Once lunch was over, the group realized they had a sudden lack of things to do.
Excavating the roadbed and preparing the crushed stone were tasks that wouldn't be finished in a mere two or three hours. Jin alone acknowledged this reality with a quiet thought.
(Normally, that’s just how long these things take...)
"It seems we won't have much to do for the rest of the day," Lishia remarked.
"Umu..."
"To be precise, for the remaining half of it," Princess Lieschen and the Chancellor agreed with a nod.
"Your Excellency, is it truly alright for you to be away from the royal capital for so many days?" Lishia asked, looking slightly concerned.
"I have left matters in the hands of my deputy. There are no urgent cases at the moment, so it should be fine," the Chancellor replied.
"Indeed. Powell, you ought to step away from your work once in a while," Princess Lieschen added. Given her comment, it seemed the Chancellor had quite the workaholic streak.
"If Your Highness says so..." Powell nodded, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. He looked quietly pleased.
Princess Lieschen’s face broke into a broad, mischievous grin at his response. She then turned her attention toward Jin.
"Jin, I wish to... observe and learn about Kaina Village."
"Your Highness, have you not visited the village yet?"
"U-umu. I have not."
"I understand. That’s perfectly fine."
"Oh! Is it truly?" Princess Lieschen rejoiced.
The Chancellor spoke up as well. "In that case, 'Lord of Kunlun,' might I also be permitted to intrude upon your home?"
"Yes, of course."
Word had it that Princess Lieschen scowled ever so slightly in the shadows at his request.
＊ ＊ ＊
"O-oh! What is that building?!"
"That is my home, Jin Castle."
"Hmm... Seeing it with my own eyes is quite different from merely hearing the reports..."
While traveling toward Kaina Village aboard Konron 3, Princess Lieschen and the Chancellor stared wide-eyed out the window as the castle came into view.
Ladeous, his family, and Lishia had remained behind in Toka Village just in case any issues arose with the construction project.
"Welcome to Kaina Village."
As they landed in front of the castle, Jin offered his customary greeting.
"Umu. We shall be in your care," Princess Lieschen replied, playing along with his slightly formal tone.
"Ho! Well, well!" The Chancellor cried out in admiration as he looked up at the castle tower. "I have never seen this style of architecture. It is magnificent in a way quite distinct from the buildings on Kunlun Island."
"Powell, I am going to have someone show me the village. What will you do?"
"Let me see..."
"There is a library inside the castle with a wide range of reference materials," Jin offered.
The Chancellor jumped at the suggestion. "Oh, that sounds excellent. I would very much like to see it....Jin-dono, I leave Her Highness in your care."
"Leave it to me."
Jin summoned Butler C and entrusted him with guiding and attending to the Chancellor’s needs. It was a small gesture of consideration from Powell toward the Princess, allowing her to enjoy herself without his constant presence.
Princess Lieschen was immediately led into the village by Jin to begin her sightseeing.
"Ho, I see pumps here and there. As expected of Jin's village." Her keen eyes were quick to spot the machinery.
Just then, Hanna approached them. "Ah! Lies-oneechan!"
"Oh, Hanna. You look well."
A group of village children followed behind Hanna, whispering amongst themselves.
"Wait, who is she...?"
"Is she some kind of noble lady...?"
"Listen, she's a princess," Hanna informed them.
"What?!"
"Eeeh?!"
The children’s reactions were only natural.
"Lies-oneechan, what brings you here today?"
"Umu. I was conducting an inspection at Toka Village, but work for the day is finished. I asked Jin to bring me here."
"Hanna, do you think you could help show her around the village?" Jin asked.
"Yeah, sure! Everyone, let's go together!"
"Uh..."
"But it would be bad if we were rude to a princess," one of the more precocious children muttered.
Princess Lieschen gave a wry smile. "No, no. This is Jin's territory, so there is no need to be formal with me."
"Really...?"
"Umu, it's true. Now, will you all tell me your names?"
Encouraged by her warmth, the children introduced themselves one by one.
"Mario!"
"...Patty."
"Kurt."
"I'm Jessie!"
"Mario, Patty, Kurt, and Jessie, I see. This is my first time in this village. Will you guide me?"
"Yeah! Let's go, Princess!"
"Call me Lies while I'm in the village, not Princess."
"Got it, Lies-oneechan!"
"Let's go!"
And with that, Princess Lieschen ran off with Hanna and the rest of the village children.
"...Well, I suppose it's fine."
There were no dangerous areas in the village, and Koushin would be monitoring them regardless. Jin watched their receding backs with a peaceful expression.
Of course, taking a lesson from the previous day's events, it should be noted that Jin also summoned the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) to provide covert protection from the shadows.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Lies-oneechan, that's the cold storage room!"
"A cold storage room? What do you use it for?"
"You see, we pack it full of the snow that falls, and then we use it to keep vegetables and meat fresh when summer comes!"
"Ho, a natural refrigerator, then."
"And this is the hot spring!"
"A hot spring?"
"Warm water bubbles up from the ground, and it feels really good!"
"I see. A natural bathhouse, essentially."
"That's the Village Chief’s house!"
"And that's the ranch!"
"And over there is—"
"You all certainly have a lot of energy..."
"Yeah! Tons of energy!!"
By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, Princess Lieschen—having been dragged all over the village for three solid hours—was utterly spent.