Dinner time.
Jin and the others sat together around the same table for their evening meal.
"What's on the schedule for tomorrow again?" Jin asked, having finished eating first.
"The golem demonstration is in the morning," Marikka answered.
"Ah, I knew that part. Sorry, I meant what's actually involved," Jin clarified.
"We haven't received any details on that yet."
"Well, there probably won't be any intense battles."
"Jin-sama, is our golem going to compete against the ones here?" asked Rubina, the second to clear her plate.
"Seems like it....Though the level will probably be completely different from the competitions on Onogoro Island, you know?"
"Well, true. But I'm still really looking forward to it!"
Rubina was dying to know how the golem they had built measured up against this world's standards.
Freddie and Greena felt the exact same way.
"I imagine it'll just be a performance comparison," Jin offered, having no other information to go on.
After dinner, Jin considered going over a few other matters for the next day, but—
"Jin-sama, I'm feeling a bit tired, so if you'll excuse me, I think I'll turn in early."
"Ah, right, you did mention that earlier. Go ahead, get plenty of rest."
"Yes. Good night, then."
"Good night."
Though Marikka excused herself, Rubina and the other two still seemed full of energy, so Jin decided to talk things over with them for a bit.
"...Oh, right. Before that."
Jin turned to Hope.
"Hope, take some of the Persica juice we brought over to Marikka's room as a refreshment."
"Understood."
Carrying a bottle of Persica juice, Hope headed toward Marikka's room. Watching him leave, Jin turned back to his three disciples.
"Now then, regarding tomorrow. When it comes to the golem demonstration, I plan to stay completely hands-off."
"Ehh?!"
"W-Why?"
Freddie and Rubina cried out in surprise, but Greena considered it for a moment before asking for confirmation.
"Because you didn't craft this golem yourself, Jin-sama... right?"
Jin nodded.
"That's right. Of course, if anything unexpected happens, I'll step in without hesitation. Never forget that you have me, Reiko, and Hope backing you up. Not to mention Hourai Island and Onogoro Island."
That backing was enough to take on the entire world with plenty of room to spare.
"That... is beyond reassuring."
"Y-Yeah."
"Thank you, Jin-sama. Just hearing that makes me feel like we have an army of a million allies."
Greena seems surprisingly composed for the stage, Jin observed inwardly.
"That said, for the demonstration itself, it's best if we clearly establish who the commander is."
Since the three of them had crafted it together, the Arch Master had not been strictly defined. Jin anticipated that if all three gave conflicting orders at once, the golem would likely freeze up in confusion.
"Ah, you might be right."
"I hadn't thought of that."
"Should we decide right now, then?"
With Jin pointing it out, Freddie, Greena, and Rubina recognized the danger.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
"Ah, I lost."
In the end, they settled on their order of priority: Freddie first, Rubina second, and Greena third.
"Good. That way, the chain of command won't descend into chaos when it counts."
Relieved, Jin saw another worry crossed off his list.
"Now then, as for tomorrow's demonstration, here's what I predict it might entail..."
Jin proceeded to outline his thoughts to the three of them.
Though he called it a prediction, the scenarios Jin envisioned were likely far more rigorous than whatever the actual event would throw at them.
After about an hour of discussion, Jin parted with the three and returned to his room.
The disciples apparently continued their own strategy meeting for another thirty minutes or so.
"Well then, Freddie, since you're priority number one, give it everything you've got!"
"Wait, seriously...?"
Whether that exact exchange occurred remains unconfirmed.
The following day arrived.
After breakfast, with some time left before the demonstration, Jin decided to take a short stroll nearby. Reiko naturally accompanied him, and this time, Hope came along as well.
The area around the lodgings was landscaped with lush greenery, and the fresh leaves were vibrant and beautiful.
"They've kept this place remarkably well maintained."
The azaleas blooming in brilliant whites and reds were lovely.
The perimeter was cordoned off with ropes to keep people out, evidently arranged to prevent outsiders from making personal contact with them.
"There isn't much room to walk around, though."
"Yes, Father."
Beyond the ropes, a few scattered figures lingered here and there.
(Hey, isn't that the Magi Craft Meister?)
(The ones with him are an automata and a golem. No mistake about it.)
Murmurs like those drifted into Jin's ears.
"This is getting uncomfortable... Let's head back."
Knowing so many eyes were fixed on him put Jin on edge.
On their way back—
(...That Freddie guy didn't come out, huh?)
Jin caught the sound of someone speaking in the distance.
The tone struck him as odd, so Jin relayed an instruction to Reiko.
(Reiko, have Laojun look into what that person is saying.)
"Understood, Father."
Using the Magi-mic they had completed recently, it was simple enough.
When Jin and Reiko returned to their room, a transmission came through Jin's Fellowship Bracelet from Laojun.
"My Lord, I have captured the contents of their conversation. I will report it now."
"Right, go ahead."
The recorded conversation Laojun played back went as follows:
"Did that Freddie guy really become a disciple of the Magi Craft Meister?"
"Who knows? Sure, his family lineage allegedly carries the Predecessor's blood, but it's baffling how a total incompetent like him ever became a disciple."
"Looks like he's not coming out no matter how long we wait around here..."
"There's a golem demonstration after this, so let's go watch that instead."
"Sensei seems to have headed over that way, too."
"Guess we might as well. Let's go."
...That was the gist of it.
"Freddie's former colleagues, huh?...That kind of disposition... character really has nothing to do with technical skill, does it?"
No matter the era, there would always be people who looked down on and belittled others, Jin thought with a quiet sigh of disappointment.