Leaping forward a bit in time, the date was May 10th. Today was Reinhard's birthday.
At Reinhard's estate in Kalts Village—commonly known as Rankenhaus—a modest birthday party was underway.
"Reinhard, happy birthday."
"Thank you, Jin."
"Rai-nii, happy birthday."
"Thank you, Elsa."
"Happy birthday, Reinhard."
"Thank you, Saki."
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The Jin Family had gathered to celebrate Reinhard's birthday.
It was a pity, however, that Marcia and Rodrigo could not attend, as they were away on a test voyage for a new ship commissioned by the Kingdom of Elias.
Despite always making a point of celebrating others' birthdays, Reinhard had insisted that there was no need to fuss over his own. In the end, Jin had practically forced the celebration upon him.
Jin's birthday gift was, naturally, a pocket watch.
It matched the design of Berche's, gleaming in gold.
"I thought as much when I was shown Bell's, but this really is incredible... What's even more amazing is that it isn't a magi-device."
While Reinhard understood the mechanics of watches in theory, holding the real thing in his hands made him marvel all over again at the level of technology.
"Thank you, Jin!"
After voicing his gratitude for what felt like the tenth time that day, Reinhard turned to inspect the gifts from the others.
"Elsa's is... oh! A jewelry box crafted as a music box! Thank you."
The silver jewelry box had been designed by Elsa herself. The melody nestled inside was a nocturne composed by a renowned musician.
"From Saki, we have... a magnificent rock crystal ornament."
It was an exquisite piece obtained through a raw gemstone merchant with whom House Eschenbach had close ties.
It stood well over 50 centimeters tall.
"One rarely sees a piece of this caliber. Thank you, Saki."
From Toa and Stearena came a figurine sculpted in the likeness of Reinhard and Berche.
This one was 30 centimeters tall. Reinhard was carved from citrine, while Berche was made of rose quartz.
Toa had sourced the raw materials, and Stearena had handled the processing.
"This is truly magnificent as well."
Such decorative items also served as a testament to a noble house's prestige.
Reinhard himself felt little desire to hoard artworks, curiosities, or masterpieces, but as a nobleman, he could not afford to appear indifferent to them.
Being looked down upon in that regard would only prove detrimental to his standing as a lord.
And from Vivienne came a painting. Remarkably, she had painted it herself.
"This painting... Is it a scene from a legend?"
"Yes."
Befitting a storyteller, it depicted a legendary hero mounted atop a dragon.
It was a motif beloved by painters the world over.
"There's a princess riding beside the hero, isn't there?"
"Yes, it depicts the scene where he rescues the princess kidnapped by the dragon."
Moreover, the hero and the princess bore an unmistakable, subtle resemblance to Reinhard and Berche.
"I had no idea you were so good at painting, Vee."
Her old friend Stearena looked on in admiration.
"Oh, I only started painting after I came here."
"What?!"
"I always enjoyed drawing, but back when I was in the Celuroa Kingdom, any activities like that outside of my duties as a storyteller were strictly forbidden. I only took it up after moving to the Empire."
Considering how well it had turned out, one could easily see the depth of her artistic talent.
"It easily rivals the work of any first-rate painter. Thank you once again."
Finally, a birthday cake was presented by Mine.
It was a creation she had baked after learning the recipe from Perido.
"Oh, this looks incredible!"
"According to Jin-sama's world, it seems they place candles on the cake equal to the person's age, light them, and blow them out."
"Oho."
Normally, this ritual would have taken place at the start of the party, but Jin refrained from speaking up, chalking the discrepancy up to the blending of two different worlds.
Five small candles and two large ones. It was Reinhard's 25th birthday.
As Reinhard blew out the lit candles in a single breath, the guests broke into applause.
"Still, I was really surprised you had such a hidden talent, Vee."
"I only realized recently how much fun painting can be."
Because Stearena and Vivienne had kept missing each other lately, this was their first meeting in a month.
"Besides just passing down tales by word of mouth, keeping records through paintings is another wonderful approach, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's what I think, too."
"It's certainly true that portraying a story through pictures makes it much easier to visualize."
Jin joined in on the conversation.
"After all, there's an entire genre called picture stories."
"Picture stories... That sounds lovely."
"...I would love to see paintings by Vivienne-san that aren't based on folklore, too."
Having seen Vivienne's art, Elsa seemed to have become an admirer as well.
"Kufu, pigments, was it? Collecting those sounds like fun in its own right."
Saki displayed an interest characteristic of an alchemist.
"Even so, working as a storyteller is still plenty of fun. Lately, I've gotten to know Goose-kun, and he's been sharing all sorts of fascinating stories with me."
"I-Is that so?"
Hearing that, Jin thought he saw Saki's expression stiffen for just a fleeting moment.
"When you cross-reference legends from different regions, the hidden truths of the past begin to emerge. It's fascinating."
Meanwhile, Vivienne continued chatting with genuine delight.
Just as Jin thought to strike up a conversation with Saki—
"Jin, I hear you're finally building the spaceship?"
Reinhard walked over and asked.
"Yeah, that's right. The prototyping is finished, and we've finally begun the actual construction."
"I'd love to take a ride on it!"
"Of course! Once it's finished and we've verified its safety, the entire Jin Family is going to board it together!"
"I'm looking forward to it. Lately, I've been so swamped with official duties that I haven't been able to craft a single thing, so the frustration has been building up."
While talking with Reinhard, Jin completely forgot what he had intended to say to Saki.
"Berche is approaching her fifth month, right?"
"Yeah. Her belly's started showing a little bit recently."
Saying that, Reinhard glanced over at Berche, who sat chatting with Elsa. Mine was keeping them company as well.
"The baby will probably be born around late autumn."
"Yeah. Boy or girl, as long as it's healthy, that's all that matters to me."
Jin, too, wishing for the mother's well-being and the healthy growth of the unborn child, had offered various pieces of advice by mobilizing every scrap of modern Japanese medical knowledge he could recall.
(Then again, I barely know the first thing about prenatal care...)
He understood the broad strokes of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
All he really knew was that drinking and smoking were out of the question (though smoking didn't exist in this world anyway), and that letting the body get chilled was strictly forbidden. Given his background, his limited knowledge was only natural.
(And excessive caffeine is bad too, right...?)
He had recommended hojicha, mentioning that it was naturally low in caffeine.
With the lady's maids around to handle household chores, alongside the automata Neon and Bella, not to mention the golems, Berche was in no danger of overexerting herself.
"Well, knowing you, Reinhard, I'm sure everything will turn out fine."
Being a devoted husband, he was hardly the type to say or do anything that might stress her out.
"Hm? What will turn out fine?"
Reinhard asked when Jin accidentally spoke his thoughts aloud, to which Jin offered an uncharacteristically safe reply:
"The peace and harmony of your household, of course."