Following their day of play on Kunlun Island, it was decided that Hanna would stay the night.
Jin made a note to send word to Martha through either Gon or Gen.
"I’m staying over at Auntie’s place today!"
Seeing how thoroughly Hanna had taken to Mine, Jin felt a sense of relief.
Exhausted from a full day of activity, Hanna began to nod off shortly after finishing dinner. Mine gathered the sleepy girl into her arms and carried her to the guest room, tucking her into a futon spread out next to her and Elsa’s.
Watching the scene, Jin was impressed by how natural Mine looked in a maternal role.
"Well, I’m heading back to Hourai Island for the night. Please look after Hanna. I’ll come by to pick her up tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Jin-sama. Have a restful evening."
"Jin-nii, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, goodnight."
With that, Jin and Reiko made their way back to Hourai Island.
When they stepped out of the Warp Gate, Topaz 43 was waiting for them.
"Welcome back, Master."
"Oh, Topaz. Is something the matter?"
"No, Master. By Laojun’s order, we are now stationed here on a rotating basis."
The reason clicked in Jin’s mind immediately. This was Laojun’s way of ensuring that an incident like Elsa’s kidnapping would never happen again.
"I see. Good work."
With a word of praise for the golem, Jin returned to his workshop.
"Laojun, thank you for taking care of that security detail so quickly," Jin said, expressing his gratitude through the built-in manacam.
"It was my pleasure. I have temporarily assigned the maid golems to the rotation. In the future, I intend to create a golem specifically for this post."
Jin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. We’ll get to that once the current chaos settles down."
He then moved on to the next topic. "Have you come up with any weapons for the golems yet?"
"Yes. I believe swords and shields would be the most suitable."
"They're a classic for a reason. But a standard sword feels a bit uninspired..."
Now that he was fully relaxed, a new idea sparked in Jin’s mind.
"A Vibration Sword... We could make a blade out of magi-adamantite and have it vibrate at ultra-high speeds."
With magi-adamantite, there was no risk of the blade chipping, which meant he could make the sword much thinner than a conventional one. He theorized that if he used magical engineering to induce high-frequency vibrations, the blade would be capable of slicing through almost anything.
As long as he implemented security protocols so the weapons could only be used by his own golems, there was little risk of them being turned against him. Furthermore, without a flow of mana, magi-adamantite was actually structurally weaker than regular adamantite.
"A Vibration Sword? Understood. I shall begin the trials."
For this type of weaponry, as long as Jin gave the initial approval, Laojun was more than capable of handling the development without further direct involvement from his master.
"My Lord, I have received the scheduled report from Reinhard-san. It seems he spent a productive day meeting with a magi craftman in the Celuroa Kingdom."
"Is that so? I’ll have to ask him about that later."
Jin finished the sentence with a wide yawn.
"My Lord, you seem exhausted. Please, get some rest."
Night fell on Hourai Island about an hour earlier than on Kunlun Island, and Jin was finally starting to feel the weight of the day's events.
"Father, Laojun is right. You should sleep for today," Reiko added, her voice full of concern for her creator. Jin followed her advice without argument.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll do that."
Reiko followed him toward the bedroom. As they walked, she whispered in a voice so soft it was almost lost to the air.
"I’m so glad... Father is finally back to his old self."
The following morning, Jin jumped back to Kunlun Island before breakfast.
It was 6:00 AM local time—exactly the moment Hanna was waking up.
They crossed paths at the washroom in the Mansion. Hanna was in the middle of splashing water from the tap onto her face, looking slightly startled by his sudden appearance.
"Good morning, Onii-chan."
"Good morning, Hanna."
They exchanged morning greetings as they prepared for the day.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Uh-huh! I slept with Auntie!"
"With Mine? That’s good to hear."
"Yeah!"
Mine and Elsa joined them shortly after.
"Good morning, Jin-sama."
"Jin-nii, morning."
"Good morning, both of you."
After their greetings, the four of them stepped outside. The sky was perfectly clear once again.
"Wow, it’s so pretty out!"
Hanna dashed into the garden in front of the Mansion, frolicking about with boundless energy.
"Jin-sama, will you be taking Hanna-chan home today?" Mine asked. Jin nodded. "In that case, since the villagers were so kind to Elsa, I would like to go with you to pay my respects and offer my thanks."
"That makes sense. Let's all go together."
Understanding Mine’s feelings, Jin decided that the four of them—along with Reiko—would head to Kaina Village after breakfast.
Their morning meal consisted of fresh bread, thin slices of smoked meat, salad, and citran juice. Hanna helped prepare the salad, while Elsa sliced the meat and squeezed the fruit for the juice.
"It might be a nice gesture to bring some citran as a gift," Jin suggested.
