Because the Klein Kingdom was situated at a high latitude within the continent, it was full of cold regions. Although this resulted in slightly lower yields, the people there primarily cultivated spring wheat, sowing it in the spring for an autumn harvest.
Kaina Village—once a mere outlying district and now Jin's fief—was no exception. It was currently in the midst of a frantic spring wheat harvest.
"Let's get it all reaped while the weather holds!"
"Once it's cut, keep it moving so it can dry!"
"Honey, leave this side to me!"
"Yeah, you got it. I'll get started on the reaping over there."
Energetic voices rang out from early morning under the clear autumn sky. Every soul in the village had turned out for the harvest.
"Man, this sickle really cuts well."
"I haven't sharpened mine once in two years, I bet."
These were sickles Jin had treated with an adamantite coating.
"Hey, split some firewood for me!"
"Yeah, on it."
The hatchet that split the wood with clean, sharp cracks also featured adamantite on its blade.
"Dad, I'll transport the wheat you reaped!"
"Alright, don't tip it over now."
Even the hand-pushed wheelbarrow, commonly known as a "cat-cart," was one of Jin's creations.
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"...Whoa. I've come at a really hectic time."
Jin had come to Kaina Village at Elsa’s suggestion for a change of pace, but what greeted him was the sight of the entire village hard at work.
"It reminds me of two years ago..."
"Jin-nii?"
"Elsa, I'm going to go help out for a bit. Reiko, let's go!"
"Yes, Father."
"Ah, Jin-nii!"
"Sorry, Elsa! Let me do as I please for today!"
Thinking he shouldn't make Elsa help with something like a wheat harvest—work she likely had no experience with—Jin headed off to volunteer his labor alone (though he did bring Reiko along).
Watching Jin’s retreating back, Elsa let out a wry smile that seemed to say he was a hopeless case.
"Hey! I've come to lend a hand!"
"Oh, Jin!"
"Jin-niichan!"
Having spent nearly eight months in Kaina Village the year before last, Jin was no stranger to the harvest.
"Jin, I've never heard of a fief where the lord himself helps out with the labor," the Village Chief, Giebeck, said to Jin with an exasperated look.
"There can be at least one, can't there? What should I do?"
"Well, if you're insisting... then head over to Martha’s place."
"Understood."
Following Giebeck's instructions, Jin headed toward Martha’s house.
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
On the way, he ran into Hanna, who was pushing an empty wheelbarrow.
"Hanna, I'm here to help."
"Really? Then come with me!"
"You got it."
Following Hanna, he found a pile of reaped wheat waiting to be moved.
"We have to take this to the plaza."
"Alright, let's get to work. Reiko, you help too."
"Yes, Father."
Jin began loading the reaped wheat into a spare wheelbarrow. Hanna did the same. However, Reiko was different.
She used force generators to levitate the entire pile of wheat into the air.
"Whoa, amazing!" Hanna’s eyes went wide.
"Now then, let us proceed."
"Yeah, this way!"
Guided by Hanna, they began transporting the grain. Along the way, some villagers were startled to see a massive clump of wheat floating above Reiko’s head, but once they caught sight of Jin and confirmed Reiko was the one moving it, they simply muttered, "Well, it’s just Jin," and returned to their tasks.
If wheat is left as is for too long after being harvested, its quality drops, so drying must begin immediately after reaping.
Unlike rice, the wheat brought to the central plaza of the village was threshed first.
"Ah, Jin-niichan!"
Threshed grain was a job mostly left to the children. Some plucked it by hand, some scraped it between two sticks, and others threshed it by striking the bundles against tree stumps; they used every method available to them.
"Ah—I forgot, the harvest yield has increased by about three times since I was last here, hasn't it?"
High-quality agricultural tools, better health, soil improvement, the Golem horses, and the support of Gon and Gen had all contributed to Kaina Village’s wheat and barley production nearly tripling over the last two years.
The manual labor they had traditionally relied on could no longer keep up.
"I don't have time to build machinery right now... Reiko, call the Five-Colored Golem Maids."
"Yes, Father."
At Jin's request, the respective Number 5 units of the Five-Colored Golem Maids arrived immediately.
"Master, we have arrived."
"Whoa, Jin-niichan, are the maid-sans going to help us?" the mischievous Kurt asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"That's right. It's a bumper crop this year, so we won't finish in time otherwise."
The children had seen the Golem Maids at Jin Castle, so they weren't particularly shocked. This was quite convenient for Jin.
"Thanks for coming. Thresh this wheat, please. Don't mix the wheat and the barley, alright?"
"Yes, understood."
The Golem Maids set to work with brisk efficiency. Their speed was incredible; the mountain of wheat was threshed in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
"Jin-nii, is there anything I can help with?" Elsa asked, arriving at the plaza.
"Ah, Elsa-sensei!"
"No, silly, she's Jin-niichan's wife now!"
"Ah, that's right!"
To some of the children, the image of Elsa as the teacher who had taught them their lessons was still very strong.
"Please. Let me help with something," Elsa insisted. She hated simply standing by and watching; even without experience, she wanted to contribute.
"Ah, I see... Well then, use Craft Magic to draw the moisture out of the threshed grain."
"Mhm, I can do that... 'Dry'."
While watching the wheat being dehydrated rapidly, Jin made a mental note to eventually build a mechanical dryer.
Before long, the massive piles of wheat were all threshed and dried.
"Alright, all of you go help with the reaping now," Jin instructed the Five-Colored Golem Maids.
Since their identical models, the 101s, were stationed at Jin Castle, he figured the other villagers would accept them without much fuss. Just as he predicted, the Five-Colored Golem Maids blended in with the villagers and began reaping the fields.
"There, that should do it."
As he transported the threshed wheat to the milling area in a wheelbarrow, a smile spread across Jin's face.
"Jin-nii, you have a good look on your face."
Seeing Jin’s smile, Elsa also wore a look of quiet relief.