"Standing on her own as a magi engineer?"
Reinhard repeated the question, but he grasped Jin’s intention in the next instant.
"I see. You want Elsa to be recognized by the Shouro Empire so that she can finally return home, don't you?"
"Huh?"
Elsa was the first to react to Reinhard’s words.
"Yeah. As things stand, the opportunity for Elsa to return home won't likely ever come around."
"Jin-nii... I..."
Elsa started to say something with a saddened expression, but Jin cut her off to explain.
"Don't misunderstand, Elsa. I’m not trying to kick you out or anything like that. I just don’t think it’s right for you to have to hide away forever."
"Hmm, I see. You’ve really put some thought into this, Jin," Saki said, sounding impressed.
"Yeah. I heard that Saki’s father was only allowed to marry because he became a successful alchemist after his elopement."
"Heh, exactly. At the very least, a first-rate magi engineer’s will is respected much more than that of a viscount’s daughter."
Berche joined the conversation. "That’s true. Once you become a first-rate magi engineer, you can expect state support, and your social standing will be more secure than that of a noble without a title."
Hearing Saki and Berche’s comments, Jin felt certain that his idea was not wrong.
"Jin-nii..."
"Elsa, as things stand, you're still a runaway. You should be able to return home with pride, then come back here the same way."
Jin smiled at her. Elsa finally understood his intent, and the cloud of worry on her face cleared.
"...Yes, I understand."
"Even so, Jin-sama," Berche said, frowning slightly. "That was a poor way to put it. You decided this and suddenly brought it up now without consulting Elsa-san at all, didn't you?"
"U-Uh, yeah."
"...Then it wouldn't be strange for Elsa-san to misunderstand. It was the kind of flow where she might think she had become a nuisance and was being sent away."
"..." Jin had no words to offer in return.
"Sigh, I really wish Jin-sama understood the hearts of women a bit more."
"...I'm sorry." There was nothing Jin could do but apologize.
"Don't apologize to me; please apologize to Elsa-san."
Prompted by Berche, Jin apologized to Elsa as well.
"I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't explain myself well enough."
"It's fine. I know it’s because Jin-nii was thinking about me."
Currently, Elsa was a defector. While not exactly a criminal, she was treated as someone who had abandoned her country of her own will. According to the laws of the Shouro Empire, unless a solid reason could be proven, she would not be allowed back. If she did return without such a reason, she would face the sentence of permanent exile. Since she had seemingly abandoned her country for selfish reasons, it was considered a natural punishment.
However, things would be different if it could be proven that she had left to develop her talent—becoming an apprentice to a magi engineer like Jin, an Honorary Magi Craftman—in order to acquire skills that could contribute to the nation. If that were the case, her defection would be pardoned, and Elsa would be formally recognized as a magi engineer. If that happened, the necessity of being forced into marriage for the sake of her family would vanish.
"Right. So if necessary, I'll back you up. Return home with pride and have an audience with Her Majesty."
"E-Eh?"
Elsa was a bit taken aback by the sudden mention of an audience with the Empress. However, Reinhard further supported Jin’s words.
"That’s right. If you can build a high-performance automata, you’re already first-rate. With your current skills, Elsa, you would certainly be granted an audience with Her Majesty."
"..."
Elsa was bewildered by how quickly the conversation was progressing. She simply didn't know what to say.
"Elsa, you are still young, so you mustn't continue with the sadness of having abandoned your country forever. Both Jin-sama and Reinhard-sama have said they will lend you their strength. Responding to that is what you must do."
"But... what about Mother?"
"I... I am fine. I was originally from the Kingdom of Egerea anyway. Even if I were to return to the Shouro Empire now..."
It was Jin who cut her off again.
"No, Mine will be fine too. Mine was kidnapped along with Elsa in Ikasanat by the Unifilar. They were going to use her as a tool to blackmail Reinhard. But when she struggled to escape, she was hit on the head, stabbed in the abdomen, and thrown into the Azul River. I simply rescued her and took care of her....See? No problems at all."
"Jin-sama..."
"Ah, yes. I can testify to that as well," Reinhard said.
"Reinhard-sama..."
Touched by the warm support from both men, Mine’s eyes welled with tears.
