"The 'Magi Craft Meister'? What the hell is that?"
The bandit leader seemed unfamiliar with the title.
"He is the pinnacle of magi craftsmen! Golems, automata—he can create anything. He’s the greatest magi craftsman in the world!"
The bandit technical expert had once studied at Avalon for about six months. After dropping out because he couldn't keep up with the lectures, a series of unfortunate events had led him to his current life. Even so, he had never stopped keeping up with the latest news in the engineering world.
Consequently, he was well aware that the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister had appeared.
"With him involved, anything we do is pointless. We should just surrender."
"Don't be an idiot. We have to find a way to escape..."
While they were arguing, the airship's speed suddenly plummeted.
"Wh-What? What happened?!"
"Hey, the propulsion system has stopped!!"
"What did you say?!"
An airship without a propulsion system was nothing more than a balloon. Drag caused its speed to drop sharply until it was simply drifting with the wind.
"It’s... it’s over."
Watching the Hurricane close the distance to twenty meters, the bandit technician let out a sigh of resignation.
"You coward! Don't give up!"
The leader-class man shouted at him.
"At this distance... take this! Fire Bullet!"
He attempted to cast the strongest attack magic at his disposal. However...
"Wh-Why won't it work?! I can't... use magic!!"
It was only natural; their airship was currently enveloped by waves from a Magic Canceller. Then...
"Gyah!!"
Struck by the discharge of a Paralyzer, the four bandits collapsed, unconscious.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ji-Jin-dono, is it truly safe to approach so carelessly?"
"It’s fine."
The Hurricane currently had both physical and magical barriers active, and Laojun had already used a Peeping Telescope to confirm that the bandits had no remaining means of retaliation.
"Handling the paperwork here would be a hassle, so let's just tow them back to Blue Land."
As they were currently over the Celuroa Kingdom, Duke Blue worried that they might be accused of violating airspace if they were spotted. In truth, Jin’s Hurricane had a free pass to cross any border, so the concern was unnecessary.
While he could have used a Force Rod, Jin hesitated to use it in such a public setting. Instead, he decided to move closer, secure the vessel with ropes, and tow it.
"No attacks... are coming."
"Yes, I’ve knocked them out with a Paralyzer."
"What... When did you?!"
Since the Paralyzer was a weapon also used by the World Security Guard, Duke Blue wasn't shocked by the device itself, but she was surprised that she hadn't even noticed him using it. The Paralyzers used by the World Security Guard were large, bulky things that required time to prepare.
However, given the circumstances...
"...Well, it is Jin-dono," she decided to think.
Reiko leaped across to the bandit airship and secured the ropes. The Hurricane then proceeded to tow the vessel back toward Blue Land.
While the load was heavier than it had been on the way out, the return trip was a direct flight rather than the two sides of a triangle they had flown before. Even with a slight drop in speed, they arrived at Blue Land in roughly the same amount of time.
Incidentally, the gold and silver coins stored in the bandits' hideout were temporarily recovered by Duke Blue, with the intention of returning them to their rightful owners.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Jin-dono, I cannot thank you enough."
Duke Blue bowed to Jin D.
"I never imagined we could capture them so easily."
A capture involving a pursuit across national borders was normally a job the World Security Guard would handle, the Duke remarked.
"Not at all, I'm glad I could be of help."
"Well, it is already night. Would you consider staying at my mansion for one more night?"
The time was 8:30 PM. Jin D and the others decided to accept the offer.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Laojun, what did you think of that airship?"
Jin was asking Laojun back on Hourai Island. While they were towing it, he had Laojun investigate every nook and cranny using a Peeping Telescope.
"Yes, My Lord. There was nothing particularly remarkable. However, compared to the standards of the current era, it is somewhat advanced."
"Oh? In what way?"
"Yes. First, concerning the shape of the gas bag; it is much slimmer than the world standard, likely to reduce air resistance. Although it likely lacks maneuverability as a result."
"I see. I heard it could reach 250 kilometers per hour for short bursts."
"Yes. At the same time, the Wind Thrusters used for propulsion were highly efficient."
"Is that so. Then maybe I should have the World Security Guard take it off our hands through Duke Blue."
"I believe that would be wise. If they were to build similar models as high-speed airships, there would be many situations where they could be put to good use."
"But one big question remains."
Laojun agreed with Jin's observation.
"Yes, My Lord. The question of who made it, when, and where."
"Exactly."
Jin knew it wasn't the bandit technician. That meant they had either commissioned it from someone, stolen it, or found it in some ruins.
"Personally, I believe the possibility of it being found in ruins is high."
If such technology existed in the current world, it would surely be a more prominent topic of conversation, Laojun reasoned.
"Once the deployment of the Quinta is complete, we will be able to obtain more detailed information, but we have fallen behind on this front."
"No, that was my fault too."
Jin had said it could wait, as he hadn't intended to become this involved with the world's affairs. He was poignantly reminded that information was vital at all times, in any era.
"I suspect it dates back to roughly the era just before the rise of the Magic Federation."
"Yeah, that seems likely."
The high probability of that was supported by the fact that technology ill-suited to the current era was used in various parts of the ship.
"It's a shame..."
A Great Magic War stood between the Predecessor and Jin, and the Magic Federation stood between the Original Jin and the Duplicate Jin.
"This planet just can't seem to develop in a straightforward way..."
"No, My Lord. Similar things may have occurred on Earth, where you came from."
"...The Tower of Babel, Noah's Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Atlantis, Mu... you mean those?"
"Yes."
Since Laojun inherited Jin's knowledge, it knew as much about Earth's legends as Jin did.
"There were also the Inca and Maya civilizations, and Lemuria."
"Yeah, that's right."
They were all legends, but if super-civilizations had existed in the past, it was a mystery why they hadn't been passed down to the present.
"Did they destroy themselves, or were there external factors?"
Jin felt a standard degree of romantic curiosity toward such ancient civilizations.
"On this planet, we've figured out almost all of that history..."
Though some mysteries remained, the general progression had been made clear through their investigations, and they even had a living witness like No. 700672.
"Well, I'll look into those things in due time. Reiko should be back tomorrow, too."
For the moment, Jin simply wanted to relax.