After returning to Ars, Jin visited No. 700672, bringing Reiko along with him.
"Welcome, Jin-dono."
No. 700672 greeted Jin with his usual hospitality. Rouge and Neige were working together nearby, attending to No. 700672’s needs with friendly smiles.
"It’s been a while. You seem to be in good spirits."
"Indeed, thanks to the Persica juice. Truly, that fruit is nothing short of a 'miracle fruit.'"
Hearing those words, Jin recalled how Milowina had also regained her strength after eating Persica.
"I have a report for you today."
"Oh? Let us hear it, then."
No. 700672 gestured for Jin to take a seat.
Jin proceeded to report everything he had discovered in detail: the completion of the spaceship Adriana, the investigation of the moon Uni, and the fact that a faction of the Progenitors had visited the facility in the past.
He also explained how the people of the former Leonard Kingdom had fled there out of fear of disease, and how only one descendant now remained.
"Hmm, a fascinating tale."
No. 700672 listened to the very end without interrupting once.
"This is something I have yet to share with Jin-dono, but there were factions among my 'masters.'"
No. 700672’s 'masters'—the Progenitors—hailed from the planet Hale, which was located on the opposite side of the sun Celane from Ars. They had been burdened by the problems of a decadent civilization, waning vitality, and exhausted resources.
To solve these issues, they had constructed 'Heavenly Ships'—spaceships capable of interplanetary travel—and crossed the void to Ars.
"By factions, I mean groups with differing ideologies. Broadly speaking, they were divided between those who wished to slowly meet their end on Hale and those who sought a new world to build a new home."
Jin found that sentiment easy enough to understand.
"Naturally, those who came to Ars were only the 'masters' who sought a new frontier. However, even among them, factions existed."
According to No. 700672, they were perhaps less like formal factions and more like specific small groups. The Progenitors were largely individualists who did not care for large social gatherings.
"Of course, there was not just one Heavenly Ship; there were many."
Each ship carried a different number of passengers, ranging from as few as ten to as many as a thousand.
"To think the moon was originally an asteroid... There was a similar moon at Hale, so I never thought its presence here to be strange."
It appeared the Progenitors had created a similar 'moon' back at Hale as well. Having grown up seeing one, its absence would likely have felt more unnatural to them than its existence.
"In the first place, the Heavenly Ship my 'masters' boarded was one of the later departures. I recall that by the time we reached Ars, the moon was already in its current position."
No. 700672 noted that his masters at the time paid little mind to such secondary matters.
"Their spirit had already withered..."
As he spoke, a pained expression crossed his face. It seemed his masters had not been particularly proactive.
"Though it is all in the past now."
A sense of resignation was visible in No. 700672’s eyes.
"By... by the way."
Attempting to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Jin pivoted to a different topic.
"I heard that some people boarded Heavenly Ships to head back out into space again."
"That is news to me. As I mentioned, my masters were not active, so they possessed almost no such initiative."
"Is that so..."
Jin felt a twinge of disappointment.
"However, I recall the possibility of interstellar travel via artificial hibernation being a point of discussion. It would not be strange if some groups chose that path."
Jin had heard that such measures were being considered for long-term space travel on Earth as well. He found it both surprising and intriguing that science and magi-engineering had reached the same conclusion.
"But you see," No. 700672 continued, his tone remaining somber.
"Among my masters, there was a whispered theory known as the 'End of the Species.' It suggested that a race whose natural lifespan has reached its limit will slowly decline in numbers and head toward extinction."
It was obvious who he was talking about, but as a servant, No. 700672 could not bring himself to explicitly state that he was referring to his own masters.
"I believe the true solution was to mingle their blood with the indigenous people."
Some of the Progenitors had chosen that path, and their lineage lived on in the current demon race.
"The people of that former Leonard Kingdom likely carry the blood of the masters as well, though perhaps from a different branch."
"That makes sense."
