Volume 14 Family Trip Arc

  The following morning, Jin decided to return to Kaina village.

  “Thank you very much, Jin. We hope to be able to keep counting on you from now on as well.”


  “Thank you for the sword, Lord Jin.”


  Though a bit scarce, Adamantite could be obtained from the mountain behind Kaina Village. It was used to reinforce and strengthen ordinary swords.

  As a result, one could say that even a regular iron sword could be reborn as an extraordinarily fine sword.

  Jin suddenly thought that the same could happen to people.

  After all, an ordinary person like himself inherited Adriana Balbora Ceci’s knowledge, and became the next Magi Craft Meister.

  The same could be said about other regular people.

  That boy soldier named Fred may change if he finds something he can be proud of. It could be knowledge or even prowess of his military arts.

  Then, after someone found their talent, they could put it to use for the good of the society. Jin strongly thought that that was the true meaning of education.

  ＊　　　＊　　　＊


  He arrived at Kaina Village before noon. Golem horses sure were convenient.

  “Well then, I’ll have to start not only in the neighboring village but also here.”


  Jin murmured that upon arriving at Nidou Castle.

  “Did you come up with something, Jin?”


  Berthie asked Jin. She was working hard to gain knowledge that could be helpful in managing Reinhardt’s territory.

  “I’ve always been thinking about what it means to enrich people’s lives.”


  Jin answered Berthie’s question without hesitation.

  “To enrich people’s lives…”


  “I guess you could say there are a lot of things, huh?”


  Saki, who was listening to their conversation beside him, voiced her opinion.

  “…I don’t think it’s just things.”


  And lastly, Elsa. Jin moved to the meeting room.

  They had lunch before the meeting. Belle had brought in freshly baked bread, which had been made with yeast.

  “Hmm, this is so yummy.”


  Its taste was comparable to the bread that one could enjoy on the modern Earth. Though it was made completely with natural ingredients and no extra additives, plus it was handmade, so this one might have been even better than that.

  It tasted good even without butter or jam.

  Food is not just about being nutritious. Meals that do not bring enjoyment to taste are nothing but dull. Jin, who was really close with the children at the orphanage, knew this well.

  Children are more honest than adults, who tend to be more aware of their self-control. A delicious meal brightens the face of the eater. That in itself would be proof that they feel cheerful.

  Jin, who had such a fixation, wanted to seek an abundance of food.

  “An abundance of food, huh?”


  When Jin suggested that at a meeting after lunch, Saki was the first to agree.

  “I agree. Humans cannot live without eating. Improving the quality of their diet might be tied to abundance of food.”


  “Yeah. In my world, we have a saying: Having good manners with enough food and clothing.”


  “Having good manners with enough food and clothing, huh? Does it mean to uphold manners and moderation only when one has enough food and clothing?”


  Berthie’s interpretation was correct. Jin nodded.

  “I think we need not just enough food so that we can eat without suffering a shortage, but it also needs to have the taste that we will be satisfied with.”


  “…No matter how much food you eat, if it tastes bad, you won’t be satisfied, right?”


  Elsa also understood what Jin was trying to say.

  “Yeah. That means increasing the production of agricultural products, improving their quality, and improving their preservation and processing methods.”


  Everyone nodded. They all seemed to agree with Jin’s views.

  “What about the snow house we have in this village? We should make one of those in Kartze Village as well. What do you think?”


  A snow house would be effective in terms of preservation. Ice and snow could also be created by magic.

  “Of course. I’d also like to popularize refrigerators.”


  “The price of Magi Crystals and Magi Stones may be a problem.”


  Saki’s opinion was on the spot. The price of Magi Materials such as Magi Crystals and Magi Stones would be the bottleneck when it comes to ordinary people coming in contact with magic tools.

  “…So it will eventually result in energy problems…”


  At the same time that Jin uttered those words, Saki also shared her idea.

  “If only we could make our own Magi Crystals…”


  Jin bit at the words that Saki had leaked so casually.

  “Saki, that’s it!”


  “Huh?”


  “What if we could make artificial Magi Crystals?”


  “What did you say?”


  Even to an alchemist like Saki, Jin’s suggestion sounded preposterous.

  Whether it’s food or anything else, you have to use energy in order to get started.

  Even on modern Earth, the energy problem was pressing. Rising gasoline and electricity prices were painful expenses for the general public.

  “But this world has Ether…”


  Perpetual motion is impossible, but the concept of “free mechanism” was possible. That would be the combination of the Ether Converter and Mana Driver that Reiko and the others have built in.

  It could be said that it was a clean energy source that converted Ether that already existed in the air into energy.

  However, there were various problems with spreading it to the general public in its current state. There was the possibility that it could be used for military purposes, and it could be even more problematic if it was misused.

  “Would it be possible to use Magi Crystals just as we’d use a battery?”


  That idea was stuck on Jin’s mind.

  “Well, if it could be done, it would be revolutionary…”


  “Jin, do you know what a Magi Crystal is to begin with?

  Elsa was right. It’s impossible to make something if you don’t understand what it is that you’re trying to make.

  “I know it’s a mineral that contains Mana.”


  “That would be a start. But it’s still quite impressive!”


  “Jin, if that were something that could be manufactured… it would be great if it was inexpensive! It might change the way we live our lives!”


  Berthie also showed her approval of Jin’s idea.

  “Okay, should we start researching tomorrow?”


  “Yeah, I can’t wait!”


  That was the end of that day’s meeting, and Jin set about to unveil a new food.

  “Well, what could it be?”


  “Uhuhu, I can’t wait!”


  Berthie and Saki were also excited about their expectations.

  “Big broootheeer!”


  “Ah, here you are.”


  It was Hanna’s voice. Most of the children in Kaina village had arrived as well. Jin could also see Barbara and Eric. There were some villagers who were there as well, so it seemed that a total of about 40 people had gathered.

  They had all assembled at the hall on the first floor.

  “What are you going to treat us to today, Mr. Jin?”


  Barbara asked, sounding like she was really looking forward to it.

  “Well, you’re about to see for yourself… Look.”


  Barrow, Belle, and the golem maids appeared carrying something white on their trays.

  “Huh?”


  Everyone stared in wonder at what was being served to them.

  “Well, why don’t you all give it a try before saying anything?”


  Each of them scooped some of it from their crystal bowls with a silver spoon, and then brought it into their mouth.

  “It’s cold!”


  “It’s sweet!”


  “It’s so yummy!”


  It was shaved ice. Sprinkled with citran juice, it was cold, sweet and sour, and had a very summery taste.

  It was made by freezing water with ice magic and carving it with a shaved ice machine made with Elsa’s help.

  “If you eat too much, it’s going to ruin your stomach. You shouldn’t have more than 2 cups of it per day. And the interval between the 1st and 2nd cups should be at least 3 hours, just to be safe.”


  Jin had started selling shaved ice at Nidou Castle at a cheap price of 10 Tolls (about 100 yen) per cup.

  It was typical of Jin to have taken proper measures to prevent stomach sickness.

  The shaved ice would become very popular, and this idea and the shaved ice machine would be later sold to the Raglan Firm in the capital city of Alban for a price of 100,000 Tolls.

  However, In Alban, they wouldn’t have that restriction of no more than two cups a day, so it was later said that there were a lot of cases of upset stomach after having eaten too much of it…