-759- [ Ionela Iliad ]

"K-Komurasaki...!?"

"Komurasaki!"

After Komurasaki's cries of surprise and pain, Irori and Yaya simultaneously exclaimed and quickly rushed over.

"What happened?"

Rozen's heart tightened slightly at the sight, and he accelerated his steps, entering the building and catching up with Yaya and the others.

However, when Rozen entered the building and reached a place not far from the entrance, he witnessed the following scene.

"It hurts..."

Komurasaki sat on the floor, holding her head, looking dizzy and disoriented.

"Are you okay? Komurasaki!"

"Did you collide with something?"

Irori and Yaya were on either side of Komurasaki, intending to help her up.

On the opposite side of Komurasaki, there was another person sitting on the ground.

"Ugh... It hurts, and I feel so dizzy..."

The person, also holding their head, spoke with teary eyes.

She wore a white coat, had emerald-green long hair, a petite figure, delicate limbs, and exceptionally fair skin. Her facial features resembled Rozen's, giving off a Northern European vibe, exquisite and beautiful, not inferior to Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki. However, she lacked the dreamy and elusive feeling of the three, but still possessed a breathtaking beauty.

The girl appeared quite young, giving a sense of innocence, and sitting face to face with Komurasaki in this fallen posture, they looked like peers who collided while running too hastily.

No, the evidence suggested that they did collide while running too fast, resulting in this scene, didn't it?

"The evidence is that both of them are holding their heads in pain, clearly indicating a collision."

Seeing this, Rozen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

(I thought it was a dangerous situation...)

After calming down, Rozen approached.

"Are you okay? Are you a fellow student?"

As Komurasaki was being helped up by Irori and Yaya, Rozen spoke to the girl.

However...

"I'm not a student; I'm a professor."

Rubbing her head, the girl expressed her dissatisfaction.

"A professor?"

Rozen was momentarily stunned.

Not only Rozen but also Yaya and the others were surprised.

"You're a professor?"

Yaya exclaimed.

"Lies..."

Irori muttered.

"You look the same age as me!"

Even Komurasaki couldn't help but comment while holding her head.

However, this only made the girl more dissatisfied.

"I know I might be considered young among professors, but I'm already seventeen. I'm not the same age as you, so don't treat me like a child."

The girl, unsteadily standing up, made such a statement.

In this situation, leaving aside the three sisters behind her, Rozen had a flash of inspiration.

"Could you be Professor Ionela Iliad from the Department of Machinart Engineering?"

Rozen uttered a name.

—Ionela Iliad.

She was a highly renowned professor in the Department of Machinart Engineering, not only an authority in Machinart Engineering but also an outstanding emerging puppet craftsman.

Although she is a professor in the Department of Machinart Engineering, this professor excels not only in the hardware of automatons but also possesses an exceptionally high level of expertise in the software aspect.

Hence, she is considered a cutting-edge puppet craftsman. Despite being categorized as a new talent in this field, her skills surpass many seasoned puppet craftsmen, making her a highly promising figure in the Machinart world.

Rozen knew this professor because he had read her research book in the library titled "Magical Circuit Overload: Exploring Magical Circuits from an Equipment Perspective and Their Limits." In this research book, Rozen found not only fascinating content but also a review written by Headmaster Edward Rutherford in the afterword.

The review read:

"If Professor Iliad's research succeeds, the entire world of Machinart civilization will advance by approximately two centuries. Magic will no longer be the exclusive domain of magus; the general public will also benefit greatly."

Such a remarkable evaluation was given by the most powerful magus of the 19th century.

Having read this professor's research book, Rozen gained much inspiration and was astonished for quite some time. Due to this, he developed a strong interest in meeting her in person to seek her guidance.

Given Rozen's thoughts, it is evident that this professor possesses exceptional abilities.

One of the reasons Rozen mentioned her name was:

"When it comes to the genius professors in the academy who are only seventeen years old, there is only one person, Ionela Iliad."

That was the reason Rozen brought up her name.

Yes, this professor is only seventeen years old.

Therefore, she is considered a new talent in puppetry.

"You are Professor Iliad, right?"

Rozen, with rare enthusiasm, looked at the young girl.

This seemed to intrigue Yaya, who was helping Komurasaki. She wanted to say something, but the girl spoke first.

