"So this is the golem."
Jin stood over Sword, the red-eyed golem, looking it over.
"+*&%..<$ =~?>(!"
"I can’t make out a word it’s saying. I don't know the keyword to put it on Stand Still, so... I suppose I’ll have to try this."
Jin looked back at Reiko.
"Reiko, use the Magic Canceller."
"Yes, Father."
The magic tool was designed to forcibly revert mana back into free ether. A miniaturized version of the device was integrated into Reiko’s bracelet.
The Magic Canceller was directional. Reiko aimed it at Sword and activated the beam.
The red mana light glowing in Sword’s eyes flickered and died. Even after Reiko deactivated the canceller, the light did not return.
"Good. It looks like this one used a mana tank as well."
Once the mana inside a mana tank was reverted to free ether, the unit would shut down due to a total loss of power. This allowed Jin to examine the golem at his leisure.
"Hmm, this is a fascinating structure. It shares some traits with the Predecessor's work, but other parts are entirely different. There are even elements that remind me of Elena..."
Jin began removing Sword’s outer plating, analyzing the internal components as he went.
"Father, is the light sufficient?"
"Yeah, it’s fine."
Three small Light Balls hovered near Jin’s hands, illuminating the workspace. Reiko had cast them to ensure he had a clear view while his hands were busy with the delicate disassembly.
"Actually, hold this part steady for me."
"Yes, Father."
"Elsa, look at this."
Jin called Elsa over to his side.
"Is this...?"
"It’s a rare sight."
He pointed to the thoracic structure. Naturally, it didn't possess a shield structure.
"A mana tank where the lungs should be, and a mana driver where the heart would be..."
"Does that mean... it was built to mimic a human as closely as possible?"
"That seems to be the case."
While it lacked organs irrelevant to a golem—like a spleen or pancreas—the designer's obsession was evident. There was an emergency mana tank where the liver would be, and a magi-crystal of unknown purpose located in the kidney area.
"The control core should be in the head, of course."
The skull was designed to split into front and back sections. When Jin opened it, he found exactly what he had expected.
"Alright, let's run a Decompile on the control core. Reiko, transfer the results to Laojun."
"Understood."
"Okay, here we go... 'Decompile'."
Decompile was a type of Craft Magic developed by Adriana Barbora Tsetse in her youth. It allowed a user to read the instructions within a control core as a series of magi-formulas.
"I see, I see..."
As a Magi Craft Meister, Jin watched the data scroll by at ultra-high speed, processing and extracting the vital information in an instant.
"Jin-nii, you really are amazing."
"It’s just practice. You just have to filter out the noise and focus on what’s important."
"That’s the difficult part."
Despite her modesty, Elsa was showing significant proficiency; she had already deciphered the basic information she was looking for.
"We’ll let Laojun summarize the rest."
With the Decompile complete, Jin moved on to the second golem, Glar.
"The basic structure is the same here."
After a swift analysis of the data, Jin moved to the next phase: identifying the creator. This was something that couldn't be determined from the control core alone. The first clue lay in the physical construction.
"Hmm... I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s a design brimming with originality."
When the torso was split open, the back side was rigid while the front was relatively soft. It wasn't an Adriana-style endoskeleton, yet it wasn't a true exoskeleton either. One could call it a compromise, or perhaps a design that tried to take the best of both worlds.
"Jin-nii, what does this mean?"
"...I suspect it’s because it’s easier to build."
"Easier?"
"Right. Looking at this structure, you’d start by making the back half of the torso—the exoskeleton part. Then you’d use that as a foundation to attach the arms, legs, and head."
"Oh... that makes sense."
"The arms are the same—no armor on the inside, only on the outside. I suppose you’d call it a semi-exoskeleton."
"So the back is hard and the front is soft?"
"Yeah. Then they use external armor to protect the belly."
"How interesting."
Jin thought the design was quite rational in its own way. It was similar to how modern automobiles were built: starting with a base frame, installing the engine, transmission, and steering, and finally mounting the body on top.
"Still, I don't know any technician who builds them this way."
"Father, Laojun says there is no match in his database either."
"As I thought. Maybe it’s a researcher living in seclusion?"
Given that they had recently encountered someone capable of building liquid metal golems, it wouldn't be surprising if other rogue geniuses existed.
"I wonder if the bandit knows anything."
"Let’s go find out."
Moritz watched the trio from a short distance away. Meanwhile, Fritz was still interrogating the bandit. He kept a knife pressed against the man's throat, ready to strike if he so much as whispered an incantation.
"Still no intention of talking?"
"..."
"Are you really that eager to find out what pain feels like?"
"..."
"Tch. This guy is stubborn."
Jin, Elsa, and Reiko approached the group.
"Ani-sama, could you let us handle this for a moment?"
"Hmm? Do you have a plan?"
"We do. But..." Elsa glanced at Jin before continuing. "Jin-nii says there’s something he wants to ask."
"Fine by me."
Fritz stepped aside, allowing Jin to face the bandit. Simultaneously, Reiko activated her Magi-Jammer to ensure no magic could be cast.
"Where did you steal those golems?"
At the question, the bandit’s body gave a slight, involuntary twitch.
"He reacted. Let's give him a proper scare."
Jin had a certain idea. He glanced at Reiko, then decided to delegate the task to Jumi of the Quinta.
"Jumi, a moment."
"Yes, Chief."
"I want you to do this..." Jin whispered instructions into her ear.
"Understood."
Jumi stepped up beside Jin.
"Now, I'll ask you again. It would be in your best interest to cooperate."
As Jin spoke, Jumi reached down and picked up the knife the bandit had been using. With a casual, effortless motion, she twisted the steel blade into a coil right before his eyes.
"!?"
She folded the metal again, and then once more, all while maintaining a pleasant smile. Then she squeezed the metal in her fist. When she opened her hand, only a mangled, unrecognizable lump of scrap iron remained.
Jumi tossed the scrap aside and reached out toward the bandit's face, her smile never wavering.
"W-Wait!"
For the first time since his capture, the bandit finally found his voice.