"Laojun, what do you think?"
Jin had passed all the data from his examination of Lucas’s body to Laojun, and now he was pressing for a conclusion.
『Yes. Based on the limited data, this is largely conjecture, but I suspect Lucas belongs to the race of "servants nearly identical to humans" from the legends Vivian-san mentioned.』
"You think so too, then."
Jin had been entertaining the same thought. Whether they were a separate natural species or one created artificially remained a mystery.
"And do you think those two can be trusted?"
Jin posed another question to Laojun, who had monitored every word of the conversation with Sion through Reiko.
『Yes, My Lord. On the whole, there appear to be no major issues.』
"I see."
『They are likely withholding some information, but they do not appear to be lying. At the very least, they lack ill intent. Since they can provide valuable intel, I believe it is acceptable to assist them for the time being.』
"Understood."
『However, while the timing may be difficult to coordinate, I judge it necessary for you to speak with all of your companions yourself.』
"You're right. Elsa knows already, but I have to tell the others."
When it was 4:00 PM in Kaina Village, it was 6:20 PM on Hourai Island. In Loizart, within the Shouro Empire, it was 1:00 PM.
"They might be right in the middle of work, but..."
He felt bad for interrupting Reinhard, but this took priority.
He reached out via manacam, and thirty minutes later, the entire Jin Family had gathered.
The group consisted of Jin, Elsa, Mine, Reinhard, Berche, Saki, Toa, Stearena, and Vivian. Given the emergency summons, they had all dropped what they were doing to assemble.
"Now then, there's a reason I called for this emergency meeting..."
With support from Laojun, Jin explained everything that had happened since the previous day.
"...And that's the situation. Sorry for the late notice."
"D-Demons? Jin-sama, are you quite alright?"
Berche was the first to speak, her voice trembling with concern.
"Hmm. Jin, these members of the demon race... Sion and Lucas, was it? Can they really be trusted?"
Reinhard offered a similarly cautious opinion.
"Yeah. Regarding that, Laojun and I are in agreement that they are 'trustworthy,' even if we haven't reached the point of fully 'relying' on them yet."
"Hmm... well... after everything with Marcosius and Androgyas..."
Saki still looked skeptical, unable to fully shake her doubts.
However, Elsa, who was the only one besides Jin to have met them in person, felt differently.
"My impression was that they are no different from humans."
"What?"
"When I examined them with Diagnose, their internal physical structure was identical to a human's."
"Hmm... if that's the case, then what explains that abnormal strength, durability, and those special abilities?"
Reinhard looked unconvinced by Elsa's medical assessment. Laojun’s voice chimed in then to address the discrepancy.
『I have a hypothesis regarding that. It is believed that the demon race utilizes a unique form of physical reinforcement.』
Laojun explained his analysis of how the unconscious Androgyas, despite his immense power, had been reduced to ash by fire magic.
『Since the human body contains significant water content, it is inconceivable that it would instantaneously incinerate into ash, even when exposed to temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius.』
"Ah, that's true..."
As someone who had ended his life on Earth by falling into a ladle in an electric furnace, Jin knew more about a body being incinerated than anyone would care to. It remained a point of trauma for him.
『Fire magic is a spell that converts free ether into thermal energy. In other words, if you strike a body containing a large concentration of free ether with such a spell...』
"...The free ether inside the body would convert to heat, and they would turn to ash instantly. Is that it?"
『Precisely. It is highly probable that their bodies, including the moisture within, are composed of magi-isotopes.』
Laojun’s hypothesis was plausible. If the very cells that made up their bodies were composed of magi-isotopes, their affinity with magic would be extraordinary.
『The physical reinforcement used by the demon race likely operates on a fundamentally different principle than the techniques used by humanity. I am currently analyzing Lucas's methods. Since the systems are entirely different, it may take some time.』
"I see. I've conjectured that the reinforcement magic used by some knights and such is a system that draws out latent biological abilities," Reinhard added.
Having gained knowledge from modern Earth, Reinhard had been conducting his own independent analysis of magic using that logic.
"The demons' method might be closer to golem reinforcement, if anything," Jin suggested, supporting Reinhard's theory.
"...More importantly, the discussion was about those two," Elsa pointed out, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Right, exactly. Anyway, I plan to start discussing specifics with them tomorrow."
"Hehe, knowing Jin, I'm sure you've already thought of a concrete plan, haven't you?"
Jin smiled at Saki's observation.
