"Oh, thank goodness. I'm glad Adriana-sama was welcomed."
Upon hearing that Adriana had been accepted into the Garandora Kingdom, Sion and Marikka both breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"After the Predecessor settled in the Garandora Kingdom, she reportedly gathered disciples once more and produced many excellent engineers. For some reason, the records of that intervening period aren't very detailed."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. The entries were written in a very matter-of-fact way."
Jin imagined that the lack of specific notes indicated unremarkable days—or, to put it more positively, peaceful ones.
"But the Predecessor would eventually find herself caught up in turmoil yet again."
"Eh? W-what do you mean?"
"It happened in the fifth year after the Predecessor settled in the Garandora Kingdom..."
＊ ＊ ＊
It began abruptly in the year 2381.
"The Church... you say?"
"That's right, Teacher."
The catalyst was a visit to Adriana's workshop by representatives of the Church.
"We have come today in the hopes that Adriana-sama might join our faith."
"I see..."
The visitors were an elderly Priest and a young Sister.
"God descended from the heavens and created the Earth..."
"Angels watch over this land..."
"Blessings are, in essence, magic..."
The Priest and the Sister took turns speaking with practiced fervor.
In short, their doctrine was that magic was a grace from God. The ability to use magic was proof of being blessed. Conversely, those who could not use magic were living proof of having been forsaken by God.
Therefore, they claimed that providing more help than was absolutely necessary to those who could not use magic was an act of defiance against the will of God.
"We have heard that Adriana-sama is an excellent magi. We would like you to join our Church and utilize your techniques for our sake."
"With your skills, Adriana-sama, you could become a high-ranking cleric in no time."
"...I see."
Adriana let out a pointed, heavy sigh.
"Magic is just an ability. It's no different than being fast on your feet or having good eyesight. God? Perhaps He exists. Perhaps He doesn't. A higher being that we humans cannot perceive—that is what a god would be. You, who dare to speak for God, should be the ones to feel ashamed."
These were words she could only speak because she had been raised under the tutelage of Shuuki Tsetse.
"Religion should be a source of emotional support; it is not something meant to be used to bind people."
Upon hearing this, the Priest's complexion shifted instantly.
"You say the same things as the Magus...!"
"The Magus?...Ah, I suppose Father would say that."
At those words, the Priest's face contorted even further.
"Y-you... No, are you the daughter of the Magus!?"
"You can tell by the name Tsetse, can't you?"
Adriana was a bit exasperated, but her assumption was actually slightly off the mark.
For a time after the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse, had visited, many powerful commoners and branch-family nobles who admired him had adopted the surname Tsetse for themselves.
"To think you were a relative of Shuuki Tsetse...! Do not regret rejecting our invitation...!"
Leaving behind that parting threat, the two of them departed.
"...Phew."
Adriana let out another heavy sigh.
"Religion is... such a hassle. Father used to say the same thing long ago."
Having heard stories from him about religious wars, Adriana harbored a deep dislike for overbearing religions.
"I will simply keep doing things my way."
Muttering this to herself, Adriana returned to her research.
Around that time, Mariosa de Faures, who had been Adriana's greatest supporter in the Garandora Kingdom, suddenly fell from power.
The charges were that he had treated the national budget as his personal property and embezzled funds.
"That's impossible..."
Adriana was shocked. She knew Mariosa was a man of high integrity, fitting of someone who proudly called himself a grand-disciple of her father, Shuuki.
"Could it be a conspiracy...?"
However, as a technician, Adriana had no means to prove his innocence.
And with this event as a turning point, the Garandora Kingdom rapidly began to take on a much stronger religious tone.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Religion... I see. We believe in and fear the 'Angels,' but it's not something that was forced upon us."
Jin gently corrected Sion's observation.
"Perhaps what you have is faith rather than religion, Sion."
"Ah, that might be it."
Sion nodded in agreement with Jin's explanation.
"But that's exactly why I hate the idea of 'religion' being forced on someone..."
"In the world I came from... that is, the world the Magus came from, there was a history where religion and power became intertwined, even leading to wars."
"...That's truly awful."
"There was also a saying that there are as many versions of 'justice' as there are people."
"...That sounds like a nice sentiment in a way, but I don't know, it also sounds like an excuse for why conflict never ends."
Jin smiled at Sion's perspective.
"I suppose it might feel that way to you."
"S-so, what did Adriana-sama do after that?"
Marikka pulled them back from the tangent they had wandered onto.
"Ah, sorry....The truth is, the events after this are only written about briefly."
Jin suspected that since it was a diary, she probably hadn't wanted to record the details of things she preferred to forget.
＊ ＊ ＊
Adriana remained in the Garandora Kingdom for two years after that, but as the hostility from the Church grew stronger, she decided to set out on a journey once more.
Accompanied by thirty-four disciples who wished to follow her, as well as the new golem models M-017 and F-017, she departed from the capital, Fudars, in early October of 2383.
The group headed west.
After staying for about six months in a town corresponding to Astan in the present-day Celuroa Kingdom, they moved further west.
It was the summer of 2384 when they crossed the lands that now make up the Shouro Empire and traversed the southern edge of the Sahara.
By then, the number of accompanying disciples had dwindled to fifteen, less than half of the original group.
And finally, the group entered the land of the foreign tribes, Mitsuho.
"What! The Magus's Ojou-sama!?"
The people, who still remembered Adriana's father, Shuuki Tsetse, welcomed the group with open arms.
"Ah, so there were people who loved Father this much."
Touching the kindness of the people of Mitsuho seemed to heal Adriana's frayed heart.
Having settled in Mitsuho, Adriana devoted herself to helping the people of this land while also making occasional trips to Fusou.
It was during this time that she spent three years expanding and renovating the semi-automated Factory in Miyako, the capital, which her father Shuuki and his companions had originally built.
Furthermore, she maintained the automata named Akitsu, who had been created to serve as an instructor.
It was also around this time that Adriana replaced the Warp Gates used to travel to and from Akitsu's base in the Sahara with the latest models.
In this manner, Adriana would go on to spend twenty years in Mitsuho.