11:00 PM local time.
Ten girls had been gathered aboard the Konron 2, which was currently landed in the suburbs of Ikasanat.
"Don't worry. You've all been liberated now."
Elsa held up the slave contracts, then tore them in half before their eyes.
"U-Um..."
A girl who appeared to be the eldest among them raised her hand.
"Yes? What is it?" Elsa asked.
"What... what will happen to us now?"
"I was just about to explain that. You are all free. If you want to return to your homes, we will take you there. However, it might be better to wait just a little longer."
Elsa paused and looked at each of the girls' faces. They all seemed to understand the implication behind her words.
"Yes. The food shortage hasn't ended yet. If you go home now, you'll only find more hardship. I believe it would be best to return around the end of spring, once the new crops have been harvested."
Several of the girls nodded at her words, while others looked down at the floor.
"It will be alright. You don't need to worry. This man is the Lord of Kunlun. He has his own territory, and he's going to take you there for the time being."
As Elsa spoke gently to them, the eldest girl spoke up again.
"Um, but... what about these collars?"
Jin was the one who answered her.
"Ah, sorry about that. I'll take them off for you right away."
No sooner had he spoken than he reached for the girl's neck and removed the collar with his bare hands.
"Wh-What?"
The girl was stunned. Something she had never been able to remove, no matter how hard she pulled, had been taken off by Jin as if it were nothing more than a piece of string.
"He is a Magi Craft Meister—the world's greatest magi craftman. A task like this is simple for him," Elsa explained.
The girls seemed somewhat convinced by her explanation. Meanwhile, Jin moved quickly, removing the collars from every single one of them.
"Th-Thank you so much...!"
They looked at Jin with eyes full of respect. He had so effortlessly removed the collars they had believed were permanent fixtures of their lives.
Jin's decision not to use a magic tool was based on Laojun's advice. The thought was that by surprising them a little, their trust in Jin would increase.
As they watched, Jin tossed the removed collars aside.
"There. You're truly free now."
But the eldest girl spoke up a third time.
"It's... it's no use. These tattoos..."
Each of the girls bore a geometric pattern and black text on their chests—the mark of a slave. The pattern was the crest of the Celuroa Kingdom, and the text was the name of the merchant who had bought them.
"Let me see for a moment."
After asking permission, Elsa leaned in to look at the eldest girl's chest.
"Inspection. Analyze."
She checked the magical composition of the marks.
"I see. It's just a simple mark. The pigment isn't toxic, either... Decomposition."
"Huh? Wait!"
Following her diagnosis, Elsa immediately decomposed the pigments, cleanly erasing the tattoo. Most of the atoms were expelled through the skin, leaving the girl completely unharmed.
"Alright, next... Decomposition."
In a matter of moments, Elsa had erased the tattoos from all of the girls.
"Thank you so much!"
With this, Jin and Elsa had completely won the girls' trust.
The time was now approaching midnight.
"Well then, it might be a bit uncomfortable, but please try to get some sleep here tonight," Jin told the girls as he reclined the seats of the Konron 2 until they were fully flat.
"Y-Yes. Everyone, it's late, so let's rest."
"Okay..."
"Yes..."
With Sonia's lead, the rest of the girls settled down to sleep.
Jin gave orders to Reiko, who was piloting the ship, to make for Kaina Village while utilizing the force generators. The goal was to keep the hull as stable as possible so the girls could rest.
Jin and Elsa took the assistant seats, reclining them to take a nap.
"Alright then, Reiko. Make sure we arrive in front of Nidou Castle before dawn."
"Yes, Father. Understood."
Back on Hourai Island, Laojun and Anne were reviewing the sequence of events.
"It seems everything concluded without any major issues," Laojun remarked.
"Yes. You've secured the collars Jin-sama removed and the contracts Elsa-sama tore up, right?"
"Of course. They will serve as vital evidence when we condemn the Celuroa Kingdom later on."
