The two hurried toward the mansion.
Passing the giant gargoyle statue and crossing the garden with a small lake and bare winter branches, they could spot a group of tourists listening to explanations.
They naturally blended into the group, then quietly slipped away to the back while the tourists busily moved to other locations.
"The study would have the highest possibility, right?"
"That's true, but."
However, the study they secretly visited was only spacious and lacked substance.
"This doesn't seem like the study the count uses."
If this were the study the count personally used, there wouldn't be not a single book related to magical engineering, filled only with books that seed bought from so interior design shop. This clearly wasn't the main study.
"Co here!"
Cyrus, who was thinking about searching other places, headed to the balcony at Daria's lowered call.
Beyond the small balcony hidden by curtains, a large forest was visible. In the season when abundant leaves had considerably fallen, the shape of buildings that would normally be hidden by foliage was clearly visible.
"Such a proper building in the middle of the forest. Doesn't it sll suspicious?"
Daria grinned and threw herself down from the balcony first. Cyrus, who closed the window, also ran down the forest path following Daria.
Crossing the forest path with steps faster than words, a building about the size of a mansion annex appeared before them. There were traces that people had been coming and going until recently.
Daria walked straight to the entrance. Cyrus wandered around and found cutting-edge temperature control equipnt that would be installed in Nine Holder's parliant building in the empty stable on the building's east side, then called Daria.
"It definitely seems to be a building Avondale uses."
Daria exclaid in admiration. Though it was cruder than what they saw in the original world, by this world's standards it was at least ten years ahead. Seeing such a thing just placed in a stable, there must be much more inside. Her mouth watered.
"Can we get in?"
"Let's see. It's set up to input a password. If we input it wrong, it won't electrocute us or anything, will it?"
Life was precious, so there was no need to waste it in such a place. If they had known this would happen, they should have brought soone to input the password instead.
"Let's be careful just in case. Rather than that, toward the windows...... the windows are blocked too."
Daria, who swallowed hard, turned her attention to a small abandoned building a little distance from this huge laboratory.
"Let's check that first."
If it's an abandoned building, there wouldn't be any great locking devices.
However, walking along the small path behind the building, Daria felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Why was that? This was the first ti coming to Avondale, the first ti seeing that crumbling building.
Daria, who had been staring at the rusted hinges and a lock that seed to have been forced open once, opened the door without hesitation. Creeeeak. Making an unpleasant sound, a pitch-black space revealed itself.
Daria raised her hand and created about ten spheres emitting white light. When Cyrus, who followed in late, added seven more, the gloomy abandoned building beca as bright as midday.
Half-destroyed machinery filled the building. And in the center of that machinery was the skeletal form of a god made of tal. A god who had lost his weapon.
Standing before it, Daria held the Golden Claw in her hand and lifted it up. Like fitting puzzle pieces, the chanical god and the golden blade overlapped in her vision.
The Golden Claw in the clenched fist as if it had been holding sothing...... no, that's not right. Daria lifted the Golden Claw a little higher. Considering the god's form, the weapon is a scythe.
The scythe of the god of ti.
"This is it."
It fit perfectly. Her mouth opened involuntarily. This is it!
"Hahaha, this was it!"
So that's how it was. Cider Claiborne was the creator of the spaceti machine. He made the Golden Claw, he was the culprit who led Daria to this world.
Should she say thank you?
Daria laughed loudly. The twisted situation had only been unpleasant, but this beca very interesting!
Laughter echoed loudly in the small building. Cyrus looked at such a sibling fearfully, then shifted his gaze. Dark blood was stuck to the magic power input port that seed to have been wiped of yellow dust once. Though old, it seed only a few months at most.
"It looks like soone tried to operate this machine recently."
"They would have failed though. The main component is in my hands."
"But Claiborne is a magical engineer, so why did he try sothing that wouldn't work?"
"......That makes sense."
Daria stared at the complexly connected machinery. Though looking wouldn't make her understand it, upon close inspection, she thought maybe so parts could be operated. Though practically it would have no effect whatsoever.
Anyway, if even a little could operate, it was worth researching.
"I need to take this. If I bring it to Dr. Sullivan, he'll handle it. I'm sick of hearing him whine that there's no progress in spaceti machine research."
"This huge thing......?"
Daria gripped and swung the Golden Claw. It was a movent to open her own 'inventory.' Unlike hunters' inventories with fixed slots, the space opened by the Golden Claw had no restrictions.
When one filled up, she could open another space. And the space she opened now was huge enough to comfortably fit machinery that filled an entire building.
