The group gathered around a large table. The Marquis naturally occupied the seat of honor at the head, with Jin to his left and Reinhard to his right. Berche sat beside Jin, while Elsa was next to Reinhard. Saki and Karen took their places at the lower end of the table.
Reiko, Noir, Neon, Edgar, and Lisa stood behind their respective masters. Mine stood beside Edgar, positioned behind Elsa.
Once everyone was seated, a servant promptly arrived with tea—a fragrant green tea that filled the room with its aroma.
"Now then," the Marquis began, "the letter I received via express messenger didn't go into much detail. Am I correct in assuming the primary purpose of today's visit is to check on my recovery?"
"Yes, Marquis. That is our first priority. In addition, Elsa has brought a gift for you."
"Hmm, I wonder what it could be."
"First, please look at this."
At Jin’s signal, Elsa stepped forward and removed the coat Lisa was wearing.
"Ho-ho..."
The Marquis’s eyes widened. Karen, along with the servants and attendants in the room, let out a collective gasp.
"...Her name is Lisa. She is an automaton... of my own creation."
"My name is Lisa," the girl said.
Being a maid automaton, Lisa offered a standard bow rather than a curtsy. Her graceful movements and striking appearance held the gaze of everyone seeing her for the first time.
"...I would like her to assist you with your personal needs. Is she... to your liking?"
Elsa spoke in a voice lower than her usual tone. It seemed she had not yet fully overcome her sense of unease around the Marquis.
"O-Oh, I like her very much! Lisa, was it? You are giving this girl to me?"
"Yes, if she pleases you."
"She pleases me indeed! What a charming girl."
"I look forward to serving you, Master," Lisa said.
"Lisa, do your best, alright?" Elsa added.
"Yes, Creator."
And so, Lisa officially became an automaton of the House of Theoderic.
The Marquis reached out to take her hand. "I’ll be counting on you, Lisa."
As he spoke, he noticed the warmth of her skin and looked to Elsa in surprise.
"...Yes. Lisa possesses a body temperature roughly the same as a human's."
"Oh, really?" Karen cried out in wonder. Automata with human-like body temperature were still extremely rare.
"Hmm. Elsa, you truly have become an exceptional magi engineer... I suppose studying under Jin-dono has certainly paid off."
After taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, Jin decided it was time to move on to the next item on his agenda.
"Your Excellency, I have a report to make. May I request that we speak in private?"
"Hm?...I understand. Everyone, wait outside the room until I call for you."
"Thank you for your cooperation," Jin said.
The servants and attendants filed out of the reception room. Those remaining were Jin, Reinhard, Berche, Elsa, Mine, Saki, Karen, and the Marquis.
"Is this acceptable?"
"Yes, thank you....Now then, I shall begin the report. We have identified the culprit who poisoned Your Excellency."
"What? Even the Empire's security ritter haven't tracked them down yet. Who is it?"
"A man named Marcus Grūnwald."
Jin delivered the conclusion immediately.
"Marcus... you say?" The Marquis's expression darkened.
"Yes. Furthermore, Marcus was being manipulated by someone else. At this moment, those two points are what we have confirmed with certainty."
"...How did you discover this?"
"First, I investigated Marcus’s room at the estate of Viscount Georg Randol. There, I found arsenic, a supply of the wine Your Excellency is fond of, and fragments of a document that confirm the poisoning took place."
Jin paused there, watching the Marquis’s reaction.
The Marquis closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought. It was Saki who broke the silence.
"J-Jin, is that true? I know Marcus’s face, at least, but he was the one who targeted Grandfather?"
"Jin-sama! If that is true, then it means Viscount Georg Randol was the mastermind, doesn't it? That is unforgivable!"
Karen's outburst led straight to the conclusion Jin and Elsa most wanted to avoid. It was for this very reason that Jin had investigated Marcus so thoroughly.
"...Wait, Karen."
Just as Jin was about to explain, the Marquis cut her off. He kept his eyes closed as if searching his memory before he spoke.
"...I am well aware that the viscount is a man driven by ambition. However, as long as that drive serves the country, I felt it was simply a matter of managing him properly. That is how I viewed him, and how I intended to handle him."
True to his years of experience, the Marquis remained remarkably calm.
"...Knowing that I wanted Elsa as a bride, the viscount approached me with a proposal for an engagement. The wine he brought at that time was truly exquisite, and when I mentioned how much I enjoyed it, he began sending it to me on a regular basis..."
The Marquis opened his eyes and voiced his conclusion.
"The messenger was invariably Marcus Grūnwald."
"Regarding that wine—is there any remaining? If I could examine a sample, I could provide definitive proof."
