January 28 was Martha’s birthday.
As a matter of course, Jin used the Warp Gate on Konron 3 to return to Kaina Village, with Elsa accompanying him.
In their stead, Jin and Elsa’s Doppels remained in Miyako.
Because Reiko was also back in Kaina Village, Edgar was the one left to accompany the two doubles in the capital.
The official story was that Reiko had swapped places with Edgar to stand guard over Konron 3. In reality, the person actually keeping watch was Pensee from the reorganized Secret Mobile Unit (SP) of Hourai Island. She had been temporarily reassigned there from Kunlun Island.
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"Happy birthday, Martha!"
"Happy birthday, Martha."
"A very happy birthday to you, Martha."
"Happy birthday, Grandma!"
"Congratulations."
Inside the Martha residence in Kaina Village, the group—Jin, Elsa, Mine, Hanna, and Reiko—all offered their congratulations.
"Well, well, thank you all. I never imagined people would still be celebrating my birthday at my age."
"I'm sorry we couldn't be here last year," Jin apologized.
On this date the previous year, he had been tied up with the unveiling of Konron 2 and various other duties. That had also been the day he took the Empress, the Chancellor, and Flora aboard the airship.
"Think nothing of it," Martha said with a laugh.
They toasted with a white wine Jin had brought along: Ehrlich's 3454. It was a high-end wine known as an Auslese.
"This is very easy to drink."
"Jin-sama, isn't this a luxury wine?"
"Reinhard gave it to me in batches of ten bottles. So please, drink as much as you like."
"Truly. It’s so sweet I feel like I could drink it all day."
"I want to try some too..."
"Not you, Hanna. You're too young."
"Finee..."
Hanna settled for citran juice. At an age where she would only just turn eleven later this year, alcohol was far too early for her.
"Also, here is your birthday present."
"My, thank you, Jin."
Jin presented Martha with a pocket watch, a standard item shared by every member of the Jin Family.
Martha was likely the last one to receive hers... or so he thought.
"Martha, this is from me."
"Thank you, Elsa-chan."
Elsa’s gift was a smock fashioned from fabric woven with Ground Spider silk. It was an excellent piece of clothing—heat-resistant, non-flammable, and easy to clean.
"This is a curious design. But it looks very comfortable."
Elsa had put her own creative touches into the garment, adding pockets in practical spots and a single point of decorative embroidery.
"And this is from me."
"Oh, thank you for going to the trouble."
From Mine came a full set of everyday clothes, which she had tailored herself.
"And this is from me!"
"Thank you, Hanna."
Hanna had gone into the forest to gather branches of red and white kemeria, which were in bloom this time of year, and had arranged them beautifully in a vase.
"...Come to think of it, how is Sarah doing?" Jin asked.
Sarah was the golem maid Jin had built for Martha’s household. While her specifications were almost identical to those on Hourai Island, her combat capabilities had been enhanced to handle emergencies.
"That girl is mainly looking after the fields for us."
"Ah, I see."
In Kaina Village, the residents worked the communal fields together.
"I handle the housework, and Sarah-chan handles the farm work. Lately, she seems to be clearing new land for us."
It wasn't exactly a case of putting the right person in the right job, but if Martha—her current master—was satisfied, then Jin was content.
If Sarah the golem maid was tilling the soil, she was likely doing the work of ten or twenty people. Jin could easily imagine her shattering boulders and uprooting massive trees to clear the land.
"Still, everyone here is so energetic..."
In the past, many young men had been drafted for war, leaving Kaina Village with a high proportion of elderly residents. The birth rate had doubled over the last few years, however, so the population balance would eventually stabilize over the next decade or two.
"Speaking of energy, I heard just the other day that Maki’s wife has a child on the way," Martha noted.
"Maki?"
Jin thought for a moment before the name registered.
"Oh, the person living on the opposite side of the village from the Village Chief?"
Since they didn't interact much with the Martha residence, it took him a moment to recall the neighbor.
"...Wait. Wasn't that man already past forty?"
"His wife, Edem, is thirty-eight."
"..."
Jin wondered if that wouldn't be considered a quite late-term pregnancy in this world, even if it might be common enough in modern Japan.
Elsa shared her thoughts on the matter.
"The people of Kaina Village... are likely long-lived."
"Eh?"
"This land has had a high density of free ether since ancient times. And thanks to Jin-nii, the living environment has improved drastically. They have Sally-sensei too. And then there’s the bloodline."
Though it was a deduction, Elsa believed the people of Kaina Village likely carried a strong strain of blood from the Former Leonard Kingdom.
"Furthermore, I suspect there is a possibility of northern tribal blood in their ancestry as well."
"..."
"So, if the environment remains good, they should have a lifespan about 1.5 times longer than other nations."
While not to the extent of the demon race, a longer lifespan meant the window for bearing and raising children was also correspondingly long. It wasn't strange at all for Maki's wife, Edem, to be pregnant at thirty-eight.
"That means Grandma will stay healthy for a long, long time!" Hanna said happily.
"That's right," Jin agreed with a smile.
"Hehe, I might even see my great-grandchildren’s faces. Maybe even my great-great-grandchildren."
Martha couldn't hide her joy at being told she would live a long, healthy life.
In the midst of that peaceful atmosphere...
"Ah, snow."
Hanna called out as she looked out the window. Powder snow was dancing lightly through the air.
"I wonder if it'll settle."
Kaina Village hadn't seen enough snow for it to accumulate yet this year. It looked like it was finally time.
"But we have the hot springs, and we can store the snow in the cold storage room," Martha said brightly.
"And we have the Golem horses too!" Hanna added.
"This is all thanks to you, Jin."
"You make me blush when you put it like that. This village is my hometown, after all."
The snow began to dye the earth white. Winter had come to Kaina Village, but inside the Martha residence, it was warm and inviting.