Chapter 265 – Present
“A light blue one piece dress for Hannah. With a white sash around the waist that you can tie to a bowknot ”
Jin was making Hannah’s clothes while following Elsa’s advice.
Something simple typical for commoners. But wanting give it a tinge of elegance he ended up making a one piece dress. Since it was spring the sleeves were kept short.
The cloth used was Magi Silk. It was light and had a good texture.
“Hmmh, onii-chan, I want an ap.r.o.n too.”
Hannah asked and so instead of a sash he decide to make a white ap.r.o.n with wide cords.
“Wo~w, amazing!”
The clothes were made right before her eyes. Hannah kept getting more and more high-spirited.
“Okay, I’m done. Want to try them on?”
Jin asked, then Hannah tossed her old clothes off on the spot.
“Yeah!”
She replied with a beaming smile.
“Wow, it feels kind of nice.”
Hannah was a little bewildered by the feeling of the clothes that was so different compared to the linen clothes she had been wearing until now, but then she took a look at herself in the mirror and,
“Woow, is this me? Onii-chan, thanks!”
She said, jumping with joy.
Next was Elsa’s clothes.
“The chartreuse green dress suited you well, didn’t it Elsa?”
Jin said and Elsa nodded.
“Mm. I like that color.”
They then decided on a simple A-line one piece dress made similarly out of Magi Silk. The design was the same as that of Hannah’s clothes.
Commoners didn’t wear clothing with too elaborate designs. Also decorations like lace or ribbons were mostly not used.
Incidentally, the length of both their skirts was to their knees. For socks they both wore white ones that reached to their ankles.
“Next is shoes, I guess.”
He made Mohican style shoes out of magical beast leather. They were dark brown. These too were common.
And like this both Elsa and Hannah ended up wearing similar simple outfits. The only difference was that Hannah was wearing an ap.r.o.n.
However, both the Magi Silk and the magical beast leather used were both rare materials. Although they looked usual at a glance, their durability was about five times greater than normal.
As they still had time, Jin decided that this was the perfect chance to make the necklace for Hannah while explaining the process to Elsa.
Hannah also watched although she didn’t understand.
“Since it fits with any kind of color, let’s use a Magi Quartz.”
Magi Quartzes were white or colorless crystals and had a weak light attribute to them. They were even used in Reiko’s eyeb.a.l.l.s. However, the most important reason Jin chose it was you couldn’t distinguish them from regular quartz.
Quartz was a mundane mineral so it wasn’t uncommon for commoners to use it, but this was 100 times more valuable. But the difference couldn’t be told without the [a.n.a.lyze] magic.
So that the design wasn’t too elaborate he made it a sphere. He decided to attach a Light Silver clasp to it and make a chain out of the same Light Crystal which could be hung from the neck. He made the Light Silver into a slightly duller silver color so it seemed like a cheap product with a crude appearance.
This was because if they carelessly wore expensive-looking jewelry they’d be found suspicious and they might get attacked by someone who wanted it.
Finally Jin inserted his Magic Energy in it so its purpose as a marker for the Magi Radar’s search was finished.
“Hannah, here’s another gift.”
“Wow, I can have this? Onii-chan, thank you!”
Even so, Hannah was filled with great joy because she had witnessed Jin make it just for her.
Hannah immediately hung it from her neck and happily looked at her reflection in the mirror.
“Hannah-chan, you’re cute.”
Elsa too was watching Hannah while smiling fondly.
Finally Jin told Reiko to bring Lithia’s short sword with her.
“Jin-nii, what’s this?”
Elsa asked quizzically and Jin replied,
“Oh, this, it’s something of an acquaintance of mine. The other reason I wanted to go to Alban was to return this.”
“Hmmh…”
Elsa’s eyes seemed a little bit sad as she stared at the short sword. Jin had an idea as for the reason.
“Elsa, are you by any chance missing the dagger?”
It was something Jin had once given Elsa as her birthday present. She had left it behind her together with the status of a n.o.ble when she had rejected the engagement arranged against her wishes.
