On May 12, Jin and his companions planned to stay the night in Riale. It was less than forty kilometers from there to Loizart—a single day's journey.
Jin spent that afternoon in the carriage listening to Reinhard talk.
"Oh, there's the town of Riale."
They reached their destination toward evening.
As they directed their carriage toward the parking area, a particularly eye-catching, white-painted carriage caught their attention. It was a small, two-horse model.
"What is that? Could it be...?" Reinhard muttered.
Curious about Reinhard's reaction, Jin observed the carriage closely, but he saw nothing unusual about it. That being the case, Reinhard must have recognized the crest or the owner.
"Ah, that girl..." Mattheus let out a similar murmur.
Just then, a woman's voice rang out. "Lord Reinhard!"
Looking over, they saw a woman in a gown sprinting toward them.
"Berche!?"
"Lord Reinhard! I have missed you so!"
The woman reached them in an instant and threw herself at Reinhard. Though he stumbled slightly, Reinhard caught her properly and pulled her into an embrace.
"Berche, it’s been too long! I’m so glad to see you’re well!"
"You took far too long to come home! I’ve been waiting for ages!" Berche said, even as she held Reinhard tightly.
The two stayed like that for a while until Mattheus cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Berche, Reinhard. You’re in public; you should probably leave it at that."
Both of them pulled apart, their faces flushed.
The woman called Berche straightened her posture and smiled at Mattheus. "Welcome home, Big Brother."
"Yeah, I'm back, Berche."
After that exchange, Reinhard put his arm around Berche's shoulders and turned to Jin. "Jin, let me introduce you. She is my fiancée and Mattheus’s younger sister."
Berche took over from there. "I am Berche Geist von Scarlett," she said, performing a flawless curtsy while pinching the hem of her skirt.
"Berche, this is Lord Jin Nidou, an Honorary Magi Craftman of the Kingdom of Egerea. He is my guest."
"I'm Jin." Jin gave a Japanese-style greeting with a sixty-degree bow.
"Any guest of Lord Reinhard is a guest of mine as well. Jin-sama, welcome to the Shouro Empire. I bid you welcome."
As she smiled, Jin noted her slightly wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes. She stood about 150 centimeters tall, considerably shorter than Jin. However, the bodice of her dress was quite well-filled, leaving little doubt as to why she was Reinhard’s fiancée. Her aura was soft and gentle, but the fact that she had come all this way to meet Reinhard suggested an active side to her personality.
"I’ve already prepared the lodgings!" Berche announced. Reinhard naturally took her hand, and the two began walking together.
Jin and Mattheus followed.
"...Choosing his fiancée over his own brother, I see..." Jin pretended not to hear Mattheus’s grumbling.
The inn was a luxurious hotel in the center of Riale. Dinner was served in the Great Hall, which had been reserved for their party.
"Lord Reinhard, you must have had such a hard time for so long. I want you to enjoy yourself to the fullest tonight." Berche sat next to Reinhard, pouring him wine herself.
"Thank you, Bell."
"Ufufu, it’s been a long time since I've been called that."
A unique atmosphere drifted around the two—an intimacy so thick that even the dense Jin could feel it.
"The air feels different over there somehow..." Jin murmured.
Mattheus, sitting next to him, whispered in a low voice, "She’s been head over heels for Reinhard since they were kids, Jin-dono."
"I see..."
Reinhard was chatting with Berche with a grin—or rather, a slightly lovesick smile. Jin found it quite entertaining to see this unexpected side of his friend. The food, while not featuring rare ingredients, was prepared with exquisite care; even familiar dishes were the best he had ever tasted.
During the meal, Reinhard must have mentioned something to Berche.
"Jin-sama, would you mind introducing your Automata to me?"
"Eh? Oh, sure. Reiko, come here."
Jin called Reiko, who was standing by behind him. "This is my daughter, Reiko."
Reiko gave a short bow. "I am Reiko."
Seeing her, Berche broke into a wide smile. "Oh, she’s so adorable! I’ve never seen such a magnificent Automata as Reiko-chan! It’s only natural that Lord Reinhard would invite you."
She praised her without reservation.
"She just loves cute things," Mattheus remarked.
Berche continued, "I’ve brought mine along as well. Neon! Come here!"
An Automata appearing to be in her late teens arrived. Her hair was blonde just like Berche's, and her eyes were the same green. In fact, she looked exactly like her mistress, though she wore a navy-blue maid uniform.
"This is my Automata, Neon. Neon, greet everyone."
"Yes. Everyone, my name is Neon. I hope for your favor."
She spoke with a slight lisp, but her movements were remarkably human-like. Jin suspected she was the work of a very skilled Magi Engineer.
"Well done, Neon. Jin-sama, this girl is the work of Gebalt Ackermann, who is said to be the finest Magi Engineer in the Shouro Empire."
The name meant nothing to Jin, so he could only offer a polite, "I see."
Reinhard, noticing Jin's lack of recognition, added an explanation. "Jin, Mr. Gebalt is a senior fellow student of my master. Both were top disciples of Master Sigmund Grunwald, who held the title of the previous Magi Engineer Maestro."
"Magi Engineer Maestro?"
"Ah, you don't know? Magi Engineer Maestro is a title given to the most prominent Magi Engineers in our country."
Jin was intrigued. "Hmm, I’d like to meet him."
"Yeah, I thought you’d say that. Don't worry, I'll see what I can do," Reinhard assured him.
Berche watched them and giggled. "Lord Reinhard is truly attentive toward Jin-sama, isn't he? I'm almost a little jealous."
Her comment made Jin jump, but there seemed to be no hidden meaning behind it, as Berche quickly changed the subject.
"Can Reiko-chan do anything special? Neon is quite skilled at singing and dancing. I shall have her show you, if you don't mind the distraction. Neon!"
"Yes, Milady."
Neon stepped back a few paces to prepare. Her ability to judge exactly what to do from the conversation alone showed a high level of intelligence.
"It is but a poor performance," Neon said, and then she began to dance slowly. To Jin, her movements were graceful and measured. Perhaps her physical structure made fast movements difficult.
Eventually, she began to sing as she danced. Jin couldn't understand the lyrics; there seemed to be a set melody, and she was likely improvising vocals to match it. Even so, her movements were in no way inferior to Celes, the creation of Stearena Gamma, and her singing voice rivaled that of Zingel.
"Pardon the poor display." Once the dance was over, Neon bowed and took her place behind Berche.
"Jin-sama, I would be delighted if your Reiko-chan could show us something as well."
Berche pleaded with sparkling eyes. Unable to refuse, Jin turned to Reiko.
"Reiko, can you show them something?"
"Yes, Father. Please leave it to me."
Reiko accepted readily and walked to the center of the room.