On this island—or rather, on both Hourai and Kunlun—the citran, Persica, and apulul trees bore fruit year-round. He wasn't sure if it was due to the specific climate or some other factor, though he suspected the mana density in the soil played a significant role.
"Let’s eat!"
Hanna gave the signal, and breakfast began.
"Hanna, once we’re finished, I’ll take you back to Kaina Village."
"...Okay."
A shadow of loneliness crossed her face, but she nodded obediently. Mine reached out to comfort her.
"It's all right, Hanna-chan. Auntie and Elsa are coming along too."
"Wait, really? You’re coming too, Auntie? Yay!"
In the span of a single day, she had become remarkably attached to the older woman.
After leisurely cleaning up, they took a supply of citran out of the refrigerator and packed them into baskets. Jin figured he wanted to provide at least one fruit for every villager.
Kaina Village had twenty-nine households. Estimating an average of three to four people per house, he decided 120 fruits would be sufficient.
It was too much for one person to carry, but split between five people, it was manageable. However, since Jin was carrying Hanna on his back, Reiko ended up carrying the weight of three people's worth of baskets.
"Does everyone have everything?" Jin asked.
"All set!" Hanna chirped.
"Then let’s head out."
The group made their way to the Warp Gate room. As before, Hanna was blindfolded and carried on Jin’s back to keep the location a secret.
The transition happened in an instant.
When they stepped outside, they found Kaina Village bathed in sunlight. It was around 7:30 AM.
Their first stop was the Village Chief’s house. Giebeck was outside, sweeping the front of his home with a broom.
"Oh, Jin, welcome back. Who is your guest?" Giebeck asked, looking at Mine. Mine gave a polite, deep bow.
"Are you the Village Chief? I am Mine, Elsa’s mother. My daughter was in your care for some time, and I wanted to come and express my gratitude in person."
"Well, that’s very kind of you. So, Mine-san, are you and Jin...?"
"Yes. Elsa and Jin-sama are related by bond, though we share no blood relation."
"I see. Everyone has their circumstances, I suppose."
Whether due to his age or his position, Giebeck didn't pry further.
"I’ve brought this as a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."
She presented three baskets piled high with citran. The Village Chief’s eyes widened at the sight.
"My, this is impressive. I’ve never seen this fruit before. I accept it gladly. May I share this with the rest of the village?"
"Yes, please do."
Barbara emerged from the house just then.
"Oh, good morning. Goodness, what are these?"
"They’re called citran! They’re sweet and sour and so good!"
Hanna had remained quiet while Mine and the Chief spoke, but she couldn't contain her excitement once Barbara appeared.
"Citran, eh? My, they smell wonderful."
Barbara picked one up and inhaled the scent, a smile spreading across her face. Jin decided it was time to move on.
"Village Chief, could I ask you to handle the distribution?"
Giebeck nodded. "Leave it to me, Jin."
"Alright. We’re going to take Hanna home now. I brought some specifically for Martha-san, so I’ll give hers to her directly."
"Understood."
With that, the group headed to Hanna’s house. They found Martha just as she was finishing hanging out the laundry.
"Grandma, I’m home!"
"Oh, Hanna, welcome back. Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah, it was amazing! We went to the ocean and rode on a boat! It was so fast!"
"I’m glad to hear it....Jin, who is this?"
Martha, like Giebeck, looked at Mine with curiosity.
"You must be Martha-san. My name is Mine. I am Elsa’s mother. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for my daughter."
Beside her, Elsa bowed her head in respect.
"So you’re Elsa-chan’s mother? You certainly look the part. Though you don't look a bit like Jin."
"Yes, well, you see..."
Mine went through the explanation of her relationship with Jin once more.
Meanwhile, Hanna set the basket of citran on the kitchen table and looked up at Jin with pleading eyes.
"Can I have one?"
Jin laughed and gave her a nod.
"Yay! I'm gonna peel one for Grandma too!"
Hanna set to work immediately. The fruit was perfectly ripe, and even Hanna’s small hands could peel the skin away easily. She rushed back outside with the fruit.
"Grandma, here! This is for you!"
Martha, who had been deep in conversation with Mine, turned to look at her granddaughter.
"What's this, Hanna?"
"It’s a super yummy fruit!"
"Is that so? Thank you, dear....Oh, my, this really is delicious."
"Right? We brought lots, so make sure you eat more later!"
Hanna chirped before scampering back into the kitchen.
"She’s such a wonderful child, Hanna-chan," Mine said softly, watching the girl's retreating back.
"She is. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, too," Martha replied, though her voice carried a hint of melancholy. "But if she stays in a village like this, I suppose she'll just end up like me in the end."
Hearing those words, Mine grew quiet, lost in thought.