Now that the two had regained consciousness, Jin decided to bring Elsa and Mine along to see them.
Night had fully fallen, but the path was clear under the steady light of the magi-lamps illuminating Jin’s house.
The living room where the pair lay was even more brightly lit. Two sets of futons were laid out on the floor. Belle remained lying down, but Barrow had managed to sit up, watching with wide eyes as Jin and the others entered.
"Hey there. It looks like you're awake," Jin called out.
"Y-yes! Um, where... where are we?"
The two were resting on futons made on Hourai Island. Barrow, clearly overwhelmed by the incredible comfort of the bedding, was the first to speak.
"This is Kaina Village. More importantly, how are you feeling?"
"I-I'm fine. Thank you so much. I can stand now."
Jin held out a hand to stop Barrow as the boy tried to scramble to his feet.
"Stay down. You need to rest. Here, drink this."
Jin handed him a cup of special Persica juice brought from Hourai Island. He had brought enough for Hanna and the others as well, planning to give them theirs later.
What made this particular batch special was that it had been stored in a free ether box rather than a standard Ether Stocker.
According to research led by Laojun and verified by Soleil and Luna, storing Hourai-grown Persica—otherwise known as Celestial Peaches—resulted in a further increase of the free ether contained within the fruit. To be precise, the free ether content increased in proportion to the time the fruit spent inside the box.
While it contained free ether just like recovery medicine, the effects were different. Recovery medicine healed physical injuries and ailments, whereas Celestial Peaches regulated and improved one's overall physical condition.
Research had already confirmed that for any creature possessing even a trace of magic, absorbing the free ether from a Celestial Peach temporarily boosted the mana refined within their body. This led to a marked improvement in their health.
Whether this was strictly due to the concentration of free ether or some other factor was still being studied.
Regardless, the Persica juice from Hourai Island promised significant results, even if it wasn't a miracle cure like recovery medicine. Furthermore, it could be consumed daily without side effects. If used alongside recovery medicine, the restorative effects were expected to double.
"Th-thank you. I'll take it."
Barrow accepted the cup with both hands. The liquid inside was thick and pulpy. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, but the sweet fragrance was so enticing that he took a tentative sip.
His eyes widened. An indescribable sweetness flooded his mouth. He took another sip, then another, and before he realized it, the cup was empty.
"Thank you very much. That was... delicious."
Barrow stared longingly at the empty cup. Jin noticed and asked, "Would you like another?"
"N-no! Please, give some to Belle instead of me!" the boy blurted out.
Jin gave a small, satisfied smile at the response.
"I’ll give Belle this first. Here, Barrow, you should be the one to help her drink it."
Jin handed him a different cup. This one contained a pale yellow liquid. It had no scent and looked like nothing more than tinted water.
"What is this?"
"Medicine," Jin replied briefly, gesturing for him to proceed. At the word "medicine," Barrow hurried to support Belle's upper body.
"Belle, can you hear me? You need to drink this medicine."
"...Mm."
Though she was awake, Belle's consciousness was still hazy. Lacking the strength to speak, she gave a faint murmur and pressed her lips to the cup Barrow held for her, managing to swallow the contents.
Once she had finished, Barrow laid her back down and returned the cup to Jin.
"Thank you, sir."
Jin took the cup and immediately held out another. "Try to get her to drink at least a little of this, too."
This time, it was the same juice Barrow had just enjoyed. Barrow helped Belle drink that as well. After finishing the juice, Belle let out a long, soft sigh of relief.
Barrow gently tucked her back into the futon.
Seeing the boy's care, Jin pointed to the refrigerator in the corner of the room.
"There's more of that juice in there. If you get thirsty, feel free to help yourself. For now, just focus on resting."
"Um..." Barrow spoke up hesitantly. "Why... why are you being so kind to us?"
Jin thought about it for a moment. "Well, I wonder why? I suppose I just couldn't leave you there like that."
He then introduced his companions. "This is Elsa, my sister figure. And this is Mine, Elsa's mother."
"I-I'm Barrow. It's an honor to meet you, Elsa-sama, Mine-sama."
Barrow stood up to bow politely before turning back to Jin. "And... may I ask your name, sir?"
"Oh? Did I forget to tell you? I'm Jin. Jin Nidou."
"Jin-sama! Thank you... thank you truly for saving us!" Barrow bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
"It’s fine. Just rest for tonight."
Jin motioned for Elsa and Mine to follow him out of the room. As he reached the door, he added one last thing.
"The toilet is on the first floor. The well is a little distance away, but there’s plenty of drinking water in the refrigerator. I'll be in the room next door, so call out if you need anything."
With that, he finally stepped out. Jin went to his own bedroom, while Elsa and Mine headed downstairs.
Left alone, Barrow looked over at Belle. She had fallen back into a deep sleep, but her complexion already looked noticeably better. He placed a hand on her forehead; the fever seemed to have broken significantly.
"That medicine is incredible..." he whispered. It was no wonder he was impressed—Belle had been burning with a fever for four days. He even felt a surge of vitality returning to his own body.
"We really were saved by a good person..."
Barrow climbed back into his own bed. "And this futon... it's like sleeping on a cloud."
The weight of his exhaustion finally caught up with him, and Barrow drifted back into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Barrow woke to the morning light streaming through the window. Realizing he was still tucked into the fluffy futon, he muttered to himself, "Oh, right... Jin-sama took us in."
He glanced to his side, but the spot where Belle should have been was empty. The futon was cold.
"Be-Belle!?"
He scrambled out of bed in a panic. He almost tried to leap out the window before he realized he was on the second floor. However, looking down, he spotted Belle standing just below.
"Belle!" he shouted, leaning out the window.
Belle looked up at his voice and waved energetically. "Barrow! You're finally up!"
Barrow raced out of the room, flew down the stairs, and burst out the door.
"B-Belle! Are you okay?! What about your fever?"
Belle laughed and spun around. "Yeah, I'm all better! When I woke up this morning, I felt amazing. I realized I was in that soft bed and you were still sleeping so peacefully, so I decided to sneak out for some air."
"Man... don't scare me like that. But I'm glad you're okay."
As they talked, Mine appeared from the house.
"Oh my, you're both up and about. Jin-sama's medicine certainly works wonders, doesn't it?"
Mine knew the efficacy firsthand, having been saved by Jin's medicine herself. Belle leaned in to whisper to Barrow.
"(...Who is she?)"
"Oh, that's right. You weren't really awake yesterday. This is Mine-sama."
Mine smiled and nodded. "That's right. Now that you're awake, you should wash your faces... actually, it would be best to clean yourselves up in the hot spring."
She turned to Elsa, who had just stepped outside.
"Elsa, please take these two to the hot spring. I'll bring towels and a change of clothes in a bit."
Mine mentioned she had to get started on breakfast and left the two in Elsa's care before heading back inside.
"Okay, follow me. I'll show you the way to the hot spring."
"Um, Elsa-sama? What... what exactly is a 'hot spring'?"
Elsa gave them a small smile. "You'll understand once we get there," she said, walking off at a brisk pace.
With nowhere else to go, Barrow and Belle followed close behind her.