"Oho, that’s an interesting structure!"
Reinhard exclaimed in admiration as he looked at Jin’s golem, which now had its skeleton and muscles tentatively assembled. He stared intently at the unfinished golem lying before him, seemingly deep in thought.
Jin didn't let it distract him and began constructing the magi-device, the heart of the golem. He picked up a magi-crystal and started writing in the control system.
"Write-in. Magi-sequence... magi-formula construction."
Beside Reinhard, Beena also watched the process with rapt attention.
"Alright, the control core is finished. Next is the mana driver and the mana tank."
Without exception, every golem Jin had seen in this world drew its power from a mana tank. On the other hand, the golems Jin created were all equipped with ether converters, which absorbed the free ether filling the atmosphere and converted it into mana. This mana was then transformed into various types of energy by the mana driver.
Since he was building this on commission, Jin opted for a mana tank to ensure the golem could be maintained even when he wasn’t around. That said, he had no intention of making it a standard mana tank.
"Reiko, find me some red and green magi-crystals."
"Yes, Father."
While she was gone, Jin prepared the exterior. Since the golem possessed a skeleton and muscles, the exterior served as its armor. The joints, being moving parts, were inevitably weak points, so he layered thin bronze plates to ensure there were no gaps in the protection.
Ordinarily, he would have finished such a task in the blink of an eye, but because this was a custom-made piece—and because the Count had asked him to let Beena learn as well—he deliberately took his time.
"Father, will these be sufficient?"
Reiko returned with the magi-crystals: a red fire-attribute crystal and a green wind-attribute crystal.
"Hmm, and what will you do with those?" Reinhard asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Jin simply told him to watch.
"Fusion."
"Wha—!?"
Reinhard was astounded by the feat of fusing fire and wind magi-crystals. It was common knowledge that fusing magi-crystals of different attributes was impossible.
"Alright, it's done. Reinhard, want to take a look?"
Jin handed over the freshly fused magi-crystal. Reinhard first inspected it with his eyes and then checked the flow of mana.
"Mmm, what in the world is this!?"
The mana inside the crystal was activated to an extraordinary degree.
"To put it simply, it’s like a fire being fanned by the wind, causing it to burn more fiercely," Jin explained casually, though it was not a feat just anyone could achieve.
"Hmm... I wonder if you inactivated the mana before performing the fusion?"
Even so, as an excellent magi craftsman, Reinhard had grasped more than half of Jin’s procedure.
"Correct. In addition to that, you have to proceed with the fusion while following the flow of the mana."
"I see! That’s very helpful. You have my thanks!"
Reinhard was overjoyed, but for Jin, a Magi Craft Meister, this was basic knowledge. In fact, it had been a standard technique during the age of his predecessor. The Great Magic War was to blame for its loss; the sudden decline in population had decimated the scholars and craftsmen of the era, causing the world’s technology to regress.
Setting that aside, while activated magi-crystals were difficult to handle, their mana efficiency was superb. Of course, they still didn’t compare to the all-attribute magi-crystals used in Reiko.
"Alright, I’ll link this and the mana driver to the control core."
The heart of the golem was rapidly taking shape.
"Alright! I’m going to improve Schwarzritter right away too!"
Having witnessed Jin’s technique, Reinhard was inspired to try it himself immediately. "Ah, Beena, sorry, but could you give me a hand?"
"Y-Yes!"
With Beena as his assistant, Reinhard set out to try fusing red and green magi-crystals. Meanwhile, Elsa watched Jin’s work in near silence.
"Now then. All that’s left is the head. Reiko, get me two red... let's see, magi-stones will do."
"Yes."
Jin moved on to the construction of the head. Glancing briefly at Beena, he performed a rapid Forming. Seeing this, Elsa's eyes widened.
"Alright, I’ll attach this and... Fusion. Reiko, give me the magi-stones."
He fitted the processed magi-stones into the eye sockets. He also wrote magi-formulas into the mouth and throat to construct the vocal organs. Naturally, magi-formulas to pick up sound were engraved into the ear sections as well.
"Ah, I should shield this as well."
He encased the magi-device in mithril. Several protrusions served as terminals to relay mana commands to the limbs and head. With that, the internal components were complete. All that remained was the final adjustment and finishing of the exterior.
"Alright, Reiko, I’ll need your help with the fine sizing adjustments."
"Yes, Father."
Reiko also glanced at Beena before starting the work. She worked through the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and waist, then moved to the arms and legs.
"How is it, Father?"
"Yeah, it’s a good job. But..."
Looking at the result of the chest, Jin felt it was somewhat lacking. He performed Forming on that area once more. He didn't notice Elsa’s eyes sharpening for a moment as she watched him work.
"Alright, that should be about right."
As a final touch, Jin applied the Surface Treatment. This time, he treated the bronze surface to a copper color—a reddish hue.
"Hardening. Surface Treatment. It’s finally finished."
Jin felt a sense of satisfaction. He had enjoyed the challenge of creating the highest performance golem possible while restricted by the available materials.
"But there’s just one problem..." Jin muttered.
"Jin-kun, what problem?" Elsa, who had been silent until then, asked.
"Oh, Elsa... well, I was wondering what to do about this golem's basic knowledge."
"What do you mean?"
"This golem is fundamentally a maid golem. So, if possible, I’d like to transfer the knowledge of an actual maid into it."
"In that case, shall I command the Chief Maid to assist?"
Jin turned toward the voice and saw Count Kuzuma standing there, having come to check on the progress.
"Oho, my, my. This is quite beautiful. Beena, come here for a moment."
"Yes?"
At the Count’s call, Beena stepped away from her work with Reinhard. When she saw the golem lying there, her face transformed.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What is this!?" she shouted, turning beet-red.
It was no wonder—the golem looked exactly like her. Its body lines had been reproduced with startling accuracy, making it look quite provocative.
"Jin, you perveeeeert!"
Driven by sheer embarrassment, Beena tried to pounce on Jin, but she was gently restrained by Reiko.
"Let me goooo!"
"I cannot. If I let you go, you will attack Father."
"Noooooo!"
As Beena screamed and ranted, Count Kuzuma finally intervened. "I am sorry, Beena. In truth, I was the one who requested that Jin model the golem after you."
"Th-Th-Th-The Count did!?"
Beena was on the verge of a total meltdown. At that moment—
Chop!
"Ow!"
Elsa’s hand descended in a swift chop, striking the crown of Beena’s head.
"It hurrrts..."
Beena crouched down, clutching her head. It seemed the physical shock had managed to stave off the panic. Jin thanked Elsa in his heart for her quick thinking.
"You should calm down," Elsa said. "Reproducing a girl’s body is easy for Jin-kun. Back in Port Rock, he built a golem that looked exactly like Marcia-san."
"Hey."
"Besides, back on Kunlun Island, he easily measured our three sizes."
Gratitude revoked.
"Ah, well, you know... it’s not like I had any ill intent, so please forgive me," Jin said, having no choice but to apologize.
The Count added his own support. "Indeed. Beena, you’ve been used as the model for such a beautiful golem; you should puff out your chest with pride."
However, the Count’s choice of words was the final blow.
"But! Why! Is the golem’s! Chest! Bigger than mine!!?"
It was a cry from the very depths of Beena's soul.