Night fell over the Kingdom of Franz, where Jin and his companions were staying. Morning came without incident... or rather, it was not destined to go so smoothly, as a report came in from Laojun that very night.
Jin opened a line through the Fellowship Bracelet.
"I apologize for disturbing your rest."
"No, it's fine. Is it something urgent?"
"Yes, My Lord....It concerns your hostess, Najas Kahn-san."
An unexpected name popped up.
"Najas? Did something happen?"
"Yes. Her life is being targeted, albeit indirectly."
"What?!"
It was a report that could not simply be overlooked. Jin urged it to continue.
"Her father is Viscount Astero de Kahn, who serves as a local administrative officer in the Kingdom of Franz."
"I see."
A local administrative officer in the Kingdom of Franz was, essentially, a "bailiff"—an official post responsible for overseeing the crown's direct territories.
"He oversees the region surrounding the northern Bersalt Mine, and by all accounts, he seems to be doing quite well for himself."
Since the Kingdom of Franz's economy centered primarily on agriculture, a high-yield mine was a vital source of revenue.
"The local administrative officer pockets a portion of the earnings within a tacitly accepted range."
"I suppose that's how these things usually work."
Being dispatched from Central to the provinces was practically a demotion in itself. Such profits were necessary to keep discontent in check.
"Interestingly enough, the base salary for a local administrative officer in the Kingdom of Franz is set rather low."
"What do you mean?"
"It appears to operate on the premise that they will take a cut of the mine's proceeds."
Skimming off the top was evidently what brought their earnings up to an appropriate wage, Laojun explained.
"I don't know who came up with that system, but they sure are shrewd."
"Indeed, My Lord. Now then, returning to the matter of Najas-san..."
Having digressed slightly, Laojun steered the conversation back to the main topic.
"The Kahn family has four children, all of them daughters, with Najas-san being the fourth."
"Ah, I think I remember hearing that."
Jin recalled her mentioning something along those lines in passing during their small talk.
"The eldest two have already married out, leaving the third daughter, Narun de Kahn, at home."
"Right."
"Furthermore, the head of the house, Viscount Astero de Kahn, is currently bedridden with an illness."
"Oh boy..."
Jin was starting to see the whole picture.
"On top of that, Najas-san has a different mother from her three older sisters."
"Huh?"
The voice of surprise came from Elsa.
"Najas-san's mother was a lady's maid who was dismissed shortly after giving birth to her."
"..."
"...The sisters do not get along. In particular, the third daughter, Narun, treats Najas-san with open disdain."
Hearing that, Elsa frowned.
"Due to time constraints, I have not yet secured definitive proof, but it is believed Narun pulled strings behind the scenes to have Najas-san assigned to the Intelligence Bureau."
"Mm, I see."
"That concludes the report."
"All right, thank you....Oh, right. How many allies does Najas actually have in the Kingdom of Franz right now?"
"Yes, My Lord. Starting with the Queen, most of the key figures are neither friend nor foe. If pressed, one could say the minister of general affairs and the Minister of Magic are on her side. Both seem keen on placing her in a post where her unique talents can truly shine."
"Understood."
Ending the call with Laojun, Jin glanced over at Elsa, who was wearing a rather troubled expression.
"...Thinking about Najas's circumstances?"
"Mm."
Elsa, too, had been born the daughter of a viscount family. She, too, had a different mother from her older brothers. In her case, she had generally been cherished by her family (setting aside the period when her father and brother treated her coldly under the influence of brainwashing).
"...It's a little sad."
"Yeah."
Jin mulled it over for a moment. It would certainly be a shame to let Najas's talents go to waste, and having grown fond of her over the past few days, hearing that she had suffered some "unfortunate accident" would be genuinely heartbreaking.
Even so, it wasn't as though Jin and the others could simply take matters entirely into their own hands.
"For now, maybe we should start by examining her father's illness."
"Mm, leave it to me."
According to Laojun, her father was still only sixty-one years old. If his illness was treated, he could easily remain active in service for another five to ten years.
"Let's bring it up first thing tomorrow morning."
"Mm, sounds good."
Since his condition wasn't so critical that he might not last the night, there was no need to rush over immediately. Jin and Elsa decided to turn in for the night.
Dawn broke on the following day, the 15th—the day of the auction.
Since the auction was scheduled for the afternoon, Jin and Elsa took the opportunity after breakfast to speak with their hostess, Najas, just as planned. The topic, of course, was an examination of her father.
"Where is your father right now, Najas-san?"
"Uh, well, his health has declined recently, so he's currently resting at our estate here in the royal capital."
Hearing this, both Jin and Elsa thought, Perfect.
"In that case, we have some free time this morning. I'd be happy to examine your father's condition."
"R-Really?! Th-Thank you so much!!"
At Elsa's unexpected offer, Najas practically leaped for joy.
After obtaining permission from Queen Caroline de Lafayette, they departed the castle grounds. The Kahn family estate was only about a ten-minute walk away, so they made their way there on foot.
The group of five—Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Hope, and Najas—walked at an easy, unhurried pace.
Along the way, they asked a few more questions about Najas's father.
Viscount Astero de Kahn, turning sixty-one this year. Like Najas, he had blonde hair and blue eyes.
True to his reputation as the bailiff of a mining district, he often took the initiative to head straight down into the mine shafts himself.
"Whenever there was a shortage of miners, Father would even mine the ore with his own hands on occasion, it seems."
"..."
Whether that was fitting behavior for a bailiff was something neither Jin nor Elsa could definitively judge, but his character clearly seemed to be the sort that won the respect and affection of his subordinates.
"We have arrived."
Najas brought them to a halt in front of a medium-sized estate.
"O-Oh, Ojou-sama! Who might these guests be?"
When questioned by the guard at the gate, Najas offered an explanation:
"They are Her Majesty's esteemed guests: Lord Jin Nidou, the 'Magi Craft Meister,' and his wife, Elsa-sama. Elsa-sama is a healer, and she has kindly offered to examine Father."
"I-Is that so?! Please, I beg of you, please save the Master!..."
The guard bowed repeatedly in deep gratitude as he ushered the group inside.
"This way, please."
The garden was meticulously maintained. Passing through it, they arrived at the estate's main entrance.
"Welcome home, Ojou-sama. Are these esteemed guests?"
An elderly man who appeared to be the steward stepped forward to greet them. Najas introduced Jin and Elsa once again.
"Understood. We place the Master entirely in your capable hands."
With their status as honored guests of Her Majesty the Queen, Jin and his companions were escorted straight to the sickroom without any fuss.
"Father!"
"...Najas? Is that you?"
Lying in bed was Viscount Astero de Kahn. Sixty-one years of age. In modern Japan, that would make him just past his sixtieth birthday.
Or at least, that was how old he was supposed to be...
Yet lying before them was an emaciated old man with a dreadfully pale, sickly complexion.