In the end, Jin and his companions spent the rest of the evening exploring Asunt, eventually returning to the Royal Palace with a mountain of bags.
Reiko and Edgar acted as the porters.
"That was wonderful. Thank you, Jin-nii."
"Onii-chan, thank you for buying me so much!"
"Jin-san... are you sure it was quite all right to include me in this?"
Having bought Elsa, Hanna, and Lishia whatever had caught their fancy, Jin felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
In his entire life—excluding the small children back at the orphanage—he could count on one hand the number of times he had actually bought gifts for others. For the longest time, he simply hadn't possessed the financial means to go shopping in the first place.
In truth, Lianna had mentioned that the Kingdom of Egerea would cover the group’s expenses, but Jin had politely declined the offer and paid for everything himself.
Buying things for people, rather than just making them, has a charm of its own... and the recipients certainly seem happy.
Lost in these slightly abstract reflections, Jin relaxed in his room. Elsa and the others were busy unpacking their treasures, gazing at them with the focused intensity of new owners.
When they were in the shop, those were just products on a shelf. Now, they belong to them.
With that thought in mind, Jin took a sip of the Te-e tea Reiko had brewed for him. Lianna was currently away, reporting their return to the palace officials.
Dinner would be served shortly.
"Jin, I was so bored because I couldn't attend the last World Conference."
"The same is true for us."
Dinner was served in the Royal Palace's Small Dining Hall, with Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen joining the group. Despite the name "Small Dining Hall," the room was luxuriously appointed, as it was reserved for royalty and honored guests.
"Avalon sounds like an incredible place. Lianna, you went there, didn't you? I'm so jealous."
"You are too kind, Your Highness," Lianna replied humbly. She, Kate, and Leeza had been part of the security detail for the King of Egerea and his retainers during the conference.
"I definitely want to visit next time."
"Nest-sama, the World Conference is not a place one visits for play," Princess Lieschen said, chiding him from her seat beside him.
"I know that."
The dinner proceeded harmoniously, punctuated by the occasional innocent remark from Prince Ernest and the subsequent corrections from the princess.
"The reporting session begins at nine tomorrow morning," Lianna informed them once they had returned to their suite. "Would half-past seven be acceptable for breakfast?"
"Yeah, that works for us."
Jin and his party were all early risers; even a six o'clock breakfast wouldn't have been a problem.
"I shall handle the rest from here, so you may retire for the evening, Lianna-san," Reiko said. Lianna bowed and left the room, acknowledging that her duties for the day were complete.
"Well, it's still a bit early for bed. Shall we play a game?"
"Yeah!" Hanna was the first to agree to Jin's suggestion.
"I brought a travel-sized sugoroku set."
Jin pulled the game from his luggage. When he thought of the Kingdom of Egerea, he couldn't help but think of sugoroku. It brought back memories of the Golem Party, where they had drawn a board on a table just to pass the time.
"Um... so this is what you call sugoroku?" Lishia asked, looking at the board, pieces, and dice.
"That's right. Is this your first time playing, Lishia?"
"Y-Yes, it is."
"Big Sister Lishia, the rules are easy! I'll show you!" Hanna offered.
Once Lishia was briefed on the mechanics, Jin prepared to start the game.
"First, let's determine the turn order."
They rolled the dice to see who would go first, resulting in an order of Elsa, Jin, Lishia, and then Hanna.
"Reiko and Edgar, you two should join in as well."
"Is that all right?"
"Yes, Father."
Since the game relied on the roll of a die, Reiko and Edgar were on equal footing with everyone else.
"Ah, skip a turn!"
"Whoa, move back five spaces?!"
"I did it! I reached the goal!"
The six of them enjoyed several lively rounds as the night deepened over the capital.
The following morning, they ate breakfast at half-past seven as scheduled. By half-past eight, Jin had made his way to the Grand Conference Room, the venue for the reporting session.
Though they had nearly stayed up late caught in the excitement of the game, the admonitions of Reiko and Edgar had ensured that Jin got enough sleep.
Since Hanna and Lishia weren't expected to attend and Elsa felt no need to participate, only Jin and Reiko went to the meeting.
The Grand Conference Room was immense—roughly the size of six standard classrooms. A single massive table sat in the center, surrounded by arranged seating. Several people had already arrived.
"Ah, Jin-dono, it has been some time," greeted Chancellor Boyd Norus Galueri, the Marquis of the kingdom.
"Lord of Kunlun, we are grateful for your assistance the other day," added King Harold Luan Autocrace.
Prince Ernest III sat beside the king, with Princess Lieschen next to him. Both gave Jin a small wave, which he returned before taking his seat.
Jin was genuinely looking forward to this session. While he knew that ancient facilities remained underground at the site, he had left the physical investigation to the local team and hadn't visited it himself. As a result, even Laojun lacked a complete picture of the interior.
As the attendees finished filing in, the clock struck nine.
"The appointed time has arrived. I hereby open this reporting session," announced Minister of Internal Affairs William Hex Sard, acting as the moderator. "Reporter, you may begin."
"Yes, sir. I am Paul Raid, Captain of the Third Ritter Order. I served as the commander for this investigation team."
Paul Raid bowed and began the briefing.
"Our objective was the Soldrake Ruins. As many of you know, these ruins were once the site where the Giga Ants were sealed."
Paul provided a concise summary of the past tragedy and the devastation caused by the creatures. As a survivor of those events, his description was vivid and precise, forcing everyone in the room to reflect on the grim history. He glossed over the previous friction with the Celuroa Kingdom's team, however, as the diplomatic landscape between the two nations had shifted entirely since then.
"...However, we encountered no such incidents this time. We exercised the utmost caution, advancing into the interior of the ruins at a measured pace to conduct our survey. And then..."
Paul Raid finally reached the core findings of the investigation.