"A futon, huh..."
Jin immediately realized that Elsa was talking about a futon made of magic silk floss.
"But wouldn't they have prepared futons for themselves long ago?"
"Mm. That's true. But I don't think they'd have anything better than those prepared."
Futons made of magic silk floss wrapped in magisilk—the quality of such items was personally guaranteed by Elsa.
"I see... Ah, but what if it doesn't fit their bed size?"
"Then we'll just have to make a bed for them as well."
Elsa was sharp today. Or perhaps Jin was just being a bit slow.
"I get it, that's a great idea. Thanks, Elsa."
After thanking Elsa, Jin turned toward Hanna.
"Hanna, how are your teeth? Do they hurt?"
It seemed he hadn't been able to fully concentrate because he was worried about the girl.
"Mm-hmm, Honi-hyan. It'sh ow-kay."
It was unavoidable that her pronunciation sounded a bit airy. After all, she was missing a front tooth from both her upper and lower jaw.
"Come to think of it, Elsa, do you have any cavities?"
"Mm. None."
"Jin-sama, I've taught Elsa to keep her mouth clean ever since she was a small child," Mine added. "I've been instructing the village children as well lately. Whether it's for better or worse—perhaps because they don't eat many sugary dishes, or perhaps it's just their constitution—none of them seem to have any cavities."
"I don't hear much about tooth decay in this village either," Martha said with a laugh, showing her teeth. All thirty-two of her teeth were perfectly aligned and healthy.
"Hmm, there might be a reason for that..."
For the time being, Jin was relieved that the risk of cavities in Kaina Village seemed minimal. With that settled, he decided to set about the primary task: making the futon.
"Could you tell me the standard size for a futon?" Jin asked Mine.
"Yes. If it's for a newlywed couple..." Mine paused, her expression clouding for a moment. She was likely recalling her own past. "It should be 2.2 meters long and 2.2 meters wide. That applies to both the mattress and the duvet."
That was close to what would be called a king-size bed on modern Earth.
"Thank you....I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?" Mine asked Jin with a gentle smile.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now then, regarding the processing of cloth..."
Jin had brought Elsa to Hourai Island. He decided to take this opportunity to teach her how to process fabric. At his request, Reiko laid out several samples.
"As you can see, there are many types of magisilk depending on the weave and the thickness of the thread. I want you to memorize them first."
In terms of modern Earth textiles, they were plain weave, twill weave, and satin weave. The ratios of warp and weft threads were 1:1, 1:2 (where the weft skips every other warp), and 1:3 (where the weft skips every two warp threads) respectively.
As for the specific types of fabric, there were equivalents to chiffon, organza, tulle, and habutae silk.
"..."
Elsa was entranced by the variety of materials and their textures.
"You ready?"
"Oh, yeah."
At Jin's prompting, Elsa nodded hurriedly, snapping back to her senses.
"First, cut it out according to the dimensions. You'll use Separation, but the critical difference from when you extract a specific amount from an ingot is that you must visualize the dimensions rather than weight or volume."
"Mm. I understand."
"It's better not to expect to get the size exactly right on your first try. If you're going to be off, it's better to be too large. It wastes material, but it's better than the fabric being too small to use."
After explaining the process in detail, Jin began the demonstration.
"Separation."
He processed a medium-weight, plain-weave magisilk fabric. Among the fabrics woven in extra-large sizes, some measured 2.5 meters in width.
Considering the finished dimensions—accounting for the thickness of the stuffing—he cut the fabric into 2.3-meter squares. He prepared four of these.
"Normally you would sew them together, but if you use the Craft Magic Joint..."
The vertical and horizontal threads were joined seamlessly. In the blink of an eye, two envelope-like bags were finished.
"Put the magic silk floss inside... and if you close all four sides with Joint..."
With that, a futon was complete.
"At this size, the stuffing might shift, so it's best to join the layers in a few spots."
