"That was impressive."
Jin, who had been watching every detail of Kaina Village's defense network in action, offered his sincere praise.
『I am honored by your words.』
"What’s the structure of that bridge being disconnected?"
Jin could think of a few ways to achieve it himself, but he was curious to know exactly how Laojun had implemented it.
『The bridge itself is composed of three Stone Golems.』
"I see."
Jin was impressed. He had assumed only the bridge girders had been turned into golems, but the entire structure was a golem in its own right.
"What were defense mechanisms seven through X?"
Jin asked about the five types that hadn't been tested during this incident.
『Seven is a clean sweep using a net woven from ground spider silk.』
If someone were trapped under a net that couldn't be cut with a normal blade, there would be no hope of escape.
"I would have liked to see that one. And the others?"
『Eight is combat using vibration swords and magic nullification via Magi-Jammers. There was no opportunity to test those this time.』
Jin nodded and waited for the rest of the explanation.
『Nine is an aerial strike from above using lasers.』
Jin was surprised that such a thing had already been prepared. It was certainly possible; an aircraft equipped with an ether converter could remain airborne indefinitely without refueling, and the golems piloting it required no rest.
When Jin voiced this thought, the reply came:
『Actually, I have installed a giant Warp Gate on the northern mountain, so they will be deployed from there as needed.』
"When did you... well, never mind. And ten?"
『Ten is an attack from a magi-cannon mounted on the northern mountain.』
Jin couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was intended to target, but he supposed the creation truly resembled its creator. They were two of a kind.
"And what about the final one, X?"
『That is total annihilation carried out by Lady Reiko.』
"I—I see."
Jin felt as though he finally understood why it was designated as X. It seemed Laojun, much like Jin himself, had forgotten his sense of self-restraint somewhere. Even if an entire army attacked, they could likely repel it without a hitch.
"Understood. Good work. So, what do you plan to do with the attackers?"
The Land units had already tied them all up. Laojun’s mobile terminal, Laozi, had also arrived on the scene.
『Upon interrogation, they claim they were incited to escape by a mysterious man. They do not appear to know the mastermind’s name.』
Since Laojun said he had "interrogated" them, Jin assumed they truly didn't know anything more. This opponent was clearly skilled at covering his tracks.
『After the interrogation, I verified their claims with Trans Info at the level I am capable of, so there is no mistake.』
Jin wanted to ask if there had been any point to the initial interrogation then, but he read the room and kept quiet. Laojun was clearly just as angry at the people who had dared to attack Kaina Village as he was.
"So we have a vague idea of the mastermind but no concrete evidence. What will their punishment be?"
『I believe it would be unwise to leave them in the Klein Kingdom as they are; they have seen too much of the village's defenses. Therefore, I would like to process them with memory manipulation magic. May I have your permission?』
"Memory manipulation magic?"
This was the first Jin had heard of it.
『It is a forbidden spell found within the memory data of the automata Tia, which I received from you recently, My Lord.』
"A forbidden spell... hey now."
That had a frightening ring to it, Jin thought.
『However, its effect is significant, and there is a humanitarian aspect to it. In fact, it seems it was historically used on criminals.』
"Specifically, what kind of magic is it? Tell me for now."
『Memory erasure.』
It was an incredible magic.
"Memory erasure... what’s the range of the effect? It won't revert them back to being infants, will it?"
『No. Memories will disappear starting from the most recent. The spell is called Amnesia.』
"Hmm, what to do... Is there a chance they'll eventually remember, like with standard amnesia?"
『According to the data, there are no recorded cases of that happening.』
Jin hesitated. Considering the safety of Kaina Village, it would be best if they forgot everything that happened here.
『It is far more humanitarian than killing them or abandoning them in the wilderness. Furthermore, Kaina Village exists under extraterritorial rights, and you, My Lord, hold the power of judgment.』
"Master, if you are only ever kind, you will become unable to protect the people you care for."
Anne, who had arrived at some point, spoke up to support the idea. Jin sighed and made his decision.
"Fine. I grant permission. But if possible, erase only today's memories."
『Understood. At the very least, I can limit the loss to within the last few days.』
"And what will you do after that?"
They had escaped from a mine, so if they were found tied up in the middle of nowhere, people would find it suspicious, Jin pointed out.
