Using the Body Double Jin D, Jin began his analysis of the bandit group's golem in the workshop of Duke Blue's mansion.
For a duke’s residence, the workshop was quite impressive. In such facilities, craftsmen typically produced and repaired equipment for the soldiers under the family's command, or perhaps crafted magi-devices for daily use.
"Forming. Separation. Forming."
"Oh...!"
Duke Blue, observing from the side, let out a cry of surprise.
In the blink of an eye, the bandit golem's chest armor was removed. Indeed, it was true armor.
"I wondered why they bothered attaching armor... I see. So that's how it is."
"Hmm? Jin-dono, what do you mean?"
"Please look at this. The internal structure—the main body itself—isn't particularly sturdy."
With the armor removed, several seams were visible across the chest.
"It probably wasn't originally intended for combat. At most, it was a general-purpose model, and they likely attached armor to increase its defensive capabilities. However..."
Jin explained that the armor appeared to be a specialized set designed to be equipped from the start. From this, he surmised that these "options" were intended to add functions or adapt the golem to various operational environments.
I see. Humans are much the same, Jin thought vaguely through the eyes of Jin D.
It wasn't enough to simply make it look like a human; the creators had evidently wanted to give it performance or versatility that exceeded human limits. That was how it appeared to Jin.
Jin D continued to disassemble the bandit golem.
"This is... a construction method I’ve never seen before."
"Father, what do you mean?"
"The skeleton has no joints. It likely uses Forming magic to bend the frame itself."
While the Fluid Form Drive performed movement entirely through Forming, Jin deduced that this model used Forming only for the skeletal structure.
"This way, it could achieve considerable strength if handled correctly."
Jin speculated that the overall performance would depend entirely on the conversion efficiency of free ether and the operational efficiency of mana.
"The drive system is a Form Drive using magi-resin....This magi-resin is of quite... no, exceptionally high quality. That’s why it could produce such impressive output."
Jin was very curious about the origin of the magi-resin. However, priorities came first. Jin D set to work on analyzing the control core.
"...Your Excellency, it seems it was indeed the bandit group that was operating this golem."
"Just as I suspected. Well then, are there any clues regarding their location?"
At this point, Jin devised a plan.
"Yes, there appear to be some, but they are quite slight. I intend to investigate further, including the fragmentary data found in its storage. Since this will likely take some time, I will provide a full report in writing once I am finished."
"Oh, that would be a great help. I leave it in your hands, then."
"Understood."
Consequently, Jin decided he would include the information obtained from the control core alongside the data Laojun had acquired using the Peeper.
Since the bandit group was still on the move and had not yet returned to their hideout, Jin D continued his technical analysis.
"Hmm... as I thought, the skeleton is fixed and lacks mechanical joints. If that’s the case..."
Jin read through the magi-formula, searching for the instructions that governed joint formation during movement.
"Oh, this looks like it....I see... quite... no, this is a whole new approach!"
Jin D confirmed that, as he had suspected, this golem followed neither the Adriana-style nor the ball-joint style.
"However, with a skeleton of this shape, it can mimic human movement perfectly if the joints are formed correctly. Let’s call it the 'magic-frame style.'"
Furthermore, he realized that this method was highly suitable for rapid mass production.
"The body is relatively simple. The heavy lifting is done by the magi-formula written in the control core."
In other words, the program or firmware was the crux of the design, Jin concluded.
"With this, mass production would be easy as long as the control system is stored in a magi-brain's memory."
But one question remained.
"With this level of completion, one would expect it to be more widespread..."
Yet this was the first time Jin had ever seen this method.
"...Was it developed recently? No, that's not it. According to the version information in the control core, it dates back to the year 3712... I see. That was just before the rise of the Magic Federation."
Jin asked Laojun for its opinion as well.
『Yes, My Lord. I believe that although they developed the technology, the Magic Federation began its suppression of advanced engineering before it could be put into practical use.』
"That makes sense."
Jin scrutinized the control system.
"This, too, could have its efficiency increased by... let's see, about fifty percent."
To Jin's eyes, the "language" used in the code seemed slightly inefficient. In terms of computer programming, it was comparable to the difference between an interpreter and a compiler. An interpreter processes a program by translating it on the fly, whereas a compiler translates the entire code into a machine-readable format before execution.
Because the control core itself was high-performance, it functioned perfectly well for practical use, but a clear difference in speed would emerge in extreme situations.
"At this rate, the reaction speed... probably cannot be made faster than 0.002 seconds."
That was about one-hundredth of Reiko's speed. Of course, Reiko was a one-of-a-kind creation using ultra-rare materials, so the comparison was largely academic.
"In Reiko's case, processing that is handled by hardware is being done by firmware here, making the overall logic unnecessarily complex."
While Jin D performed the physical disassembly, Jin proceeded with the analysis from Hourai Island. If he were to use an analogy, it would be like the difference between performing a computer's graphics processing with the motherboard's CPU versus using a dedicated graphics card.
It was advantageous in terms of cost, but the performance gap was undeniable. It was perfectly fine for normal use, but for high-level combat, it would feel slightly sluggish.
"Even so, it likely performs four times better than the currently mainstream ball-joint style golems. Moreover, if pushed, it could probably achieve ten times the standard output by using the free ether stored in its mana tank."
The strength of this format lay in the fact that toughening the skeleton and reinforcing the muscles could all be done via magic. This was why Jin found it so intriguing.
"This style might actually be easier to spread than the ball-joint style. It seems worth researching on my end as well."
Meanwhile, the bandit group was heading toward their hideout aboard an airship painted black.
"...Dammit, what the hell happened!?"
"One of those golems didn't come back! That's never happened before!"
The bandit in charge of technical matters was pelted with these complaints by his two companions.
"...I don't know. But once we get back to the hideout and analyze Tuen's data, we'll find out."
An hour later, the three men and the remaining golem arrived at their destination. It was a log cabin built halfway up Mount Bilbo, to the east-northeast of Blue Land. A large space had been excavated beneath the cabin, serving as their secret base.
"...So, what's the result?"
"It’s hard to believe, but it seems Teii was neutralized by a young girl."
"What do you mean, 'a young girl'?"
"Probably an automata. I don't think a human could move like that."
"Even for an automata, that's impossible, isn't it?"
"It’s more likely than a human, at least."
"..."
"If this thing could explain itself, we might understand more, but..."
"Is that impossible?"
"...It's impossible for me. This thing's control system is too complex to wrap my head around. Maybe someone who has properly studied the basics could do it, but..."
A bandit was just a bandit; even though he acted as their technician, his knowledge was limited. He was capable of basic maintenance, but true modification or repair was beyond him.
Their every move was being monitored by Laojun. While it couldn't hear their voices across the distance, it could decipher their conversation perfectly through lip-reading.
In the end, all their secrets were laid bare before Laojun.