When Saki asked her if she wanted to come to her house, Stearena fell into deep thought for a moment.
"Your house, Saki-san..."
"There are extra rooms, and it’s quiet. My father lives there too, but he’s usually away..."
Jin agreed that it wasn't a bad idea.
Even if they invited her to Kaina Village, they would have to build a house for her first—though that could be done in a single day. The more significant issue was that she was unfamiliar with the residents of Kaina Village, and she was even less acquainted with those in Kalts Village.
Saki’s home was a detached house with no neighbors, meaning there was no pressure for social interaction. Furthermore, it would be ideal if she could receive protection from the state. In that regard, the Shouro Empire was the better choice.
Ultimately, they decided the sooner they left the Celuroa Kingdom, the better. They agreed that for the time being, Stearena would live with Saki.
With the matter settled, the move began immediately.
They split up to pack her household goods. Only a few pieces of furniture seemed impossible to bring along. Clothes, tableware, books, and other miscellaneous items were packed away by Edgar, Ar, and Selene. Reiko took charge of the heavy magi craft tools, which amounted to about three bundles weighing approximately fifty kilograms each. Aside from her rare materials, she would be leaving the rest behind.
"...I suppose that's everything."
"Well, in the worst-case scenario, we can always come back for the rest later. More importantly, are you really okay with this? This is the home you're used to, isn't it?"
When Jin called out to her, noticing her slightly lonely profile, Stearena smiled.
"...It’s fine. It’s my home, and I have memories here, but more than that, if I can completely escape this restricted life, that’s better."
"...I see."
Jin nodded, but seeing Stearena’s melancholy expression, he seemed to be considering something.
"Well then, let’s go."
Each carrying luggage, they passed through the Warp Gate installed in the carriage.
They temporarily placed the luggage at Shinkai and returned once more to retrieve the rest. Because the Warp Gate was small, trying to move such a large volume of luggage all at once proved impossible. It took two round trips to move everything. By the time they finished, about two hours had passed.
The plan was for Steward to drive the carriage back, eventually returning via a Warp Gate provided by a dispatched Condor 3 at a suitable location.
The time difference between Banne in the Shouro Empire and Goua in the Celuroa Kingdom was roughly two hours. When they emerged at Saki's house, the local time was around 1:00 PM.
"I’ll be in your care, Saki-san."
With those words, Stearena crossed the threshold of the Eschenbach Residence while clutching a large bundle.
"Oh? And who might you be?"
A man's voice called out. Stearena was so startled she unintentionally dropped her luggage.
"Father!" Saki shouted.
Standing there was none other than Toa Eschenbach, who had returned home for a rare visit.
＊ ＊ ＊
"I see, seeking asylum, then."
"Y-yes. And so, I've decided to take your daughter up on her kind offer."
Thirty minutes later, after finishing the task of carrying the luggage into a spare room, Stearena, Jin, and Elsa were in the drawing room with Saki.
Incidentally, Hanna had not come here from Shinkai; she had already been sent back to Kaina Village. By now, she was likely eating dinner with Martha and the others.
"I know it’s a bother, but I would like to stay here for a while..."
Stearena looked down and stole a glance at Toa’s face. Toa was forty-four years old this year. He had reddish-brown hair and purple-grey eyes that closely resembled Saki's. He was on the thin side and stood only slightly taller than Stearena.
"No, I don't stay at home much myself. If my daughter says it's fine, then it's fine."
Toa, who possessed a personality that didn't fret over details, accepted Stearena quite easily. It was helpful that he didn't even pry into how they had traveled from the Celuroa Kingdom.
"...So, who are the rest of you?" Toa asked, turning to Jin and Elsa.
"Ah, I'm Jin. I'm a friend of Saki-san's."
"...I'm Elsa. It’s been a long time."
Toa looked at Elsa's face, searching his memory for a moment before his expression brightened.
"Elsa...? Ah, that young lady! It’s been a while! You’ve grown so much!" he spoke with a sudden burst of energy.
"Y-yes."
As he was Saki's father, Toa had met Elsa several times in the past.
"So, is Jin-kun Elsa-san's groom?"
"Eh?"
"N-no, Jin-nii is... my... my step-brother..."
Elsa's cheeks flushed slightly as she desperately denied it. Saki, sitting next to her father, watched Elsa with a look as if she were witnessing something rare and curious.
"Oho, it seems there are some complicated circumstances involved."
Toa made the observation but did not pursue the matter further. As for Stearena, she was staring straight at Toa.
"Toa-sama, is it possible to create crystals through alchemy?"
Toa laughed at the question.
"Haha, even if it goes by the name of alchemy, one cannot create materials from zero. At most, we can alter their properties to increase their uses."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. It seems the original goal was to create gold, but..."
Somehow, Toa and Stearena seemed to share a natural affinity, and they quickly fell into a deep discussion. Saki watched her father, who was speaking with rare passion, with an expression of disbelief.
"Well, in any case, I'm glad Stearena's move is settled."
"Exactly. Father seems to have approved as well, so I’m relieved."
"Saki-nee, it looks like your father has taken a liking to Stearena-san," Elsa noted.
Indeed, although it was their first meeting, Toa and Stearena were already conversing with surprising familiarity.
"Elsa, shall we head back to Hourai Island for a bit? I need to examine Edgar."
"...Mm. Let's go back."
Jin and Elsa decided to return to Hourai Island for a time. Jin thought that Saki likely had much to discuss with her father after his long absence. In truth, he had many things he wanted to ask Toa himself, but he prioritized their time as father and daughter. It was Jin's own way of being considerate.
"Well then, Saki, see you later."
"Yeah, see you."
Then Jin, Elsa, Reiko, and Edgar moved to Hourai Island.
＊ ＊ '＊
"First, place Edgar in Stand Still."
It was already night on Hourai Island, but the first thing the two did was perform maintenance on Edgar. Once undressed, Edgar lay down on the workbench. Elsa, his creator, spoke the keyword for Stand Still.
Jin and Elsa proceeded to disassemble the halted Edgar according to the standard procedure.
"Ah, there was damage after all."
Jin had heard what happened while he, Hanna, and Reiko were away, but examining Edgar in person allowed him to see the reality of the situation.
"His skeleton is slightly distorted... It’s a good thing we used light silver."
Because light silver was lightweight and strong yet possessed excellent ductility, it had managed to bend rather than break under the attack. If it had been made of bronze, it likely would have shattered.
"Let's swap it for 64 light silver."
"Mm."
It was a material even stronger than ordinary light silver, with a higher affinity for Hardening and Toughening. Furthermore, they added reinforcement with adamantite to the critical sections. The work was fundamentally done by Elsa, while Jin focused on instructing her from the side.
"Alright, all that's left is an output boost."
Considering the goal of protecting Elsa, his current strength was undeniably insufficient. He needed power on par with a Quinta, or perhaps a little more. They decided to replace the magical muscles with Sham Dragon material. They also revamped the ether converter and mana driver to allow for even higher output.
After three hours, the repairs and reinforcements for Edgar were completed without a hitch.