Chapter 380

Saki and Kaina Village

June 2nd . Jin and Saki take their leave from Randall Manor .

“Well then, Reinhart, see you later . ”

“Belche… No, Ms . Randall, I wish you all the best . ”

“Hehe…!”

Belche’s face goes completely red . Jin is desperately trying to say “Last night was really fun!” .

Soon after that, Jin, Saki, Reiko, and Ehr are riding Jin’s carriage .

“Hey Jin, your riding is finally getting better . It’s no surprise, though . ”

“Finally, huh?”

“Aw, don’t say that . It’s nothing to be ashamed of! Back when you gave me these gla.s.ses, they were such a novelty to me that I failed to pay attention to anything else . That’s your fault, you know?”

“Now you’re just arguing for the sake of it . ”

“Hehe, that’s what you say . ”

After a trip full of such idle conversations, we finally arrive at Saki’s house .

“Well then, what should I do now?”

“Ah, just your hand luggage is fine . If you need anything else, I’ll arrange for it to be picked up later . ”

“A Warp Gate, was it? I can’t wait to experience an artifact first-hand . ”

The high-spirited Saki disappears into the house with Ehr, and comes back out after a few minutes . Their speed is partly thanks to Ehr’s diligence .

Ehr is now wearing black butler clothes . Saki is wearing a s.h.i.+rt and slender trousers . They’re not only clean, but they also look rather normal .

Jin doesn’t really care about changing clothes, because he has everything he could need where they’re going .

“All right, shall we go?”

While Saki was getting ready inside the house, Jin had put the carriage in a barn . Since the barn’s entrance was too small for the carriage, he had secretly destroyed the entrance momentarily and then repaired it .

“Hmm, so you put the carriage into the barn, huh? This barn rarely sees any use since we don’t have anything to put inside it, so that’s fine . ”

“Steward, I’ll be managing the carriage . ”

“Yes, master . ”

Saki looks at such a master-and-subordinate exchange with a sharp eye .

“This golem also seems to be very efficient, despite its appearance, huh?”

“Yeah . ”

Jin answers lightly as he opens the door of the Warp Gate, which is installed inside the carriage .

“Well, Saki, take my hand . Reiko, take Ehr’s hand . ”

“Yes, father . ”

“I see, so you cannot use it unless you have the same pattern of magical power as Jin? But what is magical power, anyway?”

Jin murmurs “Something like alchemy” as a reply, and drags Saki by the hand as he enters the Warp Gate himself .

As an exception this time, the gate had been adjusted so it could go straight to Kaina Village without pa.s.sing through the base midway . The exit point of the gate is a shelter .

“Ehh? Did I just move? I didn’t feel anything at all, but I’m definitely somewhere else! ”

After Saki’s excitement fades, she seems to pull herself together enough to have a look around .

“Where are we?”

Saki’s voice seems to be filled with great interest . The inside of the shelter is bright thanks to a magical lightbulb that turns itself on whenever it senses someone inside .

“This is a shelter just outside of Kaina Village… It’s an evacuation site prepared in case of a disaster . ”

“Hmm, so it’s an underground living s.p.a.ce . There seems to be a place for food storage too . There’s a lot of thought put in here . ”

Saki a.n.a.lyzes the use of the shelter while looking around restlessly .

“Well then, shall we go outside?”

“Yeah, let’s go . ”

The two of them exit the shelter .

“Huh!?”

The first thing that draws her attention is Nidou Castle, which towers before her .

“Hey, Jin, what is that building?”

“Ah, that’s my castle . Nidou Castle . ”

“A… a castle…?”

“Yeah . I’ll show you inside later, but for now, let’s go to the village . ”

“O… okay . ”

Jin walks towards Kaina Village while dragging Saki along, whose eyes are still fixed on Nidou Castle .

The time difference between Kaina Village and Vanne is approximately three hours . They left for Kaina Village at 11:30 AM, so it’s just after 3 PM now .

The villagers are gradually finis.h.i.+ng their work for the day and returning home .

Saki, Ehr, and Reiko walk alongside Jin, and find Rock on his way back from work .

“Oh, Jin, welcome back! Who’s your friend?”

“h.e.l.lo, Rock . This is Saki . ”

“Nice to meet you . ”

“Oh, I’m Rock . Nice to meet you too . ”

After meeting several other people and having similar conversations with each of them, they finally arrive at Martha’s house .

