"C-Catherine-sama!"
The soldiers saluted in unison. It appeared the elderly lady was a person of considerable status.
"It seems I was attacked by someone; the coachman was thrown, and the horses ran wild. Go and investigate that direction immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The captain barked orders to his subordinates, saluted the woman named Catherine once more, and then sprinted off with three men toward the direction from which the carriage had come.
The two remaining soldiers, seeing that the horses were still unconscious, asked for her instructions.
"Catherine-sama, what are your orders?" one asked.
"Should we arrange for replacement horses? Or perhaps send word to the estate?"
But the answer they received was quite different from what the soldiers had expected.
"No, that’s quite alright. I shall walk. Once the horses regain their senses, bring the carriage back to the estate."
"Huh? Er, yes, ma'am."
Ignoring the dumbfounded soldiers, Catherine gave a slight bow to Jin.
"Thank you very much. By the look of you, you're from the Shouro Empire, aren't you? I am Catherine de Lafayette. I am, for the time being, the former Duchess."
"I am Jin Nidou, an Honorary Baronet of the Shouro Empire."
"And I am his younger sister, Elsa."
Jin then introduced Reiko and Edgar as automata, and Sion and Lucas as his friends.
"My, my, you have such magnificent automata. As expected of someone from the Shouro Empire... Are you visiting our country for sightseeing?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I see. And where are you staying?"
Jin recalled the name of the hotel.
"Um, it's the Hotel Lenore."
"My, you have quite a discerning eye. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to invite you all to dinner tonight as a token of my gratitude for rescuing me. How does that sound?"
After a moment's hesitation, Jin decided to accept the invitation.
"Yes, thank you very much."
"Then I shall send a carriage to the hotel to pick you up at five this evening. Please, do bring your friends along as well. I'll be waiting."
The former Duchess gave them a warm smile and then ordered a soldier to escort her back to her estate.
One soldier followed her, while the other remained behind to watch over the carriage.
"Elsa, can you heal the horses as well?"
"...I'll try. Heilung."
Heilung was fundamentally a spell that maximized a target's natural healing abilities. As it turned out, it was just as effective on horses.
The animals snapped their eyes open and stood up as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, how marvelous! Elsa-san, thank you so much!"
While Catherine offered her thanks, the soldiers stood by with their eyes wide in surprise.
"Well then, we shall take our leave for now."
Since they were beginning to draw a crowd, Jin and the others decided to depart.
"Jin-nii, maybe from that person..."
"Yeah. She seems very high-ranking, so she might have some useful information."
"I see, Jin, you're quite clever!"
"..."
Exchanging these words in low voices, Jin and his group resumed their independent search for information.
At 3:00 PM, Jin and his party returned to the Hotel Lenore.
It was a bit early, but they had decided that wandering the streets further wouldn't yield much more of value.
"If anything, a connection with the former Duchess seems like a more effective route."
"Agreed. She seemed like a decent person."
The group washed away the sweat from their travels in the hotel's bath and changed into fresh clothes.
Jin checked in with the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) he had left to guard their room, but they reported that their luggage had not been tampered with or searched.
"Listen, Sion, leave the negotiations to Elsa and me. You two aren't familiar with the customs here."
"I know, Jin. I'll go back to playing the refined lady. Lucas, you're not to speak a word unless I give you the okay."
"M-Milady..."
"It's fine that I'm your top priority, but you lose sight of everything else. I realized that during the duel with Jin. You stay quiet. Understood?"
"Y-Yes..."
Sion was clearly quite sharp—perhaps even more than she let on. In that regard, Jin felt relieved.
"Now then, Elsa, before the carriage arrives, could you give me a brief lesson on Shouro Empire etiquette?"
"Mm, okay."
And so, for about an hour, Elsa held a crash course in formal manners.
At just a minute past 5:00 PM, the carriage sent for them arrived in front of the hotel.
Like the previous one, it was a single-horse carriage, but there were two of them. Apparently, local regulations only allowed small, single-horse carriages to traverse the city center.
After a minor debate over seating arrangements, it was decided that Jin, Elsa, and Edgar would take one, while Sion, Lucas, and Reiko took the other.
The carriages moved slowly along the cobblestone streets, heading toward the northwest of the city. The Lafayette Villa was located in that district.
"It's an interesting town. The old and new buildings are all mixed together."
"Probably because of the war."
Jin and Elsa shared their observations about the cityscape visible from the window.
Meanwhile, in the other carriage, Lucas tried to strike up a conversation with Reiko...
"R-Reiko-san, is Lord... Jin a good master?"
"I was created by Father, and I exist for Father’s sake. The concept of 'good' or 'bad' is irrelevant. Do not presume to speak of Father, someone of your station."
He was flatly shut down. Reiko was in a foul mood because she was temporarily away from Jin's side, even if it was to keep an eye on Sion and Lucas.
They arrived at the villa in about fifteen minutes.
"Welcome."
The gates were thrown wide open. After entering and stepping out of the carriages before the main entrance, Jin and his party were greeted by a small army of servants.
"I'm so glad you could come."
Catherine was waiting for them at the far end of the entrance hall.
"Come, this way. You all, make sure you show our guests the utmost respect."
A maid was assigned to each of the four—Jin, Elsa, Sion, and Lucas—to guide them to the Great Hall.
"Wow..."
Jin couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation; the hall was magnificently decorated.
The floor was covered in a plush red carpet, woven with patterns that seemed to rise from the fabric.
Colorful tapestries hung from the walls, interspersed with tasteful paintings.
The national flag of the Kingdom of Franz hung at the front of the room, flanked on either side by suits of gold and silver armor.
The ceiling was adorned with vibrant, multicolored carvings, and a chandelier studded with magi-lamps hung from the center.
The table in the middle of the room was made of jet-black wood, its legs and sides featuring intricate carvings.
Catherine took her seat at the head of the table. The maids then guided Jin and the others to their places.
Jin sat to Catherine's right, followed by Sion. Elsa sat to her left, followed by Lucas. Reiko and Edgar stood behind Jin and Elsa, respectively.
"Welcome, Chevalier Jin Nidou."
Chevalier was the title for a baronet in the Kingdom of Franz. In the Kingdom of Egerea, they were called knights, and in the Shouro Empire, they were known as ritters.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Catherine de Lafayette, the widow of the former Duke. Now, I am merely a private citizen. It would please me if you, coming from abroad, would treat me as such."
However, in aristocratic society, one did not simply drop formalities just because they were told to.
It was considered a virtue for superiors to show tolerance, while subordinates were expected to show the utmost courtesy without overstepping.
Having been coached by Elsa, Jin was able to respond with the appropriate level of decorum.
"Thank you for the invitation today. To be hosted in such a grand manner... it is truly a great honor."
Jin bowed as he delivered the greeting Elsa had taught him. Catherine smiled at the sight.
"Oh, I am the one who should be offering thanks. You not only stopped my carriage but even healed my horses. But enough with the formalities—let us begin the dinner."
Catherine clapped her hands, and the waiting maids stepped forward to pour wine into crystal glasses.
"Then, a toast to our meeting. Cheers."
Following Catherine's lead, Jin and the others raised their glasses.
"Cheers!"
The wine was slightly sweet and very smooth—a perfect choice for an aperitif.
"Now, please, eat your fill."
The spread included steak, a rich cold stew, and several fish dishes, which were a rare luxury in the landlocked Kingdom of Franz.
Every dish was seasoned with refined, delicate flavors, and everyone ate until they were completely satisfied.