Chapter 28

After Marugurus suddenly announced that a new party member had joined, we headed towards the teleportation array to go to the lower levels of the dungeon.

Just a short walk from the Adventurer's Guild, a sturdy yet old stone building came into view.

This was the building where the teleportation array was installed, the only entrance to the dungeon from this town.

However, even as we approached, I couldn't let down my guard against the new male warrior who had joined our party.

After all, to me, he looked like a bundle of suspicion.

The man indeed had a well-built, large physique, and his strength seemed considerable.

...However, he wore a mask on his face and hadn't spoken a single word up until now.

It was impossible not to find him suspicious.

Moreover, the receptionist had repeatedly praised this male warrior, which only fueled my distrust.

I had no good impression of that receptionist.

So, it seemed inevitable to me that something was off about this man she had introduced.

That's why I initially opposed Marugurus and the others when they suggested going to the lower levels.

Certainly, if an excellent warrior joined our current Lightning Sword team, we could delve deeper.

If we could properly restrain the monsters, and Armia could fully demonstrate her abilities, the lower levels would no longer be a threat.

...However, that would only be true if this warrior was truly skilled.

Honestly, we didn't even know if this man was strong.

After all, I didn't have the discernment to judge the abilities of someone I had just met today.

So, it would be normal to test this man's abilities in the middle layers, which we could handle.

Armania seemed to share my thoughts, and we tried our best to persuade Marugurus and the others.

However, Marugurus wouldn't listen to our words.

Instead, he called us cowards, dragged us into the room with the teleportation array, and started the operation.

"!"

Staring at Marugurus's back, I couldn't hide my anger.

But I took a deep breath to calm myself.

If this masked warrior turned out to be useless or tried to harm Lightning Sword, the frontliners, Marugurus, and Serberia would be the first to suffer.

So, I told myself that if things got dangerous, I could abandon Marugurus and the others and return.

Once I calmed down, I looked at the masked man again...

"Huh?"

At that moment, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

I tried to search my memory.

"Wait a minute! Leader, why are you trying to go so deep?!"

"Shut up, Armia!"

...However, my thoughts were interrupted by Armia's scream-like voice.

I looked over to where Marugurus and Armia were arguing, startled by the sudden commotion.

"At this depth, the boss will appear! We need to get back up quickly!"

"Huh?"

And in the next moment, I was speechless at Armia's words.

My thoughts froze for a moment.

It was then that I noticed Marugurus standing in a way that hid the floor we were about to teleport to, and I shouted.

"What are you doing?!"

"Damn!"

Marugurus's face twisted, and he let out a sigh.

Even after our objections, he didn't change the floor we were going to teleport to.

"Serberia, pull Armia out! I'll pull out Laila!"

"...What?"

Instead, he shouted and tried to forcibly drag Armia and me out of the room with the teleportation array.

I tried to resist for a moment, but I couldn't stand up to a warrior with the Body Reinforcement skill, and I was about to be dragged away from the teleportation array.

"!"

Seeing me about to be dragged away, the masked warrior reached out but hesitated halfway.

Considering the potential harm to a human body when two people with Body Reinforcement skills pull someone without it, the masked warrior must have thought better of it.

With that scene as the last thing I saw, I was thrown out of the teleportation array...

◇◆◇

"You guys, ..."

After leaving the teleportation array, I was about to show my anger to Marugurus and the others.

"...Huh?"

But the sight before me made me forget my anger and collapse.

"Ruuuuuuaaaa!"

...Because right in front of us, the dungeon boss existed.

The creature before me was a giant bird enveloped in flames, a Phoenix.

Faced with its overwhelming presence, I was stunned and resigned myself to death.

The floor where the dungeon boss appears is not fixed.

The boss appears in a certain depth and below, and in that floor, the boss's magic affects the teleportation array, making it impossible to open the door where the array is installed.

...In other words, there was no escape.

However, for some reason, Marugurus and Serberia had smiles on their faces.

"Haha! Great! It's a Phoenix! We can do this!"

"Just as Amast said, the boss is in this floor!"

"!"

...And hearing those words, I understood that Marugurus and the others had intentionally brought us to this floor where the boss was.

However, even knowing this, I couldn't feel anger.

I could only feel fear at the presence before me.

Marugurus and the others were still smiling, even though I was terrified and couldn't move.

"With that warrior, we should be able to do it! If he's as strong as a Hydra, adding another warrior should be enough..."

"That's right! We're strong enough even without Laust... Wait, where's that warrior?"

...But the next moment, Marugurus and the others' faces showed anxiety when they realized the masked warrior wasn't on this floor.

"Damn it! Why isn't he here! We even paid him the contract money! If we stay like this, the Phoenix will..."

And Marugurus and the others turned pale, which was a natural result.

They probably had deceived the warrior to bring him here.

And in the teleportation array, the masked warrior must have realized he was deceived.

If so, there was no reason for him to follow Marugurus and the others' orders.

Thinking about this, I felt a sudden urge to kill Marugurus and Serberia for involving Armia and me in this suicidal mission.

"Ruuuuuuaaaa!"

"!"

...But the Phoenix didn't even give me time to complain.

It revealed its combativeness and, in the next moment, launched a fireball at Armia, whom it deemed the greatest threat.

"Armania!"

The moment I saw this, I instinctively covered Armia.

The fireball was as large as a human torso.

The massive fireball would burn Armia to ashes, along with me as a shield.

But even knowing it was futile, I couldn't abandon Armia.

"Really, what an idiot."

I laughed at my own helplessness and braced for the impact, closing my eyes.

I prayed that, at the very least, Armia would survive by some miracle.

"Really, there's no way..."

...But no impact came to my body, no matter how long I waited.

"...What...!"

Tentatively, I raised my head and was speechless at the sight before me.

There stood the masked warrior.

He was standing with his back to us, shielding us.

And I realized he had blocked the fireball for us.

"You... Why...!"

Seeing this, something inside me snapped.

Driven by this impulse, I shouted at his back.

However, the masked warrior didn't answer.

Instead, he spoke to me in a strong voice.

"I'm late. It's safe now."

"!"

At that moment, for some reason, I was certain that I was saved...