While waiting for Lucol to regain consciousness, Jin turned to Reiko.
"Reiko, do you understand what Anne is trying to say?" he asked.
Earlier, Reiko had taken over the explanation for Anne, whose vocal apparatus was malfunctioning.
"Yes, Father. This girl is like a cousin to me, so I can speak on her behalf through magical synchronization."
"Cousin?" Jin asked, not quite following the terminology.
"Yes. She and I share the same basic design. I believe she uses the same architectural foundation as Mother. I can sense the mana fluctuations she uses for speech just by touching her like this."
It was as if their frequencies were so close that a radio was picking up a wireless transmission. Regardless of the mechanics, Reiko was capable of speaking for Anne. Jin felt a wave of relief seeing that Reiko didn't seem particularly jealous of the newcomer.
"I see. That makes sense."
While Jin was satisfied, Reinhard stood nearby with a metaphorical question mark floating over his head.
"Jin, what do you mean? Explain it so I can understand, too."
Jin offered Reinhard an apologetic look.
"Ah, sorry, Reinhard. My guess is that Anne was designed by the same person who created Reiko. The details differ, of course, but the fundamentals are identical. That’s why Reiko called her a cousin."
"Hmm... in that case, is Reiko-cha... Miss Reiko really based on such an ancient design?"
Jin tried to recall what he had told Reinhard about Reiko’s origins. He couldn't quite remember. He knew he’d told Beena that Reiko was an artifact he’d found, but he had a feeling he’d been intentionally vague with Reinhard.
"Yeah. Originally, Reiko was an artifact-grade automata, but she was in bad shape when I found her. I rebuilt her using new materials while keeping the original design exactly as it was. That’s the Reiko you see now."
That explanation seemed to click for Reinhard, who nodded emphatically.
"I see, that explains everything. It certainly makes sense why Reiko-chan is so high-performance."
"Reinhard, you don't have to be so formal with her. You can drop the 'Miss.' Right, Reiko?"
"...Yes," Reiko replied after a short pause. Since it was her father's instruction and she didn't harbor any specific ill will toward Reinhard, she accepted the change.
"Is that so? Thank you, Reiko-chan."
"...It is nothing."
Jin turned back to the other automata. "Anne, I'll perform maintenance on you later."
"Y-es... th-ank y-ou v-ery m-uch."
As they spoke, Lucol, who had been unconscious on the floor, began to stir. Reinhard was the first to notice.
"Hey, are you awake?" Reinhard asked, lightly patting the man's cheeks.
Lucol finally blinked his eyes open. "Ugh... Where... where am I?"
"Inside the ruins."
"The ruins?"
It seemed his memory was a bit hazy, so Reinhard took the lead in explaining everything that had happened.
"I see... so that's how it was... Yes, I think I remember... faintly. By the way, could you please untie this?" Lucol asked, looking down at his own arms bound by the sleeves of his robe.
He seemed to have returned to his senses, so they cautiously untied him.
"Phew, that’s better. So, we really are inside the ruins?"
"We are."
"Hmph. To think the secrets I couldn't find no matter how hard I searched would be uncovered by you lot on your very first day... I suppose it's time for me to retire."
Lucol was quiet and mild-mannered, sounding like a completely different person from when he was under the Hypno spell. This was likely his true personality.
"Well, what’s the plan?" Reinhard asked, getting them back to the task at hand. Their investigation was mostly complete, and it was already well past midnight.
"I'm quite exhausted. I think I'll head back to my hut," Lucol said. He lived in a small shack near the ruins.
Jin and the others decided to return to the carriage to nap until morning, planning to visit Lucol's hut again once the sun was up.
"I hope Elsa is still asleep," Reinhard muttered.
Jin agreed; if she woke up and realized they had gone off without her, she would likely be in a foul mood. They hurried back to the carriage.
As it turned out:
"Master Reinhard, Lady Elsa is fast asleep," Claude reported.
The two men breathed a sigh of relief. Trying not to wake her, they quietly climbed into the carriage, reclined their seats, and settled in for a short rest.
Reiko and Anne stayed outside. Reiko remained on high alert, while Anne, despite her malfunctioning body, did her best to assist with the watch.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning.
"To think you two went to the ruins and left me all alone. You're both mean."
Sure enough, when Elsa woke up and spotted Anne standing outside, they were forced to explain exactly where the new girl had come from.
"Sorry, Elsa. You looked so comfortable while you were sleeping, I thought it would be a pity to wake you."
"Liar."
"It might have been dangerous, and I didn't want to drag you into a place like that. Please understand, Elsa."
"Whatever."
Elsa had turned completely sulky, and there was no reaching her.
Left with no other choice, they focused on preparing breakfast. They boiled water on the stove Jin had made and prepared soup. By slicing bread and dipping it into the broth, they managed a simple meal. Since they hadn't expected the village to be so desolate, they had to make do with meager rations.
"Well, this is fine for a change," Reinhard said, glancing tentatively at Elsa. Her mood showed no signs of improving.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Reiko dropped a bombshell.
"Father, today is your birthday, isn't it?"
"Eh?" "Oh?" "W-Was it today?"
The responses came from Elsa, Reinhard, and Jin, respectively.
"Yes. There is no mistake. Father's birthday is today, April 1st."
The data transcribed into Reiko included Jin's birth date. By pure coincidence, the day Jin had been summoned to this world was also April 1st. In two different senses, it was his birthday.
"Ah... I guess I'm twenty-one now."
It also meant exactly one year had passed since his arrival.
"I-I see! Jin, let's have a celebration once we get back to Yada Village today," Reinhard said with a flustered grin.
"I-It's fine, really. I'm already twenty-one."
Jin didn't look particularly thrilled.
"That's not true," Elsa interjected. "The day Jin-kun was born is a very important day."
Elsa, who had been sulking just a moment ago, seemed to have forgotten her anger the instant she heard it was Jin's birthday.
"I... suppose so?"
Growing up in an orphanage, Jin had only really had birthday celebrations until his early years of elementary school. After that, he had always been on the side doing the celebrating for the younger kids. Consequently, he wasn't used to being the center of attention and did his best to hide his embarrassment.
They decided to visit Lucol's hut for a final talk before heading back to Yada Village. This time, Elsa went with them.
On the way, a massive boom echoed through the air, followed by the sound of something being crushed. Then, silence returned.
"What was that just now?"
"I don't know. Reiko, stay sharp."
Jin gave Reiko her instructions, and they proceeded toward the hut with caution. Lucol's shack was located in a depression along the cliff, about fifty meters from the ruins.
However...
"What happened here?"
The hut had been flattened, as if a giant foot had stepped directly on it.
Lucol was nowhere to be found. Had he been crushed inside, or had he managed to escape? Since there was no scent of blood, they hoped he had made it out in time.
"Standing here won't solve anything," Jin said.
"True. Let's head back to the carriage for now."
Feeling uneasy, the group returned to the carriage and consulted with Anne and the butler, Claude.
Anne offered a chilling suggestion.
"Y-ou didn't... h-appen to... act-ivate... a Gi-gas... did y-ou?"