By the following day, the Royal Castle of Egerea had finally regained its composure.
In the morning, all the nobles of Egerea within the castle were gathered. According to Count Kuzuma, they were briefed on the current situation and the kingdom's future policies.
Then, just before noon.
Everyone, including the invited guests and the magi craftsmen, was summoned together.
First, an announcement was made: the recent turmoil had been orchestrated by "Unifilar," and the Celuroa Kingdom’s special envoy Dominique was the direct culprit. It was explained that she had launched a large-scale attack using Elradrite, but a countermeasure already existed, and the kingdom was prepared to share that technology with other nations in the future.
Finally, the Golem Party was officially concluded.
"I apologize for the delay caused by the unforeseen incident, but I wish to thank you all for gathering for the sake of Prince Ernest. I shall now announce the evaluations of the golems you have presented."
At the King's words, everyone present bowed deeply.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, William, then took over to announce the results.
"First place: Prince Ernest's favorite golem, 'Lotte.' Second place: Though it was unfortunately destroyed, its magnificent form delighted our eyes—the crystal golem, 'Celes.'"
Everyone found the rankings agreeable.
Third place went to the Schwarzritter. No rankings were given for fourth place or below; under the circumstances, that was only to be expected.
"To Count Kuzuma, the assistant to the lord of Blue Land and Chief of the Eastern District, who presented 'Lotte,' we shall grant an increase in territory. And to the creator, the magi craftman Jin, we shall grant a reward."
It seemed Jin would receive something as well, separate from the matter involving Reiko.
"We also wish to express our gratitude to the creator of 'Celes,' the magi craftman Stearena Gamma."
Stearena was also to receive some form of recognition.
"And to the creator of the Schwarzritter and diplomat of the Shouro Empire, Lord Reinhard, we similarly express our gratitude and shall present him with a gift."
Praise was offered by the Kingdom of Egerea, and rewards were announced one after another.
However, Elsa had been wearing a gloomy expression since that morning. Reinhard, noticing this, whispered to her.
"Elsa, are you feeling unwell?"
Elsa shook her head in silence.
"I see. As long as you're alright..."
The reward Jin received was the title of "Honorary Magi Craftman" of the Kingdom of Egerea, along with a badge set with a very, very small piece of Elradrite.
In a country where the state strictly managed all Elradrite, being gifted a piece meant one was treated on par with a state guest. In short, it signified a person of great credit and trust.
"Jin, things are going to be difficult for you from now on..."
Every country would surely be desperate to recruit him now. Hearing Reinhard’s murmur, Elsa raised her head, which she had kept lowered until then.
"Ah, I'm exhausted."
Lying on the bed in his room at the Guest House, Jin was grumbling to himself. He was not fond of formal occasions.
At that moment, there was a knock. When Jin said, "Come in," Reiko opened the door. Jin sat up on the bed to receive the visitor—it was, frankly, a bit rude.
"Excuse me."
The one who entered was Lyla of the Royal Secret Maids. She was supposed to have been assigned to monitor Jin, but since the golem incident, she had been absent from time to time.
Now, she had gone out of her way to knock before entering.
"Um, it was only for a short time, but thank you for everything!"
Lyla blurted this out the moment she entered.
"Eh? A short time?"
"Y-Yes! As of this moment, I have been relieved of my mission to monitor Jin-sama’s actions!"
To place a monitor on someone who had received the title of "Honorary Magi Craftman" would have been a breach of etiquette.
Jin could deduce as much. He offered her a few words of appreciation.
"Ah, I see. Good work."
"Yes. I am sure there were many ways in which I fell short, so please forgive me."
Well, while he wasn't sure how well she had monitored him, she probably earned about a seventy-five out of a hundred as a maid. When Jin told her this, she replied.
"Th-Thank you very much!"
She spoke with a blush, looking deeply moved. Then, bowing deeply once more, she said, "It is a pity to part, but I shall take my leave now," and departed—leaving the door wide open.
"...Docked to seventy points."
Watching Reiko close the door, Jin muttered with a wry smile.
"Elsa, really, what is the matter?"
After returning to the Guest House, Reinhard had visited Elsa's room out of concern.
