The investigation team led by Bell and Yor didn't return even after ten days had passed. In response, the Universal Ship set out to find them. Since there hadn't been much work for the vessel lately anyway, I didn't mind. Tou, the ship's captain, had accepted the situation and completed his preparations.
Still, I wondered what could have happened. Yor was one thing, but Bell was with her. I figured that no matter what occurred, Bell would have prioritized returning to the village to give a report the moment a problem arose. Had they encountered a situation that made it impossible for them to leave?
Now that the Universal Ship had gone, I decided to wait three more days. If we still hadn't heard anything by then, I planned to ask Hakuren or Rusty to take me to the site personally.
Three days later, I spotted the airship and the Universal Ship in the distance. It seemed they were finally home.
"What should we do?" Hakuren asked in her dragon form.
We had been just about to depart ourselves. Well, since we were already packed and ready, we might as well go greet them. I climbed onto Hakuren’s back, and we flew toward the airship.
Even from a distance, I could see that the airship was carrying a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—an Artie Horse—dangling beneath it. It seemed they had found another one. Its design was different from Siegfried’s. Furthermore, the Universal Ship was also carrying an Artie Horse, and that one looked different as well.
Had it taken them this long just to find and recover these two? I could easily imagine Bell saying, "Time's up. Let's leave it and go," while Yor countered with, "I am absolutely bringing every single one of them home!"
Yor began waving at me from atop the airship's cabin. I waved back, but then I noticed her gestures weren't just a greeting. She seemed to be calling me over. Deciphering her frantic motions, I realized she wanted Hakuren to fly directly under the airship so she could jump down and transfer to us.
Don’t suggest something so reckless. Request denied.
When I signaled my refusal, Yor brought an Angel over. The Angel carried Yor through the air and brought her close to Hakuren.
"Do you mind, Hakuren?" I asked.
"I don't mind at all," she replied.
With her permission, Yor climbed onto Hakuren’s back. Hakuren wasn't wearing her cargo carrier today, so I warned Yor not to fall. I also had to tell her to stop clinging to me; if she pulled too hard, I’d fall off as well.
"So, what is it?" I asked. "You came all this way just for this?"
"There are still two more left behind! Please, we have to go back and recover them!"
So there were more besides the two dangling from the ships.
"We have to get them before someone else takes them!"
"Alright, alright, I understand."
But we couldn't just turn around and go right now. Hakuren had her own responsibilities. She was supposed to be supervising the children’s studies, and I had already pressured her into checking on the airship’s status.
"I really don't mind," Hakuren chimed in.
"Thanks. But wouldn't it be difficult for you to carry two more of those machines?" I looked back at the Artie Horse dangling from the airship.
"Ah... that's a good point."
"Right? That's why we’re going back to the village first."
"No way!" Yor wailed.
"Calm down. I didn't say we weren't going to get them."
Yor and I returned to the village on Hakuren's back. As for how to retrieve the remaining machines, I thought it would be simplest to send the airship and Universal Ship back out once they unloaded. However, through Hakuren’s mediation, Hiichiro and Gral decided to go instead.
Raimeiren, of course, went along to supervise them. I was grateful, but I worried about Hiichiro’s brooch-making. Apparently, he had hit a creative block, and Gatto had suggested he take a break to clear his head. That made sense.
Raimeiren also insisted that Yor and I ride with her. I understood why Yor was needed as a guide, but I wasn't sure why I had to go.
"It is a father's duty to witness his son's success," Raimeiren told me firmly.
"You expect me to ride a dragon all by myself?" Yor added.
It seemed that even Yor found the prospect intimidating.
"Hakuren-san or Rusty-san would be one thing, but this is Raimeiren-sama..."
I wondered if Raimeiren would be offended if she knew how people felt, but I kept the thought to myself. She really wasn't that scary—just a grandmother who doted on her grandchildren.
"And I'd be acting alongside those grandchildren," Yor pointed out.
I see. Fair enough. We set out to retrieve the machines, intending to make it a quick trip.
And it was. We were back in less than a day. We left in the morning and returned by evening. It helped that the Artie Horses had already been secured with ropes, but the sheer power of the dragons was the real reason it went so smoothly.
"Thank you, Hiichiro, Gral. You were a big help."
I also thanked Raimeiren for the trouble. She seemed delighted to have spent the day out with Hiichiro and the others. Lately, Hiichiro had been spending all his time at Gatto’s workshop. He had finished several brooches, but it seemed he wasn't satisfied with any of them. He had more of a craftsman’s temperament than I expected. I wanted to tell him that a beginner shouldn't expect to create a masterpiece right away, but I didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. I’d let him work at it until he was satisfied, even if it was a bit of a burden on Gatto.
With the two machines brought back by the ships and the two recovered by the dragons, a total of four new Artie Horses had arrived at the Village of the Great Tree. The High Elves were frantically building hangars for them. The airship and Universal Ship had also been packed with related components, resulting in a mountain of unfamiliar parts that had the Mountain Elves overjoyed.
I also heard that Zabuton’s Children, who had accompanied the airship, had a difficult time. Initially, the team had tried to bring back all four Artie Horses at once by dangling them from the airship. Unsurprisingly, the ship couldn't handle the weight and wouldn't fly. They gave up and reduced the load to two, but the weight was still so immense that they couldn't pick up speed. Worried about falling behind schedule, they ended up dropping one of the machines.
The mining site where they found Siegfried had been safe because Kuro’s Children and Zabuton’s Children had cleared out the monsters during the trial digging, but the place where the machine fell was wild territory. I received a report that the area was crawling with magic beasts and monsters. Since the Angels couldn't handle the threat alone, Zabuton’s Children had fought desperately to protect the equipment. Suarlou, who had been overseeing the Angels, had also joined the fray. I’d have to make sure to thank her.
I also decided not to scold the Universal Ship for dashing out without permission, as the team would have taken much longer to return without its help.
As I was thinking, a heavy, low-pitched rumbling echoed through the air. Against the backdrop of the sunset, something was speeding between the village and the forest. Its legs weren't moving—was it hovering? Or was it using crawler tracks?
It was one of the Artie Horses brought back by the airship, and it was moving quite nimbly. I wondered who was piloting it. The most likely candidate, Yor, had been left completely exhausted by the flight with Raimeiren and had collapsed the moment we reached the village. Currently, she was curled up fast asleep inside the cockpit of the machine Gral had carried; the Mountain Elves were debating how to get her out so they could begin their inspection.
If it wasn't Yor, who was it? Bell was busy with the spare parts, and Tou was over by the Universal Ship. Was it one of the Mountain Elves?
The Artie Horse seemed to notice me and began heading my way. It was an impressive sight. Though it didn't seem to be carrying any obvious weapons, the sight of such a massive body charging toward me was a little intimidating. Zabuton’s Children lined up in front of me just in case.
Perhaps noticing them, or simply following its original plan, the machine stopped a short distance away. It lowered itself to the ground, and the cockpit hatch hissed open.
The person who climbed out was Yuri, the Demon King’s daughter.
"I am Yuri, who hasn't had an appearance lately," she announced. "I've been doing my best based in Village Five until now."