Chapter 68 (2/2)

As Lapis decided that in the worst case, she would have to put them to sleep, one of the showcases in the corner caught her eye.

Although all the expensive looking items were stored inside the showcase, on top of that particular one was a transparent jewel.

Lapis walked over to it and reached for the jewel on top of the showcase, which was on the same height as her eyes, took it, raised it above her head, and peered in to it with one eye.

“Umm Lapis? Sorry to bother you…but I don’t think we have time for that.”

“You’re right.”

Lapis obeyed Klaus and put the jewel back on top of the showcase.

But Loren managed to see her only pretend to do so and drop the jewel into her sleeve.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, I’m glad it’s easy to carry around.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like my left arm. Not bad, but not good either, I suppose.”

Loren didn’t know the principle behind how Lapis’ left arm was processed into the transparent jewel that she had snuck into her sleeve.

And he didn’t know how the jewel will go back to being her arm, but seeing that she wasn’t distraught or worried, he guessed that there wasn’t a problem.

“But if you take that, wouldn’t the guardian wake up…?”

“This isn’t part of Volf’s fortune so it should be fine.”

Lapis told him that if the guardian was for those who tried to take part of Volf’s fortune, it shouldn’t react to them, since her arm wasn’t part of it.

Thinking that they could escape without having to worry about involving Klaus and the others in danger, started looking around for the exit, deciding that they should leave as soon as they could.

But then he realized that he couldn’t even find the entrance that they came through.

“The entrance vanished?”

“I-it closed up as soon as we set foot inside this floor!”

When Parme, who seemed to have seen it happen, said so, they all glanced at each other.

Now that they thought about it, if one could go back up the way he came, he wouldn’t have to face the guardian, and although it would take longer, they could take whatever they want to.

They then realized that the entrance got blocked off in order to stop anyone from doing so and would have to go through the guardian.

“Now that I think about it, it was that sort of system.”

“Don’t forget something so important.”

As Klaus said with a laugh, Loren hit him in the chest with the back of his hand, and started looking for the exit, ignoring Klaus, who sank to the floor clutching his chest, while Ange and Parme rushed over to help him up.

After a while, Loren saw where the rows of showcases ended.

On the other side was a slightly vast empty area, and on the wall across it, was a door.

Seeing that there was nothing else like it, he guessed that this was where the guardians were as well as the exit to the surface, and called the others over to head over there, when he saw four shadows standing in front of the door.

As he was about to call out to them, he heard something cutting through the air, flying towards him.

He immediately drew the great sword on his back and used it as a shield, and immediately after, he heard something hard hit the flat of the blade.

“What’s going on!?”

The sound caught the attention of Klaus, and while watching him run over with his sword drawn, Loren rested his great sword on his shoulder, and bent over to pick up what had bounced off it.

“A dart, huh.”

“You’ve reached here faster than I thought.”

The one who called out was the priest Al, who was part of Ain’s party, who they separated from when running from the wave of slimes.

But the one who attacked was Feim, who was standing next to him with a smile on her face.

“If you would’ve gave up and one back, it would’ve saved us so much trouble.”

“How should I take the fact that you attacked me?”

The tip of the dart glistened.

It was most likely poison, and Loren was sure that throwing it at him wasn’t an accident.

“That’s a warning not to get in our way until we reach our goal, of course.”

On both sides of Al, who said that, was Ain and Cloud, with their weapons drawn.

For a moment, Loren thought that they were all in in together, but Ain and Cloud’s faces were expressionless, and their eyes were unfocused.

“Hey, those two…”

“Oh, I used > on them to make them my p.a.w.ns.”

Feim answered instead of Al.

In her hand was a crushed piece of paper instead of a dart, and she then threw it towards Loren with a shout.

“>”

The piece of paper that was thrown started glowing, and instead of disappearing it shot bullets made of fire.

As Loren cut through them with his great sword, Lapis shouted a warning.

“Be careful! They are supplementing their use of magic with scrolls!”

“What are they thinking?”

Due to the special method of making them, scrolls that contained magic could be used not only by magicians, but by those with other jobs as well.

Using them caused the effect of the magic written on the scrolls, but not many were distributed in the market and were also very expensive, so they weren’t used very often.

“I’m doing what needs to be done to achieve my goals, of course.”

The smile on Al’s face wasn’t the same as the timid looking priest that they had traveled with.