06-34 Unifiers

Content warning: depiction of some violence and pain.

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“He he hee, now Reiko is mine. Ahh, how wonderful!”

Reiko didn’t move.

“Dominique, you…”

Stearina looked shocked as she forced out some words.

“Yes, I am a member of the ‘Unifiers’.”

“Unifiers? That group of religious fanatics!”

Stearina said, but Dominique rebutted.

“We’re not fanatics. We’re reformers and saviours, here to return this world to its pre-Great Magic War days.”

“So that means you were also the one behind the golems’ riot?”

Dominique then grinned widely and said,

“Yes, that’s right. The insides of my bird golem were packed with Elradrite and Magi Crystals. It was simple because the search didn’t go as far as the golems’ interiors. In addition to the red, blue, and yellow ones there was a white one, but I made it operate in the castle’s golem storehouse to a great success.”

Elated with success, Dominique jabbered on. Her smiling face was now overflowing with a sense of superiority.

“Then, that must mean you almost getting attacked was also an act!”

Reinhardt said.

“Yes, that is so. But I’m still grateful for your help, Reinhardt-sama.”

Dominique said nonchalantly. Her grinning face looked villainous.

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“If I bring back this strong Reiko instead of the golems gathered in the castle, I’ll surely enter the upper echelon. Now, Reiko, with the exception of Jin and Reinhardt kill everyone here.”

Dominique gave a harsh order.

Hearing that Stearina, Elsa, and Reinhardt went white as a sheet.

If Reiko betrayed them there was no one who could stop her. Except for Jin.

And the Jin in question kept calm. He was looking at Reiko silently standing still.

“Reiko! What are you doing! Kill them all!”

Dominique got impatient with Reiko who didn’t move, and yelled out loud. However, Reiko only replied with a cold voice without blinking an eye,

“Why should I do what someone like you tells me to?”

“Eh?”

You could see from her face that Dominique didn’t understand what Reiko was saying.

“The only one who can give me orders is Father.”

Reiko said and slowly walked near Jin. She then held out a Magi Crystal she took from her breast pocket,

“Father, here is the Magi Recorder.”

She said and handed it over to Jin.

“Good work, Reiko.”

After receiving it Jin gave orders to Reiko while glaring at Dominique. As you’d expect, Jin got angry at Dominique who tried to capture his ‘daughter’ Reiko.

“Reiko, seize Dominique!”

His tone was also strong.

“Yes.”

Reiko gave a reply, and in the blink of an eye went around behind Dominique and wrenched her arm. She also confiscated the Elradrite that was in her hand.

“Eeek! Why! Why?”

It seemed she couldn’t believe that the performing the [Subordination Rewriting Magic] from zero distance using an Elradrite had no effect at all.

“Argh! But how!”

Dominique still raved. Reiko frowned. Then.

“Noisy, aren’t you.”

“Gyaaaaaaaahh!”

She dislocated Dominique’s shoulder which made a dull sound.

“Excuse me, I seem to have used a bit too much strength. Elsa-san, please cure her.”

“It hurts! It huuurts!”

Dominique yelled, but her body restrained by Reiko didn’t move a bit.

“Rianna, Mary, anyone will do, tie her up.”

“Y-yes!”

At Reinhardt’s command, the Royal Secret Maid Rianna rushed over and tied up Dominique.

“Elsa, heal her for the time being.”

“Mm. [Schmerzmittel].”

Instead of healing it was pain relief, and from that you could tell that Elsa was angry. Even Jin didn’t say anything about it.

“Well then, we’ll take her away.”

“Ah, please do.”

And thus, the culprit of the [Subordination Rewriting Magic] incident was caught, and things seemed to be settled for now.

＊　　　＊　　　＊

“Why did you suspect her?”

“When she held my hand the Magic Energy waveform I felt was the same one I felt during the day.”

Currently, Jin and the others were in Reinhardt’s room being interrogated by the authorities, or more precisely giving them the general information about the events.

With Jin were the Minister of Magic Kelhidore and the Minister of Defense Judol.

“What!? Jin-dono, you mean that you are able to read Magical Energy waves?”

The Minister of Magic Kelhidore was surprised by Jin’s answer.

“Eh? Isn’t it an ordinary ability?”

Since the Guild’s Automata was also able to do it, Jin thought it must’ve been common. But it was impossible for Jin to quantify it. It was like the difference between remembering someone’s face and being able to paint a painting of it. Painting was a different skill altogether.

“No no, generally people can’t do it. I see, seems you indeed are a Magi Craftsman whom His Majesty and His Highness have acknowledged.”

Kelhidore said and nodded multiple times, seemingly having come to an understanding.

“Moving on, what kind of a method was that to defend from the [Subordination Rewriting Magic] at zero distance?”

That time, Jin had a feeling that Dominique was planning something, so he went outside for a moment with Reiko who was using [Stealth].

And then after preparing a countermeasure, he pretended to have fetched Reiko and went back to the room with her.

“It was this.”

Jin took the Magi Record he got form Reiko out of his pocket and showed it to Kelhidore.

“Well, please take a look.”

