“Eh? Is that so, Jin?”
“Yeah. At this rate, it won't be nearly sweet enough. Plus, there’s some debris in it, so I think you should strain it.”
Saki looked disappointed for a moment, but she immediately regained her vigor upon hearing Jin’s words.
“What, is that all? Well then, Jin, I’m counting on you.”
“Eh?”
“Don’t ‘eh’ me. You’re a magi engineer, aren't you? A top-class one, at that. That’s why I’m asking you to make a magic tool for this.”
Jin was about to shoot back that she hadn’t actually asked until just now, but Reinhard gently patted his shoulder.
“Sorry, she’s just like that... You’ll have to get used to it.”
It wasn’t that Jin particularly minded. It was just that he couldn’t quite keep up with Saki’s frantic pace.
Saki looked at Jin and Reinhard and laughed. “Kufufu.”
“...Alright, I get it.”
Feeling a bit annoyed that he had been talked into it, Jin retrieved a magi-crystal from the materials shelf Saki pointed out and a small iron ingot from the supply area.
Without saying another word, Jin immediately set to work on crafting the magic tool.
“‘Forming.’ ‘Forming.’ ‘Heat Treat.’ ‘Surface Treatment.’”
First, he fabricated the iron components. He performed the forming, shaping, and surface treatment all in one go.
“‘Write In.’ ‘Write In.’ ‘Finish.’”
He then wrote the magi-formula into the magi-crystal with equal speed.
His working pace was so incredible that even Reinhard couldn't follow his movements.
“O-Ooh!”
Even Reinhard, who already knew Jin’s true identity, was struck with awe. As for Saki...
“Wh-What on earth...?!”
She stood frozen in place, her mouth hanging open in utter amazement.
“Now then, this is a magic tool called a ‘magic stove.’ By applying fire magic, it can heat whatever is placed on top. You can adjust the intensity with this knob.”
Ignoring the stunned Saki, Jin explained the device to Reinhard.
“Hmm, this is excellent! A ‘magic stove,’ you say?”
“Yeah. Actually, it’s an upgraded version of something I developed before. The ones sold in the Klein Kingdom use magi-stone sand, but this one runs on a magi-crystal.”
“And it can be used for boiling and cooking? It’s amazing for something this size!”
In truth, heating magic tools did exist in the Shouro Empire. However, they were generally shaped like large bread ovens and were not even remotely portable.
“It’s a downside of elitist thinking,” Reinhard explained to Jin with a regretful smile. “There simply weren't any magi engineers who thought to make such magic tools for the common people.”
As they spoke, Saki finally seemed to snap back to her senses.
“J-Jin, you really are incredible! To be honest, I thought Reinhard was just exaggerating. I apologize for underestimating you.”
Saki bowed her head deeply.
“She has that kind of personality, but there's no malice in her,” Reinhard added. Jin nodded in understanding.
Though it was a bit of a detour, they decided to heat the raw maple syrup using the magic stove Jin had just made.
Since leaving it in the wooden bucket would be a bad idea, they had to transfer it to a pot. As an aside, since there wasn't a suitable pot available, Jin quickly fashioned one from a copper ingot.
It would take some time for the syrup to boil down. To ensure it didn't burn, Jin instructed Reiko to watch it and give it an occasional stir.
While they waited, Jin took another look at the contents of the other bucket that had caught his eye earlier.
It was a black, highly viscous liquid. It caused a rash if touched. Tree sap.
“Is this... urushi?”
Actual urushi sap isn't naturally black; it’s usually a brownish-grey and isn't quite that thick. It only becomes a glossy black paint after it has been refined. However, even Jin wasn't quite that knowledgeable about the specifics.
Then again, since this wasn't exactly urushi anyway, it didn't much matter.
“Jin, what did you call it? Uroshi?”
“I said urushi. It’s very similar to a natural paint I know of.”
Saki nodded at the explanation.
“I see. So it really can be used as paint? A traveling merchant left a barrel of this here, saying it was harvested further south. I was investigating its properties when I ended up in that state.”