The Marquis shook his head at Jin's suggestion.
"...There is none left. I am a lover of wine, so whenever I received a bottle, I tended to drink it all by myself immediately."
Hearing that, Jin couldn't help but suspect the man might also be suffering from a touch of liver cirrhosis.
"So he intended to marry Elsa-san to Father, poison him, and then seize the Marquis's house if the opportunity arose? That is more unforgivable than ever!!"
Karen was so agitated she looked ready to storm out of the room. The Marquis reached out to soothe her.
"Karen, do not be so emotional. You cannot make sound judgments in such a state."
True to his former rank of lieutenant general, the Marquis maintained his composure.
"It would be strange for this to be the viscount's own plan. If he were to poison me, it would be meaningless unless it happened after Elsa was officially married into the family. Furthermore, it would have been most advantageous for him to wait until Elsa had a child."
The Marquis's insight was sharp. Even the fuming Karen was forced to see the logic.
"Y-You're right. It might be as you say, Father."
"Exactly," Jin added. "This poisoning incident was Marcus's own initiative."
"Oh?" The Marquis's eyes eloquently asked how he could be so sure.
Jin considered for a moment before deciding to be entirely honest.
"In Craft Magic, there is a spell called Trans Info. Originally, it was used to grant knowledge and skills to golems and automata."
"Ho-ho, that is fascinating." The Marquis showed genuine interest in the magic he was hearing about for the first time.
"Using this requires a rare talent; it isn't something just anyone can do," Jin noted. "And I am able to use it. Therefore, I transferred Marcus’s memories and investigated them. Human memories are vast, so it was impossible to sift through everything, but I managed to uncover the most critical details."
"I see. Memories do not lie, then."
"Yes. Former Viscount Georg Randol was uninvolved in this specific matter."
The Marquis remained silent for a long moment after hearing Jin's explanation. Eventually, he spoke slowly.
"...I must reflect on the fact that I left myself open to be exploited. So, what has become of Marcus and Georg?"
"We have captured Marcus, but he is currently unconscious." Jin then went on to explain former Viscount Georg Randol’s condition.
"...You mean to say there was bleeding in his... brain? And that his personality changed because of it?" Karen looked conflicted, struggling to grasp the concept.
"That is correct."
"Hmm. Very rarely, I believe there have been similar cases among those who suffered severe head injuries in the military." The Marquis showed understanding, drawing on his long career.
"The viscount's house has been abolished. The eldest son, Moritz, has been placed in the custody of the main House Randol, and the second son, Fritz, will remain in the military. As for Elsa, she has been placed under Reinhard’s care."
Jin concluded the summary of the official decrees.
"...I see. And so you brought Lisa along to curry favor with me, then?"
"N-No, it wasn't exactly like that." Jin flustered at the Marquis’s bluntness. Elsa seemed to have lost her voice entirely.
"Haha, I don't mind. It is a natural sentiment between family, after all. But Elsa, you should find happiness in your own way. As for me, I recommend that you establish a separate house."
By "separate house," he meant one that was independent of House Randol.
"Well, if you wish, it would be possible for me to adopt you as my daughter, though I suspect you wouldn't want that, would you?"
"..." Elsa nodded in silence. Then, she spoke softly. "...I would be happy... as a commoner. To just be Elsa."
But the Marquis shook his head.
"No, no. Your talent... you are first-class as a magi engineer and first-class as a healer. To let you fall to commoner status would be a loss for the country. Her Majesty likely feels the same way."
"Is... that so?"
"It certainly is....Now then, leaving that matter to Her Majesty, is that all you have to report?" The Marquis fixed Jin with a sharp, piercing gaze.
"No, there is one more thing. Regarding the 'demon race'."
"The 'demon race,' you say?"
"J-Jin, the demon race? What do you mean..."
"The demon race! That's horrible!"
It was the Marquis who restrained the panicked Saki and Karen. Reinhard and his group, who had been briefed previously, remained calm.
"Saki, Karen. Calm yourselves. Jin-dono is going to explain."
The two fell silent at his command. The Marquis prompted Jin once more.
"Now, Jin-dono, please continue."
"Yes. Very well..."
Jin began his explanation.
He spoke of the magical consumption fever that had struck the Klein Kingdom, and how it had been orchestrated by a member of the demon race calling himself Laldus the Jest.
He spoke of the two who had appeared with him, Bemiaruche and Dogmaralud.
And finally, he spoke of Marcosius—the mastermind who had been pulling the strings behind Marcus.
A heavy silence fell over the room as the group listened to Jin’s account, their words stolen by the gravity of the revelation.