"...A Magi Craft Meister, you say?"
"Yes, Madam."
"I see. I feel as though I’ve heard that name before. Jin-dono, was it?"
This was the regional city of Loloon in the Kingdom of Franz. It was home to a villa belonging to the House of Lafayette—often referred to as the family of the Northern Duke.
"And his sister appears to be a skilled... no, an ultra-first-class healer. For now, I suppose we should simply be glad to have made their acquaintance."
Once Jin and his party had departed, the former Duchess, Catherine de Lafayette, looked out her window with a mix of relief and lingering regret.
From her vantage point, she could see an orderly townscape. However, she knew all too well that the view was merely a facade.
"So, has the culprit who attacked me been found?"
Her encounter with Jin had only occurred because his group happened upon the scene where her carriage had been ambushed. Her coachman had been murdered, and the vehicle had overturned after the horses bolted.
Despite a search by the resident ritter unit, the murderer had not been apprehended.
However, as the former Duchess, Catherine maintained a private security force of significant size. It was one of these soldiers who stood before her now, delivering a report.
"The man believed to be the perpetrator has been found dead, Madam."
"I see. Silenced, then."
As the former Duchess, the list of individuals who stood to benefit from Catherine’s death was a short one.
"It was the Southern Duke... wasn't it?"
The southern border of the Kingdom of Franz shared a boundary with its suzerain, the Celuroa Kingdom.
Because of this proximity, the House of Orange—known as the family of the Southern Duke—maintained deep-seated ties with the Celuroa Kingdom, boasting an influence second only to the royal family itself.
In contrast, the successive heads of the House of Lafayette had secretly harbored a desire to distance themselves from the Celuroa Kingdom's shadow and forge an independent path.
Catherine's late husband, the previous Duke, had felt this way, as did her son, the current Duke.
Yet, in the current climate of the kingdom, any overt move toward independence would result in the immediate purge of even a ducal house. They could do little more than grit their teeth in silent frustration.
"If only we could make the lives of the people even slightly better."
That was the extent of what they could hope to achieve. And yet, the moment any industry showed a spark of profit, the government would catch the scent and immediately hike the tax rates.
"Keep them neither alive nor dead"—she had once been gripped by a profound sense of despair upon hearing that this was the prevailing philosophy within the Royal Castle regarding the treatment of commoners.
"Even so... to think that man was in contact with an informant. And he was inquiring about the demon race? I wonder what his true aim could be."
"Madam, word has it those demon race prisoners were attacked by radicals and burned to death. Could it be that he..."
"No, we have confirmation that Jin-dono passed through the checkpoint and entered the Klein Kingdom. The attack is surely unrelated to him."
In that regard, Jin's alibi was ironclad.
"...A Magi Craft Meister recognized by three nations: the Klein Kingdom, the Kingdom of Egerea, and the Shouro Empire. I should like to meet this Jin-dono again."
＊ ＊ ＊
"You absolute fool! To let such precious prisoners be burned to death right under your nose!"
"M-my deepest apologies..."
The ritter bowed his head, only to be met with even harsher vitriol.
"Gah! An apology doesn't fix this! This was a golden opportunity to put ourselves leagues ahead of the Lafayette family, and now it's all gone up in smoke!"
The man screaming at the ritter was the Southern Duke, Lufort de Orange. He possessed thinning, dull blond hair, blue-gray eyes, and a bloated, flabby physique.
He was the quintessential image of a powerful noble in this kingdom.
"Even though the bailiff, Kutaaga Akutaa, played his part so perfectly..."
Kutaaga Akutaa, the town mayor and bailiff of Inaku, officially served the Northern Duke. In reality, however, he was a mole under the thumb of the Southern Duke.
"The Northern Duke was the one who 'brilliantly' captured the demons and delivered them alive to the royal capital, receiving the King's personal commendation...!"
The Southern Duke gnashed his teeth. The glory was supposed to have been his from that point onward.
He had planned to use any means necessary to extract information from the demons and, with any luck, secure the position of commander for a subjugation army. Naturally, he intended to remain in the safety of the rear while the common soldiers did the fighting.
Lufort had been busy tallying his projected gains, but his schemes had all come to naught.
"High-ranking officials from the Celuroa Kingdom were even scheduled to visit Genfu to inspect them..."