『From that mine, there are only two settlements one could reasonably reach: Kaina Village and Toka Village. Therefore, I plan to leave them in the vicinity of Toka Village.』
"Will you use the Deus Ex Machina persona again?"
『No, let us give the credit to Nostalgia.』
Jin agreed to Laojun’s proposal immediately. Unlike Jin or Hourai Island, Nostalgia was an organization that benefited from public recognition and prestige.
『Nostalgia has almost no presence within the Klein Kingdom, but we can easily handle that. We need only leave a letter stating that the organization captured the fugitives.』
"I see. Since their memories are erased, they won't be able to explain how they ended up there anyway. It sounds like a solid plan."
With the matter settled, Laojun immediately moved to execute the plan.
Since it was too late to go back to sleep, Jin decided to have an early breakfast. Soleil, who was well-prepared, served him freshly toasted bread with citran marmalade and a glass of persica juice.
"This is just the right amount. Thank you, Soleil."
Having finished his breakfast, Jin returned his consciousness to the carriage in Ganys.
Laojun, meanwhile, continued to work on identifying the mastermind behind the incident and securing evidence, driven by a firm determination to eventually crush them entirely.
There was a four-and-a-half-hour time difference between Ganys and Hourai Island, so it was still pitch black in the city.
"I’ll try to get a little more sleep. Reiko, wake me when it's time."
He recalled that they were scheduled to depart at 8:00 AM. Since Reinhard's carriage was parked right next to them, he figured he couldn't fail to notice when things started moving. Under Reiko's watchful eye, Jin reclined the carriage seat and dozed off.
Around 7:30 AM.
"Father, please wake up."
Reiko’s voice pulled him from his slumber. Since he had only been lightly dozing, Jin woke up instantly.
"What is it?"
"It is not yet eight o'clock, but Reinhard-san and Mattheus are approaching."
The fact that Reiko omitted the honorific for Mattheus suggested she still hadn't forgiven his attitude toward Jin the previous day.
"Let’s see... It looks like they have some business. They're empty-handed."
Jin opened the carriage door.
"Good morning, Reinhard. Isn't it a bit early to get started?"
"Good morning, Jin. No, it’s nothing like that. I was hoping you’d let Mattheus ride in your carriage for a moment."
"Eh?"
"I figured if he rode in it even once, he would understand firsthand why I was so insistent on being in here."
Yesterday, Mattheus had misinterpreted Reinhard's interest in Jin's carriage, so it seemed Reinhard wanted to clear up the misunderstanding once and for all.
"If that's the case, then by all means. You too, Reinhard."
"But of course!"
Jin pulled the carriage out of the parking area and drove it toward the outskirts of town.
"H-Hey, Jin-dono! There’s no road that way!"
When the carriage headed straight for the rocky wilderness, Mattheus tried to stop him in a panic. Jin, however, remained perfectly calm, as did Reinhard. The carriage plunged into the rough terrain.
"...?"
Mattheus was struck dumb. There was a gentle swaying, but the unpleasant micro-vibrations and violent lateral jolts he expected were entirely absent.
"Increase the speed a little," Jin ordered Steward, who was acting as the coachman.
The reinforced golem horses broke into a full gallop.
"O-O-Ooooh!"
The scenery outside the window began to fly by at an incredible rate. It was nearly as fast as a single horse galloping without a load—roughly 60 kilometers per hour.
"Unbelievable..."
Even with golem horses, it was unheard of for a carriage carrying four people to maintain such speed over rough ground with almost no shaking.
"Do you understand now, Mattheus? Why I wanted to ride with Jin?"
"I-I understand. In fact, I take my hat off to you. Jin-dono, my behavior yesterday was entirely uncalled for. I was wrong. Please, forgive me."
Inside the carriage, Mattheus bowed his head deeply. Being a man of straightforward character, he was quick to apologize once he realized he had been in error.
"I am truly sorry for doubting a magi engineer—no, a Magi Craftman acknowledged by Reinhard, even for a moment."
"It's fine. Please, lift your head."
Jin had already heard the reason for the behavior from Reinhard the night before, so he didn't hold a grudge and easily accepted the apology.
"Thank you, Jin-dono."
The group returned to Ganys and departed as scheduled at 8:00 AM. Even though Reinhard spent the rest of the day in Jin's carriage, Mattheus no longer showed any signs of suspicion or "jealousy."
The party arrived safely at the border town of Toscosia that evening.