The following morning, Kachea ate her breakfast in a separate room, leaving Jin to dine alone while being attended by a maid.
Afterward, Jin held another meeting with Paerova Sondvik.
"So, when can we leave for the royal capital?"
Jin had decided that, for now, he would cooperate as much as possible on the surface. Once he had earned their trust, he would find a way to cross the sea.
"There's no need to be in such a hurry. For the time being, you should simply relax and make yourself at home in this estate."
"Understood."
Jin hadn't expected to be trusted immediately, so the response didn't particularly discourage him.
"By the way, how is Kachea doing?"
"That girl? My officer should be interviewing her as we speak."
＊ ＊ ＊
"What is the sum of the numbers from one to ten?"
"Fifty-five."
"Th-that was fast."
"Yes, for a calculation of this level."
Kachea had already shifted into math mode.
"Th-then, please calculate the sum of the numbers from one to one hundred."
"Five thousand and fifty."
"!!??"
The officer was struck speechless by Kachea, who had produced the answer in an instant.
"Surely you didn't do that entire calculation in your head? Did you happen to already know the answer?" the officer asked, pivoting his line of questioning.
"I did it mentally. If you write the sequence 1 + 2 + 3... up to 100, and then write the reverse sequence 100 + 99 + 98... down to 1 underneath it, each vertical pair equals 101. That gives you 101 multiplied by 100, which is 10,100. Then you just divide that in half to get 5,050."
"I... I see."
The officer was utterly impressed.
In truth, this method was a famous anecdote involving the childhood of the genius mathematician Gauss. It was one of the many stories regarding arithmetic and mathematics that Kachea had heard from Jin during their carriage ride.
"V-very well, let us try a different sort of question. Do you know of any other interesting facts regarding numbers or calculations?"
Kachea reacted immediately.
"Let’s see... In that case, please think of any number you like."
"What?"
"Just pick any number and keep it in your head."
"Very well..."
"Now, add three to that number."
"Done."
"Double the result."
"Done."
"Add four more."
"Done."
"Divide that number by two."
"Done."
"Now, subtract the number you first thought of from that total."
"Done."
Kachea paused for a brief moment.
"The answer is five, isn't it?"
"Wh—H-how did you know!?"
The officer was astonished once again.
This, too, was a number game she had learned during her conversations with Jin in the carriage. In reality, no matter what the starting number was, the result would always be five.
By adding three and then doubling it, you effectively add six to the doubled base. Adding four more and then dividing the whole thing by two means you have effectively added five to the original number. Naturally, subtracting the original number leaves you with five every time.
"My, my, you've floored me. Kachea-san, you have a truly remarkable talent for handling numbers!"
The officer praised her without reservation.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin and Kachea met up during lunch.
"How did things go on your end?"
"How... did they go for you?"
"Well, it looks like I've been certified."
"Me too..."
"That's good."
"Yes... it is."
Regardless of whether the outcome was exactly what they wanted, they congratulated each other on being recognized by the Regional Administrator.
"But it seems we won't be able to return to the village for a while... doesn't it?"
"Yeah. I suppose it was somewhat inevitable for me, but what about you, Kachea? Don't you feel like I've dragged you into this?"
Kachea immediately denied it, her demeanor shifting back from her professional focus.
"That's not it at all. I have four older brothers and four older sisters at home, so I would have had to become independent and leave eventually anyway."
"Is that so? I didn't realize."
"Hehe, well, three of my brothers and all four of my sisters have already moved out and started their own lives."
She explained that only the brother who was the heir and Kachea herself were still living at the family home. Of the siblings who had left, one lived in Taji Village, while the other six were scattered across the river in Rireazu Village, Sogyon Village, and Rihoto Village, rather than staying in Fan Village.
"I already said my goodbyes to my parents and my aunt before we left, so I'm prepared."
"You're quite... resilient, aren't you?"
"Yes, thank you."
Jin felt a sense of relief at Kachea's attitude. Even though she had been recommended by Helga and the others, he had worried that his decision to hire her had forced her into this situation.
"For the time being, I'll be helping with the accounting here. Depending on how things go, I might even be sent to the royal capital....It's a huge step up for me."
"I see."
"What about you, Jin-san?"
"I'm not sure yet if I'll be going to the royal capital. I'll likely stay here for a while to see how things develop."
At that moment, Kachea checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping before whispering to him.
"Um... this might be overstepping, but Jin-san... I think it would be wise if you used magic with the intention of using only one-tenth of what you already consider holding back."
"I-I see... I'll keep that in mind."
＊ ＊ ＊
However, the chance for Jin to show his true worth arrived sooner than expected.
"Jin-dono, there is something I would like you to see."
That same evening, Paerova Sondvik approached Jin personally.
"What is it?"
Jin followed as he was led to the courtyard. It was a vast space, roughly the size of four tennis courts.
'It' was sitting in the corner.
"This is it."
"This is..."
What stood before him was an automobile.