The next day, before they were set to depart from Delid Town, Reinhard approached Jin to discuss their next move.
"Actually, there are some ruins north of here called the Keuwan Ruins," he began. "They're supposedly from around the time of the Great Magic War. I haven't had the chance to see them myself."
Jin found himself intrigued; ruins from that era were right up his alley.
"It will be a bit of a detour, but I don't have any pressing official duties left," Reinhard added. "If anything, I'm quite curious about them."
Jin nodded in agreement.
"Well then, Elsa, what about you? Are you in a hurry to get back home?"
When he asked her, the answer was exactly as expected.
"I'm interested too. I'd like to go."
Reinhard clapped his hands together.
"Right, then it's settled. I'll have to let the lead coachman know."
With that, he stood up and left the room.
＊ ＊ ＊
The carriages rolled out of Delid Town and traveled along the highway toward the regional city of Uremlin.
There was a Mutual Aid Society in Uremlin as well, but Jin decided to hold off on disclosing the technology for the vacuum cleaner. Something about the place felt gloomy and unsettled. He planned to wait until he could find a more trustworthy Mutual Aid Society before sharing his designs.
After staying the night, they headed north along a secondary road. It took about half a day to reach Kohls Town. Since there was still plenty of daylight left, they pushed further north, finally arriving at Yada Village in the evening.
"This is Yada Village."
Reinhard was the first to step down from Jin's carriage. Jin followed him out.
"I heard about it during the ride, but there really is a mine here," Jin remarked, looking up at the shafts located to the northwest of the village.
"I've heard you can find all sorts of gemstones here."
Elsa was the last to descend. Like most girls her age, she seemed to have a natural interest in precious stones.
Jin looked around and took in his surroundings.
"For a village, it's quite lively."
There were enough buildings and people that one could easily have mistaken it for a town. It was Reinhard who cleared up Jin's confusion.
"That's because this isn't an agricultural community; it's a tourism and mining village. Most of the people working the mines are actually from Uremlin, and the tourists are just visitors. The original residents mostly make their living running the inns and shops."
In other words, because the permanent population was small, it was still classified as a village.
"If you follow the mountain path about twenty kilometers northeast of here, you'll reach Keune Village. The Keuwan Ruins are supposedly located there."
Reinhard continued his explanation based on the information he had gathered back in Delid Town.
"Apparently, Keune Village is extremely small, so I was advised that it's better to stay here and make the trip back and forth."
"Well, let's just relax for the rest of the day."
As Reinhard spoke, he looked toward his approaching butler, whom he had sent ahead.
"Good work, Claude."
Claude gave a polite bow.
"Master Reinhard, allow me to guide you to the inn."
The group climbed back into the carriages and followed Claude's lead to their lodging for the night.
The inn was situated in a quiet spot on the outskirts of the village. It was a sturdy, four-story stone building. All the guest rooms faced the mountain, offering an excellent view.
While the rooms felt a bit narrow, they weren't so small as to be uncomfortable. Overall, it was a perfectly adequate inn.
"Oh, you can see the mine from the window."
The windows here didn't have glass. They were fitted with wooden shutters that, when opened, revealed the mountainside. The view of the mine was impressive.
The evening sun was just beginning to sink behind the peaks.
Dinner consisted of a bread-filled soup, grilled river fish, a dish that looked like roasted chicken, and a salad of wild mountain greens.
Jin noticed that Elsa didn't seem to have much of an appetite.
"Elsa, are you feeling alright?" he asked.
"I don't like kokarisk meat," she admitted.
Kokarisk was apparently the bird that looked like chicken.
"If you don't like it, don't force yourself," Jin told her. "Just let me know, and I'll eat it for you."
He quickly moved Elsa's portion onto his own plate and finished it in three bites.
"...Thank you," Elsa whispered, looking down slightly as she thanked him.
"Now, about tomorrow," Reinhard said as he sipped his post-meal Te-e.
"I spoke with the staff here, and they say the weather probably won't be great tomorrow. However, it's supposed to clear up the day after. So, I think we should use tomorrow to rest and just take it easy in the village."
No matter how comfortable the carriage was, continuous travel was still draining.
"Apparently, there's a mine shaft open for tourists. If you're lucky, you can even find raw gemstones. We could visit there, or check out the stone-cutting workshops. I hear you can buy things for less than the usual market price."
"Mm. That sounds good."
Since Elsa was in favor of the plan, they decided to spend the next day sightseeing in the village.
"And since the weather looks promising for the day after, I'd like to head to the ruins then. The question is whether we go by carriage or by horse. The road is supposed to be quite steep, and a normal carriage would take a considerable amount of time."
Since Reinhard had specified a "normal" carriage, Jin made a suggestion.
"In that case, why don't we use my carriage?"
Neither Reinhard nor Elsa had any objections.
It was decided that the party for the ruins would consist of Jin, Reinhard, Elsa, Reiko, and Claude. They were even prepared to spend a night in Keune Village if the situation required it.
Fortunately, Mine hadn't been making much of a fuss lately, so that didn't seem like it would be a problem.
"Alright, then tomorrow we'll explore the village."
With that settled, they turned in for the night.
＊ ＊ ＊
Yada Village was a community built entirely on tourism and mining. The mountain containing the mine was a massive formation of granite—rock formed from magma solidifying deep underground. During that solidification process, various minerals separate and crystallize.
These formations are known as pegmatite, and due to the presence of gases, they can form pockets called druses, or "nests."
Because these druses contain crystals of various minerals, any area where pegmatite deposits are close to the surface makes for an excellent mine.
Moving on, Jin and the others headed out to see the mine for themselves.
The area open to general tourists was an old shaft that had been tapped out and was no longer commercially viable. Even so, if a visitor was lucky, they could still find raw gemstones. Above all, the experience of walking through a long tunnel deep underground was a rare treat. For the wealthy and the nobility, it was a popular form of entertainment.
At the entrance to the tourist shaft, they found another party of nobles waiting to go inside.
The group consisted of four people: a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the mother, a boy slightly younger than Elsa, a girl who looked like his younger sister, and an elderly man acting as their butler.
"Well, well, it seems we shall be joining you today. It is a pleasure. This is the party of Viscountess Sekat, assistant to the Lord of Dizier."
"Thank you for the kind introduction. This is the party of Master Reinhard, a diplomat for the Shouro Empire."
Claude, who was accompanying them, returned the formal greeting.
There were two guides to lead the two groups, totaling eight guests. One was a burly young man whose job was to carry the luggage. The other was a small, middle-aged man who was the actual guide.
"Alright folks, I'll be showin' ya the way. Watch yer step now."
Speaking with a bit of a blunt, local accent, the middle-aged man took the lead and entered the shaft.
The air inside was cool and damp. The ground was rugged, with jagged rocks making it difficult to find a steady footing. The guide, however, navigated the path with ease, checking back frequently to make sure all eight visitors were keeping up.
The large man brought up the rear, serving as a sweep to ensure no one fell behind or wandered off.
A short distance from the entrance, magic tools for light were placed along the walls, providing enough illumination to see the ground.
"If ya happen to get turned around, just follow these lights to get back out."
Jin noticed that arrows indicating the direction of the exit were painted next to each light. As long as those markings continued, even someone who got separated would at least be able to find the way out.
With that thought in mind, Jin continued walking in the middle of the group of eight, ready to explore the depths.