"That must be it."

The architecture is so different that there is no mistaking it.

The exterior walls seem to be made of metal, which, after more than 1,000 years, has become somewhat dull and lack luster, but does not seem to have corroded.

I wonder what it is made of?"

As the metal had been exposed to wind, rain, and sunlight for more than 1,000 years without corroding, Jin was intrigued by it.

However, even if he tried to examine it, he could not use <> because it was covered by a boundary.

"Father, what should we do?"

"Well, I don't know. ......"

There are several ways to break through the boundary.

There are several ways to break through the warding: by brute force, by stopping the generator, by counteracting it with a counterproductive warding, or by passing through the unbounded area.

The second and fourth are relatively mild.

"Let's use a magic canceller."

Since we don't know where the generator is located, we first check the flow of the magic power that makes the warding.

"Reiko and ...... Elsa, please do the same. I'll check this side."

Yes, Father.

I'm on it.

Jin, Reiko, and Elsa work together to investigate the location of the generator.

However, it seems to have been cleverly concealed, and they were unable to find it.

"......I guess it's impossible to find it from the outside."

After 15 minutes of searching and no luck, Jin asked Reiko and Erza to stop the search.

"The generator must be deep inside the ward. Let's not waste time."

In the town of Battagaluf, they were inside the barrier, so it was easy to stop them.

Jin, what are we going to do then?

"Let's dig a hole."

Ordinary wards and barriers do not extend into the ground.

Therefore, when they invaded the Magi Fortress in the Kingdom of Franz, they had to dig a hole in the ground.

However, just as Reiko was about to take the lead in digging a hole, there was movement inside the ward.

"......Another automata?"

Just like at the time of Battagliaf, an automaton who worked under the manager arrived.

"Welcome, guest. We will partially deactivate the warding, but we would appreciate it if you don't break it.

The automaton, who looked to be a young man in his twenties, said in smooth words.

"...... I wonder if it's Iazai?"

The automaton nodded at Goose's murmur.

"Yes, my name is Basseth IX, and I am the vizier of the Tierra family.

The automaton who introduced himself as Basses IX held up his right palm toward the front.

There should be a boundary though it looks like there is nothing there.

Then, a faint glowing ring appeared at the place where the boundary was supposed to be. It was large enough for one person to easily pass through.

"Please come through here.

So Jin decided to leave Edgar and Aal as the car guard here as well, and the rest of the group went through the ring.

"Hannah, stay close to Reiko," he said.

Jin was the first to go through the warding, thinking of Hannah's safety. Reiko, Hannah, and Erza were next. Saki went through, and Goose played the role of a guard.

"This way, please."

Without saying anything about the car, Edgar and Aalu, Basseth IX led Jin and the others. We are headed for the domed building.

"...... It is a metal similar to stainless steel."

Jin guessed so from the color and texture,

"......<>"

He actually checked the composition.

"......Nickel or ......and iron."

To Jin's surprise, the composition was very close to that of <>, an alloy with very low thermal expansion.

"Certainly, we need to be concerned about distortion when it's this big."

It's not ridiculous to think about distortion due to temperature differences between the sunlit and non-sunlit sides.

The rails of a railroad can bend under the blazing sun in the middle of summer.

While I was thinking about such a thing, I saw Iesa's automaton, Bases IX, opening the door.

Please come in.

It may be a trap, but we have no choice but to go. Jin trusted what he had made ......<>, <>, and <>, and went through the door.

As it turned out, there was no need for alarm. It was quiet inside, and all we could hear was the sound of our own footsteps.

"Not many people here..."

Jin muttered. It was a sentiment that spoke for all of us.

Bases IX walks 3 meters in front of Jin and doesn't look back.

He walks along the gently curved corridor, which seems to follow the perimeter of the dome, and turns left once.

(It seems that the corridor radiates from the center of the dome and is connected by concentric corridors.)

Jin is thinking about this inwardly.

He is deeply moved to think that he is now walking through the Tierra house that he read about in the journal the other day.

He is curious about the doors on the left and right, but he can't open them.

Then, Bases IX, who was leading the way, stopped in front of the room in the center of the dome, just as Jin had imagined.

"This way..."

Without knocking, he opens the door to the room.

"What?"

The room was empty.

"This is the most important room for the members of the <> family."

"......"

Jin and the others looked around the room silently.

My first impression was that it was <>.

It was simple, with no decoration.

Furniture such as desks, chairs, and cabinets were designed with soft curves rather than straight lines.

The color scheme is not flashy, and the gray tones are mostly used, giving the room a subdued appearance.

However, there are many differences.

The floors are made of wood, not fur or carpet, and the furniture is made entirely of wood.

We do not know if the differences are due to the materials available or if they were created over a long period of time.

In the memoirs of ?wi?cie Tsezi, the gentile from the north was called <>.

Since he clearly called himself a descendant of the <>, Jin thought that he must have had a connection with the <> in the past, as we call them today.

Currently, the closest to this area of the Laurentian continent would be the << clans.

Since they belonged to a radical faction, they may have traveled to the outside world in the past.

"...... So, what is the purpose of showing us here?"

Reiko's voice brought Jin back to reality.

"I wanted to pass on a memory."

Bases IX answered in a calm tone of voice.

"Memory?"

"Yes. 93 years and 4 months ago, the last heir of the Tierra family disappeared. At that point, my existence was almost nonexistent."

"......"

Reiko listens with a slightly sad face. Jin wondered if she was remembering the time when her predecessor died, and put his hand on Reiko's head.

"...... father?"

For a moment, she looked >Reiko smiled happily when she realized what his hand meant.

Meanwhile, Bases IX's story continues.

"One of my two remaining missions is to make sure that the Tierra family is not forgotten. I have waited. And today you have come.