"You are… Reiko-jou!?"
Lance wore an expression of sheer astonishment as he looked at Reiko, who had appeared out of thin air.
"We can talk later. I just need to stop him, correct?"
"A-Ah, yes. However, I would appreciate it if you could avoid damaging him as much as possible."
"Understood."
"What are you whispering about?! Who the hell are you?!"
Ronder—now an automata—remained at a distance, wary of the girl who had appeared so suddenly.
Though she looked like a young girl, the fact that she had materialized out of nowhere and that Lance was treating her as an equal likely led him to conclude she was no ordinary threat.
"I am meeting you for the first time. My name is Reiko. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Reiko pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a slight nod in an informal curtsy. Ronder stared at her with an exasperated expression.
Lance, standing beside her, looked much the same.
"…Or rather, as a former executive of Unifilar, are you truly not familiar with me?"
"What…?"
Hearing this, Ronder stared intently at Reiko once more…
"Y-You!?"
Shock flooded his face.
"The Jet-black Destruction Princess!"
He must have witnessed the battle between Unifilar and the Hourai Island Forces. It seemed he had finally remembered her.
"…Interesting. With this body, I should be able to stand against even you…"
"Are you perhaps slow-witted?"
Reiko cut him off before he could finish. Her tone was one of pure exasperation.
"I have been watching for a while, and you are even weaker than Elena was back then."
"T-That’s impossible! This body was developed using the Universal Golem and combat golem as a base, with further improvements!"
However, Reiko simply shook her head.
"No, I can tell, having actually faced Elena myself. Elena was a far more magnificent automata than you."
"S-S-S-Shut up!"
"…He is quite emotionally unstable. Lance-san, what do you think?"
Lance was startled to be addressed so suddenly, but he answered the question.
"A-Ah, it is as Reiko-jou says. The design of the original thought circuit is likely crude."
Lance noted that such things were a testament to a magi craftsman’s skill.
"So a refined design base was not used."
"A 'design base,' I see. Indeed, that would be effective for a perfected thought circuit, but in his case, it is likely a self-made one."
Watching the two of them converse so calmly, Ronder’s rage reached a boiling point.
"The fact that he cannot control his pseudo-emotions is further proof of his incompleteness."
"Grrr, stop mocking me!"
Finally unable to contain himself, Ronder lunged. His right fist swung toward Reiko.
"What!?"
However, Reiko caught Ronder’s right fist with ease.
She then caught his follow-up left fist as well.
"G-Gh, you…!"
When he attempted a front kick with his right leg, Reiko deflected it with a kick from her left leg.
"G-Ah… L-Let go!"
Ronder’s fists remained firmly in Reiko’s grasp; try as he might, he could not pull them away.
Upon closer inspection, Reiko’s slender fingers were digging into Ronder’s rugged fists.
"Lance-san, you told me not to break him, but it will be difficult to leave him entirely unscathed."
"A-Ah. A little damage cannot be helped."
"I see."
Hearing those words, Reiko applied 'light' pressure with her hands.
"U-Uwaaaaaah!"
With just that, both of Ronder’s fists were crushed.
Then, with blinding speed, Reiko delivered spear-hand strikes to both of his shoulders and hip joints.
"Gah!"
The attack dislocated both shoulder joints and both hip joints.
Ronder was left completely immobilized.
"S-So this is the power of the Jet-black Destruction Princess… I completely underestimated her… How regrettable."
Ronder slowly collapsed onto the floor.
"Will this suffice?"
"A-Ah. You saved me. Still, Reiko-jou, you are incredibly strong."
"Because Father created me to be so."
"Is that so…"
Lance seemed to sink into thought for a moment.
"The relationship between creator and automata… has nothing to do with the automata’s construction, it seems…"
"Pardon?"
"No, just talking to myself.…Nonetheless, I suppose I can tell you, Reiko-jou."
With that preamble, Lance was about to begin his story.
"Um, is it alright to leave this one as he is?"
Reiko spoke up as she looked at him.
"That is true.…However, how should I deactivate him?"
"Ghu…! To think my luck would run out the moment I defied the Jet-black Destruction Princess…"
Ronder could do nothing but squirm on the floor.
"It is a bit forceful, but this is the only way."
"W-Wait! What are you——————"
Lance grabbed Ronder’s head and twisted it 180 degrees.
With a sickening crack, Ronder ceased moving.
The connection between the control core in his head and his body had been severed.
Naturally, the supply of mana was cut off as well, causing him to shut down.
"Now, as for the stolen materials…"
It appeared the majority of them had been used to construct Ronder’s body.
"Perhaps only the parts for the Warp Gate he was tinkering with just now…?"
"Eh? But this is…"
As an expert in Warp Gate installation, Reiko noticed something was wrong with that particular unit.
"You noticed too, Reiko-jou? This Warp Gate has no control panel. Those parts were not taken, and he likely couldn’t manufacture them himself."
Lance gave a thin smile, noting that it was impossible for someone to master every technology in a mere ten years or so.
"Is there nothing else to take back?"
Lance nodded at Reiko’s question.
"Indeed. There were patrol golems, but we can likely ignore them."
However, Reiko disagreed.
"That would not be right. We must deactivate them properly."
Saying so, she stepped out of the room.
She returned about two minutes later.
"There were two of them. I have deactivated them properly and laid them to rest in an empty room."
"…Reiko-jou, why go so far for low-level golems?"
"Level does not matter. I simply felt they were pitiful."
"Pitiful… I see… You possess such emotions…"
"Eh?"
"No, it is nothing."
"Oh, and there were three bandit accomplices, so I knocked them unconscious and tied them up."
"That saves me the trouble. Now, let us pack everything up."
Lance began packing the motionless Ronder and the primary components of the Warp Gate.
The Warp Gate parts were few.
"Well then, I shall head back.…Oh yes, Reiko-jou. What I was about to say earlier was because you were so radiant."
"Pardon?"
"Metaphorically, of course.…I felt the strong bond of father and child between you and your creator… no, your Father, Jin-dono."
"Yes. I love Father very much, and Father cherishes me as well."
Hearing this, Lance let out a slightly lonely smile.
"I am a little envious… No, ignore that. It was merely a sentimental thought."