After inviting Lishia and Pascoe into Nidou Castle, Jin began by giving them a brief tour of the interior.
When he asked them to remove their shoes at the entrance, they both gave him looks of utter confusion.
"In my country, this is how it’s done in every home. If you’re not comfortable with it, please feel free to use these slippers."
When Jin said that, both complied readily and decided they didn’t even need the slippers.
"The wooden floor feels wonderful against my feet."
It was late spring, and with the temperature rising just enough to make one break a light sweat, the sensation of the polished wood was refreshing.
Jin proceeded to lead them through the castle.
He started by taking them up the stairs to the third floor to see his office and the archive, then worked his way down to the guest rooms and drawing rooms on the second floor. For the time being, he skipped the fourth floor and everything above it.
"The bathrooms and toilets are on the first floor. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a water vein nearby, so it isn’t a natural hot spring, but I’m planning to pipe one in soon."
"……"
"…………"
The two were speechless. It seemed they were experiencing a mild case of culture shock.
"J-Jin-san, could it be that this place is... Nihon, was it? Is it modeled after your homeland?"
Lishia, the first to return to reality, asked the question. She had heard the name from Barbara once before.
"Yes, that’s right. Although it isn't an exact replica."
Lishia looked impressed by Jin’s answer.
"My, your homeland sounds so unique! It’s wonderful! I’d love to visit someday..."
When she went that far, Jin could only offer a wry smile.
On the other hand, Pascoe looked as though he had just chewed on a bitter bug.
Jin, not noticing Pascoe’s expression, looked out the window. He could see the sun beginning to dip in the clear blue sky.
With his abilities as a Magi Craft Meister, calculating the angle of the sun to determine the exact time was a trivial task.
"It’s almost four-thirty. Today, I’m planning to hold a banquet to celebrate the completion of this castle, the village becoming a leased territory, and your arrival, Lishia-san."
"Is that so? That sounds lovely."
If it had been purely a welcome party for her, Lishia might have felt hesitant to accept, but since Jin explained there were multiple reasons for the celebration, she accepted the invitation quite readily.
"As the ambassador, I’d like to ask you to say a few words later, Lishia-san."
Understanding her role, Lishia nodded.
"Yes, of course."
Jin felt relieved when she agreed.
Pascoe seemed lost in his own world, muttering under his breath. In truth, he was simply on the verge of a total breakdown, unable to mentally process the impossible things he had seen inside the castle.
Jin continued the tour, finally leading them toward the Great Hall.
"Preparations are currently underway in the Great Hall."
When Jin stepped into the room, he was greeted immediately.
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
"Jin-nii."
Hanna and Elsa were already there, helping to lay out zabuton cushions under Mine’s supervision.
Hanna had considered wearing the dress she received from Princess Lieschen, but ultimately chose her nicer everyday clothes, fearing she might stain the fine garment.
"Jin-sama, we are almost finished with the preparations."
Belle was in the kitchen preparing food with Perido 101. Looking around, Jin saw several other Perido units as well. Because of the large number of guests, they had come from Hourai Island to assist.
"Jin-sama, the villagers have arrived."
Barrow entered, leading the villagers inside.
Butler B took their footwear and organized it. It was truly impressive that he could memorize and manage the footwear for over a hundred people without a single mistake.
Laojun had likely judged that five golem maids were insufficient for the task; in addition to the Peridos, five units from each of the five colored series—units 91 through 95—had come to help. This meant a total of twenty-five extra maids were on site.
"What a sight..."
"………………"
Pascoe’s confusion only seemed to deepen as he took in the scene. Jin, unaware of the guard's mental state, began giving out instructions.
"Now then, what should we do about the seating?"
Jin designated the seat of honor for Lishia, followed by Pascoe, and then the Village Chief. He left the rest of the seating to be decided freely.
Hanna and Elsa sat next to Jin, with Reiko standing behind him. Mine insisted on acting as a server and would not hear of sitting down.
"Whoa, this cushion is incredibly soft!"
"Hey! Just because it’s comfortable doesn’t mean you can sneak it home!"
