"I see, so the final inspection is conducted here in Seki Town."
As they traveled, Jin listened to various instructions and precautions from Daro.
"Once formal diplomatic relations are established, I imagine such tedious formalities will vanish," Daro remarked, his tone colored with anticipation for that future.
"If that happens, we can adopt the best of each other's ways, and we can look forward to even greater development," Jin replied with a polite, safe answer. Even as he spoke, he found himself thinking that this was exactly the sort of situation where he should have brought Reinhard along.
"Regardless, your technology is truly marvelous, Jin-dono. We've already arrived at Seki Town."
Even if they were only moving at the speed of a bicycle, the fact that they could arrive simply by sitting there without exerting any effort was a source of wonder for Daro.
"It’s even possible to build larger automobiles and have them make several round trips a day," Jin added. He was essentially describing a shuttle or a bus.
"Ho, I see."
"Then we can spend the 'free time' gained from that on 'thinking'—on building a better future. I believe that by repeating this process, the world will develop bit by bit."
"Ho? You possess quite a unique philosophy, Jin-dono."
"It’s nothing as noble as a philosophy."
While they were talking, the automobile came to a stop. They had arrived in front of the main gate of Seki Town.
"Hmm... impressive."
The sturdy stone walls were comparable to those of Blue Land, a regional city in the Kingdom of Egerea. They stood roughly five meters tall. Only the section surrounding the gate was higher, reaching about seven meters with a width of nearly ten. The passage itself was a square space, five meters high and five meters wide, leading directly into the heart of the town.
"Are there no gatekeepers?" Jin asked Daro, only to receive a surprising answer.
"There are. Look there."
Jin looked where Daro pointed and saw four gatekeepers peering down from atop the wall.
"However, we do not bother challenging those who have managed to reach this far."
To Jin, those words sounded pleasant enough, but he wondered how that held up from a defensive standpoint. He voiced his concern to Daro.
"Haha, it’s only natural for you to think that. That gate is not just for show. In reality, there are several lookout posts positioned between Kari Village and here."
"I see..."
Apparently, upon receiving word from those lookout posts, Seki Town would close its gates if any threat was detected.
"Since you possess credentials from the Shouro Empire, Jin-dono, and since I am accompanying you... To tell the truth, I also serve as the vice-bailiff of Seki Town."
I know, Jin thought, but he kept the comment to himself.
The automobile began to move slowly and passed through the gate.
"Oh."
Inside the gate, sturdy-looking doors were installed. They were currently left open.
"If we close these, entry is not easily permitted."
"I imagine so."
It seemed unlikely they could be broken through by human strength alone.
That said, Reiko could probably destroy them with ease. Jin watched and wondered if combat involving such golems was non-existent in Mitsuho.
"Please proceed straight ahead. The building at the very end is the town hall where the mayor resides."
While the surrounding buildings were single-story stone structures, this one was two stories tall. It featured a watchtower, marking it as the center of the town.
"If one climbed that watchtower, they could probably see the whole town," Saki remarked. Daro nodded.
"That is exactly what it was built for."
The automobile arrived in front of the town hall. They parked in the area designated for carriages, and the entire group—including the driver, Edgar—headed toward the office.
"This way, please. The mayor should be waiting."
During his time as John Dini, Jin had been received in a general reception room, but this time they were led to the mayor’s office, located at the far center of the second floor.
"Welcome, 'Magi Craft Meister' Jin Nidou-dono, and your companions."
The man who greeted them appeared to be in his mid-forties with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin.
"I am the mayor of this town. My name is Crow."
To Jin’s eyes, his sturdy build made him look more like a man of action than a man of letters. Perhaps the environment of a town in the middle of a wasteland did not allow him to remain confined to desk work.
"I am Jin Nidou. This is my fiancée, Elsa Randol; this is Saki Eschenbach; and this girl is my younger sister, Hanna."
Jin acted as the representative, greeting the mayor and introducing his companions.
"This is Reiko, that is Aaru, and this is Edgar. They are automata."
At the word "automata," Crow’s eyes widened.
"Oho, automata? We rarely see them here in Mitsuho, but they look remarkably human."
"Reiko is my pride and joy. Aaru is a masterpiece created with the heart and soul of myself and a friend, and Edgar is Elsa’s finest work."
"I see, I see."
A pleased smile spread across Crow’s face.
"May I assume the purpose of your group’s visit is to sightsee in our Mitsuho?"
"Yes, that’s exactly it."
Jin’s answer was concise, but it was neither a lie nor a half-truth. He truly wanted to travel around and see the nation and the land of Mitsuho.
"In that case, could I ask you to first head to the capital, Miyako?"
"Yes, that would be no problem."
Jin had already heard about Mitsuho’s political structure from John Dini, so he had anticipated the conversation would go this way.
"I am glad you could agree so readily. Let us leave things here for today; please rest at the Guest House."
"Thank you."
Crow was being considerate of the group, assuming they would be tired after traveling for three hours. No matter how comfortable the automobile was, three hours was still a long time. Jin and the others gratefully accepted the offer.
The group was guided to the Guest House.
When John Dini had visited, there was no such facility, but it seemed they had established it after messengers from the Shouro Empire had visited twice. However, they hadn't built it from scratch; rather, they had renovated an existing building. One could tell by the stone materials; the age and wear of the blocks varied from section to section.
"This... bothers me," Elsa said, calling out to Jin after inspecting the interior.
"What is it, Elsa?"
"Look here. The stone blocks haven't been 'Fused'."
It was proof that magi-craft had not been used in the construction. However, since it didn't look like an area that would cause structural issues, Jin quietly joined them using 'Fusion' while he wasn't being watched, though he didn't worry about it too much.
He explained his thoughts to Elsa once they were settled in their room.
"...And so, when magi-craft isn't available, they have to rely on friction and gravity to keep things in place."
"Mm. I understand."
"Jin, a world without magic!" Saki exclaimed, impressed. Jin offered a clarification.
"Saki, even in Kaina Village where Hanna lives, they basically didn't use magic until I arrived. It’s not that rare."
"Ah, that’s true..."
Saki was, after all, the granddaughter of a Marquis and had lived a relatively privileged life. She likely found it difficult to imagine a life like Kaina Village’s before Jin's arrival.
"In a world without magic, 'science' develops instead. I have always wanted to fuse magic and science to create something even more wonderful. But in this country, the seeds... no, the young tree is already growing. Though at this rate, it looks like it might wither before it becomes a great tree."
"Eh?"
Elsa and Saki looked puzzled at Jin’s unusually abstract phrasing.
"Does that mean, Onii-chan, that this country is in some kind of trouble?"
Only Hanna, even if she didn't understand the exact nuance of his words, sensed what Jin was trying to say and translated it into more direct terms.
"Trouble—ah, yes. Due to the absence of magi craftsmen, maintaining their culture is becoming difficult."
"But, Jin-nii..." Elsa started to speak, but Saki picked up the thought and continued.
"Once diplomatic relations with the Shouro Empire are established, that will be solved, won't it?"
Jin made a complicated expression.
"You could say that, but you could also say it’s different. The point is, many of the tools and magic tools here are on par with technology from before the Great Magic War."
"Ah, I see..."
"I heard the reports from John Dini, but seeing it with my own eyes has made it much clearer. I’ll probably understand even more once we go to Miyako."
Even now, John Dini was traveling through the southern parts of Mitsuho, helping the residents and reporting back whenever he found something unusual. However, with only one person for such a vast territory, they were still significantly short-staffed.
"I have to do something about this too. I don't want these precious magic tools to rot away."
Jin felt a genuine sense of regret at the prospect of such technology being lost.