In the evening of the same day.

Jin and his party were at the residence of . The settlement is bustling with activity.

Word of Jin's arrival spread quickly, and many people from various clans gathered there with transfer magic.

"Jin, it's been a long time!

The one who was the most pleased might have been Zion.

"Hello, Theon, you look well.

"Jin-sama, it's been a long time."

Theon's sister, Istaris, also arrived. Her right arm is entwined with Netros's left arm.

Jin is not so dull as to be unable to understand the meaning of this. At least as far as others are concerned: .......

"Hello, Elsa, it's been a long time.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Zion recognizes Erza's face. They greet each other.

This is my friend Saki.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Saki."

"Saki-san, is it? Pleased to meet you.

I am Okaerus of the Divergence. Pleased to meet you.

I am Anemos Deus, the Lonely.

I am Donaisia the Humorous.

Many other clans had gathered to greet the newcomers, and it was a busy time.

When the greetings were over and the atmosphere had settled down, Bardius, Zion's grandfather and head of the clan of Morura, thanked the group on behalf of the others.

"Jin-dono, thank you for everything you have done for us.

"No, we had our own reasons for doing this.

"No, but still. You changed our way of life from the very beginning.

I'm glad I could be of service.

And the greenhouse is great. We no longer have to worry about starving. We will be able to survive this winter with ease.

After these words, Jin presented his gifts. First, Persica.

Packed in a large container, it weighed about 100 kilograms. In this winter, it would last for at least a week. Three boxes. Reiko would have been the only one to carry them.

"Oh, thank God! Fresh fruit is so precious in winter.

Please share. And this.

The next thing he offered was a topopo seed potato.

"This is called topopo. It is a crop that can be grown even in cold regions and should be planted in the spring.

"Ah!　That's the crop you were talking about before!

This was said by Zion's mother, Lorona. She knew a lot about agriculture and had told him about topopo the last time.

"That's right. I will give <> the knowledge on how to cultivate it. But I have one thing to say here. Sprouted topopo, or rather topopo shoots, are poisonous. Do not eat them.

I understand. It's a form of self-defense against pests."

Lorona was very understanding. She was indeed Zion's mother.

"Jin-sama, I've improved a little since then!"

It was Marikka. She had a talent for engineering magic, so Jin had trained her to maintain the magic tools, the agricultural golem, and the Ugly.

"Oh, I see. You did a good job."

"Yes!　I can handle the maintenance of Ugly now, right?

It would have been better if he hadn't bitten at the end," he said, smiling with a hint of a wry smile.

"Now, the purpose of this visit..."

The conversation finally got to the heart of the matter.

Everyone gathered here listened attentively.

"Have you heard about the ancient dragon?

Ancient dragon?

Ancient dragons ...... might be ......."

Most of them tilted their heads, but there was one who looked like he had an idea.

"I've heard stories about a huge white dragon far to the north."

It was Theon.

"Yes, my memory is good!

<, is thinly puffed up.

"Hmm, come to think of it, I may have heard of it too.

Bardius of Morura nodded.

They were the only two who knew of any clues.

Bardius instructed Zion.

"Zion, then you will follow Jin-dono and help him find the ancient dragon.

"Okay!"

Zion followed these instructions with joy.

On the other hand, Erza, who is sitting beside Jin, looks a little discouraged.

"Erza-san, Saki-san, nice to meet you!"

Erza only replies with a "nn" in response. And Saki nodded her head, saying hello.

"By the way, what about Lucas?"

Saki nodded and said, "By the way, what about Lucas, the boy squire loyal to Zion? He was in the back.

"...... Lucas is not my squire anymore, they say he hasn't been trained enough."

In a whisper Zion tells the reason.

It is true that he is still inexperienced, judging from his behavior last time. Jin agreed and did not ask any further questions, considering Lucas's pride.

That night, Jin and the others sleep in Capricorn 1.

They were a little anxious about sleeping in the winter demon territory.

The modifications had a great effect, and Jin, Erza, and Saki were able to rest comfortably.

The next morning. On that day, the month changed and it became February 1st.

Jin, Erza, and Saki were treated to breakfast at Morira's residence. Then it was time to leave.

"How do I look?

Zion came in all dressed up in a white fur coat and a snow hat.

"Well, you look good. You look like the Snow Queen."

Her silver hair and white skin matched her pure white coat and hat very well.

"Oh, yeah?　Hehehe."

Zion looks happy to be praised by Jin. Erza, on the other hand, is looking a bit reluctant, but Jin may or may not be aware of it. Saki looks at Erza and smiles a little.

"You two look a bit like sisters when you stand side by side like that.

Elsa with platinum blonde hair and Zion with silver hair. Both have light blue eyes and are fair-skinned. Jin looked at them and said,

"Yes, they're both pretty."

which made both of them, especially Erza, blush.

Saki, on the other hand...

(Jin is still the same as ever. ...... This must be a lot of trouble for Erza.)

(Jin is still the same as ever, isn't he?

"Take care, Jin-sama!"

"Jin-sama, please take good care of my sister.

"Zion, don't get in Master Jin's way. You'll be of good use to him.

Yes... I'm off!

After being seen off by his grandfather, sister, and mother, Zion headed for Capricorn 1.

Capricorn 1 is waiting for him on the ground.

"Let's go.

Jin gets in first and lends Erza a hand to pull him into the airlock. The airlock is full of two people, so they close the outer door and bring Elsa inside.

When the inner door was closed and the outer door was opened again, Zion looked a little impatient.

Don't close the door in front of me!　I thought you were going to leave me!

"Sorry. I'm sorry. The new Capricorn 1 has a different way of getting in to protect you from the cold.

Saying this, Jin held out his hand. Zion grips his hand firmly. He is wearing thermal gloves, though.

We then went to the airlock. When Jin explained that the inner door would not open unless the outer door was closed, Zion nodded his head in admiration.

"Well, you've thought of it," Jin said. This way, we can keep the outside cold inside.

Then Saki, and finally Reiko would get in, and they would all be in.

"Okay, let's go. We'll head north first."

"Okay. Capricorn 1, we're go for launch.

Under the control of Lando 1, Capricorn 1 is now in motion. It gets up and starts walking.

Bardius, Istaris, and Rorona look on.

They watch Capricorn 1 until it disappears beyond the snowfield.

"I can see you've made some modifications. It rides so much better than before!

Zion is excited to ride Capricorn 1 for the first time in a long time.

It was warm inside, so he had taken off his winter clothes. He is now dressed in knit clothes that make it easy to move around.

She is at least one size smaller than Erza, and her body is thin. She still has the figure of a girl.

When Jin was thinking about ......, he was stared at by both Zion and Erza. Saki was looking out the window.

"Sion, are you sure you want to continue north?"

Jin says deceptively, and Zion replies with a stony look in his eyes.

"We're going to the clan territory of the <>, right? So, the speed of Capricorn 1 is about 30 km/h?　If so, it should be easy to understand that if we go north first, we will hit a river, cross it, and go further north.

The first step is to go to the clan territory to get more information.

Since Falcon 1 with Sky 1 was waiting in the sky to provide support, there was little concern about their current location, but it would be helpful to have someone who knew the area well.

Jin and his crew continued northward without any problems.