Is that ...... Alexia?

　Alexia came out of a strange building that seemed to have been recently constructed and walked somewhere else without seeming to notice us, looking the same as usual.

　Me and Sakura looked at each other and exchanged glances as we tilted our heads.

　It's not enough to follow Alexia and talk to her now, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't care what she was doing here.

　So, I changed the direction of travel from either side and approached the building where Alexia came out.

'I don't see any ...... signs or anything like that.'
This one's a hell of a mess. There's a pile of crates ...... and I wonder if the contents are scrap metal ......

　Sakura looks curious, looking into the open storage space next to the entrance.

　It doesn't look like it's being used as a residence, though it doesn't appear to be doing any customer business.

　Conveniently, part of the front door was slightly glassed in, so I tried to get a look inside through it, but just before I did, the door was opened from the inside.

'Oops!'
Oh, I'm sorry: ......

　As I stepped aside and dodged the door, the person who was about to come out bowed his head lightly, apologetically, and then rolled his eyes at me.

　It's like we've met somewhere, or maybe not.
　I can't help but feel that this is a young man that I can't say I've never met before.

　But the young man seemed to know me and called out loudly into the building, surprised.

'Oi!　My lord is here!
What, the manager?
Just as well, ask the Lord Commander to join us!

　There seemed to be more men and women in the building than I expected, and they started mouthing off to come in, calling me by various titles as they pleased.

''So, come on in. I thought I'd have to invite White Wolf-san in later, so it's just as well.
'You can't just say that out of the blue: ...... Wait, what's that about in the first place? ......
"Master Luke!

　The young man laughs and pulls my left arm and brings me into the building.

　Sakura, who followed me in a great hurry, passes through the doorway with me - and I immediately take stock of the situation when I see the scene that was spread out there.

　This is a workshop.
　The contents of the wooden boxes piled up all over the room are parts of a contraption, and the device that looks like a rude block of iron is probably a machine tool.

'...... What is this, it was a crafty engineer's workshop?
'Yes, I did. We rented an additional room because our old building was getting too small. Didn't you know that?
I didn't know that. When did you know about this ......

　I can't help but reply with a strange mixture of dumbfounded words.

　Of course, in this case, the dismay was also directed at myself.

　Myself, who didn't know about the opening of the new workshop, despite the fact that I had been taken care of so much by Alexia and the other crafty engineers.

　This young man who acted forcibly on the assumption that I knew what was going on without realizing that our communication was not going well.

　I can only say that they are both nowhere to be found.

''The Chief Engineer was swapped out, but I'm sure he'll be back soon.
'Well, let's ask Alexia herself for the ...... story. You had something to do with me, didn't you?
What business did Lady Alexia have in mind when she went out?

　The young man, a mechanical engineer, answered Sakura's question with a stream of small talk as well.

'I went to pick up my co-researcher. It's another device combined with magic, you know. I heard he's waiting for you at a shop just around the corner, so he should be back really soon.
Okay, so you mean noir.
No, it's different today. It's a man's man...

　Hearing that word uttered casually, I immediately thought of a man.

　But what a thing to say about a rumor.

　Before I could even say it, the front door opened and Alexia entered the workshop.

'I'm back - ......, what's that?　Luke. What's up with you, here? It's rare that Garnett isn't here, but he's with Sakura.
'I just happened to be walking by and got pulled in. I heard you had something to do with me, what's wrong?
Oh. How quick.

　Alexia gave the man and woman of the crafty engineer an accusatory look, then exhaled briefly and turned towards the doorway.

'It can't be helped. It's earlier than planned, but would you like to have Luke-kun talk to me as well? Please, come in.
A little advance notice is fine. I'd rather it be sooner than later.

　The one who appeared in the workshop was a suspicious man who covered his entire body with clothes and cloth.

''I knew it. I knew it was Ambrose (you).
''This is a matter unrelated to the White Wolf Knights' official business. It's my personal business, and it's more akin to the business of the Order of the Suigan.

　Ambrose approached a horizontal box that sat at the back of the workshop and dexterously unwrapped it with his glove-wrapped fingertips, pulling out something wrapped in cloth.

'To put it simply, my friend, the researcher, asked me to do something for him. I want as much test data on the prototype as possible, so I'd like you to test it out and improve it in the field with .......
'Well ...... certainly research (that) is your main business. If you want to talk to me, you can use your skills to .......
No. What I'd like to ask of the Commander-in-Chief is for a trial run. Could you use this for a while?

　Ambrose then spread the contents of the package on the workbench.

　-- it was an 'arm'.

　Of course, it was not a part of a human body.

　It was a doll's arm, composed of inorganic, glamorous artifacts, with a spherical joint structure in the same place as a human.

　The only strange thing about it is that it is clearly the same size as a human being.

'Is that a research prototype?'
'Yeah. I'm sure the Commander and his men have seen something similar many times.
...... agart ram. It looks a lot like the body of an autonomous doll.

　Next to me, Sakura tightened her expression and braced herself.

　Ambrose didn't pay attention to that reaction and began explaining the 'arms' at a very slow pace.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. In the past, it was also used by wizards to modify themselves. However, its use was replaced by the discovery of the medallion,

　I pressed a section of my right arm with my left hand through my sleeve.

　As a trauma, it should have healed long ago, but for some reason I felt a tingle in my arm that shouldn't be there.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get it right. This arm is a part of that ...... research to regain lost limbs.