In the end, Jin decided to bring Erna along as well, partly so he could report that she had helped him construct the wet nurse automata.
"I'm looking forward to this."
Elsa was thrilled at the prospect of an outing for the first time in a while.
Unlike Jin and Reinhard, she was not a shut-in by nature, and being cooped up indoors for so long had left her feeling thoroughly restless.
And so, at 1:00 PM local time on September 13th, the Aristotle touched down at the Klein Kingdom Royal Palace airfield.
They had intentionally timed their arrival so they could explain that they had already eaten lunch aboard the airship.
Awaiting them at the airfield was Magic Technology Minister Cowen Lacca Kido.
"Welcome back... And who might this be?"
Cowen cast a curious glance toward Erna.
"This is Erna Nidou... my wife."
"Your madam?!"
Cowen looked visibly startled to learn that Jin was married.
"Did I neglect to mention it?"
Jin played dumb. He was at least capable of that much social maneuvering.
"I had certainly not heard."
"Pardon my oversight... She assisted me in crafting the requested wet nurse automata, so she accompanied me on the journey."
"Oho, I see, I see!"
That explanation seemed to satisfy him.
"And as for the automata... Ohhh!"
Reiko stepped down from the Aristotle, carrying the wet nurse automata in her arms. At the sight of her, Cowen let out an involuntary gasp.
"I-Is this her...?"
"Yes. We would like to hand her over, so could you please inform His Majesty?"
"O-Of course... For now, right this way, please."
Magic Technology Minister Cowen Lacca Kido led Jin and the others to a vacant reception room, where they sat the wet nurse automata down on a sofa for the time being.
"Please wait here. I shall go fetch His Majesty at once."
"Wait, His Majesty is coming here in person?"
Jin was slightly taken aback, thinking protocol usually dictated the opposite.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, but this is a special case. Above all, we can hardly carry the wet nurse automata straight into his private office, can we?"
"I suppose that makes sense."
"Indeed it does."
Thus, Jin, Erna, Reiko, Cowen, and the wet nurse automata seated on the sofa waited for King Melikalans I.
Understandably, he could not drop his official duties at a moment's notice, but after about thirty minutes, the reception room doors swung open briskly.
Naturally, Melikalans I strode into the room, accompanied by a princess.
"...Wow, is this my maid?"
Lisabeth Physis Klein. The lone flower among Melikalans I's children, his only daughter. Being the youngest child, she was showered with immense adoration by her parents and older brothers alike.
Yet, far from taking that indulgence for granted, the clever young princess had grown into an honest, well-mannered girl.
"Ah, pardon my manners. My name is Lisabeth Physis Klein. I am the First Princess of this kingdom. I will turn ten this year."
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Jin Nidou."
"I am his wife, Erna Nidou."
"My name is Reiko."
Jin and his party returned her greeting in kind.
"I heard from my fath—from my father. You made a wet nurse automata for me, didn't you?!"
Jin noted that her speech was remarkably refined for a ten-year-old.
(It's probably because everyone around her is older...)
"So, Father, does this mean she truly belongs to me now?"
"Ah, yes... You may have her. It is a little early, but consider it your birthday present."
"Yay! Thank you so much!"
The princess then turned to Jin.
"Jin-sama, what is this girl's name?" she asked.
"That has not been decided yet. Please give her a name yourself, Hime-sama."
Jin offered his customary response.
"May I really name her?...Hmm, let's see... Since she's a lady's maid... how about Maidie?"
"...I'm not so sure about that one."
Jin could not help but interject.
"Liza, I must agree with him."
Her royal father wore an equally sour expression.
Apparently, this young princess had a catastrophic sense of naming... or so Jin gathered.
"Then... um, er..."
Watching her ponder so desperately was charmingly characteristic of a ten-year-old, Jin thought. But seeing that she was struggling to find an alternative, he gently spoke up.
"Um, if I may be so bold, perhaps Your Majesty could bestow a name upon her...?"
Since she was a gift from the King, Jin figured that would be just as fitting.
"Mm, quite right... Liza, how does 'Alice' sound to you?"
"Ah, that's adorable, Papa—Father!"
Finding it endearing that she kept almost slipping into informal speech with her father, Jin moved on to the final adjustments: the naming and priority settings.
"Princess Lisabeth, would you please awaken Alice?"
"Ah, yes. Jin-sama, what should I do?"
"If you channel your mana into her, Alice will awaken."
"Understood... Is this all right?"
Unlike Princess Lieschen, Princess Lisabeth already knew how to channel mana and woke Alice without any trouble.
Even so, the automaton did not stand up immediately; she simply entered a standby state.
"All right. Naming: Alice. Master-Slave Magic: First Priority, Princess Lisabeth; Second Priority, King Melikalans I."
Jin then gave her the activation keyword.
"Your Highness, please chant 'Start.'"
"Understood. 'Start'... Oh my!"
Responding to the keyword, Alice rose smoothly to her feet.
"Pleased to meet you, Master. I am Alice. I look forward to serving you."
Watching Alice perform an immaculate curtsy like a seasoned maid, the princess, the King, and the Magic Technology Minister all stared in astonishment.
"Mmm... Marvelous. Her movements are indistinguishable from a human's."
"Indeed. If not for her hair color... and knowing about it in advance, one would never guess she was an automaton."
As for Princess Lisabeth's reaction:
"Alice, I'm Lisabeth. I look forward to spending time with you... Also, I would be very happy if you called me by my name."
"Understood, Lisabeth-sama."
"Yes, that's perfect."
The two hit it off immediately.
"Ah, Jin-sama, thank you so much for such a wonderful companion... Father, thank you very, very much!"
Overjoyed, Princess Lisabeth finally let her guard down and called him "Father" with complete informality. Neither she nor the King seemed to mind in the slightest.
"Ah, to witness Jin-dono's magi-craft firsthand... today is truly an auspicious day."
Magic Technology Minister Cowen Lacca Kido was in equally high spirits.
Shortly thereafter, Sion and Maquina joined the gathering as well.
"Oh, Er... na-san, it has been a while."
"Yes, it has been quite some time."
Since the Sion present was a Doppel, the real Sion back in the Nord Federation had been notified beforehand, allowing her meeting with Erna to proceed without a hitch.
Turning their attention to Alice, they offered their compliments.
"My, Jin's latest creation. Isn't she lovely?"
"One can truly appreciate the sheer brilliance of Jin-dono's magi-craft."
Hearing such praise showered upon him—especially Maquina's line, which was undeniably being fed to her by Mentor—left Jin feeling an amusingly ticklish sense of embarrassment.