With time still remaining before dinner, Jin decided to continue working on the portions of the nine remaining golems that could be repaired without additional materials.
Watching Jin dive right back into his work moments after declaring he was finished for the day, Kachea couldn't help but think he truly loved his craft.
"Well, if I at least fix the magical muscles now, it'll save a lot of trouble during the full repairs later."
Jin continued his work, talking to himself as usual.
(I wonder if Jin-san didn't have much of a family...?)
As a member of a large family herself, Kachea seemed to have caught on to the fact that Jin, with his habit of talking to himself, hadn't been blessed with much of a family environment.
"There, that should do it....Oh, Kachea, do you know about what time it is?"
"Eh, um..."
Kachea panicked at the sudden question. Since there wasn't a single clock in the warehouse, there was no way for her to know something Jin didn't.
"It's just about to turn five o'clock."
The person who answered as he entered the warehouse was Jed Alamold.
"Jin-dono, please call it a day. I've just placed an order for materials with Lorenz's guild. If they have them in stock, they should arrive by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you."
"Mm. I repeat, please rest for today."
"Understood."
Jin gave Jed a slight bow and left the warehouse. Jed closed the warehouse door and locked it before heading back to the Mansion. On the way, he spoke to Kachea.
"How is it? Have you grown a bit more accustomed to things?"
"A-ah, y-yes. Thanks to you... a little."
Kachea replied with her usual timid stutter.
"What do you think? Once your training is finished, would you like to act as Jin-dono's assistant for the time being?"
"A-assistant, sir?"
"Yes. From what I've seen, Jin-dono is the type to charge straight ahead once he gets absorbed in something. If someone doesn't manage his time for him, he's liable to overwork himself or stay up all night."
In a short amount of time, Jed Alamold had gained a fairly sharp understanding of Jin's personality.
"T-that might indeed be... the case."
"Besides, you would feel more at ease with Jin-dono, wouldn't you?"
"A-ah, y-yes."
"Once you've grown used to the Mansion that way, I'd like to start assigning you other tasks as well."
"Y-yes. Thank you very much."
Kachea bowed her head, grateful for Jed Alamold's consideration.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Ah, that's a good soak."
Jin was currently in the bath.
There were two large baths and three small ones in the Mansion. There were no set rules on who could use which; anyone was free to use whichever they preferred. However, under normal circumstances, only one of the large baths was actually filled with hot water.
At the moment, Jin was using one of the small baths. It was a tub that would be cramped with three people, but for one person, it was more than large enough to stretch out his limbs.
However, relaxing alone like this inevitably brought Elsa and the others to mind. He knew that worrying wouldn't solve anything, yet he couldn't stop thinking about them.
(For now, I'll solidify my foundation here... and then I'll definitely find a way back.)
Jin forced his thoughts to shift.
(...Something that could serve as an alternative to a magi-crystal... A magic circle, perhaps? But will it really work that well?)
He had been pondering this since his time in Taji Village. If this succeeded, it might provide the power he needed to return home. It was a concept for golems and magi-devices that functioned without using magi-crystals.
Just as teleportation magic circles existed, magic circles could store a spell and release it at will.
(But there's one major problem.)
That problem was the slow activation time.
Most magic circles were circular in shape. This was because they required mana to circulate within the circle multiple times to amplify a small amount of activation power. With every rotation, mana was generated from the free ether present in the air, and the circulating energy grew stronger.
(But that very circulation creates a time loss.)
This was fundamentally different from the magic circles that manifested during the casting of a spell. The magic circles that appeared alongside magic were, so to speak, an illusion—the "surplus mana that couldn't be converted into physical energy" being "projected into space."
Since magic was the invocation of "procedures" recorded into the world, the magic circle seen during casting was merely the visual representation of those "procedures" being "projected into space."
To return to the point at hand—even though the activation of magic via a magic circle was considered "slow," it was only a matter of a few seconds. Usually, it took less than three. However, that was fatally slow for the purpose of controlling a golem's movements.
(After all, processing with a magi-crystal happens in nanoseconds or less.)
"...Better get out."
Realizing he was on the verge of overheating, Jin decided to step out before he grew dizzy.
＊ ＊ ＊
At dinner that evening, Jin, Paerova, and Jed sat around the table.
"Well now, Jin-dono. You truly live up to your reputation—no, you've exceeded my expectations."
Paerova was in high spirits.
"To think you've already repaired six of them. It's a delightful surprise."
According to the jovial Paerova, half of the golems resting in the warehouse dated back to the nation's founding.
"There were conflicts during our struggle for independence. The golem soldiers played a vital role back then."
Though he didn't receive a detailed account, it seemed that combat in those days was largely carried out by golem soldiers to minimize human casualties. Jin listened in silence, thinking that such a use for them was certainly logical.
"In the royal capital, they say there are twice—no, three times—as many golems lying dormant and broken. What a terrible waste!"
Paerova's eyes gleamed.
"If we could have those broken golems decommissioned and handed over for Jin-dono to repair..."
"Oh, that is an excellent idea, Excellency," Jed Alamold agreed.
"By the way, how are the golems managed?" Jin asked, bringing up a point of curiosity.
"The Duke manages the golems in the royal capital, while I manage those in this region," Paerova explained.
Upon hearing that, Jin voiced the proposal he had been considering.
"...In that case, would I be permitted to take several of the non-functional golems and combine them to make a single working unit?"
"W-what!? Is such a thing possible?"
The reaction was exactly as Jin had anticipated.
"It is. Roughly speaking, three of the nine remaining units have such severe damage that repairing them would consume a vast amount of materials. However, if I combine the usable components from each, I believe I can finish one functional golem."
"Hmm, to think such a method exists... or rather, that it's even possible."
Paerova was struck with amazement.
"And you can truly repair a golem using that method, Jin-dono?"
Jed asked a question that Jin felt was a bit late at this stage.
"I can. Provided I have the materials."
Since it wasn't something he needed to hide, Jin gave a firm affirmation.
"Hmm... Inviting Jin-dono here was undoubtedly the right decision."
"We are very fortunate indeed."
Paerova and Jed nodded to each other in deep agreement.
In this country where magi were scarce, even the simple repair of a magi-device was a difficult task. Jin found himself recalling his time in Miyako, the capital of Mitsuho, which he had visited once before.