"—And that is the situation."
"Personally, I think the key is to establish industries unique to the village to earn foreign currency... though that might not be quite the right term. Regardless, I believe it’s essential to have a means of generating income."
It was half past two in the afternoon.
After cooling off in the river, Jin, Lishia, Elsa, Berche, and Saki were holding a meeting in the conference room of Nidou Castle.
Elsa was attending as Jin’s assistant, while Berche had joined to gather information that might help in managing Kalts Village. Saki was simply tagging along with the two of them.
Village Chief Giebeck was absent, currently bedridden with a summer cold. Sally was looking after him. Jin had considered simply curing him with magic, but since both of them looked quite happy with the current arrangement, he had decided to leave them be.
"Beyond that, I'd say we need to focus on sanitation."
"I see. You’re certainly right about that."
Given her background in the Relief Ritter Corps, Lishia understood firsthand how vital hygiene was to public health.
"...I want those toilets you have in Kaina Village."
Currently, the toilets in Kaina Village were equipped with, at minimum, the magic of Deodorant, Decomposition, Cleanup, and Sterilization.
In short, they neutralized odors, decomposed waste at a molecular level, cleaned away residue, and then sterilized the area. Molecular decomposition meant reducing everything to carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and a few trace minerals.
When decomposed correctly, the carbon became a black mass very similar to coke, which could be used for cooking or heating.
To avoid the risk of explosions, the hydrogen and oxygen were kept together as water rather than being completely separated. The trace minerals were dissolved into that water to be used as fertilizer.
It was an application of magic possible only because Jin understood the chemical formulas involved.
"Right. Considering the maintenance and inspection, if a simplified version is fine, I can gi—"
"He can sell them to you."
Jin’s offer to "give" them was cut short by Berche.
Reinhard had also approached Jin about wanting the same systems for Kalts Village, and the price for that was still under consideration.
Jin had initially offered them for free, but Reinhard had insisted that as fellow lords, such a dynamic was unhealthy for their relationship. He argued that they should trade for a suitable price instead.
Jin personally preferred local goods over money.
Aware of this, Berche had offered Jin a subtle warning. Jin caught her meaning and gave a small nod in her direction.
"We can discuss the price and payment methods later..."
For the time being, they moved on to other pressing matters.
First on the agenda was the installation of pumps and the replacement of the village toilets as soon as possible. In addition, Lishia added:
"If there’s any chance of finding a hot spring, I’d love to build one..."
She was still quite set on the idea.
"Ah, right. That sounds good. I’ll head over to Toka Village myself. I’ll check the underground veins then, and if there's something there, I'll build it for you."
"Thank you so much!"
Lishia was so delighted she nearly jumped out of her chair.
"O-Of course, I will pay the technical fees...!" she was quick to add.
"We’re not strangers; I’m not going to press you for payment immediately. More importantly, let’s focus on that first point: developing an industry for Toka Village."
If Toka Village could produce a specialty, it would bring in revenue. Depending on the product, she might even be able to use it as a form of payment.
"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is mining."
Given that the Inado Mine was nearby, it was highly likely that useful minerals were dormant in the surrounding mountains. By using Grand Search, Jin could investigate this in significant detail.
He asked Lishia if there was anything else of note, but she wasn't sure about the local crops, though she assumed they were much the same as Kaina Village's. She also didn't know if any of the villagers were capable of using Craft Magic.
Having only been in her post for about two weeks, such gaps in her knowledge were only natural.
"In that case, shall we head to Toka Village together tomorrow?"
"Thank you, I would appreciate that."
"Jin-sama, please allow us to accompany you as well."
"Jin, I'd like to come along too, for the sake of my studies."
Lishia welcomed Berche and Saki's requests to join.
And so, it was decided that the following day, Jin, Elsa, Saki, and Berche would travel to Toka Village with Lishia.
"I have brought some refreshments."
Just as the discussion concluded, Belle arrived with a tray of juice.
"Here you are."
