The next morning, after a late breakfast, Jin and his party took their leave of Catherine.
"Do come again, all of you," Catherine said, stepping out to the front door to see them off.
"She was a kind woman," Jin remarked once they were away.
"She was," Elsa agreed.
Inside the carriage provided for them, the group passed the time with idle chatter. They kept their conversation vague to ensure the coachman didn't overhear anything sensitive. While they couldn't be certain what the future held, both Jin and Elsa couldn't help but hope that this new connection would prove fruitful.
"So, we’re meeting that Fernan fellow now, right?" Sion asked.
"Yeah. We agreed to meet in the park across from the hotel at noon," Jin replied.
Pensee and Viola, who had been assigned to tail Fernan, had reported the previous night that he hadn't displayed any suspicious behavior. This gave Jin at least some measure of hope.
Although Pensee and Viola could have provided him with the same information Fernan had gathered, Jin intended to hand over the remaining five gold coins anyway. He viewed it as an investment in building a local connection, reasoning that such a contact might prove useful in the future.
"Let's head back to the hotel first and then set out again."
The carriage pulled up to the hotel just as Jin finished speaking. As the group climbed out, Elsa—the last to exit—offered her thanks to the coachman along with a generous tip. Jin reflected on how naturally she handled such social graces.
"Heh, I see. So that's the famous 'inner merit' at work," Sion muttered under her breath as she watched Elsa trot over to join them.
Jin didn't seem to catch the remark, but Elsa clearly did; her cheeks flushed a soft pink.
After a slightly early lunch at the hotel, the group headed to the park. Though Jin had suggested that only he and Reiko needed to go, neither Elsa nor Sion would hear of it. Consequently, the entire party went together.
"Oh, here they come! Hey! Boss, over here!"
Fernan was already waiting and waved them over. In a complete reversal from the previous day, he was dressed in clean, respectable attire.
"You're looking much sharper today," Jin noted.
Fernan gave a sheepish laugh. "Heh, I had these made with the advance you gave me. Depending on who you're talking to, there are some places you can't even get near if you look like a street rat."
This matched the reports Jin had received from Pensee and Viola. Fernan wasn't lying.
"Gufufu... I’ve brought you some top-tier intel today. Think you could grease my palm with a little extra for the effort?"
With Fernan looking quite pleased with himself, Jin adopted a slightly condescending air, playing the part of a haughty noble. "That depends on the quality of the information."
In truth, Reiko, Laojun, and the hidden mobile units had already intercepted the same information Fernan possessed, but Jin listened as if hearing it for the first time.
"First off, the two scouts are named All-Creation and Netros."
"Right. Go on."
Step one, a pass.
"They claimed to be from the demon race and said they had something to discuss. But apparently, the bailiff of Inaku, a man named Kutaaga, decided listening to demons was a waste of time. He lured them into a trap and snatched them right up."
Step two, also a pass. He had indeed gathered accurate information.
"At the time, they were supposedly carrying magi-crystals and gold as gifts, but the bailiff pocketed the whole lot for himself."
Step three, a pass. Fernan was reporting the facts honestly without any distortion.
"Anyway, they were being hauled to the royal capital to be interrogated—wanted to know where the demon base is, what they're plotting, how many soldiers they have, that sort of thing."
Up to this point, the details aligned perfectly with what Catherine had told them. Fernan really was well-connected.
"Now, here’s the tricky part. Even if they're keepin' them drugged, they’re still demons. Nobody knows what kind of powers they might have. Plus, there’s no guarantee their friends won't come to rescue 'em. Because of that, they’ve moved them."
This was new information, and Fernan's reasoning was sound.
"As for where they've been taken... heh, heh heh. Maybe we should settle the fee before we get to that?"
"Fine."
Jin handed over the five gold coins he had prepared. Then, subtly flashing five more, he added, "I'll decide on a bonus based on how useful the rest of this is. Speak."
"Heh, understood. The place is Genfu, a town about fifty kilometers south of Sanjerton. It's near Azul Lake and has a prison for violent criminals and political prisoners."
Fernan explained that it was a high-security facility.
"The carriage carrying the demons left yesterday at noon, so they’ll likely arrive by tomorrow evening."
This was excellent intelligence. Since Reiko remained silent—knowing what Pensee and Viola had discovered—Jin took it as confirmation of the truth. He handed the remaining five gold coins to Fernan.
"Whoa! This is incredible! You’re one generous noble, sir. If you ever need my services again, look at that tower over there."
Fernan pointed to the tower supporting the sundial in the center of the park.
"Just leave something blue—a handkerchief, a scrap of cloth, anything—at the base of that tower."
"Understood. I'll do that if the need arises."
"Well then, much obliged!"
With a quick bow, Fernan turned to leave. As he walked away, he tossed one last detail over his shoulder.
"Oh, and one more thing: the escort consists of ten soldiers and two ritters."
With that, he finally vanished into the city.
(Father, there were no lies. It matches the information Pensee and Viola gathered perfectly.)
(Good.)
Jin and Reiko exchanged a quick whisper. The party then returned to their hotel room to formulate a plan based on the new intel.
"Now that we know the whereabouts of All-Creation and Netros, we need to decide how to recover them."
"Can't we just ambush the escort while they're on the road?" Lucas suggested with his usual bluntness.
"No, Lucas. If we do that, the rift between humans and the demon race will only grow wider," Sion countered.
"U-Uh... yeah, I suppose you’re right..."
Sion was clearly keeping the future relations between the two races in mind. Jin, however, wasn't yet convinced the demon race could be fully trusted; if anything, he remained cautious. Still, he felt that Sion herself was trustworthy enough. He knew he had to separate individuals from the group to avoid unexpected trouble.
For now, his primary goal was to meet All-Creation and Netros to hear their side of the story.
"Is there a way to recover them without causing a diplomatic incident...?" Jin mused.
The very act of a rescue was a radical move that would wound the pride of the Kingdom of Franz.
"It would be simple if we could swap them with decoys, but..."
Since they didn't know what the two looked like, that option was off the table.
"Jin-nii, what if we made it look like they died?" Elsa suggested.
"Oh, of course!" Jin agreed immediately.
"...How do you mean?" Sion asked, her expression clouded with anxiety.
"We make it look like someone who hated or feared the demon race attacked the convoy and burned the two prisoners to death."
Jin explained that they could use parts from magical beasts to create the charred remains.
"The problem is how to perform the switch without being spotted."
"A smoke screen?" Elsa asked.
"No, that leaves too many variables. We need something more reliable..."
"We should just kill the whole escort," Lucas interjected violently.
"Lucas, stop that!" Sion scolded him.
Hearing their exchange gave Jin an idea. "Wait, we just have to knock them out."
By using Paralyzers, they could neutralize the entire unit without leaving a single scratch on them.
"In that case, we should make it look undeniably like the work of human attackers."
"And we need to pick the right spot for the ambush," Elsa added.
As Jin and Elsa began sketching out the framework of the operation, Jin planned to have Laojun finalize the finer details.
"We also need to consider where to take them and how to escape once we’ve secured them."
As Sion listened to Jin and Elsa’s discussion, her expression gradually brightened. Hearing the concrete plan, she began to truly believe they could save her sister and Netros.
"Alright, we'll leave the rest to Laojun."
For complex adjustments and timing, Laojun's superior processing speed made him the ideal choice. Jin decided to focus his own efforts on what to do after the rescue.
Sion didn't quite understand who this "Laojun" was, but the prospect of a viable plan finally allowed a sense of relief to wash over her.