Having finished lunch with Eira, Kachea, Groma, and the others, Jin excused himself to head toward the waiting room, curious to see how Elsa was doing.
"The waiting room is behind or to the side of the auditorium, isn't it?"
"Yes, Father."
Jin assumed it would be the same place where he had previously given lectures in Avalon alongside Rubina, Freddie, and the rest.
His guess proved right. Inside the waiting room sat Elsa, surrounded by a mountain of reference materials, magi-crystals, and a magi-projector.
The magi-projector was a magi-device Jin had built in the past, capable of projecting image data stored on magi-crystals onto a magi-screen.
It functioned much like an overhead projector.
"Are you ready, Elsa?"
"Ah, Jin-nii....Yeah, everything's ready."
Elsa nodded with a smile.
"When did you prepare the image data?"
"Ah, this?"
Glancing at the magi-crystals and the magi-projector, Elsa shook her head.
"I didn't make them just now. I retrieved them from the Repository."
"Ah, so you gave lectures back then too?"
When Jin nodded in understanding, Elsa shook her head again.
"Not quite."
After checking that only Jin, Reiko, and herself were in the waiting room, she lowered her voice.
"These are materials I made about three hundred years ago."
"Is that so?"
Apparently, she had used them several times during her past life, but after the rise of the Magic Federation, the materials had never seen the light of day again.
"So this is the first time I've used them in three hundred years."
"I see. Since they're materials you made yourself, they should be easy to work with."
"Mm."
"Come to think of it, where is Fifi-san?"
"Ah, she is..."
According to Elsa, Fione Fias had stepped out to handle preparations for the lecture.
"Fifteen minutes left," Elsa murmured, checking the clock.
"Nervous?"
At Jin's question, Elsa shook her head.
"Giving the lecture isn't an issue. It's just... a little frightening to realize how far today's people have regressed."
She explained that it was daunting to truly confront the fact that the efforts of her previous life had come to nothing.
"I know how you feel. When I realized that more than half of what I built four hundred years ago had been torn down, I felt empty too."
Jin nodded in sympathy.
"But Reiko was there for me. Laojun was there for me. They showed me the bonds that keep me anchored to this world. And... you were all there as well."
"...Mm."
"So no matter what state healing—or rather, medicine—is in right now, we can build it back up together. You have the ability to do it, Elsa. And we'll be right behind you."
"Mm. Thank you, Jin-nii."
Elsa nodded, her expression clearing into a bright smile.
Just then, Fione Fias walked in.
"Ah, Jin-sama, you're here....Elsa-sama, it's almost time. I'll take charge of the handouts."
"Thank you."
Fione picked up about half of the documents—a stack that looked to contain around two thousand copies—and carried them out.
She returned roughly two minutes later to haul out the remaining half.
Two minutes after that, she addressed them again.
"About five minutes remaining. I'll be serving as the master of ceremonies, so I look forward to working with you."
She added, "Once I call your name, please head up to the stage using this walkway," before stepping back out of the waiting room.
Five minutes slipped by.
"And now, we will begin today's Medical Lecture. Our special guest lecturer, Elsa Nidou-sama, please take the stage."
The announcement echoed through the auditorium, and Elsa stood up.
"Do your best, Elsa. I'll be listening from the waiting room."
"Mm."
Elsa left the waiting room, leaving Jin and Reiko behind.
"Well then, let's watch."
The waiting room was equipped with a large magi-screen, allowing them to monitor the lecture as it unfolded.
"Thank you for the introduction. I am Elsa Nidou....I go by this name in hopes of coming even a little closer to the great figure of our past."
Applause rippled through the audience. Once it quieted down, Elsa activated the magi-projector.
"Today's lecture is on Human Body Structure. As it is impossible to cover everything in three hours, this will serve as a general overview. I ask for your understanding."
With that, the lecture began.
"First, we will start with the skeleton....I believe this will also prove useful when constructing Adriana-style automata."
Perhaps because of that mention, roughly twenty percent of the audience appeared to be magi craftsmen rather than medical practitioners.
"Please take a look at this."
The large magi-screen behind the podium lit up, displaying an illustration of the human skeleton.
"The bones of the head are known by several names, but anatomically they are referred to as the cranium."
This knowledge was drawn directly from the books brought by Shuuki Tsetse.
"While it may appear as a single structure, it is actually composed of twenty-eight separate bones..."
"On rare occasions, the jawbone may become dislocated. In such cases, if you pull it forward and then press upward..."
Her explanation proceeded smoothly.
"The vertebrae, or spinal column, are commonly called the backbone. Running through the center is a canal where the nerves pass."
A cross-sectional diagram of a vertebra appeared on the screen.
"From top to bottom, they are divided into the cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, and the sacrum—corresponding to the neck bones, chest bones, lower back bones, and the tailbone."
It seemed Elsa had decided to explain them in descending order.
"First are the cervical vertebrae—the neck bones. Seven bones are linked together by cartilage....To digress for a moment, all creatures classified as mammals possess seven of these. Pigu (pigs), mountain deer, and forest bears all have seven."
Elsa explained that having a longer or shorter neck was not a matter of having more bones, but rather that each individual bone was longer.
(Come to think of it, I remember hearing that giraffes and pigs both have seven cervical vertebrae too.)
The audience listened in silence, glancing back and forth between their handouts and the large magi-screen on stage.
"When viewed from the side, the spine forms an S-shaped curve. This allows it to absorb shocks coming from below—from the feet—protecting the skull and the brain within."
Elsa's lecture continued without a hitch.
Not a single person in the audience rose to leave; every last one of them remained seated, listening with rapt attention.