"You are Elsa Randol, I presume?"
Empress Gerhardt Hilde von Rubis Shouro looked Elsa in the eye, seeking confirmation.
Before her, Elsa removed her disguise to reveal her true face.
"Yes... I am Elsa."
Observing the girl's obvious nerves, the Empress offered a gentle smile.
"I heard you were captured by the Unifilar? You have certainly had a difficult time."
"Y-yes."
It was true that Elsa had been captured at one point. It wasn't a lie. Even if the Empress possessed the ability to see through falsehoods, Laojun’s assessment was that they would be safe on this point since it was technically a fact.
"And why did you not return home immediately?"
"...Because I wanted to avoid the marriage proposal my father was pushing on me. Furthermore, I wished to learn magi craft under Lord Maki...na and be of service to my country."
This response followed their rehearsed script exactly.
"I see. So you entrusted your work to Jin-kun to be displayed here? It is quite an impressive piece. You are certainly a full-fledged magi engineer....Wouldn't you agree, Degauss? Balt?"
Unfazed by being addressed so suddenly, the two men gave their assessments.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Judging by Elsa Randol's work, she would be considered a first-class magi engineer even within our own empire."
"Just as Your Majesty says, there is no doubt that her work ranks among the finest of all the pieces exhibited here today."
The Empress nodded deeply at their words. Reinhard immediately seized the opening.
"Your Majesty, the laws of our empire state that 'noble children who have become full-fledged may decide their own marriage.' While the expression 'full-fledged' is admittedly ambiguous, may we conclude that being a first-class magi engineer qualifies one as such?"
This question, too, had been part of their preparations. Everything was proceeding exactly as Laojun had predicted. All that remained was...
"Indeed. Her age is not an issue, and her skills as a magi engineer are beyond reproach. I hereby recognize it: Elsa Randol is 'full-fledged.'"
Upon delivering the answer Jin and the others had been hoping for, the Empress gave Jin a subtle wink.
She might have been aware that Jin was the one truly behind all this, but she was not the sort of ruler to say so out loud.
"Thank you very much. I am relieved to hear that."
Jin bowed his head. Elsa and Reinhard followed suit.
"...Now then, regarding Mine there. You are truly Elsa's mother?"
The Empress turned her questioning toward Mine.
Just as Reinhard and Laojun had anticipated, the Empress intended to settle the matter right then and now. This was a welcome turn of events, as it would prevent Elsa's father from being able to interfere later.
With the Magic Technology Minister, Degauss, and the Magi Engineer Maestro, Balt, both present, this could be considered an official—albeit informal—audience.
Once the Empress finished her inquiries with Mine, she delivered her final decision.
"I authorize the return of Elsa Randol and Mine to the Empire. I shall have the secretary record this officially."
Jin, Elsa, Mine, and Reinhard all bowed deeply in unison.
"For the time being, I leave the two of them in Reinhard's care. I'm counting on you—and on you as well, Jin-kun."
With that final remark, the Empress departed from Jin's booth.
"..."
"..."
"Phew."
Jin and the others let out long sighs of relief, the tension finally draining from their bodies.
"...That went perfectly."
"Yeah. Laojun’s predictions are truly something else. The conversation followed his script almost word for word."
"...Jin-nii, Rai-nii, thank you."
"Jin-sama, Reinhard-sama, thank you so much."
With the pressure finally lifted, smiles returned to Elsa and Mine's faces.
"Elsa, you should probably put that disguise back on for now. It'll be easier to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Mm, okay."
Elsa donned her wig once more and adjusted her protective glasses.
Just then, they had another visitor.
"Jin-kun, those mini-golems are incredible. I’d expect nothing less from you."
Stearena had come by after the Empress's departure.
"I don't think I could ever hope to make something like that. I take my hat off to you."
As Stearena spoke, her eyes wandered to the music boxes displayed on the table.
"Oh? What are these?"
"They are called music boxes," Edgar replied.
Stearena’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
"Oh, you're an automata! How wonderful..."
The boy-type automata seemed to be exactly her type, as Stearena gazed dreamily at Edgar.
"Yes, my name is Edgar, Lady Stearena."
"Edgar, what a lovely name....Is he your work, Jin-kun?"
"No, my creator is Lady Elsa."
Startled by his answer, Stearena turned her gaze to Elsa.
"You created this boy?"
"...Yes."
Stearena stared intently at Elsa’s face.
"...Have we met somewhere before?...Elsa? I feel like I've heard that name..."
Reinhard quickly stepped in to provide cover.
"Lady Stearena, she is my cousin. She's wearing a bit of a disguise for personal reasons."
Hearing that, Stearena seemed to remember who she was.
"Ah, the young lady Jin-kun gave that dagger to."
Fortunately, Stearena didn't pry any further.
After a brief discussion on magi-engineering, she returned to her own booth, glancing back over her shoulder at Edgar several times as she went.
"Well then, I should head back as well."
Reinhard also departed for his booth, mentioning that he had left Bell alone.
Now that Elsa and the others were settled, Jin decided it was time to look at the other exhibits.
"Well, shall we take a look around the venue?"
"Mm."
Elsa nodded at Jin's suggestion. It was a Technology Expo, after all; there might be some fascinating new discoveries to be made.
"Alright, Edgar, keep an eye on the booth while we're gone."
"Yes, I understand."
Jin set off to tour the hall with Elsa. Reiko, of course, accompanied them as their escort, while Mine remained behind.
Their first stop was the magi engineer section. Naturally, they headed straight for Reinhard’s exhibit.
"Oh, Jin, you came to see me."
"Jin-sama, Elsa-san, welcome."
Like the devoted couple they were, Reinhard and Bell greeted them together.
"Besides the ships, I've also been working on things like these."
The items Reinhard was exhibiting were accessories.
However, they were certainly no ordinary jewelry.
"This bracelet is imbued with the fire-attribute magic, Fire Bullet."
Reinhard pointed to a mithril bracelet as he explained.
"Ah, I remember you had 'Flame Lance' built into a mithril staff back in Port Rock."
"Exactly. Everyone is used to embedding magic into magi-crystals, but using mithril as the medium is my own original idea."
While a magi-crystal can serve as both the activation medium and the power source, mithril cannot act as a supply of mana.
"However, it is capable of converging mana and significantly increasing its output."
"That's true."
Mithril was highly conductive to both free ether and mana. Consequently, any magic tool crafted from it could achieve highly efficient activation without the mana being scattered.
"My goal was to have the magic structure itself be built entirely within the magic tool," Reinhard explained.
Jin and Elsa nodded as they listened.
Come to think of it, Jin had usually only discussed golems with Reinhard. This was the first time he had sat down to have a proper, in-depth conversation about Reinhard's original magic tools.
"Embedding magi-crystals into swords is common enough, but for some reason, the idea of a tool without an internal mana source hadn't really been explored much."
Whether it was a reversal of common logic or simply an overlooked application, it was a magic tool born from a very flexible mind.
Jin couldn't help but be impressed once again. Reinhard was indeed an extraordinary magi engineer.