Chapter 23

Lambert dashed down the corridor, brandished his greatsword, and thrust it into the floor.

With all his might, he released the miasma of the undead.

"O-Old man, what are you... Huh!?"

Lambert glared at Lloyd.

Lloyd, who was glared at by Lambert, felt the intense miasma of the undead and a chill as if a large monster had licked his back, dropped his sword, and collapsed on the spot.

Fiona, who had also been trying to approach Lambert like Lloyd, shuddered and stopped in her tracks.

With a splash, three sounds echoed.

Simultaneously, three black slimes appeared from three directions surrounding Lambert.

Excited by the miasma emitted by Lambert, they had burst out.

Of course, Lambert had sensed the presence of the black slimes lurking nearby through the undead's characteristic ability to detect living beings and had lured them out.

"There are three! We're surrounded, Lambert! One is in a blind spot!"

"Uaaaaah!"

Lambert cut through the black slimes, which were moving at high speed, even faster.

The storm caused by his greatsword hindered the movements of the other slimes, and he mercilessly delivered the next slash to their slowed forms.

The battle itself lasted only two seconds.

However, during that time, Lambert had swung his greatsword more than ten times.

"Kyaa!"

Shocked, Fiona and the others, who had kept their distance, screamed and fell to the ground.

After the storm subsided, the broken cores of the slimes scattered across the walls.

"Hmm... My eyes are getting used to it. But, I might have overreacted a bit. I have a good idea of the core positions now... Next time, five swings should be enough."

"R-Right..."

"Sorry, Fiona, I splashed too much water. Your clothes must be wet."

"N-No, don't worry about it..."

"Actually, some water got on Lily and me too... Ah, no, I'm not saying you should apologize!"

Lloyd muttered and then quickly waved his hands in front of him and shook his head.

He was simply curious.

Why did Lambert only show concern for Fiona?

"......"

Lambert only realized this after it was pointed out, but the answer was immediate.

It was because Fiona's appearance resembled Aurelia's.

"Hmm, sorry, Lloyd, Lily."

"Ah, n-no, it's really fine... Old man, who are you really?"

"I told you. I'm Lambert, who betrayed and killed the lord."

Lambert replied to Lloyd's words and continued down the corridor.

Lloyd stared blankly at Lambert's back for a moment, but when Lily poked him with her cane, he hurriedly started walking.

Lloyd recalled the words of the guild master of "Twilight of the Spirits," Germain, and sighed.

Germain had told Lambert not to make himself a laughingstock when compared to the real thing, but it was hard to imagine anyone in the world laughing at this man's sword skills.

"......You're stronger than the real thing, aren't you?"

Eventually, the corridor ended, and they emerged into a large room similar to the one at the bottom of the stairs.

Lambert infused mana into the luminescent stone, illuminating the room.

It seemed that the only corridor connected to this large room was the one they had come from.

It didn't seem to be just an empty, spacious place.

After taking a few steps, Lambert stopped Fiona and the others with an outstretched arm.

"I sense something strange. It might be bad. We might not have the luxury to ensure your safety. Stay a bit back..."

Just as he said that, Lambert detected a group of five people coming from the corridor behind them.

"Five thieves are coming from that direction... Whether to retreat and run into them or to face them here where the monsters might move, which is better? Unfortunately, I can't afford to distract the one inside."

Fiona, Lloyd, and Lily looked at each other and slowly nodded.

"We'll stay here..."

It was a unanimous decision without hesitation.

Being attacked by bandits who had pushed through the fourth underground floor didn't seem like something they could handle.

If they stayed with Lambert, it would be safer no matter how they looked at it.

"Alright. Then come a bit closer to me. But if the monster appears... try to get away from here."

"Is it that dangerous, old man?"

"It's his trump card. The last guardian of the laboratory. Such a monster wasn't used in the past. So, it's likely that there is some kind of successor... What are you talking about?"

Lambert ignored Lloyd's question, raised his greatsword slightly, and stepped forward, crouching down.

He remained in that position for a few minutes, but no monster appeared.

"Old man, the monster isn't coming..."

Just as Lloyd spoke, footsteps echoed from the corridor.

"Are you the man in armor? I've been looking forward to meeting you."

The first to appear was a large man with a clawed glove on his arm.

His bright red hair was connected to his sideburns and beard, resembling a lion.

He looked at Lambert with a beast-like, fierce gaze and chuckled.

White clothes, a red cloak.

He wore the formal uniform of "The Dragon of Mithril," slightly disheveled.

Four men and women followed behind him.

All of them were dressed in the uniform of "The Dragon of Mithril," including Cradle, whom Lambert had defeated the other day.

"H-Have you been chasing us all this time!?"

At Fiona's words, the beast-like man—Titan, the guild master of "The Dragon of Mithril"—smirked.

"Indeed. It seems you've greatly displeased the count. That's why I was sent. Personally, I'm more interested in you, the man in armor."

Lambert lowered his greatsword slightly and turned to Titan.

"Ah, don't even think about running. There are fifty members of 'The Dragon of Mithril' in this dungeon besides us."

Cradle stepped forward to stand beside Titan and smiled with his bandaged face.

"Do you understand what I said the other day? I warned you, didn't I? Do you understand what it means to be my enemy?"

Cradle glared at Lambert with hatred and then continued with a twisted smile.

"This is what it means. To be our enemy is to be the enemy of the largest guild in this city, 'The Dragon of Mithril.' More than that... it means to be the enemy of the entire city of Ainzas. Do you have the resolve for that?"

Lambert looked around the large room.

(I can't pinpoint the monster's presence... No choice, I have to deal with these guys first.)

He fixed his gaze and took a step closer to Titan.

"I'll draw them in. You guys try to escape down the corridor."

Lambert was cautious of the monster, but Cradle interpreted this as a statement to help Fiona and the others escape from the dead end, and he puffed out his chest in satisfaction.

"Will it be that easy? What do you think, Master Titan?"

"You're underestimating us. Armor... You are my prey. I won't let anyone else touch you. Hey, you guys, take care of the other adventurers."

"Hai!"

The four subordinates of Titan split up and took positions in front of the corridor.

Titan snorted at the bewildered Fiona and the others, then turned back to Lambert and licked his lips.

"Let's have a one-on-one, shall we? Don't think of anything unsavory, alright? Let's enjoy this."