Avalon was currently positioned on the western side of the Elias Peninsula, approximately 50 degrees west longitude and 7 degrees north latitude.
The straight-line distance to Borgia, the capital of the Kingdom of Elias, was roughly 200 kilometers.
The two vessels—Jin’s Hurricane and Tomax Bartman’s airship, the Bronte 1—reached the skies above Borgia in about two hours. It was 5:00 PM. With the long daylight hours of spring, the sky remained bright.
Having been notified of their arrival in advance, an airship unit from the Kingdom of Elias rose to escort them. They were small airships, about two-thirds the size of the Hurricane, ten in total.
As they flew in formation through the evening sky with the national flag of the Kingdom of Elias fluttering in the wind, Jin found the sight quite impressive.
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Elias. Please follow Ship No. 1."
A booming voice echoed across the sky, likely amplified by a magi-device. Ship No. 1 was easy to identify, as it was the only airship with a large "1" painted on its gas bag.
Jin ordered Hope to follow the lead vessel, and the Bronte 1 followed suit. The Hurricane and the Bronte 1 touched down at the airfield as twilight began to settle.
"A warm welcome to you. We have been expecting your arrival."
The man greeting Jin and Tomax Bartman’s party was the Chancellor, Vasco de Gino. His shock of white hair and matching beard left a lasting impression. He appeared quite thin, likely due to the crushing weight of his duties, and his complexion looked somewhat pale.
"Chief Administrator of Avalon, Lord Tomax Bartman, and the Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou, I presume. You are most welcome here."
After shaking hands with Tomax and Jin in turn, Vasco de Gino invited them into the waiting automobiles.
Naturally, Reiko accompanied Jin. The secretary automaton, Non, also took her seat beside Tomax. The rest of their companions boarded separate vehicles.
Incidentally, Hope remained on standby inside the Hurricane to provide security as a precaution. This was Jin’s decision—or more accurately, Laojun’s, as he did not yet fully trust the leadership of the Kingdom of Elias.
While most officials who had been under the influence of the Magic Federation had reportedly been purged, Laojun believed that potential sympathizers still lurked in the shadows. Furthermore, the Quinta units had only recently been redeployed, and intelligence was still sparse, so leaving Hope behind was a necessary measure. After all, the Hurricane was currently housing several diplomatic gifts.
As it turned out, those concerns were entirely justified.
Since night had already fallen, Jin and Tomax were hosted at the Guest House.
As Jin was currently using his Duplicate, he was immune to the effects of alcohol, but Tomax was not. He had a notoriously low tolerance for drink, and after several glasses of pleasant cocktails, he was thoroughly intoxicated.
However, being a man of serious character, Tomax felt it would be disrespectful to refuse a drink in such a formal setting, so he drained every glass offered to him. If his secretary automaton, Non, hadn't periodically cast a subtle Detox on him, he would have passed out long ago. Alcohol and its byproduct, acetaldehyde, are toxins to the human body, after all.
For those unaware of this fact, the idea of using Detox to sober someone up might seem unusual, if not impossible to conceive. Since alcohol has been a staple luxury for humanity since ancient times, the fact that Detox is effective against it serves as proof that it is, essentially, a poison to the human system.
"I see, so that is how Detox can also cure a hangover."
Because he couldn't get drunk, Jin had claimed he was simply "unable to drink" and politely declined all alcohol following the initial toast.
The Chancellor also seemed to be a light drinker, so as fellow teetotalers, the conversation between them flowed naturally.
"...Therefore, as long as humans are bound to these physical bodies, we cannot ignore the material world. In that sense, the claims of the Magic Federation ultimately do not serve the interests of humanity."
"Hmm... Your words are truly enlightening, Lord Jin."
"I see your logic. It is certainly a persuasive argument."
An elderly man named Ireone de Delca, the New King’s former tutor, had also joined the conversation between Jin and the Chancellor. He expressed deep regret that he had been unable to prevent the King—back when he was still a prince—from falling under the sway of the Magic Federation’s ideology.
Maybe it was like a case of 'middle schooler syndrome'... or just a rebellious phase, Jin mused.