Cyrus and Daria laboriously put the spaceti machine into the inventory. Though they disassembled it part by part because the entrance was small, reassembly wouldn't be difficult.
Once the machine disappeared, the building beca instantly empty. Only parts rolling on the floor remained as traces. Nevertheless, the afterimage of the machine that had filled the space until just monts ago seed visible.
"Spaceti machine......."
Was it too much speculation? The thought that this old machine might be the very machine that first brought her to this world.
However, the déjà vu felt in this place was inexplicable otherwise. There couldn't be two such machines in this world. Daria closed her eyes for a mont.
The miracle that wasn't a miracle that happened the mont she truly thought she should die. The golden light that flashed like 'claws' in the dark forest and from the monster's grasp. The dying man's groans.
Yes, that was here. It was definitely this machine that brought Daria to this world. The Golden Claw that ca into her hands like compensation for hardship was rely a component that fell off this machine.
Did that other 'Cyrus' also co through this machine?
Daria opened her eyes.
That 'Cyrus' who had extraordinary inventions.
Daria, who had been staring at the empty space, looked back at Cyrus. This place seed to have the power to make everything clear.
That person probably didn't use this machine. Probably.......
"If you can cross between worlds, crossing ti wouldn't be impossible either. Right?"
"Are you talking about a ti machine?"
"Ti machine. Right. We can't definitively say that a spaceti machine can't do what a ti machine can do. Though it would be difficult with just this Golden Claw we have."
"That's possible."
Cyrus answered without doubt. Daria twisted up the corner of her mouth. The thrill of the mont when puzzles fit together sent chills down her spine.
Though she didn't like using her head, she could understand why people were passionate about solving riddles. It's because of this very pleasure.
"What's the possibility that the 'Cyrus' that woman t earlier is you from the future? With strange inventions, bigger build, and a 'Cyrus' with exactly the sa na and face as you."
Right, the machine he used isn't this old machine. He returned to the past through the spaceti machine they will make in the future.
"That's possible. But why would I do such a thing?"
"I don't know that either."
What she could guess was that the motive that made Cyrus bother to do such a thing probably wouldn't be beneficial to Daria.
"Anyway, he knows Count Avondale too. That woman is beside the count. It might not be the count but that woman who knows the future you?"
"That ans that woman too?"
That chillingly strong woman. The woman who saw through them as if she had them on the palm of her hand.
Cyrus realized it too. That woman knew him.
"Right. It seems so."
If both ca from the future.
"It makes sense that they were waiting for us at Sterling Harbor. There was no great information network from the beginning."
She had needlessly beaten up only Luke Havenly. Daria giggled. It was utterly delightful.
"This is a developnt I really like? Now we know what they know, what they want, and they don't know that we know that. Until just now it was the complete opposite!"
Goodness. Could there be such wonderful things? Daria laughed for a long ti. She laughed until her voice beca hoarse, then suddenly stopped.
"I can't change the entire plan."
Though not very ticulous, it was a plan with its own system. She couldn't start over from the beginning.
Instead, she could move up the timing. She had to strike them in the back of the head when they were feeling secure. Of course, while changing the parts that could be changed bit by bit.
"There will be a lot to do. But why do I feel so good?"
"It's worth feeling good. How long will it take Dr. Sullivan to restore this? He can do it, right?"
Daria thought for a mont. It would probably be possible. Seeing that future Cyrus and that damn woman returned together. But when would that be?
The monster-like force that skillfully pushed the two of them. Such a thing couldn't be obtained through just one or two years of training. Still, seeing that the woman who recognized Cyrus earlier confused the future him with the present him, it seed ti hadn't passed very long from now.
If that woman ca to this world through this machine and then moved to the past, they would see the completion of the spaceti machine in a short ti.
"Right, since it turned out this way, it's better to proceed quickly. There's the Sterling issue anyway."
What happened in Sterling ultimately grew to a level that couldn't be covered up. Now anyone who could read knew about the existence of monsters and dungeons.
Though it was earlier than the planned timing, it wasn't completely contrary to the plan. They also had the power to realize future plans. If they hurried, they could adequately pull the situation in the desired direction.
Looking at the future 'Cyrus,' their future seed quite successful. Daria pleasantly stared at the back of Cyrus leaving the abandoned building.
'You seem to have betrayed us though.'
Daria, who walked out grinding her teeth, suddenly stopped under the shade of a tree. Ah, she almost forgot.
"I need to eliminate the evidence."
Soon, huge flas engulfed the forest.
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