A week had flown by since Cesar had been crowned the new King of the Celuroa Kingdom. It was now March.
Most of the international delegates had relocated to the capital, Esaia. Tasked with roles as advisors and overseers for the young King, they found it impossible to return home while the political landscape remained so volatile.
Jin and Elsa were no exception.
"It’s been an exhausting week..." Jin sighed.
"Mm..."
The two were currently unwinding in a guest suite provided within the Royal Palace of Esaia.
"So much has happened in such a short time," Jin continued.
"Yes..."
Weariness hung heavy on both their faces. Over the past seven days, the list of urgent matters they had assisted with was staggering:
The establishment of a new administration. The restructuring of the royal succession. The sentencing of criminals. The issuance of official apologies and expressions of gratitude to foreign nations. The overhaul of the tax system. Measures to combat the ongoing famine. Technical assessments of golems, airships, and large-scale vessels. Deciding the fate of the girl who might be Arshel. Investigating the mysterious underground chamber.
And many more.
The "new administration" was essentially the formation of a cabinet.
"I was actually surprised he kept the existing organization mostly intact," Jin noted.
"I think that was unavoidable, Jin," Reinhard replied.
He was in the room with them, having stopped by to chat.
"It was a sudden accession. Normally, a ruler would place their own trusted retainers in key positions, but there simply wasn't time to prepare a shadow cabinet. King Cesar has no established power base of his own yet, so he was forced into the difficult decision of using the existing structure for the time being."
"I suppose that makes sense," Jin said.
"It’s likely a temporary measure," Reinhard added. "But when he declared, 'My methods are not those of my father. As a ruler, I prioritize the lives of my people above all else. See that you understand this'—that was truly impressive."
Upon returning to Esaia and completing his formal coronation, King Cesar had delivered an accession speech outlining several unique policies, including the principles Elsa had championed. Every initiative was rooted in the fundamental goal of guaranteeing a minimum standard of living for the people who formed the nation's foundation.
"Her Majesty the Empress certainly has a keen eye for character," Jin mused.
There were long-standing rumors that she possessed an evil eye capable of discerning good from evil, or more recently, an ability to see the true essence of an individual. Jin suspected it was less a supernatural power and more a case of extraordinary human insight, but the truth remained a mystery.
"Regardless, the real work starts now," Reinhard said. "The new King understands that as well, which is likely why he kept his speech focused on overarching ideals rather than specific details for the moment."
Radical change often bred friction. As a new ruler with a fragile foundation, Cesar had chosen to proceed with steady, calculated steps.
"By the way, how exactly is the order of succession determined?" Jin asked.
His question was expected; during his time in modern Japan, he’d had little reason to care about such monarchical technicalities.
"Generally, it’s based on blood relation—the 'concentration' of the bloodline, so to speak—along with age and a track record of service," Reinhard explained.
Reviewing the succession meant re-evaluating the hierarchy based on kinship to Former King Richard. Since Cesar, the former first-in-line, had taken the throne, everyone else theoretically moved up one rank. However, Alain Desmon, who had plotted to usurp the crown, was stripped of his rights entirely. And while Cesar had no children of his own yet, the rankings would shift again the moment an heir was born.
"I see. That means those selfish siblings still have a place in the line, don't they?" Jin recalled Albert and Beatrix, the pair they had encountered in the city of Goua.
"Since bloodline is the priority, it can't be helped. Though, it would be better if capability and public trust were given more weight," Reinhard agreed.
Perhaps that was one of the reforms Cesar intended to pursue in the future.
"Speaking of the succession, what became of the king's younger brother?" Jin asked.
"Ah, you’ve been buried in golem and airship repairs this whole time, so it's only natural you haven't heard," Reinhard said before explaining the details. "He’s been permanently stripped of his succession rights. That was a given. It seems he’s been confined to a Detached Palace for life."
"I see..."
Given that he had attempted to steal the throne, a harsher sentence might have been expected, but it appeared Alain’s sister had pleaded for mercy.
"If the King is too harsh, the other nobles might fear they’re next and rebel. If he’s too soft, they’ll see him as weak. It’s a delicate line to walk."
"That is definitely not my area of expertise," Jin admitted.
"Rai-nii, what about the man named Skeve? The one who was supposed to be the Prince's—the King's—guard?" Elsa asked.
She had been busy treating the wounded and was equally out of the loop regarding the political fallout.
"Ah, him. Apparently, his family was taken hostage to force his betrayal. But regardless of his reasons, he fired a Wind Cutter in front of the entire cabinet. There was no question he committed a high crime. He escaped execution, but the tendons in his arms were severed so he can never wield a sword again. He’s been sentenced to life in prison."
"They didn't give him the death penalty?"
