Chapter 19

"Shine, gemstone, illuminate the surroundings!"

As Lily chanted, the dark corridor was illuminated.

"…This path seems to be one that previous adventurers haven't taken."

The walls of the Ainzas underground labyrinth were embedded with gemstones (luminescent stones) that could emit light when a person with even a basic understanding of magic channeled their magical power into them. The fact that there were still gemstones that hadn't emitted light meant that this corridor hadn't been used by other adventurers for a while—meaning it was a path where trouble was less likely to occur. It was a common practice for adventurers to prioritize such paths.

"Mr. Lambert, have you ever explored such underground labyrinths before?"

"I used to do it often. So, I have a good grasp of simple magic like the gemstones. Although my main purpose was usually to bring out criminals hiding inside rather than collecting materials. It brings back memories… I used to compete with Glyph to see who could hunt more orcs."

"Hehe… Indeed, if it was the hero Glyph, he might have done something like that."

Fione laughed, thinking Lambert's comment was a joke to match his self-proclaimed identity.

(You can't just hunt them like that…)

Lloyd inwardly criticized Lambert and was exasperated. An orc was a level of opponent that required four top-tier adventurers to handle. Even if Lloyd, Fiona, and Lily tackled it together, they would be wiped out without much effort.

Lambert, who had entered the Ainzas underground labyrinth, cut down the monsters as he advanced and, surprisingly, went beyond the second underground level, quickly reaching the third underground level.

"Haahh!"

His swung greatsword dispatched the monsters one after another. A pile of hobgoblin corpses had formed nearby.

"Lambert, our goal is the second underground level, Grim Kett…"

"Hey, old man Lambert! This is dangerous! Mainly for us!"

Lambert shouldered his sword and turned to Fiona and the others.

"I have to delve to the deepest part of this labyrinth. You three should return to the surface."

"The deepest part!? The fourth underground level is where no one has ever gone down because of the monstrous creatures! If you're serious about going, join a major guild and do it on your own! It's not a place for just four people!"

"I can handle it alone."

"No way, aaaaah! Fiona, try to persuade the old man!"

"You always call me that, but I'm not even thirty yet… Hmm? There's a light over there. More hobgoblins, perhaps?"

"Wait, just a bit further…"

As Lambert moved ahead alone, two orcs suddenly jumped out from both sides of a T-intersection, flanking him.

"Lambert! Ah…"

"That's what I've been saying, old man! There are orcs in the deeper part of the third underground level! They appear!"

The three hurried to catch up with Lambert, all thinking that even he couldn't handle two orcs.

"Hmm… In a narrow space, this is troublesome."

Saying this, Lambert held his greatsword horizontally and crouched low. The two orcs simultaneously leaped at him from the ground. At that moment, Lambert kicked the ground and spun on the spot.

"Haahhhhh!"

Using the orcs' momentum, he deeply slashed their abdomens with his greatsword. The wall of the labyrinth where the sword touched shattered, sparking.

"Guuuuuuuh!""Waaaaaaah!"

Taking advantage of their hesitation, he decapitated one orc with his greatsword and crushed the other orc's head with the flat of the blade, then kicked its body away with the weight of his armor.

"…What?"

Fiona and the others were stunned, their eyes wide in disbelief.

"Hmm? Lloyd, get down."

Lambert turned to Fiona and the others, met Lloyd's eyes, and raised his greatsword.

"Huh? …Whoa!"

Suddenly, Lambert threw his greatsword. It flew parallel to the ground, narrowly missing Lloyd, who had crouched down at the last moment, and decapitated a hobgoblin that had been sneaking up from behind. The headless hobgoblin staggered three steps, dropped its club, and fell to the ground.

"I didn't notice because I was distracted by the old man…"

Lloyd slumped to the ground. The sword had flown straight to the corner and embedded its tip in the wall. Lloyd looked at it and felt the vast difference in skill.

"…Hey, shouldn't we go back to the second level?"

"I think so too."

"But this is my first time coming this far, and I'm excited. The third level is built like this, huh?"

Unlike Lloyd and Lily, who were worried about their safety, Fiona was excited about the third underground level of the Ainzas underground labyrinth, a place she had never set foot in before. She had become an adventurer because she wanted to have adventures, and such opportunities were rare.

"Fiona, you sometimes say things that are completely off the mark…"

"That old man is in a league of his own. If you keep up with him, you'd need dozens of lives. Got it? We're going back now."

Fiona was against leaving Lambert behind, but it seemed impossible to change his mind. Moreover, he had easily defeated the orcs, making it hard to come up with any convincing arguments. It was clear that following him would only be a hindrance. They needed to return to the second level while they still could. Fiona looked at Lambert for a while, then sighed deeply in resignation.

"Lambert! We'll wait near the stairs leading to the third level, so don't do anything reckless!"

"Understood."

Lambert gave a short answer, stepped on the orc's corpse, and disappeared around the corner. Lloyd looked at the clear footprints on the orc's corpse and narrowed his eyes.

"…How heavy is that armor? If we meet up with the orcs, we'll be wiped out. Let's get back to the second level quickly."

Following Lloyd's suggestion, the three ran back along the path littered with the corpses of the monsters Lambert had slain.

"Looking at it again, it's really incredible. Is that old man really human?"

Fiona listened to Lloyd's mutter with a wry smile. Suddenly, Lily's footsteps stopped.

"…What's wrong, Lily?"

When Fiona and Lloyd turned around, Lily was frowning and pressing her ear to the wall.

"That's strange. Someone is coming. The number is… four or more. This area has few gemstones and many branches, so it's unlikely that paths would overlap…"

"Wh-what? The old man Lambert left the hobgoblin corpses around, so adventurers would know it was recently disturbed. If we meet up, it might cause unnecessary trouble…"

"…Maybe they want to cause trouble. If they're targeting adventurers wandering the third level, they must be quite skilled."

"No way!?"

In this situation, the real threat wasn't the monsters but the humans. Someone with malicious intent was following them. If they weren't careful, they might encounter two orcs in the third underground level. The pursuers were undoubtedly very skilled.

"What do we do? Hey!"

"…If we stay like this, it could be very bad."

Lloyd's face turned red, and Lily's face turned pale. Fiona closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then pointed back down the path Lambert had taken.

"Let's follow Lambert! There should be fewer monsters where he's been. If we fight monsters, it will buy us some time… The robbers are likely beyond our capabilities!"