< in a clearing north of the village of Taj, Deus ex Machina appeared before Jin, accompanied by his valet Rei.

"Jin, it's been a while.

"Jin, it's been a while." "I'm glad to see Makina is doing well.

They greeted each other in a way that would have sounded absurd to anyone who knew the situation.

"So, what happened?"

Makina asked, looking at the man still tied to the tree.

"Oh. Actually, ......."

* * * *

"I see, so that's what happened. >...... is a nasty thing."

"In the meantime, I've embedded a magic device around the village to detect intruders."

"Yes, as expected."

Makina is impressed. In a sense, he is a self-made maneuver.

I hope we can round up all the bandits.

They must have a hideout somewhere, and we need to find it.

"There are ways to do that. ......"

The problem is that we need to choose a less dramatic and more effective way.

In extreme cases, if the old man mobilizes the , the transporter, and the forces of Hourai Island, he can finish it in a flash.

However, in that case, it would not serve as a warning to other bandits and would-be bandits, and thus would not be enough of a deterrent.

On the other hand, it would be a complete waste of time and money if they were to cause damage by doing so in a gentle manner.

Therefore, Jin and Makina were troubled.

Then, a man who had awakened from his brainwashing spoke to them.

"Excuse me, I know one of the hideouts of ......."

"Really?

That was good news.

"Yes. Well, I'm here, in the woods to the west of this village ...... and all the way back there, the 20 people who attacked Juan Village last time ...... are there, but I'm not here, so there are 19 of them. There are 19 of them, but they have a hideout anyway."

"I see. Is that where they keep the food they took from Juan Village?

Yes, maybe.

According to the man, they are supposed to pick them up from headquarters tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

"So we need to finish this today?"

Makina thought for a moment,

"Is there a ...... golem?"

she asked the man.

"Yes. Three of them, I don't know how I got them."

"I see."

Three golems are not a force to be taken lightly. ...... usually.

Three golems is not much to go on.

Makina muttered as she glanced at the knight-at-arms standing next to her. Rey alone should be able to take them down with no problem, she said.

"I want Jin to protect this village.

"That's fine."

Jin nodded.

The fact that Makina had said this meant that it was the result of a discussion between the old man, who was the head of magic on Hourai Island, and the leader of magic who was mainly controlling Makina.

In other words, it is the direction that can create the most convenient flow in the current situation.

It is not the case that Jin and Reiko will move to capture Makina. Rough affairs are the domain of deus ex machina.

Jin and the others are just the defense team.

So leave it to me from here, Jin.

"...... understand, Makina."

Makina then turned to Sergei.

"I will finish this tonight. So, for tonight only, can you gather the villagers in one place?"

He explained that he was thinking in case the escaped bandits attacked the village.

"In that case, Jin and the others will protect you.

Makina said that with Reiko, Hope, and Enju 2, there was nothing to worry about.

However, if they are dispersed, they may not be able to protect us, so we need them to stay together in one place.

"I understand."

Sergei understood the reason for this and tapped his chest, saying that he would leave it to me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Deus ex machina left the village of Taj and returned to <>.

"<> also confirmed this. In the forest to the west, about two kilometers into the forest, there is a hideout with 18 people and three golems."

Squire Ray gave a report. Of course, the results of the old man's investigation were sent to him.

It would have been better to inform directly to the imam who was controlling the machina, but it was Jin's concern to follow this procedure except in case of emergency, and also in case someone saw the report or he had to explain the development.

"Eighteen?　You seem to be missing one person.

"It seems that one of them is also out there."

"What?　So they know we caught the guy from earlier?

No, I'm sure that's not a problem. The intruder detection wards set up by Jin-sama haven't reacted.

I see.

Perhaps he's some kind of liaison with headquarters.

Okay.

Makina, that is, the imam, decided to be flexible in this regard.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, in the village of Tajee.

The village head instructed all the villagers to gather in and around the headman's house.

As it was impossible to gather only at the village headman's house, they also used their neighbors' houses.

"...... So, <>, a person related to <>, has promised to settle the matter tonight. Please bear with me for one night."

To this Ka?ea adds the following words.

"Well, this <> is the honorary advisor of <>, and he has a large force. It is said that he was the one who settled the battle with Malchitas.

Makina is my brother's apprentice, and I can vouch for his abilities.

Jin also states Makina's ability in a few words, reassuring the villagers.

Fortunately, it was not the cold season, so Jin put up a ward to keep those who could not enter the village chief's house and the neighbors' houses as tight as possible.

The temperature inside the ward would be maintained at a reasonable level as long as people's body temperatures were sufficient.

Blankets were spread on the ground, and it was like a shelter.

Incidentally, the captured man was loosened from his bonds and placed under the watchful eye of Hope.

If Makina's surprise attack was successful, it would be grounds for a reduced sentence.

"All that's left is ...... to do, Sky 900!"

"Yes, Master."

Jin ordered the Sky-900 to float the Hurricane 10 meters above the mayor's house.

The old people and children were given priority because they would be able to live comfortably in the cabin.

This allowed the villagers to spend the night in peace.