In the end, Jin and his companions stayed holed up in their room until the next day, the 28th.
By midday on the 28th, most of the outside visitors had departed for their home countries, and Avalon had returned to its usual routine.
"I think I'll head over and see Kachea and the others."
Apart from Tomax Bartman and the other executives, Jin's acquaintances in Avalon were limited to Eira, Kachea, and Groma.
"Ah, Jin-sama, can I come along too?"
When Rubina asked, Jin readily agreed. "Sure."
It seemed Freddie and Greena were going to do some sightseeing on their own.
"I see. Then take Hope with you."
Hope was far more familiar with Avalon than either of them.
"It might sound like an afterthought, but bring Storm along as well. Giving it opportunities to learn will do it good."
"Understood."
Naturally, Reiko accompanied Jin and Rubina.
As for Marikka...
"...Now that the tension's dissipated, I feel completely drained."
And with that, she decided to relax in her room.
So it was that Jin, Reiko, and Rubina made their way to the Go-lab—the Golem Laboratory.
Along the way, several students asked to shake Jin's hand, but for the most part, their walk had been peaceful.
Granted, they had used Stealth whenever they needed to slip through larger crowds...
When Jin knocked,
"Yes!"
came a reply from within, and the door opened. It was Kachea.
"Ah, Jin-san!"
"Hey, good to see you again."
"Likewise....Thank you for all your hard work during the lecture. Ah, is that Rubina-san? Welcome. Please, come right in, Reiko-san."
"Excuse us, then."
"Everyone, Jin-san is here!"
"Oh, welcome! I was starting to wonder if you'd come!"
Eira clapped Jin on the shoulder.
"I was so disappointed that I wasn't around last time," Groma said, shaking Jin's hand.
"Welcome, Rubina-san."
Rubina received a warm welcome as well.
Then the Go-lab members who had never met Jin's group stepped up to greet them.
"I'm Kratos."
"I'm Lagre Gutan. Nice to meet you."
"My name is Kumil. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is ours."
Jin first explained to Eira and Kachea how the crystal golem Kaela had performed admirably in the Kingdom of Elias.
"Whoa, that's incredible. Makes us feel proud to have worked on her."
"It really does."
Listening in on the conversation, Groma offered a wry smile. "Ah, what a shame I missed out."
Meanwhile, Rubina was nibbling on some sweets Kumil had given her.
"Rubina-chan, you're amazing, aren't you? Where did you study?"
"Um, under Marikka-sensei..."
"Ah, really?! And after that, under Jin-sensei?"
"Y-Yes..."
Rubina seemed slightly overwhelmed by Kumil's high energy.
"Jin, so you really were the Magi Craft Meister after all," Eira said in an awed, nostalgic tone.
"A little late to realize that, aren't you?"
"...So, what brings you here today?" Eira asked, shifting back to a playful tone.
"Well, mainly to tell you about Kaela. Though I figured you might have already heard from Tomax-san."
"Ah, we only got the basic rundown."
"Indeed. Tomax-san has his position to consider, so he probably can't casually share sensitive details regarding another nation," Kachea noted, showing consideration for Tomax's circumstances.
"Probably so....At any rate, I think it's safe to say the remnants of the Magic Federation within the Kingdom of Elias have been thoroughly purged."
"That is great news."
"By the way, Jin-dono," Groma interjected. "What would be the best way to study the Adriana-style?"
He had not received a clear answer when he raised the same question during the lecture.
"Hmm, let's see..."
Jin pondered. The style left behind by the Predecessor was ill-suited for mass production, but it was ideal for building high-performance golems and automata.
"I promise to set up a system for that here in Avalon before long."
"Oh, that's wonderful to hear. Thank you very much."
Jin figured he could simply provide an instructor automata.
Meanwhile, Freddie and Greena were taking a stroll through Avalon with Hope acting as their guide.
Heading east-northeast from the academy brought them to the World Conference.
Its Assembly Hall was an imposing stone structure treated with Toughening.
"The interior, however, is quite modern," Hope explained, drawing looks of admiration from the pair.
Storm followed silently behind them.
The route Hope had selected had few pedestrians, allowing them to walk without worry.
"Over here is the World Security Guard building. It is said to be the most advanced and formidable facility in the common world."
"Hmm... Impressive."
"Yeah, it really is."
Greena candidly admired the building's grandeur, while Freddie found himself reflecting that if Jin had not taken him under his wing, he never would have walked through a place like this.
Eventually, the two looped back to the park near the academy.
"...Jin-sama has contributed to this area in all sorts of ways too, hasn't he?"
"That's what I hear."
"Do you think we could ever become like Jin-sama?"
To that question, Freddie replied with a slightly distant look in his eyes.
"I'd like to believe we can if we work hard... but the road is long."
"It really is."
"Even so, I want to believe that if we just keep walking forward, someday... we might reach it."
"Yeah. Let's do our best."
"Right....I'm still no match for you, Greena."
"Hehe, but Freddie, you've improved so fast lately that I can't afford to slack off either."
The subject of their conversation was far from romantic.
And yet...
"Huh? Look, Jin-sama, Freddie and Greena are over there."
"Ah, you're right. They seem to have quite a nice atmosphere going."
Or so Jin seemed to think upon catching sight of the two.