"So, you've sought asylum, Stearena."
"Yes, Reinhard. I’ll be in your care."
It was July 23rd, the day after Stearena had moved into Saki’s house.
Around nine in the morning, Stearena had gone to visit Reinhard in Kalts Village.
"Hmm, I’d better report this to the imperial authorities as soon as possible..."
Believing that the sooner the matter was handled the better, Reinhard decided to head to the capital, Loizart, that very day. With a break in his administrative duties as a lord, his true motivation was likely a desire for a change of pace.
The traveling party consisted of Reinhard, Stearena, and Neon. The reason Neon was chosen over a Schwarzritter was officially to reduce the ship's weight, but in reality, she had been tasked by Berche to act as a modest watchdog. Berche was concerned about Stearena and Reinhard being alone together and had appointed Neon to keep an eye out for any potential infidelity.
They traveled by carriage to Banne, boarded the Scarlet Trail kept at the port, and crossed to the opposite shore at Koju. From Koju, they hired another carriage and headed for the capital. Thanks to their haste, they managed to enter the Imperial Palace by three in the afternoon.
Reinhard immediately requested an audience with the chancellor, providing the reason for his visit. Perhaps because it was a light business day, an audience was granted after only a five-minute wait, and Reinhard and Stearena were called into the office.
"Oh, Reinhard, and Lady Stearena."
"It has been since the Technology Expo, has it not?"
Present in the room were not only Chancellor Jung Fowles von Kebsler but also Magic Technology Minister Degauss Fruit von Manischras. And to their even greater surprise...
"Welcome to the Shouro Empire. Lady Stearena, I welcome you personally."
Even the Empress herself, Gerhardt Hilde von Rubis Shouro, was present.
"Y-Your Majesty, it is an honor," Stearena stammered, taken aback by the situation. Reinhard was equally surprised.
"I just happened to be consulting with the chancellor on another matter when Reinhard's report and request for an audience arrived."
Reinhard secretly understood that this was why the wait had been so short.
"Lady Stearena, our country is more than happy to welcome a magi engineer as talented as yourself. Are you currently staying with Reinhard?" the chancellor asked with a pleasant smile.
"No, I am being looked after at the home of Saki... Saki Eschenbach," Stearena corrected, explaining her current situation.
"Hoho, I see. By the way, is your home country, the Celuroa Kingdom, aware that you have sought asylum here?"
"No, I do not believe they know. Even if they suspect it, they should have no proof. I left behind no clues as to where I was heading."
"Understood. We shall make a clear declaration from our side when the time is right. Please rest easy." The chancellor smiled, reassuring her that the asylum would be handled through official state channels. "So, what do you intend to do in our country?"
Suddenly, the chancellor's eyes grew sharp. However, Stearena, who had no ulterior motives, was not intimidated.
"I don't have any particular goal. If possible, I would like to live a quiet life..."
Those were her true feelings. She only wanted to live quietly within the Shouro Empire. Consequently, even the Empress could not have guessed that Stearena intended to do whatever she pleased on Hourai Island.
"I see. If possible, it would be a great help if you could pass on your techniques to our youth—"
As the chancellor began to speak, the Empress raised a hand to stop him.
"Jung, not now. Lady Stearena must be exhausted from the events in her home country. Once she has recovered from that fatigue, you may ask her again."
"B-But, Your Majesty..."
"Lady Stearena, please rest your body and mind for now. Is there anything you require?"
Stearena bowed deeply to the Empress, moved by her genuine concern. "Thank you, Your Majesty. There is nothing in particular at the moment."
"I see... In that case, Chancellor, do we have any sort of identification for the magi engineers of our country?"
"No, not specifically."
"Right... What shall we do then, to prove that our country is protecting Lady Stearena?"
"Your Majesty, among the things we learned from the Fuhrer we received from Jin-dono, there was something called a 'family register'..."
"Ah, I learned of that as well. However, it is not something that can be implemented immediately."
Maintaining a grasp on the citizenry would be useful not just for administration but for various welfare purposes as well, but Rome was not built in a day.
"In that case, how about this? First, why don't we create a system to issue some kind of certificate to foreign residents living in the Shouro Empire?"
The chancellor proposed an alternative. It was similar to a passport or visa, though it differed in that it was for proof of residency.
"Yes, let's go with that. Lady Stearena shall be our glorious first registrant!"
"Eh? Wh-What?"
