The following day, the 19th, Ladeous and Rolona spent their time sightseeing in Kaina Village.
"What is this?" Ladeous asked, tilting his head as he looked at a wheelbarrow.
"It's a wheelbarrow for transporting goods," explained Giebeck, the Village Chief, who was serving as their guide.
Sion, meanwhile, had gone off to play with Hanna and the other children.
As for Jin...
"The measurement results?"
"Precisely."
He had been summoned by No. 700672.
"I believe you mentioned you were aware that a second 'vibration' occurred. These are the conclusions I have drawn by cross-referencing those results with the previous data."
In this particular field, No. 700672—once a servant of the Progenitors—surpassed everyone in Jin's circle. While his cognitive speed didn't quite match Laojun's, his foundational knowledge and experience were more extensive than anyone else's in the Known World.
"The point of origin is approaching Ars. I am sure you can grasp the implications of that."
"Yes. However, it's still too early to say for certain..." Jin replied. With a frequency of only two occurrences, he felt it was difficult to make a definitive judgment.
"That is a reasonable point. However, we must prepare for the worst-case scenario."
"I understand. For now, I'm researching what I might call a 'Space Isolation Barrier'."
"Oh? Impressive. You intend to prevent the destruction of matter caused by gravitational fluctuations, then?" No. 700672 immediately grasped the intent.
"Exactly."
"Hmm, that is good. I intend to deploy observation aircraft following this."
"Observation aircraft?"
"Indeed. I call them 'Space Monitors'."
According to No. 700672's explanation, they were ultra-small reconnaissance aircraft specialized in measuring the state of space. He planned to deploy about a hundred of them into the vacuum of space.
"I built them for such an occasion. After all, I have nothing but time," No. 700672 said with a chuckle. "I will contact you as soon as those results are in."
"Thank you."
"I would like you to consider what else can be done as well, Jin-dono."
"Understood."
With that, Jin took his leave of No. 700672.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was precisely noon by the time Jin returned to Kaina Village. Under the clear sky, the villagers were pausing their work in the fields and returning to their homes for lunch. Right on cue, the sound of the midday bell echoed from Jin Castle.
"This is a wonderful system as well," Ladeous remarked, clearly impressed.
"Let's eat lunch together," Jin said, returning with a nonchalant expression. He extended the invitation to Ladeous and Rolona, who readily agreed.
"Yes, we would be delighted."
"By the way, where is Sion?"
When Jin looked around, Rolona gave a slightly troubled smile. "That girl... she went off somewhere with the village children."
"But the noon bell has rung, so she should be back shortly."
Before she could even finish her sentence, Hanna's voice rang out.
"Ah, Onii-chan!"
Jin turned to see Hanna, a group of village children, and Sion. They were all caked in mud.
"Goodness, Sion, what were you doing!?"
It was Hanna who answered. "Well, we went to the banks of the Erme River to gather Koroko buds, but Jessie slipped and almost fell in. Sion-onee-chan saved her. That's why they're both muddy."
Koroko was giant butterbur, and its buds were the shoots. They were delicious when fried as tempura, and Jin had heard that before he arrived, the villagers used to eat them simmered. It was a taste of spring that also served as a vital source of vitamins, which tended to be lacking during the winter.
Looking closely, Jessie was also covered in mud, though she didn't seem to be injured.
"Sion-onee-chan shielded me, so I didn't get a scratch. Thank you, Onee-chan!"
"You're very welcome."
In exchange for Jessie's safety, Sion seemed to have sustained scrapes here and there.
"Oh, you can't just leave those wounds like that!" a loud voice called out. It was Sally, the Village Chief's wife and a healer. "Here, let me see."
"Ah, yes."
"Hmm, only scrapes." After Sally performed a general examination of Sion's injuries, she first washed the wounds with clean water.
"Ouch..."
"Just bear with it." After cleaning them, she cast a healing spell. "Behandeln."
It was a beginner-level surgical-type healing spell. It was neither too much nor too little; for simple scrapes, it was more than sufficient. The wounds were neatly healed in an instant.
"Thank you, Doctor," Rolona said, bowing her head. "Come now, Sion, you say thank you too."
"Yes....Doctor, thank you very much."
Sally laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Sion-chan, was it? You saved a village child, after all. And above all, it was our own negligence that allowed a guest to get hurt....Right, My Lord?"
That last remark was directed at Jin.
Jin nodded with a wry smile. "That's exactly right. Sion, thanks. Let me offer my gratitude as well."
"I-It was no big deal!" Sion replied, her face turning bright red.
＊ ＊ ＊
Though things had become a bit hectic, Jin eventually sat down for lunch at Jin Castle with Sion and her parents.
"Porridge is surprisingly delicious, isn't it?"
The menu featured white porridge, a stew with village-made bacon, sautéed vegetables, and apulul. In truth, it was a meal tailored specifically to Sion's tastes. And as expected of her parents, Ladeous and Rolona thoroughly enjoyed it as well.
"The way this village is run will be a very useful reference," Ladeous said thoughtfully after lunch.
"I think it's largely due to the nature of the villagers," Jin replied.
Ladeous nodded deeply. "Even so, we wish to emulate what can be emulated."
"I'm glad to hear you say that."
Even from the perspective of the Demon Race—or rather, the Northern People—Kaina Village was clearly a wonderful place to live.