After departing the Klein Kingdom, Jin and his companions did not head straight for the Shouro Empire. Instead, they took Condor 3 back to Hourai Island.
They planned to spend a full day there.
"Elsa, help me out for a bit."
"Mhm. What are we doing?"
"We're making a specialized automata."
"Specialized? What kind of functions will it have?"
"Just watch... Reiko, the materials?"
"Yes, Father. Preparations are complete."
"Alright."
With Elsa watching, Jin began crafting the automata. He worked at a steady, deliberate pace, devoid of any rush or hesitation.
Even so, his crafting speed was such that he completed eighty percent of the work in about thirty minutes. As Elsa watched, she felt firsthand that she still had a long way to go before she could reach Jin’s level.
"...A female model?"
It had a skeleton, muscles, tactile sensors, and a temporary magical skin, making it clear that it was a female model.
"Yeah, that's right. And Elsa, I was thinking of having you handle the finishing touches on the appearance."
"Why me?"
"Hmm? Well... because this is a medical automata."
"Medical..."
In that moment, Elsa remembered.
When she had asked, "I wonder if I can't help the people who are sick," Jin had replied, "Let's think about it once we get back to Hourai Island."
"...Thank you."
With that, Elsa began considering the appearance.
"...Sally-sensei."
She decided to make it slightly resemble Sally, the healer she respected. She named the automata Lise.
Working in parallel, Jin crafted a single mini-golem dedicated to surgery. He named it Jack.
Whether the name came from the names Tom and Jack, or was a reference to a legendary black-clad doctor, remained a mystery.
A few days later, it was said that a mysterious female healer suddenly appeared on the shores of Lake Manuse. She treated several conditions, including parasitic diseases, gave instructions on how to avoid infection, accepted a meager fee, and then set off on her travels once more.
"Laojun, by the way, do you know what happened to that maid? And what about the family of the servant who was silenced?"
Jin hadn't spoken of it in the Klein Kingdom, nor had he asked at the time, but as the days passed, it had started to weigh on his mind.
『Yes, My Lord. Regarding the maid Ameri, she was released from the dungeon and reinstated to her position once it was confirmed that former Minister of Industry Delight was the culprit. It seems Princess Lieschen personally put in a good word for her.』
"I see, that's good."
It seemed Lieschen had been looking out for her after all.
『Furthermore, regarding the servant's family, it appears they were paid the standard condolence money.』
"Standard?"
『Yes. It seems 100,000 Toll is paid to the bereaved family in the event of death due to an accident during employment.』
About one million yen. Jin wasn't sure if that was a lot or a little, but he figured if that was what the employment contract stipulated, then it was a settled matter.
On the following day, after calculating the approximate timing of their arrival, Jin and Elsa returned to the Shouro Empire via airship.
In Loizart, the chancellor was there to welcome them.
Dispensing with all but the most essential formalities, Jin, Elsa, Reiko, and Edgar headed straight to the chancellor's office.
The Empress was waiting for them there.
"Lord Jin Nidou, and Reichsarzt Elsa, welcome back."
"We have returned."
"...We managed to fulfill our mission, somehow."
The Empress broke into a broad smile at Elsa's humble words.
"Nonsense, it was a grand success. During this morning's scheduled contact, the King of Klein himself expressed his gratitude. He's still recovering his strength, so it was brief, but he was most thankful."
The Empress was clearly in high spirits.
"This achievement is significant. Even with Jin's assistance, you identified an unknown disease, pinpointed the cause, and successfully treated it."
Then the Empress's expression turned serious as she glanced toward the chancellor. Understanding the signal, the chancellor spoke.
"In recognition of this achievement, Elsa of the former House Randol is hereby granted permission to restore her family name. You may restore House Randol or establish a completely new house. Your rank shall be that of Baronet."
"..."
Elsa was stunned by the sudden announcement and found herself at a loss for words.
In the Shouro Empire, the rank of Baronet was above that of a baronet. In other words, Elsa now technically outranked Jin, who held the title of honorary baronet.
Of course, since Jin was a Magi Craft Meister and an Imperial Honorary Advisor, he was far superior in terms of actual standing. However, within the domestic hierarchy of the Shouro Empire, Elsa would be viewed as having higher external rank.
As an aside, in Great Britain, those ranked Baronet and below are commoners and are not considered part of the peerage. In that regard, the system in the Shouro Empire was different.
"This is quite sudden, so please consider it carefully before giving your answer. You have five days. If there is no response by then, we will proceed with the restoration of House Randol."
"...I understand."
Following that, Jin gave a report on the series of incidents caused by former Minister of Industry Delight, the Klein Kingdom's reaction to the desiccants, and the state of their food situation.
"...It was even more difficult than I imagined. You both worked very hard."
The Empress offered words of appreciation to the two.
"Since they've placed a formal order for desiccants, I've already dispatched the first ten tons. I had five of those Golias units carry them."
It seemed the massive Golias golems could easily carry about two tons of cargo each. They had departed Loizart the day before yesterday, serving as a demonstration of the Shouro Empire's magical technology.
"Did the Celuroa Kingdom grant permission?"
To get from the Shouro Empire to the Klein Kingdom, one had to pass through the Celuroa Kingdom. Jin found it hard to believe that country would have granted permission so easily.
