In the village of Kaltz in the Shoro Kingdom, Reinhardt began making arrangements from the night of the 19th for the construction of a desiccant production plant.

However, on the 20th, an unexpected development occurred.

A knight of the Kingsguard of the Shoro Kingdom came to visit as a messenger with a royal order.

"Since there is an urgent need for the production of desiccants, we have decided to build a factory in Van as a national project. Therefore, I have ordered Reinhard Randall to assist us.

He is so quick to listen that I wonder where he got the information.

But I am more concerned about the reason. I asked the messenger,

"We have received information that the long rains in the Kingdom of Klein have caused mold to grow on the grain, resulting in a drastic decrease in the fall harvest, and it seems that His Majesty has considered this matter of great importance and has made this decision.

He simply replied.

"I understand. I will go with you."

The knight messenger returned in a great hurry, saying, "I will definitely inform Her Majesty the Empress of this.

"......"

"Well, what about us?"

I already have a rough plan for this one, so I can handle it without Reinhardt or Jin.

I'll take care of it then."

Reinhardt accepts the offer gratefully when Toa offers to stay on as a technical advisor.

Bertsche and Adberg can handle the paperwork. Saki and Stearina will also stay on to help.

So Jin, Erza, and Reinhardt hurry to get ready.

After an early lunch, they departed in Jin's airship.

"Well, the sky is nice, isn't it?

Reinhard is in a good mood after seeing the view from the sky for the first time in a long time.

"If I have time, I'd like to build one myself.

Reinhardt is still busy with his work as a new lord, he grumbles.

The airfield for balloons is located in Koju, so we set off for there first.

The trip takes about one hour. After crossing Lake Tosmo, Miyagi came into view in the distance.

"Oh?　That's ......."

There were five round spheres flying around the castle.

"Ah, I've heard about them, but I'm sure those are hot-air balloons developed in our country.

They were created by the magi engineers of the Shoro Kingdom, based on the gift from Jin.

The balloon had the same emblem as the flag of the Shoro Kingdom, the <>, on it.

"With that, it's easy to tell which country it belongs to, isn't it?"

"Yes. Jin should decide on his own coat of arms.

Jin thinks about it for a moment when Reinhardt tells him that there is nothing wrong with being an honorary baron.

"...... then I guess I'll have to go with ."

"What?"

"It's one of the family crests of the country I was from. It's a black circle with two horizontal bars. It's called a circle with two bars.

It is also known as the lid of the kettle, together with the circle with a single pull (the circle with a single pull is the lid of the pot).

The <> is for the Ashikaga clan and the <> is for the Nitta clan. The is especially famous for its historical literature written during the Nanbokucho period.

Jin recalled that the head doctor who brought up Jin had told him that the family crest made full use of the family name Nido, <>.

"Well, that's simple, but that's why it's so easy to understand at a glance.

"Yes, I think so. "Yes, I think so. It might stand out more because of its abstract nature.

Elsa nodded.

Jin thought that he would tell the female emperor about it when he met her later.

The soldiers in the balloon seemed to recognize Jin's face and saluted him. The soldiers in the balloon seemed to recognize Jin's face and saluted him.

They seemed to be equipped with protective glasses to protect them from the wind and dust in the sky.

Welcomed by five hot-air balloons, Jin's airship landed in Koju square ...... where the technology exposition was held.

There, a new bollard had been installed to moor the balloons.

"Welcome, Sir Jin Nido, Magecraft Meister!

The large eagle-nosed Minister of Magical Engineering of the Shoro Empire, Degauz Furt von Manischlus, greeted them.

"What do you think of this hot air balloon?　I made it with the best of my country's technology.

Without even a word of greeting, Degas asked Jin what he thought of it.

"Yes, I think it's a good product. This will be a great flight in the sky.

"Oh, I'm glad to hear you say so, Sir. ...... as I'm sure you've heard, I've been ordered to set up a manufacturing plant for desiccants here near Koju.

