At nine o'clock that morning, a crowd had gathered before the main gate of the Royal Palace.
"Your Highness, the three of us—Gloria, Cynthia, and Boulton—shall now depart for our homeland."
"Very well. Safe travels."
Seen off by Prince Arthur, the second prince of the Klein Kingdom, his attendant and tutor Liones Ashford, and Jessica Norton, the captain of the Royal Ritter Order, Gloria and her companions mounted their horses and prepared to leave Esaia, the capital of the Celuroa Kingdom.
They planned to travel northeast into the Klein Kingdom, taking a route that did not cross the Torres River. Most of the delegates from the other nations had also come out to see them off.
"Lord Jin, I heard from Fritz-dono. Thank you for the sword... or rather, the katana."
"Elsa-sama, thank you so much for the pendant top."
"Lord Jin, Elsa-dono, I truly hope we shall meet again someday."
The three travelers offered their final greetings to everyone, starting with Jin and his group. They were particularly respectful toward the representatives of the Shouro Empire.
"Your Majesty, Fritz-dono and the Golias squad were an immense help to us on the road. I cannot thank you enough."
"Fritz-dono. If fate allows, let us meet again."
Cynthia seemed to be on the verge of tears as she spoke.
"...Jin-nii, I think Cynthia might be in love with my brother."
"Yeah, it certainly feels that way, doesn't it?"
Standing slightly apart from the crowd, Jin and Elsa exchanged whispers where the others couldn't hear.
"But they are from different countries, and both are in the military. Normally, it would be impossible."
"I suppose so..."
Jin felt a momentary pang of loneliness for them. He was engaged to Elsa Randol, a noble of the Shouro Empire, and everyone around them had blessed their union. Yet, there were those who suffered through such impossible romances.
With final waves, the three riders mounted the horses gifted to them by King Cesar and galloped away until they vanished from sight. Jin intended to instruct Laojun to watch over their journey from the sky, just to be safe.
Gloria and her party urged their horses onward. Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the palace that the well-wishers were no longer visible...
"Ooh, this katana! It is truly magnificent!"
It was said that Gloria could be seen unsheathing her new blade while still in the saddle, turning it this way and that as she admired its craftsmanship with sheer delight.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Today’s task is investigating the Key-Seal, right?" Jin murmured as they walked back toward the palace.
"Yes, Father," Reiko replied.
"And for me, it's King Richard's medical checkup?" Elsa asked, confirming with Edgar, who walked diagonally behind her.
"Yes, that is correct."
And so, after passing through the palace's side gate, Jin and Elsa went their separate ways.
"Lord Jin, I look forward to working with you today."
"We're counting on you, Lord Jin."
"A pleasure to meet you, Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou."
Waiting for Jin and Reiko in a small, windowless meeting room on the second floor were the new King Cesar, Kirk, who had been promoted to captain of the Royal Guard, and one other man.
"I am Fortz Darant Alpha. It is an honor to work with you today."
He was the chairman magi craftman of the Celuroa Kingdom.
"This is the Key-Seal."
The object, presented on a velvet cloth, was a deep, translucent green. Jin recognized the color immediately.
"Could it be... is this made of Elradrite?"
"Impressive. That is exactly right," Cesar said with a nod.
This was Jin's first chance to inspect the Key-Seal at close range. It was a cylinder roughly ten centimeters long and three centimeters in diameter. It was not a simple shape, however; it was covered in intricate carvings that made it nearly impossible to replicate. Furthermore, as it was a "seal," its primary purpose—at least in this world—was to leave an impression in sealing wax.
"Lord Jin, I would like you to investigate its internal mechanisms."
Even in a nation like the Celuroa Kingdom, there were no magic tools with an identification system comparable to the Key-Seal. Cesar hoped to use this investigation as a stepping stone to make such identification methods more common.
Together, Fortz Darant Alpha and Jin began to probe the Key-Seal's workings.
"At the very least, a piece of Elradrite this size is a requirement," Fortz murmured, holding the seal up to the light.
Most pieces of Elradrite were at most two centimeters in diameter. A cylinder ten centimeters long and three centimeters wide was unheard of. In essence, it was the largest piece of Elradrite in the world.
"That's right. Look here—it's designed to converge magic power. Most likely, it's meant to broadcast amplified magic to distant magic tools or golems."
Jin successfully identified one of its primary functions.
"I see. As expected of you."
They discovered another function: the Key-Seal acted as a physical substitute for a specific magic keyword. Combined, these two features allowed the Key-Seal to activate specific magic tools remotely.
"But if that's the case, does it mean those tools could be activated even without the Key-Seal?" Cesar asked after listening to the explanation.
Jin offered his hypothesis. "Yes, theoretically. However, there are likely one or two more layers of protection. I don't think they could be activated easily without it."
"I suppose you're right."
Jin and Fortz continued their research deep into the day.
＊ ＊ ＊
Former King Richard's convalescence room was located at the far end of the palace's first floor, on the southeast side.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome, Elsa-sama. We've been expecting you."
Elsa knocked and entered, greeted by a maid named Merfe. She was a red-haired beauty with a striking, curvaceous figure. After his queen had passed away, Richard had never remarried to prevent any potential succession disputes. Instead, he had grown quite fond of this maid, and Merfe looked after him with unwavering devotion.
"How is Lord Richard's condition?" Elsa asked immediately.
"Yes, his expression has been much calmer over the last few days. He seems to have stabilized, though he still cannot walk on his own."
Based on Merfe's report, Elsa began to refine the treatment plan. Now that the withdrawal symptoms from the poison had faded, the therapy was easier to administer.
About four days ago, Elsa had secretly performed a Trans Info on Richard using a magi-crystal and sent the data to Laojun for analysis. The results showed that his memory loss was minimal. This suggested that the damage was primarily to the motor functions of the brain; with patient rehabilitation, there was a chance for recovery.
At the moment, Merfe handled all of his personal needs, but Elsa wanted to restore him to the point where he could at least bathe, dress, eat, and use the toilet independently.
"...Just like Father."
Elsa thought of her father back in her home country. Georg also suffered from brain damage that hindered his daily life, but thanks to Elsa's treatment and the care of his wife, Marlene, he was now able to manage his daily routines.
However, in Georg's case, the memory loss was severe. He had lost almost all the knowledge required to manage the family's territory, which left his eldest son, Moritz, to struggle with the cleanup.
While Richard's physical faculties were functional, staying bedridden would cause his muscles to atrophy until he could no longer stand. Under Merfe's guidance, he spent two hours a day on physical rehabilitation.
"Please continue the physical exercises as you have been. Next..."
Elsa moved on to the cognitive rehabilitation techniques she had learned from Jin.
"I believe listening to music would be beneficial. Simple manual tasks would also be good."
Doing too much at once would be counterproductive, so she recommended those two first. Regarding the music, Merfe mentioned she was proficient with the harp, so Elsa suggested she play songs that Richard enjoyed.
For the manual tasks, Elsa had considered several options but settled on Jin's suggestion: an exercise where Richard would roll two ornut nuts—a variety similar to walnuts—around in the palm of his hand.
"Thank you very much."
Accompanied by a deep bow from Merfe, Elsa left the convalescence room.