Chapter 130: Searching for Magic Tools
“Aah… I get it now.”
“…Yeah.”
“So that’s why you’re so grumpy in your ‘Nine-Tails’ mode?”
“…Sorry. If I revert back, I might end up crying.”
“That’s such a cute reason…”
When I was called over, I found Forna sitting on the throne, looking extremely irritated in her ‘Nine-Tails’ mode. It was surprising. The sheer pressure from her anger was enough to distort the atmosphere. I decided not to ask why Mayu was radiating love—she was probably too well-trained at this point. Also, I didn’t know she could use that form outside of combat.
After hearing the details, well… turns out the ‘Magic Tools’ were stolen.
The analysis had been completed in the research lab, and they were all set for mass production at the factory. But in transit, the cargo mysteriously vanished. Even though there were beastman guards in the wagon, on high alert, the entire load disappeared without a trace. The guards had been restrained tightly, yet everything vanished in an instant.
One of the beastman guards was from the canine tribe, but even he couldn’t pick up any scent or sound. He had memorized the scent of the magic tools, but the moment they disappeared, all traces of them vanished as well. It was almost like a divine abduction.
Next to me, Ojas was performing a full-force dogeza, his tail and ears drooping in shame. Damn, I kind of want to touch them. Actually, Arena’s already doing it.
“So basically, you have no clue who’s behind this?”
“Yeah, at first, I thought the same. But there aren’t many people who could pull off something like this in an instant. So, I asked Risaly and Blair if they had any idea, but their response was strangely vague…”
“So they do know something?”
“Yeah… but if it was the person they suspect, they said there’s no way they would do something like this. The effect is also slightly different, so they think it’s probably not them.”
Hmm… A copycat, maybe? But what’s the motive? Stealing magic tools—are they planning to sell them? Or mass-produce them like Ladaria?
“Fortunately, there’s still one of each set left in the lab. That’s the only silver lining… but still…”
At that moment, Forna’s crimson eyes began to well up with tears. Hey now, weren’t you staying in that form to keep from crying?
“Because… because you guys worked so hard to get those for us… sniff… but we screwed up… I’m s-sorry… hic…”
“Arena.”
“Forna, come here.”
“I’m sooorryyyyyy!!”
As soon as she started crying, the flames on her tails began to dim. I let Arena handle it and hold her. This wasn’t Forna’s fault—it was the thief’s. She needed to pull herself together. She is a queen, after all.
“Should we ask Risaly and Blair again, Master?”
“We should also check the wagon. If we investigate ourselves, we might find some clues.”
“Indeed. With fairy magic, it may not be impossible.”
Since the three of them were already suggesting plans, I had nothing left to say. But that was fine—I was just as motivated. I wouldn’t let Forna cry, and more importantly, I needed those Revnant Boards for a specific purpose.
“Alright, let’s head to the scene.”
““Yeah!””
“Thank you… thank youuu…”
Aww, just let it out. Looks like we can’t take our eyes off her just yet. Since we’re cleaning up this mess, we’re getting properly compensated for it—friendship discount, though.
“So, we’ve arrived at the wagon. How do we investigate?”
“Lady Idle, let’s start by checking for any residual magic. If magic was used, there should be traces left behind with higher density in specific areas.”
“Got it, let’s give it a shot.”
I used ‘Fairy Magic’ to visualize the mana. Hmm… it’s faint. There’s only a small trace—barely enough to be from a person’s natural magic output. That means this was likely done with a skill.
“If it was a skill for hiding, ‘Concealment’ is the most likely one. If someone mastered it, they might be able to erase their footsteps, but erasing their scent is impossible. Evading a canine beastman’s nose would be extremely difficult.”
“Indeed. However, they could have used a magic tool that eliminates scent.”
“But Arena, Quad—air displacement wouldn’t disappear. There’s still mass. And the magic tools were tightly secured, right? If they disappeared along with their restraints…”
“…Then the culprit has a Magic Box. That makes sense. If they had one, restraints wouldn’t matter. They could store anything they touched instantly, without making a sound. So… does that mean the culprit is a Hero?”
Which brings us to our persons of interest.
Nice to see you again, wolf siblings.
“Yo, Creation God.”
“Are you up to something again, Creation God?”
“Something like that. Oh, by the way, Ojas is pissed off over there. You might want to go.”
