In the capital, Loizart, two hot air balloons could be seen patrolling the skies.
As Jin’s airship drew closer, the crews of the balloons, outfitted in protective glasses, offered him a crisp salute. He assumed they had recognized the crest on his vessel; Jin was impressed by the Empress’s swift response. Her efficiency was nothing short of admirable.
Below, knights signaled to guide his landing. Four white circles had been painted onto the expansive front courtyard of the Imperial Palace. Aiming for one of them, Jin brought the airship down.
Four royal ritters greeted Jin and Elsa with a salute as they disembarked. Reiko secured the airship to a bollard.
“Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou, welcome. Her Majesty is waiting for you.”
Two of the royal ritters stepped forward to escort them. One was a handsome man of a similar age to Jin but with a far sturdier build, possessing blond hair and blue eyes. The other was a female knight, perhaps just shy of twenty, a slender beauty with the same blond hair and blue eyes.
The male knight walked beside Jin while the female knight accompanied Elsa as they entered the Imperial Palace. Reiko and Edgar followed immediately behind.
They were led toward the Empress’s office. It seemed the claim that she was waiting for him was no exaggeration.
Inside the second-floor office, they found the Empress, of course, along with Chancellor Jung Fowles von Kebsler and Magi Engineer Maestro Gebalt Ackerman. To Jin's surprise, Marcus Greenbalt was also present.
“Welcome, Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou. And Miss Elsa.”
After her formal welcome, the Empress’s expression softened, and her tone became more familiar.
“First, here is the reward I promised you: one million Toll. You have done excellent work.”
“Thank you very much.”
Jin accepted the payment respectfully and handed it to Reiko. She tucked the one hundred gold coins—weighing roughly two kilograms—into her skirt pocket.
“Now then, from this point on, I want your candid opinions. Please, speak your mind freely. You have my permission. And first, let’s drop the stiff formalities. Understood?”
When no one raised an objection, the Empress continued.
“To ensure everyone is on the same page, I will explain the background for this discussion. Chancellor, if you please.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you likely know, a vast sandy region called the Harihari Desert stretches to the west of our Empire. Beyond that desert lie the territories of the foreign tribes.”
The Chancellor looked around the room, and seeing no questions, he proceeded.
“The foreign tribes attacked us once, about three hundred years ago. They likely believed that humanity, exhausted by the Great Magic War, would be an easy target. However, thanks in large part to the power of our artifacts, we were able to repel them.”
This was information Jin already knew.
“We have received intelligence that these foreign tribes are once again contemplating an invasion. While the reports are unconfirmed, we cannot afford to be complacent. Therefore...”
The Chancellor lowered his voice.
“We intend to attempt the reactivation of the artifact stored beneath the castle.”
Jin had seen the "artifact" once before. It was a gargantuan golem, twenty meters tall.
“The first stage of this plan involved the six-meter giant golems, the Golias units, which Marcus unveiled at the Technology Expo.”
The Chancellor seemed to be explaining this specifically for Jin’s benefit.
“We have manufactured ten of these Golias units, numbered one through ten. The core of our plan is to utilize their physical strength to perform maintenance on the artifact.”
Due to the golem’s massive size, there were many tasks that humans simply could not perform. They had built the Golias units specifically to serve as heavy labor for this project.
“Naturally, the Golias units are also counted as part of our combat strength. We have already prepared dedicated shields, swords, and maces for them.”
The Chancellor paused to catch his breath.
“That covers everything we have accomplished thus far. Are there any questions?”
“Where did the information about the tribes across the desert come from?” Jin asked.
He was convinced that these foreign tribes shared the same ancestors as the servant race under the demon race. Because of that connection, he hoped to avoid unnecessary conflict.
“Hmph, it seems Lord Jin was unaware. There are several towns near the Harihari Desert. Though it is unofficial, it appears those towns maintain some level of exchange with the foreign tribes. The intelligence was brought to us from there.”
It was a plausible explanation.
That meant it was possible to communicate with them. Fortunately, the language barrier in this world was minimal. While there were minor regional dialects, nearly everyone spoke the same tongue. Jin speculated this was because the Origin had established a common language in the distant past.
“One more thing,” Jin added. “You aren’t planning to invade them, are you?”
“No, certainly not,” the Empress replied immediately. “The Shouro Empire will remain strictly on the defensive. The primary goal of this project is to ensure the artifact underground does not become a wasted treasure.”
Jin felt there was no lie in her words. He also had a personal interest in the ancient giant golem—not just for its size, but to see if it possessed any unique functions.