She had likely touched it with her bare hands and then accidentally rubbed her face.
“And the one next to it is... oh?”
The adjacent bucket also contained a highly viscous liquid, but this one was white. Jin recognized this as well.
“Is this the sap from a tea tree?”
Saki was the one who answered.
“A tea tree? Tea comes from a different tree entirely. This is the sap of the ‘Peruhya.’”
It seemed the tree they called a tea tree in Kaina Village was known as Peruhya here. However, its properties were far more important to Jin than its name.
Jin had spotted some sulfur on the materials shelf earlier, so he went to retrieve it.
“Jin, what are you doing with sulfur?”
Jin smiled at the puzzled Saki, used Craft Magic to measure the amount of Peruhya sap, and added a corresponding amount of sulfur.
“Now then, Saki, could you come here for a moment?”
Jin beckoned her over.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make you something useful, so stick your hands in here.”
“Hmm? Well, if you say so.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Saki thrust her hands into the Peruhya sap.
“Alright, pull them out....‘Linking.’”
The linking reaction between the Peruhya sap and the sulfur proceeded instantly, resulting in a pair of rubber gloves.
“‘Separation.’”
He separated the rubber gloves from her skin, and they were finished.
“Jin, what are these?”
“They’re rubber gloves. You should use them whenever you're handling that urushi or anything else you don't want to touch with your bare hands. Your hands will get a bit sweaty if you wear them too long, though.”
Saki stared intently at the rubber gloves that fit her hands perfectly, then opened and closed her palms experimentally.
“I see, these are brilliant! Jin, I’m truly grateful. You really are an amazing magi engineer. It’s no wonder Reinhard praises you so much.”
“Isn't he? He’s my boast-worthy friend.”
Reinhard puffed out his chest with pride. Saki laughed at the sight of him.
“Kufufu. Reinhard, you really are devoted to Jin, aren't you? Well, I can see why. I might even fall for him myself.”
Though Saki made the joke, a lonely shadow once again flickered briefly across her face.
However, it vanished in an instant.
Saki, now equipped with the rubber gloves, immediately reached toward the bucket of urushi-like sap.
“This stuff just won't dry. I tried painting it on a wooden board, but it hasn't dried even after a full day.”
Saki touched the surface of a black-painted board lying nearby with her gloved finger. Her fingertip turned black.
“...As I thought, it’s still wet.”
Saki sighed regretfully as she wiped her finger with a rag.
It was almost certainly because she had been testing it like this with her bare hands that she had developed the rash.
“Hmm, let me think.”
Jin racked his brain for his meager knowledge of lacquer.
In modern life, most people would rarely encounter urushi as a raw paint, even if they owned lacquerware.
However, Jin managed to recall the term “searing.”
He remembered hearing on a TV program that the armor worn by samurai was often colored with urushi and that the finish was set using a “searing” process.
“Perhaps it will dry—or rather, harden—if you raise the temperature,” Jin suggested.
Saki’s face lit up, and she immediately rounded on Reinhard.
“Did you hear that, Reinhard? Well? Come on, if you please!”
“...You really haven't changed a bit.”
“Kufufu. Of course not. As if a Persica would ever grow on an apulul tree!”
With a wry smile, Reinhard approached the black-painted board.
“‘Heat.’”
He used Craft Magic to apply heat, taking care not to set the temperature high enough to cause a fire.
As Jin watched, the surface, which had possessed a wet-looking gloss, began to lose its shine after about a minute.
After another minute, it became completely matte. Reinhard noticed the change and stopped his magic.
Saki gently poked the board with her gloved finger. No paint came off. It had dried—or more accurately, it had hardened.
“Oh! It worked! Jin, it’s just as you said! So I just had to heat it? I never would have thought of that.”
Saki looked delighted.
“This sap is perfect as a paint! Now I just need to investigate its other properties. I’m looking forward to that.”
As she spoke, Saki looked out the window and squinted.
Jin had been curious about that behavior for a while, so he finally decided to ask her directly.
“Saki, forgive me if I’m wrong, but is your eyesight... not very good?”