The debriefing session regarding the ruins continued.
"Marikka-sama, may I ask a question?" Laojun inquired.
"O-Oh, p-please, go ahead," Marikka replied, a slight stammer in her voice.
"Thank you. You mentioned earlier that 'only some' of the weapons were accounted for. Do you have any information on the whereabouts of the others?"
Laojun explained that if those weapons were still slumbering somewhere in the world, there was a risk that someone might unknowingly excavate and activate them.
"Regrettably, even Testa did not know their location."
"I see..."
Entities like the Gorg were likely impossible to stop by any force other than Hourai Island's military power. If they were to go on a rampage, the danger would be catastrophic.
However, there was no point in dwelling on the unknown. Laojun decided to issue instructions to the Quinta scattered across various regions to remain vigilant regarding this matter.
"There was one more thing that cannot be overlooked," Marikka continued her explanation. "It seems there is someone who has been managing those ruins."
Jin could not hide his surprise. "What? We didn't encounter anyone. Laojun, you checked with the Peeping Telescope—the Peeper—didn't you?"
"Yes, My Lord."
However, there appeared to be a logical reason for their lack of contact.
"It seems that the individual has been 'visiting' the site periodically," Marikka said.
According to Testa, there was a high probability that this mysterious administrator lived elsewhere and traveled to the site occasionally to perform checks. The exact cycle was unknown. It could be every other day, every year, or even every ten years.
Certainly, the interior—especially the first floor—had been remarkably clean. That was likely due to occasional maintenance. The floors that had been ransacked were probably deemed no longer useful and were removed from the scope of management.
"Wait a minute. If that's the case, it might be dangerous to continue exploring those ruins, right?" Jin asked.
"Yes, My Lord. If that entity were to return now, I cannot say for certain that Hanna-san and Saki-san would be safe," Laojun agreed.
"Exactly!"
Jin stood up and called out to Reiko. Even if it meant cutting the meeting short, ensuring the safety of Hanna and the others was his top priority.
"Reiko, we're going to get Hanna and the rest."
"Yes, Father."
He also addressed Laojun. "Laojun, send Konron 3 to the Nord Federation via the transporter. We don't have a moment to lose."
"Understood."
"Alright, let's go."
After giving a quick word to Elsa, Jin boarded Konron 3 and flew toward the Nord Federation. Naturally, Sion and Marikka accompanied him.
Having joined up with Hanna, Saki, and Goose in the Nord Federation, Jin explained the situation.
"...So they really were ruins belonging to the invasion faction," Hanna noted.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm relieved I made it here before anything happened."
While the odds of the administrator returning at the exact moment Jin was away and attacking the group weren't necessarily high, the risk wasn't worth taking. Everyone listened to Jin's report while gathered outside the ruins.
"Hmm, I see. If that's the case, staying here any longer is probably a bad idea," Goose remarked.
"Agreed," Saki added.
"Well, I've seen enough to be satisfied anyway," Hanna said.
Both Hanna and Goose seemed content with what they had discovered during their investigation.
"Then shall we head home?"
When Jin made the suggestion, no one objected.
"Yeah."
And so, Jin withdrew to Hourai Island along with Hanna, Saki, Goose, Smith 1, Nurse Alpha, and the Land squad.
Sion and Marikka provided an explanation to the brothers Reconaus and Tonelius, though they carefully glossed over the details regarding Testa. The two brothers readily complied with the suggestion to leave.
"I see. Based on what Jin-dono says, it sounds dangerous just to be near this place. We shall withdraw as well."
However, Marikka arranged to have one monitoring Golem dispatched from Onogoro Island. She judged it best to handle any potential return of the administrator with Progenitor technology.
Marikka kept this plan private, sharing it only with Sion and keeping Reconaus and Tonelius in the dark. Naturally, she intended to explain her decision to Jin later.
The ruins themselves were abandoned.
However, because it would be a waste to simply let them weather away, management automata conducted a "patrol" once every ten years.
Indeed, it was a regular patrol.
There were three such abandoned ruins in total. One was in the Nord Federation and had been discovered recently, but the remaining two were still hidden from the world.
One of those two was located in the Former Leonard Kingdom, situated on the coastline at its northernmost tip.
Those ruins were still active. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that usable weaponry remained within. Specifically, the facility housed a craft that Jin would have identified as a "submersible" had he seen it.
However, it was not a vessel for human crew; it was a Golem possessing a control core. Because it was a man-made creation, it was not indestructible and required periodic maintenance.
The ones responsible for that maintenance were the management automata. Naturally, they operated as a group; a single unit would have no one to maintain itself.
Ten management automata were assigned to the task. Each one possessed the power necessary to defend itself. They conducted their patrols once every decade.
It had been eight years since Jin arrived in this world. As of yet, these automata and Jin were unaware of one another's existence.
1: "It has been ten years, hasn't it, 2?"
2: "So it has, 1."
1: "Is everyone functioning properly?"
3–10: "We are fine. We underwent a thorough overhaul twenty years ago."
1: "That is true."
2: "Then, shall we depart?"
1: "Umu."
In the Klein Kingdom, the reorganization of the nation's leadership had begun.
The current monarch, Alois III—Alois Lux Klein—had declared that he would abdicate in three years and pass the throne to his second son, Arthur. At fifty-eight years old, he had reached an age where retirement was a natural step.
Following this transition, the first prince, Edmond, was scheduled to be granted the title of duke and become the grand marshal, the supreme commander of the military.
The capital city of Alban was bustling as it prepared to discard the old ways and establish the new. Merchants were already plotting to seize every possible advantage from the political shift.
"Goodness, it's quite the whirlwind, isn't it?"
"I envy your connections with the upper echelons."
"Oh, don't say that. I wonder how we'll fare with this reorganization..."
Current top clients wouldn't necessarily remain in power, and new opportunities could arise from unexpected places. Shrewd merchants were already identifying nobles likely to be promoted and attempting to secure their favor.
"...The number of new faces has increased," a clerk remarked.
"It has indeed," the company president replied. "However, the foundation of business is mutual profit for both the seller and the buyer. We must not get burned by trying to overreach just because the opportunity is here."
At the Raglann Company, the largest merchant house in Alban, the leadership was discussing their future strategies. Just then, an announcement interrupted the meeting.
"Erik-sama has returned."
The meeting was immediately adjourned. This haste was not merely out of familial affection, but because they were desperate for any scrap of news from Kaina Village.