On the same day, following their audience with the Queen, Jin and Elsa visited the Kahn residence once again.
This time, Minister of General Affairs Chro de Schone accompanied them.
"Astero and I were classmates back in the day, you see."
Apparently, they were old friends.
(I see. So that's why he was looking out for Najas as well.)
"Oh... Chro... Long time... no see."
"Astero, aren't you looking well?"
"Yeah... Elsa-dono... treated me... yesterday, after all."
Since his lung function had yet to fully recover, he still had to pause for breath between words.
"Even so, your complexion is much better."
"This morning... Najas cast... Vollständige Genesung on me as well... and then... I took the medicine."
The effects of the Persica juice were remarkable.
Above all else, the viscount needed proper nutrition right now.
"Indeed. Being able to cast Vollständige Genesung shows she has real talent... On that note, while it is still a matter for down the line, there has been talk of sending Najas to study abroad in Avalon."
"Oh... That is... more than... I could ever hope for."
With the consent of her father, the viscount, the paperwork going forward would likely proceed without a hitch.
"Furthermore, Astero, I must ask you to relocate from here."
The Minister of General Affairs brought up another matter.
"Why... is that?"
"For the sake of your treatment. To ensure Najas doesn't have to constantly commute back and forth to this estate while administering Vollständige Genesung, we would like you to move into a room within the Royal Palace."
"Under... stood."
This was a calculated move by the Minister of General Affairs.
By framing it around preventing disruptions to Najas's duties at the palace, he effectively silenced any objections the viscount might have raised.
Of course, it was also made possible by the fact that the viscount's condition had improved enough by today to endure the journey.
(I see. That way, that plump older sister won't be able to interfere, either.)
Standing beside them, Jin was inwardly impressed.
And so, Viscount Astero de Kahn was transferred to the Royal Palace later that morning.
Najas's elder sister, Narun, watched him depart with a conflicted expression.
However, as he left, the viscount called out to her with a single phrase:
"Look after... the house."
At his words, Narun's expression turned resolute.
"Leave it to me, Father," she replied, suggesting the estate would be in safe hands during his absence.
With the matter of the viscount and Najas settled for now, Jin and Elsa turned their discussion to pneumoconiosis.
It was an issue far more pressing than any automobile race.
"There are bound to be a lot of patients suffering from it in the mining towns."
"Mm, I think so too... And probably some... for whom it's already too late."
"Most likely."
A heavy gloom settled over Jin and Elsa as they considered how many lives might have already been lost.
"...If there are patients we can save, I want to save them."
"Yeah, absolutely."
Together, Jin and Elsa discussed what could be done for the sufferers.
Saving everyone through their efforts alone would be nearly impossible.
"We didn't hear anything about this in the Shouro Empire, but it seems quite severe here in the Kingdom of Franz."
"Mm... Above all, it's best... to at least clear the dust from their lungs."
Elsa explained that while restoring lung function afterward would take time, it could still be healed using Heilung.
"Besides, there should be healers capable of casting Heilung."
Even if they only relieved the inflammation in the trachea and bronchi—likely the most agonizing part—it would bring immense relief, Elsa noted.
"I see. In that case, we just need to make a dedicated magi-device to extract dust from the lungs, and another one capable of casting Heilung."
"Mm."
The next question was how much to charge for the magi-devices.
Giving them away for free would create complications, so Jin and Elsa continued to brainstorm.
"A healer golem would be far too expensive, so magi-devices are definitely the best option."
"Mm. Limit their functions, and keep costs down as much as possible."
"Hmm... That's easier said than done."
Jin racked his brain over Elsa's parameters.
He had the necessary crafting magi-crystals sent over from Hourai Island via the transporter.
"We should make sure not to use top-grade materials for these, either."
Jin began hammering out the specifications.
"Maybe instead of building in a free ether converter, we can design them to run on the caster's own mana."
While the number of consecutive uses would depend on the user's mana reserves, Jin figured it was better to build magi-devices that even non-healers could operate.
"Mm. That way, even if we make a lot and hand them out, it'll be fine."
From a purely humanitarian standpoint, having replicas circulate might even be beneficial, but given the realm's current level of magi-craft, it was frustratingly unlikely that copies could be easily produced.
"Come to think of it, what does the Kahn family mine produce again?"
There was no question that aluminum oxide was extracted there, but when Jin had Reiko check with Laojun to see what else came out of it, an answer arrived immediately.
"Father, it appears that water-attribute and wind-attribute magi-crystals can be mined there. Their quality is about average."
"Oh, is that so?"
In that case, using the magi-crystals sourced from that very mine would keep manufacturing costs low.
"...And it would probably be best to have Deus Ex Machina handle this at the request of Avalon."
"True, that might be for the best."
If the production costs of the magi-devices were covered by Avalon—which is to say, funded by the World Conference—it would ease the financial burden on the Kingdom of Franz.
"All right. Let's make it look like I contacted Maquina, and have them get to work right away."
"Understood."
That same day, Tomax Bertman, Chief Administrator of Avalon, received a transmission from Deus Ex Machina via manacam.
"Manon, convene an executive meeting."
Tomax Bertman gave the order to his secretary automaton, Manon.
"It's regarding countermeasures for pneumoconiosis in the mines."
"Understood."
When enacting widespread initiatives like this, Avalon possessed tremendous strength because it could operate free from the shackles of national borders. On this occasion, it would serve a role akin to the WHO (World Health Organization).
Thanks to Jin's outreach and the cooperation of Deus Ex Machina, one thousand Healing devices and one thousand Extraction devices for treating pneumoconiosis were produced in just two days and distributed to various nations.
The price per unit was set at either a magi-crystal of equivalent grade or 10,000 Toll (roughly 100,000 yen).
Although it was an initiative launched with the full expectation of running a deficit, having Maquina supply them meant the expenses were effectively absorbed by Hourai Island. And since they were made with average-grade magi-crystals, Hourai Island's reserves had not even been depleted by a single percent.
'Fourteen hundred years since the First One... It truly has been a long time...'
Laojun, the magi-brain managing and overseeing Hourai Island, was reminded once again of the staggering scale of their accumulated assets.
And then, it came to a conclusion:
'These assets... setting aside money, there is no need to recklessly exhaust our raw materials.'
'In the distant future, the day will surely come when this Planet Ars, too, sees its resources depleted just like Planet Hehl. Stockpiling them against that day cannot be considered a redundancy.'
Whether by releasing the stored resources or constructing spaceships to migrate into the cosmos...
Laojun intended to serve Jin until that distant day arrived.
'My Lord, I shall serve you to the very ends.'
Hourai Island remained peaceful today as well.