Jin's lunch arrived about ten minutes after he had ordered it.
"Yeah, this is good."
The rice porridge was seasoned with just a hint of salt, and the vegetable soup was hearty and full of variety. The seafood salad featured seaweed and a tuna-like fish, topped with a dressing exactly to Jin’s taste.
"On the house, for our staying guests," the Young Okami said as she served him tea (Te-e) just as he was finishing his meal. The tea was of high quality, with a fragrance and flavor that left no room for complaint.
"Thank you for the meal."
As the Young Okami came to clear the table, she struck up a conversation. "Are you a traveler from abroad, sir?"
When Jin asked why she thought that, she explained that it was quite rare for anyone to order rice porridge.
"We don't grow much rice in this region, but long ago, the wife of the local lord developed a fondness for it. That's how rice porridge became a staple here."
"Oh? Is that so..."
Jin felt a pang of nostalgia as he thought of his old friend and member of the Jin Family, Beena.
"Was that the woman known as the 'Craft Queen'?" he asked, testing the waters.
"Yes, that’s her! You know of her?" the Young Okami replied, her face lighting up with excitement.
"About four hundred years ago... back when the family were counts, before they became the acting lords. They say she was born a commoner, but the Count of that era insisted on making her his wife."
"I-I see..."
Jin wanted to tell her that he knew Beena better than almost anyone, but he bit his tongue and put on a look of mild surprise.
Before arriving, Laojun had coached him on the art of information gathering: the secret was to appear to have shallow knowledge while hiding your deeper expertise.
If you seem to know nothing at all, people tend to think you're just feigning interest for the sake of politeness. However, if you show that you already know the basics, people who share those interests will often be eager to guide you through the details.
The Young Okami clearly adored the Kuzuma family, and she continued to talk even without Jin prompting her. It seemed business was slow today, leaving her with plenty of time.
"Thanks to that Madam, this town prospered immensely....Oh, that reminds me!"
She hurried back to the kitchen and returned with a deep dish.
"Have you seen this before?"
"Ah, popcorn."
"Exactly! They say she started selling this snack while she was still a commoner, and it was a massive success."
"So I've heard."
Jin knew it very well. After all, he was the one who had taught the recipe to Beena.
"Back then, there was another count family besides House Kuzuma. They used to split management of Blue Land between the east and the west. But during the Madam's time, that other house was demoted to the rank of viscount."
"I didn't know that."
Jin surmised that must have happened after he had departed.
"For a while after that, House Kuzuma managed both sides of Blue Land. Then, about two hundred years ago, the Count was elevated to Marquis and officially appointed as the bailiff for the region."
"I've heard that much. It shows how much the Duke's family trusts them."
By nodding and showing he followed the history, Jin encouraged her to keep going.
"Oh, absolutely. The generations of Marquis Kuzuma have always looked after Blue Land and its people. That’s why the taxes here are lower than in most other cities."
The average tax rate in the Kingdom of Egerea was "four parts to the lord, six to the people"—a forty percent tax rate. But in Blue Land, it was "three parts to the lord, seven to the people."
This was a significant improvement over the old days. As far as Jin knew, four hundred years ago, some regions suffered under rates as harsh as sixty or even seventy percent.
Even in Japan during the Edo period, taxes had occasionally reached such heights, only dropping to the "three-seven" split once a long era of peace had stabilized the nation.
"Life has become so much easier now that convenient magi-devices are everywhere."
Apparently, the prototypes for those devices were also credited to the 'Craft Queen,' Countess Beena Lauf Kuzuma.
"But recently..." The Young Okami’s voice suddenly lost its cheerful lilt.
"Is something wrong?" Jin asked.
"Well, it seems the current House of Marquis Kuzuma is going through some difficult times," she replied with a look of concern. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "I'm not sure if a guest would find this sort of thing interesting, but..."
"On the contrary, I find it quite intriguing," Jin assured her. "Please, tell me more."
At his prompting, she began to explain the situation.
"It happened about a hundred and fifty years ago, they say. For some reason, the members of the head house simply vanished. The branch house stepped in to inherit the title and has held it ever since, but..."
"Is there a problem now?" Jin asked, playing along.
"The current Marquis is quite elderly. He wasn't blessed with children for a long time, so he eventually took a Second Wife. They finally had a child, but it was a girl. The two children after that were girls as well."
"So, there are three daughters?"
"That's right. And since they’re still so young, they can't step up as successors yet."
"I see."
The Marquis was old, and his First Wife had passed away long ago. While his Second Wife—the mother of the three girls—was relatively young, her social standing was too low for her to act as a successor or even a temporary regent.
She was a former lady's maid, and it was unlikely that the royal family or Duke Blue would approve of her as a guardian. To make matters worse, the eldest daughter was only ten years old—far too young to inherit the title until she reached adulthood.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin and Reiko eventually returned to their room.
"I think I have a good grasp of the situation now," Jin said.
"Yes, Father."
"Indeed, My Lord," a voice joined in.
Jin was holding a three-way meeting via manacam, bringing Laojun into the conversation.
"Given the circumstances, House Kuzuma essentially has three options," Laojun analyzed.
"First: Find a suitable husband for the eldest daughter to take over the head of the house. Second: Adopt an adult male relative to succeed the title. Third: Appoint a guardian until the eldest daughter comes of age."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Jin agreed. He couldn't see many other ways out.
"Based on what we've heard, it seems they are reluctant to take the first option," Laojun observed.
Jin thought that was a safe bet. According to the Young Okami, Viscount Guarana was currently scheming to marry one of the girls just so he could install himself as the family's guardian.
Even after four hundred years, it seemed the Guarana family was still finding ways to be a nuisance.
"The things I can actually help with are options two and three," Jin noted.
If they needed adult male relatives, there were plenty on Onogoro Island, and many of them were capable of serving as guardians.
"However, My Lord, the issue is that those individuals have no standing or background in the current world."
"Right... I see the problem."
They had no way to prove their bloodline. In a world without DNA testing, a complete stranger claiming to be a relative wouldn't be easily accepted.
"Hmm..."
Jin lapsed into silence as he turned the problem over in his mind.