"Jin-nii, what’s wrong?"
In the command room, Elsa looked at Jin with concern. He had been operating the Doppel, but had suddenly cried out in realization.
"…No, I just noticed something."
As he spoke, Jin temporarily handed over control of the Doppel to Laojun and turned to face Elsa and Milowina.
"Milowina-san, is it possible that those ruins are actually a royal tomb?"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Elsa and Milowina spoke in unison.
"In the world I came from, towers like that were often built to house the remains of holy figures. At least, that was their original purpose."
Historically, a stupa was a structure built to house the remains of the Buddha, and the term referred to the same type of structure as a pagoda.
Anyway, back to the point.
"…That was a complete blind spot," Milowina replied, looking a bit bashful as she apologized. "Now that you mention it, I think I do recall reading descriptions like that. I had completely forgotten until you pointed it out. I'm sorry."
"When we think of ruins, we just assume there will be artifacts left behind," Elsa added, looking down slightly.
"Exactly."
Just then, a report arrived from Laojun.
"My Lord, the information we copied from the recording device earlier supports your theory."
It seemed Laojun had finished a rapid analysis of the data. The Shinobi Squad had carried the device out of the pagoda, and it had been brought back to the island via the Warp Gate on the Konron 3.
"And the details?"
"Yes. It contains the names and achievements of successive kings from approximately eight hundred to five hundred years ago."
"I see…"
Then there was no doubt—it was a mausoleum. If there were items inside, they were likely funeral offerings; to take them would be grave robbing. Jin decided to order an immediate withdrawal.
"Yes, that’s the right thing to do," Milowina agreed.
The Shinobi Squad withdrew at once. Reiko and the Doppel also departed via the transporter. The Land squad and the Raptor squad would return to the island shortly after. While the Doppel and the Shinobi Squad would make their way back slowly aboard the Konron 3, Reiko returned ahead of the others via the Warp Gate.
"Father, I have returned."
"Good work, Reiko."
Despite their extensive preparations, they hadn't gained much, but Jin quickly adjusted his mindset, accepting that such missions often ended this way.
"Nonetheless, My Lord, we did gain several things."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Yes. We analyzed the structure of the golems on the first floor and identified a gold-based magic alloy."
"Well, that’s good news."
"Furthermore, we have discovered the movements of the Magus following his time there."
"That’s even better news!"
"According to the records, the Magus traveled north through the Leonard Kingdom."
"North, huh…"
Upon hearing that, a thought occurred to Jin, but it was far too vague to voice, so he kept it to himself. Instead, he turned his focus toward the technical details.
As the conversation shifted toward engineering, Milowina left to visit the hot springs, accompanied by Kai. Jin and Elsa remained in the command room.
"This is the structure of the golem."
A simplified diagram drawn by Laojun appeared on the screen.
"Oh, this is fascinating. An interchangeable design…"
The model was clearly not an Adriana-type. The arms and legs were designed for easy replacement.
"They can do that because it doesn't have an endoskeleton."
"…Jin-nii, look at the joint structure. It's unusual."
Jin and Elsa studied the display with interest. The joints were spherical, similar to those found in ball-jointed dolls. However, since they didn't use rubber or springs, there were no visible grooves or holes.
"Jin-nii, is mana holding them together?"
"…Hmm, I can't quite tell from this diagram alone."
"My Lord, it appears to be a magic effect similar to Toughening, though much weaker," Laojun offered, relaying information from the Shinobi Squad on the scene.
"Hmm… similar to Toughening… in that case…" Jin thought for a moment before reaching a conclusion. "It must be an attraction force generated by mana. In principle, it’s likely the same type of force used in a force generator."
"…Intriguing," Elsa whispered, clearly fascinated by Jin's hypothesis.
"Yeah. It’s definitely worth researching."
Then there was the other discovery: the gold-based magic alloy.
"It’s in the same family as magi-invar and magi-duralumin, isn't it?"
"Precisely! They replaced the silver used in 22-karat gold with mithril!"
As expected of Jin, he had deduced the composition almost immediately upon hearing the description.
"You are correct, My Lord. It is 91.7 percent gold, with copper, silver, and mithril added to the mix."
"I thought so."
"However, the alloy found in the ruins may not necessarily be the optimal ratio."
"True.…Alright, let's start researching our own gold-based magic alloy."
"A wise decision, My Lord."
Believing that a gold-based magic alloy—magi-gold—would have its own unique applications, Jin issued instructions for its development.
With his orders given, Jin and Elsa finally had time to relax. They sat together, drinking tea and unwinding. Reiko stood a short distance away, keeping a respectful watch.
"…That’s one more thing settled, I suppose."
"Mhm. I think so too."
"Next is the World Conference."
"It will be a lot of work, but it’s a meaningful goal.…By the way, Jin-nii." Elsa leaned in slightly, peering into Jin's face. "Are you still planning to keep the information about the Former Leonard Kingdom and Milowina-san a secret for now?"
"Ah, about that." Jin closed his eyes, organizing his thoughts. "…We’ve started to understand a little more about the Predecessor."
"…Yes."
"But there are still things I don't know. Like why the Predecessor chose to go into seclusion on Hourai Island."
"…Ah."
Jin opened his eyes and gazed at Elsa.
"There is the Predecessor who traveled with the Magus, and the Predecessor who hid herself away. I don't know what happened in between."
"…That’s true."
Jin skipped over the detailed explanation and went straight to the conclusion.
"That’s why I’m still hesitant to announce what you mentioned, Elsa."
"…I understand."
Despite the leap in his explanation, Elsa grasped his point perfectly.
"If you explain the history of the world, you can't stop at the Former Leonard Kingdom and Milowina-san; you’d have to explain the Magus as well. If you do that, you’d be forced to talk about the Predecessor. But as long as you don't know why she was persecuted, you're hesitant to make it public.…Did I get that right?"
Jin nodded firmly. He didn't want to cause unnecessary chaos at the meeting.
"Yeah, that’s it. I might be being a bit too cautious, but I want to make sure this first World Conference is a success."
Jin added that the world could learn about the past after that goal was achieved. Elsa smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I want it to be a success too." She looked at Jin warmly. "I think you can overcome any problem that comes your way, Jin-nii."
Jin smiled back.
"Yeah. I have you, Elsa, and everyone in the Jin Family… and I have Hourai Island."
"Mhm. I'll do my very best to help."
"Thanks, Elsa.…Also, Reiko, come here."
"Yes, Father," Reiko said, trotting over to them.
"Because I have you, I can do what I need to do without a single worry. I’m counting on you from here on out, too."
At Jin's words, Reiko’s face brightened with joy.
"Yes! Please, leave everything to me!"
"And Laojun."
"Yes, My Lord," Laojun replied.
"Taihaku, Laojun Junior, Koushin, Jack, Soleil, Luna…"
Jin listed the names of those who supported him one by one.
"I’m counting on all of you."
"Please leave it to us."
There were eight days left until the World Conference. The breeze blowing across the invincible Hourai Island had turned completely into the warm wind of summer.