The conversation moved forward so quickly that Stearena couldn't keep up. Political discussions were not her forte. Reinhard, on the other hand, immediately understood the system's effectiveness.
"Your Majesty, please consider attaching a 'portrait' to the certificate. And also, please consider updating it every few years."
This was advice Reinhard could give only because Jin had transferred knowledge of modern Earth to him.
"Ah, that’s a good idea. It would make identifying the person easy and prevent misuse by others."
Imagining the utility of the plan, the Empress adopted it immediately. Thus, Stearena was recognized as the very first registered foreigner living in the Shouro Empire.
Meanwhile, on the same day on Hourai Island.
"My Lord, I have several reports."
Laojun spoke to Jin, who was contemplating what weapons would be best for Edgar alongside Elsa.
"Yeah, alright. Let's hear them."
Jin, who had hit a bit of a dead end—or rather, was simply undecided—decided to listen to the reports as a change of pace.
"Yes. First, regarding the dagger we obtained from Laldus."
This was the dagger used by the demon race man who called himself Laldus the Jest. Deneb 30 had managed to snatch it away despite being wounded in the encounter.
"My Lord, you suggested it was made from biological material, and you were correct. It has been identified as coming from a creature extremely close to the Gigant Peeder."
"I see..."
The Gigant Peeder was a magical beast Jin had not been familiar with. It was no wonder he couldn't identify it on the spot.
"While it is very similar to a Gigant Peeder, it may be a similar but different magical beast. Regardless, there is no doubt it is an arthropod-type creature."
"In short, an exoskeleton. Like a mantis's scythe or a stag beetle's mandible."
"Exactly."
Jin digested the information, thinking it would be unbearable if there were many creatures with exoskeletons harder than light silver.
"I've got it. Elsa, why don't we try using that for Edgar's equipment?"
"...By 'that,' do you mean the Gigant Peeder shell?"
"That's right. It's light and durable. How about we make a dagger, some gauntlets, and greaves?"
Jin and Elsa resumed their discussion about Edgar's equipment, but Laojun still had reports left.
"My Lord, I have more to report."
"Oh, that's right, sorry. Go ahead."
"Yes. The second point is regarding the Mole."
"The Mole?" Jin asked, not recognizing the term.
"It is a magi-device for underground exploration. Given the Gigant Peeder's appearance the other day, I believe it would be wise to conduct an investigation."
"Ah, that's true. And?"
"Yes, I would like to ask you to manufacture a magi-device that I am restricted from creating."
There were several things Laojun could not make without the permission of his creator, Jin. New types of magic tools that had not existed before were among them.
"The structure is as follows."
Jin checked the conceptual diagram Laojun projected onto a magi-screen. There was a cylindrical main body with hyper-adamantite bits at the tip. These would be used to dig forward. The excavated rocks and soil would be sent to a designated location via a Warp Gate installed inside the cylinder. The cylindrical body could move forward and backward using treads driven by a Golem Engine on the sides.
"Yeah, it's well-designed. So, what's the magi-device you want me to make?" Jin felt that the design already possessed sufficient functionality.
"I need a magic tool that can use 'Dig'."
"Ah, I see."
Jin understood. When digging for hot springs, Jin used 'Dig.' This was categorized as beginner-level earth attribute magic, originally intended to dig pitfall traps. In Jin's hands, it was used to carve out underground tunnels.
Normally, it was difficult even for an advanced-level magi to dig a hole at a location more than five meters away. This was because a caster's magical power weakened in inverse proportion to the square of the distance. Jin was the exception of exceptions. The soil and rock removed by 'Dig' were expelled from the hole as if gushing out. Since magical power was also used for this displacement, the deeper the hole, the more impossible it became for an average magi to handle.
"With 'Dig,' we can probably discover foreign objects in the ground without destroying them."
"Precisely."
This was about the mysterious magi-device they had found while investigating the hole the Gigant Peeder had crawled out of. Its purpose and name had remained a mystery.
"Understood. I'll make it right away."
Jin saw through Laojun's intention and agreed.
"The third point is a proposal to equip everyone in the Hourai Island forces with Air Leichtern tools as a countermeasure against the demon race."
This was a countermeasure against Gravity Magic. Jin had been saved by it during the recent confrontation, so he approved immediately.
"Then we shall proceed with equipping them in the following order: your family, Reiko, the attendant automata, the Secret Mobile Unit, the Quinta, and finally the Hourai Island Golems."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Thus, the residents of Hourai Island began their further reinforcement.