“Umm...”
Jin’s eyes darted about at the unexpected question.
If the goal had been to change the mood of the room, the question was a resounding success. Jin was at a total loss for words when Lishia Fahlheit asked him exactly when he had returned from the Shouro Empire. It was Reiko who stepped in to save him.
“Lishia-san, Father asked Lord Deus Ex Machina to bring him back here.”
“Eh? Lord Maquina?”
“Yes. Lord Maquina possesses superior means of transportation. I cannot speak of the details, as Lord Maquina has forbidden us from doing so.”
“I-is that so... As I thought, Jin-san, you’re amazing. To think you’re an acquaintance of that Lord Maquina.”
“Indeed! Jin-dono is incredible!”
It seemed Reiko had secretly coordinated with Laojun using a manacam to cook up an excuse on the fly. For now, they were sticking with the cover story established in their previous meeting: “Maquina is Jin’s senior apprentice, though they never met during their training.”
“Also, this is a bit late, but I’m returning the Golem horse and the magic tools for treatment. Thank you very much! They were a huge help.”
Lishia felt a wave of relief as she sensed the tension around Jin dissipate.
“I’m glad to hear it. In that case, I should return the horses I was looking after.”
Lishia’s and Pascoe’s horses had been left in the Village Chief’s care. Apparently, there used to be over ten horses at the Village Chief’s house, but they had all been seized during the conscription ten years ago. He had stopped keeping them since then, but recently, he had decided to keep just one, thinking it would be inconvenient to have none at all in an emergency. Consequently, the Village Chief was well-accustomed to their care.
“That would be helpful. Pascoe-san was promoted from an apprentice ritter to a full ritter and obtained a new horse, so I will take these back with me.”
That was the extent of their immediate business, so they decided to check on the horses before nightfall. Jin, after all, knew next to nothing about them.
“For now, let’s go see how the horses are doing.”
It was not yet four o’clock, and the summer sun had only just begun to tilt, casting a dazzling light over the land. Since this was Gloria Allstatt’s first time in Kaina Village, Jin gave her a brief tour as they walked.
“Over there are the wheat fields, and here are the vegetable gardens. Most of the fields in Kaina Village are tended to communally.”
“Communally? You mean they aren't individual plots, but belong to the village in the truest sense?”
“Right. Maintenance is a group effort, and the harvest is distributed fairly. It’s a difficult system to maintain, though.”
“Hmm. If that is the case, can one receive a share of the harvest without actually working the fields?”
Gloria’s question was a natural one. Jin had wondered the same thing when he first arrived in Kaina Village.
“Jin-san, how exactly does that work?”
Answering Lishia was simple enough for him now.
“It’s a small village. They can’t survive unless they help each other, so everyone’s roles are naturally established. The Village Chief distributes everything based on the work done, and since everyone here is a hard worker, nobody tries to slack off.”
“T-that is... in a sense, an ideal community...”
Lishia was astonished. Usually, in such organizations, there was almost always someone looking to get out of work or increase their own share. To hear that such things didn't happen in Kaina Village was a shock to her.
“And that house over there belongs to Martha-san, who looks after me...”
“Honi-hyan!”
Hanna, who was weeding in front of the house, spotted Jin with her sharp eyes and came running over.
“Ah, it’s the ritter big sister! And, umm...”
Hanna’s face lit up when she saw Gloria. She looked at Lishia, tilting her head as if the face was familiar but the name wouldn't come.
“I’m Lishia, Hanna-chan.”
“Ah, that’s right! It’s the Chozeikan big sister!”
“Hanna, it’s ‘tax collector,’ not ‘Chozeikan,’ okay?”
“Yeah, the Cho-zeikan big sister.”
The group, made livelier by Hanna’s presence, soon arrived at the Village Chief’s house. A small sign was hanging there: Mileshann Clinic.
“Mileshann Clinic? Jin-dono, what kind of place is a ‘clinic’?”
Words like doctor, physician, hospital, and clinic did not exist in this world, so Gloria’s confusion was understandable. After consulting with Sally Mileshann about her new start, they had decided on the name “Clinic.”
