"My, that was truly magnificent, Elsa-sama."
The security guard bowed his head.
Goose, Tenkunhan, his two associates, and the security guards were now in the drawing room of Jin's mansion, joined by Elsa and Saki.
"As expected of a Reichsarzt. That was the most brilliant display of healing magic I have ever seen in my life."
"O-Oh... I see."
Elsa couldn't quite hide her bashfulness at the guard's unreserved praise.
"I am Lilroat, leader of the second unit of the Loizart Security Guard."
Lilroat straightened her posture, shifting into professional mode.
"I apologize for imposing upon your home. Let us conclude this quickly."
Lilroat turned toward Goose and Tenkunhan.
"Now then, you are Goose-dono and Tenkunhan-dono, correct?"
"Yes."
"...Yes."
Lilroat possessed a serious temperament, and a detached, business-like interrogation began.
"I see. So, you were targeted by those men because you were selling a rare fabric?"
"That's the gist of it. They said as much themselves."
Goose acted as the primary respondent. Tenkunhan only occasionally added supplementary details. Goose was a man capable of a little social maneuvering—at least more so than Tenkunhan.
Fortunately, Lilroat had a vague recollection of Tenkunhan's name, so she seemed to trust him for the time being.
"Goose, I'm glad to see you're safe."
Jin arrived at that moment. Having finished his inspection of the spaceship, he had rushed back as quickly as possible.
"Ah, Jin-sama."
Lilroat stood up and offered a respectful bow. Jin was an Imperial Honorary Advisor of the Shouro Empire; though it was an honorary post, his social rank sat higher than that of a count.
"I've heard the broad strokes from Butler. Please, continue without minding me."
"Understood, sir!"
Lilroat resumed her questioning.
During the process, Jin stepped out for a moment to contact Laojun. It was more efficient to get a summarized report from the tactical golem than to listen to separate accounts from Butler D, Capella 7, Goose, and the others.
"...I see. Hmm, so you surreptitiously gathered information using Trans Info? Well done."
It seemed Capella 7 had successfully extracted data from the unconscious men. Since the version of Trans Info available to the Quinta was limited to Level 4, they could only read just enough to get the necessary details.
As suspected, the attackers were remnants of the Unifilar who, having fallen on hard times, had taken to performing dirty work for money. There was no other useful information beyond that.
When Jin finished gathering the facts and returned to the drawing room, the interrogation there appeared to have concluded as well.
"Jin-sama, thank you for your cooperation."
Lilroat stood and bowed to him again.
"No, it was no trouble. So, what will happen to them?"
By "them," Jin meant Goose, Tenkunhan, and his associates.
"Yes. Goose-dono is in the clear, so he is free to go. However, I suspect we will need to hear more from Tenkunhan-dono and his two associates later."
"In that case, I shall take them into my custody," Jin proposed without a moment's hesitation.
Lilroat accepted. "That would be a great help. In the coming days... likely tomorrow, my superior or an investigator will come by."
"Understood."
With a final bow, Lilroat departed.
"Now then, I'm sure everyone is exhausted. It's a bit early, but let's have dinner first."
"Ah, I certainly am hungry..."
It was just past five in the evening. Since Jin and Elsa had already eaten on Hourai Island, they had a light meal, while the rest of the group ate their fill.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now, let's think about how to proceed," Jin said, restarting the conversation after dinner.
Tenkunhan and his group listened in silence.
"Once again, Tenkunhan-dono, I am Jin Nidou. The Magi Craft Meister. I have been looking forward to meeting you."
"...I am Tenkunhan Terries. Nice to meet you."
Tenkunhan introduced himself with a hint of caution. Seen in a well-lit room, he appeared to be around forty years old, with bright blond hair and grey eyes. He was somewhat thin, but his build was sturdy.
"I'm Keith."
"I'm Toy. Thanks for the treatment."
The knife-user was Keith, and the street vendor was Toy.
Just as they finished introductions, Barrow announced a visitor.
"Jin-sama, Techles-sama has arrived."
"Ah, perfect timing."
Eckart Techles. He was once a major merchant in the Corin region of southern Celuroa Kingdom, but after his newly built ships and assets were confiscated by the former King Richard, he had fled to the Shouro Empire in despair. Even though the king had changed, he had no intention of returning to his homeland and now ran a small shop selling daily necessities here in Loizart.
Additionally, his economic expertise was highly valued; the government occasionally summoned him for consultation. Jin had sent Regulus 46, known as 'Deck', to fetch him to discuss how to handle the ground spider silk, or GSS, that Tenkunhan had brought in. Since it wasn't an emergency and Tenkunhan's group had been busy with the guard, he had come after closing his shop.
"Mr. Eckart, it's been a while."
"Oh, Jin-dono, indeed it has."
Jin was about to dive into the main topic, but Eckart held up a hand.
"Jin-dono, I heard the gist of the situation on the way here, so I am up to speed....Gentlemen, I am a merchant named Eckart Techles, and I have come to see if there is any advice I can offer regarding this situation."
He then picked up a sample of the GSS placed on the table to examine it.
"Hmm, as I thought, this is excellent. I understand it cannot be dyed in vivid colors?"
Jin answered that point. "For now, yes. I believe there are ways to manage that."
Eckart nodded with satisfaction and turned to Tenkunhan.
"What is the supply volume of this cloth?"
"Let's see... using a unit of approximately one meter in width and ten meters in length, perhaps about twenty units a month."
"I see. Is that a limitation of production capacity, or a logistical issue?"
"Logistics."
"Understood. That means if the situation changes regarding carriages and roads, more could be obtained. By the way, what is the extent of your production capacity?"
Tenkunhan paused to consider.
"Ah, you may certainly keep the exact figures a secret," Eckart added. "I only wished to know for the sake of approximate pricing."
As he listened to Eckart's rapid-fire questions and the answers they drew, Jin was impressed; the man truly was a former great merchant.
"The rest will be a matter of reporting to Her Majesty tomorrow and seeking her judgment."
Tenkunhan had traveled to Mitsuho and returned without national permission. Keith and Toy had entered the country illegally from Mitsuho to earn money. By the letter of the law, they were serious criminals. However, now that formal diplomatic relations were about to be established with Mitsuho, causing a diplomatic incident was not a good move.
Fortunately, the import of GSS would benefit both nations. Rather than leaving it to an investigator, if Jin used his position to handle things skillfully, he could steer the situation toward a result that benefited both the Shouro Empire and Mitsuho. It seemed necessary to put in a good word so that some kind of special measures would be taken.
...Thinking along those lines, Jin asked Tenkunhan the question that had been on his mind most, now that the conversation had reached a lull.
"By the way, where do these spiders that produce this silk live?"
"Oh, they're in the deep mountains of Ritto."
"I see."
Despite being under Jin's protection, the fact that Tenkunhan gave up the information so easily to a third party made Jin's shoulders slump slightly. The man really was quite regrettable.