"I understand. Please watch."
With those words, Jin peeled back the magical skin of the doll’s chest along the seams. The metal casing beneath was revealed.
"Jin-nii, I couldn't even see the seams," Elsa remarked, watching his work with admiration.
"Well, it would ruin the illusion if they were obvious. I’ve hidden them well."
As an aside, Reiko’s body had no seams at all; she was completely seamless. In the case of models like Anne and Tia, however, there were seams in the external casing that, when opened, revealed the internal mechanisms.
Jin noted tubes leading to the chest area and realized that breast milk for nursing was consumed orally—a structural feature Anne didn't have. He later learned that Tia would receive milk from women like the wives of lower-ranked nobles who had recently given birth, allowing her to nurse the princess.
Jin continued his inspection of the interior.
"Ah... she’s quite damaged."
Several of the mithril magi-nerves were severed. These were the components Jin had previously described to Prince Ernest as the "conductive wires that transmit mana to various parts of the body." Jin had dubbed them magi-nerves; when it came to technical terminology, his naming sense was usually quite adequate.
"Your Highness, I need a bit of mithril. Do you happen to have any?" Jin asked Princess Lieschen, who was observing from a short distance away.
The princess reacted immediately. "Mithril? Yes. If this will suffice, please use it."
She reached up and unfastened the necklace from her neck. The chain was made of pure mithril.
"Are you sure?" Jin asked as he took it.
"It does not matter," she replied instantly. Jin’s opinion of the princess rose a few notches higher.
"In that case, I’ll make use of it... 'Forming.' 'Fusion.'"
Using the necklace to supplement the material, he began reconnecting the severed magi-nerves. While the Lotte he had gifted to Prince Ernest possessed only six nerves, Tia had twelve—two systems of six for the limbs, head, and torso. It was likely a redundancy meant to increase reliability.
Jin recalled that Anne also had only six. This suggested that Tia was either a custom model or an early production unit; the design was likely simplified for later mass production.
Just then, the magi-crystal he had requested arrived. The princess went to the door herself to receive it and handed it to Jin.
"Jin, will this do?"
It was a milk-white magi-crystal. Its size and quality were more than sufficient.
"Yes, this is perfect."
Accepting the crystal, Jin set about engraving the magi-formula required to transform it into an ether converter. Since the task was still beyond Elsa’s current skill level, he kept his explanation brief.
"It’s a magi-device that converts free ether from the air into mana."
That was all he said before concentrating on the Write In. He worked with such speed and precision that even the princess, despite her Far-vision Magic Eye, couldn't fully track the delicate, microscopic formula he was carving. To Jin, however, this was a routine task he had performed countless times. It was finished in heartbeats.
"Now, to swap the old one out."
The original ether converter was a dull, cloudy white, seemingly made from a much lower quality magi-crystal.
"For now, I'll reconnect the severed magical muscles and apply Reinforce to the magical skin as well."
He aimed to do just enough to get her moving. Without more materials, even Jin couldn't perform a full restoration.
Repair and maintenance were completed in about thirty minutes. He redressed her, leaving only the final step: the activation of the ether converter. Once started, the system functioned as a kind of "free energy" machine; it would generate mana, which the mana driver would then convert into the energy needed for movement.
"Your Highness, what magic can you use?"
The mana pattern used during activation would determine the future characteristic of the mana she generated. This was why the golems and Automata Jin created shared his own mana traits.
"Hmm? I can use Cure, Water Ball, and Water Bullet."
"That will be plenty. Please, come over here."
Following Jin’s request, the princess approached Tia’s side.
"Place your hand on her chest... yes, like that. Now, let your mana flow."
The princess looked at him with a startled expression. "W-What? Just mana? I-I've never done that before!"
Jin calmed her with a gentle gesture. "It’s all right. Use the same feeling as when you cast Cure. At the moment you feel the spell is about to trigger... how should I put it? It's like the sensation of letting your concentration go."
"I see... I think I understand what you mean. I shall try."
"Please do."
"Here I go...!"
Watching the flow of energy with Trace magic, Jin saw the mana gather in the princess’s hand, only to be canceled just before it manifested as healing magic. While half of it dissipated into the air, the remaining half was more than enough to Wake up the ether converter.
The converter began producing mana, which was sent to the mana driver and distributed throughout Tia’s body via her magi-nerves.
