"Now then, I wonder how those two are doing?"
Leaving Village Chief Giebeck’s house, Jin—operating his Body Double—went to look for Sion and Lucas, who were supposed to be out for their walk.
Since the Land squad monitoring them was reporting directly to Laojun, their location was immediately apparent. Currently, the two were near the fence at the north end of the village, seemingly observing the wheat fields.
Walking at a leisurely pace, it took about ten minutes for Jin to reach them.
"Good morning."
"Ah, Jin-sama, good morning."
"……Morning."
"Jin-sama, good morning."
When Jin offered his greeting, Belle—serving as their guide—responded first, followed by Lucas and then Sion.
"You seem to have recovered quite a bit. That’s good to hear."
"Yes, thanks to you. Um, the wheat here is remarkably well-grown, isn't it?"
"Ah, so you had wheat where you came from as well?"
"Yes. We are somehow able to grow crops for about four months out of the year."
"I see, so it's an oceanic climate then."
"Huh?"
Sion looked as if a giant question mark had been plastered onto her face.
"Well, an oceanic climate is..."
Jin shared some general knowledge, explaining how regions near the sea are influenced by water's property of being slow to heat up and slow to cool down. This resulted in minimal annual temperature variation, higher humidity, and significant annual precipitation.
"I see, so that's how it works. Indeed, many of the clans in our land establish their homes by the seaside. Without even realizing it, we've been making use of that ocean... ic? Climate, haven't we?"
Sion nodded to herself, looking deeply impressed.
"Oh, that was mentioned in the weather books in the library!" Belle interjected.
"Wait, you knew that too, Belle?"
Sion seemed a bit shocked by Belle's remark.
"We shouldn't stay out too long and exhaust you, so shall we head back soon?" Jin suggested.
"……I suppose so," Sion replied, her energy suddenly deflating.
"Is your knowledge also because you are a Magi Craft Meister, Jin-sama?" Sion asked the moment they returned to Nidou Castle.
"Yeah, well, I suppose that’s part of it."
It's not a lie, Jin thought. Being summoned as the successor meant that a person like him was chosen specifically because he possessed such foundational knowledge.
"I’m jealous of Belle... getting to receive such teachings from you, Jin-sama."
"Eh?"
Jin explained to Sion, who seemed to be misunderstanding the situation, that Belle’s knowledge came from her own initiative in reading the books in the library.
"Books? May I see them?"
Sion’s eyes sparkled with interest.
"Yeah, sure. Let’s go to the library on the third floor."
"Yes!"
Leading Sion and Lucas, Jin headed to the third floor. When Sion saw the library adjacent to the office, she was momentarily speechless.
"……"
She stared at the volumes lined up on the shelves with glittering eyes.
It feels like the collection has grown even more...
Jin could feel Laojun's perfectionism at work in the library's expansion.
"If you find something you like, feel free to read it. That's what this room is for."
"Thank you, Jin-sama!"
Sion thanked him, pulled out three books, and immediately began to Read.
"My lady really does love her books..." Lucas said with an exasperated sigh.
"Oh, you should read too, Lucas," Sion suggested without looking up.
"……I am a guard."
"Hehe, you should just be honest and say you’re not good with letters."
"……"
"W-Well, you can stay as long as you like. I’ll have Belle bring up lunch later," Jin said before leaving the library.
On Hourai Island, the real Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, the Body Double's performance is holding up well. No immediate improvements needed. It looks like those two will be Völlig Genesen in another day or two."
He needed to consider that they would likely be departing for the Gondoa Continent around the day after tomorrow.
The real Jin, who had been monitoring the Body Double’s actions, stood up from the control seat and stretched. He caught himself internally critiquing his own thoughts—if he could anticipate a potential "unforeseen" situation, it wasn't really unforeseen anymore.
"Laojun, how are things with the Moles?"
Since he had left that task entirely to Laojun, Jin checked on the progress.
『Yes, My Lord, things are proceeding smoothly. We are currently surveying the strata beneath the Inado Mine as we advance.』
"So it's going well."
『Yes. We are gathering a significant amount of data.』
"I see."
『We have also discovered ore veins that were previously overlooked, so it cannot truly be called a depleted mine.』
The Moles were specialized for underground exploration; they could accomplish feats impossible for humans.
『I believe we will reach the depth where the Gigant Peeder was located by tomorrow.』
"Good. Be careful."
『Understood. We have also spotted magic tools of unknown purpose, so we will proceed with the excavation cautiously.』
『By the way, My Lord, some concerning information has arrived from the Kingdom of Franz.』
"Hm? What is it?"
『Yes. It appears that members of the demon race have been captured.』
"Demons?"
Laojun began his briefing.
According to information brought by Regulus 7 the day before yesterday, individuals believed to be demons were captured in Inaku, a town on the northeastern outskirts of the kingdom.
There were two of them—a man and a woman, both appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. The woman identified herself as Istalis of the "All-Creation" group, and the man identified himself as her guard, Netros.
『It is currently unknown why they appeared in the Kingdom of Franz.』
This was because the Town Chief of Inaku had devised a scheme to capture them. He had played along with them, flattered them, and while pretending to offer them hospitality, he had poisoned their dinner.
Laojun only used the word "apparently" because he had only just secured the facts after the two were escorted to the capital.
"Hmm, 'All-Creation,' huh? I wonder if they have some connection to Sion?"
『The probability is high. I may have slightly underestimated the Kingdom of Franz; I had viewed its strategic importance as lower than other countries.』
"Well, that's understandable. It's practically a vassal state of the Celuroa Kingdom, after all."
『Indeed. Even so, I should have deployed the Quinta to regions beyond the capital and its immediate surroundings.』
"Why don't you send them now?"
『If I have My Lord’s permission, I would like to increase the number of Regulus units by ten.』
"Understood. Please do so."
Jin gave his permission immediately. Information was more precious and vital than anything else.
『Thank you. I shall see to it at once.』
Leaving Laojun to handle the logistics, Jin considered his next move.
Should he tell Sion? Or should he keep it from her? If he told her, what would she do? Would she rush off to save them, or would she ignore it? He didn't have an answer.
After thinking it over for a while, Jin concluded that he should probably let her know.
Reiko was not with Jin at the moment, as she was currently accompanying the Body Double.
"……I feel somewhat restless."
It was an odd sensation, like wearing a sock on only one foot. Reiko was like a shadow, always present at Jin's side.
"I guess I really have become dependent on Reiko."
Laojun did not offer an answer to that murmur.