The branch manager’s office was situated at the far end of the second floor of the Mutual Aid Society (Guild).
"Branch Manager, I’ve brought the guests."
The young man from the registration window knocked, and the door was opened from within.
"Please, come in."
The one who opened the door and spoke was a female automata.
She stood about 150 centimeters tall—a petite girl whose appearance seemed to be transitioning into that of a woman. Her brown hair was shoulder-length, and her eyes were a matching shade of brown, the most common color in this world. Her features were crafted to be perfectly average.
The automata invited the four of them inside. The young man who had guided them excused himself and returned to his duties at the front desk.
"Welcome, Reinhard-sama, Elsa-sama. And Jin-dono."
The branch manager was an elderly man with a friendly air about him.
"I am Phillip Teefor, the Blue Land branch manager of the Kingdom of Egerea magi craftman Mutual Aid Society (Guild)."
It was a rather lengthy title. The fact that he possessed a surname indicated he held an honorary position, a testament to his skill.
He was petite, standing about as tall as Jin, with stark white hair and a short goatee. He had no mustache. His eyes were so narrow that it was impossible to tell if they were open or closed, but Jin could sense a sharp glint occasionally peeking from behind his eyelids.
"Hello, Branch Manager Phillip. It’s been a while."
"Hello."
Reinhard and Elsa were clearly already acquainted with him.
"So, you are Jin-dono? I have read Count Kuzuma’s letter. And I understand Reinhard-sama will be acting as your recommender?"
"Yes, that’s right," Reinhard confirmed.
"I see. You seem to be a magi craftman with a very bright future. Jin-dono, I look forward to working with you."
With that, Jin's registration proceeded with almost no formal examination.
"Um... isn't there some kind of test?" Jin asked, remembering the events in Port Rock.
Phillip chuckled. "Haha, if Count Kuzuma and Reinhard-sama are both backing you, there is no room for doubt. Besides, that automata there—she is your work, is she not, Jin-dono? Her level of completion is magnificent."
Phillip spoke while casting a brief glance at the automata standing by his side.
"Her name is Reiko. Rather than my work, she is my daughter," Jin said.
"I see. You possess love for your creations as well. That is heartening to hear. I have been lamenting how many young magi craftmen these days care only for profit. If there are still magi craftmen like Jin-dono, then there is still hope for the future."
Phillip gave a sudden, self-deprecating laugh.
"But please, pay no mind to the ramblings of an old man. Now then, shall we issue your Mutual Aid Society (Guild) registration card?"
"Wait, right here?"
When Jin voiced his confusion, Phillip replied, "That is correct. Right here... Dona."
"Yes."
The automata named Dona stepped forward. Holding a metal plate in her left hand, she extended her right toward Jin.
"Jin-sama, I apologize for the trouble, but please take my hand."
"Eh?"
As Jin stood there, taken aback by the sudden request, Phillip explained.
"Jin-dono, this Dona is capable of decompiling the magic properties of whoever she touches with her right hand. She then records those properties onto the mithril alloy plate in her left hand."
Upon hearing this, Jin immediately began theorizing. Decompiling magic properties—that was simple enough. Even the Warp Gates had a function to detect his magic pattern.
However, recording those properties was new to him. It wasn't just copying a pattern; it was recording. That meant extracting the characteristics of the mana and either digitizing or concretizing them.
Jin's processing speed had its limits. That was as far as his speculation got before he reached out and took Dona’s hand.
Filled with curiosity, he placed his right hand over hers.
In an instant, Dona froze and collapsed backward.
"D-Dona!?" Phillip cried out in a panic. Jin also knelt down to check on her.
"...It looks like her magi-circuits are damaged," Jin observed.
Phillip confirmed the diagnosis. "Mm, so it seems. But why?"
The two of them fell into thought. Reinhard joined them and confirmed the damage, but he couldn't pinpoint a cause either.
"I believe it was an Overflow," Reiko said.
"An Overflow, you say?"
Phillip used Craft Magic to open Dona’s chest panel. After inspecting the interior, he spoke.
"Indeed! Reiko, was it? It is exactly as you say. But an Overflow?! Are you saying Jin-dono possesses so much mana that Dona’s magi-circuits couldn't handle the load?!"
"Yes, likely," Reiko replied matter-of-factly to Phillip’s astonished exclamation. "Because Father is the best in the world."
Reiko looked incredibly proud as she said it.
"I see... For Reiko—no, for Lady Reiko to claim he is the best in the world might not be an exaggeration. I had Dona’s magi-device set to withstand up to five times my own mana capacity as a safety margin."
"Five times the branch manager’s?! That’s incredible! Jin, just how far off the charts are you?!" Reinhard shouted.
"It explains why he works so fast," Elsa added, sounding convinced.
To put it simply, if you are trying to measure a distance of a hundred or a thousand meters, a ten-centimeter ruler is not a suitable tool.
...Despite the trouble, Jin was able to have the repaired Dona create his registration card after he consciously restricted his mana flow.
Jin felt a wave of relief that only the magic pattern was required for the card and that the sheer volume of his mana didn't matter.
＊ ＊ ＊
Once Jin had officially joined the magi craftman Mutual Aid Society (Guild), Branch Manager Phillip spoke to him again.
"I look forward to your contributions. Now, on that note, I would like to ask if there is anything you have noticed during your travels."
Phillip sought Jin’s advice, explaining that those on the outside often see things that those within the organization miss.
"Let’s see. This is something I’ve thought about before, but could we perhaps establish 'patent rights'?"
Jin proceeded to explain a basic patent system. He didn't understand the finer details of modern patent law himself, but he gave a general overview.
"I see... So, if someone creates something new, you would grant that person exclusive rights for a fixed period of time?"
Phillip nodded to himself, sounding impressed. Reinhard was equally enthusiastic.
"That would definitely increase the drive to invent new things!"
"And it would prevent imitations and inferior goods from flooding the market. It’s two birds with one stone!" Phillip clapped his hands. "It probably won't be possible to turn this into a formal system immediately, but I intend to move forward by discussing this with the Guilds in this country and, eventually, other nations as well. Jin-dono, I thank you for this wonderful proposal."
He bowed his head. Jin waved his hands in embarrassment.
"N-No, I’m just repeating what I heard from my teacher."
"Adriana, was it? Jin’s teacher? She really must have been a wonderful person!" Reinhard praised.
Only Jin noticed that Reiko, standing behind them, wore a look of immense pride.