"An unfamiliar ceiling..."
Jin woke up in this world. The line was a cliché, but it was the only thing that came to mind.
"ARE YOU AWAKE, MASTER?"
Startled by the voice, Jin sat up. Standing before him was a beautiful girl with black hair, black eyes, and skin so pale it was almost translucent. She was small—about 120 centimeters tall, roughly the size of an elementary schooler—and dressed in a maid-like outfit.
"Uh... who are you?"
"I AM AN AUTOMATA. I HAVE NO NAME."
The answer was so blunt it made Jin’s head spin.
An automata? If I recall, those were clockwork dolls made in Europe... but could something this sophisticated really exist?
It was then that Jin realized the words he heard were not Japanese. For that matter, they weren't English, French, German, or any other language he knew. And yet, he understood them perfectly.
"Um, so... did you save me?"
He decided to address his questions one at a time.
"TO SAY THAT I SAVED YOU IS SLIGHTLY INCORRECT. I MERELY SUMMONED MASTER TO THIS LOCATION."
"Then where is this?"
"MOTHER’S LABORATORY."
"By 'Mother,' do you mean the person who created you?"
"YES."
"Where is she now?"
"SHE PASSED AWAY 1,024 YEARS, 8 MONTHS, AND 27 DAYS AGO."
The Automata hadn't literally used the word for "passed away," but Jin’s mind had automatically translated her stiff, antiquated language into a term he could understand.
"I... I see."
One thousand twenty-four years, eight months, and twenty-seven days. This Automata had been functional for an unimaginably long time.
"So, why did you call me here?"
"IT IS SO THAT YOU MAY INHERIT EVERYTHING LEFT BY MOTHER."
"Inherit everything? Could you be a bit more specific?"
"YES. 'EVERYTHING' CONSISTS OF THIS LABORATORY AND MOTHER’S MAGICAL TECHNOLOGY. IS THIS EXPLANATION SUFFICIENT?"
He had asked for a bit more detail, and she had provided exactly that—no more, no less. Even so, he grasped the gist of it.
"In short, you want me to succeed 'Mother,' who was a magic user?"
"YES. THAT IS CORRECT."
Between the inexplicable language comprehension and the existence of this impossible Automata, it didn't take Jin long to accept that he was no longer on Earth. Besides, he remembered falling into a ladle of molten iron. The memory of that intense, searing heat and the sensation of his flesh burning was still vivid.
"So, you're the one who healed me?"
He asked the question assuming the answer would involve magic, but the girl shook her head.
"NO. I DID NOT PERFORM ANY SUCH ACTION."
"Then how—?"
"THERE IS A THEORY THAT DURING THE TRANSFER BETWEEN WORLDS, MANA PERFORMS SUPPLEMENTATION TO THE PHYSICAL BODY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STATE OF THE SOUL."
"Mana supplements physical damage during an isekai transfer?"
Jin looked down at his body. On his left hand, the scar on his thumb from a knife slip in elementary school was gone. On his right shin, the mark from a dog bite had vanished. He reached around to feel his back; the skin where he had been badly burned by a leaking hot water bottle was now perfectly smooth.
It was only then, as he finished his self-examination, that Jin realized he was completely naked.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Even if his companion was a machine, she looked like a beautiful young girl. His reaction was only natural.
"MASTER? WHAT IS THE MATTER?"
The Automata simply stared back at him with an expression of concern, not even thinking to look away, which only intensified Jin’s embarrassment.
After calming down by wrapping a bedsheet around himself, Jin took a moment to reflect.
In any case, I was on the verge of burning to death—or rather, I was likely already dead. I'm only alive because this girl 'called' me.
It seems I can't go back, but since I'm already dead over there, I suppose there's no choice.
The Orphanage Director and the kids are going to be so sad... I'm sorry.
After a long moment of internal mourning, Jin steeled his resolve.
"All right. What specifically am I supposed to do?"
He addressed the Automata, who stood silently waiting.
"WOULD YOU PLEASE FOLLOW ME?"
With that, she turned and led the way out of the room. Jin followed, still draped in his sheet. He felt a bit awkward walking without shoes, but the floors were carpeted and soft under his feet.
As they moved through the hallway, Jin observed the structure. Having a fair amount of architectural knowledge, he noted the unusual materials. The walls and ceiling were made of a milky-white substance that resembled quartz. It emitted a soft, ambient glow that lit their path. It was a mysterious light, nothing like the electroluminescence he was familiar with.
"Is this light magical?"
The Automata replied without looking back.
"YES. IT IS PERPETUAL LUMINESCENCE POWERED BY ETHER."
Another unfamiliar term. Jin decided to save his questions for later.
Based on what he could see, the "laboratory" seemed roughly the size of an urban elementary school, though that was a rough estimate. Eventually, the Automata stopped in front of a heavy door adorned with intricate carvings.
"WE HAVE ARRIVED."
She turned to face him.
"I AM NOT PERMITTED TO OPEN THIS DOOR. ONLY THE NEW SUCCESSOR HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTER."
"I understand."
Not knowing if he was about to face a blessing or a curse, Jin reached out and pushed—
"...It won't budge."
"MASTER, PLEASE PULL."
He had been pushing a door that opened outward. His nerves were clearly getting the better of him.
"R-Right."
Flushing red, Jin pulled the door open and stepped inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, the dim room was flooded with light.
"Whoa!"
He flinched at the sudden brightness, but once he realized the lights had simply activated, he regained his composure and surveyed the room.
It was a study. It contained a simple but sturdy desk and chair, and upon the desk sat a large crystal ball the size of a watermelon. Next to it lay a single book. The rest of the room was lined with bookshelves, each packed tightly with volumes.
The room was immaculate, without a single speck of dust, as if it had been maintained for immediate use. Jin tentatively sat in the chair. Suddenly, the crystal ball began to glow.
"W-What now?"
"Welcome, my Successor."
A voice echoed through the room as the face of an elderly woman appeared within the crystal.
"My name is Adriana Barbora Tsetse. I am a mage—a sorceress. And I am the world's only Magi Craft Meister."
"SHE IS MOTHER," the Automata added, having followed him inside now that the door was open.
"I spent my life researching the union of magical phenomena and physical tools. This laboratory is the culmination of those efforts. Sadly, my research was never accepted by my fellow mages."
There was a poignant note of sorrow in her voice.
"But I believe—I know—that my work has meaning. Unfortunately, it seems I will not live to see it proven."
The recording paused for a moment before continuing.
"I wish to entrust everything I have built to someone who shares my spirit. How you use this legacy is up to you, Successor. Please consult the records for the details."
The voice faded, and the face in the crystal ball vanished.
"The records... does she mean this book?"
Jin reached for the book beside the crystal ball. The moment his fingers brushed the cover, the book erupted in light.
"Whoa—!?"
Information literally avalanched into Jin’s mind. It was over in a heartbeat.
"..."
When the light died down, the book was gone. In that instant, Jin had become the legitimate Successor to the Magi Craft Meister, Adriana Barbora Tsetse.
"So this is magic..."
With his new knowledge, he could feel the mana flowing within his body. He understood how to wield it—and he understood the terrible danger it represented.
"Adriana Barbora Tsetse... thank you. I promise to make this power useful."
Jin spoke to the now-silent crystal ball.
"WITH THIS... I HAVE FINALLY... FULFILLED MY PURPOSE."
With those final words, the Automata crumbled into pieces and collapsed to the floor.