"I heard these are called zabuton."
"This looks higher quality than the bedding at my house..."
The villagers arrived one after another, letting out cries of surprise at the texture and comfort of the cushions as they took their seats.
Then, precisely at 5:00 PM, once every resident of Kaina Village was present, Jin stood up.
"Everyone."
The Great Hall fell silent instantly.
"Thank you all for coming to Nidou Castle today. We are holding this banquet to celebrate three things: the completion of this castle, the fact that I—Jin Nidou—have officially taken charge of Kaina Village as a leased territory, and the arrival of Lishia Fahlheit-dono and Pascoe Rush-dono from the royal capital as a Goodwill Ambassador and her guard. Please, enjoy yourselves."
Jin was unaccustomed to such formal speeches, and there were several flaws in his delivery if one cared to nitpick, but he managed to finish his opening remarks.
As it turned out, Lishia was a Goodwill Ambassador rather than a resident one. This made sense, as a resident ambassador would have required Jin’s prior permission.
In any case, once Jin saw that the golem maids had finished distributing the special Persica juice to everyone, he raised his glass.
"Now then, cheers!"
He took the lead and drained his crystal glass. Seeing that, the villagers followed suit.
"Whoa! What is this?! It’s delicious! Incredible!"
"It’s so sweet! I love it!"
Those drinking it for the first time were stunned by the sweetness.
"It really is delicious, isn’t it?"
"Just what you'd expect from Jin!"
Those who had tasted it before savored the flavor slowly.
As for Lishia and Pascoe:
"I-It’s wonderful! Jin-san, this is Persica juice, isn’t it?"
"...!! Such flavor!"
They were both deeply impressed.
Jin turned to Lishia.
"Lishia-san, could you please say a few words?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
Lishia stood up, appearing slightly flustered for a moment before remembering the request.
"People of Kaina Village."
Her voice was clearer and carried better than Jin’s, drawing the eyes of every villager toward her.
"I am Lishia Fahlheit, the Goodwill Ambassador of the Klein Kingdom. Some of you may remember me from my visit last year as a tax collector."
Rock and several other men nodded vigorously.
"Jin-san has made a tremendous contribution to the Klein Kingdom. In reward for his service, the Kingdom has granted him Kaina Village as a leased territory—in other words, as his own temporary domain."
She paused, and murmurs of "Whoa" and "Incredible" rippled through the crowd.
"This means that all tax matters are now left entirely to Jin-san’s discretion, and the laws of the Klein Kingdom no longer strictly apply within the village. To put it simply, you will not be subject to things like the recent conscription."
Lishia went on to explain the practical benefits of the leased territory that Jin had omitted. Finally, she concluded with a bow.
"Congratulations. May we build an everlasting friendship between the Klein Kingdom and this village."
The hall erupted in thunderous applause.
Next was the Village Chief, Giebeck.
"Everyone, don’t overthink this. Jin-dono told me he wants things to continue just as they always have. That’s why I’ll keep calling him Jin from now on, and I want you all to do the same."
Shouts of "That’s our Jin!" rose from all over the room.
"Daily affairs will still be handled by me as the Village Chief. As you know, Jin tends to disappear every now and then."
Laughter broke out at that remark, with people shouting, "Haha, that’s the truth!"
"Jin’s home is still at Martha’s place. The golem Butler A is stationed there as his proxy. I simply call him 'A,' but if you tell A something while Jin is away, he’ll make sure the message gets through."
The villagers listened, taking this as a matter of course. Those who didn’t were Lishia, Pascoe, and Barrow. Even though Belle had already acclimated, Barrow still seemed unable to wrap his head around the situation.
"Well, I won't ramble on. If you have questions, come ask me directly."
Giebeck looked at Jin as he finished.
"Jin, we’re counting on you."
With that, the banquet officially shifted into a lively, informal party.
The first dish served was a cold stew. It was made without thickener and chilled, which was incredibly refreshing in the warm weather.
Next came hamburgers—patties made from minced meat, breadcrumbs, and spices, drizzled with Perido Leader’s special sauce.
