Jin unpacked his belongings, arranging pens, ink, and parchment for notes in the office. With the help of Butler B and C, he lined several empty shelves with books.
The books were intended to be innocuous—simple introductory texts on magi craft and volumes filled with botanical illustrations. Naturally, they were Laojun’s handiwork.
He also decided to keep his Honorary Magi Craftman half-coat and badge from the Kingdom of Egerea here. The honorary membership badge for the Shouro Empire Magi Engineer Guild was, of course, still in the carriage.
Since the office had a wooden floor, Jin had brought his own pair of slippers. Aside from being made of magical beast leather, they were surprisingly mundane.
"Alright, that should do it."
With the initial setup complete, Jin moved to clarify the management duties.
First, he instructed Butler B and C that the Five-Colored Golem Maids would be responsible for the basement and everything from the third floor up. He felt it was too much to ask—and somewhat inappropriate—for Barrow and Belle to handle the cleaning and organization of the upper levels or the basement.
For the third-floor office, he decided Belle would only be summoned for guest service; otherwise, it would be handled by the butlers. As for Mine, who worked part-time and supervised the younger two, he granted her more freedom, allowing her access up to the third floor as needed.
Once that was settled, Jin took Reiko with him and headed toward the Village Chief’s house.
"Ah, Onii-chan, welcome back!"
Hanna, who had finished her lunch and was playing outside, spotted Jin.
"Hanna, I’m home."
"Guess what? A noble lady is here!"
"Yeah, I heard. That’s why I’m heading to the Village Chief’s house now."
Hanna gave him a cheerful "Have fun!" as he walked away.
The Village Chief’s house sat almost at the center of Kaina Village. It was around one in the afternoon, just after the lunch hour. Belle, who happened to be in the yard, was the first to notice him.
"Ah, Jin-sama, welcome back!"
Hearing her voice, Barrow poked his head out of a window before quickly ducking back inside. Then the front door flew open, and Lishia came rushing out.
"Jin-san!"
Lishia ran toward him at what seemed like full speed. She grabbed his hands and looked him over.
"It has been so long! I was so worried about you! But you look well—I’m so relieved! What have you been doing since we last spoke!?"
She rattled off her questions in such a breathless rush that Jin hesitated, unsure where to start. Interpreting his silence in her own way, Lishia suddenly turned bright red, released his hands, and jumped back.
"M-My apologies, Jin-sama... I am Lishia Fahlheit, a member of the new nobility of the Klein Kingdom. I have been dispatched to Kaina Village as an ambassador. I look forward to your kind cooperation."
She bowed her head deeply, looking thoroughly embarrassed. Jin was flustered by the sudden shift in tone.
"L-Lishia-san, please, stop that. You said it yourself before, didn't you? Let's just talk the way we used to."
Lishia looked up, standing straight again. "...Is that really alright?"
"That’s what I just said, isn't it?"
Once Jin gave her that final push, her stiff expression finally melted into a smile.
"Oh, thank goodness. I’m glad you haven’t changed, Jin-san."
"I won't change. I’m just me."
As Jin answered, he noticed an unfamiliar young man standing by the door of the Village Chief’s house, watching him with a sharp gaze.
"Uh, Lishia-san, who is that?"
Lishia turned to look. "Ah, he is Pascoe Rush. He belongs to the Fourth Ritter Order and has accompanied me as my guard."
Jin walked with Lishia to the front of the entrance where the man stood. By then, Pascoe’s glare had faded, so Jin decided not to let the earlier look bother him.
"I am Jin Nidou, an Honorary Magi Craftman of the Kingdom of Egerea. I have recently taken Kaina Village as my leased territory."
Jin introduced himself formally. Pascoe responded with his own introduction, just as Lishia had described.
"If you've already finished your meal, I'd like to invite you to my castle. But first, I need a quick word with the Village Chief."
Jin opened the door and went inside to speak with Giebeck.
