Jin sensed that something was wrong with Helente’s memory data. The immediate question was whether he should point it out to her. How she might react remained an unknown factor.
"Still, it's worth a shot," Jin muttered to himself. He decided to confront her. "Helente, do you realize there’s something wrong with you?"
《Me?》
"Yes."
《Are you mocking me? There is nothing anomalous about my condition.》
"Are you sure about that?" Jin pressed.
His insistence seemed to give Helente pause. 《...Hmph. Since you are so certain, do you have some kind of proof?》
"I do. A moment ago, you asked why you were being restrained, didn't you?"
《Indeed.》
"It’s because you suddenly started acting strange, as if you were about to go on a rampage."
《I... did?》
"That’s right."
《Mmm... That should be impossible. However, I see no reason for you to go to the trouble of feeding me such a blatant lie.》
"Can’t you perform a self-diagnostic?"
《It is possible, though it will take some time.》
"I don't mind. If you can do it, I’d like you to try."
《Understood.》
Helente fell silent and ceased all movement. Ten minutes passed. During this interval, Land W, X, Y, and Z did not lower their guard for a single second. Another five minutes went by.
Finally, Helente stirred.
《I cannot yet determine if this is an 'anomaly,' but the continuity of my memory data has indeed been severed.》
"So there’s a blank period?"
《Yes. A gap in time that should not exist... If it is not a physical failure in my memory storage area, then it means an abnormality has occurred within me, just as you claimed.》
"What do you intend to do about it?"
《If you could lend me your assistance, I believe I can investigate the matter in greater detail.》
"What do you need?"
《I require a magi-crystal. I will copy the contents of my memory area onto it in its entirety. I can then examine that data.》
"I see. What attribute?"
《All-attribute would be preferable.》
"Understood."
Hearing Helente's request, Jin thought her logic was sound. It was difficult for a magi-brain to investigate its own active memories because that storage area was "live." As it performed the investigation, new memories would be created, the storage area would fluctuate, and in some cases, data might even be accidentally erased.
By copying the data to an external source, the information would be "settled," making it much easier to analyze.
"Alright. I'll prepare a high-quality all-attribute magi-crystal."
Jin immediately instructed Laojun to get one ready.
"I will bring it to you at once," Laojun replied.
Twenty seconds later, the magi-crystal was in Jin's hand.
"Yes, this will work. Move Land W a short distance away from her, and I'll send it via the transporter."
"Understood."
The order was executed instantly.
"How is this?" Land W asked, holding out the magi-crystal to Helente.
《Oh, this is quite excellent. I can certainly perform the copy with this.》 Helente then added, 《I apologize, but could you free my hands?》
Jin considered this for a moment before replying, "I’m sorry, but I can't do that until the cause of your instability is identified."
《Hmph. That is only logical. In that case, can you assist me with the preparation?》
"What do you need us to do?"
《Place the magi-crystal near me... yes, on top of my head should suffice.》
"No, that’s a difficult spot to balance it."
Helente's head was adorned with a decorative crest that looked like a knight's helmet, or perhaps a mohawk at first glance.
"In that case, let me hold it in my mouth."
A golem entangled in a net, biting down on a magi-crystal. It was a ludicrous sight, yet no one present felt like laughing.
《This will do. Wait a moment. —Copy.》
The magi-crystal flashed brilliantly for an instant.
《The necessary information should be copied now. You can verify it yourself, 'Lord of Kunlun,' can you not?》
"I see. I'll take custody of it."
Land W took the magi-crystal and ran toward Jin Castle. Using the Warp Gate there, he delivered the crystal to Jin.
"Good work," Jin said. He took the magi-crystal and handed it to Laojun for analysis. "I wonder if the cause of her instability was the barrier."
A weak barrier had been deployed around Kaina Village. It was possible that the interference from this field had weakened the control signals reaching Helente, causing her to malfunction.
"In any case, we’ll just have to wait for the results," Jin muttered, leaning back in his chair.
Just then, Sion and Marikka walked into the room.
"Jin, so this is where you were. You look busy."
"Jin-sama, Hanna-chan is amazing! She’s already mastered the use of the Magining Tool!"
"Oh? As I thought, Hanna is a bright girl..."
"So, what were you up to?" Sion asked.
"Ah, actually..."
As Jin explained the situation, Sion and Marikka’s eyes widened in surprise.
"What? You captured a Helente unit from Onogoro Island?"
"Yeah. Look, she’s being shown on the magi-screen over there."
Since it was transmitting visual data from Land Z, it was displayed on a sub-screen rather than the command room's main display.
"Huh, so that’s Helente... Wait?" Sion tilted her head.
Jin noticed her reaction. "What is it? Did you notice something?"
"U-Um... Marikka, isn't that...?"
"Yes, Sion-san. I was wondering about that too."
"What are you two talking about?"
"Jin, listen... I’ve seen that form Helente has before."
"What?"
"Marikka has too, right?"
"Yes."
"Where on earth would you have seen it?" Jin asked hurriedly.
"Where? In the All-Creation clan’s treasury, of course."