Laojun was reporting what it had learned about the Progressers to Jin.
"At present, there are five members. Among them, three are active engineers, while two have retired."
"Yeah, I see... So, are those five related?"
"Yes, My Lord. It would be fair to describe them as such."
"...They carry our bloodline, right?"
"Yes. However, it can hardly be called a blood relation anymore. After ten generations, it dilutes to one part in one thousand twenty-four."
"Well, that's true..."
At the very least, you couldn't really call them relatives, Jin thought.
"Their guiding principle appears to be 'Surpass our ancestors.'"
"..."
"They seem to be aware that their lineage traces back to you, My Lord, and the members of the Jin Family. On top of that, they harbor an inferiority complex over not being able to become the Magi Craft Meister... At least, that was the case for the founding members of the Progressers."
"...Ugh..."
Jin had mixed feelings about it.
To their descendants, the title of Magi Craft Meister seemed to carry immense weight.
"...It's not like their personalities got warped just because they couldn't become the Magi Craft Meister, right?"
"Indeed, My Lord. While they originally came to the frontier settlements partly to escape the Magic Federation, the harsh environment—especially the lack of materials—was a major factor."
Laojun reported that when they were destitute and struggling to survive, they had been saved by the ancestor of the Duke of Jagus Principality, and had felt indebted to the ducal family ever since.
"Even so, it's still complicated..."
"Jin, you weren't even in this world back then, so there's not the slightest reason for you to feel responsible."
Reinhard, who had been quietly listening alongside them, offered some reassurance.
"Lord Reinhard is entirely correct. There is no need for you to feel responsible, My Lord."
"That's right. The end doesn't justify the means. Serving a country that brainwashes and subjugates countless people makes them no better."
"......I understand."
Admonished by Laojun and Reinhard, Jin seemed to sort out his feelings.
With that settled, he set to work on Crafting Eagle 2.
Incidentally, with the assistance of fifty Smith golems, it was completed in about half a day, proving immensely helpful in collecting the takemodoki from the following day onward.
Now, regarding those Progressers.
One of their members, Luihardt, was brooding in his private room.
(Ugh... No matter what I do, I can't squeeze any more power out of it... Is my approach flawed, or is it the materials...? Probably both, but still...)
Just then, his wife entered carrying tea. She was his wife, but also his colleague.
In other words, one of the three active engineers.
"Dear, why don't you take a break?"
"Ah, Elsia... Yeah, maybe I will."
Neither Luihardt nor his wife Elsia possessed a surname or family name. When they joined the Progressers, they had cast all such ties aside.
"I just can't increase the golem's power any further."
Sipping his tea, Luihardt grumbled to Elsia.
"...Is it the efficiency of the ether converter after all?"
"Yeah, I suspect so. It's estimated at seventy percent. I want to bring it up to eighty percent, but..."
"...The power would scale logarithmically? Exponentially, right?"
"That's right. Along with that, the output of the mana driver would increase too, so I think we could nearly double its power, but..."
"Then the structural strength of the frame would become the bottleneck this time, wouldn't it?"
Luihardt nodded reluctantly.
"Yeah, exactly............"
To her husband, who had fallen silent, Elsia spoke in a near-whisper.
"...Was continuing to stay here a mistake after all, I wonder?"
"............"
His only reply was silence.
"From what I've heard, it seems the other three Principalities have decided to cooperate with the nations 'outside.'"
"......"
Luihardt still did not answer.
"...Did we take the wrong path, I wonder?"
However, at those words from Elsia, Luihardt finally reacted.
"That's not true... I think. It was this country's ducal family that saved our ancestors when they were destitute, after all."
"Yes, there's no mistaking that. But the issue is what came after."
"What came after?"
Elsia nodded with a somber expression.
"...I can't believe that what this country is doing right now is right."
"The brainwashing?"
At that word, Elsia's expression grew even more pained.
"Yes. They say 'the end does not justify the means,' don't they? No matter if it's to unify the Four Principalities and bring peace, this method is..."
"..."
Once again, Luihardt fell silent.
The conversation between Luihardt and Elsia was overheard down to the smallest detail by the concealed Shinobi Squad.
And it was transmitted to Laojun in real time.
Incidentally, Jin and the others were not watching the feed.
"I see. They are considerably warped indeed."
Whether it was because they failed to become the Magi Craft Meister or due to some other catalyst, they seemed to be so obsessed with creating powerful golems that they cared little about the means they employed.
"However, should they turn hostile toward My Lord, I shall show no mercy."
That being said, since they had not yet caused Jin any direct harm, the basic plan was to leave them be for now.
The Shinobi Squad had also infiltrated the Ducal Palace.
Because all the traps were designed for humans, they posed zero threat to the five-centimeter-tall scouts.
Over the course of five days, they thoroughly investigated ninety-nine percent of the Ducal Palace.
Only a single underground chamber remained.
A surprisingly formidable barrier was erected here, making it impossible to approach carelessly.
It appeared to be a barrier that only the Duke himself could pass through.
<...It seems to be of the same lineage as the ones used by the Progenitors.>
Shinobi 1 concluded as much.
<They seem to have had opportunities to come into contact with Progenitor technology in the past, after all.>
From the intelligence gathered, it had become clear that for a period in the past, the ducal family had possessed golems made by the Progenitors.
And remnants of that seemed to lie within this single basement room.
<It would be best to slip in together with the Duke when he accesses it.>
Having reached this conclusion, Shinobi 1 waited for an opportunity.
Two days later, that opportunity arrived.
The Duke of the Jagus Principality, Niestol Kirilo Jagus, paid a visit to the basement room all by himself.
For a body measuring 181 centimeters and weighing 138 kilograms, the stairs to the basement appeared somewhat grueling, but catching his breath, the Duke descended the staircase and used a special key in his hand to unlock the door at the far end.