Catherine escorted Jin and Norma escorted Makina from the reception room to the dining room.

(I thought they were not just a partner to pass the time. ......)

In fact, these two are the children of noble families who have come to the castle as < as well as apprentices.

Usually, they are the second or third daughters of barons and baronesses, but they also come from barons' families, and on rare occasions, from counts' families. As is to be expected, they do not come from the marquise's family.

Well, in such cases, the family's intention is more than half of the purpose, such as to be recognized by a nobleman in an important position in the country, or to get in touch with an influential nobleman in another country. .......

Thus, two countesses, Norma Dope Harcourt and Catherine Piller Grosin, were chosen.

The fact that these two had a great advantage of being able to use engineering magic, even though they were really beginners, was also a reason for their selection.

It was not a honey trap. It was simply that few people would not be averse to being taken in by a young and beautiful woman who was walking the same path as them (albeit a very beginner level).

And it was a lucky, albeit coincidental, chance.

Jin would have been disgusted if he had been given any further <.

* * * * * *

"Welcome once again, Master Sion of Shinra, the 3rd Magecraft Meister of Magecraft, Master Jin Nido, the Honorary Knight, Master Reiko, and Master Deus ex Machina.

King Mericarance I of the Kingdom of Klein welcomes Jin and his party.

Theon assured them that Reiko was the same Reiko that the < had with him 400 years ago, so she would continue to be referred to by the title of , the title she held at the time. Theon assured me that she was the Reiko that the Magi Craft Meister had with him.

From an external standpoint, Theon of <> is the wife of the clan leader, which means that she is equivalent to the queen, and the king himself is in charge of entertaining her.

If this were a young Zion, the queen sitting on the other side of the king might have been jealous of her, but she was old enough that there was no problem.

Next in line is Jin, the , who is entertained by the Countess.

The third is Deus ex Machina, who, like Jin, is also a countess.

As for Reiko, since it is well known that she is an automata, she is seated on the opposite side of the table from the Countess, with Jin on the other side. A formal meal was also served.

Incidentally, Makina's valet, Rei, was not with us this time.

"Here's to you, my guest, and to the development of the world and of our country!

Cheers!

The dinner started with a toast by King Mericarance I.

"Well, this is quite delicious."

Instead of a course meal, the dishes were served on platters, and Jin and Makina were served by their hostess.

In the case of Zion, the king could not do so, so a senior lady-in-waiting took care of it.

The cuisine of the Klein Kingdom, unlike magical technology, seems to have continued for 400 years, and the taste was far more refined than when I had tasted it in the past.

There is also white rice. The rice was cooked to a very good degree.

There was also miso soup. Miso soup with shellfish like shijimi clam.

Grilled fish......, broiled eel and oshinko (Japanese pickles) are also available.

On the other hand, there are also <>, a specialty of Toka village in the past, stew, fried food, and tempura, which is chaotic to Jin's eyes, but now seems to be the norm.

The evidence of this is that everyone present seems to be enjoying the food.

"Well, we are in the middle of a meal.

King Mericolance I opened his mouth.

"You may continue with your meal, my guests. I would like to introduce our guests at ....... We will start with ......."

At a signal from Mericarance I, the person seated below Jin and Reiko stood up.

"My name is Philister van Todes, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Klein."

He was a man of the same age as King Mericarance I, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a soft face.

The next man to stand up was the man sitting in the lower seat of the machina.

"My name is Auburn Tuday Souyou, Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Klein.

He was stocky, with brown hair and gray eyes.

"My name is Bean Shaw Border, and I am the Minister of Internal Affairs.

He was a rather timid-looking man with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Next was the Minister of Magic and Technology, Cowen Raqqa Kiddo.

And now a woman.

"I am Eliza Yeshe, court-appointed healer of the Kingdom of Klein.

She was a sharp woman in her mid-twenties with red hair in a short bob.

Next was a sturdy man who looked like a military man.

"I am Dan Kitche, Commander of the Kingsguard of the Kingdom of Klein.

He was a stern, gray-eyed, burly man with short-cropped brown hair and a beard.

Four other people were introduced and the dinner proceeded.

"Well, well, well, it is a great relief to finally be able to welcome the Magecraft Meister to our country.

Mericarance I said in his unaffected way.

"I know that you have deep ties to the Shoro Kingdom. I also know that there are some complications.

But you say.

"I promise not to pry into your affairs, but I would like you to establish a little more friendship with my country."

"Your Majesty!"

The Prime Minister is a little flustered by these too direct words, but the King is unconcerned.

"No matter how you put it, the fact remains that our country has become a backward nation in the field of magical engineering.

< rose to power," he said.

"I have heard of the recent golem fair in .

I call it a fair, but in reality it was a performance test.

The golem, <>, made by the <>, brought in by the Kingdom of Klein, was ranked last (since this was not a competition, there was no particular ranking).

Mericarance I was very disappointed about it.

"When the <> lectures on the <> were given, we sent a technician from our country. You can expect more from us in the future."

The Minister of Magical Technology had no choice but to say so.

Then Zion opened his mouth.

"Mister Jin, could you ask Miss Reiko to show us a model performance?

His tone was quite firm, as this was a public event.

"Oh, yes.

Jin responded in a tone that matched his own.

"Reiko, will you sing a song for us?"

"Yes, father."

Reiko got up from her seat at Jin's request and began to sing.

"...... in the shape of a little bird, shining in the autumn sunset, falling leaves in the air, where do they go?

Where are they going? I bet they're going to your window, carrying my thoughts on their backs.

If there's a falling leaf tomorrow morning, it's a message from me.

......

The audience lost their voices and listened to Reiko sing the song without any accompaniment.

The song itself is a song from the late Showa period that Jin taught, but .......

If it's a red leaf, I'll be fine, if it's a yellow leaf, I'll be lonely.

If the leaves are brown, I'll wet my pillow every night to see you.

"I wish I could send these feelings on a falling leaf. ......"

Reiko bows in curtsey as she finishes the song.

The dinner party was filled with applause.