The item Jin spotted tucked away in a corner of the shop was unmistakable: a refrigerator.
"...A refrigerator?"
"Oh, Jin-san, you certainly have a sharp eye. That's a magic tool we finally managed to stock. It's produced by a count's house in the Kingdom of Egerea..."
As he had suspected, it seemed Earl Kuzuma was sponsoring its manufacture and sale.
Jin thought back to the red-haired magi craftman, Beena.
(I wonder if those two are getting married soon. I'll have to ask if I get the chance.)
"...And this here is a 'lighter.'...Jin-san?"
Jin had been reminiscing about his time in Blue Land while looking at the magic tools he'd created back then, but Roland's voice snapped him back to the present.
"Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought."
"I see. Well, this is a 'water heater.' It's quite a sophisticated piece of work. We're currently researching whether we can replicate it ourselves."
Since the concept of patents didn't exist in this world, such a mindset was only natural. Besides, their markets weren't likely to overlap, so Jin didn't feel any need to complain.
"If there's anything we can't figure out, would it be alright if we consulted you, Jin-san?"
Roland made the request without even realizing that Jin was one of the original creators. Jin simply gave him a small smile and a nod.
＊ ＊ ＊
Declining Roland's earnest invitation to stay the night, Jin returned to Hourai Island.
"Now then, the preparations... this is going to be tricky."
"Jin-nii, what's wrong?"
While he was mulling it over alone in the command room, Elsa suddenly peeked in.
"Hm? Elsa. Well, I'm taking Sion and the others to the Kingdom of Franz tomorrow, and I'm debating what kind of appearance I should maintain."
"Ah, that matter."
Elsa was well aware of the situation, having witnessed Sion exposing herself to Jin to prove her sincerity.
"But tomorrow? Was that the plan already?"
"Yeah. So I went to Reinhard and the Raglann Company in the Klein Kingdom to ask about the Kingdom of Franz. It sounds like a strict despotism where the nobility holds absolute sway. I figure I should emphasize my status as a baronet in a place like that, but I'm torn on which country's title I should use..."
Jin explained that he intended to travel as a baronet first, without making it known that he was the Magi Craft Meister.
"...In that case, you should choose the Shouro Empire."
Elsa shared her assessment. The Klein Kingdom was out of the question due to its hostile relationship with the Kingdom of Franz. As for the Kingdom of Egerea, it was better to avoid it since they were on poor terms with their suzerain, the Celuroa Kingdom.
"The Shouro Empire is neither friend nor foe."
Since they maintained diplomatic ties with the Celuroa Kingdom, the Empire shouldn't be viewed with open hostility, Elsa concluded.
"I see. Then I'll make the visit as a baronet of the Shouro Empire."
"Mm. I'll come along as your younger sister."
"Wait a second. You're coming too, Elsa?"
Jin looked at her in surprise.
"Yes. If you go alone, Jin-nii, your knowledge of Shouro Empire etiquette will be shaky. I'll go to support you."
She even had a proper justification. Once she pointed that out, Jin couldn't really refuse.
"I understand. Make sure you bring your Guard Ring."
"Mm."
Thus, it was settled. A party of six—Jin, Reiko, Elsa, and Edgar, along with Sion and Lucas—would set out for the Kingdom of Franz.
The morning of August 7th. In front of Nidou Castle in Kaina Village.
The day broke with a heavy, leaden sky that threatened rain at any moment.
"Alright, the team consists of me, Reiko, Elsa, Edgar, and then you two—Sion and Lucas."
Lucas, who recognized Elsa but was seeing her companion Edgar for the first time, looked a bit guarded.
"Edgar is Elsa's guard automata," Jin explained.
Sion let out a soft hum of admiration.
"I see. I suppose even a Magi Craft Meister's disciple has respectable skills."
"Something like that. Now, is everyone ready?"
"We don't really have much in the way of luggage. More importantly, how do you plan to reach... the Kingdom of Franz, was it? How are we getting there?"
