June drew to a close, and July arrived.
In the Ars calendar, the three months of summer—June, July, and August—were designated as "short months," consisting of only twenty-nine days each.
"It’s starting to get quite hot."
Jin muttered the thought to himself as he opened his window upon waking. Since Hourai Island was surrounded by the sea, the humidity remained high throughout the year. However, because the laboratory and his home were situated at an altitude of approximately one thousand meters, the climate was relatively pleasant.
"I wonder if I should look into making a dehumidifier..."
Jin continued to mumble to himself as he washed his face. He dried off with a towel offered by Reiko and headed to the living room, where Milowina was already up and moving.
Kai was by her side, but she seemed to have regained enough strength to handle her own needs. If anything, the small golem looked a little lonely now that his assistance was less vital.
"Good morning, Jin-kun."
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Jin-nii."
Listening to these morning greetings, Jin sat at the dining table, savoring the simple happiness of being surrounded by family.
The meal was a classic spread: morning porridge, umeboshi, pickles, natto, miso soup, and dried fish. The natto was a labor of love that Jin had finally managed to recreate after considerable trial and error. Milowina enjoyed this Japanese food not as a novelty, but as a genuine preference, which Jin found deeply heartening. It seemed that his circle was increasingly filled with people who shared his culinary tastes.
"This menu is truly delicious."
Jin briefly wondered if the natto bacteria would be an issue for her, but it appeared they were sterilized the moment before she consumed them. Though they shared no blood relation, the scene felt like a warm family gathering between a mother (Milowina), a son (Jin), a daughter-in-law (Elsa), and a grandchild (Reiko).
"According to the maps, we believe this general area is where Karnag should be located."
After breakfast, they spread out a map of the Former Leonard Kingdom to finalize their destination.
"Yes, that looks correct. Given its proximity to the river, I have no doubt that’s the place," Milowina confirmed.
Karnag had served as the capital in an age even older than the former capital of Diaa. Jin found himself curious about what they might find there.
"Now, as for our transport..."
"Konron 3?" Elsa asked.
Jin shook his head. "No. I want to have a proper security force with us, just in case."
Elsa knit her brows at the suggestion. "Do you really think something will happen?"
"It’s better to be prepared. We can't forget about that berserk magi-brain from the other day."
"That’s true."
"I agree," Milowina added. "I have no idea what might be waiting for us there, either."
The encounter with the ancient magi-brain had left a lasting impression on her as well. Ultimately, they decided to bring along a Land squad and a Sky squad. Thanks to the time difference between their locations, they could finish their meeting on the island and still arrive in the Former Leonard Kingdom quite early in the morning.
"Well then, we’re off."
"My Lord, have a safe journey."
The aviation unit, led by Konron 3, took flight. They eschewed the transporter in favor of a manual flight, allowing them to survey the terrain along the way.
"No matter how many times I experience this, it’s wonderful," Milowina said, clearly delighted to watch the world drift by below.
They followed nearly the same route as their previous trip to enter the Former Leonard Kingdom's airspace. Passing over the former capital of Diaa, they pushed further west. They maintained a leisurely speed of about thirty kilometers per hour, scouting carefully since they had no idea what condition Karnag would be in.
"We didn't spot any ruins when we were originally surveying for the maps," Jin noted. He suspected the site was invisible from high altitude. "They're either overgrown with vegetation or located underground."
Milowina caught his muttered observation. If the ruins dated back a thousand years, it meant they had already stood for seven hundred and seventy years by the time the people of the Leonard Kingdom migrated to Uni.
"A ruin that held up for seven hundred and seventy years wouldn't just vanish without a trace in the two hundred and thirty years since then, would it?"
"No, you're right," Jin agreed.
While they talked, they arrived over the coordinates for Karnag.
"Milowina-san, that’s Karnag down there."
"..."
Below them was a boundless sea of green—a dense, sprawling forest.
"Let’s have the Land squad investigate first."
At Jin’s command, eighty units from the accompanying Land squad—units 21 through 100—deployed from the Pelican. Meanwhile, ten units of the Raptor squad patrolled the skies.
"Let’s wait for their report," Jin said, signaling Reiko to prepare some light refreshments.
Due to the time difference, it was only around 9:00 AM locally, but Jin and the others felt as though it was past 11:00 AM. It was the perfect time for a snack. They dined on Persica and apulul picked just that morning; the fruits were packed with enough calories, vitamins, and minerals to serve as a light lunch.
"Father, we have a report from Land 21."
The message arrived just as they finished eating.
"Master, this is Land 21. We have discovered what appears to be a set of ruins."
"Oh, excellent. And?"
"I am transmitting the footage now."
The visual data gathered by the Land units was sent to Laojun, who then relayed it to the magi-screen in Konron 3. Jin hadn't equipped the ship with a direct reception function, but the half-second delay through Laojun was negligible for practical use.
"Hmm. So these are the ruins... What do you think, Milowina-san?"
As Jin leaned in to study the footage, Milowina looked on with a puzzled expression.
"...This is different from the stories."
According to the lore she knew, a grand red gate was supposed to be standing there. However, the structures on the screen looked like nothing more than crumbling, nondescript stone walls.
"Perhaps it’s simply decayed beyond recognition," Jin suggested.
"I suppose that’s possible..."
However, Laojun must have relayed their conversation to the units on the ground, for a new update quickly followed.
"Master, we have located the gate the lady mentioned."
Land 21 pointed the camera toward a specific spot. It sat a short distance away from the section of wall that had collapsed into rubble.
"Oh! The gate has simply fallen over," Milowina said, her face relaxing with visible relief.
Jin, however, found himself staring at the "gate" with wide, astonished eyes.