"Welcome, Jin-dono."
Count Kuzuma personally greeted them in the entrance hall. Then again, having Reinhard and Elsa in the party might have had something to do with his presence.
"I’ve been wanting to have a proper talk with you," the Count said as he offered a handshake.
"If you’re worried about Count Guarana, don't be. That private guard unit has been disbanded for the crime of unjustly attacking commoners. Their captain is currently behind bars."
It appeared Count Kuzuma had already dealt with the trouble involving Count Guarana’s private guards—the very incident that had prompted Jin’s departure from Blue Land. Since the unit had been a source of constant problems, finding grounds to charge them had been an easy task.
The Count then turned his attention to Reinhard.
"Reinhard, was Jin-dono’s base as impressive as I imagine? I would have loved to see it myself, but my official duties keep me tethered here."
Count Kuzuma spoke with a look of genuine envy. He then looked toward Beena.
"Beena, your brother and sister were worried about you. You should go see them."
"O-Oh, right! Well then, if you'll excuse me. Jin, I'll see you later!"
With a quick wave, Beena ran off toward the courtyard.
"Now then, please come inside."
The Count led the way, but partway through, he handed the duty of guiding them over to Sebance. The Count then retired to a separate room with Reinhard and Elsa.
"Please make yourselves comfortable here."
Jin and Reiko were shown to a room on the second floor. It was a grand, luxurious suite. Since Count Kuzuma knew Reiko was an automata, he hadn't bothered to prepare a second room for her.
"You can see the courtyard from the window. It’s quite a beautiful garden," Jin remarked, looking out at the scenery while Reiko began unpacking their belongings.
Once Jin had settled in, a maid arrived with a message. The Count requested his presence.
Jin saw no reason to decline, so he and Reiko followed the maid to a parlor located in the center of the second floor, which opened onto a wide balcony. There, the Count and the others were seated around a circular table, enjoying the mild early spring sunshine while they had tea.
"I have brought Jin-sama," the maid announced before withdrawing.
"Hey, Jin! The sun feels great out here," Reinhard called out, beckoning him over. Jin was shown to a seat at the table, right between Reinhard and Elsa.
Reiko took up her usual position, standing silently just behind Jin.
"Louis... Ah, Louis is Count Kuzuma's given name, Jin," Reinhard explained, moving on to describe the naming conventions of the Kingdom of Egerea’s nobility. "It goes: name, middle name, family name, and then rank. In the Count's case, his formal name is Louis Waltz Count Kuzuma."
With the introductions out of the way, they moved to the heart of the matter.
"Now then, Louis, why don't you tell Jin what we were discussing?"
At Reinhard’s prompting, Count Kuzuma looked at Jin. "His Majesty has a son, Prince Ernest. He is the third prince, and he happens to be a great enthusiast of golems and automata."
He cast a brief glance toward Reiko.
"To celebrate Prince Ernest's birthday in ten days, the capital will be hosting a 'Golem Party.'"
"A Golem Party?" Jin repeated.
Count Kuzuma explained that throughout the neighboring countries, it was becoming increasingly common to utilize golems to fill the labor gaps caused by low populations. The Kingdom of Egerea was no different. Furthermore, Prince Ernest’s fascination with them was so great that a third of his personal guard consisted of golem soldiers.
Because of this, they were turning the Prince's birthday celebration into a Golem Party, inviting talented magi craftmen and their finest golems from across the land and abroad. It was an opportunity for various nations to showcase their advancements in golem technology.
"Reinhard and his Schwarzritter have already received an invitation."
The Black Knight was apparently quite famous. Reinhard, however, looked a bit pained. "While I appreciate the recognition for Schwarzritter, it’s unfortunate that he’s currently out of commission."
"Think nothing of it. I’ll provide whatever materials you need—just see that he's repaired."
Count Kuzuma then looked back to Jin. Reinhard caught Jin’s eye and asked, "What do you think, Jin? Doesn't it sound like fun?"
Jin had been intrigued from the moment the Count mentioned it. "Yeah, it sounds interesting. I’d love to see it."
"I’m glad to hear that," Count Kuzuma said, sounding relieved. "It makes it much easier for me to ask my favor."
"A favor?"
As it turned out, every noble in the kingdom with the rank of viscount or higher was expected to present at least one golem for the event.
"I would like to ask you to construct that golem for me, Jin-dono. I will provide any materials you require. Will you help me?"
The Count added with a regretful sigh that Beena wasn't quite ready for a project of this scale yet.
