With a single punch from Reiko, the massive boulder shattered.
It hadn't looked like she had put much effort into the blow, but the impact was devastating. However, she had held back just enough so that the rock didn't turn into fine dust; instead, it broke into pieces of a manageable size.
"Ooh!"
"That's incredible!"
Cheers erupted from the workers.
"As expected of the Magi Craft Meister's servant!"
"You've truly saved us!"
With those voices at her back, Reiko returned to Jin's side from the waterway trench in a single jump.
"Good work, Reiko."
"No, Father. Was that acceptable?"
"Yeah, you did a great job."
"Reiko-sama, that was wonderful skill!"
Mii also praised her unreservedly. And then...
"As I thought, the Magi Craft Meister is amazing!"
The site supervisor, Duza, was also giving a most respectful salute.
It seemed that despite his respect for Jin, he hadn't been able to express it honestly until now. While Jin himself didn't mind much, Reiko seemed to have been a bit concerned by the man's earlier distance; seeing Duza's newfound formal respect, she smiled with satisfaction.
(Maybe I should make a rock drill,) Jin thought on the other hand. From what he could see, no such tools were in sight.
＊ ＊ ＊
After that episode, the group spent some time observing the construction site with great interest before having lunch at a nearby rest facility.
"This is delicious."
"Mhm, tasty."
Reinhard and Elsa were savoring their lunch. Jin was as well, of course.
The meal consisted of freshly made mochi to be eaten with grated daikon and soy sauce. Jin had made mochi at the orphanage facility and eaten it several times in his youth. There were children there who liked eating it coated in sugar and kinako.
When he mentioned that...
"I see, powder made from round beans and sugar!"
Mii immediately tried to arrange for some, but Jin stopped her.
"Kinako isn't just any powder. You have to properly roast the round beans and remove the skins before grinding them into powder."
Soybean flour and kinako were different things. Jin explained the distinction carefully.
"I see, I understand now. Thank you very much!"
Jin knew a lot about this because he had been taught well by the Orphanage Director.
While they chatted, the lunch hour passed peacefully.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the afternoon, they decided to visit the Lake Sayama side of the project.
Here, a waterway equipped with a sluice gate was about ninety percent complete.
"That's a massive sluice gate."
The workmanship was impressive enough to make even Jin admire it—under the premise that it was "made without magic," of course.
"Come to think of it, I've started taking the existence of Craft Magic completely for granted."
"...Jin-sama?"
"...Jin-nii?"
Mii and Elsa reacted to Jin's murmur. Reinhard was preoccupied with the structure of the sluice gate and hadn't noticed.
"No, I just thought I'd like to try making something without magic for a change," Jin admitted honestly.
Mii immediately made a suggestion.
"In that case, shall we go visit a workshop somewhere after this?"
"A workshop visit? That sounds great!"
Hearing the word "workshop," Reinhard practically flew over to them.
"What kind of workshops are there?"
"Woodworking... metal engraving... smithing... construction... and I suppose there are composite types as well," Mii explained, thinking it over.
That alone gave Jin and the others a general idea of the local industry. Woodworking involved furniture and small items known as sashimono joinery, as well as carving. Metal engraving was for accessories and the like. Smithing was for blades, pots, and pans. Construction referred to carpenters. Composite types involved things like rickshaws and ships, where various technologies were combined.
"I want to see them all, but maybe woodworking first. Specifically the sashimono type."
Jin figured that if he were to make something without magic, that would be the best place to start.
"Sashimono? You are well-informed. As expected of the Magi Craft Meister!" Mii said, impressed.
Apparently, the historical Magus had also used that word often.
Guided by Mii, Jin's group arrived at Workshop Kohan, which stood on the shore of Lake Sayama. Feeling a bit of kinship with the literal naming, Jin waited for Mii to handle the introductions.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. They said we can take a look. Though, there isn't a workshop in this land that would refuse if I mentioned Jin-sama's name!"
Beside Jin, Reiko wore a proud expression.
A man who appeared to be the master of the workshop emerged.
"Oh, Jin-sama! It is truly an honor to have you visit!"
Jin didn't remember him, but the man clearly knew Jin's face.
"Fufu, Jin-sama is a celebrity... no, the savior of Mitsuho, after all."
"Indeed. I am the master of Workshop Kohan, Tazza Kuroda."
Tazza Kuroda was a small man in his late twenties.
"Now, please, come in."
As they followed Tazza inside, the scent of wood tickled their noses.
"Ah, the smell of hinoki."
"Oh, Jin-sama, you can tell? They say the Magus also favored this wood."
Hinoki is a conifer with beautiful wood grain. It is resistant to moisture and mold; even the Horyu-ji temple back on Earth, a thousand-year-old building, was built from hinoki. It was a top-tier construction material and excellent for crafting.
"Hinoki boxes and small chests, I see."
Jin looked at the samples placed on the shelves.
"Mmm, wonderful technique!" Reinhard admired.
"And over there... ah, paulownia chests."
Paulownia was not only light and moisture-resistant, but in the event of a fire, dousing it with water caused the wood to swell and become difficult to burn, protecting the clothes inside. General chests were being made from a wood that looked exactly like paulownia. Scraps of paulownia and hinoki seemed to be repurposed into cutting boards.
"Oh, these over here are toys for children."
Jin found a few things that made him feel nostalgic: tops and a kendama. These, too, had likely been introduced by the Magus. Since he hadn't seen them during his previous visit, Jin was particularly excited.
"Jin-sama, do you know of the kendama?"
While tops were made in other regions as well, the kendama was a specialty of Miyako.
"Yeah, I can do it a little bit."
Saying so, Jin picked up a kendama for the first time in years.