997 - - 28-09 Harvest Night





The harvest festival in Toka Village ends at sunset.

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It is June and the summer solstice is near, so the sunset is after 6:30 pm.

As the sun sets behind the mountains, Braak, the chief of Toka Village, makes a declaration.

The sun has set. The spring harvest festival is over. We will clean up tomorrow. Let's all keep up the good work.

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The village head's declaration was met with a resounding "ah-ha", signaling the end of the harvest festival.

All that remains is for the fire watchman to look around to make sure the fire is out.

Jin and the others...... Jin, Elsa, Hannah, Reiko, Edgar, Giebeck, Sally, and Ru were invited to the lord's mansion in Lycia.

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The name of the house is just the name of the house, though.

We were shown to a two-story house, which is rare in Toka village. The site was quite large.

The color of the pillars and walls indicates that the house has only just been completed.

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"It was just completed in May.

Licia explains with a slight smile.

Last year was a bad harvest, so many of the houses had no income. So we decided to build this pavilion to create jobs.

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"I see. I see. ...... or ...... no, nothing. Can we take a look inside?

Yes, of course. Yes, of course. We're going to let you stay the night. Come on in.

"Well then, I'm sorry to disturb you."

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The building is wooden, and stone is used in places.

The entrance hall was spacious, and the floor was made of stone.

"It's quite a magnificent structure. It is spacious and comfortable.

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Giebeck commented.

"No, I think it's a little too big considering the population of the village.

"Is that so?"

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Jin tilted his head and did some calculations.

The population of Toka Village is about 50 households.

The standard family structure is three generations, that is, grandparents, parents, and children, with two to three children. In other words, there are 6 to 7 people per house.

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About half of the families have both grandparents alive and well.

As a result, the population is about 300.

This may be small by the standards of a lord's mansion, but it is large enough for the population of Toka village.

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What do you think, Elsa?

In the end, Jin realized that he had no criteria for judging such a standard, so he asked Elsa, who was standing next to him.

"A lord's mansion is the face of the land, so it has to stand out to some extent," she said.

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"Ah, so that's how it is. ......"

Licia nodded her head in agreement.

In this respect, Elsa, who was born and raised in a viscount's family, seems to have more or less the sensibilities of an aristocrat.

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"First, let me show you to your room.

Licia herself led the group to the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Giebeck, this way please.

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Thank you very much.

Mr. & Mrs. Giebeck, Sally, and Luu were in a double-occupancy room.

In other words, the twin rooms were connected by a door.

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Jin-san, Erza-san, and Hannah-chan are in this room, right?

They showed us to a room that was also connected by a door.

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you."

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"I prefer to stay with my sister.

At Hanna's request, Jin, Hanna, and Erza were allocated one room each.

After that, it was time for bathing.

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Since they had been outside for a long time, their bodies were dusty, and they were all grateful for the bath.

Although somewhat small, there were separate bathrooms for men and women, and the group had no complaints.

By the way, Hannah took a bath this time together with Elsa, Sally, Lou, and others.

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"The water here is clear and colorless. There's hardly any smell.

"Brother Jin said it was a <>."

Erza replies to Sally's murmur.

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"Hmmm, a simple spring. It literally means that the water is simply gushing out, doesn't it? If so, what are the hot springs in the village of Kaina?"

Sally scratched her head, not having paid much attention to the fact that she had been soaking in them.

"Let's see, <>, that's what your sister said, right?"

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The hot springs in the village of Kaina are bicarbonate springs that contain a high baking soda content, and are also known for their skin-softening properties.

When Hanna explained this to Sally, she rolled her eyes in surprise.

"You're amazing, Hannah. You know more than I do."

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"Hehehe, I've learned a lot."

Hannah looks happy when she hears Sally's praise.

"Hannah, you're so smart."

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Lou is also surprised.

"....... Hanna-chan is a studious person.

Erza agreed.

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"She reads a lot of books at Nido Castle.

"Because I like books."

The women's bath was lively.

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Meanwhile, Jin and Giebeck are in the men's bath. Reiko is waiting outside because of Giebeck's presence.

"......"

Naturally, they don't talk much.

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* * * *

Since we had eaten various kinds of hot pots until the evening, dinner was light.

So <> is prepared.

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"Boiled pashta is tossed with soybean oil and chopped up wild leek root," Licia explains.

Licia explains.

Then, salt and pepper are sprinkled to taste. It is similar to peperoncino.

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Jin, Giebeck and Sally use more pepper, Elsa a little less. Hannah and Lou enjoyed it without pepper and with salt only.

"This is delicious!

Erza seemed to like it so much that Jin decided to have her study it on Horai Island as well.

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"It might be tasty if you put chopped cress on it," she said.

"Oh, yes!

"Instead of pepper, I'd like to use chili ......"

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Jin was about to say "chili pepper," but kept his mouth shut as he wondered if there was chili pepper in Ars. Instead,

"You might enjoy the texture if you add chopped mushrooms," he advised.

I advised him to add some chopped mushrooms. Although it might not be peperoncino any more.

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Pasta is good when you can enjoy many variations.

After that, we talked about many things, and the night went on.

Hannah started to feel sleepy, so we ended our conversation for the night.

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"Good night, ladies and gentlemen.

Licia, the hostess, escorted the group to the guest room, bowed, and left.

"Good night, then."

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Glancing at Hannah, who was asleep in Jin's arms, Elsa went to close the door of her room.

"Oh, Elsa, come in here for a minute."

Jin stops her.

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"What is it?"

"Thank you for all your hard work today. You're the real Elsa.

Jin thanked her for her help in examining the villagers.

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"I only did what I could do.

Erza was a bit puzzled by the unexpected timing of the compliment.

I'm not sure what to say, but I still wanted to say it. ...... good night."

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"Good night."

Jin put Hannah to bed, took off his own jacket, and lay down on the other bed.

He had done a lot of work since this morning, and he was somewhat tired.

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In the midst of all this, I thought about something that had been bothering me for a while.

(There seems to be some difference between the people of Toka village and those of Kaina village. ......)

(There seems to be something different between the people of Toka village and those of Kaina village... ). This is not surprising since Kaina village is a remote area.

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(It's not something you can figure out by thinking about it. ......)

In the end, Jin fell asleep.