Chapter 7

★ Red Magic Empire - Tent Street ★

The only person who knew El — though only through correspondence with her mother — was Rursha. Even Rursha did not know what kind of person El was, and certainly did not expect her to be a giant rabbit.

The sudden visitor, who would normally provoke immediate resistance, left people speechless. El used this silence to continue her explanation.

The information about the formation of the two worlds and the red crack in the sky was indeed outlandish, but since it was treated as confidential information and believed to be true in the Holy Kingdom of Kurvaan, and given that their respected emperor had already trusted it, the people had no choice but to listen in silence.

However, the information about the Red Gate and the handling of the Heroic Armament was a different story. Of course, there was certainly an aspect of the Heroic Armament being lent as a reward for El's information, but even so, many people in the Red Magic Empire could not accept the idea of the Heroic Armament, which they believed belonged to their empire, being transferred to another country.

"... It was all muddled because of that rabbit, but it should not be allowed to take the Heroic Armament out of the country."

The head of the First Division of the Labyrinth Conquest and the manager of one of the large magic item trading companies, "Rororo Company," were having a secret meeting after the conference.

"... Indeed. Besides, we haven't even confirmed whether the magic item brought by the Fourth Division is worthy of being called a Heroic Armament. Most likely, they discovered a flashy magic weapon and are boasting about it as a Heroic Armament. Their affiliated company is the 'Old Shack Company.'"

The manager spoke with open hostility, referring to "Muge Company" as the "Old Shack Company." This manager had nearly died fighting an automaton that used "emotional attacks" in the "Dread Labyrinth," and had deeply experienced the power of "emotional attacks." As a result, they had purchased the automaton from "Muge Company" for 1,000 imperial gold coins, but the dungeon itself had set up an "emotional trap," and the automaton did not have the "emotional attack" function.

In other words, they had wanted a gun but ended up buying only the trigger. They considered it a fraud and had no intention of paying the gold coins, and even planned to sue for fraud. However, for some reason, the company owner, who was a cousin of the deputy director of the External Affairs Bureau, Aba, withdrew the lawsuit and paid the gold coins.

— This is your fault.

The manager still remembered the pain of the left cheek that was slapped.

If things continued like this, the manager would only be known for buying junk and causing significant damage to the company. "Rororo Company" was large and had many young talents, so it was uncertain when the manager might be replaced. The manager was like a CEO without representation, overseeing all the company's operations and personnel.

In the Red Magic Empire, the position of "Rororo Company's manager" was one that garnered respect. The manager wanted to restore their honor at all costs.

"... Manager, does your company employ people who can handle a bit of rough work?"

"... What do you intend to do?"

The manager's voice naturally lowered, sensing the ominous atmosphere.

"... Don't be so wary. We will effectively utilize the Heroic Armament obtained by the Fourth Division."

"... Steal it, you mean? That can be done, but if we hide it in the tents here, it will be discovered immediately."

The square in front of the checkpoint was now crowded with many tents, and the armies of other countries were deployed on the surrounding hills. Every morning, a long line of people passed through the narrow passage of the checkpoint, cutting through the tent street of the Red people.

If they were to hide the Heroic Armament temporarily, it might be possible, but to study it, they would need appropriate facilities, which were limited. Moving equipment from those facilities would also raise suspicion, so the manager said there was no place to hide it.

"... I have a plan for that. So, will 'Rororo Company' join us or not?"

There were only 20 Heroic Armaments discovered so far. If new Heroic Armaments could be protected from flowing to other countries, the people would be overjoyed. They would be seen as heroes. The manager's position might even be elevated, and investors might appear to establish a new company — thinking about this, the manager's voice trembled.

"... Of course, I will cooperate. What should I do?"

The secret meeting between the head of the First Division and the manager continued with a sly smile.

A few days later, Aba burst into Rursha's tent where she was taking a short nap due to her heavy workload.

"Wake up, Rursha!"

Aba, who had stopped eating sweets and was quite thin — but still had a licorice stick in his mouth — was in a panic, shouting outside Rursha's tent where she was just waking up.

"... What's wrong? It's still early morning."

It was just after sunrise, a bit too early for the smoke from breakfast preparations to rise. There were hardly any people walking around outside.

Rursha, rubbing her eyes, came out, and Aba said:

"I want you to listen calmly. ... It seems that the Heroic Armament stored in 'Muge Company's' tent has been stolen."

"......"

The shocking words were slow to sink into Rursha's sleepy head.

"— As you know, we had taken special precautions and stationed guards there, but there was a mistake in the guard rotation, creating a 30-minute gap in security. It seems the theft occurred during that time."

"Wait a moment. Muge. Muge was inside the whole time, wasn't he?"

"He was hit on the head and was bleeding, but he is safe. He is receiving treatment now."

Hearing that he was safe brought a sense of relief, but the loss of energy made it hard for her to stand.

"Are you okay?"

Aba, who was still thin but had not lost his strength, grabbed Rursha's shoulder in a panic. Rursha clung to his unexpectedly strong arm,

"... All the Heroic Armaments?"

"Yes... all three that were stored."

"The culprit —"

"The investigation will begin soon."

"— Head of the First Division."

Aba frowned at Rursha's definitive tone.

"Rursha. I think it's not wise to make such assumptions lightly."

"It's obvious. Don't you think so? He was the one who most strongly opposed the lending of the Heroic Armament to other countries and tried to take credit for the Fourth Division's achievements. Besides, only an insider could have taken advantage of the guard rotation mistake to commit the crime."

Aba knew that the head of the First Division was the most suspicious, but he also thought that the head of the First Division would not take such a dangerous risk.

"We will start the search immediately."

And — Aba's intuition was correct.

The head of the First Division allowed the investigation of all the tents owned by the First Division of the Labyrinth Conquest, and there were no suspicious signs. The Second and Third Divisions also offered their cooperation, and the major trading companies allowed the investigation of their tents, but the Heroic Armaments were nowhere to be found.

Items being transported out of the country were strictly checked, but there was no sign of the Heroic Armaments being transported out. Even when the Red people widely solicited information, there were no reports of suspicious items being transported.

The Heroic Armaments had vanished without a trace.