"...So that is Jin Nidou," Pascoe muttered, his tone carrying a hint of resentment.
"Yes. Hehe, I’m so glad he’s exactly the same," Lishia replied happily.
"To leave an ambassador standing outside while he goes off on a whim..."
"Isn't it fine? I’d much rather maintain our relationship as friends."
Pascoe frowned at her casual stance. "Is... is that your official policy as an ambassador?"
"Hmm, I wonder. It is certainly my personal thought, but as for whether it’s as an ambassador..."
Pascoe was momentarily captivated by Lishia as she tilted her head cutely, but he managed to pull himself together.
"At—at any rate, I believe you should protest any treatment that treats our country with neglect."
"I don't think Jin-san has any such intention, you know? He’s likely just finishing up a simple errand."
Since Lishia was originally from a commoner background, she felt no strangeness in Jin’s behavior, and her intuition was spot on. However, Pascoe remained unconvinced and continued to grumble.
Meanwhile, after consulting with the Village Chief, Jin had decided to hold a feast that evening for the entire village. In a small village like Kaina, decisions were made with remarkable speed.
"So, what is the final headcount?"
"Twenty-nine households, excluding yourself, Jin-dono. The total population is now one hundred and two, including Mine-san, Elsa-san, Barrow, and Belle."
"Understood."
Jin had prepared one hundred cushions in the castle's Great Hall. Since they were slightly short, he realized he’d need to have more made in a hurry.
"Then I'll leave the notifications to you."
"Umu, leave it to me. We are to gather at five o'clock, correct?"
"Yes."
Having answered, Jin made a mental note to build a clock tower for the village eventually.
"Barrow, Belle, once you're finished cleaning up here, please come to the castle."
"Understood."
After that exchange, Jin left the house. Lishia and Pascoe were, naturally, still waiting.
"Ah, Jin-san, are you finished?" Lishia asked with a bright smile.
"Sorry, Lishia-san. I didn't mean to leave you waiting out here. I wasn't being very considerate."
Jin apologized for keeping them standing and then invited them to follow him.
"Construction was only just finished. You and your party will be the very first guests I welcome to the castle."
As they walked, Lishia asked a question that had been weighing on her mind.
"Um, Jin-san... when exactly did you build that castle?"
"After it became my leased territory, of course."
"...Eh?"
Lishia froze for a moment. However, she quickly reminded herself who she was talking to and "rebooted."
"I—I see. Jin-san, you aren't just an amazing magi craftman, but a master architect as well."
"Oh, well, I just had the golems I made do the work."
Lishia found herself oddly satisfied with that answer. She figured that if golems possessed several times the strength of a human, they could surely perform construction at a similar speed.
However, Pascoe did not find it so simple.
"...That's impossible... To finish construction of that scale in just a few days, regardless of the help... This defies every scrap of common sense..." he muttered under his breath. Having experience with city wall repairs in the fortress city of Tetrada, he had far more knowledge of civil engineering than Lishia, which only made the feat more unbelievable.
Soon, the castle loomed large before them.
"Reiko, notify the butlers and the maids to come out and greet us," Jin instructed. Understanding perfectly, Reiko nodded silently.
"Jin-san, what are these 'butlers' and 'maids'?"
When a curious Lishia asked, Jin smiled. "You'll see in just a moment."
True to his word, seven golems were lined up at the castle entrance. Jin stepped a few paces ahead, turned back, and said:
"Ambassador Lishia-san, Pascoe-dono. Welcome to Kaina Village, and to Nidou Castle."
As he spoke, the seven golems bowed in perfect unison.
Though they wore no clothes, Butler B and C were a sleek, matte silver, while the Five-Colored Golem Maids were vibrant shades of red, purple, green, yellow, and light blue. Coming face to face with such exquisite craftsmanship, it was no wonder that neither Lishia nor Pascoe could find the words to speak.