Published: July 4, 2025
"Everything is going smoothly so far."
The next morning, Ryo said with a smile as he sat down for breakfast.
"Well, that's certainly true."
Even the sharp-tongued Abel had to agree with that.
"Today, we're going to take some souvenirs to Queen Iliriaja, and afterwards, we'll charge into the main keep."
"Huh?"
It seemed Abel didn't quite understand the meaning behind Ryo's words.
"The main keep refers to the headquarters."
"Yeah, I didn't quite understand that term either, but I don't get the actions either..."
Ryo thought the term "main keep" might not exist in the Naitorei Kingdom, so he explained, but it seemed there was more that Abel didn't understand.
"Yesterday, we didn't bring any souvenirs."
"I didn't expect to meet the queen so suddenly."
Today, Ryo and Abel were indeed prepared with proper souvenirs.
While he didn’t think Queen Iliriaja would come out personally, he figured they could just hand them over to the representative of the Sujay Kingdom and have them take them back to their homeland.
There were also a few "souvenirs" for several other countries.
"To be honest, I wanted to give a Grand Piano 'Shen-Ron', but... his majesty the emperor said it was fine."
"That would be heavy. Plus, there's no one who can play it."
"I wish the countries in the Eastern Nations would quickly send people to study piano in Darwei."
Piano diplomacy seemed to be quite difficult.
After finishing their breakfast, the two headed to the Annex of Free Winds.
Of course, they had the concierge from the Inn of Free Winds contact the Annex of Free Winds for them.
As it was part of the same chain, it was expected to go smoothly.
At that time, they were told that Queen Iliriaja was already not at the inn and was in meetings with several countries.
"International diplomacy is quite busy, isn't it?"
"It's not often that leaders and ministers from many countries gather in one place. We can't afford to miss this opportunity," Abel said.
Ryo also recalled seeing such news back in his Earth days.
When summits or meetings like the G20 occurred, there would often be articles about bilateral talks happening before or after those gatherings.
It seemed this aspect remained unchanged, regardless of the era or world.
Ryo and Abel arrived at the Annex of Free Winds.
The receptionist was surprised, and the reason was undoubtedly the two carts following Ryo.
On the carts were wooden boxes large enough for a person to fit inside.
It seemed the receptionist had been informed, and they were allowed to pass through without any issues.
The two then exited the Annex of Free Winds.
"Just as I thought... it was the carts? It's surprising for everyone the first time they see that magic," Abel said while looking at the carts and the wooden boxes on top.
"It seems so. The structure, or rather the mechanism, is actually quite simple," Ryo replied, tilting his head.
In reality, there was nothing like a complex power source like an engine, nor did it float or fly... the four wheels were firmly on the ground, and in terms of shape, it was a simple structure that even a kindergarten kid could make.
Thus, Ryo thought it was a fairly simple magical creation.
"If a golem like the precursor officer no. 1 were following us, I could understand the surprise."
"Ah... that would be Captain Ruyao walking around with friendship proof no. 2."
Captain Ruyao of the Lyun Princely Residence’s guard had been carrying friendship proof no. 2 ever since the infamous raid two months ago.
The only exception was when he went into the Imperial Palace.
Even then, it was said he would pet the head of no. 2 multiple times before reluctantly setting off.
"That treasured no. 2 is quite lucky."
"Well, I can't deny that..."
"What is it, Abel? You seem to have a look that suggests you want to say golems have no heart."
"...Don't they?"
"No one can prove that they don't."
This type of proof is called "the proof of a devil."
"The human heart, after all, is merely the on/off of synapses linked together in vast numbers. In other words, if you break it down, it’s just 1s and 0s—digital. However, because the numbers are overwhelmingly vast, the phenomenon we perceive as 'heart' just appears analog. If that's the case, it’s only a matter of time before golems or artificial intelligence acquire a 'heart.'"