He said and handed it over to Kelhidore. The Minister of Magic alternated between looking it over and examining it with magic, but before long,

“I could immediately understand that this has a Magi Formula for Magi Energy absorption carved on it. But there’s something more? I’ve never seen it before. In addition, there’s yet another thing but too tiny for me to read.”

He gave up. The Minister of Defense next to them was astonished and cast a sidelong glance at Jin.

“The first thing is a Magi Formula for [Record]. The small details are the commands applied to Reiko.”

Jin began to explain it to everyone. It was already known that [Subordination Rewriting Magic] was a magic that wrote commands into the Magi Crystal serving as the Control Core.

And that Magic Energy was made to get absorbed by the Magi Record instead of the Control Core, and this was enough to prevent the magic from achieving its goal, he said.

“Reiko’s Control Core is heavily shielded from Magic Energy, but at zero distance I didn’t want to take the risk so I improvised a thing like this.”

And then it utterly ruined Dominique’s plans, he said, bringing the explanation to an end.

“Hmm, I see. Very enlightening.”

Hearing the Minister of Magic who had compiled together all the magic techniques in the country say that made the Minister of Defense Judol feel shocked from the bottom of their heart.

Because the still young Magi Craftsman Jin in front of them was unfathomably skilled.

“Tomorrow, I want you to give me the precise instructions for that technique.”

Jin readily agreed to Kelhidore’s request.

“Certainly. Something like the [Subordination Rewriting Magic] looks down on both the golems and the Magi Craftsmen who built them. I could never ignore something like that.”

Taking the work someone poured their heart and soul into and treating it as a disposable piece was truly vexing. As a craftsman himself Jin took great offense in it and would never forgive something like that.

Looking at Jin acting like that was Celuroa Kingdom’s Magi Craftsman Stearina with gentle eyes.

“Now then, next I’d like you to hear what I’ve got to say.”

The Minister of Defense Judol began to talk.

“Is there anyone here who don’t know about the ‘Unifiers’ who Dominique talked about?”

Elsa and Jin raised their hands.

“I see, Reinhardt-dono and Stearina-dono already know, huh.”

“That’s correct. To tell you the truth, I received an invitation to the ‘Unifiers’ too.”

“Oh, I can’t just ignore that. What kind of a person did you get it from?”

The Minister of Defense asked her impatiently, wanting a clue even if it’s a small one. However,

“Before I tell you, would you explain to Elsa-san and Jin-kun about the ‘Unifiers’?”,

Stearina said, and Judol sat down, cleared his throat and began to explain.

“Ahem, the group known as ‘Unifiers’ is an underground organization spanning Celuroa Kingdom, Egelia Kingdom, Frantz Kingdom, and Cline Kingdom among others, having its roots in pre-Great Magic War country composed of lesser countries called ‘Dinar Kingdom’. It seems they’re somehow centered in Celuroa Kingdom. That’s because apparently the ancient capital of Dinar Kingdom used to be around the area where the present-day Celuroa Kingdom’s capital is.”

Some time ago in a restaurant in Port Rock, when Reinhardt mentioned suspicious activities happening in Celuroa Kingdom, this was what he was talking about.

“At present, you could say the friction between countries is almost nonexistent and there are no territorial disputes as the population dropped sharply due to the Great Magic War. They’re a group that wants to expressly unify these countries, and they’re not sparing force to do it. I think you could call them a terrorist group.”

Causes of cross-national disputes were territorial disputes stemming from resources, economic disparity caused by industry, and in addition religions and such.

In the case of these ‘Unifiers’, they could be said to be almost a religious organization. That is to say, they recruited fanatical members.

The Minister of Defense Judol’s opinion was that even though there was some power struggles and corruption, in general the world was doing well and the minister would like to avoid letting anyone cause disorder.

“I agree.”

Reinhardt, who had been silent until now, began to talk.

“Because of the labor shortage caused by the population decrease, each nation has developed golems to compensate. Having that [Subordination Rewriting Magic] dominate them all in an instant would be dreadful and cannot be allowed. The countermeasures must be quickly and thoroughly spread to every country.”

“You are absolutely right. Reinhardt-dono, Jin-dono, and Stearina-dono, I would ask for your cooperation.”

Judol and Kelhidore bowed, and Jin, Reinhardt, and Stearina all nodded,

“With pleasure.”

“I’ll cooperate.”

“Of course.”

They agreed and shook hands.

＊　　　＊　　　＊

“You know…About that Jin character, he’s, how should I say it… Astonishing.”

“I concur.”

The Minister of Magic Kelhidore and the Minister of Defense Judol were having a conversation.

“His identity is unknown. However, he’s earned Reinhardt-dono’s trust and has decided to go to Shouro Empire. …I would’ve had him work for our country even if I had to drag him by the neck, if only…”

“You’d go to that extent?”

“Yes, Judol-dono. But I know it would be impossible for me.”

When Kelhidore, the top magus in Egelia Kingdom said so, Judol couldn’t imagine just who this Magi Craftsman Jin was, and the Minister of Defense felt a vague sense of fear.

“Speaking of that Automata Reiko of his, she could most likely destroy this castle by herself.”

“That strong!?”

“Moreveor, she’s unconditionally pledged to obey Jin. If something happened to him… Just thinking about it scares me. Unless the country decides otherwise, we should refrain from doing anything uncalled for.”