Asunt, the capital of the Kingdom of Egerea, was a fortified city. Its walls loomed ten meters high, hardened and reinforced with magic; moreover, the magi-formulae etched into their surfaces granted them formidable magic resistance.
Unlike Blue Land, the interior was organized into a tidy grid, reminiscent of Heian-kyo or the capitals of ancient China.
The Royal Castle stood at the far end of the central thoroughfare stretching from the south.
"What an incredible city," Jin remarked, sounding impressed as he gazed out the window.
"Indeed. This city was developed after the Great Magic War. I've heard it was built quite logically," Reinhard replied.
When Jin asked what he meant by "logical," Reinhard explained that the city had been divided into blocks, with house numbers assigned to each and addresses managed via a central ledger.
This allowed for precise resident management, making it easier to track the population and identify suspicious individuals. It was essentially a primitive version of a modern family register or resident record system.
"I see. This country is quite advanced," Jin said, feeling genuinely impressed.
The carriage proceeded down the central thoroughfare before coming to a temporary standstill in front of the Royal Castle. A gate stood there, heavily manned by guards.
Duke Blue, Marchioness Brown, Count Kuzuma, and Count Guarana each proved their status, and the occupants of every carriage were checked.
Reinhard presented his credentials as a diplomat and guest from the Shouro Empire, while Jin and Beena presented their registration cards as magi craftmen.
Jin had briefly considered having Reiko use Stealth to avoid any hassle, but he ultimately decided it was better to reveal her as his automata from the start to avoid complications later.
Since anyone with a modicum of magical aptitude could tell Reiko was an automata upon closer inspection, the authorities accepted her without issue, and the group was permitted entry.
Once through the gate, they entered the area of the castle grounds known as the Outer Palace.
After crossing a well-maintained stone-paved plaza, they bypassed the Royal Palace standing directly ahead and headed toward the Guest House to the left.
The carriage slowed to half—no, perhaps a third—of its previous speed.
Finally, the carriage reached its designated spot, and the door was opened from the outside.
Four royal ritters stood there. They were among the finest warriors in the kingdom, tasked with monitoring Duke Blue’s party to ensure no suspicious figures infiltrated the castle.
They were also met by a group of serving maids. These women were the daughters of lower-ranking nobles or influential merchants, serving here to learn proper etiquette and social graces.
What they all shared was a vetted background. With the Third Prince's birthday party only two days away, the castle was on high alert for foreign spies or assassins attempting to slip in among the invited guests.
"We shall take custody of all weapons," a ritter announced.
This resulted in the confiscation of Reiko's Touka, the weapons of Reinhard's guards, and Elsa's guard Hermann's sword. Fortunately, Butler Adberg was allowed to keep his staff.
"This way, please."
Ten maids and ten servants were assigned to Duke Blue's group, while Marchioness Brown's group received seven of each.
Counts Kuzuma and Guarana were each assigned five maids and five servants, and Reinhard was granted the same number.
"Please make yourselves at home in this wing."
Reinhard, Elsa, Jin, and Beena were guided to a continuous building. To Jin, the layout vaguely reminded him of a single-story apartment complex.
Room assignments were left entirely to Reinhard as the group's leader.
"Well then, Elsa, Jin, Beena, and I will take one room each. For the others, please assign the rooms appropriately by gender."
Reinhard directed his final instruction to his butler. Adberg took charge of settling the servants into their quarters.
Meanwhile, the golems participating in the party were all placed in a state of Stand Still and transported to a designated warehouse—another precaution against sabotage.
"Now then, let's set down our luggage and relax. Elsa, Jin, Beena—join me in my room for tea in a little while."
"Mhm."
"Understood."
"Yes."
With that, they each headed to their assigned rooms. As Jin walked, a maid followed close behind.
"Er, who are you?"
Since she looked ready to enter the room with him, Jin asked her with some confusion.
"A-Ah! I... I am the maid assigned to attend to your needs, sir!" she replied, sounding slightly flustered. Looking closely, she seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen years old—roughly the same age as Elsa and Beena.
She had chestnut hair in a bob cut and wore a white brim on her head. With her black dress and white apron, she was undeniably a maid. She was a charming girl with a round face and inquisitive brown eyes that darted about.
"That is unnecessary. I shall take care of Father."
Reiko stepped in front of the girl, blocking her path.
The sight of the 130-centimeter-tall Reiko standing tall against a girl who was roughly 155 centimeters was both adorable and slightly comical.
"U-Um, am I not good enough? Would you prefer someone more experienced?"
The maid asked frantically, clearly worried that the refusal stemmed from her own lack of skill.
"No. It does not matter who it is; you are not needed," Reiko stated flatly.
"Now, now, Reiko," Jin intervened. "We don't know the first thing about this country or this castle. I'm sure she can be of help to us."
Upon hearing this from Jin, Reiko reluctantly gave in.
"...Yes, Father."
After putting his luggage away, Jin looked out the window. All he could see were trees.
"Not much of a view."
"A-Ah, I'm sorry! Those trees are planted specifically as a screen to keep anyone from seeing inside," the maid explained.
Jin nodded, satisfied with the explanation. "I see. Well then, let's head over to Reinhard's room."
When he stepped back into the hall, not only Reiko but the maid followed him as well.
He ran into Elsa just as she was leaving her room. Beside her, in addition to Mine, was another maid—a slender girl with chestnut hair and violet eyes who looked slightly older than Elsa.
"Hey, Elsa. Who's that?"
"...My assigned maid. You too, Jin-kun?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
Then Beena emerged from her room.
"Oh, Jin."
"Hey, Beena."
Beena also had a red-haired maid in tow.
The three of them proceeded to Reinhard's room. As expected, two maids were already attending to him.
One was a glamorous blonde beauty in her mid-twenties with blue eyes. The other was a beauty in her late teens with rare black hair tied in a ponytail and amber eyes.
"The maids in this castle are all beauties, aren't they?" Jin noted.
"Oh, you're quite the flatterer, sir," said the glamorous maid standing behind Reinhard. Jin's own maid blushed, while Elsa gave him a brief, sharp glare.
The tea brewed by Reinhard's maid tasted like high-quality black tea.
"Hmm? This tea is delicious."
"Thank you. It is called Te-e, a specialty of our kingdom," the maid replied.
"I see."
Green tea, oolong tea, and black tea are all made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The young leaves are picked and dried, but if tea leaves are left alone, they naturally ferment and become black tea. Green tea is steamed to halt this fermentation, while black tea is fully fermented.
The tea Jin was drinking was unmistakably black tea.
"Do you like it, Jin? I'm planning to buy some to take back with me," Reinhard said.
"Me too," Elsa added.
Reinhard and Elsa both seemed to enjoy it, though Beena didn't seem to notice anything special about the flavor.
"Now then..."
Reinhard spoke up, his expression shifting into his diplomat persona.
"You ladies who claim to be maids—your true objective is to keep us under surveillance, isn't it?"