Chapter 27

"Help! Help me!"

A young man, his face pale with fear, ran up to us.

He must have been in a hurry, as his breathing was heavy and labored.

"What's wrong?"

"M-my companion...! My companion is in trouble! Please! Help me!"

The young man pleaded.

"Alright. We'll listen to the details while we run. Lead the way."

Lina nodded readily.

She must have a strong sense of justice and can't leave people in distress.

On the other hand, Lilia showed reluctance.

"Wait a minute. I'm not saying I won't help, but will we get proper compensation for our efforts later?"

She's quite shrewd.

The young man hesitated for a moment before saying,

"Of course! I'll pay whatever it takes later!"

"Then let's go! Alair, are you okay with this?"

"Sure."

Exploring the dungeon is at your own risk.

So, it's not really our concern what happens to them, but...

"There might be a 'Top-Class' Living Armor here."

Since they came to this level, the young man and his companions must be fairly skilled.

If they're in trouble, there's probably a powerful enemy.

If that's the case, there's a reason to help them.

"...I think Alair is like me, right?"

"That's rude. I don't want to be lumped together with Lilia."

"That's even ruder!?"

Anyway, we followed the young man to the scene.

"Here! My companion is in this room...!"

We rushed into the room the young man pointed to.

But,

"Hmm?"

"There's nothing here?"

"What's going on?"

There was no sign of the intense battle we expected, just an empty small room.

"Hahaha! Fool! You fell for it!"

Turning around, we saw the young man standing outside the entrance, a mocking smile on his face.

Immediately, the ground beneath us began to glow.

There was a magic circle.

"C-could this be... a teleportation trap!?"

"What...?"

Lilia and Lina gasped.

Hmm.

It seems we were deceived by that young man.

The next moment, we were swallowed by the light overflowing from the magic circle.

After a nauseating sensation of floating, we found ourselves in a completely different space.

"A teleportation trap... meaning we were forcibly moved to another location, right?"

I muttered, looking around.

It was a vast space.

The beautifully decorated walls and pillars gave it the impression of a grand temple.

"...What? W-why am I here too!?"

A man's voice came from behind.

Turning around, we saw the young man who had trapped us.

"Damn!? I didn't think I'd get caught even outside the entrance!? This is a joke—*cough*!?"

His words turned into a scream when Lilia mercilessly punched him in the face.

She had dropped her usual cat-like facade and revealed her true nature,

"Hey, what's going on? Who ordered you to do this? Speak. Or I'll kill you."

"Ah!?"

Startled by her sudden change, the young man quickly confessed.

"I was asked by the guild leader of Black Blade! I belong to a different guild, but I was offered a lot of money...! I guess they didn't want you to participate in the Sword God Cup finals! So they tried to trap you in the dungeon and get rid of you!"

"I see."

"*Cough*!?"

Lilia punched the young man in the face again.

"I kind of expected something like this... but you're still a scumbag."

"So, he's the top swordsman in this city?"

"Really. He'll do anything to maintain his position. It's a shame the city of swords has fallen so low."

"You don't have much credibility saying that, Lilia, considering you lost to him."

"Alair, you really have a great personality, don't you!?"

I don't want to hear that from Lilia.

"More importantly, we need to escape from here quickly. Where have we been teleported to?"

"I don't know! But once you're caught in that trap, it's impossible to return... Ah... If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have taken the job..."

The young man turned pale when Lina questioned him.

Just then,

A magic circle similar to the one we encountered earlier appeared at the back of the room.

A pillar of light rose, illuminating the area, and a figure appeared.

"Hmm. A Living Armor with a color I've never seen before."

The Living Armors in this dungeon have different armor colors based on their class.

We've encountered copper, blue, dark green, gray, and light red, but the "golden" one in front of us was the first.

As I thought this, Lilia's face turned pale with shock.

"...G-golden armor... Y-you must be joking..."

"Do you know it?"

Her voice trembling, Lilia revealed the identity of the Living Armor.

"The 'Super-Class' Living Armor of the 'Sword God'..."