"An artifact, you say?"
Even Sally couldn't hide her shock at the word.
"Yes. Time is of the essence right now, so I'll explain everything later."
As Jin spoke, he brought Pegasus 1 down for a landing and deactivated its Invisible state.
"Whoa!"
Sally jumped as Pegasus 1 suddenly materialized before her eyes. Jin hurried the startled woman along, guiding her toward the Warp Gate inside the craft.
With Jin leading her by the hand, Sally passed through the gate without incident. Reiko followed close behind, lugging their heavy baggage.
Once they were clear, Pegasus 1 reactivated its Invisible state and soared back into the sky. It was set to return to Hourai Island via golem-controlled autopilot.
Jin, Sally, and Reiko teleported directly into the basement of Jin’s workshop.
"This way!"
Jin bolted out of the basement and ran toward Linus’s house, with Sally right on his heels. Her ponytail whipped through the air as she ran.
Despite being nearly fifty years old, she was faster than Jin.
"Honestly, Jin-kun, pick up the pace!"
He actually ended up being the one scolded to hurry. By the time they reached the house, Jin was completely winded, gasping for breath.
"This is it, right? Out of the way!"
Sally pushed through the crowd of men gathered outside and burst into the house. Reiko followed to drop off the supplies but stepped back outside immediately to check on Jin.
"Father, are you all right?"
"...Yeah... I'm... okay..."
Jin panted, his chest heaving. The thought crossed his mind that he really needed to get serious about practicing physical reinforcement magic if he wanted to keep up.
"Jin, who’s that?"
"Is she the healer?"
Rock and the other men bombarded him with questions.
"Yes, she’s an expert healer. She agreed to come as soon as I explained the situation."
Inside the house, Sally would find Martha, Mine, Elsa, and several women from the neighborhood. With a team like that, they were prepared for almost anything.
Furthermore, Edgar and Elsa’s Secret Mobile Unit golems, Maron and Plum, were surely standing by in the shadows.
"Big brother..."
Hanna had sidled up to him at some point. Her face was etched with worry. Jin reached out and patted her head.
"It’ll be okay. With that doctor here, I’m sure everything will turn out fine."
"...Okay."
The veil of night was beginning to settle over Kaina Village. Jin took Hanna’s hand.
"There’s no use standing around here. Let’s go home for a bit."
Hanna looked reluctant to leave, but after a moment, she gave a small nod.
"Good girl. Let’s have some dinner, and then we’ll come back."
Jin walked Hanna back to Martha’s house, where they found Sara watching over things.
"Welcome back, Master."
"Sara, is dinner ready?"
"Yes, everything is prepared."
Sara gestured toward the kitchen. Bread, soup, and salad were already set out. All they had to do was warm the soup.
"Let’s eat quickly so we can head back to Sera-san’s."
"Yeah!" Hanna chirped, nodding vigorously.
Jin made short work of his meal. While they were eating, Barrow arrived from Nidou Castle to check on the situation.
"Ah, Jin-sama! You’re back."
"Barrow. Linus-san’s wife, Sera-san, is having a very difficult labor."
"So I heard. Is there anything we can do to help?"
Jin thought for a moment, and an idea struck him.
"Do we have any rice in the storehouse?"
"Rice? Yes, a large shipment arrived just the other day."
Laojun was certainly efficient; he knew Jin’s preferences well.
"Perfect. When you get back, cook up a batch of rice and make plenty of onigiri—enough for about ten people—and bring them to Linus-san’s house. If there aren't any fillings, just use salt and nori. You know how to make them, right?"
He wanted to provide a substantial snack for Sally and the others working inside.
"Yes, leave it to me!"
"Thanks. Also, tell Butler to prepare some disinfectant and recovery medicine."
"Understood!"
Watching Barrow dash back toward Nidou Castle, Jin quickly boiled some water, brewed a large batch of tea, and began filling magic bottles with it.
These magic bottles—effectively thermoses—were items Jin had brought from his own world, originally intended for picnics with Hanna and the other children. Hanna eventually joined in to help him.
Once they had filled eight bottles, Jin carried three, Reiko took four, and Hanna carried the last one.
"Alright, Hanna. Let’s go."
It was pitch black outside now. Jin, Hanna, and Reiko walked briskly back to Linus’s house. Rock and Linus were the only ones left standing by the door. The other men had apparently gone home for the night.
"You stayed behind, Rock-san?"
"Yeah. Figured it’d be best for someone to be here if they needed anything."
"I appreciate it. Here, have some of this."
Jin handed magic bottles of tea to both of them.
"Oh, thanks. My throat was getting pretty dry."
Jin handed all but one of the remaining bottles to Hanna. He opened the door for her and gave her a gentle nudge.
"Hanna, go ahead and give these to the people inside."
Hanna nodded and slipped into the house.
"Hanna-chan, thank you!"
"My throat was parched. You're a lifesaver, dear."
The muffled voices drifting from inside sounded relatively calm. Jin breathed a sigh of relief, taking that as a sign that things were stable for the moment.
Still, five or six hours must have passed by now. Since Jin knew nothing about childbirth, he couldn't tell if this was a normal duration or a dangerously long one.
Beside him, Linus was even more restless than Jin had been earlier.
"Jin, Linus, quit your fidgeting. As men, all we can do is wait," Rock said, settling himself on the ground. "They said the baby was breech, but that doctor seems like she knows her business. It’ll be fine. Martha-san is in there, too."
Jin sat down next to Rock and took a sip of his tea. Hanna didn't come back out; she was likely busy helping inside.
Linus, meanwhile, couldn't stop pacing, glancing up at the sky one moment and staring at the ground the next.
"Hey, I told you to settle down, didn't I?" Rock grumbled, but his scolding had no effect.
"I know, but... I'm sure it was much faster when Patty was born."
"That's because this one's breech, like they said. That's all it is."
"Breech... why did it have to be like that...?" Linus muttered, his voice thick with anxiety.
Suddenly...
A sharp, clear "Waaaaah!"—the cry of a newborn baby—pierced the air.
"Uncle Linus! The baby’s here! It’s a boy!"
Hanna came bursting out of the house to deliver the news. Hearing her, Linus literally jumped for joy.
"You did it! Sera!"
Martha poked her head out next.
"Jin, thanks for the tea. We were so busy boiling water for the baby's bath that we didn't even think about our own thirst. It was a huge help."
"Don't mention it. It was the least I could do."
"What are you talking about? You brought us that incredible doctor. I’ve delivered my share of babies, but that was my first breech birth. I wouldn't have known what to do, but that woman..."
Just then, Barrow and Belle arrived carrying the onigiri.
"Jin-sama, sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Perfect timing. Belle, take those inside. Give the disinfectant and recovery medicine to Elsa; she knows how to use them."
"Yes, right away."
"Barrow, give those to me. Rock-san, Linus-san, you must be starving. Here."
When Jin offered the onigiri, the two men were initially confused by their dark, wrapped appearance. However, once they took a bite, the savory scent of the nori and the simple deliciousness of the salted rice won them over. The two of them ended up polishing off all ten servings on their own.
"Phew, that was good. Jin, what was this called again?" Rock asked after finishing, leaving Jin with a wry smile.
"It’s called rice. It’s a crop from Elsa’s home country."
"Hmm. Tasty stuff. Thanks."
It seemed the local palate approved of the rice as well.
The cries of the newborn baby continued to echo through the dark night—the sound of a new hope lit within Kaina Village.