Then, Tia opened her eyes. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, her blue eyes fixing on Princess Lieschen.
"Princess..." her lips moved, slowly spinning out the words. "It has been... so long. You have... grown so much."
She offered a gentle smile.
"Ti... Tia!"
The princess lunged forward and hugged the Automata. "Tia, I missed you! I missed you so much!"
"There, there... You are still... such a spoiled child... aren't you, Princess?"
Even as she spoke, Tia gently returned the embrace. She had regained movement in her arms, though her legs would remain immobile without more materials.
"I did not think... I would ever... see you again."
"Me too...!"
Jin and the others exchanged glances and quietly gave them some space. Hanna, he noticed, had already fallen asleep on the plush carpet.
"She just said 'I' instead of 'warawa,'" Elsa whispered softly to Jin.
"Yeah. She probably spoke like that back when Tia was still active. She must have slipped back into the old days."
Jessica approached Jin’s group. "Jin-dono, allow me to thank you as well. It has been a long time since I saw the Princess look so happy. I cannot thank you enough."
She bowed her head deeply. Jin looked embarrassed.
"No, I only repaired a broken Automata. If the Princess is happy, that’s Tia’s doing, not mine."
"Hehe, you are quite humble, Jin-dono. But it seems the Princess doesn't see it that way." Jessica glanced over Jin’s shoulder.
Jin turned to see Princess Lieschen approaching him, her eyes misty and her cheeks flushed with emotion.
"Jin, you have my thanks! You have accomplished what no magi craftman in this kingdom could!"
She took both of his hands in hers. The noise woke Hanna from her nap.
"Nn... Ah, Tia-san is moving! Onii-chan, you're amazing!"
The princess smiled at the girl. "Indeed. Your brother is quite incredible. You are lucky to have him."
"Yeah!"
Beside them, Elsa was also smiling happily.
"Your Highness, while Tia is moving again, some of the repairs are only temporary. Please don't let her overexert herself."
Jin felt it necessary to offer the warning.
"I understand! Now, Jin, what reward would you like for this?"
"Oh, nothing in particular—"
Jin felt a tug on his sleeve. Elsa was pulling at it. Sensing she had a plan, he decided to let her handle the negotiations.
"Your Highness, in that case, we would appreciate an entry permit to Alban."
The group only had the temporary permit they had received that morning.
"Mmm, an easy task. What else?"
"Lodging for tonight, if you please."
"Of course! You shall stay here. I wish to hear many stories from Jin and the rest of you!"
Jin had only intended to ask for a recommendation for an inn, but they had ended up as guests of the palace.
"I shall have a room prepared immediately." The princess headed to the door and gave instructions to a young maid waiting outside. She then turned back to the group. "She will guide you to the guest quarters. Please follow her."
With that, they were led away. The princess returned to Tia’s side and began talking again; she seemed so overjoyed that she couldn't bear to leave.
Jessica remained in the hallway to stand guard. Jin wondered why the Captain of the Royal Ritter Corps was personally handling guard duty, but the chatty maid was happy to provide an answer before leaving them.
"Lady Jessica cares for the Princess more than anyone. She has been her protector since the Princess was a tiny child, you see."
The maid chattered on, spilling palace gossip they hadn't even asked for, before finally taking her leave.
Once they were alone in the guest room, Jin turned a reproachful eye toward Elsa. "Hey, Elsa..."
"Jin-nii, think about what you did. You easily achieved something the magi craftmen of this kingdom couldn't. There was no way she was going to let you just leave."
It was a perfectly logical point.
"So, tonight, please make sure to attend to her properly."
The way Elsa phrased it sounded slightly off, but Jin understood the sentiment. Hanna was delighted at the rare experience of staying in a palace, but Jin generally disliked such stiff, formal environments.
"I'm sure you're used to this sort of thing, Elsa..." he grumbled.
"Not really," she replied. "I didn't enter high society until I was about the same age as the Princess. Before that, I just spent my time playing and doing whatever I liked."
She looked at him. "So, I don't like formal atmospheres much either."
She didn't say she was "bad" at them, Jin noted. He sat beside Hanna and began absentmindedly playing with her pigtails. Hanna didn't mind; she just sat there with a contented smile.
Reiko stood silently by Jin’s side as a guardian, and outside, the sun began to set.