After breakfast, the discussion meeting resumed.
When the topic turned to Elsa, Reiko stepped forward.
"Father, since so many of these stories involve you directly, would you like me to tell this part for you?"
"I'll leave it to you, then..." Jin replied, grateful to step back.
"Father and Elsa-sama first met in Port Rock Town," Reiko began. "Elsa-sama looked lovely in her yellow one-piece swimsuit."
It was a safe enough start, but she quickly delved deeper.
"...After Reinhard-sama compared Elsa-sama's chest to Marcia-sama's, Elsa-sama kicked Reinhard-sama into the sea..."
She spoke of things that Elsa would surely want to keep buried as part of an embarrassing "dark history."
"...After Father rescued Elsa-sama from her kidnapping by the Unifilar..."
There were action-packed episodes, and eventually...
"...He returned Elsa-sama to her homeland... and finally proposed to her."
Reiko recounted details that Jin felt were perhaps a bit too personal, drawing cheers and applause from the gathered audience.
(...)
Listening along, Jin found himself reminiscing about those days with a sense of nostalgia. By the time the morning concluded, his life story had finally been brought up to date.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Jin-sama, thank you for your hard work."
The steward, Susanne, thanked Jin for his efforts and handed him a glass of honey-sweetened ramon water. Jin drank deeply, soothing his parched throat.
"Let's have lunch," someone suggested.
Right on cue, a group of maid golems arrived carrying platters of sandwiches. They set down several large plates filled with a vibrant variety of fillings. For drinks, everyone could choose their preference: citran juice, ramon squash, Cowbull milk, Te-e, or Kuhe. It was a light, casual meal that allowed the conversation to flow freely while they ate.
"I had assumed Schwarzritter was still in the Shouro Empire," Jin remarked.
"Yes. I have retired from active duty," the golem replied. "The one currently serving House Randol is a model called 'Black Knight'."
Jin reflected on how the name had simply shifted from German to English, but since the world of Ars had no Germany or England, the difference was treated as a mere dialectal quirk. In the four hundred years since Jin's time, international exchange had progressed to the point where old Shouro Empire-style terminology was often viewed as antiquated.
"So that's why there is a 'modern' Black Knight now."
"Yes, exactly."
"Out of curiosity, who was the creator of this Black Knight?"
"That would be Reinhard-sama's grandson, a man named Granhaldo Randol."
"He must have been an excellent magi-engineer."
"Indeed he was."
Jin fondly recalled his old friend.
"I believe you also had the name 'Noir' once, didn't you?"
"Yes, that is true. However, my creator, Reinhard-sama himself, wasn't accustomed to using it. He usually ended up calling me 'Schwarzritter' anyway."
"I can understand that," Jin said with a nod.
Sometimes a name just doesn't stick, no matter how much you try to change it. Personally, Jin thought "Schwarzritter" sounded much cooler than "Noir" anyway. Next, he turned his attention to Edgar.
"Edgar, how long have you been on Onogoro Island?" Jin asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. He was curious about the boy-type automaton his wife, Elsa, had created.
"It has been ninety-eight years. I arrived well after the Magic Federation rose to power."
"And where were you before that?"
"I was serving at the mansion in Loizart."
"I see."
Jin felt a pang of nostalgia for the home where he had once lived.
"Do you know what has become of it now?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't. Perhaps Laojun would know?"
"Probably," Jin said. It was one of those things he both wanted to know and was afraid to ask.
Moving on, Jin spoke to Arrow and her companions.
"Arrow, have you three been helping out at Marcia's workshop all this time?"
Arrow answered on behalf of the group. "Yes, we have. Marcia-sama continued to run the workshop even after she married."
"!"
Jin caught a detail he couldn't let pass.
"R-Right. Marcia got married... which I suppose is why Natalia is here now."
Jin was intensely curious about who she had married. Sensing this, Alco spoke up.
"Marcia-sama's partner was a man named Tiberio from the Divergence Clan."
"A member of the Northern People?"
"Yes. However, since he was only a quarter-blood, his lifespan was not remarkably long. He lived to be one hundred and twenty."
"I see. And how was their marriage?"
"As I recall, they were very happy together."
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."
Jin remembered the Divergence Clan as being part of the neutral faction.
"Because he was a quarter-blood, he felt out of place in the clan territory and spent his time wandering the continent. That was when he met Marcia-sama..."
"I see."
Being only a quarter-blood, he likely wasn't affected by the low free ether concentration of the Elias Peninsula.
"If she was happy, then that's all that matters. Yes... that's good," Jin said, nodding with a smile. "If you three are here, what has become of the workshop in Port Rock Town?"
"It still exists," Veil replied this time. "However, there are no descendants of Marcia-sama's bloodline left there. They wanted to build ships on a scale that wasn't possible there, so they relocated to this island. Now, they construct massive hundred-meter-class ships."
"That's impressive."
Jin understood that drive all too well—the frustration of creating something incredible but having to keep it hidden. Marcia's descendants had likely migrated to Onogoro for the freedom to build.
"Um, Ancestor... I mean, Jin-sama," Stephanie Randol, the current owner of the Black Knight, spoke up.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Were my ancestor and Edith's ancestor close friends?"
Stephanie was twelve and Edith Kuzuma was fifteen; being close in age, the two girls seemed to be good friends.
"They certainly were. Reinhard and Louis were very close."
"Wow, really?"
Louis had inherited his earldom at a young age, and Reinhard had been the fourth son of a count. According to Stephanie, Reinhard had served as the Lord of Kalts Village before performing great feats that eventually earned him his own title of Count.
Behind Jin, Neon was chatting with Reiko. Even after four centuries, Neon's admiration for Reiko hadn't faded.
"Reiko-san, it really has been such a long time."
"It has indeed, Neon-san."
"I've been given quite a few upgrades myself, you know."
"That is wonderful."
"I'm still no match for you, though."
Jin decided to leave them to their own conversation and turned to someone else.
"Merlina, was it?"
"Yes, how can I help you?"
Jin decided to ask about a detail that had been lingering in the back of his mind.
"You're a descendant of Stearena, right? If so, have you heard anything about her friend, Vivienne?"
He could have asked Laojun, but he wanted to avoid that if possible. Consulting Laojun felt like reading a sterile ledger; he much preferred to hear these things from the mouths of those connected to the history.
"Yes, I've heard stories."
"What kind of stories?"
"Supposedly, she married someone quite a bit older than her."
"Quite a bit older, huh..."
Only one name came to Jin's mind.
"Was it... the archaeologist, Lucol?"
"Ah, yes! I believe that was the name. Lucol."
"I see..."
A storyteller and an archaeologist. Jin reflected that they sounded like a perfect match.