They stayed at a reasonably high-class inn in Delid Town. The building was a sturdy, three-story stone structure with a rooftop area.
Unable to sleep that night, Jin left his room and climbed the stairs to the roof. A small lamp flickered there, providing just enough light to navigate the space. Stars twinkled in the spring sky above.
“Ah, it’s a beautiful night sky. Not that I recognize any of these constellations.”
Looking up at the stars, Jin felt a wave of uncharacteristic sentimentality. He called out softly.
“Reiko, you’re there, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Father.”
His loyal automata, Reiko, deactivated her Stealth magic and appeared before him.
“Come here.”
“Yes.”
Feeling a lingering sense of loneliness, Jin beckoned Reiko closer and stroked her head.
“Father?” Reiko tilted her head, her voice tinged with concern at her master’s unusual behavior.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how you’re always with me.”
“Yes. That is my reason for being.”
“Heh, you always say that. But it’s good. Stay by my side, always.”
“Yes, Father. Of course.”
It was too dark for Jin to see clearly, but at that moment, Reiko wore a radiant smile.
“......”
A song suddenly spilled from Jin’s lips—one he had somehow forgotten until now. It was the ending theme to a story about a group traveling west in search of scriptures. He remembered it from the Orphanage Director's collection; he had watched it on a video tape, not just listened to it on a cassette.
“Father...”
Reiko took Jin’s hand, hoping that even this small gesture might help dispel his loneliness.
“.........”
As the last notes of Jin’s song faded, footsteps sounded from behind. Reiko spun around instantly, dropping into a combat stance—but she quickly relaxed.
“Jin-kun?”
It was Elsa. Her room was on the third floor, and she had apparently come up after hearing Jin’s voice.
“Elsa? Is something wrong?”
“I should ask you that,” she replied. “What are you doing up here, Jin-kun?”
“I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to get some air.”
Elsa studied his face, searching for something, before nodding tentatively. “I see. What was that song?”
“Oh, nothing in particular. Just a song.”
Elsa didn't seem convinced. She fell into thought for a moment before striking right at the heart of the matter. “Jin-kun, are you lonely?”
“Huh?”
The darkness hid his flustered expression, but Jin was visibly shaken. He hadn't expected Elsa of all people to see through him so easily.
“W-What makes you say that?” he stammered, his voice climbing an octave.
“Because I used to feel the same way,” Elsa murmured. “Father is a soldier, so he was rarely home. Mother was frail and hardly ever left her room. My brothers are much older than me, so we never had much to talk about.”
Hearing the details of Elsa’s upbringing again, Jin felt a fresh wave of sympathy.
“Rai-nii didn’t always have time for me either. Especially after he became a diplomat, I hardly saw him.”
She likely hadn’t had many friends her own age, either. Jin suspected her social awkwardness stemmed from that isolation.
“When you’re lonely, sometimes you want to be by yourself,” Elsa continued. “That’s when you start remembering the times when you were happy.”
“And for you, those happy times were...?”
“When I was very small. When I played with my brothers and Rai-nii—or rather, when they played with me.”
Jin realized once again that childhood memories held a special place in everyone’s heart. Those simple days spent playing without a care in the world... even for Jin, that period had been brief, but it had existed.
“Jin-kun, you are an amazing magi craftman. But that’s exactly why you’re lonely.”
Elsa was being remarkably sharp tonight—until she added, “...Or at least, that’s what Rai-nii said.”
It turned out she was just quoting Reinhard.
“Rai-nii said that the only people who can fill the void of loneliness are those who share the same feelings.”
“Elsa...”
Jin was impressed to hear such profound words from her. However—
“...Wait, what does that actually mean?”
As expected, Elsa was still Elsa.
The somber mood suddenly lifted. Jin looked up at the stars once more, then turned back to Elsa. “Aren't you cold?”
Squinting through the darkness, he realized she was only wearing her nightgown.
“Mmm. I’m fine.”
Regardless, Jin slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you. You’re always so kind, Jin-kun.”
Elsa pulled the jacket tight. Jin watched her for a moment before asking, “Hey, about what we discussed earlier today—the commoner faction and the elite faction. Is the conflict between them really that serious?”
“Not across the whole country,” Elsa explained. “The commoner faction is the majority in our empire. The elite faction is limited to a small group of nobles.”
According to Elsa, a handful of nobles who employed magi engineers—or magi craftmen—wanted to keep all technology for themselves.
“They just want to feel superior,” Elsa said dismissively. “But you would hate that, Jin-kun.”
“Yeah. I love making things I like, but the real joy comes from seeing people happy with what I’ve created. That’s when I feel like the work was worth it.”
“Rai-nii said something similar,” Elsa noted.
Elsa trailed off and looked down, fidgeting as if struggling with her words. Finally, she looked up with determination.
“Rai-nii told me I shouldn’t say this, but...” She paused, then took the plunge. “I want you to come to the Shouro Empire, Jin-kun. I want you to make all the things you like—things that will help people.”
Her face flushed slightly as she added, “...And I like the expression you make when you’re crafting.”
Before he could respond, she spun around. “Goodnight.”
With that, she vanished from the rooftop.
“Things I like, and things that are useful...”
Left alone once more, Jin muttered the words to himself. Reiko had disappeared again.
“I suppose if I want to stop being lonely, I need to settle down somewhere.”
Currently, he was a man without a country.
“Well, I always planned to find a place to live eventually.”
His goal for this journey was to see the world and decide where he belonged.
“The Shouro Empire, huh?”
＊ ＊ ＊
Meanwhile, the vanished Reiko was elsewhere.
“Big Sister, we have intercepted another one.”
She was receiving a report from the Hourai Island Secret Mobile Unit, also known as the SP.
“They are relentless, night after night,” Reiko said. “It would only be a nuisance to bother Father with this. Dispose of him yourselves.”
“Yes, ma'am. Understood.”