Next, the group was guided to the second floor of the mansion.
Climbing up the stairs from the entrance hall they arrived at the second floor’s hall. On the east side there was Jin’s room and his teacher’s (dummy) room. The library and storeroom were there too.
On the west, there were the guest rooms and the toilet. In addition, the golem maids’ waiting room was there.
“Is this Jin’s room?”
The Japanese-style room was approximately eight tatami mats in size, and tatami mats had been laid on the floor.
“Oh, take off your shoes.”
Jin advised, first took his own shoes off and then plopped himself down on the tatami floor.
“Huh, so it’s a floor that lets you do that sort of thing. May I?”
Still wearing the pants, Beana also took her shoes off and laid on the tatami floor.
“Ah, it’s got a somewhat good scent.”
Since the face of the tatami mat had been woven from pseudo soft rush, it had the scent of soft rush.
“Really?”
Elsa took her shoes off too, and in the same manner plopped herself down on the floor. Jin was sandwiched with her and Beana on the other side.
“It feels pleasantly cool. But not too chilly.”
“I see, it’s very nice when you take your shoes off!”
Reinhardt had taken even his socks off, and was enjoying the feeling of the tatami mats while barefoot.
“But how do you sleep? No matter how I look at it, it will be cold during the night as is.”
When Beana asked the obvious question, Jin got up and opened the closet door.
“When it’s time to sleep I lay out this futon.”,
Jin explained, and Beana got up and came over to him, and with his permission tried touching the futon.
“Eh, what’s this? It’s so soft and fluffy! It’s not stuffed with feathers, right?”
“Let me see.”
Reinhardt also tried touching the futon, and,
“Hm, what is this? It feels like it’s been woven from fine thread. It also resembles felt a bit, but the softness and flexibility are completely different.”
Finally, Elsa touched the futon.
“Soft and fluffy. I want to lie down on it.”,
She said, so Jin took the futon out and laid it on the floor.
“Go ahead.”
The first one to throw herself down on it was Elsa.
“Amazing. It feels more comfortable than feathers. The body sinks too much into down-filled matresses but this is different.”
“M-me too!”
Not to be outdone, Beana also threw herself down on the futon.
“Ah, it’s true, this is amazing! It can’t compare with a straw mattress!”
After saying that, she noticed the difference between her and Elsa and held her tongue.
“Hmm, what on earth could the material be? I mean the cloth of this futon. It’s not linen or wool. It even feels better to the touch than silk.”
Reinhardt tilted his head in puzzlement as he felt the cover of the futon and looked at its luster.
“It’s silk woven by a Ground Caterpillar.”
Jin told him the answer as it seemed if he didn’t, Reinhardt would be troubled by it forever.
“What! Ground Caterpillar you say!? Isn’t that a devil beast that’s been said to have gone extinct!”
They say the same about Ground Spiders, but their food is Magic Energy, not meat. They don’t attack people either unless attacked first.
But because of their appearance they became targets for extermination, and nowadays they only barely survive deep underground in some remote regions.
But at the same time, several of them live in the caves beneath Hourai Island, since the predecessor knew of their silk’s usefulness, and gave them shelter. And so, after Jin’s inheritance their raising was also under investigation.
Under Topaz’s leadership, experiments to see if it is possible to use an Ether Converter to bestow Magic Energy into the mine tunnels after the ore has been extracted were underway.
“Ugh, a devil beast’s silk…”
Beana seemed a little drawn back after hearing that, and got up from the futon. Elsa still seemed to just idle around peacefully.
“The pants Jin-kun gave are made from a devil beast’s leather. Even normal silk is from the the thread woven by a bug. So to dislike a devil beast’s silk is weird.”
“Tha- That’s right! This feels so good to the touch too!”,
Beana said to Elsa, and laid down a second time on the futon.
“In that case, is the stuffing of the futon same too?”
Reinhardt seemed to understand that the material for the stuffing was the same.
“Uh-huh. It’s devil silk wadding.”
Wadding made out of Ground Caterpillar’s silk, or rather made out of a devil beast’s silk, and so it was devil silk wadding.
“I see, devil silk wadding, huh?”
Reinhardt said, and his face suddenly became serious.
“Jin, I’ll give you some advice as a friend. Your techniques, and the materials of this, Kunlun Island was it? It would be better for you to not show them off in the outside world too much.”,
He said. The current Reinhardt had the face of a diplomat.
“Rai-nii, what do you mean?”
Elsa seemed to be bothered by what he said, and she stopped idling on the futon and got up next to Jin and asked.
Reinhardt thought about what words to use to explain it to Elsa.
“Jin’s techniques are different. They’re outstanding. And all the materials he’s got are extremely precious and expensive. If it became known, it’s possible the economy could be thrown into chaos.”
He stopped the words there and looked at Elsa. After seeing her nod her head he continued.
“Any country would assemble everything together to corral Jin. Then they would plunder the materials here.”
“That’s terrible.”
Reinhardt nodded at Elsa’s fretful reply.
“Yes, that’s right. And so, Jin, you need to understand the standards of the world.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Jin replied to Reinhardt, and nodded.
He knew that his own sensibility differed.
He knew his technical standards were high.
He also suspected that the resources saved on Hourai Island could threaten this world’s economy.
Even so, he was grateful that Reinhardt didn’t mince his words.
“Thanks, Reinhardt. I’ll be careful about the materials. I’d like you to teach me about the standard level of things from now on.”
When Jin said so, Reinhardt returned to his usual mood and laughed,
“I naturally will! And I’d also like you to teach me your techniques!”
Again his face became serious.
“To be frank, as a diplomat I should be saying, ‘I want you to join our country’, but, well.”
He said, then again laughed,
“But I still want get on with Jin as a friend. So I’ll say this, ‘Drop in for a visit at Shouro Empire'”
“Didn’t I already agree to that?”,
Jin said, to which Reinhardt replied,
“Is that so, that’s good then. To tell you the truth, I was worried that you’d settle down in this house, and say you’re not going to travel any more.”
Jin said that’s not the case, and added that he’s got no intention to break the promise he’d made.
After hearing that, Reinhardt returned to his normal mood, and Elsa too had a relieved look on her face.
“Everyone, as it will soon be noon, the meal preparations are underway. Please follow me.”
Peridot came and said so, and everyone moved to the first-floor dining room.
However, Beana seemed reluctant to part from the futon, and kept looking back and back as they left.
