With Mine's condition stable, Sally administered another sip of the remaining recovery medicine. This time, she managed to get every drop down without spilling a single one.
"Phew, that should do it. Now we just have to wait and see."
Mine’s breathing was now peaceful and rhythmic.
"She seems mentally exhausted as well, so it might take a while for her to wake up," Sally added.
Hearing that, Jin spoke up. "Doctor, would it be possible to keep Mine here for a while?"
Sally countered with a condition of her own. "Well, this is a clinic, so that shouldn’t be a problem. However, I am a healer; I’d like you to tell me more about that medicine you used."
The request was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances.
"Yes, I understand. I made that recovery medicine myself," Jin answered honestly. He felt he could trust this healer. Even though she was a woman, Sally carried an air similar to his own or Reinhard’s.
"You made it?!" Sally’s face was a mask of shock. "Are you an alchemist?"
"No, I’m a magi craftman. I happened to learn the method for making it from a certain source and decided to give it a try."
"Wh-wh-what? You learned the method? You mean you were given a recipe that alchemists consider more precious than life itself?"
Sally’s shock only deepened. Realizing he might have overstepped, Jin decided to pivot.
"Well, the source was an automata. An ancient model from the era of the Great Magic War."
"What did you say?"
Sally was certainly easy to surprise. Jin had initially thought she was the calm, collected type, but she seemed prone to excitement.
"It was an old automata, and it stopped functioning right after I heard the recipe. That was the only thing I managed to get out of it, and even then, the information was incomplete."
Jin went on to explain that he had created the medicine by infusing healing magic into the serum obtained by letting the blood of a magical beast with magic energy settle. He omitted the details about centrifugal separation to avoid further complications.
"Hmm, so it can be made using a method like that..."
Sally seemed to have found a lead. She began muttering to herself, ruminating on the process.
"Monster blood is hard to come by... but perhaps it’s not limited to monsters... what’s needed is the contained magic energy... if that’s the case..."
"Um, Doctor."
Growing impatient with Sally, who had vanished into her own world, Jin spoke up with a slightly louder voice. As much as he cared about Mine, he was also deeply worried about Elsa.
"Ah! Wh-what is it?"
"Mine will be all right now, won't she?"
"Yes. She should be fine if she’s allowed to convalesce."
Hearing that, Jin made his decision.
"I’m sorry to ask this, but could you please look after her until she recovers?"
"Hmm? I don’t mind, but it sounds like there’s more to this story."
Prompted by her question, Jin gave a brief summary of the situation involving Elsa and Mine.
"I see. Fleeing with a young lady, only to be attacked along the way."
"Yes. That’s the only logical conclusion."
"Which means they can’t return to their house, either."
"They would likely face punishment if they did."
Sally thought for a moment before nodding. "I understand. Since I’ve already taken her in, I’ll look after her until she’s well. I did get that information about the recovery medicine from you, after all."
She accepted the request. Jin bowed his head in gratitude.
"Thank you, Doctor. This is for the immediate expenses."
He handed over three gold coins—30,000 Toll.
"This is far too much..." Sally began to protest, but sensing that the sum also included hush money, she accepted it without further argument.
With his immediate worries about Mine resolved, Jin hurried back to the inn. It was already evening, but Reinhard had not yet returned. He decided to leave a message.
"So I should tell him, 'Something caught my attention, so I'm going to check it out. Don't worry about me'? Is that correct?"
After entrusting the message to the butler, Claude, Jin left Anne behind in the room and set off under the gathering twilight to find Elsa.
Time was of the essence. He wished he had his golem horse, Koma, but the horse wouldn't fit through the carriage's Warp Gate. He was forced to detach a different golem horse from the carriage and mount it instead. It was unstable without a saddle, but he endured the discomfort, prioritizing speed above all else.
His destination lay upstream along the Torres River.
As a precaution, Jin decided to call in the Air Force for support. Sky 71 through 75 received his orders and moved to standby in the air using Raptors 1 through 5. They would likely reach his position by the time he covered the twenty kilometers.