"So, you know me?"

The girl's face, which was previously filled with dissatisfaction, turned to pride.

"Yes, I am Ionela. Just call me Io."

The girl named Io happily admitted.

"Is it really you...?"

Even though he had some speculation, hearing Io confirm it, Rozen couldn't help but be amazed.

Unexpectedly, the genius professor he had always wanted to meet had appeared in this manner.

Moreover, the person didn't give off the intelligent and intellectual vibe Rozen imagined. Instead, she appeared more like a lively girl who expressed all emotions on her face, resembling a student rather than a professor.

"I overslept because I wanted to go to the Automaton Expo. I ran too fast just now and seemed to have accidentally bumped into someone."

Io explained the situation to Rozen without any hint of remorse or awkwardness. While doing so, she also directed her gaze towards Komurasaki.

"I bumped into you, right? Sorry..."

Io said this at first, but for some reason, she suddenly froze. Then, she stared intently at Komurasaki, Yaya, and Irori, as if she had discovered something extremely astonishing – a mix of shock and delight.

This left Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki in a state of mutual bewilderment.

Even Rozen raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful as he observed Io.

In this situation, as if possessed by something, Io excitedly ran over to Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki, circling the three sisters and continuously scrutinizing them. This made the three sisters feel uneasy and unsure about what to do.

"Please... may I ask what you're doing?"

"Is there... something strange?"

"Could it be that you hurt your brain just now?"

Yaya and Irori involuntarily became awkward, and Komurasaki even uttered some impolite words, but Io paid no attention.

Inattentively, Io continued observing the three sisters and, in the end, reached out her hand, caressing them.

"What... what are you doing...!?"

"Wait... hold on...!"

"Where are you touching...!? You can't touch there!"

Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki screamed successively, attempting to break free from Io, but no matter what they did, they couldn't shake her off. Io continued to touch them all over, causing the three sisters to become increasingly frightened.

Does this professor have some strange preferences?

The three sisters couldn't help but feel scared.

At this moment, Io excitedly spoke up.

"You are indeed the highest masterpiece hidden by Master Karyusai — 'Setsugetsuka.'"

Io directly revealed the origin of the three sisters.

"What...!?"

Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki were suddenly stunned.

Even Rozen raised his eyebrows slightly.

"How can you be so sure?"

Rozen raised this question.

As mentioned before, the so-called 'Setsugetsuka,' although the highest masterpiece of Karyusai Shouko, is only very famous in their own country. In other countries, few people are aware of the existence of the 'Setsugetsuka' series of automatons, let alone recognize them at a glance.

Yet Io confidently affirmed this.

"Pretending not to know won't work, you know?"

Io, like Rozen before, stared at the three sisters with shining eyes, speaking with great enthusiasm, making the three sisters shiver.

"I am a devoted fan of Master Karyusai. I've read all the books published by the professor. These child exude the distinctive style of the master's creations. For instance, the extensive use of organic materials, artistic magic circuits within their bodies, and being living automatons, especially the professor's preference for a girl-type. Most importantly, the living material constituting their bodies is entirely made of 'Seiryu.'"

——— 'Seiryu.'

This is a material composed of tiny organic components.

It can replicate, repair, and develop autonomously like cells. It's more like artificial cells. If implanted into a human body, it could easily replace certain parts, creating a body indistinguishable from human flesh.

Karyusai Shouko is the creator of 'Seiryu,' making her the top in the world of humanoid dolls. The technique to produce 'Seiryu' is also a secret passed down within the Karyusai family. Even if similar creations appear in other countries, they are made using different methods.

Rozen has read all of Karyusai Shouko's book collections, including the techniques for creating 'Seiryu.'

Io, having read the professor's published books, even though they wouldn't contain the secret techniques, found descriptions of Karyusai Shouko's creation of 'Seiryu.'

Io, based on this knowledge, identified that the 'Seiryu' in Yaya, Irori, and Komurasaki was of Karyusai's secret design.

Knowing this, it's not surprising that she recognized the three sisters as automatons from the 'Setsugetsuka' series.

"Carrying automatons from the 'Setsugetsuka' series..."

Io turned to Rozen, her eyes shining brightly once again.

"Could it be that you are Rorelai Arnett?"