The Abdication Ceremony was followed by a late luncheon, which eventually gave way to a grand banquet.
The venue was the Great Hall within the Royal Palace. Jin, Elsa, and Reiko were all in attendance.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," Jin remarked.
"Mm, I know what you mean," Elsa agreed.
The Great Hall was teeming with dignitaries, royalty, and their guard knights; "crowded" was an understatement. Since Jin was a person of considerable renown, he found himself surrounded by familiar faces.
"Hey, Jin! Madam!"
The first to approach them was Ernest, the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Egerea.
"It’s been a long time, Your Highness."
"Yes, you seem to be doing well yourself."
Ernest had been only thirteen when they first met, but now he was twenty and had matured into a dignified young noble. He currently served as a diplomat for his country, and rumors suggested he was the top candidate for the future minister of foreign affairs.
"Lieschen wanted to come too, but..."
"Ah, is she expecting?" Jin asked.
"Yes. She’s about three months along now, so I couldn't let her overexert herself."
The prince's wife, Lieschen, was formerly the Third Princess of the Klein Kingdom and was nineteen this year. It seemed she was pregnant with their first child.
"Congratulations," Jin said warmly.
"Thank you. Well, I'll see you around."
Being a prince meant he couldn't linger in one spot for long, and Ernest soon moved off to greet another influential guest.
"Hello, Jin. Elsa."
"We appreciated your help the other day," a woman added.
Replacing the prince were Jin’s close friend Reinhard and Elsa’s cousin. He was accompanied by his wife, Berche.
"Reinhard, congratulations."
"Eh? For what?"
"I heard the news. You’re being promoted to viscount, aren't you?"
Reinhard blinked in surprise. "Where on earth did you hear that...?"
"That’s a secret."
With the ascension of the New Emperor, the government was transitioning to a new administration, and it had been decided that Reinhard would be raised to the rank of viscount. Furthermore, his new role was to be the vice minister of foreign affairs. Jin had heard all of this from Laojun just yesterday, though he had forgotten to ask exactly how the magi-brain had obtained the information.
"Will your territory stay the same?" Jin asked.
"Yeah, for the most part. I’m not sure if there will be an increase yet, but..." Reinhard paused. "Either way, I’ll likely have a bailiff manage the day-to-day operations."
After Reinhard moved on, Fritz approached them. He was attending as a representative of Avalon.
"Lord Jin, Elsa. I’m sure you’ve already heard, but I’ve decided to get married. I wanted to give you the news officially."
"Mm. Congratulations, Ani-sama," Elsa said with a soft smile.
"Congratulations, Fritz," Jin added.
When Jin asked why Gloria wasn't with him, Fritz explained that while Avalon sometimes dispatched married couples together, they didn't do the same for engaged ones. Considering the two had been sent together for the recent heavy snow countermeasures, Jin wondered what the specific criteria were.
Maybe if they’re close, the logic is that their coordination will be better, so it's allowed; but if they’re lovers, they might get distracted and neglect their mission? Jin mused.
"I plan to take a leave of absence soon to report the news to Father and Mother," Fritz said. He added that he would, of course, be taking Gloria with him then.
"Mm. Ani-sama, my husband and I... we've prepared a gift for you. We’ll give it to you then, so please let us know once your schedule is set."
"Oh? Is that so? Elsa, Lord Jin, I appreciate the thought."
"Jin-kun, Elsa-san, it has been quite a while."
Following Fritz was Marchioness Firenziano of the Kingdom of Elias. As always, she carried herself with a dignified grace that Jin found deeply impressive.
"It has been a long time, Marchioness."
"I was in your debt last year as well, Jin-kun."
She was referring to his cooperation in developing small high-speed boats at the Marcia Workshop.
"I still wonder if it was a good or bad thing that I couldn't convince you to enter my country's service back then," she murmured. But looking at the state of the world now, and seeing how happy Jin and Elsa looked together, she added, "Though I suppose it was for the best."
With that, the Marchioness moved on to other guests.
"A lot of different people are here today..." Jin noted.
"Mm."
Next, the King of the Celuroa Kingdom, Cesar Valois de Celuroa, approached them.
"Hello there, Lord Jin, Madam."
Since they had known Cesar since he was the crown prince, their conversation was naturally casual.
"With a new Emperor on the throne, the Shouro Empire is bound to see even more development," Cesar remarked.
"Yes, I certainly hope so."
"I can't afford to fall behind, either."
"But Your Majesty, haven't you already put the Warp Gate into practical use? That was a landmark technological revolution."
About two years ago, the Celuroa Kingdom had finished analyzing a Warp Gate discovered in some ruins. They had successfully replicated it and refined the technology for travel.
"Thank you. Hearing that from you makes me feel a bit proud, Lord Jin. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome."
Indeed, the current Warp Gate took about five minutes to wake up, and then another thirty minutes to accumulate enough mana to perform a teleportation. Even then, it could only transport two people at a time, or about 150 kilograms of materials. The only saving grace was that if there wasn't enough mana, the gate simply wouldn't activate, preventing any accidents where someone might be sent to an unintended location.
Finally, the King of the Franz Kingdom, Rotaro de Franz, arrived with his mother, Catherine de Lafayette.
"It’s been a long time, Elsa-san," Catherine said warmly. "Ever since you provided me with that treatment, my body has felt wonderful. I’m truly grateful."
"I am very glad to hear that," Elsa replied.
They had met years ago when Istalis and her servant Netros were captured. At the request of Istalis's younger sister, Sion, Elsa had visited the Franz Kingdom to assist in the rescue.
King Rotaro de Franz watched his mother with a pleasant, silent smile. He accepted two glasses of wine from a passing server and offered one to Jin. Once Jin took it, the King raised his own glass.
"To the prosperity of the Shouro Empire. Cheers."
"Cheers," Jin responded.
Their glasses touched with a soft chime. Without another word, King Rotaro offered his silent congratulations and moved on.
While many dignitaries had visited Jin throughout the evening, the highlight was the arrival of the Empress Emerita and the New Emperor.
"Jin-kun, Elsa, thank you for coming today."
"Lord Nido, Madam, I look forward to your continued support," the New Emperor added.
The Empress Emerita spoke with her usual friendly ease, while the young New Emperor was uncharacteristically formal.
"Your Majesty, our sincerest congratulations on this auspicious day."
"We look forward to working with you as well."
Jin and Elsa gave their formal greetings.
"Jin-kun, there are several things I’d like to consult with you about. Would you be able to set aside some time tomorrow or the day after?" the former Empress asked.
"Yes, of course."
It seemed she had something specific on her mind. Since this would also be the perfect opportunity to present the completed automata Jin had crafted for her, he agreed immediately.