"Hmm, so that's how it is..."
Hanna returned to the room and immediately shared the information she had just gathered about the 'magus' with Jin.
"That was helpful, Hanna. Thank you."
"You’re welcome!"
Hanna beamed, clearly pleased to have earned Jin's thanks. Just then, Elsa returned as well.
"Welcome back, Elsa. Thanks for the hard work helping out in the kitchen."
"Nn."
Jin offered his appreciation, and Elsa gave a characteristically short reply.
"Hehe, Elsa, you're losing that noble air of yours. You’ve become quite the fine housewife."
"S-Saki-nee!"
Elsa turned beet red at Saki’s teasing. However, it was true that she had become much more down-to-earth recently. While Saki herself was of the Eschenbach marquisate bloodline, she held a cynical view of the nobility, so her comment was more of a sincere compliment than a sarcastic jab.
"If Aaru were here, I would have had her help out instead."
The fact that Reiko, Aaru, and Edgar were not present was due to Goose's advice. He had warned them, "The people around here have never seen an automata before; we shouldn't cause a stir."
As a result, Edgar and Aaru were waiting inside the automobile, while Reiko remained by Jin’s side, keeping herself hidden with 'Invisible'.
"By the way, regarding the family here... we haven't seen the Village Chief’s son yet, have we?"
By "son," Jin meant the man of the house, Separei's husband.
"Oh, I heard about that. He's out hunting," Hanna replied, having already picked up the local gossip. "They said there are lots of 'wetland antlered deer' around here, and they sometimes ruin the fields, so he went out to hunt them."
Hearing this, Goose offered a more detailed explanation.
"The wetland antlered deer is a species native to the marshes in this region. They pair up in the winter and give birth around this time of year. Because they tend to ravage the wheat just before the harvest, the men go out to thin the herd."
For herbivores, giving birth and raising young in the spring was a logical biological cycle.
"They have a high reproductive rate. If you leave them be, their population doubles in three years. Eventually, they’d eat through all the grass and starve themselves out."
"So, hunting a moderate number keeps the ecosystem in balance?" Jin asked.
Goose nodded. "Exactly. That's how it works."
"...But isn't that a little strange?" Saki interjected. "I understand that a species' survival is limited by the amount of food available. But are you saying these wetland antlered deer can only maintain a stable population if humans hunt them?"
Saki trailed off, admitting she couldn't quite put her finger on what felt off. Jin sensed her line of thought and offered his own perspective.
"It’s likely because humans have already disrupted the natural balance."
Back in his old life, Jin had seen news reports of deer overpopulating the mountains and devouring rare alpine plants, or wild boars appearing in residential areas. There were even the Japanese macaques that acted as if they owned the tourist spots.
"Hmm? You make an interesting point, Jin. I'm inclined to agree."
Goose supported Jin's view in his typical manner and began to explain the history of the area.
"The Shikuro Wetlands to the west used to be much larger in ancient times. They were reclaimed over the centuries to reach their current size."
"I see. So their habitat was constricted," Jin noted.
"Right. But on top of that, lush green fields appeared in the winter—the wheat fields."
"So they come here specifically for the wheat!"
"That's right, Jin. Before those fields existed, the deer would have migrated to the headwaters of the rivers feeding into the Shikuro Wetlands."
"Is there something special at the headwaters?" Jin guessed that the headwaters would be in the mountains, likely at a high altitude where grass would be scarce.
"Yeah. There are places where hot springs bubble up, so the ground doesn't freeze even in the dead of winter. A lot of animals gather there to survive the season."
Saki followed up with another question. "In that case, wouldn't predators show up to hunt the herbivores gathered there?"
Goose nodded. "Precisely. But they never wiped the herbivores out. They acted as a natural check on the population. They culled the herd just enough."
"Ah, but then some of the wetland antlered deer realized there was a food source on this side that didn't wither in the winter..."
"Exactly. They stopped migrating and stayed here. Now, from winter through spring, they come down to raid the fields."
"Which is why the men go out on regular hunting trips."
The situation was finally clear.
"Is it impossible to build fences?" Elsa asked, wondering if they couldn't just wall the deer out.
"A wetland antlered deer can leap over a two-meter fence with ease. Building anything taller than that just isn't practical for a village."
"I see..."
Even in the modern Japan Jin remembered, people had struggled with electric fences and nets, often with poor results or accidental injuries to humans.
"It's a difficult problem."
Jin thought back to the 'Beast-Repelling Bell' used in Kaina Village. It was a magic tool that emitted ultrasonic waves audible only to animals. To be honest, its effectiveness was dubious at best.
"Hmm. In Kaina Village, we have Gon and Gen, and I eventually installed Koushin, so I never really put much research into that area..."
Jin mused that if he could create a proper beast-repelling magic tool, he might be able to create a boundary that was kind to both humans and animals. Since it wasn't as if the animals were being deprived of a habitat, but rather that certain individuals were simply taking advantage of a human-made food source, a clear separation should solve the problem.
Since this was an issue that likely existed in other regions as well, Jin gave it some serious thought.
"Goose, do you know what kind of things these animals hate?" Jin asked the naturalist for his expert opinion.
"Strong odors... and for nocturnal animals, bright lights."
"I see."
Jin recalled news about using lion urine to deter wild boars, or people hanging old CDs and water-filled bottles to keep cats away.
"But those aren't very practical for a large field..." Jin muttered, falling into deep thought.
"Jin, are you trying to make something to drive the deer away?" Goose asked, watching him.
"Yeah. It would save the villagers the trouble of hunting, and the crop damage would stop, right?"
"I get that, but I'm not sure the villagers would actually be happy about it."
"Eh?"
Goose explained his reasoning. Farming alone didn't provide meat. Especially in the lean months from winter to early spring, having a source of meat within hunting distance was actually a blessing in its own right.
"Hmm..."
Jin realized he was an outsider here. He wasn't a member of this village like he was in Kaina Village. Meddling without fully understanding the local needs and background might not be the kindness he thought it was.
"I see your point."
Jin reevaluated his stance, acknowledging that creating magic tools just because he wanted to wasn't always the right move.
"You're probably right, Goose. Thanks."
"...You're welcome?" Goose replied, sounding a bit puzzled by the sudden gratitude.
"...To think Jin-nii would back down without making something he's interested in."
"Hehe, it's going to rain tomorrow for sure."
"You two are merciless," Jin grumbled, shooting a mock glare at Elsa and Saki, though it was mostly to hide his embarrassment.
"Onii-chan is blushing," Hanna noted, seeing right through him.
"...Sigh, I can't win against you all."
"Haha! You’ve got yourself some good companions, Jin," Goose laughed.
Jin turned his attention back to the naturalist. "But tell me, Goose. I've heard that wetlands are very fragile environments. I heard that just stepping in the wrong place can kill the plants."
Jin remembered how in his old world, places like the Oze wetlands had wooden boardwalks to protect the ecosystem from tourists.
"Yeah, the people here understand that. The reclamation happened centuries ago, and they know the surrounding vegetation suffered for a while because of it."
Goose finished with a satisfied look. "That's why now, they choose to live in a way that respects the natural order."
"Well, if they're aware of it, then that's good."
Hearing that, Jin felt a genuine sense of relief.