On January 2, on Hourai Island, Laojun reported the events at Avalon to Jin and the others.
The AI had waited because it wanted them to enjoy New Year's Day in peace, but the delay didn't sit entirely well with the master.
"I wish you had told me about such an important matter immediately," Jin said.
"My apologies, My Lord," Laojun replied.
Still, hearing that Maquina III and Elena had been more than capable of handling the situation allowed Jin to breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.
"Still, with that kind of news, I suppose we have no choice but to head to Avalon."
"I agree..." Eira said.
"Me too," Kachea added.
"Indeed," Groma chimed in.
The three international students were particularly concerned. To them, Avalon was their home, even if only temporarily.
Marikka also looked a bit dejected. "...To think that Graham Derby was a spy for the Magic Federation... It's so sad."
Seeing them like that, there was no way Jin could remain idle.
"All right, let's go," he declared, deciding to move up their schedule and head for the mega-float.
Things moved quickly after that.
Within an hour, everyone had finished their preparations. Jin, Reiko, Hope, Sion, Marikka, Lordtoss, Vita, Hanako, Urgan, Ludmila, Eira, Kachea, and Groma boarded the Hurricane. As a side note, Laojun had already retrieved the airship from the mansion in the Shouro Empire and brought it back to the island.
Before departure, Jin held a private meeting with Laojun in the laboratory basement.
"...I see, so there was a golem squad dedicated to Maquina as well."
"Yes, My Lord."
Apparently, the Jin from four hundred years ago had prepared them separately from the standard Land squad. These were the units used in the previous battle against Markitus. Eira and the other two students had already seen these golems in action.
"Alright, let's go. Hope, you are cleared for maximum speed."
"Understood."
Jin was the last to board the Hurricane before giving the order to Hope. The airship rose slowly into the sky above Hourai Island before turning east.
It accelerated to Mach 3. Because the air temperature was lower at high altitudes, the actual ground speed was about nine hundred meters per second, but that still exceeded thirty-two hundred kilometers per hour. It was an extraordinary feat of engineering—they would cover the thousand-plus kilometers to Avalon in just twenty minutes.
Eira and the others were speechless. Precisely because they understood enough of the theory, the sheer absurdity of the airship's performance left them stunned.
"This is the Hurricane, carrying Magi Craft Meister Jin Nidou. Requesting emergency landing."
Having returned to normal cruising speed as they neared Avalon, Jin requested landing permission. It was granted immediately.
"This is Avalon Airport. Hurricane, please land in Area 01, same as last time."
"Hurricane, Roger. Landing in Area 01."
Jin's tone was sharper than usual due to his haste, but the controller didn't seem to mind. The permission had come through so quickly because Maquina III had already announced that the Magi Craft Meister was on his way.
The "Mentor" himself was there to meet them. Maquina led the group directly to a multipurpose room attached to the airport.
"What's the situation?" Jin asked as soon as everyone took their seats in the room, which had been converted into a temporary briefing center.
"Things have settled down for now," Maquina III answered. "Four Pseudo-Gigas and one high-performance automaton were sent, but Rei and Elena have already neutralized them."
Maquina III glanced at Marikka before continuing. "While we only have circumstantial evidence, it is highly likely that Graham Derby is involved in this series of disturbances."
Marikka hung her head at the confirmation. The fact that her former student had turned against them was a heavy blow.
"Marikka, you aren't his instructor anymore," Sion said, trying to comfort her. "In a way, you could say he didn't directly betray you personally."
It was a kind gesture, but it didn't seem to lift Marikka's spirits much. Jin wanted to offer his own words of support, but since confirming the facts was the priority, he pressed Maquina for more details.
"What led you to conclude Graham Derby is involved?"
"Primarily because of the evidence found in his former private quarters."
Maquina III explained how Elena had discovered a teleportation magic circle, a crude Magi Emulator copy, and a magi-device designed to cast Seduce. It was certainly more than enough circumstantial evidence.
"A teleportation magic circle, huh... Have you investigated the destination?" Jin asked.
If they could trace the connection, they could find the mastermind behind the entire incident.
"Of course. However, the circle on the other side has already been erased. There is no magical connection left to follow."
"That's unfortunate. What about the automaton Elena defeated?"
"I thought you'd want to see it, so I've already had it brought here."
"Excellent foresight."
At Maquina III's signal, the door opened. A group of golems wheeled in a workbench carrying the deactivated automaton.
Kachea let out a soft "Ah!" when she saw the golems. They were the silver-brown golems that had saved her once before. Their appearance was similar to the Land squad on Hourai Island, but there were distinct differences. When Jin had designed them in the past, he had given them broader shoulders and a more muscular frame to differentiate them from his other units.
(Wait, those are the golems that saved us, right?) Kachea whispered to the others.
(Yeah, looks like it,) Eira replied.
(They belong to Maquina III, so there's no mistake,) Groma added.
The three students believed the cover story exactly as Jin had intended.
"Hmm... I can't quite identify the maker," Jin muttered as he inspected the automaton.
It was a male-type unit, a hundred and eighty centimeters tall and weighing roughly a hundred and fifty kilograms. It used an ether converter. The design was strikingly similar to the Adriana-style, yet there were clear deviations—the most prominent being that the control core was located in the head.
"The skeleton is 64 light silver... and the muscles aren't made from biological material."
Aside from the core placement, there were no other standout features. Even for Jin and Maquina, pinpointing a specific creator or factory was impossible.
But then Jin paused.
"...Wait. I recognize this internal structure."
He looked again with a fresh perspective, and the commonalities began to pile up.
"Maquina, doesn't this layout look like Anne, Loll, or Refa?"
Indeed, many aspects were reminiscent of the blue-haired series of automata produced after Adriana Barbora Tsetse but before the Great Magic War. There were differences, certainly, but the underlying logic was there.
"You're right," Maquina III agreed. "There are adjustments for the male-type frame, but the core architecture is unmistakable once you look past the superficial differences."
Jin and Maquina reached a tentative conclusion: there were other blue-haired automata still in existence besides the ones they knew, and this unit had been constructed by reverse-engineering one of them. Unfortunately, this still didn't give them a direct lead on the mastermind.
"I think that covers the essentials for now," Maquina III suggested. "Let's head to the site of the incident."
"Agreed," Jin said.
Using the emergency underground passage, the entire group moved toward the administration building—the true nerve center of Avalon.