“I believe it’s generally known as a healing center?”
Gloria nodded, understanding the term. Lishia was equally impressed.
“Jin-san, you invited a healer to the village. They certainly are necessary...”
Lishia, who had once been part of the Relief Ritter Corps and was a practitioner of healing magic herself, fell into a brief, thoughtful silence.
They walked around to the back of the Village Chief’s house to a small clearing where three horses were grazing.
“Let’s see, my horse is... Eh, e-eeh?!”
Pascoe’s horse was a chestnut stallion. The one Lishia had ridden was a chestnut mare with a white blaze on its nose. The one the Village Chief originally owned was also a chestnut mare.
The bellies of both mares were looking quite plump.
“Oh, Jin... and Lady Lishia.”
Giebeck, the Village Chief, had just come out to lead the horses into the stable. When he saw Lishia, his face twisted into an expression of profound apology.
“I’d like Jin to apologize as well...”
With that preamble, Giebeck bowed deeply to Lishia.
“I am so sorry! Regarding your horse, Lady Lishia... because they were kept together, she was impregnated by Pascoe-sama’s horse!”
“Wh-whaaat?!”
Lishia turned beet red.
“It was spring, so it coincided exactly with the breeding season, and before I knew it...”
“Hmm, Pascoe’s horse has no restraint, it seems. To sire two foals at once.”
Gloria’s comment from the side only made Lishia’s face flush even hotter.
“Ah... what should I do?” Jin muttered, looking equally troubled.
“Is the horsey gonna have a baby?” Hanna asked, being the only one truly excited.
“What will you do? She’s still fit enough to be ridden back, but...”
“Well... I don’t want to push her. Could you look after her until the foal is born? I’ll pay for the boarding fees.”
“No, no, we’re the ones at fault for letthing this happen to the horse we were watching...”
“Lishia, in that case, you can just keep using the Golem horse I lent you.”
After some thought, Jin decided to let Lishia have one of the Golem horses permanently.
“I-is that really all right?”
“Yeah. But I’d like to give it a quick tune-up first. It’s already evening, and you’ll be staying the night anyway, right?”
“Yes, that was the plan. I’ll be in your care, then.”
And so, it was settled that Lishia would receive a Golem horse.
While Lishia and Jin finalized the details, Gloria was idly watching the villagers return from the fields. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. She had spotted a hatchet hanging from one man’s belt.
“Th-that! Could it be... no, it can't be!”
“Eh? Gloria-san, what’s wrong?”
Ignoring Lishia entirely, Gloria dashed forward and stood in the villager's path.
“Sh-show me that hatchet!” she barked.
The man was startled. Noticing the Village Chief and Jin nearby, he called out for help.
“V-Village Chief!”
Hearing the commotion, Jin, Lishia, and Giebeck hurried over.
“...Gloria-san...”
Jin and Lishia were exasperated by Gloria’s typical behavior, but Jin offered the man—Jeff—some advice.
“I’m sorry, Jeff. She isn't a bad person, she's just... enthusiastic. Would you mind letting her see that hatchet for a moment?”
“Huh? Oh, okay...”
Since Lishia, a known acquaintance, had vouched for her, Jeff handed the tool to Gloria. Upon closer inspection, Gloria gasped to see the blade was made of adamantite.
“What?! It is only the edge, but this is genuine adamantite!”
This was one of the tools Jin had forged last year during Kaina Village’s crisis.
“To think adamantite could be used for such a humble purpose...!”
Gloria’s excitement reached a fever pitch.
“Jin-dono! I shall be staying in Toka Village for about a week. During that time, you must! You simply must craft a sword like this for me!”
“...Haah.”
Lishia and Jin shared a wry smile and a simultaneous sigh.
Jin sighed at Gloria’s obsessive nature.
Lishia sighed because the perfect moment to say, “Since I’m now running Toka Village, I’d like to learn about territorial management from you, Jin-san,” seemed like it would never come.
As the summer evening deepened, a single, glowing cloud drifted through the sky above Kaina Village.