After departing from the demon territory, Konron 3 set its course first for Kaina Village.
During the flight, Sion and Marikka were utterly captivated by the view. Sion had been on an airship before, but the sight from the sky seemed special to her no matter how many times she witnessed it.
And for the other passenger...
"Waaaah! I-it's incredible! T-that’s the Great Isthmus, ishn’t it!"
Marikka remained practically glued to the floor window, staring down at the world below.
Eventually, Konron 3 descended toward Jin Castle Square. Hanna was already there; she had spotted the airship’s approach and come running to meet them.
"Onii-chan, welcome back! Do we have guests?"
"Ah, uh... Hanna-chan, right?"
Sion recognized Hanna's face from the time she had been taken in at Kaina Village while seeking help for the demon territory’s food crisis.
"Ah, it’s Sion-san! Welcome!"
Marikka, meanwhile, was the last to disembark, shyly hiding behind Saki.
"Big Sister Vivienne, Big Brother Goose, Big Sister Elsa, welcome back! Big Sister Saki... Oh? Who’s this?"
"Now then, Marikka, don't be shy. You have to greet her properly."
"U-uh, I-I’m Marikka. I’m Jin-sama’s..."
"An outer disciple, I suppose you could say," Jin added.
"Hmm, is that so? I'm Hanna. Welcome, Marikka-san!"
The fearless Hanna and the timid Marikka. Jin watched them, thinking they might actually make a surprisingly good pair.
There was a reason Jin had brought Sion and Marikka here first. He eventually wanted to bring about a reconciliation between the demons and the nations of this world, so he figured he would start by introducing them to the peaceful atmosphere of Kaina Village.
Of course, Jin failed to realize that Kaina Village was far too exceptional to serve as a standard example.
"Jin, we’re going to head back for now."
After taking a short break at Jin Castle, Saki, Goose, and Vivienne announced their departure.
"We want to compile and organize the things we heard in the demon territory."
"I see. Well then, I'll see you later."
"Yeah, see you later."
Because of the Warp Gate, they could say "see you later" with total casualness. The members of the Jin Family had already grown quite accustomed to such convenience.
"Well then, shall we show you around the village?"
"Yes, please, Jin."
"Come on, Marikka-chan!"
"E-eh? Ah, okay!"
Hanna took Marikka by the hand and led her down the road toward the village proper. Physically, Marikka was slightly taller, but since her demon age of fifty translated to roughly ten years for a human, she and Hanna were a perfect match.
"Hanna-chan seems like she's having a wonderful time."
Sion watched the girls with a look of curious wonder as she walked behind them with Jin and the others.
"Hanna’s a good girl. And this is a good village."
"It really is."
Since Sion had spent most of her previous stay within Jin Castle, she hadn't seen much of the villagers' daily lives.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmm. The material is carbon steel. But the quality is abysmal. Far too much phosphorus and sulfur."
The mysterious traveler had entered a roadside weapons shop and was currently critiquing the swords on display.
"...Sir, perhaps this blade would be more to your liking?"
The shopkeeper, though visibly annoyed by the man's mutterings, tried to recommend a different sword.
"Hm? This?...Hmph. Marginally better. However, the refinement of the metallic structure is insufficient."
The traveler dismissed it after a single glance.
When this cycle repeated several more times, the shopkeeper finally lost his patience.
"Gah! You have no intention of buying, yet you do nothing but criticize! Get out of my shop!!"
The traveler remained entirely unfazed.
"I was leaving regardless. There is nothing more here worth seeing."
With that sharp parting shot, he turned and strode out of the shop.
"Seriously... what is wrong with that guy?"
Snorting with irritation, the shopkeeper hurled curses at the traveler's retreating back.
This was Loizart, the capital of the Shouro Empire.
Astonishingly, the mysterious traveler had walked through the entire night, covering a distance of over a hundred kilometers without a wink of sleep or a single moment of rest, until he reached the city.
Now, he was casually observing the streets of Loizart.
"The culture here is slightly more advanced than the previous town, but it’s within the margin of error. I suppose this much is to be expected for a capital."
He walked along, speaking to himself in a voice so low that no passerby could hear.
"I wonder where I can find things like golems?"
There was no one to answer.
The traveler walked on at a steady pace. Passing through the merchant district, he headed toward the noble district. Directly in his path was a security guard post.
"Hmph. Humans of combat-oriented classes. It might be worthwhile to gauge their ability."
The traveler did not slow down. A security guard stepped out of the post.
"Do you have business here?"
The security guards of Loizart functioned much like the police of modern Japan. Although their post was situated at the border between the merchant and noble districts, they weren't strictly sentries; ordinary citizens were generally allowed to pass into the noble district without being questioned.
However, there were exceptions—namely, cases that were blatantly suspicious.
And the mysterious traveler was far too suspicious. He didn't stop when addressed, he didn't offer a reply; he simply kept walking "straight toward the guard post" with an unwavering gaze.
"H-halt!"
The traveler did not stop.
"I said halt!"
"What's the trouble?"
Hearing the guard's raised voice, another soldier peered out from the back of the post. He froze in surprise.
A man was approaching them with a completely expressionless face. To put it bluntly, he was eerie.
"He won't stop no matter what I say!"
The traveler had already closed the distance to the front of the post, making further explanation unnecessary.
"It can't be helped."
The guard drew his sword.
"Come any closer and I'll cut you down!"
But the traveler’s stride did not falter.
"Kh!"
The guard swung his blade, aiming to strike the traveler’s leg—or so he intended.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, the world turned upside down. The security guard found himself being thrown through the air. He slammed into the ground on his back.
"Guh!"
All the air was driven from his lungs, and he lost consciousness on the spot.
"You! What do you think you're doing?!"
The second soldier drew his sword and lunged, this time swinging with lethal intent.
But then...
"Wh...at...?"
The mysterious traveler had caught the blade with his bare hand.
"Guaaaaah!"
With a simple twist, the traveler snapped the sword and the soldier’s arm along with it.
"Pathetic. Are you truly expected to maintain security with such meager skills?"
There was no one left to answer him.