"...Rai-nii."
Elsa, whose eyes were somewhat moist, lay face down on the bed. She lifted only her head to look at Reinhard and spoke with a heavy heart, recounting the conversation between Jin and Stearena she had eavesdropped on the previous night.
"...I see."
"...Since then, I’ve felt restless and strange. Why?"
At that point, Mine, who had been listening in silence, started to speak.
"The young lady feels for Jin-sama..."
But Reinhard cut her off.
"Be quiet, Mine....Elsa, do you have any idea what Jin and the other were actually doing?"
Elsa shook her head.
"...I don't know. I just thought they seemed very close. Oh, and unusually for Jin-kun, it felt like he was being taught by Stearena-san."
Hearing this, Reinhard reached a conclusion.
"Elsa, that feeling is called 'jealousy.'"
"Jealousy?"
Elsa repeated the word as she looked up.
"Yes. You've played with your brothers and me since you were little, haven't you? Back then, if another child got close to your brothers or me, you would sulk and get moody."
"............"
Elsa listened in silence.
"It's the same thing. You are jealous because Jin was talking so familiarly with another woman."
"That’s... not it."
"Can you say that for sure?"
Reinhard spoke softly as he stroked the head of the reclining Elsa.
"You haven't changed a bit in that regard, no matter how old you get. If it bothered you, you should have just asked him directly, but instead, you shut yourself away. Honestly, for a tomboy, you're strangely timid."
Despite his words, Reinhard's voice was soft, and the hand stroking her head was gentle.
"You turn seventeen today, don't you? Yet you're still such a child."
Elsa pushed Reinhard's hand away.
"...I'm not a child anymore."
With that, Elsa sat up.
"Good, that's the spirit. Listen, being able to think of the other person—that's what being an adult is about."
"The other person..."
"That's right. When 'Albus' attacked, you shielded Jin before anyone else, didn't you? Remember how you felt then."
"............"
"I'll go and check things out with Jin for you."
Saying this, Reinhard left Elsa's room.
When Reinhard visited Jin's room, Jin spoke first.
"Reinhard, perfect timing. I was just thinking of going to see you."
Then, he confirmed.
"It was Elsa's birthday today, right?"
When Reinhard nodded, Jin asked.
"When we were looking around Borgia before, Elsa seemed to want a dagger. But what's the deal with giving a dagger for a birthday?"
It seemed he was still uneasy despite Stearena's explanation. And as if to confirm that:
"Hmm, it's not something a stranger would usually give. Generally, it's a relative or family member who gives one. But it's not as if it's forbidden."
"I see."
To Jin, it was a vague answer. He tilted his head in thought for a while, then said:
"In that case, Reinhard, I have a favor to ask."
He held out a single dagger.
"Since you're Elsa's relative, it wouldn't be strange for you to give this to her, right?"
Reinhard took it and was astonished by the magnificent craftsmanship of the sheath and hilt. Furthermore, when he drew the blade, he marveled at the brilliance of the mithril.
"Jin, did you make this by any chance?"
When Jin nodded, Reinhard praised him profusely.
"Umu, you truly must be loved by the god of creation. It's wonderful, a magnificent design. I couldn't possibly imitate this."
However, Jin scratched his head and confessed.
"No, actually, I had Stearena do the design for me."
Hearing this, Reinhard remembered his purpose for visiting Jin's room and casually probed.
"Speaking of which, Jin, it seemed you were doing something with Lady Stearena last night?"
Asked this, Jin looked troubled and a bit embarrassed.
"Oh man, could you hear us even in the hallway? Yeah, I’m hopeless when it comes to design, so when I ran into Stearena while looking for materials, I asked her for advice."
He then added, "Keep it a secret from Elsa."
Hearing this, Reinhard nodded inwardly, thinking it was exactly as he suspected. Come to think of it, Jin had a sharp-eyed "sister-in-law" figure like Reiko attached to him. It was unlikely that any feminine wiles from others would easily succeed.
Reinhard let out a sigh of relief in his heart and, with a bright expression, patted Jin on the shoulder.
"Very well, I'll take care of the dagger."