Jin D, Alto Elbein, and Nahams Marow arrived at the reservoir.
"Ho, this is quite a fine reservoir."
It was nearly full to the brim, holding clear, tranquil water. It appeared the children had already left, as no one was around.
"Hmm, let's make some adjustments around the perimeter to eliminate any danger."
Jin considered what might happen if someone were to fall in.
"After all, the biggest hazard is not being able to climb back out."
Currently, the reservoir's banks were nearly vertical—much like a deep swimming pool.
"In that case, will you slope the sides?"
Nahams Marow, who had accompanied him, asked Jin D.
"No. If we do that, moss could grow on the surface, making it slippery and potentially impossible to climb out."
Even in modern Japan, the dangers of sloped reservoir banks had often been reported in the news.
"...Even if it's a bit of a hassle, let's turn it into steps."
If terraced rather than sloped, it would be far easier to climb out in the unlikely event someone fell in, and it would also make drawing water much safer.
"That seems like it would take quite a bit of time."
When Alto Elbein remarked on this, Jin D replied:
"It might... Well, it's still light out, after all."
With that, Jin D began chanting:
"'Dig.' 'Dig.' 'Dig.' 'Dig.' 'Dig.' 'Dig.' 'Dig.'..."
He cast Dig in rapid succession.
"O-Ooooh!?"
"W-What in the world!?"
What Jin did was cast Dig repeatedly while subtly adjusting the dimensions with each cast. Through this, the shoreline was carved into a clean, stepped terrace.
Naturally, such precise structural adjustments were only possible because he was the Magi Craft Meister.
"This should do nicely."
The overall incline was around thirty degrees. The steps were roughly thirty centimeters wide and about eighteen centimeters high.
With this design, no one would be trapped on the shore, and fetching water would be effortless.
Furthermore, because the steps extended into the water, children could safely splash around in the shallow shallows.
"All that's left is the fence."
In a clearing about thirty meters from the reservoir, roughly ten timber logs lay piled up—leftovers from constructing the bridges over the drainage channels.
"Let's divide these up... 'Separation.'"
"Ohh!?"
"What!?"
In an instant, a single square timber beam measuring four meters long and twenty centimeters thick was split into thirty-six beams, each one meter long and six centimeters thick.
"We'll need handrails too... 'Separation.'"
This time, retaining the four-meter length, it was divided into nine beams measuring six centimeters thick.
"..."
"......"
"Now then, calculating precise measurements is a pain, so let's just drive them in roughly."
For today, it was merely a temporary fence to prevent accidents, Jin D decided, issuing instructions to Reiko and... the ten Smith units that had assembled on standby before anyone had even noticed.
The Smiths drove the one-meter-long square posts into the ground.
Reiko used the four-meter-long beams as horizontal rails, enclosing the perimeter of the reservoir.
The entire task was completed in barely two minutes.
Naturally, there weren't enough beams to cover everything, so gaps here and there were unavoidable, but for the time being, it would at least serve as a clear warning to anyone approaching the water.
"We'll finish the rest tomorrow."
Confident that the danger of falling in and drowning had been significantly reduced for now, Jin D decided to head back.
Before they knew it, stars were beginning to twinkle in the evening sky.
"Sorry for the detour. Well then, shall we head back?...Huh?"
"..."
"......"
When Jin called out to them after finishing the job, Nahams Marow and Alto Elbein were frozen in place.
"Shall we head back?"
When Jin D raised his voice slightly, the two snapped back to reality.
"A-Ah, y-yes, let's."
"............"
Alto Elbein remained completely speechless.
The ten Smith units were ordered to stay on standby near the reservoir and keep watch to ensure no accidents occurred under any circumstances.
After that, nothing else occurred, and the group—Jin D, the two men, and Reiko—returned to the village chief's house.
Dinner was ready just as they arrived, and they sat down to a pleasant meal filled with lively conversation.
"...And so, I intend to put a fence around the reservoir."
Jin explained to the village chief that it would be dangerous if children fell in and drowned.
"I see. Most of the folks in this village can't swim, after all..."
Even in a coastal nation, unless someone's livelihood was tied directly to the water like a fisherman, it seemed they never learned to swim.
In that regard, it was quite different from Kaina Village with its Erme River, Jin D mused.
"Should we install life-saving equipment by the reservoir just in case?"
"Life-saving equipment? What kind of thing is that?"
"A float attached to a rope. It won't help much if someone is completely alone, but if anyone else is nearby, they can toss it to them or use it themselves to go in and pull them out."
"Ohh, I see."
Alto Elbein nodded along as he listened to Jin D, analyzing every word.
(Mitigating the danger of a reservoir...? Going to all that trouble?...Or so I thought, but given how little effort it actually took him, I suppose it's not surprising he did it. But still...)
At the same time, deep confusion gnawed at him.
(...Rescuing someone who's drowning...? Going out of your way to save someone who knowingly wandered into danger...?)
To Alto Elbein, who had undergone rigorous elite training as an intelligence operative in the Jagus Principality, one was expected to bear the consequences of one's own actions.
(And yet... you would save them? What is the point of interfering with natural selection and preserving the inferior...?)
Alto Elbein was a textbook example of a man whose thinking had been narrowed and whose worldview had been constrained by state indoctrination.
Unable to wrap his head around it no matter how much he thought, Alto resolved to ask Jin D directly.
"Jin-san, may I ask a question?"
"Eh? Ah, yes, what is it?"
"...Well, I'm not quite sure how to put this."
It was his usual preface before asking a blunt question. Framing it this way usually meant people would overlook it, even if the inquiry sounded slightly bizarre.
"What is the point of going out of your way to save someone who suffered an accident brought upon themselves?"
"...!"
Hearing that, while Village Chief Aik Nibiki simply looked startled, Nahams Marow frowned slightly.
Jin D, however, had a very different reaction.
Because Laojun was currently operating him, it saw right through the true intent behind the question.
("I see. It is something incomprehensible to one who has undergone thorough indoctrination in the Jagus Principality... Let us observe his reaction a bit.")
And so, it offered a response carefully tailored to that premise.
"I see—a 'thought experiment,' is it? Do you enjoy that sort of thing?"
Alto quickly latched onto the lifeline.
"Y-Yes, th-that's right. I enjoy pondering these 'what-ifs.'...I often think about them to pass the time while traveling on the road."
"I understand."
With that exchange, Village Chief Aik and Undersecretary Nahams seemed satisfied, and the tension melted from their expressions.
"Well then, as for why we save them..."
And with that, Laojun had Jin D voice a rather unusual answer...