"Ugh... my head hurts."
Because it went down so smoothly, Jin had overindulged in the noble rot wine and ended up with a hangover.
"Father, are you all right?"
"...Reiko, sorry, but could you cast a detoxification spell on me?"
"Certainly... Entgiften."
The detoxification magic Reiko used followed the Shouro Empire-style chant she had learned from Elsa. The spell immediately began decomposing the acetaldehyde and adenosine responsible for Jin's throbbing headache.
"...I feel a lot better, but my head is still a little sore."
"In that case... Behandeln. How do you feel now?"
This second spell calmed the inflammation in his dilated blood vessels.
"Ah, that’s much better. Everything's clear now. Thank you, Reiko."
"It was nothing."
This experience thoroughly convinced Jin that he needed to create a detoxification magic tool as soon as possible.
The maintenance and analysis of the giant golem were finally completed just after noon that day.
Following Jin's suggestion, the steel frame had been plated with nickel and the outer armor with mithril. The transformation was total; the formerly red, rusted relic was now a gleaming silver-white.
"Jin Nidou, Elsa Nidou, Gebalt Ackerman, Marcus Greenbalt. You have all done excellent work."
Since the work had reached a natural conclusion, the Empress herself had come to inspect the results. Satisfied, she offered these words of commendation.
All that remained was the control device.
Reports regarding this mystery had moved from Jin to the chancellor, and then to the Empress. They had searched the underground vaults but found nothing. The current theory was that it was hidden somewhere else within the palace.
"...I can't say anything comes to mind," the Empress admitted. She had no idea where the device might be located.
Jin stepped forward with a suggestion.
"I recommend returning the artifact to the basement."
This stemmed from the concerns he and Elsa had discussed the previous night.
"Since the control device cannot be found, I believe it is vital to store it as it was originally found to ensure safety."
"No, I must oppose that."
It was Marcus who cut Jin off.
"I wish to perform further analysis so that we might utilize this ancient technology for our future. Furthermore, displaying such a majestic figure to the public is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the Empire's might to both our people and foreign nations."
"Hmm, what to do..."
Personally, the Empress wanted to follow Jin's advice, but as a ruler, she understood the merits of Marcus's perspective. She turned to the Magic Technology Minister for a second opinion.
"Degauss, what is your view?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I believe it would be best to put the giant golem on public display for a limited time now that the repairs are finished. After that, we can return it to the basement for storage."
It was a compromise. After a moment of thought, the Empress decided to adopt it.
"Very well. I shall permit it to be exhibited in the courtyard for ten days. We will announce it to the citizenry and allow for further analysis during that time. Afterward, it shall be returned to the basement."
The decision was final. Jin did not press the matter further.
Since their immediate duties were over, the group was dismissed. Rewards were granted to each member, but Jin’s was quite unique.
"Lord Jin Nidou, you shall be granted a mansion in Loizart."
Jin’s reward was an actual residence. It was likely a gesture of gratitude for his discovery of the magi-formula that amplified magic.
By receiving property in the capital of Loizart, Jin now had a permanent base within the Shouro Empire. To him, this was far more useful than gold or a higher title.
The location wasn't in the city center—it was tucked away toward the outskirts—but Jin preferred the quiet atmosphere.
It was a two-story stone building of a respectable size, and he was particularly grateful for the spacious garden. The property spanned about five hundred pyeong, three hundred of which was dedicated to the garden. Although the building was pre-owned, it had been well-maintained and was ready for immediate occupancy.
It had apparently once belonged to a baron's family that had been dissolved, so some furniture and fixtures remained inside. With about twenty rooms in total, upkeep would have been a nightmare for a normal person, but it was no trouble for Jin.
"You may remodel it however you like," the Empress had told him with a personal seal of approval.
Jin was secretly overjoyed. In truth, the Empress was intensely curious to see what kind of modifications a Magi Craft Meister would perform on a standard house. She likely intended to visit him later.
"I'm glad there's a basement. I can install a Warp Gate," Jin noted.
"There's a garden, so we can keep a Golem carriage here too," Elsa added.
Elsa understood exactly what it meant for a noble to own a mansion in Loizart. There was no precedent for a baronet receiving such a gift. It was a sign of how deeply Jin was trusted and recognized. Knowing this, she advised him that he should make the house worthy of that trust.
"I see what you mean."
"Of course, you don't need to make it like the laboratory on Hourai Island—in fact, you shouldn't. But you should make it a home that meets the Empress's expectations."
Elsa had correctly predicted that the Empress would likely visit to check on his progress.
"I’ve finally got some free time, and I want to bring Hanna here. Alright, I'm going to finish the remodeling by the end of the day."
It seemed Jin's productive switch had been flipped. After a quick, early lunch, he set to work.
He started by installing a Warp Gate in the basement. He sent Reiko through the transporter to act as a landmark for a temporary setup. Once the gate was active, he summoned ten smith golems. With his workforce assembled, he was ready.
He asked Elsa to go shopping with Edgar, as she knew Loizart well enough to handle purchasing general household goods. While he could have made everything himself, he felt it would be suspicious to the neighbors if they never saw him buying anything.
