The way he called Reddy captain also showed his formal approach. "Thank you for coming."
Reddy gave a slight bow, but Aria remained standing, eting his gaze directly. "Sir Quinn. I assu you wish to discuss the incident first."
He leaned back in his chair, a sigh escaping him. "Indeed."
His eyes were fixed on the papers before him for a mont before he looked up again and t theirs.
"What happened in that dungeon... it was unprecedented. Even for ." He paused, his eyes flicking to Reddy, then back to Aria.
"The official story has been released, as you already know. A corrupted surge of monsters happened at the end of the raid. The story protects the association, and by extension, the city from panic and further unrest."
He had paused but Aria waited, knowing there was more.
"However," he continued after another look at both of them, his voice dropping slightly, "we both know the truth is far more complex."
The two of them ca before him and sat down on the chairs right before his desk, the light coming from beyond the window illuminating the greener eyes of Aria.
"The phenonon that occurred, the way the dungeon reacted... it points to sothing beyond our current understanding. And you, Miss Aria, were at the center of it."
He didn’t accuse her of being the culprit directly, but the implication was clear. She was sohow the catalyst, the unknown elent that had disrupted the established order inside the dungeon.
"I understand that much, Sir Quinn." Aria’s voice was steady. "I will accept responsibility for my actions, and for the unforeseen consequences that followed."
Aria did not say much, but if she was accepting the responsibility, she was accepting the things to be her mistake.
Sir Quinn held up a hand right as he saw the sadness in her eyes. "It’s not a matter of bla, Miss Aria, at least not entirely. It’s a matter of safety, and of understanding."
Emotions that needed to be conveyed had already reached the other party. He simply continued in a calr tone.
"The dungeon’s behavior on one side, your connection to it however... that’s deeply concerning."
He picked up a docunt from his desk, placing it before the two. "The High Council of the Adventurer’s Association has been inford. They have taken a keen interest in your... unique capabilities."
Aria’s heart gave a slight thrum at the ntion of that na while Reddy’s eyes shook visibly.
The High Council.
Within the grand association that was present on all three of the continents, these were the true powers, the individuals who governed the vast network of associations across the nations.
As a general knowledge, their interest was rarely a good sign for those deed ’anomalous.’
"They believe," Sir Quinn continued, his heavier gaze unwavering, "that your presence, your direct interaction with a dungeon at such a fundantal level, poses a potential threat. Not just Westford, but to the delicate balance we strive to maintain between our world and the dungeons."
He had confird the deaths of the people, and yet... They ca back. Who was behind it if not her?
"But–"
Reddy moved slightly, a faint ripple of unease radiating from her... but Aria remained unyielding.
"So, what is their decision?" Aria asked, her voice calm despite the rising tension.
Sir Quinn set the docunt down, his expression hardening with a clear, almost painful resolve.
"They have decided that for the safety of Westford, and indeed, for the stability of the entire kingdom, you must leave."
The words did not co as a surprise to Aria, she had seen this coming.
After all that had happened, even she knew what troubleso things her powers could cause to a city like this one.
For a dungeon architect like her, being among the people for too long, especially inside a dungeon located in such a place, was too dangerous.
This incident happened because of a small mistake, but the aftermath was too severe for them to take it lightly.
"Sir Quinn! But she didn’t–" Reddy wanted to argue, but Aria grabbed her hand and shook her head with a serious look.
"I understand." She answered to the branch manager before her, and nodded in understanding.
Had the higher ups of the association been greedier, they would want to secure her and use her powers for their own good.
Maybe that’s exactly what they wanted to do. Perhaps the orders that they gave Sir Quinn were different.
Whatever the case may have been, leaving Westford was the only right answer here.
"I will leave after I’m done packing up. Can I have... three days?" Reddy did not like what was going on but Sir Quinn saw the light in Aria’s eyes.
She had understood the situation and seen through the hidden aning of this punishnt.
"Three days is fine." He nodded with a heavy heart and then turned his gaze towards his student.
"Riddle. Don’t act like a baby now. As you can see, she is the one who has decided what she wants. You two should talk this through later... for now, we should finish discussing the raid compensations."
She was an adult acting like a child in front of the person that was like her father figure.
"You should pay attention as well, Captain Riddle." In case she did not notice in the beginning, he addressed her with her official title once again.
She was not Reddy for him, the one he had raised. She was the guards captain that had played an important role during this mission.
"..."
She understood what he ant this ti, but it just made the bitterness in her mouth deeper.
"So if we are on the sa page, let’s start with the distribution of the body parts of the Naga."
Thankfully, Aria’s storage skill was enough to fit that entire behemoth.
They had successfully transferred it to a secret place within the castle for Sir Gromm and his team. Working on it was going to take more than a few months considering the quality and the difficulty of extracting good parts from a corrupting creature.
They needed to decide who would receive what parts when the processing was concluded. And since the dungeon did not produce a proper contribution distribution list, it was up to them to decide how those materials were going to be handled this ti...
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