The informal World Conference drew to a close just before four in the afternoon.
Its conclusion was prompted by the announcement that the baths had been prepared.
"...Ah, that was a truly productive session."
"Indeed. I wish we could have opportunities like this more often."
"Speaking face-to-face is far more engaging than I expected. As I thought, being able to see someone’s expressions is much better than merely hearing their voice."
The world leaders and dignitaries dispersed, each murmuring their individual impressions.
Amidst the departing crowd, someone attempted to catch Jin's attention.
"Jin—"
They were about to say "Jin-dono," but their target had been a moment faster. Jin had already called out to another person.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, forgive the intrusion, but might I have a moment of your time?"
"Hmm? What business does the 'Lord of Kunlun' have with me?"
"Yes. It is regarding the girl Your Highness has taken under his protection."
"Ho? I see. I take it you heard of this from Fritz-dono?"
Cesar, the Crown Prince, nodded understandingly as he looked at Elsa standing beside Jin.
"Very well. Fritz-dono has told me that Lady Elsa is a masterful healer."
With that, Cesar turned on his heel and beckoned them to follow.
Accompanying the Crown Prince, Jin and Elsa left the Guest House and headed toward the neighboring Detached Palace. Reiko and Edgar followed close behind.
After passing through the palace gates with a simple nod from the Crown Prince, the group was invited into his private chambers on the far end of the second floor.
An elderly maid was waiting there, and Cesar gave her a brief set of instructions.
The maid disappeared into a back room and soon returned accompanied by a young girl.
"This is the girl I rescued. It appears she has lost her memories; she cannot even recall her own name."
Elsa stepped forward.
"Your Highness, may I examine her?"
"Umu, please do."
Elsa approached the girl slowly. The girl’s body was stiff and tense, her face clouded with a visible shade of fear.
"...It’s all right. Don’t be afraid."
Elsa spoke in a gentle whisper. She crouched down to match the girl’s eye level and softly stroked her hair.
It was a lesson Jin had taught Elsa back in Moft Village: You should interact with them at their eye level.
By matching their height and adopting a child's perspective, one could avoid the sense of intimidation that comes from being looked down upon. Elsa, who had always been fond of children, took Jin's advice to heart.
"...'Diagnose'."
She performed the examination once the girl had relaxed.
"...?...'Analyze'."
Sensing something unusual, Elsa followed the diagnostic magic with an analysis.
"'Völlig Genesen'."
She cast a supreme-level surgical-type healing spell. However, the girl’s expression remained unchanged.
"'Genesung'."
Next, she applied a supreme-level internal-medicine-type healing spell and performed another diagnosis.
She spent several minutes investigating and contemplating various possibilities, but eventually, she turned back with a look of dejection.
"...I am deeply sorry. My skills were not enough."
However, the Crown Prince offered Elsa a gentle, appreciative smile.
"No, Lady Elsa, thank you for your efforts. Even to a layman like me, it was clear that you did everything in your power. If you cannot do it, then perhaps it simply cannot be done."
"..."
The girl also hung her head.
Sensing the Crown Prince's kindness and Elsa's dedication, she seemed to feel a sense of guilt for her inability to respond to their efforts.
Observing this delicate shift in her heart, Cesar walked over to the girl and gently patted her shoulder.
"It is not your fault....Your memories will return one day. We must believe that. Right?"
"...Yes. Thank you, Your Highness."
With that, Jin and Elsa took their leave.
"...That was a shame, Elsa."
"...Yeah."
Jin comforted Elsa, who seemed somewhat dispirited.
"Fields like neurosurgery were still in their infancy even in the world I came from, so don't let it get you down."
Even with Jin’s encouragement, Elsa remained looking at the floor.
When they returned to the Guest House, a pair was waiting for them—the two who had missed their chance to call out earlier.
"Jin-dono, Elsa-dono, it has been a while."
"I trust you have been well since we last met."
It was Gloria and Boulton, the Allstatt father and daughter.
"Gloria-san, Boulton-san, it’s been a long time."
"You both look well."
They exchanged formal greetings once again.
The group then moved to the Allstatts' room, which was nearby. Reiko and Edgar joined them.
"I wanted to offer my thanks as a father for so perfectly healing my daughter's injuries," Boulton said, bowing his head.
Clearly, it was a great relief to him that the life-threatening scars on his daughter’s body had been erased without a trace before she was wed.
"And I haven't yet properly thanked Jin-dono for repairing my melted sword, so I would like to do so now."
Gloria bowed as well.
"Not at all. I'm just glad the sword was useful."
"It certainly was. By the way, Jin-dono, could I ask you to take a look at this?"
As she spoke, Gloria held out a short sword toward Jin. He took it and immediately shared his first impression.
"Hm? It's heavy."
It was exceptionally heavy, a fact apparent the moment he gripped the hilt.
"Isn't it? It's a sword I purchased here in Dali, but I can't identify the material. Do you know what it is, Jin-dono?"
Jin asked Gloria for permission to unsheathe it.
"Of course. Please, check it."
With her consent, Jin slowly drew the blade.
"This is..."
"A mystery metal, right?...Even my father’s 'Microscopic Magic Eye' couldn't identify it."
The material was a silvery-white. At a glance, it looked like silver, but it possessed far greater hardness and seemed more than durable enough for combat.
"I thought it might be ceremonial at first, but the mountings are entirely practical. They were asking eighteen thousand Toll, but I bargained them down to twelve thousand."
She really is a sword fanatic, Jin thought with a hint of amusement as he began to deduce the material's identity.
"'Analyze'."
Elsa leaned in beside Jin, watching with curiosity.
"...Just as I thought. This is... iridosmine."
Iridosmine was an alloy of the platinum-group elements iridium and osmium. It was incredibly hard and dense. Because of its high melting point, it could not be processed in an ordinary furnace.
Alloys containing around fifty percent osmium were known as osmiridium.
While it resembled platinum, it was much harder, and cold working was virtually impossible. It occurred naturally alongside platinum, but because of its stubborn hardness, it had often been discarded as waste in the past.
"Jin-dono, you recognize it?"
"Yes. You could call it a relative of platinum. It's extremely heavy and hard. It probably wouldn't even dissolve in the acid of a magical beast like a Giga Ant."
At the mention of magical beast acid, Gloria’s face twitched slightly. The memory was clearly a source of trauma for her. It was understandable, given that the fluids from a Copy had once scorched her face and shoulder.
Boulton, meanwhile, was simply impressed.
"Ho-ho, so such a metal exists. Truly, you are a master Magi Craft Meister."
Even with magic, one could not discover information that was fundamentally unknown to them. In Jin’s case, he could identify unknown atoms because he understood the periodic table and the number of electrons each element possessed.
That said, his knowledge of lanthanides and actinides was a bit shaky. He could only vaguely remember that Uranium was 92 and Neodymium (the material for powerful magnets) was 60.
However, he had everything else up to Radon (atomic number 86) memorized by heart.
Furthermore, this particular iridosmine appeared to have been partially replaced by magi-isotopes, making it even stronger than its counterpart on Earth.
"But it's so heavy that its practicality might be limited."
Its specific gravity was approximately 22, making it even heavier than adamantite. Since iron had a specific gravity of 7.86, this sword was nearly three times as heavy. The fact that a short sword required such effort to swing with one hand was a significant drawback.
"Even so, I am satisfied to have found such a rare blade."
Gloria beamed, clearly enjoying the fulfillment of a true collector.