On May 24, after the stir caused by the ground spiders had finally settled, Jin visited Kaina Village. The trip doubled as a test flight for the Konron 3.
Accompanying him were Elsa and Reiko. Edgar handled the piloting duties alongside Pothos and Heath, members of the New Hourai Island Secret Mobile Unit, or SP for short.
Jin intended to make those two the permanent crew for the Konron 3.
Aside from the technical trial, the primary reason for his visit to Kaina Village was to finalize the future plans for the girls currently under the village’s care.
Rita, Sonia, Lou, and Kana had no family to speak of, so they had already decided they wouldn't be returning to their home country. However, the remaining seven girls had yet to give a definitive answer.
"They should have reached a decision by now."
Jin planned to let anyone who wished to return to their hometown, Lario Village, go back once June arrived. Today was meant for the final check.
The eleven girls gathered at the home of the Village Chief, Giebeck, and they all appeared remarkably healthy.
Their once-parched hair now shimmered with a healthy luster, their rough skin had become smooth and supple, and their bodies—once so thin their ribs had been visible—had regained the healthy, youthful curves of young girls.
Most importantly, their expressions were vibrant and full of life.
"All right, I'd like to confirm something with you all once more," Jin began.
"I promised I would take you to Lario Village. I want to be clear on what you intend to do afterward. Am I correct that Rita, Sonia, Lou, and Kana wish to stay here?"
"Yes, the four of us intend to remain," Sonia replied as their representative.
"Um... excuse me, but Sema and I would like to stay as well!" Berta spoke up. Both she and Sema were orphans who had no place to return to in their home village.
That wasn't the only reason, however. According to some heartening information from Giebeck, Sema had grown close with Jeff, and Berta was on very good terms with Sley.
"So that leaves five..."
But even those five seemed hesitant.
"Um... would it be all right if we visited the village once before deciding for sure?" one asked. Their faces suggested they wanted to live in Kaina, yet they wavered.
"That's fine. I assume you have families back there?"
"Y-yes."
Ultimately, because they had family in their hometown, they wanted to speak with them before deciding whether to relocate to Kaina Village or stay in their birthplace.
"In that case, let’s head to Lario Village right now."
Jin believed it was best to settle these matters quickly, especially since he expected to be busy with the spaceship project soon. When he made the proposal, the girls were delighted.
"Y-yes!"
"Please, we’d be so grateful!"
In his capacity as the Lord of Kunlun, Jin possessed special passage rights that allowed him and his companions to enter and leave various nations freely.
The girls were originally citizens of the Celuroa Kingdom, and since Kaina Village was Jin’s autonomous territory, there would be no legal issues.
Thus, later that day, Jin took the eleven girls aboard the Konron 3 and set a course for Lario Village in the eastern reaches of the Celuroa Kingdom. He included those who had already decided to stay in Kaina so they could see their old home one last time.
The Konron 3 was exceptionally fast. It covered the distance of roughly two hundred kilometers in just an hour.
"Look! That's our village!"
"Oh, is that big lake over there Lake Cedrolia?"
"How nostalgic... the Cedrolia Plains..."
"Look, that must be Fort Phutokes!"
The girls had been glued to the windows since takeoff, and even from the sky, they recognized the local landmarks immediately. They cried out in excitement as familiar landscapes and beloved scenery came into view.
"All right, we're going to land."
As Jin spoke, the Konron 3 began its descent. Pothos proved to be a highly capable pilot.
Looking down, they could see the villagers in a state of commotion, staring up at the unfamiliar flying object.
"But what is that...?"
Mingled among the villagers were several individuals who looked like armed soldiers.
"Let’s deploy a barrier during the landing, just in case."
"Yes, Chief."
The Konron 3 touched down on the outskirts of the village.
"Listen, everyone. We’ve landed, but please stay inside until we find out who those soldiers are."
Jin cautioned them, putting safety first. However, his concern proved unnecessary.
"Jin-dono!"
Emerging from the crowd with five soldiers in tow was none other than Kirk-at.
Formerly the personal guard of Prince Cesar, he had been promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard after the prince’s coronation.
"Kirk-san."
Jin and Kirk-at were well-acquainted thanks to the succession crisis. Furthermore, Jin’s reputation as the Magi Craft Meister and the Lord of Kunlun was common knowledge among both Kirk-at and his subordinates.
"What business brings you here today?"
It was a natural question. However, when Kirk-at caught sight of Rita standing behind Jin, he paused.
"Hmm? Your face looks familiar..."
He struck a contemplative pose, then clapped his hands as the realization hit him.
"Ah, that’s right! You’re the girl Master Fritz rescued from slavery."
"Y-yes..."
Kirk-at offered a gentle smile to the slightly intimidated Rita.
"There’s no need to be frightened. We are simply touring the region by His Majesty’s order to inspect the spring crop yields."
Hearing this, Rita and the other girls finally seemed to relax.
"I see. I’ve been looking after these girls, and I brought them here so they could see their hometown."
"Is that so? Well, it seems they’ve managed to weather last year’s famine somehow."
Indeed, even from the air, the wheat fields were a vibrant green, and the number of grazing sheep was higher than Jin had expected. The grass on the plains was lush, suggesting that the food supply for the coming seasons would be stable.
"Will all these girls be returning home, then?"
"No, only those who wish to. The others will be moving to my territory."
Jin’s answer was perhaps a bit too casual. To some, the act of moving citizens to another land could be seen as a hostile move. However, it was fortunate that his listener was Kirk-at, who understood the circumstances perfectly.
Kirk-at remembered how furious Cesar had been at the time over the treatment of Rita and the other slaves. He also knew that Jin had rescued many girls from this very village. In an unofficial sense, these girls were under Jin’s protection.
He also knew that King Cesar of Celuroa had essentially given his blessing.
"Understood. I shall leave those girls in your capable hands, Jin-dono."
"Thank you. Once we’ve finalized who is moving, I’ll visit His Majesty to provide a formal notification."
It wasn't as if they were defecting, so Jin wanted to keep everything above board.
In the end, three of the girls requested to stay in Lario Village. Since they still had families there, they wished to go home.
"I understand. You have luggage to pack, and we’d like to hold a farewell party back in Kaina, so would you mind returning with us for today?"
"Of course, we'd love to."
As a result, seven or eight girls were set to relocate to Kaina Village.
The reason the count was "seven or eight" was because of Rita. After spending a few months in Kaina, she remained torn between settling there permanently or leaving to serve as a maid under Fritz.