The long-period planet Modenu had collided with the fifth planet, Pengolta, altering its trajectory and causing it to vanish into the depths of space.
But while the threat of the planet's main mass was gone, the fragments created by the impact were now hurtling toward Ars.
The projected date of impact: October 15, 3458.
By October 4, Jin was deep in thought on Hourai Island, racking his brain for a solution.
"Hmm, what should I do..."
"Father, are you all right? You've stayed up all night. In fact, you haven't had any real rest since the night before last, have you?" Reiko asked with a worried expression.
"I'm fine. I used to pull two-night sessions all the time," Jin replied, his expression betraying his exhaustion.
"Jin-nii, please, at least take a short rest."
Elsa, who had also stayed up all night, brought over some strong green tea to ward off sleep.
"Ah, thank you, Elsa."
Finally feeling the weight of his fatigue, Jin leaned back into his chair.
"...Phew."
But his eyes remained fixed on the distance, his mind clearly elsewhere.
"Father, the tea Elsa-sama brewed for you is going to get cold," Reiko prompted.
"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry."
Prompted by Reiko, Jin hurriedly picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"...It's good."
"I thought you might be thirsty. Here, have some of these, too."
She offered a plate of candied sweet potatoes—or "Are," as they were known in the Shouro Empire—to go with the tea.
"Thanks."
Elsa had prepared them knowing that a tired brain needs sugar, and that Jin would likely neglect proper meals when absorbed in his work.
He must have been hungry; once he started, Jin began moving the candied sweet potatoes to his mouth one after another. After two refills of tea, he finally seemed to regain his composure.
"I guess I really was hungry. Thank you, Elsa, Reiko."
After thanking them both, Jin began to sink back into his thoughts.
"Jin-nii, tell me what the problems are."
"Hm?"
"I think it would help to organize your thoughts out loud," Elsa suggested.
Jin nodded. "Maybe you're right. A different approach might be just what I need."
Jin turned to Elsa and began to explain.
"The problem right now is how to handle the fragments classified as Large and Extra-Large."
"Mmh. Large being one to ten kilometers across, and Extra-Large being anything over ten."
"Exactly. And I'm worrying about what to do with them."
Jin took a breath before continuing.
"There are two main ways to handle them: either destroy them or alter their trajectory."
"And there are problems with each?"
"Yes. That's why I'm struggling."
Jin organized his thoughts for a moment before speaking again.
"Eliminating them can be done in two ways: using lasers to turn them into plasma, or teleporting them elsewhere."
"Mmh."
"Then there's changing their orbit. Even a slight adjustment should be enough to avoid a collision."
Elsa nodded.
"And both options have issues?"
"That's right..." Jin's shoulders slumped. "The first issue is teleportation. Because the objects are so massive, they require an astronomical amount of energy. We have twenty-one Large fragments and one Extra-Large. Based on how long it takes to generate mana from free ether, we'd be cutting it extremely close. We might not even make the deadline."
"T-That much energy?"
"Yeah. It might take nearly a day just to store enough energy for a single teleport."
"..."
To teleport an object a kilometer wide required that much power.
"Using lasers, thermal rays, or fire-attribute magic to evaporate them or turn them into plasma presents the same energy bottleneck."
"...I see."
"As for changing their orbits, that's a problem of time."
"Time?"
"Yeah. To move a mass that size, we'd need the Adriana. If it takes a full day per fragment, we'll never finish. Even at half a day per piece... well, we can't exactly afford to fail and find out later. And there are twenty-two of them."
"I see why you're worrying, Jin-nii."
"In short, we have the means, but we don't have the time. That's the situation. For now, the end of the day after tomorrow is the deadline. We'll be taking off with the Adriana and the rest of the fleet the following day. We still have to deal with the Medium and Small fragments, after all."
"It sounds incredibly difficult," Elsa said, falling into thought alongside him.
"..."
"..."
While Jin and Elsa brooded in silence, a report came from Laojun.
"My Lord, Reinhard-san has arrived."
"Hey, Jin, Elsa... wait, what happened to you two!?"
"Eh?"
Both Jin and Elsa had deep circles under their eyes.
"Don't tell me you've been working on countermeasures this entire time?"
Reinhard, who had returned because he was concerned despite having disbanded the previous day, realized once again the gravity of the situation.
"For Jin to be worrying this much, the situation must be even more serious than I thought."
"Well, yeah... but don't tell Berche, okay? I don't want to make her anxious."
"I won't say a word if that's what you want, Jin... but is there anything I can do to help?"
"Actually, yes. Listen to this."
Jin repeated the explanation he had given Elsa.
"Dealing with the Large and Extra-Large fragments, then..."
"Exactly. It's a race against time."
"Why not consult No. 700672?" Reinhard suggested.
The suggestion struck Jin and Elsa like a bolt from the blue.
"Ah, you're right. I hadn't thought of that. Besides, I need to report the current situation to him anyway."
Jin decided to head out immediately.
"Reiko, let's go. Elsa, you stay here and rest. Reinhard, I'm counting on you to look after her."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Reinhard knew that if left to her own devices, Elsa would likely stay awake until Jin returned.
"Safe travels," she said.
"I'm off."
After Jin departed, Reinhard urged Elsa to rest.
"Elsa, you need to sleep now. If you collapse, Jin will only have more to worry about."
"...Yeah, I know. Thank you, Rai-nii."
Yielding to Reinhard's persuasion, Elsa finally went to lie down. She left the command room and headed for her bedroom in the house, with Reinhard accompanying her part of the way to ensure she made it.
Once he confirmed she was safely in bed, Reinhard returned to the command room to wait for Jin's return.