As he listened to Ireone’s stories, Jin began to suspect that the New King’s ideology wasn't something deeply ingrained in his character.
If that’s the case, then things might actually go according to Tomax’s plan.
Suddenly, the sound of a warning bell rang out through the night.
Rewinding slightly to the airfield, shortly after Jin and the others had departed for the Guest House.
The Hurricane and the Bronte 1 were being moved toward a hangar reserved for visitors. The transfer was being handled by an airfield administrator and specialized golems.
This was exactly why Hope needed to remain behind. Unlike the Bronte 1, which relied on helium for buoyancy, the Hurricane was a Blow Floater. In other words, it was extremely heavy. To avoid drawing unwanted attention, Hope used the force generator to lighten the load on the towing golems.
Eventually, the two vessels were secured inside a massive hangar. It was shaped like a half-cylinder, bearing a slight resemblance to a commercial greenhouse. Hope’s analysis suggested the structure was made of thin bronze plating draped over a steel frame.
Once the doors were sealed, a deep silence fell. Hope could tell via the magi-detector that there were two security golems standing guard outside the doors.
Remaining vigilant, Hope stayed on standby while using the Hurricane’s external sound sensors to monitor the surrounding environment. He deactivated his visual sensors and diverted the control core’s resources to auditory processing and the magi-detector.
Time passed. One hour, then two.
At 9:00 PM, Hope detected approaching footsteps and a fluctuation in magi. He immediately shifted from standby to normal operational status.
"...Standstill."
Through his sensors, Hope heard the keyword used to deactivate the security golems.
To be able to use a keyword... is this someone involved in security?
It was an inside job.
The hangar doors creaked open.
"...So this is the Magi Craft Meister’s airship."
The man who entered was middle-aged. He wore a mask, so Hope could not identify his features, but his magic pattern was recorded instantly. The intruder paced around the Hurricane, occasionally touching it as if to verify its construction materials. However, he didn't seem to intend to do anything else.
Just then, the warning bell began to toll. It had likely been programmed to trigger if the security golems remained inactive for too long, or perhaps if the hangar doors were opened outside of a scheduled window.
"...Tch. Thorough as always, my dear country."
The intruder spat out the words and hurried out of the hangar, disappearing into the night.
Naturally, this event was reported to Laojun, who then relayed the information to Jin via Reiko.
Back at the Guest House, the reason for the alarm was being explained to Jin and Tomax Bartman.
"I see. So someone opened the hangar doors and intruded."
"Th-that is correct. Fortunately, as we arrived on the scene quickly, the intruder fled before they could do anything."
The man wiping sweat from his brow as he explained was the airfield’s Security Guard Captain. Jin couldn't help but wonder if the man’s thinning hair, despite his apparent youth, was a result of chronic stress.
In the world of Ars, there was no social stigma against baldness. There was a theory that this was a remnant of a culture where crowns were secured to topknots. If one lost their hair, they could no longer tie a topknot, meaning they could no longer wear a crown and were forced to retire. (Though Jin recalled that in modern Japan, the idea that sumo wrestlers must retire if they can't tie a topknot was actually a misconception).
Regardless, Jin and the others dismissed the Security Guard Captain after hearing his report. They were informed that security personnel would be increased for the remainder of their stay.
However, Jin and Reiko decided to inspect the hangar themselves just to be safe. Tomax and Non accompanied them.
"There don't seem to be any abnormalities," Jin concluded after checking both vessels. Since he was the creator, he could verify the status much faster than anyone else.
Relieved, the group returned to the Guest House.
Once Jin was alone with Reiko in their assigned guest room, they began to discuss the situation in earnest.
"What do you think, Reiko?"
"Yes, Father. There was only one lie in his story. The intruder did not flee because they arrived on the scene quickly. While the guards arrived at a normal pace, the intruder had already fled well before they got there."
"I see."
Since Hope had recorded the intruder's magic pattern, identifying the culprit was now a simple matter. Jin was satisfied with that for the night.
As an added precaution, Jin had the Hurricane deploy its barrier inside the hangar.