"...And that is what was written in the diary," Jin said in a quiet voice, gently setting the book back on the desk.
"So the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse, truly rests on this island," Saki murmured, her voice trailing off.
"I wonder if Mr. Shuuki was happy," Hanna added, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"...Yes. I'm sure... he was happy. And Adriana-san, too," Elsa replied, her own voice thick with emotion.
"I have learned yet another thing about Grandfather and Mother." Even Reiko's voice was noticeably lower in tone than usual.
Jin finally spoke up. "We've confirmed that this was the final resting place of the Magus, Shuuki. But the Predecessor's trail ends here..." His voice carried a distinct note of disappointment. "Still, we should leave this place in peace."
He delivered his final decision. "Laojun will have already recorded the contents of the diary through Reiko. This isn't a place for us to disturb."
With that, Jin turned on his heel and left the room. Elsa, Hanna, and Saki followed close behind.
Reiko, who remained until the very end, stole one last glance at the cover of the diary. "Grandfather. Mother," she whispered in a voice so small it reached no one's ears, before hurrying after the others.
＊ ＊ ＊
The group retraced their steps until they exited to the island's surface. Jin turned toward the two automata.
"Well then, I'll ask you two to continue your vigil over this island."
"Yes, please leave it to us."
"Yes, for that is the very reason for our existence," the two units replied in unison.
"Ah, and also..."
"Ah, Jin-sama! Elsa-sama!" Edgar and Aaru arrived at that moment.
"Ngh!?" The two guardians tensed, dropping into defensive stances. Jin immediately moved to restrain them.
"Wait, wait. They're on our side."
"...Is that so?"
Edgar was an automata created by Elsa, and Aaru had been crafted by Jin and Reinhard. Consequently, their unique magic patterns were different from those Jin personally crafted. Because their patterns did not match the Predecessor's, the two guardian automata had instinctively identified Edgar and Aaru as hostiles.
"Sorry about that. Don't mind them," Jin apologized.
Elsa, Hanna, and Saki could only offer wry smiles at the misunderstanding.
＊ ＊ _＊
"Ah, that's right. Let me give your bodies a quick checkup," Jin called out to the two units as they followed the group to see them off at Falcon 4. "Step inside."
The two complied obediently.
"Lie down there." Jin used the auxiliary seats to create a makeshift workbench. As a support craft, the Falcon was equipped with basic facilities for maintaining automata and golems.
"Behold!"
Having stood the two units still, Jin began inspecting their internal systems. Since he was keeping Hanna and Saki waiting, he worked with absolute focus and at maximum speed.
"The skeleton is carbon steel, but trace elements have been added... Vanadium, huh. I'll upgrade it with a bit more chromium and nickel."
"The muscle tissue arrangement is identical to Reiko's. The Predecessor's technology was already fully realized even back then."
"I'll swap the magical muscle for the Hourai Island standard. I'll refresh the magi-nerves with new ones while I'm at it."
"I'll copy the data from the control core and replace the hardware with brand-new units."
"The ether converter... ah, this is an early model. I'll upgrade it to a late model. A magi reactor shouldn't be necessary here."
"It's probably best to install a manacam in case of emergencies... I'll transfer the instructions for its use as well."
"The outer skin hasn't deteriorated as much as I expected. They were probably underground and stayed still when they weren't on duty. But I'll replace it just to be safe."
"The clothes haven't worn down much either, but I'll swap them for Hourai Island standards. These old clothes were likely made by the Predecessor, so I'll have them stored carefully."
"I suppose they must have performed maintenance on each other. And being in a stand-still state when idle saved them from wear and tear."
Though he muttered these observations to himself, his hands never stopped moving for even a second.
"It's... it's incredible."
"...Just as I thought. Jin-nii really is a Magi Craft Meister."
"Onii-chan, you're amazing!"
The sheer magnitude of his skill was obvious to everyone watching. Within thirty minutes, Jin had completed the maintenance for both units.
"There, that should do it. Wake up!"
The two units sat up.
"How do you feel? Everything in order?"
"Yes, I feel excellent."
