“I’ll secure the control core, at the very least.”
Jin used craft magic to open the torso of the defeated golem. He confirmed that its internal structure was identical to the golems that had served as the prototypes for Gon and Gen.
Meanwhile, Elsa’s three servants and the two coachmen were busy tying up the unconscious bandits. They were especially thorough with the leader; knowing he was a magic user, they gagged him to ensure he couldn't chant any spells.
The wet nurse, Mine, remained inside the carriage. Her wound had been closed, but she still needed to rest.
“...Jin-kun.”
When Jin returned with the control core, Elsa was waiting for him.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Mine, the old men, and I are all safe.”
She bowed her head deeply in gratitude.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Elsa,” Jin replied, sounding a bit curt out of embarrassment.
From the carriage window, Mine watched him with a complicated expression.
“Also, that magic... what was it? There was a flash of light, and then half of that golem was simply gone.”
She was asking about his laser.
“Ah... well, you see...”
Jin agonized over the explanation before deciding on a familiar excuse.
“It’s an artifact I found on the island. I don’t really understand it myself.”
He showed her the bracelet on his wrist.
“Apparently, it only responds to the magic of the first person who put it on. No one can use it but me.”
The word "artifact" was incredibly convenient. It usually put an end to any further prying.
“I see. If that's the case, then it can't be helped... Old man, what’s wrong?”
She turned her attention to the butler, Adberg.
“We’ve finished binding them, but we have a problem. Many are unconscious, and we can’t exactly load them into the carriage. We still have a long road ahead of us.”
They had only just finished the steep descent from the pass, but the journey forward was still a long, gradual downhill trek.
“What should we do?” Elsa asked, looking toward Jin. She seemed to be relying on him completely now.
Having spent her childhood playing with older brothers and cousins, she had a habit of leaning on others in times of need. It didn’t diminish her dignity as a noblewoman, but this incident had clearly cemented her trust in him.
“Let’s see... we should probably hand that magic user and the golems over to the proper authorities.”
Jin looked around at their surroundings. The bandits had been hiding in a forest where three-meter-tall shrubs were mixed with ten-meter-tall trees.
“If I use those trees... then do this... alright. Elsa, do you mind if I modify the carriage slightly? I’ll put it back to normal later, of course.”
Elsa agreed immediately, looking more curious than anything else.
“Alright. Reiko, give me a hand.”
“Yes, Father.”
Jin ordered Reiko to fell three of the ten-meter trees.
Hermann watched in stunned silence as Reiko used Touka to slice through a thirty-centimeter diameter trunk in a single stroke.
“That little miss... she does things I couldn’t pull off if there were ten of me. Do they even need me as a guard anymore?” he muttered to himself, though everyone ignored him. They were far too interested in watching Jin work.
“Okay, unhitch the horses. Extend the shafts, bridge them with the logs, set it up for a four-horse hitch, reinforce the frame, and link them...”
Jin’s plan was to connect the two carriages using the two long logs and place the captured bandits on the makeshift platform between them. He moved the horses from the rear carriage to the front to create a four-horse team and reinforced the axles and bearings to handle the load.
While his methods were theoretically sound, his speed was supernatural. Between Reiko carrying massive logs alone and stripping branches in seconds, and Jin working without any restraint, the project moved at a frantic pace.
As they worked, Jin asked Reiko a question.
“Hey, Reiko. Those two who attacked Elsa and Mine—could you not sense them?”
“No. I could not detect their presence or their life force at all. My apologies, Father.”
“Hmm. If even you couldn't sense them, they must have been using some kind of stealth magic tool. I'll check.”
Leaving the rest of the construction to Reiko, Jin went to inspect the bound bandits. He found that they were wearing amulets enchanted with Hide.
“I see. It looks like the effect breaks if they’re spotted or if they make a noise. Not very efficient. If I were making it...”
He caught himself before he could get distracted and returned to the carriage.
The entire process was finished in thirty minutes.
“Sorry for the wait. I got a little sidetracked,” Jin said.
Everyone else was inwardly speechless. Even Mine was silent.
The journey resumed smoothly. They stopped for a break and lunch in Rinato Town.
There was some confusion at the entrance when the guards saw a bizarre four-horse contraption approaching, and Elsa had to explain the situation to the soldiers. However, they successfully handed over all the bandits to the local kingdom garrison.
Elsa immediately sent a messenger on a fast horse to inform Reinhard in the capital, Borgia. The soldiers sent their own report as well.
In less than an hour, the news reached the capital.
“What?! Elsa and the others were attacked?! What about the casualties?!”
Reinhard jumped to his feet, nearly grabbing the messenger by the collar.
“Th-They are safe, sir! No one was injured. In fact, they captured all the bandits and brought them to Rinato Town.”
“I... I see...” Reinhard slumped back, relieved. He then asked if the news had reached the leadership of the Elias Kingdom.
The messenger replied that another report had already been sent to the palace.
“Right. Good work. Go and rest.”
Reinhard was currently staying at the villa of Marchioness Dominic de Firenziano. He hurried to the marchioness's private room.
“Marchioness, urgent news has arrived.”
“Has something happened?”
“Yes.”
Reinhard recounted the messenger’s report. Marchioness Firenziano was shocked and immediately ordered an escort to be sent to meet Elsa’s party.
After giving her orders, she turned back to Reinhard.
“This is truly a disgrace. I had no idea such bandits were operating so freely within Nord Province.”
“The messenger mentioned they even had golems.”
“Golems? You don't mean... those ones?”
“Yes. Likely the same ones appearing across the Allied Kingdoms recently. Jin said he secured a control core, so we should be able to learn something once we examine it.”
“Jin? Not Miss Randol?” the marchioness asked.
Reinhard smiled. “The friend I sent Elsa to pick up is Jin. Surely you remember? The magi craftman from the team that won the Golem Boat Race.”
“Ah, I thought the name sounded familiar. So, he’s already been scouted by the Shouro Empire, has he?” she said regretfully. It was a shame to let such a talented magi craftman pass by. “Well, we must at least ensure he is welcomed warmly while he is in our country.”
Elsa’s party left Rinato Town in the early afternoon. Now that the bandits were gone, the carriage had been restored to its original configuration.
The speed with which Jin had undone the modifications had left everyone—from Elsa’s group to the mayor and soldiers of Rinato Town—slack-jawed.
Usually, a magi craftman’s work involved visible processes of forming and processing that the eye could follow. But with Jin, the transformation was instantaneous. He would finish a short chant, and the object would simply be different. It was enough to make anyone lose their words.
“The capital, Borgia, is almost here,” Elsa said.
The view from the window had changed. The alternating pattern of forests and villages was replaced by rolling farmland dotted with houses. The population was clearly denser here.
“Do you know how many people live here?” Jin asked.
“I don't know. I'm sorry,” Elsa replied apologetically.
“No, it’s fine! You don’t need to apologize,” Jin said, trying to smooth things over. “I wonder how Reinhard is doing.”
“Rai-nii should be at Marchioness Firenziano’s villa. That’s where we’re going.”
As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop.
“What’s happening?” Elsa asked the coachman.
“Milady, a welcoming party is here.”
Looking out the window, they saw about twenty soldiers and two four-horse carriages waiting. A man who looked like a high-ranking steward was giving orders at the front.
The man dismounted, approached their carriage, and gave a deep, formal bow.
“Welcome to the capital, Borgia,” he announced.