"Yes, that is wonderful news."
The Empress was pleased.
"Then I hereby appoint Lord Reinhard Randol as Chief Ambassador and Lady Elsa Randol as Deputy Ambassador."
"Your Majesty, would you mind if I took them there on my airship?" Jin interjected, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"Yes, that would be a tremendous help, Lord Jin Nidou."
If the Empress had appointed Elsa and Reinhard knowing full well that Jin would follow, she was quite the tactician. However, the fact that she seemed to be doing it entirely by instinct suggested that she and Jin were remarkably well-suited to one another.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Man, Jin, you’re a lifesaver."
"Mm. Jin-nii, thank you."
After stepping away from the Empress's presence, Jin and the others spoke privately.
"No, I’m interested in Port Rock myself... Especially regarding Mr. Rodrigo and Marcia."
"Mm, I understand."
"Yeah, I feel the same way."
Elsa nodded, and Reinhard seemed to share the sentiment.
"So, including time for preparations and everything else, we'll depart on December 23rd, right?"
"Yeah, that sounds right. Her Majesty said as much. Tomorrow and the day after will likely be a flurry of activity."
Reinhard mentioned that he would return to his territory once to get his affairs in order. It was only natural, as he was an official ambassador; his formal letter of appointment from the state would apparently be ready the following day.
"In any case, there are so many details to handle."
Jin summed it up in one sentence, and that was the simple reality of the situation.
Since Jin didn't have much to prepare himself, he parted ways with Reinhard and Elsa for the time being and decided to visit Kaina Village. He hadn't seen Hanna in a while, so he braced himself for a bit of a scolding.
It had been over a month since his last visit. Jin teleported to the Warp Gate located in the basement of the workshop in front of the Martha residence.
When he stepped outside, the sky was overcast. In Kaina Village, situated at a high altitude and latitude, the first snow of the season felt imminent.
"Oh, Jin, it’s been a long time."
"Onii-chan, welcome back! Reiko-oneechan too!"
Noticing Jin and Reiko, Martha and Hanna came out of the house to greet them.
"I’m home, Hanna."
Jin caught Hanna as she leaped toward him, noticing that she felt a bit taller. Even though it hadn't even been a month and a half since they last met, he felt a sense of wonder at how quickly children changed during a growth spurt.
"Sorry for being away so long," Jin apologized, but Hanna shook her head.
"It's okay. You're busy with all sorts of important things, right, Onii-chan?"
Hearing her answer, Jin felt her maturity even more keenly.
"I’m going to study really hard so I can help you one day!"
"Hanna..."
Jin gently patted her head, and she beamed with a bright smile.
"What are you two doing standing around out there? Come inside."
Prompted by Martha, Jin, Hanna, and Reiko entered the house.
"The year is almost over. It looks like it’ll start snowing any day now," Martha said as they drank warm Peruhya tea. "But we can just put the snow in the cold storage room, we have Gon and Gen, we have the Golem horses, and if we get cold, we have the hot spring. Life has become so much easier thanks to you, Jin."
"I’m glad to hear that."
As they talked, Jin was already brainstorming new improvements.
(It might be good to have the Golem horses pull sleds.) (Maybe I should put a kotatsu in the Great Hall of Nidou and turn it into a lounge.) (It would be nice to further improve the hot spring facilities, too.)
Just then, Village Chief Giebeck, having heard the news of Jin’s return with his sharp ears, arrived at the house.
"Oh, Jin, you’re back."
"Ah, Village Chief, it’s been a while."
"It has. The wheat harvest went well this year, too. It’s already been transported to the manor. Here’s the ledger. Take a look at it when you have a moment."
Giebeck held out a thin notebook made of parchment.
"Ah, thank you for the trouble."
"And one more thing." Giebeck clearly had more news to share. "On December 5th, Jonas and Nona had a baby. A girl named Fran."
"Whoa! Is that right?"
"That’s not all. On the 6th, Dave and Lil had a boy named Hawk."
"It’s a regular baby rush."
Giebeck nodded with a grin. "The environment has improved so much since you arrived, Jin. I’d like you to visit their homes later if you can."
Jin nodded. "Yes, of course."
He immediately began to think about what to give as birth gifts. In the end, drawing on customs he had heard of back on Earth, he decided to gift sets of tableware.
"In some countries, they give these with the wish that the child will never struggle to find food," he explained.
At the same time, he delivered a set to Linus—whose child had been born in the summer—explaining that it was a belated gift. The items were soup bowls made of Ground Spider resin (GSP) and silver spoons. Jin had intended to be modest by not making them too expensive, but the sheer value of high-quality GSP somewhat undermined that humble intention.
"And Howard’s wife is due any time now."
"It’s wonderful to see the village growing like this."
Jin expressed his thanks to Sally at the Mileshann Clinic, his expression softening at the news of the expected arrival. With several more births anticipated after the New Year, Kaina Village was truly in the midst of a baby rush.
"It’s a great help having a doctor like you here."
"Hehe. As a healer, it’s a joy to see new life brought into the world. Besides, I get to study in the manor’s library, and this is a good village."
As she spoke, she cast a sidelong glance. Her gaze landed squarely on Giebeck.
"Doctor, please stay here forever," Barbara added as she brought in more tea.
"Oh, I intend to. Right, Beck?"
"U-Umu."
Seeing her uncle blush like a schoolboy despite his age, Barbara smiled.
(This is a nice atmosphere.)
Right before his eyes, a new "family" was coming together. Jin felt a warmth spread through his chest.
(I hope things go just as well for Marcia and Mr. Rodrigo...)
"Onii-cha—n!"
Just then, Hanna’s voice rang out.
"Dinner's ready!"
Tonight, Jin was to be treated to a feast at the Martha residence. He wanted to make the most of this time with his family, knowing he would be away again soon.
"Yeah, I’m coming!"
With that, Jin bid farewell to Sally, Giebeck, and Barbara and headed back to the house.