“On her own as a magic engineer?”
Reinhardt repeated, before grasping what Jin meant.
“I see… You want Elsa to be recognized by the Shouro Empire so she can return home?”
“Yeah.”
Jin confirmed before Elsa could respond to what Reinhardt said.
“Yeah. If things stay as they are, Elsa won’t be able to return home. ”
“Brother Jin. ……I……”
Jin stopped the troubled Elsa before she could finish her sentence and explained.
“Don’t get me wrong, Elsa. I’m not trying to get rid of you or anything. However, it’s not good to be in hiding forever. ”
“Hmm, I see. So Jin’s thought about this too. ”
Saki sounded impressed.
“Yeah. I heard that Saki’s dad was permitted to marry even though he ran away from battle because he became an accomplished alchemist.”
“Hmm, I see. Well, if she becomes a Magi engineer, she’ll be far more respected than she is as the Viscount’s daughter. ”
Belch chimed in.
“That’s right, if you become a leading Magi engineer, you can expect help from your country and the support you’d receive would be far more solid than you have as a noble without rank.”
After hearing Saki and Belch’s remarks, Jin was sold on his idea.
“Jin…”
“Elsa, you’ve been running away until now. You should return home proudly and then come back here proudly. ”
Jin smiled at her. Elsa realized what Jin meant and the worried expression on her face softened.
“……Okay, I understand.”
“Even so, Master Jin…”
Belch frowned a little, and scolded Jin.
“The way you brought this up wasn’t right. I can see from her reaction you decided to bring this up without first talking to Elsa about it, so she suddenly heard about it now, right? ”
“Uh, yeah.”
“… That’s why Elsa misunderstood and worried. It isn’t hard to see why she might have felt like she was a bother you were trying to get rid of with the way you brought this up. ”
“……”
Jin had nothing to say in response.
“Hmmm, I want Master Jin to try to think about how us girls feel a little more.”
“……Sorry”
He could only apologize.
“Please apologize to Elsa, not me.”
Jin also apologized to Elsa.
“… I’m sorry, Elsa. I should’ve talk to you beforehand. ”
“No, Jin was just thinking about me.”
Elsa was currently an exile. She had committed no crime but her leaving the country was viewed as her having abandoned it of her own will.
According to the laws of the Shouro Empire, returning to Shouro was not allowed without demonstrating that there was a strong reason for leaving.
If she returned, only permanent exile awaited her.
It was said to be a natural punishment for abandoning Shouro for selfish reasons.
However, Elsa had apprenticed as a Magi Engineer under Jin, an Honorary Magi Craftsman. The talent she had developed could contribute to the country, which might be reason enough to forgive her emigration. Elsa would be publicly recognized as a Magi Engineer. Furthermore, Elsa would no longer be forcibly married for the sake of her house because she would be fulfilling a more important role in society.
“Yeah, I’ll back you up too if needed. So please return home proudly and seek an audience with the Emperor. ”
“Uh, wha?”
Elsa was bewildered at the sudden mention of the Imperial Majesty. Yet, Reinhardt followed up Jin’s words.
“That’s right. If you can make an automata, you’re a first class Magi. As you are today Elsa, the Emperor will honor you with an audience. ”
“……”
Elsa felt more bewildered as the conversation went on. She didn’t know what to say.
“Elsa, you’re still young, so don’t let the pain you experienced from running away from your home go on forever. Both Jin and Reinhardt say they’ll help. It’s your turn to take them up on that kindness. ”
“But … What about mother? She’s still”
“I’m fine … I’m from the Kingdom of Eguerea originally. I’ll get my health back here. the Shouro Empire isn’t my home to go back to anyway… ”
It was Jin who stepped in.
“Nah, Mine can go too. Mine was kidnapped together with Elsa by Unify. They threatened Reinhardt in order to capture you both. Mine was beaten because she tried to escape, and she was stabbed in the stomach and dumped in the Azur River to die. That’s when I found her and nursed her back to health. … Look, she’s all better now, right? ”
“Master Jin …”
“Yeah, I can testify about what happened too. ”
“Lord Reinhardt …”
Mine averted her eyes at the warm display of support from them both.
