What is that incompetent doing?

King Richard, who was far in the background, was aware of the panic on the part of First Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bojoly.

This was because the same magic screens that had been used in the Elias Kingdom during the had been placed in various locations.

They are used for the same purpose as security cameras and surveillance cameras. The Kingdom of Cerroa is still a country to be reckoned with.

Richard was indignant because he had seen the appalling appearance of Mr. Beaujolie, the First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the magic screen.

"As soon as the ceremony is over, he'll be removed. ......"

King Richard was talking to himself over a glass of his favorite wine.

* * * *

"Sir Gin Nidor, Elsa Ehime, it's been a long time.

"Yes, it's been a while, Your Majesty.

The face of the emperor smiled when he saw their matching tailored clothes.

"Your clothes are very unusual, but very nice. Is that ......?"

"Yes, it's the formal attire of the Kunlun Island.

They made these clothes for this occasion.

"Oh, yes. It's very functional."

The loose-fitting suit-like formal wear was easy to move in and looked functional.

"Oh, uh, Your Majesty, Sir Jinn Nido, I don't think we've been standing around here for very long ......".

Bojoly interrupted, a bit embarrassed, because he did not know how to treat them as they started to stand there talking.

"Oh, I'm sorry. "Oh, I'm sorry, but we're almost there. You can do that at ......."

"And if I do?"

The Empress looked a little expectant.

"...... Oh, here we are."

Jin pointed to the river Asur, the great river that flows to the west of Dali.

"Oh!"

"Oh, is that ......?"

A 10-meter-long, shiny silver boat appeared.

"This is the ship I built, <>.

"Shark. ......"

It is a monohull ship, but its design is similar to that of modern Earth cruisers. It stands out from other vessels.

"Is it made of metal?"

Even the Empress was surprised to see the shining silver hull, and her voice rose slightly.

"No, it's just painted. It's basically a wooden ship."

"......I knew it, <>, right ......?"

A shark slowly approaches the pier. Jin, accompanied by Reiko, approached the pier.

The onlookers......, who are not ordinary people but mostly nobles attending the ceremony,...... cracked open and let Jin through.

As soon as the Shark docked at the pier, Lao Tzu came out from inside. Ann followed.

Lao Tzu picked up the rope and jumped ashore as if there was no distance between them. He secured the boat firmly with a familiar hand. Then he bowed politely to Jin.

"Master, I have just arrived with Ann.

Thank you. You are right on time.

Jin, Jin, where are you?

The emperor arrived a little later and looked at Lao Tzu with a surprised look on his face.

"This is . And this is . This is my automata.

There was a murmur of excitement from the onlookers. Both Lao Tzu and Ann looked like human beings.

"My name is Lao Tzu. Your Majesty, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

"My name is Ann. Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

"Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to meet you. ...... Oh, you're Jin-kun, aren't you?"

Perhaps because of her continuous surprise, the emperor's tone had changed to her usual one.

On the other hand, Reinhardt, who was standing behind her, was watching without panicking because he knew Jin's ability.

Then Fritz Randall, who had led <>, arrived.

Gloria and Cynthia are separated as members of the Klein Kingdom at this point.

Rita, by the way, had been reported as a valet for chores and had been left in the living room.

"Your Majesty, Commander Randall, we have just arrived!

"Oh, thank you. I'll get your report later. The ceremony is tomorrow and Elsa will be there too, so you can talk to her, okay?"

"Yes!"

Fritz salutes and turns to Erza, who is standing next to Jin.

"Elsa, it's been a while. You look better and better every time I see you.

Elsa returns the greeting with a smile.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well, too, brother.

Thank you. ...... Jin-dono, it's been a long time. Thank you for watching over my sister.

"Brother, don't treat me like a child."

"You're still a child in my eyes. Please take good care of your sister, ...... Jin-dono."

Fritz seems to have realized the significance of the two of them wearing the same outfit.

"Yes, you can count on me."

Erza's cheeks turned vermilion when she heard those words.

Fritz then turned to Elsa again.

"I'm sorry, but could you come to my room later?　I have a favor to ask you."

"...... yes, my brother."

Seeing that the conversation was over, the emperor asked her to take charge of the situation.

"Well, it's time to go back to our rooms. You'll see that Mister Beaujolie there is in trouble.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, ......!　What the hell is he?

Richard of Cerroa shouted, slamming the wineglass in his hand to the floor.

His attendants turned pale at the force of his shout.

Airship. An automaton. A ship. All of them were on a level Richard had never seen before.

The king of the technologically advanced Kingdom of Cerroa has an excellent eye for aesthetics.

<<> He realized how much technology Jin Nido possessed, and how far ahead of his own country it was.

"Kuu......!　No, we haven't lost yet. Tomorrow's ceremony will be a sight to see!"

He muttered in frustration, poured a new glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp.

Then there was a knock at the door.

"Hmm?　Who is it?

"Father, it's me."

"Oh, Cesar. Come in.

Yes, Father.

The Dauphin Cesar had come to Dali yesterday, but Richard had been on the airship and had missed the meeting.

Cesar looked at his father, who had been drinking wine since this morning.

"Father, you have been drinking since this morning?

But Richard did not take it well at all.

"Well, tomorrow is the anniversary of the wedding. And this wine makes you think clearer. It's not like any other wine out there.

"Father, I know it's different. But wine is wine. But drinking too much is not good for your health!

But that's just a fool's errand... Richard ignored them.

"But more importantly, you were in the eastern part of the country the other day, weren't you?"

"Yes, I did. As a result ......."

But Richard stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, good. We'll hear about it after the ceremony. I'll ask them after the ceremony. You may step back."

"...... yes."

The word "you may leave" means, in this case, .

Cesar hung his head and left the room.

"......fun, I can finally get lost in my thoughts."

Richard's mind was occupied with tomorrow's commemoration.

How to show his country's prestige to those in attendance. And how to reveal Jin Nido's nose to the crowd.

His mind was occupied with these two things.

On the other hand.

"Father, ...... you have lost weight."

Cesar had not seen his father since last fall, and he returned to his room with some concern about his skinny appearance.