“Your Majesty! Magic... magic has returned!!”
On the top floor of the Royal Palace in Loizart, the capital of the Shouro Empire, the Empress had been staring out toward Lake Tosmo when those long-awaited words reached her ears.
“Truly? You are certain?”
“Y-Yes! The golems that had ground to a halt have reactivated as well!”
The man who had come sprinting up the stairs, gasping for breath, was Degauss Fruit von Manischras, the Shouro Empire’s Magic Technology Minister.
Despite being forty-five—younger than the Empress—his sedentary life of research and desk work meant he was quite out of shape.
(Jin-kun... thank you.)
Offering a silent prayer of thanks to Jin, the Empress hurried down the stairs to coordinate the recovery efforts.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Dear, look! Neon has started moving again!”
“Yeah, the magi-lamp came on over here too.”
In Kalts Village, Reinhard’s territory, the anomaly had also come to an end.
“It was Jin-sama... wasn't it?”
“Most likely. Once I’ve finished this mountain of work, I’ll pay him a visit.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Oh, Aaru! Thank goodness...!”
“Saki-sama, was I in a state of suspended operation?”
“Yeah, you were. But thanks to Jin, you’ve woken up.”
“Does this mean... that the free ether had been inactivated?”
“Hmm, I don't really know yet myself. I’ll have to ask him about it later.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Oh, I can use magic again!”
“The lamps are on!”
“We’re saved...”
Those caught in the incident realized then just how much they had come to depend on magic in their daily lives.
＊ ＊ ＊
《Hmm... so they dealt with that, did they?》
《They are not to be underestimated.》
《Indeed. Their potential seems bottomless...》
《Furthermore, they possess such a means of flight.》
《An airship. Since hot air balloons exist, it is not particularly strange, but still.》
《What shall we do?》
《Let us see how they handle those three units.》
《Understood.》
＊ ＊ ＊
“They’re still following us.”
The Konron 2 had now crossed 60 degrees south latitude. The concentration of free ether in the atmosphere was a mere quarter of what it was near the equator, and the Konron 2 was already supplementing its propulsion with mana bombes.
“I wonder how those three are holding up?”
『My Lord, their flight is becoming slightly unstable. Whether they lack an equivalent to a mana bombe or simply haven’t utilized them yet is unknown, but they do not seem to possess the same adaptability as the Konron 2.』
“I see.”
While that was good news for the moment, the opponent’s true capabilities remained a mystery.
“They’re likely being remote-controlled as well.”
『There is little doubt of that. Their movements are mechanical. It is difficult to believe a living being is at the helm.』
“That makes sense.”
Just as there were differences between the movements of a golem and a human, such differences naturally manifested in how a vessel was piloted.
“But they’re persistent. They're still hanging on... Let's try increasing our speed by engaging the force generator propulsion.”
『Understood.』
When they pushed their speed from 100 kilometers per hour to 120, the three units matched them.
“Alright, make it 150.”
Even then, the three pursuers clung to their tail.
『It appears they have begun utilizing backup energy equivalent to a mana bombe,』 Laojun judged while observing their flight patterns.
“Then we’ll just watch and wait.”
The Konron 2 was equipped with enough mana bombes to circle Ars twice, but Jin wondered if the three pursuing craft could boast the same. He intended to find out.
“Jin-nii, aren't you going to attack?”
“No. Not at this stage.”
『Elsa-sama, My Lord believes it is better if the enemy continues to underestimate us.』
Jin nodded, adding to the explanation.
“That’s right. I want them to think we’re either unarmed or too spineless to fight back. I want to wait for them to leave an opening.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“I want to capture at least one of them so we can identify who’s pulling the strings. Once we have a unit, I'm hoping we can use its communications link to attempt a dialogue.”
Jin explained that he wanted to proceed with caution; if this escalated into an all-out war, other nations would inevitably be dragged into the conflict.
“...That's true.”
Jin knew he could defend Hourai Island and Kaina Village well enough, but he couldn't protect the rest of the world.
“If we’re going to strike, we have to crush them in a single blow... though whether we'll actually have to do that is another matter.”
“Mm, I understand.”
“Even so, they really are persistent...”
As they crossed 70 degrees south latitude, the concentration of free ether in the atmosphere dropped to less than a fifth of equatorial levels.
“Is it possible that they are using energy transfer?”
The suggestion Elsa suddenly voiced made Jin start.
“I see... there’s that possibility too.”
If that were the case, Jin would be at a disadvantage. He had yet to develop an ether transfer device with satisfactory performance.
“What should we do...”
Jin fell into thought, searching for his next move.
“Alright, it’s a test of endurance.”
He finally decided on a policy.
“Since that’s the plan, let’s stop wasting the mana bombes. Have the ship circle back along the equator.”
『Understood. I shall issue the instructions.』
“And...”
This was where the true plan began.
“Laojun, use the Peeper to investigate the structure of those disks as thoroughly as possible.”
『Understood.』
Knowing this was beyond human reaction speeds, Jin left the task entirely to Laojun.
“In the meantime, I can focus on other things.”
It was impossible to say when the other side would lose their patience.
“If the opponent is a magi-brain, then we have an automata and a magi-brain of our own on our side.”
Jin wore a slightly bold, fearless smile.
“Jin-nii, you’re making a wicked face.”
Even Elsa couldn't help but point it out.
“Maybe so. I’m a little ticked off by their methods.”
“Mm. Actually, me too.”
On that point, Elsa was in complete agreement.