"...Hm? You?!"
By trying to hide, Kachea had only succeeded in drawing more attention to herself.
"Eek!...N-no... I'm... not..."
Eira snorted derisively at the girl's response.
"...I thought so. I can't imagine someone so lacking in spirit being a magi."
Her gaze then shifted to Hope, who was standing beside Jin.
"Hm? Wh-wh-wh-what is this?! This golem!!"
She shouted at the top of her lungs, then immediately began pacing around the construct.
"Hmm... the fit of the joints is nearly perfect... It’s high quality, certainly, but I don't see the concept..." she muttered to herself. To put it bluntly, she seemed like a rather eccentric, if not dangerous, individual.
"Hey! Who built this golem?!"
"...I did," Jin replied.
He now understood all too well why Jed Alamold had been so reluctant to come here, but there was no backing out now.
"You?!...Hmm? I don't recognize you."
Since the number of residents in the research wing was small and Eira was the only magi among them, it was only natural that she would notice a newcomer.
"I only arrived in Rofon the other day," Jin replied. Since she was clearly his senior, he maintained a polite tone.
"And you built this golem? You're capable of such work?!"
"Yes, more or less."
"...Then why did you build such a half-baked unit?"
"Half-baked?"
"Exactly! If it's for combat, it should be larger. If it's for civil engineering, it should be sturdier. If it's for chores, shouldn't you use lower-grade materials?"
Jin realized that this woman wasn't just loud; she possessed a keen insight into golem utility and design.
"I built it to suit the current circumstances," he explained. At the same time, he pegged her as a strictly theory-oriented researcher.
"The current circumstances?"
"Yes. The concept was to create the highest-quality golem possible while working with limited materials."
"Mmm... This country is hopeless! Their methods are all wrong!" Eira shouted once more.
"Eira-dono, that’s enough. Any more than that is crossing the line." Jed Alamold spoke sharply, his expression shifting from serious to stern.
"...Fine." Eira reluctantly backed down. "But I want you to understand this: this environment is terrible for researchers. I’ll leave it at that."
With that, she ducked back into her room. "Here," she said, holding out two magi-crystals.
"I'm keeping the third one for my own research, so you'll have to make do. Also, I expect a replenishment of magi-crystals immediately."
She shoved the crystals into Jin's hand and slammed the door shut before he could even reply.
"..."
Jin stood there in silence, staring at the crystals in his palm.
"Surprised? That was Eira Shiata. I wonder if all researchers are cut from the same cloth? She certainly doesn't mince words."
Jin could only manage a wry smile. "At any rate, we can perform the repairs now."
As the group turned to leave, the door behind them swung open with a bang.
"Wait, wait! I'm coming too! I want to see you perform repairs with those magi-crystals with my own eyes!!"
She had apparently changed her clothes, and she was clutching a bundle of paper, presumably for taking notes.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmph, so this is the mana stand. It's been acting up for about two years, and then it finally gave up the ghost the other day."
With Hope there to assist, Jin gave the orders to have the assistant remove the exterior casing.
"Ho, how dexterous," Eira remarked, scribbling furiously in her notes.
Jin proceeded with the work at his own pace. "This is where it’s broken." He turned to Eira and explained as he removed the ruined magi-crystal.
"This is the core component, but it was overused until it deteriorated and finally chipped. That’s why it needs replacing."
Jin showed the chipped, cracked crystal to Eira. She glanced at it but seemed to lose interest instantly, making no move to take it from him.
"I'll replace it with one of the crystals you provided," Jin explained as he fitted the new magi-crystal into the magi-circuit.
"Hmm, so in this design, the control system is engraved directly onto the magi-circuit. Fascinating." Eira hurriedly jotted down her observations.
Noticing her interest, Jin slowed his pace slightly. "This part has also deteriorated a bit, but with 'Crystallization'... it should hold for a while."
"...Oh?"
Next, Jin turned his attention to the lines that channeled the mana. "There are too many impurities here. About twenty percent of the mana is being wasted in transit....'Purification'."
"...Ooh?"
Finally, he moved to the last section. "This is interesting..."
It was the part that essentially turned the mana stand into a vending machine.
"Aha... So one copper coin buys one second of mana flow. Regardless of whether that's a fair price, it's an intriguing mechanism..."
Jin studied the mechanism for a moment, committing the configuration to memory before finishing the repair. "That should do it. 'Toughening'."
"Oooooh!"
"Hope, put the casing back on."
"Yes, Jin-sama."
Jin stood up and stretched his back after being hunched over for so long.
"Jin-dono, is it fixed?"
"Yes, Jed-san. I believe its performance should be about twenty percent better than it was originally."
"I see. That will be a great help." Jed looked pleased, but Eira was another story.
"Jin, was it?! What were those techniques you just used?"
"Just standard repairs and maintenance."
"You were throwing out spells I've never even heard of!"
"Well, just because they're unfamiliar to you, Eira-san, doesn't mean they aren't old. Magi-craft has a very long history."
"Magi-craft?!...You mean the magic said to have been used by the 'Magi Craft Meister'?"
"Huh?" Jin was jolted by the mention of the title. "The Magi Craft Meister?"
"Yes. That’s what my master always said."
"Your master?"
"That's right. My master studied at Avalon in their youth. They said Avalon was an educational institution founded by the Magi Craft Meister herself."
"Then your master was..."
"That’s enough talk." Jed Alamold’s tone had changed, his voice carrying a weight that brooked no argument. "Jin-dono, thank you for your work. Eira, your business here is finished. Return to your room."
He stepped between them, cutting the conversation short.