August 16th.
In a rare turn of events, Jin and Elsa slept until past eight in the morning. They were clearly exhausted from the previous days’ festivities.
Reiko, sensing their fatigue, did not wake them. Instead, she stood guard, ensuring the guest house remained quiet so their rest wouldn't be disturbed.
At eight-thirty, a maid assigned to the guest house arrived to check on them.
"Please wait a moment," Reiko told her.
Considering the hour, Reiko decided it was finally time to wake the couple.
"…Father, Elsa-sama."
She gently shook them.
"…Ah, is it morning already?"
"…Mnn…"
Jin, usually a quick riser, was the first to open his eyes, followed shortly by Elsa.
"…What time is it?"
"It is just past eight-thirty."
"What!?"
Jin scrambled out of bed and began dressing in a hurry.
"…Father, there is no need to rush so much," Reiko chided him gently.
Only then did Jin regain his composure.
"Right. Sorry. Thank you for letting us sleep."
Jin had panicked, thinking he had committed a social blunder by oversleeping in a foreign nation's guest house, but he soon realized Reiko had let them sleep in light of everything that had happened the night before.
Elsa sat up as well, slowly beginning to change. Reiko moved to assist her, as Jin was already nearly finished.
After rinsing their mouths and washing their faces, the two of them finally felt refreshed. Reiko spoke to them once they were ready.
"The luncheon begins today at 12:30 PM. Since there is still time, would you like something to eat?"
"Hmm, let’s see…" Jin thought for a moment. "I think I’ll just have some fruit. How about you, Elsa?"
"I’ll have the same. Although, if I could ask for one more thing, maybe something a bit more substantial would be good."
"Understood. I shall relay your request."
Reiko stepped out of the bedroom to speak with the maid waiting at the entrance.
＊ ＊ ＊
While snacking on apulul and citran, Jin and Elsa sat together in a bit of a daze.
"…So, just the luncheon left, then?"
"…Mhm."
"Elsa, aren't you used to these sorts of functions?"
"…Not at all. I never actually had a formal social debut."
"Oh, right…"
Summer in Borgia, the capital of the Kingdom of Elias, felt strangely languid. Jin and Elsa spent the remaining morning hours in idle, comfortable conversation.
＊ ＊ ＊
At 12:30 PM, it was time for the luncheon.
The gathering was held in the quiet courtyard of the Royal Palace. The attendees were limited to the royal family and a handful of high-ranking nobles.
Specifically, the guests were First Prince Alphons, the Chancellor Marquis Godfar de Toves Rossi, and the minister of general affairs, Marchioness Firenziano, who was acting as their hostess.
The small guest list allowed Jin and Elsa to feel quite at ease. The luncheon proceeded at a leisurely pace, filled with pleasant small talk that the couple found genuinely enjoyable.
"Oh, that reminds me…" Jin decided this was the right moment to present the wedding favors. "It’s a custom from where I come from."
As he spoke, he produced one of the coins he had brought as a sample.
"Wh-what is this?" The First Prince’s eyes lit up.
"It’s called a koban. The gold color is just plating; the coin itself is made of brass."
"I see. Even for brass, this level of precision is… could it be that the legendary Mini-Smiths manufactured this!?"
It seemed that rumors of the Mini-Smiths Jin had debuted at the Technology Expo in the Shouro Empire had reached even as far as the Kingdom of Elias.
"Yes, that’s right."
In truth, Jin or any of the Smith units could have made them—and the actual labor had been performed by the Little-Smiths—but Jin didn't see the need to split hairs.
"Wait, are we to receive these as mementos? It feels as though the roles should be reversed."
Jin had begun to wonder if "wedding favor" was the right term, given that he was the guest of honor rather than the host of the party.
"Please consider it a small token of our gratitude for the warm welcome you've shown us," Elsa said, coming to his rescue.
Framed that way, the gesture felt perfectly natural. Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Indeed, this is a magnificent memento. You intend to give these to us?" the Chancellor asked, looking quite pleased.
"Yes. And to everyone who attended yesterday as well… Er, how many people was that exactly?"
"Eh?"
"Pardon?"
"Jin-dono… or rather, Lord of Kunlun… do you truly mean you have one for everyone who was there yesterday?"
"That’s the plan."
"…"
Upon hearing Jin's answer, the First Prince and the Chancellor exchanged looks of sheer disbelief before letting out synchronized sighs. Meanwhile, Marchioness Firenziano remained unruffled.
"…I suppose you truly are the Magi Craft Meister," the Chancellor remarked, looking a bit weary.
＊ ＊ ＊
The nobles tried to persuade Jin that distributing them to everyone would lower their perceived value, but Jin stood his ground, insisting it was the sentiment that mattered. He declared his intent to give them to every guest, as well as the maids and servants who had looked after them.
"I fear the value will plummet even further if you include the servants," the Chancellor argued, but Jin wouldn't budge.
"These are strictly commemorative items, given from the heart."
In fact, Jin found it distasteful that extra value might be attached to them as "marriage commemorative medals handmade by the Lord of Kunlun."
"…If that is the wish of our guest of honor, then we must see it done," Marchioness Firenziano advised the Chancellor and the Prince.
"I—I suppose you're right."
"If it is the Lord of Kunlun’s wish, then we must respect it."
The two men nodded, though they still looked somewhat disappointed.
Jin suspected they might be collectors of rare items. As it turned out, he was right. He discovered this when they mentioned they already owned one of the brass medals Jin (or rather, his Mini-Smiths) had made during the Technology Expo. He wasn't entirely sure how they had acquired it.
Having an acquaintance like Gloria, Jin could understand the mindset of a collector. However, because these koban represented a personal gesture, he wasn't willing to compromise.
Thus, Jin ended up entrusting 245 koban to Marchioness Firenziano for distribution.