“Whoa, what an incredible view!”
“It truly is exhilarating!”
At the Technology Expo held in Koju within the Shouro Empire, Jin had debuted his ten-centimeter-tall Mini-Smiths and his airship. As the engineer possessing the most superior magi-engineering skills, he had been bestowed with the title of Magi Craft Meister—an honor recognized specifically within the Shouro Empire.
Currently, he was cruising through the clouds in that very airship, with Prince Ernest of the Kingdom of Egerea and Princess Lieschen of the Klein Kingdom as his guests.
“Jin, you really are amazing. You're far more impressive than that Marcus fellow was.”
“Ah, well, thank you.”
“Prince Ernest, you had my heart in my throat back then…”
“Haha, sorry, Lies.”
‘Back then’ referred to the moment the prince had openly criticized Marcus’s golem as being unsatisfactory. Jin didn't think Princess Lieschen was particularly adept at political maneuvering herself, but even those blind to their own faults could often spot them in others.
“Oh! Look at that beautiful bird flying over there!”
“Where, Lies? I can't see it.”
Possessing the Far-vision Magic Eye, Princess Lieschen could see distant objects that were completely invisible to Jin or Ernest. Because of this, she was perhaps the one enjoying this aerial journey more than anyone.
“You two seem to have really hit it off,” Jin remarked.
Prince Ernest smiled at the comment, while Princess Lieschen blushed slightly. With the two royals on board, Jin spent a full hour in the sky before finally circling back to Koju.
“Ah, that was fun! Jin, you have to take me up again sometime!”
“Prince Ernest, please do not trouble Lord Jin so. If anything were to happen while we royalty are on board, it would spark an international incident.”
Prince Ernest was thirteen and Princess Lieschen was twelve, yet the princess seemed noticeably more mature.
“Welcome back, Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou.”
Waiting for them on the ground were the Empress of the Shouro Empire, Gerhardt Hilde von Rubiss Shouro, and her Chancellor, Jung Fowles von Kebsler. Since the prince and princess were state guests, the Empress was personally seeing to their hospitality.
The Empress looked like she wanted to board the airship more than anyone else present, but as she was currently playing hostess to Ernest and Lieschen, she swallowed her envy and maintained her composure.
Jin had hoped he would be free after the royals disembarked, but due to a promise made the previous day, he found himself obligated to give rides to approximately 120 eager people.
“It's a nightmare…”
It was a nightmare of his own making, born from the decision to reveal something as revolutionary as an airship. He had only himself to blame. He took the passengers up two at a time, limiting each flight to five minutes. By the time he finished giving everyone their turn—a process that took nearly five hours—Jin was utterly drained.
“Ugh…”
Back in his hotel suite, Jin collapsed onto the sofa. Reiko offered him a glass of Persica juice. It was a Hourai Island specialty known for its fatigue-recovery properties. However, that benefit usually applied to normal humans.
Jin’s body was largely composed of mana… or more accurately, magiatoms. These magiatoms had replaced the parts of his body lost when he had fallen into a ladle in a melting furnace back on modern-day Earth. Consequently, toxins and medicines had no effect on him. He had intended to investigate the specifics of his own metabolism one day, but he had been so preoccupied with other matters that he had neglected the study until now.
Feeling mentally refreshed by the juice, if nothing else, Jin sat up. Just then, Elsa and Mine returned, accompanied by Edgar.
“Welcome back. How did it go?”
They had been attending a formal inquiry regarding the details of Elsa's disappearance.
“Mmh. There weren't any problems.”
“No, it was essentially just a matter of them recording our official explanation,” Mine added.
Laojun had prepared their responses in advance, so the process had likely been smooth. The fact that the Empress had personally granted her authorization a few days prior carried significant weight.
“That’s good to hear. So, what’s the plan now?”
With Viscount Georg Randol incapacitated and facing a high probability of official reprimand, Elsa’s home was in a state of flux. Discussions regarding the Viscount’s punishment were reportedly still ongoing, and there was a strong chance his house would be dissolved entirely.
“Mmh. For now, it’s been decided that I’ll stay under Rai-nii’s care.”
Jin nodded, satisfied with Elsa’s explanation. Since Elsa was officially Jin’s disciple and Reinhard was serving as Jin’s official host, it was a logical arrangement. This way, she could continue to move with Jin without issue.
