That night, after returning to his room, Jin took out his manacam and contacted Soleil and Luna on Hourai Island.
Luna was the one who answered.
"Luna here, on Hourai Island."
"Oh, Luna. It’s me."
"Yes, Father."
"How are things? Any changes?"
"None. Everything is proceeding smoothly."
Relieved by her answer, Jin asked her for a progress report on Kunlun Island.
"Yes. Regarding Kunlun Island..."
According to Luna, the situation on Kunlun Island was as follows:
The dummy mansion was complete. It came fully equipped with living quarters, a workshop, a dining hall, and water and sewage systems. It had also undergone special processing to give it an appropriately ancient, weathered appearance.
They had moved in a selection of materials as well, ensuring the site looked natural.
Currently stationed there were five subordinates of the Five-Color Golems: Topaz 100, Amez 100, Ruby 100, Aqua 100, and Perido 100.
Three separate lines of Warp Gates leading back to Hourai, including backups, had already been installed.
Food stockpiles were also being steadily built up.
Their utilization of the island’s existing fruit trees was going well; they were harvesting significant quantities of citran and apulul, and while the yield of persica was smaller, they were also ready for harvest.
Finally, they had excavated a small amount of mineral resources and staged them to complete the camouflage.
"You’ve done a lot in such a short time. Well done."
Jin praised Luna and the others.
With this, he should be able to maintain the ruse even if he ended up inviting Reinhard and the others to the island in the near future.
"Alright. Next, do you think you can add some more camouflage? Something to make it look plausible that artifacts might be found there?"
"Yes, I believe that is possible."
Luna and Soleil had been transcribed with Jin's knowledge—albeit a limited version—as well as some of Reiko's. He felt confident they could handle the task, even with such vague instructions.
"Okay, I’m counting on you. I’ll try to return once myself soon, if I can."
With that, he ended the transmission.
Once they stopped at Blue Land, he would be able to make use of the hidden Warp Gate.
"This looks like it’ll work out somehow."
With one of his major concerns settled, Jin felt a wave of relief.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning.
"Well then, Lady Elsa, stay well. Jin-dono, thank you for everything. I hope our paths cross again."
After breakfast, Jin and Elsa departed the villa, seen off by Marchioness Firenziano.
They headed north, toward the border of the Kingdom of Egerea.
"Rai-nii is here, too."
At Elsa's voice, Jin looked out the window to see Reinhard's carriage joining the procession. As a diplomat, Reinhard had been at the royal castle to give his formal farewells.
The group moved out in a line: the carriage carrying Reinhard's guards and servants took the lead, followed by Reinhard's own carriage, then Elsa and Jin's carriage, then the carriage for Elsa's guards and servants. Behind them came a carriage for the group's luggage, and finally, a carriage carrying their food supplies.
"Ah... I forgot to make the dampers again."
Jin grumbled to himself.
"Hehe. You're surprisingly forgetful, Jin-kun."
Sitting across from him, Elsa let out a little giggle and offered a small smile. Reiko, who was sitting right next to Jin, spoke up in her usual tone.
"Leave it to me, Father. I will not allow you to be subjected to such discomfort ever again."
She was operating as faithfully as ever.
The procession continued its slow trek toward the border.
＊ ＊ ＊
The capital city of Borgia sat on a plateau about 300 meters above sea level. After a slight climb from there and a crossing of the Delft Pass, the road became a long, gentle descent.
The group spent the night in the town of Metalov, located just on the other side of the pass.
The night passed without incident, and the next day’s journey was an easy one, consisting mostly of downhill travel. Though they were heading north, the drop in elevation meant the climate remained largely unchanged.
"The border is close," Elsa said, watching the scenery pass by the window.
True to her word, the group reached the border within half a day.
A fortress from the era of the Great Magic War stood at the boundary, its majestic form towering proudly... or rather, it would have, had time been kinder.
Three hundred years had weathered the stone; wind and rain had coaxed out patches of moss, and the sun had encouraged vines to crawl across the walls.
"How should I put it... it looks like a ruin," Jin muttered.
Just as Jin observed, the fortress possessed an aura better suited to the word "remnant."
"But the inside is just as it was in the old days," Elsa added.
The fortress was manned by a border guard unit. The captain personally came to verify their travel passes.
"My apologies, but this is part of the job," he said, opening the carriage door to confirm the identity of the passengers.
His inspection also served as security to ensure that wanted criminals like Valentino didn't slip across the border.
After checking the luggage and determining that the group posed no issues, the captain ordered his subordinates to open the fortress gates.
The doors groaned open with a heavy, metallic sound.
They were iron gates at least fifty centimeters thick. Ancient magi-formulae were inscribed across their surfaces, indicating they were imbued with magical resistance.
"I see. It’s only the appearance that’s grown old."
Jin noted the impressive craftsmanship.
The carriage rolled through the open gates and into the fortress. The tunnel-like walls were also carved with magi-formulae.
"Hmm. It’s quite an old format, but it looks efficient."
As Jin whispered his observation while looking out the window, Elsa turned to him with a surprised expression.
"Jin-kun, can you read the script on these walls?"
When Jin confirmed that he could, Elsa looked even more astonished.
"Rai-nii could only read about half of what's written here."
"Ah, that makes sense. It's an old style. Based on the format, these are probably from about a thousand years ago."
"What...?"
As Elsa sat there speechless, Jin offered an explanation.
"Well, remember, I had artifacts where I used to live. I ended up becoming quite familiar with these sorts of things."
Elsa seemed to accept that, at least for the moment.
"You really are a mystery, Jin-kun," she said, staring intently at him. "I've found myself wanting to know more—much more—about you."
Jin didn't notice, but Reiko, sitting right beside him, was glaring at Elsa with a look of visible displeasure.