Jin nodded. No. 600012, who had lived beneath Mt. Elrad, must have served masters of that nature. Unfortunately, information regarding his masters had been lost when the data was corrupted during the dual Send Info interference with Rokure.
Jin hypothesized that just as skin colors differed by region on Earth, the indigenous people of Ars might have also had different appearances depending on their homeland. Perhaps one day, if he could find information on other Heavenly Ships hidden elsewhere, he would find the answers to these lingering questions.
"Hmm..."
As Jin fell into deep thought, Reiko spoke up.
"Father, perhaps you should save your brooding for later and focus on asking the questions you have now?"
"Ah... right. Thank you, Reiko."
Jin shifted his focus.
"So, are you familiar with the teleportation technology using magic circles that I mentioned?"
Since it was technology found on Uni, it was natural to wonder if No. 700672 knew of it.
"No, I was not aware of it."
"Oh?"
Whether it belonged to a completely different faction or was developed specifically on Uni, No. 700672 claimed he had never even heard of the technology.
"Fascinating. Once you have finished your analysis, Jin-dono, would you be willing to teach me?"
"Yes, of course," Jin promised with a smile. "Also, there was mention of the cryogenic preservation of fertilized eggs."
Jin decided to use this chance to clear up as many doubts as possible.
"Ah, I have heard of a faction that intended to do such things. My masters did not, but it seems they preserved the seeds of plants and the genetic material of animals from Hale."
I suppose there really are people who think that way, Jin thought, feeling strangely satisfied.
"However, the life on this world is resilient. Take the Persica juice I always receive; no such fruit existed on Hale."
"Is that so?"
On Earth, the peach was often depicted as the 'Celestial Peach' in ancient Chinese legends. Persica was strikingly similar—if not identical—to those descriptions. Jin reconsidered the biosphere of Ars. Even the magical beasts here were more powerful than anything found on Earth.
"Is the life force of organisms on this planet particularly strong?"
"Yes, I believe so. Therefore, I believe that interbreeding with the indigenous people was the correct choice."
"...Finally, could you tell me about the physical traits of your masters? What did they look like?"
It had been a difficult topic to broach, so he had never confirmed it until now, but Jin was in the mood to satisfy his curiosity once and for all.
"Well, their skin was fair. Their hair color varied, though bright blonde was the most common. There were those with brown hair as well. As for their eyes, almost everyone had pale colors—light blue, green, or violet."
He added that in the distant past, there were people with black hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, but by the time No. 700672 was created, everyone shared the appearance he had described.
"Your fiancée, Elsa-dono, possesses an appearance that is truly typical of them."
"I see."
Since her Mana Overload Syndrome had been cured, Elsa's mana capacity had grown exponentially, placing her among the world's elite. Jin briefly wondered if this was because the blood of the Progenitors ran thick in her veins, but he quickly reminded himself that Elsa was simply Elsa.
"Thank you for sharing all of this with me. It’s been very enlightening."
Jin felt a great sense of clarity now that many of his questions had been answered.
"Think nothing of it. You are welcome here anytime."
No. 700672 seemed pleased to have someone to discuss such topics with.
"Well then, until next time."
Leaving the 'white room,' Jin used the Warp Gate installed outside to return to Hourai Island.
"The Progenitors, huh..."
As far as Jin was concerned, there was no way he carried that blood. However, the humanity of this world likely carried it to some degree.
"Jin-nii, welcome back."
"I'm home."
Jin stared intently at the face of Elsa, who had come to meet him.
"W-What is it?"
Elsa tilted her head, puzzled by Jin's unusual behavior.
"No, it's nothing. I just thought... Elsa, you're really beautiful."
"...!"
At Jin's unexpected compliment, Elsa’s face turned bright red.
"After all, this planet, Ars... this is where we're going to live."
"W-What’s... happened?"
Though she was still blushing, Elsa noticed that something was different about Jin's demeanor.
"Yeah. I'll tell you everything."
And so, Jin began to explain it all, one piece at a time.
It was a day shortly before the arrival of summer.