Past the gates lay a checkpoint where the border guards of the Kingdom of Franz were waiting.
"Stop!"
The guards peered inquisitively at the carriage as it came to a halt.
Jin considered stepping out himself, but Elsa stopped him. Instead, she had Edgar present the Klein Kingdom's exit permit to the soldiers.
"We'll verify this. Wait a moment."
The man who appeared to be the leader of the guards took the permit and led them toward a small building further back.
Steward, acting as the coachman, drove slowly and parked the carriage in the designated spot.
"What's this? Is this horse a golem?"
"The carriage is in a shape I've never seen before, either."
The soldiers there behaved rudely, poking and prodding the body of the carriage with their hands. Reiko's expression grew thick with indignation, but Jin gently patted her shoulder to soothe her.
"Don't let it get to you."
"...Yes, Father."
Three or four minutes later, an official who seemed to be the person in charge on the Franz side arrived to inspect the carriage and its passengers.
"Hmm. Shouro Empire baronet, Jin Nidou; his younger sister, Elsa Nidou; friends, Sion and Lucas. Along with the servant automata, Reiko and Edgar. The coachman is Steward. Is that correct?"
"It is," Jin replied.
At that moment, Elsa handed something to the official.
"Thank you for your hard work."
The official made a show of checking the item in his palm before immediately granting them clearance.
"Very well. Pass through."
The carriage carrying Jin and the others pulled out onto the highway at a brisk pace, putting distance between them and the checkpoint.
"Elsa, what was that?"
Jin had a vague idea, but he asked Elsa just to be sure.
"I pressed two gold coins into his hand."
In short, a bribe. Jin was a little surprised that Elsa knew how to handle such underhanded dealings.
"...Rai-nii taught me."
Last night, upon deciding to head to the Kingdom of Franz, she had asked Reinhard for pointers.
"He also said it would be better not to go if possible. He was right. That was no way to treat a baronet. They're quite poorly behaved."
"Yeah, I thought so. He warned me to be careful, too."
Sion, overhearing their conversation, looked down with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry. I feel like I've dragged you into something dangerous."
However, Jin offered her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about it. It's true that I've wanted to visit the Kingdom of Franz anyway. But since we're here, would you mind telling us a bit more about your circumstances?"
"...Like what?"
"Like why your older sister came to the Kingdom of Franz, or why that Hekatonkheir was chasing you."
"A Hekatonkheir!?"
Jin shared the details from Laojun's report.
The information seemed to have a significant impact.
"...The Hekatonkheir was likely sent after us by the Puppet clan."
"I see. So there really is a clan with that kind of ability."
"As you've guessed. The Puppet clan excels at Master-Slave Magic. They can make servants out of almost any magical beast."
Jin nodded. This matched the hypothesis Laojun had formed regarding Arshel. Seizing the opportunity, Jin asked the question that had been on his mind.
"Is that ability effective against humans or your kind as well?"
"No, standard Master-Slave Magic doesn't work on Lucas or me. Most of the demon race has a natural resistance to mental attacks. As for humans... I wonder? I've never seen it happen, so I couldn't say."
Hearing that, Jin secretly suspected that the reason Trans Info hadn't worked might be due to that same resistance. And considering the case of Marcosius, it was likely effective against humans.
"I didn't know about my sister's situation, either. Most likely, after we departed, she was sent on a separate mission—or perhaps she was dispatched later as a follow-up."
"Hmm. I suppose the logic was that if one party failed, the other might succeed?"
It seemed they had gone to negotiate for food aid not just in the Klein Kingdom, but in the Kingdom of Franz as well. Geographically, it made sense.
From the perspective of the Pazdext Great Isthmus, the Klein Kingdom was slightly closer, but the mountains in between were steep. On the other hand, while the Kingdom of Franz was further away, the mountain passes were much lower.
"I see. Your sister was quite unlucky..."
"...Yeah."
Recalling her sister, Sion looked down, her face clouded with worry.
Jin, however, suspected that one of the parties had been a decoy to draw out the radical faction. And given that the Hekatonkheir had pursued them, Sion's group was likely the bait.
That would explain why someone like Lucas, who wasn't suited for diplomacy, had come along as a guard.
