"Barrow, I've come to pick you up."
Jin visited Barrow’s home, with Reiko at his side.
"Jin-sama!"
"Oh, Belle was here too?"
"Yes!"
It seemed she had been helping with the housework and looking after Barrow's younger siblings during their stay.
"Belle is so efficient that I was quite taken aback," remarked Meitsu, Barrow’s mother.
"Ah, welcome, Master!"
Barrow’s younger brother and sister greeted Jin with loud, energetic voices.
"Master?" Jin repeated.
"Yeah! You're the master of the place where Big Brother works, right?"
His younger brother, Kono, spoke with a surprisingly precocious air.
"Haha, you're certainly not wrong about that." Jin laughed and gave Kono’s head a friendly pat. "Barrow, Belle, I'm sorry for the short notice, but would it be alright to end your vacation now?"
Jin felt it was a shame that he had no way to contact them in advance. He remained undecided on whether he should entrust these two with a manacam in the future.
"Yes, of course. Thank you so much for granting us such an unexpected and generous holiday," Barrow replied, straightening his back and bowing formally.
"Well then, we'll head for Loizart once we've finished lunch."
"Understood."
"Big... bro... are you... leaving already?"
His little sister, Lukka, looked up at him with a lonely, crestfallen expression.
"Yeah, it’s for work. But I’ll be back again, I promise."
Barrow crouched down to Lukka's level and stroked her hair. Tears began to spill from the girl's eyes.
"..."
Seeing the display of sibling affection, Jin turned to Barrow. "Barrow, are you sure? If you'd prefer to stay in the village for a while longer..."
"No," Barrow interrupted, his voice firm. "I want to work under you, Jin-sama."
"I see. I understand. I'll be counting on you, then."
Still troubled by the sadness on little Lukka's face, Jin decided to spend the hour remaining before lunch crafting a doll.
In Jin's experience, a doll was the ultimate formula for cheering up a little girl, and that logic held just as true in this world as any other.
"Jin-nii, do you want help?"
Elsa, who had been watching him work, offered her assistance, so he asked her to handle the clothing.
He contacted Laojun through Reiko and had the necessary materials sent from Hourai Island via the transporter. With the supplies in hand, the construction went smoothly.
The result was what one would classify as a huggable doll. Its soft body was fashioned from magisilk and magic silk floss, with a skeleton of stainless steel wire that allowed it to be posed in various ways.
The clothing was also magisilk, making it incredibly soft to the touch. The eyes were fashioned from blue shell buttons, and its hair was made of magisilk dyed a bright gold. It was a luxury item that would easily fetch several thousand toll on the market.
"Big brother, see you soon!"
"Barrow, work hard now....Jin-sama, please take good care of my son."
A little after noon, the time for departure finally arrived. Barrow's entire family came out to see them off.
"Big... bro... do... your... best..."
To Lukka, who was still struggling to find her words through her pouting, Jin presented the huggable doll.
"This is for me...?"
"You're Lukka, right? It's very brave of you to encourage your brother even though you're lonely. This is a present from me."
"Thank... you."
Though shy by nature, Lukka accepted the doll from Jin without hesitation. Jin patted her head gently.
"I'll make sure your brother can come home to visit every now and then," he promised, offering her some comfort.
"Belle, look after Barrow for me."
"I will, Uncle."
"You know, you're welcome to marry into the family anytime," Meitsu teased.
"A-Auntie!?"
Belle was left flustered by the comment from Barrow's parents, unsure if they were joking or being entirely serious.
With the farewells finished, the airship soared into the sky.
"See you later!"
Barrow and Belle continued to wave until the figures of their family below were nothing more than tiny specks.
"Now then, our first stop is Loizart."
Jin used the travel time to explain how he had been granted the mansion.
"We'll be based in Loizart for the foreseeable future, so I'd like you both to work at the estate there."
"Yes, sir! We understand!"
Flying at high altitude once again, they arrived at Loizart shortly after midday.
"Let's see, where was it again..."
"Father, it is over there," Reiko said, pointing the way for Jin, who was still disoriented by the capital's sprawling layout.
"Ah, right. They really did a spectacular job."
The original roof, which had been tiled with clay slate, had been removed entirely to create a flat rooftop. Railings had been installed around the perimeter, and a simple hangar for the airship had been constructed.
With Reiko's assistance, Jin guided the vessel onto the roof and moored it. Three Smith Golems immediately moved in to pull the airship into the hangar and secure it in place.
"I-Is this really your mansion, Jin-sama?"
"Yeah. Since I only just moved in, I'm sure there are plenty of things we're missing. If you notice anything that needs fixing or replacing, just let the Smiths know."
"U-Understood."
The two were a bit tense around the Smith Golems, whom they didn't see very often, but having worked alongside Butler and Steward, they acclimated to the new golems quickly.
After spending about an hour overseeing the move-in, Jin decided it was finally time to fetch Hanna.
"Have a safe trip, Jin-nii."
Knowing it would only be a short trip, Elsa stayed behind to look after the house. Accompanied by Reiko, Jin headed to the basement. They used the Warp Gate installed there to travel first to Shinkai, and from there, they jumped to Kaina Village.
They emerged not in Nidou but in the workshop’s basement. Outside, Kaina Village was already bathed in the dim light of dusk.
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
Hanna, who had been busy preparing dinner, spotted Jin immediately.
"Welcome home!"
"Ah, yeah, I'm back."
"Oh, Jin, welcome back. Are you finished with your business already?"
Jin decided that this was the right time to tell Martha about the Warp Gate. He entered the house and sat across from her at the dining table.
"What is it, Jin? You look like you have something important on your mind."
"Yes, actually..."
Jin began to explain everything in order: how he possessed ancient artifacts called Warp Gates, how a malfunction in one had brought him to this village in the first place, and how such accidents were impossible if they were properly configured.
"...I always knew you were extraordinary, Jin, but this is truly a staggering story..."
"I'm sorry for keeping it a secret. If this technology were to fall into the wrong hands, every nation in the world would be after it."
"I suppose they would. You could deploy an army or a mountain of weapons in the blink of an eye, after all."
Jin stated his firm belief that such power should only be used for constructive, peaceful purposes.
"Hehe, I certainly agree with that. Well, it's fine; it's your property, so I've no right to complain about how you use it—so long as you don't use it for anything wicked."
"Of course not." Jin nodded deeply. He added that the only reason he hadn't shared this sooner was to protect the village and himself from those who would covet the technology, not out of a lack of trust.
"I know that, Jin. I know what kind of man you are." Martha laughed warmly and gently patted Jin's shoulder as he bowed his head. "I'm the one who told you to look after Hanna, after all. So, you're taking her with you now?"
"Yes."
"Yay!"
Hanna had been listening to the conversation in silence, but the moment she realized the serious talk was over, she let out a joyful cheer.
"Hanna, make sure you pack the clothes the Princess gave you."
With Martha's help, Hanna gathered her things—mostly changes of clothes and personal items.
"Well then, we're off."
"We're off!"
"Take care, you two."
Under Martha's watchful gaze, Jin and Hanna stepped into the Warp Gate and vanished.
As she looked at the empty space where the gate had been, Martha spoke softly to herself.
"...The boy Hanna found that day truly was someone destined to change the world..."