"It should be in sight any moment now."
In Avalon, a crowd of dignitaries had gathered at the airport to welcome Deus Ex Machina III.
"Chief Administrator, we have a visual on the ship!" The report came in from the control tower.
"Ah, good. Right on schedule."
Since the previous visit had been conducted in a twin-hulled airship of the style used by many nations, Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman and the rest of the Avalon officials expected something similar this time.
But they were wrong.
"Wh-What is that?"
"Is something the matter?"
"Y-Yes. I've never seen a craft with that profile before."
"What?...Well, Maquina-dono is said to possess the world’s most advanced technology. I suppose surprises are to be expected."
Tomax Bartman spoke with forced composure, but a bead of cold sweat rolled down his neck as the silhouette drew closer.
The airship was a staggering 100 meters long. Even more striking was the gas bag, which was oddly flattened. It was a massive vessel, easily a size larger than the Airlander—the hybrid airship known on modern Earth as the world's largest aircraft.
This was a specialized craft Jin had built for Maquina four hundred years ago. Much like the Konron 3, it was built to spaceship specifications and was fully capable of vacuum flight.
The crew consisted entirely of golems—Space 1 through 20. They were the same model as the Cosmos series, though finished in a different color.
The ship was named the Aristotle. That it shared its name with the philosopher Aristotle—who had famously criticized the "deus ex machina" as a lazy theatrical device—was purely coincidental.
"To think he owns such a magnificent airship... Deus Ex Machina III is truly something else..."
The murmur escaped Tomax Bartman’s lips before he could stop it, though it likely echoed the thoughts of everyone present.
The massive airship touched down on the runway as if it were weightless. Telescopic landing gear extended from the bottom of the cabin to support the hull’s weight.
When the hatch hissed open, ten black golems emerged, splitting into two rows of five to stand at attention.
"Incredible..."
"What beautiful golems..."
The assembled officials stared in awe at the black golems, whose body lines were remarkably similar to those of humans.
Then, two figures stepped out from the ship. One was Deus Ex Machina III, and the other was his squire, Rei.
"Deus Ex Machina III-dono, welcome!"
Tomax Bartman stepped forward to offer a formal greeting.
"Tomax-dono, it’s been about a month and a half. I’m glad to see you looking well."
My stomach is killing me, Tomax wanted to say, but he kept the thought to himself. Instead, he forced a smile and shook Maquina’s hand.
"...You’ve arrived in a truly staggering vessel, if I may say so."
Tomax looked up at the Aristotle, his voice trembling slightly.
"I thought it was time I showed you a glimpse of our technology."
"I-I see."
It’s more than enough! Tomax thought.
"I presume you built this yourself?"
"Indeed I did."
In truth, Jin had built it four centuries ago, but if Jin and Deus Ex Machina were considered one and the same, it wasn't technically a lie.
"And... what brings you to us today?" Tomax asked as he guided Deus Ex Machina III and Squire Rei toward a waiting vehicle.
They weren't walking; they boarded a Golem automobile, a compact car specialized for transport within Avalon.
"I’m here to conduct an inspection and discuss the nature of our future support."
"Support? That would be a godsend, to be honest."
Relieved that this wasn't a meeting meant for criticism or reprimands, Tomax added that they would particularly appreciate technical guidance.
"Of course. However, I can't offer much in the way of advice until I've seen the current state of Avalon with my own eyes."
"Quite right."
As they spoke, the Golem automobile entered a building and glided down a wide corridor. It eventually came to a halt in front of Tomax Bartman’s office.
"This way, please."
"Pardon the intrusion."
Maquina stepped into the office, followed silently by Squire Rei. Two secretary golems were already inside.
"Ah... these are based on the Safi model, aren't they?"
The Safi were bronze-bodied maid golems donated by Jin and Maquina during the World Conference held in Avalon four hundred years ago. They had represented the absolute pinnacle of technology back then, and even now, they remained nearly unsurpassed. Being based on that model, these secretary golems were naturally high-performance.
"Welcome, Maquina-sama."
Notably, there were almost no automata in Avalon; the workforce was comprised entirely of golems. This was a deliberate choice to ensure there was no confusion between humans and machines during emergencies. The only exceptions were automata specialized in childcare.
Digression aside.
"Please, have some tea."
"Thank you."
One of the secretary golems set tea before them. Tomax took a sip first, and Maquina followed his lead.
"As it happens, Elena-dono of Nostalgia is scheduled to arrive in about five hours," Tomax noted.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"And tomorrow, we expect Jin Nidou-dono, the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, along with Marikka-sama and Sion-sama of the All-Creation clan, and Lordtoss-sama of the Puppet clan from the Nord Federation..."
"You certainly have a full house."
Maquina III chuckled, but Tomax’s expression was grim.
"As the host, it’s enough to give me an ulcer."
"Haha, I can imagine." Maquina gave a wry smile. "In that case, it would be best to wait until everyone is present before we get into the heavy topics."
Tomax’s face went pale at the mention of "heavy topics."
"E-Err... what exactly are these important matters you speak of? Could you give me at least a general idea?"
He didn't explicitly say he needed to brace himself, but his anxiety was written all over his face.
"It’s fine. We’ll be discussing things like the aftermath of the Magic Federation, and why the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister and I have chosen to reveal ourselves now."
"I see..."
"To put it simply, the threat of the Magic Federation has finally passed."
"I-Is that true?"
"My primary goal is to relay the details of how that came to be."
Tomax’s color returned as he realized he wasn't about to receive bad news.
"S-So that’s what this is about..."
With a surge of relief, he downed the rest of his tea in one go.
"Hot!"
It was clearly scalding, but he somehow managed to keep from spitting it out.
"Sh-Shall we begin the inspection, then?"
"Yes, please do."
Maquina, having finished his own tea with far more elegance, replied with a calm smile.