"Hmm... I’d hoped I might learn a little more about the magus..."
Jin felt a pang of frustration. It was one of those "so close, yet so far" situations where the truth felt like it was dangling just out of reach.
"But that book was really interesting, wasn't it?" Hanna said with a bright smile.
At the moment, Jin and the others were heading toward the town of Nade as planned.
"There are various theories about where the magus came from," Goose added, "but the one Mr. Frain mentioned is the most prominent."
"Hmm..."
Mulling it over wouldn't provide the answers Jin craved. He needed more information.
"Jin-nii, since the title was History of Technology, was it basically a summary of how things were invented?" Elsa asked. She had listened to Jin’s explanation the day before, but about half of it had been incomprehensible to her.
That was only to be expected.
Jin had enough of a foundation to explain the basics, but asking someone to grasp the concept of a Newcomen steam engine out of thin air was a tall order. Likewise, if one had never seen a clock, being told about a lever escapement would be utterly meaningless.
Hanna’s approach was to simply memorize what she didn't understand for the time being. It was a feat only possible for someone with her extraordinary memory, which seemed to be truly exceptional.
"Still, this suggests that regardless of the magus's actual specialty, they would have been capable of building a facility like the Factory we found in Miyako."
Jin wondered if there were other books like it.
Thinking back, Jin himself had been summoned to this world with literally nothing but the skin on his back, but that was because he had fallen into an electric furnace. Had he been wearing clothes, they likely would have been summoned with him.
If that was the case, what if someone had been carrying books?
If such "luggage" had been preserved through the generations, Jin desperately wanted to see it.
Just before noon, the party arrived in the town of Nade.
Once again, the "horseless carriage" drew the curiosity of the locals.
"That's a rare-lookin' thing, ain't it?"
"Are they from another country?"
"Look how pale they are."
Among the curious murmurs, other voices chimed in.
"Eh? Isn't that Goose with 'em?"
"You're right, it is Goose!"
"Well, look at that, he's alive!"
The words didn't sound mocking; instead, they were spoken with a warmth that felt almost like a fond welcome.
"I'm back! And I've brought guests!"
The gathered townsfolk watched with wry smiles as Goose waved his hand.
A man arrived on horseback—a rare sight on Fusou Island. He dismounted and approached them, speaking without a trace of a regional accent.
"Welcome back, Goose. And are these our guests?"
The man, addressed as the Bailiff, appeared to be in his mid-fifties with a sturdy, solid build.
"That's right, Bailiff. This is the man known in Mitsuho as the 'Magi Craft Meister'."
"Oh? A 'Magi Craft Meister'?"
Fadon, the Bailiff of Nade, gave them a polite nod. "Welcome to our town. I am Fadon."
"I'm Jin Nidou. And these are..." Jin proceeded to introduce Elsa and the rest of the group. Once that was done, Goose explained their objective.
"He's looking into the history of the magus. On that note... Bailiff, would you be willing to show him that relic you've been keeping?"
"I see. I don't mind." Fadon, having finished his brief exchange with Goose, turned back to Jin. "Well then... please park that 'horseless carriage' in the yard of my home."
He pointed to a house about fifty meters ahead.
"Bring it through the front and park it wherever there's space in the yard."
"Jin, Mr. Fadon’s family has also preserved a rather rare item," Goose added.
"I understand. Thank you very much."
Since any lead on the magus was precious, Jin thanked him and climbed back into the automobile. Then he realized something.
"Wait, Goose, aren't you coming?" Jin asked, seeing that Goose made no move to join them.
"Oh, I'll just..."
"Goose, you should come as well," Fadon interrupted. "I imagine Mr. Nidou and his party would feel more comfortable with an acquaintance nearby."
With that, Goose climbed back into the automobile. Fadon remounted his horse and led them at a trot.
Following the horse, the automobile passed through the gates of the Bailiff’s estate. With the Bailiff himself acting as an escort, they weren't questioned, and the gates were closed behind them.
The estate had a wide yard with a section covered in gravel. Jin parked the automobile in a corner of that area. Fadon handed his horse's reins to a servant and walked over to them.
"Welcome, Mr. Nidou. This way, please."
Everyone followed Fadon inside, leaving Edgar and Aaru to watch the vehicle. Reiko activated her invisibility magic to follow Jin unseen.
"Hey! I'm home! We have guests!" Fadon bellowed toward the front entrance.
A few servants rushed out in a flurry.
"Welcome back, sir."
"Welcome back, mashire."
Some spoke with thick accents, while others did not.
"These are Mr. Jin Nidou and his companions. Ensure you treat them with the utmost respect."
"Yes, sir. Right away."
The house followed the local custom of removing shoes before entering. Since everyone, including Goose, was used to this, there were no issues. Two servants, a man and a woman, were assigned to attend to them.
"Please, rest here for a moment."
"Please, have a rest here, won't ye."
Just as Jin noted that the servants assigned to them lacked accents, the woman proved him wrong by speaking in the local dialect.
They were shown to guest rooms to leave their hand luggage. Goose, having nothing with him, followed along. Each person was given a private room, and they were also told they were welcome to use the reception room across the hallway.
The private rooms were Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats, which delighted Elsa. In contrast, the reception room was a semi-Western style with wooden floorboards. The group gathered there, relaxing on the sofas.
"Please, have some tea."
They were served hojicha. Apparently, tea trees grew in this region as well. Usually, tea trees (of the Camellia family) are grown in warmer climates, with the northern limit in Japan being around Miyagi Prefecture. Since the trees are sensitive to cold, Jin found it a bit curious.
Of course, there were possibilities like greenhouse cultivation or imports, but since this wasn't Earth, he couldn't rule out the existence of a different variety entirely. When he asked Goose about it, the naturalist was happy to explain.
"The tea trees here are a different variety from the ones in the south. They have a tendency to grow taller, and their leaves are a bit more elongated."
"I see. That makes sense."
"Heh, so being a naturalist isn't just for show, is it?" Saki remarked, having joined them after dropping her things in her room.
"The taste isn't much different, though."
"You might notice it more if you compared the green teas."
"Ah, good point."
Elsa and Hanna joined the conversation shortly after.
"The tea is good."
"It really is!"
While they were all quenching their thirst and enjoying the tea, Fadon entered the room.
"I hope you are finding yourselves comfortable. I’ve brought the relic."
He held a small wooden box in his hands.
"Is it really that small?" Jin asked.
"Indeed. There's no need for suspense; please, have a look."
Fadon placed the box on the table and removed the lid.
"This is..."
Lying inside was an old wristwatch.
The strap, which appeared to have been leather, was long gone. However, the watch's case was made of 18-12 stainless steel. Though it had lost its original luster, it showed no signs of corrosion whatsoever.
"We don't actually know what it was used for," Fadon admitted. "But legend has it that my ancestor asked the magus for it, and it was given to him as a gift."