"So, what are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we going in, or are we calling for reinforcements? That's what I was asking."

Rudy didn't hesitate and replied immediately.

"Of course, we're going in. If there's someone inside, they'll know we're here anyway. We can't just leave."

Ian nodded in agreement.

"Then let's go right now."

As Ian started to move, Rudy paused for a moment.

Ian turned to look at Rudy, who hadn't followed.

"Is something wrong?"

"...No."

Rudy shook his head and followed Ian towards the cabin.

Creak—

The door of the cabin made a squeaking sound as if it were old.

They extended their hands and carefully entered.

"It's dark."

The inside of the cabin was ordinary.

There was a sofa in the living room and a fireplace that had gone cold.

The kitchen had a dining table that could accommodate several people.

And the cabin wasn't just a single floor; stairs leading down to a basement were clearly visible.

Ian walked over to the sofa and ran his finger over it.

"It has been used."

Dust clung to Ian's fingers.

It didn't seem like it hadn't been used for years.

If it hadn't been used for years, there would be signs of bugs, but it was surprisingly clean.

Rudy headed to the kitchen and looked around.

"There are signs of use on the dishes too."

There was dust, but it didn't feel old.

And there were several dishes, indicating that more than one person had been living here.

After looking around the interior, they found nothing unusual beyond these everyday details.

"Let's go down to the basement."

Following Ian's suggestion, they went downstairs.

"Ah?"

"...This is ridiculous."

There was a large space in the basement.

It was so big that it made the cabin above seem laughable.

There were many books and signs of research.

"It looks like we found the right place."

"How did they even make this?"

They looked around.

"Who's there?"

At that moment, a man walked out.

He was wearing a robe like a researcher.

Ian and Rudy quickly reached for their weapons.

"Identify yourself."

The man spoke as if he found the situation absurd.

"Shouldn't you be the ones identifying yourselves? You're the ones who entered someone else's house."

Ian and Rudy looked at each other, then spoke up.

"We are investigators from the Empire. Who are you?"

They asked the man, keeping their identities hidden.

"I'm called Raven. What does the Empire want here?"

"We're investigating the rebels. If you're not part of the rebels, then cooperate with our investigation."

"Huh, is this how the Empire conducts investigations these days?"

"It's an investigation about the rebels. If you don't cooperate, we'll use force."

Raven then raised his hands.

"Sure, investigate all you want."

Rudy and Ian were puzzled by the man's confident attitude.

After hesitating for a moment, Ian stepped forward first.

"I'll do the investigation."

Rudy kept his hand extended toward Raven, and Ian went down the stairs.

"To think that you guys from the Empire have come all this way to investigate. Really..."

Raven clicked his tongue and grumbled as Ian looked around.

Ian searched for any signs of the rebels as he inspected the surroundings.

However, he found no traces of the rebels.

After all, there wouldn't likely be any clear evidence of rebel activity.

Unless there was a letter from Aryandor or a member of the rebels present, finding such evidence would be difficult.

Still, there were plenty of documents related to magical engineering, and seeing an anvil in a corner, like in a blacksmith's shop, confirmed it was a magical engineering laboratory.

But determining if this person was affiliated with the rebels was difficult.

Ian stopped his investigation and looked at Raven.

"Why are you here?"

"Why do you think? Is it strange for a researcher to be in a lab?"

"What I mean is, why is the lab here? Shouldn't a magical engineering lab be in a more populated area?"

"If I put the lab somewhere conspicuous, it would only attract pests. It was too bothersome, so I set it up here. Is there a problem?"

"Pests?"

"You know, the nobles. I came here to avoid those pests who covet what I make."

"So, how do you leave this place?"

"I use that thing."

Raven pointed toward a corner.

There was a pair of shoes placed there.

These weren't ordinary leather shoes but looked like they were made of metal, like iron shoes.

"What's that?"

"These are shoes made with magical engineering. They're enchanted with wind magic, so you can safely jump down from here and also climb up. These shoes, I mean. I deliberately twisted the mana circuits when making them. By causing the circuits to overload intentionally..."

Raven suddenly started explaining the principle behind the shoes.

As a researcher, he spoke quickly and blurted out unnecessary details once he got onto a topic he was familiar with.

Ian rubbed his head as if it were a headache, but Rudy, who was standing above, had his eyes sparkling.

"Wow... Doesn't that strain the mana stone? Surely the stone won't be able to withstand it."

As Rudy showed interest, Raven excitedly waved his fist.

"That's why I used magical engineering to reinforce the mana stone! If you look at the mana stone here..."

Rudy came down the stairs and looked at the shoes.

"You've done a good job."

"Thank you. You know a lot about magic."

"Yes, a wizard would know at least this much."

Rudy examined the shoes closely and then turned to look at Raven.

"Can I try these on?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Rudy put on Raven's shoes and attempted to move.

"Wow, these are quite heavy."

"Yes, they're magical engineering products, so they're supposed to be heavy."

"How do they work?"

"Ah, there's a device on the side of the shoe."

Ian sighed and watched Rudy curiously.

"What are you doing...?"

"Wow!"

Following Raven's instructions, Rudy touched the device and began to float upwards.

"Don't activate it too strongly. A strong wind could damage the lab."

"Ah, got it."

Rudy floated up for a bit, moved around, and then came back down.

"This is really fascinating."

"Ha, I'm glad you think so. I have more items to show you. Would you like to see them?"

Raven opened a storage area in the back, revealing various magical engineering devices.

"Ah, yes. But can we look around the lab a bit more first?"

"Of course, take your time."

Rudy began to survey the lab.

Ian watched disapprovingly.

There were no signs of the rebels anyway.

It was a waste of time not to investigate this man instead.

Investigating his past might reveal any connections to the rebels.

Ian approached Rudy, who was looking around, and whispered.

"Let's stop now."

"What?"

"We're taking him back to the Empire."

"Taking him?"

"If we dig into his past, something is bound to come up."

"There's no need to do that."

"What?"

Rudy smiled and looked back at Raven.

"The lab is smaller than I expected."

"Small?"

"What are you talking about?"

Raven and Ian looked at Rudy incredulously.

"Is this all your stuff?"

"Yes, that's everything."

"No other storage?"

"..."

"That's strange."

Rudy smirked.

"A lab like this should have lots of mana stones, but there's no place to store them. Who are you keeping all these things for in a space no one visits? And what about all the dishes upstairs?"

"Friends visit sometimes. And I get mana stones from the village as needed."

"What about the iron and other materials? All by yourself?"

"Yes."

"I see. So you transport all that iron with these shoes? And your friends too? Up this mountain where even a carriage can't come?"

Raven narrowed his eyes and glared at Rudy.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I took a look at the grass outside earlier."

"Grass?"

"It was well-maintained, but there were some pressed-down marks."

"Oh... Is that so?"

"Those marks were like."

Rudy extended his hand towards Raven, manipulating mana.

"The footprints of a dragon."

To research magical engineering, transportation needs to be developed.

Good transportation doesn't necessarily mean having commercial areas nearby or well-paved roads.

It simply means having a conducive environment for transport.

"You used a dragon for transportation, didn't you?"

The grass in front looked like it served as a runway.

The dragon landed there and transported all the equipment.

The magical engineering devices prepared for demonstration.

A lab that was somewhat off.

Household items that were neglected but hadn't been used in a long time.

There were more than a few oddities.

"Shall we search a bit more? A little more digging and things might become clear."

Rudy smiled.