Jin began talking with Sion and the others.
"First, I want to know about the enemy's current situation. Sion, how much do you know?"
"By 'enemy,' do you mean the Magic Federation? Or..."
"Apparently, it was the Magic Federation using those golems to look for Reiko."
"I see... Well, their base is in the Kingdom of Elias. Oh, and they’ve expanded their reach further south than the maps you remember."
"Is that so?"
Jin recalled that there were islands further south of the Elias Peninsula.
"Yes. One of the islands in the Pleiades Archipelago—the group you named yourself—has become their stronghold. Electra Island, I believe."
"Electra Island... So that's their headquarters?"
"Yes. You probably suspect this, but the Magic Federation effectively hijacked the Nostalgia group's facilities, resources, and even some of their personnel."
Sion added that by the standards of this world, they were quite a formidable power.
"But the founder, Golbart Marukitasu... he’s dead, right?"
"He should be. But they seem to be operating as if driven by his dying will."
"Fanatics, then."
"Exactly."
Jin considered this. A direct confrontation wasn't ideal.
"In that case... I'll start with the outskirts."
"Outskirts?" Sion asked.
"Yeah. Instead of trying to liberate Hourai Island right away, I'm thinking of reclaiming Uni and the Watcher."
Sion smiled warmly at that.
"That’s very you, Jin."
Hearing that, Jin realized Sion must have heard about this course of action from his own lips four hundred years ago. When he mentioned it to her, she nodded.
"Yes. I know a fair amount about what you're going to do from here on. But the Jin from four hundred years ago asked a favor of me. He wanted me to let you act on your own will as much as possible."
"I see..."
It certainly wasn't in Jin's nature to just follow instructions to resolve a situation.
"So, how do you plan to reach the Watcher?"
"With Pegasus 2."
Pegasus 2 was equipped with a force generator, making it capable of space flight.
"Oxygen, water, and food won't be an issue for a round trip to Uni. As for cosmic radiation, I'll use a barrier to block it."
"I see. That’s definitely my Jin."
Judging by Sion's reaction, this was the right path.
"Next is the countermeasure for the Magi Emulator."
Jin informed her that he wanted to solve this problem before heading for the Moon.
"I have a conceptual plan ready."
"As expected of you, Father!" Reiko chimed in instantly. Ever since her reunion with Jin, she had been in an exceptionally good mood.
"I'll need your help for this, Reiko."
"Yes! Anything you need!"
Reiko's excitement spiked even further at the thought of being useful to him.
"Alright, first, a confirmation. Reiko, you can distinguish my voice perfectly, right?"
"Yes, of course. I would know it even with my eyes closed."
"Good. Then, can you tell the difference between my older voice and my current one?"
"I can. But both are Father's voice," she said with absolute confidence.
Jin nodded firmly. "Right. So, how exactly do you know it's me?"
"That is... I see. Yes, I understand. Your voice has a specific characteristic, Father."
Jin was satisfied with her answer.
"That's the key. Every voice has a 'voiceprint' with unique individual characteristics. I didn't explicitly program a function like that, but you must have developed it on your own."
"Is that so?" Reiko tilted her head, looking a bit puzzled.
"It is. And the cooperation I need is the processing routine you use to identify me."
"Yes, by all means."
"Thank you....Analyze. Inspection. Decompile... I see."
With Reiko's permission, Jin performed a deep scan of her systems.
(Ah, Jin-sama even asks Reiko-san for permission before looking into her... He truly treats her as a person.)
Watching from nearby, Marikka was deeply moved.
(The Hourai Island that someone like Jin-sama poured his soul into... there's no way it could lose to some mass-produced golems.)
It wasn't logic; it was pure conviction. Marikka was certain of Jin's victory. Of course, the Jin from four centuries ago had already told her as much.
"Alright, I've got it."
"Already!?"
"As expected of you, Father!"
While Marikka gasped in surprise, Reiko offered her praise.
"I'm going to add a Voice Key to the Certificate. That should be enough to counter the Magi Emulator."
Without scientific knowledge, the concept of a voiceprint simply didn't exist. At best, a magus might distinguish voice quality. Even if two voices sounded identical to the human ear, their voiceprints would be different. By combining these two authentication methods, the Magi Emulator would be rendered useless.
"I can only guess how Golbart Marukitasu got his hands on my mana waveform, but there's no way he could have obtained my voiceprint."
"Jin, how do you think he got it?"
"Well, Avalon was full of magi-devices and Magi Machines I built. If someone had the technical skill, they could have decompiled them and read the data."
"I see." Sion nodded, impressed. This was likely the correct answer as well.
"Alright, let's get to work. Marikka, can I borrow your workshop?"
"O-Of course-sh, Jin-sama!"
"Thanks. I'm counting on you."
Jin grinned at Marikka, who hadn't changed one bit since the old days.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin began his experiments in Marikka's workshop.
"Put this here... and that goes there."
Reiko acted as his assistant, while Hope and Hanako looked on. Working with his long-time partner, Jin’s efficiency was up by fifty percent.
"Okay, that should do it."
He finished a prototype magi-device. It was a simple tool designed to trigger a Light spell only when both the Certificate and Voice Key were verified.
"Reiko, your mana is the same as mine, but our voices are different. If you can't use this, then the Magi Emulator shouldn't be able to either. Give it a try."
"Yes, Father....Wake up!"
The Light spell did not trigger.
"Alright, now try mimicking my voice."
It was a function built into the Quinta as well—the ability to shift their magical frequency to change their voice to a certain extent.
"Wake up."
Still, nothing happened. Next, Jin tried it himself.
"Wake up."
The light flickered to life.
"Success!"
"You did it, Jin! Incredible as always."
"Jin-sama, congratulations."
"Thanks. Alright, I'm going to miniaturize this, improve its efficiency and performance, and then install it in Reiko. Then I'll do the same for Hope."
And so, Jin secured a solution for his greatest concern.
The time to aim for Uni had finally come.