"[Then, please tell me what you know.]"
The conversation between Jin and Lordtoss continued.
Jin had already confirmed that the room was free of any eavesdropping magi-devices. However, literal visual surveillance—constant 'peeping' through direct observation—was another story. That was why Lordtoss had opted to communicate in Japanese.
"[You are from the Nord Federation, aren't you?]"
Lordtoss nodded, looking surprised. "[That is correct. I am of the Northern People.]"
"[You belong to the Puppet Clan, then.]"
"[I do.]"
Just as I thought, Jin noted, feeling satisfied. While he was at it, he voiced the question that had occurred to him the previous night.
"[By any chance, did you inherit those eyes and that hair from Sion?]"
"[Sion!? You know of my great-great-grandmother? Then you truly are the person I have been searching for!]"
"[Searching for?]"
"[Yes.]"
When Jin asked why, Lordtoss took a sip of tea and began to explain slowly.
"[I am Sion-sama's great-great-grandson. I call her 'Great-Great-Grandmother.']"
"[Is Sion... doing well?]" Hearing the nostalgic name, Jin instinctively referred to her as Sion without an honorific.
"[She’ll be turning five hundred and twelve this year, and she’s still quite healthy.]"
According to Lordtoss, advances in public health, nutrition, living environments, and medicine meant their average lifespan was now nearing six hundred years. In comparison, the average lifespan on the Lauren Continent was currently only about a hundred.
"[There’s a theory that free ether prevents cellular and genetic decay.]"
Jin had considered that himself. There was a clear tendency for regions with high concentrations of free ether to have longer-lived populations. However, since the influence of hygiene and other factors was so significant, it had remained a hypothesis; he would have to wait several more decades to confirm the true effects of the improvements brought about by his own knowledge.
"[I see. That's good to hear.]"
"[Well, you should see for yourself with your own eyes.]"
"[Eh?]"
"[I’ve been instructed by my Great-Great-Grandmother to find Jin-san and bring him back.]"
"[W-Why would she ask that?]"
"[That is...]"
According to Lordtoss, Sion had remembered a story she heard from Jin when she was young and had tasked him with this mission. Since she didn’t remember the exact date, Lordtoss had arrived in this land three years ago to wait.
"[If I put my mind to it, slipping out of a tower like this would be easy,]" Lordtoss said with a laugh. Jin, knowing the physical capabilities and magic of the Northern People, nodded in agreement.
However, Lordtoss explained that he had stayed because Sion told him that Jin would eventually come to this country.
"[Have you heard anything else?]"
"[She didn't give me much in the way of details...]" Lordtoss replied. Sion apparently hadn't offered a thorough explanation. "[But she told me many things about Jin-san. That you are a benefactor of our Nord Federation.]"
"[I-I see.]"
"[Jin-san, please address me without honorifics.]"
"[...All right, Lordtoss.]"
"[And so...]"
Lordtoss had been ordered by Sion to bring Jin to the Nord Federation once he found him. Unfortunately, since he could not use Teleportation Magic, they would have to travel on foot at first.
"[I’ve been prepared for a long time now.]" He said he had always believed this day would come. He saw no reason to doubt the words of his great-great-grandmother. "[We can leave right now.]"
Jin thought that escaping in the middle of the day might be risky, but Lordtoss shook his head.
"[The surveillance is actually stricter at night.]"
That made sense. Normally, one would choose the cover of night to escape. The guards likely compensated for the lack of visibility by increasing their numbers after dark—especially for a high-value target they absolutely refused to lose.
As for Jin, he only had a very small amount of luggage, making him quite mobile. All he had to do was return to his room to fetch his bag and Hope, and his preparations would be complete.
"[We will use golem horses for travel.]"
"[You have golem horses here?]"
When he asked, it turned out they were an evolved form of the golem horses Jin had gifted for transportation long ago.
"[Marikka-sama popularized them.]"
So Marikka did that... Jin felt a swell of happiness.
After finalizing a few arrangements, Jin took his leave of Lordtoss for the time being.
＊ ＊ ＊
"How was it?"
When he returned to the research lab, Raig Armor questioned him.
"Yes, I spent the time answering his questions and asking some of my own. He really is an amazing person."
Jin gave the standard response that most newcomers gave after meeting Lordtoss.
"Isn't he?" Raig Armor laughed pleasantly.
Jin felt a twinge of regret at having to deceive such good-natured people.
However...
"Hmph, slacking off for an hour and a half. Don't just stand there talking, get back to work!"
Since Karion made a nasty remark, those feelings of guilt instantly evaporated.
At noon, the lab broke for lunch. After eating with his team, Jin announced he would take a short nap in his room and headed back. He packed his few personal belongings into a single small bag. After a quick final cleaning of the room, he bid farewell to the quarters he had occupied for only one day.
"Hope, let's go."
"Yes, Jin-sama."
Jin left his room and headed for the rendezvous point. Deep down, a small part of him wondered if he should be so trusting, but after hearing about Sion, Marikka, and Avalon, he was certain the man was at least from the Nord Federation. He convinced himself that if he didn't make a move now, he might not get another chance. Besides, with his Protect Ring and Hope by his side, he was confident he could handle most obstacles.
"Jin-san, I’ve been waiting for you."
Lordtoss was waiting behind the materials storage area, about ten meters from the tower.
"I've put the guards to sleep for the time being." It seemed he had used magic rather than physical force. "Now, let's go. First, please put these on."
He handed Jin something that looked like sunglasses. Jin recognized them immediately.
"These are glasses that make infrared visible, right?"
"Correct. I’m going to use Stealth now."
Stealth was a spell that made the subject transparent by bending visible light around them. However, it also made it impossible for the subject to see out. Since the spell was ineffective against ultraviolet or infrared rays, a magi-device that converted infrared into visible light allowed the user to see their surroundings.
The superior version of the spell, Invisible, covered the ultraviolet and infrared ranges as well.
Jin put on the glasses, but Lordtoss remained bare-eyed. When Jin pointed this out, he received a simple answer.
"I’m of the Northern People, so I don't need them."
Jin recalled nostalgically how his own Stealth had been seen through during the conflict with the demon race.
Finally, the escape began.