Jin spoke with painstaking care as he explained the situation to the men who had just seen the magnified mites.
"Ah, those are creatures called 'mites.' They're as tiny as specks of dust and don't cause direct harm themselves, but when people with weak constitutions inhale their remains or droppings, it causes their health to fail."
Salyut, who had already received a brief summary, nodded his head over and over. Jin continued to explain what he knew of their biology.
"As far as I know, these mites prefer to breed in warm, humid places."
"What! Does that mean my efforts to keep the room warm and humid—thinking it was good for her throat—were actually having the opposite effect?!"
"Yes—at least where the mites are concerned."
"How could I be so foolish..."
Salyut slumped his shoulders in dejection. Jin patted him on the back to offer some support.
"No, I think your intentions for your granddaughter's well-being were good. That’s why I believe her condition will improve significantly once we eradicate the mites from that room."
Hearing this, Salyut looked up and gripped Jin's shoulders.
"Jin-dono! You have my eternal thanks! I shall get to work immediately!"
Jin offered one more piece of advice.
"As for the mattresses and pillows, I believe you can remove a significant number of the mites by using the 'vacuum cleaner' on them."
"Oh! So it can be used for that as well!"
With those words, Salyut went running down the hallway.
Only Jin, Reinhard, Mattheus, and the head of the local Magi Engineer Guild, Limer Gebalthoff, remained.
Limer turned to Jin.
"Jin-dono, regarding this 'microscope,' was it? Would you be willing to sell this to our Guild as well?"
Jin had naturally expected this, so he nodded immediately.
"Please, make good use of it."
"Of course we will!"
After some negotiation, the microscope was sold for 500,000 Tolls.
Furthermore, Jin added, "If you apply the principle of the vacuum cleaner to draw in the air of a room and filter out the dust..."
"Oh! Then we could eliminate the dustiness of a room entirely!" Limer Gebalthoff reacted. He was sharp, as expected of a guild master.
"In that case, the mesh size of the filter will determine the size of the dust it can catch," Jin advised.
"Mmm. I'll have Salyut handle the operational testing of the prototype."
Limer Gebalthoff laughed as he spoke, and Jin couldn't help but join him.
At 6:00 PM, dinner was served.
A spread prepared with all the hospitality Mayor Salyut Belluci could muster was laid out before them.
Roasted kokarisk. Mountain deer steak. Salt-grilled dried barakudo. A stew of simmered vegetables and meat. A vibrant vegetable salad. Airbeil juice. And pure white bread.
It was more food than they could possibly finish.
"Jin-dono, just as you said, we gave the room a thorough cleaning and used the vacuum cleaner on the bedding before letting Youth sleep. Her symptoms have improved dramatically! I cannot thank you enough!"
Salyut was so moved that he personally came over to pour wine for Jin.
"Still, to think the Kingdom of Egerea possessed such advanced magi craft... and that they are so far ahead in medical treatment as well..."
Limer murmured in an impressed tone. It was a complete misunderstanding, but since explaining the truth would only make things complicated, Jin pretended not to hear him.
"Jin, you were the star of the show again today."
After finishing the luxurious dinner and retiring to their quarters, the group was relaxing in Reinhard's room.
"I am in awe of Jin-dono's knowledge. I'd almost like to resign from the military and become your apprentice, though I know that isn't feasible."
Mattheus seemed a bit tipsy, which was rare for him.
"So, what happened with the request to build an automata?" Reinhard asked.
Jin had completely forgotten about that part.
"Well, once she’s healthy, wouldn't she be happier playing with human friends rather than an automata?"
Jin said with a smile.
Since everyone was a little drunk that night, they decided to turn in early.
Jin was the only one who didn't get drunk due to his constitution, but he felt somewhat exhausted after the day's events, so he returned to his room.
Once the door was closed, Reiko spoke up.
"Father..."
Her voice sounded somewhat downcast.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Reiko?"
"Just now, you mentioned that playing with human friends might make her happier..."
Jin realized immediately what was bothering her. Whenever this topic came up, Reiko became emotionally unstable.
"Ah, in her case, I mean."
"...And what about you, Father?"
Her voice grew even darker. Jin walked over to Reiko, who stood motionless, and hugged her.
"Reiko, I told you before, didn't I? You are my daughter. You should be proud. You are the only girl in the world whose parents are Magi Craft Meisters."
"Father, I am not a girl; I am an automata. Therefore, please count me as one unit."
"Yes, but I don't think of you as just a mere automata. That's why you are my daughter, and I will count you as 'one person.'"
"...Thank you very much."
The gloom vanished from Reiko's voice. Jin felt relieved as well.
"Well then, I'm going to sleep."
"Yes. I shall remain awake through the night, so please rest easy."
"This is a problem..."
"It certainly is, Senior Managing Director..."
With Kaina Village nearly in sight, the traveling merchant—or rather, the Raglann Company's external sales representative, Roland—was at his wit's end.
He had no salt.
It all started with the highway closure. A landslide had occurred past Doppa Village.
That had been on the 5th.
Roland had turned back to the Town of Charles for a time, but being a merchant, he refused to stay idle and instead traveled to the neighboring Town of Gohoho.
There, he sold his wares and made some new purchases.
When he returned to the Town of Charles to check on the situation, he was told that the highway was now open.
Credit is a merchant's top priority. Moreover, Kaina Village was the very place that had given the Raglann Company the opportunity for its great leap forward.
"I've blundered. We must hurry."
Roland drove his carriage toward Kaina Village with great haste. On the 7th, pushing himself through a forced march, he bypassed the Town of Charles and went straight to Doppa.
Then, yesterday in Toka Village, his salt had sold remarkably well. It had gone for a high price—triple the usual rate.
Soldiers of unknown affiliation had arrived and purchased a large quantity at that price, leaving his salt stock depleted.
A merchant he didn't recognize had also appeared from somewhere and sold nearly a hundred kilograms of salt. Also at triple the price.
That merchant must have made a fortune.
As for Roland, he still had to bring salt to Kaina Village. Therefore, he had secured a single twenty-kilogram jar as the absolute minimum requirement.
"I'll have to ask them to bear with it this time and return again in a month."
Or perhaps he would have to deliver just the salt in half a month using horses instead of a carriage—Roland viewed this as his responsibility as a merchant.
But now, even that was gone.
The jar of salt had definitely been there until they stayed at the rest house midway between Toka Village and Kaina Village last night.
Salt, a necessity of life. The supply he had secured specifically for Kaina Village had disappeared before he knew it.
To be blunt, Roland believed it had been stolen.
The monetary value wasn't that high. There were far more expensive items among his cargo, and Roland had the proceeds from his previous sales on his person as well.
"This is trouble..."
His son, Erik, was not with him this time. He was busy in Alban as a technical chief.
The one he had brought along was the rookie, Bauthes.
Roland himself would not be working external sales for much longer. It had already been decided that he would move to an internal office role soon. That was why he had brought a newcomer along to hand over his duties.
"To think this would happen during what might be my final trade with Kaina Village, with whom we've built such a good relationship..."
In the first place, because of the Inado Mine, soldiers were stationed nearby, and public order on this highway had been relatively good until now. News of the recent prison break had not reached Roland's ears.
Roland, who never imagined his salt would be stolen, was deeply depressed.
"At any rate, we have no choice but to go to Kaina Village and tell them the truth..."
"You're right, Senior Managing Director."
A complete reversal from the previous day, Roland's carriage climbed slowly toward the mountain pass.