Besides, it was better for the local economy if he spent some money. He still had the million Toll reward sitting untouched, after all. He entrusted Elsa with buying curtains, tableware, basic cooking utensils, and carpets.
"Un, leave it to me."
Since it would be a lot for just Edgar, Jin assigned two smith golems to help with the transport. He wasn't trying to hide his status as a Magi Craft Meister, so he didn't care if the golems stood out a bit.
"Alright, let's get started here."
Once Elsa left, Jin and the eight remaining smith golems set to work.
Even though the house had been maintained, it was only at a bare minimum level. They needed to clean. Mobilizing the golems, Jin performed a thorough cleanup, disposing of dust, trash, and small pests. Only then could they truly begin.
First, he expanded the basement. He added a pantry, a material warehouse, and a secret room to hide the Warp Gate. The original basement area would serve as his workshop.
He meticulously applied Hardening and Toughening to the mansion's stonework, repairing any weathered sections.
The toilets were remodeled to the standards of Kaina Village. This meant marble Western-style seats equipped with waste treatment mechanisms for deodorant, decomposition, cleanup, and sterilization. He omitted the warm-water washing functions for now. He also installed a similar mechanism for the sewage system.
While working on this, Jin became curious about Loizart's water and sewage infrastructure. General toilets were a subterranean infiltration type equipped with cleanup magic, but sewage was collected in settling ponds where the supernatant was treated with magic before being released into Lake Tosmo. It was simple, yet remarkably effective. He did wonder, however, what they did with the accumulated sediment.
But that was a thought for another time.
The water supply came from individual wells at each house. Being close to Lake Tosmo meant groundwater was abundant. Jin dug a test well and found it was under enough pressure to gush out on its own.
"That saves me the trouble of pumping it."
He stored this well water in a reservoir built into the second-floor attic and ran pipes throughout the house so water could be used on the upper floor as well. He installed toilets and washrooms on both levels, naturally providing water that was already processed with cleanup and sterilization.
He also added a water heater based on a heat magic tool so that they could wash their hands with warm water during the winter.
The original bathing area was only suited for splashing water over oneself, so he naturally installed a new bathhouse, complete with a shower. All wastewater was processed before entering the sewer.
The smith golems were a whirlwind of activity. Reiko, meanwhile, handled the logistics of ordering materials from Laojun on Hourai Island.
By the time Elsa returned from her shopping trip, the heavy work was done, and they began laying carpets and hanging curtains.
"The impression changes quite strikingly, doesn't it?"
The bleak interior and hallways were instantly transformed into something vibrant and elegant. Elsa's sense of style was clear.
"Now for the bedrooms and the kitchen. Give me a hand."
"Un."
They started with the kitchen. The original stone sinks and countertops were ripped out and replaced with 18-12 stainless steel.
"Having the Warp Gate makes this so much easier," Jin noted.
He could use materials from Hourai Island that would normally be impossible to find. While he tried to buy local materials when he could, he was in a hurry today, so more than half of the supplies came from his island base.
"The bedding has to be magisilk. I won't compromise on that," Elsa insisted.
They carried the magisilk futons Elsa was so fond of into the rooms. They set up Jin's bedroom, Elsa's bedroom, and ten guest sets. That would be enough for Saki, Reinhard, and the others to stay over.
"The reception room shouldn't be gaudy, but it needs to look impressive."
Since that was a difficult balance to strike, Jin left it to Elsa. She laid down the highest quality carpet and used Craft Magic to refine the existing heavy table set, finishing it into something truly magnificent.
By the time they reached this point, it was getting dark, and they turned their attention to the lighting.
"It's probably best if we avoid using Ether Light."
"...You're right."
While devices that used current technology were fine, showing off lost technology like Ether Light wasn't a good idea. They decided to use the magi-lamps Elsa had purchased.
"We can buy more tomorrow for the rooms we missed."
Since they didn't have enough for the guest rooms yet, they decided to finish for the day by preparing their own bedrooms.
"...I want tatami."
Since this was their own home, Elsa wanted to sleep on futons in a room with tatami mats rather than a bed. Jin agreed completely.
They brought tatami mats into their respective bedrooms. They built a new floor raised about forty centimeters from the original level and covered it with the mats. The design was reminiscent of the raised seating areas in a Japanese tavern.
Even though it was a bedroom, it was quite large—about eight mats in size—so they raised six mats' worth for the sleeping area. Jin already had plans to build a sunken kotatsu once the weather turned cold. While it lacked a proper closet, making it only a pseudo-Japanese room, it was incredibly cozy.
They decided to wait and see what other small tools they needed after living there for a bit and sat down for dinner.
"Father, Elsa-san, dinner is ready."
"Ah, thank you, Reiko. You did a great job today."
Reiko had been the unsung hero of the renovation, giving instructions to the smith golems for minor adjustments Jin had missed and coordinating the material shipments from Laojun.
"No, it was nothing much."
Despite her modest words, Reiko beamed with a happy smile at Jin's praise.