“So this is Hale, the planet of the ‘Masters’...”
Jin had come to the planet Hale.
Accompanying him were Reiko, Elsa, Sion, Marikka, No. 700672, Neige, Rouge, and Helente.
“It is a lonelier world than I imagined,” Neige said in her characteristically flat voice.
“Indeed. Yet, there is no mistaking that my roots lie here.”
No. 700672 had no actual memories of Hale. He had merely been ‘crafted’ here. His knowledge had been implanted and his ego developed back on Ars. Nevertheless, he had wanted to see Hale for himself.
“...The air certainly has few contaminants. Neither dust nor microbes.”
Elsa murmured this after finishing her analysis. For safety, everyone except Reiko and Helente wore space suits.
“It feels much like the air in a sterile room. The humidity is low, but I believe it is harmless to living organisms.”
As soon as he heard those words, No. 700672 removed his helmet and took a deep breath.
“...Ah, this is it. Though I have no memory of it, my body—my very cells—seem to remember. They know that this is my home world.”
As No. 700672 stood there looking as though he might be moved to tears, Neige and Rouge watched him with slightly worried expressions.
“Marikka, do you feel anything?”
“No, Sion-san.”
“I thought so... It seems we have a much deeper connection to Ars than to Hale, after all.”
Sion gently opened her helmet and sampled the air, but she didn’t feel any particular sense of nostalgia. Jin and Elsa exchanged glances, thinking that was only natural.
The sky of Planet Hale was a deep, piercing blue, likely due to the extreme clarity of the air. However, the breeze was dry and carried a biting cold that seemed to reject life.
“A finished world, then.”
Seeing it with his own eyes, Jin realized the mountains were gentle only because they had been shaved down for resources. It remained a mystery what those materials had been consumed for, given the small population.
“They likely built ‘Heavenly Ships’ to journey to distant worlds,” No. 700672 murmured.
“Yes, I agree with your assessment,” Helente said.
“How can you be so sure?” Jin asked, feeling skeptical.
“It seems information suggesting such things lay dormant within me,” No. 700672 replied.
“Based on the circumstances, there can be no other conclusion. To cross space-time would likely require a staggering amount of resources, starting with free ether.”
Jin imagined that fragments of information remained within Helente as well, having been activated by her return to Hale. As if to confirm this, Helente continued.
“It appears my primordial programming contains instructions for the event of a return to Hale.”
Jin didn't know the intent behind leaving such information, but he was grateful that the mystery hadn’t remained entirely unsolved.
“They required such vast amounts of materials to construct and operate Heavenly Ships capable of traversing space-time. Whether those were ever completed or left unfinished, I cannot say.”
This explained why they had been procuring free ether and other resources from Ars. Since those Heavenly Ships were not here, they had either been completed and departed, or never built at all. There was no way to know now.
“If they had been completed, they should have just stopped the procurement from Ars,” Marikka said.
Helente replied apologetically.
“Marikka-sama, I am truly sorry. However, if I may offer an excuse, we were unable to stop unless we received a cancellation order.”
“And in the end, the creators of the Beherrscher devices were the ones who profited by skimming off the top,” Reiko remarked rather bitingly.
“Ah, come to think of it, the creator of the Beherrscher was not here, but on the satellite.”
“Yes. To be precise, it seems his servant was the one who actually made the Beherrscher,” Jin replied.
No. 700672 spoke with a hint of regret.
“I would have liked to meet them. They were likely one of the oldest homunculi in existence.”
＊ ＊ ＊
The group gazed out at Planet Hale and the satellite Kuna from within Vulcan.
“‘Kuna,’ huh? If I recall correctly, the word means ‘Cradle.’”
No. 700672 explained the meaning of the name.
“So it was quite literally the cradle for the last of the Haleans.”
Jin, too, felt a sense of profound closure.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Now, the next problem is... to be honest, it’s a massive headache...”
With the series of disturbances resolved, Jin found himself worrying about how to explain everything to the outside world.
“Jin-nii, you have No. 700672 and Helente here. Why not ask for their advice?”
Jin nodded at Elsa’s suggestion.
“You’re right. That’s probably for the best.”
Jin then explained his concerns.
“How should I go about explaining Hale? For my part, I think I should unify the will of each nation first.”
Along with this, Jin explained his concepts for the World Conference and the World Security Guard.
“...It sounds tedious. We know Jin’s true strength, but the Lauren Continentals don’t. Can we really all get along?”
Sion murmured with a look of genuine annoyance. Jin could only give a wry smile, fully understanding her sentiment.
“I believe so. One cannot form a true friendship while keeping secrets.”
“Hmm... so, my existence really is an anomaly after all...”
“Jin-dono, she does not mean it in that way. However, it is certainly a difficult problem,” No. 700672 added, causing Jin to feel a bit dejected.
“I believe it is still too early to speak of Hale.”
“I thought as much...”
“More importantly, I believe it is vital to firmly establish this World Conference first.”
“I agree,” No. 700672 added. “Arsians, unlike Haleans, are relatively bellicose. On the other hand, their social connections are strong. First, you must build a solid foundation and base before growing upward.”
“I think I understand, in a way.”
It seemed the next challenge would be the unification of the world's will. Jin intended to leave this to his Deus Ex Machina persona.
“I’ll have to think more about the approach...”
He wanted to stabilize the world so he could live in peace. He wanted to create a world where his friends and their families could live without fear. He wanted to create a society as safe as the Japan he remembered.
Jin was determined. He had come too far to back down now, and he had no intention of quitting halfway.
“If I may offer one piece of advice, I believe the more collaborators you have, the better.”
“Indeed. The original Masters were individualists, but we have seen the limits of that path this time. My new Master, Marikka-sama, cherishes her clan and has many friends. Connections between people are vital. Through them, things that are impossible for one person become possible.”
Helente spoke of the importance of comrades. It seemed that since she had accepted Marikka as her new Master, her mindset had undergone a significant shift.
“No man is an island. I know that, but...” Jin murmured to himself. “It’s quite difficult for me.”
“Then, I will help,” Elsa responded to Jin’s monologue.
“I-I will help too!” Marikka declared.
“I won’t hesitate to cooperate either,” Sion said, puffing out her chest.
“Thank you. It makes me happy to know I’m not alone.”
Jin turned his gaze back toward space. Countless stars were twinkling there.