"Hmm, so they were repelled?"
"Yes. Two units were half-destroyed, and communication with one was lost, so we assume it was destroyed."
"Expected, I suppose. And what of the enemy's power?"
"Yes. They appear to use kinetic weapons. Their speed is approximately Mach 2, firing lead projectiles."
"Hmm, interesting. How are they firing them?"
"That is currently unknown. However, the projectiles were spherical in shape."
"Spherical? I see. Old-fashioned cannonballs, then."
"One more thing. Despite its appearance, the airship possesses considerable maneuverability. It was nearly a match for the disks."
"I see."
"Finally, the material of the gas bag is quite excellent. It deflected the arrows fired by our disks."
"Oh?"
"Taking all of this into account, I believe we can estimate their maximum combat potential."
"But what of the possibility that they haven't shown their full strength?"
"That has been considered, of course. I believe adding fifty percent to the calculated result should suffice."
"Double it."
"Pardon?"
"Assume they have double the strength of your calculation."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmm, as I thought, there aren't any hints about energy transfer here..." Jin murmured with a sigh.
"It's no wonder the receiving end lacks clues. Still, it's worth something just knowing it's a one-way system like a transporter, rather than a Warp Gate."
If it were a Warp Gate, there would have to be a matching device on the receiving end. With a transporter system, however, everything was on the sending side. That was the reality of the situation.
"The assembly precision is high. They’re definitely making this look low-level on purpose."
Jin continued his inspection, looking at materials beyond the 64 light silver.
"I knew it. The mithril used here has an impossibly high purity. Looking at details like this, their disguise is a bit sloppy....Well, I'm one to talk."
While Konron 2 relied on helium gas for its buoyancy, Jin had packed the rest of the ship with his most advanced technology. If it were ever captured and analyzed, his true technical level would be laid bare.
"I have to be careful..."
At the moment, Jin's greatest advantage was that the full scope of his capabilities remained a mystery to his enemies.
"Well, I think that’s about all I'll find here."
He had gained some insights, but the bigger picture remained elusive.
"How are Konron 2 and Edgar?" Jin asked.
"They have returned to Hourai Island," came the reply from Laojun. "The Smiths are performing maintenance on Konron 2. Elsa-sama is looking after Edgar."
"Good to hear."
Jin left the rest of the analysis to the Smiths and returned to Hourai Island.
When he entered the workshop, he found Elsa conducting an experiment with Edgar assisting her.
"Elsa, did you finish something? Edgar, thanks for your hard work on that long trip."
"Mm. I made something... a little interesting," Elsa replied.
"Oh?" Jin turned his gaze toward the object.
It was a device that looked like it had been attached to a magi-screen.
"Is this... an Ether Radar? No, that’s not quite it, is it?"
An Ether Radar was a Magi Machine used to investigate the distribution of free ether in a given area, capturing it in three dimensions.
"So? What is it?"
"Mm... To help research the transfer of free ether, I made a Magi Machine that captures its movement."
"I see..."
While an Ether Radar showed the distribution, the device Elsa had built could actually track the flow.
"This is just a small prototype, but..."
Jin studied the device, which he figured could be called an Ether Analyzer.
"This is impressive, Elsa. You did a great job building this."
"...It's nothing special."
Being praised by Jin made Elsa's cheeks flush a faint pink.
"I thought if we could see how free ether moves during energy transfer, we might find a lead."
"I see. That never occurred to me. You've really grown, Elsa."
Jin was genuinely delighted to see her progress as a magi-craftswoman. He decided to test the device immediately.
"I see, I see. So the density of the display represents the concentration?"
The screen showed the distribution of free ether within the room. The concentration around Jin, Elsa, and Reiko was slightly lower—likely because they were actively drawing in free ether to generate mana.
"Reiko... let’s see. Try casting Light."
"Yes, Father."
A soft glow emanated from Reiko's palm.
"Oh, it's changing."
At that moment, the display on the Ether Analyzer shifted.
"So the free ether is slowly flowing toward Reiko."
It was hard to see because the change in concentration was subtle, but it was definitely visible.
"...As I thought, it still needs work," Elsa murmured, her expression clouding with disappointment.
"No, that’s only natural. You've developed something brand new. Now we just use this as a foundation to build something with even better performance."
Jin offered her an encouraging smile.
"...Mm."
"Hmm. Maybe we should make it so we can change the range?"
"Range? Like a magic stove?"
"Ah, no, I don't mean a stove... I mean the scale or scope of the measurement."
"...Oh, I understand."
Elsa certainly had the knowledge, but her initial confusion likely came from being more familiar with a range as a cooking appliance. In this context, it meant the scale of the sensor. If a value changed from 10 to 15, it was much easier to see on a scale of 0 to 20 than on a scale of 0 to 100.
"Improvement point number one," Elsa noted.
"And then... maybe making the measurement distance variable?"
"Mm. Improvement point number two."
If the detection distance could be adjusted in stages—10 meters, 100 meters, 1 kilometer, 10 kilometers—it would be far more practical.
"It might also be good if we could specify a direction."
"Good point."
Rather than a full 360-degree sweep, they needed the ability to focus the sensors in a specific direction.
"Improvement point number three."
As for Jin’s own wishlist...
"I'd like versions for various scales. Something for long distances—cosmic scales—as well as something for the scale of this world, Ars, or even just a single country."
"I understand. The size required for precision would be different for each."
"Exactly. That’s it."
With the precedent of the Peeping Telescope, Elsa grasped the concept immediately.
"I’ll get started right away. Jin-nii, will you help me?"
"Of course. But you’re the lead on this, Elsa."
"Eh?"
"You’re the one who developed it, after all. I’ll just be your assistant."
As Jin laughed and said that, Elsa broke into a smile.
"...It feels a little strange. I’m almost bashful."