Then came vegetable tempura. The pieces were coated in a batter of egg and flour and fried in high-quality vegetable oil extracted from walnut-like nuts. Instead of a dipping sauce, they were served with the seaweed salt specially made on Hourai Island.
There were also croquettes made with topopo—some plain, and others filled with minced mountain deer meat.
Loaves of passa bread were also provided. In the terminology of this world, bitis were the local grapes, and their dried form was called passa.
Additionally, there was barley porridge, freshly baked bread, smoked meat, fresh vegetable salads, and fruits like persica and citran. Unfortunately, the rice hadn't been ready in time for this feast.
"Whoa! This 'tempura' stuff is so crispy! It’s great!"
"It’s my first time eating a 'hamburger,' but what is this?! It’s way too good!"
Since these were the flavors Jin loved, which the Peridos had worked hard to recreate, Jin himself was overjoyed and savored the food.
"Jin-san, this is all wonderful!"
Lishia seemed to have taken a particular liking to the hamburgers.
"Y-Yes, this 'tempura' is a first for me, but it is quite delicious."
Pascoe, for his part, seemed to favor the tempura.
During the meal, serving duties were left entirely to the golem maids, allowing Barrow, Belle, and Mine to eat along with everyone else.
"Just what kind of person is Jin-sama...?"
Barrow was still muttering to himself, while Belle was simply enjoying the meal.
"This is lovely. I’ll have to ask them to teach me how to make this later," Mine said, enjoying the dishes she had never seen before.
"Onii-chan, this is yummy!"
Seeing Hanna stuffing her cheeks with hamburger while beaming with joy made Jin happy as well.
"Jin-nii, this is great....This one used topopo too, didn't it?"
Elsa, who had gone for seconds of the croquettes, clearly no longer disliked topopo.
The passa bread was also a hit, especially among the children.
At the appropriate moment, Jin gave the order to serve the alcohol. These were drinks that the Quinta units had purchased from various regions.
There was beer from the Kingdom of Egerea, wine from the Kingdom of Elias, and ale from the Klein Kingdom, among many others.
"Whoa! The food is great, but you can’t beat the booze!"
"Hey, don't drink too much!"
The banquet at Nidou Castle was in full swing. To liven things up further, Jin called for Reiko.
"Reiko, can you do that song and dance from the other day?"
Jin was referring to the dance performed by Berche’s automata, Neon, which Reiko had memorized.
"Yes, Father. Leave it to me."
Reiko stood up and walked into the center of the Great Hall.
"Oh? Reiko-chan?"
"Is she going to perform?"
As the villagers watched, Reiko began to dance with practiced grace, humming a melody as she moved. The crowd broke into a storm of praise.
"Whoa! She's so cute!"
"Go for it, Reiko-chan!"
"She's so adorable I want to take her home!"
The dance was a massive hit.
"...I really can't believe she's an automata, Jin-san..." Lishia muttered in disbelief.
Pascoe was wide-eyed and speechless. Elsa clapped along, and Hanna ran innocently to Reiko’s side.
"Reiko-oneechan, that was wonderful!"
Then, she began to dance along with Reiko, mimicking her movements. To everyone's surprise, Hanna had a natural talent for it, and her movements were quite graceful.
"Hanna-chan, looking good!"
Seeing that, other Kaina Village girls like Jessie and Patty joined in. While they weren't as skilled as Hanna, they performed a charming dance together.
"Kyaa! They’re so precious!"
"Girls really are the best. I hope our next child is a girl."
"What are you talking about, you old drunk?"
When the dance ended and the girls bowed together, the hall erupted in thunderous applause. Reiko and Hanna walked back to Jin, holding hands.
"Good job, Reiko. Hanna, you were very cute out there."
"Ehehe~"
Once Reiko and the children had finished their performance, the villagers, many of whom were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, began to stand up one after another.
"Alright, my turn! I’m gonna show you a real dance!"
"Listen to my song!"
"This is my moment!"
"You idiot, why are you stripping?!"
"Nobody wants to see that!"
The night in Kaina Village continued on boisterously, the celebration lasting long into the evening.