He explained that if the front and back fabrics were bonded too tightly, the insulation would drop, so one had to be careful. He then "sewed"—or rather, joined—the layers at specific points using magisilk thread.
"How's that?"
"...It's wonderful. So that's how futons are made."
Elsa was deeply impressed, seeing the process used to create the very bedding she used herself.
"Now, try practicing with these scraps."
Jin handed Elsa several 20-centimeter-wide scraps and had her practice Separation and Joint.
"Joint. Separation. Joint. Separation."
She repeated the process of bonding and cutting many times to get a feel for the magic.
"...It's hard."
The threads wouldn't always bond together cleanly.
"Haha, it's bound to be difficult at first. You should take those scraps home and keep practicing."
"Mm. I'll do my best."
Next, Jin began the construction of the bed. He decided on a design by recalling his stays at Reinhard’s estate and Princess Lieschen's Detached Palace in the Klein Kingdom. He opted for something essentially simple.
Once the design was set, it was time for the materials. Though it might be a bit much for Elsa to take in during a single day, he decided to teach her woodworking as well. He figured he could leave the review sessions to Smith A.
The wood was kept in a newly established lumber warehouse behind the laboratory, stored in a dry environment.
"From here we have cypress, cedar, oak, maple, zelkova..."
Jin called them by the names he was familiar with, rather than the names used in this world.
"I think I'll use maple this time."
It was dense, elastic, and had a subtle, pleasant grain.
With Reiko's help, Jin transported the wood to the workshop and immediately set to work. This process also relied primarily on Separation and Joint, with the addition of Shaping. Elsa watched him with a look of intense concentration.
Though the scale was large, the actual steps were simple. A king-sized bed was finished in no time. It was an imposing piece of furniture.
For the final touch, he applied a varnish that the Predecessor had prepared. It was designed to repel insects and preserve the wood while remaining harmless to humans. He used Craft Magic to apply this coat uniformly.
"Spread."
It was a magic that allowed the substance to soak in evenly. For this, the mental image of "uniformity" was paramount. Finally, he polished the surface with Finish to complete the project.
Elsa watched the entire series of tasks with deep respect in her eyes.
"Jin-nii, when we flew kites in Moft Village, did you use that magic to make the spool too?" she asked, remembering the event. She hadn't actually seen him make it at the time.
"Ah, that's right. I did."
"...I want to catch up to you, Jin-nii. Even if it's only a little."
Seeing the sincere determination in Elsa's eyes, an idea occurred to Jin.
"...Elsa, do you really want to become a magi craftman... a magi engineer?"
"Yes, I do," Elsa replied instantly. "I want to make all kinds of things like you, Jin-nii, and be useful to people. I think magic is for making people happy. It shouldn't be for ruling over others."
That was the conclusion Elsa had reached after her own long reflection.
"Alright, I understand."
Jin took two small magi-crystals from the materials shelf.
"Trans Info, Level 3."
He copied a portion of his knowledge into one of them.
"Elsa, you can use Trans Info as well, right? This magi-crystal is filled with basic scientific knowledge and other fundamentals. Try reading it."
Jin handed the empty magi-crystal and the one filled with knowledge to Elsa. She stared intently at the crystal in her hand.
Direct Trans Info from person to person was fundamentally impossible because each individual's magic pattern was unique. However, it was possible to take knowledge transferred to a magi-crystal, transfer it to another magi-crystal using one's own mana, and then read that second crystal.
"...Jin-nii's... knowledge."
"Yeah. Though it's only the beginner-level stuff, mind you."
"I understand. I'll try....Trans Info."
A magi-formula glowed on the first magi-crystal, and the information was absorbed into the second one.
"That's it. You did it. You should be able to read that second magi-crystal directly now, Elsa."
Jin took back the original magi-crystal he had used and applied Erase to it. Elsa stared once more at the crystal in her hand and activated Trans Info to take the knowledge into herself.