Jin’s "Family," gathered in the basement of the laboratory on Hourai Island, was currently summarizing their findings, weaving in a fair amount of speculation.
"First, let's look at the roots of humanity," Jin said, folding down his first finger. "Long ago, primordial humans from another planet—apparently called Hale—arrived on this world, Ars, via a spaceship."
Reinhard nodded, following the logic.
"And it matches up with the old legends, doesn't it?" Vivienne added with a satisfied look. "The 'servants indistinguishable from humans' were actually homunculi. The 'New World' was this planet. The pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place."
Jin and Reinhard both nodded in agreement.
"Their era of renewed prosperity in the New World likely refers to when they merged with the native species and their population began to grow again," Jin speculated.
"Precisely. The primordial humans interbred with the natives, and their offspring became the ancestors of both the demon race and humanity," Toa added, picking up the thread.
Saki voiced the first major point of contention. "That raises a question, though. Where did the distinction between the demon race and humanity come from?"
"Physically, there is essentially no difference between the bodies of the demon race and humans," Elsa stated as a medical fact.
"But according to what I've heard, the demon race lives far longer than humans. Why is that?" Reinhard asked, presenting the problem again.
『I have a hypothesis regarding that point,』 Laojun’s voice chimed in. 『Consider the magic tool known as the mana tank—the ether stocker. It allows for the semi-permanent preservation of magic-related materials. Now, what if you applied that principle to a human instead of an object?』
"I see..."
"So you're saying that by living in areas with a high concentration of free ether, their cellular degradation is suppressed?" Stearena reached the conclusion.
『Exactly. Furthermore, I speculate that over many generations, their bodies acclimated to free ether at a cellular level, which naturally extended their lifespans.』
"So it wasn't all good news," Vivienne remarked with a wry smile. "They ended up being unable to survive anywhere except in lands with high concentrations of free ether."
『Correct. In a sense, it could be called an "ether addiction." For someone in that state, an Ether Stampede would be fatal.』
Ether addiction—a condition where a lack of free ether inside or outside the body results in intense suffering. Judging by the way the demons reacted when hit by the Magi-Jammer, that assessment was undoubtedly correct.
Ultimately, spending dozens or even hundreds of generations in ether-rich environments had created a dependency. It was a double-edged sword that granted great power but also brought with it crippling withdrawal symptoms.
"The second point concerns the feud between the demon race and humanity," Jin said, folding down a second finger. "It appears the conflict was orchestrated. And the ones behind it were the homunculi Servant No. 700672 referred to as 'Failures,' correct?"
"Yes. Information is sparse since No. 700672 was dormant for so long, but that's likely the case," Reinhard agreed.
"Um, regarding these 'Failures'..." Mine spoke up, which was rare for her. "Weren't they discarded thousands of years ago? If so, why did they do nothing until the Great Magic War three hundred years ago?"
Her question was sharp and to the point. The "Failures" must have been discarded while the servants' masters were still alive, which was millennia ago.
『I have a hypothesis for that as well,』 Laojun offered. 『If they are beings capable of logical thought, it stands to reason they would take an ample amount of time to prepare. Furthermore, since they have no concept of a natural lifespan, it is not strange that it took thousands of years for the surviving "Failures" to evolve into what they now call the "Negadolls."』
The group nodded deeply. As beings who required no food other than free ether and possessed nearly eternal life, Laojun’s theory—coming from a similar existence himself—was highly persuasive.
"In short, the Negadolls hate both the demon race and humanity—or rather, the 'Fallner,' the descendants of the masters. They intend to slaughter every last one of them," Jin summarized.
"And their opening move was to incite the demon race into a war with humanity," Reinhard added.
"If that's the case, we could be looking at a massive offensive," Jin warned.
"Yeah. These minor skirmishes won't be enough to achieve total extermination."
Hearing those words, Elsa and the other women shuddered.
"...Will there be a war?"
"A Second Great Magic War?"
"Is more blood going to be spilled...?"
"I don't want to see such a tragedy passed down to future generations."
"It's too sad for human history to end like that."
"Jin-sama... you can do something, can't you?"
Jin nodded firmly.
"That's why I'm gathering all this information—to prevent it."
If it came down to it, Jin had enough military might to wipe out the demon race entirely. But he wanted to find a way to resolve this before it ever reached that point.
"We need more information on the Negadolls. Laojun, the time for leaving this to Capricorn 1 alone is over."
『Understood, My Lord. From this moment on, Hourai Island will begin full-scale operations to prevent the Second Great Magic War.』
"Permission granted. I'm counting on you."
Jin then turned back to his "Family."
"That's the situation. Everyone, I need your help."
As Jin bowed his head, his friends and companions immediately voiced their support.
"Of course, Jin!"
"...I'll do whatever I can."
"I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'm in!"
"Jin, just tell me what you need me to do."
"Jin-kun, you're the only one who can lead this. We—no, all of us—will support you to the end."
"Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll be much use, but if there's anything I can do, just say the word!"
"Jin-sama, please do not try to carry this burden alone."
"That's right. We're all right here with you!"
"...Thank you."
Jin felt a lump in his throat, overwhelmed by the realization that he had such incredible companions—no, such an incredible family.
Meanwhile, the Capricorn 1 had returned to the cave of the Gospel clan.
"I'll go in and check things out," Alectas said, standing up.
"I'll go with you." Anne volunteered to accompany him. Even though the Agujha should have been neutralized, there was always a chance something could go wrong.
"Right. You two go ahead."
With Jin’s Body Double, Reiko, and Istalis seeing them off, Alectas and Anne cautiously entered the cave.
They returned in less than five minutes. The beaming smile on Alectas’s face told the story before he even spoke.
"Jin-dono! My clan is free! It's all thanks to you!"
"I'm glad to hear it."
"The Clan Chief wants to offer his gratitude and a formal apology, and he wants to explain our situation. Will you come inside?"
Jin’s Body Double nodded firmly.
Leaving Land 1 with the vehicle, the group headed toward the Gospel clan's living quarters.
It was the exact moment that Hourai Island began its mobilization in earnest.