“Now then, that leaves the question of what to use for your permits.”
“Something they can keep on their person at all times would be ideal,” Laojun suggested.
Jin nodded at the proposal. “I agree. But what would be best?”
“Jin-nii, how about a ring, a bracelet, or a pendant?” Elsa suggested.
Jin didn’t find the idea bad, but he still looked a bit hesitant. “Personally, I’d prefer it to be something unique to the individual. Something that would look out of place if anyone else were holding it. I think that would make things even more secure.”
“I see.”
“Kufu. Jin, in that case, I’d like mine to be my glasses,” Saki declared immediately. It made perfect sense; at the moment, Saki was the only one who wore glasses. It was virtually impossible for someone else to use them.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Then it’s settled: for Saki, it’s the glasses.”
“Jin-nii, I’ll use this,” Elsa said, showing her hand. She was wearing the bracelet Jin had given her to prevent Mana Overload Syndrome.
“Hmm, I see. Then let’s go with that bracelet for you, Elsa.” Since it was a magic tool that no one else could use, it was a perfect identifier.
“Now, what should we do for Reinhard and the others?”
It wasn't an urgent matter, so Jin decided to give it some careful thought.
“With that settled... Edgar is fine since he was born here, but we’ll need to register Ar, Neon, and Noir.”
“Actually, My Lord, Ar-san already possesses your magic pattern, so she will be fine,” Laojun pointed out. “However, even though Edgar-san was born here, he was created by Elsa-san.”
Jin realized he was right and considered how to handle Neon, Edgar, and Noir.
“The quickest way would be to embed a magi-crystal for identification.”
In essence, as long as they possessed Jin’s magic pattern, they would be cleared. Thinking about it that way, this method was both fast and foolproof.
“Let’s do this, then,” Jin muttered, having Laozi bring him several magi-crystals. Fiddling with them in his hand, he turned to Berche. “Berche, I’d like to replace Neon’s control core. Would that be alright? I believe her performance will improve quite a bit... and her personality and knowledge will remain exactly as they are.”
Berche thought for a moment before answering. “Yes, if that is the case, then by all means. Neon, is that alright with you?”
“Yes, Berche-sama. I am certain Reiko-san’s master would never do anything to harm me.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence. I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
Jin led everyone from the dining hall to the adjacent workshop. He laid Neon down on a workbench and began the modifications after cutting her mana supply.
“Um, Elsa, can I ask for your help?”
It was Elsa’s turn to step up. Jin felt hesitant about undressing an automata that looked exactly like Berche.
“Yes, I understand.”
Elsa performed the task with practiced efficiency. Once the exterior parts, such as the chest skin, were removed, it was finally Jin’s turn. He replaced the control core and implemented countermeasures against Master-Slave Rewrite Magic.
“Since I’m at it, I’ll re-apply Hardening and Toughening to her skeleton,” Jin muttered as he worked with dizzying speed.
“O-Ohh?!”
Reinhard stood back, astonished. Jin was working at his usual pace, without a hint of hesitation. When Reinhard glanced to his side, he saw Elsa watching the process with rapt attention. Her eyes were deadly serious, showing no signs of surprise.
Ah, Elsa has been watching Jin work like this all the time, Reinhard realized. In that moment, he understood exactly how Elsa had grown so much as a magi engineer.
While Reinhard was lost in thought, Jin had nearly finished the modifications with Reiko’s assistance. Elsa stepped back in to replace the chest skin and dress the automata.
“Alright, that’s everything. Countermeasures for Master-Slave Rewrite Magic, a control core upgrade, and skeletal reinforcement. That should do it.”
The whole process had taken about ten minutes. The work was made considerably easier by the fact that items like the shield cases for the rewrite countermeasures were kept in stock as standard parts.
“Neon, ‘Wake up.’”
“Yes.”
Neon sat up smoothly.
“How do you feel? Is your body responding well to the control logic?”
