The royal family's Guardian, "Sovereign."
Eager to learn more about the golem—what kind of machine it was and why it had been broken—Jin swapped places with his Doppel during the night.
Naturally, Elsa swapped along with him.
Everything that had transpired while Laojun piloted them had been transferred to them beforehand via Trans Info.
Without that precaution, they ran the risk of making an awkward blunder, like introducing themselves to someone they were supposed to already know.
The following day arrived.
"This way."
The Queen guided Jin in person, leading the way deeper into the Royal Palace. Minister of Magic Jonas Tigrina accompanied her.
Elsa, Reiko, and Hope followed along as well.
"Normally, only members of the royal family are permitted down here, but..."
With those words, the Queen descended a staircase, leading Jin and his companions to what appeared to be the first basement level.
Before them stood a rugged, heavily reinforced door. The Queen inserted the key she carried into the lock. Without making a sound, the door glided open.
(Is it meticulously maintained, or is the craftsmanship simply that exceptional...?)
Noticing the complete lack of resistance in the mechanism, Jin silently turned the thought over in his mind.
"Please, go ahead. Sovereign is inside," the Queen said, gesturing them forward.
Jin stepped through first, followed by Reiko, then Elsa and Hope, with the Minister of Magic and finally the Queen bringing up the rear.
"So this is... Sovereign."
Resting in the chamber were the severely battered, ruined remains of a golem.
"This is terrible."
Jin attempted to imagine—or rather, systematically analyze—what could have possibly happened.
Examining the damaged sections made it possible to deduce the nature of the forces inflicted upon it.
"Here... external force snapped the frame. This part is caved in, and judging by the indentation, it took a direct blow from a blunt weapon."
"Father, the metal here was twisted until it sheared apart. Such destruction would require an immense disparity in physical power."
"Looking at the impact marks on the head, they appear to be from a blunt weapon as well."
"Master, this dent was caused by a cylindrical object roughly fifty millimeters in diameter."
Jin, Reiko, Elsa, and Hope each offered their observations in turn.
"...Putting it all together, it appears to have fought and been destroyed by an opponent roughly three meters tall, armed with a pole-like weapon."
Considering the angles of the impacts across the head and shoulders, that was the inevitable conclusion.
"Y-You can deduce that much simply from looking?"
"As expected of the Magi Craft Meister..."
Both the Queen and the Minister of Magic looked on in astonishment.
"Indeed, in ancient times, I have heard there was a brief period when neighboring nations would pit their symbolic golems against one another in contests of strength."
"I see..."
Jin was well aware that relations between nations often devolved into pointless rivalries fueled by pride and stubborn prestige. In all likelihood, Sovereign had been dragged into just such a clash and wrecked as a result.
"What do you think, Lord Jin Nidou? Can it be repaired?"
Without a single moment's hesitation, Jin answered.
"Of course I can repair it. However, will you promise me that you will never pit golems against each other—that you will not force them to fight out of pride or vanity ever again?"
At his question, Queen Caroline de Lafayette gave an immediate nod.
"Why, of course."
The Queen gave her word that she would never lightly force a golem embodying the nation into combat.
"Thank you."
Satisfied by her promise, Jin turned his attention to the logistics of the restoration.
"Your Majesty, in order to repair it, I will need to transport it back to my base for a time."
Above all else, they lacked the necessary materials here, Jin explained.
"Would you grant permission for that?"
"Let me see..."
After a brief pause for thought, the Queen nodded.
"Very well....In fact, by all means, please do so."
"Understood."
With the Queen's consent secured, Jin instructed Reiko and Hope to carry Sovereign outside.
First, they loaded it into the automobile.
"Your Majesty, since I would like to begin repairs as soon as possible, would you permit us to take our leave immediately?"
Hearing Jin's request, the Queen and the Minister of Magic were momentarily taken aback, but they soon nodded.
"Fufu, Lord Jin Nidou is every bit the man rumors claim. Very well, we leave it entirely in your capable hands."
Just then, the Chancellor came hurrying up to them.
"Ah, I made it in time, I see....Lord Jin, our kingdom hereby grants you the status of honorary citizen and confers upon you the title of Royal Honorary Advisor. From this day forward, you may come and go from the Royal Palace as you please."
With that, he presented an official letter and a metal plate to the Queen.
"Your Majesty, I certainly had not been informed that Lord Jin intended to depart so swiftly."
"My apologies, Chancellor. But thank you for having it ready in time."
The Queen then personally held out the letter and the metal plate to Jin.
"Lord Jin Nidou, will you accept these?"
The document explicitly stated that the status carried no civic duties, nor did the honorary title impose any compulsory obligations.
It was designed solely to ensure Jin was not bound by any red tape during his activities in the Kingdom of Franz.
"Yes, I humbly accept."
Pleased that his freedom of movement had expanded once again, Jin gratefully accepted the recognition.
The metal plate was made of mithril, roughly the size of an A5 sheet of paper. Jin passed it to Reiko for safekeeping.
"I shall keep it safe, Father."
Reiko tucked it into her apron pocket.
It was an impregnable pocket from which nothing had ever fallen. In truth, it was safer than any vault.
Seen off by the Queen, the Chancellor, the Minister of Magic, and the rest of the retinue, Jin's party departed the Royal Palace and headed east toward the forest to keep out of public view.
There, they and their automobile were loaded aboard the transport plane Pelican 2, dispatched via transporter by Laojun, before soaring up into the sky.
"It all ended up feeling rather rushed in the end."
Aboard the aircraft, Jin offered Elsa an apologetic smile.
"Not at all. So much happened—it was fun."
Taking a little journey while occasionally swapping with their Doppels had brought back fond memories of her earlier travels with Jin, Elsa remarked.
"Let's go on another trip sometime."
"Nn."
While Jin and Elsa sat side by side, leaning against one another, Pelican 2 steadily drew closer to Hourai Island.
They had opted not to use the Warp Gate this time simply because they did not want their journey to conclude with an anticlimactic Teleportation.
Pelican 2 touched down in the plaza behind the laboratory.
Immediately, four Smiths hurried over and transported Sovereign to the workshop.
As Jin moved to follow them inside, Elsa caught him by the arm.
"Jin-nii, it is already noon over here. To keep your body clock adjusted, you should eat a light lunch first."
"A-Ah, good point."
Heeding Elsa's advice, Jin headed to the dining hall, where every member of the Jin Family currently on Hourai Island was already gathered.
Between bites of his lunchtime sandwich, Jin filled everyone in on what had happened.
Though Laojun had already shared the broad strokes, hearing the details directly from the person involved was far more captivating, and everyone listened with rapt attention.
"I wonder what really happened back then," Reinhard mused.
"When we begin repairs, we should be able to find out by examining the data inside the control core."
Everyone seemed deeply curious about what could have reduced such a mighty golem to that state.
During that era, the original Jin had already passed away, meaning Laojun had rarely collected intelligence on the outside world.
"W-Well then, let me help with the analysis!" Reinhard offered eagerly.
The others wore similarly enthusiastic expressions.
"All right, let's get down to it, then."
Jin was itching to get started as well, and without lingering over his post-meal tea, he promptly made his way to the workshop.