The next morning.
Beena was still wrestling with her thoughts. In fact, she hadn't slept a wink all night, and before she knew it, day had broken.
Leeza, the Royal Secret Maid assigned to her, was fast asleep, slumped back in a chair.
"…It’s morning, isn't it?" Beena muttered softly to herself as she stepped out of the room to wash her face.
At the washroom at the end of the hallway, a constant stream of water flowed from an artesian well.
It was March, and the water was neither biting nor tepid, but a perfectly comfortable temperature. She rinsed her mouth and splashed her face. Only then did she realize she had forgotten to bring a towel.
Suddenly, a fresh towel was held out to her from the side.
"…Thanks."
Assuming it was one of the maids, she took it without checking and wiped the water from her eyes. It was only when she looked up that she realized it was Jin.
"…Jin."
"Morning, Beena."
"G-Good morning."
For some reason, she felt a wave of awkwardness. Beena stood there, waiting in silence while Jin rinsed his mouth and washed his face.
"Jin."
"What's wrong? Your eyes are all bloodshot. Didn't you sleep well?"
Beena hesitated for a heartbeat before making her confession. "…Count Kuzuma proposed to me."
Jin’s reply was simple. "Yeah, I heard."
Beena’s eyes widened. "Jin, you knew?"
"Yeah. Elsa told me last night."
"I see… Lady Elsa told you."
Beena looked down. She opened her mouth to speak several times, only to swallow the words. Finally, with a visible effort, she managed to voice the question haunting her.
"So, Jin… what do you think?"
"The Count’s proposal, huh?…I’ll give you my blessing."
"Oh…"
"Count Kuzuma is a good man. He doesn't hold petty prejudices, and he genuinely cares for his subjects. From what I’ve seen, his household staff are all decent people too. Even if you marry into his family, I don’t think you’ll ever be looked down upon."
"…………"
"He also has the passion to speak his mind like that even to a prince. I’m sure he’ll make you happy, Beena."
"Jin…"
She could hear the genuine care for her in his every word. But it wasn't the kind of love she had hoped for. It was the affection a man felt for his family—specifically, for a younger sister.
She realized it now. He had forced her to realize it.
"H-Hey, Beena?"
Beena kept her head bowed for a long moment, but when she finally looked up, she was wearing a smile.
"Thanks, Jin. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to accept the Count’s proposal."
She suddenly lunged forward and hugged him tight.
"Jin, I love you."
She whispered the words into his chest and pulled away almost instantly.
"Thanks for everything you’ve done for me. I hope we can stay good friends from now on."
With that, she turned and ran off.
Left standing alone, Jin could only stare after her, utterly bewildered by what had just happened.
Mine was lost in thought.
She had always thought of Elsa as just a child, but seeing her on the verge of womanhood had left Mine unsure of how to proceed.
She had used vague terms like "entering into a relationship" when talking to Elsa, but the truth was far more brutal—a one-sided violation. He had forced himself on her, ignoring her pleas. Again and again.
The memory brought her deep-seated distrust of nobles and men back to the surface.
Then there was the matter of Elsa’s future.
Born a viscount's daughter with two older brothers, it was her inevitable fate to be married off as a political pawn someday.
If her partner were a decent man who truly loved her, that would be one thing. But…
"That man…" Mine’s voice cracked, the words slipping out unbidden. "…He sees Elsa as nothing more than a tool."
"Well then, Lord Reinhard, Jin-dono—if you would."
Jin and Reinhard began their presentation to the minister of magic, Kelichdore, and other officials from the magical institutions regarding countermeasures against Master-Slave Rewrite Magic.
First, Reinhard explained a method for protecting magi-devices using materials with low mana conductivity. He noted that the shells of armor turtles were currently the most effective option.
"Ho, I see. As long as the material is available, the modification is quite simple."
While the material provided significant mana attenuation, the labor required was minimal. Since the cases for mass-produced magi-devices were uniform in size, these protective shells could also be mass-produced.
Then it was Jin’s turn.
"My approach was to develop a shielding case designed to prevent mana from penetrating the interior at all."
Jin placed a sample he had prepared onto the table.
"The exterior is made of mithril. Because it is highly conductive to mana, it is, conversely, very effective at preventing any mana it captures from leaking inward."
"I see. That is sound logic."
"However, if left as is, the mana would eventually saturate the casing, leading to unpredictable results. To prevent that, I’ve engraved a magi-formula that converts the incoming magic back into raw mana and vents it into the atmosphere."
"Umu." Minister Kelichdore let out a low whistle of admiration.
"Furthermore, as an extra layer of security, the golems can be equipped with a magic tool designed to absorb cast magic."
Jin concluded by showing them a magi-recorder. Kelichdore responded with a round of applause.
"Truly impressive, Jin-dono. Your method is foolproof, though it requires significant time and expense. Lord Reinhard’s method is easy to implement and highly effective for its cost. I believe we shall apply your method to our vital and high-combat golems, while using Lord Reinhard’s approach for the rest. Does anyone object?"
No one spoke up against Kelichdore’s proposal.
By the time they finished instructing the technicians on golem modification, it was nearly evening. Jin and Reinhard were finally released, both letting out sighs of relief.
"Jin, why don't we go wash off this sweat?" Reinhard suggested.
As a bath lover, Jin agreed instantly. They headed straight for the castle’s bathing facilities.
The changing room was stocked with fresh towels, and they were told that if they left their clothes, a maid would wash and dry them with magic immediately.
"Ah—this is exactly what I needed."
Spending an entire day teaching was exhausting in its own way.
"You can say that again. Still, I think I prefer the hot springs on Kunlun Island."
Reinhard mentioned that natural spring water felt better than simple heated water. Jin found himself agreeing; there was just something different about the texture of the water.
"I hope Beena finds happiness," Reinhard said suddenly, staring at the ceiling of the bath.
"Did you hear the news?" Jin asked.
"Yeah, Louis told me at noon."
Louis was Count Kuzuma’s first name.
"I’m sure the Count will treat her well. I really hope it works out for them."
"Me too."
The two shared a quiet laugh.
"By the way," Reinhard continued, "tomorrow is Elsa’s birthday."
"Wait, what? That’s sudden."
Jin was caught off guard. He vaguely recalled her mentioning her birthday was coming up when they were in Borgia, the capital of the Kingdom of Elias.
"Sorry. With the chaos of the Golem Party and everything else, I forgot to tell you sooner."
"Well, you’re all set since you bought that gemstone back then, Reinhard, but I…"
Jin fell silent, thinking. Then, he remembered how Elsa had shown an interest in a particularly beautiful dagger once.
Truly, the man was as dense as they came.