"Whaaat?! I haven't heard anything about this!"
The voice shouting outside the door of the reception room where Jin D and the others had been escorted belonged to crime investigator Najas Kahn.
"You are hearing about it now, are you not?"
The man explaining the situation was her superior, Abel Rossi, Director of the Intelligence Bureau in the Ministry of General Affairs.
"And with this recent assignment concluded, you are being removed from the Intelligence Bureau."
"F-Fired?!"
Her tearful voice carried clearly through the door.
"If you want to put it that way, sure, but there is another duty for you."
"W-What might that be?"
"VIP protection. You will be entrusted with guarding state guests and dignitaries. As of now, your assignment is with the Diplomatic Bureau of the Ministry of General Affairs."
"Huh? The Ministry of General Affairs has a Diplomatic Bureau?"
"Of course it does. Attending to foreign dignitaries within our borders falls under our purview, after all."
"I-I see."
"With that settled, for the time being, you will be tasked with escorting Lord Jin Nidou's party."
"Y-Yes, understood."
"...Apparently,"
Back on Hourai Island, Jin and Elsa exchanged glances as they listened to the exchange in the hallway.
"Mm. No matter how you look at it, she is not cut out to be an intelligence agent."
"Yeah, definitely."
She was either far too honest at heart or simply guileless to a fault.
She had competence and enthusiasm, but her focus was always just slightly off the mark.
Her superior seemed to understand that all too well.
"And so, I have been appointed to look after all of you during your stay."
"R-Right."
Leading with "And so" right off the bat proved just how straightforward—to a fault—Najas Kahn really was.
Even so, dressed properly in formal attire, with her medium-length blonde hair and blue eyes, she cut an undeniably attractive figure.
"A meal will be brought in shortly. After a brief rest following lunch, the Minister of Magic will be visiting to pay his respects..."
Najas outlined their schedule, though her eyes remained glued to the memo in her hands.
For lunch, a Shouro Empire-style meal was served.
It had likely been prepared out of consideration for Jin and his party's supposed origins.
"The seasoning is quite nicely balanced."
"Mm."
Unfortunately, Jin D and Elsa D could not actually taste the food, but the sensors in their mouths analyzed the flavor profile and confirmed it was well-prepared cooking.
Over on Hourai Island, Jin and Elsa reviewed the telemetry sent back by the Doppels.
"The rice is cooked properly, too."
It had turned out plump and fluffy, neither overly soft nor undercooked in the center.
"Mm. The miso soup has proper dashi stock, too."
It seemed to use a subtle dashi stock brewed from katsuobushi.
The grilled fish was cooked to perfection, and the salad featured crisp, fresh vegetables.
What a shame we didn't get to eat it ourselves, both Jin and Elsa thought.
"Thank you for the meal. It was delicious."
"I am glad it was to your liking."
Despite her polite words, Najas had casually pulled up a chair and joined in on the feast.
"Um, what kind of tea would you prefer?"
Given the choice between Kuuhe, green tea, black tea, Kaina tea, buckwheat tea, hojicha, and barley tea, Jin D and Elsa D opted for hojicha.
"I will have the same, then."
Najas decided on the same brew.
As she sipped her tea, she began to open up, sharing bits and pieces of herself.
"I am the fourth daughter of the Kahn family, you see."
"Y-Yeah."
Jin D was momentarily caught off guard by her sudden personal history lesson.
"Since I was never in line to inherit the family estate, I figured I would work at the Royal Palace and serve the realm."
"..."
"I was assigned to the Intelligence Bureau after my aptitude test, but it seems my personality wasn't suited for it at all..."
Indeed, airing this kind of laundry in front of guests shows she's either foolishly honest or just completely lacking a filter, Jin and Elsa thought in unison.
"Just recently, I was dispatched to investigate the underground gambling rumored to be operating in Loloon Town, but more than half of the legwork was handled by FR-028..."
Unsure of how to respond, Jin D and Elsa D simply listened in silence as Najas rambled on.
"Since I wasn't cut out for it, just a moment ago I was transferred from the Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of General Affairs to the Diplomatic Bureau."
Well, finding the right person for the right job is important, Jin D reflected, relaying Najas's words back to the real Jin on Hourai Island.
Just then...
"...Um, Najas-san, I think there is a profession far better suited to you."
Elsa D spoke up.
"Pardon?"
"From what I can see, you have an aptitude for healing magic."
"Eh?"
Drawing on the specialized sensory capabilities built into automata, Elsa D had perceived that Najas's mana was naturally inclined toward Healing.
"To begin with, it is said that the mana spectrum best suited for healing is one without prominent peaks—the flatter, the better."
Apparently, that was an insight Elsa had gleaned over the past four centuries.
"M-Me? Healing magic?"
"Yes. If you study under a proper instructor for two or three years, I believe you could become a first-rate healer."
"Ho-ho, now that is an intriguing piece of news."
Right on cue, the door swung open, and the Minister of Magic of the Kingdom of Franz stepped into the room.
"I knocked, but there was no reply, so forgive me for letting myself in."
"Ah, our apologies."
Jin D offered an apology of his own, acknowledging that they had been completely engrossed in their conversation.
"So, regarding what you were just saying..."
The Minister of Magic immediately tried to press for details about the mana spectrum, but...
"Your Excellency, greetings first..."
Najas cut in, keeping him on track.
"Oh, quite right. Pardon my manners....I am Jonas Tigrina, Minister of Magic of the Kingdom of Franz."
"I am Jin Nidou. This is my wife, Elsa."
"Ho-ho, the very same names as the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister and his wife."
"Yes. We took their names in their honor."
This was an excuse they had cooked up recently.
They had decided to claim they took the names as a couple out of reverence for the Second Generation.
That way, they could call each other by their real names in public without having to think twice.
"...Well then, once more, Jin-dono, Elsa-dono. Is it true that Najas possesses a talent for healing magic?"