The Sacred Sight of Magical Engineering
“So, if that’s the case, how should we go about identifying everyone?”
“It would be best to pick something that’s they’re always holding . ”
“That’s true…”
Jin nodded at the Laojun’s suggestion and thought about what would work best for everyone .
“Jin, how about a ring, bangle, or pendant?”
Elsa proposed . Jin was fine with these options, but still seemed reluctant .
“I want to pick something that suits what’s unique about each person . Something that would be unnatural for others to carry . It would make it safer . ”
“I see”
“Kufu, Jin, in that case, my glasses would work well . ”
Saki decided for herself first . Indeed, Saki’s glasses were only used by her, so it was unlikely others would wear them .
“Yeah, good idea . Saki will use her glasses then . ”
“Jin, I’ll use this”
Elsa said, holding up her arm with the bracelet Jin gave her to protected against access magic illness .
“Hmm, I see . So, Elsa will use her bracelet? ”
The bracelet was also a magic tool no one else could use, so it was perfect for identification .
“What should Reinhardt and the others use?”
They had time to deliberate, since there was no reason to rush .
“Well, Edgar is fine because he was born here, but we’ll need to register Aal, Neon, and Noir .
“No Master, Aal already has your magic pattern so he’s fine . Although you said Edgar would be okay because he was born here, Elsa is the one who made him, so he doesn’t have your pattern . ”
Laojun pointed out . Taking this into consideration, Jin thought about what to do with Neon, Edgar, and Noir .
“The easiest solution would be to embed a magic crystal in each of them for identification . ”
If they had Jin’s magic pattern on them, their identity could be verified . Considering the options, installing a magic crystal was the quickest and most reliable .
“Alright, let’s try this . ”
Jin muttered and asked Laojun to bring the magic crystals .
“Berthie, I want to exchange Neon’s control core, is that OK?”
Jin asked, while playing with the crystals in his hand .
“Her performance will probably increase through the process . …… Oh, but her personality and knowledge will stay the same . ”
Berthie considered this before answering,
“Yes, if that’s the case, then by all means . Neon, you’re fine with it? ”
“Yes, Mistress Berthie . Reiko’s master isn’t the type to make mistakes . ”
“Thank you . I’ll do my best to meet my expectations . ”
Jin moved everyone from the cafeteria to the workshop .
He had Neon lay down on a workbench before severing her magic in order to begin modifying her .
“Um, Elsa, can you do me a favor?”
Elsa appeared right away . He was hesitant to undress the automata when she looked exactly like Berthie .
“Okay, I understand”
Elsa briskly set about her task . Jin returned after Elsa had removed the external skin around Neon’s chest and other areas .
They swapped out her control core and some anti-overwriting magical countermeasures .
“While we’re at it, let’s harden and toughen the skeleton . ”
Muttering such things to himself, Jin carried out his work .
“Oh, oh!?”
Reinhardt was amazed to see Jin proceeding at his usual speed without any hesitation .
Looking sideways, Reinhardt saw Elsa observing Jin at work . She looked serious but showed no surprise .
Reinhardt then realized Elsa always watched Jin like this . He understood how Elsa had developed so fast a magician .
While Reinhardt was thinking about this, Jin had almost finished the remodeling with help from Reiko .
It was Elsa who reapplied her skin and redressed Neon .
“Okay, with that she’s done . Anti-overwriting magical countermeasures, an upgraded control core, and skeletal strengthening . That’s everything, right? ”
It had taken about 10 minutes . However, the shield case used in the anti-overwriting magical countermeasures was stocked as a standard part, making it a simple matter of installation .
“Neon, ‘start'”
“Yes”
Neon stood up .
“How does your body feel? Is it easy to move?”
Neon performed a self-check procedure and confirmed that there was no problem .
“Yes, Master Jin, I feel superb . Thank you very much . Thank you very much, Mistress Berthie . ”
Thanks to improved processing speed and ability of her new control core, Neon spoke more fluently that before .