“I understand.”
Seeing that Jin was satisfied, the Chancellor spoke again.
“With Lord Jin’s cooperation, it would be as if we had the strength of a thousand men. For today, I would like to inspect the artifact underground. Does anyone have any objections?”
The question was directed at the entire group.
“...Is there... anything I might be able to do to help?” Elsa asked hesitantly.
The Chancellor gave her a firm, encouraging nod. “Of course. Miss Elsa is a first-class magi engineer, after all.”
The Chancellor looked around one last time. “It seems we are in agreement.”
After a nod to the Empress, he stood up. “Then, everyone, if you would follow me. It is a bit of a walk, but let us head underground.”
As before, the concentration of free ether in the basement was incredibly low.
Just as he had done during his previous visit, Jin left his Secret Mobile Unit on the surface. For safety’s sake, he had Edgar stay behind as well. Reiko, however, accompanied him.
“It really has deteriorated...” Jin muttered as he looked up at the rust-covered legs of the golem on the fifth basement level.
“It seems this golem possesses a mechanism equivalent to human musculature,” Magi Engineer Maestro Gebalt Ackerman murmured, running a hand over a massive foot.
“I suppose we should start with the skeleton, then the muscles, and finally the exterior?” Jin suggested.
“No,” Jin corrected himself, “first we have to address the ether abnormality in this space. We won’t even be able to perform basic work properly in this state.”
“What was that?”
“The ether in this basement is being kept at an extremely low level. It’s likely a security measure to prevent the golem from being stolen or accidentally activated.”
The others looked surprised; it was clear they hadn't noticed the drain.
“There must be a magic tool hidden somewhere causing this effect,” Jin explained.
“Hmm...”
However, since they couldn't use magic in the area, searching for it was a difficult task. Jin had a rough idea of where it might be, but he chose not to point it out for now.
“Searching for it would be a waste of time,” the Chancellor concluded. “In that case, we shall simply move the giant golem to the surface.”
A massive engineering operation began immediately.
They had to hoist the giant golem from a depth of five floors. First, they needed to create an opening to the surface. Fortunately, the hangar sat directly beneath the courtyard. Removing the paving stones made it simple to open a shaft.
“...Hmm, just as I thought,” Gebalt Ackerman said, nodding as he inspected the courtyard floor. “Look here. The paving stones directly above the hangar are laid out in a perfect square. It’s only natural that there would be a dedicated maintenance hatch for when it was originally stored. This has to be the place.”
It was a logical conclusion. The Golias units were mobilized to pull up the paving stones, revealing a square stone lid beneath. Once that lid was removed, they were able to look straight down into the giant golem’s hangar from above.
“Alright, let’s pull it up.”
A derrick was assembled over the hole, and a series of pulleys were attached. Several thick ropes were lowered and secured to the giant golem. There were ten ropes in total, each assigned to a single Golias unit.
“Alright, pull!” Marcus shouted.
The ropes grew taut, but the giant golem didn’t budge. Even the Golias units were struggling to find their footing.
Jin estimated that the giant golem weighed over two hundred tons. Each Golias weighed about ten tons, meaning even with ten of them, they only had one hundred tons of pulling force. They were never going to lift it with simple fixed pulleys.
“It’s impossible unless you use movable pulleys to create a mechanical advantage,” Jin advised, unable to remain silent.
Gebalt Ackerman, who had been studying under the tutor automata known as Fuhrer, understood at once. “Of course! This is exactly the kind of situation where movable pulleys are used.”
With Jin’s assistance, they rigged a two-stage movable pulley system, designed to reduce the required lifting force to one-fourth. This meant six Golias units would be sufficient to hoist the load.
“Alright, pull slowly... Yes, just like that!”
Marcus gave the commands, and Golias units No. 1 through No. 6 strained against the ropes.
Suddenly, the derrick groaned and a rope snapped with a loud crack. The materials simply couldn't handle the two-hundred-ton stress.
Jin and the others applied a thorough layer of Toughening to the derrick and the new ropes before trying again. This time, they successfully began the ascent.
However, once the giant golem’s feet cleared the courtyard floor, they tried to shift the derrick—and the process stalled again. Left with no other choice, they replaced the lid over the shaft and gently lowered the golem onto it.
The flooring had been reinforced with Toughening and Hardening, allowing it to support the massive weight without cracking.
And so, the artifact—the giant golem—exposed its rusted form to the sunlight for the first time in three hundred years.