“…Mm. Just a bit since it was something I got from Jin-nii.”
Elsa replied confirming that she was indeed a little sad. Then,
“In that case, I’ll give you something appropriate for who you are now.”
Jin said.
“Like what?”
Elsa was very interested.
“Since commoners probably don’t carry swords, something like a knife.”
“A knife, mh-hm, that’s alright.”
Elsa seemed to understand. Then Hannah who had been running around in front of the mirror until now came.
“Onii-chan and onee-chan, what are you doing?”
“Hmm, I was thinking I’d make a present for Elsa this time.”
Jin replied. Hearing that, Hannah looked very interested.
“Well, just watch. Elsa too, watch carefully.”
Jin said and prepared the Light Silver.
“[Forming]. [Forming]. [Forming].”
He used [Forming] repeatedly. What Jin made was a so-called folding knife.
In his work he had used an electrician’s knife and sometimes used a j.a.panese style folding knife.
As is there was no locking mechanism for it so he added a simple one.
“It looks interesting.”
Apparently this world had no folding knives like this one. Most of them were the sheath knife type which were kept in a sheath for safekeeping.
A Light Silver blade and a handle. Since just that was unexciting, he decorated it with a Sham Dragon’s horn and embedded small Magi Crystals in it.
These Magi Crystals too should work as markers for the Magi Radar.
“Alright, it’s done.”
After opening and closing the knife multiple times to confirm it works,
“Elsa, here’s another present.”
Jin said and handed it to Elsa. Although it was a bladed tool since they were now siblings, albeit adoptive ones, there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Thanks, Jin-nii.”
As she had been watching it get made, Elsa immediately tried opening and closing it. She then smiled sweetly and told Jin her impressions.
“This is interesting. Convenient.”
“Haha, as long as it pleases you.”
Jin smiled too.
“Elsa onee-chan got a present from onii-chan too, we’re the same!”
Hannah was in a good mood as always.
And like that the outside got darker. This was because Kunlun Island was a about an hour ahead of Kaina Village.
“Well then, how about we have a meal?”
Jin said and left the workshop. He washed his hands in the washroom where Hannah and Elsa followed his lead and washed their hands too.
In the dining hall, Peridot and Topaz had done the dinner preparations.
“Wah, what’s this?”
Jin had given directions for tonight’s menu in advance.
Ground mountain deer meat had been mixed with wheat flour into a paste and fried. Topopoes had been boiled, mashed, mixed with corn and a little bit of meat, covered with wheat flour in beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs sprinkled on top of it before frying it in oil.
In other words, hamburger meat and croquettes.
Since there was no Worcestershire sauce they gave a shot at a homemade version, and in the end now was its first unveiling after finally making something acceptable. (Although the one who went through the trouble of making it wasn’t Jin but Peridot on Hourai Island.)
“Wow, it’s delicious!”
“Mm, this, could it be made out of Topopoes?”
Hannah enjoyed the hamburger meat and Elsa who had a refined palate saw through the croquettes’ ingredients.
“I didn’t know that Topopoes can be this sweet.”
She was eating them in a manner from which it wasn’t at all apparent that she was afraid of Topopoes.
After the meal they spent the time talking with Hannah about the journey Jin and Elsa had made.
“And then, Jin-nii made kites and flew it with the children.”
“Huuh, I wish you’d make one now.”
“Ah, alright. I suppose kite-flying could be popularized in Kaina Village too.”
That night Hannah and Elsa were in the same room.
“Wow, the tatami smells nice.”
Since Hannah too seemed to be fond of the smell of the tatami, or rather the smell of soft rush, Jin was wondering if it couldn’t be cultivated in Kaina Village too.
“Well then, good night.”
“Good night, onii-chan.”
“Good night, Jin-nii.”
They ended up going to bed relatively late, but Hannah was so hyped it seemed she couldn’t fall asleep.
＊ ＊ ＊
“We couldn’t leave today either…”
“That is unfortunate.”
Tonight too, Laojun heard Reinhardt’s regular report on behalf of Jin.