“Wow Neon, your pronunciation has improved . I’ll be relying on you again going forward . ”
“Yes, Mistress Berthie . Thank you for always taking care of me . ”
Since her essence hadn’t changed, Berthie would soon get used to the new Neon .
“Okay Elsa, install the anti-overwriting magical countermeasures in Edgar for me like I did in Neon . ”
“Okay, understood”
Elsa asked Reiko to provide her with everything she would need to install the magical countermeasures, such as a shield case, and began remodeling Edgar .
Seeing Elsa carry out the same procedure Jin had with ease, Reinhard’s jaw looked about ready to fall off .
“Yeah, I thought I’d understood this already but, Elsa, you’ve really grown …”
Reinhardt praised Elsa, sounding happy yet slightly regretful .
“… Thank you, Rei . ”
Elsa was happy to be praised by the cousin she respected .
Although it took her more time than Jin, Elsa still finished remodeling Edgar in about 40 minutes .
For the finishing touch, Jin embedded the magic crystal himself . It was ‘a magical recording stone’ . It was key to identifying Edgar because it carried Jin’s magical pattern .
After confirming everything, Jin smiled at Elsa .
“You remembered well Elsa . I’ve got no complaints . ”
Praised by Jin, Elsa’s face flushed, and a smile spread across her face .
“Hey Elsa, you’ve grown to smile really nicely, that’s good . ”
“Yeah, it’s true . I really like Elsa’s expression right now . ”
When Saki and Berthie saw her smile, they praised Elsa . Elsa’s face reddened in response .
Jin had implanted the magic stone in Noir’s chest while Elsa was remodeling Edgar .
When Reinhardt had remodeled Noir previously as a preventative measure against the Unification Party, he had only installed a shield structure, so a magical recording stone had yet to be implemented .
With this, the golems and automas could now use the transfer gates with no issues .
All that remained was Berthie and Reinhardt .
“I guess rings would suit the two of you best . ”
Jin suggested .
“Yeah, I think so too”
Elsa agreed .
Jin and Elsa decided to make protective rings, or “guard rings” for the couple .
” ‘Transformation’ ”
Elsa was responsible for the rings design and their forging .
” ‘Saving’ ”
Jin copied his magic formula onto the rings .
The previous rings were round with a semi-circular cross section, but now they were different .
Their upper surface was decorated by a Leve (a lion-like animal), the crest of the Randle family, and on the inside of the ring’s Reinhard and Berthie’s names were engraved .
Upon seeing the rings, Reinhardt’s eyes widened in surprise once more .
“Um, I just said it a moment ago but, Elsa you’ve really become an amazing magician, huh . If you’re missing anything at all, it’s life experience . ”
“Thank you, Rei . ”
Being complimented again, Elsa’s cheeks colored, and she gave thanks .
“To think that you were this talented . You should’ve told me . ”
Reinhardt shook his head, realizing their fates would all be different if that were the case .
“No, there’s no point thinking about what ifs . If you’re happy now and you can be happy going forward, then what’s come to pass is for the best . ”
Elsa handed the rings to Reinhard and Berthie . Reinhardt adjusted the fit himself .
“Thank you, Jin… Thank you, Elsa . We’ll take good care of them ”
Made high-quality magic crystals, the rings glowed a rainbow color .
“Now everyone can make it here through the transfer gate . Still, listen to what Laojun tells you this time . ”
“All right”
“Understood . ”
“Okay, I got it”
Reinhardt, Berthie and Saki nodded together .
“Now, Saki and Reinhardt, you can use this workshop for the time being . ”
The first studio was about 8 by 15 meters wide, so it was spacious enough for three people to use .
“If you need a private room, there are many empty rooms on the third floor . ”
With this finished, Jin’s thoughts turned to how his predecessor had set his sights on a research facility a bit closer to the sacred site of magical engineering .