“Ah, welcome back, big brother!”

Hannah, who’s standing outside the house, quickly notices Jin . Her p.r.o.nunciation is much better now that her teeth are growing back .

“h.e.l.lo, Hanna . ”

“Who’s your friend?”

This time, Saki introduces herself .

“h.e.l.lo, I’m Saki . Nice to meet you . Can I call you Hannah-chan?”

“Umm… just Hannah is okay . ”

“Ah, I see . She’s such a beautiful girl, Jin . Is she your little sister?”

Saki asks Jin with a smile on her face . Jin lets out a laugh and answers .

“Yes . We’re not related by blood, though . And there’s one more girl like her…”

“Hehe, is that so? I can’t wait for you to introduce me to her . ”

After hearing their conversation from the garden, Elsa makes her appearance .

“Oh, Jin-nii, you’re back? … Eh? Saki… nee?”

“E… Elsa?”

Both Elsa and Saki are at a loss for words . Neither of them had expected to meet here, after all .

“After talking to Reinhart, we’ve agreed to hide Elsa here . ”

Saki finally reacts after hearing Jin’s words .

“I… I see . Of course . Long time no see, Elsa . My, you’ve grown!”

“Saki-nee…!”

Elsa runs towards Saki and hugs her . Saki returns the hug, gently stroking Elsa’s hair .

“I’m so sorry, Elsa… Because of that lecherous marquis, you have to live in hiding . ”

“No, don’t worry . I’ve cast the Randall name aside . Now I’m just a girl called Elsa who lives in this village . Mama is here with me too, so I don’t feel lonely . ”

“Mama?”

“Yes . Mama Mine . ”

Hearing that, Saki nods in consent .

“I see, so Mine is your mother, Elsa . For some reason, I thought that’d be the case…”

At that moment, Mine returns . She’s holding a basket of vegetables in one hand .

“Lady Saki?”

“Mine! Long time no see! You seem well!”

“Right! It must have been, what, two years since we met after going on that trip?”

“Ah, you’re probably right . ”

“Ah, what are you doing stand here talking, come inside!”

Jin explains the situation to Martha, who had come to see what was the ruckus all about in the garden .

After that, they all go inside Martha’s house .

Martha pours some Percha tea as soon as the water breaks into a boil .

The biscuits served are dried Wileys . Wileys are sour as wild strawberries, but when dried, they become a sweet and delicious treat .

Jin begins to briefly explain what happened since his departure the day before yesterday .

“Saki-nee has helped me a lot back in my home country . She’s an alchemist who knows many things . ”

Elsa is the one to introduce Saki to the rest .

“Hehe, I’m happy you say such things about me, Elsa . But ever since I’ve met Jin, I’m reminded every day just how inexperienced I really am . ”

After saying that, she takes off her gla.s.ses and puts them on the table .

“These are called ‘gla.s.ses’ . Jin made them for me . When I put them on, I can clearly see the world which has always been a blur in my eyes . I can’t thank him enough . ”

“That’s how Jin-nii is afterall . ”

“Yes . I’m very happy and relieved that you are his protegee, Elsa . ”

As Saki continues to drink her tea, her attention s.h.i.+fts to Edgar, who is standing behind Elsa .

“By the way, Elsa… who’s that Automata?”

“Oh? Him? This is the first Automata I’ve ever made . His name is Edgar . ”

“I am Edgar . Pleased to make your acquaintance . ”

Saki seems to be taken by surprise after hearing that .

“What!? Did you make him yourself, Elsa? Did you become a Magi Engineer?”

“Yes . Jin-nii taught me . ”

Saki nods in consent several times after hearing that answer .

“I see, I see . Well, with Jin as a teacher, you’re sure to make quick progress . ”

“And who’s the Automata behind you, Saki?”

This time, Elsa is looking at Ehr .

“Ah, this is Ehr . Jin, Reinhart and I worked to build him, but Jin made most of the work . ”

“I am Her . Nice to meet you, Lady Elsa, everyone . ”

Sara stands behind Mine, and Reiko stands next to Jin . Saki has Ehr, and Elsa is followed by Edgar .

These automatas and golems are like brothers and sisters, or like cousins . They seem to be having a silent conversation, exchanging greetings only with their eyes

This all makes for a very relaxing s.p.a.ce .