"My Lord, I have received a report from Jack. It seems Milowina-san mentioned that she would like to visit us."
On the morning of June 26th, Laojun delivered the news.
"Oh, really? In that case, let's start making arrangements. Elsa, I'll need your help too."
"Mm."
"She'll come to Hourai Island first, I assume?"
"That’s the plan."
"Then I shall coordinate the details with Jack."
After Laojun consulted with Jack, the Control Brain of the Uni facility, it was decided that they would go to pick up Milowina on the 27th.
Incidentally, the standard time on Uni had been set to match the capital of the former Leonard Kingdom—a natural decision given its history.
"First, Reiko, Elsa, and I will teleport to Uni," Jin said, outlining the plan.
"Mm."
"We'll give her the Sterilization Barrier we developed, give her a brief explanation, and then bring her back here to Hourai Island."
"Mm."
"I want her to get used to things here first. We can't be sure that nothing unexpected will happen, so I’d like Elsa to be especially attentive."
"Leave it to me."
"And then, well, we'll see how she settles in for a day... and decide where to take her after that."
Jin admitted that he was still undecided on that final point.
"I’m leaning toward Kaina Village, personally."
He also considered the option of taking her straight to the former Leonard Kingdom.
"Do you think she might want to see a different country altogether?"
Milowina was the sole survivor of the Leonard Kingdom, meaning she held the legitimate right of succession. She did, after all, carry the blood of the royal family.
"That's a... difficult problem," Elsa noted.
"But My Lord, does Milowina-san actually desire to rebuild her country?" Laojun asked.
"I don't... think so, but I've never actually asked her."
"In that case, I believe we can rule out the option of introducing her at the World Conference."
"Ah, good point."
Jin intended to reveal the truth about the former Leonard Kingdom eventually, but since it was bound to cause a stir, he decided to skip it for this first visit.
"It would likely be best to ask the lady herself," Laojun suggested.
"I suppose you're right."
However, Jin suspected that since she knew so little about the current state of Ars, she might not be able to give an answer even if he asked.
"Jin-nii, aren't you overthinking this?" Elsa asked.
"You think so?"
"Yes," Reiko added. "Father is being unusually cautious... or rather, he's trying to be exceptionally thorough with his planning."
"..."
"Jin-nii has a soft spot for women like her."
The meeting ultimately highlighted Jin's weakness—or perhaps his particular preference—for motherly figures. After much discussion and debate, it was decided that they would discuss further plans with Milowina herself once she arrived on Hourai Island.
＊ ＊ ＊
Then came June 27th.
"Well then, let's go."
Jin, Reiko, and Elsa stepped into the Warp Gate bound for Uni.
Their destination was the Warp Gate installed within the isolation facility inside the asteroid. As a special measure, the gate had been adjusted for a direct connection, bypassing the Shinkai relay station.
"Welcome, Jin-sama, Elsa-sama, Reiko-sama."
The voice of Jack, Uni's Control Brain, greeted the trio.
First, Jin attached the portable Sterilizer he had brought to the Warp Gate. This ensured that no unknown pathogens could pass through the gate from the outside. While the isolation facility was already kept under constant Sterilization magic, one could never be too careful.
Sensing that the work was finished, Jack spoke again.
"Milowina-sama's preparations are complete."
"Understood. We'll head over now."
"I shall inform her."
Jin and the others made their way slowly toward Milowina's room. The corridors were nearly identical and it would have been easy to get lost, but with Reiko leading the way, there was no cause for concern.
Finally, they reached Milowina's "white room."
"Jin-sama, please enter."
The door opened. It seemed Jack had informed her of their arrival.
"Welcome, Jin-kun."
There stood Milowina. Her complexion had improved significantly, and she was standing firmly on her own feet.
"Hello. It's been a while."
"Thanks to you, I've recovered so much. And now you're taking me to Ars! I've been so looking forward to it."
"Yes. But first, please put this on."
Jin handed her the Sterilization Barrier generator.
"Thank you. I heard from Jack that if I wear this, it will protect me from pathogens?"
"That's right. Something similar is used to keep this entire sector safe, but this is a portable version."
"I see. But I didn't think something like that could be made so small."
Milowina hung the device around her neck.
"To think you could turn it into a pendant like this. You really are amazing, Jin-kun."
"Thank you very much."
"Jin-sama, please look after Milowina-sama."
The golem attending to Milowina spoke to Jin.
"Of course....I suppose I should give you a name as well?"
"Oh, Jin-kun, I've already named him Kai," Milowina interjected.
"Yes, I am Kai."
"I see. Kai, would you like to come along?"
"Is that permitted?"
"You're the one most familiar with taking care of Milowina-san, so I'm sure having you there will be a big help."
"Understood. I shall accompany you."
Kai was slightly more slender and shorter than the Land units, likely designed to match Milowina's physique. It was a sensible design choice; walking assistance is much more comfortable when there isn't a massive height difference between the patient and the helper.
The party, now including Milowina and Kai, walked down the corridor toward the Warp Gate.
"My, so this is a Warp Gate. It's my first time seeing one."
Though she was accustomed to teleportation magic circles, Milowina smiled with delight at the sight of the gate. He had heard she was sixty-one years old, but the joyful expression on her face made her look like a young girl.
"Let's head out, then."
"Jin-sama, I leave Milowina-sama in your care."
"I'm off, Jack!"
With that, the group vanished into the Warp Gate.
A moment later, they emerged from the gate on Hourai Island. Jin took Milowina's hand, guiding her slowly as they exited. For this occasion, the gate had been temporarily installed in the entrance hall so she wouldn't have to navigate the stairs from the underground room.
As they stepped outside, they were met by the sparkling summer sunlight of Hourai Island.
A light-shielding barrier had been erected over the area to block intense ultraviolet rays—a byproduct of their recent spaceship development. It blocked almost all ultraviolet light, half of all visible light, and the majority of infrared. While it made the surroundings appear a bit darker, it was a necessary precaution for Milowina, who likely had little resistance to such direct exposure.
"Oh... what is that scent?"
Since Hourai Island was surrounded by the ocean, the air was thick with the scent of the tide.
"Milowina-san, welcome to Hourai Island."
Jin greeted her with his now-customary welcome.