Chapter 639 – Tears Analysis

“Rather than joining the fortress, the adventurers will primarily focus on intercepting enemies at Termwills, I imagine.”

After Helvorte and Maxwell completed their adventurer registration, I had a brief chat with Auria. With the decisive battle against the Demon approaching, I wanted to hear about the situation regarding the adventurers.

As for the adventurers’ movements on the day of the decisive battle, they’ll be dealing with Monsters that breach the Barrier in the familiar town where they can utilize their knowledge of the terrain. When fighting Monsters while leveraging geographical advantages, that’s truly where adventurers shine.

Of course, Beriondora plans to use the Miasma Orb as bait to lure enemies toward the fortress side, but we also have to consider the possibility of a separate force attacking Termwills. It’s important to maintain substantial combat strength at Termwills as well.

We also anticipate the possibility of Beriondora’s main body heading toward Termwills, but by using the stone monuments after confirming the enemy’s scale and strength, we can quickly move personnel based on the enemy’s actions. Considering our available options, we can respond to situations at both locations regardless of where and in what scale forces are deployed.

“If the enemy disperses their forces, we might even consider a pincer attack between Termwills and the fortress…”

But considering Zaradi’s presence, I doubt they’ll easily fall into such unfavorable situations for them.

“I can’t definitively state how the Demon will act, though we can make predictions. As for the adventurers, partly because the Reward is substantial, their morale is quite high. Seasoned veterans have gathered hoping to strike it rich, so the quality is quite respectable. They’ll likely maneuver shrewdly, as adventurers do.”

“It’s good to hear their morale is high.”

It’s quite reassuring that Auria seems to trust the adventurers’ capabilities. For better or worse, while she’s settled into being the Guild Master and is well-liked, Auria was actually a battle-hardened adventurer herself.

“Well, you see, many of them see a path to victory because of your presence.”

Auria said this with a laugh.

A path to victory, huh. Since they’re expecting that much from me, I’d like to meet their expectations. After all, I do hold the title of adventurer too.

“I heard you’re currently exploring the Deep Floor. How is it going?”

“I’ve acquired the supplies. I intend to strengthen my abilities as much as possible before the decisive battle day… But avoiding injury and maintaining good condition is equally important.”

“I see.”

Especially regarding supplies, thanks to the hordes of Tears and such, we obtained a considerable amount.

At this point, rather than focusing primarily on actual combat in the Labyrinth and breaking through the core, I think it’s time to emphasize battles with a safety margin, training at Claudia’s Castle, and research, development, and Crafting in the workshop.

Well then. After leaving the Adventurer Guild, we headed straight to the workshop. Since we were returning from the Magic Light Water Vein, we’d obtained various food ingredients. I had Sheila deliver those to the house. Dinner will be all about seafood. I’m looking forward to the anglerfish too, but that’s that.

“First—I think establishing communication between the Royal Castle and the fortress bases would be good.”

“If we position Hiders at both locations, we can understand each other’s situations and communicate bidirectionally. Mass production isn’t particularly difficult either, so let’s tackle that early.”

While conversing with Alfred and the others like this, I listed what needed to be done and prioritized them.

“—Next is analyzing the technology used by the Tears.”

This refers to the Magical Power propulsion used by Tears and Paladins. This has relatively high priority.

“If we want to make it useful as a Magic Tool, we’ll need a practice period. Considering the production time too, I think it’s best to finish this early.”

“The Paladins aren’t done yet, but the Disassembly of the Tears is complete. After all, we have many specimens. We’ve identified the undamaged parts for each and assembled them to the point where they could be considered complete units.”

That’s helpful. I nodded at Old Sigmund’s words.

“That’s good to hear. Then, I’d like to start the analysis now.”

The Difficulty and safety would differ compared to analyzing Paladins right away.

“Is there anything we can help with?”

“Hmm. If you notice anything concerning while watching, I think it would be helpful if you could share your thoughts.”

“Right. It’s Moon Folk technology, so I’ll mention anything I figure out at the time.”

I nodded at Claudia’s words.

Since these are Golems utilizing Moon Folk technology, everyone seems interested. Wanting intuitive insights too, they all moved rooms to observe my work.