"Yes, I am in peak condition."
The two units bowed their heads together. "Thank you very much."
"I've installed a manacam, so if anything happens, please contact us. A person named 'Laojun' will likely be the one to respond."
"Yes, we understand."
"Finally, I'd like to install a Warp Gate so I can reach this place from my base."
"Yes, please go ahead."
"Certainly, anywhere you like," the two replied instantly.
"Thanks. I'll put it around here, then." Jin decided on a large rocky hill at the edge of the flatland, as the area was large enough for aircraft to land. "I'll send a work squad over later."
Since the Smiths also inherited Jin's magic pattern, they wouldn't be treated as enemies. With that, Jin's journey to trace the footsteps of the Magus reached its conclusion.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ah, one more thing. Does this island have a name?" Jin turned back from the gangway of Falcon 4 to ask.
"No, not particularly."
"In that case, how about 'Tsetse Island'? And we'll call that cape 'Magus Cape'."
"I think that sounds lovely."
"Yes, we accept those names."
Both units nodded in agreement.
"And I've decided on names for the two of you as well. The male type will be 'Nagi,' and the female type will be 'Nami'."
Nagi for a lull and Nami for a wave—names associated with the sea. It seemed he was also drawing inspiration from Izanagi and Izanami of Japanese mythology; for Jin, it was an exceptionally creative bit of naming.
"Thank you very much. I am Nagi, then."
"Thank you very much. I am Nami, then."
Nagi and Nami bowed deeply to Jin.
Finally, Jin boarded Falcon 4.
"Nagi-oniisama, Nami-oneesama, see you again someday." Reiko, the last to enter, bid farewell to the two.
"Indeed, Reiko. Until then."
"Yes, Reiko. See you soon."
Once Reiko was inside, Falcon 4 took to the skies.
They looked down at Tsetse Island from above. There was no sign of the small island that was said to have existed between the cape and Tsetse Island. It had likely been eroded over a thousand years until it sank beneath the waves.
"...We've certainly learned a lot."
"Yes. The life of the Magus has finally become clear," Elsa agreed with Jin's murmur.
However, Jin still wore a troubled expression. "But there are still mysteries left unsolved..."
"Hehe, that's true. We still don't know what happened to the Predecessor after all that," Saki added, anticipating his thoughts.
"...I am deeply sorry, Father."
"Hm? What's wrong?" Jin was taken aback by Reiko's sudden apology.
"It is only because I have lost my memories..."
After a thousand years of searching for Jin, her successor, Reiko had eventually broken down from the strain. During that time, the control core that served as her brain was damaged. Although Jin had attempted to restore it as much as possible, the sections concerning 'Otherworld Search' and 'Summoning across space-time'—which had been under the most stress—could not be recovered. They were now lost technologies.
It seemed that the memories of the Predecessor's final moments were contained within those lost sections; Reiko could not remember her end. Only the fact that she had fulfilled the final wish to "find someone to whom everything can be entrusted" remained as proof of her long journey.
"When you think about it, the Predecessor must have traveled to Hourai Island by ship as well."
Whether that ship had rotted away over a thousand years or been swept away by the current, not a trace of it remained.
"It's still not clear why the Predecessor shut herself away on Hourai Island, either..." Jin wanted to know the reason, if only to ensure he didn't follow the same path.
"Onii-chan, did that 'Predecessor' leave anything behind on Hourai Island?" Hanna asked curiously.
"Ah... Come to think of it, I haven't visited the Predecessor's study since the very first day I was summoned to this world..."
"What?"
It was a strange thing to realize.
"I inherited all the information regarding magic, but other personal records might still be in that room."
"In fact, it's only natural to assume so."
"I suppose you're right..." Jin nodded as Elsa pointed it out. "I'll have a look when I get back."
The Predecessor's study and living quarters had been preserved exactly as they were, with only the golem maids entering occasionally to clean.
"Father, I believe that would be for the best."
Having transferred to Konron 3, Jin and his companions headed straight for Hourai Island.
Blue sea, blue sky. Between the two soared Konron 3.
The world was at peace.