"Oh, right, if more witnesses are needed, I can even bring the healer who treated Mine, Sally Mileshann."
Finally, Mine began to weep tears of joy.
A heavy silence drifted through the room, broken eventually by a young voice.
"Auntie, are you okay?"
It was Hanna. She had spoken out of worry for Mine, who was quietly crying. Knowing this, Mine smiled at her.
"I'm okay, Hanna-chan. These aren't sad tears. I'm crying because I'm happy. Happy for your big brother's kindness."
Saying so, Mine gently stroked Hanna’s head.
However, even if Elsa and Mine were to return to their home country, it wasn't something that would happen today or tomorrow. There would be various preparations, and Jin wanted to do some groundwork within the Shouro Empire first. More than anything, since this was Reinhard and Berche's honeymoon, they decided to set the serious talk aside for the time being. Jin and Reinhard would work out the details together later.
"Whoa, this is an unusual castle!"
Reinhard and Berche moved to Nidou Castle with Jin, accompanied by Saki and Elsa. After finishing a light meal in the first-floor dining room, they were currently touring the second floor.
"Jin-sama, this castle is truly unique. Is it Klein Kingdom style?" Berche asked with great interest.
"No, this is a castle from my homeland."
"When you say Jin-sama's homeland, where would that be?"
"It's called Japan."
"Japan..."
Reinhard and Elsa knew the name, but it was the first time Berche and Saki had heard of it.
"I haven't heard of it either, Jin, despite my reading. Whereabouts is this country located?" Saki asked.
Jin thought for a moment about how to answer, then said in a somewhat playful tone, "Hmm, let's see. It's a country in a very distant land. So far that it would take about a thousand years to get there."
"Kufufu, that is far. Very, very far indeed." Saki laughed, playing along with the joke.
They climbed to the third floor, visiting the office and then the library. Since Saki hadn't seen it yet either, both she and Reinhard were immediately drawn to the books.
There were books for children, but they were taking those about Craft Magic and materials into their hands, getting excited over the technical explanations.
"Jin, th-this is...! The content is incredible! It says 'beginner-level,' but surely this is 'advanced-level'!?" Reinhard shouted.
"Jin, who on earth wrote this book? More than half... no, the vast majority of this is stuff I don't know at all!" Saki added.
Jin couldn't exactly say it was a book Laojun had fabricated, so he had to gloss it over. "Er, they're copies of books my Master left behind."
"The fifth floor is my private floor, where my bedroom and such are. The sixth floor is an observatory," Jin explained as they climbed the stairs, feeling slightly out of breath.
"What about the fourth floor?"
"Hmm, how should I put it... It's more like a spare area for emergencies..."
Thinking that they might be put off if he called it a "trap floor," Jin spoke vaguely. Sensing it might be a sensitive topic, Reinhard didn't press the matter.
They finished the fifth floor quickly and went to the sixth.
"Oh, what a view!"
There were windows in every direction—north, south, east, and west—allowing them to look out on all four sides. Reinhard and Berche frolicked like children. Elsa and Saki, for whom this was their several-th time, still liked the view and enjoyed the changing scenery from window to window.
"That's the Erme River, and beyond it is the Togo Pass. To the west is the coniferous forest. To the east is the broadleaf forest; flowers bloom and fruit grows there, making it an indispensable place for the village."
"I see, I see. So it's not just from the fields," Reinhard noted, nodding. He might have been thinking about the village he would eventually rule.
"To the north is Kaina Village. Herbs can be gathered on the low mountains beyond it. If you go past those, there's a place where earth-type magi-crystals can be mined."
"Jin-sama, is that thing shining on the mountain in the back a glacier?"
Surprisingly, Berche knew about glaciers, even though mountains that embraced them weren't visible from the Shouro Empire.
"Yes," Jin replied. He must have looked a little surprised that she knew, because Berche added, "I saw them in a book before. I'm so happy to see a real one with my own eyes."
Everyone enjoyed the view from the observatory and had a lively conversation until sunset approached.
They had dinner in the dining room of Nidou Castle. After smacking their lips over Klein Kingdom-style cuisine, they finished with some Persica juice.
"Mmm, this is delicious!"
"It's lovely, Jin-sama!"
In a warm and friendly atmosphere, the night in Kaina Village deepened.