"Hey, Jin, could you give me your brief thoughts on the reporting session?"
Prince Ernest made this request of Jin.
"Let’s see... Ah, I thought that sonde was a clever tool."
"A sonde?"
Elsa tilted her head in confusion. Hanna and Lishia did the same, so Jin gave a brief explanation of the device.
"Hmm... It would be nice if it had a function to look inside after boring the hole, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah! That’s a great idea! I’ll mention it to Kelichdore later."
Prince Ernest seemed genuinely impressed by the suggestion Hanna had casually offered.
"Hanna is quite clever, is she not?"
Princess Lieschen also narrowed her eyes as she gazed at Hanna with admiration.
"Other than that," Jin continued, "I suspected the large cache of magi-crystals they found were actually materials meant for manufacturing additional golems."
"Ah, so you thought so too, Jin. I felt the same way. But if that’s the case, how do you explain the fact that no materials for the golem bodies themselves were found?"
While agreeing with Jin’s assessment, Ernest pointed out the flaw in the theory.
"Hmm... It’s possible they simply couldn't prepare the materials in time, but isn't there also a possibility they intended to recycle parts from damaged golems?"
"Ah, that does seem plausible."
They continued to speculate, wondering if a dedicated storehouse might be discovered with further searching or if the buried sections of the ruins held the answer. It was a bit of a shame that their discussion remained in the realm of imagination without any decisive evidence.
Just then, a message from Laojun arrived via Reiko.
(Father, it seems he has sent Anne, Loll, and Refa to Konron 3.)
(All three of them...? Well, that works.)
Jin spoke to the prince and princess in a slightly lowered voice.
"Listen, you two."
"Hmm? Jin, what is it?"
"Jin, what's wrong?"
Drawing on a cover story he had concocted on the spot, Jin spoke up.
"Actually, I have a surprise for you both."
"Oh, a surprise?"
"A surprise, you say?"
"Yes. It’s currently on board Konron 3. Would it be alright if I went to fetch it?"
Of course, Prince Ernest had no reason to refuse.
"Naturally....Ah, would it be alright if Rianna accompanied you?"
With Rianna of the Royal Secret Maids along, Jin would be granted passage through the palace facilities within normal boundaries. Jin gratefully accepted.
"Well then, I’ll be back in a bit. Elsa, I’ll leave things here to you."
"Mhm."
"Jin-sama, what exactly are you going to get?"
"Well, you’ll see once we get there."
"I see..."
Chatting as they walked, they headed toward the special airfield located in the Royal Palace courtyard. Jin had Rianna wait outside while he stepped into the interior of Konron 3.
Inside, the three blue-haired automata—Anne, Loll, and Refa—were waiting together. They were all dressed in identical clothing. Though Loll was the General Manager of the Jade Pavilion and Refa was the Okami of the Hall of Five Virtues, for this occasion, they were all dressed in Hourai Island's standard maid uniforms.
When Rianna saw Jin emerge with the three of them, her eyes widened in shock.
"Jin-sama, th-those girls are...!"
"Take a good look. See, they look very much like Princess Lieschen’s Tia, don't they?"
"Ah, n-now that you mention it..."
"That’s exactly it. I’ll introduce them properly back inside. Come on, let’s go."
"Y-Yes!"
With Jin and Rianna leading the way, the three followed silently behind. In the palace corridors, everyone they passed turned to stare at them.
"I’m back."
Jin and Rianna returned to the parlor where Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen were waiting.
"Oh, that was fast, Jin. So, what is this surprise you wanted to show us?"
"Right here....Come on in."
Anne, Loll, and Refa stepped into the room.
"Whoa..."
"Oh!"
They had seen Loll and Refa before during the first World Conference, but seeing them lined up alongside Anne as a set of three sisters, all wearing the same uniform, was a spectacular sight.
"I am Anne."
"I am Loll."
"I am Refa."
The three each gave their names and bowed with a graceful curtsy.
"Tia, this Refa here is your sister. She’s likely your slightly older sister," Jin explained.
"Sister Refa...?"
"You must be Tia. There is no mistake that you and I are automata from the same production lot. I am happy to find that another sister still remains."
"I am as well, Sister Refa."
Princess Lieschen and Prince Ernest watched the scene with heartwarming smiles.
"Sister Anne, Sister Loll... may I call you that as well?"
Anne and Loll nodded with gentle smiles.
"Yes, of course. Our lot seems to predate yours, after all."
Jin added a technical clarification.
"I believe the lots with three-letter names like 'ANN' or 'ROL' came first, and the lots with four-letter names like 'REFA' and 'TEAR' were produced later. But since both were made based on the design templates left by Adriana Barbora Tsetse, you're definitely sisters."
"Still, Jin, you truly are impressive."
"Truly," Princess Lieschen agreed, nodding as she looked at Prince Ernest.
"I am a little envious," Prince Ernest’s golem maid, Lotte, murmured softly.
"Lotte?"
Hearing that, Jin quietly sent an instruction to Reiko.
(Tell Laojun to send one more golem maid.)
Then he spoke aloud.
"If Lotte says so..."
Jin headed back toward Konron 3 once more, accompanied by Rianna. Just like before, he returned quickly—this time bringing Amez 1 with him.
"Lotte, this girl is Amez 1. She is your older sister."
"My... Big Sister..."
"Jin, you really are full of surprises," Ernest said, looking genuinely stunned.
Since Jin intended to have Princess Lieschen and Prince Ernest officially join the Jin Family soon, he had used the excuse that they were already aboard Konron 3, even if the timing was a bit convenient.
"Amez 1 has been with me from the very beginning, just like the other Five-Colored Golem Maids—Ruby, Topaz, Perido, and Aqua. I suppose she would be the eldest among all the golem maids."
"Is that so? Sister Amez 1."
"I am delighted to meet you, Lotte."
The two golem maids also seemed to share in the joy of the encounter.