"Now, for the next one... Ah, the offering from the Kingdom of Egerea."
Of all the nations gathered, Egerea was perhaps on the worst terms with the Celuroa Kingdom. Possibly for that reason, their delegation consisted of only two people, excluding their guards.
They were the King's older cousin, Duke Angus Blue Pyroid, and Earl Guarana.
"This is... Oh?"
The object in question was roughly the height of a person, concealed beneath a draped cloth. When the fabric was swept away, what lay beneath was revealed.
"Ohh!"
"Look at that!"
Cheers erupted from those watching the magi-screens.
"Hmm, a golden golem, is it?"
Indeed, it was a golden golem.
Not merely gold-colored, but a golem crafted from solid gold, into which Earl Guarana had poured his immense wealth. Its design was that of a knight clad in heavy armor.
The guard golem accompanying Earl Guarana was also gold, but that was a superficial coating. This gift, however, was pure gold through and through.
"Hmm. It serves well enough as a decorative ornament, and could function as a guard in a pinch. Reasonably well-conceived."
King Richard delivered his evaluation with his customary high-handed arrogance.
Next came the offering from the Kingdom of Elias.
"Ho, how curious."
As the actual bulk of the gift was stored in a warehouse, only the manifest was presented, alongside samples of a few Devil's Potatoes—Topopo—and various dishes prepared from them.
The gift included ten tons of Topopo as a survival crop. There was also Topopo starch, a recent development that allowed Marchioness Topopo to truly showcase her expertise.
"How unusual... This white powder is quite different from wheat flour, I see."
Richard pinched a bit of the Topopo starch from a plate and sniffed it.
"And yet, to think such a tuber could be transformed into such a snack."
Richard took a bite of the Topopo chips and fried Topopo prepared by the chefs he had brought along. He downed his wine in a single gulp and nodded with satisfaction.
"You have fulfilled your role as an agricultural nation quite admirably."
He remained condescending to the very end.
Then came the Klein Kingdom.
"Oh? A 'spouting pump,' you say?"
The device's original name was a force pump, but it had been rebranded with a more impressive title for the occasion.
A section of the magi-screen disguised as a wall shifted to show the palace exterior. A soldier from the Klein Kingdom, part of the escort, was busy at work.
He set the pump into a waterway and began pumping the handle. Immediately, water erupted from the spout, spraying to a height of nearly five meters.
"Ohhh!"
"And without using magic!"
(…That’s Jin-kun’s work, isn't it?)
Everyone who saw the display was equally surprised and impressed. Aside from Reinhard, who knew the truth, only the Empress had correctly surmised that the device was one of Jin’s creations.
"To be able to spray water without it being a magic tool... Well, I suppose it is a clever enough idea for a small nation. However, our kingdom could easily achieve the same result with water-attribute magic."
It was a remark perfectly in character for the Celuroa Kingdom and its ideology of magi-engineering supremacy.
"Next is the Shouro Empire, I see....And what might this be?"
A maid brought forward wood-paper. Richard took a single sheet in his hand.
"Hmm? Paper, is it? But this is..."
Ordering his butler to bring pen and ink, Richard tested the paper with a few lines of script.
"Oh?...I cannot say what it is made of, but it is quite pleasant to write upon. It takes the ink well. Furthermore, it is thin and white....I must say, as expected of a great power like the Shouro Empire."
Even a fallen dragon is still a dragon, as the saying goes. It seemed Richard was capable of appreciating the cultural value of the wood-paper.
"And there is more? This is...?"
He was served a bowl of miso soup prepared by his own chefs. Naturally, it had already been tested for poison.
The ingredients were Glass Boar meat and marunegi onions. In other words, it was a simple pork miso soup. Jin privately thought that adding Topopo would have made it even better.
"...Hmm. An unusual flavor, but not bad. On the contrary... it is delicious."
The pork miso soup, rich with katsuobushi dashi, seemed to suit Richard’s palate perfectly.
"It does not seem to pair well with wine, but it was tasty nonetheless. Seeing that you have no hope of surpassing us in magi-engineering, it was amusing to see you resort to such an eccentric gambit."
Though the remark was incredibly rude, the Empress let it pass like a breeze through a willow tree.
Jin, for his part, was idly thinking that the only proper accompaniment for a miso-based pork soup was Japanese sake.
"Now then, finally, let us see the offering from the 'Lord of Kunlun'."
Whether Jin's gift had been saved for last to build anticipation or because it was deemed the most appropriate for comparison was unclear. Regardless, King Richard ordered a maid to strip away the cloth covering the final gift, which stood about the height of a man.
"…Oh!?"
"…Magnificent!"
"Such exquisite craftsmanship!"
"…Jin-nii…"
What emerged from beneath the cloth was a statue of a nude woman carved from pure white marble.
The pose was not that of the Venus de Milo, but rather the one from the painting "The Birth of Venus," standing upon a seashell, concealing herself with her hair and hands.
Jin, well aware of his own lack of artistic training, had relied on his memory of the famous painting to create the sculpture.
Based on the intelligence gathered by the Quinta, which indicated Richard’s preference for mature, voluptuous beauty, Jin had opted for this version rather than the armless Venus de Milo.
While its execution might not have been considered extraordinary compared to the masterpieces of Earth, in the Ars world—where representational arts were largely underdeveloped—its beauty was enough to leave everyone breathless.
Only Elsa, realizing that the statue’s proportions were suspiciously identical to Marcia’s, watched with narrow-eyed suspicion.
"Ho ho...! This is indeed a truly wonderful ornament. I see... so this is why the 'Lord of Kunlun' is hailed as a 'Magi Craft Meister' across the lands."
Richard wore a complex expression, torn between his delight at receiving such a masterpiece and the frustration of seeing talent and technology his own kingdom lacked.
"To capture such expression using only the material, without the use of color... it is a bold technique. I shall offer you my thanks."
There was a resonance in his words that suggested he was finally reconciling with his inner conflict.
"Now then, this concludes the presentation of gifts. Once more, I thank you all."
King Richard of the Celuroa Kingdom made the declaration with his usual arrogance.
The image of Richard vanished, replaced by a view of the sky. The airships were no longer visible.
"And now, let us proceed to the luncheon. Please, enjoy the feast."
Before they knew it, the time had passed 11:30.
As soon as the King’s speech ended, maids began wheeling in wagons laden with food.
Though the menu is too long to list, it was an incredibly lavish spread, especially considering the supposed food crisis.
Both Jin and Elsa had their reservations, but they knew speaking up now would accomplish nothing. Furthermore, they felt that leaving food was an insult to the ingredients themselves, so they made sure to finish everything served to them.
Naturally, neither of them asked for seconds.
Following lunch, a one-hour break was observed in accordance with the customs of the Celuroa Kingdom.
Jin was idly sipping fruit juice and thinking about how bored he was when King Richard’s voice boomed once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as a diversion during your rest, I have prepared a demonstration."
"A demonstration?" Jin wondered.
Though the King couldn't have heard him, Richard continued his arrogant explanation.
"Behold the skills of the golems our kingdom prides itself upon. Burn them into your memory."
The magi-screen on the wall brightened again.
Five combat golems stood in a line.
Four of them were roughly two meters tall, their bodies a dull silvery-gray. One held a sword, one a spear, one a hammer, and the last—unusually—held a whip.
The fifth was the massive four-meter-class golem they had seen earlier, equipped with a shield and a sword.
"Each will now demonstrate a portion of their true power. Please, enjoy the spectacle."