Chapter Twenty
As Lisbeth’s words faded, a powerful pressure erupted from her, causing the previously silent treasury to tremble. Immediately, a torrent of light burst forth from the purple magic circle beneath her feet, completely engulfing her.
“Hraah!”
In the next instant, with a fierce cry from Lisbeth, the light surrounding her shattered. Lisbeth, now clad in leather armor and wielding a pair of daggers, stood revealed within the treasury.
“Good, it seems the class change was a success.”
“I—I can’t believe it actually worked.”
After confirming Lisbeth was unharmed, Clotilde breathed a sigh of relief, overcoming her initial surprise. “Alright then, Lisbeth, there’s no time to lose. Get to it!”
“No, it’s not over yet.”
“Eh?”
Just as Clotilde assumed Lisbeth was about to break the seal, another magic circle materialized beneath Lisbeth’s feet. She took a deep breath and slowly intoned, “Class Advancement ability activate.”
“What!? Lisbeth, have you lost your mind? It’s one thing to change classes here, but you want to advance it too?”
“Of course. I’m not certain a Tier 1 Rogue can bypass the seal and free you directly. So, to be safe, I’m advancing my class right here.”
Class Advancement refers to the ability to progress to a higher tier within an existing class. Originally, a Hero could only choose from five basic classes. However, through advancement, each class could evolve and be granted higher-tier abilities. At this stage, each basic class for a Hero could advance twice, meaning they could reach up to Tier 3.
Considering the current situation, Lisbeth felt that a Tier 1 Rogue alone wouldn’t be sufficient to bypass the seal and retrieve Clotilde. Thus, she unhesitatingly chose to advance her class. As her ability activated, the colossal magic circle beneath her feet compressed, gathering entirely at her soles.
“Class Advancement, Tier 2 – Grand Thief Master!”
This time, no light enveloped Lisbeth. Instead, two longswords suddenly emerged from the magic circle beneath her feet. As Lisbeth gripped them, her leather armor instantly shattered, replaced by a more agile long cloak.
“Alright, Class Advancement was successful as well. Clotilde, I’m going to save you now!”
“I understand!”
With her declaration, Lisbeth’s right hand began to glow with blinding intensity. In the next moment, her hand inexplicably phased through the stone bed, reaching deep into its core.
‘Touched it!’
Swiftly, Lisbeth’s hand made contact with Clotilde’s sword hilt. Inside the seal, Clotilde, the very sword herself, vibrated. Witnessing this, Lisbeth pulled Clotilde from within the seal, lifting her high and exposing her to the air.
Lisbeth gazed at the shimmering longsword in her hand, whose mere presence commanded absolute attention. She knew she had successfully reclaimed Holy Sword Clotilde, a weapon feared by all demonkind.
“Alright, that’s done. Clotilde, quickly switch to Emblem Mode and cover my arm.”
“Understood.”
As Clotilde’s words concluded, the sword in Lisbeth’s hand erupted with astonishing brilliance. The next second, Clotilde seemed to melt away, vanishing into thin air, eventually transforming into countless starlike particles that settled upon Lisbeth’s arm, forming an etched emblem.
“Perfect. Now that you’re bound to me, we can communicate directly through our minds. No more troublesome magic conversations.”
“Indeed~ And isn’t it true that you feel a bit more confident with me by your side? If you’re the strongest Hero of all time, then I am the strongest Holy Sword of all time!”
“Heh, that’s true. How could I manage without you by my side, my little sword? Alright, my little sword, go invisible for now. I wouldn’t be able to explain this emblem if anyone saw it.”
“Understood~”
After Clotilde finished speaking, the emblem etched on Lisbeth’s arm instantly vanished. Having successfully freed Clotilde, Lisbeth took a deep breath and slowly said, “Alright, it’s about time we headed back to the cell. From here on, it’s all up to the speed of this Grand Thief Master class.”