Ch#52
“No-kids-zone is wwong! Not chasing out just the kids who wun awound and make noise, but chasing out good kids too is unfaiw!”
Ollek was left dumbfounded by the rapid-fire outburst.
But Tie kept staring straight at Ollek, pouring out her convictions.
“Of couwse Tie knows why the shop ownew does no-kids-zone! Because bad kids wun awound, bweak cups, and moms and dads don't have patience!”
“…….”
“But if it's no-kids-zone, good kids can't do anything eithew, so it's unfaiw! When they fiwst come in, they should ask ‘Awe you a good kid?’ and only wet them in hawfway!”
No-kids-zone?
Ollek blankly opened his mouth at the completely unfamiliar word and combinations.
Meanwhile, the Sovereign King was huffing with her face beet red.
Still gripping the parrying dagger bag that Ollek had tried to confiscate from the opposite side.
Ollek parted his lips with a face full of bewilderment.
“I, I don't know about that, just get out?”
With that, he tugged the parrying dagger bag slightly toward himself.
“Ah!”
The Sovereign King's center of gravity shifted forward, making her wobble ahead.
However, the Sovereign King didn't yield and soon pulled the bag back toward herself.
“Can't weave!”
As the bag grew taut, Veil stepped forward restlessly.
“L-Little one, no, Captain. What's this sudden—?”
But Astie showed no sign of letting go of the bag.
“Tie won't weave! Have to wesist unfaiwness!”
Deeper bewilderment settled on Ollek's face than before.
He had tried to quietly, quickly, and precisely escort Agavert out.
But as expected, the Sovereign King had no intention of leaving obediently.
Ollek exchanged glances with the other blacksmiths and composed his expression.
Then, narrowing his brow to show his resolve not to back down,
“Well, we can't sell you anything anyway!”
As he put strength into the bag with his words, the Sovereign King staggered.
“Give back the Gwoom hammer! Basto Uncle's! You idiot!”
However, the Sovereign King didn't give in and pulled the bag with even more force than before.
Before long, veins bulged on Ollek's arm.
“Ah, come on, let go!”
“Won't weave!”
“Let go!”
“Nooo-!!”
The bag tilted back and forth between the two.
After a tense standoff like that for a while,
“Whoa!”
With a ripping sound, the bag's handle tore.
Astie, who had been holding that spot, couldn't withstand the recoil and tilted backward.
“Astie!”
Basto hurriedly reached out, but the child dangerously stumbled back and fell flat on her butt.
“Ow ow……”
“Astie! You okay?”
Basto rushed over and checked Astie's face.
She was grimacing, but fortunately, Astie seemed fine.
The problem was the item she had bumped into while falling.
Creeeak—
At the ominous sound, everyone's gazes turned to behind Astie.
“Wh-what?!”
Ollek's mouth gaped open, and the blacksmiths came rushing over.
But it was already too late to catch the Armory's most precious treasure, 'Krazar's Heart,' which was tilting over.
Crash clang—!
The metallic clamor echoed violently as it hit the floor.
Thanks to Basto shielding her head, Astie was safe, but Krazar's Heart was not.
Tie blinked her startled eyes and stared at the scattered, disassembled armor.
The platinum-plated helmet rolled across the floor, and next to Astie lay the chestplate split in half.
The elbow guards and gauntlets had already flown far off and smashed into the wall.
Tie looked up at Ollek with the expression of a puppy caught stealing snacks.
Ollek met her gaze with equally baffled eyes.
It was the moment silence hung in the air.
“What in the—!”
A shocked cry came from behind.
Wide-open eyes, pale face.
The person standing rigidly in place with mouth agape was
“E-Elder?”
Berugon, the factory chief and elder blacksmith of the Weapon District.
“Th-this, thiiiis—!”
Berugon flapped his mouth like a fish out of water, then dashed to where Krazar's Heart lay scattered.
“The armor! Krazar's Heart—!”
Astie swallowed hard.
At that moment, Berugon, staring vacantly down at the armor, muttered like a man in a daze.
“Where's the core?!”
Then he urgently turned to Ollek and the other blacksmiths.
“Krazar's core! Where's the core, I said!”
The blacksmiths came rushing over.
They all dropped to their knees on the floor and began rummaging through the fragments of the shattered armor.
‘Core……?’
Tie blinked her eyes in bewilderment.
She was perplexed at how things had turned out like this, but soon stealthily began looking around as well.
‘W-Well, anyway, it was because of Tie that it feww…….’
She thought she should at least help find the core.
“Search everywhere! Check every display stand since we don't know where it rolled!”
The blacksmiths shouted “Yes!” and moved busily.
As Tie hesitated while glancing at Berugon and peering around nearby,
“Huh?”
Below the bag handle she had been tugging against Ollek just moments ago.
Something the size of a quail egg was glinting.
So smooth it clearly reflected her image, Tie quickly reached out toward the dark red surface.
And lifting the still-warm core high into the sky,
“Found it! This!”
Berugon turned his head.
Soon spotting the red stone in Tie's hand, he widened his eyes.
However,
“……Huh?”
At that instant, a crack split right through the center of the core Tie held.
As dark red smoke-like substance began leaking from the fissure, Berugon murmured lowly.
“……N-No.”
Suddenly, Tie felt strength draining from her body and sharply inhaled.
Her vision gradually blurred.
Through her closing eyelids, something hazy came into view.
It was Berugon's face rushing toward her as she collapsed.
* * *
“What is this.”
Veil muttered in a shocked voice.
He was staring straight ahead in disbelief.
Raoul and Enzo were just as stunned.
“The Captain……”
Astie, who had been right in front of them moments ago, had vanished completely.
The red stone called Krazar's core, Berugon too—everything had evaporated without a trace.
“H-Hey.”
Nordics urgently called to Ollek.
Ollek stiffly turned his body.
“What happened?! The factory chief and our captain disappeared. What in the world happened?!”
Ollek shut his mouth with a deathly pale face.
He blankly stood there, then opened his lips in disbelief.
“Th-this. Well……”
The Armory, with all entrances sealed shut.
“Krazar's subspace?”
At the questioning voice, Ollek swallowed hard.
“Y-Yes…… Everyone should know what kind of beast Krazar was.”
Krazar.
The ultimate enemy that had been inside the massive magic stone sieged 35 years ago.
Even now, after so long, Krazar was occasionally brought up among people.
For one simple reason.
“I heard it was a headache.”
Because of its infamous reputation.
“Yes. It took a full five days just to siege it.”
“Because of that bizarre fog you just mentioned?”
Ollek nodded.
“That's right. From here on, it's internal knowledge only we know……”
His eyes grew even more anxious.
“Truth is, the beast could distort space to create its own subspace. It would trap all approaching foes inside and induce mental delirium to make them self-destruct.”