“The method involves using Circulating Ki to observe the actual flow of Magical Power, then deducing the Spell Formula being used from that. We’ll use Orichalcum to transform Magical Power and have it mediate the process.”

I explained the procedure as we moved. I’d discussed this aspect before with everyone in the workshop as part of Magic Tool creation methods.

We promptly moved to the room where the disassembled Tears were placed, and holding Ouroboros, I began examining the internals.

The Tears’ exterior and Weapons remained as seen from the outside, but the fine parts were separated and spread out, placed in the center of the room. At the edge of the room, Tears with relatively minimal damage were stacked and placed.

Well then… Let’s see how they’re constructed. I examined the disassembled Tears.

First, there’s the exterior and secondary armor… and inside that is the core section.

What appears to be the Magic Stone that stores the Tears’ Magical Power. Mithril Silver wires for transmitting Magical Power. Fine components constituting the joints, arms, and other terminal parts…

Looking at it like this, I realize there are surprisingly many parts that would be relatively easy to identify if you’re involved in Golem Crafting.

I suppose it means that even though Moon Folk technology is employed, they’re still Golems at their core.

I inspected each part one by one, excluding the easily understandable ones.

“Um, this is a sensory component… I think?”

Rosemary said while looking at a part.

“Probably. I’d like to investigate how sensory systems like vision and hearing work if we have time, but…”

Regarding sensory systems, we’ve developed our own adequate versions, so I’ll postpone that for now.

“As for propulsion components… there aren’t any, as expected. The Tears and Paladins should have been able to emit Magical Light from arbitrary locations.”

Claudia remarked.

Indeed, recalling the movements of Tears and Paladins, they deployed Magic Circles externally and spewed Magical Light from them.

“In that case… perhaps the Spell Formula for that is within the control components.”

Ah. Then it’s probably this. The component engraved with the Spell Formula controlling the Tears’ movements. The equivalent of the pumpkin and snowman medals. A crystal-like part resembling pyramids stacked atop each other.

First, I took the power unit, stimulated it with my Magical Power, and had the Orichalcum memorize the characteristics of the Magical Power serving as the driving force.

The plan is to use the Orichalcum to transform the Magical Power I channel to resemble that of the Tears’ power source, and attempt to operate the Tears’ control component.

I retrieved a Tears in good condition from among the wreckage, removed its armor and such, and detached the power and control sections. In their place, I would assume their roles.

In a sense, it’s like magically hacking the Tears.

“Well then, I’ll start channeling Magical Power and the Spell Formula. Since the Tears might initiate attack behaviors, be cautious even while observing.”

“Understood.”

Everyone’s expressions tightened slightly. Right. Just in case, I’ll release Grace’s Seal as well.

Circulating Ki through Ouroboros and Orichalcum. I inspected each Spell Formula engraved within the control component one by one, and used them directly to operate the powerless Tears.

While keeping my hand on the end of the Mithril Silver wires, I precisely replicated the Spell Formula—or rather, the very movement of Magical Power itself. The supposedly broken Tears responded in various ways: levitating, deploying Magical Power swords for close combat, and so on.

Good, good. Both the analysis and the takeover are successful.

When it attempted to launch an attack, I cut the Magical Power, and the levitating Tears quieted down and hung limply. Hmm… This one’s a dud. It seems combat movements and such are also controlled by Spell Formulas…

I continued inspecting them one by one in that manner. While operating the Tears like this, I began to see others that were clearly different in characteristics. The analysis gradually became more efficient… and eventually, I found what seemed to be the target Spell Formula.

“This one, perhaps?”

When I activated that Spell Formula, a Magic Circle deployed behind the Tears, and Magical Power spewed forth. It nearly flew off vigorously. I immediately cut the Magical Power and firmly grasped the bundle of Mithril Silver wires to prevent it from zooming away.

“You found it.”

Ashley smiled at the sight.

“Next… it seems best to infer the basic form based on this Spell Formula and adapt it into a shape that’s easy to handle as a Magic Tool.”

With this… perhaps we can even perform Modifications on the Tears themselves.

It’s unclear how much information we can obtain from the heavily damaged Paladins, but these analysis results should prove useful when undertaking various tasks involving the Paladins.