With Reinhard’s move mostly wrapped up, the next question was how to collect Stearena Gamma. Jin sat back, lost in thought.
"Hmm, she’ll have a coachman with her..."
He couldn't exactly spirit her away in front of a hired driver who wasn't part of their circle. It was a rather tricky problem.
If they weren't within the borders of the Shouro Empire, he could have made it look like a kidnapping, but doing that here would likely escalate into an international incident. If she had already crossed into the Celuroa Kingdom, it wouldn't have been a problem—at least, not internationally.
Jin agonized over the logistics until a solution finally struck him.
"That’s it!"
"Father?"
Reiko stared at Jin with a dubious expression after his sudden outburst.
"Ah, no, I just thought of a good way to go pick up Stearena."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Reinhard asked, sounding intrigued.
"I assume Stearena is heading home in a hired carriage, right?"
"Yes, I’m certain of it."
"In that case, if I just take over the journey..."
As Jin spoke, Reinhard seemed to catch on immediately.
"You'll provide a replacement carriage!"
"Exactly. If we keep a decoy carriage moving, no one will notice if the original passenger is gone. If we really need to be careful, we can even put a body double inside."
"Heh, that sounds like it could be fun," Saki added, joining the conversation.
"If she left Loizart this morning, a normal carriage would probably stop for the night in Riale," Reinhard estimated. In reality, since they already knew Stearena's magic pattern, they could pinpoint her exact location using a magi-radar.
"It would be quickest if I could get to Riale tonight or tomorrow morning and have her switch carriages... but the distance is just too great, no matter how you look at it."
Reinhard spoke with logic, but he paused, surprised to see Jin wearing a faint, knowing smile.
"...Right. Jin, distance isn't really an issue for you, is it?"
Jin nodded silently. Reinhard closed his eyes and let out a single, resigned sigh. Jin turned to him with a final word.
"I’ll explain all of that—and more—once Stearena arrives tomorrow."
Reinhard managed a smile. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it!"
That night, Jin returned to Hourai Island with Reiko. Once there, he issued a specific order.
"Laojun, prepare one dummy golem carriage by tomorrow morning."
『Understood. This is to facilitate Miss Stearena’s arrival, I presume?』
With just that brief exchange, Laojun had already deduced the entirety of Jin's plan.
Jin then contacted Stearena via manacam.
『Oh, Jin-kun? What is it?』
"Actually, regarding tomorrow, I have a plan..."
Jin explained the details. Naturally, Stearena was delighted by the proposal.
After hammering out the finer points, Jin spent the night on Hourai Island.
The next day arrived. Thanks to the time difference, Jin was able to enjoy a leisurely morning, even though he had stayed up late the previous night. After a morning bath and a slow meal, it was finally time to depart.
He deployed via the transporter—a maneuver that was fast becoming routine. This time, he transferred to the airspace above Riale along with Pelican 1. He opted against using Pegasus 1 because he needed to transport the carriage.
The time difference between Hourai Island and Riale was approximately five hours. When he transferred from the island at 8:00 AM, it was still 3:00 AM in Riale.
Under the cover of pitch darkness, he utilized Invisible to avoid detection while landing in the outskirts of Riale to unload the carriage. Naturally, the vehicle came equipped with newly built golem horses and the automaton Steward acting as the coachman. Their performance specifications had been significantly dialed back to appear normal.
Even at a modest pace, they reached the town of Riale before dawn.
Jin had traveled this highway once before during his initial trip to the Shouro Empire, so he was somewhat familiar with the area. He parked the carriage by the side of the road and waited for the sun to rise.
At 5:00 AM, the town of Riale began to stir, and freight wagons started their early morning rounds. Deciding it was time, Jin signaled for the carriage to move.
"Let's see... she said it was a hotel along the main road. Oh, is that it?"
He had noted the location during their manacam conversation, so he recognized it immediately.
"The 'Kemeria Hotel.' That's definitely it."
A kemeria was a red flower similar to a camellia. True to the name, the hotel grounds were lush with kemeria trees.
"Oh, Jin-kun, you're early!"
Even though it was only 5:30 AM, Stearena was already waiting out front.
"Good morning. You're quite early yourself, Miss Stearena."
"Well, is this the carriage?" Stearena's eyes sparkled as she examined the golem horses.
"Yes, this is it."
"It's wonderful! Well then, let's head out!"
"Wait, already?"
"Don't look so surprised. I've already settled my contract with the other carriage and checked out of the hotel."
Looking closely, Jin saw her luggage was already piled up. Her blue topaz golem, Selene, stood beside the bags.
Jin was impressed by her decisiveness. It was clear that Stearena had been counting down the minutes until she could go to Hourai Island.
"I understand. Let's go, then."
The carriage was an eight-passenger model, so it had plenty of room for her belongings. With Reiko's help, they quickly loaded everything. Jin then had the carriage turn around and head back the way they came.
"Oh my, this carriage is incredibly comfortable. It hardly shakes at all."
This was the efficiency of the active golem suspension; it guaranteed a smooth ride whether they were on cobblestones or a rutted dirt road.
"And it's fast. Is it about twice as quick as a normal carriage?"
Even with its power capped, the carriage possessed more than double the capabilities of a standard vehicle, just as Stearena noted.
By 6:00 AM, they veered off the highway and arrived at Pelican 1's landing site.
"Is there any luggage you want to keep with you?"
"Let's see... a change of clothes and... yes, this will do."
Stearena stepped out of the carriage, carrying only a small bag of essentials.
"This way, please."
Still shrouded by Invisible, they were led inside the aircraft by Reiko.
"Oh? We can leave from here too?"
After convincing her that the full explanation would come later, Jin, Stearena, Reiko, and Selene passed through the Warp Gate.
As before, they traveled via Shinkai. Jin explained the relay station's role in detail before they finally stepped onto Hourai Island.
『Welcome back, My Lord. And welcome, Miss Stearena.』
Laojun’s voice greeted them. The group crossed the entrance hall and stepped outside.
There, having received word from Jin, were Reinhard, Berche, Elsa, Mine, and Saki. The Hourai Island Family had gathered to receive them. They all spoke up at once in a chorus of greeting.
"Welcome, Miss Stearena."
The words were simple, but the sentiment was genuine. Stearena’s face lit up with a radiant smile.
"Thank you, everyone! Oh, I’ve finally made it!"
Her voice was thick with emotion.
Once Stearena had a chance to compose herself, the group gathered at a set of tables in the laboratory’s front garden. Jin stood to address them.
"Alright, everyone. First, I’m going to tell you everything I’ve kept hidden until now."
"Eh?"
"...Jin-nii."
"Since Stearena is here too, I’m going to tell the whole story from the very beginning."
And so, Jin began to speak.
He told them of being born and raised on a planet called Earth. He told them he was an orphan. He told them how he had fallen into a blast furnace and was almost certainly considered dead in that world.
He explained how an automaton created by Adriana Barbora Tsetse—Reiko’s predecessor—had spent a thousand years searching for a successor until she found Jin and summoned him across worlds.
He told them how he had inherited all of Adriana Barbora Tsetse's knowledge and the entirety of Hourai Island.
Then he spoke of everything that had happened since his arrival in this world.
He had already shared most of this with Elsa, and Reinhard had suspected the better part of it. However, Berche, Mine, Saki, and Stearena were left utterly speechless, stunned by the weight of his revelation.