The defense device intended for the Adriana was named the Magi-Defense Shield Aegis.
It was a name derived from the shield of the goddess Athena in Greek mythology. In English, it is pronounced Aegis, which is where the name of the Aegis-class destroyers originated.
"I wonder if there are any other uses for the Coherencer..."
Despite having completed the Aegis, Jin was still not fully satisfied.
"Jin-nii, you have to rest for the day."
It was already 10:00 PM. He would likely have to start issuing mission directives early tomorrow morning.
"Ah, right. I'll take a quick bath and head to bed."
"Mm, please do."
Jin headed to the bath in their house.
"Ah, that feels great."
Stretching his limbs in the tub, he realized just how much fatigue had truly accumulated.
"Father, you must not overexert yourself."
Reiko chided him as she washed his back.
"I know, Reiko."
"You say that, Father, but I am certain you will do something reckless again."
"Haha... maybe."
"Please, stop making Elsa-sama worry."
"...You're right."
After leaving the bath, he went to the bedroom. Though it was called a bedroom, it was a Japanese-style room partitioned only by fusuma sliding doors.
"Jin-nii, thank you for your hard work today."
"Father, please lie down there."
"Eh? Reiko?"
Reiko, who had followed him into the room specifically tonight, made an unusual request.
"I shall give you a massage."
"E-Eh? Why so suddenly?"
"It is the result of a consultation with Laojun and Elsa-sama. Until now, I believed such things were intended for the elderly, but you massaged Elsa-sama's shoulders the other day, did you not?"
"A-Ah, that's true."
"Therefore, I have decided to do the same for you, Father."
Laojun had been granted the majority of Jin’s knowledge, which apparently included the techniques Jin had used to massage the Orphanage Director when he was a child. Reiko had heard this from Laojun and decided to use her body's tactile senses to give Jin a massage.
"I will study it, too," Elsa added.
"Eh?...Ah, I guess I really am tired..."
Magi crafting often required staying in unnatural postures for long periods, leading to localized fatigue. In Jin's case, it was his back—specifically between the shoulder blades.
"Ah, that feels so good..."
It was a delicate application of pressure that only Reiko, with her refined tactile senses, could provide. Before long, Jin had drifted off to sleep.
"He really was exhausted."
"Mm. Reiko-chan, thank you. I'll practice next time, too."
"Good night."
Reiko sat in the seiza position and bowed before leaving the room. Elsa turned off the lights, tucked the futon around Jin, and then lay down beside him.
"Five more days..."
She whispered softly before closing her eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was now October 11th.
Jin was contemplating how to best utilize the abundant Univasium and the Coherencers.
"Just by placing a Coherencer in a magi-circuit, the operational efficiency of mana increases by over ten times. That’s huge."
This was particularly noticeable regarding the potency of magical effects.
"Using them for Reiko and Laojun's magi-circuits is a given, but I might as well equip the golems on Hourai Island with them too."
The Mityanite found recently amounted to roughly three kilograms. Since about one kilogram had been used for the Aegis, two kilograms remained.
"Given the size of a golem, I’ll only need about five grams per unit."
First, he installed one into Reiko’s magi-circuit. This didn't increase her physical strength, as her power limit was determined by her magical muscles. However, the power of her magic increased tenfold, and her mana consumption dropped to one-tenth.
For normal operations, this meant she could now function perfectly well even in the low free ether concentrations of the Southern Hemisphere without relying on her mana bombes. This was a massive advantage. Since the mana consumed for general movement was managed more efficiently, her overall operational speed saw an improvement of about three percent.
"Even though you just upgraded me recently, I feel even better now. Thank you, Father."
"You serve me well, Reiko. I'm counting on you from here on, too."
"Yes, of course."
Jin performed a similar modification on Laojun. While there was no boost in raw power, the reduction in mana consumption resulted in an efficiency increase of about three percent. Meanwhile, the mobile terminal Laozi saw an improvement in movement efficiency similar to Reiko’s.
＊ ＊ ＊
『My Lord, I have an announcement.』
"Yeah, what is it?"
『Yes. Out of the large-class fragments, the three smallest have had their orbits sufficiently diverted.』
"Oh, really? Then we can reallocate those large force generators to the extra-large-class one."
『However, currently, the Adriana is...』
Indeed, the large force generators were being transported by the Adriana.
"Can't they be carried by reconnaissance spaceships?"
『It should be possible. Though it will take some time.』
"Right now, it would be a waste to lose the Adriana’s propulsion. I don't mind if it takes time, so please do it that way."
『Understood.』
It was frustrating for Jin, stationed on the ground, that he could do nothing more directly.
"I’d like to find a way to use those large force generators effectively once this is over... Should I build another spaceship?"
Jin caught himself drifting.
"No, no, I have to focus on the problem right in front of me."
Jin shook his head to clear his thoughts. The current threats to Ars were the fragments. The small, medium, and large-class ones had been dealt with. The extra-large-class one was currently being handled. As for the micro-class ones...
"Alright, it has to be this. Taisei, give instructions to two reconnaissance spaceships to process the micro-class fragments using their transporter cannons."
『My Lord, some will inevitably leak through.』
"I know. Just prioritize the ones with orbits closest to Ars."
『Understood.』
Because the micro-class fragments had traveled a considerable distance, their mutual spacing had widened; it was clear that perfect interception was impossible.
"Even so, I want to reduce the risk as much as I can."
Jin continued to ponder, searching for any detail he might have overlooked or task left undone.
"Right, it’s probably time I contacted the various nations."
He now had a general idea of what could happen. Jin began to compile the announcement together with Laojun.