““For real?!””
Yep, for real. I only called for the Hero, so why did you two come as well? Get back to your posts. Ah, there they go—Ojas is dragging them away without a word. Good luck~
“Sorry to bring this up again, but can you guys tell us everything you know, Risaly, Blair?”
“…”
Hmm… They don’t look very cooperative. But it’s not like they seem guilty about anything. If they lie, my ‘Fairy Eyes’ will catch it anyway… Okay, let’s threaten them a little.
“You have two choices: Obey the command on your collar and confess all your embarrassing past mistakes in public… or spill everything now. Which one sounds better?”
““We’ll talk!!””
The information we got was as follows:
The boy’s name is Souta Oikawa. He’s a male Hero, still under 140 cm tall. According to Risley, “Right now, he’d look ridiculously cute.” …Risley, is that your type? She’s just as much of a perv as Mika.
Apparently, he was a mascot-like figure among his classmates, well-liked by everyone. A beloved character, huh? That’s important for morale. He was timid but kind.
The key point: He was the only Hero who openly revealed his Holy Sword ability—’Disappearance.’ He could erase his existence entirely without leaving a single trace. However, in that state, he couldn’t interact with anything. His attacks would miss, making him like a real ghost.
“If he activates a skill in that state, does the same thing happen?”
“He said it would. That’s why we didn’t suspect him.”
“Even after the Radaria invasion, he kept encouraging others… It felt wrong to doubt him.”
You guys are surprisingly loyal. Did meeting the Wolf Siblings change you? At least you didn’t attack me on sight this time. There were no lies in their words, meaning—
“There’s either another culprit, or Oikawa was lying.”
“…I don’t know if this is related, but the others started hiding their abilities only after he revealed his.”
“Wait, wasn’t Asahina the one who told them to hide it?”
According to Mika, Asahina suggested keeping them secret. But Blair explained that was just a cover.
“He was threatened into revealing it. They forced him, saying it would help with teamwork. About half the class saw it happen. After that, he was told to tell the rest, but…”
“He didn’t.”
Blair nodded. Oikawa revealed his ability, got betrayed, and then Asahina stopped it.
“Let me ask… Were those the same guys who attacked Mika?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s practically the answer already, isn’t it?”
If I’m right, they forced Oikawa to do it. And they were stationed at the ‘Magic Academy City,’ right? …That place where it’s nearly impossible to leave once you enter.
Well, our next destination was decided, but now comes the real issue. Should we go or not? Personally, I’m on the fence. After all, the original prototypes are still intact, so mass production is possible. Sure, in this world, magic tools are highly sought after, but since the case is practically solved, I don’t see much reason to stick our noses into it.
“We only have circumstantial evidence, right? So, we’d have to go there, find the stolen items, and prove they belong to us?”
“And if they say, ‘We found these in a dungeon too,’ then it’s over. Even if we marked them as ours, they could just erase the markings before we got there.”
“In other words, we’d be forced to just accept the loss.”
“Uuuu~~~”
Forna was about to cry again, so I patted her head to comfort her. But seriously, how are we supposed to get them back…?
…No, wait. That’s it.
“We don’t need to prove anything.”
“…Huh?”
No, really. We just need to use the same method they did. We already know those magic tools belong to us, so we just have to steal them back before they get mass-produced and then act like nothing happened. Even if they come accusing us, all we have to do is ask, ‘And what proof do you have?’ They won’t be able to say a thing—especially since they won’t even know how we took them back.
“So, are we going?”
“Nope.”
“You’re not going?!?”
Of course not. I don’t want to waste my time on this. More importantly, I have things I want to do here.
That’s why someone else is going instead of us.
“Well, let’s take it easy and see if we can get them back. Arena, help me out later, okay? It’ll be fun. Forna, we’re heading to Galuania for a bit. You can start mass production.”
“O-Okay.”
“What are you planning, Idle?”
Arena asked as she plopped something soft on my head. Oh, nothing much—just getting someone to write a little letter of recommendation.
A ‘transfer application’ letter, to be precise.
“Arena, make sure your uniform has a mini skirt.”
“…? Alright. Do you want to see it or something?”
“Ah, wait, not like that! It’s better when it just barely shows.”
“Master, you’re just as much of a pervert as Mika. You two are on the same level.”
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