One day, Laojun reported that a Quinta dispatched to a remote region had brought back some promising information.
"My Lord, there are ancient ruins on the western shore of Azul Lake that have become a tourist attraction. It appears there is a massive cavity beneath them."
"I see. And that cavity hasn't been discovered yet?"
"Correct, My Lord."
"Hmm, that sounds interesting. Maybe I'll go check it out for a change."
When Jin muttered those words, Reiko immediately voiced her objection.
"Father, it is dangerous for you to go to such a place yourself when we have no idea what might be waiting there."
"Well, Reiko, you’ll be there. Since they're ruins, I'll have Anne come along this time as well. I’ll also bring my reinforced suit along with Masamune and Muramasa."
Reiko still looked reluctant, but she eventually relented.
"Very well. I shall bring Touka and my magi-cannon as well. I will also have the Secret Mobile Unit carry Paralyzers, vibration swords, and Induction Radiators."
Hearing this, Jin wondered what on earth she expected to fight, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing that if he spoke up, she would likely insist the trip was too dangerous and beg him not to go.
"It won't take long if we use the Azul Lake submersible base. Let's time our arrival for the middle of the night."
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin took off from the Azul Lake submersible base in his personal VTOL, Pegasus 1. He reached the sky above the ruins in about three minutes.
"The Quinta is here to meet us. There are no signs of people on the ground."
With the Quinta who discovered the site present, and infrared and visual scans showing no signs of life, they determined the risk of being spotted was minimal. Pegasus 1 landed in the plaza in front of the ruins. The stone pavement was ideal, preventing dust from kicking up and making the landing a simple affair.
First, the Secret Mobile Unit stepped out to secure the perimeter. A minute later, Reiko followed, then Anne. Finally, Jin stepped down.
"Thank you for the long journey, Chief."
The Quinta in charge of the western shore of Azul Lake bowed.
"Good work meeting us. So, where are these ruins?"
"Right this way, sir."
Jin illuminated the area with a Light Ball. Scattered around were pillars and buildings constructed from magic-reinforced stone. However, the reinforcement magic was fading, and the structures had already begun to weather.
Guided by the Quinta, Jin headed toward the edge of the ruins. Stopping between two massive pillars, the Quinta pointed at the ground.
"There is a large cavity beneath this spot."
Jin examined the ground with Sonar magic and confirmed that a vast space indeed lay below. He turned to Reiko.
"Reiko, try punching this spot with thirty percent of your power."
"Yes, Father."
Once Jin and the others had moved a safe distance away, Reiko swung her small fist and slammed it into the ground.
A roar echoed as the ground cracked and collapsed. Reiko leaped back nimbly, avoiding the fall. When the dust settled, a large hole had been gouged into the earth.
"It's dark. Light."
Even with illumination, the bottom remained out of sight. The Quinta spoke up.
"Chief, I will go down first."
With that, he jumped into the hole. After a short while, a report came in via manacam.
"Everything is clear; there are no abnormalities. Please, come down."
The group proceeded into the hole. Jin was carried by Reiko, while Anne and the Secret Mobile Unit descended on their own.
The area where they landed was a wide chamber with passages extending to the left and right. Jin chose to head down the smaller passage.
Before long, the path began to slope downward. Though dim, permanent light-emitting elements powered by ether were embedded in the walls.
"These are lower grade than the ones in our laboratory," Reiko remarked, observing the faint glow.
Eventually, they reached a red, rusted iron door. Anne spoke softly as they approached it.
"Master, this place seems like an old fort—specifically, an emergency shelter."
"I see. Do you think there’s something further in?" Jin asked.
"Yes, I believe there is a high possibility of finding emergency magic tools or weapons."
"Alright, let's open it."
Jin tried to push, but it was heavy and wouldn't budge. Reiko stepped in to help. The hinges groaned and eventually snapped, and the door fell into the room with a thunderous crash, sending clouds of dust into the air.
"Pfft, that’s quite a mess. Breeze."
Jin used Wind magic to blow the dust out of the room. This finally allowed them to survey the interior.
As Anne had predicted, the room contained a significant number of magic tools. Many had broken over the centuries, but about a third looked like they might still be functional.
Jin ordered the Secret Mobile Unit to collect them. Then, at the very back of the room, he found something else.
"Is that..."
It was a single doll. Jin recognized immediately that it was an automata. She had the form of a young girl, but there was no spark of life in her. She sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Her left arm was broken, missing everything from the elbow down.
"Could this be... the Golden Destruction Princess?" Anne asked.
"Anne?"
"It is likely. This automata is the Golden Destruction Princess. A mysterious unit that went around destroying my brothers and sisters during the early stages of the Great Magic War."
"I see..."
Hearing that, Jin began to examine the automata without touching her.
"The craftsmanship is decent."
Seeing Reiko puff out her cheeks out of the corner of his eye, Jin hurriedly added, "...Though, of course, she doesn't even come close to you, Reiko."