“And what about Saki? Have you heard anything from her?”
She had left to support the ailing Marquis Gaylen Theoderic von Eisen, and Jin hadn't seen her since the end of the Expo.
“Saki-nee is… apparently staying with the Marquis.”
“I see…”
Though she had called him a ‘perv old man’ and other names behind his back, he was still her blood relative.
“I suppose the bond of blood is strong. They do say blood is thicker than water.”
As Jin spoke, Elsa’s expression clouded over.
“Ah, sorry, Elsa.”
Lately, Jin had become much better at reading the subtle shifts in Elsa’s face. Though the strict discipline of her childhood had taught her to mask her emotions, she had recently begun to show expressions more appropriate for a girl her age.
“…No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Yesterday, Elsa had been deeply shaken when her father, Viscount Georg Randol, had lashed out at her with cruel words.
“…I wonder how the Viscount is doing,” Mine said, gently shifting the subject.
“Yeah, I’m concerned too. If it was a stroke… Wait a minute.”
Jin hadn't had a moment to think calmly until now, but something was bothering him.
“Elsa, Reinhard mentioned your father had collapsed once before, right?”
“…Mmh.”
“You were traveling at the time, but did his personality change at all before or after that first collapse?”
“It did!” Mine answered with sudden intensity. “That man… he was always stubborn and obsessed with power, but he used to listen to the advice of those around him to some degree. However, after he collapsed and recovered the first time, he became entirely self-centered. He grew irritable and started striking his subordinates whenever he was displeased.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing Mine’s account, the word ‘dementia’ surfaced in Jin’s mind. Seeing that Elsa didn't seem to recognize the concept, it appeared the Trans Info hadn't imparted that specific knowledge to her yet.
A stroke—the blockage of tiny blood vessels in the brain—can trigger dementia. In such cases, personality changes are a common symptom. Patients often become prone to anger and impulsive behavior. In the modern Earth where Jin grew up, these symptoms were often discussed on television. Jin had paid close attention to such programs out of concern for the Orphanage Director, so he knew a fair amount about the subject.
“Are you worried about him?”
“…I don’t know.”
Jin suspected that no matter how many cruel things had been said, the reality of their bond as father and daughter remained. It was an emotion Jin wanted to understand but couldn't quite grasp.
“…If you want to go see him, I’ll go with you.”
Elsa’s shoulders gave a small, sharp tremble. She kept her head lowered and didn't offer a verbal reply. Reiko spoke up in her stead.
“What if—just hypothetically? If the change in Elsa’s father’s personality was caused by the ‘stroke’ Father mentioned… if we could ‘Behandeln’ the stroke, would his personality return to normal?”
“Oh…” Elsa looked up, her eyes widening.
“Furthermore,” Reiko continued, “I am curious about Marcus's actions. He claimed his goal was information gathering, but the creation of Golias suggests he may have had other motives. I believe it is necessary for us to uncover the truth.”
As of now, only Jin, Reiko, Laojun, and Anne knew that Marcus appeared to be a puppet of the demon race. Regulus 50, who had been tailing Marcus, had secured him after he suddenly collapsed just before reaching the Demon Territory. The report said he had fallen like a puppet whose strings had been cut. After being taken to a nearby town and cared for, he had regained consciousness, but Marcus remembered nothing of his recent actions. Since they had verified this using Trans Info, there was no doubt.
‘Perhaps some magic was used to turn him into a marionette,’ Laojun had conjectured. It was the only explanation that fit the facts, including why his knowledge had appeared so patchy. However, Marcus had no memory of who might have been pulling the strings.
While the probability of Marcus being controlled by the demon race was high, it wasn't yet a certainty. For that reason, Jin hadn't shared this information with anyone else; he didn't want to cause unnecessary panic. He intended to inform the Hourai Island Family soon, but with Saki away, he had put it off.
“…You're right,” Elsa said, nodding at Reiko’s reasoning.
To untangle this mess, it seemed they would have to visit Viscount Georg Randol’s estate. It was a task that only Jin and Elsa were truly equipped to handle.
“…Alright. Jin-nii, I'll go.”
“Good. Then we'll head there tomorrow.”