"Jin-dono—no, Jin-sama, I truly have no words to apologize for the terrible things we have done! There is no way I can ever make amends!"
In the reception room, Fabius, the Clan Chief of the Gospel clan, was literally prostrating himself, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor as he apologized to Jin (or rather, his Double).
"No, that's enough already."
Laojun, who was currently operating the Double, felt that no matter how many times the man apologized, it was a waste of time.
"Let’s discuss something more productive."
Jin said they would start by extracting the 'needles'... the Agujha.
"But how?"
"I'm calling in specialists."
Just as Jin said those words, Reiko entered the room.
"Father, I have brought them."
"Oh, good work."
Reiko had brought two automata: Nurse 1 and Nurse 2. Jin had been building them in his workshop on Hourai Island.
Utilizing the data from Nurse Alpha through Gamma, these models were given optimized tactile sense control and reinforced analysis capabilities. They were also capable of using supreme-level healing magic.
Their appearance, which had received some mixed reviews from certain quarters, had also been completely revamped. To put it simply, they looked like Elsa, Sally, and Anne's features had been averaged together.
They had platinum blonde hair trimmed into a short-cropped pixie cut to emphasize cleanliness. Their faces bore expressions brimming with the maternal composure of a mature woman. Their bodies were of medium height and build, capable of brisk, efficient movements.
Their pure white nurse uniforms were woven from ground spider silk, which resisted dirt and could withstand being passed through open flames, let alone being sterilized with hot water.
Possessing the strength of twenty men, they could restrain even the most violent patients, and they were proficient in the use of Paralyze and Hypno.
The crowning feature was that each had a Mini-Smith—or rather, a Mini-Nurse—as an assistant, allowing them to handle even the most delicate medical treatments.
These Mini-Nurses were ten centimeters tall and were responsible for fine work that would be impossible for a life-sized unit.
Incidentally, the Mini-Nurses usually waited inside the nurse caps on the nurses' heads.
"Jin-sama, who are they?"
Jin smiled at the bewildered Fabius.
"They are automata specialized in medical care... and healing."
Because they had memorized the procedure for Agujha removal performed by Elsa via Trans Info, the treatment for the ten people was completed in less than an hour.
Since Alectas had already been treated, there were technically nine members of the Gospel clan, but including the captive Belialus of the Puppet Clan, the total came to ten.
"Jin-sama, I thank you again and again."
Fabius prostrated himself once more.
"Ah, that's enough, please raise your head..."
The one operating the Double now was Jin himself. He had taken over personally because he wanted to see the results regarding Belialus.
"I can imagine the results for the members of the Gospel clan, but what happened with Belialus?"
"He has changed dramatically. I shall bring him in now."
Fabius ordered Alectas, who was waiting nearby. Alectas left the reception room and returned within two minutes, accompanied by Belialus.
"Jin-dono, I have no words to thank you for saving me."
Belialus also bowed deeply to Jin.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, my goal isn't just to rescue the demon race; it's to avoid war with humanity. Will you cooperate with me?"
Jin made the request point-blank. He believed that anyone who had suffered under the Agujha would understand his reasoning. And that turned out to be the case.
"Of course. I will cooperate in any way I can."
At the same time, Fabius made a declaration of his own.
"Jin-sama, although our strength is meager, every member of the Gospel clan will cooperate with your goal."
"That's a great help. First, I'd like to organize the current situation. Could you call All-Creation and the others as well?"
All-Creation, Sion, Netros, and Lucas were not exactly relaxing in a separate room; rather, they had been exchanging information on the oral traditions and legends passed down in the Gospel and All-Creation clans, respectively.
That said, some estrangement between the clans still remained, and it seemed All-Creation and her group were looked down upon as social inferiors throughout the exchange.
However, since the atmosphere itself wasn't hostile, Jin didn't intervene. He had Anne present and was sending the information to Laojun.
"Jin-sama, did you call for us?"
"Jin, Grandfather and the others are going to help us too, right?"
All-Creation and Sion arrived. Netros and Lucas followed silently. Anne arrived last, completing the gathering.
"We're going to have a meeting for that right now."
At Jin's words, All-Creation's and Sion's faces brightened slightly.
"First, let's organize the current situation."
