After Jin somehow managed to soothe Beena and calm her down, Count Kuzuma summoned his chief maid.
"You called, My Lord?"
A maid in her late thirties with a composed air appeared. She wore a navy-blue dress with a white bib apron and a white brim on her head.
She had brunette hair and eyes to match. Slightly plump and radiating a sense of calm, she was a woman of stable character.
"Indeed. Regarding the golem currently under construction, Maroom, I would like you to share your knowledge with it."
"Pardon?"
As expected, she didn't seem to understand the request. Jin stepped forward to assist.
"Maroom-san, just focus on the work you do every day."
She still looked bewildered, but she managed a hesitant reply. "I... I see."
Regardless of her confusion, Jin proceeded.
"Trans Info Level 3."
"Eek!?"
Maroom gasped as the magical energy suddenly coursed through her mind. Jin quickly explained that there were no harmful side effects, such as pain or lasting damage.
Despite the reassurance, Maroom still looked a bit pale.
"Master-Slave: 1st priority, Blank; 2nd, Count Kuzuma; 3rd, Beena; 4th, Maroom."
The first priority was reserved for the Third Prince.
Once the chain of command was established, the work was complete. Of course, as her creator—her Father—Jin stood in a category all his own.
"Hmph, so that's how you do it! Honestly, I never get bored when I'm around you, Jin!"
Reinhard seemed to have "seen" exactly how Jin’s technique worked; he truly was a master of his craft.
"Well then, since the client is here... Wake up."
"Yes, Father."
"Kyaa!"
Maroom let out a small shriek as she watched the golem suddenly sit up.
"How is your physical condition?" Jin asked.
After moving her limbs slightly, the golem replied that there were no problems.
"These are your masters. Greet them."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, My Master. I look forward to serving you."
With those words, the golem bowed to Count Kuzuma. Her movements were elegant and entirely natural.
"Hmm, it truly is like watching Maroom herself."
Because she had received Maroom's knowledge via Trans Info, the golem's mannerisms were remarkably similar to the maid's.
When Jin suggested that the Count should give her a name, the nobleman thought for a moment.
"Very well. Your name shall be Lotte."
"Yes, thank you very much. I am Lotte."
Lotte offered a deep, respectful bow.
"Beena-sama, I look forward to working with you. Maroom-sama, I look forward to working with you."
Lotte greeted Beena and Maroom as well. It was Maroom's first time seeing a golem so human-like, and she could only blink in wide-eyed astonishment.
"Now then, Maroom, please look after Lotte's education for a while—or rather, see if there are any issues with her performance."
"Y-Y-Yes, My Lord."
With that, Maroom led Lotte out of the workshop.
"Now, Jin, you have created a magnificent golem. What should I do about the reward?"
"As I said before, I'll leave that to your discretion, Count."
The Count gave a sly grin at the response.
"How does one million Tolls and the status of a royal magi craftman for the Kingdom of Egerea sound?"
"What!"
Ignoring the shocked gasps from Reinhard and Elsa, Jin flatly rejected the offer.
"I decline."
The Count shrugged and sighed, as if he had expected as much.
"Good grief, I suppose that was a no-go as well... Reinhard, I envy you."
He paused, then spoke again.
"Three million Tolls. How about that?"
That was approximately thirty million yen.
"That will be fine."
This time, Jin accepted.
Jin entrusted the three hundred gold coins of the reward to Reiko. She picked up the bag containing the coins—which weighed about six kilograms—by pinching it with her fingertips and tucked it into the front pocket of her apron.
Setting aside her strength, the apron neither tore nor sagged under the weight. It truly was a testament to the rare material.
By the time the transaction was finished, it was already evening.
After bathing, the group gathered in the dining hall.
The servants and maids brought in the food, and among them was Lotte, now dressed in a proper maid uniform.
"Ho, Lotte, those clothes suit you. It seems you are working diligently."
The Count spoke in admiration as he watched her set the table with the practiced efficiency of an experienced maid.
"Yes, My Master."
"My Lord, Lotte is exceptionally talented," Maroom added. "With only a little instruction, she works as well as a maid who has served for ten years."
"You flatter me."
Lotte's manner of speaking was so human that if one closed their eyes, it would be impossible to tell she was a golem. The fact that she was clothed only enhanced the illusion.
"Hmm, one could practically call this an automata," Reinhard muttered.
Jin asked Reinhard what exactly the difference between a golem and an automata was.
"According to our definitions, I suppose an automata is something where emphasis is placed on human-likeness, while a golem is something where emphasis is placed on function."
"I see. For me, to put it simply, an automata has hair and skin. For a golem, the hair is made of the same material as the body, and they generally don't have skin."
Reinhard nodded, agreeing that such a distinction was also a valid definition.
"Jin-kun."
Elsa spoke to him during tea time after dinner.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Dampers."
Hearing that single word, Jin realized his mistake. Even though he had promised to install dampers, he had repeatedly pushed it aside to focus on other projects.
"You're right, I really have to make them this time. Thanks, Elsa."
"Nn."
Elsa seemed a little pleased to be thanked by him.
"In that case, tomorrow, when we build the replacement for the broken carriage, let's knock that out too!"
"Right. In that case, I shall provide the materials as promised," Reinhard agreed.
It was decided that Count Kuzuma would prepare the materials for that as well.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, the two men immediately set to work on modifying the carriage and building a new one.
"Since it's a carriage, the axle usually goes straight through from left to right, doesn't it?"
"Hmm? Naturally."
"But what if we attached the wheels so they could spin on a fixed axle?"
"Huh?...I see, so the left and right wheels could rotate independently. If you did that... what would happen?"
"It reduces resistance when turning."
Exchanging ideas like this, the two solidified their vision for the carriage.
As expected, Elsa couldn't keep up with the technical talk, so she spent the day relaxing at the Count's mansion. Her wet nurse, Mine, stayed glued to her side all day, looking immensely happy.
"So, if we want to suppress vibrations, wouldn't this kind of structure be better?"
"No, that's too complex. It would be better to do it like this..."
"Grand Mud Frog leather is very effective!"
"Yeah, it's more than enough for a damper."
Working on the carriage without even stopping for a proper lunch, the two completed the new model by evening.
In some ways, Reinhard and Jin made an excellent team—at least when they were building things that stayed within the bounds of common sense.