After lunch, Jin, Reinhard, and Saki returned to the workshop, while Berche stayed behind.
Reinhard had pointed out that it would be a shame to bore her with the technical work. Though Berche had insisted she wanted to be with him even if she had nothing to do, a single request from Reinhard changed her mind.
"For our three o'clock tea, please make that special treat you used to make for me—it’s been ages, Bell."
With those words, she agreed to stay in the kitchen and prepare "that" while she waited for them.
"Right, all that’s left is the skin, face, and hair," Reinhard said, pulling materials from the shelves. "Saki, do you have any specific requests?"
Saki fell into thought for a moment. "Hmm, nothing in particular... Though, if I had to choose, I’d like light blue eyes. Pale blonde hair, kept short."
The description immediately brought Elsa’s face to Jin's mind. He set to work at once.
Without overthinking it, he used Elsa as a template, refining the features to give the face a more androgynous appearance. Reinhard acted as his assistant, watching Jin’s every move with intense focus, desperate to absorb his techniques.
Because of the meticulous care Jin took, the process lasted about an hour, but the result was a magnificent exterior for the new Automata.
"Mm-hm, yes, this is perfect. I quite like the look. Excellent work, Jin!"
Now only the fine-tuning remained: adjusting the vocal chords for a specific tone, calibrating the visual sensors, and refining the auditory range.
"Jin, what about the control core?" Reinhard asked. "Are you going to copy someone’s behavior patterns again, like you did for Lotte?"
Lotte was the domestic golem Jin had created for Earl Kuzuma back in the Kingdom of Egerea. For that project, he had copied the knowledge and movements of the Earl’s Chief Maid.
"Actually, I’ve already prepared something for this one."
Jin pulled a master magi-crystal from his pocket. It was the same type used for the Five-Colored Golem Maids that served on Hourai Island.
"『Trans Info』 Level 6."
With this, the unit would be capable of performing household chores at the highest professional standard—equivalent to the staff on Hourai Island. Most importantly, she would be able to cook Jin’s favorite dishes. In truth, that was the primary reason he chose this specific data set.
For the power source, he installed an ether tank and an ether driver, the same configuration used in Elena.
"Jin, what is this magi-device?"
It was Reinhard’s first time seeing such a setup. Jin took a moment to explain the mechanics.
"I see... so this is what that Automata, Elena, had... With this installed, does it mean she can run semi-permanently?"
"Essentially, yes. As long as there is free ether in the air."
This was technology from the Great Magic War era. Units like Anne and Tia utilized ether converters and mana drivers; the setup Jin was installing now was a simplified, more practical version of the systems used by Hourai Island’s top-tier golems.
"Fascinating. It stores the free ether in the tank and converts it into usable mana through the driver. Very intriguing," Saki muttered to herself as she watched them work.
They finished the assembly just before tea time.
"Alright, let's wake her up. Reiko, could you share a bit of your free ether?"
"Certainly, Father."
Reiko’s internal ether converter had been upgraded with a high-capacity collection function, meaning she maintained a significant internal reservoir of free ether.
Using the Craft Magic 『Transmit』—a spell rarely utilized unless one needed to jump-start a device without its own mana driver—she provided the necessary energy. Since this Automata wasn't built for combat, its ether tank was relatively small. It filled almost instantly, allowing the ether driver to hum to life.
"『Wake up』."
At Jin’s keyword, the Automata opened her eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Creator-sama."
Because Jin had handled the core programming, she identified him as her Creator.
"Right. Your master is Saki Eschenbach, here."
"Understood. Saki Eschenbach-sama, I look forward to serving you."
Jin had tuned the voice to be androgynous, and he secretly thought she sounded like a lead actor in a Takarazuka play. The Automata gave a polite bow to Saki.
"Saki, why don't you give her a name?"
Saki had been standing there, looking flustered at being treated so formally by an Automata for the first time. Jin’s voice snapped her out of it.
"A name... let's see..."
After a moment of contemplation, Saki looked up, her mind made up.
"Alright. I'll call this child 'Ar'."
"Yes, Master. My name is Ar."
"Ar?" Reinhard repeated. It was an unfamiliar name.
"Yes. I remembered a book I read long ago where the numbers one, two, three, and four were written as Ii, Ar, Zan, and Suu. Since she’s the world's second-greatest Automata, I chose Ar, meaning two."
"I see. That’s clever," Reinhard said, genuinely impressed.
Jin, however, couldn't let it pass. "S-Saki, what book was that? I happen to know a very similar counting system: Yi, Er, San, Si, Wu, Liu, Qi, Ba, Jiu, Shi..."
"Oh? Those are very similar. But I'm sorry, Jin. It was just an old manuscript about the past. It only listed the numbers up to four, and it wasn't a book specifically about linguistics or math."
Jin felt the tension leave his shoulders. "I see... No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to grill you. Let's focus on Ar for now."
"Right. Ar, try standing up," Saki commanded.
"Yes, Master."
Ar moved to stand, but a sudden, heavy crash echoed through the workshop. The table had been knocked over. Ar had lost her balance, grabbed the table for support, and ended up pulling the whole thing down with her.
"Are you alright?!" Saki cried out.
"Yes, Master. I am unharmed."
She tried to push herself back up, only to tumble again. To Jin's expert eyes, it looked as though her control system was misfiring.
"Ar, stay seated for a moment."
Once she was settled in a chair, Jin decided to test her motor controls. He asked Saki for some clay.
"Ar, try to roll this clay into a ball."
"Yes, Creator-sama." Ar reached for the clay and immediately crushed it flat between her fingers.
Reinhard sighed in disappointment. "Jin, it’s a failure. She has no control over her strength."
But Jin didn't look discouraged. "Ar, take your time. Keep trying."
"Yes, Creator-sama."
As she followed the order, Ar reached for the clay again and again. Each time, she inadvertently pulverized it.
"Jin, it's no use. Where did we go wrong?"
In contrast to Reinhard's dejection, Jin was watching Ar’s fingers with clinical precision.
"Jin, is it just me? I feel like she’s getting better at it..." Saki noted.
Just as she said, Ar was gradually learning the correct amount of pressure. Ten minutes later, she successfully rolled a smooth, round sphere of clay.
"I thought so."
"Jin, don't keep it to yourself. Tell us what's happening," Reinhard urged. Saki looked just as curious.
Jin began to explain his theory. "The signals from the tactile sensors weren't calibrated with the control formula I used."
The formulas Jin used were traditional ones passed down from his Predecessor, which didn't account for the sense of touch. At first, Ar's control core was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of sensory data, leading to total coordination failure. However, as she spent time "practicing," the system began to adapt and integrate the information.
"I see... that makes perfect sense."
"I don't really get the technical side," Saki added, "but basically, she just needs to get used to her own body?"
"Exactly," Jin confirmed. "We should treat her like a baby for a while and let her learn her movements bit by bit."
"Reinhard-sama! It’s tea time! You were all taking so long that I came to get you!"
Berche’s voice called out from the doorway. Jin instructed Ar to continue her clay work, and the group headed to the main house.
"Reiko, keep an eye on Ar just in case," Jin whispered, making sure she stayed behind to monitor the new Automata's progress.