Jin asked Fabius, the Clan Chief of the Gospel clan, to give a brief account of when and how the Agujha were implanted.
"I understand. The reason we call ourselves the Gospel clan is that we occasionally receive advice from the Origin Clan."
It meant that their clan name literally came from receiving a 'Gospel'.
"That advice is brought to us by a magic tool—perhaps I should call it an artifact—that is enshrined in the innermost part of this cave where we live."
Fabius paused for a moment as if tracing his memories, organized his thoughts for a few seconds, and then resumed.
"There is a sign before the advice is brought; one of the 'windows' on that artifact glows red. It was about six months ago. Since the 'window' glowed red, I was waiting for the advice in the inner room."
However, Fabius said.
"The advice was not brought. Instead, a shuju (meaning a dwarf) suddenly appeared."
They must have teleported, Fabius offered his guess.
"That shuju pointed something like a tube at me. Then, in an instant, I lost consciousness. And when I came to, my body was in a state where I had no choice but to do as 'someone' told me."
"So the Agujha was implanted then?"
"Yes. When I came to, the shuju was gone. But a mysterious voice echoed inside my head—or rather, near the back of my ear. It said, 'Implant needles into the clan.'"
Fabius put his hand behind his ear as if he could still hear that voice.
"At first, I said I couldn't follow such a foolish command. I say 'I said' because that mysterious voice seems to be able to pick up my own voice. It didn't seem able to read what I was thinking in my head, though."
"That's a function of the Agujha implanted behind the ear."
"It seems so. Then, the moment I refused, my chest began to hurt. It was... beyond endurance. I could hardly breathe, and I collapsed on the floor, drenched in a cold, oily sweat.
Just as my consciousness was about to fade, the pain finally subsided. The moment I felt relieved, that voice commanded me again."
I no longer had the strength to resist, Fabius said, his shoulders slumping. Considering Fabius's age, it was understandable.
"The tube that shoots the Agujha was in my pocket, along with a tube that paralyzes the target. First, I called Alectas, and after paralyzing him, I followed the voice's instructions and implanted the Agujha, even though I was bewildered."
Once the number of controlled members increased, it became easier and easier, Fabius spoke while looking down.
He said it hadn't taken even a day to implant the Agujha into the entire clan.
"And the mysterious voice isn't audible at all times. There were times when I heard nothing for about five days. When Jin-sama and the others came, it happened to be a time when the voice wasn't audible, but when night fell, the voice was heard again..."
He had confessed everything.
"I said things like Jin-sama 'seemed easy to handle' and that 'disposing of him might be necessary.'"
Hearing that, Reiko's face twitched slightly, while Jin laughed—at Fabius's honesty and at the evaluation of himself.
"Speaking of which, what kind of 'medicine' was it that you used?"
Jin had let it slide at the time, but he thought he should ask while he could.
"The 'medicine' was also given to me along with the Agujha. I still have some left, so if you'd like, I'll give it all to you."
"That would be great. I'd like to analyze it."
Fabius whispered to Alectas. Alectas left the room and returned within a minute, a medicine bottle in his hand.
"This is it. I was told that a single spoonful would be sufficiently effective. Jin-sama was the first one I used it on, so there's no precedent for what would happen."
Taking the medicine bottle, Jin handed it to Reiko. This medicine would later be delivered to Laojun using a Warp Gate.
"According to the shuju, it is a drug that thins the will and makes one follow orders."
Jin speculated it was something close to a narcotic. At the same time, he thought it would be a terrible thing if such a drug were to spread throughout the world.
"I understand regarding the Gospel clan. So, it's correct to assume you won't be hostile toward humanity?"
Jin said, as if to confirm. Clan Chief Fabius nodded deeply.
"But of course! I've had quite enough of being made to dance in the palm of a shuju's—a Negadoll's—hand."
"I'm relieved to hear that. I'll do everything I can as well."
Finally, he had been able to take the first step toward the goal of his visit to the land of the demons.
"Now, before we talk about the All-Creation clan,"
Jin glanced toward All-Creation and Sion, and then looked toward Belialus.
"I'd like to hear about the Puppet Clan first."
"Understood. Jin-dono, I want you to save our clan as well."
Belialus bowed to Jin and began to speak.