As the juice was handed out, tiny bubbles could be seen rising through the liquid. Since it was served in crystal glasses, the effect was quite clear.
"J-Jin-san, what is this...?"
Lishia stared at the unfamiliar beverage with wonder.
"Oh, it's carbonated juice."
Since their official business was over, Jin reverted to his usual casual tone.
"Eh? Carbonated?"
"That's right. It's good."
Jin took a long drink from his own glass right in front of her.
Having created a magic tool to extract helium from the air, Jin had realized that with a few minor adjustments, he could extract carbon dioxide as well. As a result, low-carbonated juice had become a trend in Kaina Village over the past week.
He kept the carbonation levels low because the villagers, unfamiliar with the sensation, would often choke or cough. He had produced two flavors: citran and ramon.
They were being sold at Nidou Castle and the hot springs for the bargain price of 3 Toll (roughly 30 yen) per cup.
While the Butler units were currently handling the production and sales, Jin planned to eventually hire villagers to run the operation once it was established.
Setting that aside, seeing Elsa, Saki, and Berche drinking with apparent enjoyment, Lishia timidly took a sip.
"...Oh!"
A sharp, tingling sensation danced across her tongue. Combined with the sweet-and-sour flavor of the citran, it provided a crisp, refreshing finish.
"It’s delicious...!"
Before she knew it, she had drained the entire glass.
"Jin-san, that was wonderful!"
"I'm glad you liked it."
Staring into her empty glass, Lishia murmured thoughtfully.
"I suppose this is what people mean when they talk about a 'specialty'..."
The next day, July 17th.
Jin and the others departed for Toka Village as planned.
The group consisted of Jin and Reiko, Elsa and Edgar, Saki and Ar, and Berche and Neon, plus Lishia. Everyone was mounted on Golem horses.
The distance between Kaina Village and Toka Village was roughly eighty kilometers. Even with slightly rough roads, the Golem horses could cover the distance in three to four hours.
Consequently, the party arrived at Toka Village before noon.
"Jin-dono, welcome!"
Gloria Allstatt came out to greet them. She was scheduled to remain in Toka Village through the end of July to serve as Lishia’s aide.
"T-The sword? Is it d-done!?"
In typical Gloria fashion, she blurted out a question about the weapon before even greeting Lishia, even biting her tongue in her excitement.
"Yes, it's finished. More importantly, Gloria-san, shouldn't you be helping Lishia?"
"Ah..."
Gloria scurried over to Lishia’s horse and grabbed the bridle... or rather, the handlebars. Lishia dismounted with a wry smile and left the horse in Gloria’s care.
"Now then, let's have lunch while we rest."
Lishia led the group into the temporary Lord's Mansion, which stood next to the barracks. The villagers of Toka Village watched the arrivals from a distance.
Some seemed to recognize Jin’s face, and hushed whispers of "Isn't that the person from back then...?" drifted through the air. None of them realized that Jin was the Lord of Kaina Village.
"I-I'm so sorry about that."
The whispers had reached the group's ears, leaving Lishia feeling quite awkward.
She seemed to relax once they were inside the Mansion. After Gloria had finished securing the horses in the stable, she received the sword from Jin and paid the twenty-five gold coins. Overcome with excitement, she immediately rushed back outside.
Both Jin and Lishia couldn't help but think that as long as she remained so obsessed, she would probably be a vice-captain for life.
"I'll have the meal brought in now."
Lishia signaled to the villagers working as servants, and three of them began setting the table.
Among the dishes, Jin spotted something unexpected.
"...This is..."
What sat on the plate before him was, unmistakably, pasta.
Technical Details: The sword was a Composite build, featuring a very thin plate of adamantite sandwiched between layers of ordinary steel.
Breakdown of the 25 gold coins (250,000 Toll):
- Approx. 25 grams of adamantite: 175,000 Toll
- 1.5 kg of steel: 15,000 Toll
- Remainder (Scabbard, hilt, and labor): 60,000 Toll