Jin, who had fled into the mountains, followed Reiko's lead toward a cave where a Warp Gate was hidden.
"This is the place."
It was a scenic spot with a clear view of the foothills. Jin gazed out at Kaina Village.
"I was finally starting to like it here... It’s a shame."
As he spoke, he first sent the golems who had followed him, Gon and Gen, through the gate. He even managed to squeeze the golem horse, Koma, into the cave and successfully transferred it as well.
Only Jin and Reiko remained.
"Well, they saw us flee this way, so it’ll be bad if I don't disable this thing."
"I agree."
"Tsk. I wonder when I'll be able to visit Kaina Village again."
"I shall assist you in whatever way I can," Reiko added supportively.
"Yeah, you're right. Well then, I'll set it to break one minute after we pass through."
Warp Gates were equipped with such a feature by default to prevent misuse. Having finished the setup, Jin turned to her.
"Shall we go, then?"
"Yes."
And with that, the two of them vanished.
"Dammit! Did we lose him?!"
"Haa... haa... haa..."
A full hour after Jin and his companions had disappeared, Earl Walter and his men finally reached the mountain peak. There were no longer any clues to follow, and the weather had turned sour, with snow beginning to flutter down.
"Earl, staying here is futile. We should withdraw before night falls," his lieutenant advised.
"It can't be helped. We're going back."
Muttering bitterly, Earl Walter and his soldiers began their descent. They passed Kaina Village by and headed straight back to the royal capital.
＊ ＊ ＊
"So this is the island where the laboratory is located."
Having returned to his base, Jin stepped outside under Reiko's guidance. The climate here was warmer than in Kaina Village. It wasn't quite a jungle, but it clearly received its fair share of rain.
"If I clear some land, I could probably live self-sufficiently here."
Jin thought he could likely establish a farm, though that was a project for another day. He had more pressing matters.
"Look for trees that bear edible fruit and things like that."
"Yes, Master."
Together with Reiko and the five maid golems, they split up to secure immediate food supplies.
After about two hours, they managed to find four types of fruit and two types of nuts. They even discovered what appeared to be a rubber tree.
Once he confirmed they weren't poisonous using Analyze, he immediately sampled them.
"Yeah, this one is sweet and delicious. This one is sweet and sour. This one is sweet but a bit mealy... and this one is just sour."
The fruits tasted similar to peaches, oranges, apples, and lemons, respectively. The nuts were reminiscent of walnuts and chestnuts.
"It looks like I'll have plenty to eat. All right, gather about twenty of each fruit and ten kilograms of the nuts."
Jin gave the instructions to the maid golems and returned to the laboratory.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Fool!!"
In the royal capital of the Klein Kingdom, Earl Walter faced a harsh scolding from King Alois III upon delivering his report.
"I told you to bring that man, Jin, so that I could have him serve the kingdom! Instead, you treated him like a criminal! To top it all off, you managed to provoke him and let him escape! What will you do if he takes up service in another country?!"
"M-My deepest apologies... H-However, there was the possibility that the man was controlling those golems and causing harm to our nation."
"I have already received a report on that as well! Jin captured those golems using magic never seen before and remodeled them to obey his orders!"
"What?!"
In an effort to prove Jin's innocence, Lishia had rushed back to the royal capital to report the true sequence of events. Although she was reprimanded for concealing facts initially, the matter was forgiven when she explained it was at Jin's request and provided a detailed account of his prowess. Both the King and the chancellor had become desperate to recruit a talent like Jin.
"Enough, withdraw. Furthermore, you are to keep your hands off Kaina Village. Is that understood?"
"Y-Yes, Sire!"
If they provoked Jin any further, there was a risk he would not only remain in hiding but also become an enemy. Considering the power Lishia had described, that was a scenario the King wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Things never go as planned..."
Once he was alone, King Alois III looked up toward the heavens and let out a heavy sigh.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Onii-chan..."
Every morning, whenever she operated the pump to draw water, Hanna thought of Jin.
Since his departure, Earl Walter and his soldiers had passed through the village on their way home without any sign of retaliation. Martha and the rest of the villagers were deeply worried about Jin, who had vanished into the mountains.
"Nah, knowing that guy, he's got Reiko with him and he's riding a horse. He'll be just fine," Rock would say.
Since they knew nothing of the Warp Gate, the villagers assumed Jin was hiding somewhere in the mountains. Every so often, they would take the golem horse he had left behind and search for him, but naturally, their efforts yielded no results.
Then, one day, Lishia visited the village.
"Oh, Lady Lishia, what brings you back?"
The Village Chief greeted her, noticing the bright expression on her face.
"Please, be happy! The suspicion against Jin-san has been cleared!"
"What!"
"And His Majesty the King has personally offered an apology for the misunderstanding. He wishes to invite Jin-san to the royal capital and, if possible, have him enter his service. He has even guaranteed him the rank of Royal Magi Craftman at the very least."
"Ooh! That's incredible!"
The Village Chief was duly impressed. The title of Royal Magi Craftman carried immense prestige, granting status equivalent to that of a noble.
"And... where is Jin-san?"
"The thing is... there has been no word from him since he fled."
"I see..."
The residents of Kaina Village were genuinely happy that Jin's name had been cleared, but with the man himself still missing, their joy was only half complete.