"Yeah, though it's not much of a plan yet. I'm thinking it might be good to sell the food harvested in Kaina Village to the demons."
"I see."
Since Jin wasn't required to pay taxes to the Kingdom, he naturally ended up with a massive stockpile. It made sense to sell off whatever wasn't strictly necessary.
"If that's not enough, I'm considering Toka Village as well. Though, since I don't know exactly how many people the demon race has, it's still just a proposal."
"I see your point. There shouldn't be any issues regarding those two villages. However, selling a massive amount of food all of a sudden is dangerous," Reinhard warned.
Food security in this world was never guaranteed. Fortunately, the Klein Kingdom was an agricultural nation and had some surplus, but since stockpiles were necessary to prepare for famine or natural disasters, they couldn't simply sell off every scrap of excess.
"We have some stockpiled on Hourai Island as well. But ultimately, I'd like to help them become self-sufficient."
Regarding crops, things like Devil's Potatoes (Devil Bulbs), wheat, rye, buckwheat, cabbage, and kidney beans came to mind, though he hadn't actually found any seeds for the latter few yet.
"Then there's dairy farming."
Jin figured they could manage the workload if they used golems for the bulk of the labor.
"Apululs can be cultivated even in relatively cold regions, Jin-kun," Toa suggested, having listened silently until then.
"Ah, that's right. And maybe fishing would be good too."
While not necessarily whaling, there might be large fish or magical beasts in the northern waters.
『I believe it would be beneficial to utilize greenhouses as well,』 Laojun suggested.
"With this many ideas, we should be able to improve their food situation for the time being."
Jin felt relieved, but then another thought occurred to him.
"That brings us back to the population. I really need to find out how many demons there are."
Without that data, he couldn't calculate the total food requirements.
"Yeah. We'll definitely have to ask about that..."
Looking at Jin's face, Elsa asked with a worried expression, "But Jin-nii, surely you aren't planning to go to the demon lands yourself?"
"Well, I was thinking I'd have to eventually."
"I am absolutely against that. Jin-nii, you must not go."
Elsa’s face turned even paler at Jin's admission.
"Yeah, I'm against it too. Jin, that's simply out of the question. It's too dangerous. Even if those two—Sion and Lucas—can be trusted, what about the others?"
"That's right, Jin-sama. There must be another way that doesn't involve you going in person," Berche added, joining Reinhard in opposition.
"You'll think of something, right, Jin? Even if you don't go yourself."
Saki also voiced her firm stance against Jin traveling to demon territory.
Faced with such unanimous concern from his trusted companions, Jin gave a reluctant nod.
"...Alright. I wanted to see it for myself, but I'll restrain myself."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"...The demon race, huh? Beings I only knew about in stories are suddenly right here..."
"Vee, that's just what it's like being around Jin-kun."
"No, Stea, it's not that I'm scared or that I hate it. I'm just surprised."
Vivian gave Stearena a smile that was mixed with a bit of bewilderment.
Hearing that, Jin, Reinhard, and Elsa all broke into wry smiles. With a tentative conclusion reached, the group disbanded for the day.
＊ ＊ ＊
"I won't be going personally, but someone needs to go. To that end, I'm going to upgrade the Body Double."
Reinhard and Berche had returned to their territory in Kalts Village, while Toa and Saki went back to their home with Stearena and Vivian. Mine returned to Kaina Village.
Elsa remained on Hourai Island with Jin, about to start work.
"When I made it before, it didn't have tactile senses, so the feedback was poor and it was difficult to handle. I wonder if this will fix it?"
Since the previous doll was being used for his persona as Deus Ex Machina, he would be making a new one from scratch. With the help of the Smiths and Elsa, the basic structure was completed in about thirty minutes.
"Alright, let's test it out."
Just like when he operated Maquina, he sat in the dedicated control seat and synchronized his vision with the Body Double's through a magi-screen.
The operation was an application of mana linkage. The Body Double would automatically interpret Jin's intended movements and optimize them. Speech worked the same way; the Body Double could speak based on its own judgment, or broadcast Jin's voice directly if necessary.
"The movements have definitely become more natural."
By adding tactile senses, its motor control had become much closer to that of a human.
"Jin-nii, this is amazing."
Elsa was deeply impressed.
"Now then, I wonder what to do about Reiko. She'll be going along with it..."
"Father, I have no desire to leave your side."
"I thought you'd say that. Hmm... now then, how should we handle this?"
Jin fell back into deep thought.