"Where did I come from...?"
"Exactly."
"What do you mean by that, precisely?"
Jin was caught off guard. He had taken Lorenz for a simple merchant, yet the man had just leveled a remarkably direct question at him.
"Well, the gaps in your knowledge are so glaring that it made me wonder if you were originally from another country altogether."
"I see..."
Jin could certainly understand why the man was suspicious. The depth of his knowledge was indeed inconsistent.
However, Jin couldn't judge whether revealing the truth here would cause more problems than it solved. If Reiko or Laojun were by his side, things might be different, but for now, Jin was truly alone. If a situation arose that was beyond his control, he would have no way to handle it.
Jin recalled the time he had been surrounded by soldiers led by Earl Walter in Kaina Village.
If Reiko hadn't been there then, I wonder what would have happened to me.
Even though the charges had been false, there was no point in speculating now how long it would have taken to prove his innocence if he had been captured, or what might have been done to him in the meantime. It certainly wouldn't have ended well.
Jin couldn't determine if Lorenz was someone he could safely trust with the truth. Therefore, while he wouldn't tell an outright lie, he decided to explain things by blurring the facts.
"I suspect I may have been caught in some kind of teleportation-related accident. To be honest, my memories are quite hazy."
He was lying about the memory loss, but he figured that even if he were caught in the lie later, he could simply claim his memories had just returned.
"Teleportation-related... you say?"
Hearing the word "teleportation," Lorenz's expression shifted into one of surprise.
"Teleportation magic circles and Warp Gates are strictly state-managed. That would imply you were in a position to obtain official clearance, Jin-san."
"Is that... how it is?" Jin maintained his stance of feigned uncertainty.
"Since you aren't from this country—the Mercana Principality—I wonder if you might be from the Jagus Principality on the opposite shore..."
Jin felt a secret wave of disappointment. He had never heard of a place called the Jagus Principality.
Just as I suspected—a parallel world.
This only strengthened Jin's resolve. He absolutely needed to establish a stable base of operations.
＊ ＊ ＊
Lorenz found himself increasingly unable to get a read on the young man named Jin.
It was difficult to judge whether the claim of hazy memories was a genuine truth or a calculated lie. Furthermore, even if it were a lie, he couldn't simply condemn the boy for it.
That was due to the word Jin had just uttered: "Teleportation."
Lorenz had heard that it was a magi-craft technology put into practical use several hundred years ago. Its benefits were immense, having revolutionized logistics and the movement of people.
On the other hand, because of its potential for military use, history showed that the nations of the time had agreed that all such technology would be state-managed. An individual should not have been able to use teleportation—not just because of the law, but because the maintenance and technical expertise required were simply too high.
If it were true that Jin had arrived in this village via teleportation, then there was a possibility that he was a person of global importance. This was a situation far beyond the pay grade of a mere intelligence agent. For as it happened, Lorenz was not just a merchant; he also served as an operative tasked with observing and reporting on regional developments.
＊ ＊ ＊
"At any rate, even if you are from the country on the opposite shore, it’s over two thousand kilometers away by sea. One cannot simply come and go as they please."
"That is quite a distance... Are there no means of flight?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Jin thought, Damn it. But it was too late; once spoken, words couldn't be unsaid.
"Means of flight?! Are you talking about airships or balloons? Those, too, are owned exclusively by the state..."
Lorenz’s gaze grew sharp.
"Is that so? My apologies... I had simply heard of them before."
Jin had no choice but to try and play it off.
"Even so... truly, just who are you, Jin-san?"
Regardless, the discussion between Lorenz and Jin was brought to a temporary close. They simply couldn't continue any longer due to the time. It was almost noon, and the clerks needed to report to Lorenz regarding the goods sold and the revenue earned.
However...
"Would you care to join me for lunch?" Lorenz invited, and Jin accepted.
"This is delicious."
Jin ate with singular focus. It was rice—white rice. Since Jin seemed accustomed to drinking green tea, Lorenz’s hunch that he would enjoy this had been correct.
"Hmm. Perhaps you really aren't from this continent after all, Jin-san."
"Do you... think so?" Jin gave a noncommittal response.
"If you ever get the chance, you should pay a visit to Mahalig."
"That’s the capital, right?"
"Yes. The culture there is... and I don't mean this as an insult to the locals, but it’s a world apart from a rural village."
"I imagine it would be."
As he watched Jin snack on grilled dried fish, Lorenz seemed to be deep in thought.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ah, Jin-san! How did the business negotiations go?"
"Huh?"
Kachea questioned Jin the moment he returned to the workshop after lunch.
"What do you mean 'huh'? What were you doing all that time?"
"Ah—well..."
Jin explained that the meeting had consisted entirely of him being interrogated or him asking questions of his own.
Kachea let out a long, weary sigh. "Honestly, Jin-san... you really have no head for business, do you?"
"My apologies." Jin scratched his head sheepishly. "I'll go back and try again."
As Jin moved to turn around, Kachea stopped him.
"No, you can't. A repair request just came in."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"The Village Chief sent word. The pump at the eastern edge of the village broke down, and he needs you to fix it."
"Understood. I'll get right on it."
Jin was contributing to Taji Village in his own way and was becoming friendly with the villagers.
I'd like to make a base in this village if I can, but... I wonder if that’s even possible.
As he headed toward the pump repair, Jin found himself weighing his options and worrying about the future.