"You want us... to become residents of this village?"
"Yes, if you’re willing. Of course, if you'd prefer to return home, I’ll help with that as well. I’m not asking you to decide right this second."
Barrow thought for a moment before responding to Jin’s offer.
"Well... this village is a wonderful place. I was allowed to observe the study group the day before yesterday. Most of it was within the scope of what we already knew, but Lady Elsa told us that there are plans to teach many more things in the future."
Jin nodded. "That’s right. It will be a gradual process, but I intend to expand the educational side of things."
"I’ve never seen a village like this! I love it here!" Belle answered energetically. "If you’re saying I can live here, then I want to stay."
Barrow looked at her. "Belle, are you sure?"
"Yes, Barrow. Unlike you, I don't have any family left. There's no point in me going back to Magiroots."
It seemed that while Barrow had a family home in the Shouro Empire, Belle was all alone in the world. Jin realized he had left the matter of their backgrounds entirely to Elsa and Mine and had forgotten to check their reports. As the one who had brought them here, he felt he needed to reflect on his lack of attention.
"Jin-sama, would you allow Belle and me to stay in this village? We have no urgent reason to go back to our country. At that time... we were truly at our limit. Our only thought was reaching our home soil before we died."
Barrow turned toward Jin and straightened his posture.
"I understand. I’ll speak with Giebeck as well. As for work... how about managing the castle?"
Jin explained that their duties would involve general cleaning and, when guests arrived, providing reception and hospitality. Eventually, he wanted to entrust them with a portion of the administrative tasks.
"To give us... such a major responsibility?" Barrow asked, looking a bit intimidated.
Belle, on the other hand, gave a much more spirited reply. "Yes! I'll do my best!"
She might not have fully grasped the weight of the position, but her enthusiasm was clear.
"Alright. For pay, let's say ten silver coins a month. Meals will be provided, and we’ll supply any clothes you need. For now, you can live inside the castle. You’ll start with one day off a week, but we can adjust the details later."
Under normal circumstances, the pay for live-in apprentice butlers or maids was practically non-existent. Ten silver coins a month was an extraordinary offer. They had also never heard of a job that included regular days off—at least not in the Celuroa Kingdom where they had been working.
"Y-Yes! We look forward to working for you!"
Nudged by Belle's elbow, Barrow finally managed to voice his agreement.
"Good, it's settled then. We'll talk more about the details tomorrow. I have some business to attend to now."
Jin started to walk away, then stopped and looked back.
"Seriously, if you ever feel like you want to return to the Shouro Empire for a visit, just let me know and I'll see what I can do."
With that, he headed toward the castle.
"Onii-chan, have a safe trip!" Hanna called out from the house, waving as she saw him off.
By the time Jin stepped out of the Warp Gate inside the carriage, the group was nearing the town of Kram. It was about thirty minutes past noon. Having calculated the arrival based on a two-hour-and-twenty-minute time difference, Jin’s timing was perfect.
"Oh, bullseye," he muttered to himself.
The carriage came to a stop at a parking area on the outskirts of Kram.
"Hey, Jin, are you in there?" It was Reinhard. Between the casual way he asked and his lack of surprise, it was hard to tell if he had simply grown accustomed to Jin’s mysterious movements.
"I'm here," Jin replied dutifully.
"The specialty here is a bit unusual."
"I'm looking forward to it," Jin said, climbing down from the carriage. Reiko followed him like a silent shadow.
"Reinhard, Jin-dono, let's go." Mattheus led the way. He had already sent a subordinate ahead to secure a reservation.
"Here, this is the place."
The restaurant they entered looked ordinary enough, but the moment Jin stepped inside, he caught a scent that felt deeply nostalgic.
"Well, it's far from luxurious, but I wanted you to try this kind of cuisine just so you'd know it exists," Reinhard said.
When the dish was placed before him, Jin stared.
"This is..."
To his surprise, it was barley rice and leafy pickles. Beside them sat salted and grilled dried fish. No matter how he looked at it, it appeared to be a dried horse mackerel.
Without a moment's delay, Jin offered a quick thanks for the meal and dug into the pickles and fish. While he expected the barley rice to be dry, it had been prepared with a bit of wheat flour to give it a pleasant, slightly thickened texture.
The greens weren't fermented in rice bran but were salted. They seemed to be overnight pickles made by sprinkling salt and using a heavy stone weight. Since fish similar to horse mackerel could be caught at Hourai Island, the fish itself wasn't rare to him, but the shock of finding a meal like this in such a place was immense.
He felt it would have been perfect with chopsticks, but since he only had a large spoon and a fork, he had to make do. Despite the lack of soy sauce, the nostalgic flavor almost brought tears to Jin’s eyes. He finished the entire plate in a flash.
Seeing his gusto, Reinhard’s eyes widened.
"I’m surprised. I’m honored you liked it that much."
"Yeah, we had something very similar in my hometown, so it was a real treat. Thanks, Reinhard."
"Is that so? I didn't expect that, but I'm glad you're happy. It tastes even better when the weather is cold, though."
Behind him, Reiko was analyzing the components of the meal and transmitting the data to Laojun on Hourai Island.
(Laojun, Father is eating with a very nostalgic expression on his face. Please ensure we can recreate this on Hourai Island.)
(Understood. Leave it to me.)
Receiving the information, Laojun cross-referenced it with Jin’s knowledge stored within his memory. To tailor the results to Jin’s specific tastes, he passed the instructions to Perido, the leader of the Maid Golems in charge of cooking. The next time Jin returned to Hourai Island, he would likely find imitations of Nozawana and Napa cabbage pickles waiting for him.
After all, Hourai Island possessed a large refrigerator, making it possible to produce pickles—traditionally a winter food—all year round.
Having unexpectedly enjoyed a taste of home, Jin spent the afternoon traveling toward Fonde with Reinhard in his carriage, chatting along the way.
"...And so, I've decided to hire those two at my place."
When Jin finished his explanation about Barrow and Belle, Reinhard looked pleased.
"I see! I was worried about them, being my compatriots and all. I'm relieved to hear they're settled."
Reinhard then pulled a wooden tag from his breast pocket. "I've prepared identification for them, just in case." As a diplomat, he had the authority to issue certificates. The tag stated they were residents of the Shouro Empire; all it lacked was the individuals' own signatures.
"I might need these since they'll be working for me. I’ll take them with thanks."
"Yeah, that’s for the best."
The carriage continued its leisurely pace down the highway.
Meanwhile, in Presos in the Klein Kingdom. This town sat on the edge of Earl Walter’s territory. Further down the highway toward the capital lay Gara, which was part of the royal family’s direct holdings.
Normally, a lord would establish their base in a location that made it easy to govern their lands, but Earl Walter was an exception. He preferred to stay as close to the capital of Alban as possible.
Two travelers arrived in Presos.
"We'll be staying here for the night."
One was a young male knight.
"It seems so. Let's make an early start tomorrow," replied his companion, a young female knight.
"Rush-san, have you ever been to this city before?" she asked.
The knight called Rush gave a sheepish smile. "No, I'm ashamed to say I haven't. I'll leave the arrangements to you, Fahlheit-dono."
"You don't need to be so formal. Please, call me Lishia."
"R-Really! In that case, Lishia-san, please call me Pascoe!"
"Hehe, I understand, Pascoe-san."
After stabling their horses, the two went off to find an inn, luggage in hand.