Despite some trouble, the carriage proceeded smoothly and arrived at its destination, the village of Mohut, around dusk.

Elsa told us that the slopes were the color of dead grass in the evening light, but that in spring and summer they are covered with grass and colorful flowers bloom and compete with each other.

"You know a lot about this place, don't you?

Jin is impressed,

"I traveled to Potrock the summer before last along the same road.

He answered, "I have traveled to Potrock by the same road the summer before last.

The squire and his men went to the inn, while Jin and his nanny, a foreign nobleman, a servant, and a friend of the nobleman, were hosted at the village headman's house.

Jin-kun, we will leave the day after tomorrow to rest the horses.

Erza told Jin that he would have to leave the day after tomorrow to rest his horse, and he headed for the village chief's house, thinking that he would be able to get a damper this time.

Dinner that night was a bread and cheese dish. Cheese is a specialty here.

The bread was quite white, which showed how much the chief wanted to welcome Erza.

Cheese dishes include cheese itself, fried cheese, and cheese salad. There are two kinds of bread, one baked with cheese on it and the other with cheese on it.

Drinks were either milk or Brule's juice.

I like the bread with cheese on it.

Elsa put cheese on the bread and handed it to the waiter to be baked. Jin tried the bread with cheese on it.

"This cheese is delicious.

Jin wished he could buy it and send it to Horai Island.

"What is this Brule?"

Jin took a sip of the dark purple juice and liked the taste.

It is the fruit of a low tree that grows in the mountains. It is a specialty of this area.

Jin was impressed by the fact that there were specialties unique to mountainous regions. Jin also wondered if it was possible to make this Brule in Horaiyama, or perhaps it grew wild.

"Oh, it's not to your liking?"

the village head asked Jin, who seemed to be in a blank mind. Jin panicked,

"No, no, it's very delicious," he replied.

The village head smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this. Reiko stared at him.

After the meal, they were about to return to their assigned rooms.

"Sir, I am sorry, but due to the shortage of water before the spring rainy season, we are unable to prepare for your bathing. So please visit ......."

"Okay. Just get me some water to wipe me down."

Elsa answered without further ado.

"Well, thank you for your concern. I will bring it to your room later.

Jin entered the room, thinking that villages in highlands are prone to water shortages.

A little later, a girl about Elsa's age brought him a tub of water. Jin asked her.

"Can I ask you something?

And the girl said,

"You don't know, do you? Yes, it hardly rains here in winter and summer. It rains a lot in spring and fall.

Then he points to a tub of water,

This water is not for drinking. Each house keeps drinking water in barrels, and there is a small amount of spring water. But that is not enough for washing and cleaning, so we use water stored in a large reservoir.

"So this water comes from the reservoir?

Yes, that's right. Yes, that's right. The water is filtered through a cloth to make it clean.

I understand. Thank you.

The girl thanked him and left.

"I guess the water situation is not so good after all.

Jin was muttering to himself when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes."

Reiko opened the door and found Elsa standing there. She was not wearing the dress she had been wearing a moment ago, but a classy light blue loungewear.

"Did you get me some water?"

"Yes. There, just now."

Jin points to the water, and Elsa points to it,

"It's too cold to wipe, you should use hot water."

"Oh, yes, that's right."

Jin puts his hand in the water,

"Heat."

Then, when the water started to steam, he took his hand out of the water,

"Well, this is about right."

Elsa, who was watching this, said,

"What was that ......?"

"Hmm?　You mean heat?　It's engineering magic. It's a magic that heats up an object.

Is that how it works?

Oh... Oh...?　Did you mean to say that Elsa was going to magically turn the water into hot water?

Elsa's cheeks turned slightly,

"That's enough. Good night."

With that, she turned around and went back to her room.

"I'm sorry for taking care of you."

Jin said, and Reiko said,

"No, it's not your father's fault. It was Elsa's fault for not saying enough.

Jin laughed,

"Can't you be a little more friendly to her?　After all, she invited us."

"It was Mr. Reinhardt who invited us. Not Erza."

Reiko is nonplussed.

"But Erza is a relative of Reinhardt's and she's the only one we have at the moment."

Reiko said reluctantly as Hitoshi repeated this,

"I understand. It's what your father asked you to do.

She nodded.

"Okay, you understand."

Jin sat Reiko down on the bed and sat down next to her,

"Good, good."

"......"

He patted her head. Jin was worried about Reiko because she had been emotionally unstable yesterday.

Jin stroked Reiko's head for a while. He was about to go to bed when he noticed that the water was getting cold.

* * * * * *

The next morning, I thought it would be a bread and cheese meal again, but there was bread, but less cheese, and instead of bread, there was Brule jam and another red jam.

"What's this?"

"It's flape jam. Flape is a small grass-like tree that produces a lot of red berries in the fall.

I put it on and tried it. It was sweet and sour and delicious. Comparing the two, the acidity was stronger than that of the brulees, and Jin preferred this one.

As for Elsa, she seemed to prefer the sweeter taste and seemed to prefer Brule's jam. However, she did not look at Jin, as if she still had some kind of obsession with it.

Reiko ate silently but moderately.

After the meal, we decided to go outside. She wanted to see the spring and the pond.

But then she saw something that caught her attention more.

"Oh!

It was a white object flying in the sky, a <>.