The time difference between Ikasanat and Kaina Village was one hour and twenty minutes, and the distance was just under 500 kilometers. The Konron 2 cruised steadily at 100 kilometers per hour.
By shortly after 5:00 AM, the Konron 2 had landed in the Nidou Castle Square. An hour later, the sun began to rise.
Jin woke from his nap. Elsa was still sleeping soundly beside him. He felt a bit bad about waking her, but given what they had to do, he gently shook her shoulder.
"...Nn, Jin-nii?"
"Good morning, Elsa."
"Good morning..."
Though they spoke in hushed tones, the girls they had brought along also began to wake up.
"...Ah, good morning."
The one who greeted Jin was, once again, the eldest girl.
"Good morning. Were you able to sleep at all?"
"Yes, I was. Um... where are we?"
"This is Kaina Village. It's a small village in the northern part of the Klein Kingdom."
Technically it was Jin's independent territory, but explaining the politics would only confuse them, so he kept it simple for now.
"Kaina Village..."
She didn't seem to recognize the name, which wasn't surprising given how far they had traveled.
"Right. By the way... I realized I haven't asked for your name yet."
"Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Sonia."
"Sonia, then. From what I've seen, you're the most composed of the group. I'd like you to act as their leader for a while, if that's alright."
"E-Eh? Yes, I don't mind, but..."
"Good. Then let's head outside. It's a bit chilly, so be ready for that."
"Y-Yes...?"
Kaina Village was cold even compared to their home village, and they had just come from Ikasanat in the Kingdom of Egerea, which was quite warm.
"Wow, it's freezing!"
"Where are we?"
"What is this thing we were just inside?"
"Is that... a castle?"
As Jin expected, the girls were stunned by the cold, the sight of the Konron 2, and the imposing presence of Nidou Castle.
He led them toward the building.
"Come this way. Oh, and please take off your shoes."
"Huh?"
Though they were puzzled by the request to remove their shoes, they looked relieved once they entered the warmth of the castle. Jin led them straight to the dining hall, with Elsa and Reiko bringing up the rear.
"Please, come in."
He led them into the Great Hall, where tables and chairs had been arranged. Partitions had been set up so the girls wouldn't feel overwhelmed by the scale of the room.
Having been alerted by Laojun, the Five-Colored Golem Maids were already standing by with breakfast ready. Even after Jin and Elsa sat down, the girls remained standing.
"Go ahead, have a seat."
At Jin's invitation, the girls finally sat down.
"You can eat as much as you like. If you want seconds, just ask the golem maids. Sonia, help make sure everyone feels at home."
With that, Jin began eating, followed by Elsa. Seeing this, Sonia looked around at her companions.
"C-Come on, everyone! Let's accept the kindness of Jin-sama and Elsa-sama!"
She took a bite of the stew first.
"It's delicious...!"
It was a rich, hearty stew packed with vegetables like Devil Bulbs. Watching her, the other girls finally reached for their food.
"It's so good!"
"I've never tasted anything like this, but it's amazing!"
Once they started, their hunger took over, and they began eating with gusto.
"What is this bread? It's pure white! And it's so fluffy!"
It was white bread made with yeast—a Hourai Island specialty.
"This porridge... it's not barley! But it's so sweet and good!"
It was rice porridge.
"The meat is so tender! What kind is it?"
It was the meat of Cowbulls, which they had recently begun raising on Hourai Island.
"This fruit melts in my mouth! How is it this sweet?"
It was Persica, grown on Hourai Island.
One after another, they marveled at the meal. It was the first time in a very long time that any of them had eaten until they were full.
"Now then."
Jin spoke once they had finished. Every girl turned to look at him, and their eyes were no longer clouded with fear.
"I'll have rooms prepared for you so you can rest. Later on, we can take our time and talk about what you want to do from here."
Jin left the rest to Elsa and the golem maids and stood up to leave. As he reached the door, a chorus of voices followed him.
"Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it. You don't have anything to worry about anymore."
With a nod, Jin headed toward the Village Chief's house.