"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"...... don't laugh so hard."

"No, I'm sorry. But I wondered what Matheus was so worried about.

It's what's known as the "popular way". In layman's terms, it's homos*xuality. Male homos*xuality.

"But, however,...... pfft..."

"But, but, but, Reinhardt was wrong too!　He's been holed up in the carriage all ...... the time."

Matth?us excuses himself, turning red. That made Reinhardt laugh again.

"Enough!　I'm going to my room!"

Matheus, perhaps offended by this, turns and walks out of Reinhardt's room. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Haha, what am I going to tell Jin later ......?"

Reinhardt smiles wryly.

* * * *

Jin and Reiko had come to the tarmac.

Tents are set up around them, and Matheus' men are watching the carriages and using them as lodgings. Matheus and four others stayed at Ganes' inn with Reinhardt, his butler, and his attendants, while the rest of them stayed here.

And there they met someone they did not expect.

"Isn't that Mr. Jin?

Mr. Adberg?

It was Adberg, Erza's former butler.

It's been a long time. It's been a long time since Miss Elsa disappeared.

Yes, it has. You look well.

Jin recalled that Reinhard had told him that he had found Adberg and Hermann and decided to bring them back together.

"That Meine was a fool. I wonder what he's doing now, miss.

Even though she had been fired, Adberg, who had taken care of her since she was a child, was still concerned about Erza's situation.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Adberg?"

"I am too old for this. I have sons and daughters back home, so I'm going to retire.

Adberg looked up at the evening sky with a sad look on his face.

"By the way, where is Mr. Hermann?"

"Yes, Hermann is over there.

He pointed to where he had seen Hermann, his former bodyguard.

"What?　Where is that girl?"

There was a girl of about 10 years old, dressed in a dirty outfit, talking to Hermann.

"...... she's probably begging or something."

Adberg said in an emotionless voice.

"Hermann has a soft spot for kids who remind him of his daughter.

The Hermann man seemed to have given something to the child. The child bowed repeatedly and walked away from Hermann.

The way the child was walking was strange. He is dragging his right leg. Was he injured or something?

Being a child, Jin could not overlook it. So he leaves Adberg and goes to his carriage. Jin enters the carriage to get the restorative medicine that is provided.

"But you are ready too, old man.

Even though you can return to Horai Island at any time through the warp gate, it does not mean that there is no emergency situation where you are in the public eye, or even where you have to fight for a second.

In such a case, the medical supplies provided will be useful.

Under the seat is a simple ether stocker. Of course, it has refrigeration capacity, so perishable foods can also be stored.

"Now, where did that girl go?"

I asked Reiko who was waiting outside.

"Oh, there she is. ...... what?"

From what she was wearing and the color of her hair, I was sure she was the girl I saw earlier. However, as soon as the child turned the corner of the shabby building, she started walking normally, or rather, energetically, as if her limp was a lie.

"............"

Jin, who knew what was going on behind the scenes, let out a small sigh.

"It's a hard world. ......"

"It's a pity party to get some coins. Jin felt depressed at the thought of a child having such an idea.

"What can I do? ......"

Jin returns to the carriage with the recovery medicine in his hand. Reiko follows him without saying a word.

"Hmm."

He returns to the carriage, slumps the back of the seat and closes his eyes.

"I have money, but I can't give it to you and be done with it. ......"

It's only a temporary fix, and when the money is gone, it's all over again.

"I guess it's a "shack" after all."

"Father, what is a jinzoku yoriba?"

Reiko, who had been listening to Jin's soliloquy, asked.

"Oh. It's a place where people who are minor criminals or vagrants without homes are housed, and they are taught various skills to reintegrate into society.

The hero of the period drama that the Director loves so much built a shack on Ishikawa Island. It is a historical fact.

It was, and still is, an epoch-making system that is rarely seen in the world.

"I would like to let the nostalgia party take the lead.

Thinking so, Jin gave a strict order to the steward not to let anyone into the carriage, and jumped to Horai Island with Reiko.

<

I talked to the old man and he agreed, so I left it to him to work out the details and to inform the Nostalgia Party.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have an organization that balances employment?"

Anne suggested. In short, a job center.

"Yes, that's right. It would be essential to exchange information. Let's let the Nostalgia Party do this too.

Thus, the Nostalgia Party steadily penetrated society as Jin's subordinate organization, and its influence grew.

Jin was relaxing in the bath at his house in Horaijima.

* * * *

The day before Jin met Reinhardt again.

Presos, one of the cities in the Kingdom of Klein.

It is the base of the much-maligned Count Walter.

A secret meeting was held at the lord's mansion there.

The men who work in the Inado mines?

"Yes. Release them secretly and have them go to the village of Kaina.

Are you sure?

Yes. The plan is this... <

The dead do not sing, do they?

You know what I'm talking about. That's right.

Five to six days for a wagon. Two to three days for a horse. And less than a day for a pigeon.

Such a distance was the Inado Mine.

It is a mine in the mountains southeast of the village of Kaina, one of the valuable mineral resources of the Kingdom of Klein.

"Are you sure they'll let us go?"

<

"I don't care where I live as long as I can be free!"

In the Kingdom of Klein, where the population is small and manpower is scarce, all but the most heinous criminals are forced to work wearing collars with <> on them.

They are usually sent to the custody of lords living in the countryside, and are usually required to do hard labor such as cultivating the land and developing mines.

"Whoo-hoo, I'm going to do it!"

"Yeah, you have women, don't you?"

"Decent food, decent beds, and women. I can't stand it."

The criminals undergoing forced labor, their eyes glazed over with depression.

Their lust was about to be unleashed.