"...... I'm soaked."

You're an idiot.

I'm sorry, Barbara.

No, Father.

I'm sorry.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Eric, Roland, and Raglan were all overturned after a long talk in the hot spring.

Barbara is now taking care of them in the common room attached to the spa.

<> or >>, it was Jin who dared to let Barbara take care of them here.

He left it to Barbara.

"Oh, I'm sorry.

"I'm sorry, Barbara.

Thank you very much for your help tonight, Mr. Jin.

That night, Jin invited not only Roland, Raglan, and Beaute, but also Eric and Barbara to Nido Castle.

The menu for the dinner was a Kaina village-style meal.

Barley porridge, grilled river fish from the Erme River, stew with vegetables from the village, and smoked mountain deer.

Tempura of wild vegetables, miso soup, and grilled rice balls were also served.

The tea was perilla tea.

However, the cooking and seasoning were Perido 101's best work.

This is delicious.

The porridge and salted fish are seasoned with algae salt, not just salt, and the stew is also seasoned with dashi.

The smoked fish was made only with aromatic query chips, and all the other dishes were also elaborately prepared in a way that could not be seen.

Jin-san is involved in many things, isn't he?

"Yes, I am. Father, I have learned a lot from you.

The nibs and rubber balls that were a hit product of the Raglan Trading Company in King's Landing were now processed and sent out by Eric.

"Well, well, Eric is growing up to be a magecraftsman as well.

Raglan is so good-natured that it makes me wonder if he changes so much when he leaves the business .......

"So, what Mr. Bote was saying about the roads..."

Jin unusually took the liberty of broaching the subject with Bote. He was sitting at the end of the table, looking self-conscious, but chewing his meal with relish.

"Whoa!

Bote choked on his food in his panic at being talked to.

"Gee, gee, gee!"

Roland and Raglan looked at him and held their heads.

"Well, you know... ......"

After a while, Bote calmed down and began to speak in halting tones.

In short, the road construction was to be carried out as a public works project of the Kingdom of Klein.

As a first step, or the first phase of the project, the area from Alban, the capital, to the town of Charles was targeted.

The first phase of the project was from the capital, Alban, to the town of Charles,

The public works project was also a public works project.

Furthermore, he said that this public works project would be funded not only by the state, but also by donations from merchants, in exchange for a reduced tax for a certain period of time.

"Our Raglan Chamber of Commerce has donated 3 million TL (approx. 30 million yen) to the project, Our tax rate will be reduced to half for the next three years.

Roland explained the last part.

"So, we would like to make a big deal during the three years when taxes are low."

Bote added.

"Oh, no!"

"Ow!"

A fist-bump to the head of Bote, who had just exposed all of his secrets in a moment of honesty.

That's why they say you're not cut out to be a merchant.

I'm sorry. ......

"Oh, come on, Roland. You've got nothing to hide from Mr. Jin. I'm sure you don't have anything to hide from Mr. Jin."

"That's true, but if you don't educate them at a time like this, they won't learn."

While Raglan was in his grandfatherly mode, Roland, his son-in-law, was not neglecting the education of his men even at a time like this.

"Well, where were we? ...... Oh, you were talking about building a road to the village of Toka, weren't you?"

Roland took over and resumed his explanation.

"The village of Kaina is Jin-san's territory, so he can't do anything he wants, so it looks like they're going to reestablish the road up to the village of Toka.

"I see."

"The main thing that needs to be done is to smooth out the unevenness of the road and widen the road in some places.

"...... I see."

Then we'll replace the old bridges, and that's about it.

"I understand."

Jin thought that in a world without pavement technology, maintenance would be limited to that level.

Cobblestone pavement would be out of the budget, and asphalt pavement would be too expensive to transport from Mitsuho, far to the west.

We will have to make do with just paving the ground.

"...... At the very least, why don't they build a <>?"

Roland bites back the words that Jin whispered in his ear.

"Jin-san, what is a "Kaido no eki"?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, it's a free rest area set up at strategic points along the road, I guess.

"Free ......?"

As a merchant, the word "free" seems to catch his attention. Jin immediately realized this.

"Yes. "Yes. We'll make it easy to use and attract many travelers. That's where we'll set up store."

"I see!"

That's a good idea!

Not only Roland but also Raglan jumped on board.

"By making the rest stop free of charge, we will attract more travelers. It would be a good way to advertise, especially if we put some local products there. Of course, there must be local products.

"That's wonderful!"

Roland, a merchant by nature, and the others seemed to realize the potential of what Jin was talking about.

"Water is free, but food and medicine are charged ......"

"Information on the roads would also be ......"

"I'll let the state do that for me. ......

"We could also set up a cafeteria and a simple accommodation ......."

Jin laughed as the two of them immediately began discussing the matter.

"Dad, Grandpa, you're being rude!"

Eric, who couldn't help but notice them, warned them.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry."

"...... Jin-san, I'm sorry."

Although he was addressing Frank, Jin was a lord. Roland and Raglan apologized for their impoliteness. Jin laughed and forgave them.

"That's all right. "But could you make such a proposal to your country?"

"No, I think it would be better if you make your own proposal to the kingdom.

Yes, that is correct.

...... is that the way it should be?

Jin didn't want to go through the trouble, but he had a lot of acquaintances in the Kingdom of Klein, so this time he had no choice but to do the heavy lifting.

"Then, I'll take Hannah with me. ......"

It was Jin who decided to go to Alban, the capital of the Kingdom of Klein.