"No. Some are grumbling that King Cesar is being too lenient, but starting a reign with an execution isn't good for one's reputation."
Typically, major events like a coronation were accompanied by amnesties or pardons to lighten the sentences of prisoners. Reinhard analyzed that this tradition had been used to settle on life imprisonment.
"Oh, and his magic has been neutralized by 'that' collar," Reinhard added.
He was referring to the magic-sealing collars the Unifilar had used on Elsa and Reinhard in the past. Elsa grimaced at the memory.
"Actually, the biggest headache for the administration right now is the matter of rewards and reparations to foreign nations," Reinhard continued.
"Right, that makes sense."
Even if Former King Richard had acted while influenced by toxins, he had committed several acts that could have sparked a war had things gone differently.
"I don't know the exact figures, but reparations are being paid to the affected countries. Conversely, rewards are being distributed to those who helped during the crisis." Reinhard looked at Jin and Elsa. "Both of you are set to receive quite a bit, aren't you?"
"Well, yes," Jin said.
"Mm."
Jin and Elsa were each being granted 50 million Tolls’ worth of raw materials as a token of gratitude. For Jin, it was for his work on golem repairs, VIP evacuations, and technical guidance. For Elsa, it was for her medical care of the Former King and the other casualties. It had been Jin’s request—and Elsa’s agreement—to receive the reward in high-grade materials rather than currency.
"Jin, you’ve been doing technical guidance all week, haven't you?"
"Yeah. It was a nightmare. The airships were designed in a way where the hydrogen could have ignited at any second. And the sea vessels were structurally weak; a single high wave would have snapped them in half at the keel."
Jin recalled the Hindenburg disaster from his old world, where flammable paint had contributed to the tragedy. While these airships didn't use such paint, they were still accidents waiting to happen. For the moment, Jin had ordered all the hydrogen drained.
"I helped with the ships, so I saw the state of them. That was quite the project," Reinhard said with a weary smile.
They had stripped out more than half of the internal weaponry and installed extensive structural reinforcements to compensate for the lack of a proper keel. The ships were sturdy now, but the modifications had halved their cargo capacity and reduced their speed by a third.
"Safety comes first," Jin said. Elsa nodded in agreement.
"Human life is the priority."
Elsa herself was still acting as the primary physician for Former King Richard.
"It looks like Lord Richard will have permanent brain damage. It seems to have affected the left side more," she explained.
The toxic wine appeared to have had an effect that impaired emotional regulation—essentially paralyzing his capacity for rational thought.
"That explains why he was so impulsive and reactionary," Jin said, feeling things finally click into place.
"You’ve really grown, Elsa," Reinhard said softly, looking at his cousin with pride.
The conversation then shifted to the homunculus.
"What about the girl? The homunculus who looks exactly like Arshel?" Reinhard asked.
"Well, King Cesar is too busy with his new duties to look after her, so they’re secretly searching for a caretaker."
The "secretly" part was the sticking point. They had to avoid a scandal—like rumors of her being Cesar’s illegitimate child—and find someone who wouldn't use her as leverage against the royal family in the future. Finding a suitable candidate was proving difficult.
"I’ve been thinking about what to do with her," Jin said. "Since she’s a homunculus, leaving her among ordinary humans might lead to trouble."
"I suggested showing her to No. 700672," Elsa added.
"I agree. But the logistics of getting her there without raising suspicion will be tricky."
"Exactly."
It had only been a week since the coronation, and it seemed many problems would require more time to resolve.
"And then there's the fact that Duke Orange is still missing," Jin murmured.
Based on Alain’s confession, it was all but certain that Duke Orange was the mastermind. He could never return to the Kingdom of Franz; he would be hunted as a traitor who had risked the nation's security.
"The New Secret Mobile Unit (SP) followed his trail to Azul Lake, where he had a medium-sized ship hidden. Apparently, it was a paddleboat very similar to Reinhard’s Scarlet Trail."
Since the Scarlet Trail operated openly on Lake Tosmo and its design wasn't overly complex, a skilled craftsman could have copied it. Though a typical magi craftman would usually find such blatant plagiarism distasteful.
"He headed for the opposite shore in that boat, so Laojun had the Quinta stationed in the Kingdom of Franz take over the surveillance, but..."
"But what?" Reinhard asked.
"He never arrived on the other side."
"What?"
"The ship and everyone on board just... vanished. He hasn't shown up in his own territory in Franz, either."
Even the newly deployed surveillance satellites had lost track of him.
"I might have underestimated him," Jin said, frustrated. "I thought he was just a sycophant."
Between the Duke's disappearance and the mysterious basement they hadn't been able to investigate yet, several puzzles remained.
And so, leaving these mysteries behind, time continued to march on.