Chapter 29

"RAaaaaa!"

The moment the masked warrior suddenly burst onto the scene, Phoenix noticed and revealed hostility. The hostility Phoenix directed at the masked warrior was far more intense than when it attacked Armia, and I understood that Phoenix felt a significant threat from the masked warrior.

"Hah!"

Despite the overwhelming presence, the masked warrior showed no sign of fear. He simply raised the greatsword in his hand and laughed.

"Come on."

"RAaaaaaaaaa!"

In the next instant, Phoenix roared and unleashed a fireball.

...a fireball three times larger than the one it had released at Armia.

"!"

At the sight, I couldn't help but gasp. The greatsword the masked warrior held was indeed as tall as Armia, but even such a massive sword couldn't block Phoenix's fireball. It was simply not enough.

"Gaah!"

"RAAA!?"

But contrary to my expectations, the masked warrior's single strike easily dispersed Phoenix's fireball.

"Oh!"

At that moment, I realized that the greatsword the masked warrior held was not an ordinary sword. The blade, which had dispersed Phoenix's fireball in one strike, now glowed with red lines that had appeared out of nowhere. At the sight, I couldn't help but open my mouth.

"A, a magic sword...!"

A magic sword, a special sword with unique effects, is made using materials from extremely difficult-to-defeat magical beasts, crafted by dozens or even hundreds of magic item makers and blacksmiths working together. I was so surprised by the masked warrior's possession of such a magic sword that I lost my words.

"RAaaaaa!"

"Whoa!"

But even as I stood there in shock, the battle continued. Phoenix repeatedly unleashed massive fireballs at the masked warrior. However, each time the masked warrior swung his greatsword, which glowed with a red light, the fireballs dissipated, leaving only embers.

It was a fantastically surreal scene. The warrior, standing firm against an extremely difficult-to-defeat magical beast, was like a scene from a fairy tale. I couldn't help but be captivated by the exchange.

"Go! Go!"

"You can do it! This is our chance!"

...But even as I cheered, I noticed something that the others, like Margulus, did not. The masked warrior was gradually becoming disadvantaged.

"If this continues...!"

The fireballs flew with incredible speed and power, and the masked warrior moved his greatsword at a speed that was hard to follow, blocking them repeatedly. From the exchange alone, it seemed the masked warrior was evenly matched with Phoenix. However, as a healer, I noticed the obvious fatigue accumulating in the masked warrior.

...It was a natural outcome.

The masked warrior might indeed have the strength to face Phoenix alone, but in this situation, it was impossible to fully utilize that strength. The distance between the masked warrior and Phoenix was considerable, and the masked warrior was being attacked unilaterally by Phoenix.

...The pressure on the masked warrior must have been immense. The role of a warrior is typically to attack. Warriors usually limit the attacks and actions of magical beasts by constantly striking them. Additionally, their physical abilities are enhanced by skills, allowing them to ignore certain attacks. In other words, warriors are primarily attackers, not defenders.

...Yet, the masked warrior was now forced to defend against Phoenix's attacks, something he was clearly not adept at. He was close to reaching his limit.

"Armia, snap out of it! We're going to fight together now!"

"Huh?"

And at that moment, I shouted at the dazed Armia. Indeed, in the current state, the masked warrior had no chance of winning. But if Armia and I joined the battle, things would be different. I could recover some of the fatigue, and if Armia cast a spell, the masked warrior could take advantage of the opening to get close to Phoenix. So we were about to take a combat stance...

"Don't come!"

...But the masked warrior rejected us.

"...Huh?"

"...What?"

Confused by his words, Armia and I couldn't hide our shock.

"It's fine, we've bought enough time."

"!"

But in the next moment, I understood everything when I saw the masked warrior throw a large number of what looked like large magic stones.

The items the masked man threw were very valuable magic items. They were extremely expensive, and using them would prevent entry into the dungeon for several days. Additionally, they had a low activation rate and required a considerable amount of time to activate, making them unpopular among adventurers.

But these magic items had a groundbreaking ability: they allowed one to escape from the dungeon.

In other words, we were saved.

"RAaaaaa!"

In the next instant, our bodies were enveloped in light. Phoenix roared at the sudden anomaly.

"Don't be sad. I'll fight you properly next time."

And with those words, the masked man's voice was the last thing I heard before my vision was covered in light...

◇◆◇

"We're... back?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw a blue sky and muttered those words in a daze. The moving clouds in the sky and the feeling of the ground beneath me made me realize this was real.

"We made it back alive!"

At that moment, joy overflowed in my heart. The terrifying image of Phoenix was still fresh in my mind. Phoenix was a truly terrifying enemy, and I felt it was a miracle that we had escaped from that situation. We had been in such danger because Margulus hadn't informed us about the boss's defeat.

"A, a, a..."

...And as if instinctively understanding this, Armia, who was beside me, was trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes.

...But there were two people who didn't realize this miracle.

"Damn it! What did you do! We had a chance to defeat the boss!"

"That's right! You violated the contract! I won't pay you this time!"

Margulus and Sabella, those two, were berating the masked warrior, who should have been their savior.

"Damn you!"

And at their shameless behavior, I felt a surge of anger replace the relief I had felt.

"...You're shameless, aren't you?"

...But I didn't need to say anything.

The masked warrior, who had been criticized, spat out those words at Margulus and the others.

"You bastard!"

In the next instant, Margulus, driven by anger, lunged at the masked warrior.

...But his punch never reached the masked warrior.

"Ugh!"

Instead, Margulus was slammed to the ground.

"...Huh?"

Sabella, seeing Margulus's state, was bewildered and let out a gasp. Then, looking at Margulus and Sabella, the masked warrior laughed and spoke.

"Rejoice. From today, you are no longer top-tier adventurers."