Neon performed a series of self-check procedures and confirmed there were no issues. “Yes, Jin-sama, I am in excellent condition. Thank you very much. Berche-sama, I look forward to serving you as always.”
Thanks to the improved processing speed and capacity of the control core, her speech had become remarkably more fluent.
“My, Neon, your pronunciation has become so clear. I shall continue to rely on you.”
“Yes, Berche-sama. It is my pleasure.”
Since her underlying personality remained unchanged, Berche would surely grow accustomed to the upgraded Neon in no time.
“Alright, Elsa. Try applying the Master-Slave Rewrite Magic countermeasures I just did to Edgar.”
“Okay, I will.”
With Reiko preparing a set of countermeasure parts, Elsa began modifying Edgar. Watching her proceed with the exact same steps Jin had used, Reinhard’s jaw nearly dropped.
“I thought I understood, but you’ve truly grown, Elsa...” Reinhard praised her, his voice full of joy mixed with a hint of chagrin.
“...Thank you, Rai-nii.” Elsa looked genuinely happy to be praised by the cousin she respected so much.
While it took her longer than Jin, Elsa finished the modifications in about forty minutes. As a final touch, Jin embedded a magi-crystal. It was a magi-recorder. Since it held Jin’s magic pattern, it would serve as the key for identification.
Once everything was finished and verified, Jin smiled at Elsa. “You’ve learned well, Elsa. No complaints from me.”
Having earned Jin’s praise as well, Elsa’s face flushed as she gave a radiant smile.
“Ah, Elsa, you’ve learned to smile with such a lovely expression. That’s a wonderful thing,” Saki remarked.
“Yes, it’s true. You have a beautiful face, Elsa-san,” Berche added.
Their comments caused Elsa’s face to turn even redder.
While Elsa had been modifying Edgar, Jin had taken the opportunity to embed a magi-recorder into Noir’s chest. When Reinhard had previously modified Noir to protect against the Unifilar, he had only implemented the shield structure; the magi-recorder had been left out.
In any case, with this, the attendant golems and automata were now fully authorized to use the Warp Gate. That left only Berche and Reinhard.
“I think rings would suit the two of you best,” Jin suggested.
“Yes, I agree,” Elsa said.
Together, Jin and Elsa decided to create specialized Protect Rings—or rather, ‘Guard Rings.’
“‘Forming.’”
Elsa took charge of the physical creation, handling everything down to the design.
“‘Write In.’”
Jin followed up by writing in the magi-formula.
The old Protect Rings had been simple bands with a semi-circular cross-section, but these were far more elaborate. On the top surface, Elsa had engraved the crest of House Randol—two facing loewe, a beast resembling a lion. On the inside, the names of Reinhard and Berche were respectively inscribed.
Seeing this, Reinhard’s eyes widened yet again. “As I said before, Elsa, you’ve become a fine magi engineer. If you lack anything at all, it is only experience.”
“Rai-nii, thank you.” Elsa’s cheeks flushed at the repeated praise.
“I had no idea you had such talent. I wish I had been the one to teach you.” Reinhard sighed, realizing that might have led her to a different fate, then shook his head. “No, there’s no point in ‘what ifs.’ If you are happy now, and if you can be happy from here on out, that is what matters most.”
Elsa handed the rings to Reinhard and Berche. Reinhard performed the final fine-tuning to the size himself.
“Thank you, Jin, Elsa. We will treasure these.”
The rings, crafted from high-quality all-attribute magi-crystals, shimmered with iridescent light.
“Now, everyone is able to come here using the Warp Gate. Even so, please follow Laojun’s instructions for the time being.”
“Understood.”
“We understand.”
“Yeah, I got it,” Saki added.
Reinhard, Berche, and Saki all nodded in unison.
“Now then, Saki, Reinhard, please feel free to use this workshop for now.”
The first workshop was about eight meters east-to-west and fifteen meters north-to-south, providing plenty of space for the three of them.
Jin felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He felt he had finally come a little closer to the vision his predecessor had for the laboratory: a true Holy Land of Magi Craft.