After their snack, they spent some time unwinding with casual conversation.
"Hilde-sama, you mentioned Aruru was house-sitting, but..."
Just as Jin began to ask, Empress Emerita Hilde gave a slightly apologetic look.
"...Well, to tell you the truth... it seems His Majesty took quite a liking to her. So I lent her to him along with Empress."
"...I see."
In truth, Jin already knew.
Since she was an automaton he had built himself, he had included a basic monitoring function that tracked her status. According to those readings, Aruru appeared to be right by His Majesty the Emperor's side.
Hearing Empress Emerita Hilde's explanation, Jin understood.
For a moment, he wondered whether he should present an automaton of his own making to the reigning Emperor as well, but—
(If doing that ends up delaying his marriage, it'd be terrible...)
—Jin quickly thought better of it.
As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, they decided to head down to the hot spring.
For transportation, they opted for the golem-rickshaws.
There were three in total this time: Empress Emerita Hilde and Flora took one, Jin and Yuu took the second, and Elsa and Mio rode in the third. Reiko followed along on foot.
"Hey there, Jin! Off to the bath?"
Exchanging greetings with the villagers they passed along the way, the party soon arrived at the Kaina Village Hot Spring.
Unlike the previous day when they had reserved the place for themselves, a few other bathers were present today. Empress Emerita Hilde paid it no mind, however, even remarking that she found the lively atmosphere rather pleasant.
"Ah, what a wonderful bath."
"Goo-ood water~"
Jin soaked contentedly in the hot water alongside Yuu.
"Hey, Jin, where's that guest of yours from?" asked Rock, the leader of the village men.
"A noble from the Shouro Empire. It's summer, so I invited them over to escape the heat."
"Ohh, I see. The Shouro Empire, though... That's quite a hike. Then again, for you, it's just a quick hop, isn't it?"
He offered his admiration in an oddly roundabout way.
"Should we say hello if we bump into them on the road?...I mean, if they're imperial nobility, is there any special etiquette we need to follow?"
"Not at all," Jin replied. "She's very down-to-earth, so a normal greeting will be just fine."
"Such lovely water."
Meanwhile, in the women's bath, Empress Emerita Hilde, Flora, Elsa, and Mio were soaking together. Aside from them, several village women were sharing the bath as well.
"So she's a noble from the Shouro Empire..."
"And an acquaintance of Elsa-chan and Jin, is she?"
"Goo-ood wa-ter~"
Looking down at Mio, one of the women smiled. "Mio-chan has gotten so big, too. Turning five this year, wasn't it?"
They chatted warmly with Elsa as they soaked.
"Yes," Elsa replied with a small sigh. "I'm just a little worried that her speech is still so childish and lispy."
"No need to fret over that at age five," another woman advised gently. "Give it another year, and she'll be speaking clear as a bell."
As a first-time mother, Elsa felt a wave of relief wash over her. After all, her own mother, Mine, had never raised any child aside from Elsa herself.
"Whenever you're unsure about things like that, you just come ask me," Martha offered.
"Y-Yes, thank you."
Even so, knowing how much Martha's granddaughter, Hanna, adored Jin, Elsa still felt a slight pang of awkwardness about visiting Martha on her own.
"Fufu. You've blended in wonderfully with the village, Elsa," Empress Emerita Hilde said with a gentle smile.
"Of course she has! Elsa-chan is Jin's bride, after all."
"Jin-kun seems quite beloved around here as well."
"Oh, heavens, yes! Jin is this village's savior, after all."
"He built the water pumps and magic stoves, among so many other things."
"Don't forget the Golem horses, either. And Gon and Gen, too!"
"He made the cold storage room, too."
"He set up the clinic and brought Sally-sensei here for us."
"And once he became our lord, he lowered our taxes!"
The list went on and on.
"...Jin-kun truly is cherished here, isn't he? I'm so happy for you, Elsa."
"...Yes."
"Is Father popular?" Mio asked, looking up.
"...He is. Your father is loved by everyone, Mio."
"Yay!"
The village women in the bath watched the exchange between mother and daughter, their expressions softening with fond affection.
"Well then, my lady, please take your time and enjoy yourself."
"See you later, Elsa-chan, Mio-chan!"
Having finished their soak, the women bid farewell to Elsa and Empress Emerita Hilde before heading back to their homes.
Madder-red clouds drifted across the evening sky.
Jin, who had finished his bath a step ahead of them, was waiting outside in the cool evening breeze.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Jin-kun, did you wait long?"
"No, we only stepped out a moment ago ourselves."
It was the truth. Through the Fellowship Bracelet, Jin had received word of roughly when the women would be finishing up, allowing him to step out just moments beforehand.
Climbing back into the golem-rickshaws, the group made their way back to Jin Castle.
"Ah, this is so wonderfully peaceful," Empress Emerita Hilde said, gazing up at the sunset with deep contentment in her voice. "I could say it a hundred times and never tire of it. It's simply so relaxing....Jin-kun, this is a magnificent village. The finest retreat imaginable. Thank you for bringing me here."
"I'm honored you think so."
Hearing Kaina Village praised so warmly left Jin feeling a little bashful. His cheeks might have flushed red, though against the fiery glow of the sunset, it was impossible to tell.
Before long, the golem-rickshaws arrived back at Jin Castle.
Butler and the Golem Maids were already waiting to welcome them.
"Welcome home. Dinner has been prepared."
"Oh, I'm starving! You truly think of everything, don't you?"
"Yay, dinner!"
"I'm hungwy~"
Both Empress Emerita Hilde and the twins beamed with delight at the mention of food.
Watching them, Flora, Jin, and Elsa could not help but smile warmly.