Chapter 650

Chapter 650

19-37 A kind of epilogue

Instead of going directly to the Shouro Empire after leaving the Klein Kingdom, Jin and the others decided to use the Condor 3 to travel to Penglai Island. They planned to spend a whole day there.

“Elsa, can you help me with something?”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“I’m making a special vending machine. It’s called ‘Automata.'”

“Specialized? What kind of functions does it have?”

“Well, you’ll see. Reiko, do we have the materials?”

“Yes, Father. Everything is ready.”

“Good.”

In front of Elsa’s eyes, Jin began to create the automaton called “Automata”. He worked methodically and calmly. His crafting speed was such that he could complete about 80% of it in just 30 minutes. Elsa realized that she still had a long way to go to match Jin’s skills.

“Is it a female model?”

From the skeletal structure, the muscles, the touch sensors, and the temporary magical skin, it was obvious that the vending machine had a female design.

“Yes. That’s right. And I was thinking that you could help with the final touches to its appearance.”

“Why me?”

“Hmm? Well… this vending machine is a ‘medical vending machine’ designed for health care.”

“Medical…?”

At that moment, Elsa remembered her earlier conversation with Jin when she said, “I wonder if I could help sick people.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Elsa decided on the appearance of the vending machine. She wanted it to resemble Sally, the healer she respected. She called it “Liese”.

At the same time, Jin created a miniature golem specifically for surgical procedures. He named it “Jack. Whether it was named after Tom and Jack or the legendary black doctor was unclear.

A few days later, a mysterious healer appeared at Manuze Lake. She treated various ailments, including parasitic diseases, gave advice on prevention, accepted minimal compensation, and then left for an unknown destination.

—

“By the way, old man, do you know what happened to the maid? And what about the families of the hidden servants?”

While they hadn’t inquired about these matters during their time in the Small Kingdom, Jin became curious as time passed.

“Yes, my lord. As for the handmaiden Ameri, once the culprit, former Minister of Industry Delight, was identified, she was released from prison and reinstated in her position. Princess Liessen vouched for her.”

“I see, that’s good to know.”

“It was reported that the families of the servants were compensated according to the regulations. In case of death due to accidents at work, 100,000 thalers will be paid to the families.”

“100,000 Thals, huh? It’s hard to say whether that’s a lot or a little, but it’s probably in accordance with the employment contract.”

—

The next day, after calculating the approximate time, Jin and Elsa returned to the Shouro Empire on the airship.

In Royzart, they were greeted by the Prime Minister.

After the short formalities, Jin, Elsa, Reiko and Edgar went to the Prime Minister’s office. There they met the Empress.

“Lord Jin Nido and Royal Healer Leizelsoutsu Elsa, welcome back.”

“We are back.”

“And you have completed your mission.”

Elsa humbly acknowledged their success, to which the Empress responded with a bright smile.

“No need for false modesty. King Klein himself expressed his gratitude during the regular morning communication. It was brief because of your condition, but well done.”

The Empress praised her, and her expression became more serious as she turned to the Prime Minister.

“Your accomplishments this time were significant. You and Jin helped uncover the cause of the unknown illness and provided an effective treatment. Impressive work.”

After acknowledging their accomplishments, the Empress turned to the Prime Minister, who spoke.

“Due to their contributions, Lady Elsa of the former Randel family is hereby granted permission to rebuild her family’s estate. She may choose to revive the Randel House or establish a new one. Her status will be that of a viscountess.”

Elsa was surprised by the sudden announcement.

In the Shouro Empire, a viscountess ranked higher than a baroness, which made her higher in status than Jin, who was only a master of magic and an honorary imperial advisor. However, this distinction was only made within the Shouro Empire; outside, Elsa’s status would be considered higher.

Meanwhile, in England, a viscountess or lower was still considered a commoner, unlike in the Shouro Empire.

“Is it okay? Is it really okay?”

The Prime Minister confirmed that this decision had been reached through various diplomatic exchanges.

“As for the desiccant issue, I have ordered an additional ten tons. It was shipped two days ago using the Goliaths to demonstrate our nation’s magical engineering prowess.”

“Have you informed the Cerloa Kingdom?”