"Ah, the fact that landing is so difficult is a real bottleneck," Jin muttered, only now realizing the flaw in the design. "I’m sure I’ve heard of something called a VTOL. Maybe I'll try building one when I get back..."
As he rode through the night, Jin’s mind continued to wander. Since he was merely being swayed by the golem horse's gait, his head was filled with idle thoughts even as he worried for Elsa.
"I’ve reinforced Reiko, but I’m still completely helpless myself. I need to upgrade my personal equipment soon."
He thought of night-vision goggles to see in the dark, or the powered suit he had left unfinished. Jin’s brainstorm showed no signs of stopping.
"Man, it would be great if Reiko could fly, too."
Once he started down that path, there was no stopping him. This was, in a sense, the backlash of his supposed self-restraint finally snapping.
Jin was by no means a pacifist, but he wasn't exactly looking for a fight either. He was generally soft on those he considered family and ruthless toward his enemies. He suspected most people were the same.
It wasn't that Jin particularly liked Mine. She found something to complain about at every turn, and he had considered her difficult to handle. However, he wasn't heartless enough to overlook what had been done to her—especially now that he suspected she was Elsa's biological mother.
He would find Elsa, and he would make sure whoever had put Mine through such an ordeal paid the price. He hadn't yet realized that the people responsible were no longer among the living.
"...I'm exhausted."
The constant swaying of the saddle-less golem horse was taking its toll.
"Man, a bike would have been so much easier. Or even a bicycle. I’m definitely making one later."
The shackles of Jin’s restraint had seemingly vanished into another dimension.
"Father, are you all right? Shall I carry you?" Reiko asked with concern.
The thought of being carried or given a piggyback ride by a girl only 130 centimeters tall was far too pathetic for Jin to contemplate, so he declined.
"Is that so? If you grow weary, please do not hesitate to say so."
"Yeah."
He gave a short answer, but the chances of Jin actually whining to Reiko were effectively zero. He had his fatherly dignity to maintain.
Besides, it wasn't that he was too tired to walk; his fatigue came solely from the saddle-less horse. Walking wouldn't be a problem at all.
Furthermore, they weren't making particularly fast progress. The Secret Mobile Unit was scouting the path ahead, which kept their speed in check. The closer they got to the enemy base, the more cautious they had to be, further slowing their pace.
Though Elsa's safety weighed heavily on his mind, Jin suppressed his impatience. He knew that if he were discovered, the danger to Elsa would only escalate.
They were nearing the destination. He had to ensure they weren't detected.
According to Laozi’s report, Sky and the others had identified a fort deep in the forest from the air. While they had been able to follow the side roads along the river until now, they were about to enter the trackless wilderness.
"Father, to save time, perhaps we should have the Secret Mobile Unit clear a path?"
Pushing through dense brush was physically taxing. Reiko suggested having the SP members clear the way by cutting back the vegetation, prioritizing stealth and silence above all else.
"Good idea. Let's do that."
With that, Dahlia and Canna of the Secret Mobile Unit revealed themselves and began to lead the way. The other members remained on high alert in the surrounding shadows. Reiko stayed at Jin’s side, guarding him closely as they advanced.
After fifteen minutes of trekking, Dahlia came to a halt.
"Chief, there is a building ahead."
Jin squinted into the darkness at Dahlia's report. There, indeed, stood a structure resembling a fort.
"I can definitely sense the magic energy from the brooch you made, Father," Reiko said.
The brooch he had gifted to Elsa was studded with tiny magi-crystals infused with Jin’s own magic energy. At this distance, Reiko could easily track its signature.
"All right, time to infiltrate."
"There is no need for you to do so yourself, Father," Reiko gently rebuked him. "That is what the Secret Mobile Unit is for. You need only give the command."
Once again, Jin felt a bit pathetic, but he couldn't deny that his physical capabilities were lacking.
"Fine. Here are your orders: Find Elsa. Do not be detected."
"Understood, Chief."
The members of the Secret Mobile Unit vanished toward the fort without a sound. As Jin watched them go, another thought crossed his mind.
It would be interesting to create a magi-doll that moves according to my will, he mused.
Even in a situation like this, he couldn't help but connect everything back to craftsmanship.