Jin thought it was quite ironic that the decoy had succeeded in their negotiations while the primary party had failed, but he chose not to mention this to Sion.
After traveling the highway at a fairly high speed, they arrived at the town of Loloon shortly after noon.
Since foreigners were not allowed to bring carriages into the town center, they parked at a lot at the town's entrance. Naturally, they were charged a fee for the privilege.
"Let's stay here for the night and gather information," Jin proposed.
Sion and Lucas had no objections.
"Now then. First, we need to find an inn... Ugh."
Stepping into the town from the parking lot, Jin caught his breath at a sight that bore no resemblance to any town he had visited before.
"This is..."
"...It's horrible."
It was a bizarre and unsettling scene.
The buildings were made of stone, similar to those in the Klein Kingdom. However, the residents were starkly different.
They were broadly divided into two types: the wealthy and the destitute. It was obvious at a glance.
The wealthy wore splendid clothes and walked the streets with an air of superiority. Many of them were noticeably obese.
The poor were clad in filthy rags; their complexions were sallow, their bodies gaunt, and they walked timidly along the edges of the streets, as if afraid to be seen.
"I didn't realize the disparity was this extreme."
"...I see humans have their own forms of discrimination, too," Sion noted, nodding to herself.
"That's right. There are all sorts of humans—good ones, bad ones, honest ones, and devious ones. Strong and weak... It's unfortunate, but that's how it is."
Seeing firsthand that humanity was not a monolith seemed to give Lucas pause. He kept a grimace on his face, seemingly deep in thought.
"...Master, noble master."
Just then, someone called out to them.
"Are you looking for an inn? I know a good one. A foreign gentleman like yourself is sure to find it to his liking!"
The man, who clearly fell into the category of the poor, was dressed in relatively decent clothes compared to his peers. Wearing a fawning smile, he sidled up to Jin's group.
He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Though he had a lean frame, he looked toned, and his eyes held a certain sharp energy.
Reiko and Edgar immediately shifted into a combat-ready stance. Lucas followed a beat later.
However, the man didn't even seem to notice their lethal intent and continued to chatter away.
"The name's Fernan. I'm an information broker in this town. If you need a room or any specific info, I'm your man."
He had evidently overheard Jin's comment about gathering information when they stepped off the carriage. He appeared to be quite a shrewd character.
"Well then, how about you show us an inn first?" Jin replied.
He intended to judge Fernan based on the quality of the inn he recommended.
"Hehe, then please follow me this way."
Fernan took the lead and started walking. Jin and the others followed behind him, with Reiko and Edgar remaining on high alert.
They went straight down the Central Thoroughfare and turned right at another intersection. That corner of the northern part of town was lined with luxurious residences and even featured a large park.
A grand hotel stood adjacent to that park.
"This is the place. The Hotel Lenore."
"Could you wait a moment?"
Jin took a silver coin from his pocket and pressed it into Fernan's hand. Then, the whole group headed into the hotel.
As it turned out, the hotel was an excellent choice.
One night with two meals and room service was 10,000 Toll. This was for the four of them, as the automata were treated as luggage and were thus free of charge.
For four people, 10,000 Toll was well within an acceptable range. Jin had been prepared for high prices, fearing they wouldn't find a decent place without paying significantly more.
After checking in and leaving their luggage, Jin and the others returned to the park in front of the hotel where Fernan was waiting. Just to be safe, Jin left two units from his Secret Mobile Unit to guard the room.
"Hehe, how was it? Good hotel, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it's quite adequate. Now then, do you know anything about the man and woman who were captured in Inaku a few days ago?"
Wasting no time, Jin went straight to the point.
"Heh, so that rumor's already spread? They say they're scouts for the demon race."
"Yes, those two. I want to know as much as possible about them."
Fernan thought for a moment before replying.
"...I'll take the job for ten gold coins. Meet me here again tomorrow at noon. Ah, could I get a bit of a down payment?"
Jin signaled Reiko, who handed Fernan five gold coins.
"Very well. Tomorrow at noon, then. I'm counting on you."
"Hehehe, leave it to me."
Having received the money, Fernan quickly vanished into the crowd.