Indeed, traffic between the Celuroa Kingdom and the Kingdom of Franz was conducted not only via secret mountain paths but also across Azul Lake.
"My reputation is utterly ruined!"
It had been a prime chance to curry favor with the Celuroa Kingdom. Instead, he would be forced to present them with a humiliating failure.
Lufort, the Southern Duke, clutched his head in his hands.
"It can't be helped. I shall simply have to prepare even more lavish tributes for the officials arriving from the Celuroa Kingdom..."
＊ ＊ ＊
"I see. So you're saying he made contact with a noble from the Shouro Empire?"
A log cabin stood in the woods near the town of Loloon. Though it looked like a simple woodcutter's hut to any casual observer, it was actually a base for the Partisans.
Inside, about ten men were gathered. Their clothing was a patchwork of styles; some were in soldiers' uniforms, some in peasants' rags, and others were indeed dressed as woodcutters.
At the far end of the room sat a man draped in a black robe. The informant, Fernan, was currently deep in conversation with him.
"Yes. I don't know what his business was, but he was hungry for information regarding the demon race, so I provided it. He paid well and seemed like a man of reason."
"His name was Jin... was it?"
"Yeah. That’s what his companions called him."
"Hmm, interesting... A baronet of the Shouro Empire named Jin, you say?"
"You've heard of him?"
"Indeed. To my knowledge, there is only one man who fits that description. It would be Jin Nidou, the man recently certified as a Magi Craft Meister."
"A Magi Craft Meister?"
"Precisely. And not just by the Shouro Empire; he’s been officially recognized by the Klein Kingdom and the Kingdom of Egerea as well."
"That means..."
"Yes. Leaving the Shouro Empire aside, the other two nations are on poor terms with the Celuroa Kingdom and the Kingdom of Franz."
"Do you think we could bring him over to our side?"
"No, it's best we avoid that. From what I’ve heard, he has a distaste for conflict. Furthermore, word is he travels with an incredibly powerful golem. Did you see it?"
"Yeah, he had a carriage... though it was pulled by a Golem horse. The one acting as his driver was a massive, sturdy golem."
"That was likely the one. During the Golem Rampage Incident in the Kingdom of Egerea, that single unit reportedly neutralized almost every other golem involved."
"Whoa. Is it really that formidable?"
"Yes. A hundred human soldiers likely wouldn't stand a chance against it."
"That’s incredible. If he had ten golems like that, he could wage war against an entire nation."
"Indeed. However, Jin supposedly maintains a strict policy of non-interference in power struggles."
"...What if we grabbed a hostage to make him see things our way?"
"That would be the height of stupidity. We would be the ones wiped out instead."
"I suppose you’re right."
"More importantly, regarding that sister the noble had with him. Apparently, her name is Eliza or Elsa."
Another man stepped forward to join the conversation.
"The day the carriage ran wild... I heard she treated an injured town woman and the former Duchess, healing them both in the blink of an eye."
"Hmm, so the sister is a top-tier healer."
"Yes. And she didn't take a single coin from the town woman. I heard this directly from witnesses, so there's no mistake."
"I’d love to recruit a girl like that Elsa to our cause, but I doubt it will be easy."
"Why don't we just snatch her?"
"You moron. Didn't you hear what I just said? If we make an enemy of that man, we'll be crushed in less than half a day."
"I... I see..."
Yet another man approached.
"Our numbers have increased by one. I’m here to report the new recruit....Hey, get over here."
The man turned around and gestured to a youth standing near the entrance.
"Yes."
The young man stepped forward and gave a polite bow.
"My name is Schult. I look forward to working with you all."
"I see. And where are you from?"
"I was raised in the Klein Kingdom."
"Ho. Then you must be familiar with the internal workings of that country?"
"Yes. To some extent."
"Hmm, you seem like you'll be useful. But for the time being, you'll be kept under surveillance. Understood?"
It was a standard security precaution.
"Yes, of course."
The man bowed once more to the assembled group.
＊ ＊ ＊
(Hmm, it appears Regulus 41 has successfully embedded himself within the underground resistance.)
Back on Hourai Island, Laojun chuckled to himself.
This was back when Jin was developing the Magi-Jammer at Nidou Castle.
Of course, the true identity of Schult was...