Chapter 18

After escaping the bathroom, Lisbeth dashed toward the secret passage to the Treasure Vault at top speed. Her invisibility magic still had a little time left, so she raced recklessly through the Demon King's Fortress corridors. Soon, she reached the main hall and finally stopped there.

"Huff... huff... I finally made it to the secret passage entrance..."

If anyone had heard Lisbeth just then, they'd have been shocked. No one expected the secret passage to the Treasure Vault to be right here in the Upper District's main hall.

"If I remember correctly, the secret passage should be here."

After a brief rest, Lisbeth walked to the hall's center. She reached down and began feeling the floor. Soon, she found something like a button and pressed it firmly.

"Click."

As Lisbeth pressed it, the entire hall floor trembled slightly. A small magic array appeared before her, glowing with golden light.

"Good. So this secret passage has existed for two hundred years. Now, I must hurry to see Little Sword."

Lisbeth activated the magic array without hesitation. In the next second, she vanished and reappeared in a magnificent golden hall. She didn't glance around; she headed straight for the stone bed at the center.

"Hmm, this should be it."

Though the hall overflowed with countless treasures—gold, weapons, items, and piles of priceless Magic Crystals—Lisbeth ignored them all. She gently tapped the stone bed three times.

"Tap-tap-tap."

"Ah, Alex, you're finally here! Seriously, escaping should be easy for you. Why did it take so long?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Little Sword. I almost got caught due to some unexpected trouble."

After the taps, a familiar voice echoed from the stone bed. Lisbeth knew it was her weapon—Holy Sword Clotilde.

Confirming Clotilde's presence, Lisbeth took a deep breath. "But I have no time to chat now. Christia and Hilda are heading to my cell. I must rescue you from the seal before they arrive."

"Ugh, stop calling me Little Sword! But what about you? To avoid exposure, you'll have to reseal everything after freeing me. With your old Class Change Ability, it was fine. But now, it'll take time, won't it?"

"No. I'm using my Class Change Ability right here."

"Huh?"

Holy Sword Clotilde exclaimed in surprise. "Hey, hey! Your current body isn't your original one. Even if your soul is still the Hero's soul, your physical form might not handle the power. You could die!"

"I know. But if Christia and the others catch me red-handed, I'm done for anyway. So I have to take this gamble!"