"By 'everyone,' do you mean Stearena as well?" Reinhard asked.
Stearena was the only person with clearance to visit Hourai Island who wasn't currently there. Since Elsa and Mine had already been briefed, they didn't raise any objections.
"Wait, Stearena?" Saki asked, her face a mask of confusion.
"Ah, I suppose I haven't told Saki yet," Jin said, and he proceeded to explain the circumstances of how he had recruited Stearena.
"I see..." Saki murmured once he finished.
"The Marquis told me that a supranational academy would be impossible," Jin continued. "So I gave it some thought. I want to find people who share the same ideals. Not people who think nations don't matter, but people who want to use knowledge and technology for the sake of humanity rather than as weapons of state. I want to gather those people and build a circle of comrades."
A brief silence followed his declaration. Saki was the first to break it.
"I like it, Jin! You have my vote!"
Then came Elsa, followed by Mine.
"I think it's a great idea, Jin-nii."
"Jin-sama, I believe that approach would be quite successful."
"Thank you. I used Trans Info on Stearena to verify her. It feels a bit pathetic that I have to go that far to vet my friends, though."
Mine was the one to offer reassurance.
"No, Jin-sama. Even from my perspective, Hourai Island is brimming with technology far ahead of the world. If someone with dark ambitions were to exploit what's here... well, I believe those measures are actually necessary."
Elsa stepped in to support him as well. "I agree. To welcome just anyone without precautions would be... irresponsible."
"It truly would be," Berche added.
"Yeah! I mean, if it means I'm allowed to come and go from a place like this, I'd gladly submit to a check like that any day!" Saki chimed in.
"See, Jin? Everyone agrees," Reinhard said, wrapping up the discussion. "I believe your caution is wise."
"All right. Then, tomorrow, I'm going to go pick up Stearena. Once she's here, there's something I want to show you all. You'll have to wait and see what it is."
Jin spoke with a playful lilt, and Reinhard immediately looked like he wanted to skip ahead to the reveal.
"Hmph... well, if you insist on showing everyone at once, I suppose I can wait. I'll look forward to it."
Berche watched her husband with a wry smile.
"Well then, since we've got the heavy talk out of the way, why don't we make a few things for Reinhard and Berche's new home?" Jin said, feeling much lighter. "What do you think you'll need?"
"...Toilets, a bath, and futons," Elsa murmured. It seemed those three were her holy trinity of comfort.
The toilets, in particular, were a major hygiene upgrade. In Kaina Village, Jin had replaced every latrine with an instant-decomposition model featuring heated seats.
Jin chuckled and nodded. Berche and Saki were also nodding emphatically.
"Can't go without those. All right, Elsa, you handle the futons. I'll manufacture the toilet components."
Then Reinhard spoke up. "Jin, I'd like to replace the carriage horses with golems. Could you teach me how to build them?"
He didn't ask Jin to make them for him; he asked to be taught. That was very typical of him.
"Since it's a small village, keeping live horses even when they aren't in use is inefficient. In that regard, Golem horses make much more sense."
"Understood. Say no more," Jin replied, happily agreeing. "All right, then. Taking the time difference into account, we've got about five hours. Let's have dinner here and then head back to Kalts Village."
With that, the preparations for furnishing Reinhard's mansion began.
"Oh? Is that how you make them?" Berche asked, watching as Elsa produced magisilk futons.
"Hmm, these are different from standard magi-lamps. 'Ether Light,' was it? I've never heard of such a thing," Saki noted, her eyes glued to the Ether Light (AL) lamps being crafted by the Smiths.
"I see, so that's the skeletal structure. And the musculature... if I look closely, there are clear similarities to humanoid golems." Reinhard was working alongside Jin to construct the Golem horses.
"All right, here goes....'Trans Info'!"
To create the control cores for the Golem horses, Reinhard applied Trans Info to the template core Jin had prepared.
Unfortunately, Reinhard's aptitude for this specific technique trailed slightly behind Elsa's. However, after several practice runs, he managed to reliably reach level 3.
"You did it, Reinhard!"
"Yeah! All thanks to you, Jin!"
At level 3, it was possible to transfer specialized knowledge. Jin paused the horse production to prepare a magi-crystal for Reinhard, into which he transferred a selection of scientific principles. It was slightly less comprehensive than what he'd given Elsa, but it still contained the equivalent of primary and secondary school science and mathematics.
"Reinhard, first transfer the contents of this into another magi-crystal, then use Trans Info on yourself."
Reinhard accepted the crystal, his face flushed with excitement.
"Thank you, Jin....'Trans Info'!"
A magi-formula glowed on the crystal's surface, its data flowing into the second magi-crystal.
"Good. You should be able to read the knowledge stored in that one now, Reinhard."
"Understood....'Trans Info'!"
And so, Reinhard finally gained the foundations of scientific knowledge.
"Incredible! So this is what science is! Jin, I could never thank you enough!"
Jin watched the ecstatic Reinhard with a fond, indulgent smile, understanding exactly how it felt to gain true knowledge. Berche, however, felt the need to intervene.
"Darling? Please do try not to make a spectacle of yourself."
＊ ＊ ＊
In the end, the group ate dinner on Hourai Island before teleporting to Reinhard's new home. Given the time difference, moving then would cause the least disruption to their schedule the next day.
They brought ten sets of futons, ten beds, four toilet units, two Golem horses, and various daily sundries.
By the time they arrived in Kalts Village, it was already dusk.
"So this is Rai-nii's new house."
"My, what a lovely mansion," Elsa and Mine said, offering their praise as they saw the building for the first time.
For the rest of the evening, they focused on setting up the necessary beds and futons in the guest rooms and bedrooms, as well as installing the Ether Lights.
"This is so bright! It doesn't even compare to a normal magi-lamp," Saki remarked as she went around installing the fixtures. Even though she had seen them on Hourai Island, the sheer brilliance of the lights in a previously dark house still surprised her.
"Four toilet units. Two on the first floor, two on the second," Elsa and Mine noted as they installed the facilities. Until then, the house had only been equipped with simple ceramic jars.
"Father, is the bed assembly correct like this?"
"Yeah, that's perfect. Thanks."
Jin was busy assembling the beds with Reiko's help. Since they had been transported through the Warp Gate in Jin's carriage, they couldn't bring finished furniture; everything had to be brought in pieces and assembled on-site.
Meanwhile, Reinhard and Berche organized the smaller household items—kitchenware, dishes, and the like. They even installed a refrigerator.
By the time they finished, it was nearly nine o'clock. The moon, the timepiece of the night, hung just above the treetops.
"Thank you, everyone. You've all worked so hard. I truly appreciate it."
The group was finally relaxing in the drawing room.
Berche and Neon moved among them, handing out glasses of citran juice. After a sip of the perfectly chilled juice, everyone let out a long, collective sigh of relief.
"Thanks, everyone. You were a huge help today."
"All that's left is the domestic staff. Do you have anyone in mind?" Saki asked. "If you're stuck, I could try asking my grandfather."
"No, I'd rather avoid relying on the Marquis if I can help it. I'll figure it out myself," Reinhard replied. He had a look on his face that suggested he already had a few ideas.