Vol 5: Chapter 9
** Lev Magic Empire Tent Street **
「What’s going on dammit?!」Dante exclaimed.
「Don’t be so loud. People will come to this place soon too. But you don’t want them to come here right away. We need more time.」Abba said.
Dante, Mimino, and Non were pulled into Abba’s tent.
After the meeting ended, the three of them passed through the checking station and entered the Empire.
They returned to the checking station 3 days later with the members of Labyrinth Capture Division 4 and with loot from the labyrinth. And they were suddenly caught by Abba and brought to his tent.
Abba briefly explained the situation on the way.
The Heroic Gears were stolen. Muge, who was devoting himself to the research of those weapons, was injured, but he was safe now. Even though Lulusha was a victim, she was arrested under the charges of “falsifying the reports on the existence of Heroic Gears and inducing disorder in the Empire”. And the soldiers are looking for Silver Balance because they may have “instigated” Lulusha.
「That’s ridiculous! We definitely found Heroic Gears!」
「You’re right to get angry, but you guys should hide for the time being.」
「How can you be so calm when Lulusha has been arrested!?」
As Dante exclaimed in anger, he noticed that Abba’s fist was trembling.
「I am constantly reminding myself to be calm. If not, I would most likely go on a rampage. I’m glad that I look calm enough to you.」
「You…」
Dante learned for the first time that Abba was a more emotional man than he had expected.
「…I’m sorry. I lashed out without thinking.」Dante said.
「It’s okay.」
「More importantly, let’s think about what we should do from now on.」Non said.
「Even though Lulusha was arrested, she has accumulated quite a few achievements to her name. So nothing will happen right away. I think she will be released after careful examination of the records of the Heroic Gear by order of His Majesty the Emperor.」Abba said.
「So you want us to hide in the meantime?」Dante asked.
「That’s right. You guys are not imperial citizens, so I might not be able to protect you.」
「—Hey, wouldn’t it be faster if we looked for the Heroic Gear instead?」
Dante asked, but Abba shook his head in response.
The tent street had already been completely searched.
「Then where did it go?」Dante asked.
「We’re in this situation because we don’t know that.」Abba said.
「—Ah, come to think of it…」
Mimino, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth.
「When we were returning from the Labyrinth of Wrath, we cut straight through the middle of the city even though it was dangerous, right?」
「Nn? Well, yes. Monsters are constantly falling from the Red Gate into the city, but cutting through the city is a shortcut.」Dante said.
「Didn’t you see them at the time, Dante?」
「See who?」
「The adventurers.」
Mimino is an adventurer, so she can easily recognise other adventurers. On the other hand, if it were Imperial soldiers, she probably wouldn’t be able to tell who’s who.
According to Mimino, there were five adventurers moving in the shadows of ruined buildings. Human adventurers stand out quite a bit around this place, so she took note of them.
「What about it? Maybe someone hired them.」Dante said.
「That’s right. They must have an employer.」Mimino said.
「What is it that you’re trying to say?」
「It’s suspicious that an adventurer party is wandering around the Empire alone without their employer.」
「I suppose…that’s true…」
「And that’s where the Heroic Gear is.」
Mimino raised her index finger.
「First, the Heroic Gears were not found in any of the tents.」
Then she raised her middle finger.
「Second, there is no record of it being carried out of the country.」
Then she raised her ring finger.
「Which means, there is only one other place where you can hide it, right?」
「!」
Dante, Abba and Non understood Mimino’s point at the same time.
「No way… They carried it outside the checking station, and hid it inside the battlefield?」Dante said in disbelief.
「That’s right.」Mimino said.
「That’s absurd. It is too dangerous to go there just to hide it.」
「But there are benefits.」
Abba cut into the conversation.
「In the city, there are research facilities that are not available here. They can even freely conduct research!」
Just as Abba clasped his hands–
「—Deputy Director Abba, are there people in your tent right now?」
There were multiple people outside. From the shine of the sun, the silhouette that formed on the tent was that of soldiers.
「No, I’m alone.」
Abba lied, in a panic.
「Leave the tent from the other side. Hurry up.」
Abba whispered, in as low a voice as possible to Dante and the others. They nodded in response.
「—We are currently searching for an adventurer party called “Silver Balance” who seem to be criminals. Can we check inside?」
「Sorry, but I’m changing clothes right now. I’ll be out soon, so please wait.」
While Abba was stalling for time, Silver Balance went to the back of the tent and searched for a place where they could easily get out.
(Oh, wait. I have to check on how Reiji-kun is doing before leaving this place.)
Mimino thought to herself, and went to check the magic tool they built. And she became lost for words.
The silver metal plate was split in two.
(What is this? What happened to Reiji-kun!?)
Right then, her arm was grabbed.
(Hurry up, Mimino!)
(But Dante, Reiji-kun——)
(We don’t have time! Come!)
Mimino went out of the tent through the curtain that Non rolled up.
In this way, the adventurer party “Silver Balance”, who greatly assisted the Empire in capturing the “Labyrinth of 9 Emotions”, were now on the run from the Empire’s pursuers.
