The next morning, the three of them—Jin, Eira, and Kachea—were summoned by Paerova.
"I apologize for the early hour, but the situation is too urgent to wait....Jed, if you please."
"Understood....I'll give you the briefing. First, in one hour, the three of you will undergo a consultation with the technical administrators."
"A consultation?" Jin asked.
In this context, a consultation meant an inquiry where experts were asked to provide their professional opinions.
"What do they want from us?" Eira asked.
"Well, that’s the thing. They will likely be asking you technical questions."
"Oh, is it about the automobiles and the boat we’ve built?"
"Most likely, yes."
While that explanation satisfied them for the moment, Paerova wore a troubled expression. Eira, who could never stay silent at times like this, spoke up.
"There's a catch to this, isn't there?"
At those words, Paerova’s face soured even further. It was clear she had hit the mark.
"Wait, really? What exactly is going on?"
"...To put it bluntly, they want to take over your management," Jed Alamold answered in his stead.
"Management? Ours?"
"...Yes....Which is to say, they want you working for them instead of me. They want to... how should I put it... utilize you for their own convenience."
Paerova spoke as if he were hedging his words, but the three researchers were more concerned with the actual implications.
"By 'for them'... do you mean here in the royal capital?"
"Yes, presumably."
"..."
Jin, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"So, in short, they’re trying to poach talen—no, technicians who seem useful from their original organizations?"
Jin hesitated to refer to himself as "talented."
"...You're quick on the uptake. Yes, that's essentially it."
"So that means all the talented technicians and magi end up concentrated in the royal capital, then?" Eira asked.
For some reason, Paerova’s expression remained gloomy.
"...Then, if we pass this consultation thing and get recognized, does that mean we’ll be stationed in the royal capital?"
Eira’s blunt assessment hit the nail on the head; Paerova’s face scrunched up with immense frustration.
"...That is how it would turn out. Though I cannot say what kind of treatment you would receive."
'What kind of treatment.' That single phrase weighed on Jin's mind. Kachea seemed to feel the same.
"U-Um... Er, is working in the royal capital particularly difficult...?" she asked timidly.
"...As I said, I do not know for certain."
"That's a lie," Eira countered immediately. "Your Excellency... you know something."
However, Jed Alamold cut off further questioning.
"Eira-dono, leave it at that."
＊ ＊ ＊
"...I've got a bad feeling about this."
Once the three of them were alone, Eira was the first to voice her doubts.
"I can understand why Paerova’s so upset, though. He finally gets his hands on some useful technicians, only for the state to exercise its authority and snatch them away. It's gotta be infuriating for him."
Jin agreed. "I suppose so. To have the results stolen while all the hard work that went into them is ignored—no one would be happy about that."
"Y-You're right. That's so pushy," Kachea agreed.
"Well, I mean, if we're under the direct control of the state, it probably becomes easier to get budgets and materials, so that part might be okay, but..." Eira made a complicated face. "I think it’ll come with a lot of restrictions on what we can do..."
Jin nodded. "We probably won't be allowed to just do whatever we want like we are now."
"Hmm, I can't tell right away which would be better."
"W-Will it be very strict?" Kachea looked anxious.
Jin spoke quietly, recalling his past. "Gathering talented technicians to work for the sake of the country... huh? If it were just that, it wouldn't seem like a bad thing."
"...Like, not being allowed to sleep?"
"Ugh, I’d hate that! I want to do what I want, when I want!" Eira exclaimed.
While Jin thought that was a bit much, he agreed with the gist of her sentiment. "Bosses who don't understand the reality of the work tend to demand the impossible. Then, when efficiency drops as a result, they refuse to acknowledge it."
"...Y-You seem quite well-informed about that," Kachea noted.
"Sounds like you've been through something like that before, Jin," Eira added.
"Yeah, I think I have."
Jin didn't bother to deny it and gave a soft affirmation.
A job with high pay but excessive overtime and no vacation, versus a job with plenty of time off but lower pay. One couldn't say for sure which was better. It ultimately came down to individual priorities.
"...So, Jin, which do you prefer?"
"Right now... I think I want my own time."
Back when he had first entered the workforce, he had overextended himself because he was happy to be able to support everyone at the facility, but the current Jin was so deeply immersed in the joy of pursuing his own interests that he couldn't imagine going back.
"Ah, I feel the same way," Eira said.
"I-I suppose I would prefer something... moderate," Kachea offered.
It was the voice of reason, but in reality, things often swung to one extreme or the other.
"In that sense, our current situation is actually pretty good."
The lack of materials was a downside, but receiving a steady allowance and having no lack of food or housing made for a fairly good environment.
"In any case, it’s not like our preferences are going to be taken into account..."
"That's awful."
"Yeah, it really is."
Jin thought back to the way the Shouro Empire operated. He felt that individual opinions were taken into account quite a bit there—even if it was ultimately for the sake of long-term work efficiency.
＊ ＊ ＊
Then, as scheduled, the three of them were brought before a high-ranking administrator directly subordinate to the Council of Ten for their consultation.
First was Kachea.
"Please state your thoughts regarding the monetary economy."
"Eh...? Y-Yes. U-Um, I believe it is built upon the foundation of the gold standard..."
It felt more like a job interview than a consultation, Jin thought.
"Yes, that will suffice. Now, Eira-san, regarding the current distribution of magi-type materials..."
"I'm full of complaints. Not only does it hinder research, but we can't even build things properly. There's no way this situation is acceptable."
Jin was nervous listening from the side, but this was simply Eira’s natural state.
And finally, it was Jin’s turn.