Jin had no reason to say no. In fact, he was curious to see how high-quality a golem he could build using standard materials instead of the peerless resources available on Hourai Island.
"Since I'm staying here as your guest, I’ll take the job," Jin replied.
"Oh! Thank you. I’m in your debt. What would you like for a reward?"
"Well... how about we let you decide the reward after you’ve seen the finished golem?"
"Hah! You certainly have confidence. I'm looking forward to it."
Reinhard watched the exchange with a mix of amusement and a hint of concern.
"While we're on the subject of golems," Count Kuzuma said, shifting the tone. "We received intel from the Kingdom of Elias yesterday afternoon. It seems those golems you encountered were likely from the Celuroa Kingdom."
He was referring to the golems used by the bandits they had fought after crossing the pass.
"What!?"
The Celuroa Kingdom was a nation Reinhard’s party would have to pass through on their return trip to the Shouro Empire.
"Well, to be precise, they found that some of the components were magi-crystals mined in Celuroa. It doesn't necessarily mean the kingdom itself was behind the attack," the Count added, trying to ease Reinhard's worry. "As for the golem that attacked you directly..."
He was referring to the one that had bested Schwarzritter.
"The Elradrite used in that model originated from the Leonard Kingdom. Though, since eighty percent of the world’s Elradrite comes from there, that’s hardly surprising."
"Still, it’s possible the Celuroa Kingdom and the Leonard Kingdom are collaborating in some capacity," Reinhard mused, his voice dropping into his serious mode. "The Celuroa Kingdom has always prided itself on being the true successor to the ancient Dinar Kingdom, after all."
Reinhard went on to explain that Celuroa was an expansionist nation; about 150 years ago, they had annexed the Principality of Fresnel, one of the Allied Kingdoms that once stood between the Shouro Empire and Egerea.
"Well, we have no hard proof, and there’s no reason for a nation to target individuals like us anyway," Reinhard said, finally relaxing back into his usual demeanor.
The conversation turned back to lighter topics.
"I see, so even Elsa-jou participated?"
The subject shifted to the Golem Boat Race in Port Rock. When the Count heard that all the pilots were women in swimsuits, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! I envy the men who got to see Elsa-jou in a swimsuit up close."
Elsa flushed slightly at the comment.
When he heard that Jin had entered with a golem modeled after his partner, Marcia, the Count’s eyes lit up.
"Hmm. In that case, the golem you build for me should be a female model as well. As for the inspiration... perhaps Beena?"
Jin gave a polite, noncommittal nod, unsure of how serious the Count was being. Privately, however, he couldn't help but think that neither Beena nor Elsa would make for a particularly dynamic model, given their lack of curves.
"Jin-kun... are you thinking about something rude?"
Elsa narrowed her eyes at him. Perhaps it was feminine intuition, or perhaps she had just noticed his eyes momentarily drift toward her chest.
"Well, it seems it’s almost time for lunch."
The gathering continued until the sun reached its zenith, at which point they moved to the dining hall.
After lunch, Jin set to work on the golem’s design while Reinhard began the repairs on Schwarzritter. They naturally set up shop in Beena's workshop.
"Ah, Jin, Reinhard-sama! Welcome. The Count told me about the golem request."
"Jin Onii-chan!"
"Jin-niichan!"
Beena and her siblings were there to meet them. Nana and Raldo looked remarkably better than the last time Jin had seen them; their complexions were healthy, and they had clearly been eating well.
"Hey there. You two look like you’re doing great."
"Yeah!" they chirped in unison.
"Now, you two," Beena said. "They have work to do, so go play outside so you aren't in the way."
"Okay! We're going to go clean the garden then!"
Though the children were thrilled to see Jin, they obeyed Beena and headed out to tidy up the grounds. Jin looked around the workspace.
"Wow, this place has really changed, Beena. It's much larger, and you've got a great selection of tools and materials. What are you working on?"
"Oh, this? It’s a magic tool to create wind."
As spring turned to summer, the area would become quite hot. While nobles had servants to fan them, Beena believed a magic tool that provided a cool wind would be a hit with the common people.
"That’s a great idea. What’s the plan for it?"
Beena looked quite proud of herself. "I’ve got it all worked out. I’m going to use the elementary wind spell, 'Breeze'."
Breeze was the most basic of wind magic, making it very efficient in terms of mana consumption.
"I think that’s a solid choice."
"Hehe. I haven't just been sitting around while you were gone, Jin!"
Beena beamed with pride, unaware that Elsa was watching her from the shadows.