Elena’s repair proceeded smoothly.
The magical muscle used was an exceptional material, and while it didn't quite reach Hourai Island standards, the same could be said for the magical skin material.
Since the control core was intact, it was reused as is, while the damaged ether converter and mana driver were replaced with new units.
Jin assigned Lordtoss to handle the visual apparatus (eyes) and auditory apparatus (ears), while Reiko focused on the vocal apparatus (vocal cords and mouth). Hope was tasked with the physical modeling of the head.
Jin himself handled the intricate task of wiring the magi-nerve lines.
"There, that should do it."
He embedded a shield case into the chest and installed a magi-certifier as well.
Once the overall body shape was finalized, he applied the skin and implanted the hair.
"Lordtoss, are you finished?"
"J-just a bit more."
Lordtoss sounded flustered. Even though Jin was performing more than ten times the amount of work, he was still significantly faster.
"There’s no need to rush. Just focus on doing a good job."
Jin continued making fine corrections. As for the facial features, he left them entirely to Reiko, as she likely remembered Elena’s past appearance better than anyone else.
After completing the overall adjustments, Jin set about crafting clothes. Elena was currently unclothed, which made for a rather uncomfortable distraction.
"Jin-san, you can even make clothes..."
Lordtoss marveled at him, though his admiration felt a bit misplaced.
"Father, I am finished."
"Good, I'm finished here as well."
Jin had cloth woven from ground spider silk on hand. Though its durability was only about a third of the fabric produced on Hourai Island, he used it to fashion an outfit.
Once Reiko dressed Elena in the new garments, the work was complete.
"Alright, I’m restarting her. Start."
"...Yes."
Elena slowly sat up.
"Lady Elena!"
"Lady Elena!"
Liira and Arietta, who had been watching the process with anxious eyes, rushed to Elena's side.
"Liira... and Arietta. I've caused you both a great deal of worry, haven't I?"
"No, not at all..."
"I'm just so glad you're back to normal!"
However, Elena gently corrected her.
"No, I am not back to normal."
"What!?"
Startled, Liira and Arietta pulled back, their faces turning pale.
"Ah, forgive me. You have nothing to worry about. I didn't mean it in a negative way."
Elena wore a soft smile.
"I currently possess over fifty times the performance I had before I was damaged."
"Whaaaat!?"
While fifty times sounded like a staggering upgrade, the original Elena had been detuned and could only exert physical abilities about twice that of an average human.
With that fifty-fold increase, Elena now boasted physical abilities a hundred times greater than a human's.
Even so, that was still less than a third of the performance of a Hourai Island golem or automata. This was simply due to the limitations of the available materials. Jin had finished her using the absolute best components currently at his disposal.
"Jin-sama, thank you for repairing me."
After calming Liira and Arietta down, Elena turned to Jin and bowed deeply.
"I never truly expected that I would be able to meet you."
"Hm? Truly?"
Jin caught onto Elena’s curious phrasing and questioned her.
"Yes. About four hundred years ago, I heard a little bit from Laojun—that the missing Jin-sama had temporarily appeared four hundred years in the future... in this current era, and then returned to his original time."
"Ah, I see."
Elena was under the mistaken impression that the Jin standing before her was the Original Jin. It was unclear if Laojun hadn't conveyed the dates accurately, or if Elena’s own sense of time had drifted while she was in a state of disrepair.
Jin decided he would clear up that misunderstanding later. For now, Liira and Arietta looked as though they were bursting with questions.
＊ ＊ ＊
An hour later, Jin, Lordtoss, Reiko, and Hope were conversing with Elena in a room that resembled a parlor.
"Both Liira and Arietta are girls I have doted on since they were very small."
"Ah, that explains why they were so desperate to help you."
Jin found their devotion far more understandable now. In fact, he found it rather heartwarming.
Then, Jin explained his own current circumstances.
"I see... so Jin-sama is a 'duplicate'... I'm afraid I don't understand that at all."
Elena gave a sunny smile.
"In any case, I have nothing but gratitude for you restoring my body—no, for making it so much better than it was before."
"About that... exactly who was it that did that to you, Elena?"
Elena’s expression tightened.
"Very well. I shall tell Jin-sama everything."
She began to speak slowly.
＊ ＊ ＊
"The beginning was... well, are you familiar with Golbart Marukitasu?"
"Yes, I know the name."
"He was the one who stole away more than half of our Nostalgia personnel and military strength."
Jin decided to seize the opportunity to ask more.
"Elena, first, could you tell me about Golbart Marukitasu? I can’t seem to get a clear picture of what he’s really like."
Elena nodded.
"I understand. Indeed, there are likely very few people in this era who truly know of him."
Taking a single breath—though she didn't strictly need to breathe—Elena began her tale once more.
"Golbart Marukitasu’s childhood is unknown."
"Hm? Sorry, hold on a moment. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. No matter how much we investigated, we could not discover the country or town where he was born. His parents, his family—everything is a mystery."
"Hmm..."
"He himself refused to speak of it, so it has truly remained an enigma."
"I see. Sorry for interrupting, please continue."
"Yes....And so, he suddenly appeared on the stage as an adult. His first recorded action was enrolling in the High Course at Avalon."
Jin nodded. He had heard that much before.
"He was a genius....No, rather, he was a truly strange individual. It was as if he already knew everything from the start and had enrolled in the school simply as a formality."
"Hmm..."
"Throughout his three years of study, Golbart Marukitasu maintained his position as the top student without exception."
"That’s incredible."
Lordtoss, having studied at Avalon himself, knew exactly how difficult that was to achieve.
"And upon completing his third year, he dropped out. He claimed there was nothing left for him to learn."
Avalon’s High Course was a five-year program. Dropping out after only three years suggested a great deal.
"As I thought, should we assume he had a significant level of knowledge even before enrolling?"
"Yes. I believe that is the most likely possibility," Elena agreed.
"After that, Golbart Marukitasu disappeared for a year. When he next emerged, he was in possession of the Magi Emulator."
"Does that mean he developed it during that one-year absence?"
"I believe so. And then..."
Here, Jin interjected once more.
"Sorry. But while it’s on my mind, I wanted to ask: during his time at the school, did Golbart Marukitasu show any signs of planning a rebellion?"
Elena shook her head.
"No. At the very least, he never let those around him suspect such a thing."
"I see... Sorry, please continue."
"Yes."
Elena’s story continued.