It is located in the highlands of the northern part of the Kingdom of Klein, one of the Lesser Cluster Countries.

There is a small village named Kaina.

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It has high mountains with glaciers in the north, deep forests in the east, and a mountain range beyond.

A large river runs from the west side of the village around the south side, which is called the Ermee River.

The river was called the Ermee River.

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"Hey, little guy!

"Hey, Hannah!"

"You feel so good!"

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A little blonde girl with slightly dull blonde hair called Hannah, wearing a pink swimsuit, floats in a doughnut-shaped floatation ring.

A dark-haired young man, whom Hannah called Oni-chan, was lying on a rubber boat.

His name is Jin Nido. He is generally known as Jin. Although he can swim, he is not a very good swimmer, so he plays on the rubber boat like this.

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A dark-haired girl of about 10 years old is helping him to keep the boat from being swept away or capsized.

Her name is Reiko. She is the world's best automata, created by Jin.

"Be careful!"

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"Yes!"

Jin, I'm watching you, don't worry.

"Yeah, Erza, take care of her."

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Elsa, a platinum blonde with a short cut, is a good swimmer. She grabbed Hannah's float and headed toward the edge.

"Hannah, let's go a little further out, shall we?"

"Yes, Elsa, sweetie."

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It was mid-July. The midsummer sun is shining and the temperature near the village of Kaina rises to nearly 30 degrees Celsius during the day.

The village residents, especially children, usually come to the Erme River to cool off.

"Hmm, it is nice to swim in the river, isn't it?

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Yes, it is. A quiet lake is nice, but a flowing river is more interesting.

On a large rock by the shore, two women were drying their shells, in other words, crawling on their stomachs and exposing their backs to the sun. The water temperature of the Hermes River is rather low, so they need to sunbathe from time to time to keep their bodies cool.

As for the sunburns, they are not so severe at this latitude, probably due to the lack of ultraviolet rays. They also sunbathe only for short periods of time.

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"You've been busy these days, haven't you Bertsche?"

"Yes. Yes. But by chance I found Adberg and managed to make him my secretary, which makes things a lot easier."

"Adberg...... Oh, he was Erza's grandfather, wasn't he?"

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"You know him too, Saki? ......Yes. He was fired and went back to his hometown of Exi to live in seclusion after his heartbreak.

* * * *

Adberg was Erza's butler and cherished her as a grandfather. He was an expert in martial arts and had good administrative skills.

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Reinhardt knew him well and asked him if he would be interested in working for him, but he had lost his energy and did not take the offer.

Reinhardt thought this was a bad idea and withdrew, but then he came up with a plan and went to recruit him again with Erza.

The look on his face was like nothing I had ever seen before.

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"Oh, my lady!

The way he took Elsa's hand, shed tears, and spoke of his joy at being reunited with her might have seemed strange to those who did not know the circumstances.

He had been a recluse ever since he returned to his hometown and had never heard of the excitement of the technology expo, and therefore had never heard of Elsa's return.

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"Grandpa. I'm sorry for worrying you. ......

"No, I'm glad you're alive and well, Adberg!

"...... thank you."

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He was later than Meine, but had been with Erza since she was not more than five years old.

When Erza told him that she would be grateful if he would stay with Reinhardt, he accepted her offer with an immediate reply.

"......But I didn't think you were in such a situation, sir."

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With these words, he prepared himself and went to the village of Kurtz. He is now working hard as Reinhardt's right hand man.

I'm not sure if it's because of that, but I'm sure it's because of that.

But that's why he's working alone today.

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But that's why he's working alone today.

Yes. But there is one exception.

Laughing, the two look out at the river. There they see Jin on a rubber boat.

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"You're right. I never get tired of being with Jin.

"A rubber boat, you say? That's interesting, isn't it?

"Yes. I didn't know they had boats like that.

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Even in the Shoro Empire, where boats are well developed, there were no rubber boats. This is not surprising since rubber itself was unknown in the Shoro Empire.

"I think it's time for us to go for a swim. We're all warmed up.

"I guess so."

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They stood up. Saki was 158 centimeters tall and slender. She was wearing an orange one-piece swimsuit. Berthe is 5'5" and very slender. She was wearing a white one-piece bathing suit. They are two very contrasting women.

"I was a little uncomfortable wearing this swimsuit at first, but it's nice once you get used to it.

"Yes, it's easy to swim in and comfortable to wear. I heard that Jin designed this swimsuit and unveiled it in Potrock in the Kingdom of Elias.

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"Yes, I heard that from Mr. Reinhardt as well. I guess this kind of swimsuit will be in fashion from now on.

This swimsuit is made of a merry cloth woven with the threads of a ground spider. The lining was made of magi silk, which felt great against the skin.

Just to be clear, the swimsuits that have started to appear in the general public are not made from the threads of ground spiders.

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"Oh, Ms. Berthe," said Saki.

"Hey, girl!"

Erza, wearing a young grass-colored one-piece swimsuit, waved to them. Hannah waved to them too.

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Hannah, you're so cute!

"Yes, she is. This village is ...... so relaxing.

"It's a mysterious village, isn't it?

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She takes a dip in the water.

It's nice and cold.

"Berthe, shall we race to the other side of the river?"

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"Yes, that's a good idea."

They kicked off the water and started swimming.

"I like ......."

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One of the girls looks at them and envies them. Barbara, the niece of the village head. She is a hammer. So she is floating on a float. Her yellow swimsuit suits her well.

Her boyfriend, Eric, is a merchant, so he is still in his store at this time. So I'm a little lonely. But.

"...... I envy you good swimmers, don't you?"

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Another of her friends was holding onto a float next to her. Wearing a bright blue bathing suit is Licia Farheit. She is a new noble who has just recently become the lord of Toka village.

She is visiting the village of Kaina today to consult with Jin, and since it is the hottest time of the day, they decided to go swimming in the Erme River after lunch.

Licia was also using a hammer, so she borrowed a floatation ring made by Jin, and she and Barbara are now floating in the pool. Her swimsuit was also provided by Jin.

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"I wish I could swim. ......"

Licia and Barbara both muttered such words.

The last two were Barrow and Behle, the apprentice butler and apprentice chambermaid at Nido Castle. Both were from the Shoro Kingdom and, as usual, were good swimmers.

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They were both from the Shoro Kingdom and, as usual, were good swimmers.　Can you catch me?

"Yes, let's catch you!

I won't let you down!

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"Come here!"

Now he is playing underwater tag with the children.

Late afternoon in the village of Kaina.

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The sun is shining in the cloudless blue sky, and summer is just around the corner.