Laojun had the foresight to move Pegasus 2 further north while they were away, so once Jin and Reiko returned to the craft, it took a mere five minutes to reach Sion’s location.
This time, Hope disembarked with them.
"Welcome back, Jin....You look quite refreshed," Sion remarked as they met.
"Yeah, I had a chance to soak in the hot springs back on Hourai Island."
"...I should have guessed."
Sion looked slightly exasperated as she led them into the mansion.
"Jin-shama, welcome back!"
"Welcome back!"
Marikka and Vita were there to greet them at the entrance.
"Um, is that golem one of your creations too, Jin-shama?" Vita asked. She had seen him around a few times, but this was the first time she had ever spoken to him face-to-face.
"Yeah, this is Hope. I’ve put him in charge of piloting Pegasus 2."
"My name is Hope," the golem said, offering Vita a polite greeting.
"Whoa..."
On the surface, he looked like a perfectly ordinary golem, but beneath that exterior lay incredible specifications. Whether Vita sensed that or not, she stared at Hope with intense curiosity.
"It’s my dream to have a golem of my own someday," she murmured.
"Why not have Marikka make one for you?" Jin suggested.
"I’m still just a novice, so she won't let me make one yet..." Vita answered, her expression tinged with a hint of loneliness.
Meanwhile, Sion turned her attention to Jin.
"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"
"No, not yet," Jin confirmed.
"The preparations are already complete," Marikka added.
"Jin-shama, I even helped cut the vegetables and fruit!" Vita chimed in enthusiastically.
Marikka couldn't help but expose the truth behind the sudden initiative. "She really did. Though this girl has never lifted a finger to help with kitchen chores until today."
Vita’s face turned bright red at the revelation.
"A-A-Ah, don't tell him that!"
"Hehe. Well, I only told you that you wouldn't be officially recognized as part of the 'Family' unless you made yourself useful to Jin-shama."
"Waaah, Marikka-sama, you meanie!"
Her face crimson, Vita turned and bolted down the hallway.
"Marikka, don't tease her too much," Sion scolded gently.
"My apologies. Her reactions are just so fresh and adorable, I couldn't resist."
Jin could only manage a wry smile.
"This is quite a feast," Jin noted once they sat down. The dinner menu centered heavily around Topopo.
"Are these fluffy potatoes?"
The dish consisted of peeled Topopo cut into large chunks, boiled, and then shaken in the pot over heat to evaporate the moisture and coat them in a starchy, flour-like layer before being seasoned with salt and pepper. While some regions boiled them in saltwater until the surface crusted over, this version followed the former method.
"Jin-shama, I made those!" the recovered Vita declared proudly.
"Oh? Thank you. They look great."
Jin remembered teaching younger children how to make this during his time at the orphanage. Sometimes adding a bit of curry powder was a good way to keep them from getting bored of the taste. Come to think of it, he wondered if he had ever managed to recreate curry powder in this world.
In addition to the fluffy potatoes, they were served topopo salad and Meat-Topopo. The meal wasn't strictly vegetarian, however; there were also helpings of fried whitefish and shrimp. The barley porridge was seasoned perfectly, and the soup was exactly to Jin's liking.
"That was delicious. Thank you for the meal."
Jin sat back, truly satisfied, as he sipped his after-dinner tea. It was Kaina tea.
"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" Sion asked.
"Nothing in particular," Jin replied.
Sion leaned forward slightly. "In that case, I have a favor to ask... of both you and Reiko-chan."
"Of me as well?" Reiko asked.
"Did something happen?" Jin inquired.
Sion nodded. "Yes....You see, the Grandragon population has been increasing lately, and they’ve started causing damage to the local area."
"Grandragons... Ah, those are the dragons we dealt with alongside Anne back then."
"Exactly. Their numbers have grown so much recently that they’ve started migrating south into this region. Just yesterday, one of our greenhouses was completely crushed."
"That sounds like a serious problem."
"It is. Could you help us deal with them?...Though I suspect I’ll end up leaving most of the work to you."
Jin nodded without hesitation. "If that’s the case, we’ll lend a hand."
"Thank you, Jin."
＊ ＊ ＊
The following day, Jin boarded Pegasus 2 with Sion, Lordtoss, and—at her insistent pleading—Vita.
"Hwaaa... Th-This is Jin-shama's Magi Machine..."
"You don't need to be that nervous," Jin said, noticing how tense Vita had become.
"Is everyone settled? Then let's head out. Hope, if you would."
"Yes, Master," Hope replied. He followed Jin’s instruction and brought Pegasus 2 into a smooth, slow ascent.
"Whoa, it’s flying!"
Jin recalled that she had been given a ride by Lordtoss recently, but Vita’s awe seemed to be of a different nature.
"To think a giant lump of metal like this can actually fly through the sky...! Jin-shama, you really are incredible!"
The praise tumbled from her lips as Pegasus 2 leveled off at an altitude of about 50 meters and began a slow trek to the north.
"Could you move a bit further to the west?" Sion requested.
"Hope."
"Yes, Master."
Under Sion’s direction, they approached the area where the Grandragon had been sighted.
"Ah, there!"
Sion pointed toward the reddish-brown earth below. Several deep lines, resembling giant scratch marks, were gouged into the terrain.
"Those are the tracks left by a Grandragon. They’re very easy to spot from the air."
Near the end of the trail of gouges, they could see the remains of the mangled greenhouse.
"They’re carnivores, aren't they?" Jin asked.
"Yes. They are the natural predator of the Hekatonkheir. But lately, I’ve heard that the Hekatonkheir are on the verge of extinction."
Hearing that, Jin wondered if the natural balance of the ecosystem had been thrown into disarray.
"For now, if we follow these tracks backward, will we find their source?"
"Most likely."
"Alright. Hope, it's up to you."
"Understood, Master. Leave it to me."
Maintaining an altitude of 50 meters, Hope followed the Grandragon's trail. Eventually, the tracks veered off to the west, heading toward the mountains.
"Is their nest somewhere in the peaks?"
"Yes. If I remember correctly, they dig out large caverns to live in."
"I see."
Pegasus 2 adjusted its course to the west.
"Ah, isn't that it?"
This time, it was Vita who spotted it. She pointed toward a rocky cliffside where numerous footprints, clearly belonging to Grandragons, marked the stone.
Pegasus 2 began to descend. The confrontation with the dragons was about to begin.