Now, the scene has changed. After rescuing Merce, we are in an abandoned factory outside the town of Banyu.

< has not been found, an investigator has been sent by the old man.

<, and Deneb 22, a.k.a. , from the .

Both were in charge of the eastern part of the Shoro Kingdom and were familiar with the terrain and towns.

"By the looks of these footprints, it appears that there was another kidnapper or someone related to the kidnappers."

"It would seem so."

Kleine had found footprints that were obviously small.

The other two were about 6 to 8 inches long, but this one was about 6 inches wide.

The soles of the shoes are also different, so we can be sure that this is the third person.

It is possible that he is an unrelated third party, but considering the age of the footprints and the location of the footprints, there is a high probability that he is an associate or a related person.

"Either they were working separately or ......"

"...... that he was aiming for the dagger?"

"That could be it."

<

If they want to shake up the Shoro Empire, it's an important element along with Mertze's identity.

"Is that why they split up?"

Is that a possibility?

Yeah, that's a possibility, isn't it?

So they split up? - Yeah, that's a possibility.

That's a possibility.

The two bodies pondered what to do.

"What kind of dagger is it anyway?"

The old man answered this question.

<

"Glowing?

"Is that all?"

<

* * * * * *

At the same time, Shoro Imperial Palace.

"......That's why I rescued Miss Mertze and brought her back. Isn't that right, Reiko?"

"Yes."

Jin and Reiko were explaining to the emperor about the rescue.

"I see. Thank you very much, Sir Reiko," he said.

Emperor Ernst II bowed to Jin and Reiko.

"But the problem is that we could not find the dagger of proof."

"Indeed."

"If you don't mind, could you tell us what kind of dagger it is?"

It is difficult to search for a dagger when you know so little about what it is, Jin said.

"That's true. I ...... saw one once when I was a child, and it is a kind of ceremonial sword.

"You mean it's not made for sharpness?"

"Yes. It is a dagger, so its total length is about 20 centimeters. The handle is about six centimeters long.

"It's very small."

Jin felt that it might be just right for a child's hand.

"So I guess it's for ceremonial use. It's not sharp at all. I mean, the blade is not made of metal.

"What?"

"It's made of a translucent substance. It seems soft, but it won't break. It's not hard, so if you were to cut yourself with it, you wouldn't feel it as much as if you were hit."

"......"

"And when the emperor's family channels magic into it, the translucent blade glows gold."

"Hah ......"

Jin has a vague idea of what the dagger looks like.

"What is the appearance ...... of the decoration like?"

"Mm. The scabbard is white with gold reinforced decoration. There are seven colored jewels ...... I think ...... scattered on it."

"Haha ......."

The handle is also white, and there is a clear crystal-like stone inlaid in the handle head. The brim is silver."

"......"

Um, do you know who made it?

"Well, it is said to have been made by the second ...... generation, his predecessor, the Magecraft Meister."

"...... I knew it."

"I knew it. The work of a true Magecraftsman. A masterpiece that no one else can imitate. It's no wonder there are people who steal daggers and run. I don't condone it.

"............ I see."

Jin had an inkling that it was something he had made in the past, but after hearing the detailed explanation, he was convinced.

(That's probably a toy dagger. ......)

It is made of soft and resilient resin ......<> so as not to be dangerous or injure you.

The golden glowing effect is a mischievous idea of Jin, who thought that children would enjoy it.

It was probably a gift given by Jin in the past as a congratulatory gift for a child born to an emperor's family.

It may have been treated as a treasure through the ages. ....... This is what Jin thought.

* * * *

As Jin imagined, the so called <> was a gift from Jin to the emperor's family in the past.

Specifically, to Ernst I, Emperor Weissberg Ernst von Shawlo.

It was given as a toy sword by Jin to his eldest son, Weissberg Ernst von Shoro, to celebrate his turning 5 years old.

Jin does not know about it, but the old man remembers it clearly.

And.

We think so, and search based on that.

This time, too, we will use the Magi Radar.

However, we have decided to change the method of operation.

We have realized that a concentric circle search centered on a specific point is inefficient.

First, we search a fan-shaped area centering on Horai Island or a relay point.

This fan-shaped search is possible because the approximate direction is known.

At this time, the sensitivity is set to the maximum.

If there is a response, you can narrow down the range and identify the coordinates.

With this procedure, the search for useless areas can be done in a very short time.

> Jin had imagined a concentric search, and this method had not been improved because he had been able to find the target in a short time so far.

>

Less than two minutes after the start of the search, we found a reaction to the dagger.

The next step was to confirm the target by <>.

<

According to the old man, they were working together until the town of Banyu, and then they started to go their separate ways at the abandoned factory.

The old man was a little disappointed that he would not have had to go through the trouble twice if he had found them before the town of Banyu.