Meanwhile, in a small conference room in Avalon.
"Welcome, Elena-dono, Wattes Schretzer-dono, and Edda Eema-dono."
Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman welcomed the three key figures from Nostalgia.
Present alongside him were Manon, his secretary automaton, and Fione Fias, who had recently been promoted to secretary.
"We apologize for intruding during your busy schedule."
"Not at all, you are always welcome here."
Tomax Bartman was well aware that Elena was an automaton, just as Elena knew Manon was one as well.
"The reason we have visited today is at the kind invitation of Lord Maquina."
"An invitation?"
Tomax Bartman tilted his head inquisitively.
"Yes. He mentioned he might show us his base in the near future."
"Ah, I see."
Tomax Bartman had indeed heard about that, though the exact date had yet to be determined.
Maquina had stated that he would accommodate the visitors' schedule... Tomax Bartman recalled.
"Maquina-dono's base, is it...? Avalon will likely send a few representatives as well... In fact, I would quite like to see it myself."
Tomax let his genuine feelings slip.
"I believe taking about two days away would be perfectly fine, Lord Tomax," Manon, the secretary automaton, chimed in, giving him an encouraging nudge.
"I-Is that so? Well then, perhaps I ought to clear my schedule..."
In truth, it seemed Tomax Bartman was genuinely looking forward to it.
"Welcome, Elena-dono."
"Lord Maquina, it has been quite some time."
Elena met with Deus Ex Machina, who was currently staying in Avalon, and exchanged formal greetings.
"Thank you very much for your gracious invitation."
"No, think nothing of it."
At this point, Maquina quietly made a request of Elena.
"Actually, a certain situation arose the other day..."
Maquina began detailing the incident involving the Revolutionary Party, which had been commanding brainwashed subordinates.
"Yes, I have already heard the general outline."
"Then that simplifies matters....I would like you to examine the anti-brainwashing hats we crafted back then and assess their effectiveness."
"I understand. Yes, with pleasure."
Given her past experiences, Elena could rightly be considered an expert on brainwashing. Though she no longer possessed the eyes imbued with the Charm effect, her understanding of the mind and brain surpassed even Elsa's in certain respects.
Specifically, in terms of clinical experience.
With that, Maquina presented two variations of the anti-brainwashing hats to Elena.
"A helmet type and an under-helmet cap type, I see. Fascinating..."
With her specialized perception, Elena could determine whether Brainwashing Magic could penetrate the anti-brainwashing hats without needing a living person to wear them.
"...These are..."
After conducting a series of tests,
"They possess more than sufficient capability,"
she declared, guaranteeing their efficacy.
"That is a reassuring result. You have my gratitude, Elena-dono."
"I am merely glad to be of assistance."
Elena was now performing a Diagnose on the captured members of the Revolutionary Party who had been subjected to brainwashing.
This was to confirm whether the Brainwashing Magic had inflicted any permanent damage on their brains or neural functions.
"They are all completely unharmed. It was Elsa-sama's Weckener, was it not? Truly magnificent work."
With those words, Elena voiced her high praise for the Weckener.
"However," Elena continued after concluding the Diagnose and reconvening with Tomax Bartman and Deus Ex Machina in the small conference room.
"There are details that could only come to light through a direct Diagnose."
"And what might those be?"
"Information regarding the individual who cast the Brainwashing Magic upon them."
Elena explained that when she magically scanned their neural pathways, a distinct, shared mental image remained imprinted on all of them.
"Oh! That is remarkable!"
"That is almost certainly the perpetrator behind the brainwashing."
"Indeed, that seems the most reasonable conclusion."
"The individual is of medium build, possessing dark blonde hair and concealing his face behind a mask."
"A mask, you say..."
The figure that immediately came to mind was the masked man, Ivan Ivanovich.
"Then that fellow is most likely the true mastermind."
Maquina nodded in agreement with Tomax Bartman's remark.
"Furthermore, there is one more detail."
Elena had analyzed another crucial piece of information.
"It concerns Vladimir Hangazone Melkana."
"D-Did you discover something about him?"
He was believed to be the public leader of the Revolutionary Party, yet his whereabouts remained entirely unknown.
Of course, strictly speaking, Laojun had already pinpointed that he was residing within the Jagus Principality.
"Yes. It appears he is nothing more than a fabricated image."
"A fabricated image, you say?"
"In other words, the persona they know is entirely fictitious."
"What did you say?!"
A shocking reality had been brought to light.
"The mental image of the masked man was identical across every subject—both the villagers and the operatives."
However, the mental image of Vladimir Hangazone Melkana was exceedingly vague and differed subtly from one person to the next.
From this, Elena deduced that none of them had ever actually met the man in person.
While the superficial appearance matched that of the Vladimir Hangazone Melkana living in the Jagus Principality, the character and philosophy attributed to him were utter fabrications.
"The brainwashing likely operated on a vague suggestion along the lines of, 'Revere a person resembling this as your leader.' It appears the mental construct implanted at the time was imprecise, or perhaps incomplete."
"I see."
Elena's analysis was thoroughly reliable.
'If that is the case, it neatly resolves the mystery of why such a seemingly incompetent individual was revered as their leader.'
Laojun and Mentor, observing the situation through Maquina's sensory link, reached the exact same conclusion. The probability was estimated at seventy-five percent.
"That certainly explains why there wasn't the slightest trace of their leader at the hideout."
"...Even so, how do we explain the fact that the individuals who weren't brainwashed also know of this 'leader'?"
While Tomax found the explanation satisfactory, Maquina pointed out that a discrepancy still remained.
In response to his inquiry, Elena deferred giving an immediate answer.
"Regarding that matter... would you permit me to perform a Diagnose on the non-brainwashed captives as well?"
Thus, in accordance with her request, she was granted permission to examine the Big Three.
The three men were lightly restrained at their wrists and ankles, held individually in separate solitary cells.
"Well, well. What a beauty. What do you plan on doing to me?"
"If it's a Diagnose by a lovely lady, I certainly won't complain."
"How about it, sweetheart? Care to become my mistress?"
The three each offered crude, varied reactions upon seeing Elena, but letting their remarks pass like wind whistling past her ears, Elena swiftly completed the Diagnose.
And then,
"I understand now. It is precisely as I surmised."
Elena began her explanation...