"Jin! Lies!"
At the Kingdom of Egerea’s Royal Palace, Prince Ernest, the third prince, arrived to welcome the group in person.
"Your Highness, it has been a long time."
"I’m glad to see you again, Jin."
Prince Ernest had a more mature air about him now. He had grown to about 170 centimeters tall.
Come to think of it, he turns fifteen this year, Jin thought.
"Nest-sama!"
"Lies, welcome!"
Despite his physical growth, the prince’s smile as he looked at Princess Lieschen remained the same as it had always been.
"Undersecretary Harvey Sotos Flagroad of the Ministry of Magi Technology, welcome."
His tone toward Harvey, however, was strictly that of royalty. Then he turned back to Jin, returning to his former frank manner of speaking.
"Jin, you must stay at the palace. I want to catch up on so many things."
Since they had arrived in the Kingdom of Egerea aboard Konron 3, Jin knew this was an invitation he couldn't refuse. If they had intended to tour the capital city in secret, they would have used a Warp Gate instead.
"Thank you very much."
Because there were many knights and soldiers present besides Prince Ernest, Jin made sure to maintain a polite, formal register.
"Princess Lieschen and her party, please follow me. Jin-sama and his companions, this way, please."
The person who came forward to guide them was Lianna, the unit leader of the 2nd squad of the Royal Secret Maids. She was a highly capable maid who was scheduled to be stationed in Avalon soon.
"Hello, Lianna. We'll be in your care."
"Yes, I look forward to assisting you."
"Well then, Jin, Elsa, Hanna, Lishia, Reiko, Edgar—I’ll see you all later."
Faithfully addressing each person by name, Princess Lieschen followed the guides along with Undersecretary Harvey.
"Please use these rooms."
"Thank you."
Jin and the others were led to a suite featuring a large living room and four adjoining bedrooms. One was a double, two were singles, and the fourth was a twin. It appeared to be a VIP suite designed for a large family—the parents would take the double, while a child and their wet nurse would use the twin.
Naturally, Jin and Elsa took the double room, while Hanna and Lishia each took a single. Since they didn't plan on staying long, they hadn't brought much luggage. If they found they lacked anything, they could always have it sent from Hourai Island.
"What would you like to do for lunch?" Lianna asked as the clock neared noon. "Shall I have it brought to your room?"
Jin nodded. "Yes, please do that."
The lunch that arrived turned out to be heavily influenced by Jin’s personal tastes.
"Our menu selection has been growing lately," Lianna said with a smile as she served the food. "The guests you've hosted have become quite particular about flavor since returning home. For a while, the kitchen was in a state of total chaos."
"I hope I didn't cause too much trouble," Jin said.
Lianna laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. Everyone says that a higher awareness regarding food is a positive development. Even the head chef agrees."
"Well, that’s good to hear then."
"Onii-chan, let's eat!"
Because Jin hadn't started yet, Elsa and Hanna were stuck waiting.
"Oh, sorry. Let’s eat."
"Thank you for the food."
"Oh, this is delicious."
Elsa had started with a barley porridge. Seasoned with salt, spices, and fragrant herbs, it was quite well-executed.
"This is so good!"
Hanna was eating pasta-like noodles. Tossed with butter, pepper, and herbs, the dish had a deep, savory flavor despite its simplicity.
"Yeah, this is grilled perfectly."
Jin tried the grilled fish and found the seasoning very much to his liking. Even more impressive was the fact that it was still hot. If grilled fish was allowed to cool, the flesh would toughen and the flavor would suffer.
"Wow, this fish is great."
Hanna had also taken a liking to the grilled fish. While the butter, salt, and pepper seasoning was familiar, the fact that it was sea fish made it a novelty for someone from the Klein Kingdom.
"It really is delicious," Lishia agreed, clearly enjoying the fish as well.
"Does the Kingdom of Egerea have an abundance of herbs?" Elsa asked Jin between bites.
"I’m not sure... wouldn't you know more about that than me, Elsa?"
"I don't really remember much."
Lianna stepped in to provide an explanation. "Actually, dishes utilizing herbs have started trending here over the last six months or so. Since the beginning of this year, we’ve started serving them in the palace as well."
"I see. That's interesting."
Jin wondered who had started the trend. The answer came from an unexpected quarter.
"(It was Irina, also known as Deneb 10 of the Quinta,)" Reiko’s voice was pitched so low that only Jin could hear it. "(It seems she has been implementing various things based on information from Laojun while working as the Young Okami of a diner in the city.)"
The Quinta were stationed in various countries, and they didn't just gather intelligence; they also contributed to their local communities. In this instance, it was the improvement of the local diet. The primary motivation was almost certainly to ensure that Jin would have good food whenever he visited.
"That was a great meal."
"It was delicious!"
"Thank you for the food."
"That was wonderful. Thank you for the meal."
After finishing their lunch, Jin and his group drank Te-e, a specialty of the Kingdom of Egerea. The tea leaves used in the palace were clearly top-grade, possessing an exceptional aroma and flavor.
"What are your plans for the afternoon?" Lianna asked after clearing the table.
"Let's see... the report meeting for the ruins investigation is tomorrow, so I'd like to go sightseeing in the capital today."
"In that case, I shall accompany—that is, I shall serve as your guide."
Since neither Jin, Elsa, nor Lishia or Hanna were familiar with the capital city of Asunt, the offer was a welcome one. Jin had been considering calling upon Mabel—also known as Mira 1 of the Quinta—if he had to go it alone.
"I'll take you up on that, then."
"Understood. I need to get permission from my superior, so could you please wait about five minutes?"
"Sure. We'll get ready to head out while you're gone."
And so, with Lianna as their guide, Jin and his group set off to see the sights of Asunt, the capital of the Kingdom of Egerea.