Reiko and Lance emerged from the fort. Above them, the silhouette of Konron 3 hovered in the night sky.
Reiko was carrying three unconscious, tied-up bandits, holding them aloft over her head—a truly surreal sight. Lance, meanwhile, was burdened by a heavy pack of salvaged items.
"Shall I escort you as far as Mount Suhront?"
Reiko made the offer, but Lance shook his head.
"No, there is no need to go to such lengths for me. I will make my own way back on foot."
"I see. Then this is where we part ways."
"Yes. You have my thanks for your help."
"It was nothing. Until we meet again."
Still holding the three bandits, Reiko leaped toward Konron 3 as it descended. She landed perfectly inside the open hatch.
Naturally, she was utilizing her force generator for assistance, but Lance had no way of knowing that.
As Lance watched, Konron 3 gained altitude and soon vanished into the darkness of the night sky.
"...Reiko-jou, was it?"
Lance muttered to himself before he began his long trek back toward his base at Mount Suhront, the heavy luggage still strapped to his back.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Father, I have returned."
Reiko had boarded Konron 3, but she returned to Hourai Island ahead of the ship by using the built-in Warp Gate.
As for the bandits, the plan was for Edgar to secretly transport them into the Shouro Empire and hand them over to the local security forces under the pseudonym 'Deus Ex Machina.'
"Good work, Reiko."
Jin welcomed her back with a word of thanks.
"I recorded Lance's magic pattern while I was repairing him, so sending him out via the transporter was no trouble at all."
Just then, a report arrived from Laojun.
"My Lord, the investigation of the fort ruins is complete."
"Oh, good."
Jin had also stationed the Quinta units Mira 5 and 6—known as Rie and Lucile—at Mount Suhront, keeping watch while remaining Invisible. This allowed them to track Lance and maintain a clear picture of what was happening at the ruins.
"Since Lance salvaged most of the items, there isn't much of value left. However, we did secure some general materials and several design documents."
"What's the breakdown?"
"Yes. Regarding materials, there are 120 kilograms of iron and 45 kilograms of bronze. The design documents pertain to golems that were being researched during the era of the Unifilar."
"It would be a waste to leave those materials to the elements, so recover them and hand them over to Nostalgia. As for the documents, they might be useful for reference later, so pick those up too."
"Understood."
With that, the curtain was drawn on the incident.
In the Shouro Empire, the matter had been settled before the authorities could even begin their move to arrest the bandit group.
＊ ＊ ＊
On September 30, the final day of the month, the South Pole Investigation Fleet reached the geographic pole.
"Laojun, acknowledged. Please begin the survey."
"Acknowledged."
The Mermaid squad immediately commenced their underwater investigation. As a precaution, the Sky squad patrolled the airspace while the Marine squad cruised the surface, remaining vigilant for any potential threats.
Almost simultaneously, the survey of Onogoro Island got underway.
Jin decided to use this opportunity to provide names for the previously unmarked regions of the world map. He did so while consulting with Goose, who happened to be visiting.
Incidentally, Toa, who had helped draft the investigation plan, had already returned to his own home.
"Let's see... how about 'Ramon Archipelago' for that archipelago with the preserved biosphere? It's the name of a naturalist from about a century ago."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Now, what should we call this continent...?"
The landmass in question sat firmly in the Southern Hemisphere, west of the Lauren Continent where humanity resided.
"I was thinking we could name it after an explorer," Jin suggested.
Goose hummed in thought at the idea.
"In that case, how about the 'Lashier Continent'? He was an adventurer from about five hundred years ago who was said to have crossed the Harihari Desert on his own."
"Not bad."
Finally, there was the continent to the north. It was somewhat smaller than the others and was flanked to the east by a large string of islands.
"What about the 'Pandor Continent'?"
The suggestion came from Elsa, who had just walked into the room.
"It's the name of a wizard from an old fairy tale I once heard. He was said to have come from the northern lands."
"Is it a famous story?" Jin asked, as the name was new to him.
"Yes, I believe it's quite well-known."
Laojun chimed in with a supplemental report.
"My Lord, I have just contacted Vivienne to inquire about this. It appears a similar fairy tale exists within the Celuroa Kingdom. Likewise, the Kingdom of Egerea, Klein Kingdom, Kingdom of Franz, and Kingdom of Elias all have similar legends. The names vary only slightly, using variations like 'Pandoa' or 'Pandol'."
"Oh, I see. Then that sounds like a fine choice."
And so, names were finally bestowed upon the previously anonymous continents.
"And now the investigation of Onogoro Island is finally starting, isn't it?"
Once the naming discussion concluded, Goose looked on with intense interest.
"That's the plan. Goose, I assume you've already discussed the details with Toa-san and Laojun?"
"Yes. The first step is to grasp the topography from the air. From there, we'll determine our exploration route."
"This is the current topographical data."
"Oh, I see."
The central island was surrounded by a crescent-shaped formation of rock. The opening of the crescent faced east, and the rocks were connected to the main island on the western side. There appeared to be several large rocks or islets within that eastern opening.
The main island in the center was roughly 15 kilometers across, while the surrounding rock formation had a maximum diameter of about 50 kilometers.
"The placement feels somewhat unnatural."
"You think so too, Jin? I agree. Though I'd be hard-pressed to provide a scientific basis for the feeling."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
The island was far too close to the Lashier Continent and had no geological connection to any other nearby islands. Its very shape felt contrived.
Of course, one could argue the same about Hourai Island.
"What if... it's an artificial island?"
Elsa spoke up softly, having been silent until now.
"I mean, it's just a guess. But I thought that if someone were capable of manipulating free ether at will, they could probably even construct an island."
"That's a fair point."
"We certainly can't rule it out."
Jin and Goose both fell into contemplative silence.
"Laojun, proceed with the investigation of the island cautiously."
As Jin gave the order, the 'guardians' mentioned by No. 700672 weighed heavily on his mind.
"If the investigation can't be done without turning it into a conflict, we can put it on hold."
"Understood," Laojun replied in a calm voice.
"In that case, let's start by reconfirming the topography. If we examine the composition of the rocks, it might give us a clue as to whether the island is man-made."
Jin agreed with Goose's suggestion.
"Right. Exactly. Have the Mermaid squad start by examining the outer rocks."
"I shall begin at once."
The Mermaid squad was the ideal choice for such a task.
Laojun issued orders for the units to proceed with extreme care and to maintain a constant stream of detailed reports.
Finally, one of the veils covering the mysteries of Ars was about to be lifted.