“— Yeah, this is definitely the door.”
Protected by her two reliable companions, Lily approaches the opening and closing of the cockpit hatch with elegant movements, showing no signs of impatience whatsoever.
Before her is the back of the Ancient Golem, synonymous with the towering wall. Only a dull sheen of steel armor plates spreads seamlessly across its surface. There are no signs of a door, let alone a doorknob.
However, Lily was confident that this place was the right one.
There are three reasons for her conviction. The first is intuition. The second is the slight presence of magical power seeping through. It’s faint, to the point where she wonders if it’s just her imagination.
And the third, most definitive reason, is the powerful magical tool in her hand.
“There’s a response from the ‘Heavenly Jewel’… With this, I should be able to access it.”
The huge diamond sphere she holds in her right hand repeatedly flickers with a pale glow, conveying changes to Lily in a way that couldn’t be more straightforward.
When she obtained this magical tool at that shabby orphanage, she initially thought it was intended for interfacing with the brain of a cyborg. That was likely part of its purpose, but it seemed it wasn’t all it was capable of.
“Isn’t the ‘Heavenly Jewel’ hiding a broader potential, akin to a ‘key’? Lily speculated.
“Grant my wish, ‘Heavenly Jewel’.”
She pours just a little bit of magical power into the gem she holds. As a brilliant white light floats on its surface, a corresponding change occurs in the wall before her—no, it must have indeed reacted.
With a surprisingly light sound, a portion of the metal plate slides open. It is not a door but rather a panel roughly thirty centimeters square. The color is white. While its material resembles holy silver, it seems to be something else entirely. It doesn’t radiate the same cleanliness or magical power.
When Lily holds her non-dominant left hand to it, letters appear in a bluish-white glow. Naturally, these are ancient characters. However, it appears to be a horizontally written phrase rather than a magic circle.
Even for Lily, deciphering ancient characters perfectly is impossible. She is armed only with a few innate readings and a bit of knowledge acquired in classes at the School of the Gods.
Yet somehow, guided by instinct, she can surmise what is written on the panel.
“Access approval, huh?”
The palm of her hand, like autumn leaves even in her girlhood, gently touches the glowing panel.
Immediately, the armor plate before her splits smoothly to the left and right. Although it’s an ancient relic, the sliding door operates with astonishing fluidity and makes a light sound.
The revealed space is a rectangular opening, two and a half meters tall and one meter wide. It is clearly designed to accommodate human size. The small and slender girl Lily advances easily through the doorway.
Inside is a short corridor where white glowing panels serve as lighting, embedded at equal intervals in the ceiling and walls. While it feels somewhat dim, a new door is visible just three meters ahead.
Undoubtedly, beyond that lies the control seat, her destination.
When she confirms this fact by effortlessly opening the second door with a touch operation, what greets her is an array of bluish-white lights similar to those on the authentication panel. The left and right walls are crisscrossed with pipes and tubes that resemble countless serpents slithering about, but the front is dominated by a black surface where ancient characters dance like a monument—’The Beginning of History’ standing in the plaza of Spada.
The ceiling, only as high as the corridor itself, has but one glowing panel, with no other sources of light—no windows to speak of.
In other words, from here, she cannot view what lies outside. There are no images of the massive castle walls of Galahad Fortress that must be looming right before her.
Yet it is clear that this room is the control seat.
“— Hehe, hello.”
Because, sitting in the center of this cramped and cluttered little chamber, there is a lone operator. The air feels almost suffocating, but it was immediately apparent there was someone seated there upon entry.
This individual does not respond to Lily’s cheerful greeting, merely remains still in their chair.
Or rather, is it even a chair? Although it seems like a comfortable leather seat, numerous white belts are attached, binding the person in place. Obviously, all of them are in use, making the operator look like a death row inmate waiting for electrocution.
“I see, it’s more of a direct connection than operation.”
Without being taken aback by the operator’s unusual appearance, Lily calmly collects information from everything she can see, analyzing and hypothesizing to uncover the secrets of the Ancient Golem.
With her brain in her true form, Lily is sharp both as a human and as a mage, but more importantly, she understands the research of the ‘White Relic’ on Pandora Continent better than anyone else, greatly enhancing her ability to discern the controlling methods.
To be more specific, the items the operator is wearing bear an incredible resemblance—no, the very magical tools she had modified, researched, dissected, and perfected herself are present.
“A modified… no, specialized version of the Thought Control Device?”
It is the most powerful restraint binding the operator to their seat.
Once, the Thought Control Device bound Chrono’s mind and body, and now it has become Lily’s experimental tool. It looks like a simple white ring. Although the operator’s face is concealed behind a white mask, one can tell from their familiar black hair and distinctly contoured black bodysuit that they are an experimental subject summoned from another world, specifically from Japan. The white ring on this individual’s head similarly resembles a ring but has thick needles sticking outward at even intervals, giving it an appearance not unlike a crown.
“Hmm, it’s probably impossible to take it back with me.”
Lily had no desire to carry around a severed head, even if it were with spatial magic.
“But I have to confirm what exactly this is.”
