In March of the year 3458, the political landscape of the Lauren Continent remained precarious.
The primary source of this instability was the recent transition of power in the Celuroa Kingdom on February 24, when the throne passed from King Richard Valois de Celuroa to his legitimate son, Cesar Valois de Celuroa.
Ten days had passed since the coronation, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the new king and his cabinet, the public mood was finally beginning to stabilize.
"She’s gone?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How? What were the guards doing?"
"Well... they insist that no one was seen leaving the room. And yet, when morning came, it was empty..."
"Mmm... regardless, continue the search in secret."
"Understood, Sire."
"She" referred to the homunculus who looked exactly like Arshel of the demon race.
Cesar had first taken her under his protection near the Nubari Mine back when he was still the crown prince. She seemed to have no memory, not even knowing her own name, and she had never truly opened her heart to anyone. Now, she had vanished.
King Cesar stared at a scrap of parchment with faltering script: Thank you for everything. I will leave so I am not a burden. Please be a wonderful king.
"To think she vanished without anyone seeing her leave..."
The king let out a soft sigh.
"I see. So this girl is Rouge."
Jin was visiting No. 700672.
"She uses the same design base template as Neige," No. 700672 muttered, staring at the girl with black hair and red eyes standing before him.
It was Jin who had spirited the Arshel-lookalike away from King Cesar’s custody. Using the Shinobi Squad directly under Laojun’s command, he had moved her via transporter.
In fact, it was No. 700672 who had advised Jin to take her in the first place. Jin, troubled by the implications of her existence, had sought the ancient automaton's counsel only the day before.
"A homunculus in that world..." No. 700672 had pondered for a moment before delivering his verdict. "You should bring that person here as quickly as possible."
When Jin asked for his reasoning, No. 700672 had laid it out systematically.
First, it would be extremely dangerous if someone realized her physical construction differed from that of a human. It would be even worse if it were discovered that her model was a member of the demon race; given the current state of international affairs, it was far too early to reveal their existence to the public.
Jin had found himself agreeing with every point. However, the most compelling reason was this:
"An uneducated homunculus is extremely unstable. There is no telling when she might lose control."
No. 700672 had continued, perhaps sensing Jin’s hesitation. "It is vital to hide her where she cannot be found. Do not concern yourself with thoughts of kidnapping; a homunculus is not a human being."
The ancient machine had even offered to take full responsibility for her care.
Accepting the offer, Jin had brought the girl to him. He had named her Rouge because of her red eyes; he had considered naming her for her black hair, but "Noir" was already a name he used elsewhere. Additionally, Rouge (red) served as a poetic contrast to Neige (snow), which meant white.
Strangely enough, Rouge took to No. 700672 almost immediately. Neige, too, seemed to welcome the addition to their home.
"Rouge, I look forward to us being together."
"Yes, Big Sister Neige."
The harmonious way they interacted made it seem as if they had always been sisters.
"It appears this child was cast out into the world almost immediately after her creation," No. 700672 explained while performing an examination. "She has only been programmed with basic information. If we educate her gradually, she will likely prove very helpful."
Seeing how obediently she complied with the examination, Jin began to suspect that the one who created her might have been a servant similar to No. 700672.
"Does that mean there might be someone like you near the Nubari Mine?"
"Indeed. My masters scattered in every direction. It would not be at all strange if a few of them settled on that continent."
Jin conceded the point, figuring they might have survived there in an era when the concentration of free ether was higher.
"But why use Arshel as a model? And if so, where is the real Arshel?"
No. 700672 didn't have a definitive answer.
"I can only surmise that having a physical model makes it easier to design an appearance. As for the girl herself, I know even less."
"I see..."
It seemed it was much like how Jin had used Marcia and Beena as models for Arrow and Lotte. He had hoped this might lead him to the real Arshel, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"On another note, how much do you know of astronomy?"
Jin was momentarily taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, but he quickly adjusted.
"Basically, I understand the concepts of stars, planets, and satellites, as well as rotation and revolution. But I know almost nothing about the celestial bodies of this world."
"I see. Have you noticed a bright star in the night sky lately?"
"Ah, yes. I've seen it a few times."
"Very well. That is a 'long-period planet'."
"A long-period planet?" Jin asked.
"Yes. It orbits along the same ecliptic plane as the other planets in this solar system—the one centered on our sun, Celane. However, it follows a highly elliptical orbit."
Jin thought of long-period comets like Halley’s, but No. 700672 was calling this a planet.
"Its orbital period is approximately 1,204 years."
It was a staggering span of time.
"As far as I am aware, it has approached four times in the past. On each occasion, it remained quite distant from Ars, and nothing happened. However, I believe it will pass significantly closer this time."
"Really?"
"Yes. The distance between Ars and the sun, Celane, is approximately 150 million kilometers. If we define that as one astronomical unit, this planet looks set to pass within about 0.4 astronomical units."
In cosmic terms, that was practically next door.
"I do not know what will happen, nor what preparations we should make. It is frustrating that I can do no more than inform you of the possibility."
"No, knowing is half the battle. Thank you."
Jin was a layman when it came to orbital mechanics. He wouldn't even know where to start calculating celestial paths, so the information from No. 700672 was invaluable.
"I have already launched surveillance satellites into orbit," Jin added. "Their primary purpose is monitoring the surface, but they can look at deep space as well. Let’s begin observing it."
No. 700672 smiled. "Ho? You have already developed such technology? Impressive."
"When exactly will it make its closest approach? And do you know its size or mass?"
"It should be around September or October. Its size and estimated mass are roughly equivalent to those of Ars."
That meant they had a little over half a year. Jin began to think seriously about what could be done in that time.
"Thank you for everything today. I'll be heading back now."
"You are welcome anytime. And do not worry about Rouge; Neige is delighted to have a sister."
"I'm counting on you."
Jin used the Warp Gate to travel to Shinkai. Instead of going back to Hourai Island, he moved to the Warp Gate on Konron 2 and quietly slipped back into his guest room within the Royal Castle in Esaia.