Chapter 25

In the vast hall, a suit of armor stood alone. It was a crude plate armor, holding a sword and a shield.

It seemed a bit unnatural to be a mere decoration, standing so prominently in the center.

Yuri, thinking the same, said in a trembling voice, "I-I’m sure it’s going to move."

"It does look that way..."

Elysia nodded and drew her sword. "What should we do, Lord Alex? I don’t sense any magic yet."

"Perhaps it’s a Guardian."

"A Guardian?"

"It’s a moving suit of armor created in the ancient empire. It’s a type of magical device."

They were used for security in important facilities like this government building and noble houses.

The method of making them has been lost.

There were rumors that they used living humans or the bodies of monsters. In any case, they are now considered taboo.

"But it doesn’t seem to recognize us as intruders... or rather, it doesn’t have the magic to move. Maybe if we give it a little magic, it will start moving. I’ll get a bit closer."

"Be careful, Lord Alex!"

I nodded to Yuri’s worried face and approached the armor.

The armor itself is probably made of magic ore, a sturdy material that can withstand magic and house magic.

I also sensed a small reaction of magic inside the armor.

Is that the driving force for the armor? ––!?

Just a few steps away, the armor suddenly swung its sword.

It must have been waiting for the right moment to strike my neck.

However, I teleported behind the armor to avoid the attack.

"...I thought it might be a Wisp, but it’s a Living Armor?"

It’s a type of undead.

Basically, it’s not much different from a Wisp, but it’s different because it’s wearing armor.

The Living Armor immediately swung its sword as it turned around.

I quickly teleported to the right rear and cast *Dark Slash* at the Living Armor’s head.

The black mist blade knocked off the helmet. The armor itself is quite tough, as expected.

But, this should reveal the Wisp’s body –– huh?

When the helmet was knocked off, slime splattered out.

"Slime!?"

The contents were slime, not a Wisp.

So, it’s not a Living Armor but an Armored Slime. A slime that uses armor and weapons to fight like a human.

The slime retreated into the armor and immediately swung its sword at me again.

If I pour all my magic into *Dark Slash*, I could probably destroy the magic ore armor, but I might blow up the entire government building.

Thinking this, I restrained my magic and cast *Dark Slash*. As expected, the power wasn’t enough.

While I was adjusting my magic, Elysia’s voice echoed.

"Lord Alex, I’ll help!"

She raised her sword and approached the armor.

Elysia’s sword clashed with the armor’s sword, and the sound of metal clashing resonated in the dome-shaped ceiling of the hall.

The Armored Slime, which was moving the armor, was quite skilled and didn’t give an inch to Elysia’s sword.

However, Elysia’s sword was iron, while the opponent’s sword was magic ore. In a prolonged battle, Elysia’s sword would likely break.

I shouted to Elysia.

"Elysia! Cast *Invisibility*!"

"Yes!"

I made Elysia invisible with *Invisibility*.

The armor lost sight of Elysia. Still, it seemed to be able to track her with magic and immediately swung its sword in her direction.

But it couldn’t match Elysia’s swift movements.

The armor’s sword was deflected and flew high into the air.

The armor tried to retrieve the fallen sword, but I collected it with *Pandora’s Box*.

Elysia aimed for the joints of the armor’s back and disassembled it into the torso and limbs.

The slime tried to stretch its body to reattach the armor, but Elysia kicked the limbs far away.

"Still fighting?"

Elysia pointed her sword at the slime that emerged from the torso.

The slime trembled.

Suddenly, a squelching sound echoed around.

Yuri exclaimed, "S-Slimes, so many!?"

We were surrounded by a large number of slimes.

"I see... this place was a hunting ground for the slimes."

The slime that emerged from the torso jumped up and down as if to show what it was.

But if it’s just slimes...

Elysia and I exchanged glances.

"...We’ll wipe them out with dark magic all at once."

I gathered black mist in my hand.

I would spread it to eliminate all the surrounding slimes at once.

"*Dark Wave*... huh?"

The slimes scattered like spiders from the hall.

They must have sensed my magic and lost their will to fight.

Yuri sighed in relief.

"We’re saved..."

"I thought we were in trouble... Ah!"

Tia noticed the slime that was trying to escape from the armor.

But the slime was covered and caught by Elik.

"Good job, Elik. What should we do with this one?"

If we kill it, we can get slime jelly and a core. The jelly can be used as cushion material, and the core can be used to make a potion for increasing magic power.

The slime that Elik covered trembled.

Elik also trembled in response, as if communicating something.

Then, Elik released the slime.

The freed slime stretched out in front of me, as if bowing.

"Are you asking to become a familiar?"

The slime jumped up and down.

I’ve heard that slimes in the capital eat moss and rats in the sewers. If we use this island, they might be useful in various ways. Some people make them familiars to assist with transportation.

"Alright... let’s make the slimes here our allies."

As I nodded, the slime was enveloped in light.

Like Elik, there was no change in its appearance or voice. For now, I’ll name it Eleonora.

"Alright, I hope you’ll do well. I’m sorry to ask, but can you go around and ask the other slimes to join us?"

Eleonora jumped up and immediately hopped out of the hall.

"Phew... Elysia, you did great. To cut through that magic ore armor and sword..."

I hadn’t noticed, but Elysia’s sword had cut the armor several times.

There were faint scratches on the armor.

"It’s magic ore armor. A normal iron sword wouldn’t cut it... Elysia is really amazing."

Just being able to scratch it is impressive.

"But this is an incredible find."

Just this magic ore armor and sword alone could buy a house with a garden in the capital, suitable for a minor noble.

We can use it as our own equipment, melt it down to make something else, or even turn it into a magical device.

Whether to sell it or use it, it’s a rare and valuable find that makes us hesitate.

"Let’s think carefully about how to use it... shall we collect the torso and explore this government building?"

Thinking this, I reached out to the armor.

"Ah!? ––Aaaaaah!?"

I couldn’t help but let out a similar scream when I heard the scream from the armor.