Murmuring to herself, Lily lightly draws a light magic circle with the tips of her fingers. When she holds her hand over the circular magic circle floating in the air, an item rolls out.
It is a white ring, very similar to the Thought Control Device. The only design difference is the flowing runes inscribed on the surface of the ring. Indeed, this too is very similar in function.
Yes, this is the prototype of the Thought Domination Device that Lily had researched, Simon had developed, and Regin had manufactured.
“Now, please tell me your secrets—”
And with that, Lily gently placed the Thought Domination Device she held on top of the gleaming Thought Control Device resting on the boy’s head.
—
“— No way!? External interference on Unit 7!?”
This was not so much a monologue as it was a voice utterly filled with astonishment.
Just as they were about to reach the walls of Galahad Fortress, Dorothy saw a singular red indicator light up on her data screen brimming with crisis alerts.
This signified that among the numerous anomalies, this was the most dangerous status. ‘External interference’ means that someone is unlawfully accessing the central system of the Ancient Golem.
“It’s not autonomous, but the only place I can access… Oh, no, I see, they’ve come to directly penetrate the brain!”
The intruder had flown onto the moving Ancient Golem, also known by its official name ‘Taurus’, opened a nearly unsealed hatch, and pierced the head of the pilot number 672 with a telepathy-type magical tool.
Given the situation of having been suddenly exposed to external interference without any forewarning, there could be no other realistic means to accomplish this.
Dorothy was absolutely confident that the ‘White Relic’, led by Judas, has advanced research on ancient relics such as the ‘Magic Operational Computer’. At least, she had received no information indicating that any significant advancements in ancient magic had occurred on the Pandora Continent.
To be honest, she had also underestimated the ‘Demon Race’.
However, in this very moment, her unshakeable belief in absolute advantage shattered to pieces.
“Ah, this is impossible… but there’s no mistaking it, this thing—”
The intruder’s analysis is proceeding at an incredible speed. From the basic operational methods of the humanoid heavy machinery housed within the operator’s brain to the core intelligence of Taurus, the tendrils of telepathy are reaching deep.
It is unclear how they detect such activity, but the Magic Operational Computer accurately relays the movements of the intruder. Yes, it merely conveys information, without a single magical circuit capable of countering automatically incorporated.
In the first place, access to ancient relics like the Magic Operational Computer and Taurus was presumed impossible with the magical technology of the Pandora Continent. There was no point in putting up such protections, nor was there any leeway to do so within the impossibly short timeframe leading up to the completion of Taurus.
In short, the intruder was free to manipulate the operator’s brain and the unit’s core, unhindered by any barriers.
“— They intend to seize control of Taurus!”
To stop this, action must be taken personally.
She had never anticipated that in a battlefield against the demons, she would find herself performing information warfare using the Magic Operational Computer. Even without the demons, she should not be able to interfere with the brain controlled by the Thought Control Device created by the ‘White Relic’. The human brain is inherently that complex and precise, a realm of indecipherability.
Nevertheless, one must acknowledge the truth. This opponent stands on equal footing with them.
“Alright, alright… I’m ugly, have no allure, and my magical power is lacking, but… there’s no way I can lose here!”
She felt unexpectedly intense. The usually calm and logical part of her mind, the self-deprecating and negative voice, whispered at her.
Dorothy had almost entirely lost the spirit of competition or rivalry, and more fundamentally, the emotion of anger. Because she had given up on everything from the very beginning.
Her charm as a woman, her talent for magic. Naturally, it would be impossible for her, with this frail body, to possess any martial prowess.
The only absolute talent she had was in specialized research of ancient magic. Conversely, this means she has never encountered an equal in this area until now.
Even the greatly esteemed professors of ancient magic at Elysion Magical Academy were just at the level of trying to steal her theories. Dorothy, at the age of seventeen, was the one who crafted the core of the magically moving battleship Gargantua, used as the first step in the invasion of Pandora.
Even if her research achievements were taken away, she wouldn’t grow angry. All she felt was despair and emptiness, for she understood that this is the nature of the world—that people deceive and are deceived in turn.
Yet now, living remarkably happier and more fulfilled than the average person is only thanks to Bishop Judas. He is the only one who understands, appreciates, and, most importantly, needs her talents.
She knows she cannot match Bishop Judas as a rival. Even the genius that she is, she has been shown a vast disparity time and again. He is someone she could never hope to compete with in a lifetime. That man is a great predecessor to be respected, revered, and sought after for knowledge.
But now, the individual who has interfered with Unit 7 of Taurus is different.
This person stands out, having exceptional talent that rivals hers, escaping from a sea of countless incompetents who do not grasp the ancient magical rationale. They are not an absolute underdog or overwhelming superior but a capable rival who stands shoulder to shoulder with her.
With this, there is no way she wouldn’t be fired up. Dorothy is driven by the fierce fighting spirit that wells up from the depths of her chest for the first time in her life, charging with all her might to confront the intruder.
“Change the control desk to a five-board configuration, display Unit 7’s information on the main screen, administer stimulants, blood enhancers, and while we’re at it, an acceleration potion to 672—DON’T YOU DIE ON ME, 672! Not until I expel the intruder!”