“Yeah, if you need more witnesses, you can ask Sally Millsehan, the healer who treated you.”
Mine started to cry out of happiness.
There was silence. It was a young voice that broke it.
“Auntie, are you okay?”
It was Hannah. Worrying about Mine quietly shedding tears, she had spoken up. Knowing this, Mine smiled.
“I’m okay, Hannah. I’m not crying because I’m sad. It’s because I’m happy. I’m happy your brother is so kind. ”
Mine gently pet Hannah’s head.
If Elsa and Mine were to return home, it wasn’t about to happen today or tomorrow.
It would take various preparations, and if possible, they would need to arrange things in the Shouro Empire too.
Besides, it was Reinhardt and Belch’s honeymoon, so they decided to put off the rest of the discussion for another time.
The preparations would be carried out later by Reinhardt and Jin.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Wow, this is such an unusual castle!”
The Reinhardt and his wife arrived at Nido Castle with Jin. Saki and Elsa were with them.
After finishing a light meal in the dining room on the first floor, they were looking around the second floor.
“Master Jin, this is a really unique castle. Is it Klein Kingdom style?”
Belch enquired in fascination.
“No, this is a castle of my homeland.”
“Where is Jin from originally?”
“It’s a place called Japan.”
“Japan …”
Reinhard and Elsa knew, but Belch and Saki had never heard of the country.
“Jin, I’m not too knowledgeable. Where is this country? ”
Jin thought a little bit about how to answer, then joked lightly.
“Well, let’s see. It’s a country in a very distant place. It would take about 1000 years to travel to.”
“Woah, that’s far away… Super, super far. ”
Saki said in tune, thinking Jin was joking based on his expression.
They went up to the 3rd floor office and then the library. Jin hadn’t shown it to Saki yet, so her and Reinhardt were both fascinated by the book collection.
There are books for children, but they were focused on the books about magical engineering and raw material explanations.
“Jin, what is this!? It’s amazing! The writing style is amateurish, but the content is really advanced?!”
“Jin, who wrote this book? More than half … No, most of it is stuff I don’t even know about!”
He couldn’t say Kou had written it,
“Um, that’s the manuscript of a book by my master.”
Jin dodged the details of the matter and beckoned his guests to follow his lead.
“The fifth floor is private, since it’s just my bedroom. The sixth floor is an observation deck. ”
Jin explained while climbing the stairs. Slightly out of breath, Reinhardt asked.
“What about the fourth floor?”
“Hmm, how should I put it? It’s there for emergencies… ”
Jin thought it would be hard to explain more if he said it was a trap floor, so he ended it with that.
Seeing Jin hesitate in his response, Reinhardt decided it best not to press further.
Passing by the 5th floor, they went up to the 6th.
“Wow, what an amazing view!”
With open windows and a view on all sides, Reinhardt and Belch were so awestruck they looked like children.
Elsa and Saki, who had been here several times, still marveled at the view, admiring how the landscape changed from window to window.
“That’s the Elme River and beyond it is Togo Ridge. To the west there’s a coniferous forest. To the east is a broadleaf forest, where flowers bloom and fruit grows. It’s an essential part of the village. ”
“Hmm, so the village gets food from places other than farmland.”
Reinhardt nodded. He was thinking about the village he would eventually lead.
“To the north is Kaina Village. We find herbs in the low mountains beyond it. You can also find Earth Magi crystals there.”
“Master Jin, is the light I can see beyond the mountains a glacier?”
Surprisingly, Belch knew about glaciers even though there were no glacier mountains in the Shouro Empire.
Responding yes, Jin wore a surprised look on his face.
“I saw one in a book once. I’m glad to get to see the real thing with my own eyes. ”
Belch smiled at Jin.
They all enjoyed the view from the observatory until dusk settled, their conversations blossoming.
They ate dinner in the dining room of Nido Castle.
While enjoying Klein-style cuisine, they sipped on Persica juice.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
“It’s delicious, Jin!”
Kaina Village peacefully wore on into the night.