February 17. At last, the Founding Anniversary Ceremony of the Celuroa Kingdom was drawing near.
Most of the heads of state and ambassadors from various nations had already departed from their respective lands.
At this point, the only ones who had yet to depart were those traveling by hot air balloon.
From the Shouro Empire, there was Reinhard and his future brother-in-law, Mattheus Geist von Realgar.
From the Klein Kingdom, the second prince Arthur and his advisor and tutor, Liones Ashford.
And, of course, the "Lord of Kunlun," Jin.
"So Reinhard is attending as well..."
Jin muttered to himself, leaning back into his chair in the command room on Hourai Island. The decision had come down to the wire, but since they had agreed, it was fine.
"I suppose I should show my face in the Shouro Empire once."
He had originally intended to hear the details of the invitation—or rather, the request for attendance—from the Celuroa Kingdom while in the Shouro Empire anyway.
Deciding there was no time like the present, he resolved to go immediately.
After coordinating the local time, he made use of the Konron 2 and the transporters.
Elsa and Reiko accompanied him.
Around 9:00 AM in the capital of Loizart, the Konron 2 appeared in the sky.
The hot air balloons guarding the Imperial Palace cleared a path, allowing the Konron 2 to arrive at the landing pad designated for Jin’s exclusive use. The one who came running out to meet them was the Chancellor, Jung Fowles von Kebsler.
"Lord Jin Nidou, Lady Elsa, Reiko-dono, welcome. Unfortunately, Her Majesty has already departed for the Celuroa Kingdom."
"Ah, is that so?"
Jin had already heard as much from Laojun, but he kept that to himself.
"Her Majesty left a message for you. Would you mind coming to my office?"
"Of course. We'll follow you."
After mooring the Konron 2, Jin and the others headed toward the Imperial Palace with the Chancellor.
"Now then, first of all, there was a message addressed to the 'Lord of Kunlun' from the Celuroa Kingdom. Are you aware of it?"
"Yes. I heard about it while in the Klein Kingdom. A request to attend the Founding Anniversary Ceremony, right?"
"Mhm, that is correct. Furthermore, Her Majesty has left a letter for you."
With those words, the Chancellor handed over a single envelope. Jin felt a slight surprise upon receiving it.
"This letter... the texture is quite special, isn't it?"
The Chancellor smiled at his observation.
"It is called wood-paper, a type of paper we obtained through trade with the nation of Mitsuho."
"I see. It's thinner than parchment."
Though he already knew all about it, Jin feigned ignorance.
"From now on, we intend to distribute this throughout the Allied Kingdoms through our country. Her Majesty also took a large quantity of this paper with her."
It seemed it would serve as a celebratory gift for the Celuroa Kingdom. While such cultural items might seem modest, a person of discernment would understand their immense value.
"That's a wonderful idea."
"Her Majesty also noted that this was entirely thanks to you, Jin-dono, for recommending trade with that country."
"I'm honored she feels that way."
Jin had already begun producing wood-paper on Hourai Island, but he had decided not to distribute it outside the island for now, intending to use it solely within his own circles.
He believed that the right to profit from wood-paper belonged to the Shouro Empire, given the effort they had expended to establish trade with Mitsuho.
"Her Majesty traveled by carriage with her attendants. I, meanwhile, am left to watch over the capital."
The Chancellor continued to provide Jin with information regarding the other participants of the ceremony.
"Traveling by sea, Marquis Gehren Teoderik von Eisen and the Minister of Magic, Degauss Fruit von Manischras, have already departed."
"Is the Marquis already that healthy?"
Marquis Gehren was Saki's maternal grandfather. Due to an unfortunate series of events, he had been poisoned with arsenic by a pawn of the demon race, ruining his health. However, he had achieved a complete Genesung thanks to Elsa's healing magic.
"Yes. While he hasn't returned entirely to his former self, he has recovered more than enough to go about his daily life. Besides, he has Lisa with him—the Automata, was it?"
Lisa was a caregiving Automata that Elsa had built under Jin's guidance.
"I'm glad to hear she’s proving useful."
"And then there is Lady Elsa's brother, Lieutenant Colonel Fritz, who has set out with five Golias golems."
Elsa gave a small nod at the mention of her brother.
"Lastly, Reinhard and Mattheus are scheduled to head there by hot air balloon. That is how the situation stands."
Having understood the circumstances thanks to the Chancellor's explanation, Jin and the others offered their thanks.
"Reinhard and Mattheus should be arriving here around tomorrow. What do you plan to do, Jin-dono?"
"We plan to return to Kunlun Island for now and enter the country the day before the ceremony."
"Ho, is that so? I'd like to visit your base of operations at least once, Jin-dono."
The Chancellor spoke jokingly, not realizing that such a day was unexpectedly close.
"Reinhard, you're being a bit distant, aren't you?"
Jin had teleported from his mansion in Loizart to Kalts Village to meet with Reinhard.
"No, no. Even I was only approached about this yesterday, so I didn't have a spare moment to tell you."
He explained that the selection of personnel traveling by hot air balloon had been disputed until the very last second. In fact, they hadn't even reached a final decision by the time the Empress departed.
"One reason is that the person who was originally supposed to go claimed to be ill at the last minute."
"Hmm. Are you sure it wasn't a feigned illness?"
While there were illnesses that could not be fully cured by the healing magic of this world, they were few and far between. Falling ill at this specific timing certainly smelled like an excuse.
"Well, I can't say for sure, but I was happy to accept the duty regardless."
"Well, that sounds like you, Reinhard."
He had visited the Celuroa Kingdom as a diplomat last year and already had acquaintances there. More than that, he was highly famous because his Schwarzritter had defeated the Adamas Warrior, which was considered the finest golem in that country at the time.
"Mattheus will be coming as a guard. Of course, I intend to take the Schwarzritter... Noir, along as well."
"...Is that going to be tight? Or rather, isn't he a bit heavy?"
The Schwarzritter was quite heavy. Even with the upgrades, he likely weighed around 250 kilograms. If Reinhard and Mattheus were also on board, there was a high probability of exceeding the weight limit.
"I could transport Noir for you," Jin suggested. "Though, it might look bad if people realize he isn't with you, so we'll just put a dummy on board."
Jin figured he could simply add some external armor to one of the new SP units.
"Ah, that would be a huge help."
Reinhard's face lit up with relief.
"But are you sure about leaving Bell behind?"
"Yeah, her morning sickness is severe, so she's in no state to travel. Besides, I was told she's still a long way from the stable period."
"You must be worried."
"I am. But this was a personal appointment by Her Majesty."
Reinhard gave a wry smile.
Just then, a voice came from behind Jin.
"...Jin-sama, it is quite all right. It simply means that my husband is highly valued by the state."
It was Berche. Her complexion was a bit pale, and she looked to be in poor spirits.
"Bell, are you all right?"
"Yes, dear. I can't very well stay in bed when Jin-sama and Elsa-san have come to visit."
"Even so, you mustn't push yourself."
"Yes, I know."
Watching the two of them, Jin felt confident they would be all right.
"Berche, I understand. If you feel even slightly unwell, please contact Laojun."
"Yes, thank you, Jin-sama."
"Kaina Village also has Sally-sensei, a highly experienced healer, so you can rely on her if anything happens."
"Yes, I have heard much about her. I hope to meet her one day."
"...And also."
"Yes?"
"Congratulations on the baby, once again."
"Oh, thank you very much for your kind words."
As Jin and the couple talked, Elsa watched them from a short distance away.
A glimpse of envy flickered briefly across her face.