"Exactly as you suspect. There were quite a few diplomatic exchanges involved."
The Empress clearly had no intention of telling Jin and the others the details of those "exchanges." Jin wasn't so curious that he felt he had to know, either.
By the time the entire report was finished, evening had fallen outside, and the light was fading.
In the twilight, Jin and the others took a quick flight back to the mansion via airship.
Magi-lamps were shining brightly on the mansion's roof, making the landing easy.
"Welcome back, Jin-sama, Elsa-sama."
Barrow and Belle came out to meet them.
"We're back. So, you two have returned as well."
"Yes. Yesterday afternoon, Lord Reinhard received word that you would be returning, Jin-sama, so we've been waiting here since just after noon today."
"We are delighted by your safe return and that you have fulfilled your great duty."
"Thank you."
It had been a short period, but Jin was pleased to see that the two seemed to have grown a bit after learning various things under Reinhard.
By this stage, Barrow and Belle had been given further explanations regarding the Warp Gates by Reinhard.
This was the result of a consultation between Jin and Reinhard. The reason Jin didn't explain it himself was that Reinhard could explain it as "hearsay," allowing him to keep the finer details vague.
This had taken place on November 15th, the day before Jin and Elsa returned from the Klein Kingdom.
"It's about time you both knew more about this," Reinhard had prefaced before explaining everything from the beginning once again.
"Jin possesses several Warp Gates, which are ancient artifacts. They aren't the kind of thing you can just set up anywhere, but they're placed near his bases or the homes of close friends."
So far, this was a review for them.
"Companions authorized by Jin can pass through these Warp Gates. From now on, that includes you two as well."
As Reinhard recalled it now, a chuckle rose in his throat at the memory of how shocked Barrow and Belle had been when he told them.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?!" Barrow had shrieked.
As for Belle:
"A-Are you truly sure it is alright?!" she had asked. While she didn't seem as surprised on the surface, he could see her eyes darting about.
And when it came time to jump from Reinhard's basement to the Loizart mansion, their excitement reached its peak.
Perhaps because he had explained that only authorized people could pass, or that if the teleportation failed you wouldn't know where you'd end up, they were also quite tense. The result was a bewildered mental state born of both excitement and nerves.
"L-Lord Reinhard, w-will it really be alright?"
"...We'll definitely move to the right place, won't we?"
"Yes, it's fine. Now, let's go."
Since their magic patterns hadn't been registered yet, Barrow and Belle stepped into the Warp Gate while holding onto Reinhard.
And they emerged not in Loizart, but inside Shinkai. Butler 49 and 50, who were in charge of security, were waiting there.
"U-Um, where is this?"
"...The teleportation didn't... fail, did it?"
Reinhard explained to the anxious pair.
"This is an intermediate point. Suspicious individuals can't go anywhere from here. I'm told this is the bottom of the sea. If you were left behind here, there would be no way out."
"H-Eeeek..."
"The... bottom of the sea...?"
This time, the two turned pale. Reinhard soothed them and stepped into the Warp Gate bound for Loizart.
The three of them arrived in the basement of Jin's mansion in Loizart. It was only after they went up to the ground level that Barrow and Belle let out sighs of relief.
"I-It's amazing! We've really come to Loizart!"
"In such a short time...! It feels like a dream."
Now their faces were red with excitement. Reinhard didn't forget to give them a firm warning.
"...Listen, this is a secret, alright? You mustn't talk about this lightly to others. If you can't keep your word, I don't know what will happen to you."
"Y-Yes!"
"We will definitely keep it!"
Thus, even if Jin suddenly appeared at the mansion, the two would no longer be thrown into a panic.
Jin was relaxing in his Loizart mansion for the first time in a while. However, Elsa seemed a bit down.
"...Elsa, what's wrong?"
When asked, Elsa answered honestly.
"...I was thinking about the restoration of the house."
"I see... There's not much I can say about it, given the nature of the situation... I know, why don't you go to your family home and consult with your mother?"
"...Is that okay?"
"Yeah. Of course. If you use the Warp Gate to jump to Reinhard's place, you'll be there in no time."
At Jin's suggestion, Elsa thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Mhm, I'll try... doing that. Thank you, Jin-nii."
Jin spoke up as she turned to leave.
"Oh, Elsa, here."
When Elsa stopped and looked at what Jin was holding out, she saw it was a ring.
"A Guard Ring...? I already have one, though."
"No, this one is..."
"...Ah."
Jin quickly took Elsa's left hand and slipped the Guard Ring onto her ring finger.
Elsa stared intently at the ring. While it was made of iridescent magi-crystal like other Guard Rings, it featured a small yet distinct light-blue aquamarine as an accent.
"Jin-nii, this is..."
"It represents my feelings....You can take your time at home. A lot has happened; you must be tired, right?"
Jin said this while looking away. His visible ears were bright red.
"...Jin-nii, thank you. I'm off then."
Elsa also turned away with blushing cheeks.
"Edgar, let's go."
With that, Elsa disappeared into the basement where the Warp Gate was located.
"No matter what conclusion you reach, I'll always be on your side, Elsa," Jin murmured softly.
His voice likely didn't reach her, but...