The lady’s maid uniform was crafted from the standard Ground Spider Silk, known as GSS.
However, since this particular silk was cultivated here in Avalon rather than on Hourai Island, it was less than half as strong as the original. Even so, it remained far more durable than any other existing fiber.
Jin left the undergarments to Eira and Kachea. With Reiko’s assistance, he set about tailoring the apron dress.
"Done."
"Finished on this end too."
The garments were completed almost simultaneously. They immediately dressed Kaela to see the results.
"Oh, it really suits her."
The white-brimmed cap and the apron were, naturally, a crisp white. Jin had opted for wine-red for the dress itself, and it complemented her far better than he’d imagined. His sense of color coordination was actually quite decent, even if his eye for design was sometimes hit-or-miss.
"Short sleeves, huh? The sapphire of her arms really stands out against the lace on the cuffs," Eira remarked.
"The skirt is a little on the short side, isn't it?" Kachea added.
Though it fell below her knees, her shins were clearly visible.
"It looks like it'll be easy to move in, so I think it’s fine," Eira said.
Incidentally, there was no such thing as a maid in a miniskirt in this world.
"Alright, Kaela, let's head back outside."
<Yes.>
With that, they stepped out once more, this time accompanied by Reiko and Hope.
"Whoa... look at that maid. Is she a golem? But wait... is she made of sapphire!?"
"Incredible... Is that the Go-lab's latest project? A small lady’s maid... and look at those other golems too!"
The whispers reached Jin’s ears, suggesting the reception was quite favorable. Reiko and Hope were attracting their fair share of attention as well.
As they continued their walk, they arrived at an athletic park. It contained several fields surfaced with soil, grass, and artificial clay, where people were either exercising or engaged in sports.
"Let’s check her movements here," Jin suggested, a proposal Eira and Kachea readily supported.
The group headed toward an empty soil field. Since Kaela weighed two hundred kilograms, cleaning up after her on grass or artificial clay would have been a nightmare.
As a side note, combat golems were significantly heavier. While their feet were wider to distribute the load, the damage they caused to standard ground and flooring was still substantial. Consequently, any roads, floors, or corridors intended for golem traffic were treated with specialized reinforcements.
Since this field was designed for human use, it lacked such reinforcements. Jin knew he would likely have to repair the dents and holes himself later.
"Alright, let's start with a jump."
<Yes.>
Kaela leaped... reaching a height of about one meter.
"I suppose that’s about right."
Since this was the first crystal golem Jin had ever built, he hadn't fully grasped her athletic potential yet. He had expected her capabilities to be lower than a typical golem's since she relied entirely on Forming for movement, but he still felt a twinge of disappointment.
Wait a second. What if I replaced the internal sapphire at the joints with magi-resin?
It would be an application of the techniques he’d used on a golem just the other day. Eager to test the idea, Jin called out to Eira and Kachea and headed back to the laboratory.
"...Honestly, it looks like Jin has thought of something outrageous again."
"Hehe, he is the Magi Craft Meister, after all."
The whispers behind him failed to reach his ears; Jin was already busy simulating the modifications in his head, debating the finer points of the overhaul.
＊ ＊ ＊
"First, I'll hollow out the interior and fill it with magi-resin."
He intended to dye the magi-resin the exact same shade as the sapphire. While the addition of dye might slightly decrease the resin's performance, the loss would be negligible. In fact, he anticipated a several-fold increase in performance compared to her solid sapphire state.
He added magic dye to the prepared magi-resin until it turned a vibrant blue. For the final color matching, he relied on Reiko, whose superior visual sensors allowed for perfect fine-tuning.
"The question is how much to hollow out."
Removing too much would compromise her structural integrity, so he hollowed out roughly half of the sapphire and replaced it with the resin.
Naturally, this change significantly altered the control parameters for the control core, requiring it to be replaced as well. However, since this was an experimental endeavor, Jin didn't expect to get it perfect on the first try. He designed the new core with ample room for overwriting data. In terms of electronics, it was akin to providing NVRAM for parameter storage, allowing him to determine the optimal values while she was in motion.
"Her weight has dropped to about a hundred and twenty kilograms, which should work in her favor."
The specific gravity of the magi-resin was around 1, whereas sapphire sat at 4. The change was a significant form of weight reduction.
"Alright. Wake up."
<Yes, Master.>
Kaela stood up, though her movements were visibly stiff.
"It might be difficult to move right now, but please focus on optimizing your balance and motion."
<Yes, I understand.>
Jin had upgraded the control core’s processing power to match the new body, ensuring the optimization process would be swift. Before their eyes, Kaela’s movements rapidly smoothed out.
"Oh, this is remarkable."
"As expected of Jin-san."
Within a minute of her restart, Kaela was moving as fluidly as she had before.
"How does it feel? What’s the estimated increase in output?"
<Yes, Master. I believe it has increased approximately three and a half times.>
"Good. That’s plenty."
They returned to the athletic field to put her power performance to the test.
"First, the jump."
<Yes.>
Kaela answered and leaped with all her might.
"Whoa, incredible!"
This time, she soared roughly five meters into the air. Jin attributed the dramatic result to the combined effects of the increased output and the fact that her weight had been nearly halved.
Next, he had her run. While she still left clear footprints due to her weight, her gait appeared incredibly light and nimble.
The final test was a sparring match with Reiko. They kept it to the level of basic self-defense techniques. Jin had opted against using Hope for this, as the golem had less combat experience and might accidentally fail to hold back if things got intense.
"Alright. Reiko, Kaela—begin!"
"Here I come!"
Reiko called out and lunged. Kaela met her in silence.
Due to the height difference, Kaela was leaning slightly forward. Reiko launched a flying kick aimed directly at her face. Kaela leaped to the side, evading the strike with ease. However, because her dodge was minimal, Reiko was able to snag Kaela’s sleeve in mid-air. Reiko landed, used the grip to swing around, and took Kaela’s back.
She immediately attempted a backdrop-style throw.
Before her head could touch the ground, Kaela raised both hands to brace herself. Then, with Reiko still clinging to her waist, Kaela performed a back handspring.
Reiko let go in mid-air, but Kaela caught her before she could drift away. Utilizing the flexible physique unique to Forming—which lacked fixed, rigid joints—Kaela used the momentum of her back handspring to hurl Reiko into the sky.
Reiko was tossed over five meters up.
Kaela landed first and instantly reset her posture, unleashing a roundhouse kick aimed at the plummeting Reiko.
"Oh!" Eira cried out in admiration.
Reiko guarded the kick with both arms, but the weight difference sent her skidding back several meters. However, she twisted skillfully in the air to land on her feet, then immediately kicked off the ground in a rocket-like charge.
Kaela barely managed to evade the rush. Seeing her target slip away, Reiko dug her heel into the earth and performed a sharp 180-degree turn. Ignoring the dirt she kicked up, Reiko slammed into Kaela from behind.
Unable to dodge the sudden impact, Kaela was sent flying, but she too recovered her stance almost instantly.
The two were about to clash again, but—
"Alright, that’s enough!"
Jin called an end to the session.