"Wait, please. This Warp Gate is only supposed to operate with the mana of the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister—Jin-sama, isn't it? Can we really use it too?"
Freddie hesitated at the threshold of the room, looking uncertain.
"Now, now, isn't this exciting?"
Unlike her grandson, Eris stepped into the Warp Gate Room without the slightest hesitation. Seeing her, Freddie hurriedly scrambled after her.
"There's no need to worry. As long as you're with me or Reiko, it'll be perfectly fine."
Jin decided to provide a brief overview of the security.
"First off, the Warp Gate here connects to a relay base called Shinkai. We'll transfer there to another gate bound for Hourai Island."
Jin started with a simple explanation of the system.
"As Freddie mentioned, this Warp Gate reacts to my mana waveform. It also has an authentication function to ensure it’s never misused."
He added that Rubina, Greena, and Marikka each possessed a magi-device that allowed them to pass those authentication checks without issue.
"As for Reiko, since I created her, she shares my mana waveform, so she can pass through as well. Now then, let's go."
"Wait, what? I... hold on a second..."
Before Freddie could fully process the explanation, Jin took Eris’s hand and Reiko took Freddie’s. Together, they stepped into the gate.
In an instant, the group arrived at the Warp Gate in Shinkai.
"This is Shinkai. These two, Butler 49 and 50, are the guards stationed here."
As the two golems approached upon seeing Jin, he introduced them to the newcomers.
"Now, this is the Warp Gate for Hourai Island."
"Oh my, oh my! Come, come, let’s go!"
"Grandmother!"
Eris practically dashed into the Warp Gate before Freddie could even think of stopping her.
Naturally, nothing happened to her. When Freddie followed, the result was the same. But once Jin and Reiko stepped inside and took their hands...
"Oh?"
Eris let out a gasp of surprise as the room visible from within the Warp Gate shifted in an instant.
The transition from Jin Castle to Shinkai hadn't looked much different, but this was another story. The construction and the stone used in the Hourai Island Warp Gate Room were entirely distinct.
Jin urged Eris and Freddie forward, and they stepped out of the gate. Five seconds later, Marikka, Rubina, and Greena teleported in behind them.
Then, Jin spoke the words he always used for guests.
"Welcome to Hourai Island."
The group walked outside the laboratory.
Due to the time difference, it was approximately 10:30 AM on Hourai Island.
"My, oh my... so this is Hourai Island. I have finally made it. Jin-san, thank you so much."
Overwhelmed with emotion, glistening tears welled up in Eris's eyes.
But that moment of quiet reflection was brief.
"Welcome, everyone."
"Eh—whoa!"
Freddie jumped in surprise. Standing there to greet them were the leaders of the Five-Colored Golem Maids, Soleil, Luna, Laozi, and the leaders of the Land, Sea, and Air Forces golems.
"W-What is all this...?"
"They are the residents of Hourai Island—well, just a small fraction of them," Jin said to the pale-faced Freddie, his tone steady and reassuring.
"My goodness... well, it is a pleasure to meet you all."
After returning their greeting with a polite bow, Eris turned back to Jin.
"Jin-san, let me thank you once again for inviting us to Hourai Island."
She bowed deeply to him.
A short while later, the group was chatting in the laboratory’s dining hall.
Jin had originally planned to give them a tour of the island immediately, but Eris and Freddie were more deeply moved by the arrival than he had expected, so he decided a rest was in order.
Freddie remained quiet, but the look on his face showed that he was still buzzing with excitement.
"I’m not a god, and I can't do everything, but I want to support the descendants of the Nido family if they’re ever in trouble," Jin said.
"Thank you. Fortunately... we aren't in any particular trouble at the moment," Eris replied with a gentle smile.
According to Eris, the Nido family currently lived in the Town of Charles, a regional city in the Klein Kingdom. With the tax revenue from Kaina Village, they had enough to live comfortably.
Their only real sorrow was that, for generations, none of them had been able to make a name for themselves as a magi craftsman.
"Despite being the house that produced the Magi Craft Meister, it is a source of great regret for us."
Eris explained that the whispers and backbiting resulting from this had made life in the capital of Alban difficult, leading the family to move to the Town of Charles about fifty years ago.
"That was during my grandfather's time."
"I see... that sounds like it was quite difficult," Jin said, feeling a sense of sympathy.
"But I’m sure Freddie will be the one to restore the Nido family's prestige from here on out."
At those words, Freddie finally spoke.
"Jin-sama... do I really have talent? If I do... no, even if I don't, please train me. I beg of you!"
His attitude was remarkably sincere, a far cry from the hostility he had shown when they first met. It seemed he had originally suspected that his grandmother was being swindled by a group of strangers.
Since Freddie’s parents had passed away while he was young, Eris had raised him herself. It was only natural that he was fiercely protective of her. Eris, too, had lost her husband many years ago.
"Yes, it’ll be fine. You have the potential. Have confidence."
Jin nodded firmly. Then, he added with a smile, "Now then, I intended to show you around the island, but I think lunch should come first."
Lunch was served buffet-style. Multiple dishes were laid out, allowing everyone to take as much of whatever they liked.
For staples, there was white rice, porridge, and itopo mixed rice. There were also mini-sized bread rolls, both plain and with passa.
For soups, they had miso soup with aburaage and shalot, a clear suimono with nunawa and local bamboo shoots, and a vegetable soup.
The side dishes were plentiful: various vegetable tempura, nikujaga, Cowbull stew, sweet tamagoyaki, fried white fish, kokarisk karaage, and pigu janzy.
There were also blanched greens, oshinko, and plume-boshi.
For dessert, there was apulul, Persica, citran, and loquats.
As for drinks, they could choose from cold water, hojicha, green tea, te-e, kuuhe, apulul juice, citran juice, or ramonade.
"Wow! I want this, and this, and this, and this..."
Rubina’s eyes shone as she began piling her tray with food.
"Rubina, no one is going to take it from you. Just take what you can actually eat for now."
"Okay..."
Chastened by Marikka, Rubina settled down slightly.
"My, Jin-san, you certainly have an abundance of ingredients here."
Eris smiled as she modestly but thoroughly sampled a bit of everything.
"...I wonder what this is?"
Freddie looked puzzled as he stood before the suimono with nunawa and local bamboo shoots.
"That's called nunawa. It’s a water vegetable that is a specialty of Fusou Island," Greena explained.
Nunawa was an aquatic plant similar to a water lily that grew in freshwater ponds. The buds and the underside of the young leaves were covered in a thick, gelatinous mucus that gave them a unique, slippery texture. While it was a specialty of Fusou Island, a small amount was also grown on Hourai Island.
"I quite like it," Greena added.
"In that case... I'll give it a try."
Encouraged, Freddie added the suimono to his tray.
"Ugh, I want to try everything, but there's just not enough room in my stomach!" Rubina lamented, rubbing her belly with a look of genuine regret.
"Don't push yourself. As the saying goes, your stomach is part of your body too."
"Yes, sir..."
"Jin-san, this mixed rice is wonderful."
Eris ate slowly and elegantly, seeming to particularly enjoy the itopo mixed rice.
"...This nunawa is slippery, but it's good."
"Right? The texture is interesting, isn't it?"
Freddie and Greena chatted as they enjoyed their soup.
Jin had already finished his meal and was relaxing with a cup of hojicha. It had been quite a long time since Hourai Island had felt this lively.