Magi Craft Meister

The ancient Automata came to life and spoke. In other words, they were witnessing history, but.

"Mig. Ht. You. Be M. Y mast. Er? My. Na. Me. Is. Ann."

The Automata knew her name was An, but regarding anything other than that,

"My. Apologies bu. T I. Do not. Have any. Other. Infor. Mation."

She unfortunately said. As expected, even the Automata must've had her important information erased. It was an obvious measure against the possibility of capture by the enemy.

"Hmm, looks like there's nothing more to see here."

Reinhardt concluded after investigating the room where the golems were.

"And so, what are you going to do about these golems and that Automata?"

At that moment, a voice could be heard from the passage they had come through.

"Hoh, hohahahahaha! Extraordinary! Most extraordinary! Good work, and thank you!"

It was the self-proclaimed archeologist they had met during the day, Rucall.

"Rucall! Why are you here!"

Reinhardt asked and Rucall laughed again.

"Hahaha, didn't I tell you I'm investigating these ruins? For the sake of the Unifilers!"

"The Unifilers!"

It turned out that Rucall was an underling of the Unifilers.

"During the day, I thought you weren't ordinary people, so I sent a report by pigeon. Then in the evening, a reply arrived. To my surprise, Reinhardt and Jin, you're the two talented people we Unifilers have our eyes on, aren't you!"

In his excitement Rucall fluently talked on and on.

"Shouldn't I then loyally offer this finding, along with you two to the Unifilers! Uhahahahaha!"

Rucall let out a laugh like he had gone mad.

Then, Jin felt a light tug on his sleeve and turned around to look. There was the Automata from just now, Ann.

"Mas. Ter. Tha. T per. Son's. Stra. Nge st. Ate is…"

It was hard to comprehend and her voice was low, but Jin listened carefully to what Ann had to say.

"…"

"I see. It's good that you told me. Thanks, Ann."

Even after Jin finished listening to what Ann had to say, Rucall was still hooting and hollering while laughing.

"Uhahahahaha! Come on, you both, won't you come with me!"

Jin only had a single thing to say to Rucall.

"Make me."

"Huh?"

To Jin's cold reply, as you'd expect Rucall stopped smiling and had astrange look on his face.

"What, did you say?"

"I said make me, you fanatic."

Jin went even further.

"Unifilers? You really think you can do such a thing? In that case you aren't even a fanatic. Just an idiot."

After Jin went that far, Rucall's face turned bright red and he flew into a rage.

"Wha-wha-wha-what are you saying? You bastard, do you even understand what you're talking about?"

Jin said indifferently,

"Unifying the continent, right? In the first place, Dinar Kingdom's rule extended over just a part of the continent at its most. And even thought because of the population shortage it then couldn't maintain itself, collapsed and turned into smaller nations, you say you want to unify the country into a one similar to that time's with force? You make me laugh. Oh, I suppose Unifilers are then a comedy troupe?"

Even Reinhardt was wide-eyed in shock at the un-Jin-like sharp words, but it goes without saying that Rucall was the one who was most shocked.

"Wha-wha-what?"

"Do you have a poor memory? How many times do I have to say it?"

"You're making fun of me!"

"Yeah, that I am."

"D-d-damn you!"

"You're red like a lobster…Oh, if I say it like that you probably won't understand. Oh yeah, you're like a boiling kettle."

"Argh!"

"H-hey, Jin?"

Reinhardt said worriedly as Jin was acting unusual. Jin replied with a low voice.

"Ssh. Wait just a bit longer."

"O-okay."

"Rather than magicians, aren't Unifilers a group of idioticians?"

"U-uaaaaaaaargh!"

"N. Ow."

At Ann's mark, Jin fired a spell.

"[Stun]."

"Agh!?"

Then Rucall collapsed on the spot.

"Ohh, it should be over now."

Jin took a breath and Reinhardt asked a question.

"Jin, what was that magic just now?"

"Ah, you mean [Stun]? It's a magic that, utilizing lightning magic, gives the other party an electric shock for barely an instant, paralyzing them. It's effective againts human opponents."

Jin explained and Reinhardt admired,

"Hmm, is that also a benefit from 'science'? You make me want to take lessons in science from you more and more, Jin."

"Yeah, when we've got the chance."

Jin had also come to think that way little by little.

"First is this guy."

Using the fainted Rucall's own robe they tied him up. They tied him up and Reinhard asked Jin a question seeming marvelled.

"Hey Jin, earlier when you faced this guy you stirred him up a lot, but was there a reason behind that?"

Jin nodded. He then replied to Reinhardt with a question.

"Did you feel that his response was somehow strange?"

"Hm? Yeah, come to think of it. But isn't that what you'd expect from a religious fanatic?"

Reinhardt replied, but Jin said no.

"Try to remember. Dominique too felt like that when she showed her true colors, right?"

Reinhardt tried recollecting what happened that time. And then he thought that indeed, maybe what they both had in common was their seeming abnormal excitement.

"Well, she did get so upset that I thought it strange."

He replied and Jin said that's exactly what he felt like, and nodded.

"Well, I hear that there's a possibility that that might be because of the influence of [Hypno]."

"What's [Hypno]?"

It could very well be described as a version of hypnotism magic. But where did Jin get that information, Reinhardt was surely thinking. Then he noticed that the Automata was next to Jin and,

"Could it be, you heard it from that Automata?"

He asked. Jin smiled and replied to confirm.

"Yeah. Ann told me that."

Ann began to begin the supplementary explanation, or so they thought, when unexpectedly the one who began to speak was Reiko who had moved next to Ann without anyone noticing.

"The magic known as [Hypno] is something that appears to manipulate targeted people as one pleases, but that is not the case."

"Eh?"

It was a detail both Jin and Reinhardt were hearing for the first time.

"In the case of [Hypno], manipulating everything about the target person is impossible. Then speaking of what it is able to do, it can guide the target's actions. In other words, in Rucall's case he was made to continue investigating the ruins, see."

The two reached comprehension then.

"Ah, so that's why in spite of not having any results, he spent ten years in a place like this."

Usually, one wouldn't be in ancient ruins that seemed to hold nothing to find for ten years. The two felt much better knowing the reason for that.

"In addition, having him report to the Unifilers supporting him, that much it can do."

"I see. So, why did you know he was affected by [Hypno]?"

Reinhardt asked the most pressing question and,

"The person under [Hypno] enters a light state of agitation with things regarding the party who bestowed them with their 'goal' and 'directions'."

She explained. Indeed, Jin said and nodded once.

"Is that so. Certainly at that time Dominique also felt like that."

"Rucall wasn't just in a light state of agitation though."

There was also a reply to Reinhardt's doubts.

"It appeared to be the degree of excitement associated with orders instilled forcibly."

"I see. In that case, doesn't that mean Rucall wasn't originally a Unifiler. But why stir him up so much?"

Reinhardt's question was only natural. Even to Jin, at that time Ann had only told him to

provocate Rucall. And the answer to that question was,

"That is because if the affected person receives a shock when they have reached their highest state of agitation, they wake up from [Hypno]."

And that was Ann's explanation conveyed through Reiko.

"You mean that therefore, there's a possibility that Rucall will wake up from [Hypno] now. Alright, shall we try waiting until he comes to?"