“They are right to be cautious. We had various diplomatic negotiations to make it happen.”

After all the reports were finished, it was late in the evening.

In the twilight, Jin and the others flew back to the mansion in an airship.

On the roof of the mansion, magic lamps illuminated their arrival.

“Welcome back, Lord Jin and Lady Elsa.”

Barou and Bele greeted them.

“We have been waiting for you since yesterday afternoon when we received the news of your return from Lord Reinhardt’s residence.”

“Welcome back safely. Congratulations on your great success.”

Jin thought that despite the short time they had spent there, Barou and Bele had learned a lot during their stay at Reinhardt’s.

At this point, Barou and Bele received further explanations from Reinhardt about the “Teleportation Warp Gate”.

Reinhardt had consulted with Jin about this explanation, since it would be second-hand information. They wanted to keep the details vague.

This explanation took place on November 15th, the day before Jin and Elsa returned from the Klein Kingdom.

“It’s time you knew.”

Reinhardt gave a detailed explanation, starting from the beginning.

“Jin possesses several ‘Ancient Artifact Artifacts’, known as ‘Teleportation Warp Gates’. They can’t be placed anywhere, but they are near his bases and those of his close friends.”

This was a summary of what they already knew.

“Those with Jin’s permission can use these teleportation warp gates. From now on, that includes you two.”

This revelation shocked both Barou and Bele.

“Ehhhhhhh?!”

“R-Really?!”

It seemed that the fear and excitement of their new ability, combined with Reinhardt’s explanation about possible failure and ending up in an unknown place, had put them in a strange mental state.

“Uh, Reinhardt-sama, are you sure it’s safe?”

“Can we really use it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s safe. Let’s go.”

With their magic patterns still unregistered, Barou and Bele stepped through the Warp Gate teleportation portal with Reinhardt.

They found themselves in “Shinkai”, not Royzart. Two butlers, number 49 and 50, who were in charge of security, were there.

“Hm, where are we?”

“Did the teleportation… fail?”

Reinhardt reassured them.

“This is an intermediate point. Suspicious individuals won’t be able to get anywhere from here. They say this place is the bottom of the sea. If someone were to stay here, they would be in quite a predicament.”

“‘H-How terrible…'”

“T-This is the bottom of the sea?”

The two were even paler now. Reinhardt comforted them before leading them to the teleportation warp gate to Royzart.

The three arrived at the underground chamber in Jin’s mansion in Royzart. As they ascended to the surface, Barou and Bele finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Amazing! We’re really in Royzart!”

“It feels like a dream!”

This time their faces were red with excitement. Reinhardt couldn’t resist adding a word of caution.

“Listen, this is a secret, okay? Don’t casually tell anyone. If you can’t keep it a secret, I won’t know anything about it.”

“Yes, we understand!”

“We will definitely keep it a secret!”

With that, Barou and Bele would no longer panic if Jin suddenly showed up at the mansion.

Back in Royzart, Jin relaxed in the mansion. Elsa, however, seemed a bit down.

“Elsa, what’s wrong?”

Jin asked, and Elsa answered honestly.

“I’ve been thinking about rebuilding my family’s estate.”

“Is that so? Well, I can’t say much about it… How about you go to your family and discuss it with your mother?”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course. If you use the Warp Gate teleportation portal to get to Reinhardt, you’ll be there in no time.”

Encouraged by Jin, Elsa thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you, Big Brother Jin.”

Jin handed her a ring.

“Guardian ring…? I already have one.”

“Well, this one is…”

“Oh.”

Jin quickly took Elsa’s left hand and placed the Guardian Ring on her ring finger.

Elsa looked at the ring, which was made of rainbow-colored magic crystals like the other Guardian Rings, but with a small aquamarine accent.

“Big Brother Jin, is this…”

“This is my way of expressing my feelings… Take your time with your family. You must be tired from everything that happened.”

Elsa, also blushing, turned away.

“Thank you, Big Brother Jin. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Edgar, let’s go.”

Elsa disappeared through the teleportation warpgate into the underground chamber.

“Whatever conclusion you come to, Elsa, I’ll be on your side.”

Jin murmured quietly, though his words probably didn’t reach Elsa’s ears.