"We're flying."
"Wait, what?"
Jin laid out the plan for the two of them.
From Kaina Village to Stolsk—the town on the border of the Klein Kingdom and the Kingdom of Franz—the straight-line distance was approximately 300 kilometers. An airship could traverse that distance in roughly three hours.
Curiously, there were no public highways connecting the suzerain Celuroa Kingdom and its vassal, the Kingdom of Franz. To reach Franz, one always had to pass through the Klein Kingdom.
Laojun suspected that a secret highway must exist somewhere and had already dispatched the reinforced Quinta units to locate it.
"An airship... is this also a creation of the Magi Craft Meister?"
Among the demon race, records existed of humans using "hot air balloons" during the Great Magic War three hundred years ago, but this exceeded their imagination.
Jin had made several improvements since then, increasing the load capacity by enlarging the gas bag to provide more buoyancy.
"Yeah, we'll take this to the border. We can move freely within the Klein Kingdom. From there, we'll proceed by carriage."
The carriage in question was the golem horse carriage that had already been sent ahead via transporter.
"Alright, let's move!"
The airship ascended from Nidou Castle. Jin activated 'Invisible' to ensure they didn't cause a scene.
"It's pitch black out there," Sion remarked.
Since they wouldn't deactivate 'Invisible' until they reached a high altitude, the lack of a view was unavoidable for the time being.
However, once the spell was lifted...
"Whoa, incredible! We're above the clouds!"
As the ship leveled out for its cruising flight, 'Invisible' was deactivated, and the world opened up before them.
Looking down at the world from such a height, Sion was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Jin is... no, the Magi Craft Meister is incredible!"
Lucas was likewise stirred. Though he tried to keep a stoic face, his flushed cheeks gave his excitement away.
Even for Elsa, and even for Jin himself, the view from the sky never lost its novelty.
The airship sailed on, overlooking a sea of clouds that seemed to stretch into infinity.
Eventually, the clouds thinned out, and the ground became clearly visible. Jin lowered their altitude slightly, bringing the surface of the earth into sharper focus.
"What a vast land. There really are so many humans..."
Sion murmured to herself as she watched the patchwork of fields and hamlets drifting past below.
Accelerated by a magical barrier of Breeze, the airship reached Stolsk in about two hours. It touched down in a deserted outskirt while remaining 'Invisible'.
The golem carriage was already waiting there, having been delivered by the transporter. The coachman was, naturally, Steward.
"Alright, everyone switch over."
Jin gestured toward the carriage, but Sion looked bewildered.
"J-Jin... what is this?"
"My carriage."
"No, I mean, why is it even here?"
"Well, that's a trade secret."
"Trade?"
"You'll figure it out eventually."
"..."
After that brief exchange, the group boarded the carriage. Within ten minutes, the town of Stolsk came into view.
The town still bore the scars of the conflict that had erupted back in April.
As a border town, it was fortified with stone walls, but they were crumbling in places and the repairs were far from finished.
Jin's carriage approached the checkpoint on the outskirts of town.
"Halt!"
A border security soldier from the Klein Kingdom stopped the carriage before they reached the gate.
Jin stepped out of the carriage himself and presented his travel permits. He was currently dressed in a coat styled after the nobility of the Shouro Empire.
"...Everything is in order. You may pass!"
The royal permit worked like a charm. After only a cursory glance inside the carriage, the soldier cleared them to proceed.
"...A bit lax, aren't they?" Elsa murmured softly once they were well clear of the guards.
Regardless of the permit, granting passage without even verifying the identity of the passengers seemed like gross negligence for a border guard. It was an observation born of Elsa's experience traveling on diplomatic missions with Reinhard.
"They must be truly desperate for personnel," Jin noted.
He recalled the rigorous exit inspection he had faced when he first crossed from the Celuroa Kingdom into the Shouro Empire.
As they passed through the stone gateway, they finally crossed over into the Kingdom of Franz.