Reiko's expression instantly softened.
"Well, we’re taking the old magic tools, and it would be a waste to leave this automata here. Reiko, please carry her back."
"Yes, I understand."
With her magi-cannon on her back and Touka at her waist, Reiko picked up the automata.
Sensing the slight mana emitted by Reiko, the automata's eyes fluttered open.
"Was it you... who woke me?...W-Wait, what do you think you're doing!?"
"Ah, she's awake. As I thought, she was programmed to wake up upon detecting mana."
"W-Wait, let go! I am the Queen of Automata! Do you not hear the command of your Queen!?"
She struggled and flailed, but Reiko's arms held her like a vice. No matter how much the automata fought, it was utterly futile.
"Y-You... could you be Adriana's...!!"
"You are noisy. My Mother's name is indeed Adriana Barbora Tsetse."
"I knew it! L-Let go of me!"
"I said, be quiet."
Reiko tightened her grip slightly. With a series of ominous cracks, the automata's skeleton began to distort.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
She clearly possessed some level of sensory perception, as a scream echoed through the chamber.
"She is far too loud. Father, please silence her."
At Reiko's request, Jin approached and placed his hand on the automata's neck.
"Stand Still."
He forcibly shut her down.
"Ah, much better," Reiko said.
"It really does seem she is the Golden Destruction Princess," Anne remarked, looking down at the limp form in Reiko's arms.
"I wonder why she turned out with this kind of personality. I'm a little curious," Jin said, peering down at the automata.
＊ ＊ ＊
The return journey was uneventful. After leaving the ruins and boarding Pegasus 1, they returned to Hourai Island via the submersible base.
Now, in the workshop within the Hourai Island laboratory, Jin was analyzing the retrieved automata.
"Hmm. The skeleton is light silver, and the muscles are magical fiber. She has a mana driver, but there's no ether converter."
"Father, what does that imply?" Reiko asked, holding the automata down as a precaution.
"Well, you and the others use an ether converter to turn the ether in the air into mana, which the mana driver then turns into energy, right?"
"Yes."
"Instead of an ether converter, this automata has an ether tank. It looks like she uses an ether driver to turn that stored ether into energy."
"How does that change things?"
Reiko had enough knowledge to understand the structural differences, but she didn't quite grasp the implications for performance.
"Normally, you'd use a combination of a mana tank and a mana driver. This setup gains more output at the cost of efficiency."
"I see. I have never heard of an ether driver before. So it is inefficient because it converts ether directly into energy?"
"That's right. Thinking about it, the ether in the air was probably denser before the Ether Stampede occurred, so this design would have been perfectly viable back then."
"But Mother made me with the current system," Reiko pointed out.
"That's because my Predecessor was superior in both technique and design philosophy. It's the difference between brute-forcing output and achieving it through delicate, efficient control."
Jin turned his attention back to the components. "Also, there's something strange about this control core."
"What is it?"
"It looks like it was overwritten onto a second-hand part. There are faint, lingering remnants of old magi-formulas scattered throughout." Jin peered at the relatively large core. "I suspect this is one of the reasons she went mad."
As he spoke, Jin used his magic to completely erase those old formulas.
"Next, there's the possibility that the creator's last words are causing trouble."
Using Craft Magic for Reading and Decompiling, Jin searched for that specific data. After thirty minutes, he found it.
"Here it is. 'You are number one,' huh?"
"'You are number one'? That certainly could lead to instability if interpreted the wrong way," Reiko said. Having also lost her creator once, she understood the weight such words carried.
"Hmm, 'You are number one'..." Jin tilted his head. "It's vague. It could mean 'become' number one, or 'you are the most important'."
Jin pondered the possibilities for a moment.
"If it were me," Reiko said softly, "I would want to be told 'I loved you most'."
"Well, normally that's what someone would want to hear," Jin agreed.
"Anyway, let's repair the worn-out parts and deteriorated components."
Jin fixed the malfunctioning sections of the automata and prepared to restart her. Reiko remained on guard, keeping the unit restrained.
"...Where am I?" the automata asked, her eyes opening. "Did you... repair my arm?"
There was no trace of madness in her voice.
"Yes, I did. Do you feel any other problems?"
Jin signaled Reiko to slowly release her grip. The automata tested her movements.
"No, none. I feel in excellent condition. Thank you very much."
She bowed politely.
"As thanks for repairing me, I wish to serve you. Would you be so kind as to give me a name?"
She bowed once more. Jin thought for a moment. Suddenly, a name popped into his head—a rarity for him.
"Hmm, how about 'Elena'?"
"Yes. I am Elena. I look forward to working with you from now on, Master."
Elena bowed deeply, then turned to face Reiko and Anne.
"And I look forward to working with you as well, big sisters."
This was a world where "what ifs" were allowed—a world where Jin had been the one to find Elena. It is the story of a "what if" world where Elena was able to lead a happy life from that moment on.