First, Reiko and Land units 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 deployed.
"This is the enemy base, then."
The six units were dispatched to the materials warehouse. Since a Warp Gate was still in place, movement was effortless.
"Welcome, Ojou-sama, and everyone from the Army."
Greeting them was Smith 301. Since he was stationed there, they already knew that this particular warehouse was clear of enemies.
"The Shinobi Squad reports that the targets are still dragging out their disorganized meeting."
"That is convenient," Reiko, acting as the squad captain for this operation, replied.
"‘Stun’!"
The operation began by knocking out all five individuals simultaneously.
The group collapsed without a sound. The five Land units immediately moved in to bind and restrain them.
"If it were simple brainwashing, this would be enough to break the conditioning, but if Markitus was the one who cast it, this might not be sufficient."
However, Reiko had no intention of taking them back to Hourai Island. She would conduct her investigation right here.
"‘Read Info’."
Reiko began decompiling the information within their minds. She processed the data at a speed far beyond human perception, but for her, it was a simple task.
"How is it?" Land 101 asked.
"...Yes, as expected, they were brainwashed. It was only light conditioning; the 'Stun' just now appears to have been enough to lift it."
"That is good to hear."
"However, what shall we do now..."
Reiko considered that it would likely be best to credit Maquina III with the capture.
"I can hardly stand for Father to be treated so dismissively... but it cannot be helped."
Presently, Jin seemed to wish for a life even quieter than the one he had lived four hundred years ago. Eventually, he was even considering retiring to Hale.
"Everything is for Father’s sake," Reiko whispered before contacting Laojun.
＊ ＊ ＊
Hourai Island Time was 7:00 AM on January 5th.
Jin, an early riser, was already awake. Lordtoss was as well. Laojun waited for the two of them to finish their breakfast before delivering its report.
"I see. So this whole ordeal has finally settled down."
『Yes, My Lord. All that remains is Graham Derby.』
"Any leads?"
『Please hear the details from Reiko-san.』
Laojun yielded the floor to Reiko.
"...Very well," Reiko began. "I investigated those five using ‘Read Info’ and discovered several leads. While none of them knew his exact whereabouts, three locations stood out as highly probable."
"Oh?"
"First, Florenz in the Kingdom of Elias. Second, Rakham in the Klein Kingdom. Third is Esaia, the capital of the Celuroa Kingdom."
All three were major cities.
『It is a pity the Quinta are currently unavailable,』 Laojun interjected.
"No, we still have the Peeper. Use that to search for him."
『Understood.』
Graham Derby's appearance was well-documented in the records at Avalon. Laojun set to work immediately.
Since he was unlikely to be found instantly, Jin decided to consult with Lordtoss about their next steps.
"In a little while, I'm thinking of showing my face on Onogoro Island again."
Jin intended to finalize the details for the upcoming Model Aircraft Competition.
"I shall accompany you. Let us also invite Great-grandmother and Marikka-sama," Lordtoss suggested.
"Oh, good idea."
Having settled the matters regarding Onogoro Island, the two moved on to discussing what should be done about Avalon.
"Well... perhaps it would be best to leave that side of things to Maquina III," Lordtoss suggested.
It was an opinion born from Lordtoss's growing realization that Jin preferred to avoid the spotlight. In truth, Jin wanted to keep his involvement to the absolute minimum.
"I suppose so... though I am still a little concerned about the Graham Derby matter."
"Yes, I understand."
Having become involved this far, Jin felt it would be poor form to abandon the investigation halfway through.
『My Lord, I apologize for interrupting your conversation.』
Laojun cut in.
『I have identified Graham Derby's location.』
"That was fast. As expected. Good work."
Jin offered a brief word of appreciation.
『Thank you. He was in Florenz in the Kingdom of Elias.』
Laojun noted that it was fortunate he had been found in the very first city they searched.
"Is he hiding there?"
Jin's question was met with an unexpected answer.
『No, My Lord. Graham Derby is currently confined to a hospital bed.』
"What?"
『It appears Florenz was his hometown. He is currently admitted to a clinic there.』
"..."
Faced with this unforeseen reality, Jin was momentarily speechless.
"R-Right. What's the diagnosis? Why is he bedridden?"
『The cause is unknown. The symptoms are simply listed as unconsciousness.』
"Unconsciousness of unknown cause, huh..." Jin frowned, wondering what could have caused such a state.
"Could it have something to do with Markitus?" Lordtoss asked. "It might be a side effect of the Master-Slave Magic."
『Lordtoss-san's hypothesis may be correct. It seems he lost consciousness almost immediately after Markitus passed away.』
"Hmm. So Markitus was doing something to him periodically, and because that link was severed, he fell into a coma?"
『Yes, My Lord.』
Jin couldn't help but think it sounded like a narcotic addiction. He thought of "brain narcotics"—substances like dopamine and endorphins. While they bring about euphoria, they generally don't turn a person into a vegetable from over-secretion, unlike external drugs.
Anyway.
『My Lord, according to Elsa-sama's research, certain types of brainwashing magic function by providing a sense of euphoria whenever the victim performs the intended action. In a sense, the subject is controlled by these 'brain narcotics.'』
"I see, that makes sense."
His late wife, Elsa, had been a master of medical arts. Based on the knowledge she had gained from Jin, she had left behind extensive research on both magical and non-magical medicine.
『It is highly probable that the function responsible for secreting these chemicals, or the related brain cells themselves, have developed a severe abnormality.』
"Is that how it works?"
『Yes. How shall we proceed?』
"...Asking me that means there's a high chance he can be cured, right?"
『Exactly as you say.』
All of Elsa's research was securely stored within Laojun's library, ready to be downloaded into the assistant automata—the medical unit Lise or the nursing unit Nurse—as needed.
"...Alright, let's try it."
Having made his decision, Jin authorized the download of the treatment method to Lise.