On the morning of April 16, the Safi repair workshop was bustling.
Naturally, this was thanks to the members of the Go-lab.
They took turns coming over to stand beside Deus Ex Machina as he worked, intently watching every movement.
A human might have grown distracted and made a slip of the hand, but Maquina was entirely immune to such blunders.
He simply went about the repairs in silence.
However, his working speed had been dialled back to a third of its usual pace. Even so, it was still world-class.
"Ohh..."
"How do I put it... He's on a completely different level than us."
"I wish I could reach that kind of mastery."
Some were plainly astonished, filled with admiration.
"Hmm... So that's how this joint fits together."
"The joints are one thing, but the way the muscles are attached is subtly different, too."
"If I remember right, these were made by the Predecessor Magi Craft Meister, weren't they?"
Some were fascinated by the internal structure, studying it with keen interest.
"I see, so that's how it's done."
"What splendid technique. I have to learn as much from this as possible."
"Mmm, so this is true master craftsmanship..."
Some were utterly captivated by Maquina's skill, gazing on in awe.
With varying reactions, every member of the Go-lab seemed to be taking away valuable insights from watching Maquina work.
"Yeah, as expected of Deus Ex Machina, said to stand side by side with the Magi Craft Meister..." Groma Tray murmured.
"This is really educational. I've got to absorb as much of this as I can," Eira Shiata thought as well, observing the demonstration—or rather, studying through observation.
"I see. Looks like it's proving useful."
At that same moment on Hourai Island, Jin was watching the scene of Maquina's repairs through a Peeper.
"At that pace, he should be done just past noon."
"Yes, My Lord."
At this point, Laojun delivered another report.
"By the way, while the urgency is low, three stray Death Sea Serpents have appeared in the waters fifteen kilometers south of Avalon."
"That's unusual, isn't it?"
To be sure, Death Sea Serpents occasionally appeared near Port Rock Town, so it wasn't entirely unheard of.
"Yes....Normally, they move along ocean currents and head north along the east coast of the Kingdom of Elias, but these three appear to have strayed from the current."
Alternatively, drawn by abundant prey, they might have wandered into the waters west of the Kingdom of Elias peninsula where Avalon was located, Laojun deduced.
"Has Avalon noticed them?"
"Not yet, it seems. They will likely detect them once the creatures enter the ten-kilometer perimeter."
"I see....Will they be fine handling it on their own?"
"If it were a Sea Dragon it might be another matter, but with Death Sea Serpents, there should be no issue."
If push comes to shove, Deus Ex Machina is there, Laojun added, which satisfied Jin's concerns.
Meanwhile, in Avalon.
Just as Laojun had deduced, the area within a ten-kilometer radius around Avalon served as its so-called "territorial waters," and an advanced surveillance network was maintained across the entire perimeter.
Of course, simply crossing into that zone did not mean one would be fired upon without warning.
However...
"Magical beast signatures detected south-southeast of Avalon! It's Death Sea Serpents! Count: three!"
A report came up from the defense detection division straight to Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman.
Normally, such matters would be handled by lower-tier departments, but a Death Sea Serpent was classified as Threat Level 4, which carried top priority during peacetime.
Incidentally, the threat scale ranged from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.
Furthermore, Threat Level 5 was reserved for catastrophic emergencies where even Avalon would be forced to issue an SOS—a situation that had never occurred in its history.
In other words, Threat Level 4 was an incident requiring Avalon's full mobilization.
Tomax Bartman reacted without hesitation.
"Hm. Three Death Sea Serpents, you say? The danger to the Kingdom of Elias is high as well. Very well, deploy the World Security Guard."
Deployment orders were immediately dispatched to both the Navy and the Air Force.
A wave of tension rippled throughout Avalon.
"What's going on?"
The members of the Go-lab were completely in the dark, but Maquina, Squire Rei, and Manon understood the situation entirely.
"Emergency occurrence. Alert Level B. Repeating. Emergency occurrence. Alert Level B."
A concise announcement sounded over the intercom.
"...What is this?"
Manon answered Maquina's inquiry.
"It is a recently introduced protocol. When an emergency arises, an announcement is broadcast throughout Avalon like this to ensure the residents are braced."
"I see."
The rationale behind keeping the broadcast brief was to ensure immediate comprehension.
Alert Level B reportedly instructed all personnel to return to their assigned posts and stand by.
"Level A requires a full emergency evacuation," Manon added, concluding her explanation.
With that, all the Go-lab members who had been observing returned to their laboratory, leaving only three behind: Maquina, Squire Rei, and Manon.
And then Manon spoke up as well.
"I shall return to assist Lord Tomax," she announced before rushing off at full speed.
"Now then, what should we do?"
Maquina muttered, though the one actually deliberating was the magi-brain Mentor.
"Should we suspend the repairs for now and stand by aboard the Aristotle?"
That would also fulfill the instruction to return to one's post.
Maquina and Squire Rei returned to the Aristotle and monitored the situation in Avalon through the magi-screen inside.
"Hm, the World Security Guard's Navy has already set sail. Quite swift."
By contrast, the Air Force remained on standby.
Because their travel speeds differed, the airships delayed their departure to synchronize their arrival at the target area with the fleet.
"Death Sea Serpents are weak to fire-attribute and lightning-attribute attacks, if I recall."
On the magi-screen linked with the Peeper, the cruising Navy came into view.
They were thirty-meter-long, semi-wooden vessels—five ships in total.
Soon after, the Air Force took to the skies as well, consisting of five twenty-meter-long airships.
The clash between the World Security Guard and the Death Sea Serpents was only moments away.