On the afternoon of the very day Jin delivered Sovereign and Luke.
An unveiling ceremony was held at the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Franz, gathering everyone together.
Of course, several dozen people were tied up with pressing duties, but even they were permitted to take turns catching a quick glimpse.
"Hear me, everyone! The Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou, has flawlessly repaired and restored our nation's guardian, Sovereign! Not only that, but he has also constructed Luke as its brother unit!"
Queen Caroline de Lafayette proclaimed from an elevated balcony.
The attendees responded with a roar of applause and cheers.
"Sovereign. Luke."
Holding up the gold and silver daggers respectively, the Queen issued commands to Sovereign and Luke.
Responding in turn, Sovereign raised the ceremonial sword in its right hand, while Luke hoisted its massive shield.
The cheers grew even louder.
Jin watched the spectacle unfold from the guest seating.
(That should make me somewhat useful to them, I suppose.)
As a courtesy in return for receiving the status of honorary citizen and the title of Royal Honorary Advisor, he had offered a substantial discount on the repair and construction fees.
If an ordinary magi craftsman were to use the same materials—even setting aside the impossibility of matching their performance—it would easily cost more than five times the price Jin had quoted.
Well, even with the discount, the payment had ended up being spread over a five-year loan.
Up on the balcony, the Queen continued her speech.
"...Thus has our guardian been resurrected in our kingdom. Taking this opportunity, I wish to strive for our further development."
Applause erupted once again.
(It'd be nice if every nation could develop culturally and technologically.)
Jin pondered such thoughts while listening to the speech.
Since he had requested in advance that he didn't want to stand out, Jin was spared from giving a speech himself. However, the Queen was followed by the Chancellor, who was then followed by the Commander of the Magi-Ritter Corps, resulting in Jin being held up for about two and a half hours in the end.
By the time it wrapped up, it was 4:00 PM. Earnestly begged to stay the night, Jin decided to lodge for a single evening.
"Jin-sama, Elsa-sama is not with you today, is she?"
Serving as Jin's attendant—or rather, his guide within the Royal Palace—was Najas Kahn.
"Yeah. Today was only supposed to be for the delivery, after all."
It seemed Najas had wanted to ask Elsa about healing magic.
In that case, Jin could also teach her to some extent... or rather, since he was the one who had taught Elsa the fundamentals, he was more than capable of instructing Najas as well.
However, time was limited, and this visit was not for that purpose, so Jin simply said:
"I'll put in a good word for you so that you can attend lectures on healing magic at Avalon."
Even so, Najas was overjoyed.
"R-Really?! Please, oh please, I would be so grateful!!"
She was so eager that she looked ready to drop into a dogeza right then and there.
"All right. Leave it to me."
Avalon was not the kind of place to turn away the education of capable individuals, so Jin was able to make the promise with confidence.
After taking a long, leisurely bath to unwind, Najas spoke while pouring chilled, fresh juice into a glass.
"By the way, Jin-dono, will you be staying to watch the auction?"
"An auction?"
"Yes. The annual year-end auction will be held in the royal capital the day after tomorrow, on the 15th."
Hearing about an auction piqued Jin's interest.
The thought occurred to him that it wouldn't be a bad idea to purchase something unusual if there was anything available.
"Huh. What kind of items will be put up for sale?"
"Let's see. Last year, I was investigating whether any illegal goods were being traded, and there were none of that sort."
"...What kinds of things are illegal?"
"Certain rare plants, small animals, dangerous poisons, and government-controlled artifacts, among others."
Of course, artifacts were rarely seen since they could easily be traced, meaning protected plants made up the majority.
"Poisons are the trickiest, since they can sometimes be disguised so they aren't recognizable."
"I see."
It seemed that on rare occasions sellers unwittingly submitted such items, so every entry was thoroughly screened in advance.
"It is a state-run auction, after all."
If illegal transactions took place right there, it would tarnish the nation's prestige, Najas concluded.
"In that case, it might be fun to take part....It's the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Yes."
"Roughly what price range do the goods sell for?"
Without knowing the going rates, Jin thought, there was no way to prepare the right amount of money.
"Let's see. In the case of last year, I recall most items went for around 100,000 Toll to 1,000,000 Toll, with the highest price being 3,400,000 Toll."
"I see."
Since it wasn't an illicit auction, an outrageously absurd amount of money didn't seem to change hands, Jin realized.
"Additionally, starting tomorrow through the day after, items that aren't quite grand enough for the auction should be on sale at the free market."
A free market—meaning a flea market, perhaps? Jin thought.
(Shoot, I should have brought Elsa along...) Jin lamented.
(Wait, could I still call her over now...?)
He could claim she had been staying in a nearby town and have Hurricane fetch her by tomorrow morning, or...
"Najas-san, if that's the case, would it be all right if I invited my wife over?"
"Eh? Y-Yes, Elsa-sama, right! Of course! By all means, please invite her!!"
Jin wondered if Najas just wanted to see Elsa herself, but nevertheless said:
"Then I'll send out Hurricane tonight. It should return by tomorrow morning, so please report that to Her Majesty."
"Understood."
Since this was a request from Jin, who was both an honorary citizen and a Royal Honorary Advisor, it was approved immediately.
Jin promptly gave the order to Hope, and Hurricane vanished into the night sky.
Naturally, it went without saying that he explained the situation via the Fellowship Bracelet immediately afterward.
Dinner that evening was delivered to the VIP room where he was lodging, so Jin was fortunate enough to enjoy his meal in peace.
"Come to think of it, what happened with the aftermath of that underground gambling ring?"
"Yes, well... Since you assisted us, Jin-dono, there should be no harm in telling you. A sweeping investigation was conducted based on the names listed in that ledger..."
The breakdown consisted of ten percent influential nobles, fifty percent fallen nobles, thirty percent wealthy merchants, and ten percent foreign travelers. The foreigners were deported after their home nations were notified.
The nobles, she explained, would face various penalties such as reduction of estates, demotion in rank, formal reprimands, or imprisonment.
"I see....And what about the hotel?"
Jin had been curious about what became of Hotel Lenore.
"The management changed about a year ago, you see."
That makes sense, Jin nodded inwardly. If that seemingly sound management had shifted toward such shady practices, that was really the only plausible explanation.
"What happened to the original owner?"
"It seems he was tricked by fraudulent schemes and had the hotel seized as collateral for debt."
"How unfortunate... So, what will happen to it moving forward?"
"The state has confiscated the hotel along with its operating rights, so the rest is up to my superiors' judgment."
"Well, I suppose so."
If it were put up for auction, Jin thought, it might even be a viable option to buy it up, lease it back to the original owner at a low price, and transfer ownership when the timing was right.
"...Still, between that and the underground arena, isn't that a bit much for an individual to pull off?"
"Yes. It appears a large-scale organization is behind it, but we haven't been able to trace them from the ledger or the apprehended associates."
"How could that be..."
"We are currently investigating with utmost effort."
I wonder how things would look to Quinta or Laojun, Jin couldn't help but ponder.
Whether it was necessary to cooperate to that extent... was something Jin decided he would think over another time.