“Toxins, you say?”
Empress Gerhardt’s voice rose in surprise.
“Poison?! Who would do such a thing to Grandfather?” Saki’s fury was palpable.
“...Elsa, can you heal him?” Jin asked.
“I don't know. But I'll try. ‘Genesung!’”
“W-What?!” The Magic Technology Minister gasped.
He had every right to be shocked; in the current Shouro Empire, the number of people capable of casting the healing magic Genesung could be counted on one hand.
Paying no heed to the commotion, Elsa cast Genesung again and again. Yet, her expression remained clouded.
“...It’s no use. His liver function won't recover. The toxins are blocking it.”
Generally speaking, healing magic functioned by activating the body’s natural restorative systems. One of the liver’s primary roles was detoxification. If toxins had accumulated to the point where the liver was completely overwhelmed, no amount of magical stimulation would restore its function.
It wouldn’t have been strange for the Marquis to be completely bedridden in his condition. Jin wondered if he had only managed to maintain a semblance of a daily life because of constant healing magic. He likely hadn’t collapsed yet because someone had been treating every symptom except for the actual toxin accumulation in his liver.
As Elsa agonized over a solution, Jin offered a piece of advice.
“Elsa, do you know what kind of toxin it is?”
“Yes. It’s likely arsenic.”
“Arsenic, huh...”
While the name was infamous to Jin, the people of this world seemed ignorant of it. He could hear them whispering behind him: “What’s arsenic?” “I’ve never heard of it.”
After a moment’s thought, Jin hit upon an idea.
“Elsa, try using ‘Extraction.’ If you focus it on the toxins with pinpoint accuracy, it should work.”
Craft Magic could not affect living organisms directly. However, Jin theorized that it could be used on non-living matter—like toxins—contained within a living body.
“...That sounds difficult. But I’ll try.”
Elsa focused her mind. Using Diagnose to map the toxins lodged in the liver, she simultaneously cast Extraction.
It was a microscopic, agonizingly delicate operation. It took fifteen minutes of intense concentration, but Elsa pulled it off. A small amount of grey powder—the extracted arsenic—fell onto the floor beside the Marquis.
Elsa carefully wrapped the substance in a cloth to ensure no one touched it, then let out a long, weary breath.
“...It’s done. I believe... I’ve removed over ninety percent.”
Having exhausted her strength, Elsa collapsed. Edgar moved instantly to support her.
“Thank you... Edgar.”
Edgar gently lowered Elsa onto a vacant sofa.
“El...sa? Is that... is that really you, Elsa?” the Marquis stammered, his eyes wide with shock.
When she had stumbled, her wig had shifted; now that she was lying down, it had fallen off entirely, revealing her platinum blonde hair. She had also lost her protective glasses, exposing her true face.
“I see... You were safe all this time. Ah... I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my body.”
While his lost stamina wouldn’t return immediately, the pervasive sense of sickness had vanished. For the first time in years, the Marquis felt truly refreshed.
“Marquis Theoderic, despite her fear of marriage to you, Elsa fought desperately to save your life,” the Empress said, her voice gentle but firm.
The Marquis didn’t need to be told.
“Yes. Elsa, you have my gratitude. Our engagement is officially dissolved. You are free to walk whatever path you choose.”
“Th-thank you...”
Elsa felt the heavy, dark sediment that had been clouding her heart finally dissolve.
“Jin-kun, Elsa, excellent work. You’ve saved a vital asset to our nation. You have my deepest thanks,” the Empress said warmly. The Chancellor and the Magic Technology Minister both wore smiles of relief.
“I will make an official announcement regarding Elsa’s status later.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Now then, Jin-kun—no, Jin-dono. It is time I spoke with you.”
Empress Gerhardt turned the conversation toward Jin.
“As we discussed before, I would like you to teach us ‘science.’”
Chancellor Jung Pholus von Kebsler took up the thread.
“I have consulted with Magic Technology Minister Degauss and Gebalt Ackermann. That ‘airship’ of yours... it is a product of combining ‘science’ and magic, is it not?”
As expected of the empire’s leadership, they had correctly identified the foundation of the technology.
“We have concluded that the benefits this ‘science’ could bring to our nation—and indeed, to the world—are beyond measure. What say you, Jin-dono?”
The Empress spoke again.
“I wish to grant you the title of Magi Engineer Maestro, the rank of viscount, and a territory of your own. In exchange, would you consider entering my service?”