"Yes, sir."

I have prepared a dormitory for you here. I will introduce you to the people who will work with you there.

Jin, Erza, and Reinhardt entered the prepared dormitory and were met by Christoph Balde von Tharnat, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magical Technology, and three other technicians, all of whom were related to the factory.

All but Christoph were still quite young, and they called themselves Kiringer, Salzbach, and Budweit, respectively.

Jin and his colleagues first laid out the experimental equipment they had prepared and demonstrated to them how to make quicklime from limestone and that the resulting quicklime had water-absorbing properties.

"Hmmm, this is interesting. This is an alchemical ...... or <> technology.

"Yes, it is."

Christophe also said that he is learning knowledge from the <> that Jin gave him. The same is true for the three younger workers.

"In order to make this in the factory, we have devised the shape of the furnace and the materials."

Reinhardt explains to the four of them. In the meantime, Jin supports them by taking out a blueprint of the furnace on a piece of leather paper and spreading it out to show them.

"I see, it doesn't seem that we can simply increase the size of this furnace to produce larger quantities," he says.

"Rather, I think it would be preferable to put these furnaces side by side.

"We also need airtight containers and storage to prevent the finished quicklime from absorbing moisture.

"When digging out the ore and stone, as well as the bauxite, we must wear masks and be careful not to inhale the dust."

These discussions took place as the day drew to a close.

As night fell, there was an uproar in the dormitory.

The female emperor, who had heard that Jin Nido was there, flew in after finishing her duties.

"Sir Jin Nido, thank you for your cooperation.

"Yes, no, I have heard of a mold infestation in the Kingdom of Klein, where I hold the title of Magecraft Meister. I would be happy to help."

Jin is not able to speak in a casual tone since his knight escort and the mayor of Koju are also present.

"Yes, that's what I mean. It would be an aid to the Kingdom of Klein, and it is a situation that could happen to our country as well. We have decided that this is a plan worth pursuing with the whole country.

These leaders are very decisive. Jin was impressed. I wonder how long it would have taken Japan to make a decision in Jin's time: ....... That was not necessarily a bad thing, but Jin preferred the Shoro Empire.

Once again, he performed the experiment of producing quicklime in front of the emperor, and that was the end of today's business.

Jin took this opportunity to declare to the queen his personal emblem, a circle with two halves.

"I think it is a good idea. I don't think any country has such a coat of arms. It is the ultimate in simplicity. In a way, I think it is appropriate for a magecraft master.

The queen praised the design. She also said that she would officially register it as Sir Jin Nido's coat of arms.

"Well, I have something to show you, Sir. I also want to give you the prize money from the other day, and I would like to ask you to come to Leuthart when you are finished with our work.

Finally, the empress asked him to come to her. She did not tell me what she wanted to show me.

"It is a matter of state secret," she said.

The emperor even said something that sounded a little dangerous: "It is a state secret.

Jin replied that he would be able to visit them in the day after tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Originally, the order to set up the desiccant factory had been given to Reinhardt, so he was free to do so.

"Jin, His Majesty says, I can handle this on my own.

Reinhardt was considerate enough to say so, but Jin also did not want to do anything halfway, so he replied that he would stay with them until the prototype reactor was completed.

The prototype furnace was completed.

The prototype furnace was completed, and it was confirmed that quicklime could be produced the next day.

Jin decided to go to Leusert as soon as he finished breakfast three days later on October 23rd, just as the emperor had told him.

Jin, thank you for everything. Elsa, I'll see you soon."

"Yes, Reinhard, take care of the rest. Take care.

Brother Rai, take care of yourself.

The distance is less than 20 kilometers in a straight line, but Jin decides to take the airship.

His air bladder is covered with the black outline of a circle with two drawings on it, which he draws in his spare time.

Jin and his crew make the short flight to the capital city of Leusert.