4:30 PM.
Having run thirty minutes over schedule, Elsa's lecture finally came to an end.
"Thank you very much for your kind attention."
As Elsa delivered her closing remarks, applause so thunderous it seemed to shake the auditorium washed over her.
Next was the question-and-answer session.
"This concludes today's lecture. We will now proceed to the Q&A segment; however, since we are running significantly behind schedule, it will be limited to thirty minutes until 5:00 PM."
A few murmurs of disappointment rippled through the room, but the vast majority of the audience accepted the arrangement.
"Since our time is short, if anyone has a question, please raise your hand."
Over a dozen hands shot into the air, and Fione Fias called on them by seat number.
"Seat number 1204, please."
"Yes! My name is Kai from the Medical Research Lab....Um, regarding internal organ diseases, what criteria do you use to determine whether surgical healing magic or internal healing magic is required?"
"...Allow me to answer. As I explained during the lecture, whether the issue stems from internal factors like pathogens or external factors like trauma is the primary consideration. Beyond that, the key indicators include the presence of hemorrhaging, the presence of tissue necrosis, and the overall condition of the cells."
"Thank you very much....Could you elaborate a bit on that last point regarding cell condition?"
"Tissues are composed of cells. If those cells lack vitality, there is a high probability they will eventually progress to necrosis unless provided with invigoration. Therefore, internal healing magic is necessary."
"Thank you very much!"
"Next question, please....Seat number 53."
"Yes. I am Lazaro De Rossi from the Civil Engineering Lab. You mentioned performing 'reduction' when treating bone fractures, but since the interior of the body isn't visible to the naked eye, I imagine that requires considerable skill. Is there no method to verify it visually?"
"...Allow me to answer. There is a theoretical approach that utilizing a special 'light-attribute' can make such visualization possible, but it appears it has not yet been put into practical application. Its realization is eagerly awaited."
"Thank you very much."
The Q&A session continued in this manner for thirty minutes, and at 5:00 PM sharp, the special lecture for the day concluded.
"Elsa, great job out there."
"Elsa-sama, thank you so much for your hard work."
Upon returning to the backstage waiting room, Elsa was greeted warmly by Jin and Fione Fias.
"Nn. It went... well enough."
Elsa felt a wave of relief knowing the audience possessed a firmer grasp of the basics than she had anticipated and had followed her explanations smoothly.
"At this rate, we can expect good things tomorrow as well."
"Tomorrow?"
Weren't we wrapping up today? Jin asked.
"Nn. The response was encouraging, so I decided to hold another lecture tomorrow following the same schedule."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Sorry for telling you so late."
"No, don't worry about it at all."
Jin himself had felt that packing everything into a single day would leave things feeling a bit unfinished anyway.
"Besides, I haven't even unveiled the Southern Cross yet."
Jin offered an excuse, explaining that he hadn't forgotten about it, but rather had gotten so caught up in the fascinating discussions about the new models at the Aviation Research Lab that he hadn't found the right moment to bring it up.
Hearing that, Elsa chuckled softly.
"...In that case, I'm glad," she murmured.
"Elsa-sama, you mentioned there would be no need to prepare new handouts for tomorrow, but will that really be all right?"
Seeing a pause in Jin and Elsa's conversation, Fione Fias chimed in.
"Nn, it's fine. I'll be using the materials stored inside the magi-crystal."
Since the contents had been prepared by Elsa in her previous life—or rather, by Elsa herself—there was no issue whatsoever.
"Also, regarding Najas Kahn, whom you asked about earlier..."
"Nn."
"She attended today's lecture as well. It looked like she was listening attentively from the back row from start to finish."
"I see."
Fione Fias continued her report, glancing down at her notepad.
"She seems to be quite the hard worker."
Apparently, she had struggled at first after transferring mid-term, but she was now earning upper-middle marks in her class.
"Elsa, are you sure you don't want to meet with her?"
Jin asked, but Elsa gave a firm little nod.
"Not yet, this time. I want her to keep doing her best, just as she is now."
"All right. If that's what you prefer, Elsa, then that's fine."
Jin smiled and nodded in agreement.
"...Well then, it's almost 5:30. I think I'll pop over to the Go-lab for a bit."
"Nn."
"In that case, would dinner at 6:00 PM suit you?" Fione Fias asked Jin.
"Let's see... I'd prefer 6:30 PM, actually."
Just to give himself some breathing room, Jin added.
"Understood. Then we shall meet at 6:30 PM in the same place as yesterday."
Fione Fias noted that they would use the guest dining hall so everyone could enjoy a relaxed meal.
"Thanks....Well, I'll be off for a bit."
Jin stepped out of the waiting room and made his way toward the Go-lab.
"...How's it going over here?"
When Jin poked his head into the room, most of the Go-lab members were wearing utterly defeated expressions.
"Ah, Jin-san....Well, the truth is..."
Kachea, the only one among them without a look of despair, stepped forward to explain the situation.
"I see. So the joint fabrication and muscle placement aren't going smoothly."
To outline the general process of crafting a golem or automata:
- Construct the skeleton.
- Build the control system.
- Route the magi-circuits from the control system.
- Mount the magical muscles while linking the magi-circuits.
- Install sensory units such as eyes and ears.
- Craft and install the control core.
- Install the power source (such as a free ether converter or magi-reactor).
For an automata, an additional step would involve covering the frame in magical muscle.
According to them, things had started falling apart right from the initial stage of crafting the skeleton.
"Tell me the details—what's going wrong, and where?"
Jin leaned in, listening intently to the Go-lab members' explanations.