“...”
As Jin processed the sudden proposal, the Empress spoke softly.
“You do not need to answer immediately. Shall we say... by the end of the month?”
Today was the 21st. She was giving him until the 29th—the final day of June—to make his decision.
“I understand. I will give it serious thought.”
“I look forward to a favorable reply.”
The Empress rose from her seat, followed by the Chancellor and the rest of the retinue. Marquis Theoderic also stood up.
“Jin-dono, Lady Elsa. I cannot thank you enough. If you ever visit my lands, you will find a hero’s welcome waiting for you.”
After bowing to them, the Marquis began to walk with a slight wobble. His liver was functioning, but his physical strength was still at its limit. An attendant moved to help, but Saki stepped in first.
“...Saki?”
“Grandfather... I’ll escort you back.”
Saki turned her head slightly away, her cheeks tinged with red, but she stood her ground.
“Oh... I see. Yes, I would appreciate that. Lead the way.”
Jin and Elsa watched in silence as Saki supported the Marquis out of the conference room.
“...”
“...”
After a moment of quiet, Jin turned to Elsa.
“Shall we head out, too?”
“Mm.”
The two of them left the room together. Edgar and Reiko followed silently, maintaining a respectful distance.
However, they happened upon an unexpected figure in the hallway.
“Elsa! Is that you, Elsa?!”
Elsa flinched at the sound of the voice.
“...Father.”
Without her wig and protective glasses, she was easily recognized.
A sharp crack rang out. Her father, Georg, had struck Elsa across the cheek with an open palm.
“Ah...!”
The force sent her reeling, and Edgar barely caught her. Elsa clutched her burning cheek, her eyes filling with tears.
“You ungrateful child! Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through? Come with me at once!”
He reached out to seize her arm, but Jin stepped between them.
“Please wait, Viscount.”
“And who are you supposed to be? Hm? Oh, the magi engineer who built the airship. Jin Nidou, was it?”
“Yes, I am Jin Nidou. Elsa is not your tool to be ordered around.”
“Hmph. You talk as if you understand anything. Don’t meddle in a family’s affairs.”
Georg was significantly larger and more muscular than Jin. He was a career soldier, flanked by his subordinates. Yet Jin met his gaze without a hint of fear.
“Elsa is a full-fledged magi engineer. No matter if you are her father, you have no right to treat her like a piece of property.”
“Such arrogance... ‘Full-fledged,’ you say?”
“Yes. Her Majesty the Empress has recognized her as such. It is a matter of official record.”
“H-Hmph. Even so, I am her father. What is wrong with a father bringing his daughter home?”
Georg hid behind the shield of paternal authority. In the Shouro Empire, Elsa had not yet been granted legal independence. While there was no modern registration system, her legal residence was still under Viscount Randol’s house. Neither Jin nor Laojun had anticipated Elsa being found so suddenly, and they had no legal recourse against his parental rights.
“Hah, I thought so.”
Georg sneered and signaled to a man standing nearby. It was Marcus, the creator of the giant golem.
“That airship was an interesting trick, but it’s nothing more than a toy. For true weapons, you need power.”
Marcus stepped forward to face Jin.
“Some prince might have been impressed by that overgrown golem those suspicious outsiders brought, but it was all for show. The larger a golem gets, the more its performance inevitably suffers.”
Since the logic wasn't entirely flawed, Jin started to retort, but he stopped himself and looked back at Elsa. In the gap in the conversation, Georg had grabbed Elsa's arm and was dragging her toward him.
Elsa struggled, but the physical difference was too great for her to break free.
“Viscount, I must ask you to stop using force,” Edgar said, intervening.
An Automata built with materials from Hourai Island possessed physical strength many times that of a human.
“W-What do you think you’re doing?”
Edgar easily pried Georg’s fingers from Elsa’s arm.
“You... a mere puppet, daring to defy me?”
“No. I am simply protecting my creator, Lady Elsa.”
Edgar smoothly stepped between Georg and his daughter.
“What’s going on?”
“Is that a fight?”
A crowd of onlookers began to gather, drawn by the noise. One might have expected Georg to retreat, but instead, he grew even more belligerent. He turned his vitriol back on Jin.
“You... you’re the one who seduced my daughter, aren’t you?!”
At those words, Reiko finally snapped.
“That is quite enough. I will not permit you to insult Father any further.”