In the Nord Federation, Sion was excitedly activating her Doppel.
"Let's put this to use right away."
Sitting in the cockpit and slipping on the headset, she felt as though whatever the Doppel—Sion D—saw was projected directly into her mind.
"This is wonderful."
Since the control rig was located inside her private chambers, as long as Sion D locked the door on her way out, no one would be able to enter.
"...And Deus Ex Machina should be arriving soon... Ah, there he is."
Deus Ex Machina's craft, the Aristotle, touched down at the Nord Federation's airfield.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sion. Come on aboard."
Taking the cue, Sion boarded the craft.
The moment she stepped inside, the Aristotle soared back into the sky.
"It's a bit of a haul to the Klein Kingdom's royal capital, so we'll be using the force generator," Maquina said, and the Aristotle shot through the sky at Mach 2. Piloting the craft was a black golem, Unit 1 of the Space series—in other words, Space 1.
"My, it's fast."
"At this altitude, Mach 2 is about two thousand kilometers per hour, so we should arrive in around twenty minutes," Maquina said.
To which Sion asked, "...Um, the one piloting Maquina right now is Jin, right?"
"Oh, you caught on."
With no one else around to listen, they could talk freely.
Jin had simply wanted to see for himself what sort of person this high-ranking official of the Klein Kingdom was.
Using his own Doppel in that situation would have been problematic, which was why he had taken Deus Ex Machina instead.
"Still, we're flying awfully high."
They were currently cruising through the stratosphere.
"Yeah. It'd be bad if we collided with birds or other flying craft."
"I suppose so."
While this craft would remain unscathed thanks to its barrier, whatever it hit wouldn't fare nearly as well—a point Sion readily understood.
"So, have you already contacted the Klein Kingdom?"
"Of course. I reached out using the manaphone yesterday."
"Who's our contact?"
"His name is Cowen Lacca Kido, the Magic Technology Minister. Good thing you came as Maquina instead of Jin."
Sion dropped an unexpected comment.
"What do you mean?"
"He's a closet fan of Jin, you see."
"Huh?"
An even more unforeseen revelation followed.
"From what I've heard, he's admired the Magi Craft Meister ever since he was young, and he's practically dying to meet the newly emerged Third Generation, Jin."
"Uwah..."
"Just to be clear, he's an older man, okay?"
"You didn't have to add that..."
Jin silently congratulated himself on deciding to come as Deus Ex Machina.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Oh, Sion-sama, and Deus Ex Machina-dono, welcome!"
A middle-aged man with graying hair came forward to greet Sion and Maquina.
"Thank you for the warm welcome, Your Excellency."
Sion greeted the Magic Technology Minister first.
"A true pleasure to meet you. I am the Magic Technology Minister of the Klein Kingdom, Cowen Lacca Kido."
"I have heard much about you."
Cowen Lacca Kido and Deus Ex Machina exchanged handshakes.
"Well then, without further ado, allow us to show you the bus."
At Maquina's signal, Space 2 through 20, the crew members of the Aristotle, lowered the bus from the hangar.
"Oho, so this is the 'bus'?"
"Excluding the driver and assistant, it seats thirty passengers and can comfortably handle quite rough terrain."
"I see, so that explains the eight-wheel drive."
Cowen looked over the bus with keen fascination.
"The driver and assistant are golems as well—Driver 1 and Assist 1."
"Oho, my, this is magnificent! They are Adriana-style, of course?"
"Yes."
Cowen mentioned that he had recently attended the Adriana-style lectures held in Avalon.
"Someday, I hope to be capable of crafting such advanced golems myself," he added.
Afterward, the party moved to a conference room in the government office adjacent to the airfield.
There, Maquina handed over a pamphlet detailing basic operational instructions before they began hammering out the terms of the lease.
Since Driver 1 and Assist 1 were present, any granular questions about operating the vehicle could be directed to them, but the lease conditions needed to be properly finalized on the spot.
"Hmm, I see. Since this 'bus' is also a prototype on your end, Deus Ex Machina-dono, you wish for us to operate it and provide operational data in return."
"Correct. In light of that, I believe a rental fee of thirty thousand Toll per month would be fair."
"And that includes the bus and the two golems?"
"Yes."
This was a figure settled on after careful consultation with Laojun beforehand, calculated to be a remarkably generous offer.
"There is one additional condition: we ask that this bus be used to transport spectators to Toka Village for the air race hosted by volunteers from the Nord Federation."
"I see, I see. Perfectly understood."
He made sure to emphasize that providing the bus was strictly part of his cooperation with Sion.
After all, this was merely one of the means to ensure the success of the air race in Toka Village.
"Should it ever break down, you need only contact me, and I will relay the message to Maquina-dono immediately," Sion added by way of clarification.
They then ironed out a few remaining details and drew up a formal written agreement. Three copies were prepared, signed by Maquina, Sion, and Cowen, with each party retaining one.
"Well, well, today has been a truly splendid day."
Once the contract and all administrative formalities were settled, light refreshments and tea were served to foster goodwill.
"Normally, I would have insisted on welcoming you to the Royal Palace..."
"No, I still have many matters to attend to after this, so I'm afraid I cannot linger."
Cowen looked disappointed, while Maquina—secretly Jin—politely demurred.
Sion also excused herself, noting that she was getting on in years and wished to rest at home, opting to make a quick turnaround as well.
"Next time, you simply must bring the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, Jin-sama, along with you!"
Cowen repeated that earnest plea to Sion and Maquina again and again.
Since Jin, who was piloting Maquina, was fully determined to keep as much distance as humanly possible, the poor minister had no idea that the more passionately he begged, the more counterproductive it was.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Phew, that's finally taken care of. Thanks, Sion."
"Good work to you too, Jin."
Once the Aristotle had taken to the sky, Jin and Sion were able to converse candidly once more.
"You really are spreading your wings all over the place, Jin."
"Well, originally, it was all for Lishia's sake because she couldn't bear to watch Toka Village decline."
"Ah, come to think of it, that's true. You really have a soft spot for your friends, Jin," Sion chuckled.
Borrowing Maquina's voice, Jin replied,
"Well, you're one of those friends, Sion."